There (virtual world): Difference between revisions

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	==Details==		==Details==
	There was a venue for socializing with less ] than is typically found in ]. Billed on its ] as "...an online getaway where you can hang out with your friends and meet new ones...", There defines itself as a service providing a shared experience that allows people to interact in an ]. The virtual world offers a PG-13 environment with built-in filters to block profanity, ~~nudity~~, ~~pornography~~ and virtual bloodshed.		There was a venue for socializing with less ] than is typically found in ]. Billed on its ] as "...an online getaway where you can hang out with your friends and meet new ones...", There defines itself as a service providing a shared experience that allows people to interact in an ]. The virtual world offers a PG-13 environment with built-in filters to block profanity, wieners, butt-holes, pubes, and virtual bloodshed.

	Each new member entered the ] by choosing a unique name and a male or female ]. The avatar's name and gender were permanently set, but various attributes such as hair color and style, head and body shapes, skin and eye color, clothing, etc. could be changed as desired. Through their avatars, members communicated in real-time using emotions, body language, text chat and voice to express themselves.		Each new member entered the ] by choosing a unique name and a male or female ]. The avatar's name and gender were permanently set, but various attributes such as hair color and style, head and body shapes, skin and eye color, clothing, etc. could be changed as desired. Through their avatars, members communicated in real-time using emotions, body language, text chat and voice to express themselves.

Revision as of 16:13, 20 July 2011

2003 video game

There
Developer(s)	Makena Technologies
Publisher(s)	Makena Technologies
Platform(s)	Windows 2000 Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 Mac OS X (Private Alpha) ThereIM
Release	January 9th, 2003
Genre(s)	Multiplayer Social
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

There was a 3D online virtual world created by Will Harvey and Jeffrey Ventrella. There Inc. was founded in the spring of 1998. Closed beta began in July 2001, with various stages of beta following, and ending with an October 2003 launch date. On March 9, 2010 - one week after the announcement of its closure on March 2, 2010 - There.com shut its doors to the public.

On May 18, 2011, Michael Wilson announced that There.com will be re-opening, on the There.com homepage. All previous members will have access to their old avatars.

Corporate history

In June 2004, There Inc. went through a restructuring and announced major layoffs. In April 2005, There Inc. announced that the commercial side of the company would be branching out to form two companies: Forterra Systems (the government-contracted client) and Makena Technologies (the commercial client).

In 2006, Makena Technologies announced a partnership with MTV Networks to provide the technology platform for their virtual worlds which include Virtual Laguna Beach, The Virtual Hills, Virtual Pimp My Ride, Virtual Real World, Virtual Newport Harbor, Virtual VMAs (Video Music Awards), Virtual Kaya, Virtual Rob and Big and Virtual Life of Ryan. Makena Technologies also has a partnership with Trilogy Studios.

Corporate brands that had a presence in There.com included Coca-Cola, CosmoGIRL!, Humane Society of the U.S., Capital Music Group, Paramount Studios, bebe, NaCo USA, K-SWISS, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Nike, Levi's, and Scion.

In 2008, Makena Technologies launched ThereConnect, allowing There.com members to showcase their in-world profiles, skills, groups and upcoming events on their Facebook pages. They also announced ThereIM, a lightweight instant messaging client where users can communicate with other members’ avatars, whether or not they are signed into the virtual world.

On March 9, 2010 at 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time, There.com shut down its virtual world for the final time. The CEO of There, inc., has stated very clearly (both privately and publicly) that Makena has no plans of re-opening There.com. There.com offered refunds for all "Therebucks" purchased between February 1, 2010 and March 9, 2010. As of April 1, refunds are no longer available.

On May 18, 2011, Michael Wilson announced that There.com will be re-opening. A few of there.com's users were invited to try out there IM before it opens to the public to check for any problems that may occur due to reclaiming avatars, inventories, etc... If all goes well, ThereIM should open sometime during the month of July.

Competitors

There was a competitor with many internet virtual worlds such as Onverse, Second Life, Moove, Active Worlds, Kaneva, vSide and IMVU.

Details

There was a venue for socializing with less role-playing than is typically found in MMORPGs. Billed on its homepage as "...an online getaway where you can hang out with your friends and meet new ones...", There defines itself as a service providing a shared experience that allows people to interact in an online society. The virtual world offers a PG-13 environment with built-in filters to block profanity, wieners, butt-holes, pubes, and virtual bloodshed.

Each new member entered the community by choosing a unique name and a male or female avatar. The avatar's name and gender were permanently set, but various attributes such as hair color and style, head and body shapes, skin and eye color, clothing, etc. could be changed as desired. Through their avatars, members communicated in real-time using emotions, body language, text chat and voice to express themselves.

In addition to customizing their avatars, members could create their own items, such as clothing, vehicles, buildings and furniture, and sell them to others for use in the world. Each object created underwent a rigorous submission procedure to ensure its accuracy as well as compliance with international copyright laws. Detailed instruction was available at the developer site provided by Makena and in world classes were offered for the novice as well as experienced graphic artist. All classes were without charge and open to all.

Most items such as furniture were designed to be used within houses or zones, although some items such as vehicles and dogs were not, due to their mobile nature. Monetary transactions in There's economy were done using Therebucks, virtual currency with real world value. Therebucks could be purchased directly from There, from other members, or from any of the third party online "banks" which usually offered competitive exchange rates. 1 USD = 1,800 Tbux.

Members of There.com could participate in activities such as racing vehicles, playing cards, flying, designing homes, playing paintball, hoverboarding and training virtual pets. There was also access to special interest groups devoted to topics including recreation, business, the environment, education and the arts.

In September 2007, all members of There Philippines were moved to the original version. They were forced to change usernames (if necessary), and could not bring anything with them but tbux during the change.

Life in There

Each new member entered the community by choosing a unique name and a male or female avatar. The avatar's name and gender were permanently set, but various attributes such as hair color and style, head and body shapes, skin and eye color, clothing, etc. could be changed as desired. Unrestricted by set goals or required activities, members could avail themselves of There's many features, including:

Sophisticated chat via text or voice with other nearby members or remotely via instant messaging. Avatars displayed body language, verbal articulation, and gestures that were triggered by various textual keywords, emotes, and even vocal inflection. Uniquely There-styled sports such as avatar hockey and Sumo buggy bashing, as well as the more conventional soccer and racing. Spades, contests, and other game venues dancing and devising animation combinations through the use of a keyboard macro program such as Giggles, listening to music and talk shows on SHOUTcast stations, often operated by other members. Members also enjoyed story-based events such as questing, movie-making, and creative writing member groups for like interests. There were even virtual dogs which were available in two breeds, Labrador and Dachshund. Dogs responded to commonly used commands, such as "heel", "sit", etc., when they were not busy playing or obeying other members' commands.

Exploration of There's immense and tremendously varied cyber-landscape could be conducted either on foot or by vehicle. There's vehicle classes included the Bacio (a two seated scooter that resembles a Vespa), buggy, hoverbike, hoverboard, hoverboat(aircraft), and hoverpack.

Arranging content within houses or zones to create living quarters, meeting places, game rooms, movie sets, race tracks, mazes, yard sales—in short, whatever the member could imagine using available materials. In addition to houses, "fun zones", and "frontier zones" which maintain a fixed presence and location in the world, There also featured "porta-zones", portable zones that could be relocated or removed from the world when not in use. Porta-zones (or "PAZs") do not incur rental fees when not in the world. Houses and zones were rented from There on a monthly basis. Neighborhoods and neighborhood lots were the most recent additions to There's suite of porta-zones. Designing custom content using There-provided tools and templates, Gmax, and a graphics editor such as Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro or The Gimp. These led to buying, selling, and trading of member-created items, as well as items created by There. Most items such as furniture were designed to be used within houses or zones, although some items such as vehicles and dogs were not due to their mobile nature. Monetary transactions in There's economy were done using Therebucks, virtual currency with real world value. Therebucks could be purchased directly from There, from other members, or from any one of the 3rd party online "banks" which usually offered competitive exchange rates. Members could also sell their Therebucks to banks in exchange for real world currency, usually USD.

Size

As at March 2009 There contained 14 major islands, dozens of smaller islands, over 1 million members and many community places including businesses.

Island Names

Caldera
Nada
Ootay
Kiani (Tropical Adventures)
New Kansas
Egypt
Cangrejo
Motu Motu
Malihini
Aurora
Coke Island
Comet
Frosty Island
Tyr

Popular places in There

Zephyr
Duda Beach
CosmoGIRL! Village
Fisher Island
Paiz Island
Zona Island
CC Metro

Screenshots

Activities include hoverboarding, with the ability to perform stunts such as dropping down from space Activities include hoverboarding, with the ability to perform stunts such as dropping down from space
A wide pan over a seaside thatched-roof village
Zona Island, a place where new members first log in