Quest for adventure

August 28, 2008

One thing you don’t see very often in Second Life is using the platform as a game. Oh, we have games we play together, and there are extensive role-play regions, but could someone actually build, say, an adventure game?

Well, the people who made Numbakulla have tried to do just that. Realistically, nothing created in Second Life is going to beat out a purpose-built multi-DVD quest. But you’d be surprised just how much can actually be accomplished.

The environments in Numbakulla aren’t the most immersively beautiful I’ve seen in Second Life — the quality ranges from Wow to Ho-Hum — but it’s surprising the variety of environments they were able to pack into a single region. As with any good adventure game, you have a definite sense of place no matter where you are.

Flight is disabled on Numbakulla, so mountains, and rocks and twisty paths serve to keep you sufficiently confused. Who thought you could get lost in a single region?

I won’t say much about the adventure, since that would be telling. Suffice it to say you find yourself on a lonesome beach with a book, a shovel… and a mystery. Let the games begin.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Numbakulla/215/18/22

Leave a Comment » | games | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

Blue world

August 26, 2008

Sweetlemon Jewell created Omega Point as a new futuristic world for you to explore. It’s still under construction, but impressive nonetheless. While it’s not as immersive as the newly-expanded Black Knight space station, you’ll get more than your share of Oh-My-God moments. Maybe I should rename the blog. SLOMG? Nah.

Omega Point is big(ah, they know the way to my heart). Just when you think you’ve seen everything you realize that it goes up… and up… and up. Clever animations and scripted textures mean that whatever direction you look there is something moving, or glowing, or spinning, or pulsing, or shining… you get the idea. It’s a kinetic eyefest.

Right now there isn’t much to do except look around and gape. The buildings are there, but there’s no stuff. Teleporters will take you to the highlights but I had more fun just flying around and getting to close to things that are probably radioactive. If I father any prim babies I predict that they’re going to have three, maybe four heads. Or tentacles.

If it gets too bright (and almost everything has some sort of blue glow associated with it), there are extensive dark passageways for you to explore.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hikoboshi/71/153/33

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Posted by Garth Goode

Fall from grace

August 24, 2008

So there I was hovering below what looked to be a pretty obvious bot farm in the sky. The bottom of it was interesting — Maybe it was meant to look like a piece of ground lifted from the Earth, but came off seeming like and upside-down lemon meringue pie.

Then, someone fell out of it.

It happened over and over. Different avatars, but pretty obviously bots. Sometimes I’d see the same one fall through again. Sometimes and unrezzed cloud avatar would fall through, leaving a trail of mist behind it (which was actually very pretty). My guess was that there was some small gap in the floor inside the bot farm that they were falling through, and something was putting them back in the farm to repeat the process.

I let myself fall along with a bot to see where they landed, which turned out to be right behind the bot farmer’s store. (Careful if you do this, the land is damage enabled). If there were any justice they would have fallen into the store, but no luck.

I will say that the bot farmer had a little fun with his minions, as Naked Midget Lady With The Big Gun proves.

Inside the bot farm I found something I’d never seen before. The bot farmer himself was sitting in front of his children. Was he controlling them in some way? Was that what was making them fall through the floor? Why were they so crowded together? Alas, he was away from his keyboard, so we never did get to talk.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ario%20Isle/236/82/507

1 Comment | silly | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

Minotaurs need not apply

August 21, 2008

Considering how much it costs to buy and keep an island, it’s always gratifying to see created just for the enjoyment of all. Oh sure, Citrus Virtual is promoting their building skills with their Labyrinth, but you wouldn’t even know they were responsible for it unless you scroll to the bottom of a particular notecard. Talk about subtle.

You won’t get lost in t he Labyrinth — it’s the kind that consists of a single winding path intended for meditation and introspection. I’m not the spiritual type, but I can tell you they they’ve done a marvelous job of creating a sense of quit and peace between the cool walls.

At the center of the Labyrinth is an amphitheater which looks like it would be great for events, but as is often the case there are none scheduled (though the aforementioned notecard tells you who to contact if you would like to schedule something, hint hint). If you walk carefully around the edges of the amphitheater you’ll also find a number of art galleries.

One you make it out out of the Labyrinth you’ll find yourself in the parklands that surround it. There are plenty of places to sit and hang out. If you’re looking for a place to spend quiet time alone or with someone significant, look no further.

There’s enough variety in the park lands to keep you interested, too. There’s a cute little sculpture and topiary garden, for one. As you wander through the forest or along the shore you’ll find notecard kiosks that will tell you about the plants in the wildlife you’re seeing. They’re great as a conversation piece or useful as a diversion during awkward moments.

“I… I think I love you.”

“Hey! Did you know that to help digestion, loons swallow small pebbles from the bottom of a lake? Wicked!”

http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Labyrinth/136/96/35

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Posted by Garth Goode

Go to Hell

August 19, 2008

I’ll be honest, I don’t know a lot about Buddhism. If Buddhists have a Hell then it’s news to me. But if there is a Buddhist Hell, this looks like a pretty good approximation.

The basic idea of this region is that naked people are getting chased around and tortured by these scary-looking giants. It’s a lot of cartoonishly gruesome animated eye candy, really. Every which way you look, someone is getting crushed by a spiked hammer, impaled on something, burned up in a vat of lava… you get the idea.

Note that the region is damage-enabled, so if you are anxious to have the Full Hell Experience, just step into one of the lava streams. Frankly, the screams of the people getting tortured are enough for me.

There’s not much to do other than look around, but there’s a lot of looking around to do. It might be a tad more entertaining if you could, for example, sit on a poseball that put you among the people getting crushed between rocks. It’s a small nit, but it’s one of those great lost opportunities for richer interaction.

I mean, after a while, you’ve seen everything, right? One interesting note, though. I’d swear the giants were… enjoying themselves. Better than being on the other end, I suppose.

The one interactive thing I did find were some pose balls hidden among the birds circling overhead. Sit on one and it will dangle you above Hell.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Higashiosaka/128/132/31

3 Comments | builds, religion, sick | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

Tight squeeze

August 17, 2008

Here’s an increasingly common occurrence. You arrive on an island and it looks like there might be a bot colony there. You land where a lot of green dots are situated and sure enough, no one is around. But when you look at your mini-map, the arrows are pointing up, not down. So the bots are not in a skybox….

But, wait a second. Right under this gazebo there is only ground. Could it be…?

Yes, it’s true. Don’t be fooled by what you see in the background What you’re looking at is a box of bots underneath the ground. Not in a tunnel or cave, but actually embedded inside the dirt, where avatars (in theory) can’t go.

There are18 bots jammed in a 2×2x2 box. It’s a pretty tight squeeze, so prim hair and skirts just stick out. Messy! I expect bot farmers to be tidier than this. Also note that this Bot-Box is a product someone actually sells openly. Talk about slimy.

Inside the box you can sort of see how the bots are shoved together. It’s a little difficult because some of them are rezzing

Move in a little closer and you can see how crazily the bots’ twisted bodies overlap. That’s a lot of bots in a very small space, and the result is almost… art.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Fantasy%20Dream/125/151/41

5 Comments | silly | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

Big in Japan

August 15, 2008

The battleship Yamato (not to be confused with the Space Cruiser Yamato) was the biggest battleship ever constructed, and some very skilled builders have created an amazing detailed replica in Second Life.  Try as I might, I can’t think of anything funny to say about that, but it’s cool nonetheless.

What can I say? It’s big. There are no signs or documentation (and even if they were there, they’d likely be in Japanese) but I have to believe that it’s built to scale. It’s too bad there are limitations on how close linked prims could be. Imagine navigating this across the Second Life seas?

On the ship and the dock there are also a variety of warplanes. I hope they add some informational signs soon…. it would make it a much richer experience. Still, the size and quality of the build make it something you shouldn’t miss.

Buildings nearby and in the adjoining regions are somehow related to the ship, but are of a very futuristic. There are some small (and sometimes hard to find) retail locations in all of this, but most of it is just weirdly impressive.

If you’re wearing your translator, you may understand what these guys say when you pass by… or not. The translations don’t make a lot of sense, either. These little guys are scattered around and seem to be part of a puzzle, but… well, if you can make sense of it, let me know.

Just take some time to poke around the structures. There’s nothing in particular that makes some sense, but there’s some great eye candy for your Flickr pages.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/YAMATO%20of%20Japan/25/227/32

2 Comments | commercial, international | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

The rock gods make good

August 12, 2008

Journey has a Second Life island. It’s not just a fan region, they actually commissioned the thing… and it’s good. But don’t think that it’s just a marketing piece. It was obviously built by people who have a love for the band and put their heart and soul into making the island what it is.

The main thing you’ll notice about the island is that all around the edges are displays highlighting each Journey album. Each display is inspired by the album cover and includes a tableau inspired by it. The display inspired by their Escapealbum is particularly impressive, as the scarab spaceship causes exploding planetary egg debris to fly at you as it escapes (naturally) it’s planetary egg prison. I’m sure that made sense in the 80’s.

The displays remind me what an art form album covers used to be, back when they had something the size of an LP cover as a canvas. Silly me, my Journey LPs sent to the landfill along with the rest of my collection when I switched to CDs. Anyway, set your music controls to Play while inside a tableau building and you’ll be treated to a narrative about the album and some song samples. Like I said, they put a lot of love into this.

Whenever I’ve visited the island there always seem to be a few friendly regulars there, playing games or chatting. As you’re exploring, play around with the duck launchers on top of the JRNY radio building. They don’t have much to do with Journey, but they’re fun. I lobbed a duck into the stadium where people were playing games and was complimented on my shot, so they don’t seem to mind.

The island is covered in content, so I can’t list everything here. Well, I could, but this would be a very long post. Among the highlights: There’s a field with signs about each band member who has come and gone (and come again). There have been more than you’d think! In the stadium there’s a fine streaming video of a recent Journey concert, featuring their new lead singer (who I have to say sounds excellent, and they found through YouTube of all places).

There are lots of freebies available in various spots on the island, including song lyrics, band pictures, and some pretty decent freebie start kits (for those who need them). They also sell nice quality Journey-logo clothes, which (like everything you find at a concert) are somewhat overpriced. The rest of the freebies make up for it, as much of it isn’t the usual stuff.

So, if you’re a big Journey fan, you probably just found your new home in Second Life. If you just like Journey or remember them fondly, this is a great way to catch up with them.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Journey%20Rock%20Band/129/199/41

5 Comments | music, wow | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

Robots! Robots! Robots!

August 10, 2008

If ever there were a museum in Second Life that feels and works like a real life museum, the Museum of Robots is it. I found it accidentally when I landed on the results of their 2008 robot building competition. There are dozens of beautifully detailed contest entries (both classic and original) spread across two regions. Every entry stand includes information about the creator and their inspiration.

Some of them are tremendously clever. Check out this little guy. At first he doesn’t seem like much a robot, but when you zoom in…

…you can see his inner workings, which consists of smaller robots running, among other things, what appears to be a wood stove.

If that weren’t enough, there’s museum itself. It’s packed with informational displays and movie clips (stand on the green circles). In many cases the robot is represented by a picture than a model, but the information cards and movies compensate for that lack.

On one level there is a section devoted to toy robots, which is much more interesting than I would have expected. But then, I never grew up.

The museum also has robot-themed art exhibitions that run for months at a time. The current one is Eric Joyners, “Robots and Donuts.” It’s hard to explain, but very entertaining. Every picture is accompanied by an informational note card, and some include sound clips of the artist explaining his work.

As I mentioned at the outset, the thing that impresses me most about the Museum of Robots is that it really feels like a real life museum. Between the richness of the information provided, the media content, organization, and presentation, it makes you see how a real life museum of the same sort could be viable. I’d pay for a ticket.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kubrick/98/161/27

1 Comment | art, tourism, wow | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

The mind of a bot

August 8, 2008

After pushing those bots off their platform a little while back, it’s been hard to find anything interesting about the other bot farms I’ve found recently. This collection stands out, if only because of the sheer laziness of the bot farmer. There’s no attempt to make them look like anything other than bots, right down to a numbered naming scheme.

So here I a in a room full of white-t-shirt-guy clones. One of them has black hair. As for the rest of them, they’re all pretty much the same. Usually bot farms like to mix it up and make their bots at least seem like they might be people. Not this guy. Assembly line active, ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk. The guy with black hair is probably a quality defect.

You know the bots are packed tight when some are standing on the others or flailing around. trying to land on a solid surface. Seriously, they’re flailing. It’s almost comical.

Maybe they look the same on the outside, but on the inside they’re individuals, yearning to be free. Let’s take a closer look at one of them…

Closer…

Closer…

TOO CLOSE!!!!

Can you see it? The serene expression, the glazed eyes, the vacant stare…

Hey…

Wait a second…

THESE BOTS ARE HIGH!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Twickenham/32/24/22

2 Comments | silly | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

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