Take A Step Back In Time To Explore Second Life’s Origins

Da Boom

Whilst we get ready to celebrate Second Life’s 14th birthday, with events starting this weekend, the Second Life Destination Guide gives us a chance to take a step back in time via the Second Life Origins section.

This gives us an opportunity to view Second Life as it once was, with a visit to areas such as Da Boom, Second Life’s very first region.

You may want to visit Boardman where zoning guidelines were introduced all the way back in January 2003. I’ve never been sure why these sort of areas weren’t more popular.

Boardman Zoned Overview

Boardman had/has some zoning rules and the welcome notecards around provide us with some information regarding the project :

Welcome to Boardman! Boardman is a controlled building community. A small suburban area, Boardman is the perfect place to build your home if you’re looking for a nice, quiet region without the stores and looming towers you might find building elsewhere.

Here are some helpful guidelines to help maintain Boardman:

You can own as much land as you want, but your build in Boardman MUST be a conventional residence that might be seen in a suburb. This means that stores, dance clubs, sheep farms, and any other non-house builds are not permitted within Boardman.

Builders are no longer limited to using the Mini-House-in-a-Box. But it’s available at the supply stores located around the perimeter of this region.

Now if you’re wondering what sort of zoning rules applied, read on.

Boardman Prefab Zone

**Note: the following zoning regulations will be enforced:
* No terraforming. The land stays the way it is.
* No buildings taller than 15 meters. All buildings must be attached to the ground.
* You must build within your own property lines.
* No objects for sale, except within the stalls in the center of the region.
* No signs permitted.
* Noisy or flashing textures, particles, excessive and/or looping sounds, or any script that puts unnecessary strain on the region will be removed.

This region is located within a PG-Rated territory. All applicable rules, laws and community standards apply.

***Open Air Market***

This area in the middle of the region has been set up for people to sell or trade goods. The following rules apply.

* Only one 8 x 13 parcel per resident per sim.
* You can sell anything within the PG guidelines but it must be displayed within the stall.
* You can buy more land in the sim to support more objects in the market.
* Don’t delete the stall walls.

I appreciate that there are many people who like the concept of being free to do what they want any old time and being free to be who they choose any old time but I’m also sure that there are many people who want to take a ride, and run with the dogs tonight in Suburbia.

Moving on, you can relive the 2003 orientation experience courtesy of the Old Orientation Stations at Dore.

Orientation Stations 2003 Style

These are a replica of the experience and the information is out of date, but there really is an air of nostalgia created when you see those signs informing people how to change their avatar appearance or fly.

There’s the opportunity to experience the evolution of Second Life building at Mocha Cathedral.

Mocha Cathedral Side

Mocha Cathedral is an example of an early build implementing detailed texturing from all the way back at the cusp of 2004, it’s still an impressive looking build today.

There’s also the chance to explore a once top secret location in the shape and form of Pooley Foot.

Pooley Foot

The blurb informs us :

Once a remote site where applicants for the first Linden Liaison team were interviewed, curious events caused the island to transform into a rather big foot. 

There are bears of Lindens past around this area as well as swimming Hippos.

Swimming Hippo

There are a lot more locations in the Second Life origins section of the destination guide and if you wander around a little you will find many old and nostalgic sights. They play a very important role in the story of Second Life and virtual world history.

The beauty of looking back is that it also helps us to look forward, we can compare the old builds in Second Life with the new ones, acknowledge that some really great advances have been made and still hold on to our nostalgia.

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