Homemade Soops

A short one this: SoopsVirtualFactory.

This sim belong to Soops Group which is, their website informs me, "a dynamic software company founded in 1992 [who] offer software solutions varying from shrink-wrapped applications, tailor-made applications up to requirement analyses." It has offices in Amsterdam and Wurzburg, where they specialise in Object Oriented software development; indeed, the name is an acronym for 'Science Object Oriented Products & Systems'. The group is small, comprising Soops BV (Netherlands) and Component Studio GmbH (Germany), and employs around 30 staff overall.

The S~~~~d L~~e sim seems to be quite new - or perhaps, little used - and, unless I am very much mistaken, is a self-build, being assembled from a number of familiar basics. I say it appears to be new because there is not much here... a few buildings, including the attractive and familiar free beachhuts on stilts, a cafe, a tennis court and a dance area. But none of these seem to be particularly well developed, and they lack coherence; there is nothing pulling them together. It looks like the team (of one so far as I can tell - and I know how that is) is playing with ideas, with no particular endpoint in mind. I cannot see that it is intended as a place for the general rambling public to visit, and in its current guise is unlikely to make anyone's 'favourite sims list'. It looks like someone is having fun, with an entire sim at his/her disposal. The "soopies" group has 6 members, but it is Soops Carter who appears to have done the bulk - perhaps all - of the development to date.

As discussed on many other occasions, if you want a company sandbox - and that is a great idea, by the way - then you should consider making it private. It is easy to get things wrong - and damage your brand as a result. This is a small company, and this may not be a concern - but I would suggest it is something worth thinking about.

Not much in the way of pictures, since there's not much there:

Connect3 is too connected

A slightly strange one this... the Connect3 sim. I stumbled upon while looking for anything promising in this part of the grid. Nearby, I had found the wonderfully named - but rather dull and residential - Fookers sim. I wasn't sure whether Connect3 was the third in a series of Connect sims, or perhaps the precursor to the yet-to-be-created gaming sim, Connect4. I opted for the traditional method for determining such knotty conundrums, and hit the "teleport" button.

I found myself on an almost new sim, belonging to C0nnect3 Systems. Their website tells me that the company "is the leading provider of software solutions and professional services that enable retailers from all industry segments to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their cross-channel and cross-media Advertising, Merchandising and Promotion (AMP) processes." It also tells me they are based in Cerrito, California, and that they have been in business over 14 years. Their clients include Best Buy and Circuit City. Oh... and they have tried their hand at blogging - but appear to have given up about 9 months ago, after posting just a couple of entries.

There isn't very much to say about the sim. There is a little bit of paving that is in need of alignment, as it overlaps in many places resulting in a "migraine attack" effect. At the moment there is a single building, presumably destined to be the main company reception and office, but aside from some client logos, it is yet to be personalised and furnished. Finally, it also has some streaming video of some Best Buy... errr... best buys, which may account for the atrocious lag I experienced on the sim. Click the pic for a bigger pic:

Given the otherwise rudimentary state of the sim, I assume this office is a prefab - and rather nice it is too.

If this sim is so incomplete, why am I bothering to post about it? In order to highlight the fact that this sim really is not yet in a fit state to be viewed by bumbling ramblers like me, and should be locked down until it is. If Connect3 are doing this build on their own - and why not? - then they might want to think about bringing in some expertise to help them with basic land and access management. Revealing your work in progress too early could actually work against you, and risks damage to your brand. Get all the basics worked out, including your security and governance, and make sure you don't open access until you are confident the site is in good shape. Regular readers may recall that I am a fan of the largely unannounced "soft launch" - which allows you to iron out wrinkles in the build before going for a full-on public launch. But this sim, in my view, is nowhere near ready for that yet.

Assuming this is the first and last time I see the sim before it is ready for such a launch, I will take this opportunity to wish Connect3 good luck with the build - and I look forward to seeing it again when it is ready!