A look at my most-used SL vehicles (thus far!)

Posted on by Inara Pey
Some of my preferred vehicles in SL

I’ve written a lot about the boats and aircraft I’ve purchased and used in Second Life, and more than a few people have asked what I rate as my favourites. Well, the fact is, I’m not sure I have any favourites per se, but there are those I tend to use a lot in preference to others, so I thought I’d offer a summary of those I tend to use the most.

Bandit 50/3

Hull names: Sea Tiger 3 and Dolphin Dancer.

Released in May 2019, the Bandit 50/3 is the best sailing experience I’d had in Second Life (remembering that I’ve yet to really get into sail racing in-world, so my sailing is purely for pleasure). I reviewed it just after it has been released, and in the months since, my opinion of it hasn’t changed.

The BOSS sailing system means all of Analyse Dean’s boats have realistic handling, and this makes the 50/3 a particular pleasure to sail, while it comes packed with animations and options that make it a lot of fun to use whether at sea or moored.

My Bandit 50/3 Sea Tiger 3 underway

Additional information:

DSA G58 Baron

Registration: G-NARA.

I first started taking flying in SL seriously when I picked up the DSA C33 Debonair (available for a bargain price of L$200). Since then, I’ve picked up a number of these builds, with the G58 Baron becoming my favourite, on the basis of its looks and size: I like twin-engined light aircraft and the Baron fits neatly into the space we have on the home island and I have at my Linden Home houseboat.

DSA aircraft may not be the more recent aircraft in SL in terms of build and scripting, but they make for comfortable, easy-to-grasp flying with a reasonable degree of realism, all utilising the same script engine and HUD system. However, my personal attraction to them is the floats option models like the G58 have. It allows the pilot to swap back and forth between the ‘plane’s wheeled undercarriage and floats with simple local chat commands, making it possible to fly them from / to almost any land-based airstrip / airport and any publicly-accessible Linden Water with ease or the need to swap models from inventory.

The DSA G58 Baron

Additional information:

Piaggio Systems Little Bee

Hull names: Serenity and Black Jack.

I’ve had a four-year association with Piaggio builds, and it started in 2015 with this classic tender-style speed boat that comes with some unusual capabilities.

Smartly styled, this is a fast little boat than handles exceptionally well, while for those who want a little more speed, it has a hydrofoil option that can see it really zip along. Nor is this all; also for the sports-minded, the Little Bee includes wakeboard and parasail options. It also utilises Ape’s cinematic camera system, making it possible to see / photo / film it from a range of angles and views as the camera system steps through them. For those who live a distance from water, the Little Bee even comes with a trailer from which it can be launched (and to which it can be recovered), with a VW Beetle to tow it.

My Little Bee Serenity running with hydrofoils deployed

Additional Information:

ReneMarine Ask 13

Released in April 2018, the ReneMarine Ask 13 is an Second Life sail plane that is – to my knowledge, at least – still the best that is available. Based on the Schleicher ASK 13, of which I have experience in flying with in the physical world, it comes with a vintage Curtiss JN-4 aero-tow to help in getting off the ground.

Once airborne, the Ask 13 can be operated like a real sail plane, using SL’s wind system and thermals to gain lift and altitude, while free-flying between thermals allows for aerobatics, while a HUD makes locating thermals across regions easy. A two-seater with switchable controls, it’s also an excellent vehicle for training friends who want to learn to glide as well.

Riding a thermal in my Ask 13

Additional information:

Spijkers & Wingtips MD 900 Explorer

Registration: G-IPEY.

In writing this piece, I was surprised to realise I’ve had my MD 900 Explorer for five years, although it really doesn’t feel that long. old among my vehicles it might well be, but it remains fun to fly. It handles regions crossings as well as can be expected with 4 avatars on board, and has some fun options, such as camera following searchlight, the winch system and the auto-deployable pontoons for water landings. These all make it suitable for a variety of roles – as a casual glance through the available paint schemes on the MP will show.

Like the vast majority of vehicles I have, the MD 900 is with .PST files for producing custom finishes, while its Modify permissions mean these can be applied directly, rather than necessarily having to rely on a scripted applier. The Modify option also means I had a little fun using the Piaggio vehicle transportation system to allow my MD 900 carry the Piaggio S33 RoadRunner beneath its tail boom, just in case I should ever need to take to the road after flying to some new location.

Flying my MD 900, complete with my Piaggio RoadRunner slung under the tail boom

Additional information:

TBM Kronos

Registration: G-INAR

I was directed towards the TBM Kronos as a result of writing about another biplane, the CLSA Stampe SV.4. It was not something I had any intention of buying, but after trying out the demo version, I was hooked. It’s not exactly a ‘plane for starting out with SL flying, but it is a lot of fun to fly.

Resembling the Pitt Special S1 / S2, the Kronos is a single-seat biplane that has been designed specifically for aerobatics in Second Life. Small and easy to handle, it is superb for use within the confines of a single region – as the demo version ably shows – but it also handles region crossings well. It’s the best I’ve used for a range of manoeuvres from inside / outside loops through various rolls to Immelmanns and the split S (I’ve not mastered the hammerhead,  possibly because full opposite aileron can’t be applied relative to the rudder).

Pulling a loop over Isla Pey in my TBM Kronos with the smoke on

Additional information:

WALT SeaRoo

At the time of writing, the SeaRoo is the most recent release from Ape Piaggio using the WALT brand name. It’s another vehicle I played something of a role in helping to develop, but that’s not the reason it is listed here. The simple fact is, the SeaRoo is an extraordinary amount of fun, without out on (or under) the water on your own or with a passenger.

The complete package comes with a range of options for racing and performing acrobatics (if you have rezzing rights in the available water), and includes a dock system. With a cache of poses when the boat is floating free rather than being driven, as well as its outstanding handling, the SeaRoo is probably the best legal fun you can have one, under – and even over at times – Linden Water.

Leaping in the WALT SeaRoo

Additional information:

I don’t really use land vehicles, and I’m certainly no expert with them; hence the lack of any listed here. However, were I to include one, then – and at the risk of being accused of bias, and remembering I only have limited experience with land / road vehicles – it would have to be the Piaggio S33 RoadRunner. At L$350, it is modestly priced, nippy, easy to use and fun. You can read more about it here.

Again, the above is not intended to be a list of the “best” (design-wise, script-wise, build-wise or otherwise); they are simply the ones among I own that – as noted – I use the most, and would particularly recommend to those interested and who may not have them already.

Ending and starting the year with Seanchai Library

Posted on by Inara Pey
Seanchai Library

It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.

Monday, December 30th

13:00-15:00: Live Music from The Dickens Project

  • 13:00: Russell Eponym.
  • 14:00: Grace McDunnough.

19:00: Grey from The Wizard of London

Gyro Muggin’s reads an extract from Mercedes Lackey’s The Wizard of London, the 4th volume in the Elemental Masters series.

Set in a Victorian London where magic is real and Elemental Masters control the powers of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, the novel follows Lord Alderscroft, Master of the British Elemental Masters Council-the most powerful Fire Master ever to lead the Council. Loosely based on The Snow Queen, The Wizard of London delves into Lord Alderscroft’s youth, when he was bespelled by an evil Elemental Master who hoped to use him for political gain.

In Grey, Sarah Jane is sent from her home in Africa to school in London because her parents felt it would be better for her health. But given the conditions in London, however, she might have been safer in the African jungle.

Tuesday, December 31st 12:00 Noon The Dickens Project

The Last Words: join Dubhna Rhiadra, Patch Linden, Kayden Oconnell, and Caledonia Skytower for the last of the stories from The Dickens Project 2019.

Wednesday, January 1st, 2020: The Dickens Project

The last dance at The Dickens Project:

  • Noon: DJ Aoife spins “Blues with a Brogue”.
  • 14:00: DJ Caledonia spins “Rock Guitar Classics”

Thursday, January 2nd, 2020 19:00: Tikta’ Liktak

A young hunter is trapped on an ice floe and marooned on a barren island. He must survive  freezing weather, an attack by a polar bear, and a long journey to return home.

Shandon Loring reads James Houston’s tale for younger readers (Also in Kitely – grid.kitely.com:8002:SEANCHAI).

Mimmo’s garden setting in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Mimmo, December 2019 – click any image for full size

A group design led by Elise Sirnah with LeviCord and Shadeng Krokus, Mimmo is a Homestead region “designed for those interested in photography”. It’s a location we’ve visited a couple of times, although this is the first time I’ve written about it here.

The design of the region has changed between those initial visits and its appearance as seen here. Whether this is a sign it is renewed at regular intervals or not is hard to say: there are now a couple of rental properties within the region that may limit future terraforming efforts (at least in part) if they are retained.

Mimmo, December 2019

At the time this most recent visit, the region presented a summertime setting with a temperature / tropical feel and a very defined north-south lay to the land. To the north, the land is raised into high hills and a curtain wall of cliffs, beneath which the landing point sits on a broad shelf of rock that is also home to a photographic gallery and information about the region.

This shelf offers a view out over the rest of the region as it drops away to the south, cut in two by a stream flowing south and east from falls that drop to a pool below the north-side cliffs. The stream forms a neat divide between the inland grasslands and the south coast beach.

Mimmo, December 2019

Both parts of the landscape include numerous points of interest, with the inland area laid out in a way that suggests it is all part of the same property, marked by a Tuscan villa / farmhouse to the east, the ground flowing to the west past a fenced meadow that is home to grazing sheep and goats, to arrive at a small summer house matching the general style of the villa as it looks out over the sea to the the south-west and one of the two rental properties, sitting on a small island.

Reached via two bridges – one of which is little more than felled tree trunks – the beach offers space for music, sitting, music and an open-sided bar to be enjoyed by all.

Mimmo, December 2019

The above barely scratches the surface of the region’s offerings. Within the circle of ancient stone walls sit an ageing piano, which although old, might still be enjoyed by those seeking a set for photography, the rose-entwined harp alongside it offering a suitable backdrop.  Another ruin that sits alongside the fast-flowing stream, offers another set for photography, partially lit by a portable movie lamp.

In keeping with the region’s photographic theme, a camp cabin towards the north-east and just below the land point rock shelf is set for photo-processing, with the suggestion of reporters being somewhere in the region: a video camera and an interviewer’s microphone are sitting on the worktables alongside the photo developing kit. Beyond it, and tucked into the north-east corner of the region under the lee of the hills, is the second of the two rental properties, iron gates marking the edge of the parcel.

Mimmo, December 2019

Those seeking a cosy corner in the region might want to direct themselves to the east side behind the villa, where creative use has been made of two sections from the f8f Storyteller’s Burrow to create two sheltered sitting spots linked by a small cobblestone patio, sitting above a narrow ribbon of sandy shale beach.

There is still more to be found within the region, but the above should be enough to whet appetites. Finished with a matching sound scape, the region has a natural flow to its design and layout, and while there are some odd rough edges to the build, Mimmo in no way fails to deliver on the promise of offering a photogenic location.

Mimmo, December 2019

SLurl Details

  • Mimmo (Pomerania Park, rated Adult)

Space Sunday: a look at Betelgeuse

Posted on by Inara Pey
Astro photographer Alan Dyer captured this image of Orion on December 21st, 2019. Betelgeuse (top left) appears to be the same brightness as Bellatrix (top right). Normally, Betelgeuse is the 10th brightest star in our sky and Bellatrix the 27th. Credit: A Dyer

The constellation of Orion is one of the most familiar in the night skies. It is marked by a number of notable features, containing as it does three of the brighter stars in our night sky: Rigel: the 6th brightest star visible from Earth, and serving as Orion’s left foot; Betelgeuse, the 10th brightest, and serving as Orion’s right shoulder (so diagonally opposite Rigel); Bellatrix, the 26th brightest star in our sky, and sits at Orion’s left shoulder; and three  galaxies – the Orion Nebula, the Messier 43 nebula, the Running Man Nebula – all of which can be found in Orion’s “sword”.

Orion  – or more particularly – Betelgeuse – has been occupying a lot of the astronomy-related news cycles of late, with speculation that we might be witnessing the star’s potential move towards a cataclysmic supernova event.

Before I get down to the nitty-gritty of why Betelgeuse has astronomers all a-twitter (quite literally, given the amount of Twitter chat on the subject), some details about the star. Classified a M1-2 red supergiant, Betelgeuse has a very distinctive orange-red colouration that can again be seen with the naked eye. However, it’s exact size is hard to determine, because it is both a semiregular variable star, meaning the brightens and dims on a semi-regular basis as it physically pulses in size, and because it is surrounded by a light emitting circumstellar envelope composed of matter it has ejected.

This means calculations over the years have given many different estimates of the star’s size, suggesting it is roughly 2.7 to 8.9 AU in diameter (1 AU = the average distance between the Earth and the Sun). This means that were the centre of Betelgeuse to be placed at the exact centre of the Sun, then its “surface” would be at least out amidst the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, or lie somewhere between Jupiter and Saturn!

A diagram showing the approximate size of Betelgeuse compared to our solar system. Credit: unknown

That Betelgeuse is pulsating and has a cloud of material around it, also makes it difficult to pin down its precise distance from us. However, the most recent estimates suggest it is most likely around 643 light years from Earth, with a possible variation of around +/- 146 light years.

Red giant stars are of a type that have a comparatively short life, averaging 10-20 million years, depending on how fast they spin (compared to our Sun’s anticipated 9-10 billion years lifespan), with Betelgeuse thought to have a fast spin and an estimated age of about 8.5 million years, putting it close to its end of life, which tends to be a violent affair with stars of this size.

This is because these stars burn through their reserves of fuel at a high speed, although a temperature lower than typically found with Sun-type stars. Eventually, they reach a point where the temperatures generated by the nuclear process is insufficient to overcome the huge gravity created by their size, and they suddenly and violently collapse, compressing to a point where the pressure is so great, they explode outwards even more violently, tearing away most of their mass in an expanding cloud of hot gas called a nebula, leaving behind a tiny, dense core – or even a black hole.

However, while this final collapse and explosion takes place suddenly, the period leading up to it can be marked by observable changes in a star – and this is the reason for the excitement around Betelgeuse.

Comparison chart showing Jupiter, Wolf 359 – a red dwarf star (often featured in this column) – and the Sun, compared in size to other well-known stars in our galaxy, including Betelgeuse and the biggest stars so far discovered. Credit: unknown

Over the last 20+ years Betelgeuse’s radius has shrunk by 15%. While this has not massively altered the star’s brightness over that time, it is still an astonishing amount of mass to lose over so short a period. More recently, however, there has been a further change in the star that has caused excitement: since mid-October 2019, Betelgeuse has gone through a stunning drop in its apparent magnitude – or brightness as seen from Earth’s location – dropping from being the 10th brightest object in our night sky to around the 27th, bringing with it a complete change in Orion’s appearance in our skies.

This sudden drop in brightness has been seen by some as a possible indicator that Betelgeuse may have gone supernova, and we’re now waiting for the light of the actual explosion to reach us. Such has been the interest, reference has been made to monitoring neutrino detectors for the first signs of an explosion. This is because whereas photons have to escape a star’s collapse, neutrinos don’t, and so will reach us ahead of any visible light; so a sudden increase in the number of them detected coming from the region of the sky occupied by Betelgeuse could be indicative of it having exploded.

The clearest image we have of Betelgeuse, captured by the European Southern Observatory’s Atacama Large Millimetre/sub-millimetre Array (ALMA). Credit: ESO / NAOJ/NRAO / E. O’Gorman / P. Kervella.

Continue reading “Space Sunday: a look at Betelgeuse” →

Sansar at the end of 2019: a personal perspective

Posted on by Inara Pey
My Avatar 2.0 in the Sansar Nexus

The end of December 2019 brings with it the end of the second full year of public accessibility to Sansar. The year has been marked by both a continuing round of updates to the platform, some of which have given rise to concerns among the established base of creators while others have been welcomed; plus a shift in emphasis in an attempt to try to further build Sansar’s audience base and which might be described as “risky”.

I’ve tracked most of these changes through my Sansar reports, particularly those related to the (generally) monthly updates and releases and my Product Meeting summaries. As such, I thought I’d review some of the more notable changes the year has brought forth, and take a brief look into 2020.

Significant Updates and Releases

Avatar 2.0

The Sansar avatar 2.0 release was one of the biggest changes to Sansar made in 2019 and arrived as a part of the September R36 release, potentially the biggest Sansar release for 2019.

Avatar 2.0 was a complete overhaul of the avatar system, rendering the original avatar system obsolete. It introduced a new range of starter avatars, and provided a set of tools to help users and creators adjust their avatar clothing and accessories to fit the new avatar skeleton. In particular, the system provides a completely new deformation capability, initially limited to the head / face, but with the promise at the time of release that full-body deformation would likely follow before the end of 2019.

The facial customisation options introduced with Sansar’s avatar 2.0 in September 2019

Response to the new avatars was mixed, with the female avatar in particular being critiqued for its proportions and overall lack of feminine shape (which gave rise to new range of body form garments designed to provide the avatar with some semblance of bust, waist, hips and bum).

Beyond this, 2019 saw other avatar improvements, including the ability to jump and / or crouch/crouch-walk, uniform scaling, improvements to object manipulation / throwing (again for games), IK updates, better desktop movement controls and improved VR body tracking, etc, most of which came with the April R32 release.

Gaming, Questing, and Experience Points System

Late 2018 through much of 2019, Linden Lab was pinning attempts to build Sansar’s user base on gaming / questing type capabilities – for example, at the end of 2018, Sansar was released through Steam. More particularly in 2019, the March R31 release saw the introduction of Sansar’s questing capabilities, initially for the Lab’s use only. The ability for creators to build their own quests appeared in the July R35 release, with the ability for creators to offer rewards added in October, and an experience points (XP) system officially released in November’s R36 release.

The questing system is designed to be used in games (e.g. adventure quests), games, puzzles, tutorials, guided tours through experiences (or “worlds” as they would be renamed), with the XP system designed to be a multi-functional means for users to gain points and “level up” in Sansar, whether they actively participated in quests and games or simply spent time exploring the worlds in Sansar or come to the platform to socialise and attend events.

Questing capabilities were first introduced to Sansar with the March 2019 R31 release

Given their nature, these updates also fed into changes within the entire Sansar user / social experience, although changes in this area started in advance of the quest system deployment.

User / Social Experience

The first significant change to the social structure in Sansar came in the January 2019 point release 28.3 with the introduction of the Social Hub. Linked directly to users’ Home Spaces (the point where users were at that time logged-in to Sansar when using the client rather than an experience URL), this was intended to provide a common space all users could easily reach and so meet one another, reach other places of interest via portals, play games, etc. It also became the focal point for the first Lab-derived quests deployed with the March release of the quest system.

To further encourage social interaction, personal and group teleport portal capabilities were introduced with the February release for easier individual / group movement around Sansar, while the May R33 release saw the in-client Atlas receive an overhaul with the aim of making finding events and places easier.

The Nexus, Prime Portal and Codex

The biggest change to the user experience came in the September R36 release, alongside the avatar 2.0 update. This saw the introduction of the Nexus, Prime Portal and Codex.

  • The Nexus: a new landing point towards which all users were initially directed towards when logging-in to Sansar. For new users, it included a set of tutorials built around a series of quests intended to help users gain familiarity with the platform.
  • Prime Portal: a physical location within the Nexus linked to a new UI element that replaced the in-client Atlas. It was intended to manage the process of new world discovery (experiences were re-titled “worlds” by this point) by users.
  • The Codex: a new UI element to allow users record, manage and quickly return to places they have previously visited while in Sansar.

The Nexus was also supposed to introduce an evolving “backstory” to Sansar, initially revolving around an non-player character (NPC) called Agent Primus. However, this back story didn’t receive much growth, with Agent Primus acting as little more than another quest giver.

The splitting of world discovery away from what has been the in-client Atlas and into the Nexus / Prime Portal led to concerns that the latter would become a bottleneck with users, discouraging exploration of “new” (to them) worlds.  This concern appears to be confirmed by a chart released by user Gindipple. While only covering a single week, it shows the Nexus gaining 70% of all Sansar visitors, while 19 other worlds accounted for just under 28% of users by popularity. This split tends to indicate a “pooling” of users within the Nexus, without much of a spread outwards to other world (the 2nd most popular world only gaining 3.69% of logged-in users, for example).

Gindipple’s chart for one week of Sansar visitors by world

However, Linden Lab promised to evaluate the use of the Nexus, and in the December R38 release, they formally changed the log-in process to once again deliver users to their Home Space when using the client instead of the Nexus. In that release, the Codex was also updated to list all public worlds a-la the old Atlas, rather than just those a user has visited, thus hopefully making it easier for people to discover and visit worlds they have not previously been to.

Continue reading “Sansar at the end of 2019: a personal perspective” →

Name Changes: poll update

Posted on by Inara Pey

In Name Changes: $40 per change(?), some thoughts and a poll (December 17th, 2019), I offered some thoughts on the proposed US $40.00 fee for name changes, together with a (very) rough-and-ready poll on how people feel about the capability and the fee (so rough-and-ready that on reflection, I should have structured it a little differently and  used Google Forms for the poll for greater flexibility rather than the tools provided by Automattic for WordPress.com users, which are perhaps a little too basic).

As I noted in that piece, since last names were eliminated in 2010 in favour of “Resident” and the use of Display Names, there have been frequent calls for them to be “returned” to SL. These calls started almost immediately after “Resident” was introduced, through both forum threads and via Jira feature requests. Such was the demand, that by late 2011, LL were actively looking into bringing last names back, although ultimately they gave up on that attempt.

However, I also noted that the fee itself might be a limiting factor (together with the fact that the option will be limited to Premium members), and whilst admittedly a small sampling, the results of my very straw man poll would seem to support this. Just under 61.5% of respondents indicated that they probably won’t use the service, whilst over 80% of those responding the the question on the fee indicated that they felt it was too high.

Results from my (very) rough-and-ready Name Changes poll

Given that most people will naturally be opposed to paying almost any kind of fee for anything (even the L$10 upload fee for textures / sounds / animations is a source of grumbles), then opposition to the Name Change fee is to be expected. But the volume of negative responses, together with the level of disinterest expressed in the capability, would seem to point to the fact that  – again allowing for the fact it is limited to Premium members, and the responses to the poll likely came from Basic members as well – the $39.99 fee may will be a limiting factor for users after Name Changes go live beyond the natural pause LL hope it will provide against too-frequent changes that might otherwise impact services – and might in time prove counter to the degree of effort LL have had to put into implementing the service.

Fee aside, comments that followed my December 17th article and made through the likes of Twitter and direct IM, suggest that Premium members who are eligible for the service may well be put off from using it due to what they perceive as a another potential shortfall: the inability to re-use last names previously made available by LL. Those who wish to take their partner’s last name, for example, are effectively unable to do so except by continuing to use Display Names, while those who have a favourite last name that has previously been offered by by the Lab will similarly be out of luck.

Sample comments on how the lack of the re-use of “old” last names is seen as a limiting aspect of Name Changes

Again, this is only a small sampling, and one that uses a very basic poll to gather feedback. Nevertheless, it does suggest that Name Changes may well face a very mixed reaction once deployed, the former interest among users to have a last names make a return to SL notwithstanding.