Second Life and Virtual Worlds
The main channel gets a rollout Tuesday. It will get the maintenance release that has been running on all three RC channels. This release has a fix for some temporary attachment problems and adds the ‘description’ field to L$ transactions.
This week there are no new packages coming out. All regions will be running the same server software this week. In this case the RC channels do not need to roll, so no rolls in RC land this week.
The DK2 (Developer’s Kit) is shipping and people are making videos of their experience with it. The increased resolution has them excited, as if it were possible to create more excitement than the DK1 did.
[youtube TdkVkKsAqOM]
The motion tracking is impressing. Being able to move forward and backward, leaning rather than moving, is apparently an impressive change adding to the sense of presence. Technolust is a virtual world/game demo that is revealing the color and presence that the OR delivers.
All is not perfect with the DK2. The motion tracking camera has limits and it is reported that when you reach the end of its field of vision the motion tracking stops, which reviewers found disconcerting.
There are still some visual artifacts and motion blurring here and there. But, the DK2 seems to be a big step forward.
Road to VR has numerous links to different ‘un-boxing’ videos and initial tests and reviews.
I am mostly moved into my new place, boxes still everywhere and it seems whatever I need at the moment is in a box at the bottom of a stack. But, the Internet is up and while AT&T’ U-verse is only 3mb/sec here, Second Life runs with no apparent loss of performance.
California’s weather decided to imitate Florida’s. So, 80-90F (32C) with 80-90% humidity and showers the last day of the move. Friends helped but I am still sore from lifting and carrying and tired. We partied Friday night.
I crushed my 7 month old S4 phone during the move. :/ So, I was totally without tech for a day. That was an expensive mistake/accident. But, I got a new S5, which is supposed to have a better camera. I did NOT like the S4’s camera. I haven’t decided if the S5’s is better, yet.
Now, to get unpacked and do some catching up on Second Life.
For the next 10 days or so I’ll be moving. I don’t know when my office will be back up. I’m moving from country life, as much as California has such a thing, into a small college town (50k 2010). Still inland San Diego area and I’ll have larger towns around me. Unfortunately no fiber optics, so I’ll be going with ATT Uverse wireless. I have no idea how well that will or won’t work. But, vacancy rates are 3% in SD just now. So, while I didn’t get what I want, I at least found something.
I won’t be in world much during the move. Nor will I be posting as my system will be down. I’ll have to see how the move goes before I’ll know when I’ll be back online.
Yesterday about noon the Lindens posted that Experience Keys can be tried out in the Corn Field. You can now try out the new features, at least from the user side. If you are into the creative side and have asked to participate in the Beta then expect to get a Key for use in creating your experience.
The post is here: Check Out Experience Keys in… The Cornfield!
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You can get a viewer that is updated to use the new Experience Tools (XP Tools). The Project Viewer is here: Project Viewer version 3.7.12.291846 aka: Project Experience Tools Channel. It is now on the RC and Project Viewers page too.
Once installed you need to head to the Corn Field (SLURL). This used to be a place where people were forcibly teleported by the Governor’s Enforcement team and locked in for some time. It has history. The Lindens, or more specifically the Moles, have remade it to test the XP Tools.
I’m still trying to get into Hair Fair.
Designing Worlds hosted a discussion on how to support Second Life™ now that we know SL2 is on its way. Some are giving up on SL1, which some of us think is silly. The discussion focuses on sustaining SL1.
I covered this discussion in an earlier post. The video just came out.
See the video here: Second Life & Beyond.