Hmm, I forgot about Java too . We could make a 3D world in Java, though its kinda impractical with Java. 2D Tiles would be a intresting idea for the Java.. I''ve created the opening site for the VGDC with FP. I need some more companies and IDGs to give me their info so I can add it to the website. Offical announcement about this project will be on May 1st. I know very little about Java so I can''t really help you there!

I''m not quite sure what I can do, but I could start working something (a tile based thing) in Java.. If someone wants to do this with me, just drop me an e-mail..

Jarkko

I think it''s more practical and bandwidth friendly to only draw the user and the VIPs. Seeing those screen shots of UO during Lord British''s visit will tell you a thing or two about too much data! :D

-------------------------
-Now Working on Pokemon like Engine!

Okay.. But if we only drew the VIP''s, how could normal visitors "meet" other normal visitors.. And the VIP''s still should see all the people (or otherwise they would see no-one but other VIP''s..). Actually, I think we could go completely with a web site and text based chat.. For the first time, I mean..

Jarkko

Well, Folker Schamel of www.schamel.com (they made the Shark3D engine) told me he is willing to give us their Shark3D engine. Here is what he told me in a e-mail message when I told him about our VGDC:
Cool idea!
Since we anyway are working on a small internet 3D project (a tiny internet-game but having a interesting gameplay), what about using the Shark3D-Engine also for realizing a VR-part of the conference? You could subdivide the conference into several rooms you can switch between using teleporters or whatever, and - in contrast to VRML - you also could meet other peoples in the world.
This would be very interesting I think, especially since we internally anway are discussing about the 3D-Internet-vision the last weeks ;-)
I have to discuss this with our other members, but I am pritty sure
that we would provide the engine and know-how/support for this for free ;-)
The technological foundations are already present
(epsecially all internet/network/roommanagement-stuff)
as far as I don''t oversee something, only scripting and artwork is missing and 3D-artwork -> basically straightforward

As for artwork I guess a lot of people can contribute to this point, but I do suggest we use repeat textures and images whenever possible. Same goes for variety of avatar models, cause let me remind you not all of us have cable or even ISDN. ie: Me! I'm still living on a dialup

And errr.. is the shark 3D engine cross platform?

Update : OK I've checked out their page, they have Win and Linux versions of the 3D engine.... errr... do we need to worry about the Mac community?

Edited by - Marauderz on 4/16/00 12:05:00 AM

a suggestion: why not, rather than on creating a cool, 3d client for your virtual conference, focus on something much more important to the success of your project: content? it seems to me that you''re thinking far too much about how you''re going to pull off a smooth virtual 3d environment for the conference, and while that may make it look neat, will generally not cause anyone to want to attend (in fact, it may drive off a number of possible clients). if you have content to back yourself up (good speakers, quality tutorials, good discussions), you could pull off just as effective of a virtual conference over simple web pages and irc.

something to think about.

signing off.
-- aaron babcock (babs@cloudnet.com)

Hi! I think that''s great news, the Shark3D thing! It''s great, I''d say let''s use that as it''s much better than the Java idea, and almost ready to use. For the artwork, I know a great texture artist, and a 3D modeler, who''d probably want to help in this.. (I live on dialup as well

And as Aaron said, we should also start thinking about who''s going to speak there and what kind of program will there be.. One thing I''d like to see would be sort of the Oscars of games (the games that have been presented at the conference..), and of course interesting "speeches" and lectures on topics related to game development! So, let''s have BOTH a great 3D virtual environment and great content!

Jarkko

I''m not sure, but I think Shark3D can be scripted using Python or Java.. or c++... which is cool I''m also on dialup (stupid phone monopolies, cant put a central office every 3 miles can they?!). As for content, that might be the hardest part...I don''t really know of anyone who could make a speech or anything (except maybe me on the opening day, hehe)Who was that guy who started the anti-Hasbro campaign? Maybe he and some others could make a nice speech about what this means to all of us. I think Aaron is right, we need to think content mostly. Maybe if we could create a chat thing using DPlay or tcp/ip and integrate it into the Shark3D engine.. I dunno..

i´m just starting to prorgram ,but i was thinking if this thing have your own progam (wit our own broser) so we can put all the textures and small 3d objects( like chairs, candles...) in the user hd so we can make a 3d tile based (like tomb rider)and we by html tell all the wireframe thing to be textured with the user program´s textures and the location of those smalls 3d objects, it think that done this it will be more faster,and we can make the chats by irc, or we can make allthing in icq ( think in a vector infomation in irc ,if was a square basead 3d like tomb rider it will be very short), but i just starting with progaming so maybe you guys already have this stuff in head


-the fear of suffer is worse than the own suffering, And any hearth was never suffer when he go after his dreams
-Paulo Coelho- ( i´m religious today)

Edited by - MASARANDUBA on 4/16/00 1:36:54 PM