From what I see, Blue Mars is still slated to be a place where content creators will be able to exercise some advanced tools in creating a virtual world and socializers will be able to enjoy the works. But, it lacks the gray area in between that Second Life has. (>_<)
So, this is the house that Desmond built. (^_^)
So far he's consistent. But, that's where my critique starts. In a way, he has succeeded in making Blue Mars look like Second Life. Now, I'm not sure if this good or bad thing yet. But, to me, it seems like he's under-utilizing the potential Blue Mars has. (>_<)
* Builds are still created with boxes that use textures to simulate depth.
* Plants and trees have a 'default' like appearance that do very little to break the monotony of the area.
* Most of the area resembles a shopping mall. There are plenty of potential rental suites around with no doors, open floor plans, and limited social centers in between.
It's great to see such an ambitious effort. Desmond is taking a risk he regrets NOT taking years ago in Second Life. Still, it doesn't make me any more confident in the platform. What exists so far is a huge investment of time and money with a very fuzzy future. (^_^)
About Blue Mars, itself... I'm still miffed at the forced window size I have to run in. Navigation is a chore. The "pretty" graphics fail to really impress. FPS and performance is far better than SL, I'll give them credit for that. And, without more people, there is zero incentive to use the service since all I've been able to do so far is walk around a static showcase. (=_=)y
