Layers Code
Samsyn did a good job of explaining how layers work in There in this forum post.   We are introducing Layers to There so that we can create multiple instances of a zone for an event, then collapse the layers when the need for space is no longer necessary.  This will mean that instead of creating 10 CMG towers (for example) all over the world, we can create 9 extra copies of a single location for events.

Layers or Sharding has been tested on vMTV for quite a while.  We have worked the bugs out, and have merged the code into the There code branch.  As Michael explains here, this brings the core of the code behind the 2 worlds closer and more easily maintainable.  While the layers code has been tested and refined on vMTV, it is a big change for There, and we are sure that there will be fixes that need to be made in order to improve its performance.  We will not be layering any zones until we are convinced that the code and cluster are stable.  We appreciate your patience while we work to quickly respond to any issues that arise from this release.

Workshop Zones
Our release of Workshop Zones, while popular, did not turn out exactly the way we planned.  In order to discourage members from abusing Workshop Zones we have created 2 types of WSZ to meet the needs of our developing community, and the rest of our community, the Basic Workshop Zone and Premium Workshop Zone.

How they work:
Both Basic and Premium Workshop Zones:
- The yellow construction tape is permanent and visible to NON owners.
- Owners have the option to toggle the yellow tape but it will only affect what the owner sees.
- When the owner tries to hide the boundaries, there is a system message warning him/her that others will STILL see the yellow tape.
- Workshop zones only come with one day of time, and this is reflected in the purchase price.

Basic Workshop Zone:
- Keep current pricing model.
- Zones go back into your inventory when you log off or travel too far away (to the next sector).

Premium Workshop Zone:
- Same price as the current PaZ pricing model.
- Does not go back into inventory when you log out or teleport away.
 
Customizable Developer Vehicles (The New SUV)
Developer cars are coming to There! With this release we are introducing vehicles with swappable parts. Now that this has been released, TheChaz will be able to launch the developer beta to test the developer and submission tools for the customizable parts.  Look for an announcement from TheChaz in the coming days.

With multiple parts you can swap out your car parts as the mood takes you; just like changing the look of your Avatar.  We are very exited about this functionality and are sure our Developer Community will create some great customizable parts (wheels, hoods, paint jobs and vinyls). 

Today we are releasing the SUV, the first of the customizable vehicles. There are no 'parts' in the catalog.  The parts will all be developer items, available once the developer beta is complete.  The instructions on how to customize your vehicle are here.  

Event Management
The Event Management system is still work in progress and we continue to make updates and improvements.

1) Today we are launching a new event scheduling page. It has not yet been linked to any of the menus yet, so you will need to go to it directly via the URL. We are working on a deploy plan for this page.
- Use this URL to navigate to the Event Management page -> "http://webapps.prod.there.com/eventmgmt/addgetparms"
- This is a one step Event Scheduling tool where you can fill in as much or as little information, and it will return a list of available funzones.  The only required field is the event date, all other fields are optional.

2) The following enhancements have been implemented as well:
- Selecting a funzone via the Schedule an Event flow should now return a list of funzones that are available for hosting. The cause of the 'no events available' bug has been addressed.
- In the Activities Browse page, conversations show under a separate tab. Conversations are not recorded/stored the same way as 'regular' events and will not show in any other tabs, not even on All.

How it works:

• When you drop an Activity flag, it should display on the Conversations page.
• When you list an event, it displays in the All tab and the correct sub-category.

TipJar
The TipJars are now ready for prime time! As an event host or a zone owner, you can drop one of these in the zone and attendees, club members and other zone visitors can make donations to you.

How to use:
Buy a TipJar - http://webapps.prod.there.com/catalog/product?category=1000000628
Drop it in your zone using This Place -> Gear -> Donation Tools
Anyone can click on the action tag to Tip or Tip Anonymously
Visitors will see the 'Show History' and 'Empty' options, but only the owner of the TipJar will be authorized to access those options.

Auctions Search/My Auctions
As part of our ongoing work to improve webapps performance, we have improved the performance of Auctions related webapps.  Today's release is no change in user functionality, but search results return FASTER than ever before!

1) Browse Auctions:  http://webapps.prod.there.com/items/home
Select from each category (Women's, Men's, Playthings....)
2) Search Auctions:  http://webapps.prod.there.com/items/home
Members Could either enter the Auction ID# or the Product name to narrow the search
3) Advanced Search:  http://webapps.prod.there.com/items/search_adv.xml
This page helps users to Widen the search by entering seller's name, bidder's name, product names, price range, category...

When you bid on something, the bid will show up in 'MyItems'. Previous bids will be displayed in MyItems for 90 days after that auction has closed.

Places Search
We have added more islands to the Places Search page. We have also added the ability to search for Zones, Hoods and Lots by region. Lots take on the region information of the Hood they are dropped in, so a Lot or Hood in Candy Cane Lane or West Kansas will show up when you click on that Region on the zones/browse page:  http://webapps.prod.there.com/zones/browse

Buggy Antenna Ball
With the initial introduction of the customizable vehicles code we broke the antenna ball for some members. 


Reciprocal Add Buddy
We decided that our Add Buddy functionality wasn't quite user friendly.  We have added the functionality that when you request to add a buddy, if they agree, they are given the opportunity to add you to their buddy list at the same time.
Known Issue: The message on the reciprocal add is not formatted correctly therefore it starts with 'NO DATA'. We will resolve this.

CosmoGirl! Village
Our partnership with CosmoGirl! magazine is off to a running start.  We look forward to meeting all of our new members and showing them what There is all about!

This release brought to you by:
Layers - Samsyn; There_Hardware
Workshop Zones - PixelVixen
Customizable Vehicles - TheChaz; Samsyn
Event Management - MyIMV
TipJar - NullPointer
Auctions - MyIMV
Places Search - EngeeDave
Buggy Antenna Ball - Samsyn (but he broke it first)
CosmoGirl! Village - Dihtri; TheChaz; xbudex; DangerKitty; PixelVixen; Vash_Community
Test Instructions, Release Notes, and Silly messages during Betas - Light67; Mommm; Kirzten
Smells, Floods, and things that go bump in the night - Skippy
Keeping There Running Every Day - The folks at Makena!