There are different type of interviewers in Second Life, as there are in real life. There are some who have their own chat shows, inviting their subjects into their lair, where they can tease information and insights out of an interviewee, on their home turf. Then there are those who roam the grid, looking for subjects to speak to, venturing into strange unfamiliar lands, and reporting back conversations with the most interesting and inspiring beings that they encounter. Dousa Dragonash is in the latter camp, working for metaverse-tv.com as a co-news anchor on Metaverse Weekly News, but also as a roving reporter with her own eponymous show "Out and About with Dousa Dragonash". I had the privilege of sitting down with this very self effacing and humble interviewer, at Metaverse TV's recently opened sim, designed by Lumiere Noir, to have a chat with her about what had shaped her Secondlife, and how she had ended up in this virtual line of work:


Voodoo Buwan: What initially brought you to SecondLife?

Dousa Dragonash: I have a friend, a colleague in rl, and he and I get sent away on conferences quite often. He took a long time before he vouchsafed that he was in SL and suggested that actually it would be completely my thing.

Voodoo Buwan: So, what did you initally expect coming in world? What were you hoping to do?

Dousa Dragonash: Well first of all I was curious. I had no expectation. I had never done a social networking site of any kind, not facebook nothing. I have worked with computers for years and liked games but really didn't want to talk to other people. I thought that would be truly weird. Also there is an anonymity thing for me. I find it really important to be anonymous. When I came in, the first thing that happened was that someone spoke to me. An American man. Gave me a heart attack. I hoped to sit on a beach and look at a sea. Then I suppose when I hit Help Island Public, I just thought this is completely fabulous. My head expanded and the possibilities hit me and I realized I could sit on a beach and look at a sea lol. But also I started building and changing appearance in the manner of all newbies, but fell into talking into everyone in text, for hours and hours, like I was hungry. I explored and also loved, absolutely loved, what people were creating. So I tried to have a second life. to live the life that I have lived but make the decisions that I didnt make the first time.

Voodoo Buwan: So, how did someone who came inworld thinking that the concept of talking to people was creepy, end up making her Second Life career out of conducting interviews?

Dousa Dragonash: Well I was in and out of social intercourse at one point, and I thought I am going to see what happens here in the way of occupations I have known. I had gone into a couple of writers' groups and then saw that people were doing shows. So I looked up to see in Events what was going on and saw that someone was putting together a tv show and I thought I would like to see how that works. I turned up and there were two guys there and some people hanging about very casual. I got chatting to one of the guys and he was very close to me in understanding about the business, so I suppose we kind of knew that we both were capable of doing something. He suggested me to the other guy who was Robustus Hax. I didnt do that project but he then texted me when he was looking for an Anchor. After that I just got more and more involved

Voodoo Buwan: From anchoring the Metaverse News show, you started doing your own "Out and About" interview shows. Was this something you pushed to do, or was it an organic extension what you were already doing?

Dousa Dragonash: It was organic. It was something I was really interested in doing. I love what people achieve in here and really want to celebrate it. My God, I am a titchy thing in my knowledge next to the guys who build and code and design in here. I can do bits of everything, now I dont have much time, so I try to support what happens through the programme. I am a very curious person so that much is truly unavoidable.

Voodoo Buwan: So, how do you find your potential interviewees? Do you have much assistance, or do you do all the organization yourself?

Dousa Dragonash: Ok I do everything myself. Well, organizationally. Filming and editing, I dont do, only cause it is difficult for me to follow with the camera at the same time as paying attention.

Voodoo Buwan: Well, what attracts you to a particular person as someone worthy of interviewing? What sort of thing draws you towards them as a potentially interesting and/or entertaining subject?

Dousa Dragonash: Very simple things like the turn of a prim. I wonder HOW did they do that? Or a colour or a beautiful sim. Sometimes achievements, sometimes adversity. Don't you think this platform attracts the most extraordinary range of people? People I wouldn't necessarily be able to go up to in rl and say I would really love to talk to you about you for an hour and film it. Would you mind?

Voodoo Buwan: So, it gives you the chance to ask the questions you'd like to ask, and that hopefully your audience would also like to know?

Dousa Dragonash: Ah well. audience. If I am honest, and sometimes I am, I dont necessarily think about what other people want to know. I just want to hear about the people that I am talking to cause I am genuinely interested. And I am just a person so I reckon that if I want to hear it other people might as well. The Out and About on Kimlenswomanphotographer Writer was massive cause she has had such an interesting career and life. I split it into two shows. I don't check the numbers. I just thought that work needed honouring... she was fab to interview by the way



Voodoo Buwan: SO, we're all invited along for the ride, but the ride will be leaving whether we're on the bus or not?

Dousa Dragonash: fraid so lol

Voodoo Buwan: You mentioned obviously one of your favourite interviews. Have you had any particularly difficult or challenging interviews or interviewees?

Dousa Dragonash: oh yes, amusing as well and challenging but not in the way you might expect. Some of the most challenging are challenging because of the time differences. There was one where I was in UK one person in Philippines one in Japan and one in US. We were all asleep in rl basically and awake in sl. It took some doing, pinging everywhere to wake people up, and then we were speaking English from at least four different perspectives. It was fun, but a kind of torture as well cause we were so tired.

Voodoo Buwan: Do you have anyone in SL who you would love to get to interview, but have not been able to so far?

Dousa Dragonash: Yes, two, the obvious ones of course. Anshe Chung and Philip Linden. Anshe was the first one I tried, mainly because I was knocked out by the sims and then because she is a she. I have almost started to take the ability not to be judged for being female in business for granted in here. When I describe situations I have had in RL to, particularly, Americans in here they cannot believe what happens simply because I am female.

Voodoo Buwan: Another way in which SL is providing opportunities not necessarily possible in RL?

Dousa Dragonash: I am devoted to that. That certainly when I came in it was a level playing field or felt like it at that point, for all kinds of people. I would fight to conserve that

Voodoo Buwan: You mentioned the upcoming series. What kind of thing can we expect next from Dousa Dragonash, both in that series, or in any other projects you might be working on?

Dousa Dragonash: My colleagues would say Pain. No shoes. Long legs. The MBA... that is what they would say... Well, there is the next series of Out and About which is being edited. We are producing a new comedy drama (I use the word comedy loosely) called "Into Midnight". We have new shows coming up or have just started, I am writing a new drama series for MBC and we have this fab sim now. So I guess I will have to justify its existence or Robustus will be on my tail. I do have three mega projects in mind which I think are completely perfect for SL They need massive planning and cooperation though.

Voodoo Buwan: Is there anything people can do to help with these mystery projects, or are they just on the drawing board at the moment?

Dousa Dragonash: Well one isn't just on the drawing board. I have made overtures to the person who holds the rights and they were pretty receptive. We couldn't meet up when we planned, so I have to take up the slack and go do the meet. A bit nerve racking. The other is a glint in my eye and the third one needs writing.

Voodoo Buwan: Plenty to look forward to, and keep you busy with, then?

Dousa Dragonash: Yes. I think the thing that we have to deal with most is administration

Voodoo Buwan: Finally, and on kind of a similar note, if you were to give advice to people looking to follow in your footsteps into this kind of virtual media career, what would be your top tips?

Dousa Dragonash:
no.1 If you have any doubt about doing it, don't.
no.2 Be very flexible.
no.3 Resilience.
But more than any of these really is Creativity. People nick ideas as much as content and they also repeat rl ideas. Here we can do so much more and so much faster

Voodoo Buwan: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Dousa Dragonash: I suppose there is one thing. I am bemused by being interviewed.. most of what I do is about others... or for others... Robustus Hax is very much an unsung hero to me. He puts his heart and soul and most of his life into this project. He tolerates me encourages me and allows me in a way that I have never received in RL. That kind of confidence. He has a quiet confidence and a depth of knowledge about people that I truly admire ... He is definitely one to watch. That is why I continue to do this. It makes me happy.

Read the previous article in this series:
Interviewing the Interviewers: Paisley Beebe

The subject of resident names in SL is one that comes up on various Secondlife based sites and blogs from time to time. Many esteemed writers have typed up their thoughts, reports and opinions when it comes to subjects ranging from names that annoy them, to whether or not it is made clear enough that once you have chosen the name of your avatar, that you can not change it later, and much much more. It's a subject that I find personally fascinating, as the names of residents seem to tell a lot about the resident themselves, and reactions to those names can also be equally interesting. After all, as a man named Voodoo, I've been known to get a variety of positive and negative responses from people based on a first impression, which everything from having songs sung at me from a certain David Bowie film, to being told "How can you expect anyone to take you seriously? What sort of a name is Voodoo anyway?". I've even had someone be wary of me, since another resident who shares my first name, was their stalker ex boyfriend, leading to me having to defend myself over accusations of being an alt (which I don't even have any of, let alone being one!)

While it is obviously tempting to add my voice to the debate, and shower all of our readers with the benefit of my wisdom and observations on this subject; to be honest, it's something which everyone else has done, and therefore I decided to put my own ego on the sidelines, and thought that it would be much more interesting to take the time and go get some actual facts. The simplest way of doing this, was to carry out a survey, getting some information from a random selection of Secondlife residents, in order to find out the real story about how the SL populace feels about their, and other people's names. So I put together a notecard with a few simple questions, and sent it out to a random selection of contacts, a couple of groups, and of course, the subscribers to our fair magazine. I also encouraged people to spread the notecard to any friends they wanted to, and for them all to send me back their answers.

Friends said I was mad. They told me it was a pointless exercise. They stated that Second Life residents simply don't bother to do things like this for people, as they are too wound up in their own little worlds to bother to fill out something like this, and return it. However, when the dust settled, and the notecard had been passed around all across the grid, from friend to friend and group to group, I am pleased to say that I was positively flooded with responses, to the point where I was left feeling pummeled in the nicest way possible. 133 SL residents took the time to fill out their answers to the questions I posed, and drop their notecard into my inventory. It's always nice to prove the naysayers wrong, and show that apathy does not rule our virtual world.

Anyway, once the notecards died down to a trickle, I set to work, reading each and every one of them, collating them into a spreadsheet. I then analyzied the data for trends, and picked out some of the most interesting answers. I am now pleased to present my findings.

My first question was regarding simply what people's names were, although to be honest, since I didn't ask for permissions to reveal these, I won't be stating who responded, other than to say that you all know who you are, and I owe each and every one of you a big thank you.

The next question was "How did you choose your SL Name?" There was a wide variety of answers with almost everyone making certain to pick something uniquely personal to them, which of course is a nightmare for me to draw trends from. However, there were some common themes which could be picked out.

The most common answer stated that people used the same name as they used in the past for other online forums, chatrooms, and games, with 29 of those answering giving this reason. Of course, this is indicative of people seeing Secondlife as just another online meeting place, which often leads to chatroom-esque names, which are a common focus of rants on blogs. The other most common answers include using variations of the person's real name (14), a real life nickname (5), and picking their first name simply to match the last name they chose (5). 6 residents interestingly stated that they chose their first name, to go with a role they were looking to become once inwolrd, such as one resident with the first name of Lord, who was looking to become an SL landlord, and another called Spiral, who was looking to showcase his fractal art inworld.
Two other answers I found particularly interesting answers were from people who chose names that related to children they had connections to. One person stated the first name they chose "Would have been my child's name if I had a girl but I had a boy" while another stated "I chose because it was the name of a dead baby and I thought I would give her 'a life' here". These demonstrate just how personal and meaningful many residents' names can be.

The next question looked deeper into the people's mindsets when creating their names: "Did you know much about SL before creating an account?" This was a little more straightforward to draw info from, with the largest group of those who answered, a whopping 48%, saying that they knew nothing about SL when they created their account, and therefore their name. 38% of those answering claimed that they knew a little about it, but not necessarily a lot, while only 14% claimed to have a good knowledge of what they were letting themselves in for.

There were also some supplementary comments when responding, regarding how people came to SL in some of these answers. 12 people were introduced to SL by RL friends or relatives, while 5 people mentioned seeing about it on television programs or adverts, while 3 talked about reading about it in magazines or newspapers. One resident apparently accurately described themselves as: "that one avatar who bought the SL manual and read it..."

As a follow on question, I asked whther, if they did know anything about SL, this affected their choice of name?


As you can see above, a massive 69% of those who had answered that they at least had some knowledge about SL, stated that it had absolutely no bearing on what they chose to be their identity inworld. Saying that, if you refer this back to the ways which people chose their names in the first question, and how many people pick names that are so distinctly personal to them, it should perhaps come as little surprise that they would have chosen these names regardless. On the flipside, it could also be argued about actually how conscious people might be of the influence prior knowledge had on them, and whether they might have chosen something more akin to a chatroom handle, if they had not known anything about SL.

The next question was one of my favourites, and is based on a something said by a friend of mine, regarding a feeling of regret about the name that they now kind of felt stuck with inworld: "If you could turn the clock back, knowing what you know now, would you have chosen a different name?"

Again, I will express a slight surprise that the overwhelming response was a resounding No, with 72% of answers giving a negative response. Some of these No's referred to those who knew about SL before entering, and therefore had no need to change. Others stated that the ability to create alts meant that they felt there was not a need to feel precious about the name of their main account, as they could live lives under other names if they felt the need, while yet more stated that although there may have been moments of regret regarding their choice, that they have now grown into their names. As one person put it: "it was the best mistake I ever made". This is of course particularly relevant to the debates that go on regarding those people who petition that we should be allowed to change our names, as if they have their way, and this does become allowed, I wonder if will we give our names enough time for us to grow to truly love them, as many of these people have?
Of those who stated that they either might, or definitely would change their names, there were some interesting reasons why. Some people answered that they would seriously consider correcting errors that they may have made with either spelling or capitalisation of their first name. Quite a few also stated that, while they were still very happy with their first name, that they would like the chance to change their last name, since obviously when you create an account, you are only presented with a limited list of what is on offer.
There were also some individually amusing and interesting responses, which we will start off with a resident with the surname of "Dix" who answered: ""Yes, so no one would ask me if my middle name is "Sux"".
Another said: "A funnier name may of been nicer.... Perhaps, anything that didn't begin with "O" because I'm always getting messaged for those damned Lucky Chairs".
Finally one particular person answered with a heartfelt "Oh yes, I really would" after previously indicating that they had not given their choice of name enough thought, and "did not know the name could not be changed later if I did not like it".

Many people gave some indication of what sort of names they might have chosen, if they did have any interest in changing it, but perhaps they might reconsider slightly, if they had seen the response to my final question. I asked the populace "Does a resident's name affect how you see that person, and if so, how?". For me, this question really gave the most fascinating responses, so let's break it down to it's component parts. Firstly, on the subject on whether names affect perception, the survey came back with a vast majority in the affirmative camp, with 81% answering Yes, leaving only 19% claiming that they would never judge a book by it's cover in such a way.



Taking this vast number who do draw opinions on people, at the very least in their first impressions, based on what that resident has chosen to name themselves, we can then start to draw some common opinions on what particular names draw positive and negative responses.


Instead of moving through this data from the most common votes down, I think that the best place to start is on the only type of names where multiple people expressed an active attraction towards people with this kind of identity, namely the subject of "Clever/Funny Names" which commonly use one of the supplied surnames, and have a first name which the user creates to make a pun, double meaning, or the name of a celebrity or character. 9 people claim that they definitely find themselves attracted towards people with such names, although it must also be noted that 4 people clearly stated that such names make them desire nothing to do with that resident. 2 people said that they cannot stand it when people use what is term as "LEET" speak in their names, and 2 more stated that they do not like it when people put their entire real name into the first name (although again, there was someone who specifically stated respect for people with such names). 3 people said that boastful names were a real turn off ("If there are someone named "Johnthegreat" or "Imaprettyguy" for example, I don't think he is") while again the subject of bad spelling and capitalisation came up, with 4 people stating that it put them off people.
One of the most common complaints when the subject of names is raised on the blogs, namely that of people with numbers in their names, comes in at third place in our survey, with 9 people stating that they cannot stand seeing people with these names, and one resident stating that "People who have lots of numbers in their name should just be hit with a bat and put out of their misery". Which boundless aggression brings me neatly onto the runner up in our chart: those residents with violent and aggressive name, such as "Deathbringer" which make at least 12 of the people polled run away screaming.
Finally we come to our top complaint when it comes to names that make people want to have nothing to do with a resident, which is residents who have a rude, sexual or in some way obscene names. These monikers are seen as offensive by 27 of those who expressed a preference, and often are seen as an indicator that the person is either a child, a man masquerading as a woman, a bot, or simply a person who is only on SL for only one thing, and not the kind of thing that they are here for. One of the most amusing parts of these answers were the examples of exactly the sort of thing that people didn't like. So, if you are looking to create a SecondLife account, and would not like to be unfairly judged on this subject, might I suggest that you avoid the having the following either as either the whole, or as part of, your first name:
Slut, BigDaddy, Stud, Pud, 69, OrgasmAddict, SexMachine, WetNReady, BitchQueen, LuciousLips, SexySue, SmokinAss, Fuk, Mistress, JuicyLucy, LickMeOut, Studddogz, BritneySparkleTits and HotBunny.
Interestingly, one of the most common surnames in SL, and a name that has come up just as commonly on the hate list of many SL based sites and blogs, namely that of "GossipGirl", did not warrant any mention whatsoever with any of those polled.

So there you have it. The people have spoken, and while this will no doubt not put an end to the editorials over the merits of various names, or whether we should have the right to change our names if we become dissatisfied with them, but at least it gives a more rounded perspective, and also shows that not everyone shares the same opinions, or even really feels affected by how people choose to name themselves. Oh, and next time you judge someone harshly on the name floating above their head, remember that it's always possible that they may not have known any better, and they might just change it, if they were given the chance.

Once in a while, I like to indulge in what's commonly known as island hopping. Just teleporting from one random point on the map, to another, exploring what I find as I go. When scouring across the map, I started to notice and think about the places I could see that had actually created their particular sim in order that it would have a particular look, when viewed from the map view. With this in mind, I then set myself a quest to find the best examples of these across the Grid, so I could share them with you here:

Pawaii is the HQ of D&D Dogs, who create canine avatars and companions. As such, they have shaped their home island in the shape of a giant doggy pawprint.











This cute froggy shaped island is umi, and is basically a luxury beach club for you to lounge around on. However, be warned that when I went there, the place was empty and most of the items there were deeded to "o0 Club Nude 0o" so there is a risk of being confronted by a gang of nudists.









Mute is the home of RL and SL musical performer Richard Hawley, and as such he has chosen to make the main part of the land on the sim in the form of a giant version of his prized Eddie Cochran Anniversary Edition Gretsch Guitar.










Sanctum Eternum is obviously the love nest of a private couple, who deem to keep this heart, as well as the passionate goings on that may happen there, private. Since the sim is accessible by invite only, appreciate this one from the map view. Or, if you wish to make your own sim this romantic, the Raw file for this heart can be found here.








The beautiful dolphin from which Dolphin Reef gets it's name, is actually up for rent at the moment. So, if you want the prestige of setting up home on the body of a giant aquatic creature, and have 31,000$L or $120 a month burning a hole in your pocket, head on over, and make the owner an offer.









When DAZ (or Digital Art Zone) were looking to build their headquarters, Polygon Point, they look to have gone to Raw file creators Sim Bliss, for this fantastic snowflake design. The poses or animations that they make are mostly to be found on the sim to the west, so one can only assume that the spectacle and winter scenery here is to attract passing traffic.









There are many beautiful sights in the huge Winterfell estate of sims, but I will admit to being particularly fond of the adorable Winterfell Libris, an enormous crescent moon reef, surrounded by star shaped islands, and a wonderful fairytale feel throughout.










Of course, no talk of stunningly shaped island sims would be complete without mentioning the astoundingly ambitious and amazingly well put together Rouge, the burlesque style club and gallery created in the shape of it's owner, CodeBastard Redgrave.










Lamonti is the Headquarters of Lamont International, which owns Furniture Island, which lies directly to the north of it. When glancing across this sim, I almost skimmed straight past it, until I spied the skillfully created feminine silhouette in it's north east corner.









Some map visible land constructs are not islands, or even above the water. IYC Addiction is a Furry dedicated club and mall, and to try to catch the eye, they have dug underwater trenches, proudly displaying their name, and even a massive pawprint, and doodled kitty face.









Finally, if all this is feeling a little elitist, and you're thinking, "Yes, these rich residents who can afford their own sims can create own map visible landmasses, but we mere mortals have no such ability", then let me humbly present to you the mainland sim Corinaldo, where I own a couple of empty openwater 512 parcels. See if you can spot the initials of both my partner, Allanah Tomsen, and my self.







If all this has whetted your appetite, then remember that the world map is only a mouseclick away, and once you start scanning, you never quite know what you might find.

Faithful reader, if the name Aimee Trescothick seems familiar to you, it may be from the occasions during the past few Trin and Voo shows, when Trin’s partner takes it upon herself to blow us all up, or run us over with a tank. However, it’s become more and more noticeable that very many residents know our sweet little Aims for her superb and innovative programming work, which has been making quite the name for her. This past week, she has been getting so much attention, that we decided that an interview was in order, to get a better perspective on the divine Ms Trescothick, and her own particular Second Life Story.

However, Aimee is know for not being the biggest self publicist inworld, and is almost notoriously shy when talking about herself, so in a first for me, I traveled in the real world for the interview, down to an undisclosed location in deepest Kernow (or Cornwall for our non Cornish readership). Once there, Aimee and I also logged into SL, and sat down at the Rez office on the Kernow sim where she and Trin live, and had a chat:

Voodoo – You've been a Second Life resident for almost four years now. What initially attracted you to SL?

Aimee – I actually first heard of Second Life while researching a sleep disorder. I happened to read someone comparing it to Lucid Dreaming, as a place that you can shape to fit your imagination, a description that intrigued me. I'd watched the field of virtual worlds develop with interest since I studied Computer Engineering in the early '90s, and tried various ones from time to time, but generally got bored once I'd seen everything and found nothing left to do. This sounded much more what I had been looking for, an actual world I could take a part in, rather than just another game. I have lost a lot more sleep to it ever since!

Voodoo - When I first met you, I knew you as an artist and flag maker on Kiva, the Lava Pit sim. Since then, it seems you have experimented with quite a few interests in-world?

Aimee – Around the same time I found Second Life I was made redundant from a job in research and development at a graphics card manufacturer. I enjoy experimenting and continually learning everything I can about the world around me, so finding myself without the creative outlet that my employment had provided, I was drawn into creating and scripting within Second Life. Having found a warm welcome from the regulars at the Lava Pit, I tended to do my building while hanging out there. Those experiments, and the friendships forged at the old Lava Pit eventually brought me a real life career.

Voodoo – Oh, yes, Kiva brought you into contact with Lord Leafblower, Founder of the Lava Pit club, and owner of Boxapixels?

Aimee – Yes, he asked me initially to help building an in-world presence for a large communications company, and later to build a flag-ship store for his sideline, the Lava Inside brand of gadgets. Through doing that work I eventually joined Boxapixels as its virtual worlds specialist.

Voodoo –You have gained quite a following for the Open Source work you have been doing on the Second Life viewer. How did you get involved in this?

Aimee – I have? :) I got involved through curiosity mostly, I saw fixing bugs as an opportunity to learn about it, and see what made it tick under the surface. A big leap forward for me came with the introduction of the Space Navigator as a method of controlling my avatar in Second Life, that acted as a catalyst for me. It was great to suddenly be able to move so much more freely, anyone that hasn't tried it is really missing out :) It was a big improvement, but I could still see limitations, where I knew it was capable of more. So I started creating a long list of JIRA entries on ways it could be made even better. Realizing that as it affected relatively few users, and at the time was probably a low priority within the Lab as they were making a concerted effort to improve client stability, I started working my way through fixing them myself.

Voodoo – Since then, you have developed quite a few other changes or improvements for the Second Life viewers. What sorts of things that you have been working on have ended up on release?

Aimee – Besides the Space Navigator improvements, mostly minor UI improvements and fixes, or things under the surface. Like turning off the mic automatically when ending voice IM calls, so you don't broadcast your private conversations (or the sound of eating your lunch) to the world, and clean-up of the code that drives the mini-map, to make it cleaner and more efficient, and to enable the community translators to translate text associated with it. I mostly try to pick up small tweaks, that will gradually add up to improve people's every day experience, in the hope that it will free up a little of the Lab's resources, helping them to concentrate on the real game-changing stuff. Most of my recent Open Source work, is going into Linden Lab's Snowglobe project, such as the increased zoom range of the mini-map there for example. I really just enjoy the chance to talk to and work along side some really talented people, both the other Open Source developers, and within the Lab, who I find I learn a lot from. The demos shown at SLCC gave just a little taster of some of the seriously awesome stuff the Lab are keeping up their sleeve right now, for Viewer 2.0 and beyond. I can't wait to see what's just around the corner.

Voodoo – Most recently you've gained quite a lot of attention for your work with the new media plugins. Imagine me a drooling technophobic child, can you explain what this is?

Aimee – Linden Lab announced at SLCC the release of the LLMedia Plug-in API, which is a way of allowing outside programmers to more easily extend the client, intended mostly as a way to expand the types of media Second Life can handle beyond Quicktime videos and basic web pages. When I got my hands on the initial developer release of the Plug-in API viewer and the Linden test application for developing and debugging them, I made a quick video just of what could be done with the Linden supplied plug-ins, to show a couple of the other Open Source developers what I was seeing. Before I knew it, the video had been shared around much more widely than I anticipated, even finding its way onto New World Notes. It created quite a large positive reaction, and that spurred me on to see what I could do with it myself. Through my work at Boxapixels I regularly have clients asking for better collaboration facilities within the virtual world. So as a first attempt while learning the API, I decided to make something of a Frankstein style experiment, and over a weekend spliced in the VNC remote desktop sharing protocol. I then posted another video of it in action, just to demonstrate the potential of the new API, and the ease with which it makes it possible to develop these sorts of projects. the reaction to that was phenomenal.

Voodoo – What kind of possibilities could this unlock for in-world residents?

Aimee – It makes it possible to view the desktop of another computer live on the surface of a prim in Second Life, the same way you would normally view a video stream. So as a fun example, I have a virtual replica Apple Mac on my Second Life desk, showing the display of my real one. In future it will also be possible to interact with it using your mouse and keyboard, it already works while running it in the Linden plug-in test software – as can be seen in my videos, but the support for those functions doesn't appear to be available quite yet in the client itself. More useful examples would be collaborating on shared documents, live software demonstrations in-world, or remote assistance, enabling people providing in-world training to see “over the shoulder” of the people they are teaching. The sort of capabilities that are provided by web conferencing applications such as Cisco's Webex, or AT&T Connect, but in the more flexible and inviting environment of the virtual world.

Voodoo – What kind of feedback have you received?

Aimee – I knew these facilities would be popular within the business and education communities, but as someone who generally avoids publicity and hides in the background, the amount of attention that it got has taken me a little by surprise! The messages of support and encouragement I have received have been fantastic, it felt a little like I'd unintentionally stumbled upon the Holy Grail. I have been told be several Lindens that the video has created quite a buzz while being passed around within the Lab too, which is flattering, really though the part I played is quite minimal. I just provided the glue between the VNC software and the new Linden API which between them do the real work, without them this would have been much harder to achieve.

Voodoo – Finally, can you give us a heads up on the sort of things you are working on now, and what is on the horizon for you?

Aimee – Well, for now, while this project is working already, there is still a fair amount of work to do to bring it up to stable production quality, ready for public consumption. So with the demand, I think I'd better finish it before I move on to anything else :) There are still other things I have in mind to further the joystick input support, and my other pet project the mini-map. As a registered Apple developer I have used Snow Leopard through the beta program for some time now, I would like to spend some time looking at improving the performance of the Second Life client using the new technologies found there, as I believe there is much to be gained. I do have a number of ideas for other media plug-ins I will be playing with, but it will mostly be a matter of pushing boundaries, trying different things, and seeing what grows out of it all.

All photos and videos used with kind permission of Aimee Trescothick. All rights reserved.

Well, Second Life celebrates another birthday, and we all trekked out to show off our latest creations to the virtual world. And once again, there have been some truly superb exhibits, showing the very best on offer inworld, and there have been... some less impressive stands on show. So, once again, I would like to present to you all, my personal Do's and Don'ts of SL6B.

Don't give visitors a migraine - When I flew past Marmottina Taurog's Green and Wild Design stand, I immediately gagged at the technicolour swirling see through boxes, with a mesh of glowing chaos within. I then thought, "No, give it a chance, it might be much better inside". It wasn't. I'm now wearing sunglasses.


Do work with the theme - A lot of people have been very annoyed with the enforced theme of "The Future" that was imposed on us by our rulers up in Linden Land, but many of the exhibitors, rather than bitching and moaning, have made a real effort to do something with the theme. Juliete3d Quinzet's decision to steer away from the usual box building acting as her gallery, but rather having a shuttle pod being smashed by a meteor, spilling her artwork down onto the ground, was inspired and a delight.


Don't forget to add some content - The CoExist exhibit by Claari Shepherd is an impressive monolithic building, with an intriguing logo on top. And inside, absolutely nothing. I am totally none the wiser, and to be honest, if you can't be bothered to make the effort, I can't be bothered to care.


Do pay attention to detail - And to be honest, when it comes to detail, you never need to look much further than AM Radio, and his playful futurist nod, still entrenched in his retro style, delights almost as much as his perfect and intricately put together builds. Just stunning.


Don't turn the festival into an adfarm - Sioban McMahon - West of Ireland and Project Children: Yes I know you're not on the main walkway and yes it might all be in aid of a good cause, but the is NEVER an excuse for a giant rotating cube billboard. NEVER. Okay?


Do take us into your world - Yes, I know I have mentioned Skills Hak and her fantastic work at Insilico in the past, and yes it probably is easier to put on an impressive futuristic exhibit, when your sims are all set squarely in the future, but just look at it. Look at it, and be in awe.


Don't make your exhibit look like a 5 year olds scribbled all over it - Right, don't get me wrong, I am actually a fan of Treet TV, and I know what the designer was TRYING to do, with the multicoloured cables, but honestly, it didn't work, looks a complete mess, and I was more than a little disappointed. Massive shame.


And finally, a very special final Don't....

When making walkways, Don't forget that the actual point of them is to be able to WALK on them - Yes, they look very pretty, and in keeping with the cyberpunk motif, but when you're constantly ranting about getting stuck, trying to jump onto or off the blasted thing, and generally finding that they are hindering your ability to get around, then you have a recipe for Walkway FAIL.


See you next year!

Over my long and varying career as an SL journalist, I think the one thing that I have become known for more than anything else, are my interviews, especially with the publication of my inworld book "Times of your (Second) Life", and the interviews I have carried out here. Over time, being know for something like this makes you start to wonder how other inworld interviewers cope with having to chat with the many and varied creatives, business people and movers and shakers in SL. So, seeing as there are so many talk shows and interviewing journalists currently operating within our digital universe, I decided to hunt down some of the most interesting, and discuss their experiences, and give you some insight into what it takes to make a good interview, and in many ways, a good interviewer.

The first on my list in the lovely and talented Paisley Beebe, who's show on SLCN, "Tonight Live with Paisley Beebe" is possibly one of the longest running and well established Second Life based talkshows around. She tends to specialize in mostly arts and culture in SL, a world she also appears in with her performances as a jazz singer, but has had everyone from musicians, games creators, bloggers, Lindens and more, sitting on her sofa, and opening up to her. Despite the fact that I am on UK time, and she is based on the other side of the planet in Australia, we eventually managed to square our diaries, and sit down to have a chat about her experiences:


Voodoo Buwan: So, what initially brought you to SL?

Paisley Beebe: A magazine article on it talking about musicians playing here

Voodoo Buwan: Ah, so you arrived inworld with hopes of extending your performing into the virtual world?

Paisley Beebe: Not really just curious about it. Didn't start playing in SL till 3 months was up. I use the computer a lot for my marketing of albums etc...

Voodoo Buwan: What inspired you to start performing? And did that come before or after you began your association with SLCN?

Paisley Beebe: I went to a gig here and asked the performer how you did it. He got me to play at his venue with my husband one night and that was it. I drew a small crowd. I picked up a manager/publicist type person who hooked me up with lots of venue owners, and then I met SLCN a few months later and stage managed an event for them. We then decided as we were both in Australia we should work together on something they just started filming in SL and started a sort of whats on show called That's life. So we thought a talk show might be good as I was in Radio in RL. We planned it, I hired some people, and off we went, just making it up as we went along. Still doing that. No one else had done it. Cypress Rosewood had a podcast, a live one with an audience, and so did Flaming Moe. that was it, no TV at all. no one to learn from. Tonight Live is the longest running Virtual TV show and there are lots now.

Voodoo Buwan: So, with your rl radio experience, you had some experience with conducting interviews?

Paisley Beebe: only a little, I had done part of a radio course, a short one and been in Community radio for 3 years. Both as a Jazz Program presenter and a Morning show host but the emphasis was on music really. I just happen to be a chronic sticky beak and nosy parker, and I tend to "interview" people constantly at parties. I enjoy it, finding out about peoples passions their lives etc... It's the actress side of me also, where I studied Characters and their motivations.... Method actress... I once spent about 5 years reading nothing but biographies, and I'm an avid watcher of Talk shows and interview shows. I study them now of course. Learning all that I can about good interview techniques and interview subjects. My sister has been a professional journalist all her life, so If I ever get stuck I ask her. She knows everyone over here in the buis, and knows what the process is in RL, and I've asked her advice on interviewing. She probably thinks Im stepping a bit on her turf but as I'm only a virtual interviewer she probably thinks its all a bit silly :)

Voodoo Buwan: On the subject of getting help from others, you mentioned you have some other people working with you on the show: Has it been hard finding the right team for such a project?

Paisley Beebe: There is no set process. Some were people recommended, some just came up and asked at the right time, some approached SLCN and we took them on. We are now attracting people who have a genuine background in digital communication or writing. To start with it was anyone that wanted to give it a go. My first Director was a seasoned podcaster but I think, now that the TV industry in SL is gaining a small foothold, it's attracting people with a more professional background within a related field, which is good because SLCN, who are about to re-brand as Treet.Tv, and myself have a real life contract, so this is well and truly my RL career now. I'm actually legally obligated to continue it. So my choice of employees has to be good choices and it's very hard to judge that as it is in RL. My 2 major criteria for a good employee are tenacity and determinism. Oh and being organised. There are a few other criteria but when your hot on the trail of a guest you have to be like a detective and not give up till you land them or exhausted every avenue without being a pest or stalking, and then the follow up of the guest getting them to give you the information you need and getting them prepared for the show also takes a great deal of tenacity and determinism. We deal of course with guests most of the time who have had no experience with any interviews of any kind in SL or RL perhaps an employment interview is the closest they have come, so we have to guide them quite a bit to make it comfortable for them whilst trying to get an interesting and entertaining interview.

Voodoo Buwan: OK, so on the subject of getting an interesting and entertaining interview, what would you say makes a good interviewee, and have you ever had to deal with a difficult subject for interview?

Paisley Beebe: ahahah... It's funny you know. I have a family of awkward difficult to talk to people, so it helps me a lot. I have a family of people with high functioning Aspergers. You learn how to talk to people. There are very few people I cannot talk to. In SL, on my show... I don't think there has been anyone that wasn't..... ok there have been maybe one or 2 and you know why? They were people with an agenda, professional PR people, who instead of "talking" to me kept spouting off their "advertising". When I tried to cut through the bullshit, I kept getting the pre-programmed marketing speak. That was hard. I interviewed a Rocket Scientist once who was really a bit shy, but I knew from the Aspies in my family once I got him on his favourite subject......rockets, he was off like one. I genuinely care about my guests. They are not just subjects for publicity to me. I have a personal history of being like that with people. I have had to learn to stand back and let people do things their own way. I've been a sort of amateur mentor all my live. Then I used to get so despondent that people wouldn't do what I thought they should to let their talent shine. I feel with this show I get to promote people in a good positive way, and hopefully help their talent to shine. I hope people sense that in my interest in them and don't fell its prying. It's really just tuning into the person, finding a place where they are comfortable and asking the right open ended questions. None of them are kidnapped into coming on the show. I think my honest curiosity and fascination with them helps. I've seen other interviewers who look bored by their subjects and I think that doesn't help at all. Maybe I'm just new at this so the novelty hasn't worn off, but I'm 47 and the novelty of being interested in people hasn't yet. The pay off for me is seeing people get their message across to a wider audience or their talent seen by a wider audience. Initially my reasons for doing this were mixed. It was in a way a job to "fall back on". I suspected that the music industry was not going to fully support me. That even in SL, I'd need a 2nd job, and I hoped that if I combined my love of radio and interviews with occasionally singing in SL, the Talk show would give me enough of a profile to get work as a singer. But what has happened is I fell in love with my 2nd job, and now its my main job. I'm now more well known for my Talk show than my singing, but that's ok. I think that this job, as crazy as it seems, has more of a future. The music industry in my country is really going through a bad slump, because of the economy etc... I can't sustain it. I've been retrenched recently there was a post on SL about the fact I'm using this show as a vehicle to promote myself. That the guests are just window dressing for my own ambitions. But my profile in SL, whatever you want to call it, is part and parcel of being on the Telly. You don't have one without the other, and I watch the most successful Talk show hosts in the world, and they all give something of themselves away in their interviews. It's horrible unless you are a political interviewer to watch an interviewer hold back or just take in an interview and not relate. Oprah, Ellen, Michael Parkinson... all have a public profile. It's about establishing a reliable brand, something that people relate to. Not just interviewing but having a conversation with your guest. When I'm interviewing, I always feel that I'm part of the conversation, even if I am only 20% of it. That's what it is supposed to be. I tend to only talk a lot when I have something important to say. I'm not good in social situations, don't like small talk, not good at it :) I tend to go from nice weather to tell me about your childhood in about 2 mins. People tell me the most extraordinary things. I guess you just have to be interested in people. You can't fake that. I used to be horribly shy at parties. I'd either have a few drinks and be the life of the party, a total clown or hide in a corner. I learnt to take interest in other people, then I felt not so shy. I discovered a gold mine of stories of fascinating history by doing this. I guess I learn about human nature and life through that.

Voodoo Buwan: Is there anyone in SL who you would love to be able to interview but have not been able to?

Paisley Beebe: No not really. Just the next inspiration. I'm in the unique position of being able to interview anyone really. People refuse because of shyness, language and not wanting to use voice, and I of course only want enthusiastic people on the show. I find the most wonderful subjects in the most low key and non-famous places. Everyone to me is on the same level. What I'd like to do is interview a RL star, for totally selfish reasons. Just to say I've done it and not fallen in a heap with nerves, and to have some RL attention for the show. Bring the ratings up and just because...it would be such a test of my skills. A real challenge. Can I cut it with the Real Life Interviewers? Having said that I'm very aware of my limitations. I'm not highly educated. I'm creative and if I interview someone it will be on a very casual basis and probably involve a very silly question or two. I appeal to the everyday person and that's what I am I reckon. I won't ever try to be cleverer than I am or I will soundly slap myself for being a pretentious twat! I'm a performer first, always have been. Terrible show off. I'm the girl that did Teacher impressions at school for a laugh, entertained the school with my pretend TV productions, plays and dances to awful 1970's music. I started at 4 years old: can't help myself, middle child syndrome.

Voodoo Buwan: Final two questions: Firstly, what advice would you give to anyone thinking about following in your footsteps?

Paisley Beebe: Well.... know who you are, what your strengths and weaknesses are. Get people around you who can fill in those gaps people who are good at things maybe your not so good at.... and....you have to have the ...here's a quote: the hide of a buffalo the heart of a dove. You have to role with the punches. If you don't love it, you won't last. I think you have to be a little bit nuts. Actually, driven and hyperfocused.

Voodoo Buwan: Finally, what's next for Paisley Beebe?

Paisley Beebe: Well, I must do some more singing. It seems such a waste of all that training and experience not to do more and I do enjoy it when I do sing. Tonight Live is about to go high definition and I have to redesign the show a little around that. I also need to earn some money :) So this year is about finding finance to support the shows I already have, Fabulous Fashion and T.L. I have about 2 or 3 other ideas for shows and I would like to get them up and running but I need finance to do it. I'm already copping huge expenses running 2 shows. It might be a Govt grant or some sort of sponsor. Advertising on TV is very slow to take off here. We can certainly compete with the other media outlets, but we are newer than other media outlets, so it takes a leap of faith... I do love the creative process of putting shows together. It's so exciting for me and because we have now some great procedures set up for our existing productions its not as hard as someone starting from scratch. I won't host the shows, I have my show, one is enough but will set up other shows for other people. I guess we are just hoping that Virtual worlds become more mainstream and that this media is as popular as it should be within the virtual population.

Voodoo Buwan: Well, there's no reason why it shouldn't be with the enthusiasm and work you're putting in. Best of luck, and thanks for taking time to talk to me

If you're house is fast becoming taken over by your DVD collection, imdb.com is one of your most used bookmarks, and you spend those rare nights away from SL down at the local multiplex, you may be wondering if there are places in Secondlife where you can explore and embrace your love of celluloid within the virtual landscape. If so, you aren't alone, as I also was wondering something similar, but of course, anyone who has put the words "movie" or "film" into the SL search engine will know that this is a recipe for a long and painful search through advert after advert for porno theatres, porn filled inworld television, or randy webcam girls at reasonable prices. So, fear not, I have attempted to save you the effort and possible blindness that such a search can bring, by tirelessly scouring the grid to find some of the best places in SL to visit if you consider yourself a bit of a cinema aficionado.

There are various movie theatres in SL, where you and your friends can go and catch a film together, and many of them cost you absolutely nothing. One particular sim, the suitably movie inspired named Amity Island, actually has two. The Second Cinema Movie Theatre is a traditional cinema with one screen but plenty of seating, showing a variety of largely horror films (on the two occasions I popped by, they were showing "Scream" and "Interview with a vampire"). However, if you would prefer to enjoy a more open air movie experience with a charming retro feel they also have a superb Drive in Movie Theatre next door, showing films like "The Goonies", which you can view while sitting in one of the stylish American automobiles they have put out for the enjoyment of patrons. Once you've seen one of the films on offer, you can also head down to the beach to enjoy the little tribute to the film Jaws, from which the sim gets it's name.


If your film tastes extend to the more art house end of the spectrum, you might want to check out the small yet modern cinema that the BBC Film Network have set up on the depo sim, playing some superb documentaries. On show when I popped over for a look was "I Expect Jean Feels The Same" an interesting and touching story about two WW2 war widows, and the love and losses that they have experienced. Definitely more thought provoking than your average popcorn fodder.


Another small but perfectly formed moviehouse can be found on the Desperation Kelly sim, at the Redrum Public House and Cinema. Upon my visit, they were showing the frankly legendary "Full Metal Jacket", and if you piece together the clues from their film choice, and the name of the Pub, then you can probably figure out some of the other film related delights to be found nearby. If you go exploring, you may well discover a door to the Kubrick Rooms, a tribute to the much missed director, with lovingly detailed recreations of the sets like the war room from one of my favourite films, Dr Strangelove, along with the bathroom from The Shining, and a Moloko bar from A Clockwork Orange. You can even enjoy a documentary about the man himself, inside the room detailed after the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Once you have experienced these delights, you can also find some superb recreations of the shack from Evil Dead, and also the 80's Cafe from Back to the Future 2, but in addition to being able to have a look around these, you can also buy copies of them for your very own, to place on your own land, if you so wish.


For more items of purchasable film related goodness, you can do a lot worse than visiting the Paper Street Soap Company. Ah ha, I hear you cry, I know what this will look like then. And while you would be right that the signature pink soap from the Fight Club posters does feature heavily, and you can buy a fine recreation of the house on Paper Street, the actual main store building actually owes more to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, although put through something of a grime filter, and producing soap instead of chocolate, in appearance at least. Other prefab buildings for sale, that should interest any film fan, include the desert church from Kill Bill, Sweeney Todd's barber shop, the Quickstop store from Clerks, and a smashed up version of the Mooby's fastfood restaurant from Clerks 2. There are also some nicely crafted film inspired outfits on offer, which you can wear while you pop to the neighboring sim, to check out some of these buildings out on display, so you can have a look around before you buy.


It would be remiss of me to talk about films and Secondlife without talking about the large community of Star Wars fans, who have decided against playing one of the other Star Wars themed online games, preferring rather to make their own roleplaying areas in SL, and becoming a Jedi or Sith inworld. One of the best places to go to dip your toe into this galaxy not so far far away, is Little Mos Eisley, a highly detailed slice of the planet Tatooine. If you decide that you'd rather not get involved in the lightsaber battling, and rather just look around the Cantina, or marvel at the creatures, buildings and vehicles littering the sim (including a gorgeous Millennium Falcon), you can get a free visitors tag at the arrival point, and walk without fear of attack.


And finally, how could I look at the perfect places for a film buff to look at without suggesting a visit to the Hollywood Sim. This is a beautifully glamorous place, complete with it's own walk of fame, and Hollywood sign for you to gawp at, and if you're lucky you may even be able to catch a show at the sims very own Hollywood Bowl venue. Sounds like a potentially perfect end to any movie fans day in the world of SL.

Regular readers, or anyone who knows me, has probably figured out about me, I love a good game. Whether it's board games, consoles, facebook apps, or anything else, I adore emersing myself in many forms of time wasting virtual adventures or contests. Bearing this in mind, it should come as little surprise to anyone that when, some time ago, a friend of mine in SL gave me a game HUD trial of a game called Tiny Empires, I became engrossed in it, and soon got my friends playing too, spending a good deal of my time inworld on the scroll in the corner of my secondlife screen, keeping an eye out for land for sale, any potential subjects I could try to recruit, or trying to solve the puzzles that would hopefully reward me with more gold, so I could increase my land holdings, and hopefully move up to the next level in the monarchistic hierarchy.

Tiny Empires is a medieval-themed game, the full version retailing inworld at L$799, with the aim being to get more and more land and gold, and recruit other sl residents to be your loyal subjects whose land then contributes to your own count, helping boost your way up the social ladder. Having spent so much time, and had so much fun, with the game, I decided to hunt the creator, Ultralite Soleil, to have a chat with him about how the game came about:


Voodoo Buwan: So, how long have you been in SL, and what originally drew you inworld?
Ultralite Soleil: Let's see, I started in August 2006 because I read about SL on some techie website. Slashdot, perhaps. I didn't care about the shopping or the so-called adult activities, but I was fascinated to learn that you could build and script things, and retain ownership rights. I used to play MUDs where you could create things, and the idea of SL reminded me of that.I made a few things in sandboxes but nothing too interesting :)
Voodoo Buwan: So, how did Tiny Empires come into being?
Ultralite Soleil: Well, I was looking for something to do, and I noticed that the games in SL at the time were mostly like checkers, or bingo. I sort of wanted a game that I could play with other people, but I didn't want to have to be in the same sim with them. And I also have a background as a RL game developer (my former career). So I just started with a basic idea of a hierarchy game, and it sort of went from there. I got out of game development several years back, because it's a ridiculously insane industry, but the urge to make games is still strong.
Voodoo Buwan: How much of the project was your own baby, and how much help did you have from others inworld with the development?
Ultralite Soleil: Well, as my most loyal players would tell you, I'm a control freak :) I didn't have any help :)
Voodoo Buwan: So kept it all very much to your own vision?
Ultralite Soleil: Yes. Well, in the earliest part of development, I knew I wanted a hierarchical game that 1) could be played anywhere, 2) took advantage of all the people in SL, and 3) was extremely simple to play. But the specifics of the game environment took a while to settle. Of course it was launched as a medieval, feudalism style game, but early on I considered making it a corporate management, ladder-climbing simulation :) I had just left a company in RL that was a bureaucratic nightmare on the order of Brazil, so perhaps it was the hatred of that seeping out :) (Brazil the movie, heh)
Voodoo Buwan: How easy was getting word out in SL regarding the game, as it's definitely one of those that benefits from having a lot of people playing?
Ultralite Soleil: It was quite tough, which is true for any new product in SL. I advertised quite a bit, in-world and in the various websites. But after a few weeks there were just a few dozen players. Then I think it reached some kind of tipping point. The fishing community started to play, and that's when it really took off.They'd fish, and play Tiny Empires at the same time :) But in those first few weeks I almost packed it in, thinking I'd try a different game approach. This was in July 2007, btw
Voodoo Buwan: So perseverance and luck ruled the day?
Ultralite Soleil: More the latter, I'd say :)
Voodoo Buwan: You mentioned about advertising Tiny Empires. How difficult was funding for this, bearing in mind that, once you have the game, it's not exactly a money spinner in the same way games like Zyngo are?
Ultralite Soleil: Funding wasn't really an issue. I spent only my spare time developing it. And after launch, I deposited 10k lindens (I think) as my advertising budget. I don't think I used it up before the game finally took off. But personally, I don't like games with subscription models, so I didn't want to inflict that on my customers. Pay once, play forever. Of course, the add-ons aren't free :D Tiny Empires has one add-on, called Tiny Empires: Federation. It could be called an expansion pack. Basically it lets you do more things in the game.
Voodoo Buwan: How much of a factor is financial success in your assessment of the success of Tiny Empires?
Ultralite Soleil: For me, I'm just blown away by how INTO it people are. That's the biggest factor for me. There are websites about the game, entire sims devoted to the TE theme. There have been RL marriages between people who met through playing the game. For some reason, it seems to bring people together into big families, which is much more fulfilling to me than the L$ it brings in.
Voodoo Buwan: So, what should the residents of SL be expecting from you next? Any upcoming projects you can let us in on?
Ultralite Soleil: Well, I recently (March 10) released Tiny Empires 3000, which is a sort of sequel to Tiny Empires. You play as a space-based merchant, 1000 years in the future, building your spacefleet, and cultivating colonies after a devastating galactic rebellion. It is a game similar in structure to Tiny Empires, but has quite a different feel, as its players will tell you. I'm currently working on an add-on to Tiny Empires 3000, as well as constant improvements to both TE and TE:Federation.
Voodoo Buwan: And finally, do you have any advice you would give to developers thinking about following in your footsteps?
Ultralite Soleil: Hmm, I'd say, start simple. Many new games I see are complicated, over-architected frameworks that are daunting to a new player. Make a basic, simple game, and then introduce complexities as the player advances. One last thing: Tiny Empires is really a simple game, even for high level players. The thing that makes it complex (and interesting) is the people. So a game developer should keep in mind the human element when designing social games. That's it, really.