In November 2012, Salome Strangelove opened The Garden, an absorbing, immersive puzzle which is open to all to try their hand.
I reviewed The Garden as it opened last year, and for a time was a regular player, and also found myself attracted to it purely as a place in which to take pictures. In December 2012, I started working on putting together a video for The Garden, but stopped in early January with the project incomplete. Part of the reason for this is because I can’t actually do decent machinima on my current PC; I lack the skill (and hardware) for decent mouse control of the camera, and the PC / GPU has problems trying to run both FRAPS and SL side-by-side without a horrible loss of frames, even with Draw Distance down low and most bells and whistles turned off.
Anyway, for what it is worth and because I hate leaving things unfinished (they eventually all nag at me for attention), I decided to push the video through and upload it to You Tube.
As to The Garden itself, if you’ve not spent time there, I really do recommend you pay it a visit; it’s a fabulously immersive place in which to spend time – and the puzzle is quite addictive!
I first came across Ginger Lorakeet’s work at SL9B in 2011, where she had an exhibit on the region of Nove. I find the concept of 3D art in an immersive 3D environment fascinating – so was intrigue to discover Ginger had been selected as one of Artists in Residence for the 4th round of the Linden Endowment for the Arts season of that name – and have been awaiting the opening of her installation.
Inside Art opened recently, and is more than worth a visit – not only does the installation feature some of Ginger’s Inside Art pieces for you to enjoy – and be a part of -, it also invites you to follow in Alice’s footsteps, and visit interpretations of scenes from Lewis Caroll’s famous works featuring her adventures. By combining the two, Ginger presents an engaging view of art in Second Life while also allowing visitors to visit some unique takes on Alice’s adventures.
You start standing outside a piece of art which demonstrates a clever use of 3D forced perspective. Nearby is a large magnifying glass – step through it and start your journey!
Inside Art and scenes from Alice’s adventures – LEA23
Rather than presenting “traditional” views of Alice’s tales, however, Ginger has largely opted to go for more unusual interpretations – some of which put you firmly in the role of Alice, particularly after you take a drink from a bottle found along the way, or lick a waiting mushrooms.
Here there is no waiting Queen of Hearts or sleepy attendants at any tea-party (which is not to say the tea party is absent the piece!). However, many of the characters from the stories do appear, if in an unusual guise.
Scenes are presented to you as you follow a trail through the region, starting with a maze where each turn is worth looking around before you find the exit and move on. Along the way, signs, presented with Carroll-like arrowed hints (“that way”, “wrong way”), ensure you keep to the path (not that it is hard!). As mentioned above, there are also familiar things to pick-up along the way, and which “help” you into the next scene or two. Drink from the bottle before entering one part of the installation, for example, and you’ll appear to share Alice’s experience of shrinking…
This really is a wonderful and whimsical installation which offers those visiting a lot to enjoy as they follow the path to Ginger’s gallery and at the gallery itself, where she presents a number of her works – including some for petites to share – which very firmly put you in the frame of things…
OK. I admit it. I’ll come clean. I’m Honour McMillan’s sekrit stalker. It’s her fault, actually – I know she’ll deny it, but it is. Honest. She keeps pointing to these marvellous places in SL to visit and blogging about them, and I keep reading about them and, well, drooling at her pictures.
Just the other day, she blogged a piece which featured Julala Demina’s The Haven on the Sea of Beckoning. Intrigued by honour’s pictures, I set out to take a look myself.
A photographer in both rl and SL, Julala has put together a region where nature and spirituality combine to present the visitor with both a delightful landscape to explore and photograph, and places to simply sit and rest and renew.
This is a place to come to when you want to get away from in-world pressures, be it on your own or with a close friend or loved one. The woodlands, rivers, walks and various points of interest have all been composed with care while retaining a completely natural – dare I say “harmonious” feel.
For those looking for a tranquil place to live, Julala offers four modest places to rent – all of which perfectly fit the theme of the region. During my wanderings, I noticed that three are occupied at present, so please be aware of and respect people’s privacy should you visit. Even if you’re not looking for a home, perhaps a rest at the campfire alongside the Romany caravan might be to your liking …
There are lots of little details here which make visiting a pleasure; lanterns hanging from branches and arches help light the paths at night, the paths themselves blend unobtrusively with their surroundings so as to feel a natural part of the landscape.
Up on one of the hills you can meditate under an awning, candles flickering around you, the ground lit by lanterns held by carven figures. Down in the valley, a short distance away, you can dance with a partner within stone walls. for the more energetic, there’s always the boathouse where you can rez a rowing boat – although getting around the island takes a little care.
For my part, I loved simply wandering around the island, walking under tree and over bridge and simply playing with my windlight settings and seeing what came forth. There is something very relaxing about simply being on ones own in such a region as this; it’s calming and renewing.
People sometimes come here looking for answers…..sometimes they find them….sometimes they don’t.
Sometimes people come here for comfort, reflection or have someone to listen in a safe and peaceful place. This is more easily found.
So reads the description for The Haven – and it is entirely apt; you may not find the answers you’re seeking when visiting – but you will find somewhere where reflection comes easy and peace presents you with a reason to stay. And that alone makes a visit more than worthwhile.
Update March 26th: Erick has sent me a copy of the “full” version of the Spitfire’s Hud, which does include a comprehensive set of control switches.
As regular readers know, I was bitten by the flying bug towards the back-end of 2012. I started out humbly enough with a couple of “freebie” aircraft (although the term doesn’t do them justice at all) a Terra Stingray by Steve “Cubey Terra” Cavers and a Pitts S2C by Michie Yokosuka. As noted back then, I’d had some flying vehicles prior to these two, but they marked my “real” entry into the world of flying in SL.
Since then, my aircraft collection has expanded somewhat, with several more from the Cubey Terra range entering my ownership, and even Warbugs getting my attention. If I’m totally honest, the Stingray has remained my out-and-away favourite – it handles beautifully and is equally at home whether in the air or on (and even under!) the water – which is really handy when out on Blake Sea.
However, my collection of aircraft gained a massive boost recently when I unexpectedly came into ownership of an aeroplane I have, like anyone remotely connected to or interested in RL flying, loved from afar: A Supermarine Spitfire. Specifically a Mark IX as made by Erick Gregan.
Just a gal and her Mark IX
The “Spit” came my way while Erick and I were visiting the Magnum Sandbox regions in order to poke sticks at the region crossing bug fix deployed this week by LL in an attempt to cure much of the misery surrounding vehicle region crossings resulting from the recent roll-out of interest list code.
Those who are familiar with Erick’s work know this his aircraft are all exquisitely put together and detailed – and the Spitfire is no exception. A mesh construction, It is perhaps one of the most detailed SL aircraft I’ve seen, and it is clear that he has poured an enormous amount of creative talent into it. I confess that it was love at first sight when he rezzed it in front of us.
Fabulous detail
It is also fabulously scripted – the one aircraft having four flight modes: an “easy fly”, a “realistic fly” (handling pretty much as a “real” aeroplane would, and requiring as much care and respect), and both an “easy combat”, and a “realistic combat” version for those who feel a little more bloodthirsty.
All four variants come in a single Mark IX rezzer which itself is pretty neat. Pull it out of inventory, let it rez and then click to select which variant of the aircraft you’d like. The “flyable” version then replaces the rezzing version, which self-deletes, leaving the flyable version occupying the same space. Also included in the box is a low-impact (non-flying) “display” version, suitable for parking in a hanger, a full set of instructions and a parachute – just in case.
In the air
The Spitfire uses the usual flight controls: Page Up / Down for throttle, the arrow keys for climb / descend / banking, together with a huge range of chat commands – there is no active HUD for flight settings, although you can display an instrument HUD on your screen.
In terms of capabilities and control, Erick has packed a lot in, and sought to make the aircraft as real to fly as possible, particularly in the “realistic” modes. In the latter, a correct start-up process needs to be followed in order to get the big Merlin engine turning over; there’s a battery to turn on, fuel pumps and mixture to set, throttle to open, etc., before attempting start-up. When the engine does start to turn over, you’re treated to unburnt fuel “flaming” in the Merlin’s exhaust pipes as well as getting the life-life sound of the engine coughing and roaring into life. All-in-all an aviation enthusiast’s dream.
“Contact!” The Mark IX’s Merlins starts …
Once in the air, the Spitfire is a delight to fly, and is very responsive to keyboard inputs, with flap, ailerons and rudder all visibly moving in response to inputs. I can say that aerobatics, are a joy – providing you have a good sense of spatial awareness :). I had a lot of fun barrel-rolling and looping around the sky once I’d got settled.
Care does need to be taken when flying the plane in “realistic” modes, however. Get things out of shape on landing, for example, and you’re liable to tip the nose into the ground … as I found out *cough*cough*. Oh, and don’t forget to refuel between flights :).
There is a HUD to go with the Spitfire, but it is “passive” in the sense that while it records airspeed, altitude, heading, etc., there are no switches or options to click; all commands outside of the flying controls are given via chat. The commands themselves are simple enough, with many abbreviated for ease of use (“cc” to close / open the canopy, “ch” to remove / place the wheel chocks, “br” for brakes, etc).
I’ve not actually tried my hand in combat, as that is not something which particularly draws me (Warbugs notwithstanding!), bot the Spitfire comes with an impressive array of weapon options using the VCE combat system for those who are combat enthusiasts.
As to region crossings? While, these have been an issue of late, as I’ve been covering in my weekly SL project updates. However, and while it has, at the time of writing, yet to be deployed to the entire grid – which should happen in week 13 (commencing Monday 25th March), the fix for BUG-1814 works. Neither Erick nor I encountered any issues crossing between regions in the Magnum Sandbox area. Hopefully this will be the majority finding for everyone who enjoys flying / driving / sailing in SL once the fix has been fully rolled-out.
And the Spitfire? Well, suffice it to say, I’m well and truly flying high.
Coming out a little ahead of schedule, Draxtor Despres launched the second segment of The Drax Files on Friday March 22nd. As with the premiere show, the format uses mixed reality, cutting between Second Life and real life to look at another aspect of the former and those from the latter who have made it possible.
The second show in the series focuses on the 1920s Berlin Project and the driving force behind it, Jo Yardley, from Amsterdam.
Jo has worked on the 1920s Berlin project almost since her arrival in Second Life, and in doing so, demonstrates one of the major abilities of the platform: the creation of an immersive environment which not so much stands as a static reproduction of a place and era, but which actually brings it to life, allowing those involved in the project as residents and those coming to it as visitors to experience life as it was in Berlin during the inter-war years of the twentieth century.
As with the first segment, Drax takes a backseat in things, rather than opting for an interviewer-lead reportage-type approach to the subject. This allows Yo to present both her involvement in Second Life, and how it naturally overlaps with her real life in Amsterdam in an entirely natural style which draws you, almost intimately, into her life and passion for history.
1920s Berlin Project – image courtesy of Jarla Capalini, via the 1920s Berlin Project Flickr Group
There are times when Second Life is seen by those in the world at large as being for those lacking a “first life”, people without interests, hobbies or friends which and with whom to engage. By allowing us to see into her real life, as well as exploring her Second Life work with her, Yo presents the real, human heart and soul of Second Life – the ability to use it to extend hobbies and interests, the opportunity to provide immersive environments which both engage and inform and in doing so, meet with people from all over the world and form bonds and communities which perhaps run both broader and deeper than those we might forge purely through the likes of Facebook and other two-dimensional social media.
What emerges is a warm, informative picture of Second Life and why people do care so much about it, how it can offer-up unique opportunities for those wishing to explore it and which further demonstrates how mixed reality is an ideal format for promoting Second Life. Witness, for example, the way in which we see an audience at the 1920s movie theatre in Second Life are in turn able to see into Yo’s real life activities as they are projected up onto the silver screen.
It is this care with the editing and composition of the show which, to me, does much to set The Drax Files as a beacon to those looking to positively promote SL to a larger audience through the use of machinima and mixed-media. Drax demonstrates an intuitive skill, doubtless spurred by his own passion for Second Life, to produce shows which are beautifully balanced from editing through the soundtrack selection to the final cut, to produce a unique and insightful window into the platform and its users.
Update: Neva River is currently closed to public access.
I covered Neva River very briefly last year. The region is Neva Crystall’s private home, and every so often she will remodel it and then open it to the public for a couple of weeks, so that everyone can enjoy her builds – anyone who has visited Neva River will know why.
I recently saw word via Ziki Questi that Neva was moving towards re-opening the region. Since then, I’ve been waiting (not a little impatiently, I admit – along with a lot of other people!) for the doors to once again open.
This is inevitably going to lead to a stampede to get to Neva River – indeed, but the time I got there, the place was fairly teeming with people; it’s a measure of the popularity of Neva’s builds. If you have 30-40 minutes some time in the next couple of weeks, I urge you to join the queue, particularly if you are, to borrow from Honour McMillan, a landscape junkie.
Last time around, the region focused on a water theme, with low sandbanks, waterlogged copses and small fields of grass beneath an orange sky. This time, Neva has gone for something far more undulating, but with a few little eclectic twists. From coastal beaches through rural country to deep gorges, with high bridges, meandering streams, and broad lakes, Neva River presents a landscape which offers much to see, and not a few things to do.
Starting at the tall lighthouse, located at the headland at one end of the region, you can follow wooden walkways, paths and rutted tracks across the region, encountering other visitors, the local animals (mostly sheep) and various delights and oddities which make a visit to Neva River something of an exploration (just how did a fishing boat end up so land-locked…?).
The region come with its own late afternoon windlight setting, but as is my wont, I opted to go for my “standard” settings, based around a couple of windlight presents I’ve slightly tweaked, and which I like as I feel they give a more natural look and feel to places (one is actually my default viewer’s standard windlight setting nowadays). If the images here don’t do the build justice, blame me, not Neva Crystall!
I will confess that I had a few problems during my wanderings through the region. However, I think these were pretty much down to the fact that the place is rather busy, people-wise, right now and the fact that I’m using a pre-release of a viewer, so SL is a little bit on the bumpy side for me right now.
All-in-all the rebuild has been worth the wait; once again Neva River is on the list of “must places” to visit in SL – but those wishing to do so had best hurry; the doors may not be open for ever!
