Client-side simulated virtual universe environment

1. A computer implemented method for providing a client-side simulated virtual universe environment, comprising:

identifying whether a server-side virtual universe is available;

accessing, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is available, the server-side virtual universe generated entirely by a remote server and having a graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room, wherein each of the avatars in the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room is a graphical representation of a user of the virtual universe through which the user interacts with the virtual universe;

providing, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is not available, a client-side simulated virtual universe environment that is a simulation of at least a portion of the server-side virtual universe generated by a client-side device and includes the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room capable of continuing an on-going interaction between a client-side device and another entity present in the server-side simulated virtual universe on a peer to peer basis during a time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, including a live communication session, in the client-side simulated virtual universe, between a user of the client-side device and another user present in the server-side virtual universe, wherein the client-side virtual universe environment is rendered with lower resolution graphics than the server-side virtual universe;

recording information regarding a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment during the time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, wherein the set of activities includes a business transaction between the user and the another user; and

updating, in response to a subsequent indication that the server-side virtual universe is again available, the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities, wherein any changes to money and any changes to inventory of the user and the another user as a result of the business transaction are updated on the server-side virtual universe.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising generating a client-side communication session operable within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

3. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment; and

storing information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment on the client-side.

4. The computer implemented method according to claim 3 further comprising updating the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

5. The computer implemented method according to claim 2 , the client-side communication session comprising a two-way textual communication interface for real-time communication between multiple users within the client-side simulated virtual universe in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable.

6. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 , the client-side simulated virtual universe environment permitting at least one of the following: interaction between users within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment, restricted avatar movement, or avatar appearances similar to avatar appearances in the server-side virtual universe.

7. A computer system for providing a client-side simulated virtual universe environment, comprising:

at least one processing unit;

memory operably associated with the at least one processing unit; and

a simulation tool storable in memory and executable by the at least one processing unit, the simulation tool comprising:

an analysis component configured to identify whether a server-side virtual universe is available;

a communication component configured to access, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is available, the server-side virtual universe generated entirely by a remote server and having a graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room, wherein each of the avatars in the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room is a graphical representation of a user of the virtual universe through which the user interacts with the virtual universe;

a construction component configured to provide, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is not available, a client-side simulated virtual universe environment that is a simulation of at least a portion of the server-side virtual universe generated by a client-side device and includes the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room capable of continuing an on-going interaction between a client-side device and another entity present in the server-side simulated virtual universe on a peer to peer basis during a time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, including a live communication session, in the client-side simulated virtual universe, between a user of the client-side device and another user present in the server-side virtual universe, wherein the client-side virtual universe environment is rendered with lower resolution graphics than the server-side virtual universe; and

an analysis component configured to record information regarding a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment during the time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, wherein the set of activities includes a business transaction between the user and the another user, and to update, in response to a subsequent indication that the server-side virtual universe is again available, the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities, wherein any changes to money and any changes to inventory of the user and the another user as a result of the business transaction are updated on the server-side virtual universe.

8. The computer system according to claim 7 , the construction component further configured to generate a client-side communication session operable within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

9. The computer system according to claim 7 , the analysis component further configured to:

monitor a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment; and

store information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment on the client-side.

10. The computer system according to claim 9 , the analysis component further configured to update the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

11. The computer system according to claim 8 , the construction component further configured to generate a two-way textual communication interface for real-time communication between multiple users within the client-side simulated virtual universe in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable.

12. The computer system according to claim 7 , wherein the client-side simulated virtual universe environment permits at least one of the following: interaction between users within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment, restricted avatar movement, or avatar appearances similar to avatar appearances in the server-side virtual universe.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, which when executed, enables a computer system to provide a client-side simulated virtual universe environment, the computer instructions comprising:

identifying whether a server-side virtual universe is available;

accessing, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is available, the server-side virtual universe generated entirely by a remote server and having a graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room, wherein each of the avatars in the avatar-based virtual meeting room is a graphical representation of a user of the virtual universe through which the user interacts with the virtual universe;

providing, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is not available, a client-side simulated virtual universe environment that is a simulation of at least a portion of the server-side virtual universe generated by a client-side device and includes the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room capable of continuing an on-going interaction between a client-side device and another entity present in the server-side simulated virtual universe on a peer to peer basis during a time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, including a live communication session, in the client-side simulated virtual universe, between a user of the client-side device and another user present in the server-side virtual universe, wherein the client-side virtual universe environment is rendered with lower resolution graphics than the server-side virtual universe;

recording information regarding a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment during the time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, wherein the set of activities includes a business transaction between the user and the another user; and

updating, in response to a subsequent indication that the server-side virtual universe is again available, the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities, wherein any changes to money and any changes to inventory of the user and the another user as a result of the business transaction are updated on the server-side virtual universe.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13 further comprising computer instructions for generating a client-side communication session operable within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13 further comprising computer instructions for:

monitoring a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment; and

storing information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment on the client-side.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15 further comprising computer instructions for updating the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14 further comprising computer instructions for generating a two-way textual communication interface for real-time communication between multiple users within the client-side simulated virtual universe in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13 , wherein the client-side simulated virtual universe environment permits at least one of the following: interaction between users within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment, restricted avatar movement, or avatar appearances similar to avatar appearances in the server-side virtual universe.

19. A method for deploying a simulation tool for use in a computer system that provides a client-side simulated virtual universe environment, the method comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure operable to:

identify whether a server-side virtual universe is available;

access, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is available, the server-side virtual universe generated entirely by a remote server and having a graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room, wherein each of the avatars in the avatar-based virtual meeting room is a graphical representation of a user of the virtual universe through which the user interacts with the virtual universe;

provide, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is not available, a client-side simulated virtual universe environment that is a simulation of at least a portion of the server-side virtual universe generated by a client-side device and includes the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room capable of continuing an on-going interaction between a client-side device and another entity present in the server-side simulated virtual universe on a peer to peer basis during a time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, including a live communication session, in the client-side simulated virtual universe, between a user of the client-side device and another user present in the server-side virtual universe, wherein the client-side virtual universe environment is rendered with lower resolution graphics than the server-side virtual universe;

record information regarding a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment during the time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, wherein the set of activities includes a business transaction between the user and the another user; and

update, in response to a subsequent indication that the server-side virtual universe is again available, the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities, wherein any changes to money and any changes to inventory of the user and the another user as a result of the business transaction are updated on the server-side virtual universe.

20. The method according to claim 19 , the computer infrastructure further operable to generate a client-side communication session operable within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

21. The method according to claim 19 , the computer infrastructure further operable to:

monitor a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment; and

store information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment on the client-side.

22. The method according to claim 21 , the computer infrastructure further operable to update the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

23. The method according to claim 20 , the computer infrastructure further operable to generate a two-way textual communication interface for real-time communication between multiple users within the client-side simulated virtual universe in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable.

24. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the client-side simulated virtual universe environment permits at least one of the following: interaction between users within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment, restricted avatar movement, or avatar appearances similar to avatar appearances in the server-side virtual universe.

25. A method for generating a virtual universe operating on a client, the method comprising:

monitoring an on-going transaction in a server-side virtual universe between a user and a merchant operating within a graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room of the server-side virtual universe;

identifying whether the server-side virtual universe is available;

accessing, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is available, the server-side virtual universe generated entirely by a remote server and having the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room, wherein each of the avatars in the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room is a graphical representation of a user of the virtual universe through which the user interacts with the virtual universe;

providing, in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable, a client-side simulated virtual universe environment that is a simulation of at least a portion of the server-side virtual universe generated by a client-side device and includes the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room capable of continuing an on-going interaction between a client-side device and another entity present in the server-side simulated virtual universe on a peer to peer basis during a time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, including a live communication session, in the client-side simulated virtual universe, between a user of the client-side device and another user present in the server-side virtual universe, wherein generation of the client-side virtual universe environment is initiated only in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable, and wherein the client-side virtual universe environment is rendered with lower resolution graphics than the server-side virtual universe;

recording information regarding a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment during the time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, wherein the set of activities includes a business transaction between the user and the another user; and

updating, in response to a subsequent indication that the server-side virtual universe is again available, the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities, wherein any changes to money and any changes to inventory of the user and the another user as a result of the business transaction are updated on the server-side virtual universe.