Virtual Worlds, what's the point?

[Luna Bliss]

2 minutes ago, Krystina Ferraris said:

5 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

omg I didn't even notice that.  Narcissism seems to be the topic of two or more threads atm I guess is my excuse, or maybe I just need more coffee!

Same here Luna, I followed the other two threads with interest and I didn’t even noticed until now, while sipping my cup of coffee to get me through the rest of the afternoon! 😄

We could try to integrate it into this thread though, like is humankind's obsession with creating representations of reality such as we find in VR, a form of narcissism?  lol

[Krystina Ferraris]

1 minute ago, Luna Bliss said:

We could try to integrate it into this thread though, like is humankind's obsession with creating representations of reality such as we find in VR, a form of narcissism?  lol

Don’t make me go there! 😂😂🔥

[Solar Legion]

"Virtual Worlds, what's the point?" - To Exist.

[Lindal Kidd]

I've always thought I wanted my virtual world to be REALLY immersive, i.e. VR. But I just now realized that if my POV was constantly like SL's Mouselook, I couldn't see myself, except maybe in a mirror. And like Ceka, I enjoy playing dress-up! So maybe the third person POV isn't so bad after all.

[Luna Bliss]

1 minute ago, Lindal Kidd said:

I've always thought I wanted my virtual world to be REALLY immersive, i.e. VR. But I just now realized that if my POV was constantly like SL's Mouselook, I couldn't see myself, except maybe in a mirror. And like Ceka, I enjoy playing dress-up! So maybe the third person POV isn't so bad after all.

Well, in a lot of the VR worlds you can see yourself....they aren't confined to mouselook..

[ChinRey]

2 hours ago, Lindal Kidd said:

I've always thought I wanted my virtual world to be REALLY immersive, i.e. VR. But I just now realized that if my POV was constantly like SL's Mouselook, I couldn't see myself, except maybe in a mirror. And like Ceka, I enjoy playing dress-up! So maybe the third person POV isn't so bad after all.

That's a very good point but why should we be limited to a single POV? We could have different ones with keyboard shortcuts to toggle between them. How about this:

• Five or six different POVs:
  • 1st person (through the eyes of the avatar)
  • Modern game "behind the avatar" position (lower and closer to the avi than SL's default)
  • "Mirror" view (Front view, a little bit lwoer than SL's current one)
  • Birdseye view (Even higher up and further apart from the avatar that SL's default)
  • One or two user configurable presets
• Of course keep all of SL's options to move camera around - I think this is one of SL's biggest advantages over most other game/VW engines
• Escape key reverts to the last selected POV
• Mouselook style "game controls" is a separate function, not hardwired to a specific POV (although it should probably switch to 1st person by default when engaged)

I do not think SL's camera positions are worth keeping in this ideal virtual world. The default rear view is a poor compromise between a modern closer variant and a birdseye view, the front view isn't too bad but needs to be adjusted. As for the side view, does anybody ever actually use it? If they do, they can set it up with a user configurable preset.

Edited June 30, 2021 by ChinRey

[Quistess Alpha]

36 minutes ago, ChinRey said:

Five or six different POVs:

Does the LL viewer not let you set different camera presets? I think that's a fairly standard feature in most TPVs, it's present in Kokua at least (and I think Firestorm?)

[Bree Giffen]

2 hours ago, Luna Bliss said:

Well, in a lot of the VR worlds you can see yourself....they aren't confined to mouselook..

You know how they say the camera adds ten pounds? Since VR simulates looking at things with two eyes as in real life the SL avatar actually looks skinnier in VR compared to the view on a computer monitor. Seeing your avatar in third-person in VR is like looking at a little doll that moves and blinks. It truly is like nothing you have seen before on a flat screen.

[ChinRey]

48 minutes ago, Quistessa said:

Does the LL viewer not let you set different camera presets? I think that's a fairly standard feature in most TPVs, it's present in Kokua at least (and I think Firestorm?)

It does but what I suggested were a more suitable selection of options and an easier way to switch between them.

[cunomar]

For me - when it worked , SL was just a chatroom with animations .

Dressing digital dolls as boring and frustrating as it might be was an acknowledgement that its only fair to make an effort in appreciation of the efforts of others .

It was the polite thing to do .

Edited June 30, 2021 by cunomar

[HelenaNavy92]

It was long ago when I logged in SL for the first time (may be 2010). I liked to explore and search places. And.. actually I never talked to any resident because I wasn't looking for interaction with others. I remember a place called Neverland - I spent a lot of time in there. Then I met a person who showed me some things. And then I lost my account. Years later I created another profile and here I am. 

When you are in a Virtual World you want to taste everything that it's offering. I'm a little bit disappointed of myself right now because I know I'm kind chasing the wind but I'll find my way again. 

[rasterscan]

Virtual Worlds, what's the point?

Escapism

[Doc Nolan]

For me, this partcular virtual world (Second Life) fills in for the desert misnamed "real life'.  Here I can travel without passports or hassles.  There's no war, no politicians, and minimal media.  Unlike RL where you have to be fake and phony ("It's so nice to see you again."  "I hope your mom is doing well."  "How was your vacation?" "What a nice dress."  Etc) in this world you can actually talk to folks without all the time-wasting silliness.  In SL I write book reviews for a magazine (FOCUS Magazine) about books I've read and liked and it's not about money, or being hired or being fired or kissing up.  The editor says, "Would you?"  I say "Sure" and it's a done deal! 

In my virtual world I can make friends from all over the world and chat about things that can't come up in real life.  (It's a bit depressing explaining to RL neighbors that Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a writer or that Bulgaria is a nation in Europe or that Hokusai was an artist in Japan). Alos, in SL I can and do wander into art galleries, like The Exploratorium or FAIR without showing ID or paying an admittance fee or standing in line.  I don't even have to drive, dodging malicious drivers to get to a museum, hoping no one takes offense at me and does something crazy.  And I meet fascinating people -- some weird, some interesting, and some with very strange backgrounds.  (When in RL did I last meet a Bulgarian lawyer, or an artisitic truck driver, or a Connecticut MFA, or an American expat living in Ecuador -- all people I know in SL?)  I know that there are a few 'almost criminal' types in SL, but I'm at no risk in a virtual world.  No murders.  No guns.  No assaults.  No theft.  And even when I run into the odd alcoholic on a binge (or snoring 'Sleeping Beauty' who left voice on as she feel asleep atop her keyboard), so what?  I teleport out and go home in what -- one or two seconds?  And there I can listen to piped in jazz or classical music and never have a neighbor put in a complaint.  

So what is the  point of a virtual world?  Easy.  It provides a place that is better than RL.  

[Silent Mistwalker]

43 minutes ago, Doc Nolan said:

no war,

Um...

1st war https://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2003/07/war_of_the_jess.html

2nd war http://alphavilleherald.com/2004/09/essay_a_history.html

Wanna play war? http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/New_Jessie

[AnnHerrick]

Well for me it's an escape from RL, which I expect is was it offers most others. I live alone and work only two days a week and have no family left, so a time filler is called for, and it gets me away from the ugly politics that saturate the rest of the internet. I threw out the TV over 20 years ago, (commercials) and I don't think about what more I'd want it to be, it is what it is and that's okay with me. You can meet some nice people in SL, but of course you can meet not so nice people too, but at least in SL you can block them, or even derender and blacklist them. You can't do that in RL. Immersion I have covered with a 70 inch 4K  second monitor and surround sound, so I'm  good there, and you can have a nice house to decorate and fuss over, which fills more time than you might think. When things are slow in the rest of SL you can always go fuss over your house furnishings and decor. If you have a big house you can spend hours on that. It's also nice that you can look like anything you want in SL, dropping pounds and years at will, although I'll never understand why some want to look the way they have chosen. Being able to have a truly vast wardrobe at little cost is another plus.

I guess the only thing I would change is the lag. If I could get rid of that I'd be pretty happy.

Edited July 14, 2021 by AnnHerrick

[cunomar]

There isn't "a point" basically you come here to watch yourself being bored .

[Theresa Tennyson]

4 minutes ago, cunomar said:

There isn't "a point" basically you come here to watch yourself being bored .

It gives some people an opportunity to wallow in their own sense of martyrdom over and over. And that must be worth something, or they wouldn't keep doing it.

[cunomar]

🤪 I came back to add - also a vague unrealistic hope that something read in a profile or whatever might spark a mentally stimulating train of thought to help while away the hours .

[Jaylinbridges]

I prefer the Tail view, especially when using the Moles as protection from the rock monsters:

On 6/29/2021 at 10:19 PM, ChinRey said:

The default rear view is a poor compromise between a modern closer variant and a birdseye view

OOPS,

 

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by Jaylinbridges

[Doc Nolan]

20 hours ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

Um...

1st war https://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2003/07/war_of_the_jess.html

2nd war http://alphavilleherald.com/2004/09/essay_a_history.html

Wanna play war? http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/New_Jessie

 

[Maryanne Solo]

Escapism.
Privacy.
Safety.
I began as a creator in 2009 and did as well as to be expected vs the effort I put into it and very happy with that.
BUT...... (and I rarely see this mentioned anywhere),

SL sparked my obsession with manipulating digital data, which already existed but only in relation to music creation at that time. 
It is because SL is a safe private haven, I learnt to theme & create my own images in any format, for any purpose.
I learnt about e-commerce and presenting products for sale to others,
I was already very good at audio creation but SL allowed me to practice that too,
Finally, to learn about 3d software/methods and how to create mesh in specific formats.
 

Therefore... after 5 years of very humble financing, planning and prototyping, today is the first full day I will spend in my RL business,
putting the final touches on products I designed in 3d and converted to absolutely beautiful RL physical products.
Which will give me around AUD $9700 worth of stock to sell with all the production machines, processes & methods perfected for the future.
Depending on how ecommerce goes during this pandemic I am hoping to exit my day job and reclaim MY life A.S.A.P.

I could scream it is so exciting and almost a dream come true.
Thank you LL.

 

[Silent Mistwalker]

.  <----- the point

[animats]

On 6/29/2021 at 10:19 PM, ChinRey said:

The default rear view is a poor compromise between a modern closer variant and a birdseye view,

Worse, the camera control for obstacles between camera and avatar is poor. If there's an obstacle between camera and avatar in that view, the camera should move forward towards a shoulder position until it has a clear view. You should never sit down and find your camera stuck behind a wall.

This has been pretty much fixed in the game industry, and SL is way behind.

[victoravatar]

On 6/28/2021 at 1:33 AM, ChinRey said:

No, this is not a thread for sour complaints, the title is a genuine question (although maybe a teeny-weeny bit clickbaity ).

Let's look at the BIG PICTURE for a change. Let's look up, open our minds and dare to dream!

What is you ideal virtual world?

• Don't worry if it's possible or not, every great achievement starts with an impossible vision.
• Try not to lock yourself into what Second Life (or any other virtual world) is today. This about an ideal virtual world for an ideal real world.
• Try not to bury yourself into too many details, we've already got tons of threads for those.
• Remember there is no wrong answer. Everybody are entitled to their own dreams. (We can still discuss and maybe even argue against each other but it has to be done with respect.)

Some questions to get thing started - you don't have to answer them as such if you don't feel like it:

• What are the most important qualities you'd like you ideal virtual world to have?
• Which other qualities do you feel would be important?
• Which other qualities do you think others would regard as important?
• Which uses/activities are the most important to you in a virtual world?
• Which uses/activities would also be valuable to you?
• Which uses/activties do you think others would appreciate?

---

To try to answer my questions myself, I may well give slightly different answers tomorrow:

To me the most important qualities would be:

• Immersion - a world I can loose myself in and feel I'm a part of, not just a spectator.
• Availability - a world that is open and welcoming to everybody regardless of their economy, computer savviness, nationality, language and cultural background.
• Continuity - large landscapes where everything fit together without becoming repetitive and bland.
• A platform for creativity!

Also important:

• Fast loading, low lag (maybe I sholdn't mention those separately since they are essential requirements for immersion and availability).
• Good quality graphics

Important for others:

• Ummm, I don't know. That's why I start this thread in the first place

Most important activities for me:

• Building
• Exploring what others have created
• Meeting new and old friends

Also important:

• Games and hunts
• Playing dress-up with my avatar (I'm not at all ashamed to admit it )
• Role playing (but preferably a bit more immersive than the emote based kind we usually see)
• Taking pictures
• Learning

Activities I think others would appreciate:

• Building a virtual home
• Taking a break from RL
• Virtual museum exhibitions etc.
• Serious games (look it up, they're not games at all)
• Collecting cool digital objects
• Education
• Conferences
• Making machinima videos
• etc., etc., etc...

 

What are the most important qualities you'd like your ideal virtual world to have? Good friends. I think that's a huge thing in second life it's kind of like in real life if you don't have your friends around it just hits different but that's just in my case! I understand that a lot of people like to be alone for me personally it gives me anxiety sometimes but now I'm learning to live with it. 

Which other qualities do you feel would be important? Being able to have fun and not create drama for yourself it's unnecessary because you already might have a lot going on in real life you wouldn't want to double that in SL. 

Which uses/activities are the most important to you in a virtual world? Spending your time in the most creative way possible.  Always trying to better yourself or find new hobbies for example i got myself into this one game on SL it's addicting i love it. 

[Zidaya Zenovka]

Sex. I'm in it for the mind-blowingly amazing virtual booty knocking. The real thing is way overrated. Been there, done that. Gimme the ability to be an anthropomorphic kangaroo romancing a stunningly beautiful eggheaded alicorn and I'll welcome the singularity with open arms.