Advertisement: The FREELY Couples' Shared Motion System

 

By Bixyl Shuftan
 

For couples in Second Life, there are a number of things they can do together. They can dance at clubs under a couples danceball . They can sail in a boat seated together.  But they can't usually do much else. A very few parks offer a couples walk poseball, but this isn't an option in almost all of the virtual world. And nowhere can you swim together (an option merfolk pairs should enjoy), or fly together (an option a couple with winged avatars should like). 
 

With this in mind, Wisdom d'Avi Σ (Wisdom Davi) has come up with a solution that can be used most anywhere: FREELY.
 
I interviewed Wisdom, and her partner Oxi (KingOfNorway Oxidor), about the system. She would describe it as, "FREELY is a PG & adult shared motion system for couples that transforms movement into connection. It lets couples move in perfect sync — walking, flying, swimming, running, dancing, and being intimate…. with smoothness and effortless control." Oxi commented, "Basically it allows a couple to get on, spend a couple hours doing whatever couple do and never have to get off it. It's also condifugable, That is, you can add about as many animations as you want." Wisdom added, "peeps will be able to add their own anims and actually change their menu, etc."
 

Oxi described how it could be used, " You want to sit and watch the sunset, fly to the nearby island, stroll through the woods and find a nice glen to sit down and talk, sit on a bench by the path, without having to jump off, swim across the lake and walk out the other side, sit on the couch and watch TV and then walk upstairs to the bedroom, (it's) a relationship builder... you just never have to let go." "FREELY is easy on sim crossings," Wisdom added. Oxi went on, "Oh, and by the way - its has shared control. So either partner can control the motion, and the animation selection." 
 
Oxi did go on to say there was one catch, "It does have the limitation that it has to be rezzed and sat on. So in venues that are no-rez, it cannot be rezzed and used. But if already on it, you can use object entry."
 

A couple could use FREELY to dance. I asked how many dances did it have. Wisdom told me it had 28, though Oxi stated more could be added. He went on to say, "It has an autopilot so that you can chat while walking."

At one point, they decided to demonstrate. There was a demo FREELY on the wall nearby, and they clicked, rezzed it, and got on. They did a few dances at first, showing different styles, Oxi commenting, "ow, I dint even know I could do those moves...." Then they switched over to walking mode, going down the street in sync. They then looked for a bench to sit on, Wisdom commenting, "Actually we can use the bench sit to also sit on the wall, but that takes a little practice. To sit on a bench or furniture you need to walk up to it lock FREELY and choose the correct sit pose, then use the arrows for fine alignment" Oxi remarked, "The thing that is nice is that you are not at the mercy of the bench animator. The sitting animations are all in FREELY. So they work on any bench, or bed, or steps, or wall."

At one point, Oxi had to step away from the keyboard, This left Wisdom in charge. She walked down the street, then to the beach. She then went to demonstrate the swimming animations, but there was one detail, "I can't undress Oxi," so the clothes were left on. Eventually they came back to shore, and soon after Oxi returned, and Wisdom explained what happened, grinning, "We went for swim babe. You're all wet."
 

They did say that it there's a significant difference in height between the two people using FREELY, there'd have to be some one-time manual adjustments made. Also, "The idea that it needs rez able location may sound like a limitation, but I have discovered that there are lots of places that are rez able, and also the mainland has REZ zones, which makes mainland exploration really appealing. Also, many really nice sim allow you to join their group free, so you can rez."

 

Wisdom would explain that FREELY also had intimate pose menus with Adult animations, "It's Intimacy in Motion. ... It works in skyboxes, and dungeons." But since the Newser is a Safe For Work publication, there couldn't be neither pictures or very detailed explanations. 

Wisdom explained that FREELY was still being worked on for some small improvements, "We are working on a couple little improvements to make it totally shared experience and some smoothing of the animations."

Of the price, the non-demo version is 3968L.  
 
As for how Wisdom came up with the idea, that is it's own story. 
 
So for an all-purpose, modifiable, and very versatile couples motion system, consider FREELY by Wisdom d'Avi.
 
Bixyl Shuftan 

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For more information on FREELY visit the website https://gridwise.company/freely

Step into FREELY’s world at the following demo locations:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Locus%20Amoenus/54/21/24/
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/London%20City/192/245/24
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Solace%20Dreams/64/22/22
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Guanacaste/235/21/25
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Noir%20Wen/58/90/23
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/FairChang%20Ensenada/219/253/22
 

SL13B Update

Only twelve days remain until the Second Life Thirteenth Birthday celebrations begin. And as the days go by, the seventeen sims making up the area for the event continue to take shape, as do the stages and exhibits by various communities, venues, businesses, and groups.

Silvia Ametza whom along with  Aimeelou Destiny, has been at work building the Second Life Newser's exhibit for this year. The build will be in SL13B Electrify.

For those wondering where the birthday area is on the Second Life map, it's just south of the Social and most of the Learning Islands, with the atoll continent Heterocera to the southwest.

By June 10, the last of those approved to perform events at the SL13B should have been notified. The exhibitors have until the 15th to work on their builds, at which time they will be closed until Friday June 17 for inspections. Then the builders have until Saturday June 18 to make adjustments, June 18 also being Press Day. The celebration begins on Sunday June 19 when the sims are open to all, the official birthday being on Thursday June 23. The official events go on until late Sunday night on June 26. The sims will still be open to the public, such as those wanting to see the builds without the lag, until July 3.



(Click here if the video fails to play)

Chic Aeon made this video of the SL13B on May 27, "A behind the scenes look at the beginning builds for "The Shared Adventure"

Stay tuned for some sneak peeks and more updates in the days ahead.

Second Life Birthday 13's Theme Annouced: "The Shared Adventure"

Yesterday on Thursday March 24, the Second Life Birthday website was updated for the first time since last year's celebration. The theme for this year's anniversary event was announced. It is "The Shared Adventure." Harper Beresford wrote the following:

Merriam-Webster defines Adventure as “an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks” as well as “an exciting or remarkable experience.”

One could argue that Second Life itself was a risk when Linden Lab first created a virtual world out of their haptics testing rig so may years ago, and their risk has turned to a remarkable experience for millions of uses over thirteen-plus years.

Second Life has been home to countless virtual adventures, and continues to break new ground. Each of us shares in the adventure, as our creations are enjoyed by avatars from far and wide.

What does adventure stir in you? Is it an endless vista of unexplored jungles and ocean depths, a space opera, or even intrigue in dimly-lit alleyways. What dangers are afoot, and how will you and your cohorts seek to overcome them?

How will you present your escapades with others in Second Life? Will you send them on a great quest, tell them the stories of your own exploits, or present them with the tools to craft their own adventurous experiences?

For the 13th Anniversary of Second Life leaving beta, we invite you to put on your pith helmets, your G-Suits, or whatever gear you need, and share with your adventures with the global Second Life community.

And so, the work for one of Second Life's biggest annual events begins once again. The sims have been set up, and now the theme chosen. Those interested in helping out with the building can contact Doctor Gascologne and Diana Renior.

Linden Lab Launches Dio, "Creative and Social Experience"

Just a few days after announcing it's purchase of Blocksworld, Linden Labs unveiled it's latest product: "dio."

In the video Linden released in time for dio, it was branded as a "creative and social experience that allows anyone to make and explore places based on anything." The press release stated users could "create places by adding text, photos, videos, and interactive objects into interconnected 'rooms' that give spatial context to the content you share. You can keep your places private, share them with friends and family, or allow everyone to explore and enjoy them." It also states there was an online chat feature with other users, and in the future one would be able to make money off the places they created.



Rod Humble was quoted as saying, "dio is a new shared creative space on the web. Based around the concept of linked spaces, dio makes it easy and fun to create  or visit experiences of all kinds." He described dio as still being in development, in beta, "but so far our testers have created a vast range of spaces." He also brought up the future ability to make money by mentioning what Second Life's content creators have done, "One of the things that's made Second Life successful is that users were able to monetize their own creativity by selling their creations. Second Life's economy was extremely robots with over $500 million worth of user to user transactions last year." He hoped that by sharing ad revenue with dio space crators and allowing them to sell their spaces, "this will encourage the kid of incredible dedication and creativity we've seen in Second Life."

Forbes writer Carol Pinchefsky wrote about someone from the Linden Lab staff showing some of what dio had to offer, saying it could be used for personal pages, games , and more. He suggested the same features that could be used for a game could be used to make an advertisement for a hotel's page. Of the plans to allow dio users to make money, Pinchefsky called it a welcome contrast to the Instagram service changing it's fine print to sell the pictures uploaded by it's users without permission or giving them a dime, "Linden Lab will be giving rather than taking. It's a great concept, one that I can't wait to see implemented."

Hamlet Au expressed similar optimism about dio. He also noted that in the terms of agreement, transactions would be done in Linden dollars, and mentioned the LindeX exchange. He felt this was a sign there would be some future interaction between Second Life and dio "at least through commerce." Hamlet reported on a dio space created by SL blogger Inara Pey, "it seems to be the most detailed and interactive by far, though there seems to be no sign of it now.

Not everyone has been impressed with dio. Iris Ophelia commented that the hype made it look like "possibly the latest and greatest thing." But sitting down to take a look at it, her impression changed. She described the video as misinforming, feeling it suggested moving a character around. She, and a number of other readers, felt "dio is more like a MUCK/MUD/MUSH with pictures than anything else." The idea of using dio to make a store for Second Life merchants she thought "would be one of the least effective uses of the platform," contrasting the "dynamic social experience" of the Bare Rose store to the "comparatively static spaces of dio." She felt dio was easy to use and had much potential, "but it's not the only option, nor is it the best tool for the job."

If you want to check out dio for  yourself (and yes, it really is spelled with a lower case 'd'), go to https://www.dio.com. One of the spaces there is a new rendidtion of a classic computer game from the late 70s, "Adventure the Colossal Cave." There's also a list of tutorial videos Here.

Sources: Linden Lab, Forbes, New World Notes

Bixyl Shuftan