Syn Has Risen

After a 2 year hiatus Syn City is back again! That’s right, the popular urban combat roleplay sim has returned in 2022! How will this new iteration fare when compared to previous iterations? Time will tell. However; in this present moment there is plenty to discuss.

The first thing we noticed about this new iteration is that it is actually not so new. The nostalgia that hits upon landing feels like we have stepped into a time machine in a world that no longer exists. A world that wasn’t gacha crazy and a world that wasn’t judgmental if your avatar didn’t have the latest mesh part all the cool kids are going gaga over. It was a world where group chats discussed roleplay more than latest fashion releases; a world that focused on combat strategy over ways to get under the rival gang’s skin OOCly. A world that had the drama and issues; but kept to a tolerable level. Also a world that had this large ship in a tiny river that never made sense; but grew on us.

The second thing we wondered about was the combat. A critical component of any combat roleplay sim is the meter. In the last few years roleplay sims with a combat aspect have struggled; especially those that have relied on the DCS meter system that is no more. Combat roleplay sims had 2 options; go with another meter system that lacked features such as experience and levels or take on the task of building a custom combat meter system. We’re happy to say that this iteration of Syn City has it’s own meter system with experience and levels!

The third thing and probably the most important is who is the owner of this iteration? We understand many have invested so much in the previous iteration and would never ever be seen in Syn City again after what happened; to those we want to let you know that the new owner is not part of the old regime; nor are they one of their favored friends. The new owner is a Syn City OG that can be trusted and is working hard in bringing back; not only the best urban combat roleplay sim that existed in Second Life but the best version of it. This is not a continuation but a reboot. It is a clean slate and everyone is welcomed.

The Underground Syn Report wish the new Syn City and it’s new owners the best. There has been attempts made to recapture the best aspects of Syn City but none have found lasting success. It is a very tough path and isn’t as easy as “if we build it they will come”. We believe the new sim owners have made decisions in the right direction such as recreating old Syn and not launching without a meter similar to the old DCS system. Hopefully this will entice some veterans to at least give the new Syn City a try.

If you need a bit more convincing currently there are 1 Linden weekly rentals with 50 prims. At time of writing there are some great plots available. So come take a look, bring an old friend and take a trip down memory lane.

Syn Has Fallen

Word is Syn City has faded from the Second Life grid earlier this year. The once thriving city many called home became a ghost town habituated by a few kindred spirits. The kindred spirits had plenty of time to reflect on choices made and reminisce over a more glorious past.

Many also once visited this blog. For the rare few that happen to stop by… what is your favorite memory of Syn? What era of Syn did you enjoy the most? What gang was your favorite? Who did you love, hate and/or value? What has caused you to leave/lose interest? What could have been done to keep you around? How often do you still think about Syn? Who do you think were the best fighters? roleplayers? What do you think was the turning point that begun the demise of Syn?

Feel free to share your thoughts. I will try to check back often and publish new comments. Let’s see how many; if any; are still lurking.

DCS Gloomy Future

In our last article, Is there hope for Urban Combat Roleplay sims? We discussed the closing of Whiskey City and the issues Urban Combat Roleplay sims face. The formula Syn City originally developed isn’t as viable today as it was years ago. As not only is Syn City performing poorly; but other sims that took a similar path. Things have been pretty bad for these sim owners and just a month after the closing of Whiskey City; it has became much worse. A major component of the formula is on the brink of extinction.

Anyone who is part of the DCS Support group is aware that DCS (Dynamic Combat System) has been down for days. The following notice was sent out on the 4th:

DCS is down!

The DCS is down due some communication issues. Our Code Monkeys are working on it in order to solve whatever is it. They are trying their best to be quick as possible. Our apologies for the inconvenience

Regards
DCS2 Support

Anyone who been using DCS for the past few years is well aware that the DCS infrastructure isn’t hosted on a stable cloud server platform. The DCS site and stats are actually hosted on someone’s home computer. If that someone loses power or their computer crashes everything DCS stops working from the website to meters in world. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as DCS is very low in price and it is more of a hobby than a business to the creators of DCS.

The unstable platform has been problematic for sims that heavily rely on DCS being up for not only for combat and stats reasons; but also to keep their traffic rank high. DCS has given an unfair traffic advantage to sims that used their meter because avatars camp to get experience points which help them level up. While basic roleplay sims have to rely more on actual activity; knowing most will log off when roleplay is over. What happens when DCS is taken out of the equation?

Syn City which usually has about 60k traffic on our last check has about 25k. About a 60% reduction. This has put Syn City below London City; Woodcrest University; Convergence and Liberty City. Ironically the similarily named Sin City and Sex City; a entire sim that shares the same name as the latest addition to the Syn City landing area; both are ranked higher than Syn in Traffic. While other DCS rivals like Paradise City remain below Syn City with about 22k traffic. Toxian; where DCS originated is only at about 10k.

Then came another notice was sent from the DCS Support group:

DCS Support rescue IMPORTANT

THE DEAL
I recieved an insurance payment because my car was totaled. My hone was robbed and ransacked for anything valuable. This includes my co.puters a and parts. I have been staying with friends. We are trying to bring DCS back up asap.BEFORE ITS DELETED DONATE
paypal.me/dcstox

This latest notice has raised our suspicions. Few days prior it was due to “communication issues” and the usual “code monkeys” are working to quickly resolve it. This may have been cover to help alleviate the woes of users as in past instances. Next we are told the owner’s car has been totaled and their house has been robbed; including the computer that been keeping DCS running. All hell is breaking loose and now it is up to you; the DCS user to do your part and donate “BEFORE ITS DELETED”.

Lets go over the possible scenarios. If the home is robbed and everything valuable is stolen; including computers and parts; then that would mean the DCS (and user) data is gone too. Unless there was a backup somewhere that wasn’t stolen. This backup will likely be old. Lets say the owner has a backup; wouldn’t this mean DCS can be saved? One would think; but near the end of the notice and in all caps; the owner threatens DCS will be deleted unless users donate money via Paypal.

In the last few years there has been a couple DCS notices seeking funds; usually involving DCS being down due to a setback. Setbacks do happen; but the frequency is becoming suspicious and each one is becoming more dire. The latest notice has raised the temperature significantly. Totaling cars and unable to secure valuable assets, especially assets that may have been purchased from previous donations displays a total lack of responsibility.

How do sim owners who rely on the combat meter working feel? The outage must be causing major headaches as it hurts them many times more than the average DCS user. Traffic ranks are in free fall while operation costs remain the same. If sim owners still believe in the system then they should donate to help the cause. Though anyone with serious skin in the game shouldn’t donate without raising some serious questions about the platform’s future.

What about those who don’t have serious skin in the game yet? The ones that open DCS combat sims are ones that have been exposed to DCS elsewhere. If the platform is constantly battling turbulence, then why would anyone who is considering opening a new sim bother making a huge investment knowing DCS may not exist in the near future. New growth is vital to survival; without new growth whatever remains will whither away.

If one disregards the reasons behind the latest DCS outage; it shouldn’t come as a surprise DCS is struggling and in dire need of additional funding. The DCS struggle is shared with the sims that use the system. Last month was one less DCS sim when Whiskey City closed. This outage will very likely cause another struggling sim to close. It is as much cause and effect as it is a sign of the times. If the remaining Urban Combat Roleplay sims can’t convert new visitors to committed DCS users than it hurts DCS. If DCS shutters then all the remaining DCS sims will too.

Is there hope for Urban Combat Roleplay sims?

It was a Saturday night; the club was packed with bodies spending time together on the dancefloor moving to the loud live music from the front stage. Another group taking in the scene along with drinks in the back at the bar. Everyone was having a good time. One can say it was just another Saturday night.

However last Saturday night at the Jefferson Club in Whiskey City was literally the last Saturday night for Whiskey City. The overall and usual cheerful mood inside this time contained notes of gratitude and mourning as residents reminisce and thank each other for the moments they have shared. All knowing the end is near because outside the Jefferson Club; high above the sky was a visible asteroid on route to wipe out Whiskey City.

This shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows Carly Brucato; who founded Whiskey City 2 years ago and who was behind over the top roleplay events usually involving natural disasters, comic book storylines and skyscraper size monsters will end her latest endeavor with a big bang.

The deep impact of the asteroid has wiped Whiskey City off the Second Life grid. Closing another era; another chapter written into the book of Urban Combat Roleplay. This chapter the residents of Whiskey City have written together; currently each of them are brainstorming individually where their next chapter shall take place. Carly has offered her recommendations:

If you want my recommendations after WC closes.

Santa Ramona Valley is a good sim. The owners are good people.
I’ve heard good things about Santa Clara.
Morningwood too.

CD has been around forever.

For DCS, Paradise City and Toxia is there still.

just my thoughts…

There was one sim that wasn’t recommended; the 800 pound gorilla in the room known as Syn City. Carly may have more personal reasons not to recommend Syn City but the truth is the former leader in the genre hasn’t been on anyone’s radar in years.

Although Whiskey City has joined Edge City, Badwater and Dark Creed in Urban Combat Roleplay sims that have closed, it’s reasons for closing isn’t because Syn City was superior. Syn was never good enough to be considered a rival and hasn’t found any success; including running basic weekly club events since the great exodus of 2016. To be fair; Syn isn’t alone as a good portion of the issues are ones that other Urban Combat Roleplay sims share too.

If Syn City isn’t the leader; then who is? The answer is the biggest issue facing the Urban Combat Roleplay genre; there is no leader. In our previous article we hoped for a sim that can create the magic of old Syn and become the place we wanted to spend most of our time in Second Life. Such a place doesn’t exist in the Urban Combat Roleplay genre.

Maybe some Whiskey City residents will check out Syn City or one of Carly’s recommendations; majority will be like my former colleagues who went back to what they did before Urban Combat Roleplay. They are in Gor; I would like to pull them out. Can I blame them? We all are creatures of habit and feel at home when in a place we are familiar with.

The previous successful formula that was created when 8th Steet became Syn City is failing today. The modified formula that better balanced and lessen drama that Whiskey City used has also failed. Is there any hope for the Urban Combat Roleplay genre? Maybe it needs an injection of an entirely new formula. Share your thoughts below.

Giving Thanks

Today is a day Americans eat turkey and give thanks to their most cherished. Today I would like to share in also giving thanks. First; I would like to give thanks to the year 2017 has been; we have shifted our focus on other Second Life endeavors that have came together. Second; I would like to give thanks to Syn City management; without your decisions choosing close friends over community that caused large segments of the Syn population to leave; we would unfortunately still be there; unfairly boosting your Second Life search ranking by camping; paying rent; losing in lopsided fights and then wasting time in uninspired caps laced with OOC references done by those going absolutely no where in life. Your decisions have worked out better for you and your friends; it also has opened new doors and opportunities for the rest of us. Third; I would like to give thanks to all the urban roleplay alternatives to Syn City; such as Whiskey City; Paradise City; Crack Den; Asphyxiation Point; City of Lost Angels and Dead End. I do find each alternative lacking when compared to how special Syn City was a few years ago; but each has helped with my Second Life urban roleplay fix. I am hoping another sim can create that magic and become that place I want to spend most of my Second Life on. Syn City withdrawals still hit me regularly; it was my home for many years and the people I met; time I spent won’t be forgotten anytime soon. They can take away my levels; but they can’t take away my friends and the moments I have shared with them. To that; I would like to also give thanks. Lastly; but not least; I would like to give thanks to the fans of the Underground Syn Report. We stopped updating this blog and reading comments cold turkey; but our fans continued to post comments. We apologize for the delay in getting to them; but today; your messages; especially a very wordy one will be shared (see Top Killers April 2016).

Top Killers April 2016

Rank	Name	# of Kills
1.	Moses	31	Top killer attracting a deadly diva.
2.	Damon Black	17
3.	Lamont Enyo	15
4.	Diamond	14
5.	Blair Black	13
6.	Aigie	12
7.	Crisis Bleeds	10
8.	Nauadah	9
9.	JJ	8
10.	Whacked Destiny	8

Note: April was not as bloody compared to March in total kills. However; it was a bloody month for those that ran into that guy; you know what guy; yeah that guy. Moses has taken the top spot with a lead of nearly double of his predecessor. Damon plays Robin again at number 2 for the second consecutive month followed by Lamont to round out the top 3. This is Moses 5th appearance at the top spot making Top Killer history for most appearances at number one. This is also the 5th consecutive month S’aints had one of theirs top the list.

Active Statue Syndrome

The last time the Underground Syn Report covered a syndrome affecting the residents of Syn was over a year ago. Last time we covered the very common Frightened Kitten Syndrome; a serious syndrome affecting many. This time; we have another serious syndrome affecting the more stronger gangs of Syn. This serious syndrome is known as the Active Statue Syndrome. What is the Active Statue Syndrome? Breakdown time.

Active – ready to engage; participate to do things

Statue – a carved still figure of a person or animal usually life size or larger

Syndrome – condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms

Is Active Statue Syndrome simply a combination of these 3 words? No it isn’t because it’s meaning would have nothing to do with Syn and it’s citizens. This syndrome is behavioral of a active statue. What makes a active statue?

First we look into statues. Through out the eras of history; statues have been sculpted to honor Gods; Leaders; Rulers; Inventors; Athletes; Legends and Mythical Creatures. Some of these statues; especially those in wax museums may appear living. Statues do not move; statues are sculpted to be admired by us. Could statues serve any other function?

In 200 BCE; the first emperor of China; Qin Shi Huang had a active army that was small compared to other armies at the time. Qin Shi devised a cunning plan; he would have 700 workers erect over 8,000 statues modeled after his Terracotta soldiers to protect a tomb. Although the statues did absolutely nothing; it gave the impression Qin had a large army of great power. The statues were so effective in intimidating enemies away the tomb was never attacked. The statues confused threats because they could not predict the real numbers Qin had; the enemies did not want to risk finding out how many were actually active. This was the first time in recorded history statues were used for combat purposes.

Some argued the statues were never attacked because the area was an ancient safe zone

Could a ancient technique used thousands of years ago still work in the modern age? The smartest modern strategists will draw inspiration from proven strategies used through out history and reintroduce them to the 21st century with a modern day spin. Could this mean the concept of using life-like statues is not a ancient one? Yes it does and the most successful gangs of Syn today have this ancient technique in their playbook. It is unknown who was the first to employ statues; but it is well known multiple gangs are using statues today.

Today; modern day Syn; about 95% of residents are doing nothing at any given time. Only about 20% will step out sometime during the day to participate in roleplay. The other 80% are camping away from keyboard to earn free experience points doing nothing. They are camping on a text viewer; unable to cam and move or so we are lead to believe. One gang intents another; backup is called and everyone available rushes to the fight. The intenting gang has lost the fight and are confused; the other side had more active than they could find out through metagaming. The intenting gang was duped and underestimated an enemy that has overpowered them; but how?

They have employed statues. They used the same strategy invented by the first emperor of ancient China and improved it for modern day Syn City. Qin Shi idea worked because he gave the enemy the impression he wanted to give them. Stronger gangs are using statues to give the enemy the impression they seek too; it may be a different one; but the use of statues is the same; to fool the enemy.

Newer statues made out of mesh rezzing in parts after relog

The losing gang that has done intent because they believed it was the right time to launch an attack. The bosses were confident with their strength compared to the enemy and gave the order. However; little did they know; the enemy had strength hidden away. They had a few strong members who appeared to be on a text viewer; not moving; not roleplaying but were on viewer waiting patiently for the next fight to occur. The Underground Syn Report classifies such traits of behavior as the Active Statue Syndrome.

Active Statue Syndrome – condition where person appears to be inactive displaying traits of camping away from keyboard on a text viewer to persons not affiliated in their gang but is active and waiting on a real viewer for the next fight.

The Active Statue Syndrome is one of the most troubling syndromes as persons affected by this syndrome won’t be known until the damage has been done. Active Statues will do all or most of the following:

• Active Statues shall not talk to any group chats that may have enemies present.
• Active Statues shall not come out to roleplay.
• Active Statues shall not make any movements.
• Active Statues shall have their camera crosshairs to others disabled.
• Active Statues shall turn off their AO and ensure avatar’s head follows mouse is disabled.
• Active Statues shall detach their AO before relog.
• Active Statues may purposely wear the wrong tag and change it after intent.
• Active Statues shall always surprise your side with their unexpected appearance.

This capped statue had “no perm effects” missing in limits

Active statues won’t be known before a fight; but after a few fights one should be aware of them and adapt accordingly. One should be better prepared for the next time if statues are costing fights and assume the Active Statues are always active. The best counter is to employ statues of your own while using every tool available at your disposal; such as hiring a strong merc for additional assurance and enemy confusion. Qin Shi imposed the impression he wished on his enemy before a battle would occur; the brightest minds of modern Syn are accomplishing the same with a modern day twist.

Top Killers March 2016

Rank	Name	# of Kills
1.	Blair Black	44	Move over Mr and Mrs Smith; Mr and Mrs Black are the deadliest duo.
2.	Damon Black	38
3.	Moses	35
4.	Lynsey Suicide	35
5.	Lamont Enyo	32
6.	Mikey	32
7.	Sav MacKennagth	30
8.	Sariel MacKennagth	29
9.	Diamond	27
10.	Black Venom	22

Note: March was a very bloody month; the Top 10 Killers alone are responsible for over 300 kills. VIP Lamont record breaking consecutive Top Killer run has come to an end at 3. Lynsey; Moses; Damon the Blair have topped Lamont in total kills for March. Although Lamont’s record breaking run may be over the S’aints are not done setting new records with 8 members making the list. Setting a record for most gang members to appear in a Top Killers list for a single month. Blair came in like a wrecking ball to take the top spot for the very first time. This is the 4th consecutive month S’aints had one of theirs top the list.

#OhShitSynCity Godzilla Disaster Events (4/9/2016)

Fyng watching the Mount Fyng volcano

A few days of roleplay lead to a conclusion ending in a Godzilla skinned Mach2 event; followed by another combat event involving skirmishes of small teams in DC park. As with any other list we have published this year; the VIP and Best Male Fighter Lamont Enyo tops the list. His counterpart; the Best Female Fighter Miss Sammy has finally showed up in 2016 taking the big kill on Machzilla and coming in 4th overall. She was topped by the biggest surprise Annabelle and the ever improving Damon who rounded out the Top 3 with Lamont. The full Top 10 is below.

Godzilla Disaster Events Top 10

Rank	Name	Kills/Deaths	Affiliation
1.	Lamont Enyo	7-1	S’aints
2.	Annabelle Artful	6-4	None
3.	Damon Black	5-3	S’aints
4.	Miss Sammy	4-1	Sinners
5./6./7.	Dina Ormidale	4-2	None
5./6./7.	Athena Moonblade	4-2	Vipers
5./6./7.	Jett Enyo	4-2	Sinners
8.	Lynsey Suicide	4-5	Vipers
9.	Tyr	3-2	None
10.	Whacked Destiny	3-3	None

100th

This here is the 100th article to be published on the Underground Syn Report. The success of this blog is very near and dear to us; we have put in the effort and made the decisions to get us here. We are proud of our work and thankful to everyone who follows along on the passionate reports about our favorite combat sim.

100 articles later we look back at some of the most popular segments and share the story behind them. The Underground Syn Report may have formed with a common purpose; along this journey the path we have taken differed. We are thankful to the current and past Underground Syn Report members who have contributed to this blog; you know who you are.

Word is

Word is was our news series. It was modeled after Gazette’s Rumor has it. The stories were rumors and jokes designed to poke fun and entertain; they often went OOC and they were not intended to be factual. Word is gave our readers content to read while the Underground ironed out the ultimate algorithm. The Underground was to be a combat focused OOC blog, not a definite IC news source similar to the Syn City Gazette. Word is would eventually die; but the writer left during our height and it is a segment we would like to continually run after the ultimate algorithm was ready. We are keeping our fingers crossed; the Word is writer is considering making a return to the Underground.

Fantasy Syn

The Syn version of Fantasy Football was introduced to push combat and respect between members of opposing gangs. Our hopes were a group in each gang would play Fantasy Syn. Like Fantasy Football; in Fantasy Syn one would pick members to form their team. The teams would be made up of a variety of members of different gangs. Each week your team would play against another team in your league; the Underground would publish scores based on kills and deaths those members have earned in real Syn combat. In turn; you have skin in every gang fight that happens in Syn.

Top Killers

Our oldest running segment. Each month we tally up the kills and the deaths; we rank them to find the Top 10 Killers and publish their names, kill count and gang affiliation on this blog. We chose not to publish deaths publicly because of Kill/Death ratio concerns. Our belief is a top killer will take every opportunity to kill and join every backup call possible. The more killers out there the better it is for Syn activity and roleplay. The greatest fighters that come to mind have taken the top spot of the list.

Growth Ranks

Growth Ranks was another monthly segment we used to run with Top Killers. Growth Ranks were there to help motivate weaker gangs to recruit and grow. Their efforts would be acknowledged and ranked each month. At the time we were very confident with the Ultimate Algorithm. Growth percent was based on the difference between a gang’s ultimate rating compared to the previous month. It appeared to be in line with sim observations until the Vipers recruited many noobs sending their ultimate rating soaring to obscene heights. Growth Rank was silently killed because the Ultimate Algorithm was not able to properly handle the many new recruits the strongest gang obtained that month. We have made many tweaks since; this segment may return in the near future.

Syn City Census

A annual series we put a lot of hard work and pride into. We take all citizens of Syn and rank them based on levels and then experience for the strongest. Then we compile two lists; the Top 10 strongest newcomers and the Top 50 strongest overall. For 2014 we went through all profiles and compiled a census list of limits; that was too much work to repeat in 2015. 2015 was the first year we tracked kills for an entire year and we did a Top Killers of 2015 special. We originally planned on publishing Ultimate Algorithm charts as part of the Census. We changed our minds; it will come in a brand new series to be announced soon.

The Future

These are the backstories to our most popular segments from the last 100 articles. In the next 100; we plan on focusing more on kills; combat and balance. We have strayed away from our original mission; the Underground Syn Report is back on track. Stay tuned; our best and originally intended work is yet to come.