Tag: Exploring SL Archives

Not long ago, Honour McMillan wrote an article on the matter of griefing and potentially criminal activities in SL. I actually quoted her in my own piece on the same subject. The images she used with the article were of a place called Rosemist Isle – which I admit to having been entirely ignorant of until I read Honour’s article and found myself not only in full agreement with her thoughts, but also captivated by the images themselves. As a result, Rosemist Isle immediately went on my “must visit” list for SL destinations.

I just didn’t expect to be visiting the region quite so soon as happened to be the case.

Honour visited Rosemist Isle to calm her temper and immerse herself. After having something of a crappy weekend (partially my own fault for being a bit of a twit with things I’m not going to bore you with), I felt that anything which captivated Honour would more than likely do the same for me.

It did.

The description for the region , designed by Nila Byron for the Rosemist Management group of KJ Kiranov, Xyza Armistice and Light Kaestner, reads in part, “The sim is dedicated to the Wonderment of Life, and the pursuit of Peace and Tranquility,” which is followed by an invitation to explore and enjoy the beauty of the isle.  And truth be told, there is a lot to explore and enjoy here, both when exploring on your own or with like-minded friends.

This is a place deserving of time taken to immerse yourself within it. If you are fortunate enough to be able to run your viewer in deferred mode, I strongly recommend you do, even if you leave shadows & lighting set to none. Make sure you have in-world sounds enabled as well to further enhance your experience. There is an audio stream as well, but whether you turn it on or not, I leave to you.

The region has its own windlight setting, but for the majority of snaps I took, I opted to use Annan Adored Realist Ambient, as it softened some of the glow used within the region and which, if I’m honest, I felt in places made some shots look over-exposed.

One of the things I love about Second Life is the freedom it provides to simply just be. A great deal of my time in-world is actually spent on my own, exploring places like Rosemist Isle. This is not necessarily because I’m particularly anti-social (although I am very definitely very insular); rather it is more because when exploring on my own I have the freedom to really experience a place and both escape pressures (RL or SL) and also find space to listen to myself as well as letting my imagination run free in response to whatever I discover.

Rosemist Isle is perfect for this; the woods invite one to roam and put cares off to one side, while the various places were one can sit naturally invite one to stay and simply contemplate. Which is not to say it should be experienced alone; the very nature of the region does much to also encourage companionship, be it wandering or sitting together.

The imagination can certainly take wing here: there are unicorns in the woods, a tall ship, her gun ports open, lying in the lee of the isle, and carvings of dragons abound, all of which add to the fantasy feel of the isle and suggest stories waiting to be told.

And lets face it, anywhere which features dragons is liable to get a big tick in my book!

Regular readers of these pages will know that music plays an important role in my life; it is something I have with me almost constantly, and while my tastes might be eclectic, music if often a favoured companion. Sometimes the initial impact of a region is much greater for me as a result of the music I happen to be listening / is playing on the region stream to when I opt to make a visit (although there are times when the look and feel of a place suggests suitable music to me).

When I teleported to Rosemist Isle, I happened to be listening to Passacaglia by Bear McCreary. Nothing unusual in this, as it is a piece I listen to a lot – McCreay’s work is genius. However, with Rosemist Isle, the fit seemed to be perfect for me given my mood, and I confess that rather than exploring on foot, I found myself simply sitting in an armchair and camming slowly though the region, allowing my imagination to create scenes and stories to me as I “roamed”.

Even without music – streamed or personal – Rosemist Isle offers the perfect means of calming ruffled nerves and soothing the mind of stress, as such I have no hesitation in recommending it as a destination well worth a visit. It certainly eased my mood and raised my spirit.

Related Links

• Rosemist Isle SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• SL Destinations in this blog

Update, December 2013: Crimarizon and Crimarizon 2 are both temporarily closed.

I first visited Crimarizon back in April 2012 on the recommendation of a number of friends. I’m glad I listened to them; the region is a marvellous place to explore, have fun and admire. At the time of my visit, Crimarizon 2, sitting next door, was under construction, and it duly went onto my list of Places To See once it had been completed – and I did check back a number of times. However, somewhere in 2012 I managed to let all thought of actually blogging about a return visit slip completely. So I thought it only right that for my first destination visit of 2013 to be to Crimarizon 2 itself.

As with Crimarzon, Crimarizon 2 is the work of Megan Prumier, and it continues many of the themes found in its namesake, mixing fantasy, art and photogenic locations in an eclectic, eye-catching – if not outright eye-watering – mix which is a joy to behold. There is much to see and do here.Crimarizon 2, again like its namesake, is the home of an art gallery – in this case the Benzaiten Art Gallery, featuring artwork by Ariel Brearly and Finger Scintilla. There is also exhibition space, a dance area and even a village to explore, as well forests  – both good and evil – to walk through. Mountains and tall outcrops provide perches for creations by the likes of Marcus Inkpen.

This is a region which is best experienced with deferred rendering active, both lighting and shadows and ambient occlusion, which can make it a bit of a strain for some computers – but if you run with the local windlight active, you can set shadows to NONE and still appreciate the immersive appeal of the regions.

Photography is welcome in Crimarizon and Crimarizon 2, and both builds really invite one to play with windlight settings. I opted to go largely with a natural amibient lighting level, simply because the misting effect seemed to fit with the look at feel of the more elevated parts of the regions, and it helped soften the lines of the sim surrounds (which once again played havoc with my computer; I’m still no closer to understanding why this happens, only that when I’m on a region using them, performance invariably falls through the floor, and snapshots become a major pain to save).

There is no set path to follow through the region – where you wander is entirely up to up, although there are trails and paths for you to follow – but you should keep your eyes turned upwards as well as looking around you, as there is a lot going on overhead which deserves to be seen. Just be prepared to give yourself plenty of time to enjoy what you find – Crimarizon 2 will draw you into is beauty as surely as Crimarizon itself.

The fantasy elements here will appeal to a broad range of tastes; Marcus Inkpen’s builds, sitting atop chimney-like rock towers are evocative of wizards and sorcery; elsewhere is at least one building with a more elvish feel to it, together with garden areas with a distinctly Tolkien-esque elven tone. Elsewhere things are perhaps more suggestive of children’s tales, with trees and mushrooms bearing faces and looking as if they would like you to stop and talk with them.

As the Crimarizon regions adjoin one another, it is possible to pass freely between the two – and the crossing is very smooth (or was for me at least, as I shuttled back and forth between the two). Indeed, the only way of noting you have passed, or are about to pass, from one to the other – assuming you’re using the central path – is either by noting the region name change in your viewer, or when you pass under two magnificent elephants.

Caves are very much a feature here; close to the region boundary sits the Benzaiten Art Gallery in an underground cavern, while the trails leading around the region to the village on the East side run through caves and tunnels – one of which in turn leads to a dark and dead forest, complete with a mysterious inland shipwreck and, if you look around, dozens of red eyes peering out of the darkness at you…

Both are evocative regions which are well worth taking your time to explore and enjoy. For those who really like the regions and are looking for a place to live, rental properties are available within the village itself, with some additional housing located along one of the cliffs. There are even a couple of treehouses which may be available for rent, depending upon demand. Please do keep in mind that some of the houses are private occupancy when exploring the village; unrented houses have a green dot outside, those which are occupied have a red dot.

As well as hosting two popular galleries, the regions also host monthly events and parties, to which all are welcome. Details can be obtained through the Crimarizon group, which visitors can join when they arrive in either region.

Whether you are new to exploring SL or an old hand, if you’ve not visited Crimarizon, then you should be making a belated New Year’s resolution to do so – you won’t be disappointed when you go.

Related Links

• Crimarizon 2 SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• Crimarizon SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• The photogenic fantasy of Crimarizon  – April 2012
• SL Destinations in this blog

 

I first visited Steelhead, albeit very briefly, earlier this year when I was poking my nose into mazes around Second Life and dropped in on the Southwest Gate Hedge Maze of Nevermoor. I had a quick look around at the time and added Steelhead to my list of places to review for my series on SL destinations – something I finally managed to do over the past few days.

Steelhead is described as “an American Victorian Steampunk Community in the Second Life Nestled in the Coastal Pacific Northwest”. It’s a group of seven regions, which bring together commercial, residential and role-play elements in a themed community focused steampunk and which bring together an eclectic and fascinating range of themes.

There are a number of teleport points through the community, so rather than scatter them across this article, I’ll list them at the end.

Steelhead itself is the commercial centre for the community. here you’ll find the train station, stores and wide streets and the town hall, wherein a weekly meeting of residents is held to discuss community matters. To the west of this is Steelhead Shanghai, a fascinating “Sino-steampunk” region which brought to mind photos I’ve seen of the Hong Kong harbour front circa the 1920s (although Hong Kong admittedly never had dirigible junks sitting on the waterfront).

Steelhead Harborside is mostly residential, and offers a nice walk along footpaths bordered by houses which keep to the theme of the community, and across bridges over canal-like waterways which give the place a very homely and attractive feel. To the north sits Steelhead Nevermoor, which brings a touch of mystery and magic to the estate (and which I most enjoy exploring at night). It is also where you can find the maze mentioned at the top of this article.

Continue reading “Nouveau steampunk with a rural seasoning” →

Having opted to get out on the water recently, and following Indigo Mertel’s suggestion that sailing is one of the best ways to explore SL, this week I set out to navigate the further reaches of Blake Sea and the surrounding regions. Along the way I discovered Second Norway, a group of around 17 regions which celebrate life in Norway, providing both a themed environment for people living there and a wide range of public spaces which can be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike, all of which can be explored by road, water and air.

While not attempting to be a representation of any single place in Norway, Second Norway does include several features from its real-life namesake, and offers up much which is representative of the Norwegian countryside and Norwegian heritage, all of which combine to make it a fascinating visit.

My first encounter with the SL / rl cross-over came on sailing into the main harbour area, which features a recreation of a row of multi-hued buildings on the waterfront in Bergen. This is forms one of the social hubs in the regions, hosting a range of events as well as being within easy reach of a number of nearby attractions.

One of these, on the hill overlooking the quayside and colourful shops, is a replica of the triple nave stave church at Borgund, which is believed to be one of the best-preserved examples of a stave church in Norway, having been originally built some time between 1180 and 1250. The church in Second Norway is the very first build undertaken by Ey Ren, one of the co-founders of the modern Second Norway community, and a leading figure therein along with Mialinn Telling.

It is a fabulous build, and provides a wonderful focal-point for visits and for SL photographers, and appears to be used for special ceremonies such as weddings. The attention to detail, both outside and in is a delight, and I found myself drawn back to it several times during my visit. I love the alter, and the traditional bell structure located outside.

A short walk from the church and bell, shaded by trees, is a memorial installed by residents of Second Norway to remember the 77 people who lost their lives in the terrible events of 22 July 2011, in both Oslo and on the island of Utøya. It is a simple affair, and all the more moving for being so, bearing an inscription of a quote from one of the survivors of that black day.

Just down the hill from the church is another point of historical interest – part of a traditional viking village, a virtual living museum, the long house of which is used to host both events and exhibitions.

From here I opted to take to the road to continue my explorations. Second Norway includes a comprehensive road system which goes both overland and underwater, thanks to a tunnel system. A section of the roads is modelled on Norway’s Atlantic Sea Road, and is a great drive to take. I initially started out using my ubiquitous Neuspa, partially because I felt its amphibious capabilities would be useful if I happened to fall off the road into the neighbouring waterways, and partially because some of those involved in Second Norway are into biking, and I wanted to share something of their experience when out on the open road. I did, however, also take my Autoworks 43S GT for a spin (which did encounter a few issues with road section seams).

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