Important note: The SL Go service is to be shut down on April 30th, 2015. For more information, please read this report.
As I (among others) reported on Tuesday, October 14th, OnLive released a version of their SL Go service for the iPad.
At the time of the release, there was an unexpected rotation issue which meant that the screen orientation was locked in one horizontal orientation – if you flipped the iPad around, the screen would appear upside down, although the input areas might actually flip with the screen but still be displayed as if they were upside down.
This was a particular nuisance for people using a bluetooth keyboard or docking station with their iPad, as it meant the viewer would be displayed upside down when docked with either.
On Friday, October 24th, Dennis Harper from OnLive dropped me a note to inform me that this rotation issue has now been corrected, The app should update for those who already have it, and the fix is now a part of all downloads obtained via the Apple iTunes store.
Updates for the week ending: Sunday October 19th, 2014
This summary is published every Monday and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:
It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy. This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog
By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information
Browser Fix RC viewer version 3.7.18.295539 released on October 17th – core updates – SSL 3.0 removal from internal browser due to the POODLE vulnerability (download and release notes)
HTTP Pipelining RC viewer version 3.7.18.295372 released on October 15th – core updates: Pipelined HTTP Operations for Mesh and Texture Fetches; Inventory Fetch Improvements (download and release notes)
Maintenance RC viewer version 3.7.17.294943 – withdrawn from the release channel due to significant issues and a range of attachment bugs which affect it (see my week 41 update from the TPV developer meeting, under “AIS v3 Issues”)
Project viewers:
Oculus Rift project viewer updated to version 3.7.18.295296 on October 13th – core updates: Oculus Rift DK2 support (download and release notes)
Cool Viewer Stable Branch updated to version 1.26.12.21 and Cool Viewer Legacy Branch updated to version 1.26.8.79, both on October 18th – core updates: please refer to the release notes.
Important note: The SL Go service is to be shut down on April 30th, 2015. For more information, please read this report.
On Tuesday, October 14th, 2014 OnLive, the company behind the revolutionary SL Go service which streams the SL viewer and SL content directly to the user’s computer or hand-held device, announced the product is now available for iOS on the iPad.
Until now, the application has only been available for the Android mobile device platform, although OnLive have been working towards a release for iOS for some time. Now, the application’s arrival for the iPad brings with it the ability for iPad users to access Second Life with the full graphical richness of the SL viewer when on the move.
OnLive bring SL Go to the iPad (image courtesy of OnLive)
The press release announcing the launch reads in part:
OnLive, the leader in cloud gaming, today announced the release of SL® Go for iOS, a mobile viewer for Linden Lab’s Second Life® virtual world that extends the player’s Second Life experience to iPad® tablets for the first time. The touch-enabled app builds on SL® Go for Android™, which launched in spring of this year.
SL Go empowers Second Life residents to experience Second Life in full 3D and in real-time on any iPad running iOS 7 or greater, without the need for an expensive desktop computer. New and existing users can simply sign in over Wi-Fi or 4G LTE to enjoy a high-fidelity Second Life experience with amazing graphics quality, full shaders, shadows and full motion capability. Streamed from OnLive’s powerful cloud-based servers, which have been clocked at speeds as high as 200 FPS set to Ultra with Maximum Render Distance, each secure Second Life session enables users to rez quickly into their favorite sims to connect with in-world friends,participate in events, engage in combat games, and enjoy immersion in Second Life at a level never before possible on iPad tablets.
SL Go offers access to the full Second Life Viewer interface, including edit menus, inventory, preference settings and chat management, adding intuitive touch controls. All user customizations are saved from session to session, even if played on a completely different device or platform.Design a beautiful scene using SL Go on your Mac or PC, and then show it off to friends on iPad. Your world transfers seamlessly, making it mind-blowingly easy to stay connected with in-world events.
“Ever since we launched SL Go for Android™, the Second Life community has been clamoring for iOS compatibility,” said Rick Sanchez, VP of Product and Marketing at OnLive. “Now, residents can keep Second Life at their fingertips whether they’re at work, home, out with friends or traveling for the holidays. And with the iPad’s stunning Retina display, the Second Life world is beautifully rendered with breathtaking 3D graphics.”
SL Go on the iPad (image courtesy of OnLive)
Drax has produced a video to mark the iPad launch as well.
About OnLive
OnLive is the originator of fast-twitch cloud gaming, innovating the delivery of real-time interactive experiences over any network. With ground-breaking video compression technology, OnLive instantly delivers full-featured, media-rich applications anytime and anywhere, across a range of devices. The OnLive Game Service gives gamers the freedom to play their games on PCs, Macs, tablets, and HDTVs. OnLive Go brings the benefits of cloud gaming to MMOs, virtual worlds and other graphics-rich interactive applications. Having pioneered powerful cloud solutions for the most technologically challenging segment, fast-twitch AAA games, OnLive has hundreds of patents that cover its innovations. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California. More information is available at www.onlive.com and www.onlive.co.uk.
Updates for the week ending: Sunday October 12th, 2014
This summary is published every Monday and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:
It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy. This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog
By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information
Official LL Viewers
Current Release version 3.7.16.294959 (Monday October 6; formerly the New Log-in Screen RC – core updates: simple and clean login screen for new users, and a corresponding update for returning users) (release notes)
Black Dragon updated to version 2.4.0.2 Beta on October 6th – core updates: bug fixes (change log)
UKanDo updated to version 3.7.17.28056 on October 11th – core updates: partity with Lab’s 3.7.17 code base, new official log-in screen updates, FMODex updated to 4.44.41 (release notes)
V1-style
Cool Viewer Stable Branch updated to version 1.26.12.20 and Cool Viewer Legacy Branch updated to version 1.26.8.78, both on October 11th – core updates: please refer to the release notes.
Updates for the week ending: Sunday October 5th, 2014
This summary is published every Monday and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:
It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy. This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog
By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information
New Log-in Screen RC viewer updated to 3.7.17.294959 on October 3rd – simple and clean login screen for new users, and a corresponding update for returning users. (download and release notes)
Maintenance RC viewer version 3.7.17.294943 released on October 2 – a large number of maintenance fixes covering inventory, voice, privacy, rendering, sounds, texture animation and more (download and release notes)
Black Dragon updated to version 2.40.1 Beta on October 2nd – core updates: fixes, revisions, and tweaks resulting from initial 2.4 feedback, including revised world map (change log)
V1-style
Cool Viewer Stable Branch updated to version 1.26.12.19 and Cool Viewer Legacy Branch updated to version 1.26.8.77, both on October 4th – core updates: please refer to the release notes.
Updated, Thursday October 2nd, 2014: Niran released Black Dragon 2.4.0.1, a “feedback update” containing a number of additions and revisions based on feedback received for the initial 2.4 release. These includes a revision to the world map, see the end of this review for details, and the Black Dragon 2.4.0.1 blog post for a complete list of revisions.
NiranV Dean released the latest version of his Black Dragon viewer on Sunday September 28th. Version 2.4 Beta, which is supplied in two flavours, a “normal” version, which comprises Niran’s additions and modifications to the viewer merged up to the Lab’s 3.7.15 code base (and is thus also referred to as version 3.7.15.33763) and a “current” version, which also has Niran’s updates and additions, but merged with the Lab’s 3.7.17 code (and is thus also referred to as 3.7.17.34052).
As well as emphasising this is a beta, with work still to come, Niran notes that the 3.7.17 version has not been thoroughly tested, and as such, may be subject to issues which might not be found in the 3.7.15 version. Keeping this in mind, for the purposes of this look at Black Dragon 2.4, I opted to go with the 3.7.17 version.
Note that this isn’t intended as an in-depth review of the viewer, but rather an overview of some of the more significant updates, together with some initial feedback.
Log-in / Splash Screen
This release of the viewer does away with the YouTube video which has been a feature of many of Niran’s viewer releases, and the log-in credentials area of the screen has been updated. Gone are the bold links to the right of the log-in area, replaced by a set of smart-looking buttons directly above the log-in credentials fields, with the Quit button ranged to the right and a link to the Black Dragon change logs to the left. A large, friendly CONNECT button has also been added below the credentials fields.
The old log-in credentials area for Black Dragon (top) and the cleaner, smarter new version (bottom) – click for full size
UI and Toolbar Buttons
The 2.3 release of Black Dragon, as noted in my last look at the viewer, saw some changes to the UI and to the toolbars, The “ink blots” effect within the UI are still there, but are more subtle in nature that the last release, although they have now found their way onto the various panel floaters as well, giving them a ragged look I personally found distracting; I found my eyes being drawn to the edges of any floater I opened, particularly if opened against a much lighter in-world background, rather than focusing on the options within it.
In my last overview of Black Dragon, I pointed to the new toolbar button placement area Niran had implemented, up in the top left corner of the viewer window, where one would normally expect to see the menu bar options. Buttons displayed in this area default to Niran’s “Tiny” size, and while it was a good use of available space, it could quickly become overrun if button labels are used rather than icons, or someone went daft placing buttons there, leading to the buttons wrapping themselves over two or more rows. More particularly, displaying the Navigation Bar / Favourites would result in the Navigation Bar clashing with any buttons placed there.
Niran has solved this latter problem in version 2.4 Beta by providing a new toolbar button. This is displayed by default when clean installing Black Dragon (or can be selected from the Toolbar Button floater). When clicked, it “opens” the Navigation Bar and Favourites, hiding the top button area (and also the Dragon menu, it must be said). The Navigation Bar has a corresponding button on the right-hand end which will hide them again.
The new toolbar buttons in Black Dragon 2.4 Beta
Two other new toolbar buttons with this release are the Teleport History buttons, which allow you to teleport back to the last location visited, or on to the next location (if any) in your teleport history. Again, these buttons are displayed by default during a clean install, or can be selected from the Toolbar Buttons floater.
Preferences and Panel Updates
The Preferences panel witnesses improvements in layout, with a number of outdated options (such as Niran’s own Navigation Bar buttons for editing the sky, etc.) removed, and a general improvement on font and colour contrasts against the darker background of the viewer’s UI which does much to assist readability. Those perhaps small, these updates do much to make scanning through the Preferences options a lot easier on the eye.
Specific improvements to Preferences see the following panels overhauled: General, Display, Sound and Media, Chat, Camera, Interface and Viewer. Some of these see layout overhauls, some include new options or updated capabilities – please refer to the change log for specifics.
Alongside the Preferences panel, a number of other panels have also been overhauled, including the: People floater (incl. the Group tab), appearance panel, Outfit selection panel, Picks, and Destinations floater. Please refer to the change log for a full list of updates and changes.
World Map
Please refer to the end of this article for notes on the black Dragon 2.4.0.1 update, which revised the world map to address some of the comments mentioned below.
The World Map gets a further update with the 2.4 Beta, which sees the layout once again resemble the World Map found in other viewers – albeit with the legend moved to the left side of the map this time, rather than along the top, where they are joined with the coordinates display and the option buttons. The search options remain to the right of the map, and slide into view when an additional Show Search button to the left of the map is clicked.
The revised Wolrd Map showing the legend and options moved to the left of the map, and the open search options to the right (displayed by clicking on the button)
Personally, the World Map legend in something I tend to set & forget. It’s the search options I use a lot more frequently, together with the coordinate fields and Copy SLurl options. I think I’m likely not alone in this, so if the World Map is to be revised, I’m surprised that no-one has made the legend the section hidden by default (if, indeed, anything really needs to be hidden) and left the more frequently used search options available for use, be they to the left, right, top or bottom of the map itself. It may not result in so much of a saving in screen (or map display) real estate, but I’d take convenience of use over having to click buttons to reveal slide-out options.
Important note: The SL Go service is to be shut down on April 30th, 2015. For more information, please read this report.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 