Out of the Gate

 Star Ravenhurst: Art and storytelling

are the best bits of OpenSim. 

Currently under construction on Star Ravenhurst's grid 10thDimension is 'Raven Gate', an 8x8 Var where the landscape tells a story that you will be able to explore via the 'Quest' format, meeting brand new characters who will help you discover clues and thus unfold the narrative, ultimately discovering the key to the mystery. 

The current arrival point on Raven Gate

The project is out of the gate, but miles of road lie ahead before they reach the finish line, and open the quest to the public. There's still plenty to place, choose, refine. design, and animate, so some of the things you'll see in these photos will change radically, not only in their development but also the preferred Environment lighting. Also, if you're a builder or scripter and are looking to be part of a group project, this may be somewhere for you to shine, contact Star to learn more. 'Raven Gate' promises dark secrets, magic, tragedy... but in the end redemption and triumph. The idea for this project came to her last year in the fall, and it's a long term job. Why so?

Star Ravenhurst on the quest Var region Raven Gate, a work in progress

Star Ravenhurst: Because it’s complex, creative, and collaborative. I contacted people I believed would work well together—those with talent, knowledge, and the kind of imagination and enthusiasm needed to bring a new world to life. Just as important, they share a strong sense of commitment.

Star Ravenhurst: Writing, building, character design, and quest development all take time, especially since many of us are perfectionists and want to get it right. On top of that, everyone involved is juggling other projects, so we work on this one as time allows. It’s a slower process, but I think that’s a strength in OpenSim. There’s no rush—we’re free to create something truly immersive and meaningful without burning out.

Ms Kal's castle will be key to the quest

Star Ravenhurst:  The first person I brought on board was Ms. Kal, my sister and best friend. She’s building a key location: a castle that plays an important role in the story. She’s one of the most skilled architectural builders I know and is creating custom textures with the help of AI, resulting in truly one-of-a-kind, stunning visuals.

Star Ravenhurst:  Next, I reached out to Kimm Starr, who immediately embraced the project. Kimm is a genius with animesh and has an incredible imagination. She’s building a venue on one of the parcels that’s unlike anything I’ve seen before—completely original and integral to the quest. She’s also developing unique characters and contributing to the story with wonderful ideas and narrative insight.

Star Ravenhurst: Other members of the team include Cooper Swizzle, Koshari Mahana, Karima Hoisan, and Luna Lunaria. Everyone brings something different to the table, and while some have more time to devote than others, there’s no pressure. The pace is relaxed for now, but as things move forward and excitement builds, we may eventually set a timeline. Community events like the OpenSim World’s Fair and InWorld Review definitely helped me find the ideal partners for this project. These spaces allow you to see people’s work, hear their ideas, and get a sense of their passion and creativity. That made it easier to identify individuals whose vision and energy would align well with this kind of long-term, story-driven collaboration.

Impressive collection of mysterious trees on Raven Gate

Seeing the building process at work is always invigorating because you catch the flavor of creativity, or nothing being set in stone yet. The bones of the Quest's story are of course fixed, that's something you'll discover when it's all done and you come and try your hand at solving the mystery and resolving the tragedy. But the rest, like this spooky tree collection, is all TBP... to be placed in just the right spot. Pne of the neatest parts of making a totally original story is that when one of the company comes up with a cool creation, like Kimm Starr's two headed character, the storyline is elastic enough to make the most of the fabulous invention!

Star chats to Kimm Starr's animesh two-headed dude

Star Ravenhurst: The project is semi-autonomous in many ways. Each person contributes based on their talents and interests, and we do a lot of brainstorming together. Ideas are shared openly—whether it’s writing, character concepts, art, or builds—through our dedicated Discord server. It’s very collaborative, but with space for personal creative expression.  

Raven Gate is just one of many regions on 10th dimension, including the art gallery Le Beau Retrouvé, and the themed region Heaven & Hell, both featured in earlier posts on this blog.
Thirza Ember:  There's a fair bit of grid loyalty/tribalism in opensim. is it easy to convince people to join a project that after all will draw people to your sims, not their own? how do you face that issue?
Star Ravenhurst: It’s true—some people aren’t interested in working on projects outside their home grid, and that’s okay. But to build something truly collaborative, you have to find people who care more about the creative vision and the community experience than about where it’s hosted. Even though I’m providing the space, this isn’t just my project. It belongs to everyone involved. Each person brings their own unique talents, perspectives, and imagination—and blending all of that into a shared world is where the magic happens. That’s the heart of community building.

Thirza Ember: For anyone else out there planning a collaborative project, what would you say is the 'secret sauce' to getting a group to work well together? 

Star Ravenhurst: What really makes this work is that no one on the team is driven by ego. Everyone is confident in what they do, but also deeply respectful of what others bring to the table. It’s a true “Dream Team,” and because of that, every success is shared. That spirit of mutual respect and creative freedom is what makes it easy—and rewarding—for people to say yes, even if the region isn’t on their home grid.

There's some magic happening here!

Star Ravenhurst: For me, every new region begins as a blank canvas — full of potential to become anything I imagine. If you can shape it into something beautiful, give it a story, and spark enough intrigue that people want to explore it, that’s art. It’s immersive, it’s emotional, and it allows visitors to step into a world born from pure imagination—and that’s the magic of OpenSim for me.