For our second stop on this week's adventure around the hyperverse, we went over to see a build by Tosha Tyran on Craft Grid Tosha is famed for her reconstructions of real world places, including the Taj Mahal, India; a Hopi village, Arizona; the city of Timbuktu, Mali; and the Guggenheim Museum in Barcelona.
This one's in Cambodia - the famed Angkor Wat.
If the build looks familiar to you, there's an earlier Safari blog post about it here, but this was our first opportunity to explore as a group. If you go alone, you'll have plenty of company - there are about 25 NPCs around the build, adding atmosphere and context.
The arrival point is sets the scene immediately - as jungle and architecture vie for supremacy.
Tosha Tyran: I would like to tell you a bit about Angkor wat, ok?
Tosha Tyran: Angkor Wat is a temple complex located in the province of Siem Reap in Cambodia. It is famous for its stunning architecture, intricate carvings, and elaborate bas-reliefs, which depict scenes from Hindu mythology and the daily life of the Khmer people. The central structure of Angkor Wat is surrounded by a moat and a series of concentric walls, and is accessed through a grand causeway. The main temple is composed of three levels and features a series of galleries, corridors, and chambers. The uppermost level is topped by five towers, which represent the peaks of Mount Meru, the mythical home of the gods in Hindu mythology.
Thirza Ember: It's a mesh build, Tosha?
Tosha Tyran: yes, all mesh. with a few patches :D
Thirza Ember: ok how many bad words did you shout at your computer while building it?
Tosha Tyran: 1 mio bad words, 10 the pc thrown into the sea... from the rocks :)
Lucy Afarensis: Haha
Tosha Tyran: bite my table I dont know how many times :D
Forest Azure: /me takes a peek at Tosha's teeth
Tosha Tyran: on my left you see the library, if later one of you want to read the info about Angkor wat, just click on any of the books inside
Access to the courtyard is through a tunnel, making the entrance into the vast, sunlit space with its towering structures all the more imposing. The whole of Angkor Wat is one giant sculpture - every wall is full of art, and Tosha has recreated the appearance with great skill.
Lucy Afarensis: What software did you use to make this ?
Tosha Tyran: blender and gimp, All the textures practically is original and over worked in gimp and it is to scale of the real place
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| photo courtesy Lucy Afarensis |
Tosha Tyran: now this is the second level of the build, I mean in original too. Now here, as I understood it, in original they must have had a huge collection of buddha statues
Inside the temple, you can join an NPC for a bit of meditation, but Tosha quickly led us out into the courtyard, where there is an opportunity to dance,
Jupiter Rowland: Ahnold is here, too.
Inside the temple, you can join an NPC for a bit of meditation, but Tosha quickly led us out into the courtyard, where there is an opportunity to dance,
Tosha Tyran: I tell you the problem with NPC... every time something goes wrong.... they are all gone and need to be revived. That nearly drove me mad in the past weeks
Forest Azure: that is their revenge for not playing
Tosha Tyran: ok, let take a stroll through the jungle and visit the village? be careful in the jungle a lot of beasts are around there
Tosha Tyran: oh darn, this is like a maze
Jupiter Rowland: Don't tell me you don't remember the way through your own build.
Tosha Tyran: exactly
Tosha Tyran: trust me, even if I go wrong, more than fall into the sea, or get eaten by a wolf or a bear or a crocodile will not happen
Lucy Afarensis: hehe
Forest Azure: lol
Tosha Tyran: but we should find a path sooner or later
The exit was as evocative as the entrance, another tunnel, this time leading us to the waterfront. Angkor Wat is inland, but water is a vital element to its location and meaning. The Siem Reap river and associated lake is a natural wonder in its own right. Tosha has enlivened the area with some more contemporary houses - after all, Cambodia is a thriving country, not stuck in its own past, and it's a popular destination for tourists from all over the world. Meantime, we walked through the mangroves, looking out for those aforementioned crocs.
Tosha Tyran: the village is pretty original also
James Atlloud: coming out into that vista from the forest was gorgeous
Lucy Afarensis: Love all the plants
Tosha Tyran: I read the Cambodians build so high up as to be closer to god
Lucy Afarensis: Keeps them above the jungle's creepy crawlers
Tosha Tyran: about the only thing on the region I did not
James Atlloud: I wonder about seasonal flooding too
Tosha Tyran: ah last night I finished all the houses here.... and then suddenly every house was gone PANIC
Unadecal Arado: I can imagine!
Tosha Tyran: and quickly put out an OAR, without thinking that the houses were not yet on the last OAR so... I had a nice day rebuilding houses today :DDDD
Alex Salamander: oh
James Atlloud: The voices are wonderful. Especially the sounds of the language - I love it.
Jupiter Rowland: /me picks up some groceries while he's already here.
Tosha Tyran: most of the names I looked up in the internet - typical cambodian names...
James Atlloud: Oh yes, I see the guvernator!
Tosha Tyran: well, and the rest is practically jungle and some beasts
Yara Eild: All very nicely built. I like this little fighter best
James Atlloud: If only I had the energy of Dazoli here!
Thirza Ember: lol James, we're all glad you don't - you would crash the Safari!
James Atlloud: ha ha - that's what we do - but not here at all - the server is fantastic
Tosha Tyran: yes, thanks to Licu! he really keeps things the way they should I am forever thankful
Thirza Ember: it's an amazing region - I love it. The way you have combined a lot of serious research with so many light hearted aspects
Jupiter Rowland: So many names from this grid which I read on items, and they're still active.
James Atlloud: I think this would be a wonderful place to bring students who would like to know more about the temple and the town. I will remember this like I've been here!
Tosha Tyran: oh, when you pass by the library maybe you like to take a notecard, it has the URL of a fantastic website about Angkor Wat, it is among the best sites I have ever seen
James Atlloud: Tosha, thank you so much - this is beyond amazing!
Tosha Tyran: thank you James, it is a joy having you here, and it is always fun with you guys, no matter where we are
Forest Azure: thank you Tosha :)
Wizardoz Chrome: wonderful All Tosha :) !!
Mal Burns: great tour tosha
Tosha Tyran: bye bye and thanks to you all
HG Address: craft-world.org:8002:Angkor Wat
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