From: Tim Watson Subject: VR theory? Date: Wed, 11 Sep 1991 03:40:38 GMT Message-ID: <1991Sep11.034038.1132@demon.co.uk> Organization: Gated to News by demon.co.uk Several weeks back I posted a rather esoteric ramble about towels and fanbelts to the sci.virtual-worlds <1991Aug09.233245.27384@demon.co.uk>. I don't know that is was particularly relevant to the discussions but I think that it was totally irrelevant. I am a programmer currently working on a distinctly non-VR game for the PC but I have a strong interest in VR. About three years ago I was involved in writing the 3D graphics shell for a PC game called Starglider 2, so I have to admit to not being all that impressed by things which are claimed to be VR but are in fact just 3D worlds and not very flexible at that. This is not to say that the people producing the VR are making invalid claims but the media tend to concentrate on the 'investigating 3D worlds' aspect of VR which doesn't get us any further. For me the most important thing in VR is not how good the 3D graphics are or even the hardware used to enter the virtual space (although these things are vital starting blocks in VR) but how objects and events can be simply but realistically implemented. At the moment, as I said in my posting, objects are either based on newtonian physics or special cases.I don't think that this allows objects to be manipulated in the same way as in the real world. An example I thought of recently was based on flight simulators. Many flight simulator people claim that they are creating advanced realistic virtual worlds but I find them very limited. This is because you can't do anything else apart from fly the plane or blow up the bad guys. Admittedly this is the point of simulators but surely in a true virtual world you should be able to do what ever you want and not be limited by what the programmer wants you to be able to do? What I feel is a good question to ask Flight Simulator people when they make claims of TRUE virtual reality for their system is "Can I tap dance upside- down on the wings while while the autopilot is perfoming an Immelman?" If you can't or they can special case it for you then it isn't true VR. I don't of course expect all the Flight Sim people to rush out and produce true Virtual Realities they are after commercial companies producing a realistic product and not VR research institutes. I think what I really want to know is whether I'm the only person thinking along these lines and if anyone else would be interested in hearing about or discussing my views. Tim Watson TRPW@CIX.COMPULINK.CO.UK