32-BIT ALPHAWORLD!
VERSION .7x INTRODUCES NEW OBJECTS,
DYNAMIC DOWNLOAD, AND MORE
DYNAMIC DOWNLOAD, AND MORE
Wednesday, April 3, 1996
Version .7x will soon be live! We're still not sure what the exact version will be, but most likely it will be .76 or .77. The new features in this version are numerous, and change much about the basic ways the software works.
As the software gets closer to a first "release" version, many new features are being implemented at once, and many new building objects are also now available. The time between upgrades should be smaller now that the development team has gotten past two major milestones, dynamic download of art and transition to Renderware 2.0.
More exciting changes are in store, and in short order! Version .7x lays the groundwork for many major features to be added, and we should seeing some of them very soon. See this page for more complete details about version .7x. Note that unlike the newspaper, this page may change as more details become available.
- About Our World
- Teleporting without web pages.
- Under Construction
- Our citizens have been busier than ever!
- More 'Bots!
- Birds and more are coming.
- Classifieds
- Ads from our citizens.
- Editorials
- Some words from DatedMan.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
"ZONE SERVER" LICENSES AVAILABLE SOON
It will soon be possible for you to have your own AlphaWorld-type environment! Worlds has already made the server available to a few beta licensees, and if you are interested, you could also join the beta program. Cost is under $5000 for a basic server package. Teleport between zones will be possible, and custom billing options can be handled through add-on features Worlds provides.
The size of the base Zone Server is 1 square kilometer, and as your world grows you may can add to that size incrementally. Other special features will also be available, such as special abilities, custom robots, and enhanced avatars. Worlds is readying documents to help you create your own models for building virtual worlds using AlphaWorld technology, and help with production is available from Worlds and at least one third party company. We expect the third party support to flourish as folks who have their own VRs turn their hand to helping others create theirs.
The server software currently runs only on Worlds' machine, but will be made available shortly on a variety of platforms including Windows NT. In the meantime, if you want to start developing models for your future VR, Worlds is looking for beta customers and can set up spaces on the Worlds server for server licensees.
Almost everything is plug-and-play in Zone Servers. For instance, you can create environments with no "grass," or even no ground. The backdrop (currently mountains in AlphaWorld) is replaceable too, so you can have a starry sky like the one in Worlds Fair, an AlphaWorld environment that is about to come on line as a sample Zone Server. We'll have a special article just about Worlds Fair shortly, but just to tease you a little, here are some sample screen shots (click on the pictures to see fullsized versions.)
You can also create worlds that render very quickly by restricting your building techniques and models to a subset of those used in AlphaWorld, although it can be made to look like a superset. AlphaWorld is an environment where everyone can build just about anything...if you build according to a few rules that increase rendering speed, your environment will render much more quickly.
With a little ingenuity, game worlds similar to MOOs/MUDs/MUSHes could be produced (only with rich 3-d graphics!), and we expect to see some virtual shopping malls very soon!
FLOCKS OF BIRDS SIGHTED IN ALPHAWORLD
PROTAGONIST TESTING NEW 'BOTS
Tuesday, March 28, 1996
Today a few AlphaWorld citizens were treated to a rare display as Protagonist tested a new flock of bird bots! Previous sightings of flocks of chess pieces and avatars were clarified as a new 3d model was introduced (evidently sighted only by beta testers with "dynamic download" of artwork from the web server.)
When asked about the birds, Protagonist said that they would hopefully soon become a common sight in AlphaWorld. He also mentioned the possibility of rat robots that would congregate in the oldest structures they could find, occasionally eating a piece of property.
Rumor has it that the AlphaWorld art team is hard at work producing more animals for our world, including bulldogs and other four-legged avatar models. Are our fire hydrants in jeopardy?
EDITORIALS
GANGS ON THE LOOSE ONCE MORE?
Before I get into this issue's rant, let me say thanks to all the kind folks who sent email after my last column. Although many offered their permission to print their mail here, I will resist the temptation because they all make me look too good. [g]
Now to get down to the news (and my opinions of course)...recently we have had a resurgence of the same kinds of "gang" activity that we saw a while back with "The Order." This time, predictably, it's the same people acting obnoxious again in a ploy for the attention they were evidently denied before.
I've tried not to write about these folks because they were obviously seeking attention. In fact, at one point they were demanding that I write about them, which didn't go over too well. But the news is the news, so I will finally break down and mention this mess again.
This time the previous founder of The Order, Punisher, reimmigrated as "Pharaoh," and professed to be a positive force in AlphaWorld. He built the AlphaWorld Police Station at 911N, and helped NetGuy, Non Reality and others to build a "police force." This organization has also been the subject of much controversy, since they have been in the habit of scanning IP addresses of AlphaWorld citizens to make it easier to identify folks who were causing problems for others. It's interesting that most of the brou-ha-ha about IP scanning was in reaction to the AWPD's activities, while just about nobody protested the ARA doing the same thing. It's possible that some of the folks who were most vehement about not being identified were, in fact, up to no good. (Others, no doubt, just value their privacy for other reasons.)
After a while, "Pharaoh" started vandalizing again as "Punisher." Speaking strictly vandalization is not possible; you can't build where others have built. But some folks fill the holes in others' construction with objects that can't be deleted by the main builder in the area. Some of us call this vandalizing...it's just building that is meant to be malicious. The best way to protect against this is to cover an entire area with something like WALK06H.RWX before you begin construction.
Anyway, Pharoah/Punisher figured he could be a cop and a criminal, and even went so far as trying to arrest himself. This transcends comedy. If it weren't for how obnoxious he acted to a lot of folks, and the antics of others inspired by him, I'd applaud. After having a falling out with the AWPD and confronted by his former associates, for whatever reasons, Pharaoh decided to commit "Alphacide" and held a funeral, where he dramatically jumped into some flames and "died."
Wouldn't you know it, "King" Punisher soon surfaced yet again, this time forming a group called the Alpha Republican Army. With the help of some juvenile-delinquent cronies of the past and a few new recruits, the ARA dedicated itself to badmouthing the AlphaWorld Police Department and anyone who acted friendly to the AWPD. As you would expect, these guys took things too far again. Somehow forgetting the line between "real" reality and the virtual kind, they started a web page offering pre-release AlphaWorld software, pirated software created by the AWPD, and other more ridiculous benefits to anyone who would join them in their fight against just about anything they could think of. Of course, they continued with the vandalization previously practiced by The Order, trashing anyone and everyone's property. I have to wonder if all these "political issues" aren't just an excuse to be malicious.
After a few warnings concerning real-world litigation, the ARA's founders backed down and threatened to once again commit Alphacide and never be seen again. No such luck. They're back already, trying to think up new ways to get attention.
Whatever happens in this VR, we know that people like this will be around for the foreseeable future. We will always have problems with vandalism, with people mouthing off just to get attention, and banding together to create mischief of any kind they can. The question is, what can we as a community do about it? What should we do about it? One group of citizens is all in favor of forming a government, while others favor the current anarchy-style setup.
My own thought is that we should consider forming governments or societal organizations of various sorts, but possibly not to run the whole VR. AlphaWorld is a big place, and with "Zone Servers" coming online soon this VR is about to expand by orders of magnitude. There is room here for just about any kind of society anyone wants to form...as long as they don't try to dominate others against their will, just to relieve their own boredom or aggrandize themselves.
If you're interested in this issue, take a moment and visit the AlphaWorld Discussion center and complete "the survey". North, the surveyor, is trying to find out how citizens feel about issues from government to "IP-scanning" (scanning of fellow citizens's IP addresses.) Warning: the messages at the Discussion Center are not censored and some discussions may not be deemed suitable for your kids (or yourself?)
Anonymity Revisited
Back to one of my pet peeves, the anonymity issue. Many of us in AlphaWorld maintain several different avatars. In my case, it's partially because I like to come in occasionally and not be barraged by questions. Also, I have created several team avatars for cooperative building efforts. And sometimes, I admit, it's just fun to spoof on people I know as another avatar...although I end up 'fessing up to my friends in the end.
Some folks have evidently created several identities for reasons that are not quite as easy to understand. I know of one woman who actually runs AlphaWorld on two different machines at the same time, maintaining a very plausible difference between her two different identities. One has to wonder why someone would go to these great lengths.
There is no true anynonimity. Those who would deceive others will eventually be found out. In most cases the point is moot. In a few cases, though, people are trying to hide their true identities for reasons of which most of us would not approve. My advice is to take all you hear and see in VR with a grain of salt, and especially question those who seem fanatical about some issue.
AlphaWorld is a trademark of Worlds, Inc. The opinions and other content of this paper do not necessarily reflect those of Worlds, and belong only to Dataman.
"A working-class hero is something to be."