New World Notes

Challenge: What IS the Geographically Largest, Contiguous, Multi-User, Fully Explorable, Online Virtual World?

Last week's post on Second Life's huge geographic size as a unique selling point brought up some interesting points. Technically SL is probably not the "largest" if we're only talking about geographic size, but I think the apples to apples comparison question is precisely this: 

What is the Geographically Largest, Contiguous, Multi-User, Fully Explorable, Online Virtual World?

By "contiguous", I mean there are no load screens in between areas, and by "fully explorable" I mean just that: Some online worlds like Eve Online, MS Flight Simulator, or even single-player worlds like Starfield are extremely large, yes, if judged only by map size. But the actual user explorable part of the map size is much less than that. I.E., MSFS basically models the entire world, but you can't, say, land your plane and walk into a nearby diner. 

Video (also) via @brainthink.bsky.social, who has also happened to explore Second Life, and found it technically wanting: "The SL mainland is geographically large," they explain, "but the rendering times of structures and objects is absurdly slow. As a real life sailor, I tried sailing in SL once on a rezzed sailboat and quickly gave up. It wasn’t enjoyable at all, sadly."

That has at least somewhat improved since the SL grid moved to the Amazon Cloud in 2020. And while there are thousands of private sims that are not generally accessible, or require a load screen when teleporting there, the major mainland areas, as reader Kaylee West argues, makes for some sprawling, serendipitous adventures -- notwithstanding property owner ban lines:

Famed VRChat Reporter Syrmor Seeking to Interview Users of Long-Running Virtual Worlds

Syrmor, who quickly became VRChat's best embedded virtual world reporter last year, just let me know he's interested in expanding his interviews to include users of older virtual worlds that (as he puts it), "have managed to survive despite lack of new players." So that could include (among others): Active Worlds, Ultimate Online, and There.

If you're still an active denizen of a world like that, send him a direct message on Twitter, or e-mail him at syrmors at gmail dot com.

And no, I don't think he's looking to interview Second Life users with this specific outreach. For one thing, Second Life is still taking on new users (or returning old ones).  For another, I hope to do an interview with him soon, and start that prim-shaped ball rolling.

Anyway, here's Syrmor's latest interview so you know what brilliant wackiness you're in for when you chat with him:

Minecraft's New Terrain Modification Will be a Welcome Addition for Explorers, Modders, and Mapmakers Alike

 
Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Yesterday Mojang released a preview of a very significant change coming to Minecraft version 1.8: World customization. While players can already specify (and share) seeds, modify basic map features, and of course terraform manually the new world customization options will offer access to a broad range of variables to fine tune a newly generated world to suit their needs.

That said, it will be modders and map-makers in particular who will get the most out of the new terrain modification system. Tailoring a map to suit your needs when you're developing an adventure/challenge-oriented experience to share with others currently involves a lot of painstaking work, literally done one block at a time. These new tools will streamline that process so custom mapmaking will be a little less arduous and a lot more fun.

The Elder Scrolls Online is a Good MMO... But Not a Very Good Elder Scrolls Game

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

The very first thing that I will tell you about my time with The Elder Scrolls Online is how much I absolutely hated it during the beta. Playing it was like a chore -- gaming housework I had to do -- and I just wasn't having fun, full stop. The second thing I will tell you is that at some point, that changed. Since Head-Start access opened last week, I've spent every day eagerly anticipating the moment when my work is done and I'm free to play more. It's hard to pin down exactly why I've done a complete 180, but I think it has something to do with adjusting my expectations.

Writing about an MMO of this scope and scale at launch is difficult, so I will be breaking my coverage up. Progress in ESO feels slower than most MMOs I've played recently (Full disclosure, I'm playing ESO with a review code provided by the developer on request) and after a week of playing for about 2-5 hours a night on my main character I've only just hit level 10. So this week I'm going to be focussing on first impressions, and addressing the question that's on everyone's lips: How good an Elder Scrolls game is The Elder Scrolls Online?

Surreal Games Launches Kickstarter to Support Development of Their Brand New Virtual World

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Yesterday, three-person development team Surreal Games launched a Kickstarter to help fund their fledgling virtual world, Surreal Adventures, developed in Unity and intended for release on a variety of platforms (including mobile devices). They've set a goal of $100,000 with funding drawing to a close on August 9th.

What exactly makes Surreal Adventures any different than the virtual world that have come (and, in some cases, gone) in the past decade? Well, for starters...

Animal Crossing: Looking Back on a Virtual World Series Where Life Is Good And Debt Is Harmless

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

You arrive in town. You're new and you're homeless; you have nothing but a couple hundred dollars and the clothes on your back. Fortunately (or not) the local shopkeeper moonlights as a loan shark. He takes you under his wing, puts a roof over your head... But how will you ever afford to pay him back? You'll work, of course.

It might sound like I'm just playing Cart Life again, but this loan shark is named Tom Nook, and he's not a shark at all -- rather, he's a raccoon. I won't be paying him back by running a paper stand or a food cart, but by picking fruit, gathering seashells, catching bugs and fish, and running errands for the locals (who are also animals.) This has been the meat and potatoes of the Animal Crossing franchise for over a decade.

Next week Animal Crossing: New Leaf will be coming out for the Nintendo 3DS. I don't have a 3DS, but I'm making it a point to get one just for this game. Now, you might be wondering what's so appealing about a mortgage-simulator (even if it's full of adorable animals). In anticipation of New Leaf I've been revisiting the previous Animal Crossing games, so let me try to explain what it is that makes this series such a gem:

Downton Abbey meets The Sims 3, Snowflake Day Special Part 2: It Takes Two to Igloo

Iris Ophelia's ongoing effort to simulate Downton Abbey in The Sims 3

Winter has been bleak and unforgiving at Sim Downton Abbey. The family is nearly destitute, and the biggest holiday of the year, Snowflake Day, is just around the corner. It wouldn't be Snowflake Day without a gift-giving party, but parties aren't cheap -- the cost of a proper holiday tree or even a few modest plates of cookies would put the family in the red.

But where there there's a will, there's a way... No series-appropriate pun intended.

New MMO Marvel Heroes Has Its Fair Share of Problems (And Nearly None of Them Were Caused by Dr. Doom)

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Last weekend I had the chance to play Marvel Heroes, an MMO that combines Diablo-esque play with a litany of characters from the Marvel universe. It'll be free-to-play right from its June 4th launch, complete with an in-game store bursting at the seams with premium content like extra characters, costumes, and powerups.

I really enjoyed playing Marvel Heroes at first, but unfortunately it didn't take long for the veneer to fade. Fans of Marvel comics (even just the movies to be honest) may be thrilled to play what's been described as a much improved version of Marvel Ultimate Alliance, but for poseurs like me who merely have vague and/or nostalgic interest in the characters this game leaves a lot to be desired. For instance...

Upcoming Puzzle Game Road Not Taken Might Look (And Sound) Familiar to Fans of Defunct Virtual World Glitch

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Spry Fox, the indie publisher behind the addictive multi-platform puzzle/strategy game Triple Town, has been working with two Tiny Speck alums to put together Road Not Taken, a puzzle game inspired by Robert Frost coming later this year. If the aesthetic style in the image above looks familiar, it's because the game's art has been in the hands of Spry Fox's art director Kukubee (a.k.a. Meowza), who also helped realize the distinct and darling visuals of browser-based MMO Glitch.

It's not just the art that should inspire nostalgia in the hearts of Glitch-lovers, though...

Dear Internet: If You Must, Harass me for What I'm Doing -- Not for What I Am

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in a charity streamathon, an event where people essentially play games for an online audience to raise money. I was playing and watching others play alongside a slew of outstanding guests. We raised a hell of a lot of money for an incredibly worthy cause, and the whole thing was a resounding (if exhausting) success. I'm not going to name the event here -- though it's not hard to figure out -- because this post isn't about the streamathon. We contributed to something amazing, and nothing can or should change that.

This post is about the creeps and the jerks; the ones who donate under names like "JanineMakeMeHot", who look for any opportunity to embarrass a woman no matter what the context, who may even think they're being flattering. The people who left their bitter little marks on an otherwise amazing event.

For all I know, this post may be about you.