Second Life expands world of Opportunity and Adventure
Newest version 1.1 offers improved graphics, easier navigation, land governance and user-created vehicles.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 22, 2003) - Linden Lab today introduced Second Life v1.1, an updated version of the acclaimed online world created by and for its residents. Second Life v1.1 includes more detailed and realistic 3D landscapes, an improved mapping and navigation system, an economic system that allows groups of residents to jointly own and govern land, and the ability to create and drive a variety of vehicles. Publicly launched in June 2003, Second Life now stretches over nearly 1,000 acres of land containing more than 200,000 user-created objects, including clothing and accessories to buy, nightclubs to visit, and an amusement park owned and operated by residents with more than 30 exciting rides. Second Life residents typically spend 13,000 hours a week in-world, socializing, building and conducting over 17,000 transactions of goods and services. The Second Life v1.1 upgrade is available today to current residents. New residents can experience Second Life through a free 7-day trial by registering at www.SecondLife.com.
"In June 2003, Second Life launched with a single 'general store', a disco, and a couple other attractions we built to get things started. In the hands of our aggressive early adopters it has grown to hundreds of stores, dozens of small towns, and has challenged us to rapidly grow the capabilities of the system to match the imagination of our population. With version 1.1, residents will be able to build and drive their own vehicles, form land-owning groups and communities, and advertise their businesses in a public directory," said Linden Lab founder Philip Rosedale.
Residents of Second Life v1.1 will be able to:
- Instantly find the people and places they're looking for with an improved map and online directories;
- Enjoy an even more visually rich 3D environment, with more shading, depth, texture, and shininess from new bump mapping and environment mapping, and a new advanced particle system allowing effects like smoke, explosions, fountains, exhaust, and fireworks;
- Experience the driver's view with a new vehicle system that allows users to create and then drive sophisticated vehicles ranging from airplanes to sailboats to hoverboards;
- Own land together as a group, with new land features which allow group members to control who can come and go, or even charge for access;
- Fine-tune their looks with improved options for clothing and avatar customization including support for skirts, clothing that moves with the virtual breeze, and bump-mapping for incredibly detailed skin and cloth features;
- Capture movies of their Second Life experience directly to file while online. The resulting 'home movies' can be then be emailed to friends or edited into theatrical masterpieces..
About Linden Lab
Linden Lab was founded in 1999 by Philip Rosedale to create a revolutionary new form of
shared 3D entertainment. The former CTO of RealNetworks, Rosedale pioneered the development
of many of today's streaming media technologies, including RealVideo. In April 2003, noted
software pioneer Mitch Kapor, founder of Lotus Development Corporation, was named Chairman.
Second Life launched in June 2003 after being named a Time magazine "Coolest Invention of 2002" during its beta test. Currently available to all PC users via a download at www.SecondLife.com, the world of Second Life, which grows with the size of the community, is now close to 1,000 virtual acres and by the end of 2004 should be as large as Manhattan.
Based in San Francisco, Linden Lab employs a senior development team bringing together deep expertise in physics, 3D graphics and networking. Team members have previously worked for market leading companies such as Electronic Arts, Maxis, Disney, THQ, Acclaim, Hasbro, Mattel and RealNetworks.
Note to editors: Second Life™ and Linden Lab™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Linden Research, Inc.
