New World Notes

Basilique: A Second Life Sim With Great Ambient Sound

Basilique is a well-known Second Life sim with a secret weapon: ambient sound embedded everywhere. Watch this video to see (and hear!) what I mean. Created by Canary Beck, a sometime NWN contributor, ambient sound is not just a side benefit. "It makes a massive difference," says Canary, in our conversation on Monday, "and many visitors comment on how realistic it all feels, sometimes mentioning the sound specifically."

Click here to visit, and hear Basilique in person. And click below, to read Canary's thoughts on creating Basilique:

Master Virtual Builder Shows What SL Means to Him

Here's another great must-watch machinima for Linden Lab's "What Second Life Means to Me" viral video campaign:

The machinima and the Rose Theater are from Angel Manor, created by Kaya Angel, who shot another excellent machinima at the Manor earlier this year, and explained in detail his approach to virtual community creation:

8+ Years Later, Inspire Space Park Still Orbits Second Life

Here's a lovely first-person visit to Inspire Space Park, an amazing, zero-gravity, chillout space that's been floating high above the Second Life mainland since at least 2007. It's written by "EverAfterr Resident", a "veteran rookie" who's returned to Second Life re-discover the world, and great places like the Space Park:

A few weeks ago, perhaps inspired by the SS Galaxy’s impending retirement, a thread was woven at the SLUniverse Forums wherein members waxed poetic about their favorite sims and builds of SL past. I piped in with my recollection of a space-themed sim where one could listen to lush, ambient music and lose themselves in digital meditation. I presumed that the place was long gone, having not visited there for many years, but quick came the reply: “I believe you’re thinking of Inspire Space Park.” Oh my stars, I thought to myself, in wonder. It still exists.

In fact, the Park has evolved with the times, and now has a Facebook group page. I first explored and wrote about the Park back in 2007, so I'm glad to find out it's still orbiting. Notably, the Park used to orbit about a casino, back when gambling was still permitted in Second Life:

Visit in Second Life: In The Hall of the Centaurs, a Masterwork by Acclaimed SL Architect Havit Neox

Eddi Haskell is all over the premiere of The Hall of the Centaurs, which as he puts it, is by Havit Neox, "one of Second Life's most famous architects, [who] builds fanciful structures and entire cities that employ a wide range of architectural effects. His latest creation, In The Hall of the Centaurs at Second Life's famous Verdigris City, is another jewel in his crown... Make sure to walk and teleport to all levels to see hidden rooms which such as one with a rotating Unisphere that appears to have swarms of bees rising at its base."

Here's a direct teleport link to copy/paste into the SL browser of your choice:>/p>

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Verdigris/186/67/56

But first, be sure to see more Centaurs' imagery and more Neox coverage from Eddi. And oh, unless you're at work, don't worry too about the adult content warning that comes up when you click:

Weekend Read: The Four Types of Second Life Places

Canary Beck has a really interesting and provocative and long analysis of the types of Second Life, based on her 8 years of being an SLer, which she categories in four ways: Real-Fake, Real-Real, Fake-Fake, Fake-Real. You should read it all here, but I wanted to highlight a couple of my favorite insights before you go:

The very most popular SL places in terms of traffic are Fake-Fake:

[F]ake-fake sims are not what they say they are, and not true to themselves. Sims like this are harder to find because they tend to not be often photographed, or written about. I believe we tend to model most simulations on either originals we have experienced in the real world or build them in ways that are entirely impossible in the real world. Fake-fake sims, however, seem to be a haphazard mixture of the two.

Frank’s Place Jazz Club

Self-touted as Second Life’s Premier Dance Venue (to be fair they did win at least one Avi’s Choice award in their category), nearly everyone in Second Life is aware of Frank’s. According to Metaverse Business, Frank’s currently places as Second Life’s 2nd most popular sim – and its most popularGeneral sim. The interesting thing about Frank’s (pictured below), is that it’s neither a “ballroom” (as it says in its description), nor does it really play jazz. What you actually get is a mall leading to a palatial open-air dance floor that bears little resemblance to any jazz music venue I’ve ever seen. It has a formal dress code where men dress in tails and the ladies dress in ball gowns (clothing which isn’t at all associated with most jazz clubs in real life) and instead of jazz, Frank’s mainly streams easy-listening music.

And she gives many other examples in that category. (By the way, she's not saying "Fake-fake" as a value judgement.) She's very astute to note that a popular sim like Frank's Place doesn't, well, feel like an actual place (though clearly, a lot of people love it all the same.) By contrast:

How to Create Great Virtual Spaces: Design for Feeling, Believability, and Hyper-Realism (Comment of the Week)

Last week everyone was talking about the jaw-dropping Angel Manor as depicted in the machinima below, and fortunately for all of us, the creator of both the machinima and the Manor stopped by NWN to discuss how he created his acclaimed sim. Kaya Angel's comments are such a master class in creating virtual architecture, I'm highlighting them here (with some light editing on my part):

VIRTUAL ARCHITECTURE CHANGES HOW SOCIAL INTERACTION

"I often think and SL structures are used as a means of providing an environment to give a little context to social interaction. So if you go to a ballroom to dance with a friend the ballroom is simply a hint in the back ground for you to then dance and chat. The building its self only plays a small role. I differ from that in that I love the power architecture has to not just provide a context for a social interaction, but if done right a building can enhance social interactions. And bring a whole new level of how you feel in the space. This is my own personal experience. Being a living building that feels real changes how you live in a space and how you use the space when it comes to interacting with people."

As Kaya goes on to argue, the old prim-based approach to building in Second Life has held back more ambitious builds like his:

Chestnut Reviews a Beautiful SL Sim Called The Trace

NWN alumna Chestnut Rau has a pictorial visit to an SL sim called The Trace, which is a place by Kylie Jaxxon with many fine details, including elements which change according to the season (at least so we're told). See more here and when you are ready, click here to teleport.

Cthulhu Can't Cover the Rent! Beautiful Lovecraft Tribute Faces Deletion From SL If Not Saved by Supporters in Time

Innsmouth, a very beautiful (if ungodly horror is beautiful) Second Life sim-wide tribute to the works of HP Lovecraft, is in jeopardy of leaving Second Life, according to the blog of the HP Lovecraft Roleplay Group (HPL-RPG) in SL:

On September 15th, Darmin Darkes, the owner of the Innsmouth-themed sim announced the following: “Innsmouth sim is for sale. I’m giving first dibs to you folks in the hopes that someone will want to keep some of the build. Worst case is having to flatten it and sell it. I just can’t afford it any longer..." As a result of this notice, a number of Second Lifers have been working together, through a group called, “The Innsmouth Preservation Society,” to help with the upkeep and potentially to purchase this sim, then maintain it.

Emphasis mine, because it needs emphasizing. Go here to get involved. And, of course, click here to visit Innsmouth while there's still time.

Draxtor Despres' Mixed Reality Documentary Series Returns With the Man Behind Some of SL's Best Designed Spaces

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

There's a new episode of Draxtor Despres' mixed reality machinima documentary series The Drax Files: World Makers (which is now sponsored by Linden Lab,) and it's packed with absolutely breathtaking virtual spaces. That's because episode 21 focuses on Editorial Clarity, the aptly named avatar behind SL interior design blog Love to Decorate and its complimentary magazine. As always the opportunity to learn what's inspired, motivated, and changed some of Second Life's most talented and interesting individuals is invaluable.

Clean lines, cracked plaster, and a wealth of inspiration await. Watch the full episode for yourself after the cut:

Get Inspired by the Brand New Summery Look of This Aptly Named Second Life Sim

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

There are so many beautiful places in Second Life, I think anyone could be forgiven for never visiting the same sim twice. At the same time, there's something very satisfying about following a location as it evolves over time, changing with the seasons (or the owner's whims.) That's probably what makes it so exciting when spots like Inspiration Point [SLURL], home of Maylee Oh's brand The Secret Store among others, refresh their look.

It shouldn't be surprising that some of the most beautiful spaces are owned and designed by Second Life creators -- they already see the virtual world as a canvas, and often want to surround their stores and workspaces with the most inspiring scenes they can. Inspiration Point is the home sim of several different shops and occasionally plays host to seasonal hunts. It also offers dozens of picturesque locations (as seen in Maylee's collage advertising the seasonal redesign, shown above) for SL bloggers, photographers, machinimatographers (maybe even virtual cartographers?) to take advantage of.

Summer doesn't last forever, though, and the leaves will be turning before you know it. Don't miss your chance to swing by Inspiration Point and check out its new look while you still can.