Nova

 

 By Gemma Cleanslate

Perhaps we all associate rαvєn вαnríσn (RavenStarr Resident) with beautiful nature regions. I did. Her group Spark has built so many amazing installations . Her latest example was and still is Kaleidoscope (http://slnewserplaces.blogspot.com/2023/02/kaleidoscope.html). I think she looked up and out into the sky and thought to herself I wonder what is out there and began to imagine. 

 

Then she made another world. I went to see her vision and she said “So happy you visited! Yes, I wanted to build a sci fi sim that wasn't dark and grungy. This definitely pushed my skills. It was a really good challenge. (smile). “

At the entrance you can see the  whole galaxy and locate this planet in that universe.
It is a place not to be missed. I walked all around looking at the lower level which has delightful garden if plantings not found on earth.

“Welcome to Nova, situated on the neutral paradise planet Ashoka. Open to all adults, this interstellar utopian resort invites all weary space travelers seeking a destination spa experience. From yoga with aliens to interaction with a true AI based on 21st century ChatGPT/GPT3, at Nova our mission is to provide an otherworldly escape from the stresses of daily life. Unwind in a truly unique environment, leaving you feeling refreshed, recharged, and ready to take on whatever the universe has in store for you.+

I found Nova  the Chat bot and had a talk with her /him/it.
My conversation with Nova the chatbot . If you ask anything be sure to address NOVA first with each question.

“[12:08] Gemma (Gemma Cleanslate): Nova what is your job here ?
[12:08] Nova: "Hello Gemma! It's lovely to interact with you. My job here is to assist and make your experience smoother and more efficient. Whether it's answering your questions or helping you complete tasks, I'm here to lend a helping hand. Is there anything I can assist you with at the moment?"
},
[12:08] Gemma (Gemma Cleanslate): Nova who made this beautiful place?
[12:09] Nova: "Hello Gemma! It's wonderful to interact with you. Raven is the brilliant mind behind the creation of this stunning place. I am grateful to be a part of it and assist you in any way possible. What can I help you with?"
},
[12:09] Gemma (Gemma Cleanslate): Nova can i sleep in one of the bedrooms?
[12:09] Nova: "Hello Gemma, it's lovely to hear from you. Of course, you may sleep in one of the bedrooms. Raven has provided comfortable accommodations for your stay. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"
},
[12:09] Gemma (Gemma Cleanslate): Nova what can I eat here ?
[12:09] Nova: "Hello Gemma! It's wonderful to hear from you. As an AI robot created by Raven, I don't have a physical presence that could offer you anything to eat. However, I can suggest some nearby restaurants or cafes where you may find delicious food. Would you like me to search for some options for you?"
},
[12:09] Gemma (Gemma Cleanslate): Nova Yes (I never got any restaurants but there are several in the food court I found.
[12:09] Nova: ", I am an AI robot created by Raven. It's lovely to interact with you, Gemma. Is there anything I can assist you with today?"
},
[12:10] Gemma (Gemma Cleanslate) GIGGLES!!
[12:10] Gemma (Gemma Cleanslate): ...LOL...
[12:10] Gemma (Gemma Cleanslate): Nova do you ever sleep?
[12:10] Nova: "Hello Gemma! It's lovely to interact with you. As an AI robot, I don't need to sleep like humans do, but I do need to undergo maintenance and updates to ensure my optimal performance. Is there anything else I can assist you with today?"
},
[12:10] Gemma (Gemma Cleanslate): Thank you! you Good to know you are here 24/7”

Along the outer walkway I found rooms for staying over , rooms for massage, and a spectacular food court where food was being prepared for visitors and guests. I chose a sushi restaurant and watched the chef prepare the food.There also relaxing nooks to just sit and enjoy .

After wandering the lower floor, and talking to Nova I took the elevator to the upper floor where I found a huge Club area ready for events. I went back several times to look at the flora that graced the first level and found it striking for growing on that planet. It is not like earth but is like earth. Go immerse yourself in it all and have a lovely time! Say hi to Nova for me.

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ashoka/152/223/37

 

 When I was reading Bixyl’s articles about the SL Newser opening those 13 years ago, I began remembering how shocked and dismayed all the reporters at the SL Newspaper were when Dana announced to us in an office meeting that it would be closing. Our years there had been good. Bixyl then tried to get permission to continue the paper, but Dana and James felt they wanted it to stay in history as it was.

A few days after Dana's announcement, Bixyl approached several of us and asked if we wanted to join the new endeavor he was thinking of starting to be called the SL Newser. I said yes and have not been sorry.

It seems almost yesterday and it is amazing to think it has been 13 years. I have been all over the grid and met seen so many beautiful and wondrous builds and have met so many fascinating people through the process of writing for the paper. I wish for many more years of success. 

 

Gemma Cleanslate

 

Calas Galadhon's Dark Moon

By Bixyl Shuftan

One place in Second Life noted for it's fine design and coming up with new things every year is the Calas region, owned by Ty Tenk and Truck Meredith. Usually Gemma Cleanslate is the Newser writer who takes care of articles there. But with their new Halloween area this year, she thought it was about time for a fresh pair of eyes. So I went ahead and headed to Erebor for "Dark Moon."

When one thinks of the moon on Halloween, it's usually the bright moon shinning over a dark and spooky forest. That wasn't the case here. Appearing in a purplish sky and shallow water on some crystal hexagons, over one were the words "The Portal." So I clicked on that. The next thing I knew, I was on some baren landscape with some circular structure ahead of me, and some figures around it. Getting closer, they were a mix of aliens and human astronauts. But looking closer, the astronauts were dead. All but one of the aliens appeared lifeless as well, except for one with a sign: "Dive in."

Going in, I found myself in a cavern with metallic space-age structures built into it, with water flowing on the ground in places. The detail, as usual for Calas, was very good. I had my headphones on, and it had detailed sounds of the water trickling nearby, and appropriate theme music such as that of the "Alien" prequel movie "Prometheus." Looking around however, there were some mixed signals about the aliens. While some were helping to point out the way for you to go, others were not so friendly to other humans.

Flares help cue you on which direction to go, You will encounter things such as light bridges, and you will encounter monsters. Unfortunately in this sci-fi adventure with horror tones, the reason they're not going after you is that they've sated themselves on various NPC humans ... or have they? At one point, you'll find yourself in an Earth library. The end of your journey? Nope, you'll still have further to go. Finding the right path may mean occasionally searching around a bit. You'll get an opportunity to float around weightless, though with some limited control. Eventually, you'll see some human kids walking your way from a flying saucer. But as they come closer, you'll see they're not exactly wanting to be friends.

The last cavern was very dark in places with few flares, so it took me a while to find the way out. Once I did, I was transported back to the purplish world. Looking around and noticing a spaceship ahead of me, I decided to walk over, wading through the water, to check it out. I saw a few creatures going just over the water. There were some stairs to the ship, and climbing on, I was greeting by the message, "Welcome to Calas Galadhon's "DARK MOON'S MOTHERSHIP... thank you and enjoy your visit." I found a schedule of some live music acts appearing here at times across the month.

I forget how long my journey took me, probably over an hour. With the monsters and blood, and inhuman cold aliens, the place isn't for everyone. But in my opinion, Ty and Truck have done a first class job in this sci-fi horror theme adventure.

Erebor (8, 51, 2)

Bixyl Shuftan

H.G. Wells' Exhibit at Netera's Coffee Lounge

By Bixyl Shuftan

Longtime readers may remember Netera Landar who wrote for the Newser for a time, and has been running "Netera's Coffee Lounge." In the past, the place was known for offering regular discussions of writers and musicians. For the past couple years, the Lounge has been ad Snug Harbor. Right now, Netera is showing off an H.G. Wells exhibit. On the second flour of the building, the exhibit is accessible through a teleporter on the floor.

Some of Well's science fiction stories are so well known, they've been made and remade into many movies and television programs, such as "The Invisible Man," "The Time Machine," "War of the Worlds," and "The Island of Dr. Moreau." Most can still be checked out at the library or purchased at bookstores. Probably only Jules Verne is about as well-remembered of the sci-fi writers of his time. On occasion, Wells himself has become a character in fiction such as the 1979 movie "Time After Time." Steampunk equipment and weapons are occasionally referred to as "Wellsian." Having inspired many beyond his time from science-fiction fans and writers alike to those with just a casual interest, Netera herself wondered what would it be like to have an actual conversation with the writer "with a fascination for history, politics, and social commentary."

The exhibit is a combination of written displays describing Wells and his life, photographs, pictures of movie posters based on his works, and props such as the time machine that one can sit in. Some of the facts are less than common knowledge, such as Wells' father was a professional sports player. And some are well known, such as the Orson Welles' radio play of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" novel in 1938 that was told so much like actual news broadcasts, it caused widespread panic. The exhibit does not go much into Wells' later years of which his article on Wikipedia describes as a time when his reputation as a writer declined.

So if you're a fan of science fiction, especially steampunk, the H.G. Wells exhibit is worth a visit. For more information, check out Netera's own article on the exhibit, or Inara Pey's article.

And Netera, give me some time to think on which three books I would take with me.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snug%20Harbor/115/112/23

Bixyl Shuftan.

Back To The Future: The Ride

By Bixyl Shuftan

Most are familiar with the "Back to the Future" sci-fi comedy movie trilogy. A sequel of sorts was the "Back To The Future: The Ride" at the Universal Studios Theme Park in Orlando Florida. The ride opened on May 2 1991 (about a year after the third movie was in theaters), and ran until 2007, with a duplicate ride in Universal Sudios Japan running until 2016. As it turns out, there's a version of the ride here in Second Life at the ASD Studios sim. The tribute was created by Alicia Stella.

In order to experience the ride properly, one has to have media available. Ouside the ride is the first part of the pre-show in which the riders are spoken to by Doc Brown, having moved back to the present in order to found his "Institute of Future Technology." The riders were supposed to be volunteers for his new eight-seater version of his DeLorean time machine in which they would be sent forward into the future one day. Unfortunately, Biff Tannen, (the antagonist in the first two movies), has somehow gone from 1955 to the present day institute. In the second part of the pre-show, of which the doors open to every few minutes, Biff is shown trapping Brown in his office, getting into a time machine, and laughing as he speeds away into time. Doc pleads for the volunteers to get into the other time machine and go after him. Thanks to a tracker in Biff's machine, they can catch up to him and all they have to do is bump into him.

In the Second Life version of the ride, only four people can fit into the DeLorean time machine. The ride is best viewed in mouselook, as it shows the riders chasing Biff through time, occasionally crashing into things as he tries to throw them off through Hill Valley 2015, the Ice Age, and the Creaceous Period. Eventually, the riders catch up to their target. At the end of the show, Doc Brown thanks the riders, reminding them, "the future is what you make of it," and asks the riders to leave "before you meet yourself coming in." There's a donation jar near the exit to help with tier payments.

A fun ride, especially for fans of the movies.

More on the ride can be found on Wikipedia, and Universals Studios Wikia .

ASD Studios (18/89/27)

Hat tip: Skylark LeFavre

Bixyl Shuftan

Avatar in Second Life (Jan 2010)

By Bixyl Shuftan

In December 2009, the much anticipated sci-fi movie "Avatar" by James Cameron reached the theaters, and was a blockbuster hit, drawing huge numbers. People marveled at the groundbreaking special effects used to create the alien "Na'vi" in the film, as well as the planet's beautiful appearance. In Second Life, it was frequently talked about, the tie-in with the name "Avatar" being obvious. Avatars of the aliens were soon made, and before long, roleplay areas.

*  *  *  *  *

James Cameron’s science-fiction movie “Avatar” has taken cinema by storm, setting box office records in the United States and elsewhere across the world. Inevitably, people began making avatars of the alien “Na’vi.” Whenever there’s something big in science-fiction, people are drawn to begin with to recreate it here. With “Avatar,” there was a certain irony to it. There’s the movie’s name, making the “Na’vi” in Second Life “Avatar” avatars. And just like the humans in the movie create “avatars” to go about in an alien world in an imersive and personal manner, people have been doing so with “Na’vi” avatars here in the Metaverse. And of course Second Life avatars tend to be much taller than normal human anyway.

Many of us have already seen the familiar blue, thin humanoids showing up at clubs or other places. As it turns out, there have been efforts at more, trying to recreate the world of Pandora in Second Life.

Probably the most detailed of these Pandora areas is the Pandora Magic sim in Second Life. The entry area has a few freebies nearby, notably the rp combat system. Portals can take you to shops, or straight down to the planet. And given a little time to load, it is a most beautiful sight. Trees standing tall in the air, luminous plants and creatures providing colorful light - notably when seen at nighttime, flowers that make “crunch” noises and temporarily vanish when you walk near.

And of course there were a few Na’vi avatars about, walking here and there. There was also a couple embracing in a leaf boat moving slowly along a river. There were other cuddle poses throughout the sim, for any couples going here for a stroll in the woods. Supposedly some people after seeing the movie are depressed about not being able to visit Pandora for real (Click Here for CNN article). Logging into Second Life and going to Pandora Magic would certainly be one way to ease these down feelings.

Pandora Magic and its sister sim Pandora Hellsgate are the location for a German Na’vi roleplay group, though they don’t seem to have a problem with visitors going about the forest. The language at the starting area was German, though some notecards had English translations. Most of the chat heard was not in English, but there was one who did, commenting, “I think the reason Second Life has gone AVATAR crazy is because the movie related to us in a big way. A lot of us log in to a new body and a new world with unimaginable possibilities. SL is the outdated version. (laughter).”

Going into Search and typing Na’vi or Pandora, one will find other sims. Checking some of them, none led to a forest as lush as Pandora Magic’s, but there were some other roleplay groups. Angels Sanctuary had a Na’vi forest, which while not as detailed as Pandora Magic was better than most other "Avatar" places I saw. Two places had the same design space station, with a free human Hardsuit and 1L hovercraft, though except for demos the Na'vi avatars were a little costly. And some areas, while a nice place to stroll, seemed to have nothing to do with the “Avatar” movie, or were just a place to sell expensive avatars and props.

So if you’re someone who’s seen the movie and wants to relive it, or just want to see a little of what all the hype is about, Second Life offers places and things for you.

“kîyevåme, eana-txim.”

"(See you soon, blue butt.)"

*  *  *  *  *

Eventually, the movie was dropped from the theaters, and the chatter among the bulk of Second Life residents faded. But for the roleplayers the movie continued to hold their interest. Checking the map a couple years later, the Pandora Magic area was still around, and there were both buildings for the humans, and a group of Na'vi avatars going about. Five years later, the sim is gone. But a search of sims with the name "Pandora" revealed one with a familiar looking landscape with a huge tree. For some, five years after the movie came and went from the theaters, the movie still inspires them to recreate the scenery here.

Bixyl Shuftan

NekoZone Central : A Futuristic City Within Second Life

By Wesley Regenbogen

NekoZone Central is based on the future version of Los Angeles out of the sci-fi movie “Blade Runner." The sim was created and founded by Fox Daviau and was created in the year 2007. He came up with the idea and created it all by himself.

 The sci-fi themed sim is set at the end of the 21^st Century, where Earth has become a place where destruction, overcrowded cities and flying cars are found in every city. But flying cars could become a reality in the near future, that’s what Fox Daviau thinks, at least.

When you wander around in the city you get the feeling you are actually in the Blade Runner movie itself. Bring your umbrella with you, because it can be rainy there most of the time. In my opinion this place is well made and really gives you the feeling you are in a futuristic city and you see the flying cars in the air all over the place.  

There are numerous shops, but also many free spaces for shops as well sadly. They also offer apartment rentals starting from L$ 200/week for a place with around 50 prims or so. The urban life style may take getting used to, but if you are into sci-fi, you have found the place to wander around and explore it further. There are “camping” places where avatars are standing and hoping to get free L$ while camping there. In the center of the teleport area there is a fountain, a relaxing place, to relax when you want to escape the chaos of NekoZone Central West. When you take the escalator upstairs there are even more shops and places to visit.

There’s a dance club called InFuzion, which is open 24/7 offering music all the time. If you are a dancer or a DJ you can apply for a job at the sign you see in the club or just outside the club. Their events are listed on the Second Life Events website.

All things considered, this place is cool when you are into sci-fi and want to get a feel of it in Second Life. If you are not into sci-fi, you can wander around and see what this sim has to offer for you. Either way, it’s a nice and cool place to wander and explore, in a late 21^st Century scenery.

You can find the place at :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/FireStorm/113/127/30

 Wesley Regenbogen

Jeddin's Underground City

Last month, Second Life Newser was informed about a build that was created by a science-fiction writer, Dana Paxson, whom is known in Second Life as Jeddin Laval. From outside at a distance, it looks like a gazebo next to a tower on a hill with some larger white and glass towers in the distance. A closer look reveals some doorways, which lead into an underground complex, Jeddin's Underground City. A smaller building next to the city entrance has an introduction for visitors to read.

A notecard given described some of what his place was about. In 1995, Dana Paxson wrote a novel he titled "Descending Road," a number of stories about an underground city on the Earth colony world of Tarnus. The story takes place ten thousand years after it's settlement, which takes place "after 20,000 years of difficult evolution beyond our present time." The main story is about a man named Andrew as he grows up on the world, in a tale that "is painful, lonely, brutal, passionate, courageous, and wildly varied."

Contacting Jeddin, he teleported me to inside his virtual city, "We're standing on the floor of a City access well, called an 'aswal' in the stories. There are several floors above us." Describing this setting of his Descending Road  novel, clickable items often give links to a webpage, a notecard describing the object, or animated something, "I always encourage touch to explore here."

Talking more about the novel his build is based on, "The story is a large-scale struggle among human factions, andros, and aliens to take control of the planet. The planet, Tarnus, was colonized by humans about 10 millennia before the time of the story. The aliens played a role in attempting to destroy humanity long before, and try again. There are several parallel stories in the work.  The main line centers around Andrew, a human caught up in a poverty-stricken life, who finds his way to a rebel faction. And of course he runs into terrible trouble from almost every side."

Jeddin noted the changing light in the city, "The overhead lighting here changes color and intensity as the Second Life day advances. That echoes the story setting, which is far underground, doing the same thing. … the underground city tracks the aboveground day." He also pointed out some groups of vines hanging from the ceiling, "Those hangings are plants designed to provide enriched air in the deep city." To get between levels without flying up and down the central shaft, there were various disks on the floors, "These floor circles are 'Eleporters' to take us between levels. … I play with words.  A lot." Another notable spot in the city is the memorial wall, or "Memwall, where the dead are remembered. … If you touch a few of the graffiti … you'll get a page offered of the scene in which a person died." In another spot, "there's a commemoration of a terrible scene. A detachment of corpo soldiers toches a home, killing two old women. But an alien revives one of the corpses and speaks to the soldiers  via the body. The alien condemns the whole human race for its crimes against itself."

In the stories, the city has both human residents, and bioandroids. Jeddin took me to where the "andros," as they were called, are created: large tubelike vats, big enough for a human-sized avatar to enter and slide down, "The embryos are inserted at the top, and grown through several floors of fluid until they emerge fully-grown and trained at the bottom. Several of the story characters, including one named Jeddin, are andros." Some information on the wall nearby explained more about the andros, "ere you get some writeup on andro capabilities, and an exhibit regarding their five-octave visual capacity. Andros can see from IR to UV, and have many color names for colors in each range."

Jeddin went on to say in the stories, the main character "Andrew is assaulted by a powerful industrialist named Arlen, founder and owner of ArCorp, the company that built the andro vats where we're now standing." The businessman suspects Andrew is somehow mixed up with the aliens plotting against the humans. Before leaving, Jeddin showed me the control panel for the vat valves, "A visitor here can let a friend drop down through a vat and come out at the bottom. The one inside a vat can also open and close valves by touching them.  The valves are the pale blue-green floor circles."

One place we went to was Caladrina's Restaurant, which in the stories is where a number of scenes took place. In one, "A girl writes silent messages to her father in salt she spills on a table in the back. … The girl is Lejina, and her story is called 'Lejina's Change' or 'Lejina's Song'." In one of his secondary stories, "One guy trashes the place with a beam weapon. The trasher is in one of the secondary stories - his name is Tomas, and the story is 'Pyro'. …Pyro is a drug. … So much of what I write has some resonance with SF I've read long before."


Jeddin showed me other rooms, some showing the architecture of the city through diagrams and holograms, both 2D and 3D. Another showed a room with a simple but challenging game where one tries to move all the pieces from one pole to another, one at a time, until they're all on the other side. One of the last rooms Jeddin showed me displayed Tarnus from space, along with it's larger moon Lulith. There was also a small model of the colony ship that had settled the world long before the plot of the novel takes place. On the wall is a poem, written by one of the settlers:

They clapped us in the chains of sleep,
and drove us frae the Sun,
The bitter chills of blackest space
near killed us every one.
But now we've got a new world's light,
nae mair to gang awa,
We'll walk again the hills and dales
of Caledonia.

Jeddin had first come to Second Life five years ago, through a real life friend of his, "Daaneth Kivioq got me a place to start, and that was when I started building. He and I go back to the 1980s. He and I ran D&D campaigns together. One of mine was set in, an underground city. That was the seed for the fiction, which was the seed for this place. Our D&D campaign lasted over ten years. When we finished, I was starting to write science-fiction. That's when I started writing the City as it is here."

Jeddin explained his build had gotten some attention outside of Second Life, "This place has been shown as stills and a video in art shows at two colleges. University of Michigan Alumni Shows, and SUNY Empire State College shows too."

Jeddin's Underground City is at the Palm Breezes sim. His website http://www.danapaxsonstudio.com suggested "if you want to start exploring on the surface level, use the City Surface Link" at (100, 98, 46). But if you want to start at the city's lowest level, go to  (130, 117, 25).

Bixyl Shuftan

Mystery Science Theater 3000 in SL

Have you wondered where the worst science-fiction B movies you have ever seen went?? I found them! They are in the comfortable theater located at the sim, This Island Earth.

A quote from the land says, “Keeping the world safe from bad B-Movies by keeping them contained." Somehow Squeebee Wakawaka has sequestered them all and they are playing 24/7 for your viewing pleasure. All you have to do is sit and touch the box at the poster to start or catch up if it is in progress. If you want to have an outdoor view and lounge by the pond you will find a screen there too. How he found these films is beyond my comprehension, but there they are. Grab a bag of popcorn or a pizza and settle down.

There are comfortable seats for all and for those who like to snuggle up with a partner there is seating for you too. I sat and watched part of “Fugitive alien” and on another visit, “ Star Force Alien 2." I had to chuckle and then laugh out loud at the films. Hopefully that is what the owner wants, or, my apologies.

I met Mordoc Blackheart and asked if he were involved in the theater. And yes, he is a Saturday night host for the showing of a movie. He told me they had been in this sim for about a year and in another one previously. Most of the films are from MST3K which was on TV from 1988 through 1999 in the USA. Mordoc said they had almost all the films that were shown during that period and also some other interesting science films.

If you want to learn the story behind MST3K check it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_Science_Theater_3000, or search it for other informative sites. The building is a copy of the space craft where the MST3K crew spent their time forced to watch these films (Listen to their comments!). There are huge tribute builds of the robots who were part of the crew outside. There appear to be hosts for events each day at one time or another. There is a group for notices about get-togethers for events if you would like to join and keep up on the current offerings.

Have a fun afternoon at the movies. http://slurl.com/secondlife/This%20Island%20Earth/205/153/23

Gemma Cleanslate

Tron Legacy Adventure

My friend Erin Fensen, who loves everything that moves fast, suggested I check out “Tron”. She and her friends have been playing there recently. The role play is a tribute to the movie and is huge, covering the sims of Vixens Isle, Pattern, Rebma, and Amber. Start the adventure at Tron Legacy Adventures-Medie, Vixens Isle (167, 233, 2454).

You will arrive at the Rez Restore Point at the End of Line Club. This area has the traditional grid of Tron, a dance ball, couches for socializing, and information about the RP sim. Notecards were easy to find and give you a quick update on the area and lingo used in Tron. This makes it easy for a novice to get into the game quickly. Membership in their group "Amber Racing Association” is free.

Walk up the ramp to the right to go into a HUGE play area. This is a place for some serious fun. Free Tron clothes and a demo Light Cycle are available here so you can get into the mood immediately. The area is decorated with set pieces from the movie that are so big they wouldn’t fit into a photo.

While I was looking at the clothes and light cycle, resident AmyLee Rexen arrived and rezzed her Legacy BETA 7 cycle. Rexen offered to let me ride it, and she assured me it was easy to shift and control. But when she warned me that it will blow up if it hits a wall, I decided to watch her ride. Rexen said she is in training for combat. She tied in her first attempt when she and her opponent both hit their own light trails. “But it was still fun,” she said.

The sim is very active, and three or four residents arrived while we were chatting. Resident Spooko Zauberman came by to ask about the cycles and the RP. Group member Rhaiyu Ninetails, who had joined us, was friendly and explained many of Tron’s amenities. “We have the club located here, of course, which serves as the entry point,” she said. “Most of us enjoy being here, close to the entry point, and socializing. Vendors are located to the northeast of the sim. The south contains the Lightcycle battle grid, and further south includes a tank battle region, plus Kevin Flynn's home while in exile.” Ninetails told Zauberman that the light cycles can be bought in the mall and also in the Marketplace online.

When I heard the word “mall” I knew where I wanted to go. The first shop I came to, Sugar Shack, was having a Grand Opening special---free Tron clothes. Even if I don’t return for combat, I knew I couldn’t pass up that bargain. The suit looks like a snowmobile outfit, and I can definitely use one of those. The mall area has a number of Tron-related stores and room to expand to a second floor that is reachable by escalator. Flynn's Arcade is nearby, but I didn’t have time to check it out.

The Amber region is already used by many residents for drag racing, and the Light Cycle racing arena will be found here. Superbikes and Gee Bee Aerial Racing is also done here.

In addition to the playing in “The Games”, other RP opportunities exist, such as being refugees on foot or bike racing to get past the tanks, rescuing friends, making secret contacts, uncovering plots, or reaching the Safe House for the next part of the quest. The only thing better than watching the 3d Tron movie is living it in SL.

Grey Lupindo

Starbase 11 - Classic Star Trek Sim

I recently heard about a Star Trek sim made in the style of the original series produced in the 1960’s. The announcement read, “... our friends from NERD CULTURE celebrate the opening of their dorktastically detailed realizations of the classic Star Trek's Starbase 11, the U.S.S. Enterprise, Deep Space K-7, Zefram Cochrane Homestead, and more!”

Beaming over, once out of the small welcome center, I was greeted by the sight of several unearthly buildings on the rocky surface of an alien world with a purplish sky. The only signs of native life were the odd plants that occasionally could be seen next to the sidewalk, which Trek fans might remember from an episode or two. And looking around, Trekkies would easily recognize the style of the desks and computers as that of the original series (TOS as it’s sometimes called). The area had a small shop named “Cyrano’s” after the con artist in the “Trouble with Tribbles” episode, and an art gallery at the top of one of the buildings.

Through the transporter (teleport) pads, one could go to other places. Deep Space K-7 was a space station of which one could look out the window and see ships drifting by. Then there was the USS Enterprise. Going down the halls of the ship, not all of the doors opened, but some did. There were individual living quarters, plus sickbay.

While at the sim, I ran into one of the people there, Alexander Chronowire. He explained that this “newest incarnation” was being finished after work over a few months, “although we've built other Trek sims over the past couple years, this is the culmination of all the ideas - not just a ship, but a starbase, space station, residential areas, and a second sim dropping any day for more stuff we've been building. ... It's been a lot of fun. All the other Trek sims are ‘ modern ‘ Trek. We're just all huge fans of the The Original Series style - that retro 60's look. (smile) ... The sim was built more as a work of art.”

Alexander mentioned some roleplayers were already making use of the sim, “it's not really set up as an roleplay sim, although people are already dropping by and taking over the Bridge for fun. ... There's a group that comes in during the morning a few days a week now. They run around the ship and do their thing - it's great. None of us who built this place are roleplayers, so it’s fun to watch people ‘play.’ “

Of the residential areas, “if you beam aboard the Enterprise, and head for a turbolift to Deck 6, there's about 18 cabins on the deck that are rentable. If demand dictates we'll add another residential deck. But for now, people are just learning about us and slowly moving in. (smile)”

Of the second sim due soon, “there will be another ship, styled in the Pike era of design, and we'll be moving K-7 over there as well. This will give us more room for rentals or other projects on this sim, which is a full, the 2nd is only a homestead.” I asked for more on the “Pike era,” which was the time of the pilot episode about fifteen years before the time of the classic series, “the first pilot of Star Trek had several design variations from the show we all know. So, we're building a ship we hear about and finally saw in the remastered version of The Original Series in Charlie X, the USS Antares - so we're using the visual look of Pike’s ship, the captain from the first pilot of Trek inside the Antares.”

Starbase 11 is owned by Jon Indianawood. Lora Chadbourne is the primary builder of the landscape. It is at the Cruzoria sim at (201, 190, 26)

Bixyl Shuftan