Category: Exploring Second Life

Dinosaurs are a fascinating subject. Kids love them, Hollywood can’t get enough of them and BBC even took us walking with them in what was a truly ground-breaking television series in 1999.  They can also be celebrated in Second Life in a variety of ways, including through what must be one of the longer running dino adventures in-world, Prehistorica: the Dawn Kingdom, Here visitors can drop-in on the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of pre-history, and as I last visited far (ish) back February 2014, I decided a return visit was long overdue.

Covering three regions (although parts of them are not apparently open to public roaming), Prehistorica offers the opportunity for people to explore ancient lands and witness the thunder lizards as they once more roam those environments – and, through the sky-borne store area – become a prehistoric beast of their own choosing, if they so wish.

It is at the store area that visitors’ journeys begin. On arrival, you’ll be given a set of region rules – which should be read carefully. From here, you can wander the store and view the offerings or grab a freebie “time travel” outfit or mesh dinosaur and proceed to the Time Machine.

This is an Experience-driven event (for the teleport portals), and once accepted, you’ll be transferred (with a bit of a sideways kick!) to the main portal hall. This offers six destinations – Jurassic Jungle, Prehistoric Plains, Cretaceous Canyon all being above ground, and Abyss Caves, Fossil Reef and Kelp Gardens under water. I’m not sure if it was just the time when I visited, but I admit to finding the three overground destinations more engaging.

It is in these that you can find various denizens of the periods such as the apatosaurus, stegosaurus and triceratops representing the herbivores  and the allosaurus, tyrannosaurus rex, its “cousin” giganotosaurus and the spinosaurus representing the carnivores.  These are all wearable dinosaurs made of mesh (and can be purchased in the sky store), brought to life via interactive bots – they’ll respond to your presence – which where they pose, move … and periodically, poop. For those who don’t fancy walking, there are also dinosaurs which can be ridden / flown – just look for the arrows over them. I did try one, a gallimimus, but found I couldn’t dismount after, and had to log in order to do so.

The models themselves are beautifully detailed, and pretty much “life-sized” when compared to human avatars. Each shows off its own range of skin colours and designs  –  some of which make the dino look like it’s either wearing war paint or has been the focus of a group of street artists (prior to them becoming lunch / a light snack in the case of the carnivores?). Each of them makes for excellent an photography subject, either alone or in human company, and for those looking for somewhere different for their photo shoots,  Prehistorica could be an interesting choice – rezzing of standalone props is permitted (5 minute auto-return).

Role-play isn’t the primary aim of the regions, although those wishing to RP are free to do so, again within the bounds of the rules set out in the region note card. The landscapes appear suited to the times they are designed to represent, and encountering the dinos can be a fun experience. I’m just a little disappointed that there was no sign of the famous short-sighted theropod, doyouthinkhesaurus!

SLurl Details

• Prehistorica: the Dawn Kingdom (Rated Moderate)

Eclectica – Mystica

A year ago, I paid my first visit to Eclectica, a homestead region designed by Maddy Riddler. At the time, it was her first region design, and as I noted when adding it to my travelogues, it made for an enchanting visit.

At the start of August 2016, Maddy opened the latest design for the region, with the region also being featured  in the Destination Guide highlights for August 5th. As it has been a while since my last visit, the DG entry prompted me to hop over and have a little explore – and I have to say that once again, Maddy has created something which is an absolute pleasure to see.

Eclectica – Mystica

Mystica, as Maddy is calling the latest incarnation of Eclectica, presents visitors with a richly wooded archipelago floating 240 metres above sea level, the home to walks, cuddle spots, mystical clearings, climbing stairs, a wizard’s tower – and more besides.

Building an environment in the sky can often be difficult; landscapes don’t always have a natural look and feel, placing an environment inside a skybox often leads to an unsatisfactory result with the sky, while leaving things open can lead to abrupt edges and drops around the edges, or illusion-breaking transparent walls to reduce the risk of folk dropping off unexpectedly.

Eclectica – Mystica

Maddy tackles all of these issues admirably, presenting an island as natural-looking as anything which might be found at ground level. Rugged cliffs mark changes of elevation and gorges cut their way through a wooded landscape, paths bordered by tough grass winding between the trees, bridges and ramps spanning the narrow defiles between rocky outcrops, steps linking different levels. Around the edges, dense hedges over which mists gently float, form a “soft” natural boundary so even when standing on the edge of one of the higher promontories, visitors have a clear indication they’ve reached as far as they can go (although horizontally placed transparent surfaces prevent anyone accidentally taking several steps too far.

The paths through the landscape are clear and easy to follow, the trees and shrubs serving to break the skyline perfectly. As one might expect from a location leaning towards romance, places to sit, cuddle and dance can be found in glades, under trees, within the arches of gazebos and by pond and cliff edge. There are also touches of whimsy, hints of the mystical,

Eclectica – Mystica

For those who do find romance blossoming and want to go further, the teleport sign near the landing point offers a way down to ground level and an island offering a choice of beach or forest automated weddings, which include a choice of ceremony types, dedicated honeymoon venues in a unique approach to in-world weddings which would appear to take a lot of the stress out of arrangements, scheduling, and so forth, and which can include close friends as witnesses.

Photogenic, romantic and a delight to explore, Mystica is another enchanting and delightful iteration of Eclectica. When you get the opportunity, do be sure to see for yourself!

SLurl Details

• Eclectica Mystica (Rated: Moderate)

The Rains of Castamere – click any image for full size

Doubtless any Game of Thrones fan will recognise the main part of the title of this travelogue. The Rains of Castamere is a song immortalising the obliteration of House Reyne by Tywin Lannister when the former tried to rebel against his father, and can be heard in part several times in the TV series. It is also now the name of a new region designed by Arol Lightfoot (who designed Just Another Tequilla Sunrise – see my 2014 post here, and who shares the design honours with Krys Vitas for Rosemoor, which I featured in  May 2016).

The Rains of Castamere is not, however, a Game of Thrones role-play region. While there are many motifs from the books / series within it, Arol notes in her introduction that it also includes  other fantasy elements, and is intended to offer an environment SL photographers can enjoy – and it does so quite admirably.

The Rains of Castamere

Split into two by a meandering channel running east to west, the region is mostly low-lying, with grassy banks rolling down to the water’s edge, although there are some  rocky aspects at either end of the dividing channel. One of the two land masses is sparse of tree and shrub, the other offers a broader expanse of land which is host to a mix of woods and open spaces.

The references to the world of Games of Thrones can be found throughout the region. There’s the tall tower of stone to the south-east sitting atop of a rock plateau, clearly representative of Casterly Rock, the ancestral seat of House Lannister. Two ruins lie relatively close to hand, either of which might be taken to reference House Reyne from the song, whilst the two bridges spanning the narrow channel carry on their sides the carved head of a lion, a nod towards the golden lion sigil of House Lannister.

The Rains of Castamere

Across one of these bridges sits a stone castle topped by an iron throne, while two lions face off against two large wolves down below. All of these stand as motifs for Kings Landing and the enmity between the Lannisters and House Stark, whilst the looming figure of the armoured knight alongside the throne might be taken as a reference to Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane, bodyguard to Cersei Lannister – and by extension, Cersei’s hold on the throne.

The Starks gain further reference amidst a woodland of fir trees (themselves symbolic of northern latitudes) north and east of the castle. These arc protectively around a weirwood tree to one side, the symbol of the old gods historically worshipped by the Starks. However, perhaps the clearest reference to the GoT universe lay with the dragons. These can be found on the ground and in the air, and their reflection of House Targaryen is clear. One even flies above a ship on the west side of the region, and is surely a allusion to the coming to Westeros of Daenerys Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, as seen at the end of the sixth season of the series.

The Rains of Castamere

Other fantasy elements are also to be found across the region in the form of unicorns, elven arches and lanterns, trolls, a dryad – look around and you’ll discover them. Many of the locations offer the opportunity to pose, sit and / or cuddle, thus furthering the photographic opportunities here (and more were appearing even as I visited).

The Rains of Castamere is an interesting approach to a region; while the landscape natural flows from point to point, so too does each location within it stand on its own as a photographic setting quite distinct from those around it. Opportunities for both landscape images and avatar studies can be found throughout, the latter obviously well-suited to cosplay shoots.

Whether you’re into Game of Thrones or seeking a new location for your photography, The Rains of Castamere has much to offer. And given the title of the region, it seems only appropriate that I close this piece not only with a recommendation to visit, but also with a rendition of the song.

SLurl Details

• The Rains of Castamere (Rated: Moderate)

Hide & Seek – click any image for full size

It affects us all at one time or another, that feeling of wanting to get away from things for a bit and find somewhere serene where we can wander with our thoughts. Somewhere away from the bricks and mortar, where tracks allow our feet to make decisions for us, and where there are opportunities to just sit or lie down and watch the clouds drift by overhead or the waves wash over soft sands, either on our own or in the company of someone close.

Hide and Seek offers us the chance to do just that in Second Life. This homestead region, the work of Seth Theodore Delwood-Reign (SethCohen Nirvana), is open to the public “for a limited time”, and offers a tranquil simplicity which invites exploration.

Hide & Seek

From the landing point in the north-west corner of the region, visitors have a choice of a walk around the beaches to the west and south, or to head directly south-east through the island’s woodlands.

The beaches, separated one from another by grassy dunes, offer plenty of opportunities to sit and relax, either indoors or outside, under the sun or in the shade of broad parasols. Wooden beach houses vie with a little motel for visitors’ attention. The former offer seaside holiday charm, the latter the promise of air-conditioned rooms, cable TV and wi-fi, together with sitting cuddle poses. Nearby sits a partially completed building possibly destined to become a doughnut concession, a dirt track meandering by on its way to the grassy plateau occupying the south-east corner of the region.

Hide & Seek

This plateau is the home of a small holding – but whether it still operates as a farm or is now a holiday home is perhaps open to debate. While there is an run-down barn outside with a tractor parked beside it, the presence of a barbecue and the general decor of the house suggest it is perhaps used more for vacations than anything else.

A track rolls down the side of this little massif, winding its way into the woods below to become the same path as leads the way under the trees from the landing point. Follow this, and you’ll find other tracks branching left and right: one leading back to the beach, another offering a short walk to a little camp site in the shade of the trees, and still another providing access to a cosy drive-in style movie theatre, again with opportunities to sit and / or cuddle. Elsewhere, hanging chairs sit below tree boughs and clearings beckon wanderers. There’s even a chalkboard on the southern side of the woods, hidden from the rest of the beachy sands by bushes, where folk can write and draw to their heart’s content.

Hide & Seek

All-in-all, Hide & Seek offers the opportunity for a relaxing visit, complete with a gentle ambient sound scape, and an ideal destination for that getaway wander. Or if you prefer, you can grab a bicycle from the landing point and pedal your way over the tracks and sand. Should you visit, do keep in mind the house sitting on the small island in the north-est corner of the region is a private home; otherwise the island is free to roam.

SLurl Details

• Hide & Seek (Rated: Moderate)

Beautiful 4 Seasons – click any image for full size

“This region is my labour of love :D,” Inkie (inkie Loudwater) tells me as I admire the latest iteration of her Homestead region, Beautiful 4 Seasons. “I change  it every season; it’s an ongoing process, so the more people enjoy it, the better it is!”

Looking around the region it’s hard to imagine it not being a staple part of people’s itineraries when exploring Second Life. It sits as a mostly low-slung island in the centre of a lake. Across the water and completely surrounding it, a patchwork quilt of fields recede towards misty, distant hills and rounded, grassy peaks. it’s not quite England’s Lake District – but it could be.

Beautiful 4 Seasons

The island forms a west pointing C, a smaller island nestled within its curving arms. A tiny hamlet sits along one arm of the C, perched on a slender finger of rock facing the waterfront to the south, with rowing boats and small craft drawn in close to the single wooden pier and stone flanks of an old harbour wall. Behind the little row of buildings forming the hamlet, stone stairs offer a way down between the rocks to where wooden bridges hop from the main island over a little nub of land poking above the waters, to the smaller island, occupied by a small summer-house and partially walled garden.

Westward of the hamlet, the land drops away gently to s small circle of standing stones, an elongated henge with lintel stones still in place to connect rough-hewn columns. Eastwards, and the land curves and climbs to its highest point, a rocky shoulder to the north-east. A house shelters in its lee of the hill as the island curls northwards, looking out over the water to the smaller of the two islands.  Below the house, the land slips gently downward and across a grassy tongue lapping at the water’s edge, where sits an intriguing camp site awaiting visitors.

Beautiful 4 Seasons

The entire impression here is of a small, possibly private, holiday island; a place where people can escape the hassle of everyday life, sitting beyond the distant hills, and simply wander and relax. It’s a place where bikes and scooters are popular – but which is best explored on foot. It’s the kind of place where even strangers are on first-name terms within minutes of meeting, and where the entertainment, going by the makeshift outdoor theatre, is as home-made as the bead in the bakery.

There is also subtle mystery of stories awaiting visitors here. The bakery is well-stocked, the summer-house is set for dinner while the deck outside invites people to sit and have a drink; across the water; the camp site shows signs of use, and here and there, washing hangs on the lines. But where are the locals? As busy as the little island seems, the houses sit unfurnished, motor scooters sit deserted, and dogs stand and stare into the distance, as if waiting on someone’s return. Are the locals all off across the water? If so, where might they have gone for the day? Or are we, as a part of our visit, “the locals”? And if so, what might our stories be as a part of this little community?

Beautiful 4 Seasons

Beautiful 4 Seasons is, in a word, charming; the kind of place I could happily holiday within; so much so that I wish I’d seen some of the earlier iterations of the region. It is, however, quite firmly penned-in to my list of regions to revisit in the future. but that’s the join of Second Life, isn’t it? The chance of discovering / hearing about new places to visit, explore and photograph.

SLurl Details

• Beautiful 4 Seasons (Rated: Moderate)