Category: Exploring Second Life

Lutz City – click any image for full size

Update: it appears the landing point had been temporarily reset to deliver people to the events venue mentioned into this article for a live event. The default landing point is in fact the railway station on the south side of the city.

Lutz City, which opened its doors on November 16th, 2018, is the latest is a series of region designs by Luis Lockjaw, another of Second Life’s superb creators of regions and setting that capture the imagination and sit within the mind’s eye long after a visit. In in, he continues his tradition of presenting captivating settings under his Templemore banner.

I first encountered Luis’ work through Hesperia of Templemore, although sadly, I never got to blog about it – although I did get as far as writing about its sister region the Isle of Mousai, also by Luis, and made sure I did not miss out on his Elysium City of Templemore (which you can read about here). Lutz City very much carries on many of the traditions seen within these previous builds, as Luis notes in his own description of the region:

As a celebration of art, Lutz City continues the Templemore tradition of offering the greatest musical experiences. The live music venue features a grand stage where musicians become part of a living painting that reaches out to your very soul. Lutz City of Templemore isn’t just a sim, it’s home for your creative spirit.

Lutz City

And it is with the musical element in mind that visitors arriving in the city find themselves in one of the major venues for the city, the Lutz Theatre, standing block-like on its own island on the west side of this magnificent Full region design. Just how magnificent a build it is only requires stepping out through the foyer of the theatre to the cobbled road outside.

This is a place cut neatly into blocks by waterways that flow along brick-sided channels, the water passing under the bridges that connect them and occasionally through tunnels. Aiding them in the division of the city are the roads, sometimes running parallel to the canals, at others sitting at right angles to them, extending over the stone bridges to link distracts one to the next whilst also denoting their boundaries.

Lutz City

There is an air about the design of Lutz City that gives it very much a feeling of being a place, part of something larger, but invisible, lying beyond the high mountain peaks that surround it. While separated from these by surrounding water, Luis has cleverly made the city feel a part of the mountains through the use of an off-sum tunnel and steel bridge that carries a railway track to the south side of the city, where a rural-looking halt waits to greet arriving trains while the tracks pass onward over a second steel bridge and vanish into yet another tunnel at the foot of the southern mountains. At the same time, the region has been cut to roughly match the three channels of open water dividing the mountains, giving the feel that the land on which the city stands has been as much formed by the action of water as the mountainside gorges.

There is also a wonderful sense of age and development imbued in Lutz City. Bracketed to the west and east by the massive forms of music venues, the central area has the feeling of evolving as a modern centre of commerce, art and music. a grand brick-built gateway facing the railway halt across the bridge lying between them. But to the north, the buildings are more mixed in age and style, some becoming more careworn and tumble-down until the paved road gives way to a rutted, dry dirt track running under trees and between purely wood-built houses, and shacks, all bar one of which have seen better days, time having moved on to the city’s newer stone and cement heart.

Lutz City

What I particularly like about Lutz City is the design lends itself to a sense that it has different neighbourhoods. These may be defined by the age or style of buildings within in (such as with the north side), or by the way they are divided by road and water channel. Not only does this give the design a feeling of being somewhat bigger than its 256 metres on a side, it also helps flesh out another aspect of the city Luis references in his description:

Beyond the iron wrought gates and stone sculptures that usher you past the brick archway lies Lutz City of Templemore. True to its name, you’ll find yourself immediately immersed in a whimsical world reminiscent of Peter Pan and Hogwarts. But Lutz City goes beyond that. Here your imagination can be engaged in a place and time that defies the limitations of such concepts. Every detail of Lutz City tells a story, every building creates a unique experience.

Lutz City

Caught in the colours of autumn and by default under a dusty evening sky, the setting also has a certain atmosphere about it for the weaving of stories. But, if I’m honest, I found it came more to life under a brighter sky – hence the pictures here – which breathed more life into the narratives the buildings suggested as I walked and cammed by them, and helped bring their voices more to the fore.

For those who enjoy photography, Lutz City has a huge amount to offer – including a Flickr group for sharing pictures with others. Those wishing to keep abreast of the music events in the region can do so by joining the in-world group – there is a joiner board within the landing point theatre, together with a tip board where appreciation can be shown for the region and assistance given towards its upkeep.

Lutz City

Seeing the Templemore tradition return to Second Life is a treat; my thanks to Shakespeare for passing word to me that Luis has been building again, and thanks as well to Luis for once again sharing his vision and passion with us.

SLurl Details

• Lutz City (Templemore City, rated: Moderate)

Dagger Bay – click any image for full size

Dagger Bay offers visitors a taste of Bruges and the Flemmish region of Belgium. A full region using the full 30K LI allowance, it has been designed as something of a team effort, led by region holder  Jaysun Dagger,  and it is a joy to visit and see.

We invite you to visit the beautiful Village of the Beguinage of Bruges and surrounding countryside. Please enjoy a walk on the forest path or relax in the coffee-house along the canal with a snack or something to drink.

– Dagger Bay About Land

Dagger Bay

A visit begins on the north side of the region, close to a bridge linking it with South Haven Bay, a Homestead region that appears to be an extension of Dagger Bay. As it also appears to be the location of private homes, exploring it should be taken with care to avoid trespass.

A second bridge spans one of the canals mentioned in the region’s About Land description, leading the way via grand gateway possibly once belonging to a manor house, to a gardened courtyard. What were once most likely outhouses lining two sides of the courtyard have been converted into places of business: a museum, a tea house, a studio, together with a cosy apartment, some of which have large modern windows cut into walls to offer views out over the water between the regions. Facing the gateway across the courtyard with its free-growing flowers and grasses, lies the manor house, now a residence on its own, but with the family chapel still adjoining it.

Dagger Bay

The grounds of this white-walled house and its outbuildings is neatly proscribed by more canals, along  which stand the tall, high gabled town houses of the kind anyone who has visited Bruges will recognise. The grandest of these suggest they were once the homes of wealthy merchants who kept goods in the cellars under them, wooden doors just above the canal waters providing a means of them to be easily moved between storage and barge.

Beyond the town houses to the south, the land opens out. Broad waterways run through the middle of the region, the water breaking over weirs between low-lying islands. Wild looking, and rich in autumn’s colours at the time of our visit, these central islands can be reached via footbridge or a ford (do take note of the warning on the fallen sign alongside the ford!). Reaching these islands demand an exploration of the rest of the lands.

Dagger Bay

This can be down by heading east from the landing point, along the shoreline separating the two regions. A cobbled path leads the way around a rocky hill that itself offers a look-out point across the region. It converts to a gravel path running between tall trees to where another brick bridge that carries it over another water channel.

From here, explorers have a choice: continue to follow the path to the imposing house occupying the south-east corner of the region, or take a right turn where the wooden fence marking one side of the path end, and thus find the way through the middle of the region, hopping from island to island.

Dagger Bay

The big house doesn’t appear to be private property – there were no visible warnings as we approached it – but care should probably be taken in case it is. Certain its name – The Cloister – has a suggestion of quietness and privacy about it.

For those not wishing to risk trespassing, the path passes around the south side of the house, below the hight brick walls, to meet with a pair of bridges spanning the widest water channel cutting into the region. These lead the way to an imposing pavilion, screened by trees and with sheep and horses grazing peacefully around it. Furnished in an 18th century style, it has the feel of a refined summer-house offering a place to sit and appreciate the region, perhaps over a little tea.

Dagger Bay

Fabulously designed and laid-out, albeit it with a couple of rough edges that could be smoothed out, Dagger Island is a joy to visit; a marvellous palette of colour and design to explore, photograph and enjoy.

SLurl Details

• Dagger Bay (Dagger Bay, rated: Moderate)

Magritte – click any image for full size

Magritte is a two-region estate – Full (using the full 30K allowance) and Homestead – offering Second Life residents the opportunity to travel back in time and participate in the life of the people of southern France in the 1750s, just over half-way through the reign of Louis XV.

Designed by Benoit de Montgelas (ZeustheImmortal) and Florens de Montgelas (EganObelius), the town and noble houses here are said to be located close to the town of Bergerac, a sub-prefecture of the Dordogne. The introductory notes for the estate point out that the south-west of France was somewhat independent of the king’s rule (in the time of Louis XIII, some of the nobility here had even tried to separate from the rest of France), and there was also much rivalry between families and houses, all of which makes for a rich backdrop for potential role-play.

Magritte

In terms of the layout, most of the estate reflects the wealth of the region: the houses of the wealthy and landed are proud and expansive, encompassing formal gardens, high walls presenting an air of aloft privacy as they face one another across wide, cobbled boulevards.

The largest of these fine houses sits to the south, forming a grand estate, Maison du Printemps. Modelled in the style of Robert de Cotte, this is a private setting  – one of several in the estate, so do be careful to avoid trespass. However, it sits on land open to visitors, where horse riding and archery are both available. The horse riding is available to most types of horses available in Second Life, and championship races and fox hunts are announced through the estate’s role-play group. The archery system can be used with all types of range weapons – although obviously, it is preferred that weapons are kept to the period, there is also a request that the weapons available from the estate’s blacksmith, operating out of dock-side marketplace, are used.

Magritte

Role-play in the region is open to anyone wishing to join, and roles can be among the aristocracy, the bourgeois or the peasantry. Details of RP are available from the information centre at the landing point. So too are period outfits for those who don’t have them – simply join the estate’s group and take either the male or female outfit and collect the Out Of Character (OOC) tag also available to make it clear you are just visiting.

The town and docks, located to the west of the estate, stands in strong contrast of the grand houses of the nobles. Here the building are huddled together, clustered around the docks, almost medieval in style. This helps to give the town a busy feel, and is entirely in keeping with the period, where many towns hadn’t really changed too much over the years when compared to the fineries of architecture afford by the wealthy.

Magritte

As well as the horse riding and archery, fishing can be had within the estate and – for the nobles, perhaps – there are also formal dances and, the estate’s notes offering the following:

The “Salon blanc” is a ballroom for concerts, banquets and dancing. Festivities will be announced in our groups.
If you wish to host your own event, like a ball or concert, please contact the Barons for further information and planning.

In addition, a pavilion on the southern estate offers a place where a pleasing rest can be had following a walk under the trees, complete with a view across the river to Margitte.

Magritte

There are perhaps a couple of small incongruities in the estate; for example, the docks are home to a sailing vessel that might actually have found it a little difficult navigating this far up the Dordogne (there’s also a second lying a little off-shore as well). But this is Second Life, and a little license is allowed in how ideas are presented, and the docks do help add character to the town.

Overall, the estate is genuinely photogenic, and during my visit there were resident players to be found (OOC visitors are encouraged not to interact in open chat but keep questions, etc., to IM). I’d certainly like to thank Le Baron de Magritte for his gracious hospitality during my time at the estate, and for asking after my well-being.

Magritte

SLurl Details

• Magritte (Magritte, rated: Adult)

Somewhere in Time – click any image for full size

Somewhere in Time is a full region held by Quinn Holsworthy (Zoey Drammond), who also lead the team responsible for landscaping it. In keeping with the time of year in the northern hemisphere, the region offers a winter setting, rich in snow, which covers the ground and clicks to rocks and trees even as more swirls down from the pastel sky overhead.

Located just off the centre of the region, towards the west side, the landing point sits on the low-lying portion of the region, a place where snow-dusted terraces and flagstones surround a frozen pond ripe for ice skating  – as demonstrated by the penguins enjoying themselves on the ice. Wooden pergolas line two sides of the ice, while tall cliffs rise from the south side, crowned by the steel girders of a rail track.

Somewhere in Time – click any image for full size

This track, bearing the weight of a steam train and its carriages, curves to the east and to one of the two tunnels marking its extremities. The tunnel occupies one side of a broad, rocky plateau, home to a white-walled chapel surrounded by a copse of fire trees. A finger of rock extends back inland from this plateau, forming another wall partially enclosing the ice rink. With a path winding down to the rink and its pergolas, this rocky finger is home to a social area lit by lanterns and warmed by braziers.

Lanterns are something of a motif for the region: more can be found floating among the trees or over the waters in places, more usually tacking the form of small hot air balloons bearing naked flames which presumably help keep them aloft.

Somewhere in Time – click any image for full size

To the north of the region water flows freely through the landscape and trails wind through the trees, some  rutted and snow-bound, others bare dirt, connecting cabin to cottage to barn. Wooden platforms step down to the water’s edge. To the north-west, one of these paths rises to where a large house sits, a wrought iron fence guarding its snow blanketed garden.

All of this barely scratches the beauty of the region and the attention to detail paid in its design – those who have visited Quinn’s region of SilentRane (read here for more) will only be too familiar with her attention to detail. There’s the Christmas tree farm offering warm beverages (albeit with cars laden with trees driving towards it, rather than away from it as one might expect), the look-out point up towards the train-bearing cliffs, the deer, the horse-drawn sleigh awaiting couples, and so on.

Somewhere in Time – click any image for full size

The amount of snowfall in the region can impact performance when exploring – in places I found my FPS bottomed-out at under 4 with shadows on, and didn’t climb too much higher with shadows and ALM disabled, so do take this into consideration when visiting. However, there is no doubting the photogenic quality to Somewhere in Time, and those taking photos are invited to submit them to the Somewhere in Time Flickr group.

Perfect for the season, picturesque, and with an imaginative design, Somewhere in Time makes for an engaging visit.

Somewhere in Time – click any image for full size

SLurl Details

• Somewhere in Time (Somewhere in Time, rated: Moderate)

I’m always of a mixed mind when it comes to amusement park themes in Second Life, never sure as to how well they really work in transmitting a sense of thrill / fun. This is not to critique the creators of such venues and the rides that go into them, but rather a reflection that for all its marvels, Second Life is still bounded by certain limitations that can impact the sense of immersion.

That said, there have been various roller coaster rides and theme parks I have visited in-world, and had fun doing so. This being the case, when Miro Collas suggested a visit to the Master’s Amusement Park, designed by Brick Masters (GeniusMike), I added it to my list of Exploring Second Life destinations, and on a sunny Tuesday morning (both SL and in the physical world!), hopped over to take a look.

Occupying a sky build, the Master’s Amusement Park is a place of two halves. The “old” landing point can be found on the mainland, forming a “ticket office” and entrance. This informs visitors that the park is now “all new” (as of 2017 at least), and offering a “lifetime season pass” by joining the park’s group – although group membership is *not* a requirement to take to the rides. This landing point eventually directs visitors to a teleport that deposits them at the amusement park proper, a location I’ve used as the main SLurl in this article. I assume the split is due to the park having relocated from the Mainland to a private region in 2017.

A tram service from the latter landing point carries visitors up to the park itself, but I found this to be painfully slow, and on my return to the park after an initial scouting, simply used a double-click TP to hop up to the “surface” level. This is home to around 11 outdoor roller coaster rides, together with a log flume, indoor rides (some stacked one atop another, which I personally found visually distracting) and various other fun fair style rides.

A local set of teleport disks link the major rides one to another, although reaching the majority can be achieved by wandering around the footpaths in the park. The emphasis is very much on the rides, so landscaping is fairly minimal, outside of the sim surround. The rides themselves appear to span all eras – prim, sculpt and mesh, some of which does give parts of the park a rather “old school” look.

The rides themselves run as smoothly as one might expect from SL, but whether they “work” for you is a personal choice; this kind of ride is one of the times when it’s hard not to feel that full visual immersion, were it possible, could only add to the feeling of being there – even in Mouselook, you’re still effectively looking at a flat screen depicting a ride, and while the sense of motion is there, it still lacks a little something to get the heart beating just a little faster.

The big advantage with Second Life is that the realities of gravity, inertia and simple physics and the like aren’t a major constraint on rides, and thus some of those offered at the park can go that extra step: a truly vertical drops, exceptionally tight turns and track arcs allowing a lot to be packed into relatively small spaces, a log plume with turntables for reversing your direction of travel without the worry of water slopping everywhere, etc.   Whether it was actually a placebo effect or not is open to debate in my head, but it did feel as if the mesh rides – notably Olympia Looping – felt a lot smoother and more engaging than some of the other rides; but that could simply be because of a subconscious reaction to its more modern, sleeker looks.

As noted above, whether amusement park rides work for you in SL or not is matter of personal choice. I admit to that were it my choice, I’d perhaps opt for fewer rides in favour of a little more landscaping and avoiding the “double stacked nature of some of the rides; but for those who are curious about roller coasters and amusement rides in SL, Master’s Amusement Park certainly offers a lot to be tried out in a single location.

SLurl Details

• Master’s Amusement Park mainland “ticket office” (Snowshoe, rated: Moderate)
• Master’s Amusement Park direct (Riveria Drive, rated: Moderate)