Brainstorming Thread: How to Make SL Less Chaotic

If you want to really encourage it in your area, host some "Yard Competitions," with great prizes. Then pick a theme for people to build upon, kinda like in a parade or some such thing. This encourages a feeling of harmony while still allowing for creativity. Say pick some catagories of winners, like "Most Original Use of Theme."

Do it for ONE sim and change the theme every time you run a competition.

Not a bad idea. I also like the idea of changing it frequently, to keep things fresh.

Olympia,

The contrast among builds that I notice most when I'm flying around isn't between specific styles, but between the presence or absence of a careful visual design. There are areas full of builds with careful and detailed visual design whose architectural styles don't fit with each other, but the overall effect to me is harmonious. In contrast, there are areas that have a lot of hastily thrown together builds, plywood textures, or seeming experiments, and it feels like visual cacaphony.

I also find that areas of repetitious style can be unpleasing, for instance where there are a number of identical prefabs or places for rent. I know this is an established concept in art, but I can't remember it. I mean the idea that a graphic design can benefit from a balance of order and ... less order. Maybe an artist type can help us out with an explanation.

Another thing I notice is density. The more dense areas are with builds, the more a jumbled mess they seem. I assume that's partly just because things clash more when they're close together. But I also wonder if the less dense areas aren't dominated by older residents; people with larger parcels, more experience at building or more money to spend on a professional builder.

Regarding roads and paths, I don't picture things changing much as long as we can fly.

Sorry I don't have any suggestions right now, I was just throwing out some observations about the situation.

This is kind of like asking someone why they like the color green over purple. It's just a matter of taste.

Personally, I prefer order over chaos, in SL and real life. I'm the kind of person who can't concentrate if I'm surrounded by clutter, I hate it.

I'd love to see more new sims with some kind of theme going. That's up to us though, LL won't be pushing us in any direction. And even if, Camille, players went ahead and organized a few sims, I doubt it would have any affect on 99% of the rest of the grid as it requires alot of effort and cooperation from your neighbours. Most people just aren't up for that kind of challenge.

That's a good point.


Yes, repetion without variation is boring. While a good designer (and I'm not claiming to be one) incoperates some degree of repetiton (or order, or balance) to their work, they also apply variation, contrast, and diverse elements.

Yes, any input from the pros (about repetition, order, variation and other design elements?)

No worries. I solicited brainstorming and observations, not tidy solutions. Thanks for your input

I think most people won't mind a Parthenon, or THE Parthenon if it builds to the property line.

In Ansheland, there's a rule you can't build right up against the property line. You are supposed to go a certain formulaic distance away from the property line, inversely proportionate to the height of the building was it? I'm never quite sure how this works, and it changed, I think. People are confused about it, and some violate it with impunity and some people complain about it.

Next to my lot in Ak'sha, where I have a giant cactus commissioned by Satu Moreau (you have to see this!) and some of those marvelous Moroccan buildings by Eva Virgo, there's a guy with an elaborate house that sort of cascades down the mountainside into the desert. He's built right smack dab on the property line. But who cares? His build is gorgeous. He adds to the neighborhood. I don't have anything I need to do right at my property line...a cactus looks better away from the property line, as does a Moroccan pavilion. So, he's impacted my enjoyment of my lot in some hypothetical way under Anshe's rules, but so what? I'm not going to complain because he looks good, and most people would agree he looks good. If he can use something right up to the property line, let him, because I can't.

I find people who hate others building right up on the property line are the first to do this themselves with absolutely no self-awareness. I marvel at it.

If this neighbour of mine made a big black club with spinning ugly cubes and lights, well, then I might try to get him taken down because he technically violates Anshe's rule on both club grounds and on property-line grounds.

The Lindens sure as hell couldn't be expected to enforce no-property-line building in the game -- how are they going to do that?

So we only have social decorum and good practices here. I think it's rude to build all the way to the property line -- it's fucking aggressive. When a tenant does this over whom I have some modicum of control, I try to politely suggest that they move their house a bit and put in some trees -- let's just try to space out these lots, shall we? But if their build looks good, if it seems like no one is finding it intrusive and it doesn't block the view, it may not be worth intervening. This is a subjective matter. And a build that is big and high isn't going to help your eyesight that much by technically coming in a few 16m squares anyway.

I can see on land you have some partial control, having tenants, renters, etc. follow an overall design plan if that is what you want. But in the general wilds of SL, I see it as a bad idea.

Maybe the Lindens should make everyone take a test before joining?

Depending on their skill at design they would get relegated to specific sims - chaotic, hodge-podge, plain, boring, clones.

The more skilled at design you are the more you'd be required to join a sim of like-minded people so that you wouldn't break up the monotony...

We have roads in Azure Islands. I walk on them.

I feel kinda stupid doing that, but on the other hand, I feel kinda brilliant doing that.

coco

I'm amazed that you just called Seacliffe boring, clone-like and monotonous. WOW. Have you been there?

Or was this whole post all sarcasm?

it was major sarcasm.....

though I do like many of the themed communities in SL, I would hate to see all or most become themed. I do like the unregulated, chaotic wilds of SL much better.

You know...if LL booted all users from the grid, except for myself and say..oh..20 females hand picked by me to serve my every need, SL would be much less chaotic.

Was this the kind of brainstorming you were looking for?

I am not for the planned community thing but some simple realistic zoning would be nice. New Sims could be zoned 40% Residental, 30% Entertainment, 30% Retail. It would be nice and roads or rivers could be used as boundries or not.

I would at least like to see some space sims created so that people who want to have space ships and space like builds (which seems to be alot of players) could have an appropriate looking area to build in. Space stuff on rolling green hills looks odd to me. Especially with a newbie cabin next door or a spanish villa with a hot tub.

What sort of tryouts do you have? Where do I sign up?

Cindy

Sure some sims like this would be nice.
But its a virtual world - to me, the idea that we have 'trees' and 'grass' in it at all is silly.

I kind of LIKE the jumble for the most part and i would not want to see a "tidy" SL, on the other hand, I agree that a *little* help might be nice.

IMO it comes down to one word.
ZONING

I cant think of any civilised area, especaily urban areas, that I have ever heard of that doesnt use some sort of zoning concept, except perhaps Second Life.

I think the Lindens in their Laissez-faire way like to think that some sort of "natural" sorting out will happen but it seems unlikely to me.

Even a couple of basic divisions like "Commercial" versus "Residential" would improve things immensely. It does not have to interfere with anyones freedom in any big way. Just a scattering of common-sense zones, a few guidelines.

I am not sure why this is not done ut perhaps it is something i dont see.