Showing posts with label Unknown Hunt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unknown Hunt. Show all posts

Monday, October 11, 2010

all alone, flesh and bone, evil carved in stone

I break with established tradition because I am pairing this with an entry on the Train Wreck. This was too good not to announce in both places.

The past week, I have been spending nearly every hour possible in Twilight Tears, building a haunted house. It's named "Hunt House" partially because I wanted something simple and memorable, but also because, with very few exceptions, what I didn't create on my own, I acquired on various sim-wide and grid-wide hunts. While there are items I've bought in there, even some of those items I bought while on grid-wide hunts.

It's also a hunt on its own. There are fourteen (I tried for thirteen; I went one over) pumpkins to find and buy in the house. There are three levels to search. It's a Linden per pumpkin not because I'm wanting to make money--I won't--but because I did put a bit of effort into everything I put out.

With every pumpkin, you get the pumpkin you see (included in its decorated shell) and an item. Warning to the arachnophobic: Spiders are involved in the prizes! And the house, sort of. I'll explain.

Two of the hunt gifts are spider silks; they're all prim-based, because the spiders are talented, hand-trained Chechoslovakian clinging spiders: Primmatica adhesiva, in natural orange, and in specially bred pale, glowing green. There are also four variants of the spider crown.

In addition to those and to the pumpkins themselves, there is a bloodstained clown dress (that I may be inspired now to make additional versions of!); a box of radiant moss textures (you can see examples on the first floor of the house); a box of glowing light beams for spooky ambience; the rest are things I've had up in the store, but don't any longer.

Oh, one more spider thing--the clown dress? Comes with glass spider eyes.

You start here:

Hunt House,haunted house,haunted,horror,halloween,Second Life,virtual worlds,building,texturing

Yes, it's a door, standing in a field of black grass! I was amused by the concept of the cornfield with a door, but it struck me that it worked better as just a door, fairly unhidden.

It has an "ENTER" sign above it, that might help. Also a pumpkin tree. And a grave with floating ghosts.

Hunt House,haunted house,haunted,horror,halloween,Second Life,virtual worlds,building,texturing

(I love the grave, actually. Click the mound of earth--you're a zombie! Click the headstone--you get to float with the ghosts!)

Hunt House,haunted house,haunted,horror,halloween,Second Life,virtual worlds,building,texturing

Each level is a mini-maze; or maybe just a maze of corridors. You'll be going in the right direction, you won't get lost unless you turn around, and in general, if you've heard the sounds before, you're going backwards. It's not that confusing.

Hunt House,haunted house,haunted,horror,halloween,Second Life,virtual worlds,building,texturing

Some of the props used in the house are also for sale. If you just want the prop itself (mostly collider sound panels), just buy it when you find one you like. If you'd rather have the sounds full-perm for your own creations, drop me a notecard, we'll work something out. Nearly all the sounds I have--and all the sounds I used in the creation of this house--I either created and imported myself, or I got from royalty-free sites and imported in.

Hunt House,haunted house,haunted,horror,halloween,Second Life,virtual worlds,building,texturing

Go up level by level until you reach the attic. And there, you will find a lovely Victorian lady...who still thinks she's alive. Poor dear. But she's very loquacious, and just...dying...to talk with you. Something terrible happened to her, after all...

(There's a door to the side that will let you come back down to the main store, so you don't have to retrace your steps. And if you haven't gotten the gift for the Unknown Hunt, stick around and pick it up.)

I'm looking forward to this. I may tweak some things, as I said, but really--it's open, it's live!

Well...in a sense.

Come join us. We'll be waiting for you.

Friday, October 8, 2010

A few brief announcements

The yard sale is still going strong while I finish up the haunt on the parcel just in front of mine. (More to come on that later; I'm not done yet.)

And new in the store today: a Sukkot kit. Sadly, I have been working on this for three years, and I'm finally realizing--it's just never going to go anywhere unless I put it out. So, if you come by, and are interested, here's a list of what's in the box:

* a small and large Etrog. These are modifiable and copyable, but not transferable.
* a sharp-tipped and blunt-tipped 12-inch-long lulav; these are also mod/copy, no trans. The texture is handmade and based off of bamboo (I've also tossed in a young bamboo texture, also hand-drawn.)
* a mid-green Aravot; I have other colors of willow that I made up, but this one seemed 'accurate'. Ish.
* three different textures of Hadassa, myrtle branches; this includes two different shades of single branches, and one tricolor texture of three branches combined.
* a palm branch, in case more than a stalk is desired.
* three different hand-drawn etrog textures.

All textures are full permissions. I would prefer that you send people to the shop to get their own copy, but I've also made the box itself no copy/no mod/trans, in case you're looking for a friend.

I've enclosed a note in the set, and a picture of some of the items is on the box. I have no animations, no gestures, and really--I think it needs more, but in a pinch, I figure this will work, so...there you go.

It's a freebie. Partially because to me, the set is not complete, and I feel squeechy charging for something that's not all there; but also, because this is an important part of Jewish religious faith, and I'm not Jewish. I'll charge for things from my own religion; I figure that's fair. Not sure about the ethics of charging for someone else's faith...

Anyway. That's about it. Oh! And the Unknown Hunt has started! Remember, my prize has been moved, and the hint is now "Going up?" Come by the store to pick it up.

There's a male and female prize in the hunt box, as mentioned. Enjoy!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

oh, come on now.

Group Notice From: The Unknown Hunt

OK so some of you have hidden your hunt items early. 2 days early. I need you ALL to move you hunt item. Why? Because if people have already been to your store they will know where the hunt item is!! That defeats the purpose of it being a HUNT! Please move it ASAP because Ronnette will be doing a walkthrough TOMORROW. This is why I told you to PUT IT ON YOUR SIGN! I'll also need new hints.
Thanks. Evelyn


Okay, so, because I'm efficient--and I want people to find the damned thing--I have to think up a new hiding spot and a new hint, and man. It irks me, it really does. And all my old objections about grid-wide hunts come surging to the fore.

So, I am "re-hiding" my hunt item. The new hint is "Going up?" If that doesn't help people locate it, I will gladly take IMs and notecards.

*grumbles and wanders off to move the hunt prize and build more on the haunted house*

Sunday, October 3, 2010

introducing Hauntine!

I know, I know, nothing's up now, but I promise, by the weekend, there will be! And in the meantime, my hunt gift for the Unknown Hunt is live in the store, so you can start that hunt on the 9th, or come by and pick it up early.

What you'll be getting:

Lady Disdain,Twilight Tears,virtual worlds,virtual fashion,fashion,frocks,Second Life,Hallows,Halloween

This is a very simple, casual outfit, that's much the worse for wear post-zombie apocalypse. I made it for guys--and believe me, without the aid of sales at Nightshade (for the skin) and Discord Designs (for the hair), I wouldn't have been able to pull a male avatar together. Since, you know, I'm not a guy.

(Bizarre side note: I essentially took my base shape, switched the gender, made him taller, then tweaked here and there until he "looked right" to me. Then I tracked down the Nightshade skin and decided on black hair, and...realized what "looked right" to my eyes? Was young Asian male.

(Miss Neome tells me it doesn't surprise her, but--considering I'm also not Asian? Is kind of perplexing to me. Still, I think he looks good--young, and fey, but good--so I'm happy with him for occasional male-avatar needs.)

Now, on the fun side? I made the top and the jeans for guys, but they look pretty decent on girls, too.

Next up: Hauntine in green:

Lady Disdain,Twilight Tears,virtual worlds,virtual fashion,fashion,frocks,Second Life,Hallows,Halloween

Last Friday, Twisted Thorn Textures had a texture hunt, and tossed up some similarly-themed Halloween fabrics in various prints, stripes and solids. They went together wonderfully for a set of dresses, and I'm definitely planning more with the series. In the meantime, this is the Unknown Hunt prize for women: it includes a dual-layer cocktail-length flexi skirt, bloomers on two layers, a striped corset, self-stockings, and two versions of the off-the-shoulder top (one with the fingerless gloves, one without). It's a fun little dress, and it's yours for the finding (along with the Zombie Hunter outfit).

Want more information? Drop by the store. Consider going for a dip in the pool...

In the meantime, I made two other versions I plan to put out for L$100 each, Hauntine Orange:

Lady Disdain,Twilight Tears,virtual worlds,virtual fashion,fashion,frocks,Second Life,Hallows,Halloween

and Hauntine Purple:

Lady Disdain,Twilight Tears,virtual worlds,virtual fashion,fashion,frocks,Second Life,Hallows,Halloween

They came out great, too. They'll be up in the next few days, so check back!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

the slow, steady, infinitesimal sense...of progress

SO...I was slated to be in two hunts and another charity event. One of the hunts booked up the day I applied, so that was that (and likely a good thing, considering). But I'm still in the Unknown Hunt and the Wear Gray for a Day charity event.

The Unknown Hunt I am telling myself is not a large worry; they don't officially start for hunting until October, so I have time. Wear Gray, on the other hand, starts September 12th, which is--now--eight days hence.

I'm worried because first, my hard drive died, and it took too months to get a new drive. Now, I had been working on designs, but three days before we procured a new drive, something ate itself on my machine--I lost access to EVERYTHING I'd stored on the desktop, but also on internal folders. The only folder that remained clear was something I'd extended off from C: and...frankly, that was a lot of work lost.

We installed the new drive, I started transferring files over (both that I'd burned off from that one available folder, and files saved from before the first drive died), and then two days ago, I injured my leg (SOMEhow), and was stuck away from the comp, elevating the leg, applying ice to lower the swelling.

Now, I have a netbook, and it is a peachy-keen netbook, and I love it and I cuddle it and it is wonderful--for what it is. It will run Second Life, it won't do major graphics. And up until recently, photography was laughable.

So...I'm stuck. I've contacted one of the organizers behind Wear Gray with questions, but I'm not hearing anything back. I will likely send another notecard, along with an IM, in a couple days. But in the meantime, I'm having to face it--if I can't use the main keys, I can't finish the projects I'm planning for the events.

The Unknown Hunt has more lead time. I think my leg will feel better in a few weeks, no problem, and I'll be able to get back to pixilating bandages on dead skin. But Wear Gray? I just don't have it done. I was at the point where I had mocked-out patterns, and started to do template work without aging--but all I've really gotten accomplished? A half-aged pair of gloves.

Yeah. Really.

So yes, I'm worried. If I don't get the mummy skins done, hey, I'll do them for the store. Not a problem. I'm working on two store texture sets, and one--or the other--would also work as a gift. SOMEthing will be done in time for Unknown.

But the 12th...that's very nearly just a week from now. A week from now will I be able to sit at my desk without elevating the leg? I just don't know.

I'll keep you posted.

On the plus side--and this is good news--I finally have everything fixed and running in the main store lobby. By that, I mean, I have:
  • the Virtual Haiti relief kiosk for donations
  • the Thrifty Goth group join board
  • the Unknown hunt board
  • a Midnight Mania board up and running (with one of the Darkest Carni outfits in it, bloodspattered stripes, pretty sure it's still the only way to get that particular dress for the moment)
  • the Wear Gray donation jar
  • the Lady Disdain subscribe-o-matic board
  • the notecard-giving logo board
  • and two vendors for two different vodoun veves sets, both sending all proceeds to Haitian earthquake relief
Not bad. Next up: getting non-charity products up for sale!

[Also, yes, I am amused at my brain. I can just barely manage to vaguely hint at something going wrong on the main blog, but here and on Twitter? I can give all the RL details I think are meaningful and relevant.

[My brain is weird. But then, this is nothing new for anyone who knows me.]