Showcase: Alpha Klata
// October 5th, 2009 // 6 Comments » // Showcase // Showcase
Some of Alpha Klata's Work
While we’re all waiting for Blue Mars to come out of beta, some people are anxious as to what things are going to be like once everything is open.
Judging from what some creators are already making in their sandboxes, we think everyone is going to be blown away when everything is all put together and open to the masses. One creator that has caught our eye is Alpha Klata. Continue Reading
Sneak Peek of Gridrock City
// October 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // Rumors // Rumors
Looks like the Gridrock team has been busy working on their upcoming city! Though it seems to be a very stormy atmosphere, The visuals are great, and it looks like it’s shaping up to be a very imaginative and expansive space (but what Blue Mars city isn’t expansive?). It’s looking good, Gridrock team, we can’t wait to explore!
For more information and a backstory, check them out at their official site.
Next Update a Major Update?
// October 4th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Rumors // Rumors
There have been hints from Blue Mars staff and others alike that a new update will be coming “later this month”. We saw a minor update back on the 25th that didn’t seem to remedy too many issues that we have been told repeatedly are being “worked on”, like chat bubbles, private messages, profiles, and the rollout of the official currency, the Blu. Though we have no official confirmation (Blue Mars staff are pretty tight lipped) it seems that things are leaning this way. We’re thinking the update will become available sometime next week, with some free cash for everyone who has an account right now(fingers crossed!).
Also, there are probably going to be a few new Cities to explore, as well as a host of new content for some much needed shopping sprees and apartments for early beta testers to snatch up. The demand for all of these things is very high, so lets hope Blue Mars doesn’t let us all down.
Party in the Shade
// October 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // Events // Events
Around 15 People at the Beginning
The meet and greet party in Shade City was a relative success, with a lot of people and a lot of talking going on. Most of the conversation was light at first, though it did get quite technical when more people showed up and things started to slow down. Lag was expected, and considering the amount of people and level of detail, we were thoroughly impressed. If something like this were to happen in Second Life, (which we are familiar with) the whole place would be more like a slideshow. We weren’t able to test frame rate ourselves, but even when there were over forty people things were still relatively smooth, whereas on this same computer Second Life slows to a crawl if there are just ten people in as small an area where there were over forty in Blue Mars. Continue Reading
Sneak Peak of Qin Tomb
// October 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // Rumors // Rumors
Here’s a sneak peek of a new city being developed by the same people that brought us New Venice (now known as Venezia), and it should be arriving later this month. From what we can see, Qin Tomb is going to be another great hotspot to explore and socialize. For more information and timely updates, check out their website.
Shade City
// October 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // Cities // Cities
Very Shady Indeed!
Shade City is the newest city in Blue Mars, and shows potential for being a very interesting place.
For now, there is only one structure in the city, and it’s a highly original one at that. The two floor, circular building is supported by fanciful, organic pillars that sweep about the space, evoking a feeling of other worldliness. There’s also ample sitting areas located throughout the pavilion, with excellent views of the surrounding woods and ocean. There’s even a nice shiny red motorcycle parked outside, but we couldn’t get it to do anything, despite it being clickable.
Beach City
// October 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // Cities // Cities
The Old White Hotel
Beach City is another one of the first cities in Blue Mars, and is located on a beach (Shocking!).
On first arrival, you’ll find yourself in a sort of plaza area, with fountains, planters filled with palms, and casual seating areas. Surrounding the plaza is a network of interconnected buildings that seem to be the bare-bones skeleton of a future retail/residential complex. Across from these is the crown jewel of Beach City; the Old White Hotel.
The Old White Hotel is an interesting piece of architecture; it evokes the feelings of a grand old resort hotel in New England, with its clapboard siding, trim details, covered porch and sumptuous lobby. Out back of the lobby is a lounge area where visitors can sun themselves, or just relax. The interior of the lobby is well appointed, with a beautiful chandelier hovering gracefully over an ornamental table and urn. While the Old White Hotel is graceful and elegant, the rest of the buildings in Beach City bear no resemblance, and frankly seem out of place. Continue Reading
Party in Shade City!
// October 3rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Events // Events
According to the official Blue Mars Twitter, there’s going to be a party in Shade City, tommorrow (10.3.09) at 8PM GMT!
Be sure to show up to help test the load capacity of the city and be a part of Blue Mars history!
New Venice
// October 3rd, 2009 // 5 Comments » // Cities // Cities
An example of the beautiful archetecture of Venezia
Venezia (formerly known as New Venice) has already proven that Blue Mars is a fantastic platform for creating wonderful, immersive 3D worlds. The visual richness of the space is stunning; the textures are superb and the realism is (yet) unmatched within the Blue Mars universe.
Upon first entering the city Venezia, one arrives in a shady garden, complete with a reflecting pool. Once you’ve ventured out of this ‘welcome garden’ you’ll find yourself exploring the many pavilions, bridges, waterways, and various beautiful buildings. The size of New Venice is something that is sure to take you by surprise, and it’s still “under construction”! There are also gondolas to ride and telescopes to help peruse the landscape.
Venezia is a highly imaginative and wonderful city to explore, the architecture is top-notch and the views are simply stunning. Venezia is sure to become a classic destination in Blue Mars, if not for it’s simple and timeless beauty.
Great Expectations
// October 3rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Rumors // Rumors
One of the many beautiful domes in New Venice
Although Blue Mars is still in beta, there is already a lot of excitement about its future. Many people see the potential of such a rich, scalable environment and are eager to get started on creating a dynamic world to please and entertain the masses.
Though the amount of cities available to visit right now are very slim, there are a lot of city developers working hard to bring their creations to the public.
Even if the content (clothing, vehicles, NPC characters, and other interactive aspects of cities) that is brought in the first few months of Blue Mars isn’t as great as users would like, the cities by themselves are already proving to be vast environments that are excellent for exploring and admiring.
Latest Patch 0.0.4910.5
// October 3rd, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Updates // Updates
The latest Blue Mars patch arrived on September 25th, 2009.
This being only a minor patch, not much has been affected. What has changed are some welcome additions, and some minor bug fixes.
The first and most apparent change is the addition of a floor and some potted vegetation in the welcome area. Not being able to walk on water may be a setback for some, but it does add to the overall visual appeal and makes the welcome area seem less primitive.
Also of particular note, frame rates have been improved with this update, which is always a great thing. The only strange thing is that the release notes specifically mention that this is only for Shade City. Also in Shade City, there’s been an addition of a day/night transition when navigating up the stairs. Should be interesting.
Two bug fixes have also been reported as being fixed, one being that there are now more clothes available for female avatars, namely, bikinis (and there’s already some controversy over in the forums about this) as well as the “report issue” button being fixed in certain areas.
If you haven’t upgraded to this patch yet, you can do so by clicking this direct link.
Loading ...