Those Magical Meeroos

Meeroos are the latest breedable “animal” to hit SL, but don’t be concerned that you’re never heard or seen one in RL. A Meeroo is the unique creation of Malevay Studios, whose official website can be found at www.worldofmeeroos.com. Malevay Studios has gone a step beyond the usual breedable SL animal with the Meeroo by incorporating social interaction, breeding limitations, and an appealing “legend” and mythology. Their goal is obvious. They want Meeroos to appeal to everyone: entrepreneurs, pet lovers, and gamers. So far they appear to be succeeding.

Meeroos became available in SL on May 21, but they were previously available to some in Beta. Wizard Muldoon and Lady Elysa were two of the lucky residents who had beta Meeroos. Both of them were enthusiastic about the new animals. Muldoon, who has raised both horses and cats, likes Meeroos because they will have personality and interact with their owners.

When I met Lady Elysa, she was sitting in a lovely, surrounded by Meeroos. She and her Meeroos are located at Elegance by Elysa, Oasis of Qaf, Rare Jewel (167, 132, 25). The Meeroos were very cute, and Lady Elysa was friendly and helpful. Not only did she spend time talking with me, she has created notecards about Meeroo breeding, eye colors, and other useful information.

Describing the appeal of Meeroos, Lady Elysa said, “The creators gave us a little creature that recognizes us. They wake up when we come into the area. They come to us. They respond when they are petted, and they beg to be picked up and snuggled.” When Meeroos are petted, they glow.

Meeroos come in different sizes, from tiny tea cup to giant, and in a variety of fur and eye colors, including dusty or clear eyes. As with the other SL breedables, some colors and types are rare and thus more expensive. What makes Meeroos most unique, however, are their personality traits, which include shy, friendly, mischievous, lazy, and aggressive. (Aggressive ones are more talkative and interactive, not mean.)

While Lady Elysa and I were talking, Mary Meeroo came up. In my chat window appeared, “Mary Meeroo whispers: Elysa Swansong will you please pick me up and snuggle me?” I was amazed! I have many animals that I talk to, but none of them has ever initiated a conversation with me. Lady Elysa explained that this happens all the time, although some Meeroos are chattier than others.

The prices for Meeroos vary. Ones with clear eyes, which are more rare, cost more. Also the tea cup and giants, being the smallest and largest, cost more than the in-between sizes. I found an auction where the current bids were $8000L each for three tea cups, two females and a male. I don’t know if that was the final price, however.

Entrepreneurs are hopeful that some of the safeguards included by Malevay Studios will help Meeroos hold their value. Unlike rabbits and some other breedable animals, Meeroos will not mass reproduce. Only specific Meeroos will breed with other specific Meeroos. It is hoped that this will keep the market from being over saturated.

Malevay Studios has also added a feature called Regard points that owners can earn. Whenever the owners pet Meeroos, they gain points, although it was not immediately clear what the points do. Owners can socialize with other owners and their Meeroos to earn points that way, too.

Meeroos are busy little creatures, constantly digging and exploring. They dig up buried treasures like broken pipes, old coins, and rotted fruit. Gold exists, too, but is rare. However, if an owner clicks on any treasure, Regard points are awarded.

So far lots of residents appear to be interested in Meeroos. At one site, seven people were looking when I stopped by. The seller, Lanier Matova, said he had sold 6 already, and it was only the second day after their release. At another site, residents BlueJeanSparx Melody and Bryan (greg1990) were hoping Meeroos were cheaper to keep than horses. Bryan told me his horses ate so much that he was paying as much for food as he did for his land rent. A typical Meeroo will eat one bowl of wild Berries a week, which will cost $63L.

For residents that aren’t interested in breeding and selling, there is an option that turns the Meeroos into an easy to care for pet. For a one-time payment of $1500L, the Meeroo can be transformed into a pet that does not require food and can be kept forever. Also, Lady Elysa emphasized that petting and interaction is optional. She said, “There's no need for anyone to stress, thinking that they will be a lot of work, because it's all totally optional.”

Grey Lupindo

Remembrance: An Artistic Homage to AM Radio

Friday I attended the opening of an art exhibit at Rohaus Art Collection that is an homage to AM Radio, whom you know is closing his sims. Most of us who are in Second Life for a while have visited his builds and loved each of them. Four wonderful artist decided to do an exhibit in his honor.

Raven Haalan, one of he artists said “It was a pleasure to be invited to participate in this exhibition. I confess to being humbled by the efforts of my fellows, Stephen Venkman, PJ Trenton and Rowan Derryth... and the grand challenge of this undertaking, that of representing the soon to be lost scattered artistry of AM Radio.”

The pieces chosen for the exhibit are truly lovely and were put together I believe, in the past month. Rowen commented ,”I hope they do some small justice to the work of my friend and inspiration, AM Radio.”

I hope you will go and visit the exhibit. Each piece is shows a project that AM Radio has created in Second Life. It will be open until the end of June.

The exhibit is at Magna Carta (156, 177, 30)

Gemma Cleanslate

Assassins Everywhere!

Did you know that as you move around the SL sims, or just rest quietly on your own sim, or attend parties that there are Assassins all about you? They are traveling around the SL sims taking control of land by force. There are small battles taking place you did not even know!

I looked out my window one day and saw three avatars shooting at each other as they hid behind trees and rocks and trying to move into better position with stealth. I called Caliba Sassower, whom I heard talking about Assassins. Yes, they were assassins and she knew them, but she had already taken control of the sim where I live (little did I know!).

It seems that once you get a territory you must be ready to defend it. Caliba told me, “Yes you do or someone can siege it, you need a fort to fortify it, a tower lets you know when someone is bombing it, turrets fire on anyone trying to kill your land, and you have Arc Reactor & Bunkers to replenish the fort & tower when you are attacked. I am the leader of the sieged lands. I have over 1200 lands killed and my title is Destruction Goddess.”

The website warns “Conquer. Gather. Rebuild. Destroy. Object of the game is actually 'finding the object of the game by exploration'. If you like exploring different new regions, this is the game for you. Make it count! While you can conquer and claim any available land and gain more power and ranks to brag to your friends about, you also have to defend yours.

Akaesha Revnik, was feeling bored and wanted to have something entirely different to do in SL. I knew about Tiny Kingdoms but this was new to me. The website tells you everything about it so You can read more here, http://www.assassinsgrid.com/. Check out the FAQS and Back story. I watched a short battle for land during a fishing contest. My friends , Caliba and Tolsen Decycla were on one side and some avatar killed them both and got the land, I assume. But fortunately they came back to life. Then they began a battle which I think was just in fun but gave me an idea of how this game went.

I bought the hud to see what it was about. It is on sale for 0L on the Marketplace. One also gets a folder of beginner essentials. knives, guns... typical starter folder LOL . You are then invited to register. I have not done that yet . I do not think I will , but who knows!! Just watch out, your lands or you may be next!

Gemma Cleanslate

Basketball in Second Life: The VBA

The Virtual Basketball Association describes itself as " the premier basketball league in Second Life." With the Alpha Cold Area as it’s home base, it's teams compete against one another, and strive to spread the word about their sport to other residents on the Grid. There are about thirty VBA teams, which have the same names as real life ones, such as the Bulls and the Knicks.

I met marketing VP Gladiola Mistwallow in the audience of the Virtual Tonight talk show. She invited me to see their place for myself, and a few days later we met at Alpha Cold. She showed me the arena complex, which besides the basketball court included locker rooms, a players’ workout room with functioning equipment, another workout room for the cheerleader squads, offices for team management, a mall area over the court, a recruitment center, a league club for fans to socialize after-hours, and more. In normal times, the court is plain. For games, a scripted one is rezzed. Near the entrance are the logos for the various teams.

Gladiola also showed me the practice court, which was in a skybox. In playing the game, one has to wear an attachment provided from a dispenser. Basketballs appear from players clicking on the dispenser and choosing to ress a ball. As in real-life basketball, the player can move while dribbling the ball, or stand still while holding it. While the ball is being dribbled, it can be stolen. To shoot the ball into a hoop, usually one has to go into mouselook and hold down the left mouse button briefly. If the player is very close to the basket, he may attempt a slam dunk, which needs no mouselook. Contact with another player results in a foul. The fouled player may make two free throws. Free throws are worth a point each. A basket made from shooting the ball outside the three point line is worth three points. From inside two points.

Later on, Gladiola introduced me to their VP of Development Emerald Ishtari, whom was willing to answer some questions about the VBA and it’s plans.

Bixyl Shuftan: So how did the VBA come to be?

Emerald Ishtari: The idea first came from some football team owners. They felt the sport was becoming “saturated” in Second Life. They decided upon basketball as it was another popular sport.

Bixyl Shuftan: When was it officially started?

Emerald Ishtari: The public announcement was made on December 15th 2010

Bixyl Shuftan: How has the attendance been?

Emerald Ishtari: Attendance has been good. The first game was over 40 people, and we’ve enjoyed a good audience since. Exhibition and recruitment games can have as many as seventy. Sim capacity prevents us from having more, but we keep seeing many different faces every time. We consider this a sure sign of a growing fan base.

Bixyl Shuftan: How easy would you say the game is to play?

Emerald Ishtari: Like basketball in real life, takes some practice and dedication. It’s not easy to be a truly great player. Much depends on the individual. It adds to the roleplay side of things, though.

Bixyl Shuftan: About how long would you say it took most of the team players?

Emerald Ishtari: I would say most got the hang of it after about a week of practice.

Bixyl Shuftan: Gladiola and I talked a little about the teams. I understand some are available for purchase?

Emerald Ishtari: Yes, several teams, three of which are still under development. Besides the teams, there are the dancers.

Bixyl Shuftan: Dancers? Heh, I saw the cheerleaders whom performed at Virtual tonight. ... Do all teams have a cheerleading squad, or just some of them?

Emerald Ishtari: All the teams have a squad of cheerleaders. What you saw on Virtual tonight were cheerleaders from the various teams.

Bixyl Shuftan: I take it they’re quite popular among the guys in the audience?

Emerald Ishtari: (laughter) Yes they are.

Bixyl Shuftan: What are the plans for womens' teams?

Emerald Ishtari: A Womens’ Virtual Basketball Association? Some of the team owners have been asking about that. We will be discussing it further with them.

Bixyl Shuftan: About how many exhibition games will be played until the season start?

Emerald Ishtari: At least one per week. In May, we’ll be setting up a training camp. The official season will start shortly afterward.

Bixyl Shuftan: Have any individual stars emerged among the teams yet?

Emerald Ishtari: I’m not sure how to answer that without showing favoritism. Let’s say that a few players have been shining stars, plus others have shown to be up and coming. Each team has it’s favorite go-to man.

Bixyl Shuftan: Considering SL's glitches, have there been any games in which something went completely unexpected?

Emerald Ishtari: Second Life being what it is, we run into them sometimes. There was one situation in which it threw such a monkey wrench into gameplay, the game was declared a draw and rescheduled. In a sense, it’s like the weather in outdoor sports. You never know what’s going to happen.

Bixyl Shuftan: Of the training camp? Was this for people interested in becoming VBA players?

Emerald Ishtari: It’s for official players, for getting them ‘in gear.’ Those interested in joining up can apply at Alpha Cold.

Bixyl Shuftan: So those interested can practice at the sim, and answer an application?

Emerald Ishtari: Yes they can. They can go to the skybox and play at the court for a while to see how they do. Then they can head to the recruiting center for an application of the team of their choice. They then wait until the team answers them.

Bixyl Shuftan: Do you have any other future plans you'd like to share?

Emerald Ishtari: We’re going to have an event at the Recruiting Center at May 1st, from 2 PM to 4PM. There’ll be a party, with team owners and staff. It’s a chance for those interested to inquire about being on a team.

Bixyl Shuftan: Sounds good. Any final comments?

Emerald Ishtari: Just our motto: “Go hard or go home! This is more than just a game!”

Bixyl Shuftan: Heh, well, thank you for your time.

For more information on the VBA, including times for future games, check out their website:
http://virtualbballassoc.wordpress.com. To get to the arena, head to Alpha Cold (237, 124, 22).

Bixyl Shuftan

Steampunk Art Show

On April 17, 2011 a steampunk themed art show opened at Kafe Kruemelkram, Ataria (46, 204, 63). There’s enough metal and fire to please a steam aficionado, but the art extends beyond that genre. This exhibit should appeal to anyone who likes modern, experimental, or eclectic art. Well-known SL artists and designers, such as Bryn Oh, Sextan Shepherd, Glyph Graves, Artistide Despres and many others are featured here.

The exhibit is dedicated to the memory of Sabrinaa Nightfire, who died a month ago. She created the "Steaming Hot" Festival in 2010, a steampunk art event. The current art show aims to keep Sabrinaa’s vision alive. An exhibit of her metal flowers is on display, with links to her other SL artwork. A tribute and notecard created by Glyph Graves honors her memory, too.

A teleport exists to quickly transport you to the artist of your choice. But a more interesting way to view the exhibit is by walking. The exhibits are placed on metal platforms connected by metal bridges and walkways, which creates a work of art by itself.

I didn’t have a chance to view all of the exhibits, but the ones I saw were excellent. I started with “Nightmare” by Bryn Oh. This artist is a SL favorite, and this exhibit shows why that reputation is well-deserved. Like many of the exhibits, this one is interactive and takes advantage of SL’s features to create a memorable experience. The horse has many interesting steampunk elements, such as a wheel for a hoof, worked into its design. Be sure to sit on the horse to get the full impact of Byrn Oh’s imagination.

Next I viewed “Bio-Mecha”, which is an interesting piece by Sextan Shepherd. The reflection in the mirror gave a surprising and imaginative twist to the sculpt. All of Shepherd’s exhibits were interesting, but “Bio-Mecha” was my favorite.

“Clock Art Deco” and “Stellar Supernova Beta-3” were also created by Shepherd. Be sure to click on the clock, and be prepared to spend some time at “Stellar Supernova Beta-3”. There’s a lot to experience here. Sit in the explorer chair for a memorable trip to planets and the heavens. It took me a few attempts to get this to work, probably because I tend to be technology-challenged. But the colorful images are not to be missed, and I was glad I got it to work.

One of the largest exhibits was a steampunk structure by Daallinii Rae. I couldn’t find a name for this exhibit, but I really enjoyed it. The structure is on multi-levels, with ladders, ramps, and teleports to aid in its exploration. On the house level, you can sit in a basket and rotate around the exhibit. What a great view! There’s even a picnic table so you and your friends can pause to discuss the exhibit.

Next to this exhibit is the Jenney Mand'dson "1915" Scrambler 1.01 by Jenne Dibou. This is a fun steampunk motorcycle with metal workers oiling chains and getting it ready to rev. Be sure to sit on this exhibit, too.

Random music was the focus of a sound-based exhibit created by Artistide Despres. Make sure your sound is on when you are near the six trumpet horns that form this build.

There are more exhibits to be found at the Steampunk Art Show, but I had to save them for a return visit.

Grey Lupindo

Virtual Medical Doctor

Among the games at Madpea, one of the newest is the Virtual Medical Doctor game, sometimes called VMD for short. For gamers even slightly interested in medical fields and the human body, this game is a must. Even if you’re not, you may find yourself dropping by time to time. The plot: pilot a medical probe called a “Cheiron” which is miniaturized with you in it, and placed inside the patient where you work to cure the illness from within.

Whenever someone has a little pain in Hoshi, they come to the Tupol Hospital. You might not believe it, but there are a lot of patients in the hospital and we simply don't have enough doctors to care for each of them. That is why we need you - help us to get our patients home. We will equip you with the latest medical devices and Poseidon, who speaks 6 different languages, will help you to become a VMD.

Set at Tupol hospital, there are four levels in the building accessible by the elevator. One level is for new residents of Second Life, a guide on how to go about the Grid. Another shows examples of body organs. Another floor is one players will keep coming to: one with the background of the several missions and their patients. One also gets a HUD to help with playing the game.

To head to the game area, one needs to use the teleporter. Then head down the walkway to the scrub room for decontamination. After that, head to the one of three capsules, the game calls them “Cheirons,” programed for the location of your mission. The first two missions are in the brown-coded capsule straight ahead.

The first mission is simple, taking care of a 68 year old man with an upset stomach, "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome." The real purpose is for you to learn how to control the probe. The Cheiron’s computer will guide the user on how to proceed. It is possible to lose by depleting the battery through too many laser shots. The second mission: to get rid of parasites from a case of bad sushi. From there, the cases get more serious, Mission Three for example involving a heart condition.

For players with slower computers, one may have to wait a few moments for the control panel to rez enough to be able enough to read, for those moments you need to inject a drug (for the first two missions, it’s the one on the bottom-right). And once when playing, I didn’t appear back at the hospital right away. But there’s not much to complain about what I can only call a great Second Life game.

And oh yes, one can pick up a doctor's coat and set of medical scrubs while here.

To get to the Virtual Medical Doctor game, head to Tupol Island at (120, 131, 0).



Bixyl Shuftan

Dragon Avatar Review

So, wandering the Grid, I decided to go out and revisit some of my favorite dragon avatar makers. Dragons of all shapes and sizes are one of the less common avatars I see these days, so I thought that spotlighting a few of them, people would know that they're out there and available for purchase.

My first stop on my list was the Isle of Wyrms. It's a big place, very mountainous, with a giant cathedral where the dragons are sold.

The first thing I noticed about the Isle of Wyrm dragons is that they are ornate. Very reminiscent of Eastern dragons. They're also very static. The last time I had one of these, there were no or very few flexiprims. With all the dragons that are out there with flexis for the wings, this could be a point that hurts them just a little bit. They're very customizable, with dozens of scale textures/colors to choose from (per dragon), and they also have a Bast and an Anubis dragon which is something I haven't seen others try to recreate.

The second thing that I noticed is that the dragons seem to be in a "limited edition" or limited hatching (there were only 3 fire dragons left when I dropped by, for example). I am not a part of the Isle of Wyrms groups so I don't know if it's a RP reason behind the limited hatchings or not, so you will have to visit and see for yourself.

The third thing I noticed is that they are *pricey*. Adults cost 3500 L. That's the most expensive dragon I've seen on the grid so far. Is the price too high? I don't know, I don't build so have no "effort-to-cost" appreciation.

RATING: 2 Dragon Hoards out of 5. I'm biased, they're just not my style and I personally think they're too expensive for their appearance. Your milage may vary. If they weren't popular to begin with, however, they would have disappeared from the grid entirely due to lack of business. So clearly the Isle of Wyrms is doing something right.

Next Stop: Grendel's Children.

If you haven't heard of Grendel's, find it in Search. Now. They've been around a long time and at least to me, have become a synonym for quality content, variety of all kinds of avatars and inexpensive pricing.

There are two varieties of their dragons. Their originals ... *does a double take* Oh hey, they're 0 $L now. I remember when they were 500. Anyway, their originals are larger than a normal avatar and are very very well done, with flexi-tails, extra purchasable breath weapons (15 $L, last I checked) and excellent scale detail.

Their most recent versions are more sculpty, more flexi, more detailed, and less expensive than others, costing about 500 $L. They have them in Plains, Canyon, Forest and Ravine dragon varieties.

They have a lot of other types of dragons (eastern chinese dragon avatars spring to mind) and a few two-legged varieties as well.

RATING: 4 Hoards out of 5. Good variety and very low pricing make it the perfect spot for those of you who want dragons but are on a budget.

Next, it was off to Kinzart Kreations.

They have four varieties: Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern. They're not quads, they're anthropomorphic. So if you're looking for the four-legged kind, look elsewhere. Variety is large and prices are good (1000 to 1500), and the style is a bit unusual. The Northern Dragons look a little bit like a winged lion with horns (lack of better words, it's in a good way), the Eastern variety have a definite chinese feel to them, while the Southern ones look like something reminding me of Bahamut (and it would not surprise me if that was the inspiration).

The avatars come in decorative boxes, which is a nice touch. I had several eggs in my hoard on my home sim for the longest time, having bought almost every variety of two different varieties (at least until the next shiny thing came along).

RATING: 3.5 Hoards out of 5. The effort shows and it's a nice choice if you want an unusual style in your dragon.

After that, it was time for a quick trip to the Spider Productions vendor in the Northstar Mall.

They're a maker of anthro dragons as well (no quads here) but the textures are very very good and the animation of flight is one of the better ones I have seen on SL. They too have their dragon boxes as collectable decorative eggs, and on top of that, their dragons are rideable in the same way a normal four-legged dragon is, which is unusual. I haven't seen many anthropomorphic dragons that have a saddle option.

They are EXPENSIVE : 2800 $L for either gender (each sold separately). However, this time I will say the work shows and this is a reasonable price for such a dragon (I would have charged maybe 2000, but I'm not the creator so what do I know). The hands are posable, the wings and eyes are recolorable, and they advertise a "hud packed with tons of features but only one script" --- I have three of these dragons, and I can vouch that this is a non-laggy dragon. :)

RATING: 4 Hoards out of 5. They could use more scale colors (even though they have about a dozen), and they should probably put both genders in one box, in my opinion. Their female dragon is a bit "blocky" in the chest, but I guess that's what one gets when one is effectively having a scale-armor bra stuck to your chest (grin).

Final stop, the Seawolves.

Everyone by now has had to have seen one. You know, the sim-sized reptilians stomping about or flying through the skies (and when I say sim-big, I mean they are huge, approximately 30 meters long and ten high for their Ancient size). They have juvenile and adult varieties too, which are Big and then Really Big, but I think it is the Ancient ones that they are known for the most. The price is good for all the work, too... about 2400 $L.

These gigantic behemoths are not for the lesser of heart (or lesser of computers --- if you have a slow computer, the ancient ones are not for you). If you are looking for something to sit around in and people watch, though (and be seen from two sims away if you have draw distance maxxed), this is your dragon.

In my opinion, their hud can only be described as a work of art. You drop new textures into its inventory and can then use those to style almost any part of the dragon. It already comes with a lot of options; the fact that the hud is so easy to use after adding your own is what I enjoy the most.

There are two types of breath weapons (fire and ice); click and fire a ball, hold and breathe a stream. They also come with a biped version (standard avatar size) of the same dragon, which is just as easily customizable as the quad version.

RATING: 5 Hoards out of 5. The only downer is that if you don't have a high-powered computer and you get an Ancient, your computer will scream, cry and melt (and probably make other low powered computers cry, as well).

So there you have it, a look at just a few dragon makers of SL.

Xymbers Slade