Category: Reviews

Candlewood – click any image for full size

We received two suggestions to visit CandleWood, a Full region making use of the 10K additional land capacity, almost simultaneously (thank you AJ and Miro!). Designed by Adalynne Romano (AdalynneReed), who also runs the region along with her partner, Doc Romano (Doc Battitude), this is a picturesque region with an About Land description that is certain to pique the interest.

Destination and community Sim. A whimsical journey of love and care with mystery, romance, and inspiration riddled everywhere.

CandleWood’s a treat for the eyes to see, come out and make your own story.

CandleWood

The About Land description goes on the note there are rentals in the region – but these are not excessive enough to make public visits a chore. In fact, and in a manner akin to Puddlechurch which we dropped into recently (see Exploring Puddlechurch in Second Life), CandleWood has been designed as a place to visit, with the eight rental units, forming a natural part of the landscape and placed in such a way as to not interfere with general exploration.

“I designed it to be a destination sim but for people who would like to live here, that option is available too,” Adalynne informed me as we visited. “There are five town houses for rent and three regular parcels.”

CandleWood

The five town houses are located in CandleWood’s little corner “town” on the south-west side of the region. Setting atop low cliffs rich a foliage and with their backs to the sea, the sit across a short paved road from an old railway station – this being the landing point for the region.

The layout of the street makes it clear that while it might once have been a busy place of commerce, it now experiences quieter times. The station itself is no longer active, with one of the aches glass roofs that may have once protected a platform from the elements has been converted into a covered seating area, nestled between station and the local tea house. The remaining platform also clearly isn’t in use any longer; the train parked within it is now more a feature for plants to grow against, and the single remaining track running down from the back of the station is now little more than a path pointing the way to explore the rest of the region.

CandleWood

It is in wandering along the street, passing tea house and café, peeking into the folly-as-a-photo-studio at the end of the road, that a part of the backstory Ryanna Foxclaw has written for the setting, and which can be found in Adalynne’s Profile Picks come especially to mind.

Just off the mainland lies and isle hidden in a thin mist of forgotten time. A busy town once driven by the railway and exports brought in by the ship, now gives way to a quieter, simple life. The fresh air from the sea, the wind blowing in the trees, and if one listens carefully they may hear the forgotten train whistles melody.

– Ryanna Foxclaw describing Candlewood

CandleWood

Perhaps the easiest route of exploration is via the old door at the back of the railway station (a second door is hidden behind the little tea house  and reached through the covered seating area. Going via the back of the station provides access to the old railway line that, as noted, offers a route of exploration. It also reveals just how extensive the town’s use of rail transport once was. Leading the way past old warehouses, it forks several times, often disappearing into what appear to be tunnels, offering a choice of possible exploration routes. Follow it far enough, and you’ll wind your way through the heart of the island to reach an old sliding, long overgrown and marked by a forgotten shipping container and a broken remains of a car, now used as a snuggle point

Note, however, this is only one possible route through the region, turn off the track in the little cluster of old commercial buildings, and you can follow the path around an aged warehouse looking out over the deck to the sea, and then along a shingle beach that skirts much of the region. This will take you to where a quaint little cottage sits to the south-east of the land. pen to the public, this can also be reached by follow a spur of the railway track close to the inland commercial units and passing through the short tunnel where it apparently ends. Two similar tunnels sit within the region, one in the north-east the other to the north-west – but take care with these as the former leads the way to two of the rental parcels in the region, and the latter marks the start of the Romano’s own home, so privacy should be respected.

CandleWood

The remaining rental property stands a grand house atop a table of rock near the centre of the region, commanding views on every side, water cascading from a pool to feeding a further pool below. This, in turn, feeds two narrow and crooked fingers of water as they flow outward to the sea, dividing the land between them.

And that is really just a beginning of all that is to be found in CandleWood; a place that deserves time and care when visiting, as there is much more to discover, including the elven-like dance area, the many places to sit and relax, the signs of semi-abandonment, the impressive footbridge, and more, all of which sit neatly within the backstory mentioned above.

CandleWood

Yes, the load placed on a viewer can make a visit a little heavy going if you have a lot of bells and whistles running, but don’t let this deter you. For photographers, the region is rich in opportunity, and Adalynne notes she and Doc run a weekly contest where they will pick one photo from those submitted to the CandleWood Flickr group for display at the landing point, and the photographer awarded with L$500. I also understand from Adalynne larger photo competitions might also be in the planning – so if you are interested, be sure to join the region’s group (which will also grant you rezzing rights – just be sure to pick things up after!).

SLurl Details

• Candlewood (CandleWood, rated: Adult)

Umi – click any image for full size

Update: Dox, the region on which these builds were hosted appears to have been closed or renamed / relocated. SLurls in this article have therefore been removed.

In October 2018, I wrote about our trip to Tokyo Street Subway Entrance, created by Paradox Ivory under her Dox brand and about which you can read more here: Emerging from a Tokyo Street Subway Entrance. Since then, Paradox has been busy extending this full region, both up in the air and down on the ground.

The main landing point remains unchanged, delivering visitors to the subway entrance from which the sky build takes its name. This leads up to the same street level, with its tall buildings and side alleys and roads, but whereas the tunnel at the far end of the road once ended in a blank wall, it now provides access to the extension to the sky build.

Tokyo Street South

Here, laid out around a grid of narrow roads are further buildings, including the Tokyo South Gallery, a small carnival area (with a tunnel linking to a temple on its far side, an apartment building and surface railway station. As with the original build, the attention to detail is excellent, complete with an atmospheric sound scape, with the outlying building shells giving a further sense of depth.

However, it is on the ground level and reached via a separate LM, that the village of Umi is to be found, hugging the coast of a small island (so far as I could tell, there was not TP connections between ground and sky). This is where the city can be left behind and visitors can explore the beauty of a coastal setting.

Umi

The village is a curious and oddly attractive design. A sweep of buildings are nestled under the steep slopes of the island, partially sheltered by trees and rich foliage. These face another arc of wooden and cement buildings standing on what might have once been a sand bar or a sweep of rocks, but which is now clearly a man-made breakwater.

Examination of the houses on the breakwater will quickly reveal they are perhaps a little unusual. Their lower floors are open to the sea on one side, offering moorings and work spaces for small boats, although some have been decked out to provide extra accommodation space, perhaps to offset the somewhat compact – some might say cramped – living spaces of their upper floors. Be aware that four of them – the cement-faced units – are available as private residences.

Umi

To the west of the village are working wharves and a warehouse. Fishing boats are tied-up alongside, possibly waiting for the next tide and nets are set out to dry. To the east of the island is a fuelling station, it and the wharves neatly bracketing the village. Alongside the fuelling station is a pedal boat, if you’re careful you can ride own around the island – but take care getting off the boat, any attempt to double-click TP to land will bounce you back up the the main landing point in the sky.

When we first visited Tokyo Street Subway Entrance, we found it to be engaging, detailed, beautifully modelled and presented. That is still the case now – although I admit to finding the Tokyo Street South extension a little too hemmed in and claustrophobic in places. It does, however, provide an interesting contrast with the ground level village setting, which is eye-catching, taken together. they both sit as a visual reminder of the different faces of Japan.

Umi

The one major complaint that might be levelled at the region is that of performance; there is a lot packed into it, and depending on local settings ant the use of things like shadows, a viewer and computer can take a hit and end up struggling. So, be prepared to make some adjustments to your viewer, should this prove to be the case. This said, for those with the patience, the region is worth a visit, and offers very different opportunities for photography within the ground and sky builds.

With thanks to AJ and Shakespeare.

Puddlechurch – click any image for full size

Marty Triellis e-mailed me in late February with an invitation for us to visit Puddlechurch, the latest region design he and Cherish Demonge have developed. The invitation came almost exactly a year after we had visited one of their previous designs (see A NonStop visit in Second Life) and Shug Maitland also pinged me about the region via IM, we set off to have a look.

Described as a residential / photography region, Puddlechurch is beautifully conceived and executed. Some 14 rental properties of varying sizes are scattered through the landscape, but you’d hardly know this from a casual visit; such is the design and spread of the rentals – up on hill, down in dale, on the coast, over the water – that without a count at the rental office, you’re be pushed to tell the number was this high.

Puddlechurch

The landing point sits close to the rental office, in a little village-like setting towards the north-east of the region. Largely deserted, the village is little more than bricked and boarded-up buildings, tumbled walls and a slightly forlorn little square, the rental office seemingly the last place of business still operating.

Three routes lead away from the square: east to a waterfront area (which I understand from Marty is still under construction). A similar path points west to the coast on that side of the region, while up a set of steps, a worn track points the way south, a tree-lined lane that passes the local chapel and graveyard.

Puddlechurch

Which of these you take is up to you, but I confess, I found the westward path and the way it opens out to present the bay and buildings that reside there to be utterly captivating and beautifully natural. It is here that several of the rental properties are to be found, sitting close to the shingle beach or raised up on platforms build over the water and facing the mainland from the low-lying shingle bar that lies across most of the entrance to the bay, giving the impression this might once have been low-lying land that the sea has opted to lay claim to over time.

The houses out on the shingle bar are reached via wooden board walks. With a view out over the westward sea and the high peaks d the surrounding islands on one side, coupled with the view back inland on the other, these make for desirable properties for those looking for a home, their careworn looks adding a further layer of shabby chic to their attractiveness. Each sits within its own parcel, allowing parcel privacy to be used (each parcel additionally includes a security system) – a smart move given the close proximity of the public path running along the shingles betwixt houses and water.

Puddlechurch

This approach has also been taken with the offshore units sitting on their wooden decks. Reached via their own board walks, these might be small, single room structures, but they also offer a little space for mooring boats (LI allowing!).

It is the breadth of housing style, as well as the landscaping that also makes Puddlechurch so appealing. If the small wooden cabins and houses on the west coast don’t appeal, follow the paths inland from beach or landing point (they all interconnect perfectly), and you’ll find a good mix of housing styles: a converted warehouse here, a town house there, a stone cottage in a corner; for those looking for an expansive property, there is even something of a manor house, and several of the properties have decks and / or planted gardens.

Puddlechurch

Of course, what might be available for rent is liable to vary over time, so be sure to check the boards at the rental office, which will also furnish you with the rent and LI allowance for each property. These will also provide the estate’s rental guidelines, and I strongly recommend these are given a careful read through prior to renting.  When exploring, available properties are signified by a real estate (or if you are in America, a realtor) board outside, while memories of prices can be refreshed with the visit to the estate’s web page.

Cherish and Marty describe the setting as inspired by “British” countryside. By this I assume they mean a variety of influences from across the British Isles have informed the finished design. Certainly, there is no singular point of influence that appears to have gone into the design; rather, what is presented is singular and unique, carrying with it odd (and pleasing) little aspects of familiarity to anyone who has visited some of the more remote spots around the Irish and Scottish coastlines, or has visited some of England’s woodlands.

Puddlechurch

Whether or not you are looking for a place to live, Puddlechurch offers a pleasing visit and includes multiple opportunities for photography. Our thanks to Marty for the invitation and to Shug for the tip.

SLurl Details

• Puddlechurch (Puddlechurch, rated: Moderate)