New World Notes

Meme Means Business: Second Life Creator Sells TWO THOUSAND Copies of Combat-Ready Foldable Chair, Latest in a Meme-to-SL Business Model

A few days after the folding chair combat meme went viral (for hilarious and horrible reasons) earlier this month, the proprietor of Bad Unicorn, a Second Life content brand, went to work on bringing that meme in all its deranged glory to Second Life. It's now available in the Marketplace:

• 6 texture options
• Hit your friends or foes!
• Animate people you are attacking.

Last weekend, it was only available in Bad Unicorn's in-world store, but it still sold super-well, Mr. Unicorn tells me: 2000 copies going for L$ each.

I boggle a bit at the numbers.

 

With "MMO" Dead as a Descriptive Category, What Term Should VR Spaces Like Project Sansar & High Fidelity Use?

According to former Blizzard chief creative officer Rob Pardo (so he's biased but he's still quite correct), World of Warcraft killed the "MMO" as a descriptive category:

Speaking to Develop at the recent Games First Helsinki event, Pardo said massively multiplayer online games have expanded and evolved away from how people used to describe them. He said following the runaway success ofWorld of Warcraft after its launch in 2004, a game that still boasts some 7m users to this day, a wave of companies tried to copy the winning formula. Not one of these were able to replicate the same level of success, however... “If anything, I think people are even avoiding the term MMO. A really good example is Destiny. It clearly is an MMO. But they’re really trying to avoid calling it that, and obviously it is a very different type of game. But I think that’s a good example of how with MMOs, the term has been eliminated. But you kind of continue to see the influence in games that are persistent world games that have spawned out of that. It’s just people seem to avoid the term MMO now.”

Even better than Destiny, I'd say Day Z or Minecraft are examples of MMOs or multiplayer games with MMO's best features that aren't generally called MMOs. (For that matter, League of Legends, a multiplayer fantasy strategy game, is not an MMO and is even more popular than World of Warcraft.

There's a lesson here for Project Sansar and High Fidelity, and other "virtual worlds" (as they're usually called) which are sometimes described as MMOs (since that's their closest cousin):

Watch High Fidelity's Ryan Downe Animate an Avatar Head in Real Time Using Google Glass

I recently wrote that Philip Rosedale's High Fidelity had created a way to connect Google Glass to an avatar, but didn't know they had posted the video of it in action too, but here it is, and you must watch:

Read about it here. Demo and video is by High Fidelity co-founder Ryan Downe, who explains the reasons for doing this on on High Fidelity's blog:

MakieLab Makes Making Makies Even Easier on iOS (Though It's Still a Mouthful to Say!)

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

If you've been waiting to turn your avatar (or even yourself) into a posable and customizable doll, it's now easier than ever. Makies Doll Factory, released earlier this month, is the latest development from MakieLab, the makers of Makies (try saying that ten times fast.) This free iOS app (which you can grab in the App Store) lets users design their own custom 3D printed dolls with even more options than before, and comes with new pricing options for those looking to bring their Makies into reality.

If you're curious about customizing a Makie of your own from the comfort of your iPad, keep reading! (Update: Ridiculously wrong video link fixed, sorry folks! But hey, at least you know how to make Rice-a-Roni now!)

Modding Tips and Tricks for an Easy Makie Makeover

 

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

Last week I got (and reviewed) my Makie, a posable figure made a 3D printer with features I designed based on my Second Life avatar back in May. My ultimate conclusion about the alpha release Makies is that while they may not be ready for someone who wants out-of-the-box perfection, they're excellent for modders and people who want a truly one-of-a-kind item.

Of course, I can't make a statement like that without doing a little beginner-level modding of my own. Check out the side by side comparison above: on the right is my Makie just 7 days ago, and on the left is my Makie today. In my opinion they're worlds apart, and all said it only took a couple hours to bring a little life to a plastic version Iris Ophelia.

I expect eventually we'll see tricked out badass night elf makies with expertly made armor, but since I'm not quite that talented this article will be a great starting point for Makie modding even if you don't have much experience. So, let's get started!

Makies Makes 3D Printed Dolls That Are Great for Modders (But Maybe Not Others -- Yet)

 

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

She's here! The charming little 3D printed Makie that I designed based on my SL avatar a few months ago has arrived, and I've got lots to say about her!

Overall, I really feel that Makies, as the online service is right now, in Alpha, are ideal for modding fans like myself... but they may be less than ideal for those who want the perfect doll immediately. Here's why:

Shopping on Amazon This Weekend? Support New World Notes by Checking Out This Alienware or Kinect Offer

Amazon has a discount on the Alienware M11x gaming laptop, $143 less than the list price. I bought my M11x last September, and fell in love with it instantly. Two months later, my love remains true: It's easily the best laptop I ever owned, a near-perfect combination of portability, 3D power, and beautiful geektastic design. (Indeed, whenever I take it out around gamers, it inspires envied sighs -- it's a veritable geek magnet.) I just took the above photo of my Alienware running Second Life with all the graphic features turned up to maximum, including dynamic shadows, while also playing Pandora and Backyard Monsters, a fairly large Flash game. The link above, by the way, includes a New World Notes affiliate code, so if you click it and buy the laptop (or anything else during that session on Amazon), this blog gets a small cut. Here's another Amazon offer many NWN readers will like: An Xbox 360 bundled with the groundbreaking Kinect motion sensor control for $300 total.

New World Products: Mia Snow's Partridge in a Hair Tree

Hello Owly Indigo, I love your hair when the leaves turns Autumnal. Presenting Mia Snow's new hair attachment called... wait for it... Partridge in a Hair Tree. (And yes, that's a partridge hanging from the left branch.) Ms. Indigo has more info for getting tree hair of your own.

New World Products: Mr. Mubble Makes a Baked Texture Dream Home

I haven't gone Second Life house-hunting in quite awhile, but recently someone by the mouth-gargling name of bigdoggt32 Mubble told me about a home he'd been making with baked textures and lighting, and it's one of the more amazing I've seen. Mr. Mubble made it, he tells me, with a custom rendering/texture system: "It allows me to take anything I make [that] I render in 3D Studio Max and puts it on a normal prim, so you still get the baked lighting and shadows quality without the lag [of] sculpts." That includes simulated dynamic lighting. How he does that "is a bit of a secret... but basically I use a program that takes pictures of the rendering and turns those into textures." So a uniquely well-lit home for those who can't afford a laptop powerful enough to run Kirsten's Viewer. See for yourself: [SLurl teleport at this link]

New World Products: Release the Ghostly Kraken!

Note to self: Need ghost of a kraken for shoreline outside my office, made by Yelena Istmal. One version rises out of the water, another can attack itself to any object. As modeled by Emerald Wynn above, it's the perfect way to liven up an otherwise bland suburban area, interrupting your neighbor's BBQ with intimations of the dark unfathomable universe. Yay!