MikuMikuOnline: My Impressions and Ideas

 Posted by at 11:38 pm  MMD, Other, Videogames  13 Responses »
Sep 282012
 

 

After hearing news about this project for the past couple weeks, I decided to give it a try. But I decided the best way to test it out was to run my own server and let some friends join in. It’s an interesting program with some potential to do a lot of cool things, but it’s still in beta stage.

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, MikuMikuOnline (or M²Online) is a social chat client that was developed to allow people to run around and interact with other people in a 3D environment using MikuMikuDance based models. By default, the program comes pre-loaded with Miku, Haku, and the Kagamine twins. To install additional models requires a bit of work, but a complete “game” download and usage guide can be found HERE from Vocaloidism.

My own server with 12 members online. Click to enlarge.

 
The program is an interesting concept, but still needs a lot of obvious work. There is currently no sort of ingame music or sound effects, making running around seem rather dull. The physics for jumping in particular are less than realistic, but allows for some fun hopping between buildings. There is also no form of jump detection between separate clients, so this often leads to glitches of characters teleporting at random times.

Moving around itself can be glitchy at times, and can possibly lead to your characters getting stuck. Due to this, the developers implemented an “/escape” command to instantly teleport your character to a new location. Speaking of commands, some nice ones to see would be “emoticon” type commands, for laughing, dancing, etc. A follow command to instantly follow other players would also be useful.

The project is still in beta stage and under constant development. From what I can see, there’s no large scale project to host any sort of “global” server. So I’ve had the idea to open up my own public server to a larger audience (more than 20 people at once), but doing so would require a dedicated machine that will run 24/7. Unfortunately, I do not have the funds at the moment to build one, although the specs needed to do so aren’t very high.

Maybe there will be an “official” Mikufan M²Online server in the future. Until then, feel free to download the client yourself and check it out. It’ll be fun to see where this project leads in the future.

Official Video for M²Online
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHQlgc2qiKc]

Good Smile Company Announces “Hatsune Miku: World is Mine” Figure for Re-release

 Posted by at 9:57 pm  Hatsune Miku, Merchandise  3 Responses »
Sep 272012
 

 

Sorry about most of the recent articles being about merchandise and products, but there’s a bit of a lack anything else noteworthy for the time being. Plus the fact that a lot of these figures being launched are pretty incredible. This newest announcement for the re-release of the World is Mine figure is no exception.

The first run of this figure was in early 2009, and came in two variants with a stained brown frame, and another with a lighter natural wood color. The re-release version is based on the stained brown frame design. This will be the product’s second run in over three years. So if you missed out before or got involved in Vocaloid too late, you’ve got another chance to get your own.

The announced sale price for the figure is 8800 Yen, or roughly $114. This seems high, but the figure is of the utmost quality and includes a beautiful frame as well. The expected release date is sometime in January 2013. The official product page and full size images can be found from here.

Good Smile is selling the product directly through their online store, but it’s also available through other vendors for far lower prices. Since the product was just announced, there aren’t any reservations available yet through other vendors. But I’ll update this post when they are (which should be within a day or two).

EDIT: The figure is now listed on amiami for just 6600 Yen, or $85 USD. It’s listed as sold out since it was just added, but should be shown as available again very soon. Use that watch list button! Here’s the listing: [LINK] A listing through hobby search can also be found here for 7,123 yen.

Limited Edition Hatsune Miku Walkman Auctions Off for a Staggering Price

 Posted by at 3:40 am  Hatsune Miku, Merchandise  3 Responses »
Sep 272012
 

Digging back to early August, you may remember my article regarding the sale of limited edition serialized Hatsune Miku Walkmans. And then a little later, I reported how all 11,817 units were sold in under 6 hours. It’s obvious that people were crazy to get their hands on these units. But it looks like we found someone who takes “crazy” up and beyond the normal meaning for Vocaloid fans.

The owner of the 3939th unit of the teal colored Walkman, with a serial number of 3939/3939, has recently auctioned off the device on Yahoo Japan. Some crazed fan must have REALLY wanted that Walkman, because the auction ended with a winning bid of 368,000 Yen, or roughly $4,736 USD. The device originally sold for 12,800 Yen, or $165 USD. This means the 3939th unit sold for over 28 times the original retail price. [SOURCE]

I’ve seen a few crazy spenders in the Vocaloid community over the years, but I’ve never seen someone spend so much on such a small device because of a unique serial number. The user who bought it must be extremely crazy, or extremely rich (but most likely both). Either way, the seller has certainly made a nice little profit from his venture.

Good Smile Company Officially Announces Nendoroid GUMI

 Posted by at 9:34 pm  Merchandise, Other Vocaloids  4 Responses »
Sep 242012
 

 

Good Smile Company has just officially announced the release date for the GUMI nendoroid that we’ve been hearing (and seeing) so much about. The figure was teased at the 2012 Summer WonderFes in a molded form, but it had no paint. Now we finally have a glimpse of what it really looks like.

There’s no details on pre-order information yet, but here’s what’s been mentioned so far. The nendoroid is due to have a price of 3500 Yen ($45 USD) and will launch in January 2013. She comes with four different faces, her signature goggles, and even a flying carrot stand. You can view the official product page here.

EDIT: Interntional pre-orders for the nendoroid are now open on amiami for 2650 yen, or roughly $35 USD. You can find the listing here.

Vocaloid Producer of the Week #2: Dixie Flatline

 Posted by at 7:55 pm  Other, PotW  4 Responses »
Sep 232012
 


 
Continuing tradition from last week, this week’s obscure channel promotion is aimed at Dixie Flatline, a producer who captured Vocaloid fans around the world with his emotional music.

Dixie Flatline was first noticed by the vocaloid community after the release of his first song, Gemini, back in March of 2008. The excellent use of the Kagamine twins made his first song an instant success. But things didn’t stop there. Just a little over a year later, he released his most notable song to date: Just be Friends featuring Megurine Luka. The most popular print on youtube for this song has raked in over 5 million hits, and his song is also a popular choice in official concerts.

I also got to enjoy the song in concert myself at Mikunopolis. In fact, if you own the DVD or Blu-Ray of the performance, you’ll be able to see me standing and clapping along with the song. The image below is a shot taken by Tokiko during a network broadcast of the Mikunopolis concert.

Tokiko spotted me in the audience of Mikunopolis during the song “Just be Friends”. Click the image to read the full article.

 
Of course, we’re here promote the official pages of Dixie Flatline. So without further interruption…

Official Channel Link

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Te8Sw3jsyoVBxr_UfUONQ

Official Twitter Link (English)

https://twitter.com/DixieF4En

 
Dixie’s channel was first revealed after he showed the premier of his new song, “Answer“, at Anime Expo 2012. The song serves as the successor to the previous story, “Just be Friends”. The video below is the official print for the song directly from his own channel. As always, if you love this producer and appreciate his work, please share this article to help promote and support him directly.

Official “Answer” PV from Dixie Flatline’s channel.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOyCXmfJmiU]

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