Month: May 2013

Your Gateway to an Adult celebration of SL’s 10th birthday

Posted on by Inara Pey

SLB10A-logo

The Freedom Continent is making plans for a very Adult celebration to mark SL’s 10th anniversary, and have issued an invitation to clubs, venues, stores and groups within SL’s Adult community to join with them in marking the event.

Plans are still being developed, but already 49 parcels, each of 1024 sq metres, have been made available in the Passion Bay region to the west of the Adult Hub regions, which has been kindly provided for the event by Angelic Estates.

The parcels are open to anyone involved in Adult-rated activities in Second Life – content creators, clubs, groups, and so on. To claim a parcel, interested parties need to find one to their liking on Passion Bay and then contact either Serjourn Daxter or Lexi Lock, who will set the parcel for sale for you at L$0. Once purchased, you can start work building your pavilion.

The rules for building are simple:

  • You can set the parcel to your own preferred group
  • Limited terraforming (+4 to -2 metres) is permitted
  • Prim counts limited to parcel allowance – no extra prims
  • Don’t obstruct passage between islands
  • Don’t produce builds which overhang other islands and no ban lines, or sounds penetrating neighbouring parcels, no glary, glowy items
  • Skyboxes are permitted at 1,000m or above if additional space is required
  • Be good to your neighbours.

Parcels are on a first come, first served basis.

The "SLB10A" parcels - less than a few hours after being made available and filling-up
The “SLB10A” parcels – less than a few hours after being made available and filling-up

Should demand prove popular enough, attempts will be made to secure a second region for parcels.

We refer to our event as ‘Second Life Birthday 10 ADULT’ – SLB10A for short – to avoid any confusion with the other event,” lead organiser Serjourn Daxter informed me when I caught up with her as parcels were being allocated, “After all we would not want the visitors of SL10B to accidentally land in an adult sim, would we!”

“It is all very improvised,” she went on, “and as we have no need for censorship of exhibits – we are doing things simply.” Even so, for an “improvised” event, obtaining a dedicated region on which to stage celebrations is a clear sign of good organisation – and the speed with which parcels are filling-out would suggest it is going to be a lively event!

The current plan is to gradually open the event up on a rolling basis, with the main events kicking-off on the 21st June and running through until the 29th.

Those claiming parcels can use them for events of their own – providing the above rules are followed, and in addition there is a central admin / stage area which will be available for events, and other entertainments will be held in a number of venues within the Gateway Hub regions, such as Mustang Sally’s and Billie’s Jazz Club in Blacksilk and the 2Hot2Handle club in the Adult Hub Sex region.

At the moment, the event is still in the development stage, as noted, but the parcels were filling-out fast. I’ll hopefully be able to bring further updates as plans mature and details become available. Just do bear in mind that this is an Adult-oriented celebration!

Those wishing further information on the event should contact Serjourn Daxter or Lexi Lock in-world.

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SL project updates 22 (1): server releases, SL viewer update

Posted on by Inara Pey

Server Deployments – week 22

The server channel deployments are delayed 24 hours this week due to Monday May 27th being Memorial Day in the USA. As usual, the latest updates, feedback and comments can be found on the deployment discussion thread. Anyone encountering a specific bug is asked to file a JIRA.

Second Life Server (Main) Channel

On Wednesday 29th May, the Main channel should receive the server maintenance project previously on Magnum. This includes bug fixes, comprising two for crash modes and one for BUG-2424 (Overriding “Sitting on Ground” animation while sitting on the ground makes “stand up” button disappear). This deployment also includes the LSL support to create and parse JSON-formatted strings, which also includes the bug fixes for this capability deployed to Magnum in week 21 (see my SL projects update report from week 21). Release notes.

Release Candidate Channels

On Thursday 30th May, the three Release Candidate (RC) channels should receive the interest list improvement project deployed to LeTigre in week 21. The core change in this update should reduce scene loading time when entering a new region (again, please refer to my week 21 report for background information). Release notes (BlueSteel, but applicable to all three RCs).

SL Viewer

The SL release viewer updated to 3.5.3.276452 on May 28th (release notes), leapfrogging it ahead of the last of the beta channel viewers. This release may include updates which may lessen the issue of “missing prims” which people have been encountering over the last couple of months.

The anticipated move of the Materials Processing project viewer to a beta release status in week 21 did not happen. The current project status is unclear, but hopefully the move to beta should occur sooner rather than later.

Other Projects

As a result of the long weekend in the USA (Memorial Day) it is currently a light week for news on the projects LL are working on for SL. Expect this to be rectified as the week progresses!

A Sparrow on the water …

Posted on by Inara Pey

My antics on the waters of Second Life have mostly been restricted to using my Second Life Premium Gift sailing boat, the odd jet ski, my fabulous Terra Stingray (which has the added advantage of going over and underwater as well as on the water), together with my equally fabulous Fishers’ Menance Neuspa.

However, I’ve just picked-up a new addition to my little flotilla: an E-Tech Sparrow 4(.1) I decided to grab one after Spikeheel Starr pointed to them on the Marketplace, where they are on a special limited-time offer.

The Sparrow ready to go
The Sparrow ready to go

I’d been familiar with E-Tech, Envy Melody’s brand, under its old title of MC Yachts, for a while – so being able to pick-up one of her boats at the offer price of L$399 was a bit of a no-brainer.

This new version of the Sparrow boasts a range of improvements over earlier versions – reduced prim count / land impact (something I’ll come back to), improved scripting, and so on. The style is that of a powerful motor cruiser rather than a yacht, and it is very sleek and good-looking. The open cabin provides sufficient seating for up to eight passengers, although the pilot will have to make do with standing at the wheel – no driving seat is provided.

All at sea: Skimming past the Crows Nest lighthouse on Blake Sea
All at sea: motoring sedately past the Crows Nest lighthouse on Blake Sea

The Sparrow is delivered in a neat little suitcase which contains four working versions of the boat (all-white, white/black, white/red, and white/pink), a HUD and the necessary instructions. for use.

Handling

Driving the boat is a matter of rezzing it on a suitable body of water, right-clicking on it to position yourself behind the wheel and they using the WASD keys or arrow keys for the throttle and steering. For those who like running up and down through the gears, PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN provide the gear sift options – UP to move up through the gears, DOWN to move down through them (and to shift to neutral and reverse). For those who don’t like gear changes the boat’s transmission can be set to Automatic via the comprehensive menu system.

Touching any part of the boat (outside of seating areas and the Extras Panel (see below) will display the control menu, which provides a huge range of options, from selecting the automatic or manual transmission option, to adjusting the position of the various poses, altering the boat’s performance characteristics, to selecting and amending camera positions – and more.

Heading out on the morning tide...
Heading out on the morning tide…

Continue reading “A Sparrow on the water …” →

1920s Berlin celebrates four years

Posted on by Inara Pey

4th-anniversary-poster

On the 30th May 2009, Jo Yardley first opened the doors on a new immersive venture in Second Life: the 1920s Berlin Project.

Since that time, the project has become one of Second Life’s long-running successes, having grown from a parcel on a region to a full sim of its own, which is both open to the public and home to a thriving community.

To mark the anniversary, four days of entertainment and activities are being planned, commencing on Thursday 30th May and running through until Sunday 3rd June.

Events are still being worked out – and updates can be obtained directly from the 1920s Berlin Project blog and the project’s Facebook page. However, the events currently planned comprise:

Thursday 30th May

A small-scale keller party at the Keller Tanzlokal where there will be some freebies handed out, and everyone will be encouraged to the drink, chat and, if they feel like it, “get up on stage to tell about their discovery of Berlin, their life here, to perhaps sing, do a trick or show off another talent”!

Friday 31st May

The Grand Anniversary Dance at Unter den Linden.

1920s Berlin Project
Unter den Linden, location for the anniversary Grand Ball (image courtesy of Jarla Capalini, via the 1920s Berlin Project Flickr Group)

Saturday 1st June
Will see the normal rules for the region relaxed for the day and allow people time visit and mingle through a number of special events (all times SLT):

  • 11:00 – Tea Dance
  • 12:00 – Pool party
  • 14:00 – Eldorado evening – the opening of a new building

Sunday 2nd June

Kids’ day with a special class, playground games and a football game.

1920s Berlin project - 4th Anniversary
1920s Berlin project – celebrating four years at the end of May 2013

So, don’t sit alone in your room this weekend, old chum – go hear the music play and join in the cabaret and festivities marking the 1920s Berlin Project’s 4th anniversary!

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Stepping into a Second Life watercolour

Posted on by Inara Pey

At the start of May, I happened across Baja Norte after it appeared in the latest updates to the Destination Guide’s Photogenic Spots section. As I noted at the time, Jac Mornington has created something very special with the region. So much so that I’ve been shuffling around looking for any of his other builds in-world. Thanks to Ziki Questi, I came across Jac’s work at Sol Existence.

Sol Existence
Sol Existence

The home of the Casa Sol Manarero group, the region is a collaborative effort by Jac and Sunshine Zhangsun (of RFL of SL fame), who is the region’s owner, Sol Existence is a beautifully-crafted region. so much so that to arrive there is like setting foot inside a watercolour painting; the colours and composition are such that wherever you look, you can’t help but feel the region has somehow slipped off of a canvas somewhere and found its way in-world.

Not that this is simply a place to sit and admire – allowing for the private house overlooking the central lake – the region offers a lot to see and explore , and a number of things to do. From the arrival point, you can follow the path up to a barn and stable and admire the horses and Llamas, then follow a trail around the edge of the lake (don’t disturb the deer as you walk around the barn!) to one of two lookouts offering views across the region and opportunities to observe the wildlife.

Sol Existence
Sol Existence

For those who like messing about on the water, there are boats you can take to row across the lake – or to the floating pontoon in the middle – allowing you to watch the beavers and ducks, if you’re so inclined.

The attention to detail here makes this an ideal destination for the avid SL photographer. Not only does the overall composition of the region mean that it has a painting-like look and feel which is ideal for capturing in snapshots, it also means that it offers a photo opportunity at just about every turn as you explore. Nor is the region restricted to the one windlight option – tweaking with settings and playing with the time-of-day can result in some marvellous opportunities for the perfect snapshot (and I’m pretty sure my own efforts in tweaking and snapping don’t do this fact justice).

So, Existence
So, Existence

The wildlife to be found across the region is rich and diverse, from the aforementioned horse and Llamas, through deer, ducks and beavers to birds in the skies overhead or busy in trees and otters sitting at the side of the lake and pools. There’s even a bear out fishing for his lunch! All of this makes the region a great place to explore and the light, bright colours are liable to lift the bleakest of moods, offering a late summer / autumnal feel to the region.

I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m not a great one for region (sim) surrounds. Lately, however, I’ve found them being used to great effect. Sol Existence is another example of this – the region blends near-seamlessly with the surround when viewed from the avatar’s perspective, and this does a lot to enhance the feeling that this is a home on the edge of the wilderness. I’m still not entirely convinced on sim surrounds, and this one did seem to cause me some of the same lag and other issues I’ve come to expect from many regions employing them (you may only want to flip Advanced Lighting Model & shadows on when you find a subject / view for a photo), but the way in which this surround adds to the depth and feel of Sol Existence cannot be denied.

Sol Existence
Sol Existence

All-in-all, I’m really pleased I peeked inside Ziki’s blog and saw her entry on Sol Existence. Thoroughly worth a visit.

Related Links

(view slideshow full-screen)

Viewer release summary 2013: week 21

Posted on by Inara Pey

This summary is 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 Viewer Round-up 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
  • By its nature, this summary will always be in arrears
  • The Viewer Round-up Page is updated as soon as I’m aware of any releases / changes to viewers & clients, and should be referred to for more up-to-date information
  • The Viewer Round-up Page also 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.  

Updates for the week ending: May 26th, 2013

Depreciated / Discontinued Viewers

  • SL Development viewer – depreciated as of version 3.5.2.274629 April 24, 2013
  • Zen Viewer – discontinued by developer and no longer available, January 27th, 2013
  • Phoenix viewer – development and support ended on December 31st, 2012

Related Links