New World Notes

SL-Based Interactive Sci-Fi Webcomic Splintered Rock Needs Your Support

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

A couple months ago I wrote about Splintered Rock, an interactive webcomic influenced by Dune and shot in Second Life using a cluster of truly magnificent and gritty sci-fi sims. What makes it so innovative is that the story develops based on several different kinds of interaction that readers can have with creator Darren Green, including polls and the use of tokens to bolster the stats (and therefore survival chances) of their favorite characters.

It's a neat concept and it's pretty well executed, but it's not all smooth sailing either. Projects like this don't create themselves, and Chapter 1 proved to be a pretty time-consuming endeavour. That's why Splintered Rock needs your help...

Project Materials Beta Viewer Brings The Spectacular World of Specularity (and More) to Second Life

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

The long-awaited Project Materials Viewer for Second Life has finally arrived, and many builders and designers have been clambering to take it for a spin. This viewer adds a new range of options for those creating with mesh including support for specular maps. But what exactly does that mean for you and me? Mostly it means that a lot more realistic-looking (and just plain pretty) mesh items will be coming to your inventory very soon.

Designer Damien Fate (the man behind Fatewear, Loco Pocos, and one of the team members of coldLogic) has been one of those tinkering with the new viewer, and he's made a video that definitely illuminates the difference:

Get Inspired by Fresh Takes on Classic Disney Characters in SL With The DisneyBound Blogger Challenge

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

I love a good blogger challenge, not so much because I like participating but more because I like seeing everyone else's entries. Sometimes Second Life fashion can feel a little bit uninspired (and uninspiring) and it takes a few clever people to give me a fresh perspective. My latest inspiration obsession has been STYLEMINIONS' DisneyBound Blogger Challenge which started last month. Every week, blogger Natalee Oodles issues a challenge to the community to redesign a classic Disney character, like the above Ariel-inspired avatar by Sophia Harlow.

But the themes aren't limited to princesses. In fact...

These Stunning Posters for Second Life's Fantasy Faire 2013 Are Exactly What Every SL Ad Should Be!

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

If you're eager to check out the next big event in SL (or just interested in some fresh eye candy to brighten your morning) look no further than Fantasy Faire 2013 and the three awesome posters made by a team of SL artists to advertise it. Check out all the details after the cut!

Open Forum: 97.1% of Second Life Users Now Log In Through Mesh-Enabled Viewers, So What About You?

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

A recent graph by SL resident Kadah Coba paints a very interesting picture of the current rate of mesh adoption in Second Life. As reported by Daniel Voyager last month, mesh viewer adoption is at just over 97% now.

Surprising? Not exactly. But given how vocal many NWN readers were on the issue even one year ago, I'm curious: When did you make the switch, and why?

This Blender Plugin for Second Life Shapes Could Revolutionize Machinima (And Revitalize Your Avatar)

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

Machinima-makers and hardcore avatar-customizers alike have a new toy to play with... Provided they aren't afraid to roll up their sleeves and dive into Blender to use it. The Avastar plugin (not to be confused with the old virtual world tabloid of the same name) allows you to import a mesh model of your Second Life avatar into Blender, fully rigged and ready to experiment on.

The plugin isn't free, but there are a ton of potential applications that make it well worth the $22 asking price, like...

How to Leave Meaningful Marketplace Reviews (Or More Accurately: How to Avoid Looking Like an Ass in One)

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

The quick and dirty reviews availably on a lot of virtual shopping sites these days, including the SL Marketplace, can be a real gift for indecisive shoppers. At the same time, they can also be a curse for designers and vendors whose businesses can be jeopardized by one person with a less than thoughtful review.

Unfortunately there's no real guide on how to leave these kinds of reviews, so it's understandable that a lot of people get confused and make mistakes about what kind of information is useful and what kind is, well, garbage. So today I've got three easy tips that will hopefully shed a little more light on how to write a flawless product review on the SL Marketplace (or elsewhere), starting with...

What's a Day in the Life of a SLipster Like? Probably Something Like This...

 

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

The SLipsters is my go-to blog when it comes to men's fashion in Second Life, not just because bloggers Laika Saintlouis and James Schwarz are so dapper it hurts, but because their pictures never disappoint. James has had two particularly gorgeous posts recently, perfect virtual pick-me-ups for a Monday morning in reality. Keep reading for all the details!

Ultra Kawaii: Snow Rabbit's Adorable Animated Mesh Head Debuts in Second Life at The Skin Fair, But Is She For You?

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

Last November I wrote about a teaser video from Japanese skin designer Shirousagi Noel of Snow Rabbit advertising an upcoming animated head for Second Life avatars. The head was due to be released in early 2013 and, true to her word, you can head to The Skin Fair (which opens today and runs until the end of the month) to pick one up at her booth right now.

I've talked about mesh heads and hybrid mesh avatars a lot lately, so what makes Shirousagi's different and, more importantly, is it for you? I've got all the info you need to decide:

Top Skyrim Mods Being Ripped and Sold in Second Life

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

Not all of the ripped content in Second Life comes from 3D marketplaces, game files, and victimized Second Life designers. At this point it shouldn't be surprising that some "enterprising" residents with serious ethical shortcomings are using mods made by passionate members of other gaming communities to stock their SL stores with mesh goods, much like they may use the original resources from a game. One affected member of the Skyrim community is straight up quitting the scene after a frustrating ordeal trying to get his work removed from the SL Marketplace. Here's how it went down: