Usually, navigating the Metaverse means wielding a resource-sucking app that is the very definition of Fat Client. You see this with Second Life, OpenSim and other 3D-rendered virtual world platforms. The upcoming CryEngine based Blue Mars system, while visually spectacular, will likely require even beefier hardware support. Such is the cost of rich 3D rendering.
But high performance costs restrict adoption.
Not too very long ago embedding video in web pages was a big deal. A lot of client hardware wasn’t up to the task and in any event adequate deployment platforms were not widespread. The quasi-ubiquitous deployment of the Flash runtime has resulted in FLV video becoming the de-facto (though unfortunately proprietary) web video platform. Right place, adequate functionality, right time…
So, how about embedding a metaverse “player” in a web page?
There are various groups working on browser-based OpenGL and other 3D rendering, with some working toward eventual Second Life or OpenSim clients that run in-browser. Other efforts leverage Flash, such as Vivaty, Metaplace and the recently departed Google Lively.
Another technique is to run the heavyweight client app within the server farm, capture the user-screen, encode as video and relay to user. Basically app-to-video. You can then play the video in a lightweight browser plugin using Flash. User commands can be proxied to the “client head” at the server farm. This technique is performance-bounded by the video codec operations, but does allow for zero-deploy goodness.
Of course command latency can be a real concern, depending on the twitch factor of the game. But then latency and lag always cause problems.Demos of this kind of thing have popped up now and again (including some by teams including myself). One notable effort demoed Second Life “running” on an iPod Touch/iPhone.
A more general solution has been recently shown by GaiKai. If they can deliver what they show in that exciting video it will be a Very Good Thing indeed.
Yeah, it seems almost a return to the days of remote Big Iron and local dumb terminal. But not exactly.
Since I’ve been spending some time there lately I’ll focus on Metaplace.
Metaplace is a Flash-based 2.5D browser based metaverse. By going with the simpler isometric environment Metaplace avoids beating their collective heads up against cutting edge browser performance barriers, while still establishing presence and refining system dynamics. Metaplace worlds are easily web-embeddable as shown below. From the embedded link you navigate and interact normally within the world. Unfortunately at the moment there is no provision for “guest accounts” so you can only see the actual embedded world if you are a Metaplace member.
As expected, Metaplace has relatively low requirements. Basically a box that can run a browser with the Flash plug-in appropriately fast to handle YouTube videos should be at least minimally sufficient.
This very low barrier to entry is a tremendous advantage. Another advantage of web-embedded metaverse engines is the seamless integration with the web. Links triggered from within a Metaplace world can just pop open tabs/windows on your browser, allowing you to easily move between contexts.
Overall I think the Metaplace team has done an excellent job, but see for yourself. I’ll leave the link up as a kind of companion metaverse for this blog, feel free to drop in anytime.
UPDATE: Jan 01, 2010: Embedded link removed since Metaplace is no more