Roblox

[Quistess Alpha]

I recently heard about this other game called 'Roblox'. and just form the descriptions it seems like SL but catering to a younger audience. Has anyone else heard of it or tested it out? I'm too lazy to figure out how to get it running on Linux, but I'm a bit curious how it compares to SL.

[LittleMe Jewell]

6 minutes ago, Quistessa said:

I recently heard about this other game called 'Roblox'. and just form the descriptions it seems like SL but catering to a younger audience. Has anyone else heard of it or tested it out? I'm too lazy to figure out how to get it running on Linux, but I'm a bit curious how it compares to SL.

Based on the images of the background picture of their main web page --- https://www.roblox.com/ -- it looks like it would compare more to SL's Blockworld or whatever that was.  The avatars/characters all seem to have been created from Lego pieces.

Edited March 4, 2021 by LittleMe Jewell

[Chaser Zaks]

Used to play roblox years ago when I was younger. Roblox is more akin to stuff like Garry's Mod and Blockland, as everything is "server based" and sandboxed, there isnt really a world, but rather many maps(gaming term).

Second Life is more akin to High Fidelity, Sansar, Furcadia, IMVU, and VRChat, but not quite. The part that makes Second Life stand out is that all you need is the viewer to create, and the world is connected via regions and create really big continents that can be traveled, as opposed to being loosely connected via portals.

Roblox most certainly is targeted towards the younger audience, but is that doesn't mean the features are lacking. It does have a hefty scripting API, and I've seen things that transformed it into something unrecognizable as roblox. But again, it does have a majority younger audience, so imagine COD kids except they can't swear.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Chaser Zaks

[Janet Voxel]

I watched my nephew play it when he stayed with us a couple of summers ago. We loaded up some Roblox bux, or whatever they’re called and watched him go.

You play little mini games, buy little items to customize your avatar and kinda....hang out. After about an hour of watching him play, I fell asleep on the couch, but he was entertained for hours, kinda had to drag him out of the house. But then again, I’m cool auntie so...I probably let him do all of the things he isn’t allowed to do at home.

The games were cool, for a preteen. Really inoffensive stuff like freeze tag. I could see the comparison but eh...It has avatars and micro transactions (what game doesn’t now?) if that’s what you’re going to base the comparison on. Can’t say it really held my attention. And my nephew? He’s 12 now and totally over it.

I kind of wish Secondlife was better at little gamey stuff like that, it would be a fun little distraction for about an hour. But overall, they really don’t compare outside of the basics.

[Wulfie Reanimator]

1 hour ago, Chaser Zaks said:

Used to play roblox years ago when I was younger. Roblox is more akin to stuff like Garry's Mod and Blockland, as everything is "server based" and sandboxed, there isnt really a world, but rather many maps(gaming term).

Second Life is more akin to High Fidelity, Sansar, Furcadia, IMVU, and VRChat, but not quite. The part that makes Second Life stand out is that all you need is the viewer to create, and the world is connected via regions and create really big continents that can be traveled, as opposed to being loosely connected via portals.

I used to play Roblox for a while back when it was fairly new (07-08). I'd say Roblox and Sansar have a lot in common in the way they're presented, but many elements of SL as well.

Roblox has a separate "world editor" that you use to craft the experience others will interact with, and the scale of those worlds is much bigger than SL. The scripting API for Roblox was very expansive even back in the early days. It's probably better than what we have here, or on the level of Experiences.

And Second Life is not mostly a big continent that can be traveled. I believe there are more standalone sims than continents (even if we include neighboring private sims), so accessing most of SL is no different from Roblox/Sansar/IMVU/VRChat.

The focus of Roblox is very different from SL/Sansar/others, though. Roblox is definitely more geared towards minigames and such, like obstacle courses, tycoon games, life-simulators, team-based shooters, etc. There weren't any specifically "casual hangout" places if you just wanted to chat.

Roblox has always had support for mesh models as well, which I personally didn't like as the models rarely fit the "lego aesthetic" of the world and the characters.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Wulfie Reanimator

[Arduenn Schwartzman]

It's for 99% occupied by hyperactive little kids (if you allow the pleonasm) only casually playing simplistic games. For adults, there's practically no one to socialize or even have any meaningful conversation with. Oddly enough, the games, as stupid and as primitive as they are, will provide a much smoother and streamlined gameplay experience (less stuttering, lag, higher FPS) than anything comparable (like zombie shooting) in SL. My son's favorite game there is to jump his avatar off a mountain to break as many bones as he can. His current record is somewhere in the order of millions of bone fractures.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Arduenn Schwartzman

[Lucia Nightfire]

I've told SL devs for years that if they want to attract and entertain a younger audience in SL, they need to implement some competitive gaming tools/mechanics or give us script features to do it, but they'd rather focus on a non-graphical mobile app and call it "Mission Accomplished". 🙄

[RunawayBunny]

2 hours ago, Lucia Nightfire said:

I've told SL devs for years that if they want to attract and entertain a younger audience in SL

I believe they had a grid for teens called teen grid and it not worked out they shut it down.

Perhaps SL not correct platform for younger audience because hard to control. User created content might suitable or not suitable for young audience.

Edited March 4, 2021 by RunawayBunny
Typos grammar etc :x

[Lucia Nightfire]

41 minutes ago, RunawayBunny said:

I believe they had a grid for teens called teen grid and it not worked out they shut it down.

Perhaps SL not correct platform for younger audience because hard to control. User created content might suitable or not suitable for young audience.

When I say "younger" I'm not talking attracting the same age dynamic as Roblox.

[Eggy UwU]

roblox attracts many young players and i am sure others have described roblox in a sense better than i could! it's very much like legos, second life, and other flash player social worlds combined into one hub of virtual games to explore.

it's very well done and sure a lot of fun when you can find certain game types you are interested in there.