All the latest Second Life and virtual world coverage since 2007.
There’s so many things happening in virtual reality and gaming lately, that I absolutely have to blog my opinion about it! Everything from Facebook Horizon, to the Oculus Quest headset, to the brand-new SL Blogger Network. Are you ready? Grab some tea and let’s have a chat!
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And so it came to pass after the lands of Juicy faded away in favor of nicely built houses, and the Mainland slowly became more barren, a new land rose up out of the depths of metaverse seed grants. It was fairer, and its people with new bodies milled about to create and speak to one another. They spoke of VR implementation and a Steam store page–
Sorry. I’ve been reading LoTR again lately.
Today I’m taking a look at Sansar, lovingly referred to by SL citizens as “Second Life 2.0”. I took a look at the game because my other friends on Plurk were kinda scared to, so I volunteered to step up and poke around. Yes, that was really a conversation on Plurk and I said I would go on behalf of everybody. So! Here I am, back from my trip and writing about it.
Before I begin, let me state that what I write here is my impression of the game. If I missed a fact or got something wrong, then that’s the fault of the user experience I received. I’m just going to present what I know.
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Didn’t I warn that Bakes On Mesh was coming? I did. I said this was going to force mesh head makers to revert their UV maps back to standard SLUV, too, because everyone is going to start using standard skins more and more now. If you are a mesh head developer and your heads don’t adhere to standard SLUV, get on it. You will lose money eventually because customers are going to want to wear whatever skin they want with whatever head they buy.
Bakes on Mesh (yes, plural, according to this SL wiki page) is a new feature in Second Life that automatically “bakes” your standard skins and tattoo layers to your mesh bodies and heads. Whenever you switch skins or wear different layers of tattoos on your body, your mesh will automatically update your look without you having to do anything.
Over time, there will be less and less dependency on applier routers like Omega, because now Second Life’s system is the applier. However, you’ll want to check with your mesh body maker to be sure their body is BoM ready. If it isn’t, they should be updating soon.
Only certain SL clients can render Bakes On Mesh, too. If you want to be absolutely sure you can see the new feature, head over here to download the official Second Life client.
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Why is it that whatever I say sometimes causes so much fuss? A couple of weeks ago, I compared VRChat‘s avatar grading system to Second Life’s avatar complexity numbering, stating that we should adopt grades instead because it’s simpler for users to understand.
But Second Life likes to play the telephone game with re-quotes and paraphrases. Soon, my suggestion morphed through other mouths and turned into “I want us to pare down our avatars to Ruths”, and that’s not what I said at all. Do people read around here? Do they just like being outraged over things? Make a little cash with clicks in the process?
Whatever.
In an effort to retain my goal of an ultra-chill summer, I took to the seas of the Bellisseria continent to invest in deepwater fishing. And while I’m here, let’s do that “VRChat versus Second Life” comparison. We’ve already gone halfway with it. Why not take the whole kit?
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It’s absolutely possible to get an anime-inspired eye without resorting to looking like a parody of an Asian person, or supporting a certain mesh head designer who’s known for bullying others. Let’s check out how the look is done.
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“I’m a fiend, I’m a killer, only pledge allegiance to the highest bidder. In a world with no morals and a life with no meaning, there is no such thing as a sinner.” – Ghostwerk, Corporate Assassin (Netrun)
If you love cyberpunk everything like I do, you love any themed event of such that comes along and lets you shop for all the gear you’ll need for a futuristic look. Imagine my thrill at the Cyber/Punk event happening, especially its Psycho Byts gacha. I was able to get a pair of amazing cyber bento arms from it–a rare with just a few plays! Plus, some boots, a headset, and a dope-looking bodysuit.
I mixed up my look in the picture to show the average cyberpunk berzerker and how they might look if you encountered one.
Alright, so you go shopping for all this stuff and then you say to yourself, “Where can I go roleplay as a cool cyberpunker?” And to that I tell you… yeah, sorry, those opportunities are dwindling in SL. Roleplay in SL is dwindling. Should we talk about that?
Yeah, let’s talk about that.
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I said I would post again when the Linden Endowment for the Arts’ land grant program was open for another round, so here it is! Round 13 is now accepting applications. Click here to check it out and apply. You have until May 31st to submit your ideas!
In every artists’ life, there’s a slew of grant and residency applications we apply for. Many of those applications face rejections. It’s the game of numbers you run when applying for one seat and a crowd of people who want the position! You can’t always contact the judge before you submit either, so you might not know how to put your best foot forward when pitching a project.
In real life, there are sometimes informational meetings to clear up confusion and allow grant applicants to understand what the judges are looking for. I figure in this case, a blog post might help.
So here’s my advice. I’m separating this into bullet points for do’s and don’ts.
Yo!
The weekend’s here, and I’m not feeling anything other than getting ready to hit the beach irl tomorrow. While I’m on the shore contemplating new ways to paint, here’s some questions I’ve got for you. My fab list is brought to you by RC Cluster’s Lifty Fizz Soda, plus my brand-new super-cute skin that’s out right now.
That’s it from me! I’m off for outings, beachings, and tannings. See ya!
What I’m Wearing:
Lelutka Simone Bento Head
[ a.e.meth ] – Eris Skin
EDIT: These horses are limited availability for now, so only about 40 of them are released to beta testers. You must wear the Water Horse group tag to purchase the horse. Water Horse will sell horses freely again when they iron out the bento head deformity bug.
Bento has been pretty fun so far! I’ve purchased a few things, such as the Medhue Elephant and Red Remora’s Fennec Fox avs. Both are Bento-enabled and add a lot of fun to playing SL.
So, here’s a new creation to add to this list: Water Horse has released their Riding Horse for beta testing. It’s a wearable vehicle but uses Bento bones to animate the mesh. No more claymation texture cycling! Your avatar will look like it’s riding a real horse in-game.
Check out this preview:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEQAg12jSk]
Seriously. This exists in SL now. And currently, the horse is going for about 3500L. Less than a mesh head! That’s a steal.
A few caveats if you buy the horse: it’s still in beta so there are bugs. They’re currently fixing a bug that deforms Bento heads when you ride the horse. They’re also looking for users to report anything else that’s wrong so the devs can fix it.
But in return?
I still think it’s worth it.
Rewind is upon us, and you’re definitely going to find me among one of the people rushing in to buy cool stuff there! There’s a lot of stuff in this picture due to me trying to decorate my backgrounds more, but check out the teen band posters in the back! You can get these Spice Girls and hair band inspo posters at Rewind, which opens tomorrow. There’s some other cool stuff out by RC Cluster and other brands at new events too, which I’ll list in the credits below.
Now, check out this awesome bento pose HUD. It’s gonna give Catwa a run for its money, right? This facial expression HUD is by Happy Dispatch, and is only 480L at SaNaRae. You can control eye and mouth settings separately… you can even adjust the extremity of each pose! Everything from subtle smirks to goofy smiles can be created. It’s a must-have for every blogger.
Do you like when bloggers list everything they decorated with in their pictures, or just what they’re wearing? Let me know! I’ve challenged myself to create more intricate pictures this year and this means more stuff you might want to know the credits for, as a result. I’m fine either way with your preference!
What I’m Wearing:
Lelutka Simone Bento Head
Pink Fuel Doll v2 skin
Lamb – Cat Rider
Luas – Cute And Creepy Headband (free at Gacha Garden)
RC Cluster – Storytime Book (at C88)
Addams – Electra Denim Short
Kauna – Safety Glasses
Tres Blah – Fitted Tee (group gift)
Decor:
Cabinet and heater by Custom Style Motors (zarege.resident)
Posters by RC Cluster (Rewind event)
Clock and text by Zerkalo
Lovecard Collector Bucket by RC Cluster (The Playroom event item)
Heart in a jar by Junk Food (gift from Gacha Garden)
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