The Tree of Forest

Our first stop this week was on Neverworld, at the Forest of Azure the home of singer, storyteller, builder, erotic photographer, and Safari regular Forest Azure. Forest was the principal guest in a really interesting episode of Inworld Review back in 2024 too, and hopefully she will soon be a guest again. 

The landing point of the region is on a sky platform, where you can find both the Maze build - it looks like a one story stone castle, and also the Azure Gallery where you can see some of Forest's photos.

We quickly teleported down to ground level to meet up with Forest, under the branches of a gigantic tree growing directly out of the Opensim Ocean.

Forest Azure: Welcome safaristas!  Today we will visit this tree and the maze gallery that you saw before, but with a different content. We will start our safari with this tree: Lothlorien. There are several spots in this tree-world to explore. While you are exploring, I will tp groups of 3 to the maze. I will start teleporting for the maze in about 15 minutes. The maze is now about a story you all know: Cinderella. But mind you: this is Cinderella Azu style!

Spax.Orion: Do you have accident insurance in case someone falls out of this big tree?

Forest Azure: yes! that you fall softly in the water.  The maze is now about a story you all know: Cinderella. But mind you: this is Cinderella Azu style!  When you are done with the maze, you can tp back to Lothlorien with the LM on the safari card.

Jade Serenity: omg i love this place

Jojo Apple: This is great Forest :)

Forest Azure: So first: Lothlorien! Please grab a notecard from the tree stump  with the light that you see here. On this notecard are all the spots you can visit in the tree. Lets make it a game, shall we? Mark the locations you find on the notecard with an X! We will see who found the most! One more thing: not every spot is connected to all other spots. So you will have to walk back to the main stair regularly to find the next spots.

The group gradually rezzes on Forest of Azure

Not everyone could get the notecard... and here's a layperson's explanation of why that would be. 

When a visitor arrives on a sim, a big conversation breaks out. The region (or more precisely the server the region is on) wants to tell the visitor all about every texture, object, sound, etc., that is going on within the visitor's draw distance. The higher the  Graphic setting on the visitor's Viewer, the more detail the region's server has to send. At the same time, the region's server is looking at the visitor, noting every attachment, HUD, texture, noting their changing coordinates on the sim, animations etc.  Some of that information may be coming quite slowly, if  the visitor has a fairly slow upload speed.

Now - If instead of one visitor, you have twenty visitors all at once. The region's server has to send not only all the info about the region to 20 different people, but also gather the info about those same 20 avatars and then send that info to everyone too. So you, the visitor, are getting all the packets of data about the region, plus the info about other 19 visitors' outfits and poses, plus your computer is trying to tell the server about you. And because we all come from different grids, although these connections are lightening fast, that adds a bit to the effort also. This is why it's considerate to others when you don't wear a super complex avatar on Safari, and why a moderate draw distance and graphics setting works best. And why it's silly when Hosts tell us to have everything set to maximum/ultra when we visit their sim. Eye roll.

In years of doing HG Safari trips, we have seen this data sharing 'conversation' between sim and visitor improve in leaps and bounds. But, we have also come to accept the limitations of group visits, as part of the sport. Unsociable geeks might say, (and have said) that group grid-jumping is an unnatural act and that each visitor should arrive five minutes after another, but where would be the fun in that?  

In general, we have found that it takes about 5- 10 minutes for the average visitor and region server to exchange all the bits of people and  sim, if people don't have their draw distance and graphics set too high, and the region isn't insanely complex or full of giant textures. Textures! omg let me rant about that for a second. We all know that they come in different sizes. And some may think that a 1024 texture is double the size of a 512 texture. It's not. It's 4 times as big - so that's 4 times the information the visitor and server must exchange. An eyewatering 2048x2048 texture is not 4 times the size of a 512 texture, it is -  good grief - 16 times as big. Great, if you plan to be the only one looking at it, but it's self-defeating to have a lovely texture that never rezzes for new people.

If, then, during those crucial first 10 minutes or so,  you add to the load by trying to pass an asset like a Notecard to the group, you're almost certain to fail. The asset will appear in their inventory when they relog, but twenty people relogging kind of kills the vibe. 

In this case, we were fine without the Notecard because it was just fun to explore. You can find more info about Notecards and other strategies for hosting a Safari on this page, but like most Notecards, I'm betting you won't read it. 

Forest's fabulous tree house had no such texture issues.

Govega Sachertorte: Forest you have done so much curb appeal with this tree

Forest Azure: lets climb!

There are lots of staircases, bridges, and side-tracking sitting places like this oasis in leaves, as you ascend the giant tree house. However, pretty soon we were at the castle balanced at the top of the tree.

Drew Blood: chow time

Cherry Manga: we can let the mermaids lay here and finally eat sushis! Kimm, you're supposed to sit in my plate

Spax Orion: sharpens sushi blade

Tina Bey: I think this one has bones...

James Atlloud: has anyone seen the soup?

Spax Orion: There's something in the GRAVY....

Govega Sachertorte: wait we are having a feast

Tina Bey: Soup? People don’t eat that anymore...

Star Ravenhurst: The soup is poison.

James Atlloud: I am having a delicious borscht in RL at this very moment.

Cherry Manga: I'm a soup addict!

Star Ravenhurst: I am too Cherry... LOVE soup

Spax Orion: Liver and onions here!

Govega Sachertorte: I knew you were crazy Spax

Drew Blood: /me just scanned the table...I'll pass

Thirza Ember: i'm dancing on the bread to lower the calories

Govega Sachertorte: Thirza is mashing the potatoes

Star Ravenhurst: I have grapes right here in RL... Passes the virtual bowl

Thirza Ember: Forest had this region, but not this tree, back on OSGrid... she moved quite recently, I think less than a year ago, and has done so much work on the sim! The tree tells a little bit of her story. Among the buildings nestled in the branches, there is a house that, in SL, she admired very much but could never buy... and there is a little cabin where she and her partner Rezz had their honeymoon... and of course this castle, with its banquet hall and dungeons, so it's a sort of autobiographical tree

Koshari Mahana: Lots of memories!

Govega Sachertorte: I love how she furnished everything, sometimes people drop everything at that point... and this is such a beautiful castle as its decorated

Thirza Ember: it's a challenge to climb,  but if you fall in the water more than three times, you will live forever

Spax Orion: /me rushes water sample to the lab

James Atlloud: Are we supposed to be near Forest?

Thirza Ember: She will TP you when she wants you. The idea of Forest is that small groups should take the tour of the Maze. It is an original storytelling device. You go through the maze and choose the outcomes of the various twists in the story. You must answer questions, and if you pick the right one the door will open. We can't all go together, we would break it.

Safari visits all sorts of different places, and people have all sorts of different computers that they use for the trips. The idea is, that our events accommodate even a not very good computer. 

James Atlloud: I'm on a Grade c russet potato of a computer today.

Star Ravenhurst: That sounds like the one I am on James... not even sure if it qualifies as a potato... I am surprised and happy that I can even be here today

Koshari Mahana: It's great to see you on Safari Star!

Thirza Ember: so while we're waiting, can I do a little plug for the Inworld Review show next Sunday? it's about illness and creativity in opensim

Nara Nook: That sounds really interesting Thirza

Star Ravenhurst: I can relate. I will try to watch.

Thirza Ember: but there is also Spax's Linda Kellie party on Sunday, at 11am Grid time

 Petlove Petshop: yes.  I'm conflicted!

James Atlloud: up, off to the maze!  weee

Francisco Koolhoven: haha that was an interesting telling of the story

Dorena Bree: well done Forest

Govega Sachertorte: loved it!

James Atlloud: does anyone live happily ever after?

 Forest Azure: well yes

 Spax Orion: I was hoping for a booby trap or two... LOL

Equus Staedler: Will have to return later, my OSGrid avatar kept me busy, and inventory is a mess.  Well, all goes  on Dec 31st.

Thirza Ember: the Maze is a great idea

Max Well: nice, I like it, this visit was pleasant

Spax Orion: Most enjoyable indeed, thanks for hosting us.

Forest Azure: nobody needed the insurance?

Francisco Koolhoven: Yes wonderful builds here Forest thank you

James Atlloud: It's quite the experience Forest... and it seems we all survived!

HG Address: hg.neverworldgrid.com:8002:Forest of Azure