Let’s All Try to Keep Up

We’ve just made it easier for you to let your connections know when something interesting is happening in High Fidelity.

High Fidelity isn’t a stand-alone game, with a fixed amount of content. Interface is actually more like a browser, one you can use to visit one of many independently run VR experiences. Some of the domains built with High Fidelity are beautifully detailed worlds that are interesting to explore at any time, but many are more fun when there are other users around and something is happening.

Previously we deployed the SNAP app that let users post images from their travels in High Fidelity to social media and our in-world feed. There are now three ways to use the SNAP app to share images so that other people can join in the fun. The differences are based on who sees the picture, and when.

Address Bar Feed

As before, you can share to the snaps feed. The built-in GOTO app is like a browser’s address bar, in which you can enter the name of a place to go, or search.

The GOTO app also shows you visual feed of snaps that people have shared. You can click on the snap and be taken to the place where the picture was taken. Snaps don’t expire, but the feed is displayed in an order that takes into account the time, place, and picture taker.

Social Media

You can also share directly to Twitter or Facebook by clicking those buttons in the SNAP app. After Twitter or Facebook login, you won’t need a keyboard to send these out, although you can change the message if you want to. When your audience clicks the story in their Twitter or Facebook feed, they are taken to a page that gives them more info. Clicking the picture or “visit” button on that page will bring them to the place where the picture was taken within High Fidelity Interface (if they have Interface installed). As with the snaps feed, external social media sharing also does not expire.

Blast to Connections

So what if you want to let people know about something that’s happening right now? You can click Blast to my Connections.

Within about a minute, all of your interested connections will get notified:

• You cannot blast to everyone in the universe. Only the people whom you have connected with in world (through a handshake), and of those, only those who are currently available to you.
• Wherever they are online in High Fidelity, they get small text notification that fades away.
• If they have hand controllers with haptics, they’ll get a little buzz.

• The GOTO tablet button gets a red “message waiting” dot.
• Opening the GOTO address bar shows any blasts right on top. As always, clicking the picture takes you to the place it was taken.

If you have multiple connections making blasts from the same place, these are stacked together, with just the highest scoring picture on top. You can see a listing of all the blasts for that place by clicking the red lozenge of a stack.

Do Not Disturb

But what if you are not interested in being disturbed by notifications? The top of the PEOPLE app lets you choose whether you are accessible to everyone, all connections, just the trusted friends you pick, or no one at all. This applies to blasts as well.