** An Occasional Photography and RP Blog **
Cocoon
Scenic Cyber sim with a touch of community
As a roleplayer one thing I hear often in SL is the arrival and then subsequent departure of a new role-play sim. Or that there is no community of sorts, or that its just too cliquey to make new arrivals feel welcome. Not so with Cocoon, one of the older sims still going strong that is constantly updated and has many hidden corners to explore.
Follow the LM to the orientation point where you will find the sim lore clearly laid out on several posters, and once satisfied with your choice grab yourself a hud, create a character via their easy to use set up system and you’re good to go. The community has an active Discord group as well as inworld chatter, and there are many different events every week as varied as classes for new arrivals to gatherings in bars. If you’re a photographer and don’t wish to partake in RP there is no pressure to do so. Just pick up an OOC tag and explore the sim via one of the many taxi services or free vehicles around the sim.
Like a giant layered cake, the sim falls on several levels with themed zones with Earth being the most forlorn, damaged and ravaged by humans before they began to abandon their home planet for pastures new. Take a handy ship to the other zones and perhaps meet your friends in the bars dotted about the place. You will quickly notice the numerous NPC’s, all are clickable and react to you depending on current storylines, beginners intructions or give you hints and tips to other places to visit to continue your story. While some just want your custom others have sad stories to tell, or mysteries you can attempt to solve.
For the photographers there are many corners stuffed with decor and NPC’s to give your images a busy cyber cityscape look. You cannot freely rez here as a random visitor so you will need to wear an animation hud or activated poses arranged on the go. Make sure you are tagged OOC so that you will be left alone to set up your photo. Recommended viewer for this sim: Black Dragon. For Firestorm-only users I recommend the EEP settings to enjoy the explosion of colours Neon has to offer.
Travel is rather easy, with taxis to hop on, ships to take you to another level or if you can find them, a dispensing unit for vehicles.
Having roleplayed there before I discovered half way round my tour that I was being hunted by another player which made the visit more fun for me as I dodged and turned and moved around trying my best to outsmart them. At Cocoon you are encouraged to join a faction or group, and its no surprise that a price on your head soon follows if you’re rather *too* good at what you do, or if someone just wants you out the way. Hacking is one of the things you can attempt during your visit as well as many other different roles to pick and get into, from medical to policework, so there is something for all tastes.
On the roleplay aspect you are under no pressure to take part, and don’t need to be a dedicated Para-RPer to join in with storylines or casual scenarios. English is the main language spoken but others do visit and use translators, so be polite and patient while they type and translate their RP to you.
All in all I think you’ll enjoy your visit as photographer or roleplayer exploring pastures new.
Roleplay Styles: Informal/Agreed/Storyline
Free to rez for photographers: No, tag needed from Admin
Main language spoken: English
Avatar Types: Human, humanoid. Realism preferred. 18+
Discord Group: Yes (active)
RP Meters/HUD: Yes, Required.
Cocoon – Arrival Point – Landing zone for hud and OOC titlers
Cocoon- Plaza of Neon – Main City for Neon photography
Cocoon – Shops Only – Micro stores for quick Cyber shopping
Cocoon – Home Pages of Cocoon – Read up on the lore, rules and anything else.
Cocoon FLICKR
