Showing posts with label Second Life shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Second Life shopping. Show all posts

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Second Life Furniture At The Big (And The Little) Oblonski

As an SL blogger, I made a big mistake today. I was prepared to write an entire feature on a massive furniture store at Antiquity Township East. Turns out that wasn't even the main store!

Think this is big? Wait till you see the main store!



Oblonski Furniture specializes in classical furniture with a 19th-century influence. If you are looking to add elegance to your virtual property and sidestep items that were strained out of a single mangled sculpie or two, this is the place!

Little Oblonski is still a sprawling block store as large as or larger than most stores you will see in SL. Harmoniously placed in the middle of Antiquity Township East, Little Oblonski's neighbors include RiARNYA Flower Shoppe and Antiquity Furniture.

But once inside, you forget about the rest of the sim quickly. Blissfully non-Top 40 music greets you and sets a pleasant tone for the remainder of your visit.

Furniture, from tea sets to dainty chairs to couches, sofas and full-sized fireplaces, adorns the store in well-arranged sets. Chaises, lamps, vanities, artwork and even a concert piano round out the selections.

Lionel Oliva hard at work, Part 1.

On my first trip in, I thought most of the furniture might have been a little too diminutive for my tastes. However, on this second trip in (I'm there as of this writing), a mid-sized chair, with its expressive animation, ranging from contented to coy, did the trick for me, and priced at L$180, it looks like I'll be coming back for it soon. I usually look down on no-copy items, especially furniture, but this Regency Chair seems to be worthy of the investment. And I like the transferability in case I ever decide to have a yard sale! Despite my instinctive avoidance, on worries that I'd break the furniture by sitting on it, I've come to like most of it. I still have a sneaking suspicion that the animations were designed for women only, but most are universal enough to allow use by a metrosexual.

The subtle feminine bent continues across the store, with the most pointed examples being a writing desk, a couch with a reading animation, and a vanity, all with an (F) in the floating text. I don't know about the hair-brushing with the vanity, but a writing desk with some guy animations would have been a nice addition to my office in Pudding Hill.

One of the furniture sections I liked most was in the temp rezzers; things there seemed a little more solid and more my type. While none of them ever showed me the furniture head on, the slight was mainly because I couldn't photograph them without a little craning.

Another area that caught my eye was the fireplaces. A few didn't really register with me, just out of personal taste, but one modern fireplace with the idealized head of a great cat was a work of art, and I would like to buy one when I get enough of my own sales.



Big Oblonski I like a lot more; it seems a lot more fun and happening. The lower floor has a few mystical items, like the F-V Tarot Deck. The choice of all furniture types seems about double, the Maar Bazaar hawks musical instruments, and Kheph's Creations sells Victorian and steampunk designs too. I even found a reasonably guyish desk I could catch a few SL winks at without worrying about fanning myself or sighing in my sleep. Outside it is like stumbling into your cool-crazy great-aunt's best yard sale ever: there are sculpted, color-changing flowers, some well done 3D vines, patio furniture, even a Chaos Machine and a rabbit hutch!

Upstairs, parked in front of some vibrant, classic posters, is a great array of games I never thought I would see in an antique store: Whack-A-Mole, Phrase Invaders, Zombie Meltdown, and the best awfully-named, functioning arcade game in SL: Fist of Discomfort! The music here is the same as Little Oblonski's, SOMA FM, which I've liked since my newbie days of camping at Alicia Stella's.

To sum up, both stores have their pluses. Little Oblonski is great if you know what you want and don't have time to get enjoyably lost in the store. Big Oblonski is a sprawling, fun crawl across two floors and out the door. Try them both out sometime! :D

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Thursday, December 27, 2007

Evoking the Goth Magick

RFyre's naughtier twin


This is the second in a two part series on GothWear in Second Life. Our first post reviewed formal wear designer Raven Pennyfeather and her RFyre shops. This review looks into a set of designs at the Evocative and Evocative Magick shops that compliments RFyre, owned and operated by Paul Lapointe and BastChild Lotus.

Where RFyre starts at the eyes and goes to the heart, Lapointe and Lotus go from the eyes to the belly and deeper. The GothWear designs at the Evocative shops are edgier and sexier, but possess the same high standards of texturing as the RFyre designs.


Lapointe and Lotus have been a team for about a year now. Lapointe specializes in clothing design and high quality armor for Second Life role players, while Lotus delivers a great selection of jewelry, both gothic and high fashion. Between them they create a synergistic set of styles sure to please those whose fashion tastes in Second Life stray from the merely realistic to the fantastic.

For the record I now own three outfits from Lapointe/Lotus, and two nice sets of jewelry. These were not simply impulse purchases. A very close friend showed me the shop and told me that some of these things would suit me, and she was right. Why do they suit me? Why would they suit any dancer?

Because Lapointe/Lotus clothing is dam sexy, that’s why. For someone wanting to make a statement on the stage, to be noticed, to be dramatic, it works like cash money.

There are two main locations to find Lapointe/Lotus designs. The older location is at the Evocative Sim, and the new locationis at a sim called Evocative Magick. The layouts are different, but full of the same great products. The new store is an improvement though, for one important reason. When I explored the first shop at the Evocative sim I found myself getting turned around and lost frequently. It was hard to tell the difference between one location and another, especially since they tend to use some of the same designs for different genres. The new shop at the Evocative Magick sim has the shops in separate buildings so that you can tell where you are, with no mazes of displays to navigate.

In an interesting way the duplication of designs in different sections of the stores is a strength for Lapointe and Lotus. It shows how the designs work well in multiple genres. For instance, one of the outfits I loved can be found both in the Neko gear shop and the Gothic Obsession shop. The outfit works quite well for naughty times on stage, even minus kitty ears and tail. The urban wear is great as goth, and vice versa. These designs cross genres very well.


I met a girl named Curveee Lilliehook while on one of my research trips to their shops. Curvee told me that it was her first time visiting Gothic Obsession. I asked her if she saw anything she liked, and she said that she’d already fallen in love with some leather low-cut pants. I just smiled; I had bought that same set the day before.

I spoke with Lapointe and Lotus in preparation of this article, and enjoyed the love story aspect of their business. Paul was working a shop already when BastChild walked in, and a relationship soon emerged. She told me that she started with designing furniture and progressed to jewelry and clothing. She laughed when she told me that her first design was a lamp that Paul loved, and how supportive he’d been all along. I don’t know how the lamp looked, but if her jewelry is anything to judge by it must have been a damned good job.


I only have one critique, aside from the difficulties I had navigating in the old store. The selection is still a bit limited for my tastes. But this may not be their fault. It may be more a case of “I really love this stuff and want to see more.” I’ll leave that decision up to the reader’s judgement. And I hope you do go and have a look. Go to Evocative Magick and check this place out for yourself. If you like goth/urban/neko, I think that you’ll be glad you did.

For those of you who like to stay at the leading edge of fashion releases, Lapointe and Lotus have started their own blog. I’ll be hoping to see the designs coming off the presses there myself. Though the blog is still a bit rough it bears mentioning that I got one of my best belly laughs watching a video they have linked at the bottom of the page.

I give Lapointe/Lotus a big smile of approval for their great designs.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Burning the Fyre Darkly

Raven Sets the standard for formal GothWear


I love my job, I love my boss, blah blah blah. Oh wait, I really do come to think of it. What kind of second life is it where you can meet some of the most talented designers in Second Life, get handed leads by the dozen and explore cool and beautiful places, and spend virtual money on virtually wonderful clothes all at the same time? A GREAT one, that’s what kind.

This is the first of a two part series on GothWear designers who’ve done a marvelous job of designing goth/punkish clothing. Loyal readers already know my predilection for this genre, and my willingness to reward good designs with easy access to my PayPal account. For the first installment we visit RFyre, creator and vendor of beautiful gothic formal wear.

Just to remind you of my criteria for great commercial sims, there are three targets that I hope for a commercial vendor to hit. Great designs, in an unusual setting, at a great price. RFyre hits on all three, though if you want the newest top of the line styles coming off of Raven Pennyfeather’s computer you’d better be ready to pay her a fair price for her work.

And it will be worth it. I cringed upon receiving this assignment, knowing my own lack of willpower in her shop. Like most all great designers I’ve met Raven was very gracious in answering my questions during an obviously busy time for her, and after spending some time with me she asked her Assistant Harper Beresford to follow up with details. Harper was just as friendly and helpful as Raven.

The sim is lovely. Isle RFyre is a compact but extremely well laid out island. Three simple but spectacular features welcome anyone willing to venture outside the shop. A wonderful Spartan statue by Starax Statosky, a lovely seaside resting place, and a residence decorated by Raven and some of her friends. I hope I’m not causing her a problem by mentioning the house, but I presume the lack of ‘no trespassing’ signs and security orbs speaks of her willingness to share.


The shop itself is large, dominating the craggy hilltop within an ominous looking fortress. Raven manages to prevent that ‘cavernous warehouse’ feel by breaking up the space masterfully, with the bottom floor dedicated to her designs, a basement with mix and match and outdated pieces along with some other vendors, and the upper floors studded with galleries for other vendors in theme. I was extremely pleased to find some Zoe Llewellyn pieces in the basement. You may recall my review of Temenos and Zoe’s fine work in an earlier post.

Always on the lookout for a good bargain I was also delighted to find a collection of $50L hairs in the underwater basement. Although the color choices for RFyre hair were pretty basic, it was easy for me to find a few in black that suited me well. One of the few advantages that those of us of Asian origin have in Second Life is a pretty good guarantee that you’ll find your hair color in any vendor in the grid. Swimming while shopping was fun; it gave me a chance to use some animations in my AO that rarely get exercised.


The shop is rarely empty, though lag doesn't seem to be a huge problem. I met a well dressed neko named Kithin who was visiting on the referral of a friend. He'd never been to the shop before, but was soon stationed in front of a vending station contemplating the purchase of a nicely detailed outfit. Kithin told me that he might soon be moving a few of these designs into his wardrobe. My guess is that he will.

It’s Raven’s full costume formal designs that sparkle in the fyrelight best. You’re greeted with some of the nicest, most detailed medieval/Victorian/goth formal wear for men and women that you’re going to find anywhere in Second Life. To date I’ve purchased five complete outfits from RFyre, and despite the inevitable piece or two in the collection that just doesn’t fit my style or body shape, the majority of the outfit always hits the mark and gets worn repeatedly.

On this trip Raven showed me a newer outfit called Fete which had recently hit the shelves. The red shade set was sinfully juicy, and I could practically feel the smooth velvet and satin swishing against my thighs, nearly sending me in a headlong rush to my closet to brush real life formal gowns against my cheek.


In short, the textures are rich and detailed, the prims fit well even though I’m not standard SLBarbie shaped, and the overall feel was elegant and delicious. This observation was backed up by the full-caps WOW that I got from my loved one when the outfit was viewed on me. The only critique that I would offer is unfair, since so many of my outfits are used for more than one kind of dancing. I find it useful for the, ahem, *underthings* to be sheer and/or skimpy cut, for those times when that special person will see me wearing them. The panties and undershirt could have been a bit naughtier. But as I say, not a fair critique, since the aim of RFyre is formal wear in a gothic theme.

Raven Pennyfeather has done a wonderful job and is to be congratulated. She is assured of my future purchases if the trend in sim and clothing design continues, and I’d suggest that you stop on by for a peek at RFyre of your own sometime. For those of you who like to watch new outfits come online via blogs, you can watch the new House of Fyre blog to get new release info on her designs. Her wares can also be purchased on SLExchange.

Next we review a nice companion designer to your RFyre wardrobe, LaPointe/Bast Cat Designs.

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Sunday, December 16, 2007

Dark or Not, It's a Piece of Paradise

Dark Paradise has great prefabs for that special build


Back on the trail of great sims, I couldn't help but notice the great build that a neighbor had put up in my home in Winterfell. A quick peek beyond the wonderfully intricate textured facade took me to Darkling Tempura and Desari Deledda, who is putting together some furniture and artworks worthy of notice.

As you know, a shopkeeper who sets their creations into a lovely themed surrounding gains quick access to my paypal account. Desari and Darkling have made this happen at Dark Paradise. You can stroll along a lovely water feature, gaze at the intricate scrollwork on the columns, or be impressed by the huge Starax Statosky sculpture dominating the pool.


The furniture is well constructed, perfectly textured, and the poses built in worked fine for my friend and I. This is not always assured, since out heights differ greatly, so worthy of mention.



In addition, the prefab houses were marvelous, showing clean design and masterful texture work. As I said, any house that can capture my attention from a distance of 300m is worthy of my notice.


One critique, in investigating the story and review I came across the Dark Paradise website http://www.darkparadise.us which was rather dated in its information. More current info might have been nice, but may be available through regular client log in.

Regardless, Dark Paradise is well worth a visit.

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Friday, November 9, 2007

Kiss the Sky, Persian Style

I spent a few hours at a furniture/skybox seller named Lavanya’s Prefabs the other day, and have some good news to report. If you’re looking for lovely builds for that special skybox, you have some great options at Lavanya’s.

There’s no shortage of prefab skybox vendors out there. Loyal readers know that the three things a vendor must deliver to gain an unqualified ‘yes’ vote from me are, and I quote;

1. Great Quality
2. Low Price
3. Interesting Shopping Experience.

Lavanya’s delivers on counts one and three, and needs to make no apologies for not hitting on number two.

First, the furniture and skyboxes are, with only one or two exceptions, some of the highest detail stuff I’ve seen to date. There’s no question that if you’re looking for interesting furniture or lovely skyboxes you’re likely to love their pieces. The designers, Ardent Mars and Lavanya Hartnell are talented and interesting, and I love supporting vendors who really put themselves into the package. The selection is not huge, but you might find yourself considering a remodel to build around one of these pieces. They’re that good.

I especially loved the tree house build and the slave arena. The tree house stopped me in my tracks, and made me consider breaking the covenants on my land by placing it in the middle of a medieval sim. The slave arena took me to my collection of silks for a quick dance on the slave auction platform, but probably enough said about that little moment of weakness… :)

The prices are a bit steep, especially on the bigger skyboxes. They say so on their sign; you’re going to pay a premium price for a premium product. I do appreciate honesty in a vendor. But again, the quality is there, and I don’t mind paying for quality if I find exactly what I’m looking for.

The shopping experience is nice at Lavanya’s. The shop is very uncluttered and attractive in a minimalist way. I especially loved the way they enclosed some of the shopping areas with transparent walls. You can see the entire build from most any location, but you won’t fall to your death if you accidentally step off the edge. It’s dangerous for someone as distractible as me; I call it the “ooo look over there” factor.

All in all a lovely build with great products. Have a peek at Lavanya’s if you’re needing to put up that special private place. They can be found at Cervinia (230, 48, 301).

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Whoo Doo? Yoo Doo with Voodoo at Temenos


Your crack reporter has stumbled upon another Second Life shopping gem. As you know, the run of the mill shopping experience is not for my crowd. Not only do we want high quality at low prices, we want an unusual shopping experience while we get fitted out. Temenos Island delivers on all counts.

I ran into Amy Faulkes, a loyal Temenos shopper while on my last research trip to the shop. When I asked her about Temenos she said it’s always been her first choice for neko gear, and she was on her way to sort out some new boots to go with her outfit. I had previously seen a couple pairs of gorgeous boots in the shop, so I’m sure she left a happy customer.


It’s a delight to find a sim owner who can not only design great clothes and send them out the door at a great price, but who knows how to design and build their shop to present a unique face. Zoe Llewelyn has put together a beautifully strange shop, one that grabs your attention and holds it like a spooky movie.

It takes more than just a quirky shop to take this reporter to her paypal account though. Even for a non-neko Temenos has a lot to offer. Great clothes, skins, tattoos and accessories with a twist. For me the hoodies were an excellent deal, and at the time of this writing I’m sitting in some lovely lace delicates purchased at a seemingly insane low price from Zoe.


Ms. Llewelyn doesn’t stop the show at the shop though. Her profile presents a picture of a talented designer, and her first life page makes one both sympathize and feel the voodoo vibes. She lives the role, and leaves room for belief that it’s not just an act. You can find her own net efforts at Boneflower , a beautifully designed blog at Google blogspot.

It’s a master craftswoman who paints such a total picture. One feels as if one is buying not just a great set of clothes, but a great story to go with it. Temenos Island comes highly recommended by this reporter for your shopping and sightseeing pleasure.


Monday, October 22, 2007

Happy SLloween From Second Life's Baddest Horror Store, Bleed Designs


From the moment heavy metal blasts you in the face and you appear in a portal filled with a circular haze of red light, you know you're in for a ghoulish experience at Bleed Designs.


A shower of blood screens the scream queens from the squeamish, and then you are in the moaning, groaning, clanking heart of Bleed.

A store so big textures took ten minutes to load in (though of course you can speed it up by walking around).

Bleed is the largest store I have yet to review in SLMT. Inventory sprawls across the walls in several rows and displays, daring you not to find something to tickle your morbid fancy.
If you turn around the moment you pass through the doorway, you can see Bleed's selection of pillars, Gorean habitats, demon gates, blood fountains, spooky trees, newbie tools, and cutouts, complete with links to SLX and SLBoutique.com for people who like to browse online stores. A few Gothic club layouts and Bleed's famous HUD/Bloodstorms round out the morbid mix. A small niche on the entry wall features loads of Halloween sounds, and I took a chance on a slick-looking copiable store for 1024m plots (L$500) between the sounds area and some more appealingly gruesome wall art.



For people with a Resident Evil/biolab fetish, the left wall features sci-fi components, all under the name of "The Compound". A few curious-looking items, the "Ightant Lueurs", resemble bio-tanks often seen in the movies. Equipment like water filters, air pads, acid barrels, office chairs help round out the bio-horror motif. A copy/modify vesion of The Compound goes for L$20000, while the "Midway Package" version goes for L$13500.


The left doorway leads to a free-standing morgue building caked with gallons of dried blood. Inside this bare-floored building are vendors for the basic and deluxe Morgue Sets, as well as the individual components, such as Cold Storage Cadaver Units, Cadaver Tables (with pose and worklight!), Basic Embalming Tables, cabinets, and all the creepy extra little touches you expect from a forced trip to the morgue. Heart and muscle dissection charts, medical jars, fire alarm, Haylon Gas Jet (activates when you shout "OUTBREAK"), and Blood Bag Hangers, all fall under this latter category.

Back in the central area, a gift coffin kiosk stands alluringly in the center of the blood-spattered floor, offering coffins with credit from L$250 to L$10000. A second kiosk offers creepy teleport effects and sounds. Behind them stands rows dedicated to Bleed's prefabs, such as Necrotica Manor Series, Mythril Skybox, Creepies Diner, Chapel Chronos, Castle Bloodstone, and great utility builds like the 3-Floor Department Store (as cheerful as Silent Hill 3's) and the Gothic Vendor Stall. A wooden shelf nearby holds adornments like a Dragon Mirror, Ram's Head Crystal Ball, and Prince Consort Candle, items perfect for rounding out the lived (died?)-in sense of your own castle or crypt.To the right of the prefabs stand gruesomely effective sets such as The Brood Incarnation, Terror Wings, a haunted confessional booth (Dark Confessions), the Tormentia Table, a buzz saw called The Gutter, and an Aged Grandfather Clock. Of note is an especially promising-looking Home Position/Landing Point Portal Platform, with a walkway, glowing blue light, and long talons.



Nine thrones, from the new Metal and Flesh to the Hellshadow, next adorn the walls above classic horror art. To their right are more cool-to-haves like the Midland Park Bench, the spiked ball from Phantasm, the 2-prim following/greeting Eye, and Amorphous Metal Gravestone. Bleed's great particle equipment, from Reincarnation Vessels to Blood Rain to Cemetery Fog and Downpour, fleshes out this wall.



In the center are Bleed's crown jewels: Necropia, the 1671- or 2071-prim manor; The Unholy Cathedral; and variants of Necrotica Manor. Cleverly placed beneath it, like one of Joel Comm's Google ads, is a doorway leading to even more products. And straight ahead, each item set in a black-edged drop of crimson, lie the individually sold contents of the Creepies Diner, a horror masterpiece that comes in both a Basic (L$3000 [copy]/4500 [copy/mod]) and Full Extras (L$8000) version. Can't spring for a full horror diner but just have enough for one hellacool item, like the Bleeding Urinal, Vending Snack Machine of Death, or the fiendish Mirror Mirror? You can buy it here!



To the left lurk dozens of textures for the aspiring horror builder/machinima star. Between these and the Creepies items, Dismay Wilde has cemeteries: Rest Haven, Highfield, Resurrection, and All Saints. Miscellaneous extras include her Coffin and Gravestone Helper Kits. The opposite wall features DJ and stage equipment, including an impressive prefab club, complete with DJ booth, seating and tables. Sold separately, there are also eerily charming Podz speakers, pyrotechnics, blacklights, and a UFO DJ booth!



And on my way back out of the room, I happened upon a 200-prim gem of a bar, with kegs, cage, multi-directional seats, drink givers, and more. At L$750, that was less than L$4 a prim!



In leaving, I realized that the horror tradition is alive and well in SL, and there is nothing to worry about... only to fear. :D

Bleed Designs can be unearthed at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lyashko/73/61/55.


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Thursday, October 18, 2007

Groove Out, Man! Sign of the Quaternion



If you're the sort of person who enjoys a bus trip with a battered paperback and groovy tunes on your iPod, drinking coffee and playing Frisbee on the square, Victoria Wheeler's Sign of the Quaternion is for you. With a major in rotation and a minor in trippiness, Victoria's items either entertain eccentrically or edify the erudite. Many of her items, as her store name suggests, use rotation, and a few items feature her RL inspirations, from Marley to Munster, Brother Rawn to Great Grandpa John. And there enough freebies to turn a newbie into nouveau riche.

Sign of the Quaternion can be found at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Insula%20Inferi/197/176/33.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Shopping Amidst the Ruins



After a few weeks off I returned to one of my greatest SL passions, exploring and writing about the gems you can find If you’re patient and persistent. I found a lovely sim on a post apocalyptic theme called Saijo.

Saijo is actually a group of sims built as a storybook/RP site, some of which areas are damage enabled. If I have to tell you what that means you might want to think twice about going there before you’ve visited a good weapons/shield store. Enough said?


Even the light beams are beautiful

The attention to detail in this sim is awesome. And yes, tucked here and there are shops featuring cyberpunk and excellent vehicles. I’m not going to tell you exactly where they are. The magic of this sim is in the search, and there are a million places to look. A great time on a dark evening when the wind is blowing outside and you feel the need to be in the dark.


Spin receives a new shipment of bugs from Linden Labs

I’ve been blessed by serendipity throughout my life. Today was no exception. I ran across the sim owner Spin Martin, and he suffered my endless questions about his beautiful build very gracefully.


Spin makes me feel right at home...

Spin tells me that a cast of regulars shows up to role play here, not during the normal prime time SL hours, and he’s working on staffing the sim with non-players and robots. During my first visit a drone robot came up and scanned me. It was a familiar feeling for a girl who dances on the stage from time to time.


Now which mutant skin goes with this hairdo?

Next time you want to feel the ache of civilization lost, open your favorite drink and come to Saijo. Settle in, wear your best grunge or cyberpunk, strap on your black widows and have a fun quest. I highly recommend this sim for an interesting night of shopping.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

A Sutlery For Second Life Soldiers: Dominic Roffo's Old Glory


Dominic Roffo is proud to announce the opening of his store, Old Glory Sutlery. Featuring Union soldier outfits and artwork upstairs by Lily Lewellin, OGS is a small store, but with a great L$800 21-piece Union soldier outfit, a L$150 Kepi (cap) 4-pack and a L$600 Union Officer Sword Pack. Sit by the pot-bellied stove and spin yarns with other history buffs!

Mr. Roffo would like to take this opportunity to thank Lily for the large share of the work she has assumed in creating and maintaining Old Glory, and let her know he appreciates it.

For those south of the Mason-Dixon Line, whether in RL or in spirit, there should be a Confederate Forces release within the next week.

At A Glance: Officer’s Sword Pack (Modify, Copy, No Transfer)

Contents:

Sword Sheath, steel
Sam Browne style belt
Crimson Sash (flexi-prims) or Gold Sash (flexi-prims)

Sword Blade with 3 built-in animations

A great deal of care and work was put into these historically accurate, highly detailed items.


Dominic's Officer's Sword Pack includes items called Gold and Crimson. They both have the same items listed below, the only difference is color of sash. This sword is appropriate for officers of all ranks and all items have been bundled for convenience.

Sword and Sheath (everything except Sword Blade attaches to stomach as an object): The sword is attached and worn hanging from a hook on the belt – per period, it is not to hang forward in front of the waist. This position will not affect unsheathing or sheathing the sword. There is excellent detail on the sword blade, handle and brass knuckle guard. The sheath is shown as the more durable steel type common in the war.

Belt: This is a regulation Sam Browne style belt (strap across shoulder) with all appropriate straps and 1851 U.S. Contract Issue brass buckle – a gorgeously detailed group.

Sash: Constructed of flexi-prims, it comes in two colors, crimson and gold. There were regulations for the appropriate use of each color, but the fact is they were used interchangeably, so regardless of rank or service, Civil War enthuisiasts can simply wear the one they prefer!

Scripted Swordplay

Animation instructions are simple for the sword: attach to right hand.

Sword commands consists of three Draw Sword animations and Sheath Sword.

Each draw has a separate idle pose animation.

Fighting with the sword involves holding the LEFT mouse button down. If it is released it one will need to press it in again to attack.

Officers may also press a directional arrow key or the corresponding W, A, S or D key to attack in that direction.

History of the Model 1850 Sword:

The sword was adopted April 9, 1850 and was the standard until the adoption of the Regulations of 1872. General Orders Number 21 of August 28, 1860 allowed a lighter alternate straight bladed sword called the Model of 1860 to be worn in place of the heavier Model of 1850. Photographic evidence suggests that the Model 1850 was more popular with officers during the Civil War, but in 1872 it was the Model 1860 that replaced the Model 1850. A Model 1850 staff and field officers' sword is much more likely to be Civil War era than a Model 1860, which was used to 1902, and more likely to be postwar.

The Model 1850 staff and field officers' sword was adopted at same time as the Model 1850 foot officers' sword and bears some resemblance to it. The staff and field officer's sword has a more elaborate half basket guard that bears the letters U.S. and other decorations. Both typically have 32 inch etched blades. Both may have leather or steel scabbards. These weapons were privately purchased by the officers and vary in the richness of their decoration. Some are presentation grade, extremely fancy weapons that were not intended for routine use. The design was based on a French pattern. Many of the Model 1850 swords were manufactured in France or Germany and imported into the United States.

Old Glory Sutlery can be found at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Steelhead/67/95/29

RELATED GROUPS: The Civil War, Old Glory Sutlery Group



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Friday, September 21, 2007

One of Second Life's Sharpest Gadget Designers: Golden Oriole


I can't imagine how much time it has taken Oriolus Oliva to make all the items I saw at Golden Oriole, to merchandise and label them. Everything shouts out "quality" from the storefront, a half-open house, to the logos, lettering, and graphic editing.

Endearing amounts of detail -- and that's just the package!

This will be perfect for a small storefront, no matter the era.

Every picture is a work of art.

Live your own Renaissance! Populate your home or office with these fine maps!

This authentic armor will have Oriolus Oliva passing his plate!

Lots of fine glassware and pottery available to decorate with!


Got five minutes? Make your own pottery! I got to keep mine.

Golden Oriole can be found at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Twisster/162/89/31.