mindcrack ("minecraft" really)
I didn't really see this coming, but I've become a "mindcraft" server admin.
If you don't have a 12-14 year old boy, you might not know what this is.
Near as I can tell it goes directly to the pleasure center in their
brain and chemically bonds to the receptors.
It's a rather interesting java based "3D world" which you can move
around in and create things. But that description does not do it
justice. It's quite an interesting wonderland were the object seems
to be able to construct things - buildings, bridges, towns, etc...
There is a java based client which (I'm guessing) uses OpenGL, since
it has nice real-time 3d graphics. The graphics are a bit cheesy but
pretty fun to look at. The system creates a 3d virtual world with
lots of interesting rules. And it's multiplayer.
There is an associated server. It has been hacked to include java
"plugins". So naturally I was strong-armed into creating one for my
son. And now, of course, he wants to make it "public". Which
presents some network security issues and opens the notion of using a
cloud VM.
The note worthy thing here is that there is no "one server". Anyone
can create a server and house a world.
The plugins are java code, and seem to be able to manipulate the world
rules in interesting ways. One will let you "fly". Another creates a
"magic carpet" which is transparent and allows you to walk anywhere,
even through things. Lots of other interesting ones.
Anyway, I was curious if anyone else had run into this. The
interesting thing to me is that it seems to have spread like wildfire
in the "young boys" world and there are a ton of interesting "plugins"
which are not written by the original author, and in fact, there is a
"modded" server which enables the plug ins, also not written by the
author.
People seem to disassemble the original java and then glue in their
changes and re-release. It's an interesting phenomena, IMHO.
I'm also impressed with the fact that it's all written in java. It
runs at a good clip.
