Day: May 12, 2015

SS Galaxy refits for a new role

Posted on by Inara Pey
SS Galaxy - set to return to SL
SS Galaxy – set to return to SL

Update, May 18th: Keira Linden sent me the following in-world, and has given me permission to share it. Hopefully it will both please those of us hoping to see the Galaxy resume her role as a location for events:

“Hey Inara!  Just read your blog about the SS Galaxy.  Great article! 

“Just wanted to clear a few minor things up.  I saw where the topic of Events was discussed and wanted you to know that once the dust settles on the ship it will be available for public events just as any other parcel set as a Linden Location would be. I know that the ship had numerous events, and we would hate to have that opportunity vanish for those who have enjoyed it for so long.

“Also, I wanted it be clear that this wasn’t a situation where we came in and took over.  We worked very closely with the former owners for quite some time before they offered us the opportunity to preserve the builds for the entire community.  As long time residents ourselves, we are very sensitive to the disappearance of historic areas such as and work very hard to ways to keep them in world and active.  Thanks again for the blurb on SS Galaxy! Talk to you later!”

In April 2015, I wrote about the final cruise for the SS Galaxy. At the time, a series of circumstances meant that the owners had decided to reluctantly call time on the great ship’s eight-year cruise on the “Sagittarian Sea” and make a return to port at the start of May.

Now, it seems that the great liner is to make a return to the open oceans of Second Life. DB Digital, who has operated the liner’s long with his SL partner Mia Epsilon, for the majority of the the ship’s cruise, passed me a short communique on Tuesday, May 12th, which has also been posted to the SS Galaxy blog, and reads as follows:

Dear Supporters and Friends of the SS Galaxy,

There have been many rumours cycling regarding the Galaxy and what really happened.  I can’t release that information as of yet.  However, I can now say that the SS Galaxy has been acquired by Linden Labs and will return.  She is currently undergoing retrofitting to sail under the Linden Labs flag.  I have been tirelessly converting all the transferable prims I personally owned to Linden Lab ownership, and my part of the project is now complete.

Sadly being under Linden Lab’s flag also means that none of the previous management or crew will be aboard in any sort of capacity.  I have also been told there will be no rentals or events.  This means she will not quite be the Galaxy you know and love.  But she will still exist in a museum state and be open for visitation in the near future.

More information will be released as I can.  I wish to thank everyone again from the guests, to the staff, and beyond.  You all made the Galaxy the special place she was, and no one can take that from us.

DBDigital Epsilon
Former Managing Director
SS Galaxy

SS Galaxy - the spa pool
SS Galaxy – the spa pool

As can be seen from the communication, it doesn’t look as if the Galaxy is going to be available as a venue, but like Svarga, is to be preserved as a piece of Second Life history. I also understand from DB that her final moorings have yet to be determined. Should an update be forthcoming on this through DB or the Lab directly, I’ll update this post and will doubtless cover her return when it happens.

Ruins on the rock

Posted on by Inara Pey
Remodelling the home island so that it gives the impression of a modern home sited in an ancient coastal ruin
Remodelling the home island so that it gives the impression of a modern home sited in an ancient coastal ruin

In the latter half of April I wrote about the most recent changes to my little island home, which followed the purchase of Alex Bader’s wonderful Skye Luxury Forest Cabin. As I noted at the time, the cabin was an accidental find – I was looking for good mesh trees when I happened across it.

Over the weekend, I resumed my quest for the “right” style of trees for the island. I’m clearly not very good in the tree buying department, because this time I eventually came home with … the Forest Ruins Tower by Kriss Lehmann.

Kriss Lehmann's Forest Tower (to the right of the picture) forms the entrance to my "gardens" above the pier and moorings
Kriss Lehmann’s Forest Tower (to the right of the picture) forms the entrance to my “gardens” above the pier and moorings

Truth be told, I’ve admired the tower since Kriss first introduced it, having seen it in many regions around the grid. More particularly, I’ve been wanting to give the impression my home has been established in the ruins of an older structure or at least on the foundations of one. Seeing Kriss’ tower at his store gave me the push to realise the former.

So for the last couple of days I’ve been reworking the island (yet again), which has involved incorporating not only Kriss’ tower, but various elements of mesh ruined walls by Reid Parkin, and medieval ruins sections I picked-up from Rya Nightly’s in-world store.

The mesh parts from Nya Nighty and Reid Parkin work well together and are good low LI items
The mesh parts from Nya Nighty and Reid Parkin work well together and are good low LI items

Alongside the Forest Tower the land now sports some additional, strategically placed towers, the ruins of a couple of buildings and various ruined or broken walls. As I didn’t want everything to be in a tumbledown state, I’ve kept most of the boundary walls near the house whole, to suggest they’ve been re-built as a part of the modern occupancy of the island, while those bordering the cliff edges further from the house have been made to look a little more decrepit.  To help blend the various items together, I used Alex Bader’s stone textures to re-face all the stone work, and it seems to work quite effectively.

The re-texturing of the stone meant I could return Cory Edo’s Rustic Pavilion to almost it’s original state, although I dispensed with the larger lamps and engaged in a little retexturing. As a final part of the remodelling, I picked up IvanBenjammin’s modular wooden pier set, which I’ve had my eye on for a while, and rebuilt the moorings at the north end of the island, again hopefully suggests a modern occupancy on an old island…

I've restored Cory Edo's Rustic Pavilion it its original state, as it fits the overall design pretty well
I’ve restored Cory Edo’s Rustic Pavilion it its original state, as it fits the overall design pretty well

The re-working has led to an overall increase in used land capacity, but it’s pretty modest, all things considered. In April I had the house and gardens, etc., hovering at the 880 LI mark, and the total is now 906; when you consider the Forest Tower alone is 41 LI in its modified state (it is 45 in its default state), that’s not bad, if I say so myself. Ah, the magic of mesh and convex hull physics!

Does this mean I’m finally satisfied? Well… yes.

At least for now 🙂 .