Blue-News

Tharsis Estates: Haven for Newcomers

// July 28th, 2010 // Cities

Map by Main Entrance to Tharsis Estates

Tharsis Estates is a wonderful place for people who are unfamiliar with Blue Mars (and particularly people from Second Life) due to it’s helpful signage and resources. Though still in early stages, Tharthis Estates shows promise to becoming one of the best communities for newbies and experienced users alike, and here’s why:

1. Open, Spacious Stores

The stores in Tharthis Estates are very airy and quite spacious, due to the prevalence of large, floor-to-ceiling windows that provide some fantastic views of the nearby sea (for the best go to the top of the stairs of building 2 on main st.). The windows and views create a visually large space that is easy to navigate and highlights the various items for sale, making them easy to spot. No hunting through wall-fulls of content here, everything is at eye-level.

2. Beginning Builder Resource Packs

The creator of Tharsis Estates, Daniel Ravennest, has been most generous to the Local Tharsis community, as well as the Blue Mars community as a whole by providing these basic building packs to get people rolling along with content creation. Modeled after the Second Life paradigm of “prims”, the building kit breaks things down to simple shapes to aid beginners in the creation of homes and such more easily. The builders kit (along with a basic textures kit) is available at the Tharsis Estates blog.

3. Model Homes

There is already a cozy little neighborhood of model homes that are an inspiration to people looking to call Tharsis Estates their home. Along with the helpful building resouces highlighted above, Daniel Ravennest offers to help you create your home if you are unable to do it yourself. If you’d like helpful pointers on how to build in Blue Mars, Daniel Ravennest offers to help there too. Just send an email to: danielravennest@gmail.com.

4. Signs

Strewn about the town are many helpful, informative signs. They are clear and prominently placed to help us inquisitive types. The moment you arrive in Tharsis Estates you are greeted with a sign explaining basic movement and functionality. Just a few steps away is a large map of the area to help plan walking tours of the Estate. Here’s hoping that many more signs will be coming to Tharsis Estates,it really is a nice feature.

5. Inviting Countryside

This is always a plus, and there aren’t many places in Blue Mars that don’t have this due to the large spaces capable but it’s appreciated nonetheless. Gentle slopes, a stream with a fun little waterfall that meanders through a tunnel under the road, and generous spots with great views of the surrounding areas should be prime locations for future residents of Tharthis Estates.

Tharsis Estates shows promises of becoming a great hub for newcomers to Blue Mars, as well as giving people who are more familiar with the platform a good place to meet new people and brush up on building skills. We look forward to the future growth of this community and it’s impact on the greater Blue Mars community!