this week has been grueling in virtual worlds =(
even though i don’t log into Second Life anymore, it is still an important part of who i am. it showed me a way to express my creativity in a place where i could work on projects with people from all over the world
but . . . second life suffers from a few stumbling blocks for bigger adoption by some groups. this week we blogged about some options out there, including the one we are using – Reaction Grid
Reaction Grid, or another OpenSim solution, is very good for people like you and me. sure it can be pretty wonky, but it keeps getting better =)
however, what if you are a university or big company (heck, even a band) that wants to look at virtual worlds again but the limitations that Second Life and OpenSim just don’t cut it?
concurrency per sim is a big issue. second life only holds 40-50 before lagging out and hosted OpenSim holds fewer (it’s a different architecture – like our estate – it’s based on the server and not number of sims)
that won’t cut it if you want to hold a conference, teach a big class, or hold a concert
also, downloading the viewer (even though that is really easy imo) is seen as an obstacle and so is creating an account
these are big issues: concurrency per sim, browser-based access, and universal login
well . . . tada . . . Jibe!
Reaction Grid has been working on a project that uses the Unity 3D player (like a flash player, it’s a browser plugin) and it connects to facebook and LinkedIn to handle logging in. check out the Unity site, install the plugin and look at their gallery, i was impressed at how fast it is (of course, it is playing in a small window so that makes it fast too)
subQuark told me about its amazing graphics last January after logging into it from facebook in a secret sneak peek! i wish i had some screenshots to show you (ya would think that the person that taught me how to pimp myself online with zillions of flickr pics would have taken one screenshot? and i can’t find any from Reaction Grid, bah) =p
screenshot from Unity 3D gallery
and you can also access it via phone and iPad!
how much does it cost?
the version that allows up to 1000 peeps runs $675 a month
o_O well, this is for big power users and two sims in second life will cost $600 and only hold 100 +/-
if you are curious and think this may make virtual worlds viable for your business or school, check it out and if you are in the Big Apple, there is a launch party Monday
here is a YouTube video showing Unity 3D for a game =)
Howdy Ener,
The 1000 concurrent user hosted version of jibe you mention is indeed a beast. There are also smaller concurrent user plans available as well (starting as small as 25) for those folks who only need a small group solution.
If you’re looking for some sneak-peek photos from jibe development, check out the ReactionGrid Flickr stream http://www.flickr.com/photos/reactiongrid/
The launch party on Monday is virtual, so feel free to visit us (http://www.jibemix.com/) living room, study, or favorite wi-fi spot.
Jeff Lowe
12 Jun 10 at 6:41 pm
Jibe sounds like a great way to go for large scale use and it did have amazing graphics (hey I was skyping and logging in on the fly – some of us are not as adept to multitasking as others!). =p
Very smooth movement (high frame rate), no perceptible lag, and very high poly counts of the builds (great detail).
However, I agree with Maria in that OpenSim will more likely be the eventual mainstream winner. Adam Frisby has had as many as 75 avatars on an OpenSim simulator and with the passionate team of OpenSim developers, advances will continue in concurrency.
Also, despite builds in OpenSim lacking the detail, anyone can easily build in OpenSim. Both Ener and I have routinely taught people in a one hour class how to make a two story building. Those were full on newbies doing one-on-one tutorials with us.
For Unity builds, you have to get out “real” 3D programs like Blender 3D. It was hard enough for me to get eLearning developers to get in-world and build, even after doing 4 hour workshops! There is absolutely no way that any eLearning developer will take the time to learn Blender to make builds for Unity.
However, I do see that Reaction Grid’s setup indicates it can use Google SketchUp models. That may be a bit more reasonable.
Finally, with the current battle between Apple abd Adobe, many of us eLearning people are stepping back from plugins.
If Apple never allows Flash content, we are screwed. What if Apple decides to say no to the Unity player?
Think it can’t happen? I thought the same of Flash since it is truly ubiquitous and been around for over a decade.
Jibe is very cool and will have great uses for military and large corporate use. I can see a company like Best Buy giving virtual worlds a try again if they can get such great build details. One Jibe setup for them would handle their needs well and be quite an addition to their online presence.
Jibe will work very well for the scenarios you outlined – conferences, international events, and even concerts. If I were an exec at a large label, I would certainly take another look at virtual worlds because this is a viable alternative that with a facebook sign in would be pure gold.
Do your facebook event campaign and let people hit the promo concert right from the event page. That is massive. What a great way, for little expense, to introduce new artists! You’ll be able to tell in one promo concert if you think that artist is worth backing.
Bummer that I did not learn of this event sooner than last week, I took days off next week for a conference and am driving through NYC, but on Wednesday.
David Miller
13 Jun 10 at 12:04 pm
nice angle on the record labels! wow, that would be such an easy sell! create a unity sim dealio (are they called sims?). you would only need one and one stadium and have new artists perform right from facebook. sheer attendance would dictate who was hot
forget the big labels, a co-op for indies would thrive on this – indies would be responsible for promoting themselves (lol, i dunno why people think social networking is hard, for pete’s sake people!!!)
lol, i get all worked up! =p
Jibe for sure could do well in this market, but there needs to be significant effort getting the word out – just having a great virtual world like this won’t do much without beating the drum about it (that Gartner Hype Cycle and all) =)
iliveisl
13 Jun 10 at 12:31 pm
thanks Jeff! oh it’s virtual!!! i had some thing with a map of NYC!!!
and i searched for pics but after a few minutes i gave up
here is the actual flickr link for a Reaction Grid Jibe set for anyone interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/reactiongrid/sets/72157622721529821/detail/
iliveisl
13 Jun 10 at 12:37 pm
oh, just as a request to Reaction Grid peeps, if you make your flickr pics creative commons, peeps like me could place them in our blogs ;)
it always amazes me where i see our flickr pics being used (often nothing to do with virtual worlds – but all publicity is . . . )
is there more info on how to attend? is it only via the facebook event page? i could not see the event without being logged in and i can’t log in cuz facebook said i suck (boofacebook) =D
good luck with the launch!
iliveisl
13 Jun 10 at 12:40 pm
Thanks for this Ener and the comments were great feedback. We see both platforms covering about any use case out there. I will work on the Flickr CC thing as well.
Kyle G
13 Jun 10 at 11:04 pm
I have tried the Unity prototype, but somehow it failes to impress me. I guess its first the lack of seeing myselves; you really navigate a camera only. But despite that, you cant walk uphills; some physics rules still applies. Why?
Performance is, I guess, largely possible because everything you see is fixed. So the whole scene AND the basic physics can run on the client. I would wish it to be possible to “freeze” an OpenSim SIM that way – you could do a collaberate build during the day, freeze it and host a 1000-audience live concert in the evening. Now would that be cool?
Cristopher Lefavre
14 Jun 10 at 12:52 pm
hey Kyle, thanks for the feedback. the CC thing is easy, it’s under You > Your Account > Privacy & Permissions > What License . . .
that’s for new uploads. you can also go back and change the license on sets. so you may have stuff you want full copyright on – like super secret stuff (which would not be on flickr as public and you may want stuff to help people that like your product and want to evangelize a little
just my two cents =)
*ha Linden Lab – you suck – our SEO is higher*
just had to get that in =p
hi Cristopher, i agree, i feel like i am in a game but that will be easier for business people to deal with i think. once you can see yourself, most people get obsessed with customizing themselves. this alleviates that
but you are like me, you like to build in-world – it’s a very different flow making stuff in Blender and importing it in
i did blender for a few years (still do a little) and much prefer building in-world, it’s more rewarding, relaxing, and immediate =)
Ener Hax
14 Jun 10 at 6:46 pm
[...] allows for browser-based plugin access to incredibly rich virtual world settings (i blogged on this here with the pic below). this option should catch on in the business world more than OpenSim because it [...]
i heard it through the grapevine at i live in science land
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