Reader Submitted: "What IS Second Life?"

By Nydia Tungsten

What IS Second Life?

Is it a game?

Webster’s Dictionary defines a game as : a (1) : a physical or mental competition conducted according to rules with the participants in direct opposition to each other (2) : a division of a larger contest (3) : the number of points necessary to win (4) : points scored in certain card games (as in all fours) by a player whose cards count up the highest (5) : the manner of playing in a contest (6) : the set of rules governing a game (7) : a particular aspect or phase of play in a game or sport kicking game> b plural : organized athletics c (1) : a field of gainful activity : line (2) : any activity undertaken or regarded as a contest involving rivalry, strategy, or struggle ; also : the course or period of such an activity (3) : area of expertise : specialty  

And let’s be honest, Second Life (or SL as it is known by many) just doesn’t fit into that. 

So what DO we tell people what it is? Some have heard about SL and you get THIS response “That’s the orgy game right?” Or “You mean the cybersex game?”

“I will not lie to you and say there is no sex going on,” I tell them, at which point I get a lot of snickering and comments about “one handed typing” or “Sticky Keyboards,” or the other Direction “SICK BASTARDS!” It is at this point I try and explain the virtual life I live. SL is TOTALLY created by the users, from our avatars and the clothes we wear to the homes we live in, there is so much more to SL than sex, let’s take a look at the “real” world.

How many of us have porn shops in our area that we live? More than one I bet! But do we all go to that area JUST for porn? NO! The whole area is a community that just happens to have a porn shop there for THOSE THAT WANT IT. You wouldn’t condemn a whole state as Perv’s and degenerates because they have a few shops or theaters? Only if you’re a narrow minded Zealot that thinks they have “God's personal thought in their hearts.” (9.9 eyeroll 9.9)

Yes there is sex in SL for those that want it, just like real-life. To me SL offers so much more than ANY other media out there! I have friends in almost every corner of this earth, something I could never have done in ANY other MMO to this scale. Real people, real problems, real emotions, only the avatars are virtual. That brings us to the “residents” that work and play here.

Yes that’s right, there are people that “work” in SL most are very talented creators and builders of the items we use every day. Then there are the “Scripters” that brings those objects to life, like cars, motorcycles, sailboats, planes and so much more! But most new people go looking for the “Sex Sims.” “Why?” To get it out of their system I suppose, until they learn the correct etiquette of being with someone intimately online, (yes there IS a proper way).

Let’s look at sex, it is a physical act of gratification experienced by two people (normally but not always). Now the mark of a GOOD lover is one that cares for their partner’s needs. Now let’s examine this even MORE closely, the act of Sex while physical is MOSTLY MENTAL anyone that says otherwise is either A. selfish lover or B. inexperienced. Our body reacts to mental stimulation FASTER than the physical and those that want to argue the point I say LOOK IT UP, I have proven to so many the “tease” is more important than the actual view of a nude partner. So, when we do
“cyber” for some here it is their only outlet, due to physical or social limitations.

Then I get the question “Well have you ever....” And they leave it hanging there, so I answer “Yes, I have been lucky enough to have some that actually put my needs before their own.” But just as in the “real” world, I don’t live in a bed. While they are thinking about that I ask them what do THEY enjoy doing? And of course I get a lot of different answers to which I answer “I can do that too in SL” Normally this is when I see a true spark of interest and curiosity.

If I am at a computer I show them some of the videos made BY the residents, I show them pictures of the clubs I run.“YOU OWN CLUBS?!?” they ask shocked and I tell them yes I do, I also run a small radio station but my biggest project is “Land rentals.“ And I see the confusion in their eyes and hear the next question before they even ask it.

“What land? It is all in a computer” at this point I explain that the “land” is actually a simulation or “Sim” for short and what they are renting is resources for that sim owner in which they can build anything up to their limit of resources they have rented, at which point I turn on SL if I am able and show them a whole new world they never knew existed, so I have brought a few to SL, and some enjoy it, some decided it wasn’t really for them, but they leave with a new understanding that SL is NOT a 24/7 orgy, but whatever they made of it and THAT is what SL TRULY is.

“Whatever you make of it."

Nydia Tungsten

Minecraft Ship Battle

By Bixyl Shuftan

On the evening of Wednesday Sept 18, the night before "Talk Like a Pirate Day," Nydia Tungsten wanted to do something with Minecraft. She mentioned she was uploading a "map" onto a new server, and invited people over.

Logging on, I found myself in the water, and had to swim for it. Getting to the surface, I found two ships, one with a pirate flag, the other with an English one. Both had four large openings on each side. I swam to one, and was told this was going to be a battle between the two ships. How would the ships fight? Looking around on the deck, I found above each of those holes I saw were loading mechanisms and buttons. On the other side of the deck were chests full of dynamite.

What we were supposed to do, at least once the signal was given, was to load the dynamite into the bottom part of the "cannons," press the piston button, then repeat a few more times. Then load another couple pieces of dynamite on a hole on the side. To fire the "cannon," one had to press the button to ignite the stacks of dynamite down below, which was to act as propellant, and *quickly* ignite the dynamite acting as the "cannonball" before it was launched, and scramble back a few feet. If all went right, a piece of ignited dynamite would be launched toward the other ship, where it would do some damage if it hit or blew up close enough.

But it was tricky to use, and I don't think I really got the hang of it. Once I figured out what to do, well, what came to mind was the expression "knowing just enough to be dangerous." I ended up blowing up the cannons when I fired them the way the girls were, leaving a huge hole on the side of the ship. It seemed to be safer to just fire the propellant, and wait for the gunner on the other ship to slip up and go boom. It seemed to work, as more often than not the other ship would end up unable to fire before ours was. The result was one or more of the other crew grabbing a sword, and swimming over to board us. I never could find the crate where the swords were, but the others on my team were able to beat them back. The exception was the "guys vs girls" round, in which the girls were just merciless with the stickers.

Eventually, it was time for some of us to go to bed, and the Minecraft ship battles came to an end. At least for now. Perhaps another day, It'll be time to once again "strike the colors."

If only I could get the hang of firing that blasted cannon.

Bixyl Shuftan

"Feed The Beast" and The Minecraft Building Contest

By Bixyl Shuftan

Since the Minecraft "Angels Village" server was updated, and it's contents wiped away, the attention of the game's players in the Sunweaver and Angels groups switched to the FTB, aka "Feed The Beast," servers set up by both Kit Repine and Nydia Tungsten. Kit's initial server went from a shack set up near the spawn point for anyone unfortunate to drop in at night to a small stone fort with an ever-expanding underground chamber and tunnel network. Valkyrie McGil built an impressive build on the cliff next to the fort.

Jasmine quickly noticed the wide variety of tools the FTB version of Minecraft offered, from robot miners that could clear out sections of underground for stone and ores, to better suits of armor, including one with limited flight ability, and some nifty gadgets. One I found useful was a mechanical arm that acted like a combination diamond pick and gun. One could use it against zombies and creepers, but it had a strong recoil. Another was a pair of boots that kept one from getting hurt when falling from a great distance. It's a safe bet most Minecrafters ended up back in their bed after making a misstep at least once. One gadget some players had fun with was the "Portal" gun, which acted like the one in the game. One fun thing that came later were the funny hats that one could collect from mobs they appeared on at random.

But building these tools and toys required machines, machines that required energy. Exploring around, I came across a few oil fields some distance away. Those were one source of energy. But Jasmine's bigger machines required more. One interesting feature of "Feed The Beast" was accessing other worlds, or overworlds in Minecraft jargon, besides the Nether and "The End." Some of these places were quite strange, such as one in which players could end up damaged from sunburn if not wearing certain types of armor, which put us in the same position as a zombie or skeleton. These worlds could be accessed through portals, but they could also be traveled to and back via special books, leading to this part of the game being called "Mystcraft," after the popular computer game Myst in the 1990s. Besides places to explore, Jasmine used them as a source for mass quantities of energy-supplying lava and lots of ores.

All these features were certainly a contrast from the Minecraft we'd first set foot it, and it came with a price. Lag began to become a problem. And then, the servers would start to occasionally crash. This became quite frustrating to players and server owners alike. As it turned out, "Feed The Beast" was the combined result of over a few hundred Minecraft modifications cobbled together. Little wonder it could get unstable at times. And then came the server updates, which would sometimes wipe out what was made.

Despite the bugs, interest in Minecraft persisted. Nydia took some time to clean up her new FTB server before inviting her friends over. Once she thought it was ready, she wondered how it could be tested.

"I wanted to test the latest FTB server, see if the problems were solved," Nydia told me in a conversation, "so … I thought what a better way to test it than to have my friends go NUTS with their builds." Nydia decided to hold a competion to see who could come up with the best build, "So I turned them loose with OP powers and kept an eye on the server." The rules were fairly simple, build a town a small group of players could reside in, " purposely left the build requirements vague, I wanted to see how they would be interpreted, and I must say I was NOT disappointed in the creativity that was generated. (I wasn't the) only one impressed either, the builders were as well when they got to see each other's builds."

The competition attracted a number of players, "We started with over eight builders, but due to their real-lives, some had to drop out, which was a shame really. The beginnings of their builds looked so promising. We had futuristic to medevil and even fairy tale fantasy. We even had some Anime thrown in, but unfortunately that one wasn't finished. … This will sound obscure to those not familiar with the series 'Girls und Panzers' it was going to be a city ship," a ship with a city built inside, "It qualified for the contest (laughter)."

"The way it was judged was very unique as well," Nydia explained,  "I have never heard of (Minecraft) being done like this at all. I left some of the judging be done by the builders themselves. The only reason I did it that way was I knew all the builders and knew they would be fair. They would judge the others, but not themselves. And I had 2 people here with me in real life that don't play MC (yet) to help me with the judging. And yes I did the live broadcast the event to help." Nydia put a live feed of what she saw into her video channel on the day of the judging.

One problem the contest had was the unstable nature of FTB Minecraft, and the contest was suspended and extended a couple times due to the server crashing, " I run it off my same system I use I thought it could maybe it could handle it this time, unfortunately...it cant. … I wish I could invite everyone on to view the builds, but itwas just too hard on my system, I have 8GB of RAM with the server and (with) Second Life running, it would climb up to the 80% used area. If I was linked a video....it would go into the 90s. More than once it got to 98%, if it went higher I would crash." Still, she persisted, "But we were able to finish the contest and have a lot of fun in the process."

Of the winners, Skylark's village came in third place. Valkyrie was second "by only a few points." Her village was near the server spawn point, and had crop and berry bush areas, with miniature golems gathering the fruit. For first place, it was "a tie between 2 good friends and Angels Jasmine and Shion (Winkler), it was so close it was almost a 3 way tie!"

Jasmine's place was a treehouse village with buildings set up on super tall trees, "t was a fully function town any elf would DROOL over with all the tech any mage would envy and then it had the walk ways between the massive trees to count as a city in itself." Jasmine tapped into another overworld via "Mystcraft" for the lava to power it, "Val went into the Nether to power all of her computers and tech as well." Jasmine's village had a diner in which automated machines could dispense a variety of foods with the press of a button. Kryxia Silverfall helped her out during the building.

Shion's town was build around a cathedral, as were some Medieval cities. It was the most detailed building, both inside and out. It had a harbor with ships, and a balista and a number of cranes around, to give it the look of a place still in construction.

For the winners, Nydia had a prize, "I kept the prize secret until the day of Judging I was able to offer the winner $50 USD or split it as it turns out, but they both turned it down. Sooo, I donated it to 'The Furry Gamer' group to help some of our members get into the rest of (the games we play). They wanted me to use it for my Angels, which I will do if it is needed. But I think it could do better for a group dedicated to having some fun. Thats what this was all about, having fun."

As good as the builds were, Nydia had to take the server back down. The FTB was just too much on her systems to keep up without crashes. But her new "vanilla" server, updated to Minecraft 1.62, was available. This newer Minecraft is commonly called the "horse update" due to its now including horses. They can be fitted with a saddle and "broken" for riding.

So how to build a place for the Angels there? Nydia soon had her answer, "that night when I finally had all the votes, I brought them all to my office at home (in Second Life) and told them who won, well, they started talking about each others builds, and before I knew it I had a build crew on my hands for the new Angels Village. … once in and started they met up with 'Hojo' another builder from the last world we had and he joined in"

Dropping in for myself at Jasmine's invitation, the place wasn't too far from the spawn point. Just walk down the road for a few minutes, and one would soon see the place, encompassed by walls. Inside, they had built a barn for horses (by Jasmine) and other critters, a town hall, an inn, an outdoor market, a mages tower (by Valkyrie), a cathedral (by Shion), a harbor with ships (also by Shion), and more. When Nydia saw it for herself, "I can sum it up with one word: 'Whoah …' "

So what was next for Nydia and her Angels & friends in Minecraft? She does have some plans, "in the future I am planning on having adventure maps for group play. I have a bit to learn still before I can start hosting events but it IS planned for in the future. We have had 'End raids' in the past and those were a LOT of fun."

So despite "Feed The Beast" acting a bit beasty, the action in Minecraft from residents of the Sunweaver and Angel's estates continues.

Nydia has a video of the villages during the contest judging donwloadable in the following link (here - 498MB).

Bixyl Shuftan

Commentary: The Oneness Principle

By Becky Shamen

In the short time that this reporter has been with the Newser, we  have explored seven great adventures in exploring the world of  Second Life. The number eight should be a step above, for more  than one reason. In music, it is the octave, the beginning of a new  scale. In principle, there is no beginning or end to scales. They  extend, up and down, infinitely. Oddly enough, the number eight looks  like the symbol for infinity, going up and down. It has also been, for  as long as I can remember, my lucky number. For these reasons, in  this report, we will take a break from exploring places, to exploring  an important universal principle and it's manifestations in Second Life, Real Life, and Universal Life.

I have a friend, in real life, that used to tell me I should get off SL and come live in the real world more often. I would patiently explain to him that he doesn't understand what SL is all about. Unlike many video games I have seen, where wannabe's run around with big guns, shooting everybody and thing in sight, SL avatars think and act like real people. SL is more like an extended life. Instead of thinking of it as second life, perhaps it is more like Life squared. While it is true that we sometimes are in RP mode, we also get to know our SL friends as well or better that real life ones. We tend to love to the degree that we know people and things. We chat with our friends in SL every day. That's more than some married couples communicate. Over time, we learn who they are and where they live in real life. We know the joys and hardships they experience. Our SL friends are just as real as our real life ones. Communication is the key to the principle of Oneness.

What is a principle? The short, dictionary definition is 1) general or  fundamental law, 2) rule or code of conduct or devotion to such a  code. Getting deeper, principles are eternal, unwritten rules that  transform chaotic, empty space into the universe of forms. Quite  likely, the whole reason the universe even exists is because of a  principle, "to be or not to be", going through cycles (another  principle). A picture tells a thousand words, so I contemplated  finding a way to illustrate principles, to go with this article. I recalled,  from reading about fractals and chaos, years ago, seeing a picture  that showed how recognizable organic shapes were generated by  assigning rules for each number that came up in tossing dice. This  sounded like just what I needed, so I ran out and bought a package  of dice.

The Rambling Knight

On the TV show, "Myth Busters", they always start by saying, "Don't  try this at home...". To the contrary, if you are patient, or just want  more practice in that virtue, by all means, try this experiment for  yourself.

I started a new image, measuring 512x512 pixels, to allow room for  whatever image would develop. Knowing this would take many hours  to complete, by doing it manually, I made the background a light  blue, thinking white would be too much eye strain. Two dice will give  11 possible out comes (2-12), so I made a list of 11 rules, such as  2=5up and 2 left, etc. Zooming in to see each pixel and count my  steps, I started with a dot in the center and started tossing dice.  After only an hour, I realized that looking up the rule for each toss  and counting on the screen would take way to much time and  patience, even for me. I needed a smaller list and smaller moves.  Having recently made a reference to knights on the chess board, it  occured to me that they are limited to eight possible moves of two  steps forward and one to the side. Even a blonde like me can  remember eight simple rules and count to three. They make 8 sided  dice, but where to find one was a mystery. To continue with standard  dice, I painted one black, to determine the side move. Odd numbers  would be left and even right.  The other die only needed to produce  1-4, so I re-tossed it if it came up 1 or 6. Using this arrangement, it  wasn't neccesary to check the list after each toss and I didn't need  to count pixels on the screen. Now the drawing progressed much  quicker. To keep track of where each move took me, I made each  new pixel white, then changed the starting spot to black. When I  needed to pause, I'd save the drawing and, on return, knew where I  had left off.

I hesitate to say how many hours I spent and dots I ended up with,  but I came to the point where I felt it was more than enough to  illustrate the concept. I cropped the image down to only the area  with dots and present it here. It does look like some kind of organic  form, but only Rorschach knows what. If this illustration shows the  path of a knight, he was either in no hurry to get back to the  chessboard battle field or had been to Route 66 and gave his horse  one too many buckets of beer. It does show the result of applying  priciples to random chaotic space. With that, we move on to the real  topic of this article.

The Oneness Principle

Scientist tell us that our universe is expanding and calculate that  everything can be traced back to a single point, smaller than the  period at the end of this sentence. The calculater on my desk only  cost $2.99 and could never figure out something like that, but armed  with just a piece of paper, a pencil and ruler, I can tell there is more  involved than just expansion. If you draw a dot, in the center of the  paper and then countless straight lines from it to the edges of the  paper, none of the lines will cross or join together. If expansion were  the only principle at work in the universe, after all those billions of  years the matter that is expanding would be so small and so far  apart it would be invisible. We wouldn't be here to see it any way.  Clearly, there is another principle at work. That principle is  "Oneness."

In the first fraction of a second, after the big bang, all the quarks in  the universe shot out on their seperate paths, but not for long. They  quickly acted as if consciously seeking out friends and forming  groups called sub-atomic particles. These united groups had more  powers and abilities than mere quarks. In comparison, they were like  super heroes or gods. In time, these new life forms also began  seeking others of their kind and forming atoms, a life form with still  greater powers and abilities. Long story short, this gathering of many  into one continues, forming solar systems, then galaxies, to the  universe as we now know it. Perhaps, in the far distant futer, our universe will also join up with other one.

As humans, we are governed by the same principle. Individuals  gather into families, which gather into comunities, then towns and  cities, states, nations. Whether you like the idea or not, the entire  planet is destined to become one government. This will be by the  free choice of it's billions of citizens, not forced upon them by a  tyrant.

Second Life also is influenced by the principle of Oneness. On your  first day in SL, you are a stranger in a strange land, standing in a hub  with a bunch of other clueless nubes. If you were lucky enough to  have been introduced to this world by a friend, they will soon find  you and friend you and introduce you to places and other people.  Even if you didn't start out with a friend, this virtual world, thanks to  the Oneness priciple, will quickly expand your friends list. Some of  your friends will even become like family to you. I know many people  that call me "mom."

As you discover Sims and clubs that you like to spend time in and  return to, more often than not, they will have "groups" that you can  join. Sometimes, just entering an area will trigger a message which  asks if you'd like to join. Other locations provide signs to click to join  their group. If you are in a nightclub, the host might ask if you'd like a  "tag", meaning join the group or you can ask for a tag. Most groups  are free to join. Often, group members can do things that non- members can't, in the club or sim. A big advantage of joining a group  is that you are now in a collective of many people that share some of  your interests. The next step towards Oneness in SL is  communities. There is no mechanical proccess to joining a  community and no tags to wear. Community members tend to work,  play and live together. Many will belong to one or more of the same  groups as others. One example of a community is one that I am part  of, called Sunnies or Sunweavers. In my article on Caledon, we find a community which spans over two million square meters.

Seeing the workings of the Oneness priciple, in the universe, real life and Second Life, it is not hard to make a prediction of what is to come. Some day, in the future of second life, we will all be members of one big group. We can only guess at what it will be called. Perhaps we will call it Second Heaven.

Becky "Sha" Shamen

Holocluck Henly on Disney's "Toontown" Closing

 By Bixyl Shuftan

On August 20, the players of Disney's multiplayer online game "Toontown" got some unwelcome news. The game would be closing in a month. One of the more well-known Toontown players in Second Life is Holocluck Henly. I met up with him and asked him a few questions about the game.

So how was the game played? Holocluck told me, "You're a happy go lucky cartoon animal in Toontown, but humanoid robots called Cogs are trying to take over. They are based on corporate stereotypes and they are turning shops into office buildings etc. The toons fight back using silly slapstick gags. The cogs retaliate with corporate clichés and office supplies. It,s intended for all ages, and like a classic cartoon people of all generations each get something out of it. … There are things you can do beside fighting cogs. You can socialize, you can play golf, race autos, fish, and more."

"An account comes with 6 characters sharing an estate where each of their homes are." The various toon types "are more preference and what you like to look and sound like in game. When you type to friends or use the vast library of pre-written phrases, your character makes animal gibberish to word balloons, different sounds based on questions, exclamations, one or several words etc. Originally only friends who traded special codes received outside the game could text chat. Everyone else was via the phrases and you could purchase phrases. But a few years ago they opened it up to parental permission and you just had to verify on the site and the inworld accounts could talk to each other. Still some words are not in the vocabulary and become animal gibberish. That's the other thing. if you were to read it, you saw 'arf arf ruff' in the word balloon for a dog for instance."

Of the toon types, "Originally there were cats, dogs, ducks, rabbits, horses, and mice. They aded monkeys and bears eventually, and then pigs."

"The amusing thing about the game was that so many adults played. many of them were parents whose kid may have started and then the parent got addicted while the kid moved on to something else." Ads at Nickelodian and Nick at Night attracted both kids and adults, "This was the ad: ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCUTFd-ZRqM )."

Holocluck admitted he was "a great fan of the 30s-40s Warner Brothers" cartoons, "I'm a traditionalist." He stated he had learned animation "a few decades back. … I learned at a college owned by Disney called california institute of the arts. A few Disney veterans ran a character animation program. Toontown is 3D, I believe it utilizes Python. But it's the feel of a traditional cartoon, and some of the animation is just great. Going to Goofy's Speedway and watching Goofy walk around... to an animator it's very rewarding (laughter)."

"Being a Disney game, is that when you build your toon (when you first join the game) it can come in a combination of proportions. And each one moves differently. Same as the cogs, who have about three different basic physiques. they move different from one another in everything they do. That sounds a bit technical but I'm an adult and an adult cartoonist. I look at it a little differently. He smiled, "And then I drop a piano on the head of some lawyer robot."

I asked him about the attacks, and he answered you start with small ones and work your way up, "you start with a squirting lapel flower and a cupcake. These can be worked up to a geyser and a wedding cake." Attacks like the dropped piano need the help of another toon to distract the target first.

"Walking around Toontown is just great. there are several neighborhoods with themes. Obviously in the game you work your way in tasks and challenges from neighborhood to neighborhood. But the meticulous attention made to these, the names of the shops, the styles... and the last few years some things like hydrants and mailboxes have personalities and animate."

I asked Holocluck about the tasks, "They start off simple enough, a cog, fish something out of the pond. there is a narrative which flows through the neighborhood of some shopkeeper or other who was harassed by cogs or something was stolen etc. And as you achieve these you can carry more gags at a time, jellybeans at a time, get bigger, maybe handle many tasks at once. And eventually you fight the source of the cogs. Not for the faint of heart."

"There are four categories of cogs: the lawyers, the salesmen, the financiers and the bosses. Each has a headquarters and there's someone making them. (It's) Usually a behemoth of a robot in charge and up to 8 toons go in together to defeat them. There is usually a battle not unlike the ones in the streets or in buildings, a stream of four cogs at a time versus up to four toons at a time for about ten minutes. Then the special, direct fight with the one in charge."

"As an example, the cashbot CFO (chief financial officer) looks like a cash register for a head, a large body with dollar signs for the suit pattern, and the bottom half of him looks like tank treads. There are some toons who take to cranes (I do that) where we work with the other toons who disabled these special sentinels coming out from between the treads,. and we take large magnets and fling the things into the CFO in the middle. Then when he periodically gets dizzy we grab large safes and smack him." Holocluck laughed, "then we win! And we get some special perk. The fight itself may be different each type of cog."

I asked Holocluck what kind of perks did toons get for beating boses. He answered,  "Well for the CFO fights we get special phrases we can say which can endow anyone within range with jellybeans, more gags, or more laff. (Toons) don't die but our levels called laff can diminish in a fight."

For the lawyer cog boss battle, "in the case of the lawbot CJ aka Chief Justice, the CJ is blindfolded, love that one. After the cog battle there is a sequence where for a limited time the cogs are landing into the jury seats and we use cannons to shoot toons to replace them. When time is up the more toons means the scale in the center of the large room may be in our favor. There comes a sequence where once side of the room the cogs are lined up throwing evidence aka books at their side of the scale, and we throw on our side and run to restock etc from the witness. They occasionally skid their evidence on the ground to trip us. we gotta know to jump (grin). Oh and the giant gavels. gotta be careful where to stand." Holockuck laughed, "We win when the scale reaches down on our side."

One element of character advancement was deciding on what new skills to have, "as they advanced and added other types of gags … you had to leave one off. One gag was not for the cogs but for fellow tons: the toon-up." This move ranged, "from a tickle feather to a high dive act into a glass of water, making friends laugh during battle to being their numbers up."

"We had pets called Doodles which look like a 'Lil Abner' 'Schmoo,' and we could train them to do tricks and come out during battle for that. The animatons on those are marvelous and the personalities are very complex. That alone makes it a shame (Toontown) is leaving."

There were some special happenings during holidays. For instance, one could make a black cat character around Halloween. Besides those, "there are invasions, when a particular cog is everywhere at once. regardless of the type of building etc. when that happens everything is double value in your efforts."

That a major corporation like Disney  would make a game in which the characters spent much of their time fighting corporate stereotypes, Holocluck commented, "Well, there was an inevitable irony waiting to happen." Toontown would soon be closing.

"Last month, Toontown was hit by teen hackers and they closed it and the test servers, for about a week, to patch the game up. The test server never came back but they made up for things with free beans (money) and other perks to celebrate returning and for our patience." Holocluck sighed, "But face it, that's a resource. If they have to work on that, and if they're scaling down guess what leaves."

An article on CNN stated Toontown had experienced a "significant drop in user numbers." Holocluck admitted after ten years, things were not looking as rosy for the game as in the past, "Times have since changed. things have gone mobile, they lost many players in the past to sophisticated MMORPG like star wars or WoW." Although Disney promoted the game in the past with commercials on television, they weren't doing so now. With the public " looking to apps, etc., they just launched Inifinity and pushing that." Holocluck concluded that Disney felt, "Disney online is just in the way."

Holocluck stated Toontown wasn't the only game closing, "A friend in Second Life goes to 'Pixie Hollow,' another game. The third is 'Pirates of the Caribean.' All three are closing Sept 19.  I believe … Disney pulled the plug on the Disney Online project. There was news this morning of major layoffs at ABC as part of their downsizing plan."

So where might the players go after the game closed, Holocluck didn't have an answer, "Nothing will take the place of Toontown. It was a nice game for people who wanted light hearted entertainment and challenges, some funny mixed with getting back at the corporate world, and beautiful Disney animation."

When not playing Toontown for the next few weeks, Holocluck Henly manages the Starship Diner at Hydrangea (77, 173, 72). He also DJs for Relay for Life events.

One can check out Holocluck's Youtube stream for more Toontown videos, and his Flickr page for pictures.

Image credit: Holocluck Henly

Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: "Sexual Etiquette"

By Nydia Tungsten

Okay, this article is going to give the editor a frickin' heart attack as he tries to find a safe way to reword this, so the sensitive people won't have their butts tighten up so tight it deprives them of air at the sight of the name of a sexual organ. But the subject is long overdue, so if you are ready …

Yes, a lot of people some to Second Life to live out their teenage fantasies of sexual prowess. And if they are able to find likeminded people, no problem. But when you go looking, have some class!

I have been in Second Life for four years, and I can tell you there are some dense pervs out there. I have had a male (human) walk up to me on a nude beach and ask me on the spot if I was interested in getting intimate, and another (fur) saying in quite descriptive terms what he wanted to do with me.

Don't think it's just the male half of the population where this behavior comes from. I have had females Instant-Message me, and tell me how they couldn't wait to … I shudder at the language some use.

I can't speak for every female in Second Life, or males for that matter. But not everyone comes to Second Life to be a sex toy. If you see someone attractive, get to know them first before offering to do the "horizontal tango" out on the dance floor. Show some class and just talk first. You would be surprised you *may* find someone you can actually care for.

There are a *lot* of nude beaches here in Second Life that are *not* for sexual trolling. People just like to show off their avatar skins that they work so hard on, *not* to get hit on. And for the love of all that's holy, if you see a couple cuddling a beach or someplace, never, and I mean NEVER assume that just because they are out in the open that it is an invitation to join.

There are *plenty* of sims devoted to sex and kinks of all kinds. If that's where you want to go, more power to you. But if you're not in one of those sims, treat people like you do in real life. Respect them. and you may be surprised that they will respect you too.

But be warned, I own sims and administer a lot more. If I see any inappropriate behavior, you will be banned. You would not be the first, or the last, and I am not the only one who feels this way.

So pervs beware, we're watching you now.

Nydia Tungsten

Greed in Stores

By Theonlyjohnny Resident

    Yes, I know greedy store owners are not a new thing, however some of them have gone above others and have reached almost the pinnacle of greed. These store owners have basically been using their customers, just to get more linden. Whether by a so called "discount group," selling upgrades, or through other means.

    One store, which I will not name, I have visited, has lots of avatars, weapons, and avatar accessories, for extremely high prices. These prices are so high, they will turn people away at the first sight of them. However, rather than lower the prices, the owner of the store simply made a group, and gave a 90% discount on everything in the store, to all group members. A lot of people would have been overjoyed, if it wasn't for one small problem. To join the group, it costs L$ 3000.


This is a problem for quite a few reasons, one of them being the fact that most people will only buy one or two items from a store, unless it's a well known store with low prices. This means that people would actually be paying more for the product, at this store, since the prices are too high, and it's not really well known, also only a few products, at this store are decent. The second problem being the cost to join the group isn't the only fee. There is also a L$ 1000 weekly fee to stay in the group. This would be ok, if it was going towards the store, which, not surprisingly, it isn't. In fact I doubt the owner of the store has spent any of it on the store, considering the fact that I have watched this store for a while now, to see if the prices go down, and after 2 months, there hasn't been a single change. It makes me wonder where all that linden is going, seeing as how the group is getting about 5 new members a day.

    Another store sells avatars, and clothing. Of course, these products use scripts and they do require upgrades every now and then. However, unlike most upgrades, which are free, these upgrades cost, for the first upgrade, the same amount as the product, and then the price is double the previous price, for each upgrade after the first. A lot of these upgrades shouldn't even cost anything, since most of them either just replace invisiprims with alphas, or they upgrade the coloring, slightly. If the upgrades added new parts to them, or added new buttons to the hud, that would be worth paying for. However these charge people a lot of linden, for a small thing that they could do themselves.

    I guess these people, and others like them, believe that everyone else is around, to provide them with linden. This is just a tip, you may want to do research about people before you buy from them. If it seems too good to be true, it most definitely is.

Theonlyjohnny Resident

Marketplace Problems

By Theonlyjohnny Resident

    I, like most people in Second Life, see the marketplace as a useful tool, which can be used by all. However, there are a few problems that I wish to discuss. These problems clutter the marketplace, and make it hard to find what people want.

    The first problem is the overwhelming number of Demos. Demos were originally used for trying before you buy. They were great, however now there are way too many demos in the marketplace. In fact, typing the word Demo in the marketplace search will result in 105,878 items that either are demos, or have demos. This means that just searching demo will result in approximately 52,939. Of course, this number isn't the actual number of demos, which is a much higher number, however, it does show how demos have practically taken over the marketplace. Also, some of the demos are not specified as demos, but they are demo versions of items in the sellers store.

    The next problem is of greed. Not just in outrageous prices, but also in the sale of items that should be free. Upon searching for various objects in the marketplace, I have discovered many items being sold for prices that they do not deserve. One such item, a pair of boots (which I will not give the name of), that have nothing special about them, no texture change hud, no color change hud, they are one prim each, and yet their price is a staggering L$ 5000. This price is well out of most people's price range, and those that can afford them, wouldn't buy them because they aren't even full perm, nor do they have a cool design. Another thing I have noticed, is that people are actually selling their demos for linden. Demos were meant to be Try before you Buy, and it has angered quite a few people, since they don't want to spend linden on something that isn't even the full product.

    The third problem is that of lies and half-truths. A lot of people have many products, without pictures, but the product isn't what the seller said it was. I have experienced this when I bought what I had thought was a couch, however, it turned out to be a notecard mocking me. This is against the TOS, however it is still being done, and a lot of people have made quick bucks doing this, cheating people out of lindens.

    These problems, and many more, make the marketplace a place where people need to be cautious of what they buy. My suggestion is that you always read the review, and if an object doesn't have a review, make sure it has a pic, if there are no pics, or reviews, but it is free, then it is safe to buy. Otherwise, don't buy it. If the seller doesn't have the time to put up a pic, you shouldn't waste your time, as it could be too good to be true.

Theonlyjohnny Resident

Breezes Thoughts: The Wolf - Part 2

I woke in a daze, I had been thrown from my horse as he stumbled while jumping a fence.My head was spinning and there were flashes of light, when all of a sudden, a big dark shadow appeared  coming near me. I slowly opened my eyes, and saw my Wolfie, warily coming to me.  I saw his yellow eyes glaring around, I had blood on my gown and the look in his eyes was a sight to see. He was snarling and snapping his teeth. The howl he let loose was a mournful sound.He hunched over to lift my head and then he gathered me in his powerful limbs, he stood, and looked around very carefully.  He sensed the hunters were looking for me. I had not returned to my home for quite a spell.  If the hunters saw him carrying me, they would shoot to kill of this I know.  They would never believe this werewolf was actually caring for me.

The darkness hid him well, but soon the day would break  and he must be hidden away.    I wondered what he could look like beneath that skin of a werewolf.  How do I know he must be a fine man to care this much to risk his life to take me home.

Well, I had read my books of history and discovered many things I never understood before. Taking account of  humans and such,  I know there is good and bad  among everything on this earth. I feel no evil when Wolfie is around. knowing he probably would not be pleased with the name I called him.

He loped quickly through the trees and  crossed many roads as fast as could be.  We came to home, and quickly he rushed me to my room  and lay me down with a sadness in his eyes, I looked at him and weakly said, "Run for your life now... please do go." growling, he turned away.

I later  heard a great howling atop the mountains not to far away. I knew he was letting me know he was safe  and this gives me great happiness. who else can say of this from a creature hardly none do know. 

Breezes Babii

Commentary: Lucky Eggs - The Image, The Truth

By Theonlyjohnny Resident


    Lucky Eggs are something that can only be classified as a sploder. The creator of the eggs insists that they are different from sploders in many ways. However, a sploder is defined as an object that you pay linden to, in order to win more linden, from an accumulated pot.

    A lot of people enjoy them. However some people realized that Lucky Eggs are truly 'lucky' eggs. They determined this, when they themselves were playing lucky eggs, and discovered that the majority of Lucky Eggs winners were at a few specific clubs. A lot of times, the same people would win consecutively, from the same location. This raised the question, "Are the eggs really fair? They don't seem to be random, given the fact that most of the winners were at the same places. So, are they truly fair?"

    Well I tried to answer this question, using just what I know, at first. This lead me to two possible answers to how the Lucky Eggs prizes are distributed. The first, and more probable, the Lucky Eggs scripts are written to give people a better chance of winning, at certain places. This would mean that the Lucky Eggs are not fair at all, due to the slant in the probability. The second answer, and the less likely one, the lucky egg prizes are chosen by someone, and sent to the winners. This would mean that there is a possibility of favoritism, which would throw fairness out the window.

    Another thing I noticed, is that each time someone pays a lucky egg, it gives them an empty egg. This is not to show that you paid the lucky egg. The reason for this egg is so the lucky eggs can skirt past the TOS rules about gambling. The egg is the key to opening a loop hole for the lucky eggs to pass through. According to the rules about gambling, everyone must have an equal chance to win. However, since they provide the egg, then the rule doesn't apply, due to the fact that it's not considered a 'game', by the TOS, it's considered a vendor.

    This shows how instead of fixing their morals, the lucky eggs people would rather bend the rules in their favor. Lucky Eggs may be wrong in morality, but they have made sure that their Lucky Eggs cannot be banned, by working their way through the loopholes. Another thing that makes people mad, is the fact that in the Lucky Eggs group, it says they are totally free. This is not true, because in order to participate in them you need to pay L$ 50. In order to join the Lucky Eggs group, there is a fee of L$ 100. When you place a lucky egg in your land, you have to pay 90% of your earnings, to the Lucky Eggs group.

    Another thing they say in their description is that it is 100% legal. If it really was 100% legal, why would they need to say that? In my opinion, they only say that to try and convince people of a lie. I see Lucky Eggs as immoral and wrong, and have basically been a way to take people's lindens, just to give them to other people.

    Given what I've told you, it is up to you to decide whether they're worth it.

Theonlyjohnny Resident

Breezes Thoughts: The Wolf

Working hard all day, stressing from outlaws running around ... and  lawmen trying to outsmart those rotten cowards, who rather rob then work, I stumble on the long dusty road to my beautiful land of streams and gardens on which my neice and her husband let me live . Dinner was waiting but ... but good grief, I saw this creature stand by my horse, he turned and was upon his beautiful mount. A werewolf no less did I see.  My eyes were wide with fright,  ,  his fangs were glistening white as can be.. Gnashing and snapping  at me, he tried to frighten me away, I knew he be  hungry as he eyed my horse.

No man nor beast will get too close to me or my horse. His name is "I am Man", a Pet now. I raised him from birth.

Hands on hip I looked this beastie in his eyes  straight away, he growled and snapped at me. Though I was truly scared, I show no fear. Wolfie decides this human was a different brave lady and lowered his body to sit afore me. I signed in relief and sat near him.

We watched the apples fall from the tree. I took one and bit into it, so he would see it was tasty. I handed one to wolfie, he turned his head in disgust.  I know he wanted bloody meat, but not to be tonight.

He was so tired and morning would bring the hunters, following his trail. He rose, looking back and somehow I knew I had made a friend.

Breezes Babii

World of Warcraft To Test Using Real Money to Buy Experience Buffs

By Bixyl Shuftan

While World of Warcraft players have been busy with the Battle of the Barrens and other places, earlier this month there was some news that Blizzard would be testing out something never done before in the game - allowing players to gain experience faster by using real money purchases.

The buying of game items, or "micro-transactions," are not new to gaming, or even to WoW. Some smaller Internet games such as Evony allow players to purchase a variety of buffs, better equipment, etc. As these purchases give the buyer an advantage over free players, they are sometimes called "Pay to Win" games. Larger MMOs have tended to avoid such offers, not wanting to give loyal players who've gamed a long time the impression someone can just buy their way to the top and avoid the time and hard work in getting there. Instead some, WoW included, offer the sale of items that do not affect gameplay, such as mounts and pets.

In Summer 2011, Eve Online players protested plans to allow the purchase of items that would affect gameplay, and eventually the company relented. "It's one thing to add non-game items and make money off that," one reader wrote, "It's another entirely to screw up the whole game mechanics so that veteran players who've worked a year to get where they are get bumped by some snotnosed kid who's using Daddy's credit card to buy his way to the top."

Earlier this month, Blizzard forum moderators admitted to plans to "exploring" options after it was discovered there were plans for items to be sold at an "in game store," such as an "Enduring Elixir of Wisdom" that gave a 100% experience boost. The store will reportedly be only on Asian servers at first, and the item is described as currently only on test servers and only available to players level 85 or more.

The response from the players was mostly negative, "The item itself is mostly harmless … the problem is that it opens doors to (the) 'Pay to Win' model. And we already pay the game and a monthy fee just to skip that." Some stated they would leave the game, or feared others would if the In Game Store was released. Some stated they wouldn't mind the option to level other characters this way once a player had brought one up to the maximum Level 90 anyway.

This comes soon after some less than happy news for World of Warcraft. In May, Blizzard stated they had lost more than a million players in the first three months of the year, from 9.6 million n January 2013 to 8.3 million in March. While most of the losses were from Asia (where the in-game store will be tested), some Western gamers left as well. This continues a long-term drop from it's peak of 12 million in 2010, and the company admitted further decline was likely, "we expect to have fewer subscribers at year end than we do today." The reasons for the drop, players were leaving for cheaper games, notably those playable on mobile devices. The video game industry, in addition to virtual words such as Second Life, has been facing increased competition from handhelds such as tablets, iPods, and others.

At the time, Blizzard stated they would be investing more in WoW, with more storylines and features. Since then, the Darkspear Rebellion was introduced. But that even the largest of MMOs would resort to "dabbling in the darkest gold-producing alchemy of them all" of microtransactions allowing those with deeper pockets an edge over conventional players, this could be taken as a sign that even the people behind World of Warcraft are wondering if it won't be long before they no longer dominate online gaming.

Sources: Gamasutra, BBC News, Rock Paper Shotgun, Blizzard Forums,

Bixyl Shuftan

Game Review: Final Fantasy VII Returns on Steam

By Grease Coakes

Lots of people remember the old Atari game systems with the old games combat and space invaders with very primitive graphics. A little later the Nintendo entertainment system stormed across the world with Super Mario bros and classics like Metroid and Zelda.

Fast forward about ten years or so and the First Playstation became the popular gaming system of the time. Squaresoft a gaming company from Japan well known for its Final Fantasy RPG game series came out with the seventh game in the series. Back in 1997 when it was released it had state of the art graphics not with the characters but with realistic looking environments. By today’s standards the blocky avatar you controlled as Cloud was a graphical joke. However the environments made a solid attempt of looking realistic especially in Midgar where you start the game. Considering this was back in 1997 before the year flipped to 2000 and beyond, Final Fantasy VII was a major feat.

In combat however the avatars are better looking 3-d models as your characters do battle with bad guys that you encounter to gain experience Gil and so on. In fact one of the main features of FF VII is the active combat system. Instead of turn based combat like in a dragon quest game where you can take your time deciding what to do your team will be attacked as you tell your characters what to do.

So yes if you do nothing and step away for a bathroom break or your roommate badgers you to death about taking out the trash when you get back your game may be over as the pixel Cloud and his buddies were told to do nothing.

The story itself starts in Midgar as you control a blond spiky man named Cloud who was an Ex-Solider. Caring for nothing but himself, Cloud was hired by Avalanche, a resistance group against the powerful corporation Shinra. Barret the group leader doesn’t trust Cloud’s arrogant attitude, but lets him help in the mission anyway.

Barret and Cloud sabotage a mako reactor as Barret explains it’s unethical for Shinra to drain energy from the earth to power homes etc. Cloud could care less as he just wants his payment of Gil. The game from then on starts as possibly one of the greatest role playing games in the history of video games.

The game play is simple where you command Cloud and your team to attack cast magic or use an item like a potion during combat. However each character can only cast magic if he or she has Materia equipped to their weapon and or armor. Having a Restore Materia equipped to Cloud lets him cast cure to heal hit points on himself or others. Fire Materia allows a character like Barret or Tifa to cast fire attack spells. Materia is created as condensed life energy and allows magical abilities. Most materia very slightly reduces physical attributes while very slightly increasing your magical power. Over a long period of time you gain AP or attribute points to make your material level up to give you stronger healing or lightning abilities. You could just constantly fight enemies early on to beat the system and level up your materia to fire and cure 2, but it would take a very long time to do so.

Another addition to combat is the limit break where a bar fills up a little or a lot depending how much damage your character takes. When the bar fills up instead of attacking your character can do a Limit break instead. Aeris a weak physical character her limit break heals everyone on your team. Cloud does a Braver, which is a super physical attack with his large sword. As you level up your characters gain new limit breaks along with higher hit points and magic points.

The game from years ago is still the same from 1997 with a slight brush up of the graphics along with the same music and sound effects. When I talked to a dog I heard a good attempt of recreating a dog’s woof. It missed by a mile or so, but I enjoyed the sound effect anyway. The movies in between scenes were graphically good though for the time. Pixar or another computer animation company could easily blow those scenes away in one of their movies today though. However Squareenix left the old school movies as is and only improved upon them cleaning them up. Cloud’s sword twirl at the end of each battle and Tifa’s stretching are still there. In fact when I loaded up the game for the first time there were the charging chocobos with the Squaresoft logo very much if I started up the game 16 years ago.

Another feature that I liked playing with was the color change feature to change the color of the background behind the menus and dialogue and combat. There’s a screen with four corners and you can change the color of each corner to customize your very own color scheme as you helped Cloud and his friends fight Shinra and whatever other baddies came your way. I remember changing the color scheme every so often.

There’s something shocking that happens later in the game, but if you never played FF7 I don’t want to give it away. If you really must know ask a friend or use the web. But if you want to find out for yourself and you tell your friends “No! Don’t tell me! I want to find out for myself!” More power to you I won’t give away what happens.

When I played Final Fantasy 7 for a little bit before I wrote this article, I greatly enjoyed playing through the game as I played on my computer years ago when I didn’t have a playstation. I’ll savor the game by playing a little bit now and again and not rush through the game as I barely got anywhere in the game anyway so far. Final Fantasy 7 is a classic game that even if you hate video games and RPG/s you can at least give a try, or you could be reading this article and you beat the game 100 times before and you want to beat the game 101th time on steam on your computer.

It’s available for download on steam at www.steam.com for a low price of $11.99. Swing Cloud’s big sword or shoot Barret’s hand gun (no really his hand is a gun) for the first time or you’re a hardened vet of the game. This game is a smart buy.

Grease Coakes

Breezes Thoughts: "Twas an Old Lady ..." Part 3

Little old lady is disguised as a beauty gal walking through Arizona trails. She gasps in amazement  when she wandered into a town called Tombstone . Seeing many colorful baskets  that you can ride inside  and above the baskets all so many different big air balloons filled with Gas.  Gas, she thinks.  where they figure out how to fill Gas in a Balloon. Thinks must not be the kind of gas she knows.  Shuddering, she decides not to ask question .

Oh boy!  There she sees a balloon that is from the Apaches.  Let her describe it to you. It is a wigwam,  and the basket contains a campfire. She knows the tribe is talented in hunting and creations for headdresses and bracelets and necklaces and the making of beautiful dreamcatchers. But this balloon just thrills her.   Seeing more big balloons raising to the deep blue sky, is a sight to behold.

Higher and higher they go, flying oh so close the the mountain top and  - oops, hears a shot  from near where she stands. Seeing an outlaw with shotgun in hand.  Meanest man in the land, trying to pierce a balloon to the ground.

She hears the thunder of a posse coming to find the outlaw, but he flees to the hidden caves scattered round.  Time for  this little lady to run for her life.

Goodbye til next adventure.   July 4th 1899.

Breezes Babii

Breezes Thoughts: "Twas an Old Lady ..." Part 2

Here she found a lady siting by a waterfall. Imagine this in the outskirts of desert land.  Hiding  behind a boulder as not to scare the lady away, the Old lady in the shoe was delighted with all the glory is to be found along the way. To swim and dive in the  deepest cold mountains streams and see the fishes all fleeing fast as their fins can go. So many different species here she has found, only to discover a 7 Seas sign of fishing allowed. Is there nothing more relaxing than to fish and swim and she knew what treasures this land has provided.

So if all you readers like the thought of the Old West. come and discover what wonders to be found in Tombstone Arizona.

Breezes Babii

The Egypt Sim: Getting Away From the Crisis

In recent days, the counrty of Egypt's been in the news. It was February 2011 in which Mubarak, who had ruled for decades, stepped down from power after many days of protests. But the optimism that change would lead to a free republic was darkened when the elections were won by the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood. While the new president, Mohamed Morsi, appeared somewhat moderate at times, there were calls from the Brotherhood for an Islamic state under their brand of Sharia law, with crushing restrictions for women and war with their neighbor Israel.

More and more of the public grew increasingly upset with the government, and in recent days there have been numerous protests in Cairo, some of which resulted in clashes with pro-Islamist groups. Crowds demanded Morsi resign from office. Finally on July 3rd, the military made it's move and seized control. Morsi was forced out of power and in house arrest. Warrants have also been issued for the arrest of about three hundred Brotherhood members. The result was cheers from the demonstrators. Celebrations went on for hours.

In Second Life, the demonstrations against Mubarak two years ago were reflected at the Egypt sim, followed by celebrations after his ouster. Dropping by the Egypt sim today, the place was much more subdued. The people there were mostly gathered at some gaming tables, chatting with one another in text and voice. The sim owner, Faresgaser Firelyte, happened to be there. Chatting with him, he explained that they were here to relax, and not take their real world troubles with them into Second Life.

But there was one concession to events in real life. Not far from the tables, a memorial had been set up. It was done up in red white and black, the traditional colors of Arab flags, and with a plaque that read "To the memory of all these wonderful people who lost there lives for freedom trying to make the world a better place to live."

Meanwhile, developments in Egypt continue. An interim president has been selected until after the next elections. Some outside the country have mixed feelings as it took the military to oust the Brotherhood from power. But for now, the crowds at Cairo are expressing little if anything but cheer with the Islamists out of power, "No more beards!"

Bixyl Shuftan

Breezes Thoughts: "Twas an Old Lady ..."

'Twas a old lady, lived in a shoe.  She needed something to do.

She decide to untie that shoe. Grinning excitedly, she left that old shoe hearing sounds far away she ventured off to see what she could get into. Oohhhhh, yes  what did she find? 

A land of olden times, full of  warpainted Indians chanting away, smoke signals floating thru the sky. In amazement and such curious thoughts ran thru her mind. 

She knew she was different and dressed all wrong, looking around to discover what could she do.  Finding a strange looking abode, abandoned for some reason. She ventured in and saw a beautiful deerskin that would fix her needs. Slipping it on, it felt so nice and soft. Fringes swirling round her legs, she began to see young and free, being as how her skin was sunburnt and resembling the others that she had seen from far off.

She nodded to herself, pulled out the old fashioned bun of hair atop her head, her long tressing falling about and down her back. She spotted some red berries, smashing them finely  and rubbing the color onto her face, she knew she was ready to go amongst this land and discover sights she never knew existed.

The story will continue as this adventure unfolds, 

Breezes Babii

Game Review: World of Warcraft - The Darkspear Rebellion

By Bixyl Shuftan

(Note, the article has some spoilers about what happens in this World of Warcraft adventure)

The biggest Multiplayer Online Game, World of Warcraft, recently went though a few changes in the form of a "patch." Patch 5.3, also known as "Escalation." There are four new scenarios players can play out, two of which are aimed at one of the factions, one Horde, one Alliance. Two new battlegrounds for player vs player action. There's new PvP gear and some Pet Battle and Brawler's Guild Tweaks. But the biggest feature is the Darkspear Rebellion.

For those who don't remember much about the game in it's earlier days, the Horde used to be led by Orcish Warchief Thrall. Thrall valued peace with the Alliance and the freedom of the Horde's peoples. But when Azeroth was threatened with being torn apart in the Cataclysm, Thrall steped down to help stop it as a shaman. In his place, he appoints Garrosh Hellscream as the new Orc and Horde leader. But unlike Thrall, Hellscream sees little need to negotiate for what can be taken by force, and refuses to listen to the Orcs' allies. His brutal ways lead to increased conflict with the Alliance, and the alienation of the other peoples of the Horde who see him more and more as a tyrant.

With opposition against him increasing, Garrosh brands the the Trolls of the Horde, the Darkspear, as traitors, rounding up those still in the Orc capital Ogrimmar and moves against them elsewhere in the province of Durotar (the home province to the Orcs and trolls). The Troll leader Vol'jin responds by declaring open rebellion, dubbed the Darkspear Rebellion.

Both Horde and Alliance players can take part in quest chains, Horde players as part of the rebellion, and Alliance players aiding it. Level 90 players will get a letter in the mail from Lorewalker Cho, and upon entering the Vale of Eternal Blossoms in Pandaria will see him waving at them from Mogu'shan Palace. Talking to him, the player hears about actions concerning the Alliance and the Horde, and sends out the player in two scenarios via his "dream brew" on a nearby table: "Blood in the Snow," and "The Warchief and the Darkness." Normally playable by just one faction, in this case the opposite one can do so as well, Horde players in "Blood" disguised as humans, and Alliance ones in "Darkness" taking on the guise of Goblins.

Following the revelations, Cho will send the player off. For Horde players, they head to Duartor and to Sen'jin Village. Vol'jin is there, among with Chen Stormstout and Thrall. Thrall has finally had enough of Hellscream, and is aiding the effort against him.

Speaking to Vol'jin, the player hears about the rebellion, and will be asked to gather resources from the Northern Barrens to help supply it. These resources are in camps set up by Hellscream's Kor'kron, once elite soldiers of the Horde now Hellscream's personal army, loyal only to him and determined to carry out his will (see later in the article on more how to get the resources). After the player returns to the village, the place is attacked by the Kor'kron.

After the player helps defeat the assault, Thrall heads off to convince some Orc leaders to more actively support the rebellion. Vol'jin will launch a counterattack north to Razor Hill. There, the player has to free several captives (dissident Orcs are among the Trolls), in addition to defeating three elite NPC enemies, a gunman, a shaman, and a Lvl 92 axe-wielding melee fighter. Speaking to the NPC Zulu de Voice just outside the town will provide a healing buff that without defeating them single-handed is nearly impossible. Even with it, players may need to team up to defeat them.

After the battle, Horde players will see a scene between Vol'jin and the Tauren leader Baine Bloodhoof, discussing the future of the rebellion.

For Alliance players, they can take a shortcut to Duartor via a teleporter at the upper level on the Summer Terrace (the Alliance hub in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms), which takes them to the town of Ratchet in the Southern Barrens. Flying to above the defenses south of Ogrimmar, they'll see two Alliance agents, who will ask them to help scout for intelligence. Once they find out just how badly Hellscream and Vol'jin have fallen out, the player is send as an emissary to contact them. After talking to the Troll leader, the player is offered a chance to show his good intentions by getting some supplies from the Kor'kron camps in the Barrens and delivering them to the insurrection.

Following these quests, both Horde and Alliance players will be asked by Chen Stormstout to return to Pandaria to Mount Neverest in the Kun-Lai Summit to talk to an old seer about some answers to questions about Pandaria's situation. Meeting up with him, he accompanies the player up the mountain. Once they reach Seeker's Point, the seer will reveal his true identity, why Pandaria was hidden from the world, and how that is relevant to the current situation, "Only by working together can we overcome the darkness."

Horde and Alliance players can continue to gather supplies in a weekly "Battlefied: Barrens" quest. The player needs to gather 150 units each of lumber, stone, oil, and meat. These can be gathered at four camps in the Northern Barrens. Players can gather them by clobbering Kor'kron guards or the workers helping them or swiping crates and slabs of meat there. One can also get meat from slain wolf mounts.

There are two quicker ways to get resources. One is by escorting caravans of goods. Multiple players are needed to ensure the caravans survive the attacks by Kor'kron raiders. Once it reaches it's destination, the player gets rewarded with surplus supplies. You can also get supplies by taking down elite Kor'kron commanders, but they're too tough to fight alone. It takes a team to defeat them. One can also get supplies by overturned Kor'kron caravans, announced in Barrens chat when these events happen. But only if you can get them before they're recovered.

Rewards include new titles, "Darkspear Revolutionary" for Horde Players, and "Hordebreaker" for Alliance, some high level gear from some of the quests, and the "Radical Mojo" rewards from the weekly Barrens quests can be combined with "Latent Kor'kron armor" you get either from battle or the Darkspear Quartermaster into items with "randomized stats that may have some unexpected results that you won't be able to get from other gear."

The Darkspear Rebellion won't last forever. Eventually another patch will close these events, "where the story will continue beyond the Barrens and take the next step toward what could be a historic shift in power."

So players of WoW, whether you're "For the Horde" or "For the Alliance," get into the action while you can in this turning point in Azeroth's history.

Sources: Blizzard,  Wowpedia

Bixyl Shuftan