Ave, Ida!
When I first visited ROMA during my tender Newbie Days, it was a parcel on the mainland. (At least, I remember it being on the mainland. I was young, I could be wrong.) ROMA has since moved to a dedicated sim and has grown into what is, in my opinion, one of the Great Builds of Second Life. Torin Golding has put long hours into this build for the glory of the Emperor, Julian Augustus. (Really: look for him in Search->People.)
Upon arrival, pay close attention to the Customs House, where you can obtain a map hud, a free toga and information about how to join the citizens group. Immediately outside is the first of the many sacred fountains distributed throughout the sim. Each one is dedicated to a god or goddess who is responsible for that particular district (Mars is outside of the arena, for instance). If you click the image of the god, the fountain will tell you some of the things that can be done in that district. If you click the water, a litter is summoned to teleport you to another area.
And there are a LOT of areas: the Baths of Caracalla, Caligula's Garden, the Basilica, a marvelous scripted play starring Dionysus, to name a very few. And what is a visit to ancient Rome without a Chariot Race in the Circus Maximus?
Or a quiet read in the Library of Alexandria?
Or a visit to some ancient (unstable) ruins?
The map hud is really an invaluable resource that shows the myriad of attractions and locations.
One of the most striking things about this build is the wealth of information. Red information buttons distribute notecards with historical facts or stories. There are information buttons everywhere. I know, I clicked on all of them. Each time another thoughtful, well-written notecard appeared I thought: "Torin, how long did it take you to do all this?!"
ROMA is littered with gifts and mementos. Each fountain has a unique treat that is free to purchase, click or copy and the Rich Imperialist Tidbit snack vendors are a scream. My favorite of the gifts has to be the Gem of Venus. It's a hud with several different animations to play. No wait - I like Jupiter's Lightning Bolt Thrower a whole lot. Mercury's money bag is also great. Everything is great - collect it all!
ROMA can only be described as a labor of love and one of my best (and most time consuming) Second Life experiences to date.
ROMA (215, 25, 22)
Circus Maximus, ROMA (150 135 44)
The Library of Alexandria, ROMA (101, 178, 46)
The Ruins, ROMA (208, 215, 53)
Peplos, Osprey Therian's Shop Bodega (210, 84, 40)
I have deliberately not provided many SLurls with this entry, there is so much to see and do in ROMA (I made four seperate trips just to write this article) that the list would be a mile long. My advice is to use the first SLurl (this is also the tp found in Search->Places), take a moment in the Customs House to read the pertinent information, and then take your time exploring the entire sim. Thanks for letting me know about the New and Improved ROMA, Pinget!
ROMA is absolutely packed to the gills, there isn't a square meter of this sim that isn't occupied.
Upon arrival, pay close attention to the Customs House, where you can obtain a map hud, a free toga and information about how to join the citizens group. Immediately outside is the first of the many sacred fountains distributed throughout the sim. Each one is dedicated to a god or goddess who is responsible for that particular district (Mars is outside of the arena, for instance). If you click the image of the god, the fountain will tell you some of the things that can be done in that district. If you click the water, a litter is summoned to teleport you to another area.
Scripted fighting in the Gladiator Arena is coming soon!
And there are a LOT of areas: the Baths of Caracalla, Caligula's Garden, the Basilica, a marvelous scripted play starring Dionysus, to name a very few. And what is a visit to ancient Rome without a Chariot Race in the Circus Maximus?
We were doing really well until I took a wrong turn.
Or a quiet read in the Library of Alexandria?
There is a copy of Plywood vol. 1 in the corner!
Or a visit to some ancient (unstable) ruins?
Oh, Enjah! Did that hurt? I didn't think the "Do Not Touch" sign was serious!
The map hud is really an invaluable resource that shows the myriad of attractions and locations.
I am actually wearing a Greek Peplos rather than a toga. But I figure lots of people were still speaking Greek anyway...
One of the most striking things about this build is the wealth of information. Red information buttons distribute notecards with historical facts or stories. There are information buttons everywhere. I know, I clicked on all of them. Each time another thoughtful, well-written notecard appeared I thought: "Torin, how long did it take you to do all this?!"
ROMA is littered with gifts and mementos. Each fountain has a unique treat that is free to purchase, click or copy and the Rich Imperialist Tidbit snack vendors are a scream. My favorite of the gifts has to be the Gem of Venus. It's a hud with several different animations to play. No wait - I like Jupiter's Lightning Bolt Thrower a whole lot. Mercury's money bag is also great. Everything is great - collect it all!
ROMA can only be described as a labor of love and one of my best (and most time consuming) Second Life experiences to date.
ROMA (215, 25, 22)
Circus Maximus, ROMA (150 135 44)
The Library of Alexandria, ROMA (101, 178, 46)
The Ruins, ROMA (208, 215, 53)
Peplos, Osprey Therian's Shop Bodega (210, 84, 40)
I have deliberately not provided many SLurls with this entry, there is so much to see and do in ROMA (I made four seperate trips just to write this article) that the list would be a mile long. My advice is to use the first SLurl (this is also the tp found in Search->Places), take a moment in the Customs House to read the pertinent information, and then take your time exploring the entire sim. Thanks for letting me know about the New and Improved ROMA, Pinget!
posted by Ida at 1/29/2007
3 Comments:
This article was only *just* brought to my attention, and I can only say *Thank You!* for having so many nice things to say about Roma! :) And I'm sure Torin himself will thank you as well when he sees this. :) He really has done an amazing job and it's nice to see others recognise that. :)
Angelia Rees
a.k.a Angelia Silvia Dacia, Chief Vestal, ROMA sim, Second Life
I meant every word! The hard part was deciding what NOT to say - there is so much there! It is wonderful of Torin to provide this kind of experience for residents.
Fantastic! Thanks Ida for this amazing travel tip. I must have spent hours touring Roma, and I plan to return soon.
I wonder, did they knit in ancient Rome?
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