Schlagwort: Fun

Why combat will never really work in SL for good…

I recently did some testings about combat in Second Life. The viewer, as you can see, is a really complex beast of software and allows quite many tweakings to optimize the graphics settings for combat – and turns the view from pretty to really unrealistic. But this unrealistic few gives the fighters, who are using it, quite some advantages. Even more so, you are not able to detect it if someone uses that kind of view.

The first video shows a normal view, graphics settings to „high“, on the sim named Ivalo from the ship to the city gates. It is quite a beautiful sim, with a big forest and nice surroundings, as you can see for yourself:

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Beautiful, isn’t it? The second video shows the same way, but all graphics settings set to low, range is still 128m, but the rending of alpha textures and other stuff is also turned off. That’s the kind of setting which many fighters in Second Life prefer to squeeze more frames per seconds out of their client. As you can see, it is quite different, and even more important, since all trees are almost turned off that way, you are able to see the city walls and the outlook post, giving you an unfair advantage.

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But since you cannot enforce normal graphics settings in Second Life per se, that’s what you must take into account – someone using that kind of settings.

Best thing I read in a while: „Houseplants of Gor“

That’s life; I was looking for nothing in particular and stumbled upon a small writing called "Houseplants of Gor" in a forum. In short it is a parody of Norman’s writing style and philosophy at all, quite funny to read. So, here we go:

The spider plant cringed as its owner brought forth the watering can.
"I am a spider plant!" it cried indignantly. "How dare you water me
before my time! Guards!" it called. "Guards!"

Borin, its owner, placed the watering can on the table and looked at it. "You will be watered," he said.

"You do not dare to water me!" laughed the plant.

"You will be watered," said Borin.

"Do not water me!" wept the plant.

"You will be watered," said Borin.

I watched this exchange. Truly, I believed the plant would be watered. It was plant, and on Gor
it had no rights. Perhaps on Earth, in its permissive society, which
distorts the true roles of all beings, which forces both plant and
waterer to go unh appy and constrained, which forbids the fulfillment
of owner and houseplant, such might not happen. Perhaps there, it would
not be watered. But it was on Gor now, and would undoubtedly feel its
true place, that of houseplant. It was plant. It would be watered at
will. Such is the way with plants.

 Read on, my dear…