Nice game, but...

That's a game you can play within SL; it's not the game everyone plays.

I think the game vs toy distinction *is* actually quite important, because I suspect that many people are coming in and saying "I heard this was a game. What do I do now? Where's my score? Ah, right, the little L$ thing. I have to make L$ to win SL, gotcha."

I'll put up a link to my custom key file later. I absolutely abhor SL's default keymap.

The other factor in the clumsy movement is the animations ... the default set looks kind of goofy at times. Hunt down a copy of the ZHAO and some free walk animations.

For more themed sims, visit Caledon, which is 19th century with a dash of steam power

Check out Dreamland, and Azure Islands. The real place to check out is the "Land Sales and Rentals" forum. There are many people who own one or more Island sims, and sell or rent plots on them. Most of them tend to be themed, or at least moderately zoned.

- Jon

Only rent, Jon. You can't buy a plot on an island sim, only a whole sim, no mater what certain player run corporations may have you believe.

Emphasis mine.

Actually, it does. Comparing SL to games and other virtual reality environments like Active Worlds, There, The Croquet Project, etc give SL perspective and context.

It is? "Many, many times" doesn't sound like a priority to me since, obviously, avatar movement has NOT been addressed in at least over a year since I've been in SL...

Nor indeed in the nearly 3 years I've been here.

Not quite. Just like (real) "life" (RL) is arguable a game (and not a game), so too is SECOND Life. SL INCLUDES gaming aspects but, just like RL, it is not EXPLICITLY a game, per se. Yes, there are rules in RL (breathe, nourishment, etc) but they are very minimal and the "environment" is EXTREMELY open-ended--pretty much like SL is (although, of course, RL is MUCH more advanced).

SL has rules and limitations but it can be argued to be both game and non-game--so I prefer to not even USE the word "game" in its definition.

Definition is relative. Think relatively and you will understand.

I read the agreement part... .of one of the landlords...

***


”There are some differences compared to land ownership on the mainland that you should be aware of:

o As long as the sim exists ........ cont cont..

TERMINATION
In case of termination of the project a notice will be sent at least two weeks in advance. Proceeds from possible liquidation of the sim will be split among land owners proportional to their ownership share and prepayments for rent or tier will of course be refunded. ”

*****

On the other hand how long does Earth exisists.. and how many humans are free... and how many real democratic government exisists?)

Two weeks.. 14 days.. 14*24 hours... to pack... DDDD


/Tina - Back from a woderfull trip to Germany...

Oh Eep, I know Thats why I agree to disagree. Some see SL as a game, some a toy, and some a platform, all are right, but will be perceived as wrong by someone, somewhere.

SL is as individual as the person participating.

Well, technically speaking, you're doing the same thing with the Island landlord as you're doing with LL. Then it just becomes a matter of trust, which is pretty much exactly the same as buying from LL.

- Jon

No, not at all, you're effectively subletting.
If you "buy" land, you have the sole owner rights, control prims and visitors etc... if you RENT from a player, they still retain these rights, not you.

Like psychoanalysis, relative thinking is both self-indulgent and potentially dangerous. I think the "wisdom of the masses" aggregator called wikipedia assembled a pretty good definition of SL : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_life.

I just posted something that might provide a perspective not often considered: http://blog.rebang.com/?p=855

I don't think of SL as a "game" any more than I think of the CAD I use to create products as a game. That post points to the move away from tools and toward collaboration - in real dollar numbers. Companies spending millions of dollars for PLM software that has avatars and simulated factories (and built-in CAD tools) that remind one of "Roller Coaster Tycoon" doesn't make it a "game" to them.

I'm very familiar with videogames. So I understand the reaction. However, there is another way to consider this technology.

Lots of ways to see SL. Thats part of why I love it.

As is anything.

Never heard of MMORLG but "game" is still in it so I don't accept it. Multiplayer real-life environment simulator (MRLES) works, however--or, simply, reality simulator (RS).

I considered it about 6 years ago: http://tnlc.com/eep/aw/index.html#could

Unfortunately, most people see it only partially--including LL.

It really hit me back around '96. I was learning Pro/E CAD and for the first time saw one of the early FPS's. Serendipity. After reading "Burning Chrome" in '88, the day-to-day of prepping for this stuff blurred the vision. Seeing the FPS was like having the windshield wipers turned on. Everything came together. And it's more than game.

Dear Frack Fackler,

If you see Second Life as a game, that's fine. Some people look at a cathedral and see a bunch of bricks. I'd suggest that you might find other interpretations more... interesting.

If you want more infrastructure (like roads, zoning, or covenants), then:

1) Buy some land
2) Create all the infrastructure you want

or if you don't want to create the infrastructure yourself, then there are lots of people who would be willing to do that for you (both voluntarily and for a fee).

There are already some places in SL that you might like (in terms of infrastructure). Check out Nova Albion (the city west of the Welcome Area), Boardman (residential), or Livingston (commercial). Anshe Chung's properties might interest you too.

By the way, not everyone *wants* infrastructure. Earth is not one big city, you know.

A simple comment to Frank:

You can always make your own virtual world if you don't like this one.

Musuko.

Well, if you want to go that route, I first had the notion of shared "level design" back when I was a wee lad in elementary school (5th or 6th grade, I believe, ~1984) when I was making grid-paper mazes (with doors, traps, etc). I thought it'd be cool if someone else could be designing it with me. Once I got into computers more (the next year when I found Sierra Quest games), I wanted to at least be able to play them with another person (multiplayer). Then, after I got into BBSing, a friend of mine at the time came across a text-based world editor akin to MUDs. But I wanted graphics. SimCity was released about that time (1991) but, of course, it was only single-player. Then along came Superscape's VR app and thus began my adventure into 3D to Active Worlds, Tomb Raider (and MANY other 3D games), and now SL. Wee...

So, you see, I've been desiring a collaborative environment editor for over 20 years.

No! We do NOT need yet another attempt at a VES (virtual environment simulator). COLLABORATE! COOPERATE! PERPETUATE! DO NOT COMPETE! Good god, people...get a freakin' clue already please...

Well If second life would leave us i would never play another game of this type again.

What route is that?

{edit: Just realized. My point isn't being understood.



I'm not talking about a "shared collaborative environment editor" for inside the vr space. I'm talking about shared collaborative environments inside a 3D space that link to real world manufacturing such that products can be made using rapid-manufacturing techniques (I also had my first part RP'd in '96). That's why I'm referencing that date. Not because of the idea (which plenty of people have had prior to that going way back), but to the real practicality of the idea.

So the point about collaboration isn't that it's new, but that it's all that's really left. As mentioned in my post, CAD development has mostly leveled for the time being. }

I find myself actually agreeing with a few of the OP's comments - mainly on the clunky interface and the movement controls. I've felt that way since the day I joined.

On the other hand, I've been so immersed in the human network that is the heart of SL that it's not been a major issue for me. I can overlook the technical details to savor the wonderful creative chaos that is the real Second Life.

LL has been saying for over a year (at least) that they were moving to Havok 2, but I haven't seen anything on that for a long time now. Bethesda's new CRPG Oblivion uses Havok, and it is absolutely breathtaking -- but it also has such high system requirements as to probably exclude a huge percentage of current SL users. Maybe LL is working on a dumbed-down Havok?

Anyone know?