AnUsher Beta Test

I was recently told by my professor to beta test the Second Life version of the House of Usher. This scenario is based on the Edgar Allen Poe story. My specific task within the house was to search the crypt under the house that someone in town was supposed to have told me about. On top of that, my beta test task was to figure out what more clues are needed to make the role play of the house and actors have a more fluid motion. Overall I think that the house is very well built and what is built is impressive. Unfortunately it is still in the beta testing and still has a lot of work to make it ready for the public.

The crypt under the house was very eerie. Kudos to whoever it was that made the walls so old and worn looking. The paths and hallways give off an unsettling vibe that took me a few hours to shake off. The crypt was huge and for the most part empty. This is one of the downsides to the basement crypt. There were so many rooms off the hallways and other corridors and areas that were almost completely empty. One of the rooms I went in had a picture of some old guy who looked important. When I clicked on the picture I got a note card saying something like the picture was put in the basement and don’t bother bringing it back upstairs. This is obviously significant, but for what? I could not find a real use for this painting. If this along with other clues were an actual clue to something that people exploring are trying to figure out, it would make a more enjoyable experience.

I feel as though more clues are needed. However, as to what the clues should be is completely up to what is being figured out. As of right now, we are supposed to try and figure out what is ailing Madeline. In the future I imagine multiple plot lines running through the house. Each plot could have a set of clues, some of which could overlap, or be red herrings. Plot lines could include the doctor that Roderick does not trust, people from the town who have heard stories, and other random objects found in the house. One object that stood out to me was the rocking horse on the top floor. A new back-story could be created for it and it may serve as one of the final clues to a plot line.

Overall I think the house is much too empty. This may be because the house itself is immense. There is a ground floor, upstairs, and three levels of basement. Like much of Second Life, there needs to be more people at once in the house. Schools could come in and break up into groups of three or so and ask the actors questions and search for clues. During my visit, I was constantly looking for the actors as well as the person I came to the house with. At one point I was lost in a maze of walls. Something like this, which is clearly unfinished, should be blocked off by temporary walls or something to prevent people from thinking it could be important when in truth it is just unfinished.

I feel the actors did an amazing job staying in character and keeping the charade up. It was an enjoyable experience as well as an eye-opening test. The house has a lot of potential and I am excited to see what it becomes in the months to come. I may even want to indulge myself and design some objects for the house seeing as it is something that interests me.