Visiting Salem 1692: a Halloween Experience in Second Life

The Halloween Experience: Salem 1692, September 2026 – click any image for full size

I’ve followed the work of Kaiden Tray (KaidenTray) – together with his long-time collaborator and RL wife, Pandora Ceridwen Tray (Voodoo Macabre) – both in the design of dedicated designs under the KTL Destination brand and on behalf of other region holders since 2018, and was recently intrigued by a series of notices issued via the KTL Destinations Group about a new development: The Halloween Experience: Salem 1692.

Specifically developed as a Halloween 2026 experience, Salem 1692 is another joint presentation by Kaiden Pandora. As the name suggests, it presents a return to the period of the Salem Witch Trials, offering both a come-as-you-please opportunity for exploration or to participate in guided tours – as well as special events.

The Halloween Experience: Salem 1692, September 2026

A point to note with the couple’s work is that it is always exceptionally well-crafted; they combine design, atmospherics/environment and soundscape, and this is especially true for Salem 1692.

Do please use the Shared Environment settings why visiting the Full private region utilising the Land Capacity bonus from LL – if you find it on the dark side, a lantern is offered at the Landing Point, so just ADD that to your avatar. Also make sure you have local sounds enabled.

Salem 1692 schedule for tours – click to view details

As noted, the region is open to come-as-you-please explorations (given the period and theme, dressing the part might be fun!), and there will also be guided tours exploring the history and folklore of Salem and its dark witch trials.

The latter are pay-to-participate activities, with the core details being:

  • Tours will be held every Friday, Saturday and Monday through October, commencing on Saturday, October 3 – see the poster to the right.
  • Tickets are L$500 each, available via the Marketplace or a kiosk at the region’s Landing Point.
  • Tickets are for any single tour – you don’t have to buy a ticket for a specific date. They are on a per-avatar basis and are transferable (not Copy), so you can purchase one and give it to a friend.
  • You should be available in the region at least 10 minutes prior to the start of any tour (with your ticket!). Late arrivals will not be able to join the current tour.

In addition to the tours, there will be  a further series of special VIP events featuring the Legends Cabaret Dancers and Burlesque Dolls. Details on these will, according to the information provided on the experience be made available via “notices in the in world groups, social media accounts, or Discord where they will be sold”.

And if that weren’t enough, there will be a range of entertainment events, such as 3 hours of music on Saturday, October 3, starting at 14:00 SLT with Coralie, followed by Mimi Carpenter at 15:00 SLT and Amforte at 16:0, at the Forbidden Fairgrounds. Again, details of any additional event will likely be announced through the Group, etc.

The Halloween Experience: Salem 1692, September 2026

When visiting on your own, explorations commence on the east side of the region at the run-down docks. From here the best path is inland past the shipwright’s warehouses (and the teleport board linking key points in the region), to the houses behind – where a Teagle horse rezzer can be found for those wishing to explore on horseback.

Note that there is an active SL Experience within the region – so do accept this when you encounter a request from the Bee Designs Experience. If you don’t – you’ll be missing out!

The Halloween Experience: Salem 1692, September 2026

Not all of the buildings in the setting – understandably – have interiors, but those that do could be worth looking inside J .

The overall atmosphere of Salem 1692 is very well done – and the lamp given at the landing point will be required during a thorough exploration. While the main paths through the region are obvious, they are not the only route – so keen eyes might be required to find everything.

The Halloween Experience: Salem 1692, September 2026

Even the juxtaposition of things like a modern(ish!) Ferris wheel, sky spinner and other modern fairground attractions don’t look entirely out-of-place given the region’s overall theme. One might even say that, huddled in a corner of the setting as it is and even with its own spooky touches, the fairground sits in a little trepidation of the rest of the haunting and darkness across the region.

And I have to admit, the drum kit and telegraph pole in the ruins of the chapel at the Forsaken Revival Grounds look like they belong there. Although heaven knows what locals in Salem village would have made of the amp and speaker sitting on the stage 🙂 .

The Halloween Experience: Salem 1692, September 2026

There are a few rough spots within the region where physics might need adjusting – on exiting the fairgrounds, for example, I ended up walking up through the roof of the church gate there. However, these are far enough apart not to interfere with overall enjoyment.

In all, an engaging, immersive and fun region for exploration rich in detail – I’ll look forward to perhaps jumping in on one of the tours.

The Halloween Experience: Salem 1692, September 2026

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2026 week #40: SUG meeting summary

The Simulator User Group meeting place at Longfellow

The following notes were taken from the Tuesday, September 29, 2026 Simulator User Group (SUG) meeting. These notes form a summary of the items discussed, and are not intended to be a full transcript. A video of the meeting by Pantera is embedded at the end of this summary – my thanks to her for providing it.

Meeting Overview

  • The Simulator User Group (also referred to by its older name of Server User Group) exists to provide an opportunity for discussion about simulator technology, bugs, and feature ideas is held every other Tuesday at 12:00 noon, SLT (holidays, etc., allowing), per the Second Life Public Calendar.
  • The “Leviathan Office Hour” meetings are held on the Tuesdays which do not have a formal SUG meeting, and are chaired by Leviathan Linden. They are more brainstorming / general discussion sessions.
  • Meetings are held in text in-world, at this location.

Simulator Deployments

  • The Nectarine update has a “pretty persnickety issue” at the network layer.
  • This is the ObjectUpdate UDP messages issue record in my previous leviathan Hour summary. Overall, there has been some problems with reliability reproducing the problem. given this, at the time of the making, a decision had yet to be made on the best route for a fix.
    • As noted in the Leviathan OH meeting, this issue can affect the 26.4 viewer, and a fix for that is also to be worked on.
  • It’s likely that any fix will go to the RCs, on September 30.

General Updates

Also refer to the video

  • Rider Linden is back on-call and investigating a couple of simulator crashers.
  • Leviathan Linden indicated that approval has been given for game_control to be included in the 26.5 viewer (set to be the last viewer release of 2026, once it surfaces).
    • At the time of the meeting, the game_control code still had to be merged into the 26.5 branch.
    • It has been suggested that the mouse cursor is hidden and hovertips are disabled when flycam is being used with a controller, and this is on Leviathan’s list of work to be done. He is also considering a sub-tab for future game_control options / toggles.
    • This led to another discussion on what game_control does (in short: allow game controller to be used with Second Life, including for moving vehicles, the avatar and camera and other typical game controller capabilities, etc.; however this does not support more advanced options such as virtual keyboards + provide some LSL support).
  • Harold Linden (Lua) continues to work on backwards compatibility with script serialisation which will hopefully be the end of any “breaking rolls” when deploying future Lua updates.
  • The engineering team is still trying to get a selection of regions put together specifically for region crossing testing.
    • When sorted, this will likely be available through a Snack RC channel, (that is, a mini-channel of regions intended for specific testing).
    • This work has been delayed by the focus on the ObjectUpdate UDP messages issue on Nectarine.
    • Leviathan Linden further noted that Pepper Linden has a proposal for patching their region crossing work to avoid the worry of any performance exploit at the server for misbehaving clients, as noted (again) in the previous Leviathan Office hours summary, linked-to above.
    • This led to the inevitable discussion on region crossing improvements & their availability.

General Discussion

Please refer to the video for details on the following:

  • A general discussion on avatars being able to pick-up object / grab object in-world (a goal the long-suspended Puppetry Project had hoped to achieve). The ran through the middle third of the meeting.

Date of Next Meetings

  • Leviathan Linden: Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
  • Formal SUG meeting: Tuesday, October 13, 2026.

Sheldon’s Visual Poetry in Second Life

Sheldon Bergman: Daffodils, September 2026, SLEA2
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;

Many of us will probably recognise these words as the opening lines of William Wordsworth’s Daffodils, written in 1804 and first published in 1807. Now the poem is brought to life by Second Life’s master of visual poetry, Sheldon Bergman (SheldonBR) within his SLEA2 installation Visual Poetry.

I’ve covered Sheldon’s work in these pages, both in its own right and via his collaboration with Angelika Corrall as artists at and curators of the former DaphneArts Gallery in Second Life. I’ve always found Sheldon’s work to be visually and aurally engaging, rich in context and narrative, and so was only to happy to pop along to Visual Poetry ahead of the installation’s soft opening and at his invitation.

Sheldon Bergman: Daffodils, September 2026, SLEA2

Wordsworth’s poem forms the focal point of Visual Poetry, presenting visitors with the opportunity to both partake of a walk similar in nature to that which inspired Wordsworth to pen his poem and at the same time become immersed in the poem imagery, aided by the selected music (played via local sounds rather than via the audio stream).

The poem, often referred to by its opening line, came about as a result a walk taken by Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, around Glencoyne Bay in England’s Lake District in April 1802. Whilst walking, they came across s field of daffodils dancing and waving in the breeze, easily rivalling the flick and flow of ripples and wave on the waters of the Bay; their yellow twinkling across the green of the shoreline offering a sight as beautiful and captivating as the stars in the night’s sky.

It was a sight which became so fixed in the poet’s imagination that it would continue to lift his mood and chase away what otherwise might have been afternoons or evening of dark reflection set in solitude; instead lifting his spirit and allowing his thoughts to dance once more with the daffodil’s sway and turn his solitude into thoughts of joy.

Sheldon Bergman: Daffodils, September 2026, SLEA2

All of this is presented through Sheldon’s gently immersive installation. Experience-driven, visitors should, on arriving, touch the sign on the Landing Point wall and follow the instructions as presented for viewer settings and also accepting the Experience. The latter will then trigger the addition of the installation HUD and teleport visitors to the installation proper.

The main installation forms a landscape intended to evoke the rolling beauty of Glencoyne Bay and its shoreline. Theo building occupy the shore – the near being a small stone cabin, and the more distant a country chapel. Arrival will trigger the installation’s introduction on the HUD, followed by the music playback

The entire setting perfectly matches the poem’s intent, offering a scene of natural beauty in which daffodils are scattered across the green, rolling landscape, bring the opening lines of the poem to life. More than just a part of the setting as it sits amidst the daffodils and with sheep grazing in their field on the hill, the chapel is a reflection of Wordsworth’s own religious outlook, which grew from a conventional Anglican outlook common to his times to a more personal, nature-centric faith. The environment settings, meanwhile offer a touch of the vacant or pensive mood Wordsworth notes recollections of the daffodils helps him to escape.

Sheldon Bergman: Daffodils, September 2026, SLEA2
Where you go after hearing the poem matters not; this is very much an installation for wandering and quiet reflection and contemplation; for taking heart and joy in the beauty of nature as presented by the setting. The music selection is simply perfect, starting with Satie’s quite beautiful Gymnopédie No 1 (a personal favourite I enjoy playing myself), then continuing with Chopin and Mozart before finishing with Beethoven’s Für Elise (another personal favourite I enjoy playing).

It would be nice if the music continued or at least looped through the selected tracks rather than the single play-through,  and for the setting to perhaps offer one or two places to sit outside and allow the mind to flutter and dance in the breeze or enjoy the jocund company of a companion. But even without these, Daffodils is an engaging installation, fully reflective of Wordsworth’s poem and his Romanticism.

I don’t know if this will be the only poem presented within Visual Poetry or the start of a series. I would hope for the latter, as I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed Sheldon’s work – but I’m only too aware of the work involved in putting out an installation like this. In the meantime, Daffodils will have a soft opening at 14:00 SLT, Tuesday, September 29, 2026.

Sheldon Bergman: Daffodils, September 2026, SLEA2

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2026 SL viewer release summaries week #39

Logos representative only and should not be seen as an endorsement / preference / recommendation

Updates from the week through to Sunday, September 20, 2026

This summary is generally published every Monday, and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:

  • It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy.
  • This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog.
  • By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information.
  • Outside of the Official viewer, and as a rule, alpha / beta / nightly or release candidate viewer builds are not included; although on occasions, exceptions might be made.

Official LL Viewers

  • Default viewer  26.3 – 26.3.0.31203661088, August 10, promoted August 17 – quality of life improvements; performance improvements; bug fixes – No Change.
  • Second Life Lua Editor RC / Beta viewer with Linux support 26.4.0.35914774337, September 24 – NEW.
    • Lua scripting support (on regions with Lua scripting enabled).
    • Improved communication between the Viewer and the newly published Second Life VS Code extension.
    • Offers an experimental Linux viewer build.
    • Includes the latest WebRTC Voice and viewer-maintenance updates.
  • Second Life Chat Modernization viewer 26.3.0.35248298254, September 22 – NEW.
    • Recent conversations follow you seamlessly: a direct message you receive on SL Mobile can also be available when you return to desktop, and vice versa; Recent direct message history will be available on logging-in; existing desktop chat logs are preserved – previously saved local history isn’t being replaced or removed; conversation history feels continuous: on desktop, your existing local history and newer message history are brought together into a single conversation.

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V7-style

  • Kirstens Viewer S24 Build 4015 DX Pre-Alpha 1.2 – September 27 – release notes.

V1-style

  • Cool VL viewer Stable: 1.32.4.49; Experimental 1.32.5.19:  September 26 – release notes.

Mobile / Other Clients

  • Mobile Grid Client version 1.34.1319, 25 September 2026 – changelog.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

Shadowfell turns five for October 2026 in Second Life

Shadowfell V, September 2026 – click any image for full size

We are approaching the month of Halloween, when spooks and creatures of the the night (without referencing Kiss there) roam, and once again the world of Shadowfell has emerged from the deeper darkness to tempt visitors with four regions of mystery, monsters, aliens and more.

The work of Calas Galadhon creators Tymus Tenk and Truck Meredith, Shadowfell marks its fifth anniversary and is now very much a part of Halloween events in Second Life and is always well received. This year sees some new features, fun and updates making a visit (or visits!) well worth the time.

Shadowfell V, September 2026

As with all of the Calas themed builds, this is one in which it is important visitors note at least some of the guidelines regarding time in the regions, all of which can be found at the landing point – with the most important perhaps being:

  • Make sure you Used Shared Environment (via World → Environment).
  • Enable local sounds and make sure you have particles visible.
  • If you can, enable Shadows on your viewer and, preferably, use a PBR-enabled viewer (or make sure Advanced Lighting Model (ALM) through Preferences → Graphics, if you are on an older viewer).

Note that if running with Shadows enabled does hit your system hard, Shadowfell V can still be enjoyed shadowless, so to speak!

Shadowfell V, September 2026

Once again, Shadowfell offers a choice of taking to the trails and paths through its regions or allowing the boat tour to carry you through all the regions. There’s also the Elven Flyers for a shorter guided trip. If you’ve never visited Shadowfell before, the boat tour might be a good place to start, as it will give you a feel for things and allow you to see glimpse some of the settings you can re-visit in detail on foot – but do be aware it now runs for just shy of an hour, so allow time – and perhaps use it as a reason for multiple visits.

The boat tour is available close to the main Landing Point and will, among other things, reveal that even zombies like to occasionally simply sit down and dip their feet in the water and just chat 🙂 . It will also reveal some of the newer elements  – a touch of Game of Thrones with skeletal dragons; a little humour  – who knew Bambi was a creature of darkness waiting in the foggy waters to swim at unsuspecting travellers? – and more.

Shadowfell V, September 2026

The boat tour won’t return you to the main Landing Point, but instead drops you off within the Mist II region, allowing on-foot explorations to resume from there. However, for those who prefer, the drop-off point is a short walk from a portal rock that will return folk to the Landing point to allow explorations to resume from there.

The Elven Flyer, meanwhile, offers a touch of Tolkien, the flyer in question being called Star of Eärendil II – a reference to Eärendil half-elven, forbear of Aragon, who carried the Silmaril Morning Star on his brow as he sailed across the sky (The Silmarillion). Like Eärendil’s voyages across the skies of Middle Earth, it will take you a a flight through the sky lasting roughly 17 minutes and has the novelty of having people ride the winged boats whilst floating themselves (both singles and couples).

Shadowfell V, September 2026

Each year, Ty and Truck try to introduce new touches to their Halloween and Christmas builds, and for this iteration of Shadowfell there is a host of new elements to be discovered. a couple come early-on as you take to the path away from the Landing Point – and if you are something of an arachnophobe like me, can cause a shiver or six – thanks, guys! 🙂 .

This year, Shadowfell appears to have new mesh-based atmospheric effects in places, and the general environment settings appear to have been tweaked a little (either that or I missed things last year / my PC is behaving differently this year!). Both changes are welcome as they both add to the mystery of the setting and make a journey through the regions more engaging.

Shadowfell V, September 2026

One of the things I’ve always loved with Shadowfell is the mixing of mythologies: classic horror in the form of zombies, sirens, monsters and more, together with clear elements of elements of Tolkien (in keeping with the roots of Calas Galadhon regions as a whole) and fantasy, the touches of humour and a rich touch of science fiction horror in the shape of elements from, and interpretations of, the Alien franchise. All of this remains evident this year, complete with some new touches – don’t touch the slime dripping from eggs!

With garden of colour and ethereal beauty rubbing shoulders with cavern of darkness and possible terror, there is also very much a sense of dreams and nightmares to be found throughout Shadowfell.

Shadowfell V, September 2026

For those making a first visit to Shadowfell, do be aware that not everything is on the ground – and take nothing for granted in the cavern with the airborne figures – touch the right point and you’ll find yourself carried deeper into the dark caves which, for those familiar with past iterations of Shadowfell, have been updated quite magnificently with materials and more.

When in the “sky caverns” do make sure you touch the central portal stone in the main chamber. It will lift you to a place mixing elven elements with creatures of the deep and a touch of Alien’s Engineers. A further stone here will return you to the cavern of the aliens. Where you can explore deeper into the caves and eventually find your way back to ground level.

Shadowfell V, September 2026

There is so much that could be written about Shadowfell – but it should be seen first-hand. As such, the setting will be open to all from September 29, 2026, whilst those joining the Calas Galadhon Announcemens Group can gain early access to the regions. Also, don’t forget to keep you eyes on the Calas Galadhon website for news on special events at Shadowfell throughout October 2026 (also advertised through the Calas Group mentioned above).

Should you enjoy visiting Shadowfell, do please consider making a donation to the Calas team – they do so much for Second Life throughout the year through Calas Galadhon Park, Shadowfell and  the Calas Christmas regions, they deserve our support.

Shadowfell V, September 2026

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Exploring Cedar Trails in Second Life

Cedar Trails, September 2026 – click any image for full size

Sitting on the west coast of Satori is Cedar Trails, a Full region presenting an Oregon coast themed region-wide park. The work of Artie Huntsman (Fresita Doll), it is a location I found out about via the SL Trailblazer Atlas, which I recently covered in these pages.

However, the fact that I did should not be taken to mean this is a location only of interest to horse riding enthusiasts – it is beautifully put together and offers a lot to see, do and photograph throughout, whether or not you’re on horseback.

Cedar Trails, September 2026
Cedar Trails is a peaceful mainland destination inspired by the Oregon Coast. Enjoy peace among pines, coastal views, and quiet paths. Visit & stay awhile. Enjoy our restaurant, coffee shop, bar, event space, hiking & access to sailing.

– Cedar Trails About Land description

Cedar Trails, September 2026

The water access mentioned in the About Land description refers to one of two coastal bays presented by the park. This bay provides a rez zone, allowing boating fans to access Satori’s coastal waters and – just across the local water corridor – the waters of one of the Bellisseria Houseboat theme areas. This makes Cedar Trails an ideal destination for anyone wishing to sail / boat up to the park from their Linden Home (and gain a BBB passport stamp).

The second bay provides more of a beach area reached by passing by the park’s trio of chalets (available for rent?). These sit between the two beach areas, and a short walk downhill from the Landing Point.

Cedar Trails, September 2026

The latter sits in the south-west corner of the park, elevated on a table of rock above the waters running into (and out of) the rez zone bay. This comprises a mix of general facilities – information / welcome centre, which includes a useful map of the park and its points of interest, refreshment stations, little shops for campers and a social space and events area.

The Landing Point is also where those wishing to follow the trails on horseback and who don’t have their own horse, can take to the saddle via the Teagle Horse rezzer – click the tethered horse for one to ride, then right-click and sit on the rezzed horse (you may need to disable any AO before sitting), and you’ll also get a riding HUD.

Cedar Trails, September 2026

As you depart the Landing Point area on foot or horseback, you’ll pass a sign about the Cedar Trails Stone Collection. In short: as you explore, keep an eye out for the painted stones scattered along the various trails; touch them as you find them to obtain a copy. There are 108 stones to collect, each with a lifestyle message painted on it – but I’m not sure if all 108 are put out together or whether they are rotated in groups; during my visits I only found stones numbered between 30 and 60. Certainly, putting them out in groups perhaps offers greater opportunities for re-visits by those wanting to collect and entire set.

A small hint here is that many of the stone can be found on or near the Cedar Trails trail signs.

Cedar Trails, September 2026

The paths through the park are numerous and present lots of choices for the keen explorer, together with passages to various points of interest – look-out points offering good views / photograph opportunities, a meditation / yoga area, waterside camping area, swimming areas, and more.

The park offers a mix of trees – Norwegian spruce, Ponderosa pine, wild pine and the mighty Redwood –, plants, flowers, and underbrush. All of these, coupled with the mix of elevated landscape, gentle slopes and rocky cliffs, outcrops and peaks make Cedar Trails marvellously attractive; a landscape lending itself to a range of EEP settings other than that provided as the Shared Environment.

Cedar Trails, September 2026

If there is one possible negative to be had it is perhaps with the lack of additional horse rezzers. Cedar Trails presents multiple places where one can dismount and perhaps take a seat – but doing so will cause any of the locally-rezzed Teagle horses to be deleted after about a minute.

So, if you are using one and wish to resume your ride, there is no way to do so without walking back to the Landing Point.

Cedar Trails, September 2026

But that said, and as noted, walking is a perfectly acceptable means of exploring Cedar Trails – and possibly preferred given the beauty of the setting. Keep an eye out for the little details – an otter having fun, a log drifting on the current from a waterfall, the birds overhead, the tunnel to the swimming hole – and possibly the coolest rubber duck around.

Those wishing to socialise during a visit can sit down to a table-top game at the RV camp area, which sits just off of the main Landing Point and neatly set to present the idea vehicles here have just arrived via the local road tunnel.

Cedar Trails, September 2026

Neatly done given the overall limitations of terraforming on the Mainland and highly photogenic, Cedar Trails is well worth visiting and exploring. Props for photography can be rezzed on joining the local Group, if required. However, given auto return is off please do remember to clean-up anything you put out!

So – happy trails!

Cedar Trails, September 2026

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