Resource for Playing Zombie Games in Second Life Reminds Me How Much SL's Game Dev Tools Need to Improve

The official Second Life blog has a good resource guide for playing the many zombie-themed action games in SL, so if you're an SLer who's a fan of The Walking Dead or just a fan of shooting brain eaters, you're in luck. It's also a good reminder of how much SL's game dev tools need to improve to attract gamers who are not already in SL. The guide gives you the option of starting a game in "less than an hour" (or hours and days, if you're really hardcore.) But the thing is, after downloading it on Steam in the background, you can start playing, say, Left 4 Dead in less than 5 minutes, and any number of zombie games on the iPhone and Facebook in less than 30 seconds.

By contrast, check out Linden Lab's "quick kill" start guide:

• Want a brainless diversion with the braindead? If you are new to Second Life (or to zombie-slaying in general), this guide will take you right into the action. Dive in and take out the undead in less time than it takes to watch an episode of “The Walking Dead.” [EMPH. MINE OMFG]
• 1. Connect to Second Life
• If you aren’t yet a member of Second Life, then join now! It’s fast... and free.
• (If you want to learn even more about the basics of SL, we recommend Strawberry Singh’s Newbie Resource Guide). Already a member? Great! Fire up your Second Life Viewer to start zombie huntin'!
• 2. Choose a Zombie location.
• There are tons of Zombie spots to pick from — each is unique and created by a resident of Second Life. For example, a location like the Dead Zone is ideal if you want to immediately immerse yourself in the action and only have 30 minutes or so. So, we’ll start there...
• 3.Find the Dead Zone –
• After you have logged in to Second Life, you can find the Dead Zone through the link above. The Dead Zone is on the Gigi Solace region, so the above link will allow you to view this location on a map. Once you launch the map, it shows you the location that you’ll want to visit. Click “Visit this location”
• Inside Second Life, you’ll notice that the Web link has opened a right side panel with a prompt to Teleport into the location: Click that button – and prepare for the zombie attack!
• Once you arrive, you will see a sign on the wall to your left. You’ll need to first join the zombie hunting group for this location. Click the sign and accept the group invitation.
• After you join the group, you can then grab your free gun to the left by clicking on the sign on the wall.
• You should now see the gun offered to you in the lower right side of your screen. Select “Keep” to accept the free gun.
• Click “Keep” in the message that appears in the lower right.
• Click the suitcase icon on the right of your viewer screen to open your inventory, then click the “Recent” tab and right click on the gun in the folder “Dead Zone Free Gun."
• Even after you are “wearing” the gun, you won’t see it until you type the word “draw” into the chat window and the gun will appear:
• Go into "mouselook” mode by hitting the letter “M” on your keyboard (outside of the chat bar) whenever you want to shoot the gun. Click your mouse to fire.
• Get warmed up at target practice, and then make your way to the streets of the Dead Zone to start shooting Zombies!

Hopefully this is just the kind of time-consuming pain that Linden Lab CEO and game development veteran Rod Humble is now working hard to improve. Until then I'd strongly caution my gamer friends that zombie games in SL, which are often cool, will require a way heavier learning curve than they're used to. Because if I don't warn them up front, they may end up wanting to eat my brain.

Comments

[Paypabak Writer]

You oversimplify playing Left 4 Dead or any shooter. Playing a shooter type game in SL is different from playing a shooter game on a console or computer, but it's played the same wherever you play in SL. And most combat sims give you very clear instructions. Generally, you need a weapon and any HUD that comes with the weapon. You may need a HUD that goes with the particular combat system used by the Zombie sim, but again, this is not reinventing the wheel. Once you are equipped, controls for movement and shooting are similar to c/c shooters, so you're off to races.

[Zulu]

I uesd to play zombie game in SL till they compulsory implemented Adult content policy. Those sim usually visited by me move to Adult Oriented sim , or they request age verification. Former your avatar has payment info. And the later vertification method not apply to non-US player. As a matter of personal security I won't let all my alt fill up visa info. And the day Linden try to act as big brother, it was the days that I began cold down with SL. It make me feel inconveniece and discriminated. I dont know how is it today.

[Arcadia Codesmith]

The whole HUD system is kludgy. What we need is the ability to replace the SL UI with one of our own design when a player enters a designated playfield. This should include, for instance, the ability to hotkey certain folders in inventory for item display in a toolbar, and the ability to trigger animations with icons.

We can emulate the functionality with HUDs, of course, but it's slow, clunky, unresponsive and frustrating. That's in addition to the fact that you've got to instruct novice player on how to "purchase" and equip the HUD and equipment.

Bypassing HUDs and giving programmer/designers the ability to tap directly into the UI would allow us to optimize the interface in ways that just aren't possible now, and with certain improvements to mobs/bots, we might be able to approximate the dynamics of the most rudimentary MMOs and primitive shooters.

And while we're on the subject... we still need the ability to spawn dynamic instances. Spaces that are resident in memory only when they're in use are not only key to using SL as a gaming platform, they're a key component in the War on Tier.