On Satori

Our first trip this week was to Alternate Metaverse Grid, and the lovely sim Satori which at first glance would seem to be simply a well appointed beach resort, until you discover a whole other world up in the sky.  

It doesn't happen every week, for sometimes there's mad chaos in the minutes before the HG Safari tour begins, when a host goes awol or a region goes offline or someone asks a question that does not compute. But sometimes, there's a delicious calm before the storm, and this week was one of the delicious kind. Not least because our first stop was at the home of the deliciously golden Maia Antarra, DJ, builder, choreographer, Reiki practitioner, and more... 

Maia Antarra

... and the darkly suited and harder to get on camera Savage Taurus, the master scripter whose work amplifies and animates this cleverly laid out region.  Normally there's one Thirza at the Clubhouse and another goes a few minutes before the event begins to our first destination to facilitate our arrival. 

Savage Taurus: hello Thirza,  have you come for the tour? 

Maia Antarra: she's the ringleader

Savage Taurus: awesome. I think the saucer is working right

Maia Antarra: well it if has a malfunction we all get jettisoned into space that's all...  spacesuits available in the shop over yonder

Arriving on Satori

The main sim has a Midday environment setting which makes sense for a place that's all about sun and sand at ground level, so when you get to the space themed sphere in the sky you need to reset things a little.

Dabici.Straulino: lovely eep

Maia Antarra: not an eep actually, just good ol fashioned texturing. Best settings for this region: draw distance of 512 or more -  advanced lighting model on... also midnight

Dabici Straulino: so great old texturing !

James Atlloud: Oh midnight does look good.

We boarded our transport, a 20 seater spaceship, with Savage as pilot.

Maia Antarra: This Tour Craft was cobbled together in the last few weeks so it still hasn't been safety tested.So, your being here is consent to hold harmless any harm that may come to you in the commission of this tour.  You have been warned and so have I.

Dings Digital: I like that approach

Malburns Craftster: gotta be better than a bus!

Maia Antarra: Welcome to Satori Starport, a settlement set in a crater on an asteroid deep in space orbiting an impossible star called  Savage198 Star.  There is a gravitational lensing effect so the stars appear a bit stretched we found.  It was first settled in the year 2321 as an outpost for further space exploration. Operations here expanded as mining interests came, as well as the scientists. Commercial interests came next with making this place a tourist destination for fun and leisure.  This is the star port's landing and parking area for most vehicles here and our starting point.

Riding in style on the flying saucer

James Atlloud: cool!  Will help us keep the chat flowing.

Dings Digital: is parking free?

Whirli Placebo: lol

Thirza Ember: this is a smoooooth ride!

Savage Taurus: thank you :)

Dabici Straulino: my sense is that we should replace busses by ufos

Maia Antarra: This is one of the rec areas.  Hover boards are available to anyone to hover about the region or try out the tracks.  Be warned they will mess with your eyes and that makes it challenging to stay on track.

Star Ravenhurst: I love hoverboards! I use them to get around every day.

Maia Antarra: We are passing the gift shop where  sci fi booty (some never to be found again elsewhere) from across the hypergrid are offered as well as some original items.

Dings Digital: spectacular views

Maia Antarra: Here there is a complex of structures that were the ones first built at the starport.  They include comfy living quarters, a command center, a power room, a game room with various games for fun and diversion, and a commissary complete with food rezzer and food from the garden here. Above are some swankier accommodations for the more connected traveler. Some of which is still in development

Thirza Ember: Did you two meet here on amv? or did you meet on another grid? ancd how did this region come into being?

Savage Taurus: we met in SL

Maia Antarra: Savage and I slowly built this region over the space of a couple years and still counting. We scoured opensim for items which were used either whole or redone.  Some parts are built from scratch when nothing was available. I was looking to create a certain ambiance that i have liked in some of the best scifi worlds.  I'm still working on it.  There is a lot to explore around here and fun things to do.

James Atlloud: Ship from Oblivion movie - too cool.

Maia Antarra: The shining crystalline mountains made of aqua aura crystal were at first mined for their value in trade until artifacts from some previous civilization were found.  So, now scientists are currently studying them but are no closer to finding out who left them there.

Thirza Ember: can we get some whiskey to go with the water? might help the research

Star Ravenhurst: I like whiskey.

Maia Antarra: Here is the bio dome where the food is grown by robot assistants.  The plants are grown according to the finest horticultural science in order to reap the biggest harvest.  Yes, nutrition is important when one is on a strange world in space.

 Whirli.Placebo: are the crystals sold to anyone?

Maia Antarra: These buildings house the administrative, data processing, conference rooms, sick bay, science, and lounging/social areas. We sometimes get artists here.  This particular one (Artie Bot) created a virtual holo stonehenge with some anti grav fun added.

Maia's not a Blender creator, the assets used to put together are found pieces, modified in texture and script, and reassembled to create an incredibly harmonious and pleasing landscape full of detail and contrast but without a single note out of place... we glided from the ghostly Stonehenge to a brightly colored garden of fantasy plants.

Maia Antarra: Up up we go to the upper level of the starport and the floating islands.  Great caution must be exercised since there are mini asteroids floating up here. It could be quite treacherous to navigate.

Whirli Placebo: nice touch

There are three islands, floating above the spaceport 'ground level' and in the foreground in this picture is the home of the future UFO Museum..in a UFO!  There are plans to add a full space station and some other buildings in the future.

Whirli Placebo: Maia, I'm quite interested in the spaceport part of this stunning visual creation of yours.  what kinds of travelers come here, in the narrative, that is?

Maia Antarra: from earth and its colonies, from other worlds with those we call alien and are in trade with us

Dabici Straulino: this saucer tour is so smooth and a great way to have an overview.

Maia Antarra: This is where some native flora of unearthly beauty is flourishing quite well.  The reason for this is readily apparent due to there being a geyser in this area plus something more. akin to fauna of sorts.  We are still not sure if they are native or came here before us.  Since they seem a wee bit on the primitive side, we are not sure if they are the builders of the artifacts here.  Communication has been somewhat difficult so far but we have managed to co-exist here anyway. Above it hovers a unique predator so beware for it may swoop down any time.

Steamy!

Maia Antarra: so you see there is a hot core in this place

James Atlloud: ah, refreshing

Dings Digital: James has fresh shoes now

James Atlloud: crocs will outlive cockroaches

The modern pyramid Club Nova has a long entry tunnel with a stargate at the front, and inside the host is Dr Who, making for a pleasingly eclectic atmosphere. On the ground floor, plenty of room for dancing, and upstairs a chillout space and games room offer visitors a range of activities in which to enjoy some good music.  

Maia Antarra: this is one of the first buildings set down, really repurposed with other building parts

In the foreground, Savage Taurus

The Doctor: Hello there.

Dings Digital: party time

The Doctor: Fight for the right to party, human!

The gallery with its unusual trees, interactive laser art, sculptures and of course pictures was a hit and perhaps the most memorable part of our tour.

Maia Antarra: I made those in an AI program - my favorite is Nightcafe right now - then other things were curated

Dabici Straulino: the color change in the trees - wow

Under the gallery we came to a secret garden, ideal for some quiet time.

Maia Antarra: hi tina, I think we use some of your things here

Kelso Uxlay: Superb

James Atlloud: beautiful

The sounds are so well curated, brought together so many different elements into one immensely satisfying build. Secret caves, an auditorium, the club and gallery and so many hidden gems here give the feel of a much bigger region, and go to prove that a well organized build can truly create the feeling of space, in every sense of the word. 

The whole build has a crystalline quality

Thirza Ember: Maia, I know you love music- you're a DJ - plus you do Reiki, plus you obviously love space - I want to know which of these interests was your 'first love'?

Maia Antarra: I was a sci fi nerd way back, went to the cons and in a sci fi club

James Atlloud: Very nice - Cons are a blast

Rover likes James

Maia Antarra: this is that artifact cave where this device is giving off mega power

Dabici Straulino: lovely crystals

Dings Digital: looks like it has a lot of vitamin c

Maia Antarra: we think it might be some kind of contained fusion in some kind of field and have no idea how it was done...  never mind Rover

James Atlloud: A new friend

Maia Antarra: so that ends our tour. I know you have another destination to go to, so thanks for coming and hope to see you visit some other time. I  hope to catch the tour next week,  so happy voyaging everyone

Dabici Straulino: thank you Maia, I loved both the tour and your guiding approach

Dings Digital: this is such a fun and impressive place

Alex Salamander: Thank you, very nice tour

Savage Taurus: I'm glad you all enjoyed it

Tina Bey: Thanks Maia

Kelso Uxlay: Bravo!

Dabici Straulino: to me, the nicest sci fi site I ever visited

HG Address:  alternatemetaverse.com:8002/Satori