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Thursday, January 31, 2019

Counter Earth Grid – A Return to OpenSim

It has been roughly 8 years since my last visit to the OpenSim (short for OpenSimulator), and after being approached by one of the administrators of the Counter Earth grid, it was time to return for a visit.

The Osgrid is an independent open-source virtual world with an implemented dynamic hypergrid concept, allowing users to jump from one grid to another. Now you must ask: “Pew, what kind of sorcery is this?” It’s simple. There are hundreds of open simulator-based virtual worlds and the Osgrid is one of them. With a dynamic hypergrid feature, users can teleport from the NetflixandChill Grid to the GameofThrones Grid instead of being limited to Second Life’s single grid - a list of
OpenSimulator grids is available HERE.

City of Turia, Counter Earth Grid @ Osgrid
 
The grids have unique features and developments, and if you use the Firestorm Viewer, you can easily access an OpenSimulator grid of your choice. A list of compatible viewers can be found HERE.

With all this potential, is no surprise to see several role-play communities in this simulator however, I was amazed by the land growth and improvement since my last visit to the grid. Here you can find the Counter Earth Grid, a massive grid for Gorean role-players, which is currently looking for more people and vendors to become part of the family. Some of the cities in the Counter Earth Grid are stunning and they are as good as any of the Gorean sims in Second Life. Saying that OpenSim is 10 years behind Second Life is a total misconception - users have easy access to the best mesh products. There are, of course, technical pros and cons.

Starting Point to the Counter Earth Grid starts at the Ship of Acquisition Sim where this board is being displayed with the list of cities, villages and Panther camps @ Osgrid

Pros
  •     Free Content: Osgrid does not have a working currency system. All content is free and there are hundreds of free shops. Users can purchase items by using a third party vendor like https://www.kitely.com/market -which is basically the marketplace for all the OpenSimulator grids;
  •     Bigger Sims: Sims are 4 times larger than Second Life sims;
  •     Cheaper Sims: A Counter Earth sim runs $20 per month with 20,000 prims. You can have 10,000 more prims for an additional $10;
  •    The Counter Earth Grid is active: The community is small but there are community events and you can find players in the regions;
  •     The Counter Earth Grid has several Gorean sims that matches the map of Gor, and rules are simple;
  •     Use of Voice is Encouraged: OpenSim users prefer voice to text;
  •     Hypergriding;
  •     Stable Regions;
  •     OpenSim is Occulus Rift compatible;
  •     Great mesh products are available for free;
  •     There are other role-play communities in the grid: Scifi, GoT, Urban, Hogwarts, Medieval, you name it!
 Tor, Counter Earth Grid @ Osgrid

    Cons
  •     Small Community: Osgrid had little growth over the years - I personally think being part of small community can make the game more enjoyable which might not be the case for many of you;
  •     Hypergriding Can Be Difficult: Players can be surely excited of jumping from grid to grid but you must understand how to get there. Forget about using the search button. Instead, you must use www.opensimworld.com for your searches. Once you find the sim you are looking for, copy the IP address or the grid’s domain and paste it to your viewer’s map. You can also open the landmarks directly from the website if you use Firestorm as your viewer. I would love to see this feature improved to something more user-friendly. I personally think this teleporting system it’s a little messy and hard to understand at first. 


If you are ready for a change, you should consider joining the Counter Earth Grid and give Osgrid a try. If you like crowds of people and raiding with dozens of players, the Osgrid might not be the place for you but if you are the type of person that likes to make friends, be part of a community that welcomes everyone, and enjoys relaxing evenings of role-play, the Counter Earth Grid and Osgrid should be on your play-list.

Check the following links for detailed information on how to join the Osgrid and the Counter Earth Grid


 Skerry Of Einar, Counter Earth Grid @ Osgrid

Skjern @ Osgrid

24 comments:

kindra Turian said...

I want to thank you so kindly for the blog you have done about Counter Earth Grid! We feel that we have brought back a sense of community to Gor and we hope you visit us often. We are so proud of what we have accomplished. Thank you again for such kind words about us.

Havoc Rau said...

THank you for the lovely words however one small misconception here , OSGrid is a grid other then the counter earth grid which is why this review is actually about. each grid is its own second life type world and while, as the article points out, you can transport between grids it is a very different place each time you "jump". Counter earth grid is stand alone and ONLY Gor. however again thank you for the lovely review, we are indeed most welcoming to new comers and have many major gorean cities open for lease .

Havoc Rau said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
PewPew Zero said...

Hello kindra and Havoc. Thank you so much for your comments and most importantly your clarification! I had to refresh my memory on how the worlds actually worked but obviously I missed an important point. Your comment will clarify future readers and for that, thank you once again.

Unknown said...

I have played Gor for years in SL and have also been involved with Counter Earth. CE is by far grown so well over the years. The content is developing well. The community solid and those that run the grid are extremely committed, you can tell the grid is loved by each and every one of them. They are patient and considerate people. If you enjoyed the old Gor in SL and wish to experience that feeling again break the bonds with SL and join or even just visit Counter Earth. You will not regret it.

kindra Turian said...

Wow!!!!! Thank you so much for this kind comment. Counter Earth is an act of love towards Gor after being in online Gor from IRC, to Paltalk to SL to OSGrid to our own. Those of us that started this want to give something back to our community and make it available financially so that more can participate. Thank you again for your generous words towards us. We have a LOT more to do. Come join us and help us grow together!

Anonymous said...

I think it is a shame to use voice there as if you are lazy and cant type then dont be on a rp sim. I do not use voice and will not as I am there for RP and I expect it in return not to be talked to in voice

kindra Turian said...

I am sorry you feel this way, but Counter Earth Grid is a Gorean GRID not a sim. We are not JUST a role play grid. We have all types of Goreans. Some of us actually have real life relationships and not just role play. During Role play we never use voice. Every sim on our grid has the right to have their own rules about voice however we do have a social hour every night and the Free of our community determine if we use voice or not. kajiraie have not rights in Gor so we would never argue it.

Anonymous said...

Since we are about being open and honest in the Gorean world as it is required, then I'll be real open and honest about Counter Earth Grid. When it was first being thought of and implemented, it was said that it was going to be everything that Second Life Gor is not. It wouldn't have or support alting (that is FAR from the truth and the fact that Counter Earth exists and people that are from Second Life Gor and creating avatars there is, in fact, alting and leads to further deception), it is owned, moderated, and ran by 1 person or group of people instead of a full team with a multitude of servers that are capable of providing better quality support and technology, which means, that when that person or group are tired of running this grid, they will take their toys and go home, regardless of the time and money that someone has invested, and time is infinitely more important than money. The Counter Earth grid is knowingly supporting and condoning copied content. There are people within the Counter Earth grid that proudly proclaim the ability to access your conversations, personal information, and passwords, not to mention the fact that if you do not play by whatever sense of righteousness they have, you will be threatened, attempted to be coerced, and have your information used against you. Not only that, you will have whatever they proclaim as being their TOS which changes with whatever situation they do not like as a threat against you in an attempt to control you. Members of the main group of the Counter Earth grid act like a bunch of high school delinquents when they are confronted about their behavior in a rational manner. They continually talk about others from Second Life when they feel they have not been able to "recruit" you to their side. Lets also look at the history and record for Turia. With all of the comments throughout Second Life Gor of cities rising and falling so fast, where all has Turia and their community been? Do you really want to invest time, energy, and money into a place that doesn't have your back when you do not agree with them? I am all for Gorean community and uniting the dwindling community that exists. Now, I am sure that this, which is truth, will be meant with vehement denial, so the only advice I can give, is if you're really that interested, then give it a go. If you enjoy sitting and waiting hours for the place to load because they only have a tiny amount of servers, go for it. If you do not mind copied content, fluctuating TOS, having your personal information scrutinized, being threatened, and high school temper tantrums out of supposed to be adult people, then by all means go for it. Don't let the virtual door hit you on the butt on the way over.

Anonymous said...

Addressing the previous post... I invite you to back it up with specifics. Because otherwise, it looks like a bitter, rejected person lashing out irrationally against people you don't like. Prove your allegations, because I've seen none of that in the months I've been visiting CE Grid, a grid that's been around for over 6 years.

kindra Turian said...

Thank you for the above comment- I would ask these questions- 1. how do you know we steal content- what facts do you have to support that statement? Would you like to accuse (anonymous cowardly person) of that without the least bit of proof? Who is also stating that they can read your comments? That is untrue - I am not afraid to say these things as I am one of the Admins and I can tell you this is a complete lie. The TOS has been updated 5 times since our existence and it doesn't just change willy nilly and we don't keep our residents in the dark about it- we send it to all of our residents. I have to admit some of our residents do not pay attention to these things. The last time we changed the TOS was in Dec of 2020. It's DOCUMENTED in writing. What specific events are you referring to as acting like children?
Let me tell you about our content- we have been around for 24 years and have LOTS of friends - some of our friends have brought their content to our grid- and they KNOW we have it - but our deal with them is this- if anyone asks them- they will deny it - WHY? because they are still charging for it over on SL. What do you expect? We also have some of the best builders out there- they don't need SL content. WE hypergrid - which we do not have control over with regards to content. We also get 3d Content- we also get DAE files from SL vendors (yes that is right we BUY the content and obtain the DAE Files) If ONE vendor even ONE came to us and complained about their content being in our grid - we would remove it. What does disagree mean? You don't agree to disagree? That we ban them- that hasn't happened. That we tell them our philosophy? yes, we do. We can't agree with everyone- our vision here is this - to create a place where Goreans can AFFORD a place, build a city that looks like the book description and create a sense of community for all Goreans. The problem I have seen is that kajirae do not like to be corrected. We don't tell them what role to choose- you choose your role so then if they are corrected- my gosh - it's FU and all sorts of obscenities and craziness. If you would like to see examples of these logs let me know . We are a GOREAN themed grid - what we do comes from the John Norman books not the Dr Zeus Books

skye KRB said...

I would have greatly enjoyed reading whatever it was that you've written, but by default I automatically reassign all 'anonymous' posts to the part of my brain that enjoys reading instruction manuals in languages I don't speak.

When you find the inner strength to utilize some names, highlight some actual instances and let us know who the offenders of moral and roleplay laws might be, then the issues can be addressed.

Until then, anonymous, have a super lovely day...just have it as far away from anyone here as is possible in the off chance that your bitter fruit ripens and falls to seed all over my fields of joy.

Anonymous said...

I have been In Counter Earth Grid for over a year now, and own a sim, it is in fact less populated than say that of Secondlife but I like that , but really what keeps me there? The giant sims that fit any budget? The friendly people ? The free content? Yes all of those things and more keep me in CE but mostly Its the respect people show one another, I believe they truly care about me and they show it, they listen and try to make CE place we can love and enjoy.
I dont know what to say except I love those people, and nothing I can really say except you will just have to come and get to know us for yourself.

Skies Blessing from The Rune Priest Raaf

Vargyr Wolf said...

You cannot find more friendly people here in Counter Earth. The sense of community is amazing, as all who are there are eager to help others. Sharing between villages sets up a nice trading system between everyone, and there are always fun events to enjoy. I just love this grid.

Anonymous said...

I want to add a comment in regards to some of the anonymous commenters. IF any of what you are saying is true I would not be there as I do not condone such things and I believe if you could prove your accusations and had confidence in what you are accusing you would not make them under anonymous . Oh I did yes because otherwise it would use mu Google account and have my real name , but i did sign my CE name as I will this comment .
Also About Voice and typing. Not very nice and you have no idea what you are talking about. Most of us in CE are in the older age group and even some of use have physical restrictions,such as myself with severe arthritis and typing is rather painful so i save it for role play. It would be wonderful if people could just get along and have compassion for one another, and I do see more of this in the people of CE than anywhere else and that's why I stay. No they are not perfect none of us are but they to try to right a wrong and I pray that you can do the same .. Skies Blessing
Rune Priest Raaf

Jesi said...

Tal to all fellow Goreans. I have to address a few of these comments as I have now been there myself for a little over 6 months. My companion and I are long time Goreans and roleplayers from other worlds of Gor. We were saddened by how the community itself on these other worlds had seemed to just be fading away more and more, usually by ones who were not understanding and constantly critical of others trying to participate actively.
But to address specific comments, definitely that one person sounds like someone who did not "get their way" because they were either not articulating their problem or only wanted to make the Admin respond one way and take sides. They have the difficult task of trying to moderate and make everyone happy. Have you ever tried that? Its like herding cats! And while It is true, I have seen people who "throw a fit", it was never one of the admin or long time members, it was others who came to the grid and got upset because people here did not do things they wanted them to. 3 times now it was someone who did not either get the time or attention they thought they deserved, or there was not enough rp for them or they felt someone had mistreated them. As for voice, that is not a requirement. I don't voice most of the time because I do not have the privacy in rl to do so. The admin there strongly supports anyone that has a problem with someone trying to coerce them to do anything that has to do with rl. You can stay (and in my opinion SHOULD) stay in character the entire time you are in world. One last thing, if I have the space haha... I have had more fun in Gor and on the grid than I have had in last several years in SL. I started Gor and SL in 07 so I have seen it go through many changes and this has brought back alot of the fun for me that I have been missing. Thank you CE!

Anonymous said...

Corthidian

to the Anonymous poster, of whom obviously is too coward to stand for their words, Let me say this "alting"?? its called dualling, which is defined as having more than one character in a roleplay world at the same location. While this is dishonorable,and dishonest, I would argue that Counter Earth, and Second Life are two different worlds. Therefore, the argument is nonsense.. yes,you have been corrected. The criticism of how the Grid is controlled, well this is nonsense too.. Common sense, everything must have a beginning.. the Grid was an idea.. that started with one person, related to another.. thus,of course it is run by one person and not a team.But, who said the team did not develop after the idea was agreed to by many? I think you are petty in this attempt to discredit the grid.
Next item, lets see, copied content.. well, it has been known throughout publishing, that the only way to stop copied material, is copyright.And since the beginning of the world wide web, there has been copied material, the quotes from the books, used to justify the roleplay, is copied material. Pictures, book quotes, icons, gifs, mp material, its...ALL..copied material. Again, another nonsense argument.
Next its "personal info and passwords used against you" my my my, an angry little person aren't you? To My Knowledge, the only information someone on the grid has access to, is the information that you provide. Never, have I ever seen anyone make a threat to use someone's personal info against them on the grid. And, I would challenge, if they have access to my conversations.. tell me.. what did I have for dinner last night?? I Guarantee, not a single person on that grid, with the exception of my companion knows. As For the TOS, I haven;t seen them change, and I have been there 6 months. I have seen nothing in writing that claims there has been policy changes, this is more blathering to justify yourself.
Now, you mention the cities of Second Life that rise an fall so fast, I will make a point to point out to you, they rose and fell so quickly, because no one focused on the role play of the world, spent endless days to complain over things they didn't like, and did nothing but try to impose the ideals of Earth, on what was supposed to be another planet.
You talk about all of these points, but in truth, you sound like a scorned little girl, throwing out a warning about the big bad meanies of Counter Earth Grid. but lets be real here a second. The fact you posted anonymously, and did so to protect your little ego, shows that what you are saying has no merit.

Unknown said...

Tal and greetings to all. I usually do not post in blogs or chats such as this, but my Companion, Vargyr Wolf, suggested I take a look at what was posted by an anonymous person regarding his or her opinion of the grid Counter Earth(CE) I would echo the post of Corthidian here. I have recently come to CE and must say that I have found the people there friendly, helpful and well versed in the Gorean culture, which in itself is refreshing. The CE grid is more stable than most any of the grids I have experienced. I resisted joining anything Gorean in SL because, frankly I did not feel comfortable and felt that the communities knew very little about Gorean society, and probably did not even read any of the books. Of course, I could be wrong.
As far as "stealing content", I would refer Anonymous to a thing called "Creative Commons". It is up them to do the research about this. A lot of what is on the Open Sim Grids is not original content anyway. But then again, this content is distributed freely. I have been on many many OS Grids and found content that I have seen on SL.
Thank you for your time.
Isabella Wolf.

Anonymous said...

True to form, I will reiterate my prior statement from my original post: " Members of the main group of the Counter Earth grid act like a bunch of high school delinquents when they are confronted about their behavior in a rational manner. They continually talk about others from Second Life when they feel they have not been able to "recruit" you to their side."

My reasoning for being anonymous is quite simple, I do not trust a darn one of you because a number of you have not shown to be trustworthy in any aspect of the word. Especially not the Admin's. There's this thing you're supposed to do when you appoint people to a "hierarchy", term used loosely, and that is to make sure you know what you're putting into effect by taking a look at their history. There are people there that claim to be lifestyle that have never even owned property offline and cannot control their own vices, much less guide someone else.

I just happen to be the person that managed to speak up about what goes on. Some of the points that were made were redundant and already known. Even though Second Life Gor has its issues, why trade those issues only to have the same issue, then multiply that to a higher power? Who would want that type of aggravation. Well, the ones that would want that type of aggravation are likely those that contributed to it and have burned their bridges and now have another platform to do the same. Birds of a feather, flock together. It doesn't have anything to do with community, it has to do with vindicating one another.

But, as they say, don't feed the trolls, I've done enough giving them snacks and this will be my final post on the matter. From the person behind the avatar, I don't have to respect any of you because the respect is not mutual in any regards for those behind the keyboard. Specifically to those that attempted to do what I said in the original post, as good ol' Star-Lord did in Guardian's of the Galaxy, I'm cranking slowly with a middle finger coming up, except I know how this machine works.

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, I think I recognize that style of writing, lol. As they say, "Hell hath no fury...."

Jesi said...

So easy to make scornful hateful comments about someone or a place when they hide behind the term "anonymous". As I said, someone who did not get their way and now they're crying. If you feel so strongly maybe you should have signed your name and stood behind your words. Also, look at the comments you are the only one whining. Its a purely voluntary thing for anyone there, if you don't want to be there then don't be there plain and simple. Otherwise you're just a troll.

Anonymous said...

Corthidian

Tell me ms anonymous, are you happy with the attention? Do you really think anything you have said really made a difference?? do you think you have accomplished anything other than making yourself look like a whining pms'ing teenager? Well, if you think so, you are delusional.
Simply said, you don't like the grid, then don't come there. and Stop posting on its Blog.
You speak of temper tantrums.. yet the only person I see throwing one is you. that said.. please put away your middle finger..No one is interested in your sex toys.

Anonymous said...

Not the anonymous from above...
I have been trying to get into CounterEarth Grid for the past few days now, but it appears the grid has been down and there is no way to determine if this is permanent or temporary. I hate to leave a comment in a blog to get info, but here I am doing just that. What is happening with Counter Earth Grid ? Is it gone ?

Anonymous said...

Replying to the last post asking if Counterearth is down. Since I posted it, I wanted to send an update so as not to confuse anyone. Counter earth is back online, the owners just needed to fix a few things. I am happy to get back to it.