Second Life v1.4 is Released

by Alphaville Herald on 15/06/04 at 12:29 pm

v1.4 is up and running on Second Life, and there are some pretty interesting features. I guess the two most interesting features for my money are the ability to write custom animations for your character (tired of that break dance? script your own), and the introduction of live connections between SL and the real world via XML-RPC. In principle, this means that The Second Life Herald should be blogable in world (i.e. it should be possible to read and comment on the SLH from in the game). We are also discussing the possibility of setting up a radio station to feed in world — Herald Radio. Details of the release follow.

Dear Second Life Residents,

Second Life Version 1.4 is now available!

This release gives you some great new ways to add character and drama to your Second Life, including the ability to upload custom animations, to stream music to your parcel, and data communication via XML-RPC with the real world. Plus, those of you with Second Life partners can now express your affection for all to see in your profile.

? Custom Character Animations ? animate your avatar to do almost anything you can imagine. Using an open .bvh file format supported by products like Curious Lab?s Poser?, you can create and upload :30 animation files to Second Life, endowing your avatar with distinctive ?moods? and movements. Animations will work just like other Second Life asset files, and can be saved to your inventory, attached to objects, or joined together with a new gesture sequencing tool to create longer combinations.

? Theme music for everyone ? Live streaming audio support allows you to link to Internet audio sources. You can program soundtracks for your own property, or broadcast among other things, live sportscasts, talk shows, or DJ soundtracks direct from real world clubs to Second Life clubs. Don’t like your neighbor’s music? Just turn it off on your parcel.

? Live Connections to the Real World – XML-RPC allows data and commands to be sent back and forth between disparate systems over the internet. In Second Life, this means computers outside of Second Life can communicate with Resident-created objects and scripts in-world. Some applications for XML-RPC include faster in-world blogging, the ability to send newsfeeds into Second Life and the capacity for store owners to manage their inventory remotely.

? Profess Your Love – With the new Profile option, Second Life couples can make their relationships official. Married and connected Residents will be able to designate their partners on their profiles in-world where their relationships will be visible to the rest of the community. Can?t be married in real life? Try Second Life. For more information, visit www.secondlife.com/partner.

For more v1.4 details be sure to read the release notes! And for a more complete summary and help, try the Second Life Starter Guide available for download at http://secondlife.com/download/guides.php.

Sincerely,
–Linden Lab and the Second Life Team