Do you use one of these platforms? Your input would be greatly appreciated!

[KerryJ]

I am researching 5 different virtual worlds platforms and would appreciate your input. I already have the information I need regarding Second Life, although if you use Second Life, I'd be interested in your reasons why you chose it over other platforms.

The other platforms I am researching are:

Open Cobalt
Project Wonderland
Open Sim
Vastpark

If you have user, publisher or administrator experience with any of these platforms, your responses would be immensely appreciated.

The criteria I am using to compare these platforms are as follows:
• User experience
o Technical infrastructure requirements
 Required hardware
 Required software
 Required network speed
 Cashing/local information storage
 Firewall issues
 Accessibility
o Technical skills requirements
o Level of customisation of digital representative
o Communications options (voice, text chat)
o Fluidity of motion - each environment recorded on video where possible. Fluidity of motion refers to smoothness and organic feel of movement, a gaming rating that will be somewhat subjective but still important to evaluation of environments.
o Level of and variety of interaction with environment (what the affordances of the environment provide to end users – i.e. scripts that allow for submission of homework assignments, ability to watch videos, link to web sites, ability to create within the environment itself, etc)
o Visual appeal – relates to the level of sophistication of the graphics and their aesthetic appeal. photos taken of each environment.
o Cost – subscription fee to participate?

• Publisher experience
o Technical infrastructure requirements
 Required hardware
 Required software
 Required network speed
 Cashing/local information storage
 Firewall issues
 Accessibility
o Ability to import or export from outside into environment
o Amount of existing materials available
o Uptake/use by education community – in Australia and elsewhere
o Technical skills requirements
o Ease of object creation
o Level of object customisation
o Object storage and sharing
o Cost
o Affordances
 Technical (features)
 Pedagogical (benefits)

• Administrator experience
o Technical infrastructure requirements
o Technical skills requirements
o Number of concurrent users per region/area/server
o Cost
o Number of concurrent users per simulation/region
o Security
o Identity management (ie ability to integrate with other systems eg LDAP, OpenID or AAF/Shibboleth
o Platform hosting models
o Control/support of communications options (can we turn voice chat on/off at any level?)
o Metadata standards capabilities
o Development roadmap summary
o Is it built with open tech standards? If so, what are they?
o Is the API(s) open – examples of where the API is being used
o Developer community
o Licensing arrangements eg open source, GPL, proprietary
o Is it a VW only or include gaming capabilities?
o Scorm (or some kind of LO packaging compliance?) or capacity for that to be built.
o Integration or potential for integration with LMSs such as Moodle, Sakai, Blackboard