New World Notes

What Are Your Virtual World New Year's Resolutions?

I've been taking a much needed mini-vacation from blogging for awhile while able Iris ably steers the ship, but wanted to stop by to wish all you New World Notes readers a Happy New Year in 2013. I'll be back to blogging later in the week, but for now, here's an open forum for virtual world-related New Year's Resolutions. What are yours, related to Second Life, Linden Lab's other platforms, other virtual world/user-generated platforms, MMOs and 3D gaming, 3D printing, augmented reality, Kinect, virtual goods, or anything else we cover on New World Notes?

I'll go first, with two resolutions of my own:

Turn Heads Tonight With Chic Mesh Dresses from Talented (and even Templated) SL Designers

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

New Years Eve is always a great time to be a fashionista in either world because it's a great excuse to get dressed up. Glitz and glamour go hand in hand with this holiday, so even though I plan to spend midnight offline I can't help but dress my avatar up for the occasion anyway.

Earlier today I mentioned a dress from Maitreya that offers a more traditional New Years look, but I couldn't leave it at that. If you want something just as chic but a little more unique, this champagne-colored number from Leverocci [SLURL] [SL Marketplace] might be just what you need. It's called Elizabeth Ca 1932 and it's from their most recent line, labelled Belgravia. This picture is definitely worth enlarging to see the detailed texturing designer Jin Elfan has worked into this item. If you do wear this dress, take my advice and don't over-accessorize it. The striking blue gems around the neck will only get lost with any busy necklaces or voluminous hair over them, so stick with clutches, rings, and maybe a pair of sapphire pumps to make sure that you're not overdoing it.

If this slick look from Leverocci's not your taste, keep reading for something closer to the adorable end of the style spectrum!

The Top SL Brand As Chosen by NWN's Readers is...

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

• Brand name: Maitreya
• [SL Marketplace]
• [SLURL]
• Blog
• Estimated average item price: L$550
• Brand owner: Onyx LeShelle

It's finally time to share the brand that received the most nominations from NWN readers, and it's no surprise that it's one of the older and more highly regarded brands of the Second Life fashion world. Maitreya's original store was little more than a box with an emphasis on animated modeling poses (which were quite novel at the time), but they quickly branched out into clothing, shoes, accessories and even hair. These days Maitreya is well known for their stunningly realistic shoes and feet, as well as their mesh and sculpted clothing, with an emphasis on the kind of glamour and style you'd find in the glossy pages of a magazine like Vogue.

The dress I'm wearing in the picture above is called Frenzy, and it would be a perfect choice for a virtual New Years Eve party, especially when paired with the sleek Liaison stilettos shown on the right (also from Maitreya). This dress comes in about a dozen different colors, but I've picked black with golden glitter for a fairly traditional New Years look. Whether you're building a last minute party outfit or just looking for something fresh to wear in 2013, be sure to swing by Maitreya!

My Five Favorite NWN SL Fashion Posts of 2012

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

2012 was an interesting year for SL fashion: new debates arose and old ones raged on, while mesh began to dominate the design landscape. Since the year is drawing to a close in a matter of days I thought it would be a good time to recap some of my favourite fashion posts from NWN from the past year, so if you're looking for some stylish reading this weekend you can start right here:

Marvellous Mesh Styles from Celoe will Keep Your Avatar Catwalk-Ready (NWN Readers' Choice, Top SL Brand)

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

• Brand name: Celoe
• [SL Marketplace]
• [SLURL]
• Flickr Group
• Estimated average item price: L$450
• Brand owner: JadenArt

I borrowed the picture above from Gogo's blog, since she has a notable penchant for the intensely detailed shoes from this particular brand, and has taken some truly stunning pictures of them. Celoe is a brand that branched out from Lelutka, a store that has been incredibly popular among SL models and model-wannabes, as well as fashionistas with a fondness for the edgy look of runway fashion, since it debuted. Celoe launched backed by the creative power of Lelutka's designers as well as some new collaborators, specializing in mesh shoes and clothing. Whether you love or hate Standard Sizing, Celoe is one of several brands that have made this system as common as it is today. You can find Celoe in the same sim as one of the brands featured yesterday, Mon Tissu, and if you're a fan of one brand it's hard not to fall for its neighbour, since both brands share the same high standards in terms of their quality. 

That's all for now, but be sure to check back in on Monday for our very last NWN Readers Choice brand selection, when I'll be showcasing the brand that received the most reader nominations.

Top 10 New World Notes Posts in 2012 by Traffic

Here's the ten NWN posts which attracted the most views by traffic in 2012, largely from social media sharing via Facebook and Twitter, or links from big sites like Boing Boing and Reddit:

General gaming and MMO news/reviews/analysis:

• Galactica MMO Probably More Popular Than Old Republic
• Four Tricks for Taking Gorgeous Skyrim Screenshots
• The Elder Roles: How to Play Skyrim as a Skyrim Peasant
• Dishonored's End: Harvey Smith & Raphael Colantonio on Designing a Game That Changes Based on Player Behavior
• World of Skyrim Actually Much Smaller Than San Francisco
• 3 Ways Diablo 3's Lack of Avatar Customization Fails Players

Virtual world/SL-related:

• Linden Lab COO/CFO Bob "BK Linden" Komin Leaving Linden Soon, Say Sources (Note: First reported on NWN in June, this was confirmed in August.)
• Cloud Party: New Facebook-Based User-Generated 3D Virtual World Supported by SL Co-Founder Cory Ondrejka & Ex-Cryptic Studios CTO Bruce Rogers

Tech and online community news and analysis:

• Will The WELL Survive? Members Pledge $100K+ to Buy Influential Virtual Community from Corporate Owners
• 3D Printing: If Chris Anderson and Wired Can’t Convince Me It’ll Be Big, Who Can?

Mon Tissu is the Costume of Choice for a Sweetly Twee Second Lifestyle (NWN Readers' Choice, Top SL Brand)

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

• Brand name: Mon Tissu
• [SL Marketplace]
• [SLURL]
• Blog
• Estimated average item price: L$300
• Brand owners: Elie Spot (Emma Gilmour) and Anouk Spot (Juliette Westerburg)

Mon Tissu is the work of two very talented designers who, like the Power Rangers or those kids from Captain Planet, combine their efforts to make items that are even more impressive than anything they make on their own. Designs from Mon Tissu are immaculate, and in most cases perfect examples of SL clothing worth holding up to say "This is how it's done".

There's no real secret behind Mon Tissu's success, so there's not that much to say about them. Their clothing is simply impeccable, with flawless textures and extremely high quality sculpting and modeling. Of course it helps that it's also very on-trend, offering seasonal releases that reflect the latest styles and color palettes. If you love Pinterest, pastels, and pastries, you'll probably fall head over heels for Mon Tissu's ultra-feminine lineup. Check it out for yourself and you'll see exactly what I mean.

Second Life Fashion Just Wouldn't be the Same Without Elikatira (NWN Readers' Choice, Top SL Brand)

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

• Brand name: Elikatira
• [SL Marketplace]
• [SLURL]
• Blog
• Estimated average item price: L$220
• Brand owner: Elikapeka Tiramisu

Elikatira's presence on the NWN Reader's Choice Brands list shouldn't surprise anyone. Who knows what the SL fashion landscape would look like without Elikapeka Tiramisu; she's been an institution in Second Life's Fashion community for longer than the vast majority residents have even been in SL. My very first prim hairstyle was from Elika's previous brand, ETD. It was a head full of corkscrewed torii that absolutely pales in comparison to what Elika is capable of these days.

Styles at Elikatira are usually quite casual and natural with mostly straight or wavy hair, and there's a lot available in the store to suit girl-next-door avatars. She's a master of stray wisps and realistically dishevelled locks as well, but even if you prefer edgier styles there are cuts at Elikatira worth demo-ing, like Figure which I'm wearing above. Elikatira has a fairly large Marketplace presence, but for the full selection (including Figure) you'll need to make a trip to the in-world shop, where you'll also find an array of chic shoes to peruse. Whether the hair or the shoes appeal to you more, it's hard to leave Elikatira empty-handed.

Cloud Party's Advantages Over Second Life for Content Creators (Comment of the Week)

The latest updates to Cloud Party provoked many very interesting comments on NWN over the long holiday/Christmas weekend, perhaps most perceptive of all being this one from reader Ezra, who spells out Cloud Party's advantages over Second Life for developers in great detail:

"[T]he biggest difference between Cloud Party and Second Life is that everything is highly customizable.

"Take Hamlet mentioning there's flight [in Cloud Party] now. Well they didn't just add flight, they added a new asset type called the 'Movement Module' for all creators to think up things with. They thought of and created basic flight. A Movement Module dictates an avatar's air and ground acceleration, deceleration, jump height, jump speed, whether they jump at all or fly instead, their mass/gravity and whether they fall down at all or instead fall up, or stay suspended in air, and more.

"And that's just the movement/physics part of what composes that flight. There's also the 'Sequencer' asset type that choreographs animations, particles, meshes attaching and detaching, and other events in well...a sequenced way.

"In Second Life, there's a lot of hacking about to accomplish such things. Want to fly faster? Flight feather that uses LSL functions in a way not intended. Want to animate differently while flying? More use of LSL functions looping and killing default animations that weren't meant to be tortured that way.

"The same goes for just about everything:

Whether You're Naughty or Nice, Designs from League Will Suit You (NWN Readers' Choice, Top SL Brand)

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

• Brand name: League
• [SL Marketplace]
• [SLURL]
• Blog
• Estimated average item price: L$200
• Brand owner: Nena Janus

Designs from League are often either flirty and feminine, bold and sexy, or a combination of the two. I picked a sultry, sparkling minidress from League as a top choice for New Year's Eve 2011, but some of my favorite releases from League are Nena's girlier lace-trimmed or pastel-toned items. The vast majority of Nena's shop is filled with clothing, but she's also seen tremendous success with her skin line. Skins from League are realistic and very polished, which understandably makes them a favorite of even highly-descriminating fashionistas.

Beyond that, League also offers unique jewelry and accessories. I'm wearing a set of embroidered earmuffs from League in the picture above, which are currently at The Arcade. I love the stitching on these, but the subtle shaping and texturing on the ribbon looks so realistic that even this tiny detail is a testament to Nena's skills as a designer. You can play League's gacha machine at The Arcade for a chance at these earmuffs as well as others, along with matching mittens, for L$50 per play until December 31st. Don't miss your chance!