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MESA is out

gomidoggomidog
edited August 2008 in Art!
Not to be confused with Black Mesa.

We released our virtual world last week. In the same vein as Lively. Super super beta. I made it myself! (Alex and Brian...well, they helped.)

The models we are using right now are the ones I did when I started work. I am updating them as I write this.

But here is the question: What would make this fun? Sure, you can kick furniture, but is that fun?
I am wracking my brain to figure out how to make my 3D world interesting.
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Comments

  • AprecheApreche
    Make the virtual world a giant casino, and have fake money for people. Also include non-casino games, like real board games, and such.

    Just another idea from my brain.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Some random ideas:
    Physics game puzzles, I feel there is a real niche for a game which requires players to think constructively as a group.
    A wallpaper that displays someones Twitter feed?
  • AprecheApreche
    Have people give you their info for all of their social network profiles. Then automatically generate an avatar and room based on all the data from their profiles combined.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Have people give you their info for all of their social network profiles. Then automatically generate an avatar and room based on all the data from their profiles combined.
    Big "yes".
  • MosquitoboyMosquitoboy
    edited August 2008
    Have people give you their info for all of their social network profiles. Then automatically generate an avatar and room based on all the data from their profiles combined.
    Wow I can't even fathom how complicated that would be. I mean I'm no IT guy, but wow that would be some project. I'm not saying I wouldn't love it, but that seems to be a little off the charts of what is possible for this. But maybe I am overlooking something that could easily make this happen.
    Post edited by Mosquitoboy on
  • MosquitoboyMosquitoboy
    Yeah I'm thinking like some kind of mini game. I donno if you need to like accumulate points to get special things to put in your house or anything... but having like a big casino house would be really cool where there are NPC's (Bots) behind the tables, and if you sit at the table you play. Black Jack/ Poker are easy games to make and people like em. Or just other random games and by winning you get access to more things for your house. I know that it won't make a perfect community, but it will keep people playing a lot longer when they are striving for a goal.
  • AprecheApreche
    Wow I can't even fathom how complicated that would be. I mean I'm no IT guy, but wow that would be some project. I'm not saying I wouldn't love it, but that seems to be a little off the charts of what is possible for this. But maybe I am overlooking something that could easily make this happen.
    It's actually not so hard given how most of the sites have Open APIs.
  • AlexAlex
    edited August 2008
    I definitely want to pursue adding more minigames or game-like functionality to this thing.

    Somehow generating a room/avatar from profiles is an interesting idea. The hard part isn't so much getting the data - there's either an API for that, or there isn't - but specifying exactly what that data translates into in 3D in an interesting way. We're already moving in a similar direction with pulling in web content, though, so it's not impossible.
    Post edited by Alex on
  • AprecheApreche
    edited August 2008
    I definitely want to pursue adding more minigames or game-like functionality to this thing.

    Somehow generating a room/avatar from profiles is an interesting idea. The hard part isn't so muchgetting the data - there's either an API for that, or there isn't - but specifying exactly what that data translates into in 3D in an interesting way. We're already moving in a similar direction with pulling in web content, though, so it's not impossible.
    Start with simple ideas like taking their name, and putting it on the door to their room, on a plate on their desk, etc. Get a little fancier by putting their favorite books on the bookshelf or coffee table, taking the covers from Amazon. If you can find their favorite tv shows, movies, or artists, you can attempt to match those to various visual styles, and then decorate accordingly.
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    I definitely want to pursue adding more minigames or game-like functionality to this thing.

    Somehow generating a room/avatar from profiles is an interesting idea. The hard part isn't so muchgetting the data - there's either an API for that, or there isn't - but specifying exactly what that data translates into in 3D in an interesting way. We're already moving in a similar direction with pulling in web content, though, so it's not impossible.
    Start with simple ideas like taking their name, and putting it on the door to their room, on a plate on their desk, etc. Get a little fancier by putting their favorite books on the bookshelf or coffee table, taking the covers from Amazon. If you can find their favorite tv shows, movies, or artists, you can attempt to match those to various visual styles, and then decorate accordingly.
    Of course, you get into the problem of people with eclectic and obscure tastes that are hard to categorize properly. I mean, how does someone who listens to Merzbow decorate their apartment? There's not always a visual style associated with that sort of thing.

    As long as you leave in the ability to customize, it should be fine.

    I recommend swords and goblins. Pretty much any sort of nifty multi-player minigame functionality would be awesome.
  • SchnevetsSchnevets
    I feel like audio chat could be a big selling point. Video chat is far from perfect (Whenever I use it, there's always delays/disconnections, but this could fit a cool little niche between audio and video. Throw in some emotes, which could be mapped to keys or voice-activated (press a button and then speak to initiate recognition while muting you from other people). Maybe I've just been reading Snow Crash too much, though...

    Also, throw in board games and keep a hi-score board, including biggest winners who are connected, and maybe a (competent) matchmaking service. I feel like one of the most underused ways to harbor a community within something like this is through competitive gaming.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Be careful when choosing board games if Scrabulous is any indicator of what might happen.
    I think some kind of emote chart that let you get complex when expressing yourself. For instance: You choose two emotes and it gives you a grid of 25 (5x5) with strength of each emotion increasing as it goes up the side and along the bottom.
  • fooflyfoofly
    Not to be confused with Black Mesa.The models we are using right now are the ones I did when I started work. I am updating them as I write this.
    I like the hands on your models. Good hands are hard.
  • KilarneyKilarney
    Is this supposed to be like Second Life or something? What's the point of something like this? Is it just to chat, decorate your room and stuff?

    I'm not trying to be a wise guy. I just never really understood what the appeal was of these types of things.
  • AprecheApreche
    I'm not trying to be a wise guy. I just never really understood what the appeal was of these types of things.
    People like trying to take ideas from science fiction and make them into science fact. This is just the best we can do right now, economically.
  • Josh BytesJosh Bytes
    edited August 2008
    I got a suggestion a virtual media center that will access your actual media from your PC. Your avatar goes to the stereo and can play music from your mp3 collection. Or your avatar could turn on the TV and watch videos.
    Post edited by Josh Bytes on
  • NeitoNeito
    I got a suggestion a virtual media center that will access your actual media from your PC. Your avatar goes to the stereo and can play music from your mp3 collection. Or your avatar could turn on the TV and watch videos.
    But then you get into issues with streaming rights and other bullshit.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Or your avatar could turn on the TV and watch videos.
    Watching a screen of people watching a screen..
  • VigaViga
    How about shopping? Maybe a little town they can go to to hang with others? Most of the ideas the others said were pretty boss.

    Virtual fight club?
  • JasonJason
    Or your avatar could turn on the TV and watch videos.
    Watching a screen of people watching a screen..
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Sometimes the funniest ideas are right in front of you. Lulz.
  • Johannes Uglyfred IIJohannes Uglyfred II
    edited August 2008
    My most immediate comment would be to make sure that people can actually sit on the chairs and sit/lay on the beds.
    Post edited by Johannes Uglyfred II on
  • gomidoggomidog
    Is this supposed to be like Second Life or something? What's the point of something like this? Is it just to chat, decorate your room and stuff?

    I'm not trying to be a wise guy. I just never really understood what the appeal was of these types of things.
    That's the point of this thread. Right NOW all you can do is chat and decorate your room, but we want to develop it into something that is so much more interactive and fun.
  • JasonJason
    If you can already kick things, wouldn't incorporating a few big rubber kickballs be easy?
  • MosquitoboyMosquitoboy
    If you can already kick things, wouldn't incorporating a few big rubber kickballs be easy?
    Yeah get some outside enviorments, some more actions with the balls, and people can get like kickball games going.
    Same with dodgeball.
  • AprecheApreche
    Yeah get some outside enviorments, some more actions with the balls, and people can get like kickball games going.
    Same with dodgeball.
    Yeah, that definitely is something. Think about the fantastic contraption game or line rider. You give people tools with which to create things on their own, and they will do the work for you. The trick is getting just the right tool set. Give too big a tool set, and people won't get creative because they have all the tools they need already. Give to small a tool set, and people will be too restricted to do anything creative. You have to give people a small set of tools that have a large number of possibilities when used in combination.

    Giving people kick and ball already opens a huge world of possibilities. I say the best tool to give out is a lever and a towel. With those two things, just about anything is possible.
  • KilarneyKilarney
    edited August 2008
    That's the point of this thread. Right NOW all you can do is chat and decorate your room, but we want to develop it into something that is so much more interactive and fun.
    Ahh... gotcha. I thought that I was missing something.

    I've never been into Second Life or anything like that, so I'm not really one to comment. The only advice I could give is that you have to make it unique. There are already lots of virtual worlds on the internet (Second Life, Sony's version, etc.) And don't forget that your competing with the 600 pound gorilla known as Google. Since some big players have already established market share, you've got to have a unique angle. What that is, I'm not sure.

    Good luck!
    Post edited by Kilarney on
  • KilarneyKilarney
    edited August 2008
    I actually just had a thought. I've never seen a good virtual university on the internet. Somewhere that people could go and get good, quality education. It could be about all sorts of topics. I'm a history buff, and I'd love to attend some "virtual" classes. You could have tech classes, etc. The key is that there would have to be quality control - both for staff and students. The staff would have to be vetted. I'd be willing to pay $50 or so for a good class. (Something that meets a 3-5 times for an hour.) Simulating a classroom would be pretty cool. (Your avatar could raise its hand, go to the blackboard, etc.) Most of the "online" tutorials are crap and aren't interactive.

    This stuff would be marketed to people that have graduated from college, but still want to learn.

    So there's my million dollar idea for free. NetU. If only I had the time...
    Post edited by Kilarney on
  • gomidoggomidog
    And don't forget that yourcompeting withthe 600 pound gorilla known as Google
    We know this. We watch the market really closely. Okay, it's got the Google name on it, but Lively blows at the moment. It's one of those 10% personal projects by one of google's employees. It loads so much more slowly and has a proprietary plug in that can't be used with anything else. Keh. Anyway, we are doing okay. The thing is, we can't try to BE Second Life, or anything like that, we have to develop our own appeal.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited August 2008
    Not being Second Life is appeal enough for me, if you know what I mean. Scary, scary people.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
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