Well, I'm not sure how many of you are still around to read this BUT I would like to announce that, as of this afternoon, Frontier's Horizon is now moving! And I want to invite everyone to help me kick it off.I've decided to make the move to hosting my own blog and with it, taking Frontier's Horizon in a direction I've been wanting to go for some time.I'll be focusing on interactive
Just a quick post that I'm STILL around and this blog is STILL active... sort of. Though I love virtual worlds a great deal there is still that pesky RL to deal with. Job, kids, an aging computer, and a dam collapsing during the flooding earlier this month, has really taken its toll on my ability to have any kind of virtual fun. I hope to ease that in the near future! Still around, still
I've really gotten behind again and I apologize. Just got back from a week long period of work related travel and the following "catch-up" phase that always occurs. Just way too much happening right now and not enough time to do it all in. I'm sure I'm the ONLY one with THAT problem... More Ren posts and another podcast on the way, I promise!In the meantime, to prove that I'm not gone, not
I realized pretty quickly on the newspaper littered streets of King's Row that if I wanted to get solid RP while gaining levels, it would have to come in the form of a team. No more running around the streets solo and hoping to chance across someone willing to interact. I was curious if I took the lead with RP reasons for forming a team would other players follow along? After grabbing a
I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous about this! This project has taken up a good chunk of my personal time the past two weeks. And I'm loving it!Say hello to one of the new features of Frontier's Horizon! This is the first episode of a regularly occurring podcast with a character of my own creation, DJ Rust. I've got some ideas for this but for now, I'm just going to have some fun and play
Once again we take a look at the slowest developing character in all of City of Heroes, Ren Paradox! With so many projects flying around, I'm afraid Ren has not been getting the time he probably deserves. I've had opportunities to play him. I just have not had the chance to write about those opportunities! I love playing Ren. Every time I log in with him it's a challenge and requires an
I just want to say that this bugs the bahjeeeeeebus outta me. This was posted on front page Yahoo so you may have already seen this.Finding Terrorists in World of WarcraftYes, you read it right...I actually had to stop and make sure it wasn't April First.
My apologies on the gap in posts. Between work, weather, and illness, the real world has been a bit fierce as of late. Things here will continue onward soon enough. In the meantime, I want to touch on a reply from a fellow blogger, hammerwielder in regards to the previous post on the "evils of internet addiction" and I think he puts things very succinctly."While having this in mind, I can tell
When I first read the headline I thought to myself, "Oh no, not again." Although I understand the reality of internet addiction, I believe it's far too easy to make a black and white decision regarding virtual worlds and the "damage" they can do to people. The majority of the population do not understand the situation and when you do not strive to understand, fear is not far behind. What was
Another article on what I feel are the two strongest areas, besides entertainment, for virtual worlds; education and training. I post these to show just how strong of a trend the whole idea is becoming not just across the country but the world.Training in Virtual WorldsWhat I like about this article is that it's balanced, pointing out some of the shortcoming and pitfalls as well.
I kicked off the second installment of the Paradox Experiment in the City Hall basement office of Elite hanging out with Susan Davies. I wish I could thrill you with amazing stories of heroic RP coming from everywhere at once. Unfortunately, for this installment, that is not the case.Not to spoil the fun but the RP available for Ren on a Saturday afternoon was, in short, pathetic. I decided
This little news blurb was emailed to me by a dear friend and I wanted to share it with all of you. As I am fond of saying lately, "Welcome to your cyberpunk life..."A monitor on your contact lensThough this news story doesn't immediately relate to virtual worlds, I think you can look a little forward and see the coming implications.I'm still digging out from a work related trip but I'm hoping
Back on the news track.Nasa Investigates Virtual Space The document says that games are becoming increasingly important in education and could be useful for teaching a range of skills. "Virtual worlds with scientifically accurate simulations could permit learners to tinker with chemical reactions in living cells, practice operating and repairing expensive equipment, and experience microgravity."
(This continues an ongoing series of articles about an experiment in MMO role-playing and collaborative storytelling.)Their names were Terry Killganon and Zgon. Terry looked like a cowboy with a dragonfly on his shirt and Zgon appeared to be a spaceman... or an alien. The third was dressed in black armor and named Archus Condrum. Led for the most part by Terry, who had caught the scent of some
Here's a quick break from the Paradox Experiment series...Over on my other blog I had started a series of posts called Embodiments which focused on cool avatars in-world which have caught my eye for either their beauty, their creativity, or both. I had been thinking of starting the series up again when, while running around Paragon City this morning, this fellow caught my eye. I was so
(This continues an ongoing series of articles about an experiment in MMO role-playing and collaborative storytelling.)I took a few seconds to get my interface working, some things tweaked, and then I walked Ren up the steps toward the crowd that usually forms around Miss Liberty. My broadcast channel was filled with requests for teams and some banter. Assuming the Broadcast announcements would
As promised earlier, I present one of the new features for Frontier's Horizon!Knowing I had a pretty open afternoon coming up today, I decided this afternoon would be the launch point for an experiment and feature I had wanted to run here on the blog. That experiment concerned role-playing and story creation on an MMO (multi-player online) environment.As mentioned in my previous post, the Virtue
One of the things I continue to explore with the MMORPG environment is the ability for individuals to use the world's environment to tell a story. This could be a character story, a group's story, or even a story that features the environment itself. For instance, Rusty's journey to the Mainland posts which stretched over several weeks last year or, more recently, his entrance into City of
NC State students are constructing their campus on Second Life."Designers are still working on the library and some of the various colleges in the project are still constructing their buildings. But aside from that, Robertson said, the project is still very much in a research phase."It's not a supported venture by the Unversity but it is an interesting article on the early stages of an
A good article on those pushing the new frontiers of education on the internet and virtual worlds."Buoyed by the popularity of Second Life and the site's incentives for the not-for-profit sector, conventional educational institutions are building in-world campuses to enhance their on-campus teaching."Enjoy!
I found this an interesting overview of what is happening with the youth-based virtual worlds. My 10 year old plays Club Penguin and loves it.Brave New Virtual WorldsI'm mainly just posting this because it uses the word "Frontier" in relation to virtual worlds. *grin* However, what they say is true. " The sites are the new frontier of an old concern." There is a lot to be aware of before
Greetings and Happy New Year! Welcome to 2008!It’s the new year and it’s time for a new look and a new take on things. Frontier’s Horizon originally started as a vehicle to journal and comment about my experiences in Second Life as well as other virtual worlds and to look at the phenomena of the same. I believe that there is something in the experience, something in the interaction of the
I find myself amazed that it has been more then a month since I have last written. It seems so much longer. My days have been filled with healing the wounded and fighting of the continual waves of Rikti which have, luckily, begun to subside. There is no end to the need of my healing crystals. So much so that my own energy gives out far before theirs.With my apartment destroyed, my home is a
I do not have much time. Several days ago this world was breached by dimensional portals that heralded a second invasion of the race known as the Rikti. I mentioned them in my earlier post for the reason the war walls had been constructed and their arrival for the second time has brought this city into chaos. I believe this is the event that I was informed of and which brought me to this world
It is impossible for me to relate everything that has transpired even over such a scant amount of time as these past few days. I have met a number of not only local civilians but costumed heroes who are attempting to help in a fight that appears to be never-ending against the tyrants and thugs that plague this place. I've worked on several engagements and feel worn to the bone from lack of