Tag: Exploring Second Life 2014

Don’t Panic!

Posted on by Inara Pey

Don't Panic posterNo, the title is not a reference to towels, Vogons or the Question to the Ultimate Answer of Life, The Universe and Everything.

Rather, Don’t Panic is the name of the 2014 Halloween offering from Pulse Games, which is billed as a “completely interactive fear experience with multiple levels, challenging puzzles and fantastic prizes”.

I’m not sure about the “fear” aspect, but there is no denying that Don’t Panic is an involved and entertaining multi-level interactive experience. In it, you take on the role of a television ghost hunter / mystery solver competing in a challenge being run by The Panic Channel, “the hottest cable network for the paranormal”, to explore Carver Mansion. This is a fabled, if now run-down, family home, once the scene of tragic events and formerly a mysterious monastery where Weird Things are rumoured to have happened.

The challenge sees you and your producer, Lily (an NPC who remains in the production van, passing information to you as you explore the house), up against the famous Jack Hunter and the Spectre Collectors in exploring. Jack and his team have actually stolen a march on you; they’ve been on-site for a while; but while you arrive to find all their equipment set-up and ready to go, the team have disappeared. Are they the latest victims in the mansion’s dark history?

There’s only one way to find out – by investigating for yourself, and trying to riddle what really befell the Carver family, and what has happened to Hunter and his crew…

Don't Panic - their equipment is here, but where are Jack Hunter and his crew?
Don’t Panic – their equipment is here, but where are Jack Hunter and his crew? and what of the Carver family?

From the starting-point, you’ll need to collect your game pack and wear the HUD (PKE meter) and the tactical headset. There are other items in the pack, but they’re not essential to playing the game.

The HUD provides essential information and also tracks your progress, allowing you to break-off from playing, should you need to, and then resume at a later time. The headset provides a projected light which you will need if you’re running the viewer using the region windlight. The pack also provides gameplay instructions – which should be read and followed. Do make sure you heed the notes on minimising lag and divesting yourself of unnecessary facelights. It’s also a good idea to have sound on as well, although essential information is also delivered through chat.

Once in the house, it’s a case of explore, touch and follow the hints (which take various forms). When I say “explore” and “touch”, I mean exactly that; don’t take anything for granted, and take your time. There are things to be found and collected (recorded by your HUD) which are vital to your progress, some of which are obvious, some perhaps not so.And don’t forget the prizes that are scattered around, waiting to be claimed.

Don't Panic - work your way through the old mansion and former monsastery to find the clues
Don’t Panic – work your way through the old mansion and former monastery to find the clues

There is also, it has to be said, a wonderful element of wry humour throughout the mansion; it pays to be observant in order to find it.

As the challenge is spread across two regions there is some teleporting to be done – although not so much as you feel you’re being bounced around from pillar to post. Some teleports require the solving of puzzles  as does getting through certain doors. Working my way through these had me thinking about how Experience Keys might further add to activities like this – not that Don’t Panic misses anything; the few times the map pop open to facilitate a teleport doesn’t actually interfere with the fun of things.

Don't Panic - discovering the truth ...?
Don’t Panic – discovering the truth …?

It’s fair to say that a huge amount of creative thought has gone into Don’t Panic, and a couple of the riddles in particular really do engage the grey matter. This all makes it a thoroughly entertaining activity which – despite the description – doesn’t rely on shock horror elements to achieve its goal.

What I particularly enjoyed about it, aside from solving the puzzles, is that there isn’t necessarily a single route to the solution. For those who do like solving puzzles, it is possible to circumvent collecting all the clues and slip directly to the denouement. Nor does this spoil things – it simply gives an excuse to go back and explore those bits missed in jumping to the end. Similarly, for those who may have missed a clue, it means frustration can be avoided in retracing steps and trying to find whatever was missed.

All told, an engaging, fun challenge which exercises the brain nicely without ever belabouring things. Recommended.

Related Links

Return of the spooky walkies

Posted on by Inara Pey

We’re in the run-up to Halloween, and as expected, the Destination Guide is getting lots of entries suited to the time of year – including the Lab’s own Haunted Halloween Tour, which I recently tried. Some of the offerings for this Halloween are new, and some are back for a further round of fun / mayhem.

Two of the latter are Return of the Nightmare Walkthrough, developed by the folk at Skyrah Fantasy Roleplay, and Return to Havenhollow, put together by the Holiday Appreciation Association (HAA) team.

Return of the Nightmare Walkthrough

Nightmare Walkthrough: Left or right... make your choice... not that you reall have a choice ...
Nightmare Walkthrough: Left or right… make your choice… not that you really have a choice …

As the name suggests, this is intended to be a walk through the stuff of nightmares, although there is also a hunt involved as well – find the ten pumpkins, and you go and claim your prize at the end.

Things get off to a dark enough start: you arrive in pitch black, a gaping hole in front of you with the words “Down You Go…” floating over it. I’m not sure if it’s an instruction, a suggestion or an order; not that it matters, as it’s the only way to go…

Nightmare Walkthrough: in places like this, you just know the light at the end of the corridor is rarely good ...
Nightmare Walkthrough: in places like this, you just know the light at the end of the corridor is rarely good …

The fall delivers you to the start of your actual journey. Here you’ll find instructions and notes on the hunt, and the opportunity to grab a pumpkin lantern (which you should). The instructions suggest trying things in Mouselook. This can be tricky / frustrating at times, but if you’re comfortable navigating in Mouselook, I really recommend that you follow the suggestion; it makes for a much more involved journey. Also make sure you accept the region windlight (or set your viewer’s time to midnight), and that you have sounds enabled. Then, when you’re set, follow the bloody arrow.

What follows is a tortuous route through various locations  – all reached on foot, each of which has its own look and feel, and perhaps a surprise or two. The themes of the locations are perhaps to be expected, given this is a nightmare: the bloody cold store, circus tents with the kind of clowns you most assuredly do not want to have as entertainment at your young one’s birthday party, slimy sewers, ghostly woodlands, and so on, but they all work rather well, especially when in Mouselook. Along the way, you’ll find the pumpkins for the hunt (if you decide to collect them) dotted around, some obvious, some perhaps not so obvious (you might want to look behind you in places, despite the warnings not to!).

Nightmare Walkthrough: sound advice?
Nightmare Walkthrough: words of encouragement?

At the end of the walk is a maze. This is where you really should be in Mouselook. The limited amount of light from your lantern not only makes this a genuine challenge, it can give rise to a feeling of being trapped, adding to the desire to find the way out. The latter does take time, so try not to give into frustration and then hopping out of Mouselook (if you’re using it). Once you have found your way to the doors and freedom, you can either teleport off to the Dark Giza Fantasy mall (or wherever you like), or you can deposit your collected pumpkins, claim your prize and then teleport off.

The first-person / Mouselook element of the Walkthrough can make it fun. There’s less gore evident than the Haunted House Tour, which some might prefer, and the ability to wander for yourself makes it perhaps a tad more immersive. While it is not designed with the Rift in mind, given the intended way people are to try to find their way around the place, it might actually offer itself to those who have a Rift.

I’d perhaps liked to have seen a few more surprises while trying to find my way through the maze. It can get a bit dry after a while, especially when in Mouselook, where there is always the temptation to simply tap the ESC key.  That said, however, the Walkthrough is nicely immersive, and seems to be going down well with the people taking part.

Continue reading “Return of the spooky walkies” →

More than Just Another Tequila Sunrise

Posted on by Inara Pey

Just Another Tequilla Sunrise, Isle of Love; Inara Pey, October 2014, on FlickrJust Another Tequila Sunrise, Isle of Love (Flickr)

I was led to Just Another Tequilla Sunrise by Kate Bergdorf, who mentioned it in her blog recently. A homestead region, it is currently painted in rich autumnal colours which make it an absolute delight to visit on these (for those of us in the UK at least), damp and dreary days.

The work of SL photographer Arol Lightfoot, the region’s name is a perfect reflection of its look and feel under the default windlight (although I admittedly used others when taking my own snaps).  Photographers are warmly invited to explore and take pictures, and Arol has created a Flickr group where images can be shared, if people wish.

Just Another Tequilla Sunrise, Isle of Love; Inara Pey, October 2014, on FlickrJust Another Tequila Sunrise, Isle of Love (Flickr)

For those who explore SL a lot, there are a number of familiar motifs here – the offshore lighthouse, the craggy upthrust of a rocky plateau, the low-laying lands broken by bodies of water, the sweeping white curve of a beach… Which is not to say that Just Another Tequila Sunrise is in any way derivative; quite the reverse in fact. In a world where people are limited in how they can take an island 256 metres on a side and blend it into the surrounding sea, it is inevitable that regions come to share familiar elements while still retaining their own individuality from one another.

More than this, however, is the fact that such familiar elements within individual region designs help to give a feeling of continuity as one travels through SL. When encountered, they can help make individual islands feel as if they are different elements of the same country or coastline, rather than being individual places, more-or-less standing on their own.

Just Another Tequilla Sunrise, Isle of Love; Inara Pey, October 2014, on FlickrJust Another Tequila Sunrise, Isle of Love (Flickr)

Two areas of habitation mark the island. On the west sits a small farm, the ribbon of a lake reaching almost to the front door of the house. To the east, and built out over one of the two beaches, sits a wooden pier topped by a sun-bleached house. Between them the low-lying grasslands offer plenty of space to wander, with places for individuals, couples and groups to sit and enjoy the surroundings. Bridges, both stone and wooden, allow easy passage over the water, and a path cut into the rock guides those so minded to the top of the southern plateau.

With the sounds of nature throughout and birds wheeling overhead, Just Another Tequila Sunrise is, as noted above, an absolute delight to visit, and guaranteed to brighten the dreariest of days. Highly recommended.

Just Another Tequilla Sunrise, Isle of Love; Inara Pey, October 2014, on FlickrJust Another Tequila Sunrise, Isle of Love (Flickr)

Related Links

In the palace garden

Posted on by Inara Pey
Sansouci Park
Sansouci Park

Sanssouci Park is an airborne recreation of Frederick the Great’s 18th century villa-like summer palace, Sanssouci (from the French sans souci, “without worry”).

Located in Potsdam, Germany, the palace was the Prussian king’s summer retreat, and formed the centrepiece of a major series buildings, gardens, water features (not all of the latter successful) and parklands making up Sanssouci Park which Frederick the Great established and Frederick William IV later expanded. The palace, based on drawings by the king himself, was initially realised by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, and is regarded as one of the most important work of Northern German rococo architecture, also referred to as “Frederician Rococo”, as developed by von Knobelsdorff.

Sansouci Park
Sansouci Park

The version in Second Life is the work of Claire-Sophie de Rocoulle (tjay007 Resident), who has sought to recreate the vineyard terraces, the facade of the summer palace (with a small interior set), together with some of the formal gardens. A small commercial area, screened from the gardens and terraces by trees and hedgerows offers a range of stores selling period items to suit the setting of the location, and under these is an exhibition hall providing more background information on the original palace and grounds, and the times in which it was built. Also on display here are photo comparisons between Claire-Sophie’s build and the original – which serve to show the care taken in trying to offer an accurate reproduction.

The garden is home of various role-play events suitable for the period of the park’s heyday (and which include balls, picnics, etc.). Information on specific events is available through the Sanssouci Gardens RP Group, while a note card giver located in the foyer area outside the exhibition hall outlines requirements for play – most of which appears to be casual. Those wishing to hold their own (presumably period) events on the park are invited to contact either Claire-Sophie or Sofia von Essen (HHdoctorRaven Resident).

Sansouci Park
Sansouci Park

For those who wish to explore the park in costume, free clothing and wigs are also available in the foyer area outside the exhibition hall, as is a teleporter to the Charlottenburg Palace ballroom, the venue for role-play balls.

If hunts are of interest to you, the park offers one of its own. Simply locate 15 of the jewels scattered around the garden and terraces to claim the prize. Those who enjoy a little fencing can also enjoy themselves in one of the shaded alcoves to one side of the gardens.

If you’re looking for an 18th century period setting for a photo shoot, or simply enjoy exploring historical recreations in SL, then a visit to Sanssouci Park might be worth your while.

Related Links

Wandering as colours turn to autumn

Posted on by Inara Pey

France Portnawak, Dreamland volcano; Inara Pey, October 2014, on FlickrFrance Portnawak, Dreamworld Volcano (Flickr)

It’s taken me a while to get a write-up on the current incarnation of Leica Arado’s France Portnawak finished; I only hope it’s not so late that the region undergoes a winter redesign!

The description for the place refers to it as “a paradise for lovers of nature and landscape!” – and that does much to sum-up the region, but also leaves a lot unsaid; as it is also a place of subtle art and artistry.

The landing point offers visitors bicycles or horses to explore the island, but while visiting, I much preferred to use my pedal extremities (or shanks’ pony, depending on the idiom you prefer with regards to bicycles or horses), and simply wandered on foot.

France Portnawak, Dreamland volcano; Inara Pey, October 2014, on FlickrFrance Portnawak, Dreamworld Volcano (Flickr)

The design of the place is a wonderful blending of sandy, almost tropical island, and the colours of autumn among the trees and flowers. A lagoon lies at the centre of the region, the low-lying island almost completely surrounding it.  The trees scattered across the encircling land are far more temperate than tropical land, and have the reds and golds of autumn mixing easily with greener boughs. Grass and sand vie with one another under the spreading shade of high branches, in places awash in the yellows and lavender of free-growing flowers and magic grass.

To one side of the island sits the square bulk of a private are gallery displaying 2D and 3D works from a number of SL artists – do keep an eye out for Cica Ghost’s enchanting stick figures flickering gently in various corners! Across the lagoon from this sits a little shanty shack, a home to someone, perhaps. Sheep and chickens roam outside, while  a glass of red wine on the table inside suggests whoever lives there isn’t far away, as does the cat,  waiting patiently just outside the door.

France Portnawak, Dreamland volcano; Inara Pey, October 2014, on FlickrFrance Portnawak, Dreamworld Volcano (Flickr)

There’s more to see out on the water of the lagoon, where lilies sit with translucent rocks, the latter shimmering with colour and almost entirely transparent under certain lighting. In the middle of the water, crystal-like steps lead up to a square platform offering four blanket-draped chairs in which to sit. This isn’t the only place to stop and relax; there are several spots scattered across the island where couples and groups can sit or dance, or the solo visitor can rest their feet.

Whether you visit France Portnawak on your own or with one or more friends, it is a beautifully idyllic setting, and wroth taking the time to wander and appreciate.

France Portnawak, Dreamland volcano; Inara Pey, October 2014, on FlickrFrance Portnawak, Dreamworld Volcano (Flickr)

Related Links

Exploring the Columbia River and points north

Posted on by Inara Pey
Columbia River
Sailing through the Columbia River gorge, Blake Passage

In June 2014, I was invited to take a sneak peek at a new expansion of the United Sailing Sims (USS) estates to the north of Blake Sea. The expansion, referred to as Blake Passage, and now pretty much complete, is themed after the Columbia River of the Pacific Northwest region of North America and offers a new area to explore by boat and plane. Given I did have my sneak peek back in June, and have since explored the area a number of times, I thought it high time I wrote about my little excursions.

The work has been carried out in two phases, the first part of which focused on recreating a part of the Columbia River itself, through the four regions of Columbia Bar, Columbia West, Columbia River and Columbia East. Running from east to west, these split the Blake Passage regions in two, forming a navigable channel through which boats must pass when travelling between the Passage and the USS regions sitting between it and the north side of Blake Sea.

Blake Passage
Heading into the currents at the west end of the Columbia River gorge, Blake Passage

When travelling to the gorge from the south, I suggest travelling via Dutch Harboor and Balboa Pacific before heading between the islands of Drakes Bay and cutting through the northwest side of Eureka Point into Walla Walla before turning due west into the river gorge at Columbia East. Or if you prefer, you can teleport to the Columbia East ferry point, and rez your boat there.

Sailing the regions is a pleasant experience; while the island are residential, they offer a picturesque backdrop when exploring. They’re all of a fair uniform size, offering comfortable space for those looking for a place to live which offers water access for sailing. The river gorge offers smaller parcels for rent, all of which also have waterfront access for mooring both boats and seaplanes, should you be looking for a place to live which offers the opportunity for boating.

Juneau regional airport and the White Pass railroad train
Juneau regional airport and the White Pass railroad train

For pilots, Blake Passage includes Juneau Regional Airport, which offers both a tarmac runway and a seaplane lane and docks –  although traffic is restricted to smaller aircraft. At the front of the airport is a terminus for the White Pass railroad – named for the British Columbia / Yukon line of the same name, which can take passengers north and west to Blake Inlet. Those who like a long-distance trip can also use Blake Inlet to reach Inumiut, a stretch of open water connecting the Passage regions with the mainland coastline further west.

There is still some work going on to finish-up work in the expansion area, but if you’re looking for a new place to explore while on the water – or looking for a new airport to try-out if you’re a flyer (remembering the traffic restriction), the Blake Passage regions and Juneau airport may well be worth a visit.

Another view along the Columbia River gorge
Another view along the Columbia River gorge

Related Links