Every once in a while as one travels around Second Life, one comes across a place that is so utterly unexpected, that one cannot help responding to it by thinking, “This is what Second Life is about!”

Duché de Coeur is just such a place. To my shame, I’d never come across it in nigh-on five years of SL wanderings until Pete Linden passed me information on a festival being held there in July. That the festival was a mix of arts and music was intriguing enough; that it was in its second year, even more so. I had to investigate; and I’m glad I did.

Centred on the Languedoc Coeur region in-world, Duché de Coeur is a Second Life community in the truest sense of the word: a gathering of like-minded people from around the world who have come together to create and develop something in-world that is both reflective of, and an extension to, their real-life interests and passions.

Comprising 14 sims, The Duchy represents a fictitious area of France that comprises the real life regions of Provence, Languedoc, Aquitaine, Poitou, Normandie, Touraine, and Franche-Comté as they were in the 18th Century – the Age of Enlightenment. It is an openly idealistic take on the Age, combining the period’s advancement of knowledge and value system with romance and chivalry; although that’s not exactly how it started out. When first established, the Duchy was far more focused on romanticism, as founder Bedrich Panacek explained, when I met him and fellow community leaders SkyRider Varriale (his partner) and Baharat Atlas, recently.

“The Duchy was originally inspired by the book Angélique,” Bedrich said as we sat together in the Green Room at the Duchy’s Opera House. “Gradually it moved forward 100 years with Tatiana and Skye,” he adds, smiling at SkyeRyder Varriale, seated beside him, who takes up the story.

“Bedrich and I met and formed a partnership, both personal and business. We were both interested in France in the 1700’s 1800’s, and I had experience building and landscaping for another game company, while Bedrich is the IT guy, the scripter. Our ideas works together. We also have a third partner, TatianaDokuchic Varriale who has contributed lovely works to the Duchy.”

The ‘Angélique’ Bedrich refers to is  Angélique, the Marquise of the Angels, the first is a series of novels set in the 17th Century written by French author Anne Golon and her husband (responsible for researching the story), Serge Golon. Published in English under the pseudonym Sergeanne Golon, the book was itself inspired by the life of Suzanne de Rougé du Plessis-Bellière, and grew to a series of 13 novels published between 1956 and 1985, with a fourteenth, Angélique et le Royaume de France, due to be published in November this year, and an as-yet untitled fifteenth volume set to conclude the series.

But why this period in particular?

Bedrich takes the question, “Much of western government and ideals are based on concepts that were discussed by some of the greatest thinkers in England and France in the Age of Enlightenment. Centres of thought including L’Académie Francaise, L’Academie Royale des Sciences, and L’Academie Royale de Musique were some of the most important public institutions that caused people to question established thought. We wanted to try and capture that, bring it to life.”

Education and the arts both play important roles in the Duchy, which hosts an annual Arts and Music Festival, together with a season of events that commences in September; all of which are co-ordinated by Baharat Atlas and Pekel Panacek (no relation to Bedrich). And while there is a degree of role-play among the community members (something I’ll return to in a moment), the more organised quarterly role-play events are primarily aimed at providing insight into the history of France over a 400-year period spanning the 15th to 19th Centuries.

When it comes to the matter of events in the Duchy, both Bedrich and Skye are full of praise for the contirbution Baharat has made, and continues to make, “She understood our desire to make this an open, sophisticated, environment,” Bedrich explains.

“She organised our music program, which has taken off,” Skye agrees, “She has really brought events alive here.”

So what is it that attracted Baharat to the Duchy? “I was first attracted to the beauty [of Languedoc, the original sim],” she explains, “That it had an interesting movement and energy unlike any other sim.”

Walking through the avenues and along the footpaths of the Languedoc, it is easy to see what Baharat means; not only are the buildings correct to the period, there is a certain harmony and balance that is clearly apparent. This has been continued throughout the additional sims in the Duchy as they have been added over the years, a subtle mixing of nature and architecture and blending of movement through the use of rivers and canals, that breathe a romantic life into the sims that one rarely comes across elsewhere.

There is also an historical subtlety to the Duchy; all of the builds are either modelled on real life buildings from the period, or they have been carefully crafted to be representative of the the various regions of France included in the Duchy.

To take the lighthouse overlooking the habour as an example. This is a reproduction of the 75m-tall Phare de Barfleur-Gatteville, built in 1774, and still stands as a museum to lighthouse-keeping today. The Queen’s Hamlet, meanwhile is a reproduction of The Petit Trianon, originally intended for Madame de Pompadour, who died four years prior to its completion. Following her passing, Louis V awarded it to his last Mistress, Madame du Barry, prior to it becoming a country escape for young Queen Marie Antoinette when she need to escape the court of her husband, Louis XVI.

Nor does the historical element end with the buildings.

As I mentioned earlier, while role-play is not the primary aim of the Duchy, many of the residents engage in the period life on sim: they adopt roles suited to the age, as well as the style of dress, mannerism and courtesies. Most joining this broader role-play element (which is not a pre-requisite for living in the Duchy) also outfit their houses (all of which are designed and built by Skye) with period furnishings where possible. There are also efforts to establish an economy within the Duchy reflective of the period in order to give added depth and authenticity to living on the sims.

The authenticity extends to transportation as well. While teleporting is permitted, residents often prefer to travel on foot or by one of the scripted means available to them: by boat or by horse-drawn carriage. Both systems are the brainchild of Bedrich, and demonstrate considerable flexibility of use. Resident can, for example, use the carriages to travel between one another’s homes across the Duchy or to reach the notable centres of activity, such as the Académie Royale de Musique. In addition, visitors can also use them to reach public destinations within the Duchy; carriages can be summoned as required by clicking the signs located around the sims. Boats on the canals and waterways perform a similar function, again allowing residents and visitors a natural freedom of movement.

Nor are you restricted to horse and carriage or boat; given the Duchy presides over the period of the Montgolfier brothers, balloons are also available for people to float serenely over the sims,enjoying the sights and this innovative (for the time!) mode of transportation.

Given the historical context of the Duchy, the focal point for activity is very much centred on the four Academies which have been established. These are:

• L’Académie Royale des Sciences, which is being developed to help people become familiar with the huge impact of French science on the world. Those with a passion for science and its history are encouraged to become involved with the Academy by recreating experiments and ideas (“laboratories” are available for rent where diagrams, models, etc., can be displayed)
• L’Académie Royale de Musique at the Versailles Opera House inspired Duché de Coeur Opera House, is the focal point for all music and threatre-related events in the Duchy, supported by a number of other venues across the sims
•  L’Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture is one of the focal points for the visual arts in the Duchy, supported by a second area at the village docks
• L’Académie Francaise is intended to host literature readings, ettiquete lessons, French lessons, art exhibits, etc., and offers a venue suitable for discussions and presentations suitable and related to the Age of Enlightenment.

As a venue for events, the Duchy offers many opportunities for artists across Second Life. This year’s Arts and Music Festival saw no fewer than 28 performances across two days, covering a range of musical styles and which also included a dance presentation. September will see the commencement of the new arts and music programmes which I’ll be endeavouring to cover.

As mentioned above, education is an important aspect of the Duchy’s activities. “We have had several different types of groups use the Duchy for their events,” Skye said, “And we would like to do more. We recently conducted a tour for an educational group.”

“The Virtual Pioneers,” Bedrich continued from her with a nod, “We showed them some of the issues that resulted in the French Revolution. [As a result]  they are going to host their annual historical society meeting here in January.”

Given the immense amount of work that has gone into the sims of the Duchy – including seasonal changes to the land and trees, one can understand why; it represents a truly unique window on history, one that is fully embraced by both those who manage it and those who choose to settle there. Indeed, it is a mark of the success of the Duchy that it has grown in response to demand, the sims being added to meet both the needs of those wishing to live there and the growing success of its events calendar. What is equally remarkable is that none of the original charm and romance of the Duchy has been lost over the four years of its development; while the focus of the sims may have broadened from the original setting and embodiment of Angélique, it has gained depth and breadth as a result – and offers residents and visitors alike a lot to share and take-in.

Related Links

• Visit Duché de Coeur (SLurl)
• For information on musical and theatre events at the Duchy, contact Baharat Atlas
• For information on arts events, contact Pekel Panacek
• For information on vendor space etc., contact SkyeRyder Varriale or Bedrich Panacek
• For residential rentals, visit the Aquitaine Coeur Nord or Provence Coeur information centres (SLurls)
• Follow via Royal Courts of Second Life
• SL Destinations in this blog

(click here view the slideshow full screen)

Addendum

Even with the amount of work that goes into a piece like this, with copy passing back and forth to ensure accuracy of content, it is inevitable errors still slip through on the part of the writer.

As per the comments below, I should have indicated Bedrich Panacek was the co-founder of the Duchy (alongside Skye and Tatiana). As can also be seen from Tatiana’s and Skye’s comments, the division of labour within the Duchy is more complex than the article indicates.

 

Grid: Second Life

Given I’ve written about my very tenuous link to the space shuttle Endeavour, I thought that for this instalment of Destination: I’d take a look at the International Spaceflight Museum (ISM).

ISM is perhaps one of the most famous destinations in Second Life and a fabulous example of what can be achieved through dedication and hard work on the part of a group of enthusiasts. Starting modestly on the sim of Spaceport Alpha, the ISM now covers two sims – Alpha and Bravo, and forms the hub of a group of (non-affiliated) sims dedicated to science, the environment, technology and space – including NASA’s own CoLab sim. The museum and its sims are overseen by the ISM Corporation, a Kansas, USA, non-profit organisation currently seeking 501c3 tax exemption with the US IRS.

As one would expect from a long-established SL facility that tackles such an engaging and absorbing subject as the exploration of space, ISM is exceptionally well-thought out. Use the main LM (from Search), and you’ll find yourself in low Earth orbit, standing on a platform with the glorious arc of the Earth below you and the magnificent and somehow delicate form of the International Space Station overhead, complete with space shuttle (the Endeavour!) and two Soyuz craft docked with it, while a European Automated Transfer Vehicle makes its final approach to dock. Also hanging in space beside the station, a little incongruously, is the Hubble Space Telescope.

The first thing that strikes you on arriving – after the magnificence of the display around you, is the sheer care that has been put into things. Around the walkway are hovertext icons, carefully positioned so they don’t intrude on your wanderings, but which provide a wealth of information. Additionally, each of the models in the exhibit is accompanied by a clickable plaque that will take you to a dedicated, multi-lingual wiki page that provides detailed information on the exhibit.

Also located on the platform is the main teleport unit / ISM map, and the first station in the museum’s Trivia Quiz. In this, you collect game cards by answering questions on space and space exploration. Cards can be redeemed at the ISM gift shop (or that’s the theory; to be honest, I’ve never found the object used to redeem the cards – but the quiz is still fun).

Travel to the Planets

The teleporter will carry you to any of the planets in the solar system, where you can find out more out our celestial neighbours and any space missions that have visited them. It’s actually while on the solar system tour that things get very slightly irritating.

While the exhibits are informative and well laid-out, the fact is that once you’re away from the arrival area, it’s pretty hard to get off the tour – there are no “return” teleport points. So if you opt to hop directly to, say, Mars, finding your way back to Earth, Venus or Mercury is a tad difficult.

Each of the displays exists in its own sphere or cube, with (again), plenty of information to absorb as you admire them. Were I to pick a favourite, it would be Mars – but then that planet has always held a mystical fascination for me – simply because you can pay a visit to the surface of our oft-visited neighbour in space.

The Pluto / Charon display, ostensibly marking the “end” of the solar system, allows you to take a peek at some of our nearest interstellar neighbours as it includes a three-dimensional model of our corner of the galaxy, complete with clickable stars!

The Pluto / Charon display also appears to offer a novel way of moving on in your explorations: a parachute to get you down to the ground! This is something of a novel approach, to be sure, but as I have my own chute, I strapped it on and stepped off the edge of the catwalk only to splat myself on the ground as the lag prevented my chute from opening in time. Ah, well.

Feet on the ground – head in the clouds

Fortunately, no-one ever dies in SL, so after picking myself up and dusting myself down in the hope that no-one noticed, I found myself in the middle of the Rocket Ring. Here you can learn about all the rockets ever flown – and some that never did or have yet to take to the skies. In the centre of the garden is the ISM theatre, which frequently hosts talks on space flight, space exploration, astronomy and the like, and which broadcasts a NASA TV fee during space missions. Under the Rocket Ring you can find a wealth of other information – some of which may help you with questions from the 2^nd Trivia Quiz plinth, which also can be found here as well.

Not all the displays are static, either – you can, for example you can ride atop a Titan II rocket in a Gemini capsule into outer space, our climb aboard a space shuttle and have a look around. You can also visit the Planetarium and take in a show. And if you don’t fancy trudging around the sims, try taking the tour ride – just make sure you can get seated before the vehicle moves off!

Across the water, in Spaceport Bravo (be a little careful around the sim boundary, the crossing can be rough) sit replicas of some of the more famous buildings from America’s Kennedy Space Centre – including the imposing bulk of the Vehicle Assembly Building. Here you can see the huge Saturn V rocket, used to launch men to the Moon, find out about other hardware, past and present…and complete another part of the Trivia Quiz. Atop the Vehicle Assembly Building is the observation deck; turn your draw distance up and enjoy the view (just be sure to notch it back down again to reduce the lag when you leave).

While the ISM is not officially linked to or affiliated with NASA, it is bounded on two sides by NASA sims: NASA CoLab and the Explorer sim, operated by NASA / JPL. Both of these are well worth a look around as a part of your visit.

There are some problems with the museum, lag being perhaps the biggest. There are 14,229 prims scattered around the sim in dozens of exhibits and buildings – that’s a lot of drawing for your Viewer to handle. There are also information givers, web page redirectors, scripted vehicles and displays, all of which contribute to the server-side load. Given this, lag is understandable, and because of it – while it is tempting to pump up Draw as far as possible to see everything – I’d recommend that, unless you have a super high-end system, you keep draw turned down while moving around, and slide it back up while looking at individual exhibits on the ground. I’d also advise you limit your flying; the lag can make this a questionable activity – you can easily hit a sim boundary without warning as the lag grabs you, and end up rubber-banding hither and thither or getting unceremoniously dumped on another sim.

Away from the in-world experience, the ISM website offers a wealth of information on the museum, those responsible for it, what is going on in terms of upcoming events and a whole host of other information and news. The site is extremely well presented with excellent navigation. Of equal use is the ISM Wiki – reached via any of the in-world exhibit plaques. While this can interrupt the immersive experience while actually touring the ISM, it contains masses of information that is well-worth a look-in – and it does so in multiple languages, providing everyone with a chance to delve into it.

Overall, ISM is one of the best attractions put together within Second Life. Whether you are a space enthusiast or just casually interested in taking a look, it has a lot to offer and represents an immersive and educational experience. The “wow!” factor tends to be high, and the exhibits are stunning both for the care and detail that has gone into their construction, and because of what they represent; the exploration of space and our understanding of the universe around us are truly awe-inspiring. And the ISM delivers much of that awe directly to your monitor screen.

But don’t just take my word for it – go pay a visit yourself!

Related Links

• The arrival platform (LEO)
• Ares V and N-1 rockets
• Titan / Gemini rocket ride
• The Planetarium (start it and go to Mouselook!)
• Tour ride
• SL Destinations in this blog

 

Sitting in the mouth of the Couesnon River roughly a kilometre offshore from the mainland, and connected to it by a causeway, lays the magnificent Mont Saint-Michel. Occupied since before the Roman times, the islet (less than a kilometre square) rose to prominence in the middle ages as a religious centre, gaining strategic significance when it was annexed by William Longsword, Duke of Normandy in 933, and 100 years later when it supported William, Duke of Normandy’s claim to the English throne.

It’s also famous for being painstakingly reproduced to careful scale within Second Life by Moeka Kohime. Featured on the French version of the Second Life homepage, the sim is a magnificent testament as to what can be achieved when building in Second Life with the humble prim – or in this case, 14,328 humble prims.

The Mont faithfully reproduces the original in almost every visual aspect; no mean feat given it occupies an area a quarter of the size of the original. Yet it is not just a mere “look but don’t touch” showpiece: it is also scaled to allow avatar access, providing a fully immersive experience for visitors who can walk through the narrow streets, browse shops and wend their way up to the magnificent monastery that crowns the island.

I’ve known about the Mont in Second Life for years – yet I’ve never visited it until this week; I now regret not having done so sooner. Arriving (via a friend’s Tp) in the causeway car park (something that will hopefully vanish in the near future, to reflect the fact that it is being replaced at the real Mont as a part of the project to return it to its original island status), which sits on an adjacent sim, I carefully crossed into *Edelweiss* and followed the walkway to the entrance.

On entering the citadel, the attention to detail is immediately apparent – two massive wrought-iron bombard canon, left by the English after they failed to capture the island during the great siege of 1423-24, lay in the entranceway, just as they do in the original. Beyond these, past the information bureau is a small wooden bridge leading you into Le Grand Rue, and the sim’s shopping mall filled with boutique-style shops that fit the look and feel of the original Mont.

From here you can choose to either wander the Grand Rue, browsing the boutiques, or you can take one of the many stairways leading further up onto the island and towards the towering edifice of the abbey.  This is one of the joys of the Mont is Second Life – it is a charming warren of walkways and passages that – as with the actual Mont – make exploring it full of anticipation: what lies under the next arch, at the top of the next stairway, around the next stone-walled corner? As you wander, you can peek through windows into the homes of the “locals” (none of the houses are actually occupied, but the detail again adds to the charm and realism of the place), or pause for a breather along the way at one of the many vantage-points and simply enjoy the view.

The monastery itself is beautifully reproduced in some detail, from the stepped entranceway through to the high cloister and its covered walkways and garden, suitable for quiet contemplation. The interior captures the magnificence of a medieval abbey, and one can almost imagine the monks chanting prayer, or quietly going about their business, conversing in hushed tones as they walk around the cloister. I have to admit that the mood for me was heightened as I was listening to Christopher Franke’s The Celestine Prophecy while exploring – but even without it, it’s hard not to fall into the atmosphere of the place.

There are a few things to be wary of: in a couple of places, the build exceeds the sim boundaries, and if you try to follow the outer sea wall all the way around the island, you’re going to find yourself inexplicably bouncing against empty air in a couple of places (and may get bounced right through a wall and down to the sim-edge below). Keep an eye on your bearings, and use the provided covered walkways to avoid this. The Mont was also constructed with the default camera angle in mind. As such, if you use adjusted camera positioning, either through a HUD or Penny Patton’s super Camera Offsets, you may experience the odd camera movement stutter or find your camera swinging unexpectedly through a house wall to give you a view of the interior. This is worth it however, as overall, you get a much more “involved” feel for the place with a decent set of offsets.

Of course, if you are good with navigation, the most immersive way of experiencing the island is through Mouselook – and I really recommend you try; the Mont comes alive in so many ways, and you really do not know what awaits you around the next corner. It is certainly worth keeping to Mouselook when walking around the monastery itself.

When you’ve done with your wandering, make sure you seek out the Café Poulard and have a well-deserved rest, either in the café itself, or out on the upper floor balcony with its sea view. It’s also a great place from which to camera around the island and make sure there is nothing you’ve missed in your wanderings, and which might be worth a Mouselook attempt to find when you leave the café.

If there is one thing perhaps missing from the build, it is the opportunity to learn about the history of the real Mont Saint-Michel; the museum is devoid of displays, information plaques are minimal, and so on. This is a shame, as the sim represents a superb place to enthral, educate and promote. Of course, no-one wants to be bashed over the head with facts and figures and historical diatribes, but it would be nice to see some context around the build and its real life counterpart.

Mont Saint-Michel is – to use the superlative yet again – a truly magnificent build. If you haven’t done so already, I’d recommend you do; you will not be disappointed, and you’ll be capturing a slice of history from two worlds in the process.

Addendum

When someone says to me, when I mention Mont Saint-Michel, “Did you find the hanger and the spaceship under it?” I tend to think they are trying to tug on my leg in the hope that bells ring. When three people independently raise the same subject (one of whom swears they’ve never read my blog), I get the feeling that either there is something to the comments, or the world is out to get me.

Given the second reaction is pretty much my everyday state of being at the moment (you’d be the same if you’d had the same issue with technology this last week, believe me), I opted to go with “there is something to the comments. So off I zoomed to have a nose around. And guess what? There is a hanger hidden under the Mont – although I’m not sure if what is inside is a spaceship or so kind of futuristic aircraft.

The Edelweiss sits in a bunker under the Mont, apparently fuelled and ready for flight (although you don’t appear to be able to board her), lit from above by powerful spotlights.

It’s a strange thing to have under an abbey atop a small islet, and certainly well-hidden from casual eyes; had I not received three separate prompts on the matter, I’d have remained in ignorance of it being there. But it does raise an interesting question…given the accuracy of the rest of the build…is there yet something extraordinary to be found under the crypts of the real Mont Saint-Michel? Could it be that those 11th and 12th century monks who built the original abbey actually knew more than they were letting on?! The mind boggles! ;-).

That said, I’m not telling you where it is. Go and find it for yourself! ;).

Related Links

• SL Destinations in this blog