News and Commentary:Tropical Paradise Closes, IW/SL Connection Center Owner Involved

By Bixyl Shuftan

Earlier this month, the Tropical Paradise virtual world closed down. "Hypergrid Business," a newsletter that covers Opensim worlds, quoted staff member Thishan Dezno as saying the place was "shut down with no warning to either its residents or its staff ... everything - including the grid, the website, Facebook (page) and Twitter (account) - were taken down without any prior notice or warning to anyone" Hypergrid reported many residents and some staffers had both cash and content on the grid.

Normally the fading away of a small virtual world would have nothing to do with Second Life. But curiously enough a name familiar to some who travel back and forth between it and InWorldz is involved: Amore Crux (amore.xofan).

To those who don't know, Amore was the founder of the InWorldz/Second Life Connection Center . On December 7, Amore suddenly announced without warning that the center was closing. Nydia Tungsten, involved with the group stated, "I was blindsided by the closing of their welcome centers then found out it was a decision Amore had made on his own because of.... 'differences'... he had with the founders, his decision affected ALL their members and left them out of the loop as to why and what would happen ..."

Then Amore just as quickly partially reversed himself, saying the group would be open, but on a smaller scale. Behind the scenes, he was making accusations. He told the group, created to help people make the transition from Second Life to InWorldz, not to assist anyone outside it. When I ran into and questioned him in InWorldz, he told the following:

"im expanding the center to include another grid and we'll from now on be totally grid neutral ... its the Tropical Paradise its a new grid started in maj this year ... im as of now Project Director for that grid ... and it means i need step back to be neutral in here ... ill be making a gate to that grid in SL as well its about 500 active members and many of the big creators/merchants you know from in here is in there already ..."

A little later in the conversation, "we have a direct communication me and the founders and they will also be free to use my system thats bullet proof and it works for any grid owners since its not based on a technical system that can be scamed like it seems to have happen in here ... but its a later matter to solve we also looking in to other services and the main task now is to get the welcome area to work as our connection centers" "So your system is 'scam proof?'" I asked, "That's quite a claim." "yes it is since its all on record and its based on old fashion cash for cash"

Of his shutting down the IW/SL Connection Center group, "this was really meant that i would need to run my self as you know i just wanted to build and normal ppl does but it kinda has been the demand from the members that has forced me to make it to what it is today" "So the group's now run essentially all by you now?" I asked. He went on, "and as i said im now turning it in the direction it was meant from start a members helping members group only and hopefully with not much need of me personally so me to can do whats fun :) "

Amore then began taking greater control of what could be spoken in the group's chat, stating in a group announcement:

But i've now added a extra member title level in the group which means no one directly gets the chat access by just join the group it gonna take a request to get that access and of course misbehavior leads to lose that right as well. Most of you already got the right set already i know i've missed some few but im working on that so just let me know if you not got the right to chat yet and i'll fix it asap! Until i've find a person that is fully trusteed that i can delegate to handle the request to be upgraded to chat access you send to ME directly!

Soon after two people told me they were muted.

As time went on, less attention was paid to Amore. Following the Grid's closing however, attention was back on him. In the Hypergrid article's comment second, one person commented, "Oh, and was this the one that 'Amore ' guy went to after forming that sl/iwz connection group thing, then leaving that and dissing them, then disappearing?" I called Amore and asked him about the matter. He told me that he'd gotten out of Paradise Grid in March, "all you need to say is all our group members was warned about join that grid a long long time ago so its not directly any news thinks"

The IW/SL notice history only went back thirty days, and was blank. Amore passed me a notecard which He told me was of the announcement. He claimed changes in the Grid began to put his group's money at risk, "the SCARY PART! ... You're NOT allowed by your OWN hand to quit the grid (terminate your account)!!! You're obligated to inform them you are, either directly or by their support page! (read their TOS) " The statement warned not to get in Tropical Paradise, and if you had invested money, consider it lost, "it proves that anyone can be fooled to trust wrong ppl"

Once again, Amore found himself in a controversy, although a smaller one this time. Still, his behavior with his suddenly closing, then just as quickly reopening the IW/SL Connection Center over differences with the InWorldz founders without consulting even his business partner then shutting her out, and now his involvement in a virtual world that suddenly closed and took all money invested with it, one can be pardoned for asking ...

Just what has Amore been up to?

Bixyl Shuftan