Raph is no longer taunting us (Metaplace)

[Lt.Dan]

That would be the Smuggler Raptor Fucking Jesus, pew pew pew.

[Grublet]

That would be the Smuggler Raptor Fucking Jesus, pew pew pew.

Is that with or without collision detection?

[Engels]

Schild, you can't be RFJ, you're Jewish.


Oh wait

[WindupAtheist]

Raph, I hope whatever the hell you're doing makes a huge pile of money.  So you can spend it all finally getting the UO/SWG formula right.  Sell MyCokeMusicSpace to the kiddies, then take the cash and use it to make me a Virtual Motherfucking World.  One that DOESN'T inspire comically long "what went wrong" threads for a change.

[Ironwood]

You're such a dreamer.

[Nonentity]

Today's the day!

For...

Hello Kitty Online! This thing!

 

[lamaros]

The world as we know it is about to change.

[Yegolev]

I keep typing "meatplace", but since nothing has happened there yet, I guess it's OK.

[Jamiko]

http://www.crunchbase.com/company/areae

Overview

Areae's Metaplace platform wants to revolutionize the virtual worlds space. Their platform will provide an open, easy-to-use interface which will allow users to create virtual worlds that can run anywhere. Metaplace-created virtual worlds will be robust with users being able to play games, socialize, create content and conduct commerce.

Most virtual worlds are walled gardens making it hard to get data in and out of the worlds. Metaplace-created virtual worlds can be embedded into your Facebook page, MySpace page, or your own blog via a flash-based client widget. Every world is indexed, tagged and rated by users on the Metaplace portal, so virtual worlds in the Metaplace network can be easily linked together.



MetaPlace

Product URL: http://www.metaplace.com
Overview

The Metaplace network links all the worlds together. Each of them can be completely different including virtual apartments for decorating, plazas where readings and musical events happen, space-action games, full-blown MMORPGs, casual games, and Amazon storefronts.

[sam, an eggplant]

Well I was dead on with the web 2.0/myspace/teen stuff, but wrong about the business model. It's not entirely clear how they plan to monetize the service when it's simply embedded in a facebook page, a community not under their control. They certainly can't charge subscription fees. I guess we'll hear something about that at 7.

[Yoru]

f13: One day somebody's going to have a tool where anybody can pop out a Shockwave game and --

Raph: I REALLY agree with you!

f13: Maybe [you're] even doing it!

Raph: ...

Damn, I'm tired of being right.

So, now we get to start asking when the beta is, right?  :mrgreen:

[Grand Design]

Meatplace sounds better.  The implied double entendre would be enough to get me to click on it.

[Morat20]

Well I was dead on with the web 2.0/myspace/teen stuff, but wrong about the business model. It's not entirely clear how they plan to monetize the service when it's simply embedded in a facebook page, a community not under their control. They certainly can't charge subscription fees. I guess we'll hear something about that at 7.

The gist I got was that there'd be a lightweight client that could be embedded into Facebook/MySpace/whatever -- an access to point to your created content. I expect you still have to pay for the actual "virtual world" and "user created content" area.

I kind of get this "We're creating a better second life, and giving you tools to create entry points into second life wherever you want".

I suspect the "money" part comes either in licenses to places LIKE Facebook so Facebook can hook up their own even-easier-to-use automatic tools tfor creation, or in fees to users -- you have to pay to get the tools and server space to create your virtual apartment/world/whatever, but it's free to let other's see.

That's sound enough -- you want people to be able to see it, wander around, and want to buy the product to make their own thingamajig. Or hell, maybe it's ad-based or microtrans based somehow.

[CadetUmfer]

Flash-based Multiverse with a more open API and interoperability between worlds?  Hm, could be interesting.

I wanna remake facebook inside Metaplace and then embed that 'place inside my facebook. oOo ;)

[schild]

Areae's Metaplace platform wants to revolutionize the virtual worlds space.

[Mrbloodworth]

http://www.crunchbase.com/company/areae

Overview

Areae's Metaplace platform wants to revolutionize the virtual worlds space. Their platform will provide an open, easy-to-use interface which will allow users to create virtual worlds that can run anywhere. Metaplace-created virtual worlds will be robust with users being able to play games, socialize, create content and conduct commerce.

Most virtual worlds are walled gardens making it hard to get data in and out of the worlds. Metaplace-created virtual worlds can be embedded into your Facebook page, MySpace page, or your own blog via a flash-based client widget. Every world is indexed, tagged and rated by users on the Metaplace portal, so virtual worlds in the Metaplace network can be easily linked together.



MetaPlace

Product URL: http://www.metaplace.com
Overview

The Metaplace network links all the worlds together. Each of them can be completely different including virtual apartments for decorating, plazas where readings and musical events happen, space-action games, full-blown MMORPGs, casual games, and Amazon storefronts.

So its furcadia with the Internet as its "Common" areas, users upload "Dreams" and other may join. I was right, and Raph is going to have a lot of disappointed fans. They wanted a sandbox MMO... I see flash as a major limitation, or atleast, having a cap on what is possible.

[Gutboy Barrelhouse]

I have zero interest in the product after seeing this small glimpse of it. In a nutshell I want to PLAY content not make it. I am sure that there are a good number of people who want to make content but I think the vast majority of people would rather play it.

If I am missing something let me know.

[SnakeCharmer]

I have zero interest in the product after seeing this small glimpse of it. In a nutshell I want to PLAY content not make it. I am sure that there are a good number of people who want to make content but I think the vast majority of people would rather play it.

If I am missing something let me know.

Someone is angry.

[Mrbloodworth]

I have zero interest in the product after seeing this small glimpse of it. In a nutshell I want to PLAY content not make it. I am sure that there are a good number of people who want to make content but I think the vast majority of people would rather play it.

If I am missing something let me know.

Someone is angry.

I was right, and Raph is going to have a lot of disappointed fans. They wanted a sandbox MMO...

[schild]

You quoted yourself saying ralph.

Which isn't his name.

YOU FAIL.

[Mrbloodworth]

You quoted yourself saying ralph.

Which isn't his name.

YOU FAIL.

This is quite true, and has been corrected.

[tazelbain]

Hey, I'm a game guy. And I have people who are waiting for the next Raph-worldy thing. I'm not going to ignore them.

Where is the game or world aspect of this?  Still seems all social space.

I expect we are going to see microtrans here since Raph has been talking them up for a while.

[Darniaq]

Because it hasn't been said since page 12:

It's not for you

 

[Gutboy Barrelhouse]

"Metaplace-created virtual worlds can be embedded into your Facebook page, MySpace page, or your own blog"
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

I guess I am too old, I have none of these, never will have one and I have no desire to promote myself to the world.  

[Morat20]

I have zero interest in the product after seeing this small glimpse of it. In a nutshell I want to PLAY content not make it. I am sure that there are a good number of people who want to make content but I think the vast majority of people would rather play it.

If I am missing something let me know.

The general goals, drives, and motivations of say, everyone that played the Sims, uses Second Life, or has a MySpace or Facebook page, for one.

More succinctly -- you wanted a game. This is not a game. Neither is Second Life, MySpace,or Facebook for that matter -- it's a tool. A way to customize your internet presence. It's a socialization tool -- a sort of metaphor for yourself.

Look, in real life -- you meet someone, and you learn a zillion things about them just because you've met face to face -- how they dress, how they walk, how they talk, facial expressions, hand movements -- you get a much better "feel" for them. Even more so if you visit them at their home, see their house, how they decorate it, how they live -- see them in social surroundings, how they mix with others.

All that is absent on the internet. It's just...text. And occasionally avatars. And stuff like MySpace and Facebook is basically creating an open diary for other people to read, which gives them SOME of that extra information but not all.

What Second Life, Facebook, and all that are trying very clumsily to create is a way to push across all that "face-to-face" information into the social networks people create online. It's what Raph's apparently trying to do as well.

I mean -- I don't know you from Adam. You could be the guy that works in the cube across the hall for all I know. ALL I know about you is you like SWG, for some unfathomable reason, and some of your politics. I don't even know your age, your hair color, don't even have a clue as to what music you might like -- stuff that I might be able to form a vague guess to if I'd ever seen you "in real life".

The whole point of crap like this is to allow that sort of "at a glance" appraisal.

It's not a game, not at all. It's a tool to allow total strangers to get a better idea of you. Imagine it like a more social version of an Xbox Life profile, or your XFire stats.

Doesn't interest me at all, frankly. I'm too old for the MySpace crap. I'm too lazy to even find an avatar for here. But hell, I bet my cousins -- 10 years younger than me -- are going to be interested. Provided it's close to free.

[sam, an eggplant]

Exactly. I don't have a myspace page, because I'm not looking to pick up highschool girls. But highschool boys certainly are, and they have a ton of disposable income. Even though it's still unclear how Areola is going to get at it.

[Darniaq]

Funny this corrolates to a discussion I'm in elsewhere about RPGs.

So our generation of gamers* (different from demographic-defined "generations") seeks to escape into fantastical worlds where we take on roles and do things we couldn't do in real life. We want a fantastical world in which we can be someone else, and desire the immersion of at least full-screen, if not high quality objects and textures. We want games where we can brag about the number of people and the costs of the development and the idols we know who made them, because to us, these worlds working at all is still something new. We'll even pick up Horizons if we're bored enough.

The next generation of gamers seems to prefer bringing their real world lives into the virtual one. They have this tendency (imho) to project into the virtual worlds themselves with all sorts of "here I am, look at me!" type accroutrements. They want a fantasy representation of themselves, so don't mind when the graphics don't depict reality. They don't care how much it cost to make, they don't care how it works, they don't care who made them, because to them, these worlds just work. They wouldn't go any further back than WoW if they checked out immersive DIKU at all.

The differences are just that great in my view, providing insight into who is trying to chase what audience.

* My opinion only, and not including every single person here nor every person I know

[Slayerik]

I wanna be raptor fucking jesus. Not a raptor fucking jesus. But Raptor Fucking Jesus.

Ok I'll support your Raptor Fucking Jesus if you back my:

Gonna Rape You Beaver Buddy Christ

[Mrbloodworth]

I wanna be raptor fucking jesus. Not a raptor fucking jesus. But Raptor Fucking Jesus.

Ok I'll support your Raptor Fucking Jesus if you back my:

Gonna Rape You Beaver Buddy Christ

You should have put the random "splatter" on his chest from the original image!

Also, it seems that all of this is possible in metaplace, Rejoice!

[Krakrok]

It's not entirely clear how they plan to monetize the service when it's simply embedded in a facebook page, a community not under their control. They certainly can't charge subscription fees. I guess we'll hear something about that at 7.

The same way all these other widget companies like YouTube make money which is 'Get lots of users. Profit." Possibly micropayments like IMVU.

I see flash as a major limitation, or atleast, having a cap on what is possible.

Flash is pretty much the only option with Shockwave being a distant second. Papervision3d helps Flash a lot.

[Yegolev]

This seems like a great place to link my MySpace page.
http://myspace.com/brock_owlbear_samson

You might notice that I'm not taking MySpace seriously at all, however pretty much all of my "Hey, that The Wii looks fun" friends do.  Actually, all of my real-life friends have a MySpace page.  If I am interested in Meatplace-- er, Metaplace, it's for the same reason I am interested in XBL Achievements and PSN Home.  Also I am excited for the same reason that I enjoy writing retarded things on my MySpace page.

[SnakeCharmer]

It's not entirely clear how they plan to monetize the service when it's simply embedded in a facebook page, a community not under their control. They certainly can't charge subscription fees. I guess we'll hear something about that at 7.

The same way all these other widget companies like YouTube make money which is 'Get lots of users. Profit." Possibly micropayments like IMVU.

Or alternatively, to 'fix' your quote:

"The same way all these other widget companies like YouTube make money which is 'Get lots of users.  Get established / entrenched.  Sell Areae/Metaplace to <insert company> for huge freakin' profit."

[HaemishM]

All I can think of calling this place even in my own thoughts now is Meatplace. Thanks, fuckers.

[Yegolev]

That's Web 2.0 in action.  See what I did there?  It's viral!

[Mrbloodworth]

It's not entirely clear how they plan to monetize the service when it's simply embedded in a facebook page, a community not under their control. They certainly can't charge subscription fees. I guess we'll hear something about that at 7.

The same way all these other widget companies like YouTube make money which is 'Get lots of users. Profit." Possibly micropayments like IMVU.

I see flash as a major limitation, or atleast, having a cap on what is possible.

Flash is pretty much the only option with Shockwave being a distant second. Papervision3d helps Flash a lot.

Papervision3d is limited, doesn't use 3d hardware (CPU bound), and is a bitch to use... However, it has potential.

I have also never seen it used with any dynamic data, if you have a link to one, id like to see it.