Wednesday, February 8, 2012

A Return to Port Kasra

Having received a recent comment about my earlier post about the Steampunk area of Port Kasra, I returned to see what had changed.

Although the initial landing spot is high above ground level, the RP area is down below, accessible via the teleporter near the landing spot. Once there, an unseen narrator tells visitors:

Welcome to the Steampunk City Port Kasra! Port Kasra is set in the 1880s North American Florida Keys. Named after its orginal founder, Juan de Kasra, a pirate of great noriety, Port Kasra offers shopping with the goods and services of many fine merchants as well as a lovely Steampunk Community in which to live and play.New Residents and Merchants are warmly welcomed.The Teleportation Device Located Here at Your Arrival Point Will Make Visiting Some Of The More Interesting Sites In The Community Convient For You. We Encourage You to Take and Wear a Free HTCS Meter as it will Enhance Your Interaction & Enjoyment of Your Time In Port Kasra! We Hope You Enjoy Steampunk Southern Style!

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The narrator pops up as the visitor moves to different parts of the sim. For example:

(Kasra Trolley Station) To the east, an awning shades the benches of the Kasra Trolley Station. The first leg of the trolley is already running, connecting the northern end of Kasra Island to the docklands in the south. Further track and spurs are planned by an ambitious Mayor with the backing of the City Council.

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Various stores, a sheriff's office and jail, the Mayor's house, a schoolhouse, a Laboratory, the power station (pictured above), and a hotel (pictured below) provide various role-playing opportunities.

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The HUD (available at the waterfront dock) provides another dimension to the sim. In addition to keeping track of various health statistics, as do other combat HUDs, this one allows the user to interact with various non-player characters and accomplish various quests. For example, I found the baker, who said:

Barry Baker says: I'm really busy and need some salt. Why don't you make yourself useful and fetch some from the salt-cave?

[[Select your reply >: Got it! --- Here's some salt (Complete Quest) >: Where? --- Where do I go to get salt? (More info) >: Going! --- Going to go get some/be right back! (Accept Quest) >: Bye --- I can't help you (Reject Quest) ]] I chose "Where"

Barry Baker says: Salt can be found in the old salt mine - it's a big pile of rocks where the ocean water dries up. Go up the little wooden bridge then inside and look for the salt

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In addition to the ground-level RP area, the landing point level contains several shops with vendors of Steampunk goods and the massive Haunted Mansion. The narrator explains:

A once-lovely home built by one of Kasras first ciitizens, is now fallen into a serious state of decay. Old timers tell tales that its builder went quite mad, slaughtered his entire famiy, and then killed himself within. Bloodstains still mar the walls and floors in places throughout the house. Most of the furnishing were carried off by vandals and theives years ago, but a few sheet draped items remain. Few will venture close to the Haunted Mansion now, even during daylight hours due to the strange noises often heard from within. Locals whisper the house is haunted, cursed, unnatural things reside there, and that it is a evil place. More than a few drunks and vagrants have disappeared near the Haunted Mansion, and many stories claim those missing were last seen near its looming presence. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK IF YOU DARE!

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Naturally, I dared...

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…and lived to tell the tale.

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