The Road to CyberTown
By Marshal M. Rosenthal
CyberTown has attained a position on the Internet that many sites long for: It contains entertaining things to see and do; doesn't get bogged down in technologies; and keeps users coming back. CyberTown's 51 awards provide further evidence of its success, but the success has as much to do with the concept behind it as the visuals in the forefront. Conceived, fueled, and driven by Tony Rockliff and Pascal Baudar, CyberTown merges technology and design to create a coherent view of the Internet as a community. Launched in June of 1995, CyberTown is a family-oriented town where everyone is welcome to express themselves.
Tony's progressed from a stint as a record producer to a career in multimedia that included movie making, computer consulting, programming, marketing, and promotional design. These unique skills allow him to serve as CyberTown's conceptual designer, producer, and programmer. With experience as an art director, freelance graphic artist, and illustrator, Pascal brings art direction and design to his role as Creative Director.
What makes CyberTown shine is the communities, five areas where the residents (users) can take their own apartment (space): Main Town, Old Town, Beyond CyberTown, The Campus Colony (for teachers and students), and Downtown (for businesses). There is also going to be a Cyberhood Colony. Each colony has numerous buildings full of residents. "We believe communities, especially 3D VR communities, are the future of the Net," says Tony.
Making It Work
CyberTown was originally put together using a souped-up 486/66, a Pentium 100 and a Mac Quadra 800, but is being moved to a dedicated server so that the number of hits won't slow it down.
