There Forum

-There Universe
--Forum: There Discussion
---Topic: Poll: Is There the next "killer app"? started by Spliff

Spliff

Admin
843
Jan. 2003

Jan. 10 2003, 12:14 am

Do you think There is the next "killer app"?

KaDMaN

Members
1
Jan. 2003

Jan. 10 2003, 12:31 pm

I like it Spliff!

Karey

Members
35
Jan. 2003

Jan. 24 2003, 1:00 pm

It's really good. I'm just afraid they'll get too greedy and chase everyone away.

Mezameg

Awaiting Authorisation
10
Feb. 2003

Feb. 04 2003, 6:31 pm

Amen to Karey!

nezroy

Members
7
Feb. 2003

Feb. 16 2003, 12:37 pm

I'm actually worried about them not being greedy enough. Or, to slant it better, I'm worried that they are seriously underestimating how large and cool this could be, if they managed it right. I don't think There is thinking big enough yet.

CrystalShard

Members
380
Feb. 2003

Feb. 17 2003, 4:59 pm

There's technology is really good, and has lots of potential. Now the question is just how far are they willing to extend it, and if they are willing to tap the other possibilities There has beyond "making cash for the company".

Another question is if they will continue the rapid development of the technology after its opened, or if it will "stall" and stay as it is for a long duration in fear of scaring away users. Several other previous projects have allready suffered something similiar and woke up only when it got too late... lets hope it wouldnt happen here as well.

Dorian

Members
45
Feb. 2003

Feb. 18 2003, 11:00 am

I figure the monthly fee will kill There...or atleast make it dramatically smaller/less relevant than it's potential.

Personally I believe There should make it's money by selling T$ and taking commission (like Paypal) for money transfers.

Dorian

Squeaker

Members
192
Feb. 2003

Feb. 19 2003, 4:16 am

I think a tier-ed system is the best way for There to go. Personally if it isn't a monthly fee baised game in the end I will probably leave.
Or at least more than one option.... I won't be creating new clothes, new designs in general nor will I be creating items. It will be a while before I feel comfortable with the idea of hosting a get together so I want access to a Therebucks allowance. I hate the idea of having to go "How many Therebucks can I afford this month" so just tell me "X" dollars a month and I will pay it gladly. But I am smart enought to know that not everyone feels the same as me so give another option for those who don't like the idea of a monthly fee. "The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skills, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Potter - or at least, most minds are."
-Severus Snape

Red_Eye

Members
15
Feb. 2003

Feb. 21 2003, 2:28 pm

I'm ok with the monthly fee as long as they give us = There bux in return! so 10 bux a month equals 10000+ There bux! That would be great. Cuz then, you get hooked up and always have a constant flow of money to spend on all the new and exiting materials that the user base will create. If it works out like that, it would be worth it. -Red_Eye

aqualoco

Members
147
Feb. 2003

Feb. 26 2003, 5:29 pm

At first I said yes in the poll, but now I'm on the maybe side of things. While I personally think THERE is very cool there are 2 things in the beggining that will may affect its outcome.

First I hope they will have an aggresive Ad campaign. How many computer games and/or software you thought was cool just didn't make it because they were either overshadowed by bigger hyped releases or were just sleeper hits?

Second is the how they will market there. Now i know a lot of people get offended if THERE is reffered to as a game or mmorpg. But I think many of the people who will have the initial interest will be gamers, then their friends and family. I mean, if you dont put THERE in the game section of a software store wher else would you put it? While an interactive world is cool, it may be a hard sell to many people. Ecspecially since there is a monthly fee involved.

So that's just my two cents. I'm not saying I'm right or wrong, just some ideas I have been thinking about. :puts on flame shield:

I was playing a female avatar in there, before it was cool.

Sworn to fun, loyal to none.

MMORPG= Many Men Role Playing Girls

CrystalShard

Members
380
Feb. 2003

Feb. 28 2003, 10:24 am

As much as I hate calling There a game, I guess you're right. If its to be hyped, then its better to hype it as a game then anything else.

Most people will just dont get it if you call it anything else... ah well.

ThereDevil

Members
17
Mar. 2003

Mar. 07 2003, 11:42 am

Hmmm.... There will not BE in the stores I think... download from site will continue...

I think it'll be interesting to see what happens once they scale this up. Somehow the limited number of people in the chat groups is already a problem during busy times -- balloons are confusing and you cannot add more people to the chat due to screen width and/or presentation issues. What will happen once there are 50,000 active users? There are several UI issues to be resolved first...

I also wonder if they have anough manpower to scale up the world designs... Maybe they should let visitors build them... get their labor for free (the ability to make designs was smart) or give them a virtual return (T$

which someone will cash back into real $ i the future.

Anyway, to get back to the issue... it's good, more interesting than anything I've seen in a long time... as long as they're able to innovate quickly enough and listen to users (and innovate) this thing could be a round for quite some time..

CrystalShard

Members
380
Feb. 2003

Mar. 07 2003, 1:12 pm

Allready mentioned this, but nothing bad at repeating it again:
Chat-group chat box. Having a chat-box while being in a chat-group will help, -alot-.

Also: The current chat-box is extremly small and uncomfortable. I personally prefer < AW's > and < PP3D's > chat box style (big chat box on buttom of screen), or even < VirtualUniverse >'s chatbox style (big chat box.. on top of screen :mrgreen:

)

Raptor

Members
57
Mar. 2003

Mar. 08 2003, 7:51 pm

i voted "too soon to tell" it really is they could really mess things up by overcharging and other things

hiteckart

Members
449
Mar. 2003

Mar. 15 2003, 8:36 am

Even with the new update, which made it less likeable to me, There is just an Okay app. It is very cool, but the stuff you can't do like go under water, see the birds and monkies, and all that other stuff you hear in the woods, and physical stuff, besides kiss - what about shake hands, drop kick, and break dance? Those cant do's turn me off a little.

If you mix a little more Max Payne and a little more Tony Hawk, and take out a little bit more of the Monopoly and Simms elements, and touch it up with some good ole' Spriderman and Matrix engins'. We might just have a Blockbuster, untill then it's a good place to kill 10 hours. There Police Department Sheriffs
Single In There
SCREENSHOTS Club

Maagic

Members
48
Mar. 2003

Mar. 17 2003, 10:16 pm

I hope they DO start putting There in stores... they already said they will be including There discs with new ATI cards and other hardware and I'm sure the monthly computer magazines will have it on there.

In a perfect world I'd rather them not charge to use There, but they gotta make money somehow too... I'd rather they give users the option of paying for it, but letting people use There for free as well, just not getting a allowance of Tb or not letting them buy the more elaborate things.

I have been following these virtual environment programs for years and There has me hooked. I hope it doesn't become so popular to the point that it gets ruined by griefers or (even worse) hackers and people who just want to ruin people's good times. I'm sure the There-iverse will grow, but in the end will it be big ENOUGH?

The main things I think that will hurt There are:

Steep hardware requirements. A recent Maximum PC article revealed that most people are using 2 and 3 year old hardware. No one is going to want to have to buy a $300 video card to chat in There (especially having to pay a monthly fee on top of that)

Cartoonish avatars. I'd like to see a little more detail and texture to the avatars and a lot more emotes and physical things you can do with them. My mind's not in the gutter, but I'm sure others will want various risque things for their avatars to do. Granted it's still in beta now and the avatars may get a makeover before final launch... we'll see

Bugs. I don't know how many times I've been hoverboarding along and hit a invisible tree or have my board yanked out from under me because I went into a "No paintgun" zone. Also when teleporting into a clubhouse or other structure not at ground level, my avatar keeps falling/jumping until the floor of the structure finally appears. This and the standard rubberbanding issues definately need to be fixed.

Ok long post alert. Sorry... Despite all the things I posted above, I still really enjoy There and can't wait for them to open back up! :laugh:

Maagic
AKA Mollari
www.smallvillefans.com

MadCat

Members
4
Mar. 2003

Mar. 24 2003, 10:43 pm

I too have been following these virtual environment programs for years and feel that There has a lot going for it. I voted "Too soon to tell" because, well, it is. From my experience regardless of the pricing structure people will pay as long as the quality of the users is at a high level. I'm a real newbie here and have to say that There currently has a great group of people playing online. If the quality of the users radically changes and we get "griefers or (even worse) hackers and people who just want to ruin people's good times" like Maagic describes then people won't stick around. Let's face it, for the most part your fellow There inhabitants ARE the entertainment value of the world. Saturday night I was playing Oscar Trivia and had a blast (Even though the server crashed) and the fun was generated by the comments and personalities of those playing....just like in the REAL world. (Then again winning might have clouded my opinion a bit.

) If changing the pricing structure chases away the core group of excellent players/chatters then There is Doomed. If they stay and virtually prosper then There prospers in both worlds.

I have to totally agree with ThereDevil when he said "as long as they're able to innovate quickly enough and listen to users (and innovate) this thing could be a round for quite some time.. " I feel that the There Universe will have to continue to evolve to keep people around. There certainly appears to be enough room for many worlds. I would like to see some kind of D&D game world creep in for those so inclined and maybe a little of Max Payne :gun2:

like hiteckart suggested. Eventually there could be something for everyone if There continues to grow.

Ariadne

Members
467
Feb. 2003

April 09 2003, 1:46 pm

I think it would be great if There gives us an allowance of Therebucks each month, kind of like a wage packet lol, then if we want more we have to figure out how to make the money or buy more. It shouldn't be too much, like maybe 8-10,000 T$, and I think it would be cool if there were more jobs available in game for people to make money by working for other players.
Of course I'd like it if There were providing the jobs, but that isn't going to happen while you can exchange T$ for real money, as we may end up having to pay tax on the money we earn in the game! "Cake or Death?" ~ Eddie Izzard

Come join my There yahoo group! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ThereMeetingPlace

LucasMoon

Members
16
April 2003

April 11 2003, 10:31 am

Sound weird....so dont laugh

They should make something like neopets. You make money and you are able to save it in a bank where you can make interrest....like a real world concept.

Have games you can play and make some money.

They already have the concept of making ways for us to make money...like auctions and making design and so on. But not everyone are able to sell something if they dont have it or want to sell. Or making designing material is not everyone can do also. So they have to think for the little people also...

For me...I like to stick around ..i am starting to like it..but I wont pay every month like i did with the simsonline...I would just leave.

I use to be with 3Dworld chat and pay only one time fee for one year..which was totally incredible and great price. Maybe they should look into that way if they want to catch young and older people.

ps: sorry for my typos. I am french

seriously.

AmThere.com

Members
38
April 2003

April 16 2003, 7:04 pm

I have tried other virtual worlds before but they just got on my nerves if there wasn’t a problem with the program it was the people who had problems :devil:

. I agree with “Maagic” I have only been there once and There has me hooked. I don’t live in sunny Cali or Florida where most things are beautiful (not only the girls), my college town suxs big-time and There is my way of getting out

(at least until I can go back home to NYC).

In terms of paying for There, I think that we should be able to pay in ThereBucks. This way the people who really love there will find a way to make T$ and not have to pay any real money at all, and the people who don’t feel the need to make ThereBucks can just buy them and pay. But hay maybe am wrong What Do You Think??

Tansy

Members
285
April 2003

April 21 2003, 6:41 pm

I voted Too Soon to Tell.

They're obviously still working on There (pun intended) and still have to work on stuff like fees etc. Only time will tell, but meanwhile, all the beta testers can help in the building. Meanwhile, think I broke my mouse working on hoverboard skills

Track ball, anyone?

evankirk

Members
1375
April 2003

May 25 2003, 8:16 am

The next killer app will be a spam filter that actually works! There 4 All - Community Journal
http://there4all.thereinperson.com

"Old bagel hating, cranky southern old codger" - Lordpenquin
==============================

Hugo

Members
8
May 2003

May 28 2003, 5:57 am

Quote (Karey @ Jan. 24 2003, 1:00 pm)

It's really good. I'm just afraid they'll get too greedy and chase everyone away.

yeah I think this could be the next killer app, if it's marketed correctly, if the economy remains stable, and the monthly fee is just right ('doh). :respect:

Micole

Members
2
May 2003

May 28 2003, 2:45 pm

Quote (aqqualoco @ Feb. 26 2003, 5:29 pm)

First off, I don't think you should worry about a lack of agressive ad campaigns. Unlike former "killer apps" that came and went, There has some major _commerical_ backing interests. They'll want a return on their investment and ads are a good way to ensure it.

Second of all, There won't be "on the shelves" of any software gaming store, anymore than other social online venues are currently sitting in the "game aisles". (I'm not including games-that-have-social-interaction in this case). I cannot imagine anyone in There's marketing making such a blunder as to push this new concept as a "MMOG" to software dealers. There's a reason people are touchy about hearing There being called "a game", and I can honestly say I'm one of those touchy folks, because I've looked at things from the backend (QA Analyst, animator, game designer) and so I suppose I know the difference. Heck, the Maxis folks used to insist on calling all the "Sim" products "toys" because "game" implies a set goal to be achieved while "toy" are open-ended activities. If you must call There anything, it's a Meta-Toy.

Thirdly, there's already a few non-gamers in There. I can vouch for a few, as a lot of my friends who have gathered in There are primarily into social interraction and not games.

Lastly, I've been directly and indirectly involved in "Cyberspace" for over 20 years, and I can personally say I have enough faith in what the movers-and-shakers at There are doing that I'm actively doing my part to help make it happen. (Heck, my husband and friends think I should be getting paid for this! )

Remember, boys and girls, that we are beta testers of a radical new incarnation of online interraction. The folks at There _want_ us to tell them our loves and hates: they are actively working to use our information to create the best product they can. We're not just sneaking in a backdoor and being unnoticed. We're PART of the whole plan. Use that power wisely.

:holdme:

Micole (I'm not ThereStaff, but I play one on TV)

Squeaker

Members
192
Feb. 2003

May 28 2003, 4:59 pm

If you guys want to become technical, then MMORPG's shouldn't be called games either. If you say "oh well you are trying to max out your character" well then how do you explain the people in There who want to know what they need to do to raise their skills? I always shake my head at this.

I agree with 90% of what you've said Micole, but I just had to have my say on that one point. "The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skills, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Potter - or at least, most minds are."
-Severus Snape

Vikio

Members
627
June 2003

Aug. 06 2003, 12:55 am

Quote (Micole @ May 28 2003, 2:45 pm)

[quote=aqqualoco,Feb. 26 2003, 5:29 pm]Remember, boys and girls, that we are beta testers of a radical new incarnation of online interraction. The folks at There _want_ us to tell them our loves and hates: they are actively working to use our information to create the best product they can. We're not just sneaking in a backdoor and being unnoticed. We're PART of the whole plan. Use that power wisely.

Well, Actually, most of us ARE sneaking in the back door...^_~ wink-wink, nudge-nudge
But seriously, I really like that last paragraph, Micole. This is the best thing about There and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The people at There actually CARE about us, can you believe it? And they're changing There all the time to make it better for us. Also, this is the only game (metaverse, whatever) that I know of, where so much can be changed by the people playing it. I mean all the designs, and custom Racetracks, and Quests, and MORE is COMING!
'sigh I love There :hearts:

Never Knows Best...

Pugs

Members
20
Aug. 2003

Aug. 12 2003, 6:57 pm

Well I just started a couple of days ago and I'm loving it so much I've abandoned that other role-playing game *cough*sims-online*cough* At this rate...TSO will be losing 2 of my 4 accounts at LEAST!

netrider6

Members
211
May 2003

Aug. 20 2003, 5:29 pm

I'm waiting for my CD(curse you dail-up!!!

and I'm not sure what a 'killer app' is, but when There is done gathering it's force's and fune tuning, It will blown TSO out of the water! It took the smart approach and didn't rush things for money... May:
Still not in There.

Fate is cruel.

Edit:8/18/03
I got accepted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spokjet
UNREGISTERED

Guests
N/A
--

Aug. 28 2003, 5:40 pm

[move][blur :bounce:

Troz

Members
1270
July 2003

Aug. 30 2003, 12:17 pm

Now that I'm in There, I can finally say that yes, I think There has true potential. I just hope the company stays focused on making it as enjoyable an experience as possible and doesn't get money hungry! Oh, and could someone help me with the *cough* back *cough* door *cough*. Damned Raisin Bran! Gets stuck in my throat... :look:

Meeting people is God's doing. Walking away is what we humans do.
Gig 'Em! :thumbsup:

http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/ <----I :hearts:

you Mackie

Diana

Members
9
July 2003

Sep. 17 2003, 3:46 pm

Most definately! Since the web was developed by the department of defense years ago we've seen more and more of the world around us be brought to the web. What's better than living in a world ON the web? I can see the whole web being based upon this technology someday.

Trochai

Members
32
Aug. 2003

Sep. 17 2003, 5:51 pm

While There certainly fits many of the criteria of the Killer App, I am not sure this is the appropriate title for it. It goes beyond the Killer App. If There plays their cards right, this may be the next permutation of the internet as a whole. I envision going to an online store, trying a t-shirt on my avie, seeing how it looks, putting in an order, and having a package with my new clothes arrive at my apartment a week later. I envision going to the MercedesThere to take a look at the newest Mercedes Model in full 3D, meeting with an online sales associate to answer my questions and schedule a RL Test Drive. But There has to make the game more Real to make this happen, and THAT is what will define whether There truly is the Next Killer App.