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.

They call it 'Spaceport 2.0'. The format is similar to the aforementioned station, but there are even more... spacial? spaceified? surely not spacey? ... let's say gorgeous cosmic goings-on on this sim. Planets loom in ominous orbits, a vast starfield shimmers in the distance, alien towers swoop up to the heavens, and meteorites flash overhead. But don't worry, you're safe in the glass domes, filled with colorful foliage and clear signage.

With the constant flux in opensim, is it easy to keep up a build like this?

Rudi Backerly: It's no more difficult as it was to Spike's times. We made it automatically with a script, that checks every hour if the region the portal leads to is online. If not, the portal closes .

There are six themed domes containing destinations organized into broad themes. These include Freebies, Roleplay sims, Nature/fantasy regions, Meeting and social destinations(including erotic party places); Sci-fi, tech, and art combined; and finally games and play. Something for just about everyone.

Some might argue that thanks to social media, you can easily find places to visit inworld - just think of the popularity of opensimworld. So why is a hub like this important?

Rudy Backerly: Opensimworld is nice. But I found always it more creative to explore a HG Hub than to read only words on a website. You experience the search for a region much more intensively.Passing from dome to dome, labels in German and English help you to get your bearings very easily, and discover new possibilities while often rediscovering destinations that were previously on a grid now offline. It's a wonderful way to feel the ebb and flow of the creative community of opensim, popping up in new and exciting places. Each gate is brightly colored and made distinct from its neighbors, so if you're the kind of person who prefers to travel the HG via portals, and not by LM, you will be instantly able to find your favorite blamgate here when you return. This is a joyous and useful work of art. 

If you would like your region to be included in the HG hub, it couldn't be easier. 

Rudi Backerly:   You can send us a notecard with a little description of your region, a Picture that you like to have in the Gate, and the coordinates of the landing point. But we also come and get this information for our self. Also we do the picture if the people can't do it .

Soul Grid's HG Hub soul-grid.de:8002:Weltraumbahnhof