Welcome to Second Life

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Just found out about the email to new residents.
Thinking about it, I reckon if they made it too nice no-one would want to leave and go out into the wider world, so I guess it's cool really.

Cute and neat are not words I would use as I drive through such places in RL, more like "how much **%@%&* more of this is there!", and "Get me out of here!".

It does remind of that article ( ::insert url here:: ) that discusses most people's inability to accept the surreal or fantastic in a virtual environment.

Welcome to Mediocre-vile!

Flight is prohibited from this point. Human avatars only. Have a safe drive.

(Please note that flight permits may be assigned to properly registered Super-Heroes and alien invasion forces that do infact have any sort of scientificly proven methods of 'hovering', 'flying' and 'death-rays'.)

I think the sim looks great. Someone get on top of building rider mowers, and other things that suburbanites buy to keep up with the Jones.

This is what it looks like where I grew up, coincidently not to far from Levittown.

Ok.

On one hand, as someone who's wanted to see planned sims for like, over a year, this is welcome news.

On the same hand, this is a great way to introduce people to SL; it's a premade community, with neighbors on the same level of SL culture as you are. There's like 50 homes there, so chances are you'll make at least some friends.

However, just to nitpick, the urban planner in me screams and screams and screams. Subdivisions (or as they've morphed into lately, "site condos" are going to be the bane of my existence in RL as long as my career exists.

But.

In SL I find this is generally a Good Thing. People love familiarity, people love being in a community from the getgo. This is a great steppingstone. They should make most First Land plots as such.

Plus, it'll make LLabs mad loot. a sim filled with 512 plots makes more money than a sim with a few 4096 plots.

LF

It is interesting to me that this sim is rated Mature.



There is a house model, one of which is at Blumfield 71 214, created by Maczter Oddfellow, owned currently by Michael LInden, which has overlapping texture flicker. This is present in a number of the houses.

People come into SL for at least one of three reasons initially.

Sex.

Money.

Socializing.

A mature sim kinda helps those along. Nothing says "howdy neighbor!" like a BDSM torture rack.

LF

OMFG!

I wonder how long before the first giant flaming penis appears in one of the back yards.

-Ghoti

I am betting on 3 days.

Ugh.

I grew up in West Hampton close enough eh lol

Wierd.

-Ayame Sapeur

ugh?

I would posit that a small plot with a house designed for said plot is a better start for the curious newbie than trying to fit a $L3000 home on a 512 plot that's in the middle of fucking nowhere.

First Land Plots currently are crowded ghettos. No foresight to 'em.

Lf

I would second Lordfly's sentiment and add that your future in SL depends a great deal on how many of all those free basic accounts you see on the first page turn into paying premium accounts. I think it would behoove us all to remember that. This promotion is one way to get more premium accounts.

I saw the area with three of the other house designers, and we wanted to live there ourselves! I plan to save up for exactly that, once people have been there long enough to begin selling their property. Looks like a fun place to me (I always loved Boardman, but of course, it's hard to find a plot there), and a good investment, too! I wonder, though, if there are any zoning regulations and if so, what they are.

coco

If people aren't willing to come in to SL and learn the simple tools well enough to make something interesting to add to the landscape quickly then they can go to Lindex and buy it. They should also buy more than a 512 since there are not enough prims on one to detail it properly.

Yea, right. All for choosing one's experience unless suitable levels of creativity are not employed. Not that we'd tell anybody what to do; we just make fun of the mediocrity over which we are clearly so superior. We will take the money the unimaginative ones are willing to spend on our products, laughing all the way to the exchange. Of Course.

I'm with Lordfly on this. I love the idea but the end result is not exactly what i was hoping for. I would have loved to have seen at least a park or some sort of gathering place. This sim could use some public spaces. Also they used the same tree over and over. There are about 30 different Linden trees available, a little variety would have been nice.

I'm somewhat optimistic about areas like this. While I'm not crazy about the suburban theme, or restrictions or zoning, it is nice to see an other option than just jumping in the unstructured mishmash we see on the main grid, or renting land on a private island. I'll be interested to see how Blumfield does...

I asked her about a park, like in Boardman, and she said that there would be one, if/when (I'm not sure about that part) the area expands.

I noticed, though, Ingrid, that the trees are all autumn looking, and it is autumn in the U.S. So I thought that was a nice touch. Then, too, there is also a need to keep things relatively uniform, so that the focus will be on the variety of the houses themselves.

It's going to be lots of fun to see how much other variety the people who move there will put into it themselves! Like, you know, "before" and "after." A very fascinating SL sociological experiment, and we can all watch it unfold.

Who wouldn't just love to pick one of those houses - for free! - and move in? It would be like moving into a movie! And you're one of the cast! A fifties movie!

coco

You would posit that. And you would be correct for those newbies that agree with you. You would be wrong for those that don't share said opinion. People like me, for instance. I didn't suggest such a thing shouldn't exist, simply that I, personally don't find it very appealing. Didn't you read all that into "ugh"?

Crowded ghettos are super. Don't knock 'em. Makes it obvious for "the curious newbie" how many different directions one can go. No angst that a disasterous build on their first attempt will blight the beautiful suburban Eden they occupy.

I applaud your desire for zoning. I'll leave you in peace in your polished RL replica. The rest of us chaos-loving, main grid schleps will watch from a distance.

Again, you assume everone finds this appealing. As you state, converting Basic to Premium is a good idea. It is also a good idea to remember that variety is the spice of life. This promotion is ONE way. My disenting opinion as to the desirability of this community is not endangering the flow of Premium account creation. Again, "ugh" does not mean "STOP THIS AWFUL PROMOTION IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE I HATE IT". It means, "I find this rather dull and unattractive".

Right, Gabe, it won't be everyone's cup of tea. And I agree, it is just ONE way. There was the other way, before - giving people one of five items to choose from (house, jetpack, trunk of clothes, etc.) for going to a premium account. And I imagine there will be other things they come up with in the future.

coco

Free means the get the prefab house and don't pay the 512 linden initial fee for the land, is that right?

Is it sellable?

Oooooh. I like your angle.

I would like to know the details as well.
Is it ethical to have your alts take over these houses?

Yeah I completely agree, something like this isn't for everyone but i think it's great to see other options being explored.

I'm still unclear as to whether or not the land owners can delete their houses and put up their own stuff. If they can, I would expect this sim to look like any other first land area in a few months. I'm also unclear if this area will actually be linden zoned, with rules enforced. Anyone have a link about the rules of the place?

The plots are for sale, not free, from what i saw. You get the house for free.

In keeping with the real world suburban model, this should be strongly encouraged if not mandatory, yet paradoxically and shamefully hidden in the basement of each cookiecutter home.