I’ve been asked, with increasing frequency, about the theme/genre of our products.  A lot of weapon-makers concentrate on making replica weapons: Beretta 9mms, Desert Eagles, Uzis, etc.  We’ve never really done that, and I’m forever being asked why.

For the record, I’d define the theme of our future (and to a large extent, our current) products as “prototype chic.”  We’re not going for sci-fi (like we did with the Black Widows), with lasers and what-not.  Rather, we want to make products that look like they could exist currently, in some DoD laboratory somewhere, but aren’t currently in use.

So, for our customers who wonder about this, let me give you my reasons why:

  1. Freedom - The number one reason we don’t make replica weapons is freedom.  A Beretta 9mm operates in a very specific way; if you want to make a realistic duplicate of it, that duplicate has to behave that way as well.  That’s great, if you’re an enthusiast for modern weaponry.  But if you’re like me, and you want to make some pretty weird shit from time to time, replica weapons are too limiting.  Show me a Beretta 9mm that can fire toxic gas rounds or auto-correct your aim with intelligent targeting.  When we create products, we always reach the point in the conversation where somebody says something like this: “But how can a gun hold 235 bullets?”  Our theme enables me to respond “Who cares?  Maybe it uses some kind of micro-bullet?”
  2. Theme versatility - A replica weapon locks you into a particular time period for theme/environment, which means those weapons only look right on an avatar designed with that time period in mind.  Our “prototype chic” theme, on the other hand, fits in with themes ranging from modern to sci-fi, which makes them appropriate in a wider range of settings.
  3. Niche market - There are plenty of designers out there making replica weapons.  Why compete?  Better to sit in a market of our own devising, so we can focus on making the products we want, rather than worrying about what’s already been done.  If we were to make a Uzi smg, we’d have to examine the market of Uzi smgs and determine who’s done what and charged what for it.  On the other hand, nobody’s making a VX-7, because damnit, we made it up.  All we need to do is focus on making the best damned VX-7 the world has never seen.
  4. Imperfections - Real life weapons have all kinds of quirks: spent shell casings, peculiar muzzle flashes, chamber movement, etc.  If we were to copy all of these quirks precisely, we’d have the laggiest weapon in existence (I’ve seen some replicas that will remain nameless in excess of 0.7 ms script time when dormant). So any replica is going to have to choose between performance and realism.  Better, in my mind, to create a perfect VX-7 (which thematically uses a propulsion system instead of casings) than an imperfect Colt 1911.
  5. Load time - The VX-7s have only a few sculpties, and only a handful of well-placed textures (thank Vincent Nacon for that), which makes them easier on loading times (and on overall sim performance) than items with dozens of sculpties and textures.  We’re able to do this because we can design the guns from the ground up, without having to conform to a pre-established real life design.
  6. It’s MY Second Life, damnit - And here we get to the meat of it.  I create what I want, and what I want is cool shit that doesn’t exist (yet).

So there you have it: we don’t intend to start doing replicas anytime soon.  If you want replicas, try Black Ops; they make some good ones, from what I’ve heard, with some fairly reasonable lag profiles.  There are other major brands on the market, of course, but some of them are incredibly laggy, so investigate a bit before you buy for the sake of those around you, please.