Yesterday I did a presentation of Virtropolis over zoom to the VertexForm Community, it went ok I think.
Virtual Reality
28 posts
Just a quick post to say Im exited to say that Im starting up work on Virtropolis again. Im ripping out the old code, and trying to get the thing to work with a new framework called Vertex Form 3D.
Ive put together a rudimentary website to have that separate.
Click to Enter!
Also I still have my old installation with the old code, so today I made a quick Runthru. This is what I have to get to work in Vertex. Some things will have to be different, but most will turn out better I think. I really hope I can influence a bit what direction they take when developing this framework. I think I might because Im one of the first to try it.
Heres a YouTube that shows “The story so far”.
Just a test to see if something works..
https://hubs.mozilla.com/F88aZTC/forever
On Jan 20th AltSpace announced it will close.
https://altvr.com/sunset/
Using the terribly stupid expression ‘sunsetting’ as opposed to ‘nuking’ which would be more accurate.
This is a terrible shame, and something that many of us feared already when Microsoft bought the platform. Why is it that big corporations cannot resist destroying small and successful smaller companies? What’s in it for them, are they trying to make it work, kill it so their project can survive or steal workforce, or maybe a mix of the 3?
All I know is that during Covid, for many people, AltSpace solved all their social needs, and became for the first time an “alternate” world in which to live. I for one saw it as a place that actually, to some extent could be thought of as the beginnings of a metaverse as described in my favorite Sci Fi books of the 80´s and 90´s. I met people chatted with them and discussed with them, all without really noticing that I was in fact alone in my room talking to the air, and looking at a cartoon woman who did in fact have a gravelly low possibly middle eastern accent. AltSpace concentrated on community building, and there were many, from Yoga and meditation to religious and bible study to stand-up and open mike.
I hovered in the “World builders” communities, where people discussed building techniques and were often concerned with real world money-making, discussing crypto and NFTs in the metaverse or making fun experiences. In these communities stars were born, to name one Artsy (https://www.artsyvr.com/) who built opulent and expensive apartments and party spaces, often for real world paying clients. There was Educators in VR, headed by the busy and intellectual Lorelle VanFossen, which, while platform agnostic and still continues in a variety of other metaverse, was born from AltSpace to provide genuine university researchers and educators wanting to make learning experiences in VR and a place to discuss and share ideas on pedagogics and practical techniques in VR. They ran courses on how to successfully hold events and conferences.
And then there was the raves. As my mate James said after I had given him a quick tour of AltSpace, “It’s all about the clubbing isn’t it?”. In this area there were also big names like the MOMA rave series, built and operated by Zack and Moman, (who were interviewed this week in an AltSpace talk show and afterwards briefly opened up one of there rave-worlds for one last dance.
The Inner Circle whos huge impressive rave worlds were fun to explore and party in, and X…. that was a bit more gritty and simply built but streamed real life DJs playing live into the VR space. VR was big on Psi Trance for no apparent reason and most clubs seemed to adopt that genre or music, there was a few smaller clubs however that concentrated on other genres, the super dark and smoky Indie club, and the Rave Cave, which despite its name was playing mostly Jungle and Drum and Bass.
Of course there are other metaverses, are ENGAGE XR, Spatial VR, VRChat, Mozilla Hubs, Meta Horizon Worlds, and Rec Room. But there are problems and issues with all of these and no one place can really take the place of AltSpace. The AltSpace builders are now all busy downloading their content and trying to get it to work into these other platforms, I’ve been getting alot of mails from Spacial, who are obviously seem an opportunity now. VRchat however, despite being eschewed by the more grown up target group of AltSpace seems to be the main contender, they can compete on functionality, is also Unity based, and already has a big modding community, although the focus here appears to be on “cool costumes” rather than events and worlds. Consequently VRchat always feels a bit like Second Life to me, either full of sweary kids, or creepy adults wearing furry costumes or overtly sexual anime bimbo skins. Being almost 60 and entering here, does make one feel a tad uncomfortable and I tend not to talk, fearing, shouts of Pedo, from the crazy kids.
AS I mentioned in Documenting VR I have collected many of my visits to AltSpace on my YouTube channel.
There is however one intriguing underdog. Back when AltSpace was still free, there was this guy, Shane. Now Shane had this script that made it possible to build in AltSpace itself, instead of building in Unity and uploading. Well Shane went over to SideQuest tje underground independsnd Quest app library, now it seems he has, with the backing if SideQuest produced a pretty great new little metaverse, super high-quality look, utilising the excellent ReadyPlayerMe avatar engine, and available as an AppLab app right in the quest. Looking good so far!
https://www.altlabvr.com/banter
I wish I could say that my little home-made metaverse, Virtropolis, was ready to go online and be a little addition to the space created by AltSpaces demise, but unfortunately it’s still nowhere near completion.
RIP AltSpace
Came across this video explaining everything I think is great about VR, how facebook/Meta isn’t the answer and… how VR Chat is cool!?
I’ve never liked VR Chat, it’s so full of annoying kids, but I do understand what this guy says when he says “It’s like the old internet” I remember the 2d chatroom “The palace” or Geocities, and of course I remember Active Worlds (seeing as I helped build Patagonia in AW) and yes… it’s a bit like that.
So we had a video from Meta last week showing off what can be done with the Quest 2 currently in Mixed reality. I’m not super interested in AR or Mixed reality (Same thing) but there it is.. its coming.., I guess ability to type on a real keyboard is good (if only it worked). But we also go a hint about the Cambria, the NEW headset with colour Passthru, so making AR overlays possible for the first time on Quest.
I was disappointed to see from the blurred out pic of Zuckerberg that is still looks pretty thick.
A little sum up of 2021 (apart from the obvious covid continuation) might be the year the world learned the word Metaverse.
So facebook changed name to become Meta, which is in fact a great move for the future of VR. Whatever you think of FB, it gives the stamp of authenticity to an idea I have believed in for 30 years. But they obviously think they are going to control it and run it. When Zuck says… « oh the metaverse shouldnt be created by us.. oh no» what he means is that the infrastructure should be, but the content can be left up to users… just like.. er… facebook.
But we wont let that happen, will we? FB have been a great force in that they bought Oculus, and they do know the social stuff, but in the end, The ‘verse will be made by many companies, but something will have to connect them. Maybe links, maybe a payment system/ economy. I believe in Ready Player Me system, where you create an avatar one place then will be able yo use it in multiple virtual worlds. I have reservations about how they will get paid however.
But this aint new… we’ve known all this for years, now the man in the street knows.
So what HAS been new this year?
Well this has been the year of getting the real world INTO VR. In various ways.
At the start of the year we were clubbing at lots of pop-up nightclubs on AltSpace, screens streamed from Twitch DJ’s, Varjo brought out a super high quality headset in the summer, with the proposed ability to scan the local environment and invite people to that space… bring your real world into VR. Plus advances in Photogrametry saw the popping up of virtual spaces scanned from iphones. Matterport took their advanced scanning cameras for estate agents to an iPhone app.
Also in the last half year we saw some interesting developments in live filming, and auto greenscreening so live bands (more normally solo singers, could play concerts in VR. In AltSpace they used a technique they call Holoteleportation. But its a bit 2d so far.
The most impressive «live» event was a show for K-pop performer AleXa, which unfortunately I missed. Built in its own program by Improbable Games and featuring some insane CCU figures, (1500 fans) thanks to some kind of advanced multiplayer integration by IMS, and including scene changes, and a 50 foot avatar. Not my thing, but looked cool.
Oslo start-up Holocap are doing interesting things with the humble Kinect. They have a system for filming in 3d and auto generating an avatar for conferences or virtual concerts. Going to be experimenting with this.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-59674930
https://www.virtualhumans.org/
https://holocap.com/pages/technology
https://ims.improbable.io/insights/worlds-first-k-pop-concert-in-the-metaverse
So I’ve been playing a lot of Beat Saber, I’ve got my “Move minutes” set and calorie counting down.
Through desperately trying to improve my skills here, up to a level where I can even vaguely take on my 15 year old son (Me = HARD Him = EXPERT or EXPERT+) I have noted a few things about being in a game where you CAN’T talk. not at all.
I’ve always thought this was pretty interesting, how to communicate in a game, across languages and cultures with no words. Going back to holidays in France where you point at the Baguette and say it in English, a bit louder in case somehow volume can result in translation.
In my own unfinished game T.R.U.T.H, which was intended to be a mini multiplayer game, with 4 people playing simultaneously, I planned to have simple multiple choice questions (that could be translated, therefore played across the language barrier) so if someone clicks on you, you get a message. “the Old woman asks you your name” and some choices. 1. Mind your own business 2. What’s yours? 3. Bob.
In the lovely game, Journey, you occasionally meet another player, they cant do anything, but you can shoot up a icon above your head and utter a non-verbal cry. The purpose simply to help one another by showing the right way, or where to stand.
In a very old experimental game (in fact it was a screen saver… a multiplayer screensaver no less) by Tales of Tales, you play a deer, and see other deer, again you cannot hear the other people speak, but you can interact with them, I forget exactly how, again mystical icons I think.
But, now in the multiplayer lobby of Beat Saber, here we are again, 4 or 5 strangers sharing a weird experience of just waiting, like the dentist, for the event to begin.
Like everyone else, I stood there for ages, just fiddling with songs, minding my own business. But after a while I noticed that despite not knowing where they are from, which language they are speaking, we do all have some “built in” gestures that just work.
Someone leaves, everyone shrugs.
“Hey you, don’t forget to click your ready button” = Pointing to the right
“I don’t like that song you just picked” = Facepalm
“Hey! Hi new guy!” Everyone waves
“I gotta go now, thanks for the game” Waving to everyone just after a game has ended.
We do all that, but everyone stands in their place… obediently.
So I decided to experiment…
Firstly, I decide to go and visit all my new friends on their little podiums. I remade my guardian and made it huge (making sure not to include the stairs I could fall down if I walked TOO freely) and so I can now walk over to, especially the people on my left and right. At first they are shocked, you can tell… they didn’t know you are not restricted to your little triangular podium, but I bow, and respectfully hold out my hand to shake (this is a bit awkward, because to you, you are still holding your Laser Sabers, but you know they can see a hand, and they stretch out theirs, we shake, or high five! Their head shakes a little, they are laughing! You have made someone laugh on the other side of the world, weird huh? I think its weird.
Another thing to do, is dance… just dance to that tic tic waiting music, often people join in… after the next game, I go and join someone on their podium and dance, hands in the air… they join in (Here you imagine a hugely overweight Taxi driver from Estonia busting some moves on their own in their bedsit in Tallin).
The mexican wave… hard to get going, you have to grab eye contact with them on the left, arms in the air, then point… after a bit they get it… and their hands go in the air… their neighbour doesn’t get it, but you two do, so you do it a few times, suddenly everyone gets it, and it’s hilarious, 5 total strangers, heads shaking (LOLing) all throwing their hands in the air at the right time. Song starts… someone leaves, new team… have to train them up…
Rock Paper Scissors.. doesn’t quite work… But I’ve done it. you can make the right 1,2,3 move and then strike a “hand-pose”, but I’m never quite sure who won (better hands please Beat Saber).
I have managed to get groups, who after a while we all got on the same wavelength and were playing just as much in between games. People from… who the fuck knows where. I think people make avatars that look a bit like them, so I you can tell if they are black or white, and sex… In BS the females are pretty normal (IE, not overly sexy) so I think men dont think its so fun to lie and be a hot girl, so I think you can tell a tiny bit who you are with. Something can be told by what they call themselves of course. But not much.
You can get a long way with just hands. And when you get a group, who just dont leave and swap all the time, you realise that… they like you, it’s been fun. And someone, finally looks at their wrist (their non-existant watch) to show the time is late, and does the crying hands symbol and waves, you know they have to go because its late. And sometimes they will do that… (slightly cheezy in real life) heart gesture, and everyone returns it… sadly… in fact… we probably all leave soon after, its not the same without mochaman2020, as a boring new guy pops into to take their place.
While researching images for reference for my stop motion project “Tales from the Towers” I stumbled across a great short VR film called “Kowloon Forest”.
https://m.veer.tv/videos/kowloon-forest-350509
5 simple scenes are shown with the VR camera being directly between two people, or sort of. There no story really, just a few moments of people lives. It very stylized, in the the set looks almost painted, or computer game textured, but the acting seems real, and contrived. Im desperate to find out how they were made. I feel like its kind of 360 compositing, something I haven’t really seen or thought about. Theres no Greenscreen edges however som Im guessing its shot as 2d and fit into a 3d scene. I think there alot of possibilities here.
OK some images.
So the other day I did some filming in Virtropolis, starting from the Island, swam back and walked through the maze into town.
Then later when I was in Big Screen and taking screenshots of how THEY did their cinema, I tried to show a film and the only film I had was the holiday film from Virtropolis.
So I filmed THAT…
So may I present, a little film of Virtropolis at dusk, then night. Then the same film, projected in a Cinema in the VR Cinema app Big Screen VR.