Category: Reviews

On April 10th, 2020, Serene Footman opened his latest limited-time region build to once again transport us to one of the most unusual places to be found on Earth.

I tend to wax lyrical over Serene’s designs, and for three good reasons: the first is they are invariably elegant in design and statement, packed with details that may be both obvious and subtle, whilst also incorporating Serene’s own recognisable individuality of touch that has marked all of his designs. The second is that they demonstrate that while Second Life sets the imagination free and can become the home of the strange, the out-of-the ordinary and the unique – so too can the physical world around us, which is every bit as richly diverse as anything to be found in-world; the difference is, Second Life offers the means for to visit such places where otherwise they might forever be out of out reach save for photographs and videos seen in publications and on-line.

The third reason is that his builds are always educational, both in terms of what can be achieved in Second Life with care and forethought in design and because as soon as I visit one of his designs, I’m reaching for the encyclopaedia and calling up my search engine to find out as much as I can about the locations he picks, so I might broaden my own knowledge.

And so it is with Kolmannskuppe – The Ghost Town of Namib Desert, his build for April 2020, which brings to SL the long-deserted mining town of Kolmannskuppe or (to give its name in Afrikaans) Kolmanskop located on the inter-coastal erg of the southernmost reaches of the massive Namib desert in modern-day Namibia, but was at the time of the town’s founding, German South West Africa.

Named for a nearby kopje, or hillock, which had in turned been dubbed Kolmannskuppe “Kolman’s Head” after the wagon driver who had been forced to abandon his wagon there after a particularly violent sand storm in 1905, the town came to prominence as one of the first areas along the Namib coast to experience a diamond rush.

Three years later, a railway was being built between the territory’s major harbour town of Lüderitz on the coast and the inland town of Aus. The man in charge of the work was German-born August Stauch, who has moved to the territory in the hope of alleviating his asthma. An amateur mineralogist in his spare time, Stauch became fascinated the tales surrounding the territory’s founder, Franz Adolf Eduard Lüderitz (after whom the the harbour town was named) and his belief the region contained diamonds just waiting to be found.

So firm was his belief Lüderitz had been correct, Stauch obtained a prospecting licence and told his railway workers to bring him any unusually shiny stones they might turn over whilst digging to lay the train line’s foundations, and in April 1908, one of his aides, Zacharias Lewala – who had previously worked at the Kimberley diamond mines in South Africa – did just that. Systematically searching the area Lewala had been scouting, Stauch found more of the stones and took them to Lüderitz, where his friend and mining engineer Sönke Nissen confirmed they were diamonds.

Using Stauch’s prospecting licence, the two men secured a 75-acre claim at Kolmannskuppe. At first they tried to keep the mine and their growing wealth secret, but news inevitably spread, sparking a diamond rush into the area, and Kolmannskuppe  grew to become an extremely wealthy settlement, boasting all the amenities of a modern town: a rail link to Lüderitz (itself massively enriched by the flow of diamonds from Kolmannskuppe  and further deposits found to the north), its own tram service, a host of civic facilities and utility services form a hospital (with the southern hemisphere’s first x-ray machine) through a theatre, ballroom and casino to its own power station and ice-making factory.

The town reached its peak in the years immediately before and after the first world war. However, the discovery of a huge deposits of diamonds 270 km to the south around the mouth of the Orange River that did not require complex mining, resulted in many from Kolmannskuppe simply up and moving south, leaving their homes and possessions to the sands of the desert. These moves marked the start of 3-decade decline for Kolmannskuppe, the last inhabitants leaving the town to the shifting desert sands in 1956.

More recently, Kolmannskuppe has become a tourist attraction – if one that is corporately managed, De Beers and the Namibian government jointly funding it. This remaining buildings sit alongside a dusty road, dunes of tufted sand wrapping themselves around wooden, sun-bleached walls that are so leached of moisture they don’t so much fall down as crumble away. It’s a place that is beloved of photographers, artists and film-makers for its sense of desolation and nature’s reclamation of man’s fragile foot-hold in this harsh desert environment. As Serene notes in his own informative blog post on the setting, it is in some ways a contrived and artificial location, centred upon the hulking form of the former casino (and now the nexus for tourists) – but it is undeniably photogenic and captivating.

It is in this form that Serene captures the town, and does so quite magnificently, from the high shoulders and roof of the former casino through to the crumbling skeletons of houses and the bare bones of former utilities. While some of the house styles may be more esoteric than those of the actual town, he has perfectly captured and embodies the spirit of Kolmannskuppe, right down to the touches of corporate artificiality, such as the misplaced baths.

As the same time, he has added his own touches, notably in the form of multiple places where visitors can sit and immerse themselves in the setting, watching the coming and going of others, the entire region surrounded by high dunes that mirror the Namib’s reputation for sand dunes that can reach heights of up to 300m. Rounded-out by the presence of oryx gazella, Kolmannskuppe – The Ghost Town of Namib Desert is yet another remarkable location presented by one of Second Life’s foremost region designers.

SLurl and Links

• Kolmannskuppe (Yasminia, rated General)
• Kolmannskuppe – The Ghost Town of Namib Desert – Serene Footman
• Diamond Mining in Namibia – Past and Present -Ehud Arye Laniado (2015)

A full region using the full region land capacity bonus, Sea Brook is a remarkable setting that offers a stunning location that forms a rich, eye-catching, highly-photogenic haven of a destination that offers a tour de force of what can be achieved with vision and considered execution in region design in Second Life.

The work of Muira (Angelique Vanness) on behalf of Rahnn Parker (Rahnn) and Carrie Parker (Cari2017), the region is a tour de force demonstration of Muira’s remarkable eye for region design, something I first noted in 2019 after visiting Season’s Cove (now closed, but see The magic of Season’s Cove in Second Life). As with that design, this is one that again feels far bigger than its 256m on a side size. In this instance, the sense of size and space is made all that more remarkable by the fact that much of the centre of the region is given open to open water.

The water takes the form of an extensive lake fed by falls that drop from a massive up-thrust of rock that rises to the north-east of the region in great granite or basalt blocks, topped by high fir trees. A broad, paved footpath winds its way around the lake’s shoreline in a loop, connecting three small terraces that thrust their own out into the clear blue waters. One of these terraces  forms the regions landing point, whilst all three present impressive views over the lake. At one end, this footpath connects to an imposing lodge that whilst grand in size, utterly fits with its surroundings. To the other end the path gives way to a rocky path – one of two in fact – that switch-backs up to the top of the high plateau.

Between the lake and the waters beyond the edge of the region, the land is entirely-low-lying with the exception to the huge plateau. Theses lowlands are rich is detail and  – if I might use the term again – present an expansive setting. Rich in tall Scots pines, they are marked by gravel tracks that run around the outside of the paved path around the lake, the woodlands between pavement and gravel cut through with winding trails that allow visitors to wander and discover all that lies under the shade of the trees: ponds, little camp sites, a children’s playground, picnic spots – the list is extensive without – the setting ever feeling crowded.

The paths also provide links to other locations within the region. These include a west side beach, tucked between two headlands. One of these is home to the ruins of an ancient church that now offers a cosy retreat. A second, intact chapel forms a book-end to the ruins, sitting on a low hills on the other headland, resting atop a low hill that allows it to look north across the beach towards the ruins of its companion.

East and south, behind the great lodge – which appears to be open to the public and itself offers an impressive place to explore – the land opens a little as at sits between rocky highlands and a growth of mangroves that surround one of the smaller islands sitting just off the coast. This little island is home to an old gazebo that offers a place to dance. Across the narrow channel separating the gazebo from the lodge, sits a little fenced meadow, a place where visitors can rez a horse to ride around the region – something that is well worth doing.

Atop the plateau there is yet more to discover, the switched paths leading up to it connected one to the other by gravel trails that wind across the plateau, separating the woodlands to offer obvious paths for people (and horses) to follow and which take visitors past table-top games, and along an arched path to another dance area that offers an elven theme.

As with the lands below, the plateau is also cris-crossed by wooded paths that reveal more secrets among the trees, and which I’m not going to spoil by mentioning here. However, I will say that look carefully enough and you will find a zipline that runs down to the little finger-like island rising from the middle of the lake and where bumper boats can be rezzed by those looking for a little fun.

Nor is this all; below the plateau, and nestled in the roots of the cliffs, are wooden doors awaiting discovery. They lead to a network of tunnels and chambers that run through the rocks from on side to the other. With paved floors and faced stone walls, these tunnels and the halls and rooms that open off of them make for an intriguing point of exploration on their own; one looks like a former wine cellar, others present more intimate spaces.

A truly stunning design, Sea Brook is absolute perfectly set within the encircling region surround of high mountain peaks that – with the right windlight – give it tremendous depth, this is not a setting to be missed. It has a huge amount to discover (I’ve only scratched the surface here), and is finished with a matching sound scape.

SLurl Details

• Sea Brook (Sea Brook, rated Adult)

The Second Life Railroad network is one of the major features of Second Life mainland – notably Heterocera – with lines also to be found on south and east Sansar and on Bellisseria, with number smaller (and private) lines also to be found across Second Life (such as the system in Second Norway).

Much as anyone can operate a car on the roads in Second Life, any Resident may use this public facility for any purpose consistent with the Second Life Community Standards/TOS (and at times the Lab has provided automated rail services). However, finding your way around the network can be a tad confusing, so enter 由里子 (Rydia Lacombe).

Not only is Rydia the creator of the sci-fi themed Aoshima, a homestead region Caitlyn and I enjoyed visiting in February (see: Beaming in to Aoshima in Second Life), she is a SLRR enthusiast, and something of a cartographer. She recently sent me her most recent map charting the major Linden-supplied train routes across and around Heterocera, Sansar and Bellisseria – and it is an impressive piece.

Rydia is a keen SL rail-roader, something she noted to me as we chatted about the map.

It’s what keeps me exploring! Mostly it stems from the time the WARR started building in front of the Burns freebie warehouse. I made my first SLRR railway maps in 2013 / 2014. I don’t have a formal means of distributing the maps, except through the various groups. The Virtual Railway Consortium [VRC] distributed my previous maps, but they don’t appear to be quite as active now.

– Rydia talking about her SLRR map work

WARR is the West Atoll Railroad, an electric railway line founded by Hilto Meridoc in 2010 and operating in southern Heterocera Mainland. The line opened in stages, first from Neumoegen to Electra, then east to Hera and west to Elpenor, before eventually closing in 2013, although I understand a part of it reopened in 2019.

Despite its age and need of upgrade or overhaul, the SLRR has remained popular over the years and can offer a unique way of seeing Second Life mainland. Such are the number of lines and routes in Heterocera alone, that having a map makes a lot of sense, and the version Rydia has produced is an extensive, impressive,  polished, professional, and informative piece of work.

As with a physical world railway map, the various lines are colour-coded, and the map includes all the major routes associated with the SLRR, form the SLRR Main Line through to the likes of the old WARR line,  the the Okemo, Nakiska, and Southern Railway (ONSR), the Great Second Life Railway (GSLR), as well as the smaller and the more metropolitan routes such as the Northern Branch or the East River City Metro, the Bay City Trolleys and the current routes available in Bellisseria. Stops for the likes of airports are provided, together with crossover stations.

Unsurprisingly, Rydia’s work has been positively received in the past, with her approach to maps being adopted in a number of mainland regions.

As well as the 2013/2014 maps and this new iteration that would add grace to any SLRR station, Rydia  has also produced maps for some private region transport network, such as the Second Norway system (also perhaps in need of a little TLC, depending on what eventually happens to that estate – see here and here for news).

There is a wealth of information available in the SL wiki about the SLRR – although I cannot vouch for how up to date it is – starting with the official page, and also covering the likes of the VRC, and from these, it’s possible to find out more about various lines and routes. Links from these pages also point to more technical discussions of the SLRR and Second Life vehicles. There are also various private estate lines (as with Second Norway), but these are currently outside the scope of the current map.

Despite some of the issues that can be encountered on the SLRR, if you’ve not tried it before, it’s certain worth exploring – even if only be reading about it initially. For my part, it’s something I’ve never actually blogged about per se in these pages, although I’ve ridden various trains and tracks.

Hmmm… so perhaps it might be time for an occasional series in these pages, something perhaps called From the Footplate or similar.

My thanks to Rydia for contacting me and for our chat.