Loki's "THE WELL: Sollicitus" - Second Life as a game engine

One of the bloggers that I follow regularly, Ciaran Laval, has recently asked if LL is working on a new project, making Second Life also a game engine.  He thinks that the TOS change might have an origin in an aim of Linden Lab to enable Second Life to become a game engine as well. 

Desura, the digital distribution platform Linden Lab own lists a number of game engines for devs to get their hands on. There are big players such as Unity 3D , Unreal Development Kit and CryEngine3. However there are also much smaller players such as Ren’PY for visual novels and Adventure Game Studio for those who want to make point and click adventures. These latter ones are the ones where I think opportunity could knock for Linden Lab.

Picture by Uccello Poultry

It is funny that Ciaran's post coincides with one of the best game experiences that I have had so far in Second Life. Loki has just released his newest Second Life game called "The Well: Solicitus" and you shouldn't miss it as it will only accessible for one month. The game is a sequel of a Second Life mini-adventure that people could play last year at Halloween time. 

The story is that a year after the events of 2012, a team of scientific investigators are sent down the well to understand the caves strange geology and maybe find a clue to why the rescue team and a young boy disappeared with no trace. You arrive a day later than the rest of the team to find the make shift lab abandoned. [lokielot.com]

You will experience 3D story telling at it's best. Soon you'll meet the ghostly incarnation of the boy, asking you to salvage him from the demonic place. The world comes to life and immerses the player instantly by cut-scenes with great camera angles and impressive voice acting. Expect a hole different experience compared to the usual SL adventure, when short texts are displayed in the chat window in order to tell the story.

Picture by Loki Eliot

From the moment of the apparition of the boy's bedroom, you get roped into a story of shivery scenes leading you deeper and deeper into the tunnel system of the well. You'll need to find your way in this dark place, which are populated by dark shadows that will haunt you. Or like Uccello Poultry says: "that scare the willies out of everyone." You will be confronted with a lot of choices at the different dark dream scenes and there are alternative routes to reach the final chamber deciding your fate.

Loki's "The Well: Solicitus" is the best proof that Second Life can be used as a game engine - already today. However all the cut-screens and cut-scenes, NPC ghosts and sound effects bring the SL engine to its scripting limits. When five or more players are in The Well at the same time, people will start experiencing lag. That's why you should profit from the fact that "The Well: Solicitus" has not been published on the SL destination guide yet. You should go to the starting location and play it ASAP.

[Spoiler] When falling either to the right or the left side of a hole in the corridor behind the ghost boy's bedroom, you will take a different route into the tunnel system. [End of spoiler]