Tag: Exploring Second Life 2020

Back in the early years of Second Life, the platform attracted many businesses and organisations to its shores. One of these was UK-based Rezzable Productions, who at their peak in early 2009, operated around 40 regions in-world. Founded by Jonathan Himoff (Rightasrain Rimbaud in-world), Rezzable quickly established a reputation for building some of the most engaging content available in-world at the time. Perhaps the most famous of their creations – and one of the first they created  – was the world of the Greenies.

These were a horde of (literally) Little Green Men who, whether from a tiny world or the result of a Douglas Adams-esque miscalculation of scale, had arrived on Earth to find themselves dwarfed by everything around them. Undeterred, they set out to explore this strange realm, which was offered as a gigantic, region-wide house, where they ended up getting involved in all sorts of mischief. Such was the scale of the house, SL avatars were not too much bigger than the Greenies, and so were able to witness their escapades first-hand.

Presented as a series of vignettes throughout the house, some one them semi-interactive, the Greenies and their adventures captured people’s imaginations. So popular did they become that the house was a must-see destination for incoming Second Life users (helped by the fact that Rezzable were also a part of the Lab’s original SL Gateway programme, and so could direct their own incoming traffic to their regions, including the Greenies). Interest was further maintained by Rezzable periodically adding assorted games to the environment, alongside of new Greenie vignettes.

Sadly, all this came to an end in June 2010. The previous year, Rezzable had announced their withdrawal from SL in favour of their own dedicated, open simulator based grid, Heritage Key. They allowed the Greenies to remain in Second Life for almost a year after the announcement, but in that June of 2010, the little green folk loaded up their flying saucers for the last time and departed Second Life.

Since then, the legend of the Greenies has been celebrated in Second Life in many small ways – Greenie-like characters have on occasion popped-up in rides at things like SLB celebrations, for example. And now there is a new opportunity to recall their time here. It comes in the form of Once Upon A Time, an installation built by Justice Vought, owner of the excellent :Oxygen: (see: Getting some :oxygen: in Second Life) and admitted Greenies fan.

Having opened on April 29th, Once Upon A Time offers visitors the chance to enter Justice’s take on the giant house where the Greenies could once be found (you even do so through a mouse hole, just like the original – just follow the teleport prompts and arrows from the landing point, and keep an eye out for the cheese in the alley). Sadly, there are no original Greenies to be found inside – they are subject to copyright, after all; instead, the rooms offer visitors the chance to explore Greenie-style, and recreate some of the (mis)adventures the little green folk had.

This is a place to be explored carefully, because there are many interactive elements – balls can be rolled, Dominos knocked down, poses to be found (so very much in the style of the Greenies (although again sadly, no sugar “baths” or playing on frying pans – but you can jump into the kitchen sink and float around on a sponge, Greenie style or find yourself paddling in the loo … among other things; I’m not going to spoil it all!).  As such, the secret really is to mouse-over everything.

And don’t confine yourself to a floor-level exploration. Be prepared to jump / fly onto the tables, bed and other furniture.

Throughout, there are many touches that offer reminders of the the original Greenies build. Food is spilt in places, electrical wiring offers opportunities for some shocking times, an iron (sans quished Greenie sitson the ironing board, an Atari games console sits waiting to be wrestled with, and so on. For those wishing to recall the Greenies directly, the TV above the bedroom games console presents a host of original Greenie photos Justice pulled together from his own archives and from friends.

Anyone who can remember the Greenies in Second Life is liable to find Once Upon A Time a memory-filling visit. Whilst it is something of a unique build, it contains all that is required to bring back happy memories of spending time in Rezzable’s original and watching the Greenies at play. And while the little aliens themselves may not be present, anyone who has a Greenie avatar really should consider digging it out and wearing it during a visit!

SLurl Details

• Once Upon A Time (River, rated Moderate)

Vintage Lace is the Homestead region designed and held by Delinda Dench and Second Life photographer Skip Staheli, which we recently had occasion to visit.

This is a peaceful, easy setting, largely designed by Delinda and representing an open, rural location nestled between surrounding islands and offering a rolling, slightly rugged landscape. The landing point sits on a bridge spanning an inland body of water, itself connected to those around the island by two narrow channels.

Pointing east-to-west, the bridge offers two route for commencing exploration. Which you take is a matter of choice, but given there are few properly defined paths, which way you go is up to you: the natural lie of the land means that all routes through and around the region all eventually meet up.

Westwards, the bridge points towards a deck built over a corner of the lake, and a short wooden walk that leads to the local beach as it sits between high rocky shoulders. Eastwards, and after passing under a little avenue of trees, the bridge points the way to the island’s windmill and land split by one of the two channels connecting the lake with the surrounding waters. A small summer house sits just above the stream, the remnants of a a garden area on the low sloped behind it, just a few mossy flagstones and an old fountain being all that remain.

Across the arching curve of the stream, a small chapel sits part-way up another hill. The gabled gates, flagstoned bank below it, and the ruin of an old gate suggest that there once may have been a bridge or other crossing linking the chapel with the old garden, but now a fallen tree trunk a little further around the curve of the stream provides the single ground-level crossing point. This provides, in equal measure, access to the chapel, a picturesque waterfall that tumbles into a deep pond and a cottage atop another hill.

The latter is one of two homes on the region, the second being diagonally across the island to the north-west. The route between the offers a fair walk across the region, passing by way of the central windmill. This route also leads past a wood and rope bridge that connects the main island with a massive block of rock that rises from the east side bay. This offshore tower is cut on one side by a path that switch backs up to its almost flat top and the camp site retreat it offers – although a stay there might be dampened by a highly localised downpour.

All of the properties on the island, the two houses and the windmill, are fully furnished. Like the landscape around them, they offer plenty of scope for photography – but I would point out that the windmill and house to the north-west sit within their own parcels may actually be private homes (given the region itself is generally private), so please be respectful.

Photography is very much the secret behind the design of Vintage Lace. While it flows together as a complete landscape, so too can it been seen as a series of individual locations designed with and eye for photography – be it in the overgrown garden or alongside the horses wandering close to the windmill or on the decks or in the summer house or up on the high ridge and its rocky crossing over the second of the lake’s two outflow streams. Thus, the details throughout are many-fold, and opportunities for both avatar and landscape photography rich.

I believe I’m right in saying Vintage lace will remain open through until May 4th – although I now cannot find the note where I think I read it. So, if you’re an SL traveller and have yet to see it, I recommend finding the time to do so before the region is closed once more.

SLurl Details

• Vintage Lace (Vintage Lace, rated Moderate)

Orkney is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, about 16 km from the coast of Caithness, comprising some 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited, the largest being simply called Mainland. It is now also the subject of the latest region design by  Sombre Nyx called Endless 58-58N – in recognition of both her Endless region builds and Orkney’s northerly latitude (58º 58′ north).

Presenting an archipelago within an area just 256m on a side is not easy, but Endless 58-58N does so quite magnificently. True, there are off-sim surrounds that can help give the sense of depth to a location, however, how well they work can be a matter of debate. Here, by combining them with a hazy Windlight environment, Sombre has created a setting that perfectly captures the sense of being within a group of islands caught within the hazy coolness of the North Atlantic.

Thus Endless 58-58N is an engaging representation of Orkney’s gentle rugged beauty, with the focus on the South Isles as then encompass the natural basin of Scapa Flow, once the home of Britain’s Grand Fleet, and the place where the German Imperial German Navy was scuttled in 1918, the vessels that could not be salvaged becoming  – along with a number of sunken British ship – a popular dive spot.

That the region appears to be a representation of Scapa Flow and the larger islands surrounding it comes not only from region’s introductory note card, by by the shape of the largest island in the region, which has the look of part of Mainland, Orkney’s largest island. Also, the tall finger of rock that rises from the south-west side of the second largest island carries with in a suggestion of The Old Man of Hoy, another of the islands that surround the bay.

Orkney has a long history of occupation dating back to Mesolithic and Neolithic times. Much evidence of this can still be found among the island, including the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar. To reflect this, Endless 58-58N includes its own standing stones, watching over the sheep that graze on the slopes below them.

There is no set route to exploring the region – from the landing point, visitors can wander where they will. As with Orkney and the wilds of Caithness, this is an open, rolling setting with few trees, but with coastal areas raised in hard, rugged cliffs. A small fishing wharf with piers and boats sits at the foot of one of these cliffs, just over a cottage-topped hill from the landing point. A single road runs back from this little port to where a deck sits out over the waters of the bay, offering a place to sit and appreciate the view.

Getting to the other two islands of the region is a case of flying, there being no obvious ferry or rowing boat to take. Do note, however, that there is a separate parcel to the south-west of the region sitting between the large island and its two small neighbours that has ban lines active, so care should be taken in that area.

Endless 58-58N is a region that deserves to be seen first-hand; minimal yet rich in detail, perfectly set within its windlight environment and with subtle celebrations of Orkney’s history, it is genuinely a delight to visit and photograph. Keep an eye out for the local seals as well!

With thanks to Shawn for the pointer!

SLurl Details

• Endless 58-58N (Haraiki Bay, rated Adult)

We came across Devil’s Bend National Park, a region design by Aiden Caudron and occupying a Full region using the full region land capacity bonus, after poking at the Recently Added category of the Destination Guide.

Intended to offer the look and feel of a rugged national park, the setting is an interesting mix of public and residential spaces (the former well scattered across the region so as not to interfere with exploration). Raised into a high plateau, the park is a series of dusty trails running under rich fir foliage and over deep ravines by means of wooden bridges, together with wooden board walks that wind through the ravines and cling to the sides of cliffs as they rise and fall through the park.

The landing point sits at the visitor centre, a small lodge sitting at the side of one of the dusty roads. From here lie a choice of routes – one of which is reasonably short inasmuch as it crosses a bridge to reach two of the rental properties before coming to an end. Taking the road in the other direction is more constructive for explorers, as it winds much further through the park and offers a means to reach some of the wooden  walkways.

This is a place with a curious (in an interesting way) feel to it: open spaces, winding trails, and walks that are in keeping with the overall theme of a national park; but at the same time, the rental properties have something of a run-down feel to them; fenced gardens are overgrown, the houses faded by the sun and looking a little the worse for wear.

Meanwhile, the north-east and northern side of the region are closed to public access – that is, the road is unexpectedly blocked by the wreck of a school bus. This appears to be less to do with matters of privacy and more with the fact that a major bridge has partially collapsed. Whether this is the result of an earthquake or rockfall – or both – is unclear; but the damage is such that it does bring the route to an abrupt end. Nevertheless, the use of the wrecked bus to block the road, together with the dilapidated state of the buildings beyond it suggest perhaps another narrative for this northern side of the region.

Follow the roads and the wooden board walks up to the summits of the park, and you may find yourself passing through at least one tunnel boring through the rock. It leads the way to a zip line that can be used for riding past a waterfall and back to the road below. Should you miss the tunnel, you can make your way to the radio mast on the highest peak – but be aware that the radio station close by is now a private home.

I mention the tunnel, as tunnels are very much the secret to the park – threading through its rocky mass is a network of them, together with  chambers. Some are interconnected, others run on their own. Whilst most of the chambers do not hold a secret waiting to be found, they and the tunnels add a dimension to exploring the park that can keep visitors engaged for no small amount of time.

Rich in detail and offering numerous opportunities for exploration (and a café where visitors can rest should walking get a little too much), Devil’s Bend makes for an engaging visit. The texture load can have an impact if you’re running with all of the viewer’s bells and whistles engaged (particularly shadows), but this shouldn’t be a reason for not visiting, nor does it detract from the rugged charm of the region.

SLurl Details

• Devil’s Bend National Park (Last Tomorrow, rated Moderate)