Category: Exploring Second Life

Sorrow, Paper Dinosaurs (Flickr) – click any image for full size

Sorrow is the name of an atmospheric region designed by The Lollipop Kids, led by Voshie Paine. This is a place with a tragic back story (as told by the introductory note card), something which is perhaps reflected by the sombre, rain-heavy skies with their scudding, grey clouds.

This was, we are told, once a happy estate, built on money and handed down through the generations until tragedy came upon the last of the family line. Not anything supernatural, you understand – this isn’t a story purely confined to the Halloween season – but events sufficient to cast a pall over the region and give rise to the name by which it is known.

Sorrow, Paper Dinosaurs (Flickr)

Visitors arrive at the edge of one of the two larger island making up the region, and are greeted by a heavy downpour. The rain is so dense it turns the lightning into irregular flickering of great sheets which briefly illuminate different parts of the surroundings, revealing a broad expanse of water behind the landing area and, through the dimming rain, the dark outline of another landmass on the far side.

Before the visitor lies a pathway, offering a route to the steady lights of a nearby house just visible through the rain and trees. Here can be found comforting shelter from the rain in what I assume is the cosy home of the family who were once employed as servants on the estate. Just inside the door sits a samovar, offers piping tea to warm the insides after the rain, and food is offered in the little conservatory kitchen.

Sorrow, Paper Dinosaurs (Flickr)

Beyond the house and further around the sweep of the island, sits a barn where horses graze and sheep give out the occasional plaintive bleat, as if commenting on the persistent rain. From here, more details of the island across the water can be seen, sometimes limned by the flash of lightning reflected in countless raindrops to form another bright sheet of light across the sky. However, if you want to cross the water, you’ll have to follow the shore you are on back to where a grey boat sits at the end of a small dock (sit in the middle of the boat to row it across the water).

The second island marks the location of the estate’s main house and is, if anything, riven with even more rain. Another track leads up through trees tall and aged, some so old they appear to be dying, to the main house. Or what remains of it. No longer in its prime and cleared aged, it moulders slowly, decaying from the inside out, the memories of the tragic events that transpired here now its only occupants.

Sorrow, Paper Dinosaurs (Flickr)

The final island in the region is by far the smallest. It also requires the row-boat to reach it, and is the location of a little encampment, brazier bravely trying to fight off the rain and heat a tall pot of coffee – although I think the pot of stew cooking alongside it might be a little watery to the taste!

As noted, Sorrow offers an atmospheric place to explore, although the volume of rain might impact viewer performance, so some graphics tweaking might be required. However, the atmospheric beauty of the region cannot be denied, the rain and windlight settings combining to give a very real feel of walking through a heavy rain storm on a dark night.  The back story also adds a further layer to explorations, making Sorrow a more than worthwhile destination for those who enjoy exploring SL and taking pictures.

SLurl Details

• Sorrow (Rated: Moderate)

Pulse Games have been bringing Halloween themed games to Second life for eight years. In 2014, they created Don’t Panic, an enticing and fun little adventure-come-hunt built around the story of paranormal investigators and mysterious goings-on, as I reviewed at the time, having previously encountered their 2013 event, System Failure. So when I heard the news their offering for the 2015 Halloween season was open, I was curious to find out what it might be like.

Carver’s End is billed as a trick-or-treat adventure which takes the turn for the worst. as one might expect, participants are out doing the trick or treating as things  get decidedly odd and increasingly gory as they progress  through what might otherwise be the sleepy little hamlet that goes by the titular name.

Things start innocently enough at the arrival point. Here you’ll need to grab a copy of the free play pack, which includes introductory notes, instructions on game play. Do make sure you heed the notes on minimising lag and divesting yourself of unnecessary facelights. It’s also a good idea to have sound on as well, although essential information is also delivered through chat. There’s also a game HUD in the form of a radio, which you’ll need to wear. With this in place, you’re ready to proceed via the “tunnel” leading to the town.

As Carver’s End uses Experience Keys, you must grant it permission to act on your avatar when you reach the tunnel entrance. The requested permissions are displayed in the dialogue, and as with all Experience keys activities, the permissions granted will be automatically revoked when you leave the game play regions.

On granting the permissions, you’ll be transported to Carver’s End (population 666). From here on in, what happens and where you go is entirely up to you. As with all Pulse Games, progress is very much as case of explore, touch and listen for hints (given both over your radio (local sounds) and in chat).

And when I say “explore” and “touch”, I mean exactly that; don’t take anything for granted, and take your time. There are prizes large and small to be found (with the black rats in particular handing out hunt prizes), while doors, gates, manhole covers, ladders, and so on may well teleport you to another area of game play.

It is at this point that a small problem does occur. One of the really attractive elements of Don’t Panic, was the fact it was structured around a storyline with a defined starting point and purpose. This, combined with the various ways one could progress through the challenge, made it  and engaging activity.

Carver’s End has a similar free-form approach to it, which offers the same different routes through it, allowing different things to be found over several runs through the town. However, it does lack any underpinning story. This left me leaving a little disappointed with the experience when compared to Don’t Panic; there was little to really keep me engaged to the same degree, which was a shame.

That said, for anyone who does enjoy hunts in Second Life and fancies one with a horror twist, Carver’s End will be open through until mid-November; there’s plenty on offer as you find those little black rats!

SLurl Details

• Carver’s End (Rated Moderate)

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)

Belleck House, Oct 2015 (Flickr) – click any image for full size

The seasons change, and in the northern hemisphere winter draws closer, while in the southern, summer beckons. In Second Life, and almost bridging the two, Sera Bellic offers us a new design for her Lick Sim Designs demonstration region of Oyster Bay.

Belleck House present those of us in the northern hemisphere with a period of Indian Summer in the midst of late autumn, while for those south of the equator, it offers a taste of the summer to come. What’s more, in contrast to recent builds on the region, such a The McFly Project, which I wrote about in July, and the apocalyptic End of the World before it,  it offers a much simpler canvas in which to immerse oneself – although “simpler” should not be taken to mean lacking in detail. Far from it.

Belleck House, Oct 2015 (Flickr)

This is a wonderfully rural scene, the simplicity of which is in the very light touch of buildings and balance of open spaces and wooded surrounds. For me, it had a ring of England’s Cotswolds in part, whilst also being far removed from them, but the feeling was enough to help me feel a comfortable level of familiarity as I stepped out of the high stone tower of the landing point and wandered over the hill and into the region proper.

Belleck House is another design which amply demonstrates Sera’s eye for placement and design. The houses, church and folly are all carefully placed while remaining entirely natural within the surrounding landscape, the tracks and long, undulating stone wall serving to add a sense of being dee within the countryside, where sheep calmly gaze, and the church might just serve a small hamlet, perhaps just over the slopes behind it.

Belleck House, Oct 2015 (Flickr)

This is both a serene place and one that is highly photogenic. In fact, such is the overall natural beauty of the setting, that I wouldn’t have been at all surprised to have wandered down into the fields and through the gap in the dry stone wall to find a painter sat behind easel, capturing the view in watercolours or oils. In fact, a peep inside the main house suggests there is an artist living or staying there, although they may well be a little sidetracked with the decorating at the moment. Whoever they are, they do appear to be taking care to compose a letter, and also to enjoy Lewis Carroll. Perhaps the latter is why a little afternoon tea has been set out on the garden table…

At a time when most of us are focused on Halloween, spooky comings and goings and the promise of tricks or treats, Belleck House offers a pleasing side step into those long, lazy summer afternoons just ripe for a wander along tracks and between fields, simply seeing where your feet take you and what may lie around the next corner or over the next brow.

Belleck House, Oct 2015 (Flickr)

SLurl Details

• Belleck House, Oyster Bay (Rated: Moderate)