That matches the reactions I had digging into the web site.
He has the right ideas and an engine. What I wonder about
is if the perceived limitations are aspects of simple examples
and if one of the stories developed by someone is a better
example of what the engine *can*do. The mode of single
interactor presentation also seems limited and I wonder if
a VRML world with multiple interactors where interactions are
chosen spatially (who's zoomin' who) are possible using
his engine.
OTOH, his classification scheme and language-based
scripting approach seem right if a set of Java objects and
protos were used to feed the VRML world. I mentioned
this list to him in email. He seems to be caught in the
dilemma of having only one set of hands and product
almost out the door. Still, something like his ideas
and VRML are intrigueing. To get highly interactive
non-linear stories, a toolkit for building above the raw
VRML would be useful. We have good enough editors
for the graphics: we need the scene interactor editor.
Len
> So the options for what you can do at any given time
> seem kinda limited.
>
> ...which I hate to say, 'cause I think there's some very cool stuff going
> on under the hood here...
>
> Anyway, will provide a description of talk, plus my comments, soon, but
> not
> right now.
>
> Oh, yeah: and he gave out home-burned CDs of, essentially, the Web site --
> two sample stories, the story-viewing software, demo Macintosh version of
> the authoring tool, documentation. Haven't had a chance to fully peruse
> yet.
>
> --jed
