Tag: Lindens

Bellisseria: Are They Expanding the Region?

Bellisseria: Are They Expanding the Region?

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Almost everyone is aware that Linden Labs recently started making new age (as I’d like to put it) Linden Homes that keep up with the innovations of Second Life. It’s a slow process but little by little they continue to build the Bellisseria continent up with hundreds of new Linden homes to choose from. The original Linden homes are still available today and they’re the easiest to obtain as of lately. The first homes that were introduced right after the Summer of 2019 were the traditional houses and the announcement of their houseboats. For those who are unaware of premium land fees that are included with your premium account have recently risen from 512 sqm to 1,024 sqm. These new Linden homes use up the full 1,024 sqm of land fees that you have with your premium membership instead of the original 512 sqm. With the rise of your land per sqm that you receive that means you also obtain more prims that you’re able to decorate within these Linden homes. How exciting! I’m a little late to the ball game when explaining the Bellisseria continent as other bloggers have obtained some of these new Linden homes and have already posted about them. But what they haven’t posted is something I’m going to be explaining.

Along with these new traditional Linden homes and the welcoming of the houseboats to the Bellisseria region the other day they’re building onto the Bellisseria region more to make more of these homes available. I logged on at around 1:30 pm EST yesterday and they had houseboats and traditional homes available. Sadly, I wasn’t quick enough for either but the fact that they’re becoming available more often than before states that they’re building onto the region, so everyone can partake in the new age of Linden homes in Bellisseria. It seems every few days between 1:30-3 pm you can find some of these available whether people abandon them and let them go or Linden Labs adding more of these homes for their consumers.

This region is highly sought after and recently I also noticed their new camper region in Bellisseria having more options available and availability for us premium users. Make sure that you keep an eye open. However, keep in mind the camper region is a little different as far as the Bellisseria homes that they have released before this region. The campers are smaller is square meters making them similar to the original Linden homes at 512 sqm’s per parcel and camper with an amount of 175 prims to decorate with. This isn’t an issue but you have to be okay with the fact that it’s not using your full land tier that comes with your premium and that you don’t have the same amount of prims to decorate with like the traditional homes and the houseboats that were released before the camper region. The camper region is brand new to the Bellisseria region and was announced on September 24th before Halloween came around. All the campers were snagged almost immediately after they were released. I was able to find a lot more of these available when looking to get something in the Bellisseria region with my premium account. I feel you have better luck obtaining one of these than the other Bellisseria Linden homes and I think it has to be with the square meters and the prim amount. I don’t know about you but if you want more just add more land tier to your account and buy some mainland if you want more land to decorate on or whatnot. That’s just my opinion or if you don’t mind using a sandbox than that is completely free and with your premium account, the Sandboxes that are available for premium members are normally empty. Take advantage of this! 

To draw these conclusions since now I live in Bellisseria I traveled around a little and I was just exploring my surroundings, However, I came up to areas that said SP and then a number means that they’re building more of these new Linden homes. To be honest, through my explorations they’re either adding beach homes next or they’re going to work on making more houseboats in one specific area. To be fair though I think the Campers part of the region is where I currently reside… has the most privacy. For the first time I also accidentally walked into a Linden while they were working which is indicated by a blue dot on the map instead of a green (first time this has ever happened to me off of Teen Grid in the past). Ahead of time, I’m sorry Kona Linden for walking in on you while doing whatever you were doing in these areas. When they’re building up new sections the area is unnamed and yellow lines are indicating the separation of parcels. The green that you see in these photos indicate the position of the Linden home and where the rezzer will rez it when completed. I didn’t expect to walk into this building process but also keep in mind in December they’re releasing a new Linden home option as well so keep your eyes peeled for that. This information is found on the new blog post that Linden Labs had made for today. There’s a lot of work being done and it’s all super exciting!

In conclusion, those who feel like it’s virtually impossible to obtain a new Linden home it’s not. They’re starting to pop up a whole lot more with more opportunities every day to obtain one. Don’t lose hope if you’ve been trying to acquire one this shows the initiative that Linden Labs is making to create more of them for their consumers like you and me. Also, after today’s newest blog post on the Second Life website, they’re releasing a new theme of Linden homes for us as well which will be shown during the December holiday expo this year. There are going to be more chances than ever to move away from the original Linden homes. For those still trying to get one of these Linden homes may the odds ever be in your favor and good luck.

SL Purposes & Dreams

SL Purposes & Dreams

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Let’s put our thoughts on the table for a second, when we join Second Life, we normally have some sort of purpose in which we’re trying to obtain in the virtual world. Each purpose and goal is individualized for each user. I may use Second Life for a completely different reason than another person would use the platform. Let’s be honest, the American Dream is hard to come by nowadays but in Second Life it’s possible. We as users can live a reality that is harder to obtain in our own lives in the real world. This post I’ll be talking about my experience from the very beginning and what I’ve been trying to obtain as a user in Second Life for about 9 years. As crazy as it may seem my purpose in Second Life at the very beginning though it may seem weird was to study and be with my teacher and classmates learning about various subjects using Second Life as a key component platform for showing us what the teacher wanted to teach. With that being said let’s jump right in! 

Second Life in The School Setting & Teen Grid:

A photo taken right after I got back on after Teen Grid closed down.

Yes, I’m one of the individuals in which Second Life was used in my high school to teach us certain topics. My teachers used it as a tool in the classroom if it weren’t for them and Second Life being downloaded on the school laptops I would’ve never known or experienced what Second Life had to offer. I’m one of those young kids who started Second Life on the Teen Grid when it was still around. There was a point in time were kids 13-18 could sign up for a more kid-friendly version of Second Life where everyone was technically a minor. This was around my Freshman year of high school and having Second Life in the schools lasted until about the end of my Sophomore year. This is around the time when we got the news that the grids were merging otherwise known as Teen Grid no longer being alive and Linden Labs just making Second Life what it is known as which is Second Life. This is around the time when the sign-up age was for 17 and older, kids could no longer play Second Life but with good reason. Later on, down the line when I had my account unfrozen (that’s what they did they froze all of the teen grid accounts until they hit the proper age to come back into Second Life.) it made perfect sense with all of the sex sims and skill gaming regions. But with that, as I said above, I’ve been a member overall for 9 years.

1920’s Berlin Sim Role Playing With a Friend

Purpose of Second Life to me Until Age 19:

Second Life’s purpose for me has changed throughout the years. When I was younger my purpose for using Second Life was to not be alone to chat with people and always have someone there for me even though they were far away. I used Second Life to cope with my anxiety of being alone which is odd because I’m very independent and don’t mind being alone. However, being as outgoing as I am, I wanted that human connection almost all the time because to be fair I always felt alone in the real world. I used Second Life to meet new people and make new friends along the way who have been close friends to me for years and years some for decades. Most people go online to escape reality and honestly in a sense I’ve done the same. During this time, I was in college school was stressful, making friends was hard, depression and anxiety were hitting me like a hurricane. During this time, I didn’t have a strong head on my shoulders. I was looking for something that I couldn’t obtain in my reality true friendship and with some people, I’ve found it. To be fair, they probably know me better than most people in my reality but that tends to happen when you have internet friends. To be honest, I also used Second Life at the time to release my inner demon in a sense and try things I’d never do in the real world. I experimented with my sexuality and fetishes and what I liked and didn’t like. This led to a relationship that I wasn’t proud to be in and was somewhat abusive that led into my reality but just so everyone knows that relationship is long gone. I honestly, didn’t know what I wanted in my Second Life and during this time my main usage for Second Life was to be a fashionista, meeting and making friends, and experimenting with sexuality.

Showing off my Avatar fashionista status with this photo. I put together her outfit with a French flare in mind.

My Purpose in Second Life Now:

Everyone makes mistakes as we’re all human and it’s the normal human response in society. I’ve learned from these mistakes; I have a very strong and hard head on my shoulders and because of this my purpose of Second Life has changed from the past till now. I have a few different purposes for using the platform now and most of them are to help my creative juices flow. I’ve always been a passionate writer I’ve loved writing since I could pick up a pencil and write. I’ve been looking for content writing positions in the real world, but do you know how hard that is? I also have a passion for virtual worlds as they have been a part of my life for many years. That is when I decided to write a blog. I consistently had writer’s block, and this is because I lost my skill because I didn’t keep up with it. So, I started Charming Ellie I use my blog as a hobby I don’t want to make money off of it I use it to help get my content out into the world and to write about something I’m passionate about and care about. My blog helps me to write almost every day and keep up with new trends in the virtual world industry especially since a lot of virtual worlds are beginning to disappear with time. My purpose in Second Life is to explore, create, and help deliver content to Second Life users all around the globe on travel, advice, and just living you’re Second Life to the fullest.

The other reason I use Second Life now is to keep up with the friends I’ve made in the past who are still friends with me today. They come on occasionally, and I make sure I log on now and then just to spend time with those important people. My main purpose for being in second life now is to hone my skills in interior design and fashion. These are things that cost a lot of money in reality so I just find it best to create and do these things in a virtual world platform on Second Life where it’s a lot cheaper and there are so many ways to implement avatar and land/home creation. I use Second Life now more as a creative outlook a way to push my creativity and get the juices flowing consistently. To be fair, I still use Second Life in a way to escape reality but not as much as I’ve used to. I keep to myself, for the most part, I do everything alone if I can but now and then I’ll run into someone to chat with for a few hours or more.

My Dream:

Another Dream I didn’t mention is having a beautiful babe girl when I’m not ready for one in reality. But that’s something completely different.

One of the biggest dreams I’ve had and yes, I’m a dreamer is to work for Linden Labs. They don’t truly realize how much Second Life does indeed mean to me and the people inside of it. I’ve always wanted to make a difference quite a few times I almost opened shop in Second Life to give advice and help with different situations as I do have a life coach certification. There is a huge need for something like that but when I tried people didn’t use it. I don’t want to be famous or popular for writing blog posts or anything along those lines. But I’ve always wanted to do content writing or something and become join the Lindens and creators over at Linden Labs. I’ve always wanted to make a difference in the world and even though Linden Labs is a corporation they have done that for so many people. Maybe one day I’ll be able to but for now, it’s just hopes and dreams that will take me far in my adventures in this reality of life. We never know what the future has to offer and our dreams in life take us further than we expect them to.

With all of this being my experience, I want to hear from all my readers in the comment section. What purpose does Second Life have in your life? What do you use the platform for and why? How did you start? And how is Second Life important to you? I’d love to hear from all of you as this is something that interests me about all of the users I run into and honestly it’s how I always strike up a conversation because everyone is different and everyone comes into this virtual world for different reasons. I hope to see all of you in my next post.

Chao!

Sailing 101 in Second Life

Sailing 101 in Second Life

by Ellie_Avora ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

For those who haven’t read it, yet I wrote a post on my experience finding out about sailing in Second Life and how I’ve been getting into it as of recently. This is a 101 beginners post on how to start and what to do and some places that might help as far as rezzing your boat out on the open water and some sailors lingo. This also works for open sim virtual worlds like Trinity and a few others. As usual, I’m going to add a disclaimer, this post is for beginners or those just starting with sailing some of this is information I’ve learned through other people, blogs, and my own experience. Please leave constructive criticism only if the comments are open if not go ahead and like the post, if this has helped you or you found it to be informative and something you’d get into. With all of that mumble jumbo being said let’s get our sea legs ready and jump right in!

Getting a Boat:

The first thing you’re going to have to do is find a boat to get started. Please don’t make the same mistake I’ve made and just go out all willy nilly and buy yourself a boat. The best Second Life boats for boating if you’re serious about it and the well-made ones are extremely expensive they cost anywhere between 2,500 Lindens onward. Save yourself the money until you know this is something you want to do and something that would be a good investment for you. Sailing is a great way to spice up your virtual world life but only if you’re serious about doing it more than once your entire time online. There are free boats that you can obtain to start with. This gives you a taster as to what sailing is like in Second Life and if you’ll enjoy it sometimes, we just buy on impulse. I know I do. I found a place in Second Life where you can get a free boat to try out sailing you can also rez your boat here so it’s a great place to start if you’re interested. 

Blake Sea – Half Hitch Rez Center and Harbor

This is a link to the Blake Sea – Half Hitch Rez center and Harbor where you can Rez you’re ship or acquire a free one to try out sailing. To grab one of the free ships once you land in the area there is a box which will be shown to the right of this post you will click it and it will Rez out for you and you can use it for free. A great option if you’re not sure if you would enjoy boating or not. 

Now let’s say you are serious about boating in Second Life and you want to buy yourself a nice boat to use on the waters. These are serious investments in Second Life as they cost a lot of virtual currency. Either you will have to save for it or put real money into the virtual world for that currency. Make sure this is something you want to do. If you do, please continue reading…

I looked around for hours for nicely made boats that will give you a very realistic boating experience in world. I also did some research on other WordPress blogs and talked to some sailors myself to find out what some of the best ship and boat makers are and with that, I’ve compiled a list of creators that you might want to look into for your first one. I specifically wound up getting a motorized sailboat as it fits my style it can be used for both cruisings on the waters with the sails or used with the engine so it’s a hybrid and works out to my advantage. I’ll probably never race my boat but that’s popular to do in Second Life is racing. Mine to give you all an idea is a boat from The Mesh Shop which in my opinion makes some of the best boats that I’ve looked at before buying mine. Also, keep in mind my specific boat was 3,000 Lindens which is about 12-13$ USD so be wary of that.

Keep in mind every boat is different there are different types of boats there are motor yachts, sailing boats, and manuals that you can choose from to use. Some ships run off of the actual wind in Second Life and yes there is wind in Second Life, who would have thought?  Some sailboats sail only with the Second Life wind system others you can pick your wind direction and speed. For the most part, when you buy a boat you will often get a manual this will show you how to operate your boat I’d highly suggest doing one out of two things. I’d read the manual and then operate the boat or if your hands-on operate the boat while you read the manual. But I can’t stress this enough if your boat comes with a manual and you’re new to sailing READ THE MANUAL. 

Boat Creators to Check-Out:

Bandit (Analyse Dean) Marketplace link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/120514

BBX Design/ Yachts & Buildings (Aymec Millet) Marketplace link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/63972

Inworld store: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunny%20Bay/162/129/26

Trudeau (Jacqueline Trudeau) Marketplace link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/1275

Inworld store: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Trudeau%20Classic%20Yachts/194/64/23/

Dogma9 has one ship called the Moon shadow that’s 7,000 Lindens but super nice if you want to check that out Marketplace Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Moon-Shadow-White/14405046

The Mesh Shop (Kain Xenobuilder) Marketplace Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/94614

Inworld store: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dutch%20Harbor/142/142/25

This is where I got my ship from mine is called (TMS) Café Del Mar it’s quite the beauty I put a picture to the right for reference it is a sailboat like I’ve described above in obtaining a boat. It’s a great option and more cost-effective than some of the boats you’ll find on Second Life. However, the normal starting point is 3,000 Lindens sometimes there are more that are cheaper, but they won’t be the best quality and what you will need if you’re serious about sailing.

Berdav (Anu Daviau) Marketplace Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/32972

They don’t sell boats anymore, but they have little paddle boats that you can buy you can search the creator they might have more elsewhere but with the research, I couldn’t find her store anymore. She made some nice motorized yachts at the time though they were smaller but worth every penny.

Ocean Industries (Markus Hirszberg) Marketplace link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/89115

A small assortment of motorized boats there is a luxury edition of the skyline which looks like it could be a suitable product for boating. After doing some research on it if you’re interested. It’s a low end priced boat costing 2,990 Lindens I’ll go ahead and post the link here if you want to take a look at it. https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Skyline-Luxury-Edition/6730452

E- Tech (Envy Melody) Marketplace Link: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/35536

Not the best boats but they’re a little more affordable and somewhat nice for the price you pay well to start with to see if it’s something you’re going to keep up with. Boats are anywhere from 599 Lindens to 2,800 Lindens on the Second Life marketplace.

There are more creators than this, but this is just to get you started on you’re boating search for what you may want as well as different price ranges. I tried to get places that were all different prices so you could see what you would get in each price range and what is obtainable.

Where to Rez your boats:

When it comes to rezzing your boats there are places where you can and it is doable. Normally you can Rez them in specific corners of the Blake Sea sims that are meshed together or you can do it at a harbor, marina, or Rez area that you find along your travels. An example would be the link I posted above for the Half Hitch Rez center which I’ll also post the link here for you guys as well. It’s a very small spot where you can Rez your ship but you can Rez it and be on your way. Plus to be fair it’s a non-populated area so, for the most part, you will be alone and not have to deal with someone else trying to Rez their ships as well. 

Blake Sea – Half Hitch Rez Center and Harbor

Another place that I could suggest which I found from a WordPress blog called Sailing in Second Life which if you’re interested in more about sailing and learning how to live life on the sea you should check it out. The writer stated that a good area for him to Rez their vessel is in the Starboards Yacht Club in Hollywood.

Starboards Yacht Club in Hollywood

I haven’t checked out this area yet but “Sailing in Second Life” is not the only blog that had mentioned it when it came to finding where to Rez your boat to sail. On my journey, I’ve come across a few places to Rez ships which I will go ahead and list below I tried to limit it down to my top 10 places where it’s been not to laggy and easy experience.

Places to Rez Your Boats and Vessels:

New Port Yacht Club (Bay City):

http://slurl.com/secondlife/New%20Port/20/100/24/

Oyster Bay (you can Rez boats and can sail out to sea. You. Can also go down the Linden River from here and enter other sea’s as well from this Rez point.):

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Oyster/95/175/85/

Bering (Rez area):

https://secondlife.com/destination/bering

This is a perfect place it is a safe Rez spot where you can test out your new boat, it’s quiet with very little people and an awesome place to get started. Highly recommend.

Blake Sea – Spyglass:

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blake%20Sea%20-%20Spyglass/144/199/22

DP Public Dock:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Trelliana/60/133/28

Mermaid Inn at Pier side Yacht Club:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Salliohsis/53/193/22

This is an area that I have visited recently after the suggestion on a WordPress blog I saw that talked about where you could Rez to sail and this came up. It’s both a Yacht club with spaces to rent a hotel to rent out rooms as well as a public rez zone for those who just need to get their ships up and going. I’d suggest this option mainly because you will meet a lot of people there who have experience with sailing in Second Life who can give you tips and pointers and help you on your journey if you need. A lot of the people I’ve personally met here are very nice, drama free, and are willing to help if you’re confused with something about your ship such as wind direction, etc.

Tuliptree (rez zone):

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tuliptree/184/204/21

Barnbarossa Ferry terminal (Linden Labs Infohub) here you can even grab a free boat that you can Rez out if your short on cash to buy one. This is a great place to get started and a nice Rez zone sometimes it can get busy though so be careful with this area. The few times I’ve visited there are more than 10 people. Unless you don’t mind people it’s a large vast area to Rez and get started. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Barbarossa/184/48/23

Satori Bay (3 region location various things to do and places to rez)

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Barbarossa/184/48/23

This is a good option for a beginner because it has a little bit of everything to start you off. It’s three regions and it’s a mixture of a marina, place to chat, walk, and shop like anywhere else in Second Life, place to rez, a place to rent boats if you don’t want to go out and buy your own yet, stores for rent, there is just so much to do so if you don’t rez here at least check it out! It won’t be a waste of time I went here for the first time yesterday and it’s a new favorite place for me to chill with my little sailboat.

Second Life Sailing Center and History Museum

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Barbarossa/184/48/23

This is a wonderful place for beginners as it is a Yacht club, history museum for sailing where you can learn a lot of new things on you’re sailing adventures. It also has UPDATED listings and information for Yacht clubs, sailing blogs, and the history of sailing in Second Life. A place to go as a beginner it has helped me out so much everyone thinks I’m a seasoned boater and I’m a noob at boating in Second Life. So this is a huge suggestion from me.

What Seas Are There to Sail in?

Good question there is a variety of different places where you can go sailing, however, the most popular places are going to be as followed:

  • Sea of Fables
  • Blake Sea
  • Ahab’s Hunt
  • Gulf of Lauren
  • Greta
  • Puerto Arianti

These are the major seas and gulfs where you can sail your boat if you look any of these up you can start sailing pretty much once you get to those regions of water. I will post links later on when I can find all of them for you guys. But for right now you can just search these places inside Second Life and teleport to these major bodies of water. Hopefully for now though this helps you! One thing I wanted to add is in the Blake Sea there are places to Rez your ships there as well.

These are just a few things to get beginners started when it comes to sailing in Second Life and even in other open sim virtual worlds. Hopefully, this helps you on you’re journey and some of these links will help you get to where you want to be with your sailing experience. Some users are so into the boating community that they dock and just live on their boat. Or they explore the open seas and just relax in the middle of the Blake Sea on their boat. This is an actual living alternative which I’ll explain in another post later on. Second Life is an amazing place to try sailing and the sailing on Second Life is a great alternative to an actual boating simulator and there is so much more to do and experience. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask me or read some other blogs based around the Second Life sailing community. Don’t forget there are so many places to learn how to be a part of the sailing community on Second Life there are so many Yacht clubs and marinas and a ton of Second Life sailing blogs to look into. Use your resources you will be happy that you did.

Bon Voyage!