Category: Exploring Second Life

I’m going to start by saying that this isn’t a destination review per se; the subject of the article is a private residential estate – hence no landmark in this piece. Visiting and writing about such estates is not something I’m liable to make any kind of feature out of for this blog. While there are doubtless many beautiful sims and estates throughout Second Life, I do regard Matanzas as special both because it was highly recommended to me by people I respect within SL for their judgement and observation, and it is provided by someone I’ve come to know via Twitter over the last year and who is now becoming an in-world friend as well. So this post is a little indulgent – but then, this is my blog, so I’m entitled to indulge myself now and again :).

Matanzas started life as a residential sim some time back, with those lucky enough to rent there finding it a pleasant – and long-term – home. When the sim holder announced that he was leaving SL in January 2009 and that the sim would therefore be dissolved, there was understandable upset. So much so that Skate Foss, herself a  Matanzas resident since 2007, stepped into the breach and offered to take over the running of the sim.

Since then, she’s worked tirelessly with two of the nine other residents on the sim to create a stunning tropical environment open to all of her tenants to share in and enjoy – and which captures the hearts of those who visit.

The care that has gone into the sim is evident from the moment one is invited to visit: the arrival point is a wooden quay, with sail-boats moored nearby or pulled up under the shade of the palm trees. From here it is a short walk to the community dance floor and newly added cafe, where Skate and I later sat and chatted about all things SL. Both the dance floor and cafe – together with an open-air lounge beyond, are open to the residents of the sim to use and enjoy, and occasional events are held at them as well. The open spaces are appreciated by tenants and form a central part of the appeal of the place and why people come – and stay.

“There are ten lots here,” Skate tells me as we saunter past the dance floor, “But only six tenants – not that there are four empty lots; my tenants grab up any lot that is available, so the island is fully rented.” The lots themselves are all landscaped to fit with the theme of the sim, and the houses blend perfectly with the flora. Boundaries between parcels are indicated through the subtle use of “Private” notices set along the paths between them and wandering the sim, one has the strong impression that this is a close, friendly community sharing a common bond of trust and respect for one another.

The lounge itself overlooks a waterfall with flows down from the central heights of the island, where stands a rain forest, complete with parakeets, tropical rain and the odd dash of lightning. This offers various views of the island, walks to follow and places to sit.  Also close to the lounge are two more facets of Matanzas that make it special – the greenhouse and the chapel.

The greenhouse, located by a small lake, cunningly hides the parcel rent boxes (tucked away inside cupboards!) while also providing a venue for events – such as a wedding reception Skate tells me about, the wedding ceremony itself being held out at the waterfalls.

The chapel is a short walk further on, and is the latest addition to the island. “One of my tenants lost his RL son,” Skate explains as we reach it. “I thought we should have a place on the island, to go, if we need to.” The chapel is tasteful in its design – whitewashed walls, sun-faded timber roof, with a simple but effective memorial inside.

Wandering across the island, the degree of care that has been taken with it is clearly apparent – be it with the sun-bleached wooden steps leading up to vantage points or linking houses to beach, the wind chimes hanging from tree branches or the careful selection of birds and flora to give the entire sim a rich and vibrant feel. If I’m honest, our tour left me feeling not a little regretful that I’m not myself a tenant there; it’s exactly the kind of place I could happily “retire” to in SL!

Skate and I finished our walk back at the cafe area, where we were joined by a parakeet while we talked about Matanzas’ development – Skate is constantly seeking ways to tweak and enhance the island as both the cafe itself and the chapel show – and Second Life in general. As we do, and as I take the opportunity to snap some more shots of the island, I’m struck by the one word that sums up Matanzas perfectly.

Idyllic.

ETA: Skate has sent me details on Lalo Telling’s write-up on a TweetUp party that was held on Matanzas two years ago. Read about it here.

I will confess that, until Fantasy Faire, I was unaware of Elicio’s Ember’s work in Second Life – much to my shame. However, his builds at Nu Orne and Siren’s Secret completely enthralled me, for reasons I’ve touch upon elsewhere. Following the Faire, I decided to make Elicio’s own sim the focus of a Virtual Destinations visit, eager to see what lay there.

It was more than worth the visit.

Cerridwen’s Cauldron is both the location of Elicio’s main store, and a beautiful sim to explore and see a range of his creations in a very natural location. The store itself is located up in the sky, so as not to intrude on the sim itself – although though be told, the store is as much a work of art as the sim itself: a marvellous floating palace-like structure, complete with nearby ivory tower.

Walkways around the build encourage you to explore, and vendor boards are all tastefully displayed to blend with the overall build. You can spend an hour here alone, just exploring and admiring the glorious attention to detail.

I really do encourage you to wander here; you never know what you’ll find that will look perfect in your home or garden, or might fit the theme of your parcel / sim. Not only that, but there are real treasures here simply to enjoy.

The teleport itself – located at the main arrival point – will help in getting you around. This will take you up to the art exhibit (among other destinations), featuring Elicio’s own artwork, and which has walkways leading to the very upper levels of the main structure. There are many reasons why I’m enamoured of Elicio’s builds. One is the care with which they have been constructed to look glorious almost any time of day – or night. The texturing / lighting is just a joy.

Another reason for my infatuation is that – again as I’ve mentioned during my explorations of Nu Orne and Siren’s Secret – is that I find strong, but very subtle resonances within Elicio’s builds. At Nu Orne, for example, I was put in mind of my visits to Sri Lanka – although, truth be told, there was little direct resemblance between the two. Down on the ground, Cerridwen’s Cauldron is the same.

Again, there is no obvious reason for this; if anything, the styling of the sim should put me more in mind of, say Thailand or Malaysia; and it did take me a while to work out why the resonance is so strong (outside of my abiding love for Sri Lanka); It wasn’t until I started the climb from the beach to the Earth Temple that I realised why, and I’m sure anyone who has climb Sigiriya will pick-up on the similarities as they climb the stairs up the rock-face here.

As with the sky store, there is a lot to explore and discover here, and teleports abound to help you get around, although I personally found it a lot more interesting to explore on foot – you’ll be surprised as to what you might find. Nor are you limited to just feet and teleports when exploring – there is another mode of transport (which is another reason I love Elicio’s builds).

The sim does appear to have some Windlight presets of its own, but I admit that I found it preferable to use my own client-side presets; this may actually have encouraged my feelings that the sim reminds me of Sri Lanka, as I do opt for setting that give a tropical-like feel to places. I don’t recommend the one over the other, but I do recommend that you pay the sim a visit – and don’t miss out on the sky store.

Here are some of my highlights.

 

Related Links

• Cerridwen’s Cauldron

Update, December 2013: Crimarizon and Crimarizon 2 are both temporarily closed.

I’ve been getting suggestions for places to add to my SL Virtual Destinations for a while now – and appreciate receiving them. One that has come up on three occasions recently (thank you, Ella, JB and Ayesha!) is that of Crimarizon; so I decided to take a look.

The region is the work of Megan Prumier, and is described as a “Photogenic fantasy spot [which] features an eclectic castle housing the Pixel Panic Gallery” – and it lives up to its reputation in every sense. Featuring facilities for live entertainment, the Pixel Panic gallery curated by Dixmix Source, Crimarizon offers the SL explorer with much to see.

I used search to teleport to Crimarizon, and did find the coordinates slightly off – I arrived on the wrong side of the land area, ankle-deep in water. In case this is an error with the build, rather than a SL glitch, you might want to use this SLurl. The arrival area itself is a stone walkway over the water, situated in a lush landscape, lit by ornate lanterns; before you stands a magnificent tower / archway.

Where you go on arrival is up to you – there are no set paths here, just the opportunity to wander and marvel. Walk away from the tower and follow the walled path to the water’s edge and you will spy ruins through the trees, sunlight dappling them. The walk to them may result in wet feet – but is well worth it.

Follow the path under the arches of the tower and you’ll come to the magnificent structure of the Crimarizon castle (although “castle” seems too dull a name for it), shimmering amidst the trees and water. This has a strong oriental feel to it, although it appears to be a fusion of influences.

The castle offers much to be explored, halls an galleries and gardens, all with their own unique touches. Here lies the Medusa Masquerade hall, a venue for costumed events, and the Pixel Panic gallery which, at the time of my visit, featured the works of CapCat Ragu and Meilo Minotaur.

Wander the upper levels of the castle and you will come to stone walkway supported by great trees, lit by lanterns, leading you on to other wonders and places such as a market high in the trees, views out over waterfalls which have their own secrets to explore. Walk on through the market and the evolving landscape of Crimarizon 2, the sister sim currently under construction, beckons – but you’ll have to wait to explore it.

There are also hints of dark goings-on somewhere: a pile of bleached skulls near the market, what might be altars tucked away in corners; a gibbet complete with noose standing in a dark hall… Mysteries that may have an answer or lend themselves to a machinima tale…

As someone with an abiding love of Sri Lanka, I couldn’t help but be reminded of that beautiful island as I explored. Not so much because of the great statues of elephants (which are African, rather than Asian, in origin), but because of the feel of some parts of the build. The stone walkways and the Marketplace, complete with boulders and outlooks from under stone eaves, remind me of places like the Boulder Gardens, while the gilded halls within the castle put me in mind of gilded stupas and gold-coated Buddhas rising from lush forests. Even the ruins, for some reason, put me in mind of Anuradhapura, even though there is little actual resemblance.

But then, that is the skill in creating an immersive environment; to create something that is at once new and unknown but which at the same time triggers memories and feelings of familiarity which draw one deeper into it, increasing the desire to explore – and to come again.

Other elements of Crimarizon are entirely other-worldly, woven in fantasy and a joy to see – although you may have to spend a little time seeking them out.. and all is not in plain sight nor necessarily on the obvious paths.

I spent well over an hour today wandering through the region, capturing snaps and enjoying the evocative feel to the place; I’m thoroughly intrigued to see what emerges from the development of Crimarizon 2. What is there already is enticing, and hints at yet more in the way of an alluring fusion of styles and ideas that will enhance the region’s appeal enormously among photographers.

All-in-all a marvellous place to visit and explore, and another on my list of personal favourites.

Visit Notes

I made my visit to Crimarizon using Firestorm (rather than Exodus) with deferred rendering (lighting & shadows and ambient occlusion) enabled. For the most part I operated with a draw distance of some 200m, pushed up to 520 for the longer, across-sim, shots, with sun set to region time.

While running with deferred rendering is not a necessity to enjoy the region, it does enhance a visit if you can enable lighting and shadows. If you can’t you might like to try setting your sun to sunset or sunrise, or try a windlight preset to gain another unique feel for the region.

Related Links

• Crimarizon SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• Crimarizon 2 SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• SL Destinations in this blog

In January I visited Wendy Xeno’s Humanoid, which I found to be an evocative and photogenic experience. So when I heard she’s been commissioned by Dirk Talamasca to produce another piece, I knew I’d have to pay it a visit.

Hazardous, the result of the commission, is located on Misali, a Homestead sim owned by Mandingo Quan, who was also involved in the design process. The byline for the installation is Dream infinitely….. remain fearless…..seek Hazardous adventures, and for those familiar with Wendy’s work, it carries many of her trademark touches.

Your arrival receives a musical greeting, this time from a piano which features covers of Linkin Park’s “Numb” and “Beth” by Kiss, a rather eclectic mix of instrument and music that works very well within the theme and tone of the installation.

Around you lies a muted landscape with dark, dusk-laden skies (assuming you accept the local Windlight settings – and I recommend you do!). For those visiting with a partner / loved one and who have a romantic inclination, a bottle floating in the water alongside the guest book pedestal offers dances. For the adventurous, the silhouettes of a nearby landmass beckon – but be careful you don’t mess the balloons tethered closer to hand, which offer a fun way to see the sim…

The balloons allow you to ride around the installation, guiding yourself via the arrow keys and PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN, and make reaching various part of the piece a lot more fun than simply flying. If you decided to stop off anywhere, then your balloon doesn’t instantly vanish, giving you the option of grabbing hold and floating onwards if your visit to a particular spot isn’t too long.

Towards the centre of the sim lay a number of tor-like outcrops, the larger two of which are linked by a rope walk and offer visitors places to simply sit and observe or enjoy one another’s company.

To the north-east of the region sits a tangle of trees, denuded of leaves, and from which a stone path rises, angling gently upwards and inviting you to walk it, following the trail of lanterns to the top. As you climb, so the wind blows, carrying the sound of surf, as waves sweep against the tall tor you are approaching. At the top sits another symbol familiar to Wendy’s work: a birdcage, this one containing a music box. Dances are available nearby, but I’ll leave you to find the giver :).

Make sure you drop down to the graveyard below…the tombstones are a delightful read…

Like Humanoid, Hazardous extends its reach into the sky via three teleports located near the arrival point. These lead to various scenes contained within spheres high overhead, of which my favourite is the “ghost ship”.

Overall, Hazardous has much in common with Humanoid, but is also very different; together they complement one another and form pieces that work both individually and together. Both are evocative, but in very different ways. While Humanoid caused me to the think very much of Eliot’s The Four Quartets, Hazardous resonated with me in terms of fantasy, the colours and forms lending themselves naturally to images of strange and distant worlds, or perhaps other versions of this world where the fantastic is possible.

Like Humanoid, Hazardous offers SL photographers a great environment in which to work – both the Windlight settings and colour tones work very well whether or not you have deferred rendering active, making it possible to play around a lot with images and effects when using a Viewer such as Exodus or Niran’s.

Well worth a visit.

Related Links

• Hazardous SLurl
• SL Destinations in this blog

I reported recently on the status of the International Spaceflight Museum and the issues it has suffered of late – some of which are internal, others not so. However, tier due was raised, and the ISM team were planning on making a return with Spaceport Alpha and Spaceport Bravo.

At the weekend, Kat Lemieux received a message from Linden Lab stating that the account had been delinquent for so long, the ISM group would have to purchase new sims from Linden Lab.

The sims themselves went off-line in mid-January, with unpaid tier amounted to around $1180 (two sims at $295 for two months, presumably December and January). Since then, the ISM team have been working to get payments made following donations – and have experienced around two weeks in delays due to issues related to Paypal / LL.

The initial reaction to the news when made public was one of stunned disbelief, and for Kat and the team, a concern that the regions may have in fact been deleted with a loss of content.

While the tier had been in arrears for two months – the sims themselves had only been offline for a little over a month, so had the content been lost, this would have been a cruel blow.

BUT: during an e-mail exchange with Kat, I received this message:

The islands are back, with content!!!

Now we have to find out what are the conditions — is this a temporary restoration just to let us get the content, or are they back in the same terms as before? We’ll find out, and I’ll let you know when we do.

So – well done, Linden Lab!

As Kat’s e-mail states, there is still work to be done, but following a rapid-fire visit to Spaceport Alpha, things do appear to be back and in good condition.