The Wow Factor

 Our second destination this week was to one of the most unusual and spectacular mesh builds you'll find in Opensim. Inspired by the great city of Dalaran in World of Warcraft, it's an immense labour of love by Gridmistress Wendie Blackthorn on her delightful grid, Kinky Haven. Lots of mesh, lots of passion, but not lots of Blender, as one might assume -pro tip alert!

Wendie Blackthorn:  I do not use blender to edit mesh, that program gives me a headache to look at it

Star Ravenhurst: What do you use?

The splendid floating city of Dalaran

Wendie Blackthorn: Wings3D   it's a much friendlier interface and has lots of tutorials that are easy to follow

Arielle Popstar: oh really, little more intuitive then Blender

Fetter Gyve: Good to know. Thanks Wendie. I will check it out

The Art Factor(y)

Way too many pictures, interesting things to look at, lag, fun, and fascinating people to put both of this week's destinations in a single post, so this is the first half of our trip. The second part, on sim Dalaran, Kinky Haven, is in a separate post. The Art Factory is not just a repository of art, it's a thriving community based in OSGrid but with its arms open to artists and art lovers all over the hyperverse. Here's what happened. URL as always at the end of the post.

Ernest Moncrieff: Hi All and welcome to the Art Factory, before I start I'd just like to say that due to timezones Co-founder Ellen Tiratzo cannot join up this evening (3am in Japan!) But she has helped to put together tonight's Safari and I will be using the words that she prepared.

Ernest Moncrieff: (Speaking for Ellen) - Welcome Thank you all so much for coming out today to support the Art Factory and to learn about and enjoy some of what our artists have helped us create here. Thirza asked us to give you a brief history behind The Art Factory. I met Ernest in LBSA Plaza, when he was trying to fix his broken mouth in preparation for a musical performance! Long before we began TAF, I would get up at 4 am here in Japan to attend and support Ernest’s shows, before beginning my work day. We would often talk about art, and he would tell me about different art installations he had built in other worlds and regions. I could tell he longed to create again, so on his birthday, I bought a small plot of land, teleported him there, and said…”Let’s make art!”. And so began The Art Factory!

Performing in VWs by Laszlo Ordogh

 The following is a guest post by Velazquez Bonetto, in rl László Ördögh. Vela's long career in virtual worlds is best known for the many performances and presentations of the Cybernetic Art Research Project 'CARP'  which was founded in Second Life in 2007. Now based mostly on Craft Grid and a close collaborator with Rosanna Galvani and her Museo del Metaverso, Vela reflects here on aspects of performance in Virtual Worlds. 

The miracle that we are experiencing today: the Cyberspace, the dematerialized virtual time-space, the worldwide webbed society, where we surf at lightspeed. Any artist NOT using this virtual universe as a challenge and a goal does not deserve the name Avantgarde.

Velazquez and colleague Rosanna Galvani, on Craft Grid, 2022

Why work in Virtual worlds?

1: Everything built in virtual worlds has no material consequences. Everything is Illusion but is useful as a model situation.
2: There is a unbelievable potential in variability and flexibility.
3: Nowhere else you can express and experiment new ideas and thoughts in such a fast spontaneous way. For creative people this world is a  playground to model new situations and experiment with them.

New and Nu on Safari

This week a trip two regions with something 'nu' about them - first, New Hope, on Asgard, also known by its hg address grid.our-dawn, and to NUNA the spectacular sim on 3rd Rock grid. Complete addresses, as usual, at the end of the post.

the spectacular NUNA art museum on 3rd Rock Grid

First up Asgard, aka Grid Our Dawn, in some places called 'Starfleet', but Asgard is a shorter name so I'm going to stick with it. The story of the Asgard grid is a story full of Ragnaroks - although, not really, because that Viking term means the final destruction of the world, and this grid/group has survived not one massive upheaval but many, and with surprising resilience. We met on a community sim with two members of the grid, Thundergod Thor and Star Ravenhurst.

Go Continental on Neverworld

Dawn is breaking over a new continent on Neverworld, and it might just be the answer to your dreams. 

The new continent is called Bountiful. 

If you don't know Neverland, it's a 7 year old grid with a solid tech, drama-free, HG Friendly reputation. The grid's motto 'Live, Love, Create' fits it perfectly. It's a mixed-use grid, with art installations, a fun Hunt region with worthwhile prizes, a lot of quality freebie shops, and plenty of residential areas too. 

Click here to get to the Neverworld Grid website.

Govega Sachertorte

The rental charges, if you want to get a region of your own, are reasonable, and there are self-hosting opportunities too. If you just want a bit of a sim to live on, then the prices are ... well, non existent!  

I asked Govega what she considers to be the secret of her success.

Govega Sachertorte: I'm nice! Just kidding... I am lucky to have a good team, we give out free land, and we don't micro manage people. We don't force events on them or rules. Or act like a pyramid scheme lol We are the no drama grid. This is the 4th or 5th time I've done a project with a massive themed area, and I am optimistic about the success.  It starts slow and before you know it, you are  turning people away.

To visit the new continent, you should jump over to

Creanovale in Summer

Truth to tell, Opensim isn't one of those places where you just automatically count on people to be reliable, communicative, and also talented. But if exceptions prove a rule, then look no further than Dabici Straulino and Kelso Uxlay. They bring together all these virtues not only in their kind offer to host our first field trip of the final Safari season of 2022, but also with their beautiful build on their grid, Creanovale.

Arriving on the grid is always an exciting moment. 

Maria on Safari

 The third season of the year kicked off in style with two very different destinations... yeah, yeah, I always say that, but this time it's true. First hour, chatting around the campfire with Maria Korolov -  then off into the Canadian paradise, Creanovale, with its amazing countryside and hilarious underwater and overwater activities. The Creanovale trip will be in a separate post, because the gifs alone deserve their honored space. Not to mention Dabici's goldfish. Right now, we have other business. Hypergrid Business.

Maria Korolov

Most opensim residents have heard of Maria. Journalist, novelist, creator of websites and collector of grid statistics, you probably have consulted, maybe even contributed to, her Hypergrid Business website, which she started in... well, let's let her tell us all about it.

Going, Going... Gone

 'Gone' is not a word we want to hear - not if you're talking about a grid being gone, especially if the gone grid is OSGrid. 

The historic 'Test Grid' of OpenSimulator, OSGrid, just celebrated its 15th anniversary. As tradition demands, in a couple of weeks there will be a Fundraiser Auction to help bring in some money to support the grid.

So here are some fundraiser questions, do you agree with these answers?

Virtual Spain in OSGrid

Some great news for anyone whose first language is Spanish. 

We all know that people new to Opensim -and not so new - struggle with finding resources, resolving bugs, and finding congenial company. But if English is not your first language, it's all way harder. So how to cope? Well generally speaking, people flock to a grid where a good percentage of the residents speak their language, that's why you find 'German' and 'French' grids all over the place - it's not racism, it's just that at the end of a long day when you are being frustrated by the vagaries of Opensim, you want to talk to someone who knows what you're on about, without struggling in another tongue.

Of course, we have opensim legends who are Spanish speakers, like Victoria Logan and Tina Bey, Plastichansa Bade and Zonja Capalini, Xirana Oximoxi and the lovely singer Nazirah - just to name a few. But there is room for growth in community support for anyone who wants to take the plunge and whose first language is Spanish.  Spanish worlds in Opensim are something of a rarity. Well, not a rarity, but let's say the best known Spanish-friendly grid has a fairly dramatic reputation, which is not to everyone's taste. So what happens when someone who speaks only Spanish comes to Opensim?  

Evan Belmond and friends have decided to try to fill that need with a brand new sim called Virtual Spain, on OSGrid. The idea is to create a central place where Spanish speakers who love Opensim can come and get advice, find freebies, and make friends without having to fight with the Yandex translator every five minutes. 

The Soul of Hypergridding

 Perhaps you remember Spike Sol's hypergrid destination hub, on grid Soloton. For many years, it was a valuable resource for anyone looking for an interesting destination in opensim. Not only as a tool for explorers, the  sim was a link between likeminded builders, a way to measure your work with that of your peers, and a sort of library of places worth visiting that might have slipped your mind. From very early days of hypergridding, the Weltraumbahnhof was a beacon in a confusing ocean of destinations, and when foolish people would say, there's nothing to see in Opensim, you had to merely point them at Spike's masterpiece to put them straight.

Spike's Weltraumbahnhof during a Safari visit in 2017

Soloton grid has been offline for a while now, although don't imagine that Spike isn't active - apart from having a regular Sunday slot on the German-language Radio ArtDestiny, Spike will be compering the upcoming fashion show by Loru Destiny. (Here's a sneak peek of Loru's fashion.)

Arriving on Soul Grid's Weltraumbahnhof, 2022

Earlier this year, the owners of Soul Grid, Rudi and Nasti Backerly, opened a new build.

Rudi Backerly: It is a sequel and homage on Spike Sols Weltraumbahnhof. We created it in memory of his great work, which he continued for years with difficulty. Before we started, we asked Spike if he is okay with it, that we continue his work. He agreed and I remember that he liked it as he visited the new Weltraumbahnhof some weeks before.

Soirees Franco

 As the new season of Safari begins, it's worth remembering ours is not the only hypergridding group out there. If you understand French, or want to immerse yourself in the language and culture, there's an excellent monthly opportunity for you.

At 9pm Paris time, on the first Thursday evening of each month, the Frenchies will be gathering on Eden Cat's grid to have a chat, exchange news and views, and tour some interesting regions. You may remember that for about 3 years, Vladimir of Virtual Dream Grid organized trips - when his grid went offline this spring, it left a big gap in the francophone community. But now things are getting going again!

Trips are a bit different from the Safari tour. The Frenchies make full use of Voice, so if your French is not great, be ready for a bit of  linguistic tsunami. Events are usually filmed by Prodyck and published on his Twitch channel. They focus on visiting francophone destinations, based quite often in Belgium, Canada, and France, and go to just one place per trip. There are loads of lovely grids based in these countries, so plenty to see - try it out! The next trip will be on October 6.

Soirees Franco

WHERE Meeting at http://chez-eden.venez.fr:8002/

WHEN The first Thursday of each month

CONTACT Join the SV3D Discord channel to keep in touch with the group
https://discord.gg/K5WgSJrcbt

Noise Ploys with Lorin Tone

How many dimensions, would you say, are there in virtual worlds? If your answer is three, then maybe think again. For a virtual environment to really be immersive, there is another dimension that will lift, color, enhance and amplify your build, whether it be a sci fi paradise or a woodland tableau. That is sound.

Sound is one of the hardest things to get right in virtual worlds. Too many noises, or noises repeated too often, can spoil a sim, while if your audio is too sparing, visitors may not notice it at all. But how can you create the perfect aural environment?  Consult the Sorcerer of Sound, of course.

Lorin Tone: Sometimes sound effects can be used as a major component in build or environments. For most environmental soundscapes, the sound should not be featured, but more "felt" than noticeably heard. At other times, you can bash people over the head with sounds that enhance the most important elements of a build. 

Lorin Tone

Lorin presents a fascinating course on using Sounds in virtual worlds. The class lasts about an hour, and is held twice a month on Sundays, at 10am Pacific Time, on his region Soundscapes, within the Koryphon