Raph is no longer taunting us (Metaplace)

[UnSub]

I need a shill, so I don't feel like one posting about updates here. But anyway, many of your biz type q's are answered in today's blog post.

Use Metaplace to build a Raphbot as your first major project. Raphbot's main purpose will be to post info about updates and to answer "No comment" to questions about SWG.

[Hutch]

Meatspace blog post on art assets.

Also, the tweenie chick icon on the homepage rotates/randomized with characters from a couple of genres now.

[Samwise]

If you are making tiles for an isometric world, you will want to make them square and not diamond shaped, as our client will texture map the tiles for you. You can set the view angle anywhere you like.

That's pretty cool.

[Raph]

Meatspace blog post on art assets.

Also, the tweenie chick icon on the homepage rotates/randomized with characters from a couple of genres now.

We did that just for you guys.

[Hutch]

Meatspace blog post on art assets.

Also, the tweenie chick icon on the homepage rotates/randomized with characters from a couple of genres now.

We did that just for you guys.

Hah! I hope you did it to broaden the appeal of your platform. Seems you'd get better ROI that way 

[Raph]

What, you couldn't see the invisible green on what I wrote?

We do everything for you guys. :)

[Samwise]

 

[UnSub]

I was amused to see Metaplace mentioned in a future trends document being sent around the international company I work for. It was sitting along side Spore, Habbo Hotel and the Barbie Online whatever-the-hell-that-is.

[taolurker]

But it's not for us.

 

[schild]

Barbie Online Pedophile Safespace.

[Raph]

Sure it's for you... or else we're wasting our time... 

The forums are starting to get lively... people are talking machinima, a 3d client project, and of course, a caption contest for the sqronk. It is clear not very many f13 people have submitted captions, because they are all very.... mild.

Anyway, lots of tidbits on stuff like interacting with web services, how to accomplish certain things with the tools, etc, are filtering out there.

[Samwise]

Am I correct in thinking that the lucky bastards who got into the alpha (all ten of them or however many it is) are under NDA?  I lurk around the Meatforums every now and then hoping for information that's not in the blog posts, but it doesn't seem like anyone there has any insights we don't.

It is clear not very many f13 people have submitted captions, because they are all very.... mild.

That sounds like a challenge, sir.

[Mrbloodworth]

Sure it's for you... or else we're wasting our time... 

The forums are starting to get lively... people are talking machinima, a 3d client project, and of course, a caption contest for the sqronk. It is clear not very many f13 people have submitted captions, because they are all very.... mild.

Anyway, lots of tidbits on stuff like interacting with web services, how to accomplish certain things with the tools, etc, are filtering out there.

Im waiting for the official docs.

[Raph]

Yes, they are under NDA.

But we've been just answering questions on the forums instead.

[tazelbain]

How "salty" are we allowed to be on your boards?

[Samwise]

No messages which contain vulgarity, profanity, or sexually explicit content are permitted.

Both vulgarity AND profanity are disallowed.  Thwarted at every turn!

(edit) While I'm browsing their boards, here's the "dev tracker" topic that collects every question that the devs have answered:

http://forums.metaplace.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=109

[Etro]

Speaking web "in and out" is sooooooo awesome. i gotta tell ya, guys, as a semantic web operating system proponent, i'm just about as excited as is possible about our platform.

yea uhh, wha?

[Venkman]

I'm a few days behind. Damned vacation. Just catching up, I read this very interesting article at Worldsinmotion.

Basically, ActiveWorlds has launched an Embedded Virtual Worlds system on Facebook.

If you have a Facebook account, you can check it out. I've been poking around a bit and find this to be the sort of web/VW integrated system SL only wishes it could. I'm putting together something for my own page. UO 2.0, done right, no Trammel, full PvP, housing anywhere, it's gonna rock!!*

It also presents a very interested shop across the Metaplace bow, just by being first, and by being on the hugely-popular system.

Not for the feint of heart of course, but then, neither is writing games at all :)

* Err, it'll most likely be a bunch of textured blocks you may be able to touch.

[Samwise]

I registered for Facebook just to try it out.  It doesn't seem like any sort of improvement over SL.     The integration between the 3D stuff and the web is kinda neat, but I couldn't figure out how to make my own stuff.  Also, while wandering around one of the starter worlds I got myself stuck inside a building and I couldn't find the "noclip" command to let me escape.  Given that my biggest problem with SL is its user-unfriendliness, I'd call this a step backward.

(edit) Also, their client requires you to download their ActiveX plugin, which is scary.  And it only works on IE.  So Meatplace's Flash-based client has a huge leg up on them there.

[Venkman]

The big things for me were: it was first, it's embedded in a browser, and it's customizable. I agree with everything you said though :) First matters, but can be beat by better.

[Draegan]

Anyone wanna make Tele-Arena 3.0?

[BigBlack]

I hopped around a lot.  The whole thing suffers from a total lack of ability/will for the world designer to direct the play experience.  The whole thing reminds me of old chat clients like the Palace.

[Venkman]

I hopped around a lot.  The whole thing suffers from a total lack of ability/will for the world designer to direct the play experience.  The whole thing reminds me of old chat clients like the Palace.

I think that sums up perfectly the problem with openly customizable worlds in general. I can't see that Metaplace isn't going to be challenged by this as well.

First you need the will
Then you need the time
Then you better have the talent

Most things die at will or get killed by time.

[BigBlack]

MetaPlace is interesting to me to the extent that you can build interesting worlds on their own that explicitly *don't* interconnect with one another.

Being able to have a 3D chat-room on your facebook page?  Less so.

[Samwise]

I hopped around a lot.  The whole thing suffers from a total lack of ability/will for the world designer to direct the play experience.  The whole thing reminds me of old chat clients like the Palace.

I think that sums up perfectly the problem with openly customizable worlds in general. I can't see that Metaplace isn't going to be challenged by this as well.

The difference is that Meatplace is explicitly designed for building games (which have "directed experiences", aka "rules" and "game mechanics") rather than just "spaces" you can wander around in. 

It's possible to build games in Second Life, but that is not its primary function, and it shows.

It all comes down to user-friendliness.  If the tools are easy to use, you need that much less time and talent to make something that works.

[Venkman]

I agree with the first part, but not the second. The only way "Tools" can help make better games is if you limit the types of games that can be created into categorical Wizard-driven creation experiences. That'd be the difference between, say, SL and NWN. It's easy to "create a game" in the latter because you're not really creating a game as much as customizing the look and feel of an existing mechanic. Even environments that claim to be "game creators" (like this one, for example) are little more than modding tools (that one is just a light-FPS engine).

The thing I'm most interested in seeing from Metaplace is just how much guidance the "creation" part provides to the end user. To me, that guidance is the difference between casual hobbiests and people who aren't doing this yet because they can't afford the licensing fees.

[Raph]

Gee, I think that's my cue to point at the latest blog post, on "Modules and Stylesheets," because it's directly relevant to Darniaq's comments. :)

http://www.metaplace.com/blog/14.html

[taolurker]

You still didn't hire a shill yet? or are you back to taunting us (ie we change the thread title again)?

[schild]

Gee, I think that's my cue to point at the latest blog post, on "Modules and Stylesheets," because it's directly relevant to Darniaq's comments. :)

http://www.metaplace.com/blog/14.html

Raph, you should really just pretend that the following line is amended to every post: Words don't mean much these days.

You still didn't hire a shill yet? or are you back to taunting us (ie we change the thread title again)?

The only way he could be taunting you is if you care before you've seen or used anything. In which case, you're just pretty much broken.

[Venkman]

Gee, I think that's my cue to point at the latest blog post, on "Modules and Stylesheets," because it's directly relevant to Darniaq's comments. :)

http://www.metaplace.com/blog/14.html

Everything I was wondering about has been answered in these three words: "Create World wizard" 

Very nice. Exactly the sort of thing I've been wondering about in the context of other worlds too, and for how easy it would be advertisers could use Metaplace. So I'm excited now to see how it turns out.

[schild]

Everything I was wondering about has been answered in these three words: "Create World wizard" :)

Don't tell me you're buying into it before you see it too.

[Venkman]

Sorry, just edited to include another point I wanted to make. That edit includes an answer to you

And no, Metaplace is in the latter of the two categories I lump everything into: it's accessible and usable or it's not.

[Ixxit]

And no, Metaplace is in the latter of the two categories I lump everything into: it's accessible and usable or it's not.

So you are saying that you don't think Metaplace is/will be accessible or usable?  Not trying to be an ass, just trying to  reconcile this statemnt with your previous posts because they are interesting  and am getting confused.  Don't you mean Metaplace is in the former of two categories?

[Hutch]

If I may be so bold, he's not saying "is/will be". He's just saying "is". Present tense.

Meatspace is in the latter of the two categories until it is usable and accessible.

[Venkman]

And no, Metaplace is in the latter of the two categories I lump everything into: it's accessible and usable or it's not.

So you are saying that you don't think Metaplace is/will be accessible or usable?  Not trying to be an ass, just trying to  reconcile this statemnt with your previous posts because they are interesting  and am getting confused.  Don't you mean Metaplace is in the former of two categories?

Hutch has it

Metaplace doesn't exist in a form I can access it. So it is not accessible. I appreciate why you ask though. The other type of "accessible" is what I was talking about earlier.

So I'll be able to experience the accessibility of Metaplace once I can access it  . But until then, it's a bunch of cool thinking. schild was wondering if I swallowed the blue pill too early is all.