No hits at Cy Awards 2007

This years Cy Awards are at hand. Horizon City or anyone related to our city wasn't nominated this time either. Oh well, I'll keep the city up with few other builders for as long as I can anyway. Perhaps someday, someone notices our effors.

AWExpo Booth set

AWExpo 2007 is soon to be opened and I've finished the city's booth there. I had no idea what to build only two days ago, but finally got something built. It actually looks quite good.. Go check out the place: -teleport-

Owning Virtual Land - AW vs. SL

I noticed something funny recently: I own more virtual land than the biggest landowner in SecondLife, but I only pay 69.95$ / year for it. For a builder, AW seems to be much better option.

Rendered tower

Here is another view about the Belle Van Zuylen tower at Alphaworld coords 7030s 14000e. The render was made by Roadkill. Thanks!

Belle van Zuylen and Japanese Town

Over 260 meters high skyscaper, Belle van Zuylen tower is almost ready at Horizon City central area. The tower is based on real life plans of multi use skyscraper, that is proposed to be built in Netherlands. I will post more images of 3D model of Belle van Zuylen tower later.

The other real life inspired project is japanese town in northeastern Horizon area. The town is based on idea of long time Horizon City builder Roska, who has lived in Japan.

Simulated reality

Is it mandatory to have many similarities between 3D environments and real world? Most of the cities have roads that go from one place to another. There are railways, walkways, paths, etc. Why are those needed? Aren't we talking about virtual reality, an environment where everyone can fly or go through objects? Everyone can teleport, who needs roads?!

Is there optimum ratio, how much elements from a real world is needed for a good virtual environment? If a scale is from zero to max, current AW places usually try to be closer a max than a zero. Most of the other virtual environments, such as Second Life, seems to aim to be near max. People like to see familiar features in artificial realities over the technical possibilities of having different kinds of realities. The optimum seems to be quite near the resemblance of real world.

Because of the difference, somekind of lore is sometimes created to fill gaps between realism and fictional computer based environments. For example if teleporting is possible virtually, easy way to explain it is to make a lore that is based on future. But not too far of a future, as most of the similarities to real world have to be maintained. Fictional governments are also common. Or are they fictional? Is it possible to actually have a Mayor on virtual city? Or a city counsil? What would they do? What are their rights? Doesn't everyone who buy a citizenship from a company that runs the program have equal rights? Is there a mature way to have a city in virtual reality? What is the definition of a city in virtual reality?

By claiming that Horizon City is "a city" in virtual environment makes it already a part of an unwritten lore. Why not to write the rest of it, anyone?

Back on map

The city general map with 10x10 km scale is up to date again! Thanks to AW Citizen RoadKill for generating it.
Central area map is also updated.