Rural Ruritania Rules!

'You're a good fellow. Oh, you're English, but you're a good fellow.'

Anthony Hope, The Prisoner of Zenda

Xi Shi's rural Ruritania build was our second stop on Safari this week, it's located on Littlefield Grid and although rich with scripted gems all over, was really easy to rez on. Our point of arrival was the glorious green cricket pitch, where Xi and some of her closest friends were there to meet us. Address, as always, at the end of the post.

Dozens of movies, and numerous talking figures to help you guess just which screen gem is being hinted at in the form of tableaux and vignettes spread around this lovely sim. Add an impressive train line, some delicately beautiful mesh architecture, and you have a region fit for royalty. In the usual spirit of our Safari trips, this is not an exhaustive tour of every single feature, but a glimpse - after all, the point is that we all visit these delightful venues again, and often. That's our goal.

For simplicity's sake, the included NPC dialogue throughout this article is shown in italics.

postman: pedals off sharpish before the bus comes

Road-roller driver: Eh watch out for crazy drivers 'ere! I just had a fellow tear away from me and nearly 'it the bus after 'e stopped and asked where a bloke could 'ave some fun in this place. I just pointed 'im to the 'arbour and off he went like shite from a shovel !! Loony bugger

Xi Shi: I think I might have to translate some of that for a few

Alan Scot: *-* YeSS! *-*  whats a shovel ? ( kidding)

Tina Bey: hola a todos

Xi Shi: oh my, all at once... ok who's batting first?

Mal Burns: nicely mowed lawn!

chasty Slavicz: Hi Star and Jupiter. Ard, Mal, Frank, welcome

TeriMar Galuptra: Should we be wearing heels on the cricket pitch? It's worse than football boots...

Frank Gresham: cricket time

Ernest Moncrieff: We are the village green preservation society

Forest Azure: i have no idea how cricket goes

Cosi Dumont: nor have i ... i only know its very british ... haha

Jupiter Rowland: Landing on a cricket ground like a Chesterfield sofa...

Alan Scot: that model airplane never crashes

Xi Shi: I'm hoping that wont change either!

Zadijah Ahmed: it is time!!!!!

Star Ravenhurst:  I came here yesterday not realizing this was the place we were coming to today

Forest Azure: /me hums a country song

Xi Shi: Hello and welcome to my home Ruritania. I have been here since May 2014.  If you look across to the side of the cricket pitch here you will see I put two easels out to show you how parts of this I made a long time ago in SL. The left one is a small railway layout I made to suit little SL plots in 2012. You can see the full size SLRR that goes around the atoll beside it. The single sim on the right was one I set out in SL in 2010 but it has prototypes of a lot you see here today.

Ernest Moncrieff: wow

TeriMar Galuptra: Oh yes! The Hall is there!

Xi Shi: All of Ruritania stems from these two ideas and is a continual work in progress project even now. Most of what you see ,except for some of the trees and a couple of the houses, is my own work. Having the ability to build it on a larger scale here without borders makes all the difference.

Ernest Moncrieff: it growd like topsy

snik snoodle: yikes

Xi Shi: We will have a long walk around the sim so you can see much of it. Walking should give any of you with slower connections time for it all to rezz, but if you can it's so much better if you look long distances. There is no voice or music enabled here as that distracts from the ambience but do please have sound enabled so you can hear the surroundings.

Forest.Azure: /me regrets her non rural heels now

Xi Shi: I will be pleased to answer any questions en route if I can, feel free to ask...any now before we walk on?

snik snoodle: xi on the cricket pavilion it says it has a phone, it hasn't :) I checked /chuckles

Xi Shi: ohh, trust you to spot that :) ok will get the engineer in tomorrow

Xi Shi

Ernest Moncrieff: I can hear a sky lark... smell that tar!

Jupiter Rowland: Long as it doesn't smell like the soles of my shoes...

Forest Azure: so peaceful and quiet, the country

Cosi Dumont: but the steamroller is noisy!!!

Xi Shi: Crossing the roadworks we head across the village recreation ground where the yearly Bonfire dance is held in November. Right now local boys are there flying their control line planes. Beyond the grass playground is the little park for smaller children, with roundabout and slide. Tiny Clanger is having a ride while his aunty rocks her new baby in the pram. Across towards the right you can see the watermill working away as always.

Star Ravenhurst: Did you build the bridge?

Xi Shi: aha, most here bar a few  trees and a couple of houses. The main roadway in Aburton runs parallel with a double track railway. On this section of the track the outer line is shared by trains running around the inner and outer loops in opposite directions, this is just one of 5 stations

Jupiter Rowland I need to do some more railfanning here.

Forest.Azure: /me is searching her pockets for tickets ... oh! no pockets!

snik snoodle: /me rifles thru everyones pockets :)

postman: Hi Eric, I think you won that tidy station prize again

Xi Shi: the postman is a bit of a gossip, try not to get in his way tho please

Xi Shi: One train will wait for the other to pass, depending which arrives first. The inner track is only used now by a diesel railcar. All these trains can be ridden and will stop at each station they pass

James Atlloud Forest looks to be in peril.

Ernest.Moncrieff: Forest don't do it

Forest.Azure: i'm on the wrong track

Tosha Tyran: Forest, there is a solutionnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Xi Shi: The village itself dates back to the 10th century but the newest houses in it are these in Sunburn Terrace, built around 1890 for railway workers.

Forest Azure: oh! fish 'n chips!

postman: more spam!

Lucille: Hello stranger. I only usually wash this if the boys from the road gang come by just to tease them but you look nice anyway.  This other chap wandered past just earlier and said he needed to borrow my car to get to the old ruins. I told him to come back next week but you can come anytime:)  Look how this brass is just like a mirror, you can see right down my bosom!

postman: Hi Lucille love, what's on the menu for later?

Xi Shi: ok who knows the film that Lucille hails from?

postman: nice postcard from Skegness

Thirza Ember: hmm, Lucille, ... sorry, don't know

Xi Shi: Turning left down the side street we come to the general store, famous for having "four candles", and then onto the local garage. The NPC's here all speak to you and if you are trying to solve the sim adventure puzzle they do give out hints and clues.

postman: brochure from Butlins here

Alan Scot: Went to Butlins with me mum ... and saw ALL the Steptoe and Sons

Xi Shi: not sure its open at this hour

Ernest Moncrieff: isn't it "open all hours"?

Xi Shi: lol yes

chasty Slavicz: ah the bus

Star Ravenhurst: Ouch!!

Thirza.Ember: the bus got me, i forgot they drive on the left here

James Atlloud: The bus.. that was unexpected.

Xi Shi: oh yes mind the bus!

Xi Shi: Just before the bus shelter if we go left we find the village school. It's a finishing school for young ladies. The wall sign says St Trinian's Finishing School for young ladies but actually its a copy of a local village school near to me built in 1840 and closed just 5 yrs ago. The school only has one classroom plus the hall/gym/dining room just like rl but its plenty big enough for rp if desired

Thirza Ember: the school is truly 'old school'!

Xi Shi: that is the classroom I used to teach in

James Atlloud: I'm having a time-out, It's ok - I'm accustomed to it by now.

Alan Scot: need  a hat with a big D

Ernest Moncrieff: can I take the fish home at half-term this time?

Xi Shi: come out before you get caned

Tosha Tyran: lol... the school uniforms...

Forest Azure: caned ... i knew it!

chasty Slavicz: haha strict teacher here

Thirza.Ember: Xi, do you make your own mesh? or are these found/bought houses?

Xi Shi: mostly all mine, made in 3dsmax, some are still older sculptie and prim tho.

Xi Shi: This is actually an old coach house in rl but although I have a photo of it I'm not sure where.

Alan Scot: there's a place here for all those hit by that bus

Star Ravenhurst: There is a bed floating in there - Height aversion therapy?

Xi Shi: Anyone who is a film buff will recognize the ambulance is from "Ice cold in Alex" - sadly one of the stars in that, Sylvia Syms, died only last Friday. The posters are the work of Heath Robinson

TeriMar Galuptra: This is where they treat people who do too much cottaging?

Forest.Azure: i think i'm massaging a very fat person now

Star Ravenhurst: Yikes! Whips and chains in a hospital!

Xi Shi: We can walk through the ward as it's empty at the moment- then out the opposite door.

Tosha Tyran: this chairs look like torture instruments

Star Ravenhurst: Hospitals always torture you. Especially the vampires with needles.

Xi Shi: I assure you its all innocent!

Ernest Moncrieff: Ice Cold in Alex, were they finish the film with a pint of Heineken

TeriMar Galuptra: All done in the best possible taste!

Xi Shi: From here we'll head over to the main Railway Station. This is based on Beeston Station , one stop down the line from Nottingham, a couple of the pictures on the walls show it in RL. On the wall here you see the real one I used to stand at every morning

Alan Scot: this is magic

Star Ravenhurst: This is by far my most favorite place

Tosha Tyran: what a plush train station

Xi Shi: The two trains that stop on the inner platforms go around the inner sims in either direction. The single platform across the canal lets you catch a train that goes around the outer loop. The stationary train opposite has the two lovers from "Brief Encounter" saying goodbye .

Ernest Moncrieff: ouch.... I think I have something in my eye!

TeriMar Galuptra: The long goodbye

Thirza Ember: oh wow

Jupiter Rowland /me wonders if that's a Stirling over there.

Tosha Tyran: a whole wagon full of booze...

TeriMar Galuptra: Good guess!

Xi Shi: if we wait we'll hear  the announcements... hope you caught that

Ernest Moncrieff: ohh heading to Derby

TeriMar Galuptra: Wonderful timing :)

Thirza.Ember: what a wealth of films hinted at! how many are there total?

Xi Shi: 30 or so, some easier to guess than others

Star Ravenhurst: That is awesome!

Xi Shi: ok Now we walk up towards the main harbour. The canal narrowboat works the lock gates but because we can't mod water heights at the local level sadly it doesn't raise or fall. She might be a while coming, it takes 10 mins or so to circle.

Xi Shi: The little Clyde puffer here being loaded is the "Maggie" from the film of the same name. A charming old b/w comedy if you ever find a copy. no idea who the lady at the lamp post is tho...

Harbour Tart: Hello stranger, How would you like a nice short time with a clean girl? You never mind wot those slags in the brothel say, I'm a good girl I am. The only crabs here are in the 'arbour an I have a note somewhere to prove it. That funny forriner who was by 'ere earlier ran off wivout payin. If you see 'im smack 'im for me , I reckon he went up the big 'ouse way.

Xi Shi: opposite for the sailors is our brothel, but i dont have time to show you in there tonight. The pub opposite styled and named after the ship from "Master and Commander" is home to some of the looser residents here, but they serve the visiting sailors well enough, Rumour has it that there are rooms there made especially for that purpose but we shan't go looking today. I don't think the madame's around anyway just now .

chasty Slavicz: would take an evening to explore the brothel lol

Tosha Tyran: I opened the door to the brothel...phew...LOL

Star Ravenhurst: I love the moving boats. Incredible!

Thirza Ember: i like that you stimulate an interest in classic films with this build

Star Ravenhurst: Me too Thirza

phone: Operator -Thank you for calling Knox Oil an Gas

 MacIntyre- Ok ok Just get me Calvin Rayne in Aquisitions and hurry please I'm calling from a very great distance.

 Operator- Hold the line please..

Xi Shi: another movie in the phone box

TeriMar Galuptra: And  a big film clue in the car  park

Xi Shi: Local bus depot, houses in various stages of repair plus the loading quays make this a busy place.

Ernest Moncrieff: Not With Nail and I?

TeriMar Galuptra: Think Cliff

Thirza Ember: summer holiday?

TeriMar Galuptra: Yes!

Xi Shi: We now walk along a quieter road down towards where  my own home here is. As we walk you will see the busy farmer and we also go across the famous Palladian Bridge that is there in rl just below the real Wilton House we are going to.

Ernest Moncrieff: Is this the one near Bath?

Xi Shi: aha... only i took it out Erny and put a shower in!

Xi Shi: This high hedge hides a maze, above it is a skating rink. The maze itself is the same pattern as the one used for "The Shining" - it even has a surprise inside but I'll let you discover that if you visit again by yourselves.

Alan Scot: braraboom

Xi Shi: Wilton house is in Wiltshire and has a different facade on each side and they were all built over a long period of time,. My house if fairly true on the outside but modded internally to make ir easier for use here. Some of the rooms are public and some are used by residents.

Xi Shi: This red room is for entertaining and holding fashion shows on the catwalk. It's nice and cosy for either.

Tosha Tyran: this is pure time travelling.... amazing

Mal Burns: serious detail - a rather opulent change from the rest

Xi Shi:  If we walk across the courtyard we find the wine cellar, sometimes used to improve the attitude of any staff who work here that become lazy. now behave or I'll make you try some!

Thirza Ember: iron maidens?

Xi Shi: those too

Thirza.Ember: i get the point. This place gives a whole other meaning to 'wine rack'

Xi Shi: ok let's wander up to the roof, here's me 15yrs ago in SL

Thirza.Ember: the 30 or so film vignettes - did they just all come to you spontaneously or did you make a conscious decision to have a certain number?

Xi Shi: oh no, I just made them up over time as the opportunities arose, sometimes you see things that give an idea. But I love old movies. 

Xi Shi: At the rear of the house is the Orangery, this is used for dances and other social occasions. The big painting is one of the mystery clues, if you look closely you'll see one of us holds a key.  That's the other thing here, apart from the movie clips.

Ernest.Moncrieff: Arnolfini lots of symbols in that painting

Star Ravenhurst: How long did it take you to build all of this, do the NPC's and scripting, etc.?

Xi Shi: ever since I came, and always work in progress.

The tour can, should you have the time, continue on and on for several hours, with many more nooks and crannies full of delightful detail, fun and fancy poses, and film or cultural references to reflect on, to laugh at, and to share with friends - go visit!

HG Address lfgrid.com:8002:Ruritania