For Second Life Doctor Who enthusiasts, there are a number of TARDIS time capsule purveyors across the Grid. Three of the major players are Hands of Omega, Novatech, and New London Systems. This year, with the arrival of a new series--and a new TARDIS interior--all three outfits have been working on their own versions of the Matt Smith console room. New London got theirs out first, and erected a much higher prim "demo" version. Hands of Omega is said to come out with theirs in the spring. And just in time for Christmas, Novatech released theirs with a genuine demo model at their space station headquarters. At a price tag of $2400 Lindens, I didn't even blink before snatching it up.
I have been eager to see what people make of the Matt Smith TARDIS, one of the most stunning and ambitious sets the BBC has ever produced for the long-running drama. One of the key challenges, of course, was prims. For non-residents, a "prim" is the basic building block of any object in the digital world of Second Life. Made up of polygons, prims can be modeled into just about anything using the object editor. As a general rule of thumb, the more ornate and detailed an object, the more prims it must be built of. Low-prim objects tend to look lumpy and cartoonish. With the massive complexity of the Smith TARDIS (see below), it was clear that any Second Life version was going to be a prim-heavy monster. This matters because when people rent land in Second Life, they have a prim limit, a maximum number of objects they can "rez" or open on their property. To reach the greatest number of customers, designers need to strike a balance between less prims and detail.
The Matt Smith 2010 TARDIS Interior
The Much Simpler 1985 "Classic" Interior
Weighing in at 736 prims, the Novatech Smith Console is not exactly "small," but it does a very good job of capturing the detail and size of the Series 5 set without being impossible to rez. My parcel of land has a limit of 937 prims, but it is the unique quality of Novatech's "rezzing" system that makes it easy for me to own.
Basically, it works like this: Hand of Omega console rooms are essentially "skyboxes," permanent structures that you rez in the skies over your parcel. The doorway of each is a portal system. Inside your skybox, you set the coordinates on your console, the TARDIS "travels" awhile, and then you exit through the portal. It teleports you whatever location in the Grid you programmed, and a TARDIS exterior materializes around you. Thus the illusion is created that the TARDIS is A) bigger on the inside, and B) has travelled in Time and Space.
The Novatech console traditionally works along the opposite lines. The TARDIS exterior--be it a Police Box or whatever--is itself a vehicle. You can climb in and pilot it, flying around. You can also teleport around the grid. Inside the vehicle you can store various console rooms, corridors, and additional chambers. By parking the TARDIS, you simply touch the craft and receive a menu from which you select what room you want to rez. In other words, the Hands of Omega versions are skyboxes that rez capsules, while the Novatech models are capsules that rez skyboxes.
I mention all of this because the Smith Console does both. Like any Novatech TARDIS, the capsule is a small vehicle that flies and teleports around the Grid, rezzing console rooms and additional chambers around it when needed. But it also includes a portal doorway, activated at the console. This doorway is part of a vast network compatible with all Novatech portal systems. To my mind, this is the greatest advantage of Novatech Time Capsules. While both Hands of Omega and New London Systems just do TARDISes and Doctor Who related products, Novatech has a vast line of products that are all compatible with each other. They have Star Trek rooms, teleport systems reminiscent of Stargate, the Star Trek transporters, and even the Harry Potter flue powder network. Because of this, a wider number of people use Novatech goods and you can access any of them with the Smith portal, giving you hundreds of locations programmed right into your TARDIS console to teleport to and explore.
If this wasn't enough, the Smith TARDIS console also produces and provides its owner with sonic screwdriver sets (including old and new versions, as well as the Master's "laser" screwdriver). These devices can't actually open all locks in the Grid, but the do allow you to pass through the wall or doorway in front of you, creating the same effect.
As both an emDash (a personal teleporter device that does about fifty amazing things, including rezzing scenes and objects around you) and Horizons (a "holodeck system," or rezzer that allows you to build and store complex buildings, objects, and scene and rez them when desired), Novatech's Time Capsules are for me ideal. All the technology is compatible, which between my TARDIS, emDash, and Horizons system allows me to have a massive TARDIS with a dozen console rooms, libraries, swimming pools, bedrooms, corridors, etc all on just 937 prims of space. The Smith Console is, to my mind, one of Novatech's finest achievements, really creating the illusion of being a Timelord with all Time and Space at your disposal.
The Smith Console Room From An Angle Similar To The Shot Above
Basically, it works like this: Hand of Omega console rooms are essentially "skyboxes," permanent structures that you rez in the skies over your parcel. The doorway of each is a portal system. Inside your skybox, you set the coordinates on your console, the TARDIS "travels" awhile, and then you exit through the portal. It teleports you whatever location in the Grid you programmed, and a TARDIS exterior materializes around you. Thus the illusion is created that the TARDIS is A) bigger on the inside, and B) has travelled in Time and Space.
The Novatech console traditionally works along the opposite lines. The TARDIS exterior--be it a Police Box or whatever--is itself a vehicle. You can climb in and pilot it, flying around. You can also teleport around the grid. Inside the vehicle you can store various console rooms, corridors, and additional chambers. By parking the TARDIS, you simply touch the craft and receive a menu from which you select what room you want to rez. In other words, the Hands of Omega versions are skyboxes that rez capsules, while the Novatech models are capsules that rez skyboxes.
I mention all of this because the Smith Console does both. Like any Novatech TARDIS, the capsule is a small vehicle that flies and teleports around the Grid, rezzing console rooms and additional chambers around it when needed. But it also includes a portal doorway, activated at the console. This doorway is part of a vast network compatible with all Novatech portal systems. To my mind, this is the greatest advantage of Novatech Time Capsules. While both Hands of Omega and New London Systems just do TARDISes and Doctor Who related products, Novatech has a vast line of products that are all compatible with each other. They have Star Trek rooms, teleport systems reminiscent of Stargate, the Star Trek transporters, and even the Harry Potter flue powder network. Because of this, a wider number of people use Novatech goods and you can access any of them with the Smith portal, giving you hundreds of locations programmed right into your TARDIS console to teleport to and explore.
A Closer-Look At the Incredibly Detailed Console
If this wasn't enough, the Smith TARDIS console also produces and provides its owner with sonic screwdriver sets (including old and new versions, as well as the Master's "laser" screwdriver). These devices can't actually open all locks in the Grid, but the do allow you to pass through the wall or doorway in front of you, creating the same effect.
The Portal System Door (on the left) Lets You Travel All Over the Grid, While the Monitor (the Large Circle to the Right) Allows You to View Pictures or Watch Streaming Media
As both an emDash (a personal teleporter device that does about fifty amazing things, including rezzing scenes and objects around you) and Horizons (a "holodeck system," or rezzer that allows you to build and store complex buildings, objects, and scene and rez them when desired), Novatech's Time Capsules are for me ideal. All the technology is compatible, which between my TARDIS, emDash, and Horizons system allows me to have a massive TARDIS with a dozen console rooms, libraries, swimming pools, bedrooms, corridors, etc all on just 937 prims of space. The Smith Console is, to my mind, one of Novatech's finest achievements, really creating the illusion of being a Timelord with all Time and Space at your disposal.
No comments:
Post a Comment