SL
Latest
Planet Calypso's David "Deathifier" Storey talks about his purchases
MMOs are a big business these days, and even though they're not real items, a lot of the goods within a given game are worth quite a bit of money. This is transparently true of Second Life, but hardly limited to it -- witness, for example, the real-world price of EVE Online's ships. Or, take David Storey, alias Deathifier, alias "that guy who spent a whole lot of money on Planet Calypso items in auctions." And he's spent quite a lot of money -- in the game world, he owns both an island and a staggeringly expensive egg with a yet-undisclosed purchase. So why did he buy it? As he puts it in a recent interview available on Forbes.com, the same reason people make any expensive purchase -- because it makes you feel good. According to the interview, it's not as if the investment has been a poor business decision. The virtual island he bought in Planet Calypso for $26,500 brings in roughly $100,000 a year, as he uses it for a rare game preserve and taxes local hunters. The full piece has more information on his outlook and business practices, as well as a brief overview of the markets of virtual worlds and MMOs in general.
The Daily Grind: Leveling, the playing field
They might be called security levels, they might be split between ranks and levels, they might disguise themslves as skill grinds. But in pretty much any MMO you care to name, there will be levels of some kind. (The only exception that springs to mind is Second Life, and even that can be argued.) Generally, it's accepted that the most meat to the game will come after you've made it to the apex of the leveling curve, whether it's a low cap or a high one. But that's not when you started liking the game -- no, even though most players see it as an impediment to getting to the good part, the leveling game is what first hooks you on the game as a whole. So today, we ask a simple question -- what game have you played where you most enjoyed the leveling process? Forget all of the endgame nonsense, whether you had a broad endgame or a fairly narrow one. When did you just enjoy the path toward the endgame, perhaps even enough to be a bit saddened when it was over? Or have you always wanted to just get to the end without bothering with the whole "journey" element?
Linden Lab acquires Avatars United, Enemy Unknown AB
In a move that will no doubt perplex, flummox and befuddle many media commentators and technology columnists who erroneously believed that Second Life was a Web 2.0 social networking tool, Linden Lab has acquired social networking site, Avatars United (and developers of same, Enemy Unknown AB). This also has the side-effect of shooting down any semblance of Wallace Linden's identity piece last week being an overture of a conversation, instead making it look like the usual introduction to a Linden Lab fait accompli. We've written about Avatars United on a couple of previous occasions, but never really had much call to get involved ourselves. The social networking tool includes a large number of MMOGs and non-game virtual environments, being best known for it's strong application support of open-ended space-based MMOG, EVE Online.
Roleplaying and the lack of it in MMOs
We refer to our genre as MMOs in shorthand, frequently, as an abbreviation of MMORPG. Of course, there are entries that don't fit the mold -- Planetside makes no pretense of being an RPG, for instance, while Second Life is really a virtual environment rather than a game per se. But the roots of the term do define what most MMOs are fundamentally aiming at: being an RPG with a massive component of players. Which is ironic, because as We Fly Spitfires points out, they're not really RPGs at all. They feature the stats and the leveling, but nothing of the larger sense of place and story that the genre hails as its strengths. Compared to games such as Dragon Age: Origins or Oblivion, it's clear that for all the strength of options we might have in some MMOs, we lack any sense of real character specialization or unique progression. Part of the concern, of course, is content -- you don't want to necessarily force any player who didn't happen to make the right choices in a dialogue tree to miss out on a major endgame event. The ubiquity of communication also helps herd players toward a specific set of specializations or ability tree, with little to no deviation encouraged. But there's more that can be done, and games such as Star Wars: The Old Republic seem to have a greater intent to focus on individual story and progression. Even if you don't necessarily like the impromptu acting which is usually associated with roleplaying in the genre, it's hard to deny that a greater sense of individual choice and uniqueness would be intoxicating.
Study finds explicit material for minors in virtual worlds
Along with violence and game addiction, inappropriate content is one of the bugbears that video games in general and MMOs in specific can't get away from. A recent FTC study took a look at the general safety available in twenty-seven different virtual worlds, including Second Life and Runescape, and their findings were... well, if you're at all familiar with Second Life, you can kind of guess at the results. Nineteen of the worlds surveyed featured some sort of inappropriate content. The worlds targeted explicitly at minors didn't fare a great deal better, with a full half of the fourteen kid-oriented worlds having some explicit content. The report goes on to suggest certain approaches to better handle gating content for younger children, including further prevention of children from fraudulently registering in worlds that are supposed to be exclusive to adults. However, some elements of the study's methodology are a bit questionable, especially as their list of explicit material included words common to anyone with a history of playing video games. (Or cable television.) The full report is worth looking at if you're a parent or if you're interested in the findings, and we'd be remiss not to mention our own ongoing series about playing MMOs in a family setting.
Avatar dress codes might happen sooner than you think
You're in a business. Your business has a presence in Second Life. In your business, you have two furries, three hot vixens who probably belong in a strip club, the token emo goth guy, and the dude who made his avatar just like his real world self. Everyone's happy with how they look and how they represent the company, right?Well, according to the analysts at Gartner Inc., the winds of change might be blowing through virtual companies. The analysts are saying that over 70% of all virtual companies will end up adopting avatar dress codes by the end of 2013, in a move to look more professional and focused.While avatar dress codes aren't the best option in the world, we too understand that some level of conformity in virtual business is needed. Of course this all depends on the business, as more independent companies can take a looser stance on dress codes. But, in a world where you can be literally anything, you might want to add some level of professionalism to your business avatar.
Lenovo slaps Windows 7 onto ThinkPad SL410 and SL510
Lenovo's ThinkPad SL410 and SL510 managed to sneak out a touch early overseas, but now the outfit is making 'em both official here in the States -- and on the day before the launch of Windows 7, no less. Unfortunately, detailed specifications are nowhere to be found, with Lenovo simply telling us that these will boast 16:9 displays, Core 2 Duo processors, HDMI and VGA outputs, a multitouch trackpad, 3G WWAN, WiFi, Ethernet, optional Bluetooth and Windows 7 runnin' the show. Both rigs can supposedly be ordered today starting at $529, so we guess it's on you to poke around and see if either suit your fancy. Full specs lists is after the break.%Gallery-75949%
Attend Dragon*Con via Second Life
We here at Massively know that not everyone can spend the money or the time to come out to Dragon*Con. But we don't want you guys to feel left out of the fun! Tonight there's going to be a Second Life panel being run here at Dragon*Con, and we'd love it if you attended! The panel will be run simultaneously in Second Life and in real life, hosted by us here at Massively.com. Come, meet your fellow Second Life Massively readers, and you can even interact with and send questions to us here at the convention! The panels topics will cover the entire culture of Second Life, serving as a player meetup opportunity and a pubic forum for everyone to talk about Second Life and discuss issues relevant to the virtual world platform. Interested in attending? The panel will start at 7 PM ET (4 PM SLT/PT) and you can find our meet up as easily as clicking this link to boot your Second Life client. See you tonight, hopefully!
Government workshop on evaluation of broadband included Second Life users
This morning's workshop on using broadband internet to increase the US government's transparency and citizen participation included a brand new feature -- Second Life participation.The workshop was streamed live to the MacArthur Foundation's island in Second Life as a representative forwarded questions from the citizens over to the participants of the FCC's workshop. Second Life citizens were able to be hands on with the workshop, getting their questions sent over a specific channel to be answered as they came in."In developing our nation's National Broadband Plan, we are committed to finding innovative, cutting-edge ways -- both online and offline -- to reach out to the public and elicit suggestions, questions, and insight regarding our nation's broadband future," said Jen Howard, the FCC chairman's spokesperson, to New World Notes. "We are delighted that this first workshop will have an aperture into Second Life and that staff is experimenting in such ways to reach all stakeholders."[Via GamePolitics] Are you a part of the most widely-known collaborative virtual environment or keeping a close eye on it? Massively's Second Life coverage keeps you in the loop.
Share your Second Life summer look for a chance at L$10,000
Today seems to be a day of contests! First we have the DDO stress test contest that's going to be occuring tonight, and now we have another one for Second Life! A contest of summer style, no less! Who's up for some virtual modeling?It's the summer, and Linden Lab is interested in seeing everyone's summer attire -- like swimwear, bright colors, and the things you generally wear on the beach. So interested, in fact, that they're willing to lay L$10,000 on the whole deal via an Xstreet shopping spree.
Anti-Aliased: The reason why you hate Second Life and a few ways to fix that pt. 2
Tip #1 -- Take the time to learn the UI The tutorial, while not the best thing in the world, isn't a bad introduction to learning how to navigate the user interface. It shows you the ropes (dryly) and lets you get in some practice before you're dumped onto the main grid. Take your time through it, listen to what it has to say, and then jump on into the world. For gamers, here's a couple of protips. Right click opens a radial menu, and holding it down does nothing. If you're looking to spin the camera, remember to use alt + click and hold. However, also remember that alt + click centers your camera on whatever you clicked on. If you want to orbit your avatar, alt + click and hold on your avatar, then move the mouse left and right to orbit and forward and back to zoom. Resetting your camera is the escape key. That's very handy. Clicking activates many, many things. Try clicking on objects, as you never know what might occur. If moving is too slow for you, try flying. Hold down E to start flying, then use E to go up and C to go down. Beware that you can't fly everywhere though... look at the top bar to see if flying is amongst the "banned symbols." It looks like a little man flying.Tip #2 -- Search is your friend If Second Life is the internet, then the search button is your Google. This little fellow is super handy for finding stuff that you want. Interested in finding a Star Wars group? Just type Star Wars into the group search box after you press the search button, and you're on your way to finding Star Wars fans like yourself. Do you want to buy a lightsaber? Open the "places" tab and type in lightsaber -- you're sure to find a few hits. You always know where to go when you master the search tool. Tip #3 -- Be social! You see the people over there? Talk to them! You like someone's avatar? Tell them! You looking for a specific sim? Ask questions! One of the most important assets you can have is to speak with the others around you. Find out new things, make new friends, and actually experience SL rather than just watching it on your monitor. If you want a good place to check out that's reliably filled with people, I recommend the city of Nova Albion. If you're new and you want more help with Second Life, then I recommend checking out all of the help options at New Citizens Incorporated. Tip #4 -- Know what you want Lastly, set a goal for yourself in Second Life. Don't just go in to wander, go in and search for something you like. Does roleplaying interest you? Search for some roleplaying sims. Games? You'll find a wide variety of independently created games in Second Life. There's even an MMORPG inside of SL! Clubs? Yeah... there's way too many clubs to really count in SL. If you follow these few tips, your time in Second Life will probably benefit greatly. Of course, if the system isn't your thing, then it isn't your thing. You can't enjoy what you don't enjoy. But if you were always on the fence with Second Life, perhaps now you can give it a "second look" (see what I did there?) with confidence. Colin Seraphina Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who thinks all games should be given a fighting chance. When she's not writing here for Massively, she's rambling on her personal blog, The Experience Curve. If you want to message her, send her an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com. You can also follow her on Twitter through Massively, or through her personal feed, @sera_brennan.
Anti-Aliased: The reason why you hate Second Life and a few ways to fix that
Second Life gets a really bad rap from the MMO community that's largely undeserved. I get to hear all of these slams like it's a usless waste of data, there's nothing to do, it's a bunch of sex sims, and how I should work on my "first life" before my Second Life. Har, har, har.But, like I said at the opening of this column, Second Life doesn't deserve those punches to the gut. The world of SL is pretty vast and has much to offer any gamer, regardless of what they like. It's important to remember that this system is not a game. It has no objectives and no overt goals, but it does have an unlimited supply of imagination and creative possibilities. It's not a place of "serious business," because something that's fun shouldn't be taken quite that harshly. Sure, you can make money, but you guys want to have fun, right?So let's talk about Second Life, the reason the masses hate the system, and how you can find something enjoyable inside of "the grid" even if you've tried it before and got some negative first impressions.
Schrodinger's Gossip Girl: It's dead but it's still alive
It's been a long run for the Gossip Girl simulation on Second Life, two years in the making actually, but all good things must come to an end. The well trafficked sims will be closing the doors tomorrow, as Warner Brothers and The CW discontinue their virtual marketing campaign for the show of the same name.But that doesn't mean the Gossip Girl community is dying...Fans of the simulation will be overjoyed to hear that the Gossip Girl community is transitioning to a new home thanks to the Metaverse Mod Squad, the builders and moderators of the original official sims. While the official sims, and the setting of the Upper East Side, will be retired on June 30th, the new doors will open on July 1st to large fanfare and a great number of festivities.
Leaked Lenovo roadmap shows Calpella laptops coming January 2010?
Our compatriots at Engadget Chinese have happened upon what looks to be a roadmap for Lenovo's upcoming laptops between now and March 2010. Recently in the wild T400s is on there, slated for mid-July or so, with a pair of new SL models following in August. More interesting than all that, however, is the sheer number of new X, T, W, SL, and SLc laptops listed for the beginning of 2010 that utilize Intel's upcoming Calpella platform. We're not gonna put too much stock into these pictures right now, but it definitely raises a few eyebrows. More slides after the break.
Samsung HZ15W and hands-on, with friends
We're not exactly enthused at all the granularity makes up Samsung's wide assortment of digital compacts, but it's not like they're the only offenders in the industry. In the high end they've got the HZ15W and TL320 -- we've seen the TL320 and is marvelous analog dials in the wild before, but the HZ15W is a new one on us. Overall the camera is a bit bulky for this segment, and we'd have a hard time sticking it into a pants or jacket pocket without discomfort. That said, the camera is flush with functionality like HDMI out, 720p video recording and a wide view lens. The second look at the TL320 reminded us how completely in love we are its analog dials, though unfortunately the pre-production model we were looking at was having trouble with its OLED screen. The rest of the line, including the SL820, SL620 and SL202, was hanging out for the photo op, but there wasn't much that stood out.%Gallery-48951%
Samsung expands SL camera lineup: SL820, SL620, SL202 and SL30
It was but merely a month ago that Samsung introduced two new ones in its blossoming SL series, and now the company's shooting out four more in the run-up to PMA. Kicking things off are the SL820 (pictured) and SL620, two 12.2 megapixel shooters which sport three-inch LCD monitors and a 5x optical zoom. With the former, users are presented with a 28mm wide angle lens, while the SL620 offers a standard 35mm lens. The pair also touts Optical and Digital Image Stabilization, while the SL820 steps it up with 720p video recording (compared to the SL620's VGA mode) and HDMI connectivity. Moving on, we've got the SL202 and SL30, which both arrive with 10 megapixel sensors and a 3x optical zoom. Beyond that, everything's about as plain as it gets, so we'll just skip right to the prices while hosting up the full release after the break. The May-bound SL820 will go for $279.99, while the March-bound SL620, SL202 and SL30 will sticker for $199.99, $149.99 and $99.99, respectively.%Gallery-44934%
Blue Mars beta and launch dates disclosed
When it comes to virtual worlds, Massively's main focus to date has clearly been on Second Life, but we're also interested in some of the other choices that are becoming available to residents in virtual spaces. Blue Mars from Avatar Reality is one that's caught our eye -- it's a sci-fi themed virtual world, set on a terraformed Mars in the year 2177 AD. The potential is there to have some stunning visuals, as Blue Mars is built on CryEngine2, best known for giving Crysis its look. The official Avatar Reality site lists a beta release for the end of 2008, but they've told Eurogamer that Blue Mars enters beta in January 2009. "The first-time developer expects this to last for around three months, before the full game launches in April," Eurogamer's Rob Purchese reports.
Cinemassively: Being Virtual
Davey Winder wants the world to know that virtual interactions are about more than just business. They're about contact with other humans, finding love, or seeking escape from a disability. While this video may not provide the answers that his book does, it highlights the interesting misconceptions that people may have.When Davey was struck by a brain virus, he lost everything that meant something to him. Looking for solace, he discovered text-based online communities. He recently wrote a book, Being Virtual, that looks into the personal interactions centered around virtual worlds. In doing so, he answers a lot of questions that may come from having a virtual life, such as identity issues and embarrassment.If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.
Loewe to unveil ART SL series LCD HDTVs at IFA
We've already seen what Samsung plans on bringing to Berlin in just over a month, but a new duo from Loewe is lookin' mighty fine in its own right. There's not a whole lot being divulged prior to the expo's opening day, but we are told that a 42- and 47-inch ART SL LCD HDTV will be shown off to the public. Each set will reportedly boast a Full HD panel, 100Hz technology, built-in 250GB hard drive (optional) and an integrated DVB-T / DVB-C or DVB-S2 TV tuner. Each unit will be made available in glossy black or silver chrome, though we'll have to wait until August to get pricing / release information.
Cinemassively: Relay for Life sims tour
MarkTwain White has released the first part of his three-part tour series of the SLRFL08 sims. The theme, Heroes, was put to good use. There were builds dealing with superheroes, ancient lore, and everything in between. MarkTwain, the proprietor of the Holly Kai Golf Club, was able to capture the hard work and dedication that went into this event, which ran over the weekend for a full 24 hours. For those that missed it, the builds will be up until the end of today, at which point Linden Lab will reclaim the land. Go check them out before it's too late!If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.
