I need ideas...

Business and Project Management Discussions
#1

Let’s imagine you have a language able to deploy virtual worlds into a browser by a plugin (XML but not X3D - I think it is easier by far than X3D- ). Let’s imagine that this plugin is developed and it has features like database binding to 3D elements, is programmable by Java, JScript, has audio (MP3), video onto 3D elements, server-side programming by J2EE, ASP.NET,… etc. HTML is not needed to develop un website, game, …,etc

What type of model business could you use to exploit it? You want a broad acceptation by community but , at the same time, you need funding for development of an IDE, and own projects based on it.

I need ideas…

P.D: It’s is multiplatform (Win,Mac,Linux)

#2

I’m very curious how you’re going to finance this project? It’d take a dozen programmers, artists, support people. Maybe 10 years, give or take a few. A couple million would be a nice to get started.

Oh, and don’t even think about an open source community will come ‘to the rescue’, because such projects only work by heroic efforts from individuals, and a bunch of slackers that get in the way.

What you want is impossible, without a monster budget – and even then, you’re aiming for a one-tool-for-everything, while there are excellent tools that all focus on tiny parts of the problems, doing a heck of a lot better job than any generic tool will every do.

#3

Excuse me. When you say “Maybe 10 years, give or take a few. A couple million would be nice to get started”, are you referring to development of plugin ??? Or the IDE?? Or what else??

#4

The entire thing, provided that you have talented people working for you, putting their heart and soul into the project, which will turn out sub-par no matter how hard you work at it.

#5

What resources do you estimate are necessary to take a functional demo (Beta) of the plugin with the first or second draft of the language published??

#6

The vision at one point was that everybody who owned a computer would also code a computer to a degree has not been realized:
Blogging is most common, Second Life the closest thing to a working system. There are lots of various systems out now, similar in concept and
competing for a still unrealized dream of cyberspace.
Trying to really distill and focus the idea to some specific project would seem necessary, like a 3d gallery space, or…
Well there’s the brunt of the problem: what do we really want virtual worlds for?
To play in, takes years of effort to make decent games.
To work in, some visions of functional remote control operation of machinery etc
To pron in, Second Life is generously populated with strip shows
It’s got to be so good i can conjure a table, two sticks and balls and play pool? : No rules needed, you have to pick up the balls yourself though.
Should it be able to whiz me out to space? Or visit the nubile Leather Goddeses of Phobos? Some virtual worlds were created in text only.
Maybe read Neuromancer or some science fiction stuff to inspire?

#7

Bwa…, w… well… the language?

#8

Yes. Perhaps I haven’t explained myself correctly. When I have said a virtual world, I understand it like a virtual environment supported by an XML language (the environment is not coded, but declared in an XML file). This virtual environment can be modified and interact with it, by events written in Java or Javascript, link some properties of elements to values in databases , etc… But all is based on a XML format. The environment can be so big as you want. Even you can hiperlink between environments.

#9

The idea is certainly a good one, but there are a lot of things to consider, most notably: ‘Who pays for it?’ and ‘Who gets paid from it?’.
I think Riven is being a tad pessimistic with the 10yr & £2m figures - I’d say 1yr & £0.25m. Either way it’s a big investment by someone & what do they get in return? In an ideal world the state would back this for the obvious advantages it would bring, but hey! There’s bombs to buy, people to kill, you know how it is…

#10

Perhaps it could be better understand if you see this video (Excuse me. It is a bit big and it is zipped)

www.tridimens.com/temp1/demo.zip

And the tool I used to capture the screen, lost too much quality

#11

I think I’m wildly optimistic with those figures. In fact, nobody has pulled off something like this. Large companies are working 5+ years on AAA games, that don’t have nearly the features described here, and have had a solid code base to start from, not to mention big investers for daily operation. And they certainly aren’t creating threads like ‘I need ideas…’ which is a clear indication of where this project will be headed.

#12

I just saw the video, and although it looks nice, for a one-person-team, it feels like a glorified modelloader, not an engine. Building a game out of such XML is horrific.

Anyway, judging from your video, you seem to have this personal problem with me, so I’ll abstain from further comments, as I don’t want this thread to end in a flamewar.

#13

Excuse me Raven. It was just a joke. I don’t have something against you. If you have felt bad, I’m sorry. I need some ideas about business, not about tech.

In any case, and based over your commentaries , you are agree with me in this is a great product if it is a reality. Even with your negative point of view, you have helped me in reafirming my idea it could not be an only open source product. Thanks for this point of view from the deep of my heart. I’m sorry if you have felt offended. It wasn’t my aim.

#14

This weekend, I’ll try to upload another video showing the programmability in Java and data binding. By this way, you’ll see that is not just a model loader.

#15

No, put the examples online. Don’t bother with huge videos when you can supply the real thing.

You also need to get a site made showing the examples, with tutorials, feature list, etc. I’d recommend distributing it for free in order to maximize use. If you manage to get lots of people using it then you have an audience you can try to sell products too.

#16

I’m working in the site. When it will be ready, I’ll announce it here between others sites. But the first thing is solve the business model, in order to be enough open to be widely adopted and enough “closed” for funding itself and make seed grow.

#17

did you ever eard about WRML ?? I dont get it, what would be the difference with blaxum contact ? and websites like vr4all ?

#18

Yes. I do. Of course. Simplicity (have you examined X3D?), database binding, better programmability, native input elements (textboxes,memos…) , and someother things like those. It is most RIA oriented. In any case , is bad for market two options?

#19

yes as soon as it came out, and just think that it was already dead before it born, too complexe as many other file fomrat try of this century that try to handle any possible cases

the problem I see is that I eard what you say like : (if I understand it, wich may not be the case :))

Imagine a declarative language that enable you to deploy 3d world in any browser and can do whatever is possible to do, what do you thinnk ?

it is impossible to make such thing (to large area of application) that handle any possibilities, it would be better to secialise it in something (and that’s IMHO why WRML never known huge success and why X3D have no futur), also what would be the benefit against using Java or any other 3D plugin ?

#20

:stuck_out_tongue: ;):))))))))

I don’t think the language and the viewer can do all whatever is possible. Really it enables to you to do it, and avoid wasting your time in the basis. Waste your time in repeating one and another time the same things. You can do with little verbosity and, for newbies, little knowledge of 3D programming decent environments. After this, if you evolve and you learn shaders, Java programming ,etc… you can begin to do complex things. But if you are a average designer wich want to implement part of your entire site in 3D (some day) you can do the models, textures and after this, even with a notepad you can put your scene in your site.

I don’t agree with this

I agree with this. But I think there are many reasons for this.

You don’t need programming in OpenGL, nor Java. You only need to declare your environment. And if you need a little complex behaviour, you have built-in functions. Only if you need medium-high or specialized functions need Java or Javascript to do it.

I hope that it could be free or almost free, with all its power.