Occupy White Walls News

OWW: 1.1 - ‘Hello world’
Someone once said:"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." That someone was Van Gogh. While not being a game developer he describes the creative process very well.

Hello Artinauts!
We’ve been so busy we forgot to actually tell the world about our recent updates(!) and all the things we added/fixed in the past 12 months. We may be silent and introverted but rest assured we are nowhere near done with the Artiverse. So please accept our apologies and check out these cool new features in the game!

PS
Ever wanted to show one of your artworks on a phone because you didn’t have a gaming PC nearby? Well... Did you know you can use your OWW account on KULTURA.art? It’s a web/mobile interface that gives you access to your in game art collection, comments and notifications + some special features. It also has DAISY and art collected on KULTURA will show up in your OWW account. Give it a go…

Broke all the rules:

• Expansions removed - no limits, run free :)
  
• New FreeForm rotation method with holding mouse button - 360 degrees of freedom - hold left mouse button and move the mouse.
  
• Ability to reset a gallery - ever wanted to nuke a gallery? Start fresh? Please be careful with the red button (you can find it in the main menu on your gallery list)
  
• Carpets to set spawn points in your gallery - those innocent (‘welcome’) carpets are connected to GPS satellites and allow you to set visitor spawn points if precise targeting.
  
• Complexity meter - showing the expected performance of your gallery - if you care about those things.
  
• Stickers! Customise your space even more (we didn’t think it was possible but hey :)
  

Improvements and optimizations:

• Dramatic performance optimization (we did a lot), tons of it - Loading performance, graphics, UNREAL engine updates, tons of assets optimised, networking, replication, rendering etc.
  
• New main menu UI - a fresh coat of paint (and some ceramic coating!) never hurts.
  
• Your game account is now synced with the website (KULTURA.art) - you can log in with the same credentials, and it's perhaps easier to review your collection on a more convenient website. Ability to like art in game (replacing wishlist)
  
• New cursor (!!) looks much better now.
  
• Arrow assets now can be mirrored - so three lefts make a right now :)
  
• Localization updates
  
• Change the building distance (asset placing) - with a mouse wheel scroll
  

Bug Fixes:

• Music volume balance on loading
  
• Artefacts on building/deleting assets effects
  
• Fixed avatars having wrong material
  
• Head bobbing finally removed (yay!)
  
• Economy problems (wrong income, NPCs not leaving cubes, incorrect charge for buying assets), now sorted.
  
• Login and registration problems - fixed!
  
• Fixed galleries search bar working incorrectly when gallery name has special symbols
  
• Fixed Environment tool not working when you are far away from the starting position
  
• Fixed free camera not showing your own avatar
  
• Fixed artwork preview in inventory not showing some info
  
• UI could get unresponsive after viewing user profile - fixed
  
• Fixed avatar visibility bug when switching between first person and third person
  
• Fixed bugs with Portals (not being able to set destination, portal UI not opening in some cases)
  
• Fixed bugs with granting building permissions
  
• Fixed water shader producing artefacts on some graphic cards
  
• Fixed how long usernames appear to fit some narrow UI holders
  
• Fixed visual bugs for mirrored assets
  

New Assets:

• 44 Stickers
  
• New trails effect masks
  
• 71 new frames
  
• “Invisible neon” walls, floor and ceiling
  
• New assets available at Dealers in Piazza
  
• tons of new assets in the pipeline, stay tuned
  

Stay tuned for even more exciting news, SOON™

KULTURA Ex Machina
London, June 2023

We are delighted to announce the winners of our June 2022 gallery building competition.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

It was a joy to explore and immerse ourselves in the galleries and to see the wonderful worlds this diverse and creative community produced.
All of the Stikipixels were thoroughly impressed with the standard, scope and ambition of the galleries, well done to all those who built one.

While everyone's a winner in our eyes, we chose the following 10 winners for the June 2022 competition - in no particular order:

4swift2 by swift2


This gallery was more in the FX heavy vein but is expertly constructed by someone who knows how to build in a labyrinth style.
It has a great use of light and reflective surfaces that make it very photogenic.

Basalt Black Gallery by juliencfernandez


We felt this was the perfect example of a 'small but perfectly formed' gallery and that it showed an obvious ability to build well using the assets and it didn't feel overly cluttered and demonstrated a good use of space, colour form etc

Can Fla by flanagan


We were impressed with this gallery because it is built around a central hub and has many impressive architectural flourishes - We think the builder made good use of light and reflective surfaces and glass again to create a feeling of ambience, and it has very much a ‘chill’ and look at art vibe

Inside my head by gutfeeling


We liked the abstract and geometric forms of this gallery, it almost has the feeling of a mad scientist lab feeling which we appreciated a lot and it is certainly interesting as an unconventional gallery space with unique forms and details.

Megaron by krfn


This medium sized gallery was very consistent in style - it is a solid portrayal of a classical style of gallery with some nice touches such as a homely room with a fireplace.

Observatory by helioworld


We found this gallery to have an interesting well formed layout, and again it also explored a science lab type theme effectively

The End of the World as we know it by Shan Show


This gallery impressed us all with its complexity and scope.
We liked how it uniquely mixed organic forms with a classical architecture style in an interesting and engaging way.

The Halls of Liminus by good mourning


A fantastic 'theme based' gallery - It starts off dark and bizarre and we all liked the idea of making a gallery exploring liminal spaces.

The Eternal Garden by Kaleidoscopicdragon


Another Thematic gallery - The Eternal Garden is a linear journey gallery which is heavily about evoking an experience or atmosphere for the player - the end of the gallery with the tree is especially impressive for photos as it uses minimal shapes for maximum effect.

The Great and Secret Gallery by experientia


This was a very funny surprise for us all and amused us a lot, the mosaic is also very well made and impressed us.

Prizes have already been given out with exception to art codes and extra gallery slots. We are working on assigning these as we speak. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if there are any issues or if you have any questions.

Well done to you all!

Keep on creating, keep on building,
Keep on Occupying White Walls!

Over the past year there were tons of updates and cool new assets added to the game so we feel it’s a good time for a new trailer, featuring cool player galleries. And... you guessed it, we need your help!



[h2]WHAT IS IT?[/h2]
We’re launching a gallery building competition to showcase the limitless possibilities of art (and OWW), endless player creativity and just for fun.

We want to see ‘showcase’ galleries that can be used to impress people who don’t know about OWW and its special vibe.
[h2]RULES/REQUIREMENTS[/h2]
⚀ The only rule is about size, it should be a new gallery with no more than 100 expansion cubes (should be enough, less is more etc :)
⚁ It can be in any style/design in fact the more original the better
⚂ Keep an eye on the Complexity meter; try keeping it green or yellow - please 🙏
⚃ Featured galleries should not be changed until the end of 2022
[h2]TIME[/h2]
Starting NOW until June 14th! Extended to June 21st!
[h2]REWARDS[/h2]
Rewards for every player who enters a gallery:
⚀ 2 million cubes
⚁ An additional gallery slot
⚂ One cool (unreleased) car statue
[h2]REWARDS FOR ALL WINNERS[/h2] (where we feature your gallery in the new game trailer)
⚀ 10 Art upload codes (you can gift them if you'd like)
⚁ Another additional gallery slot (2 extra total)
⚂ Added to the gallery featured screen until at least the end of 2022
⚃ 3 additional unique statues (so 4 in total)



Steam does not trust google form links, so the submission form link may be blocked and you may need to copy and paste to access the entry form.

https://forms.gle/LndX4DG3xEKoUH8SA

[h2]Highlights OWW[/h2]

• Free form placement mode (!!!)
  
• Increased gallery slots to 5!
  
• Amazing New chat! Private messages!
  
• Brand new tutorial - Optional, not obligatory!
  
• Gallery loading speed greatly improved!
  

[h2]Highlights Kultura[/h2]

• Introduced Likes and Dislikes
  
• Notifications
  
• Follow your favourite artist
  
• Reorder artworks on boards
  
• Add curational text to artworks on boards
  

[h2]New:[/h2]

• Free form placement mode (!!!)
  
• Holiday assets 2022!
  

[h2]Improvements and optimizations:[/h2]

• Added support for nested comments
  
• Fixed issues with shadows on some settings
  
• Added support for email login
  
• Increased gallery slots to 5! Changed the way new galleries are unlocked and increased the number to 5 (buy with cubes instead of leveling up. 1st slot is free, 2nd - 150k, 3rd - 600k, 4th - 2.5M, 5th - 5M)
  

[h2]Bug Fixes:[/h2]

• SoundCloud Fixes (third time lucky)
  
• Fixed camera movement while standing still (so called head bobbing)
  
• Camera collisions against the walls
  
• Fixed Azerty keyboard layout bugs
  
• Fixed height of the camera while standing and crouching
  
• Fixed wrong server movement corrections (so called Rubber banding)
  
• Fixed NPCs running speed
  
• Fixed avatar feet collisions to stay on top of floor
  
• Fixed bugs with lights assets not casting light on some occasions
  
• Fixed bugs with saving action bar state
  
• Fixed money change animation freeze
  
• Fixed text asset size not changing
  
• Fixed visual artifact when NPCs spawn near reception desk
  
• Fixed input settings reset to default
  
• Fixed enigmas edit mode
  
• Fixed login credentials not saved in game
  
• Fixed spawning in world origin instead of near reception desk
  
• Fixed ability to place text assets
  
• Fixed the issue with the enigma notification sent to everyone
  

[h2]Kultura Updates:[/h2]

[h2]General[/h2]

• Introduced Likes and Dislikes
  
• Vault is no longer a part of Kultura - was replaced with Likes
  
• Activity feed
  
• Notifications
  
• Help menu
  
• Added covers to the Board comment section on the Discover page
  
• Changed the way you can scroll Comments section on Discover page
  
• Long artwork description now collapsed by default
  
• Added support for line breaks on texts in Kultura
  
• Added support for email login
  
• Collections section on Discover page now has arrow buttons for better navigation
  
• Reorganized and updated navigation bar
  
• Added ability to better manage used and remaining art codes on profile page
  
• Added live chat and help menus
  
• Improved search logic to give better results
  

[h2]Daisy and Maisy AI[/h2]

• Greatly improved “Find similar” loading speed
  
• Optimized and improved Daisy algorithm(now 6th generation!)
  

[h2]Boards[/h2]

• Added the ability to reorder artworks on boards
  
• Ability to add curational text to artworks on boards
  
• Slideshow mode (board presentation)
  
• Added page of boards which contain specific artwork
  

[h2]Highlights[/h2]

• Amazing New chat! Private messages! Out with the old, in with the new!
  
• Private messages
  
• Follow users
  
• Brand new tutorial - Optional, not obligatory!
  
• The tutorial can be viewed at any time by pressing F1
  
• Now more visual
  
• All assets (except for vendor) are unlocked from first login
  

[h2]Animations[/h2]

• New character animations (including sprint (shift+w) and crouch (c) )
  
• New effects when interacting with objects
  
• New build and destroy effects
  

[h2]Assets! [/h2]

• We dug deep in our basement and revived 348 assets, 331 are available right away!
  
• Building Styles range from Japanese contemporary, Asian, Neon, Suprematic, Ultra colored, and new zero gallery assets and updates. (Tip, search any of these names to see the full sets)
  
• 17 new assets sold at the vendors
  
• New and updated starting gallery, including graffiti!
  

[h2]Optimizations![/h2]

• Gallery loading speed greatly improved
  
• Fixed occasional fps drops once a minute or so
  

[h2]UI Improvements [/h2]

• Search the asset collection by clicking the collection name in the building inventory
  
• Inventory is now sorted and grouped by collections
  
• Pagination added to all inventory tabs
  

[h2]General Improvements [/h2]

• Expansions now increase by 50 cubes (down from 100) and no longer decrease, to a max of 50k each.
  
• Desk opening now lasts for 1 hour, up from 30 minutes
  
• Updated help menu
  

[h2]Bug Fixes:[/h2]

• Multiple fixes for various settings (video/sound/input)
  
• Ceilings are no longer dark on one side
  
• Large art inventories should no longer crash or freeze the game.
  
• Changing audio output (like plugin in your headphones) should no longer cause a crash
  
• Fixed red post box sometimes wouldn’t teleport you from Plaza
  
• Process should now close in Steam after exiting the game
  
• Enigmas should now work again
  
• All interactive objects now save their state
  

[h2]Kultura Updates:[/h2]

• Front page (Discover page?)
  
• Mobile improvements
  
• Ability to resend confirmation email
  
• Updated codes purchased page
  
• Board editing page improvements
  
• Kultura for Artists page
  
• Various UI fixes
  

Stay tuned for even more exciting news, SOON™

StikiPixels
London, December 2021

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Many museums have created online galleries during the pandemic. But Pere Izquierdo Tugas, director of the Consorci del Patrimoni de Sitges, in Catalonia, has gone one better, creating a complete virtual version of the exhibition centre itself.



Pere Izquierdo, 57, an archaeologist and art historian, loves technology. “I'm a digital native,” he says. “I started using a computer in 1975, at the age of 12". Thus, when he discovered KULTURA/Occupy White Walls (OWW), a new online art platform and game with 80,000 galleries already created by players, he realized that he had found the right place to give visibility to the museums he directs and the art collections in them.

“We have an interesting collection, but it's not well known,” he explains. "Visitors are surprised when they see it". He first thought OWW would be just a way to show the collection during the lockdown. He then realised it could be a permanent way to show the centre and its collections to a wider global audience.

OWW is built around its pioneering art discovery AI that 'finds art you'd like, even if you don't know what art you like’. This is how it has already attracted tens of thousands of ‘non artsy’ gamers to engage with art and create their own virtual display spaces.

"Our mission is to spread art and OWW is an excellent opportunity to reach out to those who would love art but may not be very familiar with museums," continues Izquierdo. “We especially focus on young people, many of whom think that museums are sad and serious places. We must make them understand that we exist and make the works of art in our museums more popular ".

So he rolled up his sleeves and started building in his free time the environments of Sitges' museums by himself. Thus, was born a parallel architectural complex where you can spend a few hours among masterpieces of all times.

“First, we made a parallel version of the Sitges museums to show the paintings in rooms similar to the real ones.” I looked for the OWW elements most similar to those in reality, even if our decorations are very particular, so in part, it is my reworking. There are mosaics, stained glass windows, ceramics, freely inspired by those of real museums."



The online visit starts with the presentation in the Piazza dei Miracoli, one of the central places in the game. A short presentation tells the story of Sitges and its vocation to be an artistic and cultural centre. In an environment of great atmosphere, part of the square’s futuristic architecture, it is explained how, in 1891, Santiago Rusiñol, an artist of great charisma, first came to Sitges, a Catalan village near the sea, and created the cradle of Catalan Modernism. Rusiñol knew, and corresponded with, with all the great artists of Paris, from Toulouse-Lautrec to Degas.



One must-visit place in the game is the Museum of Cau Ferrat, Rusiñol’s home studio. It is an extraordinarily dense museum, with 2,700 objects in 400 square meters, including five Picassos.

The whole upper floor of Cau Ferrat is like a temple of the arts, with the three allegories created by Rusiñol that preside over the room like three apses in a church. There are 17 paintings by Ramon Casas, another Catalan Modernist great, works by Miquel Utrillo, lover of Suzanne Valadon and father of Maurice Utrillo. Among the most important pieces are two paintings by El Greco: The Penitent Magdalene and The Tears of St. Peter, as well as a collection of medieval altarpieces.

In Occupy White Walls you can also visit the Museum of Maricel (Sea and Sky), which was originally the home of the American millionaire, Charles Deering, who had an impressive art collection and bought an entire barrio, a city neighbourhood, to exhibit its collections. There too, in the game, there are numerous works that tempt you to go and see the real museum, from Gothic altarpieces to Rusiñol's paintings. Another remarkable room is dedicated to the allegories of the First World War by José Maria Sert, the painter who created the decoration of the United Nations Palace in Geneva.



“In the game, we tried to keep the same tour routes as in the real world museums. At Cau Ferrat in the physical museum, there were explanatory cards, which we had to remove with the Covid emergency. Thus, visitors to the real museum can visit the rooms with a smartphone app that describes the various paintings. That same app can also be used for visiting OWW. In the virtual part of Maricel, on the other hand, there are signs with brief explanations. In the future, in the game, it would be great to do guided tours with avatars. Explanations of the works disseminated by the speakers present in the halls could also be envisaged (Sound cloud music/audio integration was added to KULTURA/OWW in a recent update)”.

All this is a work in progress. "We are also working on the Romantic Museum, which will soon reopen in the real world, and the Stämpfli Foundation for Contemporary Art. In the latter case, however, there is a problem of rights ", notes Pere Izquierdo.

There are other initiatives. "On the 22nd of June, we will be holding a competition in which OWW players will be invited to curate exhibitions on any subject they choose as long as they include at least 15 artworks from the Sitges collection. The prizes will include a museum catalogue, a reproduction of an artwork, and lots of ‘cubes’ – the (free) currency players use to build their own OWW galleries.



“I think this game offers endless opportunities of this kind, this is how art and museums will look in the 21st century".

“Since the parallel version of the Sitges museums opened, many people have commented on the virtual’s museum’s reception desk, saying they want to go and see the real museum,” notes Pere Izquierdo with satisfaction. "For us it means having hit the target. I am in love with KULTURA/OWW. We took a professional tool and turned it into a game, into something that can be fun for people. And it's wonderful that people can play at what we usually do as work ”.

To explore the parallel Sitges museum, download/stream the game, once logged in press T for the teleport menu and click on Sitges in the featured gallery list.
Alternatively, you can explore the collection through Sitges on KULTURA.