First up this Wednesday, Great Canadian Grid. HG Safari has a new embassy and outreach center there. Taking advantage of a special price deal for long-time residents, Mal Burns that been developing his dozen or so regions into a living space poised to welcome new residents, collaborators, and friends... maybe you're looking for somewhere to be creative? If you're interested in sharing your creativity via storytelling, design, film, tv or music, then read on...
The name to look for is Metaworld. Mal's broadcasting studios have been located on this grid for some time now, and it's here that the talk show Inworld Review (here's a link to a recent episode) is produced each week. With all this extra land, Mal has set out some houses that will shortly be for rent, a useful pied-a-terre perhaps for people just getting started in open sim. They are just around the corner from the new 'branch' of HG Safari, which includes not only the clubhouse but also some of the information signs that were available at the OSCC at the end of last year - a set of how-to posters that try to explain the practicalities and the philosophy of open sim.
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| The Safari Embassy and outreach center on GCG |
Not far from here is a large dome designed for events, and something brand new, a permanent Music Fair area. This idea, suggested by Truelie Telling and taking its inspiration from the famous sim Trax in SL, is a place where opensim musicians can advertise their websites and supply contact information to anyone looking for a live performer for one of their events. The idea is to create an even easier way for people in the hyperverse to understand what is out there, who is available, and how they can get involved in the community.
Each booth will have space for a Media on a Prim, URL and notecard givers, and (if you have a group on Great Canadian) a group inviter too. The booth spaces are free of charge to any musician performing in open sim. There are about 30 booths available at the moment, with room for more should they be necessary, and there's even a plan to clone NPCs of musicians so the visiting public can watch them in action when they come here, browsing for a musician to liven up their events!
Mal Burns: Another current project is to make a waterway around the 9 sims, so you can take a boat all the way around these sims. Region boundaries are hard work, requiring lots of modification, so although this is one region complex, you'll find a lot under construction. I am looking for collaborators to come inhabit the area decorate, be a part of the landscape and participate, and contribute to the feeling of the region.
Alya VonZ: cammed around, lots of work in it:)
Total Sorbet: i see at least 12 prims
Mal Burns: Another thing I am working on a lot is the story telling idea, but this is not like what Nara and Caledonia do, mine is a non linear approach. Although I am not a gamer, I love Myst and the sequels. I have been in virtual worlds for a long time, but I only recently took up landscaping, and working with mesh and sculpties as well as terraforming. As you cam or fly around here you will see a lot of mountains and landscaping, including a hell of a lot of caves! the idea is that you travel around and find things you can cam or fly around and find things. From the beginning, I wanted to open up these places to machinima makers, but that really has not been used, but I have still many micro environments that are like photographs, or comic book scenes, in which it is all about the camera angle, rather than one continuous piece of scenery. So you will find some abrupt harsh transitions as you walk around.
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| Metaworld Broadcasting |
Mal's not creating the story and then illustrating it, he is going about it the other way start with the 3D art first, and then inventing the story based on the place, or rather a whole compendium of stories. Many are inspired by the past, and these landscape regions are really part of a ghost island. Beginning at ro the usual landing point on this region, you will see a statue of Medusa and you'll find statues around the regions who will give you clues about Mal's stories as you walk around... some of them speak, so watch the chat! These frozen figures are part of an 'empty place', a Silent Isle, tapping into the mythology of the Bermuda triangle and other dimensions, things that seem to make no sense will eventually be part of Mal's stories, set in different times. Everything is a relic!
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| One of the hidden corners on Mal's region |
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| Christy and Alexander Bendan |
Second stop was a new grid for us as a group, Lost Paradise. Alex and Christy Bendan welcomed us to their private sim which has a beach theme. Both keen hypergridders since making the move from SL to opensim, they have only recently moved to LP - the reason? Has to be the low cost! After paying SL prices, who wouldn't be delighted with a var region for under 20 euros a month?
There is quite a bit to see on Lost Paradise, from the Rusty Nail music club, to racing cars and bikes and riding the zipline on The Cold Rise. The Welcome Area, too, has its charm. Certainly worth having a good look around these regions! And thanks to Christy and Alexander for letting us come over and dance in their hideaway.
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| Welcome Area, Lost Paradise |
Finally we popped over to the new Clutterfly, now part of Metropolis after a spell as an independent grid. The name 'Clutterfly', home to Linda Kellie and Snik Snoodle and their impressive range of full perm mesh and non mesh freebies, is very apposite, as it seems to have moved around quite a bit over the years!
It's no only Linda with shops on this region, Sunbeam Magic has a little boutique too complete with unicorn. I asked Snik to tell a bit about the development of Clutterfly, and why they have come to rest on Metropolis.
snik snoodle: It's my fault that Linda started Clutterfly grid.
snik snoodle: I said, *you need your own grid Linda* - next day she said *i got a server, wanna make it work?*
Thirza Ember: Tough to move .oars, .iars and all that stuff to Metropolis?
snik snoodle: erm, off the top of my head, I'd have said it was maybe the equivalent of a days work. We thought it would be cool to let Metro store our assets, plus being part of a larger grid, you tend to get more visitors. Though just in the 1st couple of months, prior to joining Metro, we were well on your way to having had 500 unique visitors.
Thirza Ember: people think nothing of going on an hg shopping trip these days,
snik snoodle: I agree entirely, and if Shelby and I decided to go back to running our own grid, we could do comparatively easily. Not that we're considering that, of course.
Thirza Ember: that rocks, the portability
snik snoodle: It truly does, opensim is very flexible.
Thirza Ember: it is a really good way of getting serenity. You have your own world, for those times when things don't go right.
snik snoodle: It is. I said to linda what you need, is independence (opensim wise) ... I'm very proud to be both Linda's friend and a co-owner in Clutterfly with her.
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