"Tracks To Trenches"

 

 

With this being Veterans Day week, it caught the Newser's attention that the Zany Zen Railway was doing a commemoration in honor of the soldiers of the First World War, "Tracks to Trenches." 

It's that time of year again when we remember those who fought for us, as always the ZZR will be remembering the men and women who served on the WW1 trench railways, delivering vital support to the front line troops. ... During this special tribute, the ZZR will transform into a front-line service, paying homage to all those who served during this critical period in history. You can choose to ride the rails in our Troop Transport, experiencing the journey as soldiers did, or join the munitions train responsible for supplying our troops on the front lines.

 

I dropped in on the last day the exhibit was still being set up. The volunteers were dressed looking more like they were getting ready for a wild party than a military exhibition, but they did their job well. the station had plenty of barbed wire and an observation tower next to it, with a trench and British Mark 1 tanks and Sopwith Camels across the road. At the station itself, small trains were making their rounds. I hopped on one after getting a ticket, and traveled to a couple other stations, the engineer telling any soldiers boarding, "keep your battle bowlers on."

I had a few words with Zen Swords-Galway (ZenriaCo Resident), one of the women setting up the exhibit. She told me this was the eighth year in a row the ZZR had done an exhibit like this. She enjoyed the banter from the bot engineers, "love those announcements, we got supah lucky and found a actor in SL who did a fairly good British accent."

World War One, originally called The Great War, has been overshadowed by the Second World War, particularly in American history books. But it still had a huge impact on world history. All the death and destruction was a profound shock to Western Civilization and would lead to what some called "The Age of Anxiety" which would last for some decades. Almost 20 million were killed and about as many wounded, many in the static trench warfare that characterized the fighting on the Western Front in which thousands would get killed in fighting a battle and the front line would barely change. The war toppled empires, resulted in the creation of the world's first Communist dictatorship, and although called "The war to end all wars" sadly a generation later the world would be caught up in an even greater global conflict.

 

The exhibit will be up until Monday November 13.

 

 https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Somdari/236/209/20

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Reader Submitted: Pink and White Tank

 

From Usagi Vyper. In Belliseria chat, Usagi was told, "tank are standard for us camper folk." She then replied, "I also have a pink and white TANK in the yard. Driving it now on the open roads. Hehe. ... PANZER BUNNEH!!"
 

Game Review: War Thunder

When it comes to multiplayer WW2 combat vehicle games, most will probably think of "World of Tanks" or "World of Warships." But there are others out there. One that's gotten some attention is "War Thunder." Starting off as an air combat game, it's been expanded over time to cover ground, and more recently sea battles. But even if one sticks to the tanks, there are a number of differences from it's more famous counterpart.

Read more in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games

Classic SLN Cartoon

From a picture by Byran Dix in April 2007, "The owners of this villa had posted many signs saying 'No Parking or Else,' still there is always an idiot who ignores the signs and parks anyway!"

Cartoon of the Day

A TOG II tank, probably the most popular of the Premium tanks in the "World of Tanks" online game, that I found in SL. As it had a VICE combat system, looks like one would be able to have a tank match with it as well. But would it's slow speed mean it depends almost completely on it's WoT popularity to even see a battlefield here?

Cartoon of the Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: Game Review "World of Tanks"

Nydia Tungsten's a longtime friend and reader of the Newser. With all the article's she's read, she recently sent us a reader submission of her own. A lover of games, she sent us a game review: World of Tanks. This unique MMO stands out in a collection of "World of Warcraft" clones as they player controlling not a man, but a tank. So what is there to the game and what is there to expect?

Read Nydia's article in Extra.

Cartoon of the Day: WW2 Combat RP

Taken at New Bastogne, not all tanks were huge fifty ton hunks of steel. Some models at the start of the Second World War were small compared to what would roll out in a few years.

By Bixyl Shuftan

New Bastogne: WW2 in Second Life

It's been about a couple years since Bixyl Shuftan wrote on the WW2 Combat Roleplay. Two years later, the sims have gone through triumphs and troubles, but are still around. Recently, Grease Coakes took a look at the place to give his own observations.

Read Grease's story in Places. 

The New Bastogne Second Annual Tank Rally

This weekend, New Bastogne, normally the site of the WW2 Combat RP, began it's Second Annual Tank Rally. Red and Blue teams, each with players from both the German and Allied factions, squared off on four different battlefields on it's first day. So how did the action go and whom was the top tank ace? Read on to find out.

Read more in Events.

Vickster Khun Speaks on the Second Annual New Bastogne Tank Rally

On Saturday September 8th, the New Bastogne combat RP sim hosts it's Second Annual Tank Rally. Vickster Khun explained in a press release:

It's my pleasure to announce, the 2nd Annual Bastogne Tank Rally, sponsored Bastogne's own First Armee! Events will include combat tank races, individual and team events, and a new game based on the internet's World of Tanks! Prizes will be given for both individual events and overall points for World of Tanks tourney. Prize tanks (will be awarded) to top winners!

The Rally begins next Saturday, Sept. 8 at 12PM SLT (Noon), with daily events to be announced, the final day being Sunday Sept 16.

Talking with Vickster about the event, she explained a little more, " Well, its basically a sort of capture the base, or last tank standing team game where the tank driver can also be be gunner. There will be a base for each side, and they try to capture the base of the other team and defend their own from capture. The thing is, teams will be random, made of tanks from both factions, and sorted by classes. So there will be the same number of light and heavy tanks for each team, and (self-propelled) artillery too."

Vickster compared the event to the Massive Multiplayer Online game "World of Tanks," though, "It won't be quite like the game because we can't match it with our scripts …. We'll use flags on the tanks to denote teams, like red and blue or red and green. In the actually game, you are always green and the enemy is red."

"Some facets of the game we can't match, but the key things will be single operator tanks will be allowed, it will be a capture the enemy base or eliminate all enemy tanks, and points will be awarded for kills, being on the winning side, and surviving the battle. There will be a time limit also, and draws will be possible."

She also mentioned plans for a side betting pool, "everyone who wants to can buy in for 20L, and whoever gets the most kills of the round, win or lose, gets the pot." The rally would be an opportunity for Joe Sparrow to show off his tanks, she felt, and thought that there might be additional events, odd ones, "like who can knock down the most lightpoles in Bastogne in two minutes."

New Bastogne's first series of tank rallies was in March 2011.

Bixyl Shuftan

Tank Club

Grey Lupindo's neighbors in Syzygy, in addition to a few others, have been having fun with some heavy metal, and not the music kind. Meet the Tank Club, a group of armor enthusiasts. In their customized tanks, the group has engaged in battle. But for the most part, they mostly go on tours around places on the mainland, the sight of tanks rolling about drawing looks from passersby.

Read more in Extra.

Weekly Tank Rallys in New Bastogne

This month in New Bastogne, every Saturday the combatants in the WW2 combat RP take a break from the fighting for a tank rally. The objective, to either get your tank past a course full of obstacles and explosive traps, or blow up all the other tanks. "It's a blast."

Read more about the rallys in Events.

The WW2 Combat Roleplay

Somewhere in France 1944, American and British forces battle in the streets of a town against the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS. Up above, Mustangs and Hurricanes engage in dogfights against Me109s and Focke Wulfs.

Who will win the day? Well, that's up to you.

The WW2 RP, three sims of furious combat over land and air. Both sides continue to accept new players into their ranks. If you're a history buff of the era, or find a thrill in combat gaming, this may be the place for you.

To read the story, go to Places.