Digital Space Traveler: Chaper 3

NOTE: this chapter was written in 1997 and some items may be out of date (technical and user interface descriptions). We encourage you to visit the Digital Space Traveler Home Page at the following address to get the latest version of Traveler and the latest documentation on how to use Traveler:
http://www.digitalspace.com/traveler

Portal Through the Wormhole

Before you start Traveler you should connect to the Internet (dial up with your modem or make sure your Internet connection is active). Once you are on-line, you can start Traveler by double-clicking on the shortcut on your desktop or by selecting it from your Start menu under Programs and Digital Space Traveler.

Through the stargate

When Traveler first starts up, it presents you with the Choose an Avatar dialogue box (see the preceding figure). The first time in, you might want to consider leaving everything as Digital Space has set it. If you do want to change things, here are what the options will allow you to do:

Create New: This option allows you to change the name (nickname) you use with your avatar. You initially start out as a guest. You should start customizing your avatar by giving it a name and then choosing Edit to select the look and behavior of your avatar. You can create many different names associated with different avatars. In this way, different members of your family can choose their favorite or customary avatars when they run Traveler.
Edit: This option allows you to edit the features of the avatar, including the avatar model itself, voice, profile, and options (see ìCustomizing or changing your avatar" in the section "Fine Tuning Your World" later in this chapter).
Delete: This option will delete the name you have given your avatar and revert you back into a guest or assign a new name using Create New.
Help: This option will send you right into the Traveler help system (which will launch its Web site inside your Web browser).
Known as: This option shows you the nickname you selected. You can change to a different nickname which has a different avatar and personal information.

Go Digital Space: Pressing this button will start the process of connecting you with the Digital Space First your web browser should start (if it does not, start it before running Digital Space Traveler). As the figure above shows, you will be presented with several Traveler worlds. Select Utopia.

Clicking on the link called 'Utopia' (which is a link that ends in '.sds') should start up your Traveler software and start you teleporting into the Utopia gateway world. You should see something like the preceding figure. These expanding wire frames represent your teleportation journey into the world. If you don't see something like this, click onto your Traveler software (or start it if it is not already running) and then select File + Travel to Start Place. This should give you another try. If this does not seem to help, see Appendix E: Digital Space Traveler FAQ.

Traveler may take a few minutes to download information about the Utopia world and the people in it, and then drop you right into the fray! You have no choice but to wait and slowly become mesmerized by the graphic tunnel through which you are traveling. You can watch the tiny messages and progress bar at the bottom right hand side of the window to get an idea of what is happening. If the Digital Space or other server is busy or otherwise unavailable, you will be given a message and asked to try again later.

If you want to go directly into other Digital Space Traveler worlds (and there are many) you have several travel options:

Enter Utopia and then fly through the portals there (this is described later in the section, ìGoing places… far!î).
Start Traveler and then pick a destination from the Portals menu.
Click on a Web site link in your Web browser with the file extension '.sds' (a Web portal link). If your Web browser is set up properly (Traveler must be a helper application… see the Appendix FAQ: ìTravelerî), you will start Traveler and it will land you in that world.
Enter a world portal address directly into your Web browserís Go To Location field and the same thing will occur as when you click on a link.

World Description	Sponsor	World Portal Address
Utopia	Digital Space	http://utopia.Digital Space.com/entrance.sds
Virtual Vegas	Virtual Vegas Inc.	http://Digital Space.virtualvegas.com/vvegas/vvcasino.sds
MTV Tikkiland	MTV	http://mtvtikkiland.Digital Space.com/tikki/entrance.sds
Frighteners World	MCA/Universal	http://www.mca.com/universal_pictures/Digital Space/frighteners/entrance.sds
Best's Internet Resort	Best	http://www.best.com/best_resort/entrance.sds
Concentric Corp.	Concentric Cafe	http://home.concentric.net/cafe/cafe.sds

Table 9.1 These are the worlds supported by Traveler and their direct Web addresses.

Later in this chapter, in the section called Hot Worlds we will tell you more about these other Traveler worlds.

Entry into Utopia, Digital Space's gateway world, is dramatic. As the above figure shows, you are suddenly through with the portal journey and are now falling into the cityscape of Utopia.

Landing with a resounding bump, you find yourself facing in the general direction of the great god avatar of Utopia. Don't worry, this great head won't do anything ungracious to you. Instead it serves as an oracle and gateway to other worlds. If you are lucky, you will land in a crowd of fellow Utopians. As you fall, you might even see the heads of other Utopia members on-line and already in conversation.

At this writing, Traveler has a limit of just under 20 people per area. If that area is full when you try to connect, you will be sent back to a the room you just left. If the Utopia gateway is full when are first logging on, you will be sent into a duplicate gateway. Therefore, you can be present in a second (or even third) Utopia. These will be named something like "Utopia Gateway #2" and indicated on the top of your Traveler window. If you are trying to meet someone in Utopia, you should be aware of this.

Figure 9.9: on49.gif
Use the People menu option to find out where everyone is in Utopia

As the preceding figure shows, you can tell who is in which duplicate of a room by selecting the Where Is option on the People menu. If you see friends in another room, you can try to enter that room when you see the number of people there drop below the allowable limit. Alternately, if you could get a message to them, they could join you in your less crowded area. This whole duplication of rooms is a little confusing but just remember, if rooms get full, identical rooms are created.