anybody else beta testing blue mars

I wanna an invite pretty pretty please

I sent in my email and well didnt get one yet but I am late to that ....

sugar on top

Open Beta means you won't need an invite; you'll be open to beta test it.

The servers are down right now while they get ready for the Open Beta, but doors swing open at midnight.

I've been wanting something new. From a content creation standpoint, this seems promising.

Here's hoping the next virtual world isn't filled with clones.

This sounds right, but then do you know why we can only send out three invitations? Still sounds semi-closed. Which is cool.

I'll sell my invites to the highest bidder.

ah ha great ty ty

The new BM release is available and operable. Anyone else try it yet?

Do they still not allow Mac users?

Then no.

The BM platform is not real Windows 7 friendly either.

How so?

Yes, non-human avatars can teleport to any city. However, some cities may have rules that forbid certain avatars, similar to the rules on some SL RP sims, that restrict what avatars can enter, how they should be attired, etc. I have not seen anything in the SDK that can be used to physically prevent any avatar from landing, other than access lists, so I guess if there are any restrictions it will be on notices at the teleport landing spot in that city.

Rock

So Sling Trebuchet's comment about having to have the city owner update content before it gets included in the download doesn't apply?

im still waiting on my inquiries on a few items from them. Dont know what to make of it (BM). the whole, not being able to build bugs the heck out of me unless i want to really dig in (unless i misunderstood the promos, emails and faqs). I dunno. hopefully I will find out this week a lot more if i want to commit more time to this or not.

I still believe a VR world has great promise if done right.

It would not run under the beta or the RC versions, on my computer - just to clear. Because I went back to Vista in preparation for the public release of W7, I can not say how well the new BM release works. However, under Vista it does seem to be happy.

I think Sling was referring to the process by which all 'content' gets in to Blue Mars. Initially, a content developer produces content, and it gets uploaded by the City owner (although BM have been discussing the possibility of City owners, Block owners, and tenants all having the right to upload content, but during beta things are still somewhat fluid). However, once in Blue Mars, content via attachments or inventory travels the grid with you.

Rock

I Googled Blue Mars videos and screenshots again, and there are a few more to see now.
I still maintain that although the avatars are more detailed than SL in close-up, when you see them full-view, walking etc. the overall effect is no improvement over SL. Add to that, one video included the info that you can only change your avatar's appearance once every 3 weeks (or months, I can't remember!). Some of the buildings look good, BM is less 'primmy' looking than SL, and the trees, water and rocks are great. But actually, judging by videoclips, The new Sims3 has better graphics than Blue Mars.

o_O URL?

I am surprised that no one has pounced on you about the current BM platform being "just" a beta.

Dada, have you tried to download the BM client? I'm curious to know if it is truly a public beta now.

Just got done watching Ravenelle's videos and the one thing it does seem to have over SL is better avatar animations, I did not see nearly as much "noodly arms" and so forth. Also, the video seemed to indicate that BM uses clicky style movement, I am not a fan of Diablo style controls like that myself.

It did look as if they have better water, but the boats I saw floating on the waves may have just been for show. As far as looks go I would say that BM has nice shadows but otherwise it does not look that much better than some of the better SL builds I have seen. If BM has a framerate over 10 that would be a huge advantage over SL of course.

It truly is public beta:

http://www.bluemarsonline.com/

There's a few more videos/pictures to see because now that it is in public beta, the NDA that was in place for the private beta test has been lifted.

That said; if your concept of "beta test" is the expectation of a finished product to play with, you might as well wait a while. "Beta" means specifically that things aren't finished yet.

If you weren't interested in SL circa 2003 when it was in Beta, you will most likely not be that interested in BM right now either. If you are looking for a finished product you are going to have to wait until after the public beta test period is over, and maybe even a little while after that. When SL came out of beta testing there were still no custom animations, flexi prims, sculptie prims, windlight settings, etc etc etc - all those things were added much later. SL didn't pop out of the box in it's current shape, nor will Blue Mars. If you are looking for simply another SL, you might as well just forego BM altogether and head for the OSGrid and the OpenSim project. O wait, that's still in Alpha.

Yeah, looks like you guys are stuck here in SL for at least another year or so. Meanwhile, folks who enjoy beta testing new things will be out there creating competition for SL. You can always hope that that sort of creative competition will improve SL for you.

It's not competition for SL if it doesn't make significant changes to the reported policies.

Competition for IMVU and Free Realms and Habbo Hotel? Absolutely! That kind of thing has always been bigger than virtual worlds, just like IRC and chat boards are more popular than MUDs and Mucks. That doesn't mean another 3d videogame platform is going to be the same kind of product as a virtual world.

Why wouldn't it? SL did.

Just wondering if you are directing that comment to anyone in particular? Haven't seen anyone here expecting the BM beta to be a finished product. A year out is probably right, for a release. But that brings up another point . . .

What I find objectionable in posts is the comparison to the early release of SL, and I explained my thinking on this matter back in post #31. And, as I asked there, is this a beta release for developers? For the end user, there is little to test and comment on. Alpha release for end user; beta for developers.

Though years of technological advancements and experience to draw on are available, the beta did not take advantage of them. At what point will it no longer be beta? We all chuckle when someone says that SL is a beta, as it continues to release features.

That said, those words really are meaningless in today's fast changing tech world. Better to say, it is in development, and let it go with that.

It would be sad to see the same comments made about the BM platform as it evolves.

Because there's more money in NOT changing your policies to compete with SL.

Congratulations! You are one of a limited number of users selected to participate in the Blue Mars closed beta release.

Yay for me!

In the first beta, and in this new one, you are given an opportunity to select head shape, eyes, nose and race. There is a warning that once you hit 'Done' you will not be able to change this for 3 weeks.
After moving on, you can only change hair between standard styles and use a Cosmetics feature. 'Cosmetics' includes eyebrows, so for a while I tried stacking three eyebrows for a "really amazed" look
A less exotic use would be to create facial hair of a more normal type (on guys anyway)