Requiem Machinima for the Lost Gardens of Apollo, a Gem-Like Island Lost from Second Life Tomorrow

Tomorrow, June 26, as I reported last week, the Lost Gardens of Apollo region is scheduled to end its five year existence in Second Life, a victim of owner weariness and Linden Lab's high tier fees. Created by Dane Zander, the sim's manager, SamLowry Hawks, shot this final tribute video to the place and the many who love it:

"When I knew the official date of closure," Mr. Hawks tells me from France, "[I] quickly filmed last images of the sim... I made it with hurry but with all my heart." The beginning of the video samples Gary Jules' "Mad World", appropriately enough. "The scrolling credits song," adds SamLowry, "is a very well known French song about the missing." The tribute machinima will last after its gone; until tomorrow, then, click this link to visit the Lost Gardens of Apollo in Second Life first hand.

Comments

[hexx]

Hope they did a back-up of the build.

[Ann Otoole InSL]

How much does it cost to license Jule's music?

[Echo Kinsella]

That was quite lovely!

[Graine Macbain]

I went and made my own farewell machinimas (not quite this good, I admit), but I still can't understand why no Silent Benefactor has made a last minute intervention to save Apollo. I would, if I could, believe me. In the meantime, I wonder if Zander thought of asking for monthly pledges from subscribers for tier upkeep?

[Ann Otoole InSL]

And another one. They just keep stacking up. Fearless Nation to close in a week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5PGnHeIG-Y

Hopefully they will just move to an open sim. Perhaps Inworldz or another one of the up and coming grids with affordable tier will simply donate a sim for this cause. LL is just watching. Or maybe not watching/caring at all.

[Niko Donburi]

Total shame and I wish I had the $$$ to afford to save it. Thanks for posting the notice here at NWN so at least I can grab some screenshots. Might even have to fire up FRAPs and make my own machinima.

[Glasz DeCuir]

I think SamLowry Hawks is the machinimator had promoted more massively Sencond Life on-line with his movies (more viewed than official promos) and is a pity now LidenLab team dont take care and dont support special sims like this one. One of the bests inworld. Difficult to understand this.

[Stone Semyorka]

I went there for the final 30 minutes. Lots of people all through the gardens reflecting and just being sad about the impending loss. It's simply unbelievable how Linden Lab doesn't care about this stuff. They just stand silent without even a tribute to the passing majesty.

[Dane Zander]

Hello all,

I don't know where to begin. I am overwhelmed and thankful for all the well wishes, IM's, notecards and emails I have received since this went public.
And Wagner, thank you too. You were the first to blog on Apollo, and you will probably also be the last. You brought my vision out to a broader public, and from there on it took on a life of its own. Apollo opened in November of 2005, and I take pride in the fact that it has indeed run this long, in the dynamic, ever changing and fast world that is Second Life.

There really isn't much to say, to explain why this is happening, but I will give it a try.
In very short terms: Financial Crisis - and double mortgages. Since 2008. Almost 3 years of that has bled me absolutely dry, financially.
Early August, my RL home will be autioned off. Foreclosure proceedings already took place a few weeks back at Bailiff's Court.
After this, I will be in a position where I will need to go to Probate Court, and apply for Debt Relief. Doing so involves detailed scrutiny of my personal finances.
With the grandfathered tier of 199,- USD and Danish VAT of 25%, it comes close to 250,- USD per month. I live on a ok-comfortable disability pension - but Debt Relief will change that to a bare minimum for a period of five years. Thus, I am at a point where a luxury such as owning virtual real estate is just not an option for me, anymore. I am being pro-active out of necessity.
I am sharing this information, since some did question the real cost of running Apollo - and my real motives behinds closing it down. My motives are clear: I have to look after my First Life, first. Owning a sim in Second Life is, by all accounts, a luxury when looking at tier prices.
I am not sharing this information for sympathy or the like either - it is just no big secret, and simply the facts of life here on my side of the computer screen. As it is in countless other homes, both here in Europe and in the US.

I have postponed this closing, and postponed, again and again... tinkering on this place for more than five years has earned it a special place in my heart, and in the hearts of those around me. Namely my very dear friends, who tirelessly, and for no pay what so ever, have policed, looked after and managed Apollo while I was off doing such mundane things as eating, sleeping, getting sick - and getting well again. In sickness and in health... my friends have stood by me, all these years. I have been blessed in that manner. It has indeed been a happy union.

And the many, many, many sweet, warm and appreciative messages I have received over the years. How much I have appreciated those. It breaks my heart to let all you people down. Thank you for all your kind and generous words.

For years, Apollo broke even. It even ran a small profit at times. That was all invested in scripted wildlife, better textures, better animations, a dedicated music stream for quite some time and yes - a few improvements on my aging avatar. My visitors were always generous. They were so because they could afford to be so. Many came by every month and made a donation. But the crisis has hit hard all over the world, and with the crisis still bearing down on almost anyone, donations have dwindled slowly but surely. I, if any, know exactly what that can do to your spendable income.

I have of course thought of other options. Sponsorships, group solutions, many different models. But it all comes down to me not being able to have this luxury on my bank statements anymore. At all.
Sponsorship would mean commercial billboards and posters all over the place. One thing I have shied away from, throughout the years. With Second Life becoming increasingly commercialized and attuned to consumerism, the majority of my visitors have found the sheer lack of adverts and posters and signs... delightful. A place where you weren't necessarily asked to buy the couch you sat on - pay for the view you looked on, or sink money into anything else. It was free, to enjoy, relax and explore. It was built to be so.

That also complicates a sale - if there were any buyers. It would be pretty darned near impossible to sell off a sim to anyone, telling them: It basically has to stay "as is". I haven't yet met anyone willing to buy, and pay for, a sim they could not mold and change as they like. And quite understandably so, given the cost of running a sim these days.

I have taken the liberty to write Linden Labs about this, and have offered Apollo to them - to be an official Linden Labs owned and run sim. That way, it could perhaps stay open. Let us give them time to consider that, and see what happens. Linden Labs have felt the crisis as well, so I completely understand their need to be "in business for the money", and not do these things without due consideration. While I wait, I am moving my RL home, and backing up my SL one - Apollo.

So here we are - the simulator I once swapped for a high-priced Mainland sim with Anshe Chung, and made to my liking, will end its long life now.
It was just closed to the public.

So, once again. Thank you all.
For everything.

Most sincerely yours

Dane Zander

[Graine Macbain]

Thank you, Dane Zander! I think you must have channeled a little bit of Heaven for us inworld. :) May you find peace and happiness in all your lives.

[DD Ra]

Many thanks for the gardens, Zander, take care !

[Melissa Yeuxdoux]

For those interested in the second song, Googling '"pas comme avant" lyrics' turned it up: it's "Évidemment". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89videmment for details.

[Samlowry hawks]

@ melissayeuxdoux yes it is : it's this song talking about te missing of a dear friend: Thank you to had searched :)
To wagner: thank you dear friend to be out struggles and stupid fights of people searching only controvesia.... I do really am down by the end of a sim named " the lost gardens of Apollo" but we have to move on. To cry and to yeal against the world doesn't mean nothing: i saw since the end of my eden so much posts that killed me that i must admit i sent comentaries i shouldn't because i was s sad and angry... Now all done and dane zander and all people who likes me would not like me as they so long loved me if i fail.. Now, the futur is in front of us and in ffench we say: ce qui ne nous tue pas nos rend plus fort. What doesn't kill us make us better: did i translate it right? Now i will only focuse in machinimas without being bitter , just a little more adult in this young virtual world :)) and just again thank you wagner : as dane you are a unique person tha allow us to be better ....
You have,as dane , a special place in here in france to sheer a glass of wine with a friend ... ( sorry again for my bad english :)

[Ole]

a sim-birth-watch would rock too

[Trex Blessed]

I only wish the Lost Gardens of Apollo would have come to Open Grid. I enjoyed the gardens immensely and I know plenty of other SL expats did as well. Your work was inspiring. Even a close recreation would give users from other grids a virtual paradise to explore.

[Vladimirr Bleac]

Sad as it may be... many people (including myself) inquired as to how we could avoid the impending closure....

It is my belief.. Dane.. was just done with it.

I even inquired about purchassing the sim off him

[yrbon]

miss you. thanks for good times and rl memories.