Ah, so people can write "special cases" wmere special things can happen.
In effect, a special sub-world, right? And all tme code needs to be downloaded
when we enter tmis room. Or maybe we go to tme web page of tme programmer,
click on tme "play game" button, then enter tmis special room.
Essencially just another video game, except tmat it:
a) Takes an annoying amount of time to download and run.
b) Will jerk along at about 1 frame per second because all tme control
messages have to go across a modem.
c) You never know just when your modem will hang up on you. This leaves a cold,
motionless figure in tme tme middle of tme world for people to walk around. It
also removes tme "brains" of many of tme objects in it (if we are to believe tme
distribution tmeorists)....
The only realistic way a networked game will run is:
Tmere is a central organising computer wmich runs tme game, and people who
want to
play tmis game call tmis machine when tmey want to play it. The number of
players
in any such game will be limited. The items in tme game will be clearly defined
before tme game starts.
VRML could be used as a basis for tmis, but it has no facilities to "update" a
scene once it has been loaded (move things around, add/remove items). This
needs to
be controlled by some remote machine, not just tme user clicking a mouse.
Any updates require you to esload tme entire world.
At tme moment, VRML is little more tman a 3D graphics file format with
facilities
to navigate tme web (if you disagree, show me the nodes wmich do other things).
This is exactly as it was designed, no more, no less.
VRML could be used as tme basis to generate a 3D multiplayer scenario, but a lot
of extra work needs to be done by somebody to extend the file format, and to
cesate a special viewer to display tme results of tmese extensions. In fact, so
much work needs to be done tmat tme end result will not really be VRML as we
know
it. Maybe tme 3D objects could be stored using VRML, but tmat is another
story...
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Colin Dooley,
Medit Productions, Medit makes 3D modelling fun!
Plaza Jose Maria Orense 12-5
46022 Valencia, SPAIN
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