Category: Reviews

A PrimPossible Update

Posted on by Inara Pey

I don’t usually run product reviews (as I’ve mentioned in the past!) – and am unlikely to start. For one thing, others do it so much better than I. For another, I actually don’t tend to buy that much nowadays; nigh-on six years in SL with this avie, and I have an inventory which would probably terrify me were not 3/4s of it packed away…

However, I’ve been in love with Ample Clarity’s PrimPossible range for a good while now, and I decided in my wanderings to go take a peek at what he’s been up to of late. Turns out, rather a lot!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Ample’s work, he specialises in producing comprehensive furniture suites and other items using a single sculpt, offering tremendous value for those operating on a land impact budget. I’ve used Ample’s furnishings extensively – notably in my Linden Home, where they are of huge benefit in allowing me to have a comfortable set-up with a minimal prim outlay (allowing me to “mod” the house somewhat.

The PrimPossible store with a demonstrator of the new sim extender in the foreground

One of the new offerings from Ample is an “all-in-one” sim surround, which provides a customisable mountain range to surround a region which features 24 different mountain shapes and 476 different textures to produce a range of finished effects. It can fully sround a sim, or be set to display on just or or two sides. I’m personally ambivalent about sim extenders – while they can dramatically improve the vista surrounding a private sim, I’m not altogether sure they also don’t cause viewer issues to varying degrees; I certainly appear to encounter more issues on sims employing extenders than I do with those that do not. Whether this is indicative of a real problem, or something with my system, I’ve no idea. However, this offering from Ample appears to provide a very tidy option to those who wish to extend the view around their sim with a potentially flexible means of doing so which doesn’t limit them to a single layout / style. More on this item can be found on Ample’s SL Marketplace store.

It’s really Primpossible furniture that I’m in love with.  As noted above, I use Ample’s furniture in my Linden Home;  the only reason it’s not in use in my primary SL home at the mo is that it doesn’t quite suit the design of my skyhome – although that’ll likely change the next time the building itch strikes!.

In the meantime, Ample has extended his range of suites and set-ups, and one at least has alredy caught my eye and got me thinking about home changes so that I can fit it in! This is the indoor / outdoor corner sofa, a 5-seat unit with over 1,000 texture options, allowing it to be used – as the name suggests – indoors or outdoors. As with all of Ample’s lounge suites, it is powered by the AVsitter engine, and it includes 190 sit, cuddle, dance, and other animations.

The new indoor/outdoor sofa

I’ve also previously covered Ample’s kitchen range which helps to complete a home. He’s now in the process of bringing out a bathroom suite as well, for those who like their homes fully and realistically furnished. Comprising a bath, washbasin, loo and even a toilet roll, the suite is sculpted from a single prim and includes a range of washing animations. I’m not personally into bathrooms or kitchens within SL myself, but I’m aware Ample’s kitchens are already very popular; once the bathroom suite is formally launched, I’m guessing it will also find popularity.

Coming soon: the new bathroom suite

As well as furnishing, etc., Ample also produces what amounts to a “one stop” potted plant. A single prim plant and pot which you can set to any one of 114 different plants, and also re-texture the pot itself to one of 16 different styles – and both plant and pot can be resized. At L$100 per flower, this provides a means to quickly and relatively inexpensively have indoor plants which you can change to suit your mood and / or the season (a copy version is also available on the Marketplace at L$800).

I’m an unabashed fan of Ample’s work, and I’m happy to admit so. I love his fully featured grand piano – which is a hard thing to say after my long love affair with Persephone Milk’s beautiful Musical Alchemy concert grand. Ample’s own top-of-the-range concert grand is simply a wonder, and I love having it gracing either of my homes (it’s “on show” at the Linden Home right now, but liable to bounce back to my little sky home soon!).

My PrimPossible Linden Home: downstairs I have a primpossible lounge suite complete with tables, books, lamp and rug, concert grand and plant – all one prim piece; upstairs a bedroom suite with bead, bedside tables and lamp, etc., and a further sofa – all at 1 prim apiece

For those who haven’t tried Ample’s work, whether or not prim counts / land impact ceilings are an issue, I really do recommend you take a look. I doubt you’ll be disappointed. Not only are his items very well made and represent really good value, I can – as I’ve mentioned in a previous piece on his work – speak from first-hand experience of his superb customer care. In fact, I’ve little doubt I’ll be back at his store in a couple of days to pick up that indoor / outdoor sofa, which is calling to me even as I write this!

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An Enigmatic adventure

Posted on by Inara Pey

Note: This region has closed.

SS Enigmatic is a relatively new role-play venue within Second Life which also offers the opportunity for the adventurous to explore. It’s something of a post-apocalyptic scenario, set in the near future (2073)  following the Earth being rendered uninhabitable as a result of a NEO (near-Earth object), too large to have been diverted from its orbital track, having impacted with the planet. Those who survived the extinction level event now live aboard a gigantic space station, the Enigmatic, occupying Lunar orbit.

Space Station Enigmatic

Enigmatic was never designed to sustain such a large population of refugees over so long a period of time, and in the 30 years since the destruction of the Earth, and despite an operational presence on the surface of the Moon (the resources of which were used to construct the station), it is falling into disrepair – and perhaps its inhabitants are falling into anarchy. While the station has a command structure and attempts are being made to establish a greater presence on the surface of the Moon, many of the people living in the station are more concerned with entertaining themselves in the station’s clubs and gaming halls. Not that they are invulnerable to the general failings of the station.So much so that when injury occurs, it is often easier to simply replace the injured or damaged parts with cyborg replacements rather than using organic means and more familiar surgery.

Looking out over the station

A further reason for the station’s disrepair is due to the presence of an uncommunicative race of aliens. Where they came from is unknown, nor is their intent – although some feel they are a form of intergalactic scavenger. With their own mothership now a wreck on the Lunar surface, they have declared what amounts to war on the station and the human outposts on the Moon. In this, both sides seem evenly pitted, and neither has – so far – gained the upper hand.

The presence of the aliens has caused a rapid, if basic arming of the station, with equipment being pressed into use aboard ships and a handful of fighters being available to fight-off the incursion attempts by the aliens. Even so, being outside the station or away from defended areas on the surface of the Moon can invite attack. In retaliation, humans have attempted to enter the crippled alien mothership in the hope of stopping the aliens in their attempts to destroy the Enigmatic and surface installations – but the attempts have not ended well…

Lunar installation

As a role-play / entertainment venue, SS Enigmatic is in its early days, which potentially makes this the ideal time to join-up and help get things moving, if role-play is your interest. The station itself is big, very big, and the lunar installations make an interesting visit. At the arrivals area, you can pick up a freebie space suit, weapon, combat HUD and assorted cards providing background on the role-play, the station and a lot more.

Photo Competition

As well as the role-play, the station has two clubs, a bowling alley and mall open to players and visitors alike. The organisers are also promoting an artist-in-residence exhibition, and to encourage further interest, a photograph competition. The rules for the latter are straightforward, as posted in the Enigmatic blog:

From now until Oct 7, 2012 the SS Enigmatic will be holding a photo contest. All images must be taken on the SS Enigmatic Sim. Images may or may not include avatars. A variety of styles of shots is encouraged, scenery, action, romance (keep it clean!) depicting life and the environment on the sim. The winner will be awarded L$5000 Linden dollars.

Please see more contest information and photo submission location at http://www.flickr.com/groups/ssenigmatic_photocontest/ , the contest rules page on this blog, or contact Sonrisa Seminario in world for more information.

Entrants should note that under the terms of competition, all entries become the property of the SS Enigmatic organisers, and may be used in promotional material related to the region (but will not be re-sold). Entrants retain the IP to their submissions and the right to use them as they wish.

Thoughts and Feedback

SS Enigmatic is an interesting idea that combines several facets designed to both encourage role-play and general exploration. Players are currently being sought and those interested should contact Sonrisa Seminario or Staryie Furyo (if interested in renting one of the residences or mall space). Available roles cover civilian and military positions on the station, although everyone starts as a civilian. There is even room for intrigue and espionage as alien sympathizers or spies. Players can be human or cyborg, and cyborg avatars are for sale in the arrivals area.

Exploring the station can be fun – although if I were to have one criticism at all, it is in the over-use of glow / full bright in areas of the station’s interior, which can easily white-out detail.

Piloting a fighter

Combat with the alien ships can be frenetic, and I do recommend that when flying a fighter / engaging the alien ships, you consider turning off lighting & shadows, etc., as these can significantly slow viewer response down and make hitting targets a bit of a pain. All combat is unmetered, although a free HUD is supplied for those wishing to use it.

Overall, an interesting and fun place to visit – just make sure you wear a spacesuit when outside of the station and that you carry a weapon! For the former, I used my own outfit (Jackie Graves’ brilliant Gravity outfit), although airlocks appear keyed to the use of the supplied suits. The particle gun is recommended, as the aliens can be quite persistent in their attacks! Those looking for a new role-play / combat environment with a sci-fi theme should certainly give SS Enigmatic a look.

Breaching the mothership

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Opening Pandoria’s box

Posted on by Inara Pey
Pandoria
Pandoria

Pandoria is the creation of Bonny Greenwood, owner of Mindgardens Creations. It is described as a “celestial cosmic adventure full of many treasures, ambient music, amazing beauty and more!” – and it lives up to this description in full.

Located high in the sky over Magic Valley, where the Mindgardens store can also be found, Pandoria is a mixture of romance and meditation surrounded by planets, stars and a glittering white aurora.

Pandoria
Pandoria

This is a place one can enjoy alone, although it naturally lends itself to being a shared experience, whether or not romance and dancing is involved – and there are places here to dance. The music stream is well-chosen (the occasional “important messages” barely noticeable), and lends itself fully to one’s enjoyment while exploring the glittering islands in the sky.

For those wishing to clear their minds, there are places to meditate, while for those seeking entertainment, there is also a place to sit and play a quiz. For my part, Pandoria was a chance to wander alone and let my thoughts stray where they will. There is a very faint echo of Inspire Space here, another favourite venue of mine, but so faint as to encourage a feeling of warm familiarity, even on a first visit to Pandoria, rather than anything else.

Pandoria
Pandoria

Pandoria is a visual box of delights. It may not be big, but that’s part of the beauty, you don’t have to walk far to find something to captivate or enchant, although teleporters offer you the chance to see more elsewhere, whether it’s the Moonlit glades of Magic Valley itself or the underwater mermaids caverns or the Mindgardens Creations store itself.

This is a magic place to visit and will, it appears, become the venue for events in the near future – a calendar is available on the Pandoria blog, and a stage area can be found on the sky islands. I’m looking forward to seeing what entertainments and activities do occur; Pandoria is liable to be a place to which I’ll be returning a lot.

Pandoria
Pandoria

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Keisei: garden haven and photographer’s delight

Posted on by Inara Pey

See also: My updated May 2013 review.

I was unaware of Keisei until Honour McMillan recently posted images in her blog. Once I’d seen them, however, it went right to the top of my list of SL destinations to visit. Anything having an oriental theme is going to get my attention, and Keisei is just that.

The region, rated as Moderate. is predominantly Japanese in nature, although there are small Sino touches which I find attractive as well. From the landing point, you’re free to wander where you will, with footpaths to guide you, or you can use the teleport board to pin-point selected destinations.

Keisei; Inara Pey, September 2012, on Flickr, on FlickrKeisei (Flickr)

There is a lot to see and enjoy here, and the landscape has been put together to encourage photography – and to encourage experimentation with Windlight settings; so much so, that I could have happily spent hours in Keisei snapping away and tweaking my settings through Phototools (which I think I’m finally starting to get my head around, although I have a long way to go yet before I can pull off anything half-decent).

Water is very much a feature here, with streams, pools and waterfalls in abundance. There are places to sit and admire the gardens, places to climb, and places to sit in quiet contemplation. Keisei is also the home of  Shiraito-no-Taki Hanamachi, located to the North-west of the region.
Keisei; Inara Pey, September 2012, on Flickr, on FlickrKeisei (Flickr)

To the North-east side of the region sits Enkatsu Yama, the private home and garden of Famke Faith (also known as Phoenix DaVinci). The outer ward of this is open to the public, and visitors are welcome to stroll around and enjoy the tranquillity. Beyond the inner gates,  guarded by two Chinese looking lions, sits the house proper in a private ward, where visitors are asked not to stray.

Sim extenders are used to great effect around Keisei, giving the feeling  that this is a small, coastal community, lost in time and free from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Out in the bay to the west of the region lies a wood-framed light house, waiting to guide ships to a safe berth.

Keisei; Inara Pey, September 2012, on Flickr, on FlickrKeisei (Flickr)

There are a number of Windlight presets in operation around the sim, so you’ll likely get requests to change your Windlight as you go – it’s worth doing, as some of the presets really do set off the sim’s landscaping and architecture perfectly. The music streams also vary from parcel to parcel – so if you use a viewer with an active media filter, be prepared for a few prompts from this as well. The music I heard was again in keeping with the tranquil nature of the sim, and didn’t detract in any way from my enjoyment as I explored.

This is a wonderfully relaxing sim to visit and, as mentioned, a photographers delight. My thanks to Honour for raising my awareness as to its existence.

Keisei; Inara Pey, September 2012, on Flickr, on FlickrKeisei (Flickr)

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Spirit: a final chance to say goodbye

Posted on by Inara Pey

On Sunday September 9th, Claudia222 Jewell’s magnificent Spirit installation at Art Screamer comes to an end.

Spirit

Opened seven months ago, Spirit has enjoyed a high-profile run at Art Screamer with almost 20,000 unique visits in that time, with many people returning again and again to take in the visual splendour of Claudia222’s work.

To mark the end of the run for this remarkable artistry, Art Screamer curators Zachh Cale, Amase Levasseur and Chestnut Rau will be hosting a farewell party from 10:30 through to 14:30 on Sunday September 9th, 2012, with music provided by TwinGhost Ronas and Jordan Reyne, with additional artists anticipated. Music entertainment will commence at 11:30, and has been kindly sponsored by Kermit Rutkowski. A special video feature will be run during the event, comprising machinimas of Spirit made at Art Screamer.

Spirit

If you have not already done so, please make sure you visit Spirit before it closes!

 

Sailing away at the End of Time

Posted on by Inara Pey

End of Time comprises four regions in Second Life: Crow, Eotia, Tide and Wabe. It offers wide open spaces to explore and enjoy, complete with water on which to sail. Wabe carries an Adult rating, otherwise the regions are all moderate. All four are open for people to visit, although there are some private residences on Eotia, and visitors are asked to respect people’s personal space around these.

Teleporting to End of Time will deliver you to the North-east corner of Crow, with the backdrop of the sea behind you, from which rises the tall finger of a lighthouse. Before you lay rolling hills, meadows, beaches, walks, and places to simply sit and enjoy, either on your own or with a friend or loved one.

End of Time

Where you go from here is up to you – there is a teleport board if you want to hop around the main sights, or you can set off at random or follow the signposted paths. If you’re not up to walking and the teleport doesn’t appeal, take the steps down from the arrival-point and pick up a bicycle, which can be a fun ride – and the nice thing about it is that it doesn’t immediately de-rez on dismounting, so you can actually get off and walk around a spot for a few minutes before resuming your ride. Be warned, however, that the bicycle doesn’t handle going up slopes very well! For my part, I like to wander when I arrive, although I have a few favourite spots I enjoy, and sometimes go directly to one of them.

End of Time

Several of the beauty spots in the regions are within their own parcels, which have parcel privacy enabled, allowing people to sit and talk without being overheard from outside, or having to rely on IMs.

Wildlife is very much a part of End of Time, with rabbits, birds and butterflies all around the main teleport arrival point, deer in the woodland glades, ducks on the water, and more butterflies flittering around meadow flowers.

Butterflies is also the name of an art exhibit by Feathers Boa, and which can be found in – or rather under – Eotia. It features seven images by Feathers depicting the seven ages of woman. The pictures carry one from babe to old age, each stop along the way marked by words which encapsulate the age being depicted. Given my own position in the seven stages, I find it an evocative piece which causes me to recall past years and give thought to the future. If I’m honest, it also raises the question as to why I devote a fair amount of my time sitting in front of my computer using a virtual world – but that, perhaps, is something for a future post in this blog.

End of Time

To the east of Eotia and Crow lie Wabe and Tide, both of which are largely devoted to water. Both have open rezzing, and visitors can, if they wish, rez their own boats and sail in the lagoon-like waters (please remember to take back anything you do rez when you’re done!). For those without boats of their own, a sailing skiff can be found at the quay at the north end of Crow, which you can (with a little cheating) sail into Wabe and Tide.

End of Time

All four regions offer a relaxed approach to exploration and places to share with others. There are a number of dance anywhere systems among the places to visit, allowing the romantically inclined to dance some of the time together – and the music stream lends itself to romantic dancing. All four are also well-suited to photography as well, and lend themselves very naturally to a wide range of Windlight settings.

End of Time

End of Time is one of those places that provides exactly what it says on the bottle: a place to relax and a place to explore. Enjoy!

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