NI-Limits Blog

WindLight in Second Life & Habbo Furniture Stolen, What’s Next…?

Returning to the recently added Virtual Worlds category and ensuring that it has at least two posts, how else can we do so but by turning our attention to TechCrunch and their recent article that questions the value of Second life, which is presently estimated to be worth up-to RM 3,000,000,000:

Rumors about a massive valuation of Second Life have been floating around Silicon Valley for months. The original rumors said the company raised a new round of financing at a valuation of somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion. When I asked the company about it over the summer they said, on the record, that they had not raised new money, but declined to comment further.

TechCrunch also reports on a recent update to the Second Life universe that brings the new technology of WindLight to the world and some much needed realism to the experience in the process:

One of the most common criticisms of Second Life is that the in-world 3D rendering is poor; I’ve been supportive of the concept of the Second Life metaverse in the past, but I’ve always thought we were seeing the 1.0 version of a virtual world without having yet seen the 2.0 version, or the really amazing universally accepted virtual world that will gain much wider acceptance.

Windlight takes Second Life to about 1.8. The same user generated buildings are still there, but suddenly they have been improved by their environmental surroundings. Water ripples with the reflection of surrounding buildings while a sunset casts realistic shadows and lighting on the buildings below.

In semi-Second-life related news, Mashable reported on Stagecoach Island, which is a new virtual world that has been developed by the Wells Fargo banking group:

Though initially coming to life two years ago, it’s been completely revamped and relaunched, with a new attitude. Some of the new features include the ability for users to buy virtual land and build homes. Yeah, yeah, that sounds just like Second Life. But let’s remember that this is a virtual world that’s being launched by a bank. That means you can get virtual mortgages, open virtual checking accounts, apply for virtual credit cards, and secure virtual jobs. You even have to pay virtual taxes.

So how will this actually pan out? Depending on how integrated Stagecoach is with actual Well Fargo bank accounts, it could be very effective, or very unethical in terms of business practices. There’s new currencies like Ukash popping up in Second Life, and I actually appreciate the life lessons being taught in Stagecoach and other networks like GirlSense.

Mashable are also running a poll regarding whether virtual worlds should be regulated by the government that was brought on by a strange case from the Netherlands in which a 17 year-old has been arrested for allegedly stealing RM 20,000 worth of virtual furniture from the Habbo Hotel:

To do the deed, the teen is accused of stealing the victim’s account information to gain access to the “furniture.” What does one do with stolen virtual furniture? Move it to their own virtual room of course.

In some slightly more grounded virtual news, Webware has an interesting article regarding a fascinating news service called EveryScape:

If you thought Google’s Street View was cool, wait until you see how you can ski down the slopes in Aspen, Colorado, or whiz over taxicabs and pedestrians through the streets of New York, Boston, and Miami. The inside views of buildings are only available in Miami and Aspen right now.

The visuals are stunning as you fly through the front doors of hotels, bars, and other buildings and turn around for a 360-degree view. It reminds me of a video game or a virtual reality environment, only everything here is real.

The site lets you choose one of the four featured cities and browse by popular places and categories like nightlife, beaches, shopping, and arts and performances. Or you can type in an address or business name and a photo of the location appears next to a Google map window.

You can click anywhere in the map to be taken to a spot. You also can navigate by using the “auto drive” button and get a tour of the neighborhood as if you were a passenger in a cab, watching the sights go by. Or you can click the “you drive” button and take the controls, clicking on an orange arrow to proceed forward and using the mouse to change direction or glance up.

If we ever have the additional time needed to complete KLews (the way we have in mind) and it is a anywhere near as what is being offered here, the world will be a better place, Kuala Lumpur would be on the map and we would be a happier web-development team!

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