SUGGESTION: How about a large SL park?

Not so much a feature, but a real need. Lindens build special places for newbies -- how about a special peaceful place (several sims) for residents, owned only by Linden Labs, that is a giant, beautiful park? No ban lines, no skyboxes, no vendors, no griefing, no sex or violence, no sandboxes, very few buildings, really nice waterways for boating, nice trails for walking or riding, a few roads for motoring, open skyways for flying, interesting terrain and gorgeous scenery to enjoy, outdoor adventures to explore, special themes to experience. Open it up to creative residents that will donate time and talent or landscape objects to create an incredible park for all to enjoy -- an SL Disneyland (LindenLand) There are a few such places now, privately owned, but this one could have a special permanent menu landmark. I suppose a small fee to enter could help defray server costs.

The Forest of Kahruvel does all that - it's a lovely, peaceful, yet mysterious place with acres of natural land, ruins, the Cowell fishing village, and more.

The Forest of Kahruvel is somewhat nice but does not do "all that" as you say. There are platforms and objects hanging in the sky, ban lines, vendors and commercial properties, a lot of buildings, dead airplanes stuck in the air, gray terrain with very basic plants scattered about, only a two-lane road but not meandering trails to walk or ride, and a lot of inaccessible areas. It keeps open the ability to grief or display violence and it's not very green but has rocky cliffs that are not very easy to navigate. The Forest of Kahruvel is -- well -- just like the rest of Second Life, for the most part.

If you look at the Straylight or Midnight Reflections regions (they've done a great job), their idea is much closer to what I was speaking of, but the point is that a Linden owned park area dedicated to natural settings would not have property for sale or other commercial sales happening. It also would not be subject to change of ownership that could alter its intent over time. It could be given its own special landmark under the World menu that would make it easy to find for all.

Perhaps it's time for Linden Labs to make a very positive contribution to its residents -- a dedicated, multi-sim, natural, colorful and imaginative region. I think residents would love to see a large, unusual park with lots of waterfalls, caverns, trails, majestic vistas, unique vegetation, animals, romantic alcoves, lush coverage, special tours and visually stunning areas to explore and discover. Not a privately owned entity -- it would be Linden Labs' contribution to its SL residents of a natural, beautiful refuge for their enjoyment.

I invite other residents reading this forum to look at each region mentioned (Forest of Kahruvel, Straylight and Midnight Reflections) and make their own comments about what they find and what they might like to see.

But there are numerous private places similar to the idea you're suggesting. Several have been around for a long time, and don't seem likely to go away in the forseeable future. Other than Welcome areas, LL haven't rreally provided any content for a long time. The DPW may be changing that, but I don't see them making a great effort to provide something that is pretty much available already. I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just can't see why LL would be into it.

I like a little bit of unique Linden content scattered through the world - it helps us to have some places in common, to share some knowledge. I don't want them to start getting into the content business, though. The thing that sets SL apart, and far above, other worlds is that we are the creators here.

I think if a controlled environment is what you want then other worlds do that better. For freedom, this is the place.

Yes there are private areas that already offer similar environments and seem to be staying around. They are private and don't HAVE to stay around -- and may not, in the long term. Making a LL-sponsored place would only assure that several sims are dedicated to such a park. The content would still be created by residents with building experience who donate time, scripting, design and objects to create a permanent area that is accessible through the main menu instead of just another landmark. Their items would bear their owner name in the properties dialog -- that allows visitors to see their work and perhaps find their storefront through their profile. Some of the best of all ideas and landscapes could be incorporated to make a beautiful common area that is not "owned" by anyone but by all. A "Central Park" for SL, as it were. A commons. There are special places in SL for newbies -- this would be for everyone. LL would not have to "design" it --- just donate the sims. The reason they'd want to do it? Because they get a lot FROM residents and should share something back that they DON'T make money off of. Call it appreciation.

You say that like you think they don't provide any community places/events.

I think it would be a great idea to have a Linden owned, PG area to just enjoy SL. A few sims dedicated to a nice park wouldn't mean anything else in SL would have to be controlled. It would be a place for the newbies to get an idea of SL's potential, and for the rest of us to soak up a little peace and quiet. What's wrong with that?

I rather like the idea. Then, I also think we badly (as much as I hate the concept in real life) need something like neighborhood comities to set regulations of what sort of stuff should be allowed to be built. I don't mind sky boxes, save that they muck up flight, but when the damn thing looks like someone rubbed a peacock all over the side of it, and its *visible* from ground level on my own land... that its just a bit too much. It would be nice of mainland areas had some "theme" to them, not just the areas people have to pay huge chunks of cash to keep, and the signs, for sales, rent, etc. where a lot less obnoxious, and that's just the start of what bugs me about a lot of SL. The other issue is actual lack of connectivity between most parts, which makes it hard to explore, unless you pull up a map and teleport randomly, or you have some idea what you want, and don't mind teleporting to 10 places that are "not" what you where looking for, before finding it.

So, yeah, some place you can explore, relax in, etc., with a cohesive environment, and, at most, maybe a sign like you see in a park, sticking up under a tree on the trail, which says something like, "Grunk Sorick's Aspen" (made up, to illustrate the point), and gives you a landmark if clicked, for the guys shop, but that is ***all*** it does, would be kind of nice. Let the only signage be like a botanical garden, showing the origin of the item, one sign only, on the most obvious example on a trail, no more than 1-2 unobtrusive signs every 10 meters, etc, even for bridges, or other items, where its appropriate to have them. Not a 6 foot tall by 10 foot wide sign every 3 meters that says, "Buy these trees at Annoying Joes!!" lol