Category: Exploring Second Life

HyakuMonogatari (Flickr) – click any image for full size

Hyakumonogatari is one of two regions designed by 兇 (Merurun), the other being its neighbour Heinakyo. I was drawn to them after reading a blog post by Abinoam Nørgaard recording his explorations of both.

Hyakumonogatari in particular attracted me because of the apparent link with the ancient parlour game Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai (百物語怪談会) or A Gathering of One Hundred Supernatural Tales, which was popular in Edo period Japan and may have started as a game of courage played by  the samurai class.

HyakuMonogatari (Flickr)

Given that Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai was a game played at night, involving the possible evocation of spirits, ghouls and demons, it should come as no surprise that the region bearing its name (at least in part) has a dark, heavy atmosphere occasionally split by flashes of lightning (note that other than the topmost image in this piece, I’ve used lighter windlights in my pictures to help show some of the details of the region).

The main landing point is a temple courtyard, huddled at the foot of a tall mountain. Crows caw from the trees and paper lamps strung between wooden poles provide the main illumination. Follow the path around to the imposing bulk of the gate house standing before the temple’s shrine, and you’ll see a wooden bridge passing eastwards over a narrow gorge to a small town beyond which straddles the two regions, Heinakyo offering more of a retail environment as one travels through it.

HyakuMonogatari (Flickr)

For the intrepid, however, it is the route north and west which is the one to take, following the path and steps up the mountain and under a train of torii gates. Here the mist lies heavy and the default lighting is dim, adding to the atmosphere. As shines to honoured ancestors appear, so to does the path become increasingly unpredictable.

There are two routes here. One will take the traveller directly up to a high shoulder on the mountain. The other, which might take a little bit of finding, leads into the heart of the mountain, although the fact it has done so might not at first be obvious. Here you’ll find an old, careworn temple, the home of a couple of additional stores, and which plays on the idea of the Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai. Keen-eyed will find an alternative route back down to the main temple, while those careless of foot may find themselves taking a fall or two…

HyakuMonogatari (Flickr)

Taken together, HyakuMonogatari and Heinakyo make for an interesting visit. both look as if work on them might still be in progress in places, but the village and temple are photogenic. And should you fancy getting a group of friends together and lighting a series of andon in one room, ready to tell supernatural tales in another, this is the place to do so.

And to keep to the tradition of Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, just make sure you bring a mirror and a table on which to lay it…

Related Links

• HyakuMonogatari SLurl (Rated: Moderate)

Small Town Café, Luck (Flickr) – click any image for full size

Every so often you happen across a place you weren’t expecting to find, whether it be purely by random chance, the nudge of coincidence or the chance remark. Insofar as this article is concerned, it was the latter: a chance remark I caught in open chat concerning places to photograph in SL, which led me to Small Town Café, an utterly delightful 1/4 full region designed by Mido (Mido77077 Liotta).

Most of the land is submerged bordered on two side by tall, plateau-like cliffs on two sides. Grass and tulips grow tall in the shallow water, forming islands of green and yellow against the blue, between which the water seems to snake, presenting the visitor with the feeling of standing at the mouth of a slow-flowing river as it meets the gentle currents of the sea – or perhaps a lake.

Small Town Café, Luck (Flickr)

Through the middle of the water, almost cutting it in two and pointing east, a long wooden walkway winds its way from the  the landing point to the open water, where there is a subtle wash of mixing currents. A grassy path runs northwards from the landing point, marking the way to the primary signs of habitation here. Nestled in the shadow of the tall cliffs sits an empty town house or shop, a Tuscan cottage occupying the cobbles alongside it, both fronted by a paved footpath protecting them from the lapping waters.

Here the scene is almost urban; a scooter, loaded with bags and boxes, sit on the footpath, while the shop is fronted by the entrance to an underground station. Is it genuine, or is it something perhaps transplanted here on a whim, the boards over the entrance hiding the fact only more cobblestones sit beneath them? It’s up to visitors to decide. Here, as well, under a rocky arch, is a gated wall, suggesting a garden beyond, distracting the eye from the arched entranceway close by which provides access to one of the region’s genuine secrets.

Small Town Café, Luck (Flickr)

Across the waters from these, on the south side of the region, and raised above the waters over which they stand is the café bar that perhaps gives the place its name, and red bulk of an old shipping container, now converted into a workshop. To reach these, you’ll have to do a little wading, and I strongly recommend you do so around the edge of the water; not because of any risk of drowning, but because that way you’ll find more little touches – such as the greenhouse converted into a little vinyl record shop. Just do try not to disturb the deer too much as you make your way to the café bar.

Music is obviously popular here; the café features an old upright piano, and guitars on their stands can be found here and there across the region, as can places to sit and pass the time with friends or a loved one. This is also a place where cats roam and play with puppies, content to let the mice enjoy the atmosphere unhindered, and even the big cats are wish to do little more than watch things from on high.

Small Town Café, Luck (Flickr)

Given my love of music, cats and watery scenes is Second Life, little wonder I was enchanted by Small Town Café. I’m sure that when you visit, you will be as well – and who knows, if I’m there, maybe I’ll play you a little something on the piano or if you prefer, strum a guitar for a while. If I do (or even if I don’t), please consider leaving a tip; not for me, but for Mido, to hep keep tranquil setting alive for many more to enjoy.

Related Links

• Small Town Café SLurl (Rated:  Moderate)

It’s often claimed that Second Life isn’t a game – to which the counter-claim is often, “true, but it is a platform on which games can be created” (I should know, I’ve said it enough times myself!). And the Lab have certainly put a lot of mechanisms in place which allow games to be created – the most recent being the forthcoming deployment of Experience Keys / Tools (although, like everything else in SL, they have potential and uses well beyond games within the platform).

Now there’s a new game in town which demonstrates just how flexible a platform Second Life can be for game-play and role-play. Remnants of Earth, developed by Melna Milos and her team, seeks to bring together immersive role-play and elements of traditional pen-and-paper RPGs such as the use of dice and statistics together with combat, and MMO-style activities such as adventuring and gathering, to present what the creators describe as, “the  first  pen and paper table top game in SL, while still keeping the core features of any other role-play sim. Players can interact with NPCs and other players to accomplish goals, and even engage in heated PvP faction wars.”

The backdrop to the story is most easily lifted directly from the comprehensive website for the game:

The current year is 2130, mankind has just passed the pre-mature stages of expanding out into the solar system over the years and have established colonies on moons such as Titan, Ganymede, and the Earth’s Moon along with key planets such as Mars, Venus and Jupiter. After the Resource War and the following horrific events of The Gate Incident, Earth has been rendered a mostly barren husk of its former glory devoid of a proper rule of law from the neglect of its former governing body, and is controlled loosely by it while everything else is ruled by either crime, vagrants or corporation military contractors and police for whatever goal they may be shooting for.

Against this backdrop, you find yourself on what remains of Earth, which has largely become – if I might borrow from a certain film franchise – a “wretched hive of scum and villainy”, not only for humans, but for assorted other groups as well: the Drevii, Mytharri, Shivan, Verga’an, and Anshri, who together with the Mutants, Splicers and cybernetic beings / creations, have their own factions in the form of organisations, clans, and syndicates.

From these races, you can create a character, forge a role and join with the game. As well as the website and the accompanying wikia, the initial landing point for the game provides visitors and new player with much additional information, such as note cards on various guilds, and initial items required to participate in the game. These include a HUD (which includes your game dice), turn tracker and starter items  – you’ll need to join the RoE group for the latter. There is also an Adventure Pack available for L$ 1,000, which provides tokens for assorted items. – backpack, rifle, sword, personal transport vehicle, mining drills.  If you simply wish to observe things, make sure you pick-up and wear the OOC Observer tag.

If you intend to get involved in playing RoE, do keep in mind that while it is not a requirement, for players to do so, Teamspeak 3 may be used by other players – you can find out more on RoE’s Teamspeak page, which includes a link to the Teamspeak client, and notes on setting it up for use with RoE.

Once suitably equipped, arrivals can make their way through to the shuttle to Earth – click on this and you’ll be transported “Earthside” and the city game play area. This is a richly detailed, full-region city build which offers multiple levels and areas to explore and in which to execute game play.

Continue reading “Arriving at the Remnants of Earth” →

Pandora Box of Dreams, Diamond Bay (Flickr) – click any image for full size

Note: this vision of Pandora Box of Dreams is closed.

Dreams are our mind’s creations, places where  mind takes us to relax, to enjoy and to ease from rest of the world. Come dreamer, let the slumber take you, close your eyes and just focus on the weight of body easing away with each breath you take, and with each breath you become less here and more in our dreams…

So, in part, reads the welcome which is ethereally whispered to those arriving at Pandora Box of Dreams, in the Homestead region of Diamond Bay. Designed by Lokhe Angel Verlack (Jackson Verlack), this is a place where, as the introduction suggests, Dreams are encouraged. The greeting is given at the arrival point, high in the air over the region, as you pass through a series of veils to come to a bed located among shrubs heavy with leaves of green and red and gold, and among them, slender boughs bearing white sakura blossoms. Climb on to the bed, let your dreams take you, and you’ll be transported to a land rich in colour and filled with the sounds of nature. Pandora Box of Dreams, Diamond Bay (Flickr)

Your journey through this land – a series of beautifully sculpted islands rising on rugged cliffs and rocks from the waters below –  starts within a modest Japanese bath house. Do make sure you have local sounds enabled prior to leaving it; if you don’t you’ll be missing out on the full ambience of these tranquil isles.

For the first part of your exploration, you’ll need to follow the steps up under the Torii gates, as this is the route to access the rest of the islands or, if you prefer, make an initial descent to the water’s edge deep within one of the gorges separating the islands. Once you have passed the gates on the far side of this path, however, where you roam is up to you; just as our dreams are free to lead us where they will, so to are visitors free to wander wherever their feet might take them. Pandora Box of Dreams, Diamond Bay (Flickr)

Perhaps you’ll make your way down to the waters of the deep gorges separating the islands one from another; or perhaps you’ll take the bridges spanning them to explore the other grass-covered isles and make your way to the little open house made from converted railway carriages and rest awhile.

Maybe you’ll travel further, and make your way down to the water’s edge by way of tree-lined steps and past a wooden platform where Japanese delicacies await and a great stone harp stands, and thus come to the flooded cherry blossom garden. If you’re wise, you’ll give yourself time to do all of these, and discover everything else the islands have to offer, and allow them to wrap their magic around you like a comforting blanket. For those taking photographs, and there is a lot here to photograph, don’t forget you are invited to share them in the Pandora Box of Dreams Flickr group. Pandora Box of Dreams, Diamond Bay (Flickr)

Such is the design of the region that when it comes to photography, experimenting with windlight settings and the time of day slider is an absolute must; this is a place which lends itself naturally to a wide range of lighting, making it a wonderful subject for pictures. As with many places in SL, moving between windlights can cause a particular scene to magically and quite unexpectedly transform itself before your eyes. But here, the sensation when it does, is like slipping from one part of a dream into another, a feeling which enhances the overall theme of the region.

Do note as well that if you want to rez props for photography, you can join the local group – there is a nominal fee of L$50 for doing so, and an invite should be sent to you on your initial arrival in the region. All told, Pandora’s Box of Dreams is a visual delight; a place guaranteed to soothe the soul and / or get the camera clicking. The design is simple yet elegant, uncluttered and serene, and harmonious in its presentation. Highly recommended.

Piony Hideout, Lions Hill (Flickr) – click any image for full size

I first visited Pinoy Hideout, the full region designed by Neva Crystall for Kate Gavin, in November 2014, and found it to be a peaceful setting with much to see and enjoy.  The region has now been redesigned, again by Neva, to become somewhat more cosmopolitan in places whilst also retaining a rural feel as well.

The urban section of the new design looks to be leaning towards a retail venue, many of the building appearing to offer ideal space for stores. The buildings themselves present an interesting mix of styles, giving the streets a curious and engaging feel that small parts of London, Paris and Naples have been lifted up, mixed together, and then put back down in an eye-catching bend of looks and feel.

Piony Hideout, Lions Hill (Flickr)

Walk down the main west / east street for example, and you might be strolling along a street in North London, with square-fronted Victorian / Georgian style houses rising from the footpath, against which are parked a little Mini Cooper and an Aston Martin, suggesting (yes, OK, colours allowing!) Charlie Croker and James Bond are in town.

Turn a couple of corners, however and you are walking a little street with a far more European look and feel, complete with Parisian newspaper / magazine kiosk, a little Vespa scooter parked alongside. Crossing the east end of the region sits a waterfront area, with stone pier complete with moored sailing boats, giving Pinoy Hideout a touch of a Mediterranean feel.

Piony Hideout, Lions Hill (Flickr)

To the north and south of the region are more open spaces, rural to north, complete with farm and country church, and more park-like to the south, where sits a large wooden events barn, paved footpaths and a gazebo-shaded seating area.

Exploring the region offers up many opportunities for photography, as well as for simply sitting down and enjoying time with friends. As well as the gazebo mentioned above, there’s an outdoor cafe, park benches and assorted cuddle spots awaiting discovery, as are little paths cutting between building and the rocky plateaus which help to naturally break-up the landscape.

Piony Hideout, Lions Hill (Flickr)

I enjoyed my original visit to Pinoy Hideout back in November, it offered an interest mix of settings as well as presenting people with a lot to do. The new design retains all of the latter; but to my eye at least, presents a much more integrated look as one travels around it; there is far more of a feel of continuity of style and theme evident than perhaps was offered in the original design. This alone makes a re-visit more than worthwhile, and it’ll be interesting to see if designers and stores do take-up residence in the offered spaces, assuming they will be made available for rent, and to see what events might take place in the barn on the south side of the region.

Piony Hideout, Lions Hill (Flickr)

Related Links

• Pinoy Hidedout (Rated: Moderate)
• Piony Hideout Flickr group