Savage, good thoughts.
My view on this is not so much about what we can do now but what we will be able to do in 5-10 years. This is a seed to get Traveller 3D started.
I cannot emphasis enough that Open Simulator (OS) is open-ended.
Open Simulator is a code that runs the world vending and asset services. One views the world through a 'viewer' program like Firestorm, Imprudence or the Second Life viewer. It looks the same, and mostly operates the same.
What is different is the underlying server architecture. Intel and IBM have both had teams devoted to this in an exploratory fashion, trying to figure out how to create a 3D internet. Among techie VW types its pretty well known.
Since OS is simply a platform, asking 'what can be done' is rather like saying "what can you do with a computer?"
Initially 'what can be done' might be broken down into a few tiers:
1) Scale
2) Function
3) Participation
1) Scale
Each region is 800'x800'. It sounds small until you try to cover it with a good build...then you find its months of work per square. My interest is in creating reasonable, lifelike recreations of the canon Trav worlds. Initially I'd like to build Regina. Its always been my favorite.
Bob and Pete, the grid providers, enjoy company and don't have enough. Their world is a labor of love and it has rough edges. I'm pretty sure that given interest and continuous usage they'll provide whatever land we'd desire, up to the current 32 regions Romenna is built on.
My initial plan is to build a 2x2 region which is plenty large for a proof of concept. If it works...we can expand. If it tanks then I can take the OAR into inventory and it will be no loss.
So...initially plan on no constructs larger than 1600' long. I have plans to construct a Planet Class cruiser as well as the entire series of Traveller starships. Rather than constructing them from scratch, I'd much prefer to get the mesh imports from Andrew, Piper, and hopefully Jesse DeGraff if he's interested. IF those articles were brought into the world, it would be under the auspices of Bob or Pete, the grid admins. They would ensure that people's property rights were respected.
2) Function
Physics is still coming along in OS, not quite at the level of SL but getting better. As I understand it the primary reason for combat system lag is poor scripting, lots of physics combined with poor physics engines, server lag on the user end processing speed. SL and OS offer a huge degree of customizablity at the expense of functionality. Graphics, being buildable by anyone, are not usually optomized so it can kill frame rates. There are significant improvements coming to servers offering much faster access times and higher bandwidth. These problems will lessen.
I have heard of some combat 'meter's (systems) floating around in OS. I have not acquired one. I am not an expert in this. I'm hoping that some of the computer geeks out there will be.
In the end this will be what we make of it. I don't even know what it will end up being because 'it all depends.'
3) Participation
Whatever is built is linked to CotI, so folks will have the choice to use it or not. I think that as with anything a core of developers will draw more people to it. It will live on PM Grid until, hopefully, it outgrows it. I ideally see a federation of privately owned Traveller OS regions/grids connected by Hypergrid, representing the Imperium. OS is free save for the time, effort and electricity cost to run the machine...so it is basically a no-risk proposition.
What a mouthful.
Now, to try to answer your question:
"So we should be able to compare SL performance to OS improvements and before coding. That is where i am going with my conversation. No reason to develop a meson gun or ship with one if it will not work.
Starting with a "scout ship" concept is interesting but knowing what place it will have in the roll play is significant. "
Initially nothing is going to 'work'. I envision this as a snazzy chat room for its initial operating capability. Making it work, as in fly around and shoot, will require a coder/scripter. Most stuff in OS is from scratch, since it lacks SL's economy. That being said there is Hypergrid, which allows access to pretty much everything out there you can find.
Region crossings do not work for vehicles at the moment. Vehicles do not work well, again due to poor scripting and latency. They will work in the future, and may even work now since my info is dated.
A scoutship, initially, is a much better bet than a Planet Cruiser. However, I like Planet Cruisers so I'm going to do what I like ;-)
