Discussion: hangout places?

Let's pretend I was developing an area, a wide area, filled with apartments, office space, walkways, benches, parks, and so on.

What would compel you to come there, hang out, and have a good time?

Specifically, I'm looking for spaces you'd be interested in hanging in... bars, clubs, parks, coffee houses, libraries, alleyways, things like that.

LF

Awesome objective LF, you never fail to amaze me. Some kind of games and activities would keep things interesting. Something simple and common like pool where there is always someone hanging out ready to play.

I've been trying to ask those same questions of myself whenever I start hanging out somewhere in SL often.

It's a hard thing to quantify as I find it depends a lot on the social networks of a given space as much as the space itself. It's a very inter-related and inter-changable thing.

It probably sounds a little vague and might not help much, but I hope you get your answers.

No ceilings or significant barriers to movement would help a lot. Low prim is nice too.

Objects which communicate ideas that are timeless, I guess. For example, I like a natural setting - trees, rocks, water .. birds.

Things to push and do things;

interactivity.

I got the exact opposite opinion as Blaze. I'd want someplace with no fly and realistic arcitecture. I love walking around and looking all about. Of course I feel I'm one of the few people who enjoys stuff like this.

I'm a SL hermit though, so I oppose my opinion doesn't mean much.

Something consistent: I loved Olde London because you couldn't fly, but it was reasonable that you couldn't. It added to the experience for me. But if you want a 'fast food' type venue then maximum throughput, open spaces, no roofs. Consistency as well, if you have a library, don't have a massive dance club on the back. If you have a pool hall, don't build a church next to it.

Attractive: OK this is always going to be hard, and you won't please everyone, but some green space would be nice. Maybe seats so you can sit and chat too if you have parkland rather then just odd trees. Something that isn't big slabs of the same texture. Although I build initially that way I break up the walls with plants, designs, interesing shapes etc., or at least I try to.

The X factor: This one is really, really intangible. I generally hate clubbing, but there are one or two clubs that I enjoy. What makes them different? I'm not sure, but there is something about them. What makes me go back time and again to one vendor's shop, but ignore another's after one or two visits? Again I don't know. But this is, I think what you want the answer to, and my guess is that any of the things you've mentioned could be right, but until we see how you implement them, who knows.

I like no fly zones / mouselook areas as well. But make up your mind and do one or the other.

Ceilings and walls just make absolutely no sense when you can fly and camera views are twitching all around.

An autokicker to keep less than 15 avs in a space. Maybe rank it on some factor of who visits the most, got to keep the dedicated ones

Other than that...I'd have to think about it.

Games that don't need hosts to play. Darts, pool, something like that, even something similar to Prim Attack, which I spent more time on than I care to admit. The games that can be played by a single av would probably be the best to draw people there. It gives them something to go do when they're bored, and 1 person people there will possibly attract more.

Non-intrusive music. Finding a style that a majority agree on or can tolerate is a challenge in itself. (Some people love techno. It's a sure fire way to make me teleport elsewhere.) Some kind of background sound that sparks conversation, whether it be about music, current events, gossip, or anything, would also be nice.

Enough room to move around, and to be able to freely move your camera. Details are nice, but not so much you get stuck on them and snag your sweater every time you try to turn around.

If it's an entertainment spot.. something different. Everyone has seen Club Black Marble And Particle Dancefloor. I'd like a nice pub, or biergarten, or a lounge, though of course that's just me.

Low lag. I realize any place that has people lingering will get some lag, but not building it out of 2,000 shiny light prims with 512 textures will probably help a bit. Any help is good.

lol Jonquille... apart from the lack of games... have you been to stonehenge lately?

One important thing above all this:

Try to build and script it to keep lag low!!!!!

If you do this, they will come...

To be fair, "techno" is such a broad umbrella term that covers such a diverse array of TECHNOlogically-based music. But I know what you mean -- the really repetitive, droney stuff without a melody, right?

BTW I got your watermelon argyle sweater. Nice.


And oh... I'm drawn to a place often because of who already hangs out there.

The people really help make it for me. Hey, if I'm there to be social, I've gotta socialize, right?

If someone built something that looked like Joy Blue in Chicago, I'd hang there. They've got a great design aesthetic going on. Check the gallery.

I've always been partial to clubs with casinos inside them.



In seriousness, I like wide open spaces, and prefer places in SL without a roof. Given SL's camera angle... and that fact we don't need to worry about umbrellas... it always feels more wide open and less claustraphobic to go with a wide open space.

I'm also pro-bar, but in the "Let's sit and have a chat" feel, not the club feel.

-Flip

Two words.

FRISBEE

GOLF!

Arti

Two more words:

More puppets!

Wait, that has nothing to do with this thread.

I'm doing the same thing, milord, in Oberstdorf. Except I'm making themed parcels so you can hangout with friends in a church that's now a punk squat, or in a geek/techno build, or in a horror themed house, or a melow park... etc. I get bored too easily to stick with one theme ;)

Curious that you should bring this up as I'd been thinking about the same thing recently. There is something special about the Ahern/Moriss welcome area aside from being a place to harrass newbies. You declare by your presence there that you are interested in unstructured open chat. I know of no other place where such an implicit declaration is made. In essence, the welcome area is like a 24 hour no-host chat (remember those?) with Lee Linden occasionally hovering.

More such places need to be established, but the same implied declaration has to be made: I am interested in chat about nothing, and I am not scripting or building, I just wanna be social. There are unattended cafes aplenty so it is not for lack of spaces. The closest I've seen has been the courtyard in Mistress Midnight's shopping district but it is a distant second in draw.

If I knew how to do this properly I would have done so already and won all the dwelloper awards simultaneously . Alas, I don't know how to make that part of the "draw". I don't think you need stuff so much as an attitude or "vibe".

To clarify on the techno music.. just about anything using mostly synth, and almost all techno I've heard played (over and over and over) in SL. Just not my thing. Your mileage may vary. No doubt my music would make some people projectile vomit.

And I'm glad you like the sweater.

(Threadjacking over)

I like being about to plop things out from my inventory to show people, so I think a good hang out spot would be able to accomodate this. Sometimes its nice to be somewhere chatting with friends and tinkering on some little project at the same time. I hate getting the message: "owner of this land does not permit object creation". Or whatever that message is.

Thanks all for the suggestions.

To narrow it down a bit further, what would make an attractive, say, bar/pub to you? Do you want a lot of chairs, tables? Do you need free drinks to have? Good music? Darts?

What sort of park interests you? Do you like a lot of trees, wildlife, maybe fishing?

Would you attend low-key, interesting events in these areas if they were hosted on a regular basis? (poetry readings, bad poetry contests, building contests, other social games that don't require a dance script and a skimpy dress)

Would it turn you off to this area if it was rated PG (not my choice, but eh)?

I agree; it is a good place to chat because there is no "goal" in mind, just good conversation.

I suggest: lots of places to sit, lots of trees, some brick pathways, observation decks (with more places to sit). I once saw a laundromat in Midnight City and laughed my ass off. I vote an easy, San Francisco feel.

Oh and an art gallery would always be great.

To narrow it down a bit further, what would make an attractive, say, bar/pub to you?

Open roof to fly in, long tables, magazines to read, rezzing space. We don't drink in SL.

Do you want a lot of chairs, tables?

No, perches would be fine. We're avian creatures, not humans.

Do you need free drinks to have? Good music? Darts?

Like I said, we don't drink. Music, yes, and changeable. Darts? Um, if we have the physics for that, but a pool table would be better.

What sort of park interests you? Do you like a lot of trees, wildlife, maybe fishing?

All of these, but not Ben Linden's bird-diving game it's too hard even though Torley got like 450 on it, WTG Torley.

Would you attend low-key, interesting events in these areas if they were hosted on a regular basis? (poetry readings, bad poetry contests, building contests, other social games that don't require a dance script and a skimpy dress)

Absolutely.

Would it turn you off to this area if it was rated PG (not my choice, but eh)?[/QUOTE]

Nope

Building contests would be fun. Although I personally don't have time to build alot of houses and things, this might be great for a few ppl I know. I'd participate in smaller building contests like furniture or.. sculpting maybe.

I like trivia too.

Yes, trees are essential.

PG... Mature... pfft. Makes no difference to me.

Unfortunately, people don't go to building contests. The last I ran (last Wednesday) I had 3 contestants. I'm trying again this week, also on Wednesday, but if I don't get enough folks to make it worth my while, then I'll have to stop.

Probably not enough scantilly clad women, escorts and money-balls there to attract people. I mean, a bunch of prims don't do it for some.