Tag: Exploring SL Archives

West Of The Rain – click any image for full size

“West Of The Rain,” Oobleck Allagash says of the region, “was originally conceived to be a tribute to the San Juan islands, as a token of love to my partner, Nodnol Jameson, given her respect and admiration for the nature and beauty of the Pacific North-west.”

While I’ve never been to the San Juan Islands, I have spent time looking at photographs from the web, and I have to say that Oobleck and Nodnol have done a superb job in recreating much of the look and feel of the islands, including some notable landmarks.

West Of The Rain

Visitors begin their journey on the south side of the region, where a quay juts out into the sea, a ferry alongside. Shoreward of this, rising up a gentle slope, are two rows of little shops and boutiques facing one another across a road. The first of these are, respectively, a charming little café and an old bed and breakfast – both perfect for anyone thinking of staying a while. Close by, on a little headland and in an homage to Friday Harbour on the main island,  sits a lighthouse.

Follow the road up through the town, passing the parking lot, and it will lead you north and east around the region. Or, if you prefer, you can follow the footpath running past the lighthouse and along the west side of the island. Whichever route you choose, the is a lot to see, be it the beach to the north, or past the steps leading up to the local church to the boat yard, and then onwards from either.

West Of The Rain

In addition. a footpath winds its way across the middle of the region, taking hikers through woodland, over a bridge and around a small lake to reach the main road once more. It is in the design of the road and footpaths where at least some of the magic of the region lies: they have been laid out in such a way as to give a feeling you’re travelling through a place much bigger and more irregular in form than a 256 metre on a side square of land.

The rest of the magic lies in the natural flow of the land, from little town to rural roads and footpath, from woodland to rocky cliffs and sandy beaches, from boat yard to lake, there is a natural, organic flow to everything here. There’s also a lot of nice little touches, from the rooftop terrace of the café, though the roadside picnic areas to the little cuddle spots dotted around; the care and love put into building the region is clearly evident.

West Of The Rain

“The entire region is public,” Oobleck says, “and will over time evolve and include installations by friends who we also want to feel a part of the creative process. There will be no commercial activities on the sim, nor do we solicit or ask for contributions. Our goal has always been to make this as pure as possible in every way.”

That’s a noble goal, and having spent a fair amount of time exploring the region on foot – you can grab a bicycle near the arrival point, if that’s your preference – I’d say Nodnol and Oobleck have already succeed in their goal to a good degree, and I’m certainly looking forward to seeing how things develop.

West Of The Rain

Rounded off by a subtle sound scape and offering many opportunities for photography, exploration and relaxing, West Of The Rain makes for a most enjoyable visit.

SLurl Details

• West Of The Rain (Rated: Moderate)

 

I’m a space nut, both science-fiction and science fact; regulars to this blog will recognise this is the case simply via my Space Sunday column, and via the occasional sci-fi reference. So, when Kinn (Kinnaird) covers a planetarium in SL I’ve missed, it is somewhere I have to hop over to and see.

Space – a Planetarium, designed by Hazelee Haller, is located on Heterocera, not that far from the Unknown Theme Park in fact, which Caitlyn and I explored back at the start of July. It’s an interesting little place, offering what might be described as a more stylised approach to visualising the solar system. This is due in no small part to the planetarium occupying just 512 square metres of land – which is itself a remarkable achievement.

This stylised approach can be seen on the ground level, where mighty Jupiter sits within what can only be described as Saturn’s ring system (Jupiter’s own rings being far thinner and less well-defined). A teleport sphere located in one corner of the building will take you up to the planetarium proper.

Presided over by a huge Venus and Mars, the planetarium ins divided into two levels. On the lower are static displays of the major planets of the solar system together with their principal moons – although Phobos and Deimos are absent from Mars, possibly due to their tiny size. The planets and moons aren’t offered to scale relative to one another, but click on any one of them (other than the Earth), and you’ll be offered a link to their Wikipedia page.

The upper level, reached via a ramp between the two lines of gas giants and their moons, offers a little orrery-like model of the inner planets  – Mercury, Venus, Earth (and the Moon) and Mars all orbiting around the Sun. These all appear to be to scale relative to one another (although obviously, not to the Sun!). Beyond them hang further static models of Jupiter, Uranus and Saturn, which also appear to be to scale to the inner planets. In addition, the walkway on the lower level passes through the wall of the planetarium’s sphere to a platform offering a view of the sphere itself, which is textured on the outside with an image of the Earth.

Space – a Planetarium is a neat little pocket-size guide to much of the solar system, and certainly presents a way for those not well-versed in the planets around us and their major moons to become more familiar with them, without also getting overloaded with facts and information. Yes, it does lack some of the options which might be available on a larger parcel of land, but this doesn’t in any way lessen what is offered here; rather the reverse, in fact. It shows what can be achieved on even smaller parcels with limited land capacity.

SLurl Details

• Space – a Planetarium (Rated: Moderate)

Nouvelles Aventures – click any image for full size

Nouvelles Aventures is a whimsical homestead region put together by Adalynne Celeste Reed  (AdalynneReed) with the help of Catherine Inaka and Cady Amelia Reed (CadyAmelia) and which Caitlyn and I happened across by chance whilst looking for places to visit.

Divided into four islands by two waterways, each crossed by bridges, the region is surrounded by familiar, tall off-sim mountains, their lower slopes populated by fir trees. Each of the four little islands has something of its own character, offering an interesting mix of locations and photo opportunities for visitors.

Nouvelles Aventures

The largest island, occupying the north-west corner of the region is home to the landing point and, a short walk up a dirt track from it, thatched roofed cottages, comfortably furnished inside with dusty paths linking one with the next. At least one would appear to be a family home – a pair of tree houses sit a short distance away, linked one to the other by a little rope bridge.  A little further away, on the east side of the land sits a lighthouse built in the same style as the cottages.

Just down a set of steps set into the hillside near the lighthouse sits an arched wooden bridge giving access to another of the islands. Here the land is flatter, with a little outdoor theatre sitting on the riverbank. A screen of trees separates this from a little fairground that has perhaps seen better days: the carousel is sans horses, the ground overgrown and the rides now offering amusement to  strutting peacocks and a group of little princeling chicks and their retinue. Beyond this, an events barn dominates this island, with a dance machine inside waiting for visitors.

Nouvelles Aventures

The remaining two islands offer more outdoor spots, each with whimsical touches, be it the little arched gateway on the smaller of the two, or the little chap awaiting company of others at the camp fire on the other.

This is an easy-going region – look around and you’ll find places to dance, or to sit (either on the ground or up in a tree) and little touches. It lends itself to a range of windlight environments and lots of photo opportunities. Those who do take pictures are asked to submit them to the region’s Flickr group if they would.

Nouvelles Aventures – click any image for full size

All told, a pleasing and relaxing visit.

SLurl Details

• Nouvelles Aventures (Rated: Moderate)

Dinosaurs are a fascinating subject. Kids love them, Hollywood can’t get enough of them and BBC even took us walking with them in what was a truly ground-breaking television series in 1999.  They can also be celebrated in Second Life in a variety of ways, including through what must be one of the longer running dino adventures in-world, Prehistorica: the Dawn Kingdom, Here visitors can drop-in on the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of pre-history, and as I last visited far (ish) back February 2014, I decided a return visit was long overdue.

Covering three regions (although parts of them are not apparently open to public roaming), Prehistorica offers the opportunity for people to explore ancient lands and witness the thunder lizards as they once more roam those environments – and, through the sky-borne store area – become a prehistoric beast of their own choosing, if they so wish.

It is at the store area that visitors’ journeys begin. On arrival, you’ll be given a set of region rules – which should be read carefully. From here, you can wander the store and view the offerings or grab a freebie “time travel” outfit or mesh dinosaur and proceed to the Time Machine.

This is an Experience-driven event (for the teleport portals), and once accepted, you’ll be transferred (with a bit of a sideways kick!) to the main portal hall. This offers six destinations – Jurassic Jungle, Prehistoric Plains, Cretaceous Canyon all being above ground, and Abyss Caves, Fossil Reef and Kelp Gardens under water. I’m not sure if it was just the time when I visited, but I admit to finding the three overground destinations more engaging.

It is in these that you can find various denizens of the periods such as the apatosaurus, stegosaurus and triceratops representing the herbivores  and the allosaurus, tyrannosaurus rex, its “cousin” giganotosaurus and the spinosaurus representing the carnivores.  These are all wearable dinosaurs made of mesh (and can be purchased in the sky store), brought to life via interactive bots – they’ll respond to your presence – which where they pose, move … and periodically, poop. For those who don’t fancy walking, there are also dinosaurs which can be ridden / flown – just look for the arrows over them. I did try one, a gallimimus, but found I couldn’t dismount after, and had to log in order to do so.

The models themselves are beautifully detailed, and pretty much “life-sized” when compared to human avatars. Each shows off its own range of skin colours and designs  –  some of which make the dino look like it’s either wearing war paint or has been the focus of a group of street artists (prior to them becoming lunch / a light snack in the case of the carnivores?). Each of them makes for excellent an photography subject, either alone or in human company, and for those looking for somewhere different for their photo shoots,  Prehistorica could be an interesting choice – rezzing of standalone props is permitted (5 minute auto-return).

Role-play isn’t the primary aim of the regions, although those wishing to RP are free to do so, again within the bounds of the rules set out in the region note card. The landscapes appear suited to the times they are designed to represent, and encountering the dinos can be a fun experience. I’m just a little disappointed that there was no sign of the famous short-sighted theropod, doyouthinkhesaurus!

SLurl Details

• Prehistorica: the Dawn Kingdom (Rated Moderate)

Eclectica – Mystica

A year ago, I paid my first visit to Eclectica, a homestead region designed by Maddy Riddler. At the time, it was her first region design, and as I noted when adding it to my travelogues, it made for an enchanting visit.

At the start of August 2016, Maddy opened the latest design for the region, with the region also being featured  in the Destination Guide highlights for August 5th. As it has been a while since my last visit, the DG entry prompted me to hop over and have a little explore – and I have to say that once again, Maddy has created something which is an absolute pleasure to see.

Eclectica – Mystica

Mystica, as Maddy is calling the latest incarnation of Eclectica, presents visitors with a richly wooded archipelago floating 240 metres above sea level, the home to walks, cuddle spots, mystical clearings, climbing stairs, a wizard’s tower – and more besides.

Building an environment in the sky can often be difficult; landscapes don’t always have a natural look and feel, placing an environment inside a skybox often leads to an unsatisfactory result with the sky, while leaving things open can lead to abrupt edges and drops around the edges, or illusion-breaking transparent walls to reduce the risk of folk dropping off unexpectedly.

Eclectica – Mystica

Maddy tackles all of these issues admirably, presenting an island as natural-looking as anything which might be found at ground level. Rugged cliffs mark changes of elevation and gorges cut their way through a wooded landscape, paths bordered by tough grass winding between the trees, bridges and ramps spanning the narrow defiles between rocky outcrops, steps linking different levels. Around the edges, dense hedges over which mists gently float, form a “soft” natural boundary so even when standing on the edge of one of the higher promontories, visitors have a clear indication they’ve reached as far as they can go (although horizontally placed transparent surfaces prevent anyone accidentally taking several steps too far.

The paths through the landscape are clear and easy to follow, the trees and shrubs serving to break the skyline perfectly. As one might expect from a location leaning towards romance, places to sit, cuddle and dance can be found in glades, under trees, within the arches of gazebos and by pond and cliff edge. There are also touches of whimsy, hints of the mystical,

Eclectica – Mystica

For those who do find romance blossoming and want to go further, the teleport sign near the landing point offers a way down to ground level and an island offering a choice of beach or forest automated weddings, which include a choice of ceremony types, dedicated honeymoon venues in a unique approach to in-world weddings which would appear to take a lot of the stress out of arrangements, scheduling, and so forth, and which can include close friends as witnesses.

Photogenic, romantic and a delight to explore, Mystica is another enchanting and delightful iteration of Eclectica. When you get the opportunity, do be sure to see for yourself!

SLurl Details

• Eclectica Mystica (Rated: Moderate)

The Rains of Castamere – click any image for full size

Doubtless any Game of Thrones fan will recognise the main part of the title of this travelogue. The Rains of Castamere is a song immortalising the obliteration of House Reyne by Tywin Lannister when the former tried to rebel against his father, and can be heard in part several times in the TV series. It is also now the name of a new region designed by Arol Lightfoot (who designed Just Another Tequilla Sunrise – see my 2014 post here, and who shares the design honours with Krys Vitas for Rosemoor, which I featured in  May 2016).

The Rains of Castamere is not, however, a Game of Thrones role-play region. While there are many motifs from the books / series within it, Arol notes in her introduction that it also includes  other fantasy elements, and is intended to offer an environment SL photographers can enjoy – and it does so quite admirably.

The Rains of Castamere

Split into two by a meandering channel running east to west, the region is mostly low-lying, with grassy banks rolling down to the water’s edge, although there are some  rocky aspects at either end of the dividing channel. One of the two land masses is sparse of tree and shrub, the other offers a broader expanse of land which is host to a mix of woods and open spaces.

The references to the world of Games of Thrones can be found throughout the region. There’s the tall tower of stone to the south-east sitting atop of a rock plateau, clearly representative of Casterly Rock, the ancestral seat of House Lannister. Two ruins lie relatively close to hand, either of which might be taken to reference House Reyne from the song, whilst the two bridges spanning the narrow channel carry on their sides the carved head of a lion, a nod towards the golden lion sigil of House Lannister.

The Rains of Castamere

Across one of these bridges sits a stone castle topped by an iron throne, while two lions face off against two large wolves down below. All of these stand as motifs for Kings Landing and the enmity between the Lannisters and House Stark, whilst the looming figure of the armoured knight alongside the throne might be taken as a reference to Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane, bodyguard to Cersei Lannister – and by extension, Cersei’s hold on the throne.

The Starks gain further reference amidst a woodland of fir trees (themselves symbolic of northern latitudes) north and east of the castle. These arc protectively around a weirwood tree to one side, the symbol of the old gods historically worshipped by the Starks. However, perhaps the clearest reference to the GoT universe lay with the dragons. These can be found on the ground and in the air, and their reflection of House Targaryen is clear. One even flies above a ship on the west side of the region, and is surely a allusion to the coming to Westeros of Daenerys Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, as seen at the end of the sixth season of the series.

The Rains of Castamere

Other fantasy elements are also to be found across the region in the form of unicorns, elven arches and lanterns, trolls, a dryad – look around and you’ll discover them. Many of the locations offer the opportunity to pose, sit and / or cuddle, thus furthering the photographic opportunities here (and more were appearing even as I visited).

The Rains of Castamere is an interesting approach to a region; while the landscape natural flows from point to point, so too does each location within it stand on its own as a photographic setting quite distinct from those around it. Opportunities for both landscape images and avatar studies can be found throughout, the latter obviously well-suited to cosplay shoots.

Whether you’re into Game of Thrones or seeking a new location for your photography, The Rains of Castamere has much to offer. And given the title of the region, it seems only appropriate that I close this piece not only with a recommendation to visit, but also with a rendition of the song.

SLurl Details

• The Rains of Castamere (Rated: Moderate)