Where is all the space sims?!

When do we get to go in space and, land on other planets owned by people? Or buy an entire planet for me own!
That should bring some privacy since so many are worried about that.

Maybe thats a next generation setup?
I can't see why SL couldn't merge into that eventually.
Wouldn't that be cool or am I going to far?
Maybe even have space exploration where we can discover new areas to build into.
I think it would be interesting to see.

At least let us have space stations.

We tried a few experimental space stations but they either collided with sky boxes or crashed due to the weight and strain of a million sex balls.

HAH! AHahah. I should have seen that one coming.

They is with Havok 2, HTML on a prim and an offline client for building and testing textures, all in the corner of the LL offices, laughing at us, look and laughing..

*cough*posecubes*cough* /me looks innocent

Were posecubes ever released or are they still for sale 1 at a time? Last thing I wanna do is have to display pieces of furniture that I cant sell copies of. I thought the code was gonna be released to the public eventually.

Sadly he's still selling them... I'm waiting for them to opensource too, they rock.

Yes please

HTML on a prim? Like on a side of it? We can display a true interactive web page?
If that is what you mean then I would love to see that come out soon.
We could put our home pages for everyone to jump on. I would like to see that before any space station. Hmm.

It was due for 1.7, but they didn't have time, like havok 2.. But 1.8 or 2.0 I think.. or.. 5.9..

ROFL! @ 5.9
I don't want to wait that long.

I think you can forget about any real space like environment being simulated in Second Life in the foreseeable future.

The system is made to simulated an earthlike surface. We don't get to set the gravity or turn it off or even better assign gravitational fields to surfaces. We can turn off the display of the ground but it is still there. Our avatars really don't like to turn upside down. We can't redefine the default animations such that we would assume the "zero g" rest position. There is but one grid, and it's flat.

You mean we're not even in the age of SL's Christopher Columbus yet??
*sigh* (twiddles thumbs)

Now wait one second there. That's not exactly true.

Bind an avatar to a prim and all the rules change. The avatar can be rotated in any direction you please, have custom gravity, gravity fields, et cetera.

The only problem there is feasibility. Most residents wouldn't know the first thing about setting up a realistic space sim vis a vis Physics, and the need for scripts in every object to maintain the effect isn't too great, either.

Still, it is possible. Just depends how much you want to work at it.

Regarding custom gravity, etc... I've made a giant XyObject sphere, along with discs you can sit on and zoom around inside it, adhering to the walls as if drawn to them by gravity. Fun little time waster. If someone were gracious enough to offer the use of their land, I could set it up for folks to try out.

What I said is exactly true.

Scripted substitutes aren't the same as the having the space environment simulated by the system in the same way as the earth environment is. If someone created a physics enabled object in a simulator that was simulating "zero gravity" it wouldn't sink to the ground because there would be no calculation of gravity applied to it. If you threw it it would move in a straight line instead of a parabola.

This is not to say that scripts can't produce some pleasing space like effects, but that does not equal having the simulator simulate the conditions in space.

Hehe... is it hard to rez? Drop it in a sandbox and see how Resis react!

That's just crazy. That would ruin your immersion. The Lindens wisely impose and withhold features that will somehow prevent us from properly perceiving and using the world. Properly is, of course, subject to their interpretation, not ours.

It's the Lindens world .. we just play in it.

Space sims make perfect since to us as players and would be great fun. Think of a way that the Lindens can make money by adding them and watch it be forthcoming.

Their idea... we build it...they grow filthy rich from it... we are all one happy family.

seriously, find a way to build it and make it happen and I am sure it will be added.

I'm reminded of a game called Freelancer.
I LOVED that game. Until the money was hacked like crazy.

It was a game based on trade. You "freelance" goods from one planet, to another, in order to gain profit because items were worth more in some area's than others. (Unless you liked to rob people in the trade lanes.) But there was a whole bargin hunter aspect to it. Everything from food and clothing to "illegal artifacts".
Also you could mine for minirals. Or go scavenger hunting for wrecked ships.

Anyway, The main play was location being the key to the game.
But your ship was your life-line.
If you had some rare weapons, or the strongest known shields around, you were pretty much safe in most areas. And of course the most hazerdous locations would pay the most for your trouble. So people who dared to travel in those areas came out with largest profit. IF they got to the base or station at all, without blowing up their ship. (Stupid Rouges) Plus there was ship repair and upkeep to worry about.

Anyway, the main balance for the game was that the most powerful ships could not carry as much cargo as others could. So they had to make more trips. The largest profits were the various Cargo ships (weaker) but power in numbers! Teamwork WOOT!

In any case, thats an entirly different game concept of couse. BUT I like the idea of the space travel they have. Thats the type of space sim I'd like to see here in SL someday. The enviorment was just beautiful. It worked really well for small home-based servers with a max of 64 players per server. phht.
BUT, givin the setup like SL here, I think it would be awsome!

So in my opinion I think it IS possible if only they had the security and server base that SL has. In fact I can't see why this sort of thing wouldn't start up soon if it hasn't already. (If not in SL then somewhere.)
In my mind thou I would love to see SL adapt into that playstyle. They could be the first to rule both land and space economy-based games, before any other company picks it up.
I know there is a BIG player base for both.

I know of other games that have seamless transition from ground to space and back again but they have no real econemy at all. If SL cant do that, I dont' see what would be wrong with using a load screen showing a ship take off as Freelancer did. Or how we do anyway when TPing around SL.
I remember one thing people were always talking about in Freelancer, and I wished for it too, is wanting to walk around with a character on the planets. Because in that game everything on a planet was menu based with cut scenes like a movie. You click a "Pub" to go into a bar scene for example. And click on people to talk. (yawn)

Anyway, just some ideas I think would be nice for SL to do. I know it will happen at some point with another game if SL doesn't jump on it first.
I just hope SL does first.
Mainly I think I like the idea of building my own ship to travel in best.

Sean, it sounds like you should be playing EVE Online

NO WAY !

You should be playing Vendetta-Online

It looks like a poor mans clone of EVE? and the website still says that it's going to be released in 2004?

Does EVE support the buy/sell of in-game money or items? If so is it easy to do?
Or do they shun it like so many other games do who can't adjust to the modern world. (I'm thinking of Guildwars and their recent efforts to shoot themselves in the foot.)
If they support it thou, I'm there!

Update: Not that I'm leaving SL. I love it here.