| Habitat (video Game) |
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CULTURE ''Habitat is "a multi-participant online Virtual Environment ," a Cyberspace . Each participant ("player") uses a home computer ( Commodore 64 ) as an intelligent, interactive client, communicating via Modem and Telephone over a Commercial Packet-switching Network to a centralized, Mainframe Host System . The Client Software provides the User Interface , generating a Real-time animated Display of what is going on and translating Input from the player into messages to the host. The host maintains the system's World Model enforcing the rules and keeping each player's client informed about the constantly changing state of the Universe . (Farmer 1993)'' Users in the and Regulations (and authority Avatar s) to maintain order. TIMELINE Lucasfilm's Habitat was run from 1986 to 1988, after which it was closed down at the end of the pilot run. A sized-down incarnation but with vastly improved graphics (avatars became equipped with facial expressions, for example) was launched for general release as Club Caribe on Quantum Link in January 1988 . LucasFilm licensed the technology underlying Habitat and Club Caribe to Fujitsu in 1989 , and an elaborated and evolved version launched in Japan as '''Fujitsu Habitat''' in 1990 . Fujitsu later bought the technology outright, and an even more sophisticated system was relaunched on CompuServe in 1995 as '''WorldsAway'''. As CompuServe morphed into AOL 's "value brand," Worldsaway was cancelled but has survived independently as Vzones.com. REFERENCES AND EXTERNAL LINKS
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