Second Life Destinations: InSilico

The latest "Second Life Destinations" by Linden Lab puts the spotlight on Insilico, a noted sci-fi roleplay area that also looks visually well-built.

Role-playing is one of the many ways in which Residents choose to spend their time in Second Life. From supernatural fairy tales to gothic vampires and medieval battles, there are long-standing communities and Regions built around elaborate and rich lores. It is possible to visit any of our over 200 Role-playing communities and find your niche. 

 

“You’re not just there as a bystander … you’re creating worlds.” says Stark Osterham in the video below. 

 

This week’s Destinations video takes a glimpse into InSilico, which is one of the longest running role-playing communities in Second Life.

 

InSilico is an immersive,  futuristic, cyberpunk world full of interesting characters who operate beneath a dark, foreboding skyline and airships. InSilico is a painstakingly detailed space that you will want to explore, photograph, and you may just find yourself swept into the story as a participating citizen.

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It should be noted Linden Lab came close to indirectly shutting down Insilico in March 2016 when it decided to ban the owner of the sims, the controversial Skills Hak. Despite that the Lab allowed for the transfer of the sims to one of the administrators, Insilico never did recover from the disruption and several months later in October was on the verse of shutting down. But in what could only be described as a Christmas miracle, the roleplay was given a cash infusion by a mystery benefactor in late December. Apparently since then, things have gone back to normal for the roleplay, and the players are continuing to enjoy themselves.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/INSILICO/190/183/3602/

SL Video: "InSilico - Mission Interrupted"

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From Alya Pants on October 01 2017

“Apocalypse Canceled," Insilico Roleplay Sims Saved By Last-Minute

Good news for fans of the sci-fi Insilico roleplay area. The sims have been saved, and it appears money is no longer an issue, at least for the forseeable future.

The region and roleplay community, founded in 2008, has had a rough year, with the sims being taken offline after it's owner, Skills Hak, was banned from Second Life. But thanks to some negotiations behind the scenes, Linden Lab was willing to transfer the sims to administrator Abeus Madruga. But unfortunately it was proving more and more difficult for the community to keep their sims financed. And it October, it was announced that the region would soon be closing. As time went on, the roleplay began to prepare for the end, but still hoping for a last-minute reprieve.

And in what can only be called a Second Life Christmas miracle, one arrived. Abeus wrote the following in the community blog:

I had planned to make this announcement through some rousing “Apocalypse Canceled” type of post, but that would certainly be anticlimactic at this point.  Anyhoo, yeah…SURPRISE and Merry Giftmas! INSILICO is here to stay (again)! It just took a while to get all these ducks lined up. Suffice to say though, it’s pretty much official. We live on.  

So what does this mean to you, as players? Well, it simply means that you and your characters get to live on too! This world won’t be ripped out from under your feet, and there won’t be any major shakeups/downs/outs. The Southeast AI arc was put in place as a potential catalyst for the city’s evacuation if it came to that, however we also intentionally left it open ended. It will now continue on however it naturally will ...

Although Abeus didn't mention all the details, what he stated next means it looks like whoever sent the cash will be continuing to do so, and enough so they they don't have to worry about raising money.

The biggest change coming through is that we can now strive be nearly 100% RP focused. Without the need to continually generate revenue from rentals/sales/donations, we have been freed to divert our energies into more important things. Traditional rentals will be replaced with residential/RP locations made available to active players...BUT more on that later as we actually work out those details.

For the players of Insilico, this is certainly good news. Exactly the nature of the help was speculated about by Hamlet Au, who thought it could have been someone donating the cash no questions asked, or possibly an investor hoping to get money from the roleplayers through playing fees.

While the last word has yet to be revealed, it looks like this noted roleplay and region, once considered among the top ten places in Second Life to photograph, will be sticking around for it's tenth year. And for those keeping up with gridwide news, it looks like 2016 will be ending on a high note.

Hat Tip: New World Notes.

Bixyl Shuftan

Screenshots From Insilico

Dropping by Insilico to check the place out before it disappears soon, I ran into a Diego Guerrier (diegoncius), whom had been doing the same, taking a LOT of screenshots. You can check them out at his Flickr account (here).

SL Video: "Farewell From Insilico in Second Life"

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From Die Villa on October 24, done in response to the announcement of the decision to close Insilico.

"Fade It To Black," Insilico Announces It's Sims Will Soon Close

For the second time this year, the Insilico cyberpunk region and roleplay community is facing the end. But this time, there may be no reprieve.

Insilico is not new, but has been around for over eight years. Last year, Second Life Newser did a review of the roleplay and area. But in March of this year, it's controversial owner Skills Hak was banned by Second Life by Linden Lab, and the sims offlined. Thanks to negotiations behind the scenes, the sims were transferred to administrator Abeus Madruga and had a new lease on virtual life.

Unfortunately, the damage was done, and the area which had been able to cover it's costs before began bleeding red ink, Abeus stating in the announcement, "a combination of losses that have slowly eroded away: Malls are drying up, Skills’ MP sales disappearing, fewer long term residential rentals, etc." While people in the roleplay were able to cover the deficits out of their pockets for a while, this month it was finally too great.

So, we had to make a decision. Either make a drastic reduction to just two sims (a full region and a homestead), or close InSilico as a whole while we are still in a position to do so on our own terms. After a lot of discussion and soul searching with the current staff and some players (and a lot of antacids), we’ve opted for the latter…to go out whole. 

This is a very hard choice for us, and not one that we’ve come to lightly. Even though it might be possible to survive as just two sims, the technical aspects of that were daunting. ... we just weren’t entirely confident ourselves that we could make it work in such a short amount of time. We also didn’t want to have to keep turning to the community for donations to keep us afloat during that process…but certainly the one thing we didn’t want was to go through all of this, and then find ourselves back in this same position 2, 3, 4 months down the line. We don't want to wither away, slowly or not.

Perhaps it’s just a sign of the times, the state of things in general, or our age and reputation that have brought us to this point. Maybe we should have dropped a couple regions from the start…Either, any, or…it doesn’t really matter now. We have chosen to come to a close with InSilico as it is now, intact and committed to our memories in the same way. It’s a sacrifice, but not one of compromise.

As I said in my previous (albeit premature) Goodbye/Love letter to InSilico during the lockout…We’ve had some good times, even some great times. 9 years’ worth of stories that will continue to transcend the sims on which they were told…I couldn’t ask for anything more than that as a legacy.

We still have the sims until the end of their respective tiers. Central and South will be dropped on the 28^th/1st, but East and South East will remain until November 17^th …after which they too will go their separate ways. The Ning will hang on for a while longer after that, but for how long I cannot say as we don’t have access to the creator account. In the meantime, continue RPing and taking in the sites. Enjoy it while you can. Take pictures, tell war stories, have a party. ICly the city isn’t going anywhere, even if the sims are. We aren’t blowing it up or tanking it…we’re just going to fade to black so it can continue to exist in your imaginations and stories.

There were a number of comments following the post, among them, "it was always nice knowing Insilco kept on. It’s been real, but even the best parties end…or get broken up by the police…or burn down when Mike accidentally sets the curtains on fire." "I dare say it was never perfect, and it had its bitter moments; but my time here won't ever be forgotten. I have memories here that I am truly truly fond of and are the prime reason cyberpunk has blossomed to become my favourite genre. For my first and most cherished experience with role-play and story-telling, for helping me discover cyberpunk, and for the friendship when perhaps I needed it the most, ..."  "The city will always represent something beautiful, like a distant memory that is not easy to part with. I've met a lot of amazing people here, as Cora stated as before me, and we built a very nice community that kept going for a while. It was my first SL RP and it helped me see a great many things. My experience here is unforgettable, unique in a way, every angle I was involved with was truly an inspiration, it helped me go deeper into my own development and I know it helped others to do the same. I'll miss it, for that memory it is, for that one time years ago that made me smile... And even to this day, continues to do so. ... Thank you for the memories."

And so, another noted region and the home of a equally noted roleplay, is facing the end.

Hat Tip: Hamlet Au 

Bixyl Shuftan

Insilico Back Online

Yesterday, the Newser reported that the Insilico sci-fi roleplay area was offline following the banning of it's controversial owner Skills Hak. There were doubts that the region would survive. But behind the scenes, there were negotiations to transfer ownership from Skills to one of the administrators.

Linden Lab is going to transfer INSILICO *as is* to my friend Abe, who has been one of the administrators of the estate since very early on. No transfer fee and a tier free time to recoup ...

Abeus Madruga sounded cautiously hopeful when commenting about the negotiations.

After meeting with the Lindens in regards to InSilico's future, we have been able to come to a deal that will hopefully get us to a point where we can keep the sims open into the future, and with any luck...self-sustaining again. It's going to be a lot of work, and no doubt there will be some issues along the way. Yet this was the best of possible options to get InSilico open again soon...and within the control of those that have been involved with it for years.

I'm not too sure if I am allowed to discuss the terms of the deal. To be on the safe side I won't get into it the fine details. Just suffice to say that we've been given a period of time to hopefully recoup the losses that this lock-out has incurred for the sims. Once the transfer of ownership documents are received and completed, the sims will be reopened again (they did mention this could take a day or two, so please just a little more patience).

The last post, made by Jeanne Yuriko Aichi (Jeanne Aichi) was a definately hopeful one.

For the past several days, the fate of Insilico has hung in the balance.  Could our city be saved?  Or would we be cast from our home -- the only home some of us have ever known -- and thrust headlong into an uncertain future?  We could only wait for announcements, hoping for the best while preparing in our hearts for the worst.

Today, it appears that the crisis has finally passed.  Insilico, the oldest and grandest of the floating cities, has been granted a new lease on life.

The days ahead may be difficult ones, but they will also be rich in opportunities for those with the strength and vision to seize them.  We must face the future boldly and without hesitation, and not allow recent events to darken our spirits.  As a philosopher once said, "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new."

So it appears Insilico is back, at least for now. Can it go on without it's owner of eight years? As Abeus wrote, "Time will tell."

Insilico Offline, Owner Skills Hak Banned

Some sad news for science-fiction roleplayers in Second Life. The popular Insilico region, mentioned in media such as the Drax Files and written about by the Newser last year, has been taken offline. The reason, it's owner and primary builder, Skills Hak, has been banned from the Grid by Linden Lab.

Skills, whom has been involved in controversies such as being among those Linden Lab asked to resign from the Emerald Viewer team just before it collapsed in 2010, has stated she feels this will probably be the end of her activities in Second Life, at least under her current identity.

I had a good run. 8 years on this account and the timing of my ban couldn’t have been better. In fact my boyfriend was really happy to hear about my final ban since i am spending too much time at the computer and i am going to be a mommy soon. It was a wild ride, thanks for everything.

Some good news for Skills, Linden Lab is compensating her for the ban.

... i’ve been emailing back and forth with Linden Lab for a bit and i just agreed to accept a one time payment that will recoup my losses (although, technically i didn’t lose any money). It was more than i expected, they showed good faith and i will leave them alone now, promise.

In New World Notes, where the story was also reported on, several readers reminded about another community that had been offlined, Steelhead, due to it's owner being suspended for completely unknown reasons despite not being involved in any controversy, and paying more in tier than Insilico.

As for Insilico, their blog stated negotiations were in progress for a transfer of ownership to keep the region of several years alive. But the last post made suggests they might not proceed and the area could be allowed to pass away. Regardless whether one considers Skills Hak a hero or villain, the Grid is facing the loss of another prized region and community.

Bixyl Shuftan

Insilico: Roleplaying on Mars of the Future

The Newser has a new writer: Ozymandius (0zymandi). In his first article, he looks at Insilico, a futuristic roleplay area with a history that stretches back several years. Taking a look with the help of a guide, he found quite a lot, the sim needing multiple tiers of land to hold it all.

Read Ozymandius' article in Extra.

SL Video: "The Drax Files World Makers - Episode 29: Insilico "

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From Draxtor Despress, " 'I was raised in the Native American tradition to never lose my awe of the world' says designer and storyteller Stark Osterham who runs the sprawling cyberpunk city Insilico together with a handful of other managers. Stark honors this tradition by expanding on a world within a world: the universe of Second Life has hosted Insilico on 4 sims since German artist Skills Hak originally created it in 2008.

"Role-players from all over the globe continue to expand the already complex backstory of Insilico with its colorful races, cyborgs and a political system dominated by corporate corruption every day by contributing to the archives. If you work in Insilico as a security guard, battle the cruel D'naa on Mars or dwell as a homeless half-human somewhere on the lower tier of town, the intensity of the immersion is powerful.

"As general manager and city reporter StarRavenSAT puts it: 'Everyone has a different interpretation of the future. This one is real because it is ours!' And everyone is invited to participate: SL photographer Harlow Heslop for instance is a frequent visitor to the city and Stark's own teenage daughter is inspired to continue the family tradition of actively shaping reality rather than passively accepting it.

"Question: What is better than reading a book or watching TV? Answer: writing your own story, creating your very own world!"

For more information about Insilico check out http://insilico.gemini-cybernetics.net

"Big thanks to Marianne McCann and all the great extra actors who participated in making this episode."