An aerial view of Liberty CoveOne of the most renown Steampunk designers in Second Life is Mr. Sextan Shepherd, who not only revolutionized many Steampunk builds with his amazing textures, but further innovated SL Steampunk architectural design with exceptionally impressive builds, which were not only unique in their Steampunk genre theme, but also cohesive thematic in their narrative, including his well-document Nemo build.The sloping town, with its many stores and his hovering guardian!
Liberty Cove, is a small respite from his previous stunning build. It is divided in to three sections. First, the “town” houses his previous works for sale, including his ships, textures, globes, and a few new, smaller items he has crafted.
At the entrance of the town….As one works his or her way down the original landing point, his very simple but useful storefronts provide a basic idea of what each store holds.
…. one can shop many of Mr. Shepherd’s unique items in the stores…As far as I can perceive, most of what he has offered in the past is here – including a few freebies (lol)! The slope is slight, so it makes for a nice view of this area. Additionally, it has been quite lag-free, which is a nice benefit during SL seemingly on-going travails with its virtual soupy movements.
… including his outstanding airships!Of course, his signature ships are located here as well – just a quick visit is all that is required to indulge – though there is no area for rezzing ships. I wouldn’t say that is much of a problem, as much of his work is quite visible throughout SL. Apparently Liberty Cove has a bit more hidden history!Additionally, his attention to detail and subtle sense of humor is apparent in many hidden (or perhaps not so hidden) aspects of Liberty Cove, including some archeological details (as per above). One will note, that this sim does comprise of essentially three sections, with the rest having the appearance of a volcanic cove. (A good way to save on prims and focus on the build highlights).
This Italian-influence structure houses the Oracle, seen in the center of the build.On a second “island”, the Oracle, another unique build of Mr. Shepherd’s resides. I admit to liking it, though I seem to be able to miss its “rotation” to a new lens – quite frustrating, though thats’ my own doing. Perhpas getting a bit slow in my “old age” (I’m almost 1700 days old)!
The lenses rotate on a regular basis – and is quite interesting to watch.There is a very detailed (and working) drawbridge between the Oracle and the Observatory. Yes, it does work, and again, is not only the bridge well detailed, but does actually work (as I happened to learn when I activated it and hit a poor noob on the head with it (/me pulls my collar away from my neck)!
The tranquil and verdant island, housing a few more surprisesThe Observatory has a number of builds on it, including an outdoor clock, one of his signature globes, a nice viewing area, and of course, and observatory.
The Stellar Supernova Observatory…I can’t recall seeing the observatory before, but as always, Mr. Shepherd is full of surprises. Actually, the Observatory island was my favorite location of the three, a bit of an “escape” where one can relax and just attend to business, in a nice Steampunk environment.
… which, in fact, does work – simply have a seat!I can only assume the gentleman has plans for something more extravagant and impressive in the future, but until then, a visit to Liberty Cove is not only an excellent “get away”, but an opportunity to visit an excellent example of SL Steampunk design.
A view of the outdoor clock and working drawbridge back to the OracleTo pay the beautiful Liberty Cove a visit and enjoy a bit of the Michelangelo of Steampunk’s work, do follow this SLurl to it… http://slurl.com/secondlife/liberty%20cove/161/57/41/
