Google’s Lively …. glorified chatroom thing (I guess that’s what I’ll call it) is pretty cool! It’s an interactive chat plugin for your web browser that lets you log in with your google account and create rooms and places for people to hang out. The rooms are customizable and can be fully furnished by the owner or guests if allowed.
Back in the late 90’s I used to really be into a program called Active Worlds. It was this virtual world where you could claim property and then build almost anything imaginable. It was all tied into the web and allowed you to stream videos, hyperlink to images, and do all sorts of neat things. This is very similar. This also seems very similar to this mental image I have of what Metaplace will be like – except I think Metaplace will be far more customizable.
Graev rolls his eyes and thinks I’m wasting my time with something like this, but I can’t help but be fascinated for hours setting up my pad just how I like it. The socializer in me comes out when people come and visit a place that I have set up.
Right now Lively is in beta so there aren’t many options or items to play with but I have a really neat outdoor tree-top village looking place setup with some furniture, tv’s, computers, and other cool stuff. I have the Warhammer Online trailer playing on the TV (streaming straight from Youtube) and the computers setup for access to our Blog. 😛
Come visit me! I’ll probably be in here all day messing around with it. Keen and Graev’s Hangout can be embedded here on our blog once I figure out how to do it, but until then click the link below and you’ll hopefully be guided the rest of the way.
Embedding is pretty easy, I embedded mine for now right into my post: http://gamezig.com/general/google-launches-lively-mmo-or-glorified-chat-room
If you want to make it a permanent thing, like I most likely will do, just go to write page in your admin section and make a custom page for it and embed the HTML at the bottom of your Lively room (make sure you have HTML selected as your write mode)
Oh also, if you are going to imbed, you’ll want to make a thumbnail so people see your room as you have it decorated before they enter, instructions here:
http://www.lively.com/help/bin/answer.py?answer=93953&query=thumbnail&topic=&type=
I took a quick look at it. Seems like a very inefficient interface. Also, the models available are pretty slim since it is a new service. Once they open it up to user-generated content, it should improve.
There is a lot of stuff in your room. 😐
I’ll try to take some away so it loads faster.
I think it’s on my end and not yours. 😛
Going afk for a few hours so I won’t be in “the Hangout” if anyone happens to stop by.
I made another hangout. This one is a cafe/restaurant/club place. This is kinda fun. 😉
http://www.lively.com/dr?rid=-3704357108337127507
I like that this is basically Animal Crossing without the bullcrap. I hope that it gets a lot more stable later on.
Yeah, it crashed my browser a few times yesterday so I gave up (and came home to find that Spinks had been playing with it!)
If you want a real MMO where you can create anything you like(medieval though) try Wurm Online. Its more MMOish then a glorfied chatroom, but when you level up your skills you can make whole houses, and tunnels in mountains.
Too bad it’s Windows only. I expected more from Google. How can any company really ignore compatibility with Linux and Mac now a days?
Especially seeing how you have so many other possible distribution channels… PS3, iPhone, Android, Wii, PSP, etc.
If it requires Windows, odds are it won’t work on any of those devices any time soon either. Sigh.
Going to see what this runs like with a dual screen setup at home.
Later today I’m going to make my rooftop bachelor’s pad 😀
“Lively is not supported on your platform”
C’mon google, give us some of that mac lovin’.
Hey Keen. I like your place and I parked my toon on your couch. Sweet! I can’t figure out how to get new clothes. I saw a kick ass samurai outfit, but I can’t get it for some reason. When I go to get new clothes, I can’t seem to get the clothes sent to my toon’s inventory.
Oh well. I like the bird sounds you added. I will have play around with this for a while.
[…] be hearing a lot more about this. I made a desert island paradise with lots of lava lamps. Keen has been keener (I slay myself!) and opened his room up for […]
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