bob ketner

TechCrunch.com has posted a roundup of Virtual Worlds they visited.

The post is here: virtual world hangouts-so many to choose from

They also include a matrix summarizing some qualities of the worlds, which is similar to the chart by Virtual Worlds News located here.

So now with so many worlds getting online, the question will be shifting to: Which worlds for which users?  Which functions work for which users? And on to the next generation of all of these worlds. That’s the purpose of the Virtual World SIG to sort these things out for investors, companies and users.
It’s good to see virtual worlds getting attention, as of course MRO thinks that they are a model for many elements that will form the future of the metaverse.

Aug. 27 join us for a discussion of the latest virtual currency to hit your inbox.

-MRO

The Deptartment of Defense is apparently creating a virtual world that will have you as a resident.  The Synthetic World Simulation will be an even more refined version of Synthetic Environment for Analysis and Simulations (SEAS)

Links: http://www.theregister.com/2007/06/23/sentient_worlds/

http://www.purdue.edu/acsl/abstract/march10_06.html 

The Register reports:

“Called the Sentient World Simulation (SWS), it will be a “synthetic mirror of the real world with automated continuous calibration with respect to current real-world information“, according to a concept paper for the project.

“SWS provides an environment for testing Psychological Operations (PSYOP),” the paper reads, so that military leaders can “develop and test multiple courses of action to anticipate and shape behaviors of adversaries, neutrals, and partners”.”

What’s different now is that YOU will be part of these models which are to be scaled 1:1 for human behavior prediction.  The virtual you will be called a “like someone“, although your name will be changed.  Developed by a company called Simulex http://www.simulexinc.com You can just imagine the possibilities and the temptation to run simulations to see if “you” get out alive or not.  Now, can anyone tell what data the sample map depicts in this story?

Multiverse, the DIY MMOG developer toolkit, shows off it’s scalability in this new (silent) video.

It shows how the world can handle 150 active avatars in one world simultaneously. For world developers this could help solve one of the main problems of virtual worlds, which is getting large groups together in the same world in the same place. You can login to their beta social world now so pop in and check out this emerging platform.