Figure 8.56: wa4i.jpg
Want
help? Page an Acolyte!
See Copyright and Usage Notice
Fine-tuning Your World
Figure 8.56: wa4i.jpg
Want
help? Page an Acolyte!
Under the Help menu, there is a choice for Page Acolyte. Acolytes,
and other community members called Hosts, are your helpers inside
WorldsAway. Most of the time there is someone around, but if you
donít get an answer to this page, you can also search for
a Duckolyte, in the unofficial helper citizen group.
Figure 8.57: wa4o.jpg
Set
up WorldsAway for CompuServe with the Preferences dialogue.
You will find the WorldsAway preferences under the File menu.
You can set your idle timeout (the time when WorldsAway will automatically
sign you off if you have done nothing but
stay still and not talk). You can also turn
off WorldsAwayís music or sound effects to allow spouses
or siblings to sleep!
Figure 8.57.1: wa8c.jpg
Set
up WorldsAway for Internet with the Preferences dialogue.
The WorldsAway for Internet preferences are also under the File
menu. You can set your idle timeout, and sound on/off. You can
also set up the Web Tour preferences. These preferences allow
you either bring your web browser forward or leave it behind the
WorldsAway program window as you are web touring.
SeaJayís WorldsAway History Lesson
Figure 8.58: wa7b.jpg
I
meet SeaJay and his altar ego.
Visiting these virtual worlds is like taking a bus tour of 10
European countries. If you do it in 10 days, then about all you
can do is get off the bus for a few hours in each city. Of course,
you will miss virtually everything about the culture, history,
language, cuisine, and local sensibilities. The only chance you
have for a true impression is if you happen to meet a local historianósomeone
who loves to tour around and will give you a short history of
the town.
I met just such a person, known as SeaJay and Anarcholyte Zero.
It turns out he lives in England (where he is probably a town
historian), but he sure knew about WorldsAway. We arranged to
meet at a certain time for my tour, but as often happens, I got
the time mixed up. He is lucky enough to live at Greenwich Mean
Time. Me, I couldnít figure out my time zone if I was the
guy who set all those clocks in a TV newsroom! What these worlds
need is a room full of clocks, or at least one world clock.
Of course, I arrived late at Kymer, but with my handy ESP feature,
was able to reach SeaJay, who was wandering around looking for
me. Most folks in virtual worlds have more patience about meeting
times. Punctuality is not always possible in avatar realms, where
local interruptions on the Internet or forgotten time zones can
stand up your most anticipated date.
SeaJay had agreed to show me his turf (apartment for North Americans,
flat for the British SeaJay). First, in true British style, we
went for a drink at the local Bar-L Bar and then headed to Temple
Street Terraces, the same building where Stayce Jaye and her beau
Jim Duckolyte have their turf and baby duckolytes.
Figure 8.59: wa7a.jpg
SeaJay
is in his turf.
I took a snapshot of the conversations
we had that day. It will give you a peek into life in the Dreamscape.
My comments (added later) are in italics.
ESP to SeaJay: I am here, Charles. (his real name)
ESP from SeaJay: Right!
ESP from SeaJay: When we get to the elevator (try the 2d or 3d one)...
ESP from SeaJay: give me time to unlock, then take elevator to...
ESP from SeaJay: Metabase1 (the name of his turf)
SeaJay: Hi! Un-ghost now !
ESP to SeaJay: It says no avatars are allowed in this locale.
ESP from SeaJay: Sorry, try again. Security is necessary here...
SeaJay tries to unlock his turf.
ESP from SeaJay: because of avatar crime.
Avatar crime! As SeaJay explainedÖ
Figure 8.60: wa7c.jpg
DigiGardener: What kind of crime?
SeaJay: Theft mainly.
SeaJay: Avvies come into your turf and clean it out !
DigiGardener: Wow!
SeaJay: As you see, I have a lot of stuff. Which he did, indeed.
We toured his flat (which has two rooms).
SeaJay: My other room (left) needs unlocking too.
DigiGardener: k (my shorthand for OK)
DigiGardener: How did you get the furniture?
SeaJay: Bought it, mainly from vendos.
SeaJay: Some I traded.
DigiGardener: Wonderfully designed!
SeaJay: There is a big market in heads and stuff here.
When we were comfortably seated in the parlor room, SeaJay broke
into a short history of the Dreamscape.
SeaJay: There is a lot of history to WorldsAway.
SeaJay: New places keep opening...
DigiGardener: Yes, got any Web links to write-ups?
SeaJay: Not write-ups as such, but ask me, or ask in the Forum.
SeaJay: At first there were no turfs.
SeaJay: Most of Meditation Park is new (1 month).
SeaJay: Some items are so rare, they cost tens of thousands of
tokens.
SeaJay: There are regular auctions of such stuff.
DigiGardener: This is great; I will save this. (as I clicked
on File arrow Save Messages)
SeaJay: Also, some hacked patches were introduced...
SeaJay: that allowed sitting and telekinesis.
SeaJay: Others allowed you to paint...
SeaJay: your face with body paint and vice versa...
SeaJay: and body or head with turf paint.
SeaJay: Fujitsu put an end to it recently though
SeaJay: with compulsory remote updates of the client.
SeaJay: There is a penal system here.
SeaJay: If you are *really* bad, you get sent to *the void*
SeaJay: if an acolyte or oracle catches you!(People who work
for Fujitsu helping in the world)
SeaJay: You should also check out the Spacestation
(A new world called Pride Universe)
SeaJay: It is meant to be for gay people, but 50 percent are
from here (meaning straight, I guess).
SeaJay: That's GO PCU-6
SeaJay: to get there directly.
SeaJay: Your current WorldsAway client is all you need to get
there.
SeaJay: I have a pad there, too.
SeaJay: Some nice *tricks* get played here...
SeaJay: especially by avatars with Windows NT, who can enter with
multiple avatars.
SeaJay: There are marriages here too...
SeaJay: often between avatars who are married to others in the
RW… (RW means the Real World)
SeaJay: and trysts and liaisons.
SeaJay: I could introduce you to a guy...
SeaJay: who builds add-on software such as
SeaJay: macro-script generators, survey programs, and bing hosts
(as well as color patches)
SeaJay: That's bingo hosts, by the way
SeaJay: and patches.
ESP from SeaJay: Still awake?
DigiGardener: Yep.
ESP from SeaJay: OK. Anything you want to know ?
And on and on. SeaJay was obviously a long-time resident of WorldsAway,
and knew a lot of its history. If you can find someone like SeaJay
early in your WorldsAway adventure, your life in Kymer will be
greatly enriched. Ah, the life of the virtual tourist! Time to
get back on the bus, I hope no one took my seat!
WorldsAway Hot and Useful Sites
Fun areas in the Dreamscape
Figure 8.61: wa2m.jpg
The Nu Yu is a big vending machine area where you can buy a whole
new look. Select from a wide choice of bodies, heads, accessories,
and sprays. Youíd better have a good pocket full of change
before going to Nu Yu, because makeovers can be expensive, and
they donít accept charge cards!
Meditation Park is an area I have heard about, but have never
visited. I will leave that one for you to discover.
More WorldsAway worlds will be operational by the time you read
this book. Check the Avatars! book Web site at http://www.digitalspace.com/book>,
or the WorldsAway Web site at http://www.worldsaway.com>
for updates.
WorldsAway Community Forum on CompuServe
Click on Services arrow Go and enter
AWAY, and then click on Community Forum. This contains live chat,
newsgroups, downloads of pictures, writings, and game plug-ins
for WorldsAway. When you enter the Community Forum, look for the
following topic areas:
Library: software and information archives for WorldsAway
Conference: for live off-world chat on various WorldsAway subjects
Messages: lists posted messages from such WorldsAway user groups
as WorldsAway Internationale, for non-English speaking users of
WorldsAway
I recommend that new users check into the Forum regularly, to
get a feel for the community. Also, almost every new and exciting
event in the Dreamscape is posted in InWorld Events, so itís
a great tool for people who are trying to find their niche in
the Dreamscape.
World Wide Web official WorldsAway home pages
Note that some of these Web page links may have changed or the
Web pages may have been discontinued. Consult your Avatars!
book home page at http://www.digitalspace.com/avatars
for a more up-to-date list of links.
Find the WorldsAway Home Page at http://www.worldsaway.com.
The CompuServe Home Page is at http://www.compuserve.com.
Download the CompuServe Information Manager software and sign
up for CompuServe at http://www.compuserve.com/down/cim.html.
Download the WorldsAway Dreamscape software at http://www.worldsaway.com/founding1.html#software>.
The WorldsAway member list is at http://www.worldsaway.com/members/.
This is a very useful compendium of e-mail addresses and Web pages
of WorldsAway community members. You can also register yourself
in this telephone directory for WorldsAway.
Find the WorldsAway Quickstart Guide at http://www.worldsaway.com/quick/.
The WorldsAway Dreamscape User Guide is at http://www.worldsaway.com/Worldsaway/userguide/dreamscape/guide.html.
The Kymer Clarion newspaper for the Dreamscape is published
at http://www.worldsaway.com/Worldsaway/clarion/.
The Dreamscape photo gallery can be seen at http://www.worldsaway.com/Worldsaway/download1.html.
The Dreamscape Team Newsletter is posted at http://www.worldsaway.com/Worldsaway/newsletter/.
Electric Communities home page is the Web site belonging to Chip
Morningstar and Randy Farmer, the creators of Habitat, and great-grandfathers
of WorldsAway. Read all about where WorldsAway came from at http://www.communities.com.
Find the Habitat history page at http://www.communities.com/habitat.html.
Press Blab about WorldsAway
Wired magazineís article about Metaworlds is at http://www.hotwired.com/wired_online/4.06/metaworlds/index.html.
Where Worlds Collide, a C|Net review of WorldsAway and other virtual
worlds is at http://zeppo.cnet.com/Content/Features/Dlife/Chat/side3.html.
Unofficial citizen pages
Figure 8.62: wa7d.jpg
The official home page of the Duckolytes is at http://web
contact.com/wa/ducks/
See the WorldsAway Yellow Pages at GermanGiantís WorldsAway
page at href=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/GermanGiant/.
The Bloodline, the surviving members of the original Club Caribe,
Quantum Link tribe is at http://users.aol.com/MajorEvent/Bloodline/bldintro.htm.
Saberís Cyber Site is at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/sabertooth/.
SS Changís WorldsAway page is at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Doggie_Wings/wapage.htm.
CosmoCatís final resting place, the story of a beloved
acolyte is at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/cosmocat/.
Steve Hallís WorldsAway pages are at http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/steve04/.
The Oracle Oddities home page is at: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/oraclesRcool/.
Cíest Sage, a page about WorldsAway en Français
(in French) is at http://www.lemonde.fr/multimedia/sem2496/textes/enq24962.html.
Digiís Diary: Avaddiction
Figure 8.63: wa3l.jpg
Another sermon from lay preacher DigiGardener. You may have heard
about avaddiction, or addiction to leading life as an avatar.
So letís face it, maybe our social lives were not that
great before we discovered avatar living, but what about now?
Well personally, I find that if I replace TV time (little human
interaction there, unless you enjoy fighting over the remote control)
with avatar time, it is probably a step up. Some people can watch
TV and avatar at the same time but hey, other avatars like me
can detect your glazed expressions when you do that…atten-hut!
So what about avaddiction? As the old Greeks tell us: ìall
things in moderationî! Well, those old Greeks didnít
have this wonderfully addicting technology. I treat my avatar
time as a teaser for some real, sit-down, human, face-to-face
interaction. Online chat stimulates my desire for yet more communication.
After I figure out that my cat really doesnít understand
or care about my rantings, I pick up my jacket and head into town
for coffee with friends. Yes, life on the avatar cyberspace beat
can be strange, but I have met so many interesting people from
around the world (some of whom I later met in person), that I
feel the avatar experience has grown and enriched my social web
.
Avatar crime!?
Visit the Nu Yu for a complete
makeover.
Find
the WorldsAway member list at http://www.worldsaway.com/members/.
Yes,
how is your social life?