Update on The Travelers Station, Elsewhere Blog

 

 While it's neighboring areas are gone, the Traveler's Station just got a reprieve. 

 

A couple days ago, the Newser reported on the location, made by Tripp Foxtail, the man behind the "Elsewhere in Second Life" blog, was closing. The first hint something had changed when clicking on the link to the post about the closure had changed to a "does not exist" message. Checking the website, it was gone, and the latest entry was a simple three word message, "Please Stand By." 

 

Teleporting over, I saw that the neighboring places to Traveler's Station were gone, but it wasn't. What was gone was the sign about it's closing. I noticed Tripp was around, and we ended up talking for a while.  

 

"Yes - The Station remains," Tripp told me, "I have a few others properties to let go of still - but this is my heart and I could not bear to lose it. ... I thought long and hard about this place - and I just could not imagine myself in SL and not be running it. It has been my dream for so long and I fell in love so in love with it."

 

More on the story later. 

 

Ulyanovsk Oblast (174/116/92) 

 

“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

University of Western Australia Sims Saved, For Now

Last month, the manager of the University of Western Australia sims announced that four of their five sims would be retired following budget cuts at the real-life university that owns them. One, UWA Virlantis, would be handed to another owner. Three others, UWA, UWA Winthrop, and WASP Land, would be abandoned and allowed to vanish. Only the University of WA sim would remain after October 9.

Thankfully, the sims are still up. JayJay Zifanwe announced the sims have been given a reprieve, thanks in part to people writing to the university. None of the sims will be vanishing, although UWA Virlantis is still being handed to Dr Phylis Johnson (Sonicity Fitzroy).

Following a lot of work in the background at UWA in RL. The UWA presence in SL has been extended through 31st July 2017. Thank you to the many who have written in to UWA central providing support as well as the many who have worked to preserve a lot of the art and grounds in film. Thanks especially to the Desinging Worlds team with AviewTV and TreetTV for their incredible work on their tribute programme, and to Secret Rage (AKA Vee Marie) for her excellent videos documenting nearly everything on the 4 UWA sims. See links below. 4 of the 5 sims will remain part of the UWA cluster, and the 5th SIM (UWA Virtlantis) is being taken over by the University of San Jose & Sonicity Fitzroy, who have been occupying it for the last couple of years.

When sims are so often gone too soon, it's good news to hear about some given a new lease on life.

Mont Saint Michel Remains Up

In a year that's been marked by the closure of some popular areas, one place marked for the end has so far been spared by the Lindens, at least for now. In September, Moeka Kohime, the owner of Mont Saint Michael, a recreation of a Medieval structure that has been a popular spot for visitors on the Grid, announced she could no longer keep paying the tier. It was feared the place would vanish after the end of the month, but it continued to be up in October. In November, Inara Pey found the place was still up. And when I dropped by the place the weekend, the good news continued. Mont Saint Michel was still around.

So why hasn't Linden Lab drop-kicked the sim into the virtual nether like so many other places? Maybe we the residents, at least those of us whom like exploring around, have simply been extra lucky as they haven't gotten around to it all these months. Or maybe the reaction to the SS Galaxy going down has given the Lab pause. Could Moeka have come across more money and resumed tier payments? Or perhaps the Lab is taking with her behind the scenes about purchasing the place? She hasn't provided any new information on the matter.

Perhaps we should just simply consider the place still being around a Christmas present from Linden Lab, and enjoy this extra chance to drop by another time. 

Mont Saint Michel (125, 5, 22)

Steelhead and Mont Saint Michal Still Up, For Now

Last month, we reported about the Steelhead Estates and the Mont Saint Michal sim set to close after September 30. But in a stroke of luck, it seems these picturesque locations haven't gone away yet.

Stopping by both locations, Mont Saint Michael was completely untouched, with several residents taking advantage of the extra time to explore around. Similar story with the Steelhead Estates. Steelhead, Steelhead Harborside, Steelhead Boomtown, and Steelhead St Hellens were still around. Only Nevermoor wasn't there, having been renamed to Ravenwood and moved after ownership was transferred to Willow Leafstorm.

As to why the sims are still up, perhaps Linden Lab simply haven't gotten around to taken them down. Or maybe the Lab really is listening this time, postponing the day of reckoning for something to be worked out somehow. In any event, the sims are still around for people to walk about in and enjoy, at least for now. How much longer is anyone's guess, except possibly Linden Lab's.

Bixyl Shuftan

Endangered Numbakulla Sim Saved, For Now

I recently read on Daniel Voyager's Blog that another sim had closed down: Numbakulla. It was described as a first-class puzzle game sim, reminding him and others of the classic computer game "Myst."

Daniel referenced the SL Universe Forums, which described the place as closing down due to lack of finances. But reading on, I found some good news. Calanris Pendragon announced people had been sending her donations, so the place would stay for at least one more month.

And dropping by the sim, it was still up and running. By the entrance, I found a sign:

Reprieved for a month

Due to the kindness of some generous donors, the tier for the next month is paid and Numbakulla can stay open for the next few weeks.

I am trying to find a way to keep it for the future. Thank you for your support.

Calandris and the Numbakulla Project Team.

From what I read, this looks like a great place. A review will be written on it later, but I feel I can recommend those whom like to explore even only a small amount come on over.

Bixyl Shuftan