Tag: Exploring Second Life 2014

AERO Golf Club, Lavender, February 2014

Golf really isn’t my forte, inasmuch as I’ve always sided with Mark Twain – or at least what he is attributed to have said: that golf is a good walk spoiled. However, Second Life gives us opportunities to try things we can’t or wouldn’t try in real life.  In my case, that means things like taking wing in a Spitfire (which I’d actually love to do in real life), scuba diving, and skydiving. And now, thanks to Jeff Goodnight, I’ve actually tried my keyboard at golf – and I like it.

But, before I wibble on about SL golfing, if you’ve not come across Jeff Goodnight before, you really should check out his Flickr stream and his blog. I did, and had to gather my jaw off the floor after seeing images like this one.

AERO Golf Club, Lavender, February 2014

In his blog, Jeff provides an entry for the AERO Golf Club, a region-wide 18-hole golf course, complete with club house and places to simply sit and relax. Intrigued, I set off to have a look.

Surrounded by the mountains of a sim  extender, the region is beautifully landscaped and very photogenic, so even if you’re not into golf, it’s worth taking the time to visit. Just make sure you keep an eye open for golfers and avoid trundling across the greens and fairways when any are in use!

AERO Golf Club, Lavender, February 2014

If you do fancy a round yourself, you’ll need to join the club, a simple matter of signing-up in the clubhouse by joining the group associated with the region. Once you’ve done that, and with the group active, walk through the back of the clubhouse to the rear terrace, where you can collect your clubs and HUD (which is optional when playing, but cuts-down on using a menu). These are free, but for the keen golfer, a scorecard can be purchased for L$250, which is a lot easier than trying to remember things. There’s also a map showing the best way to play the holes.

The course has been carefully arranged to make full use of the region, with the first tee directly off of the rear terrace of the clubhouse, and the 18th hole to one side of it, making it an easy walk to the 19th for a drink.

Play instructions are clear, concise and easy-to-grasp, so I won’t bore you with those. Suffice it to say, you have a choice of three clubs, have sand traps, water and trees to negotiate and the wind to contend with. One thing I will say is that if you use an over-the-shoulder camera offset (as I do), you might want to centre your camera up when playing a round.

AERO Golf Club, Lavender, February 2014

Along the way there are places to sit down, take a break and enjoy the view. If you prefer to forget the walking bit, there are golf buggies you can use to drive around in, but I found the terrain a little too much for the one I tried. Besides, the scenery is much too pretty to simply roll right past it, and you might even miss seeing the tiger …

If you don’t fancy a slurp at the bar after playing a round, there’s a pool and spa area off to one side of the region as well.

The work of Kaja Ashland / Kaja Lurra, AERO Golf club is beautifully conceived and executed and well worth a visit. If you do, show the little donation buckets a little love along the way. for those who might be interested, I have a few more snaps on my Flickr stream.

AERO Golf Club, Lavender, February 2014

What was that? Oh, my score? Umm… well I ended-up nine over par after things went a bit wonky after the 7th …

Related Links

• AERO Golf Club, Lavender SLurl (Rated: General)

Aldous Huxley is the name given to the home of Tree and Ocean SL (TOSL), owned and operated by Quinlan Quimby, or QQ as she prefers to be called). It is also the home of a remarkable art piece she has created under the banner of Project PossUM (which I believe stands for “Possibilities Unlimited Museum”).

The name of the region marks QQ’s penchant for authors, the former home of TOSL having been Herman Melville. However, given the nature of Project PossUM, one might be forgiven for thinking the name was used as a nod to the great man’s use of psychedelic drugs, and that one had arrived in one of his milder dreams while under the influence.

I say this because you arrive on  a giant porcelain dinner-plate balanced 200-ish metres up in the air atop a rocky island and apparently floating in the clouds. Upon which sit some exquisite porcelain pieces big enough to sit under and walk inside.

It’s actually a stunning build, beautifully crafted, wonderfully detailed and yet delightfully minimalist. In fact, it all looks deceptively easy  – which is generally the hallmark of great works of art.

Pay particular attention to the “glaze” on the plate itself. By making the surface somewhat translucent, QQ allows the outline of the hilly landscape of the land under it show through, which creates an interesting interplay with the texture of the plate’s surface as one cams around, suggestive of the interplay of different lighting sources on the plate as one moves.

The trees and little buildings are wonderfully designed and delicate looking; so much so, that I’m convinced that were someone able to touch them, they would feel as if they’re made from the finest porcelain

Huxley once stated that one source for his novel Brave New World came from his time spent working in a chemical plant, which he described as “an ordered universe in a world of planless incoherence”. That’s quite possibly a description which might be applied to a good part of Second Life. I wonder what he would have made of it, had he had the chance to see it …

Related Links

• TOSL Project POssUM SLurl (Rated: General)
• TOSL store SLurl

Toru: The Enchanted Forest – “In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit…”

Update July 2014: Toru appears to have closed. 

I was first drawn to Toru, Waynenz’s homestead region, back in September 2013. At that time, it was openly inspired by Wendy Xeno’s Hazardous. Since then, it’s been through a couple of transformations and is now “an enchanted land dedicated to NZ and the Hobbits” – and the last part of that description was bound to get my attention.

Now called Estesil Lega, the Enchanted Forest, the region is precisely that; a mist-shrouded forest set between the shoulders of steep-sided hills and surrounded by mountains. Paths wind through the trees and over bridges of wood and stone, leading the explorer around and through the forest to reveal its secrets in turn.

Toru: The Enchanted Forest

Chief among these is a hobbit hole – although sadly, no hobbits were to be seen when I visited. But then, they are shy folk and tend to hide when they hear us Big Folk coming – which they can do from a good distance away.

As we know, hobbit holes are neither nasty, dirty, wet holes, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor are they yet dry, bare, sandy holes with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat. They are hobbit holes, and that means comfort.

Toru: The Enchanted Forest – “Remember! do not stray from the path!”

This one is in slight disarray, it must be said; books scattered over the floor, the bed unmade, the pantry strangely lacking and a meal unfinished. It’s almost as if the occupant found him or herself taking An Unexpected Journey …

The design of the region is such that it is clearly intended to be explored on foot; flying isn’t disabled, but if you opt to do that, you’re likely going to miss the various little treasures scattered under bough and branch. The default windlight gives considerable atmosphere to the place, although I confess, I’ve opted to most use alternative settings for my snaps here and on Flickr.

Toru: The Enchanted Forest

Keep your eyes peeled as you do explore – some of the trails and paths may not be as obvious as others, so take your time. Do make sure you have sound on as well, as the ambient sounds really give the forest even greater depth and texture.

Definitely recommended.

Related Links

• Toru: The Enchanted Forest SLurl (Rated: Moderate)

Given the nature of the region at the moment, here’s an interpretation of some of the music from The Lord of the Rings from Stephen and John.

 

Kats, Love Kats

Love Kats is the home of Kats – knowledge acquired through simulation. It a quite lovely Mediterranean-themed full region operated by Kat Chauveau. It’s a place I’ve been meaning to drop-in on for a while, and I’m glad I finally had a little time to do so, albeit as a flying visit.

Roughly a third of the region is given over to a small hilltop village with charming houses / shops huddled together and served by narrow, cobbled footpaths, with terraces and squares offering places to sit, eat, dance or simply enjoy the sun.  The shops look like they are intended for rent, each having a “logo” sign hanging outside the doorway, although it’s not clear if they are “on the market”, so to speak, as yet.

Kats, Love Kats

Follow the path down from one of the terraces, and you’ll find yourself in more open countryside, through which a spring-fed stream meanders before tumbling down a rocky cliff next to a broad ribbon of beach. If you stay on the foot path, you can either climb up a hill facing the village or descend down to a small quayside where sits a Canadian tramp steamer. From here, the beach can be reached via another foot path and short tunnel.

The beach offers places to wander and sit or dance and ships and boats sit out on the water and a lighthouse gives warning of a low, rocky natural breakwater sitting just offshore.

Kats, Love Kats

I’m not sure quite where the “knowledge acquired through simulation” comes into things; the region is connected with an real-life organisation called ComplyEx, which describes itself as providing “an innovative way to achieve in-depth understanding of learning and development” through its “3D virtual space”. There are a number of courses listed on the website, but it’s not clear from a quick examination as to whether they are actively taught within the region.

With or without the learning aspects, Kats is a lovely place to visit, offering itself to a wide range of windlight settings as well as many photo opportunities. For those wanting a little time with a friend, there’s also the dancing, as well as the tables and dining areas found in the terraces offering places to sit and talk. Or if you prefer, you can look down at the steamer and imagine the journeys it has made and the places it has seen. The choice is yours!

Kats, Love Kats

Related Links

• Kats SLurl (Rated: Moderate)

Bakura, the Fourth Dimension

Caitlin Tobias is responsible for drawing me into the Fourth Dimension. No, she hasn’t got some inter-dimensional ship and offered to give me a ride – she visited the realm of Bakura, wherein sits the City of Salis D’aar, and New Alderaan, all of which is located in the Fourth Dimension region. As I’d recently paid a visit to the world of Onderon, a Star Wars role-play environment, I felt it appropriate I did the same with the Fourth Dimension, given it is also devoted to Star Wars RP.

There are four core elements to the region: the arrival point, with the mall area and introduction to the RP environment; Bakura, comprising the City of Salis D’aar and the city’s lower levels; and the icy wilderness of New Alderaan. Construction is still in progress, so forgive any dust you may find.

Bakura, the Fourth Dimension

The time period for the region is set some 100 years after the recorded Star Wars canon; as such, players are asked to be as creative as possible in creating their characters while remaining true to the established Star Wars galaxy, but to not model their characters on any from the movies or novels (so no C3-PO or R2-D2 or Bobba Fett, etc). All are asked to read the rules prior to entering, and visitors are requested they wear the OOC tag, which is also provided on arrival.

The available space has been used very creatively. the City of Salis D’aar, for example, comprises a main piazza area (which makes good use of materials, so be sure to have Preferences > Graphics > Advanced Lighting Model active), surrounded by tall buildings. Some of these you can enter, others of which have teleport doors which will transfer you to one of a number of sets suspended beneath the main square, giving the city added depth. These include a council chamber, a cafeteria, apartments, what appears to be a resupply area, and so on. Windows, where found, add to the feeling of being in the same city by looking out over the same backdrop.

New Alderaan, the Fourth Dimension

The lower levels of Bakura look to be the equivalent of Mos Eisley. There are bars, clubs, little apartments, warehouses and a lighting environment ideal for shady deals and nefarious role-play!

New Alderaan is altogether a colder, harsher place; think Hoth without the big guns. Here the snow falls and the wind hisses, and a number of buildings stand among the trees, including what might be some kind of medical centre.

Bakura, the Fourth Dimension

all of the builds in the region are enclosed, with no use made of the terrain at all, which I found greatly added to the immersive feel to the place. If you’re into Star Wars RP, and haven’t done so already, then the Fourth Dimension may well be worth a visit. I certainly enjoyed by time exploring and wandering.

Related Links

• Bakura – City of Salis D’aar / New Alderaan (Rated: Moderate)

Yamatai, Okami (Flickr)

Unusually for me, I missed celebrating Chinese New Year this year.  I didn’t even make it to the Creations for Parkinson’s Dance in-world, so no chance to say goodbye to the snake and greet the horse 😦 .

To make up for things, I decided to hop over to Yamatai on the region of Okami. My friend Miro Collas poked me in that direction a while ago, but I held-off blogging at the time as I’d been a little oriental-focused, and the region was still under construction. The latter still appears to be the case, but such is my mood and the beauty of the build, I decided to blog on it anyway.

Yamatai, Okami (Flickr)

The region is rated Adult, but don’t worry about any overt signs of naughtiness – at least not yet. Truth be told, I’ve no idea what the eventual intention for the region is; but whether it is period, role-play, combat, naughty fun or a combination thereof, it really is eye-catching in design.

I’m not sure if Yamatai is an intentional reference to Yamatai-koku, the Sino-Japanese name for an ancient country in Wa (Japan). First mentioned in the Wei Zhi, circa 297 AD, it has since been the subject of much debate as to its actual location down the generations.

Yamatai, Okami (Flickr)

The Hou Han Shu (circa 432 AD) and the Sui Shu (636 AD) both report the mysterious Yamatai as being on a mountainous island or islands – and this certainly fits Yamatai in SL, which features dwellings and a tumbledown temple all built on a rugged landscape complete with wooded areas and tall growths of bamboo, surrounded by tall mountains through which a passage to the sea winds.

The landscape has been carefully sculpted, and the various buildings, both down on the waterfront and higher-up in the hills have been carefully situated to create an environment that is pleasing to the eye (and camera), and enticing in its invitation to be explored. There are a number of airborne houses hovering over the region, so you might want to derender them in order to avoid odd shadows showing-up in your pictures. Keep an eye out for the little touches of detail as well!

Well worth a visit.
Yamatai, Okami (Flickr)

Related Links

• Yamatai SLurl (Rated: Adult)