Category: Exploring Second Life

Elvion – click any image for full size

Update, September 2021: Elvion has relocated and expanded – see Elvion expanded in Second Life.

The suggestion we visit Elvion, which recently opened its doors to the public, came to us via Miro Collas, another reader who always keeps can eye out for regions in Second Life we might find appealing, and to whom I again offer my thanks for doing so 🙂 .

Occupying a quarter region parcel on a Homestead region, Elvion has been designed by Bo Zano (BoZanoNL) as an elven style sanctuary, rich in atmosphere and with a suggestion of mystic magic; and it is a quite breathtaking place to visit: simple but elegant in its presentation, rich in detail without feeling overcrowded.

Elvion

Aside from a single tower towards the north-east of the parcel, not far from the landing point, the entire location is open to public exploration and enjoyment.

To help with this, a single track runs through the parcel from the south-east corner through to the north-west. A short distance, perhaps, but a good start to explorations. From its starting point was the edge of a small bay, it skirts around the water, passing the entrance to the glade where the private towers resides. Past this, it passes over a little bridge to pass along the edge of another glade to reach a  second bridge pointing back to the tower.

Elvion

This second glade is bordered on its far side by high falls and is home to a large pavilion. It is here that a further sense of fantasy is presented to visitors: a dragon circling slowly over the grass of the glade, sharing the space with gossamer butterflies as rabbits hop around below. Sunlight filters through the trees at the edge of the glade, while lights dangle from branches in strings, adding a further ethereal look to the parcel.

This is far from all there is to Elvion, however, wander across the glade or follow grassy trails through the trees, and you’ll find elk grazing at the edge of the water and just beyond, a rocky arch offering a way to where a further mystical element can be found: a stone carved with glowing runes with unicorns just before it.

Elvion

Another aspect to the parcel is the wildlife; elk graze, heron and egret watch over the waters, birds sing from trees and sit on rocks while swans patrol the waters and a woodpecker keeps himself busy on a tree trunk. These all bring the place to life, and a further depth and attracts the ear and eye.

I’ve often commented that when it comes to designing somewhere special, be it a private home or a place we can share with others, it is all too easy to focus on the space and land capacity offered by an entire region, be it full or Homestead. Elvion, however, is one of the wonderful gems in Second Life that demonstrate this is not the case, and that with care and attention to detail, it is possible to present a special, photogenic place worthy of sharing with others and which is an absolutely delight to visit and spend time within.

Elvion

The Missing Whale – click any image for full size

Note: Missing Whale is now closed. SLurls have been removed from this article.

We were recently passed the landmark to The Missing Whale by Shakespeare, and decided to pay it a visit. Designed by Lotus Mastroianni and Fred Hamilton (frecoi), it’s a homestead region with a touch of the wild side about it, complete with an eclectic mix that adds to its depth.

Backing directly onto a lush green sim surround, the region presents a feeling of being somewhere in a rain forest; a place built on the edge of a modest lake that feeds into a river that meanders away westward into the hills, and which is in turn fed by the broad falls that tumble from the hills to the east.

The Missing Whale

The landing point is in a small fishing shanty built out over the water. Music drifts through the air, the tunes and quality of which might suggest we’re caught in the 1930s; however, the televisions inside the huts of the shanty suggest a much later period. Perhaps the music is from a record player and innocent enough; but the contrast between the music and the presence of the televisions (and surfboards!) is the first in a series of mixes that make the Missing Whale such an interesting curio awaiting exploration.

Raised board walks links the various huts and buildings of the village, and provide a route up onto dry land in one direction and, by way of a river crossing to the local store in another. The store is stacked with a range of produce, western meats and cheeses, oriental beer – and the opportunity for a game of pool. It appears to sit as the Last Friendly Store where explorers can gather supplies before delving into the interior.

The Missing Whale

Beyond the little village, the landscape becomes more rugged  – and wet. Rain falls over a bamboo forest, water flows down over rocks and through pools to a broad channel cutting the land. Ruins lie close to this river, watched over by a tiger, offering a suggestion that perhaps we’re in the rain forests between India and Myanmar. But then, up on the rocky foothills beyond, African elephants bathe in the waters of the large, waterfall-fed pool. Thus we have another anachronism (although admittedly, it might simply be the result of Indian elephants being a little less popular with creators than their African cousins).

Even so, whether deliberate or forced by circumstance, the clash between tiger and elephant adds further mystery to the region. The Asian influences can be found elsewhere as well; there is more than one tiger in the region awaiting discovery, while stone and copper Buddha heads can be found as well. Similarly, the region has a number of oriental / Japanese style structures waiting to be discovered, both down among the trees and up on rocky plateaus, mixing things further.

The Missing Whale

There is also an edge of danger to the region – as evidenced by the wreckage of two downed aeroplanes in the hills and a boat driven against the rocks in one of the river channels. This channel holds within it a little beach; although the path to it is not entirely obvious, even if it is signposted when you find it 🙂 . As an alternative, the daring could scramble down from the high rocks holding the beach in their curve.

If I’m totally honest, I’m not sure the selected region windlight shows the setting to its best advantage, and I would suggest playing with options for photography. Also, there are one or two areas where the is a lot going on which can impact viewer performance (depending on your system & settings, obviously). I found the walk through the bamboo forest in the rain pretty heavy going thanks to the rain, the motion of all the bamboo in the breeze and the atmospherics; hence again why playing with windlights can help.

The Missing Whale

But, this shouldn’t deflect you from a visit; the Missing Whale makes for an attractive visit.

Angelhaven – click any image for full size

Angelhaven is an artists’ concept of the natural wheel of change, beautifully expressing the seasons around us and within us. A haven for angels, winged and unwinged, and those searching for romance, peaceful prayer, and the things that comfort and remind us we are only human. Happy or sad, lonely or in good company, love and loss, life and death, there is a time and a season for all things.

– Angelhaven description

Angelhaven

So reads the description for the Full region of Angelhaven,designed and held by Vangel (VanderGalaeth). As the description suggests, this is a place for reflection, a natural setting that encompasses the beauty of nature and the realm of fantasy. It is also a place that exists on multiple levels, starting with the landing point  1,000 metres above ground level.

Here, visitors will find the rules for visiting the region – all of which are straightforward and understandable. Also available by touching the rules board, is a note card outlining all the major destinations within the region, each with its own land mark enclosed. However, these can also be reached via the teleport disk located at the end of the short hall leading off the main arrivals hall.

Angelhaven

Several of the locations can be found on the ground – including the Ballroom, the Café, the four seasons and the Swamp. Others are located on their own islands in the sky, such as the Lunar House, the Angel House, and the Solar House. Given the fantasy nature of the region, the windlight offers an ethereal look and theme: a pervasive orange glow surrounding the land and sky islands.

Those locations on the ground are linked one to another by paths making exploration possible without necessarily resorting to teleporting. Walking also reveals all the little spots to be found for sitting, cuddling and simply resting.

Angelhaven

The sky locations offer a nice feeling of further privacy and separation, while the similar nature of their appearance also helps give a sense of commonality between them, and thus a feeling of continuity as you travel one to the next, or between them and locations on the ground.

Finished with a fitting ambient sound scape, Angelhaven makes for a restful visit; a place where myth and fantasy mix gently with one anther to offer an environment open to being enjoyed and where tension can slip away. As noted, there are plenty of places to be found for couples to enjoy, as well as places to be appreciated in solitude.

Angelhaven

SLurl Details

• Angelhaven (rated: Moderate)

Forest of Astray – click any image for full size

The Forest of Astray is a Full region that offers a curio of a setting to explore, parts of which might be currently be under renovation.

Designed by 絵理子 (Eriko), this is a setting that, though a clever use of horizontal space and design, has the feeling of being far bigger than 256 metres on a side, and within which it is quite easy to become disoriented whilst exploring – just as you might in an actual forest.

Forest of Astray

Within the forest, the region is divided by streams and hills into a number of different settings, which are brought together by the paths and trails the meander under bough and leaf and over bridge and water, neatly sewing everything into a cohesive whole. Included within these settings are a farm, two houses, a beach and cabin, a fishing wharf with boats, gardens, old ruins of towers and houses, and walled Japanese house, glades where flowers grow and deer play, a reed-sided estuary fed by two streams, ponds and waterfalls, greenhouses-as-pavilions and more.

It is at the farm where visitors begin their journey, up in the north-east corner of the region. From here, a track hops over a bridge and winds outward and over a narrow channel of water to where a second bridge (which can also be reached by a grassy path running along the water’s edge)  leads the way into the forest proper.

Forest of Astray

Here the path winds between the trunks of giant oaks, the air alive with birdsong, the ground gradually becoming obscured by mist that becomes even thicker once another bridge has been crossed, and the sounds of piano might be heard. Follow the music and you’ll find an aged piano, its wood mildewed and mossy, sitting within the ruins of a building set on the far side of a path cutting across the one your on, presenting two routes of further exploration.

Take one, and you’ll be led by twist and turn lit by wolves carrying lanterns in their jaws, to the ruins of an old stone tower overlooking the junction of several streams. Take the other route from the piano and it will lift you up out of the mists before bringing you to a wall marking the boundary of a large property, the ground dropping sharply away on the other side into a fog bound bowl, reached via a pair of gates.

Forest of Astray

Here, under its own windlight and with rain falling steady, is a setting well suited to Halloween. Crows circle just above head height, strange figures loom out of the mists while the house stands as a shadow, old and decrepit, a strange (and decidedly sexual) tableau framed within its rotting walls, the upper floor given over to BDSM equipment.

If such a scene is not to your taste, simply pass the gates by and continue along the path outside of the wall and turn left at the point where it ends in a stone circle. A short distance across the grass you’ll find  a track lit by a scattering of luminescent confetti running down a short slope. The confetti points the way to where another grassy path runs by a glade of tall grass lapping around the feet of a pavilion; a place where a dance can be enjoyed. Stay on the path, and it will take you past – or to – the tower ruins, where it becomes the riverside route leading back to the wooden bridge crossed earlier.

Forest of Astray

A cobbled path runs along another side of the glade with its pavilion,  directing people through gabled gates to yet anther bridge, and thus to the southern aspects of the region. This offers even more to explore along winding paths: glades where angels might lie sleeping; gardens with hot tubs and dancing; hidden pools of clear water; the white frames and columns of the previously mentioned greenhouse and its companion pavilion – and more.

Choose the right paths here, and the rest of the setting will open to you, be it the bridge reaching back to where the Japanese house and onsen lie snug between wooded rocks and the sea, or the board walk reaching around a headland to the beach. A further path can be found, passing over stepping-stones and through a narrow gorge to where stone steps lead up to the south-east corner of the region, in which sits the largest house on the island, raised above the fishing wharf.

Forest of Astray

It is here – and on the beach – where indications that parts of the region might be under some remodelling were visible during our visit; furniture was floating over the beach cabin, while things around the house were in slight disarray (I’m actually not entirely sure whether the large house is supposed to be open the public; a request to Eriko for clarification passed unanswered; so take care with invading privacy while exploring, just in case).

Even with these little glitches, Forest of Astray makes for an engaging visit, with plenty of opportunities for photography and romance for those wishing to enjoy a dance.  The adult undertones aren’t restricted to the house in the north-west corner, some of which might not be wise for a Moderate region – but these also aren’t particularly overt enough to question a visit. Overall, this is a unique location and well worth a visit, one that is well worth setting aside to explore simply because there is to much to find and see.

Forest of Astray

SLurl Details

• Forest of Astray (Aya, rated: Moderate)

Cocoon – click any image for full size

In August 2017, Caitlyn and I visited Cocoon, a futuristic, cyberpunk-ish role-play environment established in 2016 – see A cyberpunk Cocoon in Second Life for more. Since then, the entire setting has relocated and has undergone an extensive update. While I didn’t document the previous simulator type on which Cocoon was placed, the new one is a Full region, utilising the added full region land capacity bonus.

Alongside the move, the backstory for the environment has also been updated, moving the clock forward some two years from the August 2017 setting:

It is the year 2489. What’s left of Earth is a by-product of the things that went wrong there. The weapons unleashed in the Transcendence War transformed the surface into a blighted wasteland and forced the refugee remnants skywards, first to floating cities and arcologies in Earth’s upper atmosphere, then further out, to orbital colonies and settlements throughout the solar system. 

– Cocoon introduction

Cocoon

Cocoon is one of those orbital facilities, an artificial asteroid owned, operated and governed by the Cocoon Corporation. Its primary function is that of a commerce hub, and – if I might borrow from Babylon 5 (one of my favourite Sci-Fi shows) and re-phrase it a little:

It’s a port of call; a home away from home for business men and women, hustlers, entrepreneurs, freighter crews, smugglers, gangs, and wanderers, all alone in the night…

The station itself appears to have been greatly expanded on as well, although many of the locations present from the last iteration we visited remain – such as the walks visitors are delivered to from the main landing point / information area (be sure to collect and wear your OOC visitor tag if just visiting), the Pulse Bar, the Luxxon Hotel, and the extensive road network which Cocoon group members can be ride via bike. However, the overall sprawl of the asteroid city appears to have been extended.

Cocoon

This makes, as I noted when previously writing about the setting, Coccon feel much more of a place – walking the streets with their automated vehicles and interactive non-player character (NPCs) – just touch them to engage with them via a mix of local chat and dialogue menu options – it is easy to become disoriented.  Thus, just like any newcomer to a strange environment, you have to spend time gaining familiarity with the city and its various sectors.

It might be a case of mis-remembering, but the city also seem to have far more depth in a literal sense, levels being more stacked one atop the other. This again adds to the feeling this is an entirely artificial construct. In particular, the main terminal building seemed to be much larger and more multi-level; finding your way down to the shuttle teleporter to reach Earth can be a little bewildering, for example, and I don’t recall that from our last visit.

Teleporters are also provided in the form of The Fifth Element style flying taxis. These are either parked on various platforms or parking bays, or can be summoned via yellow taxi call boards. Just select your desired sector and destination in that sector. Within various buildings are elevators. These may operate as actual elevators, as per the one at Pulse, or as teleporters.

Cocoon

One of the aspects of Cocoon I’ve always liked is this blending of influences. There’s the echo of The Fifth Element in the taxis, sense of Blade Runner within Sector 2’s residential strip and within the advertising boards and signs, and there are the Anime reflections throughout. There’s even a slight whiff of the Yorktown star base from Star Trek Beyond with the freighters moving directly below the building and walkways of Level 1.

Again, as I noted last time. this doesn’t make Cocoon in any way derivative, but rather a unique blending of styles and approaches that simply work. And while the city was not quite as active during our more recent visits as it was in August 2017, it still offers an attractive – a pull if you will.

Nor is this all. As Ellie (Mii1a), the prime mover behind Cocoon informed me on our first return visit, a new Lunar setting is being added to the region as a further destination alongside of Cocoon and the remnants of Earth below.

Cocoon

With full information on role-play and the setting available on the Cocoon website as well as at the landing point, Cocoon remains an intriguing place to visit.

SLurl Details

• Cocoon (Esperia, rated: Moderate)