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Infinite Browser Universe Manyland Hits 8 Million Placed Blocks

Posted by timothy on from the pretty-big-place-you've-got-here dept.

j_philipp (803945) writes Manyland [Here's the twitter feed and a FAQ] is an HTML5 / JavaScript-based MMO universe created by a community and two indie developers from Europe. Everything in the world can be freely drawn and placed: From the cars, animals, plants, houses, bridges, to everyone's own bodies. Like Wikipedia, by default areas are editable by everyone (and removing a block leaves dust which can be used to undo the removal). Since the opening a year ago, over 100,000 different creations have been made, and now, over 8 million blocks placed. Some features are for logged-in users only, but the whole thing is free to explore for everyone, and it's just sucked away quite a few minutes for me.

67 comments

  1. Infinite universe with 8 million blocks? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Lets see, that is exactly 0 blocks per cubic light year. Sounds pretty empty.

    1. Re:Infinite universe with 8 million blocks? by NotInHere · · Score: 3, Funny

      60^-1 plutos per cubic light year aint much. More than 8 million blocks yes, but our universe is pretty empty too.
      http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=...
      http://www.wolframalpha.com/in...

      If you've ever been stuck between two superclusters you know what I mean.

    2. Re:Infinite universe with 8 million blocks? by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, and no gas station in sight...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  2. If Minecraft is anything to go by by Anubis+IV · · Score: 2

    So, 8 million blocks, and 100,000 creations means 80 blocks per creation. If Minecraft is anything to go by, that'd be the equivalent of about a 5x5 house that was 4 blocks tall...and had no roof. I suppose that's a "creation", but if that's all they're averaging, they're not doing so hot. Pretty much everyone I've ever seen play Minecraft manages to do better than that in the first few minutes, and by the end of their first sitting, they've usually expanded on it substantially.

    1. Re:If Minecraft is anything to go by by khellendros1984 · · Score: 4, Informative

      It looks like you also draw the individual sprites that make up the blocks, so there might be a 2-block "creation" that's a motorcycle for your character to ride. It's all in 2D anyhow, so 80 blocks goes much further than if you had to account for a 3rd dimension.

      --
      It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
    2. Re:If Minecraft is anything to go by by j_philipp · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Oh you're right, this is not yet the scale of Minecraft, it's also very different, as you will see when exploring. Every distinct block is hand-drawn by the person, ranging from 19x19 pixels to 38x38 per drawing, with multiple animation cells and sometimes scripts attached to blocks, and numbers indeed don't measure the great things people have built... have a look at this screenshot gallery or explore the world and its many areas a bit to get an impression. Here's the City of Twilight or Green Mountain for instance, which you can add to too.

    3. Re:If Minecraft is anything to go by by j_philipp · · Score: 2

      (Sorry, City of Twilight link should be this)

    4. Re:If Minecraft is anything to go by by j_philipp · · Score: 2

      Some people are building a continuous airlevator into the sky. I believe I've been as far as 50 kilometers up high. The quest continues!

    5. Re:If Minecraft is anything to go by by JWSmythe · · Score: 3, Informative

      If you find one that goes too high, it'll send you to intermission. I went for quite a while, and there was always something there. It's like My Little Pony, Minecraft, and Mario Brothers were thrown in a blender and thrown on a Geocities page. :)

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    6. Re:If Minecraft is anything to go by by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, that screenshot gallery is so cool. Brings back so many good memories. Thanks!

    7. Re:If Minecraft is anything to go by by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Funny

      Eww. I'm eating here.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    8. Re:If Minecraft is anything to go by by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All the penises are probably much fewer than 80 blocks, so they'll skew the average.

  3. Yesterdays webdesign? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Opening the site on a tablet to find some info about the game, the site just entered an unlimited reload loop. I didn't expect the game to run on tablets, but this?

    1. Re:Yesterdays webdesign? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Same on FF on Linux with NoScript permitting their main site, netdna, and Google APIs but not Google Analytics.

      Given the comments here, I'm not going to waste my time to figure out which combination of whitelisting gets the game to work but forbids raping my privacy.

  4. n/t by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oops, this is not a crash, but there are graphical performance issues...

    Your machine has issues running Manyland (this is not related to your internet connection). Please try:

            Switch to Google Chrome
            Close additional tabs or windows of the browser or other programs
            Resize your browser window to be smaller
            Disable all browser extensions
            Check if your anti-virus software may be slowing things down

    If you want, you can join again.

    Contact

    If performance issues keep appearing after trying above, please email feedback to we@manyland.com and let us know your browser, operating system, CPU, and any other details that may be relevant. Thanks!

    1. Re:n/t by gigne · · Score: 1

      yep same here. It isn't even like I have many tabs open in Firefox, and I would rather not use Chrome.

      --
      Signature v3.0, now with 42% less memory usage.
  5. compilers, have you heard of them? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    HTML5 and JavaScript universe on a C++ compiled browser, that's not interpreted enough. Yo hipsters I heard you like JavaScript so if you run Manyland in WebKit.js you can interpret while you interpret.

    1. Re:compilers, have you heard of them? by NotInHere · · Score: 1

      actually browser vendors have. they use stuff called like "LLVM" to do "JIT". If you browse the site with IE 6 though, YMMV. There were javascript performance wars, and nowadays browsers are pretty advanced.

    2. Re:compilers, have you heard of them? by Blaskowicz · · Score: 1

      Performance is not so much a problem as that stuff looks like it would run on a 486SX (if the 2D graphics card were fast enough)
      Bigger problem is that the game is unreliable - though factors such as using Wifi may make it so.
      There was a pianpo keyboard near the spawn. Game can't decide which mouse button plays the piano, and whether striking a key works immediately, never or plays a delayed sound. A couple minute later after climbing up like 100 meters, I hear some piano notes again.

  6. Giant 2D side-scroller by Animats · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is Minecraft reduced to a 2D sidescroller. With the graphics of the 2D sidescroller era.

    If you go too far down, you can fall off the bottom of the world.

    1. Re:Giant 2D side-scroller by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you go too much left or right you fall off too.

  7. how to run Manyland server? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes and how might I run my own Manyland universe on my own privately operated servers?

    I can't?

    Fuck you, hipster scum. Fuck. You.

    1. Re: how to run Manyland server? by prefec2 · · Score: 1

      Hey jerk. If you want one write your own. Maybe you can also ask them if they share the code. However, the idea behind such universes is that you do not split things up.

    2. Re: how to run Manyland server? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd hope that after it (community dies down by more hlan a ratio if viewers for period X) they would create a server you could host on your own.
      Given how popular it is now, they could make a reasonable amount of money off that too.
      Server cost money, client free, boom, there you go. Have a server list like the Minecraft site used to for classic. Oh, how I miss classic servers. We hosted do many servers of Minceraft over the years. Fun times.

    3. Re: how to run Manyland server? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I for one am hoping that minceraft isn't a typo... I'd love to see that! ... Of course now it's in my keyboard history....

    4. Re: how to run Manyland server? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, that WAS an easter egg... http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130903192118/minecraft/images/0/09/Minecraft-minceraft.png

    5. Re: how to run Manyland server? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey jerk. If you want one write your own. Maybe you can also ask them if they share the code. However, the idea behind such universes is that you do not split things up.

      Just like the idea behind Wikipedia is you don't split it up.

  8. Even there by behrooz0az · · Score: 1

    I found a room made by animeholics. Guess I really have an addiction problem.
    And this world is gigantic, took me a while to find the edge.

    --
    Moderating "-1, Disagree" is simple censorship. Have the guts to post your opinion. -- Spazmania (174582)
    1. Re:Even there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really? I got to the suicide fall off to the right in about 45 seconds.

      Practically speaking, suiciding was the only fun to be had. I just wish there had been penalties for it so I could make my virtual character suffer.

  9. Very 80s looking by msobkow · · Score: 1

    Sorry, but that looks like 1980's level graphics to me, maybe at the level of the early Amiga games. Not impressed.

    --
    I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
    1. Re:Very 80s looking by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but that looks like 1980's level graphics to me, maybe at the level of the early Amiga games. Not impressed.

      Out of interest, have you ever complained about "games these days" being "all fancy graphics and no gameplay"?

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    2. Re: Very 80s looking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a European thing. If you can't understand and appreciate it, it's you who are an uncultured, unsophisticated moron.

    3. Re:Very 80s looking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well two things.

      1) One can say too much time is spent on graphics in the case of AAA games on the xbone and ps4 and still think that shitty, didn't-even-try graphics from 30 years ago are shitty. There's about 15 generations of computers there. Personally, I think half-life (one or two) era graphics with better AA are about good enough.

      2) This game has no gameplay either.

    4. Re:Very 80s looking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You've obviously never seen early Amiga games, you insensitive clod.

    5. Re:Very 80s looking by msobkow · · Score: 1

      Nope. I love a good graphics show. But I don't really play games any more, so I can't speak to their playability.

      --
      I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
    6. Re:Very 80s looking by msobkow · · Score: 1

      I owned an Amiga, you whelp, so I saw plenty of them.

      --
      I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
    7. Re:Very 80s looking by antdude · · Score: 1

      What's wrong with old school retro graphics?

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  10. struggling by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

    Can we still slashdot things?

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au
    1. Re:struggling by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      Can we still slashdot things?

      Virtualization now allows admins to just add servers quickly to handle the load - still gets noticed, though. Didn't you see the "Welcome Slashdotters" sign?

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
  11. Re: Toad block by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't know. I just flew a unicorn around for 5 mins.
    Unicorn > Toad

  12. Why is 8M a milestone? by Quarters · · Score: 1

    Why not 5M or 10.15365M? What makes 8M a number that needs to be announced & celebrated?

    1. Re:Why is 8M a milestone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They wanted free PR? :p

  13. um... by Charliemopps · · Score: 1

    It's the Commander Keen MMO
    I'm not impressed

    1. Re:um... by Mr+Foobar · · Score: 1

      I was actually thinking Crystal Caves or the original Duke Nukem.

      Kinda fun, though, I logged and and created some stuff. No one minded. Wish I could do that in WoW.

      --
      -> I dislike sigs...
  14. Another infinite browser universe sim by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Omega See it in action here.

  15. WTF??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't get it...if we keep regressing soon we'll be back to paddle ball and tiddlywinks.

  16. Similar to Habitat? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    This reminds me of Habitat.
    http://web.stanford.edu/class/history34q/readings/Virtual_Worlds/LucasfilmHabitat.html

  17. They surpassed Minecraft in stuffs and griefing by AlabamaCajun · · Score: 2

    Within the 2 minute time I was transported to several different lands most likely the system overload. Then once stable, something left on the trail by others morphed me through several different avatars and turned off aswd. Then out of nowhere I was transported to someones trap. I rarely played mario so I;m not familiar with the powerups. Great place to get your mind sucked away.

  18. Re: Toad block by For+a+Free+Internet · · Score: 0

    Incorrect. Toad block does not need to flit about, toad block is already in the optimal position. Noothing will move toad block.

    --
    UNITE with the Campaign for a Free Internet because today, our future begins with tomorrow!
  19. the hell? by BringsApples · · Score: 1

    universe? umm... no. If they choose to look at it that way, then why not look at slashdot in that way? letters/words/ideas... all blocks, placed by people, edited by others, leaving dust...

    --
    Politics; n. : A religion whereby man is god.
  20. Thanks Slashdot...for making me hooked on ManyLand by MindPrison · · Score: 2

    I never knew of this universe before I read it here, I decided to try it out on my Linux box, and it worked straight away.

    Unfortunately I ended up building areas for hours and hours, before I knew it...I think I ended up rebuilding Hyrule's many castles, doh! Thanks a lot, yet another addiction I really didn't need in my life.

    Phun aside, I'm thinking Little Big Planet here, except in LBP we could even create our own games (simulate Pac-Man, Tetris..space invaders etc...) and people came up with the coolest stuff - and before you knew it...there was MILLIONS of levels in LBP. I think that's whats missing in this game, but hey...maybe there already is something similar there...and I just didn't find it?

    --
    What this world is coming to - is for you and me to decide.
  21. Re:Thanks Slashdot...for making me hooked on ManyL by sosh101 · · Score: 2

    Possible in manyland too! See e.g. manyland.com/newpolis manyland.com/blancnoir manyland.com/livingisland (there are loads more)

  22. Doesn't work in IE 6?? by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

    Those developers must suck. Every corporate app works just fine so that must be it.

    Phb boss: Files bug report

    --
    http://saveie6.com/
  23. Re:Toad block by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, the "This area is too full, relocating to another area" that pops up every five seconds rules.

  24. Re:Thanks Slashdot...for making me hooked on ManyL by j_philipp · · Score: 1

    Also try Interactings in Manyland, a way to add behavior to your block: http://manyland.com/info-inter...

  25. TRWTF: EOL'd desktop OS connected to Internet by tepples · · Score: 1

    The real WTF is that the firewall in front of your Windows XP machine even allowed this site to resolve.

    Windows XP has vulnerabilities that Microsoft will never fix. So please don't use IE on XP on the public Internet. If you must use corporate apps on XP, use a firewall to make sure the machine communicates only with those corporate apps.

    1. Re:TRWTF: EOL'd desktop OS connected to Internet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ahh the smell of sarcasm never evades

    2. Re:TRWTF: EOL'd desktop OS connected to Internet by NotInHere · · Score: 1

      (Un)fortunately the transport layer for the internet is extremely inefficient at transporting smell. If it were made from air, it might be a bit better, but its fiber.

  26. Re:From europe? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    he means free healthcare.

  27. Underhand by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    anyway I can look at this without having to allow access to google advertisments garbage, i just get a whale and the website telling me I have a script error since it cant contact google analytics. Looks fun, but a money spinner underneath yet again.

  28. User-extensible, eh. by Shag · · Score: 1

    Sounds like a MUD, only graphical. Not sure how many MUDders are still around and have enough free time to appreciate it.

    --
    Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
  29. Under 30 seconds. by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

    Next article?

    --
    Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"