The bare minimum participant controls are already good enough to enable indoor exercise machines while yakking with family over the net

• opening shell interface promotes the credits of the contributors, this design document to further Nemo’s Mind evolvement, the New Moon philosophy, and ability to e-mail a friend a letter with link to the download, and graphic/audio options- a great startup screen is a moving background such as pre-historic symbols or petroglyphs and the words Nemo’s Mind scrolling across the screen against the moving background - and the buttons for the credits etc. on top - may even have a 3-d room to walk around in and read about it with visuals and maps - 3D room might even have some info on the Nemo theme hooking into world suppression and slavery - see 3 Level Plan
• hookup with partner or more by ICQ or through program startup to give each other IP addresses etc.
• option to do as a solo explorer (or with an intelligent agent/tourist guide later on)
• select an avatar from the program or download newer models from net - could even find custom artists to make one to order (also free modeler programs floating around net for specific programs) RPGs will soon allow custom characters so this will become big soon)
• starts at Genesis beach or last location from previous use or when voice recognition comes in then the user can personally "name" an area and then return by telling computer where you want to start - all things done or found (collecting artifacts) is automatically saved - for instance you have your personal dirigible from there on out, once attained
• when the player starts up the island environment the screen goes black for a few seconds and then sound fades in for a few moments - the sound is initially the rush of water and bubbles going by as if rising to the surface and then ambient sound of the location chosen fades in - then the screen fades in - this emphasizes the place they are now and focuses on that ambient sound - but also emphasizes the depths of consciousness and the Nemo water theme - leaving Nemo’s Mind would reverse this sequence only faster as transition back to the other consciousness
• same ritualized startup brings in associated ambiance and quickly transports the explorer into the environment - excitement of the first few times and show cases the ambient sound of the local terrain by not having any visuals the first few seconds
• perhaps some kind of color coding to tell how far the participant has penetrated Nemo's secrets - like a good book it would be a reminder for others not to accidentally expose coming surprises - this might be a credo of the participants - perhaps the non-finishers are tagged with a certain color as reminder to others not to spoil all so others can help or avoid giving away surprises - perhaps a list as part of the intro of things to not blab about before finding out if the other explorer wants to know - the few surprises that shouldn’t be given away
• along with voice talk the participants can always talk by local modem or text chat within the program
  

• new standard on 3D first person programs is a server list - to find multiple 24 hour Nemo’s Mind sites - participant  will select between the singles scene or special interest or geographically if you want to meet others in local area or go private to someone else you already know - first year the technology may require finding servers off a web page and/or server seeker on program start-up - but we don't want to just replace text chat rooms - an area that is overlooked is the replacement of the regular long distance phone call with an enhanced and free mode
• a possible lure is to have the last known position on the island the explorer was at when they last signed off, panning as a background for the monitor's desk top - it could also have weather and day night or even stay hooked to net and could have the panning rotating around your avatar
• in future the program may mimic users local day night moon tide and weather - allow participant to reset date and time and global position - in case explorer lives in the dead of winter in Alaska and just started on Genesis beach in dark
• registering or some other way to tell the players present location to make game in synchronization with their real time weather and day length etc. - such as weather updating off the net - registering could give notice of updates but this should be automatic by then - during play the program could download patch and next time you start up it loads - most likely auto patching of every component of the computer will be incorporated in the next generation operating system
• personalizing elements such as cloud speed & colors etc. - but this may be part of voice commands
• custom avatars will be automatically scaled down to maximum allowable height and width if needed for the terrain
• make it as easy to start as a phone call - like ICQ - should be able find where your favorite chatters are at and ask them if they want you to join? If the target chatter hasn’t turned it off - like ICQ - then how to join at their part of the island?
  

• speed of screen movement for looking around must be slowed down for motion sickness and to increase the graphics detail in trade for rendering speed - so speed is restricted in all movement and facing movement unless confined to tunnels in mini-sub or the mini-sub track
• option for joystick and one click button forward movement for those who are on treadmill - people will find any excuse to chat on Nemo’s Mind
• a mouse control for selecting artifacts for token collectors
• inventory button that allows cursor to select an item for dropping into dream sphere or to give to someone else - artifacts/tokens if you wish to share it with others - this is an art feature - not a game feature
• hit a button for a text read out of the nearest art, architecture, or object of interest - like hitting the books in Unreal only with out the books - on the read out screen is a button to hit for the credits on the creator of that level or the art on that level - the things that the participant may want info on is the origin of a global culture dream structure , the dates and architecture style etc. - maybe explanations of how it was associated with dreaming in that culture - hopefully several experts in many cultures will add to the text explanations over time - would be very enlightening
• can keep the artifacts found and look over the collection or show off to others - "hey where did you find that?" - or throw it into the dream sphere - maybe a way to keep a visual record of all collected even if the actual object was thrown into the sphere or it was given away
• if turn volume down it cuts music first and then the environmental effects and last the voice communication - so on the carousel the explorer would still hear the wind and mechanical gears and appreciate the wind driven clouds and moon/stars
• text (for the impaired) can be recognized
• Instead of difficulty settings you have modes: cinematic, chat etc.
• casual gamers often just want the graphics without the hassle - maybe promote this with the ability to stop in middle of program and send screen captures that e-mail through the program to others you want to converse/share with - the e-mail sent will have a link for info and download of Nemo's Mind
• no dying - if jump off a high spot then screen whites out before falling even starts and participant finds themselves right back where last stepped off - no frustration - if crab is catching participants then they reappear at last safe spot
• pick weather

EXTRAS

User controls:

• all user movement is walking - no swimming/flying/running - camera sequences may be added
• simplest controls possible for the non-gaming world - mouse look and strafing slowed to a non-disorienting rate
• mouse look will be standard (since it isn’t a game or a skill challenge it will be easy for newbies) for a browsing speed chat terrain - the focus is on art and ambience and free mouse look is the most intuitive way to look and to immerse - for most users this will be their first experience with virtual 3-d and will test things we took for granted after "Wolfenstien" and "Doom" - such as real perspective scrolling - some of the art will be interactive in a way that can only be appreciated by side strafing - remember mouse look and strafing is natural when the speed is decreased to the first time user of first person 3D
• Arrow buttons used for forward/back/side strafing - speed of mouse look and side strafing will be slow enough that any one can pick it up with out the newbie disorientation and immersion killing/lightning movement of today’s FPS
• escape key leads to front end options screen
• alt-tab function may be necessary to enable chasing down a disconnected chat or to find a new companion
• talk button is left mouse button - since voice may be one way (not simultaneous like telephone) we will add a mouse like audible click at end of each transmission so users know immediately when they can talk
• decide foot step sound effects limitations early - may not do any for initial shareware, but does amaze newbies - definitely not a factor in the lagoon level

• as a great way to expose Nemo’s Mind (an improvement over word of mouth) 2 people on a voice chat program and one is on Nemo’s Mind should be able to transmit picture by picture updates at the fastest possible speed so the other chatter can see what the other sees in a fashion but at least see the great graphics
• one participant could have a night setting or lightning and others could have daylight etc. so environment is personalized - more to play with
• change weather, seasons, time of day, and even raise the ocean - raising ocean to get a submarine perspective of favorite haunts and architecture - bring waves right up to the Observatory
• could run as windows background - automatically logs into favorite server, run as background on e-mail or word programs, etc. - to stay busy while waiting to meet someone or just for the beauty of it
• choice of animation’s for avatars
• Intelligent Agent as dream guide - Nemo himself with stories and new attitude born of time - imagine James Mason reprising his role - 5/10 years down the line of evolving Nemo's Minds
• have a movie camera focusing effect if the player looks center screen - such as only the center is the high resolution (might save CPU cycles on a big screen and allow the wide screen version? And fix problems with perspective such as looking up etc.. big screen doesn’t always have to mean more peripheral vision) - perhaps by the time you get to first reflective encounter the camera will have a matdch on your face and be able to put your face on the screen - make it look like you really are looking into water
• motion blur and depth of field tricks will become stock in a few years and these are excellent for surreal effects - the depth of field would be a very cool trick to use on reflecting ponds to go back and forth on seeing the bottom of a pool and then to the surface reflection
  

• use of speech commands and intelligent agent is the key to making future virtual worlds great
• tomorrow's operating system will have voice recognition built in and the future version of Nemo's Mind will automatically tap into that
• need option to do all physical actions by talking - for the handicapped and for those that are exercising on a treadmill - no better excuse in the world to go for a walk with your Buddy by long distance
• speech recognition to language translation
• need to avoid all hand controls (input devices) in a chat world with simple interface - 3^rd party (operating system) voice recognition, voice commands
• can name or rename locations verbally as transparent saving mode
• to gain a voice command you must read the text from someplace of significance and then command will be available from there on out - to gain more control over the environment when weather and stellar effects become possible - dream controls given through exploration and reading dream incantations from around the world - to invoke weather and day or night control you must reach a place where you can read a mantra such as "to obey nature is to control nature" from there out to invoke it you give the memorized mantra plus anything like "no more clouds" "need more sun" "night be gone" "sun leave us" "give us night/sunrise/sunset/thunder and lightning/snow/rain" - if the request influences sun position then the cycle speeds (in fast motion) until sun is in place - in a surreal dream way (this sort of control over nature will probably give rise to more conversation material and is definitely a theme of the program)
• user settings/controls: control who hears your voice (important one for chatters)- voice only within desired individuals or all in ear shot etc.
• players voice is picked up for speech recognition but also for adding environmental effects to it - like as if your voice is really echoing etc. in a large cavern etc. - kind of a karaoke effect
• if speech recognition is used then that program already has the ability to isolate the voice from the music and sound effects coming out of your speaker and the users home environment noise - so should be easy to isolate the voice from true sounds within the home environment so the receiver of your voice doesn't get the rest of the noise into their virtual audio environment
• certain conversations or tones have an effect on the environment?
• could make it so computer is locked to only responding to the explorer and not someone else - unless they verbally sign as new avatar - this should be an adaptation of security procedure by then - a voice lock to pick up explorers whisper versus a voice in the explorer's house or local environment
• you verbally ask and computer should be able to tell you where some one is and put you on the right server and location within the island
• possible dream guide with intelligent agent ability - could even be a more balanced Captain Nemo
  

• camera can pick up head cues for turning and forward or back - control movement by head through camera - very slight cocking of chin up or down to move forward or back - would become subconscious movement like the effort of moving legs in reality
• camera should interpret leaning to side etc. for view shifting
• how will participant look to side while moving forward? necessary for viewing art from all angles like the transforming statue and lining up the dots in 3D space to get pointillist art etc.
• camera reads body posture and emotions - to catch leaning and hand movements - to transfer to avatar for interpretation by others
• camera recognized controls will come along - something that will allow hands in the program to grab objects - by copying what your hands do - you reach forward and the avatar's hands project out into the view
• body language and facial interpretation or mirroring through camera and shown on your avatar
  

• at some time in the far future participants will want to leave their mark - the ability to modify the environment such as sand castles - the change to the environment  will be stored so it pops up whenever the user goes back to the island
• the ability to add others prefabs to your island only and can pass it on - always have the option of getting rid of it later if not fitting into your sensibilities of the island - if it is popular then could be added permanently by the vendor by popular vote or time period of popularity - great way to evolve - perhaps an option for the user to eliminate additions from "their" island
• leaving footprints in the sand or sand drawings or art/sand castles that stay as long as they are logged on
• token far future note: add to Nemo’s island later on - a play on Jules Verne’s "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" other reverse of Nemo’s island - sister versions etc.- fall down an elevator for 15 minutes from Southern hemisphere for instance to the Northern hemisphere on other side of world - so the star filled sky will change from Southern Cross to North Star - a good way for players on both sides of the world to experience the stars and weather of the other side if seasons are true to life - so if later on the island goes to true weathering it would be winter on one side and summer on the other? sister server locations - and to connect servers for different local areas - how long would it take to accelerate to the middle of earth by gravity that probably decreases as you penetrate and then needs boosting as you pass through middle to get to other side?