New World Notes

ResLive, Web-Based Virtual World from OpenSim/SL Innovator, Getting Big Update Next Week

ResLive is another web-based 3D virtual world with a Second Life-related history, and I just learned it's having a big update next week. Created by Adam Frisby (known as Adam Zaius in Second Life), a major land owner in SL and an early developer of OpenSim, the graphics and load times look a lot smoother and load faster than when I first wrote about it in 2010. (That's me above earlier today, during a brief visit.) Mainly developed as a 3D space for live music online, the ResLive fan page on Facebook has over 5,000 followers. "[Next] Tuesday," one of the latest updates says there, "we're going to be relaunching ResLive under a new brand with a whole bunch of new kickass features. Stay tuned!" Indeed.

Click here to get an early look at ResLive this weekend, and share your reactions in Comments below.

Cloud Party CEO Sam Thompson: Avatar Shape-Tweaking Sliders, Island Search, More Camera Control Coming Soon

Cloud Party CEO Sam Thompson stopped by New World Notes to comment on Iris Ophelia's post on "3 Things Cloud Party Needs to Attract Virtual Fashionistas" and confirmed that yes, those three things she's looking for -- avatar shape-tweaking sliders, island search, more camera control -- are coming soon to the web-based, user-generated, Cory Ondrejka-backed virtual world. That, and more:

"We are very much on the same page," wrote Thompson, "all three of these features were already on our todo list in some form or another. In fact, we pushed a very basic island name search function (in the navigation app) just moments ago."

More detail from Thompson, who also talked addressed the skepticism some have with Cloud Party, after the break:

Alyx Aerallo Finds Mesh Fashion Fitting for Fit Avatars

Speaking of Alyx Aerallo, who shot that beautiful virtual nature pic below, she also has an SL fashion blog you'll likely like to look at. Above for instance is her in a form-fitting mesh leather jacket, which she found after some frustration, trying to find fashion to fit her more athletic form:

I Still Love the Second Life Images Ms. Lilliehook Likes

The latest installment of Cajsa Lilliehook's "What I Like" column is up on Shopping Cart Disco, a collection of beautiful SL screenshots and SL-based post-processed images, and like usual, there is a lot to love of what Lilliehook likes. Such as this image by Alyx Aerallo, who has many more on her Flickr stream here, which is an image generated on the SL sim called Roche. Not content to say it's just pretty, Ms. Lilliehook unleashes some aesthetic appraisal kung fu:

Neal Stephenson's CLANG! Not Yet Crowdfunded -- Game Kickstarters Reached Saturation Point?

CLANG!, the swordfighting game Kickstarter backed by uber geek Neal Stephenson (who I interviewed about the project here), still hasn't raised its $500,000 goal after 20 days of pledge raising. It will probably reach that target, but the surprise is it hasn't surpassed that goal days ago -- not even with Stephenson's backing, not even with the endorsement of Valve's Gabe Newell, another geek icon, who made a cameo in the Kickstarter video. (Above, blacksmithing a crowbar, of course.) When you compare this to other successful game Kickstarters, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that enthusiasm over crowdfunders -- at least for gaming crowdfunders, at least for the kind of enthusiasm which results in actual pledges -- is starting to wane.

Compare and contrast:

I Bet We'll Experience Virtual Worlds Through Google Glass

I've been thinking a lot about this latest demo of Google Glass, which shows how the device will record live video from a first-person perspective, and while TechCrunch is smart to compare to the memory recording technology depicted in Strange Days, a pretty good movie ahead of its time, I've been wondering how it will impact virtual worlds and gaming. My first thought was they'd be used in augmented reality gamng/VR, and they likely will, but the experience capture function suggests another kind of application:

Awesome SL9B Machinima Montage is Awesome

Whether you missed SL9B or you were right in the heart of it, you'll want to watch Loki Elliot's bravura machinima montage that zooms us through its sites and installations accompanied by Daft Punk, Deadmou5, and friends. Speaking of which, Loki made what's still one of my favorite SL machinimas, this tribute to New Babbage below:

New SL Skins from Gauze May Not be Right for Everyone, But They Might Be For You

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of virtual world and MMO fashion

Yukio Ida's brand Gauze is a staple for a lot of elves, fauns, nekos, ravers, and even anime fans in Second Life [SLurl to her store at this link], but it's often overlooked by the mainstream fashion scene. Although Gauze definitely has an edgy style with obvious niche appeal, there's no reason for someone without any edge of their own to assume this store has nothing for them. Case in point: Gauze's latest V2 skin line, a unique-looking nude base (with both male and female options available) that's guaranteed to help you stand out from the herd.

While I love love love this earnest looking skin, it's definitely not for everyone, for a few reasons:

Many Second Life T-Shirts Use Unauthorized Copies of Real Life Art, Says Leading Fashionista

The cool T-shirt above, "Rabbit without a cause", was created by indie artist Niklas Coskan, and if you're in the market to buy a shirt for yourself or a friend, you should go here to consider getting this one.

There's a virtual version of the same shirt currently being sold to Second Life avatars, and it's being sold by someone else in the SL Marketplace. However, you should not buy that one, because it's not being sold by Niklas Coskan, nor did the seller (who I will not name or link to) seek Coskan's permission to use his art, nor is Coskan getting a cut of the revenue of the L$ sales. I confirmed all this with Niklas Coskan a couple weeks ago, and he expressed surprise that an unauthorized copy of his shirt was being sold like this in Second Life, and told me he wanted to have it removed from the SL Marketplace. At the moment, however, it's still available in the Marketplace. (Screencap below.)

According to OMGWTF Barbecue -- which is the wacky name of a well-known avatar in the SL fashionista community -- this state of things is fairly typical in the Second Life-based fashion industry:

Pioneering Economist Argues Diablo III's Auction House Removes Distinction Between Real Money & Virtual Gold

Unsurprisingly, economist Edward Castronova (who practically invented the study of virtual economies) has a very interesting review of Diablo III's real money auction house. If I'm reading him right, he's arguing that Blizzard's new service has effectively removed any meaningful distinction between real money and virtual gold:

The real money auction house erases any line between the gold piece and the dollar, as far as regulation goes. When I buy with dollars, a popup says "Sales tax may be charged on this purchase." Buy the same thing with gold pieces, no popup. Why not? What's the difference? ... If the state were to extend its regulatory scheme from dollars to gold pieces, what could Blizzard say in opposition?

Not sure what they'd say either. Especially if, as I wrote awhile ago, Diablo III's virtual economy transformed the real one.