Online Town
Productivity
virtual meetings
SHOW HN2020
261points
46comments
#174of 3,028 in 2020
Top 6%of 2020 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
16 positive, 6 neutral or asking, 5 mixed, 5 critical, out of 32 comments about the project. Thread score +0.34.
Idea: 10 for, 1 againstDesign: 1 for, 2 againstExecution: 0 for, 1 againstPerformance: 0 for, 1 againstPricing: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Fun way to socialise and have multiple conversations
From 4 comments
I've spent the last 2-3 hours in here and have talked to maybe half a dozen people about all kinds of things. This is just such a fun way to get together and have a conversation,…
sdrothrock on HNWe used this for a remote company “happy hour” today. This was the most fun I’ve had with online video in a long time. We had a few “pods” that gradually merged and split…
jtokoph on HNThis was a fantastic experience! Probably the first time I've felt that online catchups could be like group ones. Had a good chat with Cyrus and some others. I could really…
atiredturte on HNI love this so much. Completely new paradigm of online chat.
genki_af on HN
Fading audio and video works well for group chats
From 2 comments
Tried this with a group of friends today and it was a lot of fun. The fading is a great touch. Main thing we wanted was a minimap, or some way for new arrivals to find us. Nice…
bdr on HNI've spent the last 2-3 hours in here and have talked to maybe half a dozen people about all kinds of things. This is just such a fun way to get together and have a conversation,…
sdrothrock on HN
Objections
Performance lag and freezing reported
From 3 comments
I think the concept is cool but after walking a few steps the game just freezes for me. Will try again later.
rollinDyno on HNMade it to hacker news!! Congrats all!! I wonder if you would consider open sourcing the map creation component? I’d love to contribute I tried this for a passover and…
fileyfood500 on HNThank you. This is so great. I am curious how one can implement these multi-channels and always-on communication. Are they via WebRTC? Don't they get prohibitively expensive?
elk235 on HN
Avatars can be used to isolate people by surrounding them
From 2 comments
Heh, it's cute. Something I noticed is that you can collide with other characters, so if you have three other friends, you can effectively isolated people by collaborating and…
capableweb on HNIf you get surrounded by four people, a textbox appears saying that you can press <space> to teleport out. A larger group of people could form a ring to entrap people, but that's…
thmt on HN
Video only shows inside a box; users could not see each other on one browser
From 1 comment
Hi. I think this is a great idea - particularly as I'm unable to visit my girlfriend and 4 stepkids in the lockdown (I don't live with them), and I've been having meals with them…
djaychela on HN
Requests
Minimap or way to find people
From 2 comments
Tried this with a group of friends today and it was a lot of fun. The fading is a great touch. Main thing we wanted was a minimap, or some way for new arrivals to find us. Nice…
bdr on HN> Main thing we wanted was a minimap, or some way for new arrivals to find us. I was thinking a minimap would be nice, or maybe a dash option so I could get around a little…
sdrothrock on HN
Open source the project
From 2 comments
2d proto-"Ready Player One" This is the coolest thing I've seen in a long time; brilliant. Is this open source? If so, I would love to contribute.
tetrahedr0n on HNMade it to hacker news!! Congrats all!! I wonder if you would consider open sourcing the map creation component? I’d love to contribute I tried this for a passover and…
fileyfood500 on HN
Custom backgrounds or map images
From 2 comments
> Main thing we wanted was a minimap, or some way for new arrivals to find us. I was thinking a minimap would be nice, or maybe a dash option so I could get around a little…
sdrothrock on HNI've been looking for something like this for the past couple of weeks, so I'm super excited to try it. Another thing I think would be great would be shared virtual backgrounds…
shtack on HN
Questions
How is moderation and handling of trolls handled
From 1 comment
Sounds like a new concept. Has anyone ever tried this approach of a virtual real-life emulating community with video calls? A lot of community building questions still apply…
Fiveplus on HN
Are the multi-channel connections WebRTC and is it expensive
From 1 comment
Thank you. This is so great. I am curious how one can implement these multi-channels and always-on communication. Are they via WebRTC? Don't they get prohibitively expensive?
elk235 on HN
Alternatives named
Mozilla Hubs
From 2 comments
Another take on this idea of having positional audio is Mozilla Hubs. It’s kind of like a simplified VRChat that runs in the browser. Also has mobile support on iOS and Android.…
tcoff91 on HNReally cool idea. I've been thinking a lot about how to have a party online (zoom parties are inevitably terrible), and this seems like a great step towards recreating real-world…
ksj2114 on HN
Sococo
From 1 comment
Sococo has a similar idea. I've tried it in a few places and for some reason it never really sticks. Maybe we're doing it wrong. I understand the map is supposed to be NYC. I…
noelwelsh on HN
iSee
From 1 comment
Sounds similar to a product called iSee out of Australia used in school systems there. "iSee is just like being in the real world, where your voice fades out with distance and…
jimmySixDOF on HN
Jitsi-based lozya
From 1 comment
Similar idea to which I contributed. This one is built on top of Jitsi. https://github.com/capnmidnight/lozya
severak_cz on HN