Merlina21

Thanks for this. Perhaps then I should dress my Avatar in a red cloak?? Then again, maybe not, as I might end up as a 'snack'! I've found out in the meantime that LindenLabs do have a presence on LinkedIn, and host a monthly event with an opportunity for Q & A, which sounds like it will be the best forum for raising the issues being discussed on this thread. The April one has just been and gone, but I presume there will be another one around the same time in May. Here's Linden Labs' own link to the page listing where they have a presence on social media, including on LinkedIn. http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Community_Resources_Portal

Looking at his profile just now and his postings, he hasn't been active on LinkedIn for the last 9 months. It is however possible for anyone who is also on Lindkedin to read and comment on his postings. I would presume any director or manager of a company would welcome suggestions and feedback from customers of their product or service. Companies pay a lot of money to get that kind of feedback via market research and 'focus groups', and usually want to learn about how they can improve and stay ahead of their competitors. Second :Life is clearly a bit different to other forms of entertainment and gaming platforms, given the amount of input from residents who use the platform, and the level of technical knowledge that people have, going by the postings on this thread. He may not be expecting residents of Second Life to show up on LinkedIn, but if the aim is to get his attention it might be worth a try?

For the last 5 years he has been Chair of the board of directors for the Jyve corporation, but has been the Executive Chair of Linden Lab and Tilla as of January of this year. I presume 'executive' means he is taking some kind of active role in the running of the company, rather than just being on the board of directors?

The new CEO of Lindens, Bradford Oberwager, has only been in post since January of this year, and going by what he says on his LinkedIn profile, he seems like he would be open to listening to feedback and suggestions from what he describes as SL's 'incredible residents'.

Sorry - accidentally posted this twice.

Maybe it's going to be possible in the future to combine passive and active? People could be watching/experiencing a 360 degree show or presentation, and then immediately be able to visit a virtual location to hang out and interact with other members of the audience, maybe attend an after show party, visit a related exhibition, buy merchandising and related products, or enter an rpg or platform like Second life where they can actually actively interact with some kind of simulation based on the show or its themes.. I had a glimpse of what that would feel like from when I used to attend fan conventions for the Sixties cult fantasy series The Prisoner, which was filmed in a permanent location in the form of an italianate village in North Wales, UK, called Portmeirion - itself the vision of an eccentric architect. Back in the eighties, long before the internet or even video being widely available, the only way to re-watch episodes of the series was through attending an event where prints of the film were screened. It was quite something to watch the episodes projected onto a big screen, and then immediately step outside and actually be immersed in the same environment, with people walking around dressed as characters from the series. Another time I actually stayed there - as it also has a hotel and self catering cottages - with a group of people as a team building and personal development exercise, and the combination of watching the episodes which were available on video by this stage, and being immersed in that environment, was intense. to say the least. And back in 2009 a simulation of Portmeirion was actually created in SL - as revealed in this article. I've heard this mentioned previously by a friend who is part of Prisoner fandom - sadly the project did not survive because of lack of income to sustain it and cover the costs, but it's possible all the actual buildings still exist sitting in an inventory somewhere.... https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/north-wales-village-portmeirion-been-2070078

I'd agree re the use of 360 degree video footage. i already experienced where this was being used at a demo at a local event a couple of years ago. It created the experience of being involved in a car accident as it unfolded in real time, where you were sat in the passenger seat with a 360 degree view of what was happening around you. It was disturbingly vivid, and the purpose was to encourage safer driving. Besides watching 360 degree performances, capturing footage of actual locations can also be a way to experience virtual travel and sight seeing including visiting museums and other tourist attractions. I know of a new platform currently in pre-launch that is targeting this area and is about to commence filming in the first location this year. I also know that in the longer term they plan that this will evolve into a 'metaverse', with possibilities for partnering with gaming companies as a 'vertical' supported by the platform. So then - presumably - you would have access via their headset, and enter the game including SL via a portal within this platform. And presumably 'green screen' filming techniques already used in the movie industry will enable combining 3D animation with footage of 'real life', so there will be a convergence with imaginary worlds and real life.

Thanks - that's interesting to learn about, especially why it creates motion sickness. I remember having a virtual 'ride' on a machine on a pier at the seaside where the seat moved to emulate the movements and the screen showed the shots of riding on a big dipper - which was a flat screen as I recall, certainly not a VR headset. But that was enough to give me motion sickness. So clearly with VR the challenge is having powerful and fast enough computers and servers in order for to work seamlessly? What about 'quantum computers' which I've heard about - could they be the solution? I also once had an experience of VR created from live footage, where I am sitting still and the motion is happening around me in 360 degrees - in the case to simulate being in a car accident in real time, which was quite unnervingly realistic. Didn't experience any motion sickness with that, however, even though leading up to the accident there was the impression of being in a car moving at speed down a road.

Thanks for the explanation of how it works. So relating it back to when 3D animation was done manually by moving objects around, the keyboard and viewer is sending the instructions to the platform to move the object or avatar x amount in a particular direction, or to change its shape, and at the same time generate the frames that show that movement or change in real time. Interesting to hear how the viewer then only estimates what is actually happening - does a VR headset do this more efficiently?

That presumably is the ideal for Virtual Reality - so what is the major current limitation that is preventing developers from creating that? Is it to do with the capabilities of the platform itself, or connections speeds and the 'ping rate' and the power of people's devices or headsets? And what about integration with capture of 'live footage' using VR cameras to capture 360 degree imaging. Could the camera in SL which currently captures 2D video be developed to film in 360 degrees? Although I realise that would in turn thrown up some copyright issues as people could then replicate what others have built....

Interesting observation - so what would you identify as being the essential possibilities of the platform? I certainly see it is more than just a game, because of the control I have over creating an customising my avatar and exploring different identities, and even though my own skills in creating objects are very basic, I can certainly see the potential for designing and creating both objects and spaces, and am impressed by the imagination and creativity that SL reflects. From my own limited experience of 3D gaming it seems you can only select from characters that somebody else has created, and also only access different locations by playing the game, and the currency is just scoring points in order to win different objects. That's not the same as being able to design and create and then trade objects you have created, or buy items that other users have designed and created. Second Life seems to me more of a cross over between being a 3D game and a social media platform where people can go just to interact, rather than to play a game. It seems more like a world that has been created by its users, rather than just the creators of a particular game, and can provide simulations of real life locations and cultures, as well as imaginary ones. If there are other platforms now offering this kind of experience, then I'm interested to hear about them and explore them.

I agree - and one of those elements is surely ourselves! SL has attracted an active and engaged community of users and creators, of which I am one, even though my usage is restricted by my computer and broadband speeds. I attended the pre-launch a few weeks ago of a new VR platform that is currently in development, that just might be the solution to the challenges SL currently faces, if the company developing this and Linden Labs were able/willing to become partners. It looks like this company could potentially provide the tech development and resources, and I know that they do in fact plan to partner with companies creating 3D gaming. At the same time SL can offer something unique for the reasons already mentioned, plus the human element of creators and visionaries, and its own digital currency and ecosystem in the form of the Linden dollar. There's a presentation about what is being developed by this company happening online this Thursday at 9.00 a.m. UK time - if anyone is interested and would like an invite, just send me a message here on this forum, and I can provide further details.

thanks - I understand about 'land impact' just didn't know the abbreviation, and just about understand vertices, which I think I once learned about in maths many moons ago.... I understand that this affects lag - as my computer/viewer starts to struggle even if there are a lot of objects on the sim. If there are a lot of objects I have to switch back from using Firestorm to Singularity which no longer rez's inventory items properly, so my Avatar ends up in a white top and leggings.... Still - regarding how technology can evolve - dug out my previous pics taken in world and saw what my avatar used to look like when I first joined....things have definitely improved since then! I can also remember the days before digital and taking video and pics on a phone, or even with a camcorder when the only way to record video was by hiring some very expensive and complex equipment both to film and create some of the effects, and 3D animation was clay modelling and stop frame, or doing lots and lots of drawings. So considering how the technology has evolved since then, beyond what people back in the day could have imagined, who knows where it might go in the future....

Actually feeling quite happy right now with my mesh hair that I've just added - but shopping and putting on new outfits and taking pictures is about the limit of my activity, though I do plan to upgrade my computer to at least be able to interact again in world, like I could when I first joined... What does '6k Vert limit' mean and "Li'? Learning some of the tech jargon can also be a challenge!

I think the major drawback at present with SL is having the tech to deliver the experience in an accessible and user friendly way. That's not just the capabilities of the platform itself, but the resources available to users - speed of computer, broadband speeds, access via mobile devices. As a creative, I love the platform and the potential of being able to create/co-create a virtual 3D world composed of user-driven content, rather than defined by a gaming company. However, my own access is restricted at present by the speed of my computer and my operating system, as well as broadband speeds, so I can currently only visit locations with no or very few other users on the sim, otherwise my avatar gets quickly paralysed by lag issues. In addition to needing a fast enough computer and broadband, there's also now a barrier to the general public understanding how to use it - even the basics of creating/modifying your avatar and buying clothing and accessories, with all the compatability issue with different brands of mesh avatars. But in terms of where this can go in the future, I'm very excited about the possibilities of Sl evolving into a fully immersive and easily accessible experience, via a headset, where there's also this facility for user generated content, and also for trading in an a digital currency and an in world eco-system which we already have with the Linden dollars. The challenge seems to be whether Linden Labs is going to be able to develop the necessary tecnhology and resources to make this possible, and/or partner with a company or platform that can provide this...