plaYce, yet aother web-based game development platform

plaYce, released its beta version to limited testers, is looking to partner up with independent developers to create games based on its world map, mirroring the real world. The plaYce player, a web browser plug-in, is required to stream its games. The demo game loads up swiftly on my GeForce 8600M GT and broad bandwidth.

The company’s business model will be based on micro-transactions, virtual goods, in-game ads, and rev-share with game developers. Developers will not be charged for the use of the platform.

The business model and how developers will embrace the idea and platform need time to test. But the graphic rendering and Downtown Defender are quite a blast. The UI is easy (very intuitive contrary to the complexity of Second Life that I am already used to). The game play (deploy attacking units and pick up supply units) is a quick fun and sustain enough interest for me to play for couple rounds. Though targeting on casual gamers, I think the theme, riding helicopter and shooting giant aliens, and the upcoming car race game are more for hardcore gamers rather than the typical casual gamers. But surely plaYce may stimulate different types of gamepaly in its 3D environment while the hit casual games so far are 2D.

Game developers can also model 3D arenas in any standard 3D modeling tool and then import it. Game arenas that “float in space” are also supported.

For more information:
TC50’s plaYce Launches Real-World, 3D Game Platform as a Service
by Roi Carthy on February 24, 2009
Other World Notes: Get 300 Beta Invites to plaYce, Another Web-Based 3D Development Platform
by Wagner James Au on March 02, 2009

WebFlock 1.0 (Business Application)

Electric Sheep Company launched WebFlock last year. It provides both product and service to host your own 3D social space that can be customized to create branded experiences and foster community-based online interactions (private virtuality).



Where are we going with the creation of virtual experience in cyberspace?

I think the phase 3D Net makes a straightforward point. In addition to the real-time attribute, spatial dimension + simulated physics allow us to perceive the virtual experience more like our physical reality. Space is able to contain all kinds of objects in life, and probably so does the virtual space to contain all kinds of media and facilitate social interactions. Fantasy also becomes more "real" since there is a total control over one's visual representation.

Based on our basic instincts, design and technology builds many new things:

• People talk to make sure they exist and others exist (Chatting is the highlight feature of WebFlock).
• People play games to survive and understand how to work with other people.
• People read stories to see the world in another perspective and reflect upon it.

Competitor? Qwaq

Stereoscopy (Real 3D)

List of movies:
My Bloody Valentine 3D; Bolt; Journey to the Center of Earth

More resource about stereoscopic imaging:
stereoscopy.com

realXtend

Minimum system requirements for realXtend Viewer:

Windows XP/Vista
A graphics card with shader model 2.0 support,
128 MB graphics card memory and up-to-date OpenGL drivers
512 MB system memory
Pentium 2 GHz / AMD 3000 processor

realXtend still not yet released a version for Mac. It's possible to use installed Boot Camp with Windows XP on a Mac, or Parallels, but it may not play nicely with video-card heavy applications like Second Life. There is also a tutorial about capturing SL machinima using FRAPS and virtual Windows on Mac.

Scuplted Prims & Maya

I will be meeting up a New York based 3D Maya Artist tomorrow to go over topics on creating models and baking textures in Maya (including lighting and shadows) for both Prims and Sculpties, creating textures in Photoshop (tips on mapping and styling). If I can steal some time, I also want to revisit the use of Maya in animating Avatar gestures.

References:

What is Sculpted Prims

Maya Exporter

Sculpted Prims with Maya (complete tutorial in pdf)

SIM Tools (too expensive)

(modeling, texturing, exporting prim objects from Maya to SL)

Animation Guide (details on QAvimator & Maya)

Prototypes:

Cute Robot Army

To be noted, Second Life is not based on 3D meshes, except newly introduced Sculpted Prims. Everything else is built from very simple building blocks called primitives: box, cylinder, sphere, torus, tube, and ring.