Month: October 2015

KiLu, Majorca (Flickr) – click any image for full size

KiLu is both the name of a region design partnership and the demonstration region they have created, which is now open to the public to explore and enjoy, and which I recently had the opportunity to visit.

The partnership is that of Salty Kimchi (Kimbra Iridescent) and Luis Lockjaw, who is perhaps known to many in Second Life as the creator and owner of the marvellous Hesperia of Templemore. And as a demonstration of the collaboration, KiLu is simply superb, and right now also offers just the ticket if you’re looking for a break from the Halloween season’s October hold on Second Life

KiLu, Majorca (Flickr)

A homestead region, KiLu is beautifully landscaped into a rural setting caught in the turn of the seasons as summer fades into autumn. The setting is that of a shallow river gorge, the river in question tumbling down the rocky face of a tall rocky hill in the south-east corner of the region, from which it proceeds to split the region into two unequal halves as it rapidly spreads from splashing stream to wide, meandering waterway, its descent marked by stepped waterfalls.

A lone covered bridge links spans the river as it broadens and the land either side dips toward the passing water. It is close to this bridge, that newcomers first arrive, a small farm behind them occupying this part of the island. Close to a barn, dairy cows and horses graze, while further away atop a hill behind the barn, sits an A-frame house. High cliffs bar the way westward from here, but the land slopes more gently upwards to the north and east, offering the chance for visitors to roam among the trees.

KiLu, Majorca (Flickr)

Should you head eastwards, roughly following the path of the river, you’ll eventually find your way up into the hills to where it begins – you’ll have to face getting your feet wet from here if you want to explore the rest of the island, as the bridge mentioned above is the only dry route across the water.

The south side of the island reflects the rural nature of the north side, with gentle slopes leading up to the rocky east side, a broad path leading the way between tall fir trees. A large house looks down on the bridge and the river from close by; open to the public, the house also overlooks the sea and a small wooden dock. Follow the broad track eastwards and upwards, and it will bring you to a rather quaint cottage, or perhaps it is a converted barn, alongside the waterfalls. This has clearly seen better days, with nature now its chief resident, but it still offers a place to sit and rest awhile, should you be so minded.

KiLu, Majorca (Flickr)

There are other places where visitors can sit and tarry to be found scattered through the region, both on land and on the water, making KiLu the perfect escape, accompanied by an audio stream, which turns the clock back to yesteryear to bring visitors the likes of Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw and more.

Definitely a place to add to your list of destinations – and should you visit and take photos, do consider contributing them to the KiLu Flickr group. And if you enjoy your visit – which I’m certain you will, do consider a donation towards its upkeep when passing the little barn up at the waterfalls.

SLurl Details

• KiLu (Rated: Adult)

Launched alongside the October 2015 Premium Membership offer, but available to all SL users, is the return of the Haunted Halloween Tour, which can be accessed via the Portal Parks.

In 2014, the tour was offered as both a demonstration of Experience Keys, and the Oculus Rift project viewer. This year the Oculus aspect is pushed to one side (although this is still very much a first-person ride), which is hardly surprising given the headset won’t reach “mass market” status until 2016, and the Rift project viewer is lacking behind a lot of the viewer feature set.

On arrival at a portal park, walk through the gate marked Halloween and follow the path up to the red door of the house. Here you’ll receive a note card offering general advice for enjoying the tour, of which disabling any  AO you may use is probably the most important, together with making sure you have ALM enabled in your graphics Preferences.

You’ll also be asked to allow the Tour to take control of certain aspects of your viewer (e.g your camera , etc – see right).

This is – as I’m sure most people are aware by now – how Experiences such as this work, and you should grant the request in order to proceed. Any permissions granted will be revoked as soon as you depart the Tour; however, should you return, you won’t have to grant permission again, unless you remove the Tour from you list of allowed Experiences.

Once you have granted permission, you’ll be transported to a Tour region, and asked to take a seat in your coffin to start the ride. As you sit, your view will change to first person / Mouselook – should your camera fail to adjust itself, tap the ESC key a couple of times. While you can control your camera to look around, the ride is best enjoyed by allowing the Tour to control all camera movement.

I’m not going to say much about the ride itself – it’s there to be enjoyed after all. However, if you took the ride in 2014, you’ll find much at the start that is very familiar (aka largely unchanged)). However, the latter part of the tour has been extensively revised, offering something of a lean towards a certain 1980s film series which recently had something of a reboot.  I will say that in terms of decor, excellent use is made of materials once again, and of projected lighting. One word of warning I do have is not to stand up during the ride unless you mean to, as you’ll be automatically teleported back to a portal park (as you will be at the end of the Tour).

At around 12 minutes in length, the Haunted Tour 2015 is about half as long again as the 2014 version; which is a pretty long time to be passive in SL when you think about it. If you didn’t partake of the original, then it’s certainly worth the time if you’re looking for a little light Halloween fun. If you did take the 2014 ride, you could well find yourself experiencing deja-vu during the first (roughly) two-thirds of the ride – which is not necessarily to say you shouldn’t give it a go, if you’re so inclined.

Related SLurls

• Portal Park 1
• Portal Park 2

Loch Noble, Pinewinds (Flickr) – click any image for full size

It’s been a good while since I’ve had the opportunity to visit a {Noble} build in Second Life, so much so that I’m not altogether sure as to how many I may have missed since last writing about them far back in 2013. So when both Caledonia Skytower and Cube Republic both poked me about Loch Noble at practically the same time, I knew it is time for me to prepare myself for a visual treat and re-acquaint myself with these fabulous region designs.

Designed by Blossom Noble (AaliyahBlossom) and Noa Noble (VonDutch Sweetwater), Loch Noble carries a very Scottish feel in its name and in some of its looks, although it also carries with it touches of England and the continent (or perhaps America) in some of the smaller details.

Loch Noble, Pinewinds (Flickr)

Divided into four areas by the careful use of water, the region presents a series of individual settings which naturally flow together to present a complete landscape to the visitor. The landing point, for example, sits on an old fortification itself located at the foot of low cliffs, above which can be found a small hamlet with a quite urban look to it. To reach it, new arrivals must follow a wooden board walk, the cliffs to one side and a body of water – perhaps the loch of the region’s title – on the other, until they reach a dry stone wall and gate. Turn left after passing through the gate, and you can make your way up to the town, turn right and you can follow the track over a bridge and through a rural landscape to the Noble’s private home (do please respect their privacy!).

The little town offers a couple of streets, some shops and some little touches of the UK – a Royal Mail pillar box with an old red telephone booth not far away, for example – while through a gated side passage (or around the corner at the far end of a street) sits a cosy little pub overlooking the broad waters, with the hills of the region surround beyond again presenting an illusion of being on the banks of a loch.

Loch Noble, Pinewinds (Flickr)

From the town, and by following the paths, visitors can make their way to the more rugged landscape on the east side of the region. This is again split into two by a narrow channel of water, the land to the north comprising a high rocky plateau with a health-like feel to the top, and which hides a secret within (follow the path to the cave entrance, or take the ladder down  the well-like opening on the plateau). Across the narrow divide, on lower land sits a henge, a screen of trees and another little stream separating it from the Noble’s house.

This is a beautifully located location in which everything flows together naturally. Considerable effort appears to have been taken to ensure the region surround blends at much as possible with the region’s appearance, giving further depth to the landscape. This is particularly apparent in the more upland areas, where the region surround frequently gives the illusion of the landscape rolling away to a hazy and quite natural horizon.

Loch Noble, Pinewinds (Flickr)

The {Noble} builds in Second Life have always been somewhat special; places to be savoured rather than just visited. While it may not in small parts be entirely mindful of Scotland, Loch Noble nevertheless maintains this tradition in composition and presentation. I’m certainly enamoured with it, and confess to enjoying spending my time at the henge and up on the rocky plateau in particular; so much so that you may find me loitering at one or the other when you visit!

SLurl Details

• Loch Noble, Pinewinds (Rated: Moderate)