Wonderland

Newbie

When it comes to MMOGs I'm a complete n00b, so I got some questions needing answering.
Are there any MMOGs out there that have in-game email (SWG does) that can cc or fwd to your real life email (SWG doesn't)?
What about IM, any MMOGs compatible with Messenger, iChat/AIM or ICQ?

Because I'm thinking that as soon as these worlds begin to connect out with the more open internet protocols and standards, that's when these worlds will properly be 'metaverse'. Also we need some MMOGs that aren't fantasy based, but that's a whole other story.

Star Wars Galaxies Weddings

OK, so here's a thing. Rade and Lemse, two members of the Reb Scum guild, got married, and have posted a photo album of the big day. I know online weddings is no new thing, but this album is incredible: the level of detail is just astounding, ranging from the bride in a beautiful dress with her escort of bridesmaids - in hilarious bridesmaid outfits in proper tradition! - to the bridal carriage (an X-Wing), to the honeymoon suite (a purpose-built snug in a swamp), to the marriage bed, complete with lingerie and black satin sheets...

See the whole thing here.

Apparently guests brought fireworks, danced, got nekkid - the whole shebang. And now I hear from my colleague, who overheard two people talking in a cantina, that there will be a lesbian blessing (Star Wars speak for marriage) happening on Saturday night. Just fantastic - no stupid laws (so far) in digital space!

Congrats to all involved, including the genius developers who made this thing possible in the first place.

Videogames with an Agenda

.. now on! Which reminds me I failed to get to the Alter Ego exhibition. Damnit.
Lovely poster. Wonder what the games are like.

Virtual Learning Worlds

.. is posting summaries of the Serious Games Summit, as is Watercoolergames. Useful.

Edutainment is dead, long live Interactive Education.

Ladies of Leisure (Software)

My usual traffic's gone a bit nuts, and looking at the requests, I'm amused to see this:

I dunno what's happened out there. I think it stemmed from either All-Girl Gaming Team Takes Aim at Boys
or a post on a swedish gaming site - either way, the girls have made the news again (why now rather than when they won came fourth in (thanks Tore) the Ladies ESWC cup, I'm not sure).

This brought back memories. So I dug up Wired's almost identically-titled All-Girl Quake Clans Shake Up Boys' World from 1997. Plus ca change, and all that ... but at least the ladies are winning decent sized prize purses these days. My favourite memory from gaming girls in the early days however was those outrageous CrackWhores and their hilarious Quake 1 skin: Marine, done up in fishnets and lipstick. The previous incarnation (I can't find the skin now) still had the beard. Nice.

In-game radio

GTA: San Andreas has posted details on the game's soundtrack:

In-game radio stations have become one of the signature aspects of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, delivering a realistic radio experience by allowing players to tune the radio station in the huge selection of vehicles in the game to any station they like, complete with hours of satirical commercials and DJ banter that cleverly parodies a wide mix of radio formats. The radio stations in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will feature the most staggering selection of music ever assembled for a video game with over one-hundred and fifty tracks from artists including James Brown, Willie Nelson, 2 Pac, and Rage Against the Machine plus many, many more that encompass a great deal of the radio spectrum of the early 90’s The double CD also includes as a bonus track an exclusive cover of the Nine Inch Nails early 90s industrial staple “Head Like A Hole” by Northern Californian punk band AFI, who formed in 1991. The track has been recorded by AFI specifically for the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack album and as a tribute to this unique era in music.

The complete track listing for the double CD is as follows:

CD 1
1. The Theme From San Andreas
2. Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name
3. 2 Pac - I Don't Give A Fuck
4. James Brown - The Payback
5. Ronnie Hudson - West Coast Poplock
6. Guy - Groove Me
7. Eddie Money - Two Tickets To Paradise
8. Cypress Hill - How I Could Just Kill A Man
9. The Maytals - Pressure Drop
10. Slick Rick - Children's Story
11. Rick James - Cold Blooded
12. Raze - Break 4 Love
CD 2
1. Ohio Players - Funky Worm
2. Heart - Barracuda
3. Compton's Most Wanted - Hood Took Me Under
4. Lyn Collins - Think About It
5. Public Enemy - Rebel Without A Pause
6. Faith No More - Midlife Crisis
7. Bell Biv Devoe - Poison
8. Max Romeo & The Upsetters - Chase The Devil
9. Eric B & Rakim - I Know You Got Soul
10. Willie Nelson - Crazy

Bonus Track:

11. AFI - Head Like A Hole

All part of the fiction, helping to create the brand of the game. What about when sounds aren't part of the fiction, though? I'm sure the day isn't far off that we see real radio streamed into games, especially MMOGs. Or real TV for that matter: how far off until this picture is a moving picture, and online social spaces (like your house on Dantooine) become just digital versions of the real thing, except with fancier furniture..

Clearly, streaming EastEnders into SWG would slightly break the fantasy too, but seeing as once I've set Rumpus off to beat up 20 sharnaffs I can go make a cup of tea and do some paperwork until she's finished, I'm not sure this is a problem.

No, not far off at all.

Windows Media Centre streaming to XBox

So this is curious. Apparently with the Windows Media Center Extender, photos, music and movies stored on your Media Centre PC can be streamed to your Xbox (which is presumably under your TV).

Videos and music can be streamed to your living room from anywhere in the house you can manage to run a network connection to. The package comes with a full-blown remote and the mentioned receiver for easy browsing through your media from your couch.

Comes with an IR remote, but not wireless networking, it seems? Anyway, I wonder if by this Msoft are finding that WMC owners aren't in fact keeping their WMC PC next to the TV, as (I assume) was originally planned. I'm guessing people are beginning to use WMC PCs as home entertainment servers, but still don't want a hulking great PC next to the telly. In this respect, the XBox becomes a set top box...

Not only will the Media Center Extender allow you to view your saved content, but it'll allow you to control the central PC, so you can set up TV recordings or music downloads from the convenience of your living room.

Full IGN article.

Memory duckies

Wah, so cute!

Not for slim wallets - a 256Mb iDuck costs 150 bucks. The iDuck.

Reputation

The Urbz site has a chat transcript up from the development team. Seems they've gone the reputation route, which should mean that this could be really, REALLY popular, especially with the Bratz-type people. Some choice quotes:

MaxisSean (Oct 14, 2004 6:09:31 PM) Briefly, you starts out as a newbie from the suburbs and have a small hole of an apartment. You need to make more money and friends to get more reputation. More reputation gets you invites to cooler and better districts until you get enough rep and fame to get into the ultimate penthouse.

MaxisSean (Oct 14, 2004 6:07:05 PM)
The game is about being the coolest Urb in the city and building up your reputation...you can do that by buying new clothes and using special social moves.

MaxisMikeP (Oct 14, 2004 6:10:11 PM)
My favorite thing in The Urbz is when you get a really high reputation, other Urbz will start dressing like you!

MaxisSean (Oct 14, 2004 6:10:35 PM)
Players can make their own clothes with decals, there are tons of clothes from different subcultures to buy, tattoos, piercings and if you have an EYE TOY you can put your own face on posters and paintings in the game!

Hmm. I want to see where this one goes; the avatars themselves don't actually seem to be that detailed, and they've gone the cartoon-y (bratzy!) route but have lost a little charm in the translation...

For the kids who grow up on Habbo though, this must look like heaven. The Eye Toy stuff looks curious too:

w00t indeed

I wish these guys had a UK operation. Snarky FAQ, terrible puns ("got woot?"), and lovely kit: