3pointD.com

Areae, the start-up virtual world-maker run by veteran MMO developer Raph Koster, is looking for a “senior 3D client engineer” to “lead the development of a cross-platform 3D client” that’s currently planning to use open-source graphics engine OGRE. There had been some doubt as to how 3D Areae was going to be; would it be 2D, isometric 2-1/2 D, 3D, or some combination of those dimensions? Seems Raph wants to go all the way with it, or with some component of it, and hopes to go with OGRE — though according to a post on the OGRE forums, much will depend on finding the right lead dev: “Honestly, we aren’t sure that’s our final solution or not - it’s likely highly dependent on the person we hire. If the perfect person comes along and they have deeper experience with a different engine and want us to switch, we will.” One interesting thing to note about the Help Wanted posting: candidates are invited to “help develop the next generation of online gaming.” I’m not sure if that’s a reference to the fact that Raph sees Areae as primarily a game world (or series of game worlds), or whether it means something else entirely. Interesting that he’s not characterizing it as a non-game world, though. Raph has talked in the past about the fact that social worlds need game-like orientations to them, which is my bet for Areae. That would imply less game and more world, though. Change of course, or just semantic hair-splitting from the 3pointD office of virtual Kremlinology? [Thanks to cw for sending that news!]