I visited the SL version with
Scottius Polke, Otter Extraordinaire, SL builder, and author of the Real life book Aessemblage. We tried out the dodgems. I got some scary elbow action going on there - it's remarkably like my RL driving posture. The otter came close to finishing up as roadkill, then hopped aboard my car, and we got it to fly up the walls.
From there, a trip up into space,to float around among the planets. Then back down, via a super-smooth taxi ride, to terra firma.
Builds like this take you out of yourself, and it's no surprise that Judy gets literally thousands of visitors on any given day, to the SL version.
OSgrid is a great place, I experimented all the time with textures and sculpts. Scripts are very limited there, but you can make them work if you work at it.
The jerky, jumpy 'tour script' currently in use isn't a patch on the SL version - but things will of course change, improve and leap forward as they have in so many other ways. Positive thinking, Judy pointed out, is essential for any creator. Other rides have presented their own unique problems, but on the whole the two parks were comparable in their variety and sheer dazzling array.
Among Judy's visions for the future are a giant rocket ship, a sail boat tour, and underwater sims. But while ideas may be infinite, it all takes time, perseverance and the cooperation of the technology.
The differences are not limited to script capability. The Second Life park is full of signs warning about lag, beggars and griefers: recently two enterprising residents made themselves Park manager tags, and were going around asking for money. The OSGrid park has a freer, wilder feel to it. No lag, few people about, and lots to explore, including the dark Hobo Junk Yard, with its wicked grunge look.
Earlier this year Judy began having trouble with OSGrid's teleporting system. She couldn't move around her estate via tp, without logging off. This made working very tedious and, in the end, she decided to close the site until the problem is solved. The undeniable truth of the matter is that the crowds - the return Judy gets in terms of people enjoying her work - continues to be massive in SL and minimal in open sim. Does she miss her OSGrid park?
Judy Muircastle: I miss all those prims, and the people who came to visit. I still go in, to practice building sometimes.
Her experience, then, like that of any pioneer, is a mixed one. The space and freedom of open sim, the spirit of adventure and adaptation that open sim offers remain precious values. Yet, for all the good friends that she'd met in Open Sim, it's in SL where she finds herself involved in a spontaneous dance video with furries - what fun! So for now, at least, it seems the Hobo in Judy Muircastle is at home - in Second Life.
Judy Muircastle: I miss all those prims, and the people who came to visit. I still go in, to practice building sometimes.
Her experience, then, like that of any pioneer, is a mixed one. The space and freedom of open sim, the spirit of adventure and adaptation that open sim offers remain precious values. Yet, for all the good friends that she'd met in Open Sim, it's in SL where she finds herself involved in a spontaneous dance video with furries - what fun! So for now, at least, it seems the Hobo in Judy Muircastle is at home - in Second Life.
No comments:
Post a Comment