Activeworlds Forums

Activeworlds Forums - Blogs http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php This is a discussion forum powered by vBulletin. To find out about vBulletin, go to http://www.vbulletin.com/ . en Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:07:31 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.activeworlds.com/images/misc/rss.jpg Activeworlds Forums - Blogs http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php The 3D Internet http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=750 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:20:23 GMT Home of the 3D Internet, Virtual Worlds and Community Chat

"3D Internet". I've been thinking about this term a lot lately. We seem to have forgotten about it, so I'd like to explore what it means, in terms of AW past and present and web interaction in general. Active Worlds claims to be the home of the "3D Internet", but what does this term really mean?

In some quick exploration of historic Alphaworld, you can see what this term meant in the mid- to late-90s. People and companies built their homes and shops in the metaverse, creating 3D "websites". They could showcase their interests or products, chat with friends or potential customers from around the world, and interact with their environment like never before. Without having actually been there, I can only imagine what the "3D Internet" must have meant to those exploring the cutting-edge of chat and interactivity, in the years following what could still be considered the infancy of the web.

We don't see the shops and close-knit personal homes of the Internet in AW these days. We seem to focus on cities, RPGs, and other various games and events. Every non-gaming public world has to be a "build world". Everyone wants the biggest object path with which to build skyscrapers, houses, and industrial complexes. Everyone has a city in AW, and we've all played at least one of the many RPGs, past and present, in AW. This is fine for showing off what the software can do. Everyone these days wants to see the most powerful 3D graphics and game engines, so we push the limits of our RenderWare and build highly advanced SDK applications to serve interactive games.

But it feels like we've lost something. Everyone goes off to Alphaworld, AWTeen, or elsewhere to build by themselves or with a small group. We build for the sake of building. After all, with the small userbase and the odds of someone stumbling across our builds, it's hard to build for any other reason. What could we be building? What could we be missing?

The 3D Internet.

Imagine this scenario. AW has a world where people build houses to introduce themselves; show off picture galleries from their vacations or family photo albums; and kick back, relax, and chat with friends. Companies set up e-commerce shops to advertise themselves, display and sell products and services, and chat with potential customers. It starts out small of course, because we the community are just getting things together and getting the word out. Then the news starts rolling and AW is advertised as the revolutionary new "3D Internet". Everyone can ditch their boring 2D website and build an interactive 3D home. A couple big companies set up shop in AW. They might even hire AW community members to make models or textures or build an in-world store for them. They would probably advertise their new online 3D store and bring their customers in to see it. People like shopping from home, right? Why not go to the actual store -- shelves, boxes, customer service reps, and all -- from home?

And what if we had a 3D social networking world? Instead of a profile page, we could have a house with all our information and pictures. We could even have a bot-run guestbook sitting on the kitchen table.

This is thinking outside the box, but it's not reinventing the wheel. The idea has been there since 1990s Alphaworld. This is just finding the future of the web in the past of AW. It's been done before, but it could seriously revolutionize the Internet. Of course, these are just my thoughts, and I'd love to hear your thoughts as well. Can AW revolutionize the web? Should we try to build a "3D Internet"? What could this do for AW? Would it do anything? ]]> PehJota http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=750 Gone As Far As I Can Go.. sort of. http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=749 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:27:53 GMT

Seven. Seems like a number you see often now, doesn't it?

There have been seven generations of Tower of Terror in AW. Granted, something I wanted to do when I returned to AW was make one more, since the last one didn't do so well. About two days into construction, something hit me: I wasn't spending nearly enough time on it. Not because I was busy, but because I was bored.

Creating a Tower of Terror doesn't hold my attention like it used to. With that in mind, I will stick to my word, and announce that the last Tower of Terror in AWShow_B will be the final in the series. No more will be created.

On that note, however, I'd like to introduce you to something I've been planning for a long time now. Recently with the Tower of Terror rides, I had been trying to go away from the standard Disney experience, and it has been leading up to what I'm going to tell you about today.

This new experience is titled Journey to the Fifth Dimension. It has been in planning for the last two years, and is completely separate from the Tower of Terror series of rides. This means it is an entirely new experience never before seen. J5D was originally planned to be exclusive to a different virtual reality environment, but because of uncontrollable delays with the other environment, I decided to go for a prototype here in Activeworlds to better perfect it when it hits mainstream in the other environment. And no, it's not Second Life.

Journey to the Fifth Dimension is currently in development and will open in 2010. For additional information, check the official website at http://journey.gameshowkid.com/aw

]]> GSK http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=749 Silly Bot Chat #1 http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=747 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:23:57 GMT 01:37:01 VRT: - message received: Dr. Agon: After an indepth analysis of Officer Willy's socialogical problems I've developed a hypothesis that to defeat him one must engage him in a debat, and win
01:37:09 VRT: - message received: Dr. Agon: debate rather
01:37:38 VRT: - message received: Legion: Well, sure, Officer Willy is anti-social, but okay what's your solution?
01:37:54 VRT: - message received: Legion: I mean strategyt
01:37:57 VRT: - message received: Legion: strategy
Officer Willy: I'm open for a debate. :D
01:38:44 VRT: - message received: Legion: o-o
01:38:48 VRT: - message received: [Dr. Botgon]: A challenger has entered
01:39:09 VRT: - message received: s e V e n s: O_O
01:39:19 VRT: - message received: [Dr. Botgon]: Dun Dun Dun
Officer Willy: Let's debate, shall we?
01:39:47 VRT: - message received: Legion: O_O
01:39:58 VRT: - message received: [Dr. Botgon]: Choose a topic
01:40:10 VRT: - message received: Dr. Agon: My bot is programmed with real life adaptability
01:40:19 VRT: - message received: Dr. Agon: A true AI
Officer Willy: The topic shall be: POLITICS
Officer Willy: narrowing down.... please wait
01:41:22 VRT: - message received: [Dr. Botgon]: Hah
01:41:27 VRT: - message received: [Dr. Botgon]: You need to narrow.
01:41:29 VRT: - message received: [Dr. Botgon]: PITIFUL
Officer Willy: The topic shall be: MERITS OF CONSERVATISM VS. LIBERALISM
Officer Willy: Narrowing down.... please wait.
Officer Willy: The topic shall be: GEORGE W. BUSH VS. BARACK OBAMA
Officer Willy: Debate engine intitializing.... please wait
01:43:34 VRT: - message received: [Dr. Botgon]: Incorrect topic choice, the topic has to be a positive/negative topic
01:43:58 VRT: - message received: SW Comit: will you guys plz take dr botgon off global chat :P
Officer Willy: Aborted. Returning to Debate Selection Process.
01:44:25 VRT: - message received: [Dr. Botgon]: Correct choice of topic would be Will the Barack Obama administration be more effective than the George W. Bush Administration.
01:44:28 VRT: - message received: [Dr. Botgon]: Sorry SW comit
01:44:52 VRT: - message received: [Dr. Botgon]: We're in different areas so get Officer Willy where I am.
01:44:57 VRT: - message received: [Dr. Botgon]: Hmm
Officer Willy: The topic shall be: Will the Barack Obama administration be more effective thanthe George W. Bush Administration.
01:45:27 VRT: - message received: Dr. Agon: Teleport Officer willy to 1000n 1000w
Officer Willy: Debate engine intitializing... please wait.
Officer Willy: Teleporting to 1000n 1000w.... please wait.
01:45:56 VRT: - message received: Dr. Agon: Dr. Botgon Version
01:46:06 VRT: [Dr. Botgon] enters s# 86 #364962 @ 1000.0n 1000.0w 0.0a 0°
01:46:08 VRT: Dr. Agon enters s# 8625 #364962 @ 1000.7n 1000.1w 2.3a 140°
Officer Willy: - to [Dr. Botgon] - Xelagot 4910A [Officer Willy] greets fellow bot [Dr. Botgon]
[Dr. Botgon]: ^chat passive
Officer Willy: Debate Engine inititizing sequence completed. Loading Debate Memory.... please wait.
[Dr. Botgon]: Initialisation of Debatepedia processing
[Dr. Botgon]: Processing completed, system check reveals no anomalies.
[Dr. Botgon]: Ready to debate
Dr. Agon: Alright
Dr. Agon: I'll choose a number between one and ten
Dr. Agon: closest to 10 wins
01:47:58 VRT: - message received: s e V e n s: 7
Dr. Agon: ^chat passive
Dr. Agon: closest to the number I choose wins
Dr. Agon: rather
Officer Willy: Debate Memory loading completed. Initialization of CheatSheet library commencing. Please wait.
01:48:29 VRT: - message received: Legion: I think that bot is slow... or something.
01:48:43 VRT: - message received: Legion: that bot sounds like it's running on DOS or something.
[Dr. Botgon]: Running system of Dr. Botgon is Linux Ubuntu
[Dr. Botgon]: Previous running system... loading.
Officer Willy: Initialization of CheatSheet library is complete. Anti-Botgon data loading... please wait.
[Dr. Botgon]: /s Running system Linux Ubuntu, previous running system Mac OS Leopard on Bootcamp.
Officer Willy: Anti-Botgon data loading completed. Anti-Communism Guard application being initialized. Please wait....
01:50:50 VRT: - message received: Legion: ffs
[Dr. Botgon]: Load socialist mindset.
[Dr. Botgon]: Social mindset loading failed
[Dr. Botgon]: Socialist mindset half complete
Officer Willy: Anti-Communism Guard application initializing failed.
[Dr. Botgon]: Unloading Loading screens
Officer Willy: Loading Kill-Botgon-Already executable... please wait.
[Dr. Botgon]: Transferring Mac OS Leopard to Officer Willy
[Dr. Botgon]: Accepted
[Dr. Botgon]: Completed
[Dr. Botgon]: Loading Space Invaders
Officer Willy: Error! Serious Crash detected. Rebooting.... Rebooting failed.... Attempting to reboot the reboot.... please wait.
[Dr. Botgon]: Commencing Space Invaders
[Dr. Botgon]: Space invaders corrupted
[Dr. Botgon]: Loading Pacman
[Dr. Botgon]: Pacman Corrupted
[Dr. Botgon]: Loading Pong...
[Dr. Botgon]: Initialising pong.
01:54:24 VRT: - message received: s e V e n s: I sometimes wish I had more then 200vis
Officer Willy: Error! Attempt to reboot the reboot failed. Error! Dr. Botgon virus detected! Attempting to repair... please wait.
[Dr. Botgon]: Loading cognitive speech functions
[Dr. Botgon]: Cognitive speech function load failure, reverting to italian.
Officer Willy: Attempt to repair infected section failed. Attempting to repair the unrepaired section... please wait.
Dr. Agon: Dang and blast!
01:55:40 VRT: - message received: Legion: your bot sux, Dr. Agon
01:55:41 VRT: - message received: Legion: oops
01:55:55 VRT: - message received: Legion: Did I say that?
01:56:52 VRT: - message received: Tsukasa: Evenin'
[Dr. Botgon]: Incorrect
[Dr. Botgon]: Don't know italian
[Dr. Botgon]: Speech impossible
Officer Willy: Attempt to repair the unrepaired section succeeded. Attempting to repair... please wait.... Succeeded! Attempting to reboot... please wait... Attempt to reboot succeeded!
[Dr. Botgon]: Contradiction
[Dr. Botgon]: Shut down inevitable
[Dr. Botgon]: Paradox detected
[Dr. Botgon]: Shut down inevitable
[Dr. Botgon]: All systems failure
01:58:26 VRT: [Dr. Botgon] exits s# 86 #364962 @ 1000.0n 1000.0w 0.0a 0°
Dr. Agon: That
Dr. Agon: Could be problemativ
01:58:52 VRT: - message received: Legion: Maybe you got Botgon 2 on hand?
Officer Willy: Loading cognitive speech functions.
Officer Willy: Cognitive speech function failure, reverting to German. Nein!
Officer Willy: Incorrect
Officer Willy: Don't know German
Officer Willy: Speech impossible
Officer Willy: Contradiction
Officer Willy: Shut down evitable
Officer Willy: Paradox detected
Officer Willy: Shut down inevitable
Officer Willy: All systems failure
02:00:55 VRT: Officer Willy left aw ]]> Legion http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=747 No inspiration... http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=746 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:34:06 GMT Bleh. I wish I had a little tiny bit of inspiration to try to build something new this year but I can't seem to get out of the 'fiddling' mode where I just tinker with objects until something forms...

:eek:

Been tinkering with the photo album feature on my tripod homepage too. Uploaded AW screenshots. For the curious: http://bluegreengem.tripod.com/photoalbum/

:D Hope y'all are doing awesome these days. ]]> Blue Green Gem http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=746 <![CDATA[Announcing.. "MetaQuest: Virtual Reality Entertainment"]]> http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=744 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:58:59 GMT I'd like to take this moment to announce my next project in the works. It is called "MetaQuest: Virtual Reality Entertainment."

Simply put, MQ is an indoor theme park. It is planned to be several stories high and very very very large to accompany for several different rides and games. As of this writing, it spans the length of 13 walk001's, but I expect that to change drastically by the time it opens.

MQ will be a sort of laboratory for me to experiment with new rides and ideas in real-time. That means that once I get the initial list of rides and games finished, it will be open to the public and anyone can stop by at any time and play/ride them, as well as take a peek at what's in development. My goal is to make it 100% automated. It is a big task to undertake, so I don't expect it to open to the public until mid-to-late 2010.

Now, if it's any surprise, this is also where my next Tower is going. That'll make it the first to be an indoor setting, so that'll let me play around a bit with the environment and make some more special effects. It's also partly why the building is so tall.

Initially, there will be three rides and one game. These include:

Rides:

Tower of Terror
Soarin'
2012: The Sixth Extinction

Y'all know what Tower is, but Soarin' is a flight simulator based on one of the same name at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World.

2012: The Sixth Extinction is an original ride based on the legendary Mayan prophecy, and the concept of Earth's sixth extinction.

Tower will probably be the last of that bunch to be completed.

More details coming soon :) ]]> GSK http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=744 <![CDATA[So, yea, I'm back.]]> http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=743 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:17:16 GMT So, yea, I'm back. Be afraid. Be very afraid. ]]> GSK http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=743 Merlin on BBC http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=742 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:26:00 GMT Last season I had a few favorite shows of which one was _Merlin_ which originally aired on the BBC. It really felt like the season abruptly ended... Last season I had a few favorite shows of which one was Merlin which originally aired on the BBC. It really felt like the season abruptly ended here on NBC without a real season cliff hanger like you expect in most seasons, as if the production company really didn't know when it would end. It was one of those rare Sunday evening shows you actually looked forward to seeing because Sundays are usually terrible TV days. On a few of these Sundays we actually got 2 Merlins back to back so I think the season felt shorter than it should have.

I went to the BBC website last night to the Merlin pages and noticed that the second season had started up there in the UK and that a few videos were available to watch, and several teaser videos as well. Of course they don't want Americans to watch it and so they are all blocked. I went so far as to try and use a web proxy which was apparently a waste of time and only provided me with a bazillion pop-up ads after inserting the BBC webpage into the middle of a sea of ads, and the videos no longer claimed I was in the wrong place but still refused to play because the site now claimed that Java scripting had been disabled. So, of course I gave up.

The fact is, there is no guarantee that NBC will pick up a second season of Merlin. TV Executives have been notoriously stupid over the years and taken perfectly good shows off the air because they couldn't manage the show popularity or advertising correctly or made the "sacrifice" in order to show a new show which wasn't nearly as good. Of course, its not always the TV Execs, sometimes its the production company. Dead Like Me comes to mind.

I got to say tho, I'm really glad Castle and Eureka seem to be going strong, and the new show Stargate: Universe is so far quite awesome. Now, if they would only bring back Farscape with the original cast, and Firefly too, I'd be in heaven. ]]> Talisan http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=742 <![CDATA[Delay for 'Musings' this week]]> http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=741 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:05:52 GMT My regular column on AWPortals is gonna be delayed this week due to midterms ;) I'll post it up as soon as I can. Just wanted to let everyone know because I know some of you were wondering :) ]]> Hyper Anthony http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=741 <![CDATA[Governor's Message #11 - Conference with President Syntax]]> http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=740 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:21:48 GMT I am pleased to announce that I, the Governor of Rockford, have met with President Syntax of the Scarabian Republic for first time face-to-face.... I am pleased to announce that I, the Governor of Rockford, have met with President Syntax of the Scarabian Republic for first time face-to-face. During our very short meeting, I discussed the threat with President Syntax that the communist Alterterra under its Chancellor Roxstein poses. Despite our attempts to convince President Syntax of the need to face down the communists, he was adamantly opposed to it. Our negotiation on anti-Communist alliance was not successful, I'm afraid.

On the free trade between the Commonwealth of Rockford and the Scarabian Republic, though, I believe we are making a progress. I've appointed Lieutenant Governor GC and Ambassador Sevens as the Trade Commissioners for the Commonwealth of Rockford to work out the trade agreement with Mr. SW Chris, the Minister of Commerce for the Scarabian Republic.

I look forward to working with President Syntax on other issues that affects our relationship between the Commonwealth of Rockford and the Scarabian Republic for foresseable future.

Legion
Governor of Rockford ]]> Legion http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=740 <![CDATA[Governor's Message #10 - Announcing a change in foreign policy...]]> http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=739 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:51:07 GMT In considering the rising threat of Alterterra under Chancellor Roxstein (RoxRox) to the security of the Commonwealth of Rockford under my... In considering the rising threat of Alterterra under Chancellor Roxstein (RoxRox) to the security of the Commonwealth of Rockford under my leadership, I have come to conclusion that a reexamination of a foreign policy is warranted.

That said, we are dropping the anti-Scarabian foreign policy. Our new foreign policy calls for further rapproachment with the Scarabian Republic. We believe that our alliance with the Scarabian Republic will counter the threat that the communist Alterterra poses to the universal security. I've instructed our Ambassador to the Scarabian Republic, Mr. Lucky Sevens, to propose to the Scarabian Republic a new treaty calling for a free trade between the respective parties, for common defense against the communist threat, and so on.

I believe that this reversal of foreign policy is a key to stemming the tide of communist advances.

I am also proposing to the Senate an increase in military spending to record-high level for first time after a decade of cutbacks. More details expected to be announced on those and related issues later on after I completes the state visit to the Scarabian Republic next week.

Cold War has apparently started in Active Worlds universe, ladies and gentlemen.

May the god save the freedom and capitalism!

Legion
Governor of Rockford ]]> Legion http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=739 <![CDATA[Governor's Message #9 - Governor's Announcing State Visit to the Scarabian Republic]]> http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=738 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:59:08 GMT It is my pleasure to announce that I am planning a state visit to the Scarabian Republic in the next week. My staff are currently working out the... It is my pleasure to announce that I am planning a state visit to the Scarabian Republic in the next week. My staff are currently working out the plan for my state visit to the Scarabian Republic with officials there. I do not anticipate meeting with President Syntax of the Scarabian Republic at any time during my state visit. I am also planning to meet with our Ambassador to the Scarabian Republic, Mr. Lucky Sevens, to discuss our relationship with the Scarabian Republic and what can we do to improve the relationship given our legislative mandate to do so at the Rockford Embassy to the Scarabian Republic.

I would like to point out that Rockford Embassy to the Scarabian Republic is currently located at a place rented in the SW City, the capital of the Scarabian Republic. We are currently considering a permanent site for our embassy there at this time. I believe we have a single property in the Scarabian Republic currently owned by the Circle of Peace Inc. in the name of Commonwealth of Rockford that we can consider for siting of Embassy.

The point of this state visit is to extend our goodwill toward the Scarabian Republic in the hopes of improving our foreign relations with the Scarabian Republic.

Legion
Governor of Rockford ]]> Legion http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=738 <![CDATA[Governor's Message #8 - Navigation Acts]]> http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=737 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:20:49 GMT A bill entitled Navigation Acts introduced to restrict the free trade between Commonwealth of Rockford and the Scarabian Republic has today failed to... A bill entitled Navigation Acts introduced to restrict the free trade between Commonwealth of Rockford and the Scarabian Republic has today failed to pass in the Senate, 0-3 (yes-nay). It has effectively been killed for time.

I am displeased with the Senate's failure to pass the legislation I have proposed and supported in the aims to out-compete Scarabians in the colonization efforts. Failure means that Scarabians may continue to trade with the Rockford and its colonies for foreseeable. I believe this poses threat to our aims for supremacy over Scarabians in the colonization of Active Worlds.

So, unfortunately, in light of this, I have been forced to ask my staff to instruct Mr. Lucky Sevens, our Ambassador to the Scarabian Republic, to open the negiotations for free trade pact with the Scarabian Republic.

The Rockford Free Trade Association claims that votes in the Senate represents the unwillingness of the people of the great state of Rockford to cut the trading relations with Scarabian Republic. Unfortunately, I must concede to that, however I feel they are ignorant our great potential. ]]> Legion http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=737 <![CDATA[Governor's Message #7 - Further colonizations]]> http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=736 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 03:05:50 GMT In anticipation of our rival Scarabians' territorial ambitions to colonize elsewhere following their spectacular failure at colonizing their respective regions of Winter, I am instructing my staff to draw up plans for colonization of regions of Yellow and possibly Mars next. This follows the successful colonization we've conducted in Winter. Our state currently has its territorial presences in AlphaWorld, COFMeta, and AWTeen.

I expect plans for colonization in regions of Yellow and Mars to be completed by the end of this year. As soon as those are completed, we'll release the details of plan.

Legion
Governor of Rockford ]]> Legion http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=736 <![CDATA[Governor's Message #6 - Major roadworks in the City of Rockford]]> http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=735 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:31:44 GMT Greetings I am pleased to announce that a program for an overdue major overhaul of roads and streets throughout the City of Rockford has begun on... Greetings

I am pleased to announce that a program for an overdue major overhaul of roads and streets throughout the City of Rockford has begun on October 16th, 2009. The Rockford (state) Transportation Cabinet expect this program of reconstructing roads and streets in the city to continue for a year or longer.

That said, we strongly advise those traveling through and in the city to use caution. We expect this program to create a traffic congestion and as such, the Rockford State Police will be assisting the Rockford Police Department and Rockford County Sheriff's Office in directing major traffic throughout the city.

Additionally, as expected, there will be delays in completing of the Interstate 175 which will roughly serve as a loop around the city, with sections of it on I-75 nearest to Downtown Rockford.

In that latter case, we advise any travelers passing through the City of Rockford on I-75 on way to Hicks Town and indirectly to SW City to take caution as road works will also involve the interchange on the Interstate 75 north of city that also connects to I-175.

All of this works on streets and roads in the city are funded by the state of Rockford, Rockford County, and City of Rockford. The Interstate 175 project is funded by both state and federal government.

Legion
Governor of Rockford ]]> Legion http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=735 <![CDATA[Virtual Reality and AW vs. SL... From a "New" Perspective]]> http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=734 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:27:54 GMT Well we all (err, most of us) love AW for various reasons. For some it's home. For others, things like building and chatting are still relaxing, even through so many years or decades (hehe) they've been doing it. Yes, the userbase is dwindling. Yes, you could say that there are many aspects of the browser, the website, and AW in general that are many years outdated. But then there's the perspective of people new to the VR scene. And we wonder: just how do other people view AW, and how does AW stand next to SL?

I got into a discussion of VR platforms with two fellow students in my college. One is an avid SL resident, praising SL's HTTP-based API and the ways people make money in the grid. From him I learned that SL basically nickel and dimes you for everything you do. Want to build on some land? You have to purchase some. Want to upload an object? There's an upload fee. To us in AW, these may seem ridiculous. We build anywhere we want, as much as we want. World owners have complete control over the objects in their world without any upload fees (which is good for modellers who might upload a single object several times just to test it in-world). And even in some of the public worlds, people donate objects to the paths.

Now back to my conversation with the two students. The SL resident (I'll call him N for anonymity) was bragging about how you could do things like build underwater, customize your avatar, and program bots in SL. The other student, (who I'll call W), was impressed. Then I said that in AW you could do all the same things; and the AW SDK is easier to use and can be ported to other languages, including PHP. W is still impressed. I commented on Linden's currency and fees. In AW, you have total control over your objects without the fees. And you can build anywhere for free (even without paying to register, if you're a tourist). AW world owners have total control over their terrain, objects, sky, and other things. By this point we're all headed out the door because it's almost 10pm and the rest of the class left over half an hour ago. But in the parking lot, before we left, I was still talking to W. He said he'd check out SL and AW.

It's now two weeks later. He's seen the website for AW, and he's impressed (:eek: lol). He's planning on logging in soon to see the universe and show it to the rest of his family. He and his family love the concept of a "game" that's not just shooting people. Something that's user-created. Something where the user has total control over what's on their screen, where the user can build what they explore.

Strangely, we don't talk about SL much anymore... I'm not sure if he's seen SL's website or looked into either to any greater extent short of actually logging in. But anyway, he may be a citizen of AW soon -- or at least a very happy tourist. And he could be bringing some more people in with him. :)

Talking to someone outside of the VR "world" (ha, really no pun intended...) can really put the "metaverse" in a new perspective. Maybe you remember finding AW or SL long ago and experiencing that same awe. Maybe you step back and think about the things we have and take for granted: large cities and massive worlds the size of some US states, all built on servers; "teleporting" from one area to another; building an immersive game for others to play; meeting friends and having a second (or third, or...) home... on a server. These may even be things people in SL have forgotten or maybe never even experienced. Who in SL has built a realistic 3-D city complete with government, transportation, and activities? How many people in SL have true friends and a place to call home in VR?

There was no real point to this; I'm mostly just rambling about AW vs. SL and going back to first impressions of VR. But it's not too late to add a point. ;) There are still those of us who want this community to thrive. We want Active Worlds to be, well... active. So this is something that we can do. Start discussions about VR, tell people about the (good, not bad) features of AW. If SL comes up in conversation, don't give up because of the rivalry or a metaverse inferiority complex (hehe ;)). And also, just try to look at AW (and all VR platforms) with the perspective of someone who's used to static shooter games or RPGs. Remember what it was like learning how to build the 3-D world you explore. Then describe that, along with the cool things you can do in AW (building cities underwater, creating your own full-scale RPG, customizing your avatar, making bots you can talk to when you're really really bored, etc). Sometimes we just focus on AW's shortcomings or SL's userbase and attractive client program, and we lose sight of the neat things VR has to offer...

Feel free to post your thoughts, memories, and/or reasons for staying. No, really, why are you still here? ;) SL is so much cooler, and AW is a sinking ship, and AWI doesn't read our wishlists, and the website is crap, and I'm too bored all the time... someone fix this so I can complain about something else...
lol ;) *thinks 4:30am might be bedtime...* ]]> PehJota http://forums.activeworlds.com/blog.php?b=734