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| * What brings Activeworlds in 2020 ? |
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| See Forum : F9 - tabsheet Notepad - Forums - Teamwork - post: Happy New Year. |
| Chris (#290065) , the programmer of Activeworlds, is now busy with a new VOIP system, which will be better in quality and up to date with the new technologies and software. This will take a few months with testing in beta version first. |
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| Chris has announced in his New Year's forum post very good and promising news! We will be able to use approx.10 new file formats, like FBX, Collada DAE , OBJ and 3DS. |
| Especially the file format OBJ is very useful as this file format can be imported from and exported to many popular modeling programs, which is not the case for the current file formats in use in Activeworlds .(.RWX , .COB and .X). This will be implemented in a seperate public world (the new objects type will not be applied in the current public worlds). |
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| Another thing for later in 2020 : The render backup will be updated to various operating systems. This will also bring advanced shading technologies. |
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| A new concept of world building will be introduced, with OP management, and model format conversion to an unified format. But this is something on a long term view, not certain if it will be for 2020. |
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| * Activeworlds gets 25 ! |
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| This year will be a special year for Activeworlds, as in june, the program will have been online for 25 years. Something that will really be celebrated . |
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| * Windows 7 support stops in january 2020. |
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| See : F9 - tabsheet Notepad - Forums - Help&Support -post: Windows 7 Lifecycle |
| It has already been announced in the newpages of july 2019, but Microsoft stops the support for the operating system Windows 7, and Activeworlds will follow this policy. Activeworlds won't put any energy or effort in ancient versions that are not supported anymore, and prefers keeping up with the new technologies and new software. |
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| * AW 6.6 : Rotate Command - Pivot Option |
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| In december, the option pivot has been introduced for the rotate command, and this is how you can use it : |
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| An object rotates around its own object axis, but with the pivot option, the object can rotate outside the object axis.The pivot values are typed between double quotes. |
| create rotate 2 pivot="0 0 2" |
| If you want a larger orbit of the object, then you enter a higher value for the pivot |
| create rotate 2 pivot="0 0 3" |
| If you want to rotate several objects in sync, then you add the option "sync" : |
| create rotate 2 pivot="0 0 1.25" sync |
| A negative value of the pivot makes the rotation to the other side of the object: : |
| create rotate 2 pivot="0 0 -1.25" sync |
| You can find examples about this option in the tutorial area in Yellow world: |
| Yellow 1906N 1392W |
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| * AW version 6.6 |
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| The AW program has been upgraded to version 6.6 already since july 2019, and consists mainly of optimizing the program for the newest software (Chrome Embedded Framework, VLC for media) . |
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| Besides this, there have been small fixes, like for instance using smaller building icons for Camera object, so that the objects remain visible in building mode. |
| In december, the pivot option for the rotate command has been introduced.Objects can also rotate now outside the object axis. |
| In february, the VOIP has been replaced by a new codec ,the VOIP program has been re-written. On 22nd march, the new VOIP can be used in Private worlds (size > p10). |
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| * VOIP has been replaced by a new codec |
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| During the first months of 2020, Chris (#290065) has been busy with re-writing the VOIP program. The VOIP has become easier to use for everyone, and the quality of sound has been improved. Testing VOIP can be done in the world AWWelcome. |
| See : F9 - tabsheet Notepad - Forums - Teamwork - post: Voice Chat. |
| With the new VOIP software, the microphone will adjust automatically. If you use speakers, then put your speakers at a distance from your microphone. If you use a headset, then you achieve best quality. |
| Read more about using Voice Chat on this webpage : |
| venice3d.net/2020bots7.html |
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| * New VOIP settings for World owners |
| For world owners: world owners with worlds of size p20 or larger need to change the world features. Go in the menu to : Options - World - Features |
| Scroll down until you see "Voice Chat". |
| In the field VOIPCast Host , you type : voice.activeworlds.com |
| In the field VOIPCast Port, you type : 9000 |
| VOIP Global in Conference Mode : if you check this,then the voice chat will be in the entire world. If you uncheck this, then you only have voice chat with the users nearby. |
| Moderated Mode is not applied at this moment for private worlds. |
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| VOIP settings for world owners |
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| * New website : Myactiveworlds.com |
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| This website myactiveworlds.com has been started by Dovestar (#278411), and replaces the website activeworlds.info, which was last year only online for a few months . |
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| * Activeworlds 2019 visitor statistics |
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In may 2019, the use of bots in the Activeworlds landing zone has been restricted, which has disabled the statistical information that was offered by the websites of Tomas (#312020) (Pens.sytes.net) and by Strike Rapier (#334303) (AWPortals.com). |
| This means that we can only make an analysis based on less accurate information. |
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| * Number of worlds |
| The number of worlds has dropped from 555 to 528 worlds. There are several reasons for this. First reason is lack of a community spokesman, and the drop in events and visitors, causing people not to renew their world. A second reason is that fact that self-hosting has been discontinued : All citizens that hosted their worlds themselves had to choose one of the accepted community hosts or activeworlds for their world hosting. |
| However, it was necessary to have a clear offer in world hosting. Activeworlds hasn't offered world hosting from 2012 till 2019, and it was also not very clear where the citizens could go for their hosting solutions. |
| At the end of 2019, more worlds have been started up, compared to the rest of 2019, so this new policy has a positive effect. |
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| * User stats |
| For this , we rely now on information from Activeworlds itself, announcing in the AW Forum that there are up to 48 users at peak hours (party times). |
| As the accurate information of the bot statistics has gone, you can make statistics on a personal basis, by making yourself a database file of the number of online clients, for instance on a weekly or monthly basis (by registrating yourself the number of online clients at those moments). Unfortunately , the number of visitors has dropped in 2019, but if you add several people in your contact list, you will notice that they return to Activeworlds on a very regular basis. And if you add all the people that you see online, you will get quickly to 100 contacts in your contact list. |
| Everyone knows that the drop in number of visitors is a problem. This is a general problem that also exists in other (competing) 3d chatsites. And Activeworlds has announced in their new years' post to encourage to actively spend time in the AW Landing Zone, in order to keep up the community spirit. |
| See: F9 - tabsheet Notepad - Forums - Teamwork - post: Happy New Year. |
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| * Citizen Registrations |
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| There is still 1 way to view the new citizens (with their citizen numbers) , and that is on the website of Tomas (#312020) : |
| pens.sytes.net/aw/users/cits.php |
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| Also here you can make statistics on a personal basis, by making yourself a database file of the new citizens, for instance on a weekly or monthly basis. For instance on the 1st of each month, you can note down, which citizen number was brand new that day, and 1 month later you do the same again, and than you know how the number of new visitors per month. But in that case, you also need to take into account, that there are always people with a new account, which are in fact former citizens of Activeworlds. |
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| * Edje has passed away |
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| In december 2019 , Edje (#360693), has passed away (probably from a heartattack).. Around 2009, Edje had a p50 building world in Activeworlds with the name Oblivion , but he didn't renew because it wasn't successful. But on the other hand, Edje played a leading role in the AW-Europe universe, starting in 2005, where he had more than 10 worlds , and of which his world Edsdream was the main world. This was also a building world where he ran building contests, and hosted dance parties, because Edje also hosted his own internetradio called Dreamradio. |
| He had a big fanclub of building members (more than 40) , but as from 2011, he got in conflict with the universe owner Emmanuel , because he didn't get the discount that Emmanuel had promised to him , and stopped his worlds. Edje was later often online in Activeworlds, but didn't restart a world, although he had plans to do that. |
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| World Entry point of the world Esdream ( 2008 ) |
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| Edje in 2009. |
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| Personal avatar (PAV) of Edje |
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| Building contest in the world Edsdream with "levels", first week of the building contest started at the outside borders of the world , where everyone could join the building contest on a building plot (size 6x6cells). If your building was excellent, then the next week you could go to level 2, otherwise you remained at level 1. After 6 weeks, there was a final winner of the building contest. |
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| Some of his worlds that he had in the AW-Europe universe : Edsdream, Fantasia, Fantasi2 , Angels, BoneShot, Dream4u2. |
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| Building terrains of Edsdream during the "levels" contest (2010) |
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| The world Fantasia ( Christmas Hunt Games in 2010 ) |
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| The world Fantasi2 (Christmas Hunt Games in 2010 ) |
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| The lasergame world BoneShot (2011) |
| Bones were more difficult to hit than human flesh. |
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| Catwalk for the Avatarshow contest in Edsdream (2009) |
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| The world Dream4u2 with music video streaming (2009) |
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| The world Angels (2009) |
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| * New worlds |
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| * Samara |
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| This world is onwed by Yan. (#354127) |
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| * Johnnypsworld |
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| This p10-sized world is owned by Johnnyp (#391423) . |
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| * SouthBay |
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| This is a p20-sized world, owner is Bob Falfa (#330056) |
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| * Wolkenland |
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| This P10-sized world is owned by Panne (#365962) |
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| * Blackwater |
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| This new world is owned by Snowkupp (#353181). |
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| * Peacecity |
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| Peacecity was formerly a galaxy, more than a decade ago. Now Activeworlds has put this galaxy-world online in the worlds list. |
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| Wolkenland |
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| * News from the worlds |
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| * DAAP : Intersculpt 2020 |
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| F9 -> Notepad -> Forum -> Teamwork -> post : Digital Sculpture Contest |
| and Exposition |
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| The p40-sized world DAAP exists already since 1996, and is all about digital sculpting The world is hosted by Derrick W (#12732) . |
| derrickwoodham.net/dwoodham/daap.htm |
| derrickwoodham.net/dwoodham/daap2.htm |
| derrickwoodham.net |
| The world DAAP is also focused on the event Intersculpt, which is a real life event,more information can be found on the website arsmathematica.org . |
| Intersculpt exists since 1993, it's 2-yearly event until 2013. Then the event was less frequent : an event in 2016 and now again in june 2020 (in Paris). |
| For this occasion there is a Digital Sculpture contest (until the end of february). More information can be found on : arsmathematica.org/IS2020/dsc2020.html . There you can read that Derrick is one of the jury members of the contest. |
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| * Supportive website for the world Vision2 |
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| There is a new website for the world Vision2, owned by Mariane (#308688) . |
| The website is called http://aws.cordes.re/ . There you can read about an article of 2002, telling that she discovered AW in 1996 and she was a Peacekeeper in that time. She also had 2 worlds, Vision2 and Bridge1 and she also started up the town Pippinville in Alphaworld (1952S 2568E). More than a decade later, Mariane has returned to Activeworlds and started up the world Vision2 again, and also the world Vision2OY. |
| In her new website, you can read about news items of her world Vision2. There is also a huge picture gallery about Pippinville. |
| And there are also theme galleries: Mariane likes showing new themes in her world. Each time when you re-enter her world, you might see a totally different 3d scene. |
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| * List of Cities in Alphaworld |
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| F9 -> Notepad -> Forum -> Building -> post : Cities in Alphaworld |
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| MeL (#341444) has posted a list of all the cities located in Alphaworld, the largest world of Activeworlds. It's an alphabetical list, and there have been found 262 cities in total, and all those cities have a name. Also their coordinates have been added with their main builder(s).That makes hundreds of towns still to be explored ! |
| Some cities are popular and have also been described in the webpages of this website: Bleakwood, Ethernicity, Fantasia, Greenville, Happy Valley, Horizon City, Pippinville, R Town, Star City, SW City, Ursine City, and Zelena |
| The list has been set up by BusyLion (#304932) , and is certainly worthwhile to be published in the AW Forum. |
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