An old fashioned, rickety wooden roller coaster in Second Life? Yes. It’s the "Mighty Atomic Mine Buster" in the Venusian sim. I’ll confess upfront that I’m not a roller coaster fan, either in my first or second lives, but I do appreciate the attention to detail that’s been taken in constructing this 800 meter, rather elaborate roller coaster. The wood is well aged, giving the thing a feeling of danger, as though it could collapse if the coaster cars ever went too fast. Part of it is shown in the picture to the right.
Of course, they don’t go too fast, and in fact if lag is too bad they don’t go at all, as happened in one of my visits, but it’s nonetheless impressive. The creator, Atom Burma, has modeled it on Coney Island’s 1950s Cyclone rollercoaster, and has not only included a roller coaster soundtrack – before riding it, be certain that your speakers are turned on – but also provided animations for the riders.
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This picture shows the avatar animation as you’re riding the Mine Buster. It’s part of a much larger amusement park, the Carnivale Amusement Park, which has over a dozen rides, including two water rides, a spider, a ferris wheel, bumper cars (which I couldn’t get to work on any of my visits), and a tram that gives an aerial tour of the park. An unusual feature of the park that you certainly won’t find in real life is that all the rides are for sale or rent. Want to give a party on your land? Rent some rides! |
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A new feature that won’t fully open until August 2009 is "Emerald City", a game based on the "Wizard of Oz". Before you enter, you are given the opportunity to watch a video, pictured here, of a highly condensed version of the story. There’s much more there. A lot of attention has gone into constructing it. On my last visit there, I even saw what appeared to be a hooker (not affiliated with the Park). In my experience, mornings are the best time to visit. The one time I visited in the evening, the lag was so intense that the rides were unusable. Second Life members can go there by clicking slurl.com/secondlife/Venusian/88/32/40. |
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