Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Simulation lends itself to highly representational presentation - immersive 3D
virtual reality.
A fabrication, such as that proposed by the Dr. K- project, operates on
a potential model of the universe. There is randomness as a means to add
diversity to the world, which would otherwise remain a homogenous world
of potential. Exploring a fabrication creates an artifact, a fixed collection of
objects and events, and the world is not otherwise knowable except by ex-
ploration. Fabrication lends itself to the constructive process of narrative, a
pre-representational environment.
The qualities of experience in simulated and fabricated environments are
quite distinct. These qualities are distinguished by a number of characteristics:
Repeatability:
The same experience can be repeated multiple times by many
users within a simulation. This is a scientific quality; repeating the experience
is a useful way to test that the system “works”. The fabricated experience is not
prone to repeatability; each experience is intended to be unique for a particular
user across repeated interactions.
Direct user control:
The user can have control over one or more agents within
a simulation. User control in a simulation will often “break” the simulation,
much like tinkering with the innards of a clock may prevent it from work-
ing properly. The user has only limited control of agents within a fabrica-
tion. When the potential of the fabrication is exhausted, agent actions become
determinate and thus out of control of the user.
Viewpoints:
Because the simulated world is well-defined, there are a poten-
tially unlimited number of viewpoints into the world. Virtual reality often con-
flates the high quantity of viewpoints with the notion of “interactivity”. Be-
cause fabrication does not allow the user an unrestricted view of the world, a
fabrication has only a fractional number of viewpoints.
Diversity of landmarks:
A landmark is a memorable element in the experi-
ence. It can be a character, a location, a special event. In a simulation, the user
may experience the same situation repeatedly. Only highly unique situations
stand out from all others, resulting in a low number of true landmarks. Fabrica-
tion is concerned with the direct construction of these landmarks; fabrication
fails if there are no distinguishable landmarks.
