Monday, October 14, 2013

Going on a Hunt


By Kitacelia Resident

Shopping hunts are popular in SL in general.    Especially among those who have more time than  lindens to spend.  Grid-wide hunts while they encourage exploration of new sims and areas, they are often   what is known as chain hunts, which means you need to find the items in consecutive order.   Sim wide-hunts are usually easier in general and those which encompass only a mere store or two are easiest of all generally.    

Hunts may have many themes, including holiday, seasonal, a color, an event such as a wedding or club opening or reopening, neko items, sexy underwear and accessories even be a melange of different themes encompassing the merchandise of a store etc.   Designers and sellers, while they want the items to be an example of their work, rarely give away their best quality items. However they should at least be an item most will keep and or use.    Usually an example of the item as a texture or list or on the website is helpful to know if the items are something an individual would wish to hunt for.

Hunts can be very vague and unhelpful for the most part , instance  something that says it is near a tree when there are 100 trees in an area, would not be very useful at all.      SL hunts has most in world hunts listed.    Others will advertise their hunts in the store only or in stores which sell similar  products.

A hunt's information may be given out in a variety of ways, in groups, through notices, through website links and even by an object which when touched gives out a notecards and/or landmarks

There is usually an example of what you are looking for next to the sign or object in most cases.   However, I tried a hunt where there was no indication of anything you were supposed to look for just that it was sim-wide and some rather vague clues.

Because some individuals use scanners and so forth to cheat, they I believe were trying to circumvent this possibility, another organizer utilized decoy items to help prevent cheating. I do not pretend to be an expert at hunting but I do not cheat in hunts so both of these hunts were rather difficult for me to the point I gave up on one and the decoy one I only found a couple of items.    Icons for hunts are easier to find if they are larger and a color which is bright.     

I just want to say thank you to all the people who create and organize hunts in SL.    To all readers, happy hunting and have fun with it.

Kitacelia

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

DrFran’s Alt Goes Hunting – Vintage in Venice Hunt


By DrFran Babcock

If you have never participated in a Second Life™ hunt, you are missing out on a big piece of SL popular culture. Not only do you get to find some pretty nice items, but you often meet people and make friends. Another added benefit is being exposed to stores and merchants about which you might not have known.

DrFran’s alt isn’t interested in all that. She just wants to have fun, and hunts are great fun. DrFran is busy getting ready for her vacation, and one of her stops will be the magical city of Venice. DrFran’s alt will stay home and she got to do the Vintage in Venice Hunt. In this hunt you are looking for a flat prim with a design in it, that is hidden somewhere in a long list of stores. This is a one Linden hunt, and each prize costs that much, but all of them are worth much more. The nice thing about this hunt is that it was made to be unisex. Thus, most of the prizes are home furnishings and vehicles. If there are clothing prizes, a prize is available for both male and female avatars (sorry hamsters).

A Selection of the Prizes

Desirée, DrFran’s alt, is very picky in her hunting. One Linden is not a lot of money unless you are not a premium member. However, if you disagree that the prizes below are not worth much more than one Linden, please let her know. At An Lema’s shop (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Alqualonde%20the%20Swanhaven/53/162/2743 ) you get a whole roomful of Victorian furniture for a prize. The two screens in the picture not only are texture change, but they fan open and closed on touch.

The bed that is the prize at HC Creations (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lucky%20Island/57/204/21 ) is one of Desirée’s favorites. It comes with a full menu of texture change options, all is shades of brown and cream, and a slew of couple and single poses, that are, I believe G-rated. She isn’t sure, because she couldn’t find a resident to test the bed with her. This bed is clearly a reflection of the fine work done by HC, and for one Linden it’s a steal.

The Venetian Earrings found at Elemental Jewelry (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/bono/221/224/22 )are a real complement to Desirée’s geeky beauty. DrFran noted that she will try to find a pair like that when she goes to Venice.

In the next picture, Sascha’s Designs (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ippopotamo/31/55/22 ) offers a comfy couch and love seat option, in the deepest Venetian red, while the dresser from Izzy’s Attic (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Upper%20Fenland/215/139/3062 ) is fun, because it has a menu that allows it to be open, closed, neat, or, as pictured messy with linens.

The assortment of benches from Resplendent Designs (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moodle/155/157/32 ), seven in number, are perfect for your entryway. I can imagine you sitting and waiting for guests to come for a big party while seated on one of these carefully textured items.

Saved for last: If you know DrFran, you know she is mad for canals. The last prize shown for this hunt comes from Image Essentials (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Parameshvara/172/27/43 ), and is a gondola made for posing and picture taking. The pose menu allows for a gondola and as many as three passengers. It is a must have for you romantics, and canal lovers.

This is just a small sample of what’s available in the Vintage in Venice Hunt, and it is highly recommended for it’s relative ease in finding the hunt items, the quality of the hunt items, and the fun of seeing new shops and stores. Why not try your hand at a hunt?

The Vintage in Venice Hunt Information: http://huntsl.com/2013/08/15/vintage-in-venice-hunt/

DrFran Babcock