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TOYS FOR THE BOYS
WANTED
by: Luc Fray
Back when I was new to Second Life (and even until now), I would go from sim to sim, just minding my own business exploring around the place. During one of these misadventures, I chanced across one western-themed sim with circus zombies that bite at you if you come too near to them. I tp-ed home to escape from them, only to return moments later with my GPMG, proceeding to blast the undeads' heads off. Though they'll never completely disappear as they keep rezzing every so minutes, the experience was a very effective way to destress from all of the day's hard work.
Pretty soon, I've introduced the place to Tabby. She didn't want to come at first because she didn't want to get nightmares from staring too long at the target zombies, but somehow, I've managed to finally drag her along with me. After that, she enjoyed shooting rockets and missiles at the poor monsters, every once in a while muttering, "Die, you ugly nasties. Die!"
Ah, fun times.
Just recently, however, I've had the chance to talk to the co-owner of the sim, Miss whisperZ savon. She and her partner, Dex Wardhani, runs the store, D-Z Guns, found also in the zombie-infested place, where they sell different types of guns---Western, Sci-Fi, and Steampunk. According to Mrs. Wardhani, they started up the store in 2008 after they had built the sim. Taking exceptional pride in their work, they understand that a gun should have the 3 basic important elements to be called a good weapon--- Amazing Designs, High-quality Sounds, and Smooth Mind-blowing Animations--- something they believe D-Z guns have. That, and a brilliant customer service. D-Z guns cater to all types of customers, ranging from vamps to nekos to bikers to cowboys... Anybody really that just wants to engage in the virtual shooting game.
Though the two creators take a lot of time to perfect a weapon before putting up on the shelf, they love their creations enough to work patiently through them. When asked how do they usually test the guns before selling them in the store, Miss Savon replied that she and Mr. Wardhani blow each other up with the weapons to test the caliber of their work. Currently, they are in the works of a new gun, but their latest release is the Sci-fi gun, Mini Redemption.
Just like any other weapons, Mini Redemption has to be in mouselook mode to work functionally. Standard Specs includes your choice of making it Full Auto or Semi-Auto Operation, Ammo Capacity Combined is 120 Rounds, Low Lag Operation, and compliance with MTAAII, Stable, NCR, and Fair play The weapons work in any collision based RP system like DCS or CCS.
Mini Redemption also has Drop Menu Items such as Silencer (which attaches or detaches the silencer), Dual (which changes single gun mode to dual guns), Single (the opposite of Dual Mode and changes dual guns to just a single weapon), Laser (turns off or on the laser sight), Ammo (pops up the Ammo Menu), Firemode (your option of Full Auto or Semi Auto firing), and Effects (which turns off the muzzle flash).
Not only that, Mini redemption also has 11 bullet types that you can choose from the Ammo Menu--- NPS, Nuke20, Nuke90, Heatseek, Xpush, RP Bullet, Orbit, Damage, Lagless, CC Bullet, and my favorite, the Shocker. Truly, D-Z guns live up to the expectations! Miss Savon mentioned that it is their mission to give their customers something different and special to keep them coming back.
Currently, they don't have shooting tournaments in the sim, but they are on the works of a zombie-shooting contest event that would be held twice a week with a live dj. When asked what advice she could give to interested gunslingers, Miss Savon simply said, "Just keep your guns ready and loaded."
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JUMP BALL!
by: Luc Fray
If you're an avid fan of Basketball like I am, then I'm sure you'd be very interested to hear, if you've not known yet, that Second Life has had a Virtual Basketball Association for quite a long time now. I've had the honor and pleasure of interviewing the VBA owner, Miss Emerald Ishtari, and her marketing VP, Miss Gladiola Mistwallow, to gain a bit more insight into this game.
First launched off in December 2010, VBA was a collaborative effort between the founders, Don Asadar and Emerald Ishtari. Back then, basketball was one of the major sports not represented on the grid, and through hard work and research, they've managed to bring the game into Second Life. It wasn't an easy job, but over time, she gained a wonderful staff of Vice-Presidents, Managers, and Coordinators to help her out.
Currently, VBA is looking for SL residents to be a part of the game. Everybody is all welcome to join and try-out. VBA is, at the moment, recruiting interested players, coaches, dancers, and team owners. According to Miss Sasha Silvershade, VBA Lakers Owner, "I got involved because I like basketball and wanted to expand on a community I already have with the Lone Star Cowboys of the SFL. I plan on the Lakers becoming the best team they can become and have fun doing it all the way to the VBA championship." Terrell Merryman, owner of VBA Bulls, showed confidence and competitiveness in saying, "I am involved with the VBA because I love the idea of sports being in Second Life. I want to be an active leader in making sports big and enjoyable for SL citizens. As for what I expect for this upcoming VBA season? VBA championship for the Bulls of course!" On the other hand, Miss Wednesday Mohindi, owner of the VBA Knicks, voiced that her reason in being involved in the game is just for the experience and knowledge of being a team owner and knowing that she can be successful at it. She added that, "Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have."
If a potential VBA player would like to join one of the six teams present--- VBA Bulls, VBA Celtics, VBA Knicks, VBA Lakers, VBA Rockets and VBA Spurs--- they need to meet the appropriate height requirement for the position being played. They also must wear a special attachment to link them to the active game in the scripted court. However, to be recognized, one must need to drop in an application form in one of the drop boxes in the Alpha Cold sim. And as for official game rules, VBA has the same ones as the standard ones in RL basketball.
When asked what is the most important skill in playing VBA, Miss Ishtari replied that a keen sense of teamplay and a clear understanding that SL is not always compliant are most necessary for a more enjoyable experience. To buy items to play the part of a b-baller, head on to Red Dog Gear, the main supplier of VBA's uniforms, although fan gears can still come from various content creators pending league approval.
VBA season will open on late March 2012, but there are still trainings and practice matches that new players can join in. Official tournaments, on the other hand, are held at the home team's court, while Monday evening games are held at the VBA Alpha Cold Arena.
As parting words, Miss Ishtari has this advice and challenge to our dear readers, "If you think you have what it takes to be a part of the Virtual Basketball Association in SL, then come on by. We live and breathe the motto 'GO HARD OR GO HOME! This is more than just a game!' "
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ERRATUM/ADDENDUM:
"According to Miss Sasha Silvershade, VBA Lakers Owner... " should have been instead, "According to Mr. Sasha Silvershade..."
I deeply apologize for the typo and mistake.
I deeply apologize for the typo and mistake.
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