Your
avatar can walk forward and backward, turn in any direction,
look up, look down, and yes, walk through walls and even fly too!
There are some options as to your views of this place as well. You
can take it all in through the eyes of your avatar, or get a "third
person"
view, as though there was a camera high up behind the head of your
avatar. So, you can see "yourself" interacting with all of the
other
Alpha citizens and scenery.
Walking and flying
aren't the only way to get around in Alpha
World. It's such a huge place, that wouldn't get you very far. You
can also teleport to new locations, either by stepping into one of the
many conveniently located teleporters, or just by choosing the teleport
option from the program's menu. The second option requires that you
enter coordinates to where you want to go, in the form of xxxN xxxE;
where xxx is a number, and the N is for North, S is for South, .....
I think you get the idea. So, when you find a cool place, just make
note of the coordinates that you are at, and you'll always be able to
get back there.
From what I understand
there are little communities popping up
all over Alpha World for special interest groups. I read about one
that is for "bears" and those who like them. I'm a pretty new
immigrant to Alpha World, and I don't really know my way around
yet. As a matter of fact, I still haven't found the location that I read
about in the newsgroups, that got me looking here in the first place.
But not to worry, everywhere I go I meet nice people who are more
than happy to help me get around. That is the whole idea. You don't
get many instructions from the people who created this place. They
want you to explore, and definitely engage in conversation with others
to figure out how it all works. It's kind of neat, really. Months from
now, when I'm more of a native, I'm sure that it will mean a lot more
to me that I learned it by experience rather than just reading some
instructions.
Not only is the scenery
fantastic here, but the soundtrack is an
absolute blast as well. That's right --the soundtrack! Not only are
there environmental sounds like chirping birds, babbling brooks,
and crackling fireplaces, but, different places you go to have different
themes. The music is a fascinating mix of MIDI and real audio. It's
very sophisticated, and I've never heard anything quite like it, before.
There is everything from dance to jazz to pop to the spookiest, weird
stuff I've heard since Pink Floyd!
All you need to make
the trek to Alpha World is a Pentium based
computer and a fully interactive Internet service connection, like
rainbow-akron.com. Not all online services will allow you to go there.
The software installation is a snap. You put your Email address into a
form, and about a half hour later, you will receive an Email message
from Alpha World that contains your immigration number and a
welcome. No bags to pack, no tickets to check. You are on your way!
One word of caution
for you cyber-space-truckers out there; once
you visit Alpha World, you might not want to come back!!! JL.
:o)
|
