SAPARi: Difference between revisions

SAPARi
	File:SAPARi Logo.jpg
Developer(s)	Sony
Initial release	February 6, 1997; 27 years ago
Stable release	1.0.1 / February 16, 2001; 23 years ago
Written in	Java
Platform	Windows
Website	pc.sony.co.jp/sapari/

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Revision as of 03:18, 5 January 2021

SAPARi（Japanese: さぱり）was an online 3-D virtual world service developed in Java and ran by Sony. Users could speak to one another and join chat lobbies by using a dedicated server browser called the Community Place Browser. Upon selecting a server, users would appear in a 3-D virtual world as an avatar in the form of a human or an animal. The service's name is a shortening of the name Sampo Park Relaxation. From 1997 to 2001, the service came pre-installed on Sony's VAIO series of computers. The official SAPARi service was discontinued on January 31, 2003^[1].

Gameplay

Worlds

Worlds were 3D virtual spaces written in Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) and ran on Sony's dedicated servers. At the time of the service's launch, only one World, named "Park", was available to users. Numerous other Worlds were added as the number of players increased.

Browser

SAPARi used its own dedicated browser for use by clients that could run VRML. Called the Community Place Browser, it was organized into a main window used for displaying 3D graphics, and a second window containing the chat lot titled "Multi-User Window". It also handled another piece of software which came pre-installed on the VAIO series developed and sold by Sony called the "Internet 3D Pack". Even though the servers are no longer in operation, it is still possible to browse the internet in VRML by operating a SAPARi avatar.

Avatars

SAPARi avatars consisted of over 100 human and animal models, and allowed for customizable colors and scaling. By default, players would begin as a pink cat. Certain Worlds would have restrictions on which Avatars could be used on them.

Communication

Multiple users were able to converse with each other within a certain proximity. When a user spoke, their message would appear above their avatar for a short period of time and would be logged in the chat window. Users were able to perform actions with their avatars, such as waving or sleeping.

History

February 6, 1997 - Beginning of the SAPARi Service
November 1999 - "SAPARi Premium" β version release
January 2000 - "SAPARi Millenium" official release
September 1, 2001 - A usage fee is added to the service (300¥ monthly)
January 31, 2003 - End of the SAPARi service

Since SAPARi came pre-installed on VAIO systems, it reached hundreds of thousands of users at one point. However, server fees, military fees, and the lack of a business model relating to the increase in new users stopped the user base from expanding. After this, control of SAPARi was transferred to So-net, which added fees to previously free material. Users actively disliked this, which led to the collapse of the community, causing revenue to sharply decrease and eventually the entire service to shut down at the end of January 2003. However, in 2020, two private servers were made thanks to reverse-engineering and fan efforts.

References

^ Service discontinuation announcement Archived 2003-02-24 at the Wayback Machine

Notes

^ Developed by Sony Architecture Lab and Workstation Unit divisions, and then moved to the VAIO Development Unit.

External links

This Internet-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[2] Service discontinuation announcement Archived 2003-02-24 at the Wayback Machine

[1] Developed by Sony Architecture Lab and Workstation Unit divisions, and then moved to the VAIO Development Unit.

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@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 === Browser ===
-SAPARi used its own dedicated browser customized by Sony for use by clients that could run [[VRML]]. It was called the "'''Community Place Browser'''". It was organized into a main window used for displaying 3D graphics, and a second window containing the chat lot titled "Multi-User Window". It also handled another piece of software which came pre-installed on the [[VAIO]] series developed and sold by Sony called the "Internet 3D Pack". Even though the servers are no longer in operation, it s still possible to browse the internet in VRML (by operating a SAPARi character).
+SAPARi used its own dedicated browser for use by clients that could run [[VRML]]. Called the Community Place Browser, it was organized into a main window used for displaying 3D graphics, and a second window containing the chat lot titled "Multi-User Window". It also handled another piece of software which came pre-installed on the [[VAIO]] series developed and sold by Sony called the "Internet 3D Pack". Even though the servers are no longer in operation, it is still possible to browse the internet in VRML by operating a SAPARi avatar.
 === Avatars ===
+SAPARi avatars consisted of over 100 human and animal models, and allowed for customizable colors and scaling. By default, players would begin as a pink cat. Certain Worlds would have restrictions on which Avatars could be used on them.
-Human and animal avatars were created in 3D graphics following a particular motif. Although there were tens of them and some were common to each world, certain worlds would have restrictions on which Avatars could be used on them. Initially, a user always has their avatar set as a pink cat, although this can be changed in the Community Place Browser settings. Users could also customize the size and colour of each part of the avatars, such as the arms or head.
-=== Conversation ===
+=== Communication ===
-* Multiple users can converse with each other if they are within a certain distance of each other's avatars and are logged in on the same world with other users.
+Multiple users were able to converse with each other within a certain proximity. When a user spoke, their message would appear above their avatar for a short period of time and would be logged in the chat window. Users were able to perform actions with their avatars, such as waving or sleeping.
-* When a user speaks, their words would appear above their heads for a short period of time and would be logged in the Multi-User Window.
-* Users could make their avatars do actions such as sleeping or waving a hand.
-== Development ==
+=== History ===
-Tsunetake Noma's PC during development was a DEC, and his monitor was a Mitsubishi Diamond model. For GCO, A VRML output was created using 3DCG software called "LightWave 3D" from NewTek Co.. Polygons were edited using "LightWave3D".
-The development process is described below.
-# 3D modelling (DXF format)
-# DXF was converted to VRML (only for models)
-# Authoring in VRML (adding movement)
-# 　Movement was originally programmed in Java (Tcl/Tk at the very beginning)
-# Movement testing on the Community Place Browser
-# 　for a server-Client environment, testing was done on multiple PCs.
-# 3D contents are published
-# The official site is updated and moderated by a user group
-# User Communication and support is opened in the 3D contents
-Modelling was done by placing an order to the designer. Noma was in charge of the entire process after the DXF file was received from the designer. Noma also overlooked the direction of the project.
-=== Timeline ===
 * February 6, 1997 - Beginning of the SAPARi Service
 * November 1999 - "SAPARi Premium" β version release