ok, I promise not to waste your time - this is a really good idea I got. Well, I saw a post by Your Supreme Coolness And Unquestionably THE RPG Sage (DarkMage ) about Active Worlds. So I checked it out and got sickered in... met a few people, had fun walking around. And then it hit me - This would make the perfect GameDev.net virtual community. Think about it. GameDev could buy a world server from AW.com so that they could host a world. What''s in the world? Good question, even better answer. Remeber all the talk about the idea of a team section on GameDev? (still going on btw). Well this could be the team section! Especially for indie developers and virtual dev teams. Since AW.com allows you to build your own house or building - teams or indie companies could build their own virtual corporate headquarters. In the case of teams that are scattered around the country (or world) the virtual HQ would serve as a place where they can all gather and interact - chat and compare notes and ideas, transfer files. You could even have a "whiteboard" in a conference center. Just scan in the image or diagram and put it up as a texture! Even better would be the first two levels (if it''s multistory) or a few areas of the complex can house exhibits and showcases on games in progress or already out. With AW.com''s built-in browser, you could have a display on a game with various objects linked to various web pages with more information. As more and more towers and buildings of companies and teams start to spring up, people won''t have to travel far to reach other buildings with game info, thus advertising your game would be a cinch! And GameDev could hold contests like Best Designed HQ or Best Layout or Best Showcase. Other odds an ends would be a reception desk in the lobby where people can click on a log book to open the logbook page in the browser so they can log in their stay and comments. And there are so many more possibilities with AW.com''s SDK with their own scripting language that allow bots to take people on automated tours..... I say again the possibilities are endless!!!! Of course each world has its own rules and regs - so GameDev could impose needed rules to make sure the community doesn''t get off track. I hate to bring up the topic of having moderators there - that seems very unnescessary when bots could do the job of punting unwanted people. So? Whaddya think? Come on - anyone has to realize how insanley cool thos would be. And it really does solve the Team Section thing real nice. Of course - to become a citizen you''ll have to pay $19.99 per year - but is there really anyone out there so cheap as to say no when they''ll be using it so much to keep development on track? If you haven''t tried ActiveWorlds yet, head over to www.activeworlds.com and check it out. You can log on as a Tourist without having ot pay anything. Come on Dave - you know you like this... You know it! ============================== "Need more eeenput..." - #5, "Short Circuit" ==============================

Well, should this ever be done, you can be sure I won''t use it, because:

1. I don''t have unlimited time you know. Going through AW takes ages and you can''t search for something systematically (well I couldn''t find an obvious way to do so in the 20 minutes I tried it) You know, I pay by the minute so I want the information I want - FAST! I think a team website is much better for this.
   
2. AW sucks. Sorry, but I think their technology is pretty crappy actually. I often got stuck inside buildings that weren''t there when I got there and movement/interface is pretty bad too. (compared to FPSes)
   
3. I can''t see any advantages of the whole thing. I mean, why is an extended chatroom not better? Or a forum?
   
4. 20$/year just isn''t worth it. I have better ways to spend my money

Just my €0.02

- JQ, PWC Software
"programming is all about wasting time" -me

Thanks JQ - you brought up some good points.

1) Yeah - true. However you don''t have to walk around. A main teleport station at ground zero would let you instantly warp to each company''s building - and each building would have a teleport back to the main hub. Teleports at the hub could be classified by genre (Action, strategy, etc). That''s the best I can do for the search problem.

2) AW isn''t meant to be anything more than an anybody can use it type of thing - so of course there would be a simple interface (the arow keys). As for the graphical quality - most of the bad-looking buildings (z-buff mistakes and corners that show outside) are the fault of the builders - not the program. Also, since AW sends all its data over the net, low-end users could not ever handle high-end graphics. There''s no way to satisfy us gamers with awesome graphics and a smooth interface.

3) True - but your thinking normal stuff. I''m thinking expandability. Coupling AW to a regular website would allow you more options in terms of public relations. Most of my ideas above were related to team dev - having meetings and stuff. But think of it as a whole new way to present your content to the general public. If you don''t want to build an area where your virtual avatars can meet and chat, then this would at least be a central area where people can visit to check out games by various companies all in one spot - they just teleport around.

4) What you do with your money is your business, can''t make you change that.

In retrospect - why don''t we shelve this for a little while - I''d like to see how AW does in the next few months or so, see if it''ll be sticking around for a while. If the rate of people joining up continues at its current pace (or greater) then we should go for it. Cause right now I noticed many people just hang out in the Gateway area, and not a lot are on at once. Even if this is shelved - I''d still appreciate more comments. Could we change the Presidents poll for a poll on who would be interested in this?

P.S. - yes, the minute charge deal is a problem. Tho I think more people use monthly service.....

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"Need more eeenput..."

- #5, "Short Circuit"
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