Workshop 3: Virtual Worlds for Networking Communities

Workshop 3:Virtual Worlds for Networking Communities Group 3 Alder ChewMirna Anaya Jakrapun VacharachaisurapolNattaphon Supalasret Maria Andrea DugtongNobuhiro Nakayama

Outline 1. Definition, Purpose, and History2. Characteristics, Culture,and Types3. Designing the Virtual World4. Examples and Applications5. Technologies and Tools6. Issues Virtual Worlds for NC

Definition A virtual world is a computer-simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit and interact with via avatars. This habitation usually is represented in the form of two or three-dimensional graphical representations of humanoids (or other graphical or text-based avatars). Some, but not all, virtual worlds allow for multiple users. Virtual Worlds for NC

Advantages and Disadvantages • Advantages allow the people around the world can communicate and they can understand each other regardless the place • Disadvantages losing the closeness of inter-personal relationships and some the events are involved bad copy of the real world tiresome and downright boring Virtual Worlds for NC

Evolution of Virtual World • 1D application - Text-based Application • 2D application - Ultima On-Line • 3D application - Active World Virtual Worlds for NC

History • 1969: Rick Blomme writes a two-player version of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's renowned Space War for the Plato service. • December 1979: Roy Trubshaw and Richard Bartle develop the first working multi-user dungeon (MUD) at Essex University in Colchester. • 1983: Kesmai launches MegaWars, which closes in 1995. • 1985: The first virtual reality environments using avatars - virtual icons - begin to appear. • 1995: Worlds Chat becomes the first avatar environment on the Internet. • October 1996: Two Microsoft interns, Andrew and Chris Kirmse, release Meridian 59, an experimental virtual world. • Spring 1997: Electronic Arts launches Ultima Online (OU), the first commercial virtual world, • March 1999: Verant Interactive, a subsidiary of Sony, launches EverQuest. It becomes the most popular virtual world in the US. • Autumn 2000: Microsoft launches Asheron's Call. • Winter 2001: Virtual worlds such as Norway's Anarchy Online and Mythic Entertainment's Dark Age of Camelot join the fray. • 2002: Electronic Arts to launch the Sims Online, Sony and Lucas Arts release Star Wars Galaxies: perhaps the two most eagerly anticipated virtual worlds. Virtual Worlds for NC

Culture of Virtual Worlds Characteristics of Virtual Societies • Social Complexity & functional differentiation of societies and the formation of specific institutions: division of labour, law systems, political system, money and market systems • Fundamental prerequisites for further development: a language to communicate, a social system and religion to legitimize the social system, social functions and hierarchy. • Only when social-cultural complexity of Virtual Worlds is functional, will it persist. Eg. online game worlds lack the need for a complex social-cultural architecture therefore this attribute is not available. http://www.virtualworlds.org/ • Virtual architecture, inhabits unlimited and infinite expandable space. Without limits to the site, there is little indicator of where to place surfaces of enclosure. http://www.uni-weimar.de/architektur/InfAR/publific/campbell/chapter5.htm • Do Virtual Worlds possess the social-cultural complexity needed to call them ‘virtual societies’? • What makes up the social movement of persons and organizations that are trying to steer Virtual Worlds go in the direction of being modern virtual societies? • The change of virtual societies must be studied over time to see if they manifest an increasingly complex set of institutions and by doing so are moving in the direction of being modern virtual societies. http://www.digitalspace.com/papers

The culture of virtual worlds is evolving rapidly: • Most virtual worlds have an internal policy/code of conduct which must be respected by all end users. • Virtual Worlds differenciate from each other by the community types, interest, levels of intimacy available to the end users and environments (text based, visuals based, voice based) • Language/Lingo used in Virtual Communities: Emoticons, Emoties, social acronysms • Virtual Worlds encourage the stablishment of ‘Individual Personas’ Using the same nickname in all worlds we inhabit will contribute to stablish a more distinguished presence. Setting up a profiles: yourself, your fantasy self, etc. • Virtual Worlds relay on the differenciation of social functions and hierarchy among their members. • Reflect physical and biological realities, also increasingly have a social-cultural structure that will mirror the complexity of normal life. • Virtual Worlds continuously improve ‘security measures’ in order to protect members privacy and safety. Virtual Worlds for NC

Cultural Issues • Communication: clarity is essential when communicating electronically to avoid misinterpretations. • Population Density: If an area is too full of people it could lead to several types of issues such as lack of privacy, conversation going ‘out of sync’, text overlay. • Rude Behaviour: avoid UPPERCASE, considered shouting use muting feature if required. Respect others areas (do not leave flames, mailboxes, newsstands in any area other than your own). • Language: english is not the only language of humanity. Respect the ones that use other languages. If you know some words maybe polite to answer in their language. http://www.digitalspace.com/avatars/book/appendix/netiq.htm • Security & Privacy: Do not include your phone numbers or address in your profile. No conversation is truly private. Rights and privacy of others should be respected. Harrassment can also take place in virtual worlds: abuse, malicious whispers, malicious attacks (shutdowns), impersonations intentional /unintentional (test them). http://sting.yrams.nl/harass.html. Virtual Worlds for NC

Virtual Worlds Types Virtual Worlds fall currently into three types: • Multi-million dollar efforts in multi-player entertainment, • Smaller social and creative spaces supported as research efforts • Home-brewed digital spaces The last category can increase enormously. The present generation is used to the document based web.The next generation, is used to environments that stress navigation through very complex, 3D spaces full of behaviors. The next generation promises to bring us into Virtual Worlds for play, learning, work, and just being. http://www.ccon.org/papers/debruinav98.html Virtual Worlds for NC

Development • The Team Producer, Lead designer, Lead programmer, Lead artist • Development Process • Pre-Production Concept evaluation, project planning (up to 6 months) • Production Programming, data creation (2-6 yrs for large commercial VW) • Roll Out Integration of technologies and assets created, beta testing, launching • Operation Begins when people start paying to enter the VW Virtual Worlds for NC

Architecture • Load Balancing Activity is spread across sub-servers to cope with all work • Client/Server Model Server embodies the VW; Client is the player’s window on the VW • Synchronization Minimize lag thru faster hardware and code optimization, making nothing too time-sensitive, use of predictive models on object movements • Security Encryption, no world decision delegated to a client, no world-critical code in client, logging activities

Theory and Practice How VW ought to be put together and how they are put together Modes - Create user experience Virtual Reality VR interface, lets you see/hear VW in 3D (full-vision headsets, surround sound, sensors, etc.) - reasonable for closed user base but not for open user base due to cost Extensibility VWs are designed in such that they can be extended over time, to cater for improvements. Virtual Worlds for NC

Active World • offers a comprehensive platform for efficiently delivering real-time interactive 3D content over the web • User can build anything you want - a space ship, an impenetrable fortress, a nice house in the country or even the countryside itself • User can play games and shopping in the Active World • Active Worlds is a fully multimedia capable environment. • Advertising in Active Worlds • Hosts a Universe of over 1000 3D virtual reality worlds, most popular world, AlphaWorld • FREE for tourist!! • www.activeworlds.com Virtual Worlds for NC

Screen Shot Virtual Worlds for NC

Moove Online • moove online 3D chat world is always available to you and can be used offline. • Create own 3D avatars, postures, movements and decorations • Create 3D Home, decorate the rooms with usable, interactive 3D furniture, your own pictures, graphics... • webcam and voice support • Similar to Active Worlds, user can go to “neighbours” house, make friend with new “neighbours” beside your own “house” in Moove. • http://www.moove.com/index.html Virtual Worlds for NC

Project Entropia • Project Entropia is a massive virtual universe with a real cash economy • The virtual currency in Project Entropia is PED, or Project Entropia Dollars. The fixed exchange rate equals 10 PED = 1 US Dollar. • User can create 3D Avatar, hunting and teaming, buying houses and even have tax for the estates. • News: A 22-year-old gamer has spent $26,500 (£13,700) on an island that exists only in a computer role-playing game (RPG). • http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4104731.stm Virtual Worlds for NC

Others • Beside the website that introduced above, most of the developers create 3D virtual world in gaming. There are a lot of online games that we can found online. • http://www.lineage2.com.tw • http://www.ragnarok.com.au/ • The Sims Online • http://www.worlds.com/index.html Virtual Worlds for NC

Technology and Tools for Virtual World • 1. VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) - VRMLis a file format for describing interactive 3D objects and worlds and is designed to be used on Internet, Intranet and local system. - 3D objects in VRML can be linked with other media such as text, sounds, movies, and images. - The current standard is VRML 97, which in its draft phase was known as VRML 2. - Plug-ins or VRML browser is needed to view VRML contents. - Most popular 3D technology for Virtual World on the Web for the last 10 years. But a new competitor -> X3D. - It is difficult to develop VRML environments that play on all conformant browsers/players. Virtual Worlds for NC

Technology and Tools for Virtual World(Cont) • 2. xVRML (The extensible Virtual Reality Modelling Language) -The xVRML Project is centered around developing an XML Schema to describe the structure and constraints of VRML. -xVRML is focused on providing capabilities in three domains: a) display of virtual reality scenes based on the World- Wide Web b) participation in small-scale virtual environments based on the World-Wide Web c) teaching basic principles and practices of 3D based on the World-Wide Web. - By using XML schema, VRML environments will be conformed to the same standard. Virtual Worlds for NC

Technology and Tools for Virtual World(Cont) • 3. X3D -X3D is an Open Standards XML-enabled 3D file format to enable real- time communication of 3D data. -X3D is the successor to the VRML -Universal interchange format (XML) -X3D Environments will have the same result on any X3D Browsers/Players • 4. Game Engine -Software componentproviding graphics rendering facilities -Rich in 3D graphics and features based on Direct3D and OpenGL technologies. -Usually software is installed and run locally on user’s machine instead of retrieve from the web. Virtual Worlds for NC

Technology and Tools for Virtual World(Cont) Example of tools for VRML, xVRML, X3D, and Game Engine • Viewers, Browsers & Plug-ins Content Authoring & Editing Tools

Issues in Virtual World • Technical issues • Synchronization Virtual worlds are often designed to operate across local and wide area networks and for multiple users. • Synchronization loss is caused by delay • Corrupt “cause-and-effect” relationship • Solutions (Under study…) • Independent no concept of synchronization (first-in-first-out order) • Conservative keep all of the processes causally linked at all times. • Optimistic each simulation on the network operates as if it is running entirely by itself

Issues in Virtual World (Cont.) • Legal issue • Does Virtual Property exist? No: • It has no physical being. • it is not the result of the individual's labour. • it does not enhance the welfare of society Yes: • Market exists • Playing a game for time required to acquire virtual assets must constitute labor. (Example of Blacksnow) • Virtual property can be accepted as welfare enhancing for people who prepare for and spend money on. • Who own the virtual property? • Sever owner, Designer, or Player? • Should be governed by End User License Agreements (EULAs)? Virtual Worlds for NC

Workshop 3: Virtual Worlds for Networking Communities