SL Community

Community: Music~Elixir of Life

The Music~Elixir of Life is a music group that people with interests in music participate. It has an open mic on Mondays at 1:00 pm. Karaokes are 24/7 and there is Live Singers on Wednesdays that requires participants interested to sign in.

The picture above captures my avatar exploring Koru but at the same time having a conversation with one of the group members of Music~Elixir of Life. I must admit that the group is interesting. Despite not knowing the group member he was warm and welcoming. He even suggested that I should sing. The reason why I joined in this community is that I like music and it will make me relax. I think Music~Elixir of Life is a great place to enjoy myself.

URL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/AmaGi/189/210/25

Strengths

The strengths of the group is that people share interests in music. When I was having a conversation with one of the group members, he revealed to me that he listens to all genres of music but is also picky on the music. Therefore, the group has allowed people that have the same interest in music to have fun and know each other.

Weaknesses

The weakness present is that one has to share interests in music if they are to enjoy the group. Also, interactions between the group members can be enhanced if there is an event for music.

Criteria Used

The criteria that was used in basing the judgement included the analysis of the environment. It was important to have a walk around and discover the different places and activities in the community.

Importance of Component Parts

The component parts allow for the exploration of the community.

Community working best

The community works best when the avatars are not in violation of their freedoms. It can include violating another avatar through insults.

MUVE Locations Comparison

Kalepa & Istanbul University

From the two pictures above, it is easy to see that these two locations are extremely different.

Compared with Istanbul University, Kalepa has a more striking view what will attracts more people. Kalepa also provides various of activities, for example, throwing snow balls, taking ski lift and skiing. So Kalepa is more like a place for people to have fun and relax rather than for functional purposes. I think it is a wonderful location that people want to spend time on. However, this location has some disadvantages. It doesn’t provide private area which is necessary for avatars and only provides a cabin to warm people. What’s more, it is difficult to find destinations. For example, I want to get to the castle and the only way I get there is walking to it. But in Istanbul University, I can find all destinations on the bulletin board and I just need to click the destination I want to go then I will get there.

Istanbul University is a more functional location. It has all the facilities that a university should have like library, classrooms, park and some relaxing area. More importantly, it has private rooms which allows people changing clothes or doing something more personal. I think it is a good place for Istanbul University’s students to have online classes like we having MUV601 classes in Koru and it also provides a place for the online communities to meet regularly. The members of community can do some academic activities in this location. However, compared with Kalepa, Istanbul University doesn’t have attractive views and less people will spend their free time on this location. For the scripting, when the avatar entering into the building, we need to click the door but in Kalepa, the door will open automatically when the avatar is closing.

All in all, these are two quite different locations with different purposes. Kalepa is just for fun while Istanbul University is functional.

MUVE Locations 2

Istanbul University

Why I chose it

I found this location from the list in Moodle. The reason why I chose this location is that it is a university and it is close to my real life. I am studying in university now and I clearly know what hardware facilities I need, or what conditions I want my school to offer to make me learn better. It makes me more objective and comprehensive to evaluate this location.

URL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Istanbul%20University/169/110/27

What functionality/interactivity it provides

When avatar enter into Istanbul University, there will be a bulletin board at the gate. There are some destinations showing in bulletin board, avatar can choose one of the destinations and just click it then avatar will get there. If you are here for the first time, don’t worry that you won’t know how this bulletin board is used. There are some notes on the top of the bulletin board to notice you.

The library has two floors. There is a sign on the wall, avatar can click those to go upstairs or downstairs. On the first floor, there is a piano at the entrance. Click the piano and it will be a note showing on the screen. The avatar can choose the songs and control the piano to let it stop or start. On the top floor of library, there is a classroom provided for students to have classes. The avatar is also allowed to go to the balcony to see the views.

There is a building for students to relax in this university. In this building, there are some swimming pools and it also has some private rooms to let avatars take a shower or change clothes. I think it is necessary to provide private space. So I think it is a ‘real’ place.

There is a park in this location that provided maps of different countries. The avatar can choose and click one of them to search. This park also provides some small games for the students to play and you will be given some tips about how to play.

Another place in this location is learning center. There is a coordinate system in this place and you can also choose languages from Turkish and English. I think it is a good place to learn.

How it looks/was built/how much scripting there is

This looks like a very good university. It has all the facilities that a university should have and it also has different shapes of buildings which attracts me a lot. Some architectural shapes are full of futuristic and technological sense. Like this:

There are much scripting in this location. For example, when you choose your destination in Bulletin Board. You just need to click the picture and the avatar will get there. What’s more, when you enter into a building, click the door and it will open automatically. These are all scripting.

What your impressions of it are

In my opinion, this is a good location. As a university, it has all the facilities, for example, classrooms, library, park and relaxing area. What’s the most important is that this location has personal area which makes it look like a ‘real’ place. This location also has some decorations like hot air balloon and the Turkish flag. The view of this location is wonderful as well.

What’s more, the location of each building is also very easy to find and enter. All the buildings are shown in the Bulletin Board and you just click the building you want to go then you will get there.

I think this location is suitable for the Istanbul University’s students having online classes like we use Second Life to have our MUV601 Class in NMIT location. So I think this location has practical use rather than just for fun.

However, I don’t think I will spend lots of my free time on this location and it is just for a purely functional purpose.

MUVE Locations 1

Kalepa

Why you chose it

I found this location in the Moodle where has a list of locations. Kalepa that attracts me the most is its views. It is a white world full of snowflakes which is hard to see in the real world. I really like snowy days and when I walk around Kalepa, I feel like I am in the ice world. What’s more, when I enter into Kalepa, it sounds brisk music and there are some small animals like rabbits and birds in the snowy land, those really make me feel relaxed. I think it is the location that I would wish to spend time on rather than just for a purely functional purpose.

URL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kalepa/215/117/2801

What functionality/interactivity it provides

There are lots of functionalities that Kalepa provide.

Firstly, as the picture shows above, it allows avatars touching the snow balls to throw and it is really funny.

Secondly, avatar can take the ski lift in Kalepa. Click the lift and avatar will sit in the ski lift. When the avatar sit in the lift, there will be a note shows in the screen, like the image shows below. If there are two avatars in the lift, it will help them to adjust and swap in the lift.

Thirdly, as I said in the first part that there will be some music play on when you enter into this location. If you want to play the other songs that you like, you can choose your favorite songs in Youtube Music and play them in Kalepa.

What’s more, you are also allowed to get a free Ski set in Kalepa. Before you start to ski, there will be a note in the screen, Accept it and then you can go skiing.

How it looks/how is it built/how much scripting there seems to be

It looks amazing because it is a white world filled with snows. There are also some little animals in this location, for example, little rabbits, flying birds and flying birds. Some decorations like carriage, signs, trees, mountains, fire, tables and chairs also can be seen in Kalepa. These will make the location looks more active and more closer to the real world. Besides, there is a cabin and a castle in this location which make this location more wonderful. It is impossible for people to stay outside all the time, so there is a cabin in Kalepa for avatar and there is a fire in the middle of the cabin which can help people keep warm. The windows in the cabin allow avatar seeing the outside views. All these things are made by prims and I think there are hundreds of prims in this location.

It seems that there are much scripting in this location. For example, if avatar want to sit on the chair, just click on the chair and the avatar will sit. As well as the ski lift, just click the lift and the avatar will sit on the lift. If the avatar want to enter into the cabin, just walk to the gate and it will open automatically.H

What your impressions of it are

This location interests me a lot and it is really a wonderland for me. In my opinion, the significance of this location is to provide people with a relaxing place and let them temporarily put down heavy work and relieve stress. This location also give a chance to the people living in the place without snows to experience the white world.

This location also provides a lot of activities like throwing snow balls, skiing and taking ski lift. They are easy to take part in as there are always some notes showing on the screen and you just follow the notes to do.

In general, my impression of this location is that Kalepa is a wonderful location to relax.

MUVE Viewers Comparison

Second Life Viewer and Firestorm

Functionality

The Second Life Viewer can be argued to be for the normal user who are starting to interact with Second Life for the first time. It permits the creation objects and all forms of chat. However, the major difference between Second Life Viewer and Firestorm is that Second Life Viewer cannot connect to other platforms such as OpenSim whereas Firestorm can connect. The other interesting aspect of Firestorm is that its graphics are better compared to those in Second Life Viewer. Below is the graphics of Firestorm.

Impressions of Firestorm and Second Life Viewer

Though Second Life Viewer does not have customization and few advanced features compared to Firestorm I find it easier to use especially if someone is starting to interact with Second Life for the first time. In addition, the components in Second Life Viewer are labelled therefore, the user gets to know the features they are interacting with in the user interface of Second Life Viewer.

MUVE Viewers 2

Firestorm

Who it is developed by

Firestorm Viewer was developed by the Phoenix Firestorm Project Inc. The Phoenix Firestorm Project Inc. is a non-profit, incorporated organization whose mandate is to improve the user experience in Second Life and other virtual worlds by providing an advanced open source viewer with greater features, options and interface flexibility than the standard offering by Linden Lab.

What functionality it provides

Firestorm Viewer allows users of Second Life platform to explore it by using it to get into locations in Second Life. In addition, it based on the Linden Lab V3 LGPL code and has various feature and options. The users have the opportunity of customizing their interface.

You are free to edit your avatar and you are also allowed to to go the online shop to buy some clothes or avatar.

You are allowed to add friends and chat with them in Firestorm. You can add your friends not only in Firestorm but also in Facebook and Twitter. It means your friends in real world will also be your friend in virtual world.

Firestorm allows you editing your virtual world. For example, you can change the Sun Position and edit the environment. So you can see the things like buildings, views and so on in different environments.

You can build houses or anything else you want to build in Firestorm. You can change the colors, the shapes and anything else that you want to change.

If you have some difficulties in Firestorm or you need any help, you can content the Firestorm by various ways and they will help you to solve the problems.

How easy is it to use

The use of Firestorm is easy given that it allows one to do things that cannot be done when using Second Life Viewer. For example, when building a mesh using the Second Life Viewer one lacks the basic functionalities of doing such as copy, paste, size, position, and rotation. However, these features are present when using Firestorm.

How it compares to others

The latest version of Firestorm has an edge over other Viewers. However, it does not provide protection to the user as Second Life Viewer does because it is a third party Viewer.

What your impressions of it are

The functionality of Firestorm when compared to that of Second Life Viewer is easier. Besides, it offers one the opportunity of learning how to use as they explore the Virtual world.

References:

https://www.firestormviewer.org/about/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestorm_(comics)

MUVE Viewers 1

Second Life Viewer

Who it is developed by

The Second Life Viewer was developed and owned by the San Francisco-based firm Linden Lab.

What functionality it provides

The importance of SL Viewers is that it allows the resident to explore, connect, and communicated in SL. Therefore, it implies that when one signs up for an account with SL, they are required to download the SL Viewers that facilitates their connection to SL where they can now communicate and explore SL. After one has downloaded and installed the SL Viewer, they will be allowed to access the functionalities of SL.

How easy is it to use

SL Viewer requires one to download and install it in the computer. The guidelines provided for its installation are easy to follow.

How it compares to others

The importance of SL Viewer is that the user will not any third-party plugins and does not compromise the security of the computer. When it is compared to other viewers that are third parties it offer security.

What your impressions of it are

The picture above shows the login screen of SL Viewer. It can be opened independent from the browser.

The picture above shows the interface of SL Viewer. As it can be seen the resident is female because the user is female. One has the option of chatting with a resident that is online and near at the time. The SL Viewer makes SL interesting because one can transfer their real lives into the virtual world. On the left side of the computer there are components that can be used to control the resident. At the bottom of the computer there are control panels that can be used. At the start it can be argued that it is difficult to use but once one gets into SL Viewer that almost everything falls into place.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life

MUVE Platforms Comparison

Second Life and Unity 3D platforms have different functionalities. Besides, they are used for different purposes.

Second Life allows the user to explore the virtual world. When the user creates things in Second Life they are telling the server to remember some things and distribute them. Also, the Second Life is designed in a manner that it constantly changes.

On the other hand, Unity 3D can run in your browser and integrates with JavaScript on the HTML page. An interesting aspect of Unity 3D is that given it can be deployed to the existing web server then it can be accessed by different people either in a single user mode of shared mode.

SL and Unity 3D allow for interaction between users and can be monetized. It implies that users can impact the real world economically. Unity 3D allows the users to develop video games therefore earning while SL allows the users to interact and can monetize activities or events in the environment.

However, both users in Unity 3D and SL get to learn as they interact with the platforms.

MUVE Platforms 2

Unity 3D

Who it is developed by

Unity is a cross-platform real-time engine developed by Unity Technologies, first announced and released in June 2005 at Apple Inc.’s Worldwide Developers Conference as an OS X-exclusive game engine. The first version of Unity was developed by Nicholas Francis, David Helgason, and Joachim Ante of Unity Technologies. Several major versions of Unity have been released since its launch, with the latest stable version being Unity 2018.3.9.

What Functionality it provides

It is important to note that Unity 3D is a cross-platform game engine that has a built-in IDE. It is used in the development of video games for web plugins, consoles, desktop platforms and mobile devices.

Check it out at: https://developer.cloud.unity3d.com/projects/

How well it runs

Unity 3D has different requirements for it to run on your laptop or desktop. For development purposes it can run operating systems of Windows 7 SP1+, 8, 10, 64 bit versions only. When one is using the mac it requires macOS 10.11+ In addition, for the mac computers they should Xcode 9.0 or higher. The android SDK and Java Development Kit should be installed in the computer.

How it is used

Unity 3D is best suited for use with the keyboard and a mouse. The user has the liberty of choosing the tools they want to use for development of games. In addition, it challenges the user to have a hands-on learning experience for the development and running of games.

How it compares to others

When Unity 3D is compared to Second Life, they both have different functionalities and meet the needs of the users differently. Unity 3D allows the users to learn how to make video games while earning depending on their skills. However, one is required to pay a one-time fee if they are to be involved in the development of video games. On the other hand, Second Life allows the use to have an experience of the virtual world where they can interact with different avatars.

What your impressions of it are

Unity 3D is interesting but at the same challenging. It requires one who is interested in learning to develop video games. Also, developers can use to make additional income from their main jobs depending on their commitment.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_(game_engine)

https://cinema-suite.com/5-best-uses-for-unity/

https://designagame.eu/2013/12/unity-popular-videogame-development/

MUVE Platforms 1

Second Life

Who it is developed by

Second Life (SL) is a three-dimensional virtual world where users who are known as residents have the liberty of pretending to be whomever they want to be in the virtual world. It is an online world that has its impact reaching the real world. Second Life was developed by Linden Labs, former CTO of RealNetworks, Philip Rosedale. Linden Lab is a privately held American Internet company that is best known as the creator of Second Life.

What Functionality it provides

Interestingly, the residents are allowed to create virtual representations of themselves and are known as avatars. The avatars interact within themselves, places, and objects. In addition, residents can contribute to the world around them by engaging in different activities such as developing buildings, animations and objects. However, what is added by the residents in the virtual world is referred to as user-generated content. What makes SL unique as virtual world is the user-generated content. Besides, SL is limited to adults only because one can meet with obscene things when exploring the environment. It has different events as shown in the pictures below.

How well it runs

Second Life requires a laptop or desktop that have high specs. As it can be seen in the above pictures the utilization of the CPU was 15% before opening the Second Life Viewer. After opening it, it rose to 46% with the Memory increasing to 62% from 53%. Therefore, it will not slow down the processes of the computer if the specs are high. Also, if one is using the latest generation of computers then it will function with ease. The program was run using the 7^th generation laptop which explains why it was not heating or slowing other processes down.

How it is used

Second Life can be used with the keyboard and a mouse. The mouse is important because it allows for rotation and movement of the avatars and other objects with ease. There are different control components that guide the user on the activities they want to conduct in the platform.

What your impressions of it are

The events can be participated in at the time specified. Therefore, when tries to check in before the stipulated time it fails to go through. The platform is interesting and provides users with learning experiences that can be applied in the real world.

One of the strengths of SL is the easy access and low cost. Interestingly, users can participate for free. However, they can sign-up for premium membership if they are interested in additional features offered by it. In addition, there is time compression which is attractive. Unlike the real world that runs for 24 hours, in SL day runs for approximately 4 hours which makes it stand out. Also, it boasts of large dedicated user base which makes it unique.

On the other hand, it has its weaknesses. To begin with, it has numerous distractions that can hamper the productivity of a user. The freedom that is present in SL means that it can turn a user into an addict. There are pranksters, grieving and spam. It can be argued that there are sorts of people in SL, therefore, a resident needs to be careful with those they interact with during their session.