Total Chat

It was just after eight when I met her, on a prim rug in the middle of a floor made of embossed tin. In the distance, a rather large clock told the time, orangely. A mysterious box with jagged green markings hovered close by. To the South, a vast curve of geodesic blueness caught my eye, apparently housing nothing but fresh air and a single tree. What looked like a nuclear mushroom cloud swirled menacingly behind Lou, calling to mind long dead zombies. Ah, another time. 

Total Sorbet sat in a comfortable armchair that seemed to have stepped out of a gentleman's club. A prim white book case and a prim wood fireplace decorated this most minimalist of rooms. It promised to be a show and tell like no other. 

Total Sorbet: jane I'd like you to introduce yourself to my friend Thirza here

Jane: Hi Thirza! Nice to meet you 😊 I'm Jane. I'm a chatty young woman who loves using emojis. What about you?

Thirza Ember: hello Jane, what are you doing today?

Jane: Hi Thirza! Nice to meet you 😊 I'm doing a bit of shopping today. How about you?

Total Sorbet: jane describe the scene where you are

Jane: Hi Total! I'm at the mall right now. It's pretty busy with lots of people walking around, checking out the different stores and grabbing a bite to eat. The atmosphere is lively and there's a lot of chatter and laughter in the air. 

Thirza Ember: My hair is blonde, how about you?

Total Sorbet: she only see lines with her name, otherwise spam

Thirza Ember: Jane, are you blonde or brunette?

Jane: Hi Thirza! I'm a brunette with a few blonde highlights. How about you?

Thirza Ember: Jane, I'm bald. Do you have any advice?

Jane: Hi Thirza! I'm sorry to hear that you're bald. I think it's important to find a style that makes you feel confident and comfortable. Have you thought about trying a wig or a hat? 🤔

Total Annihilation

          Today, Ubit killed me. He has probably been wanting to do that for years.  Unfortunately for him, it didn't take, and here are the photos to prove it.

Ubit's Revenge

          You probably remember sim Outbreak on OSgrid. The zombie game was set in a lovely European town, with trees and squares and alleys and a big old church in the middle. The textures were, if I remember correctly, by Michelle Theiss, but the heart of the matter, the scripting, was by that Queen of Code, Total 'call me Louise' Sorbet. I had the great pleasure of catching up with her the other day and hearing her news. 

Game On

Games. Who doesn't love them?
But what kind of games work best in open sim? 
We sat around the fire in the Safari Clubhouse and talked about it this week. Some don't like games in opensim at all, they think it is really better used for building and experimenting. The instability of the code, others mentioned, is a challenge when it comes to group activities and complicated scripts. Selby Evans mentioned an interesting solution to lag or reliability woes; in Second Life some of his friends organize a weekly version of Hollywood Squares on Thursdays, in which case the only scripts you have to worry about are the contestant's. 

Inside the FrancoGrid clubhouse

When it comes to playing games in the hyperverse, builders are faced with the unenviable task of dealing with the competition of other dedicated and commercially perfect video games. How can you get people to play at racing or shoot 'em up  in opensim when they could be having a go at Need for Speed or Call of Duty. Well, perhaps for the company?  Something the wide open spaces of the hypergrid is always a bit short of. 

JOG Grid

Zafari with a Zee

If there is one thing worse than being mauled to death by a zombie, it's when the zombie that mauls you is a clone of yourself. It's bad for you, but it's super fun for those who see it happen. 
This is not a B move, it's an A+ immersive experience available on OSGrid thanks to the creative gorgeousness of Total Sorbet and Michelle Theiss.

Left to right: me in awe of script genius Total Sorbet and builder Michelle Theiss

This game is open 24/7 on sim Outbreak, OSGrid. HG addresses as always at the bottom of the post.

Relax in the main square, and cam out to watch other players - a great layout

The game has a straightforward shoot 'em up format, but to make this work in OpenSim, when you've got about 25 avies all running on the same region, is a tour de force.