For whatever reason I decided to check out Linden Lab’s™ Patterns. I haven’t followed it. So, I may have missed things. But…
It has changed a bunch since I last played with it. It has improved quite a bit. More of the controls work as toggles. The worlds I can play in have changed. There is a planetoid world. It has spherical gravity, meaning I can walk on all sides of it. You see the planetoid type world in the opening screen image. (Its out of focus in the opening screen)
New Opening Screen
The opening panel hints at things to come, I think. There is a choice for Single Player, which I assume means a multiplayer version is coming.
The next choices are; Continue, Cloud, or New Local Game. I think that is further evidence of coming multiplayer. Check out the images in the gallery here. Click to see larger images. (I’ve got to find or make a better image display)
Form looking at the pictures and reading the captions you’ll find there are new things to do. I tried chopping down a tree. I couldn’t reach the top to break away parts any other way. The trunk splintered on the initial cut. Physics does some entertaining things. But, the tree came down.
Also, I’ve started a mine. I plan to dig from one side to the other. So, far I have not found anything that I can’t break into materials. So, I may be able to dig my way through. I am curious what happens to gravity as I dig through. Does it only change when I get to the other side? Or will it change somewhere inside the planetoid?
The camera is still a pain. I am really conditioned to using the SL camera controls. Being able to Alt-click on something and swing around it or zoom in on it is really nice. I very much miss that ability in Patterns. The TAB key camera change seems to be gone.
As I dig into the planetoid I find some shapes break up but the game still renders them. I can’t select them. If I break something behind them they usually disappear. But, I have dug some holes I did not intend thinking the phantom shape was really there.
Every now and then I get the camera trapped in a wall or lost. I finally decided to widen my tunnels to I have more room to work and walk with fewer camera problems.
Patterns is still fun, actually more so, IMO. Trees and plants are more interesting. There are more modes to play with, like starting with all the shapes. So, if you play often you don’t have to repeat tedious work. That is a good change. For those building something flying is probably a big help.
I wonder if I could fly and start building a new planetoid…