Another Point of Singularity

New Horizons of Interest

My experience with Second Life has opened my eyes to other worlds to conquer.. and through a rather interesting article in MAKE, I have come across a group billing themselves as "multiverse.net".. allegedly the "next big thing" in immersive 3D worlds. They tout a more "open source" approach to virtual world building, and essentially give the shop away to developers to set up their own worlds:

By giving developers our platform technology with no upfront costs and eliminating barriers to entry in this market, we’re making virtual world development faster and less expensive than ever before. (from the multiverse website)

That may be true.. but my first experiences with "Multiverse" (having signed up for the Beta test) had me thinking it was a paltry thing indeed. Washed out colours, a very non-descript and bland looking AVI, a very limited, boring world.

And yet.. there is some hope. On Multiverse.Net's "Upcoming Projects Page" I noted this:

Victoriana Online

For anyone who has dreamed of stepping back into a time where elegance, manners, and the pleasures of high society masked a complicated web of intrigue and social climbing, we present Victoriana Online: a gaming experience set at the height of Queen Victoria's reign. Amidst a glittering backdrop of fashionable English society, conspire against your rivals, cultivate your reputation, and secure your family's legacy.

Now, I rather like the sound of this! It seems that multiverse.net would be as accessible as Second Life, and perhaps inexpensive! Maybe a lot less expensive. One can hope. I only hope that Multiverse keeps track of the things that have gone WRONG in Second Life-- land barons, exploitation, griefing, crass commercialism, etc. and take some signficant steps up front to keep it under control EARLY.