Revived 3rd Rock Grid growing, building community – Hypergrid Business

third Rock Grid. (Picture courtesy Terry Ford.)

3rd Rock Grid, one of many oldest grids in OpenSim, is as much as 26 named areas a month after its unique founder, Terry Ford, introduced it again on-line, however nonetheless has no date set for its official grand reopening.

As of this morning, the grid has 51 registered avatars, with 68 guests over the previous 30 days, in keeping with its grid statistics page. Its whole land space is equal to 141 normal areas.

That’s up from the three areas — Welcome, Hunter, and Our City — that had been on-line when the grid came back in July.

Hypergrid handle: grid.3rdrockgrid.com:8002

Terry Ford

“We’re nonetheless very a lot within the rebuilding stage proper now and haven’t introduced an official grand reopening date but,” Ford instructed Hypergrid Enterprise. “Relatively than merely making an attempt to deliver the previous grid again on-line much like the way it was, we’re taking the chance to rebuild and increase fairly a little bit of it.”

New areas below development embrace the grid’s Rock -N- Roll Metropolis, seashore and island areas, an industrial and warehouse district, neighborhoods, music-themed areas, medieval areas, and a few science fiction areas, he mentioned. Some are additional alongside than others.

Ford, recognized in-world as Butch Arnold, initially based third Rock Grid in 2007.

After stepping again from operating third Rock Grid for private causes, it was taken over by a non-profit which finally shut the grid down in 2024. Lots of its residents moved to ZetaWorlds.

Ford additionally runs DigiWorldz, a separate OpenSim grid, which he has mentioned will proceed because it at all times has.

third Rock Grid. (Picture courtesy Terry Ford.)

Recreating and restoring

Ford can also be rebuilding the grid’s free content material library from scratch, together with female and male mesh avatars, clothes, skins, and hair, in order that new residents have one thing to work with after they arrive, he mentioned.

Ford additionally has 196 area backups from the grid’s 2021 change of possession, however said in July that he wouldn’t use them with out permission from the earlier homeowners.

“Just a few previous customers have requested in regards to the previous backups, and I’ve directed them to ask for permission to make use of them,” Ford mentioned, “however I’ve not been supplied with permission to make use of any of the previous content material but.”

The grid is now searching for builders, landscapers, mesh creators, photographers, content material creators, entertainers, membership and occasion organizers, promoters, group recruiters, and folks to assist with its social media presence, Ford mentioned.

“I don’t actually take a look at this as merely recruiting volunteers to do work for the grid,” he mentioned. “I’d a lot relatively construct a group of people that get pleasure from OpenSim and would love the chance to contribute their skills, concepts, and creativity towards deciding what third Rock Grid turns into.”

Anybody can e mail him at [email protected].

Two workers roles are already stuffed, in keeping with the grid’s team page. Jericho Rain is grid supervisor, and Tinsel Silvera, who first joined the grid in the summertime of 2008, is assistant grid supervisor. A group liaison place is open.

Retailers and occasions are additional out. Ford mentioned he has had a couple of conversations with retailers however isn’t pushing recruitment whereas the business areas are nonetheless being constructed, and there’s no occasion schedule but, although reside music and group occasions can be a part of the grid once more.

“There’s a variety of historical past behind third Rock Grid, however I don’t need the rebuilt third Rock Grid to exist merely due to its historical past,” Ford mentioned. “The purpose is to take what was good about third Rock Grid, construct on it, modernize the place we are able to, and create a spot folks really need to be a part of once more.”

Land pricing isn’t absolutely posted but. The grid’s land page lists one reside choice — a 16,000-prim area for $8 a month — and the remainder of the value desk continues to be placeholder textual content.