A run in with a rocket scooter.

This is part one of a two part article based upon the creations of Lumiere Noir and his contributions to Second Life. Corporate Jay has gone undercover [shh!] to uncover Lumiere Noir's newest creations.


Ever since the dawn of the virtual world and Second Life, we have looked for methods to immerse ourselves in fantastical and creative ways. When Second Life first emerged from the dark underworld of the Internet, it was found that as the grid grew, it slowly became tougher for residents to get to the places of their choosing: the teleportation system that we have become so used to today had not yet been implemented and residents had to teleport to telehubs, and move to their respective destinations. As sometimes the destinations were a couple of sims away, vehicles were used to cover the remaining distances. At first, the few vehicles that existed were created by the Lindens. However, they soon began to be created by other, independent, users. As was expected, they quickly gained immense popularity. However, when complete teleportation was introduced, vehicles dropped in popularity as no one needed them anymore. They were seen more as recreational objects as they began to be outfitted with many features.

A few days ago, I met with Lumiere Noir, creator of the Ivory Tower. I had been told that he was making big breakthroughs in vehicles. Sure enough, he was nice enough to send me a copy of the Rocket Scooter 3000. Following a quick read of the instructions, I sat upon it to try out what would be one of the biggest thrill rides of my second life.

The scooter itself is outfitted with crazy tricks and is built for speed. With up to 7 different speed levels and just about the same in tricks and built in features, the rocket scooter is perfect for the speed enthusiast in anyone. If you've tried Abranimations' free roller skates, then you'd know the thrill of watching yourself attempt to skate on Second Life. This is comparable, except you're flying a fantastical scooter and have a need for speed.

If you've ever watched a cheesy movie about Aliens and abductions, then you'd know what most UFOs look like and move like. I watched as Lumiere rezzed one in front of us and proceeded to sit in it.

As it goes, most UFOs I've seen are freebies - badly designed freebies at that. Lumiere instructed me to sit on the UFO and he flew. This single project of his has been the longest in production and the particular version that he showed off was in beta v.99.

From what I experienced, it was the most realistic UFO to date, in both the building and the movement. Even the little details, such as the swaying and hovering motions were spot on.

Lumiere took us up into the clouds and showed off many of the little features of the UFO, including the fantastic particle effects. He then took us down, into the water and told us of his plans to include a bubbling particle effect and when it emerged, a water dripping particle effect. I urge everyone to drop their silly little freebie UFOs, and invest interest in this one, for it is perhaps one of the most interesting vehicular concepts that I have seen!

After a wild ride on the rocket scooter, in which I was shown just about all the capabilities of the scooter including a feature which drops giant bouncing balls for you to avoid (or crash into, depending on your mood), and the humdinger drive, which propelled us to insane speeds that only Ricky Bobby could dream of achieving, Lumiere set us back down on the ground.

He showed me two of his other creations, a dive ship, and a vertical take off and landing ship. The dive ship that he showed off was capable of taking us up to 4000 meters and releasing us to fall to the ground.

The other ship could take off vertically, much like those in 50's movies. Although we couldn't test this, we were able to try out the drop ship. Lumiere took off and dropped us into the ocean, whereupon he rezzed a submarine.

Not just any submarine though. It was very Pink. Lumiere told me that it was for a customer who had specifically requested a pink submarine. He got in, and I sat down on the railing as he took us both deep underneath the water.

We sailed around and he showed off some of the many features of the submarine. He took us up to the surface and shot a rocket, which was purely for aesthetics. All the “weapons” and features implemented within the submarine were based upon a 'girly' theme. Lumiere proceeded to show off many of the features of the submarine by launching a torpedo at the shore.

The torpedo exploded into a shower of kisses. He then showed off another feature of the submarine, that being crabs being launched everywhere. I found the submarine extremely enjoyable, and definitely something to look forward to within the world of recreational vehicles.

Throughout my stay at Lumiere's sim, I enjoyed all his works, especially the rocket scooter (definitely look forward to it when it comes out) and the UFO (I wish I were rich...). Lumiere Noir has certainly crafted his own little niche in the world of recreational vehicles. A niche that encompasses vehicles in their entirety to such an extent that most anyone can find enjoyment within these objects. As I write this, I have an intent to search through my inventory, pull out my little Linden go kart and play around in the racing sims.

This just in! The future of huge prims is looking good

Andrew Linden, the man in charge of Havok4, just posted a transcript of a meeting about huge prims that should cheer you all up. Our very own Seifert Surface was present at that meeting and stood up for the big guys! (I'm referring to huge prims, of course). Thank you, Seifert <3

Worth underscoring:
[16:41] Andrew Linden: Currently there are a bunch of big estate owners who use megaprims to make cool content (IBM, greenies, Electric Sheep, etc)
[16:41] Andrew Linden: There is no way anyone is going to be able to nerf megaprims.

Here's where you can read that transcript.

In a funk

It’s Fashion Week in my home town of Los Angeles, and there are before-parties, after-parties, up-the-wazoo parties all over town. I can’t get up the energy or the excitement to attend a thing… not that I’m invited to the really good ones. I'm also over the little bit o'fun I had with our readers in my last post - guess nobody caught it - or maybe they all feel the same way I do.

Seems all I’m good for is to pop open a Red Stripe and just sit here glumly, contemplating the future of Second Life without huge prims. Granted, I keep checking back on the Second Life Community blog to see if anything new has been posted there; likewise the SL Forums, which as of this writing has 555 comments on it, the last one by Charlie Omega who pretty much summed up my feelings:

OK Michael, now that you have seen many opinions.....what is LL's take on this before it becomes too much of a flame fest based of differing opinions.

Will LL take the easy way out again and remove or limit something that already exists, thereby seriously damaging or destroying existing content?

OR

Will a harder headed stead fast approach be attempted against abusers?

I think after many of the comments here, the best choice is obvious from a 'customer' standpoint, so what is the best choice from the 'provider' standpoint?

Remember, we pay fees etc. for this, make enough people mad, and even bad publicity won’t be enough to pay the bills given enough time.

Linden Labs, please spare us this growing knot in our tummies. I’m all for dialogue (something we missed on the VAT introduction), but this is taking too long. If I were a builder – which I am not (I merely revere great builders) - I would be frozen into inaction, too worried and demoralized to continue.

Furniture that hovers, by artoo Magneto

This 24 prim sculptie delight, loaded with animations, was created by artoo Magneto. The script for it creates an infinite communication loop between the prims, to generate a ferromagnetic forfield to push against SL's gravity. :P
The couch is also fully modifiable, so you can alter the textures, etc. Teleport directly to his Akeyo main store from here.

Not Possible in Second Life? Without huge prims...

Top two photos by Wellington Bahram

Without huge prims... Light Waves' poetic giants at Rezzable Hallucinogen would evaporate.
Slurl: Rezzable Hallucinogen

Not Possible in Second Life? Without huge prims...

Without huge prims... time would run out for Urasima Clock Island.
Slurl: Clock Island

This man is controlling his avatar's movements with his mind

Researchers at Keio University in Tokyo have developed a way for humans to mentally control their avatars in Second Life. You can read more about this application of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology here. Thanks to AM Radio for bringing this to our attention.

Not Possible in Second Life? Without huge prims...

Without huge prims... Greenies Home Rezzable by Pavig Lok, Light Waves and Littletoe Bartlett would cease to exist.
Slurl: Greenies

Second Life's "Huge Prim Problem" - What we could not say on SL's community blog

UPDATE: (Posted at 7:55pm SLT): Rather than post your opinions here, please proceed to the SL Forums where the discussion is continuing. You can do so here.

In addition, you will find valuable information here posted by Andrew Linden regarding Havok4 and object-parcel collisions.

***
Dear Not Possible IRL'ers:

Michael Linden has blog posted a piece called The Big Prim Problem, where he invites the community to consider whether huge prims should be done away with. As there is no more room for us to post something on Second Life's website, I would like to invite your opinion here.

We conducted a group IM in-world and here is where we left off:
[15:50] Bettina Tizzy: http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/10/12/the-big-prim-problem/
[15:51] Kid Kuhn: Yeah I saw. A bit annoying, prim reduction wise
[15:52] Light Waves: hi betti!
[15:52] nand Nerd: then get your vote up there to keep em ;-)
[15:52] Kid Kuhn: Vote where?
[15:52] Sysperia Poppy: ive misssed something i think
[15:52] nand Nerd: they're asking for people to sign the blog entry
[15:52] Alec Paragon: me too, what is getting rid of and from where
[15:53] Kid Kuhn: The comments are full, 150
[15:53] Osprey Therian: I think they need to take away all the enormous ones and replace the medium big ones with scaleable versions.
[15:54] Sysperia Poppy: ty
[15:54] nand Nerd: I'll be happy to say goodbye to the ones over 256x256
[15:54] Osprey Therian: yes
[15:55] Osprey Therian: just 2 or 3 very large things like a box, a sprere, a cylinder - scaleable and useable as a normal prim - well, that would rock.
[15:55] Kid Kuhn: Well taking them away would pretty much be the same as charging cause builds will take up more prim space
[15:56] Devo Pedro: gold: Gene Replacement Says: October 12th, 2007 at 1:43 PM PDT You should remove them all because they enable terrorism.
[15:56] Osprey Therian: They haven't been around forever you know.
[15:56] Alec Paragon: lmao
[15:56] Jolly Jedburgh: perhaps they can charge for a large prim? sorting it out the linden way ;)
[15:56] Devo Pedro: for anyone who doesn't know, most of them are created by Gene
[15:56] Tezcatlipoca Bisiani: Agree with Kid.... I'm not so sure about abolishing them unless they have a good alternative
[15:57] Osprey Therian: I can see enabling huge sizes for PI use.
[15:57] AM Radio: I'd be up for giving up more options on them. no hollow, phantom... etc.
[15:57] Osprey Therian: not on the mainland
[15:57] Kid Kuhn: And besides, how are you going to be able to make a huge circular platform without giant prims?
[15:57] AM Radio: and anything over 256 is a bit silly.
[15:57] Devo Pedro: the racing sim i spend most of my time in and that's becoming more and more popular each day is highly dependant on them, removing them would be catastrophic
[15:57] AM Radio: but I do love those 20x20 slabs.
[15:57] Tezcatlipoca Bisiani: I don't know if I'd miss the ginormous ones... but 20x20 is a standard for me
[15:57] AM Radio: yeah
[15:57] Kid Kuhn: 20x20 and 25 rocks
[15:58] Osprey Therian: I'd say scaleble shapes up to 40m a side
[15:58] Tezcatlipoca Bisiani: Scalable would be awesome, but I doubt it happeneing
[15:58] Chime Desoto: hmmm I think they are like anything else here, wonderful if used properly and as abuseable as anything else here.
[15:58] Osprey Therian: and that's it except on PI
[15:58] Jolly Jedburgh: plenty of good uses all they have to do it increase the standard prim size as it needs to be done, and no one will look for th elarge prims apart from people wanting to annoy others
[15:58] Tezcatlipoca Bisiani: That's a thought
[15:59] Osprey Therian: The griefing that goes on with them is horrid.
[15:59] Jolly Jedburgh: then destroy the large prims in a big bon fire
[15:59] Bettina Tizzy: I would like to continue the discussion on these prims on the NPIRL blog, since there is no more room for us to say anything on the Linden post, and invite all of you to have your say
[15:59] Tezcatlipoca Bisiani: But griefing is griefing... ban them and something else will pop up
[15:59] Jolly Jedburgh: good idea Bettina
[15:59] Bettina Tizzy: I will post something and invite your opinion
[15:59] Bjorlyn Loon: I would really like that Bettina.
[15:59] Tezcatlipoca Bisiani: here, here Bettina... to the blogs :)
[15:59] Osprey Therian: No, that's not correct when it comes to sim-sized prims on the mainland.
[16:00] Devo Pedro: link please once it's started
[16:00] AM Radio: Thanks Bettina. The wheatfield would use about 148 more prims without the 20x20
[16:00] Tezcatlipoca Bisiani: Allright, I'll move to the blog... but osprey I wouldn't argue in favor of prim sized, I just don't want the sortof-megas to get thrown out with it...
[16:00] Tezcatlipoca Bisiani: prim sized = sim sized
[16:01] Dancoyote Antonelli: it is not the prim that causes the problems, but the wielder of the prim
[16:01] Bjorlyn Loon: lol Dan
[16:01] Dancoyote Antonelli: do not outlaw potential because some misuse it
[16:01] Dancoyote Antonelli: would you like to outlaw scripting too?
[16:01] Tezcatlipoca Bisiani: Cheers
[16:01] Osprey Therian: I advocate several shape choices up to 40m in size that are useable as normal prims.
[16:01] nand Nerd: I hear ya DC
[16:02] AM Radio: what I would want is a buffer time. if they say no more megaprims and launch a rretuyrn campaign, I'd want time to convert them to regular prims.
[16:02] AM Radio: scary
[16:02] Ravenelle Zugzwang: and those dirty strippers
[16:02] Dancoyote Antonelli: I advocate no limits on creative tools
[16:02] Kid Kuhn: Thats cool though, basically we seem to agree its ok to ban giant prims over the size of lets say 50
[16:02] AM Radio: imagine not being able to rez an item because it has a mega in it
[16:02] AM Radio shudders
[16:02] Dancoyote Antonelli: push Linden Labs
[16:02] Dancoyote Antonelli: dont cave to limitations
[16:02] Osprey Therian: Good idea, AM
[16:03] Dancoyote Antonelli: no we do not agree to ban anything
[16:03] Kid Kuhn: Ayone needs those gigant ones? If not why should they stay?
[16:03] Osprey Therian: Dan, I don't think the limits should be on PI, but there is no legitimate use on the mainland for these children of an exploit.
[16:04] AM Radio: so perhaps the limit is set as an estate option.
[16:04] Ravenelle Zugzwang: don't ban any of them on Private regions
[16:05] Dancoyote Antonelli: ...tap tap tap... is this thing on?...
[16:05] Bettina Tizzy: posted
[16:05] AM Radio: bettina, I would post this conversation as well. as longas everyone is up for it. Dan's opinion is LOUD AND CLEAR.. :)
[16:06] Bettina Tizzy: will do
[16:06] Light Waves: so what's a megaprim?
[16:06] Kid Kuhn: Yeah fine with me
[16:06] Dancoyote Antonelli: ban the griefers not the tools
[16:06] Keystone Bouchard: I'm in agreement with DC
[16:06] Devo Pedro: yep
[16:07] Osprey Therian: PI are an entirely diff case - on the mainland we need to coexist and these things are making that hard. Plus I'd rather have useable prims than the set sizes we have now.
[16:08] AM Radio: An outright ban would be terrible. Megaprims have spurred innovation and allowed people to brainstorm amazing ideas. But management toolsfor megaprims is probably prudent
[16:08] Darkle Sands: Lightwaves massive sculpture is 7 prims, what would happen to that
[16:09] Dancoyote Antonelli: we need a full range of sizes starting from 10M on up to the max Megaprim size
[16:09] Chime Desoto: we need to be careful about changing the way things are just because there are a few problems with megaprims. Every change to the nature of our collective "reality" can have unexpected and disasterous results. Make a hard and fast "ban megaprims" because some noob uses them to grief is one more step down the slippery slope that will ultimately turn this place to just another chat room
[16:10] Kid Kuhn: Darkle, sculpties wont be affected
[16:10] Osprey Therian: Oh, please.
[16:10] Avi Arrow: LL should wipe the grid sized prims from the server--any prim over 256x3 in size. keep the rest.
[16:10] Juria Yoshikawa: i say ban prims all together. let's use particles!
[16:11] Bettina Tizzy: ok, just posted this convo as well
[16:11] Bettina Tizzy: have at it peeps
[16:11] Darkle Sands: Sorry Light Waves, I thought your big sculpture that's about 200m tall was mega spheres with a sculptie texture
[16:11] Darkle Sands: my bad
[16:11] Kid Kuhn: Im on mainland and seriously I cant figure out how to make a 20x20x5 cylinder without giant prims. I need them!
[16:11] Light Waves: nah, I kid! I know full well what they are :)
[16:12] Bettina Tizzy: my own forest would cease to exist... landscaping would take such a hit
[16:12] Kid Kuhn: You are saying that they are giant prims?
[16:12] Dancoyote Antonelli: hehe
[16:12] Bettina Tizzy: Chakryn forest's trees = megas
[16:13] AM Radio: youch
[16:13] Kid Kuhn: Seems to be a shitload of megas out there then. Big problem
[16:13] Osprey Therian: So does anyone agree with me that we need useable shapes up to about 40m and PI should set their own limits?
[16:13] Chime Desoto: don't forget your sunrays, Bettina those are megas too aren't they?
[16:14] Kid Kuhn: Yeah Os, but I dont think we will be getting any new ones if they ban the old ones
[16:14] Gwen Carillon: nods in agreement with Osprey
[16:14] Devo Pedro: i'd wager the reason behind bringing this up is a technical one in conjuction with the physics upgrade and the greifing aspect is just arguement that'd support removing them but has nothing to do with their goals
[16:14] Dancoyote Antonelli: no institutionalized limitations, nay.
[16:14] Light Waves: I think prim size should be limited to parcel size. But LL say that they cause lag. I feel no lag where I am. I feel no lag in Greenies sim. What lag?
[16:14] Osprey Therian: I'm all for deciding what would be best then telling them.
[16:14] Avi Arrow: in agreement...i'd be grateful for prims that go to 12 or 16m3.
[16:15] Osprey Therian: Yes - 20m would be grand, 40m, a treat.
[16:15] Devo Pedro: they're just putting the feelers out as to how many people they'd screw over if they did it
[16:15] Kid Kuhn: Addfarms cause lag. They should get rid of those before anything else

Thank you.

Waves... like you've never seen them before

By Artfox Daviau

Thank you, Al Supercharge, for leading us into the foam and spray.
See them by teleporting directly from here: Artfox WildWaves

Akasha Wachmann: She's the cat's meow.

Our very own Akasha Wachmann is a stand out. Just about everything she does is infused with infectious glee. She used to be the most knowledgeable shopper I knew - before she became a builder - and can accessorize her avatar (and yours!) better than a window dresser at Bendels.

Bettina Tizzy: Were you an extreme Barbie doll player as a child?
Akasha Wachmann: Yes, actually. I even went so far as to try and make Barbie clothes… failed miserably, but the effort was there. Mostly I was kind of destroying them, or giving them haircuts...or leaving them in odd positions so my mom would find them and laugh… like having one in the cabinet sitting on a toy potty and when she opened it to get a plate, a Barbie was taking a dump on it.
Bettina Tizzy: When did you realize you could make what you had been searching for but were not finding?

Akasha Wachmann: It wasn't until I started my Catnip line for nekos that I really saw myself as a creator; making things instead of buying. Shopping was my downfall. When I wanted a certain thing I would hunt and hunt - for days sometimes - until I found it--and that's how I ended up knowing where just about anything could be bought. Since I started building, I've kind of hung my shopping hat up.

Akasha's backpack for nekos includes whiskey, an ice pick, neko literature ^.^ a rat, and other "neko yum-yums"

Even though she's only been around for less than a year, Akasha, together with her friend and business partner Duck Auk, already has one mini empire under her belt: Sirens, a superstore, fantasyscape and playground for mermaids and mermen. Under one roof, Kash and Duck showcase all the best merchandise catering to watery tastes. Much like a giant aquarium, fish are swimming about, and you can catch a ride on a shark or swim with a school of dolpins while you shop.

Akasha and Duck then launched Catnip, a new mall for nekos, but Duck now focuses on Sirens and Kash has partnered with Kisten Bailey from Virus Co. "She's my new partner here at the Hysteria sim and we love building together; bouncing ideas off each other and helping one another. She's my partner in crime, so to speak," said Kash, who has also introduced her own Catnip line of accessories for nekos.

Kisten Bailey

Bettina Tizzy: Given your Sirens store and now the Catnip line, it's clear that you tackle a category and take it full throttle, even to the extent of bringing in other creators whom others might consider "competitors," and giving their products a home under your roof, thereby creating segment "superstores." What was your rationale for doing this?
Akasha Wachmann: I just thought, 'why not make a one stop shop for that certain theme?' Inviting many other designers to share my store just seemed a natural thing to do. We are all appealing to the same group. Why not bring it all together and have fun?
Bettina Tizzy: Did you meet with a lot of resistance at first?
Akasha Wachmann: Surprisingly no. Most have been all up for it. It gets to be like family after awhile - and I love it. I'm good friends with most of my vendors in both the mermall and now Catnip. It just wouldn't seem right to leave them out of my projects.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that Sirens does not charge its vendors rent, and Catnip, because of a recent land upgrade, only charges a very little just to help meet expenses.

Catnip is ready for Halloween and trick-or-treaters.

Bettina Tizzy: What a deal for them!
Akasha Wachmann: Duck is moving Sirens to a bigger space because we need more room… new designers coming out all the time, and this time it's actually going to be underwater ^.^
Bettina Tizzy: Will you charge rent at Sirens or a commission on sold items?
Akasha Wachmann: No, that will stay free but it's booked already. (We do it) just for fun and whatever we happen to sell.
Bettina Tizzy: How much of it showcases your items versus everyone else's?
Akasha Wachmann: I really got into the neko area recently. Siren's main focus will always be the tails, but my sea pets, harps and fountains are always fun to add to the avatar. As for Catnip, I tried to keep it to "no rent," inviting my fave designers, but the land upgrade (made a small fee necessary).

Bettina Tizzy: Can anyone bring you their products, be they for merpeeps or nekos?
Akasha Wachmann: Catnip is full already. One day open and everything has been rented out. Sirens, I think, still has space available, but the new location is still in the building phase.
Bettina Tizzy: What are the determining factors in your selection of other people's merchandise for your stores?
Akasha Wachmann: The 'wow' factor… if I saw it and was just amazed or impressed. If I wouldn't wear it, I wouldn't approach them to join me.

Akasha's "Bunny Stew Hat" includes a list of ingredients, and one sowwy bunny with a fork impaled in its head.

Bettina Tizzy: So is SL a work venue now for you primarily?
Akasha Wachmann: oo no, fun first—always. When it's not fun anymore, what's the point? xD I really have a ball making things. It's a great outlet actually. I try to keep the atmosphere at the shops fun and goofy, and I think that's why they have been so successful. It's no fun shopping in a stuffy, proper place all the time.
Bettina Tizzy: What has demanded the most of you insofar as your time and creativity?
Akasha Wachmann: Getting this new place set up was tough, but this time I had Kisten to take on half the work with me and we really laughed through it all... The Mermaid Pageant was probably the hardest and really did a number on me.


Here a few pages from the Sirens Mermaid Pageant souvenir book; photography by Ponk Bing.

Akasha Wachmann: I had to round up the willing mermaids, herd them to rehearsals --which in SL is nearly impossible given the different time zones. I also had private rehearsals with each contestant, going over each detail: the talent segment, the casual tail, and of course, the formal tail. Then I had to set up the walk out routine, write up the intros and info about each contestant. Set decorating, advertising, promos, and securing the photographer – Ponk Bing - for the souvenir album… and (I tried) to look like I knew what I was doing haha.
Bettina Tizzy: Of all the things you've made, which have caused the most reaction?
Akasha Wachmann: Well, the Rape and Cookies Belt has gotten the most reaction, I suppose. It came along as me and Kisten were going over ideas for her Criminal line, and it dawned on me to smash rape, with something yummy and innocent. It has the basic rape necessities: duct tape, rohypnol, chloroform and of course, you get hungry with all that raping so… COOKIES! The rape poofer that comes with it adds to the effect.

Akasha Wachmann: I had so much fun with the Rape Belt, that Kidney Thief seemed to just go with it. Don't ask me why. It's just so out there… the thought of a bleeding bag of kidneys on your hip threw me into a giggle fit… anticipating the reaction gets me every time.

Bettina Tizzy: What would you like for people to know about you?
Akasha Wachmann: Well, just that I'm super friendly. Don't be scared to approach me and say hi. We can run off and throw water balloons at people or just chat.

Slurls: Catnip and Sirens