Day: July 4, 2013

Getting Derailed in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Derailed, located on the region of Crash Boat, is another of those places happily found by chance. Still under construction and the home of HISpose/El Patio Inc, attention to detail and an eye for landscaping already combine to present a place ready to be explored and enjoyed – and which makes full use of the ground space available.

Crash Boat / Derailed
Crash Boat / Derailed

As well as the HISpose/El Patio store, there are beaches, a watchtower, paths to walk, a stream to follow, waterfalls, woodland, a ranch and even an old railway station and tracks apparently long-abandoned and overgrown / half-buried, even though old diesel engines and rolling-stock are present.

The ranch looks like it might be a private house, although I think the residents all live up in the sky. There is a sign at the gate warning you to beware of the dog, so keep an eye out in case ;). Otherwise the place has an open invitation to visitors to roam as they will.

Crash Boat / Derailed
Crash Boat / Derailed

Going from the flags which can be seen, this is clearly a rural  / coastal area of the USA: the Star and Stripes is proudly on display for the 4th July, and rightly so. A further hint as to where we might be can be found on the bench of the railway station, for the keen-eyed.

The Destination Guide offers several teleport points – the default central 128, 128 for the region, one for the beach, and the one I’m using here, which delivers you to the custom-made mesh railway station which is a delight to the eye.

Crash Boat / Derailed
Crash Boat / Derailed

From here you can roam freely around the region, visiting the store, following the paths, walking the boardwalks down to the beach – take your pick. I particularly like the walk through the wooded area to the west of the region; this is very mindful of a number of my favourite regions in SL, and very much gives me a feeling of being “at home” when exploring Derailed, even more so as the trees are by Alex Bader, as are a number of other notable landmarks and elements (such as the aforementioned boardwalks) in the region.

There are a number of lookout points around the region which offer good vantage points for those wanting to take photos, including the watchtower / lighthouse on the west side of the island – although the path up to it can be a little tricky to climb; I found myself getting thumped sideways a few times due to collisions. A rain coat, brolly and boots is also recommended for another climb as well – it’s a little wet at the top, although there is a weather shelter provided!

For those who need a break from their wanderings, there are places to sit down and relax – the woods have a hammock for the really tired, while the beach areas off sand, sitting and a chance to soak the UVs.

Crash Boat / Derailed
Crash Boat / Derailed

I’m not sure what else is planned for the region, although the main store itself is still undergoing some work – beware the Under Construction warning signs! As it is, it offers a very pleasant and photogenic environment, and it’s hard to see what else it needs given the balance which has already been achieved.

All told, a superb build, beautifully executed and well worth a visit – don’t forget to sign the guest book in the railway station when you do!

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Return of the Silent Peacock

Posted on by Inara Pey
MPC-5c
I was sharing a personal moment with Jack D when the ‘phone rang. It was the Governor’s aide. Another 15 people had gone missing from Room 326 at the Silent Peacock Hotel & the Governor wanted me down there. Funny how I’m always wanted when things can’t be handled through the proper channels. But then, that’s the nature of my work. Bullit’s the name. Traci Bullit, and PI work is my game; you want it found, I’ll find it – for L$100 a day plus expenses. Grabbing my hat and coat and pausing only long enough to pick-up Mr. Redemption on the way out, I headed downtown.
By the time
The Silent Peacock Hotel. I thought the place had been condemned and pulled down after the last time 15 people disappeared from Room 326. But when I got downtown, there it was, like a corpse raised from the dead, the same broken sign above the front doors winking at me through that same hard rain that marked the last time I’d been here. Turning my collar against the downpour, I crossed the street, the strangest feeling of deja-vu haunting my steps…
Room 326
Room 326 hadn’t changed either. The same fading wallpaper and same tired carpet. The same smell of stale cigarettes and that cheap cologne popular with so many male members of the city’s constabulary. I flipped open the file a local gumshoe had left behind and started reading the notes. Fifteen people missing. All of them from this room, and all of them with the door to the corridor outside firmly locked, and no sign of forced entry or struggles. File in hand, I headed back downstairs.
It
It was still raining when I stepped outside, so I rolled the file up and tucked it into an inside coat pocket, where it would be safe, right alongside Mr. Redemption, who was cosied in his holster under my right arm. The case had many familiar hallmarks as the last time mystery had roomed at the Silent Peacock. But my gut was telling me that things wouldn’t be a simple open-and-shut retread. Somewhere out in this rain-sodden city were answers, and I was going to find them. And somehow, I knew I wasn’t going  to be the only one doing so…

Yes, Madpea are back with another of their grid-wide hunts and this time, for the first time ever, they are re-running a hunt they’ve already featured in-world: that of Room 326, which ran back at the start of the year, and is making a return by popular demand, this time sponsored by NY Healthscape.

With fifteen people missing, it’s time for you to turn sleuth and follow the clues in this point-and-click grid-wide mystery and find out what really happened in Room 326. Fifteen envelopes must be found and collected if you are to reach the final gameplay area where – as the immortal line goes – “all will be revealed” and you will be rewarded with 15 high-quality prizes.

The hunt is open now, and runs through until August 31st. So, if you fancy you can beat “Traci Bullit” in solving the clues, get yourself over to Mad City, and pick-up a game HUD from the entrance to the hotel (L$150) and make your way to Room 326 so that the game may truly be a-foot! Full instructions on using the HUD are available on the Madpea blog.

If hunts aren’t your thing, Mad City offers the in-world shopper with streets to roam and shops to browse, while beyond it lay the streets of New York and the home regions operated by NY Healthscape, all of which offer places to discover and things to do.

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