Blue Mars Progress

Well, I finally got the email with the link to the Beta download today.

And I must say, I'm very impressed.

When I say that, I mean..................................

I'm very impressed anyone could "screw something up" so badly !!!!

Now these are 1st impressions so please feel free to correct me.

It started off badly by making me feel like some kind of sexual pervert by only allowing me to look like a young teenage boy, no matter what "look" variations I found.

Managed to tweak things so at least I look just about past the age of puberty!

Next the viewing screen.

Ok, it's running in a window, don't like that, let's maximise it to fill my screen.
Errr, no, I can't. It had to run in a window in the middle of my screen.

Right then, perhaps it's just cos it's a beta?

Log in and odd front "water on the floor" ares, but ok, let's used the old "Everyone has used for the past 15 years" WASD keys and the mouse to look around.

Nope that does not work right. (jebus it's getting bad)

Ok, well lets enter an area and just have a look thru, went into the flying through the rings one (I just thought I'd look around, did not realise it was "A GAME" but just looked about anyway.

All looked pretty and nice but the control system was killing me.
All I wanted to to was scroll wheel in till I was looking thru my eyes, use the mouse to steer and WASD to move but had to struggle with various other keys instead.

Got out of there and went to the empty city area.

Sussed out the click on the ground to go somewhere movement. Who the bloody hell thought that was ever a good way to get about the place? !!!!

Ok as an optional "walk to here" function, but not a NORMAL function.

Sat on a chair and looked like I needed to the toilet realy badly as I kept shuffling about on the seat

Came back out to the home screen to see a few other pre-pubesent looking avatars wandering about.

Logged off, back into SL, Thank God !!!

I can actually move around and look around in a realistic manner and I don't look like my mum is going to come and get me any moment to take me home as it's getting late and there's school in the morning!

So tell me........

How can you screw up something so basic so much?

No full screen?
Only child Avatars.
Totally and utterly screwed up non standard in any way control method.

The graphics (the 3D world) was nice enough, Better than SL yes. Can't argue with that.
Mountains nicer, plantlife nicer, but sheesh how to screw it all up.

I fully understand this is Beta, but I'm just talking about Fundamental stuff.

Oh, I don't need things to go transparent when they are blocking my view thanks.
they don't in real life, and if the control system was not so screwed then I would not need them to go transparent in the 1st place.

Just me?

Isn't that how they do it in Everquest?

It could be worse. In Google's Lively you moved by dragging your avatar around with the mouse. There wasn't even the option of an over-the-shoulder view, it was all semi-overhead like you're in some 2.5d platformer.

For a third person view? You don't have a 3rd person view in RL, do you? I wish SL did that. That's the first thing posted here about BM that sounds like they did it right.

I think I'll go back when it gets better.

The fires on the hill were so plainly a glass of milk that I had to mow the lawn just to sing about the time I went to a lake to buy a new outfit to wear while working in the hectare. LOL ur such a looser you don't even understand a paperweight is writing on a bookend.

Hiya

I guess, it's just that every "game" since about Doom1 had the look through your eyes mode and the WASD to move aroung and the mouse to swing your viewpoint around.

That's kinda become the defacto standard for years now and means every game feel natural (as that's the way it should be) kinda thing.

The point and click seems a resonable idea is it's an option as well as this norm. Like we have in SL, with the (something like) walk over to here function.

I can accept that the make things see through when they are in the way may be a handy "cop out" to the problem of blocking your viewpoint, but that's the kind of thing you see in a Mario or some other 3D game. Not something trying to emulate a real work experience.

for me (and only a personal viewpoint which others will no doubt disagree with. LOL) Anything that detracts from the "realism" is a minus point for me.
Things going see thru does not happen, and apart from the very rare occurance in SL I never have any problems with it.

If I go into a tight spot I'll just scroll my wheel till I'm looking thru my eyes.

Must admit, I'm very dissapointed by this (IMHO) terrible control system and that on it's own kills BlueMars from me even before I look into it any further.

It's based on the FarCry/Crysis type engine isn't it?

Well that have a perfectly normal and realistc character viewpoint/moment method so why have they deemed BlueMars will have this odd quirky method I wonder?

Yes, it is.
You forgot to mention the "lazy susan" avatar turning ability.

It is my understanding that camera control ability will be at the discretion of the city developer. In the BM forums, some developers have already said that they will have camera restraints in place to prevent people from being intrusive. No peeping toms allowed. There goes all my fun!

I also got the registration mail today (finally!), downloaded the client and started to explore.

I'm sorry to say I'm not impressed. Sure it looks good, especially the water and shadows, but avatar walking controls are crap and camera freedom isn't there (only a few zoom settings and right-mouse button). All too static. The fact that BM doesn't run full-screen (not even well with the hack) is a big fail.

Of course I understand that BM is in its early stage of development. But I think it will take years until BM can measure itself with SL as far as user friendliness and freedom of movement/camera are concerned. Not to mention content creation (if ever), economy and avatar customization.

BM is more beautiful than SL, that's true, but it will take a whole lot more than a pretty picture before BM comes anywhere near SL. It's a shame actually. I would welcome competition for SL, because then LL would actually try harder to improve itself and meet customer demands, rather than apply new rules and not enforcing them.

Similar to my impressions. I found myself wanting to sit on a railing or some such but unable to do it. SL may not be as pretty but it's waaay less restrictive.

I'll keep watching BM, though.. Like you said, it's still early.

It seems a great many people still do not understand what beta testing is all about.

I put a few thoughts together on this, here:

http://rock-vacirca.blogspot.com/2009/09/beta-testing-what-is-it-all-about.html

Rock

That's not the case here Rock. I understand perfectly well that the beta-BM cannot be seen as a 'game' yet or a finished environment. However, I was under the impression that BM was further in its development than it actually is atm. My main conclusion is *not* that BM will never get there, I only think it will take them years to reach the functionality, freedom and user-friendliness that SL has now.

I agree with the remarks on your blog:

"It would save a lot of reporting and repeated suggestions if the Avatar Reality team published a roadmap of features that they are currently working on, and those they are going to try to implement in the future, so they are not repeatedly asked about avatar movement, camera controls, chat functionality, etc."

BTW: Rock, do you have any more info on future content creation in BM? From what I understand now, BM won't have a kind of 'open' content creation system like in SL, where everybody can rez and create something in-world. Will that ever happen in BM? Or only in 3D-party software, in some licensed form?

Normally, you don't call something "beta" until it's substantially feature-complete. What you're describing is a product that's still in the design stage.

A great many of us do understand what a Beta release is suppose to be, and this is a very thin beta if ever there was one. You seem to be defending a definition applicable only to the BM platform. End users do not "see" the platform. You are a developer and of course want to test the platform features. End users want features to test inworld, and there are none to test.

Comments about common features people would like included are already in the BM forums.

Problems with developer cities should go to the developer, but that is not an available option. Further, the end user has no knowledge of what features a developer chooses to use so any "bug" a user sees, might be a developer problem or a choice - not a platform problem.

Developers have good reason to report bugs related to the graphics/physics engine, in which case it is a beta for developers.

SL is different in this respect as it is easy to distinguish platform bugs from developer bugs or even user error.

It's always about me, huh?

"susan" jk

As for peeping tom ability, I did notice while camming around that I could see down my camisole. The clothes are not stuck to the body.

I see more resemblance between Blue Mars and Multiverse than between Blue Mars and SL.

Of course!

Hmmm . . . many things come to mind, most best not said out loud.

However, the serious questions that do arise: Is that a developer or platform feature? Is that good or not so good?

All the functionality inherent in the CryEngine will be available in the launch release of Blue Mars. However, it is the extra functionality of a virtual world that needed to be developed, along with avatar customisation, voice, etc. I believe all that has been developed, but in order to concentrate bug reports the functions are being released in clusters, rather than all at once.

The releases will now come thick and fast, and new features will be added to each one. If you want to see the BM official release, as soon as possible, then report whatever bugs you find. If you think any other virtual worlds do some things better, then make suggestions.

As far as I am aware, there has been no change in policy regarding content creation. It will done off-world, in sandbox mode, then uploaded. The upload process will go through a registration process, to safeguard copyright and other IP.

However, content in your inventory can be rezzed in world, and content can be manipulated (moved, rotated etc). I shall seek clarification on whether other manipulations, such as stretching, will be supported.

There is now a much bigger list of the software that can be used for producing content for Blue Mars:



Of course, Blue Mars provides all the tools needed, free of charge, for editing content before uploading, and several in-world tools, including the new Cosmetics Editor, great not only for makeup but for face/neck tattoos and various non-human looks. Later will be incorporated the Avatar Editor and Animation Editor.

Rock

OK- that explains the traffic counts

Here we go again Para (it's okay to call you that, isn't it? ).

My understanding of a Beta release is a program that is incomplete in development but far enough along to test functions, features, etc as they are added or implimented into the software package.....trouble shoot as you go sort of thing. Not all (or even most) of the planned software "pieces" are included in the Beta release.........they are added in chunks (ideally a logical progression) until the final product is produced (we all know no software package is ever a really a final product). The stages of development generally follow a progression of releases to acchieve that "final" product release. Beta is just one stage.

I would imagine the next stage would be a "release candidate" (still part of the Beta stage but actually includes ALL the planned features, functions, etc to be debugged). It sounds to me that most people here are mixing up "Beta testing" (the early stages) and "Release Candidates".

Rick or someone else who is in the know (I mean someone who is really in the know) can correct me if I'm wrong. I haven't even been there yet. But I do know the basic stages of developing new software. I just see some mixing up of stages here.

Para..........I picked your post only because it clearly brought my thoughts together in my head. I know we can argue politely. So tell me where I'm wrong.

I would call that an "alpha" release.

In my mind "Alpha" release is the stage BM has just come out of........there's a mighty thin line between alpha and beta releases.

I just got my beta account and played around for about 15mins... If that is "beta" then I don't think BM is going to go very far.

Beta stage is usually when the product is near complete and just in bug testing mode. Alpha is the first stages of getting the basics to work. BM seems very Alpha stage to me. At least I hope so because what I seen when I was in-world was very disappointing. It was like activeworlds with a graphics update.

Serious question here Rock: Is not true that developers have access to all functionality, but that it doesn't follow that the end user will benefit from platform features if the developer chooses not to incorporate them in their build?

Me thinks you really look at BM from the developer perspective, which is fine, but you appear to lack an understanding of the end user experience. For example, you see it as great that all these development tools are available to the BM platform developer. However, the end user would expect robust movement controls, and funky movement controls is what the user will remember - not the great content creation tools.

Anyone can create content and rezz it regardless of which city world the user is in? If so, this is a big change from not long ago.

BTW, from your description of "beta," all software could be considered beta because, as long the product exists, new features are added continually. Just because BM will have a public release version doesn't mean it will stop releasing features. Will it be called beta when it releases new features after the public release? Of course not!

Beta testing has changed then if the product is "nearly complete" at that stage.......the "nearly complete" is release candidate. Or it used to be.

No, "release candidate" is when you're ready to commit to shipment, no new features are allowed, not even all bug fixes are allowed... critical bug fixes only. RC is "all features work". Not "all features present". Beta may be missing non-essential features, but Blue Mars is a long way from that.

I'm getting my information here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_testing

It's a long, boring read and you have to follow links. In the wikipedia "acceptance release" equals 'release candidate". Alpha and beta testing has a very fine line of distinction. Release candidate or acceptance candidate does not have that fine line.....it's pretty much defined as you said. But I saw no rule that states that ALL features are present and only critical bug fixes are allowed.

I'm hearing people here wanting BM, in it's beta testing, to be more release candidate than the testing stage it's in would normally have. That's my point. Beta testing, alpha testing can be entered back and forth all along the software testing cycle.......release candidates do not generally go that route.

Hi Peggy ~ Welcome back to the dark side.

Not sure if alpha, beta, delta omicron gamma, RC terms are meaningful or relevant in our fast-paced, ever changing world of technology.