Category: Reviews

Cocoon – click any image for full size

In August 2017, Caitlyn and I visited Cocoon, a futuristic, cyberpunk-ish role-play environment established in 2016 – see A cyberpunk Cocoon in Second Life for more. Since then, the entire setting has relocated and has undergone an extensive update. While I didn’t document the previous simulator type on which Cocoon was placed, the new one is a Full region, utilising the added full region land capacity bonus.

Alongside the move, the backstory for the environment has also been updated, moving the clock forward some two years from the August 2017 setting:

It is the year 2489. What’s left of Earth is a by-product of the things that went wrong there. The weapons unleashed in the Transcendence War transformed the surface into a blighted wasteland and forced the refugee remnants skywards, first to floating cities and arcologies in Earth’s upper atmosphere, then further out, to orbital colonies and settlements throughout the solar system. 

– Cocoon introduction

Cocoon

Cocoon is one of those orbital facilities, an artificial asteroid owned, operated and governed by the Cocoon Corporation. Its primary function is that of a commerce hub, and – if I might borrow from Babylon 5 (one of my favourite Sci-Fi shows) and re-phrase it a little:

It’s a port of call; a home away from home for business men and women, hustlers, entrepreneurs, freighter crews, smugglers, gangs, and wanderers, all alone in the night…

The station itself appears to have been greatly expanded on as well, although many of the locations present from the last iteration we visited remain – such as the walks visitors are delivered to from the main landing point / information area (be sure to collect and wear your OOC visitor tag if just visiting), the Pulse Bar, the Luxxon Hotel, and the extensive road network which Cocoon group members can be ride via bike. However, the overall sprawl of the asteroid city appears to have been extended.

Cocoon

This makes, as I noted when previously writing about the setting, Coccon feel much more of a place – walking the streets with their automated vehicles and interactive non-player character (NPCs) – just touch them to engage with them via a mix of local chat and dialogue menu options – it is easy to become disoriented.  Thus, just like any newcomer to a strange environment, you have to spend time gaining familiarity with the city and its various sectors.

It might be a case of mis-remembering, but the city also seem to have far more depth in a literal sense, levels being more stacked one atop the other. This again adds to the feeling this is an entirely artificial construct. In particular, the main terminal building seemed to be much larger and more multi-level; finding your way down to the shuttle teleporter to reach Earth can be a little bewildering, for example, and I don’t recall that from our last visit.

Teleporters are also provided in the form of The Fifth Element style flying taxis. These are either parked on various platforms or parking bays, or can be summoned via yellow taxi call boards. Just select your desired sector and destination in that sector. Within various buildings are elevators. These may operate as actual elevators, as per the one at Pulse, or as teleporters.

Cocoon

One of the aspects of Cocoon I’ve always liked is this blending of influences. There’s the echo of The Fifth Element in the taxis, sense of Blade Runner within Sector 2’s residential strip and within the advertising boards and signs, and there are the Anime reflections throughout. There’s even a slight whiff of the Yorktown star base from Star Trek Beyond with the freighters moving directly below the building and walkways of Level 1.

Again, as I noted last time. this doesn’t make Cocoon in any way derivative, but rather a unique blending of styles and approaches that simply work. And while the city was not quite as active during our more recent visits as it was in August 2017, it still offers an attractive – a pull if you will.

Nor is this all. As Ellie (Mii1a), the prime mover behind Cocoon informed me on our first return visit, a new Lunar setting is being added to the region as a further destination alongside of Cocoon and the remnants of Earth below.

Cocoon

With full information on role-play and the setting available on the Cocoon website as well as at the landing point, Cocoon remains an intriguing place to visit.

SLurl Details

• Cocoon (Esperia, rated: Moderate)

Provincial Life – click any image for full size

Update: Provincial Life appears to have closed and the former host region split into private rentals. SLurls have therefore been removed from this article.

Provincial Life is the name given to a homestead region held and designed by Hania Amidst (amberfff) that, while noted in the description as a private home (with at least three residences on it), is still nevertheless offered as presenting “Lots of little photo ops [and] connected to high rock for extended exploration.”

As the name suggests, it is a rural setting, mostly set to open land over which horses graze in some numbers. Across it are also scattered a number of buildings and homes, including the private residences. Two of the latter lie on a smaller island in the south-east corner of the region, the water channel separating them from the rest of the setting helping to ensure their privacy remains intact. A further residence lies on the south-western headland and is marked by a fence and archway running across the front of the property, marking the limits of public exploration.

Provincial Life

Two more houses can be found on the region. The first is located alongside the landing point and might actually be a private home itself; I’m not entirely sure – so perhaps it is best to treat it with respect. A dirt track runs from its porch to pass an outdoor music area to one side and the last house – which does appear to be open to the public – on the other.

Sweeping past the latter, the track turns to run above a deep inlet that cuts its way into the land, before it divides to point one finger towards the private house on the south-western headland and offering a path to a gravelly beach along the way, while the second finger crooks west then north, pointing the way to a shaded pavilion and thence to a waterfront deck overlooking a small bay.

Provincial Life

This bay is bracketed by a small rocky island with a granite face looking inland that someone has been busily painting with graffiti. The island can be reached by means of a path and rope bridge reached by walking along the waterfront, and offers a high vantage point for looking back across the region.

Beyond the deck, a sandy path cuts across the grass to a rock arch offering access to where another small bay cuts into the land via a narrow neck of water.. aided by a small covered bridge, the path continues on the far side of the inlet, returning visitors by way of wooden steps to the house by the landing point.

Provincial Life

Throughout all of this, there is plenty so see and multiple places to sit for a while and enjoy the setting. Dogs play in the long grass, the aforementioned horses stands and graze in groups, sheep enjoy the heather on the south-west headland, and swings, benches and seats look out over the various points of interest – the bays, the winding tracks, the musical area, which is available for dances should visitors in in the mood; the music stream is particularly mellow and suited to a romantic dance or a little swing to the sound of a big band. Throughout all of this, birds twitter and sing under a later spring sky.

When wandering it is worth keeping an eye out for the smaller details – such as the rag doll audience awaiting a musician to appear on the truck bed stage, or the paper aeroplanes turning circles in the breeze over the meadow flowers, sharing the air above the blooms with butterflies.

Provincial Life

For those wishing to take photographs, rezzing is open – but do please remember to pick your things up behind you. If you have a wearable horse, Provincial Life is idea for taking a ride, and your horse will have plenty of neighbourly company (coughs; “sorry!”).

A charming, warm region which – as the About Land description states – is ready for photography as well as exploration. Our thanks, as always, to Shakespeare and Max for the referral!

Provincial Life