Next theme teaser (after the stilts!)

[Raspberry Crystal]

17 hours ago, Sylvia Tamalyn said:

I think you misunderstand me. The entire premise of SL, from the start, was "Your World, Your Imagination". That has been the slogan, off and on, of the game for many years, and as far as I know, was meant for all residents, not just those with modeling skills sufficient to recreate RL here. It's why SL is full of wonderful, imaginative creatures such as fairies. Even Governor Linden goes around in a hamster avatar!

My point is that insisting that things be precisely as they are in RL is contradictory to the vision that Philip Rosedale had for the world he was creating. I suppose people whose outlooks are a bit more rigid probably don't like the wild wild west of Mainland, either... but I do. 

I am enjoying these new homes for what they are, not for what they are not.  

I've always assumed that you must derender a lot of stuff, because you've mentioned it frequently before, especially as a solution to problems others may be having with neighbours. Maybe that assumption was incorrect and you really do embrace the chaos!
I easily get overwhelmed with too much contradiction, low slung floating plywood platforms, glow in the dark trees, square patches of ground snow in an otherwise green neighbourhood.
I theorise the reason that you are not finding the newly revealed theme puzzling, is because you share a culture with its creator, you understand the editing. 
You will not be eating your breakfast wearing a frown and wondering who did the marketing exercise that made such a strong association between half-timbered buildings and Bavaria that it led to a theme park being built in Georgia USA (there are a lot of places in Europe with half timbered buildings..why Bavaria..and if Bavaria why not their more unique buildings?)
To me it is a strange and arbitrary as someone making 'american mail-box world' in say, Coventry UK, completely modelled on some random spot in , say Idaho, and then if a mail box is seen in second life, the comments would be 'ooh it's just like Idaho'.
Part of the fascination, and opportunity of second life is in seeing things, the world, people, through the lens of their creations or style choices, and in attempting to see the world through another's eyes.
It seems we have more opportunities to understand the culture of the USA through this theme, than the culture of Bavaria. I could understand a Bavarian being a bit miffed at that. For myself, I will most likely learn something and alter my own world view to fit the new information. Patch himself remains a huge puzzle, he would maybe think the same if he ever thought of me, which I doubt

[Marianne Little]

12 hours ago, Abnor Mole said:

The content packs for the old linden homes were only in a central locations. Putting them in the mailboxes makes it more convenient for residents living in those homes, but it means delivering the packs from a server. Limiting them to the mailboxes for that theme prevents the delivery server from being spammed and overloaded with requests from residents other than those living in those homes. 

But I want you to clarify: If the mailboxes had all the content packs for different themes, would that mean the server is overloaded and spammed?

You have the statistics. What is the first people do when they decide to keep the home, is it going in the mailbox to get the content pack? I get the impression that many owns a Linden home for months, leaves it because they can't afford Premium or they are looking for more prims, and they never took the content pack. They did not know it was there.

So I wonder, when is this overload of servers happening? The Log Home releases was perhaps the biggest one. Did thousands of people get their content pack at the same time? So the server was overloaded?

[Marianne Little]

8 hours ago, Nika Talaj said:

............ snip.....

I sent my alt to look them over again.  She's tall, an old avie that is over 2M.  Look at how BIG these windowboxes are!  Everyone is a child standing next to these!  The windows are so lovely and large.  I would be tempted to add mullions.

 

I did not see how big the window boxes are! I did not stand next to them and compare them with myself (180 cm and often in flat shoes, so I appear smaller) ... 👀

These houses and rooms are so big. I thought the windows was small, because of the room size. 2 m tall windows feels small....

We have come a long way from the layout in Continental and Alderley.

In fact, I was wondering if I can make these big rooms feel cozy. Maybe it is the cool, light palette that makes them look so big. I managed to fill the Hardy so no corner was empty... lol. But there I used dark wall colors.

 

[Milk Pixelmaid]

It would just be nice if all premium members could access a location to get the content pack. Or all residents with Bellisseria homes, if LL can distinguish servers between non-homeowners and homeowners. You can't link items or decorate quite easily if your alt owns certain objects, just because they own the house and have access to the content pack.

[Matthieu Quander]

4 hours ago, Raspberry Crystal said:

I like the Eidelweiss best too, because it is the model which looks most like the 1930s mock tudor houses which I remember from my childhood (in the uk)!

What does the word *chalet* mean in American English? Is it just another word for house?
I would think of a chalet style house like this below so the name is quite confusing. The new theme look like 'half timbered houses' to me (which even more confusingly literally describes the chalet below!)

While there are often differences in word meaning, spelling, or pronunciation between UK and US English, this is not one of those times.  American chalets are most common in mountainous areas that experience an abundance of seasonal snow, and more closely resemble the SL log homes than the newly unveiled theme, which to me screams Tudor.  

That said, I doubt the name of the homes is going to impact anyone's enjoyment of them.  

Edited December 6, 2020 by Matthieu Quander
Typing is hard.

[Frigga Freidman]

14 minutes ago, Milk Pixelmaid said:

It would just be nice if all premium members could access a location to get the content pack. Or all residents with Bellisseria homes, if LL can distinguish servers between non-homeowners and homeowners. You can't link items or decorate quite easily if your alt owns certain objects, just because they own the house and have access to the content pack.

.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Frigga Freidman
Tried to delete comment as it's been addressed earlier in thread.

[Matthieu Quander]

2 minutes ago, Frigga Freidman said:

Having never seen more than two other avis at the Premium Gift dispensers, I don't understand why the content packs can't be made available via them as well as via the mailboxes.

It would be nice to have other options.  I'm sure there is a good reason why they don't do it that way, but I always thought having a mole store on the MP would be a convenient way to distribute premium content.  

I find it useful to have all of the content packs, regardless of which theme I am currently occupying, as some are more complete than others, and in many instances, textures for one work well with another.  I recently spent a couple of days grabbing homes from each theme in order to make sure I have the latest of each.  It's not that big of a deal, but it would be much easier if they were all available from a single location.

[Frigga Freidman]

6 minutes ago, Matthieu Quander said:

It would be nice to have other options.  I'm sure there is a good reason why they don't do it that way, but I always thought having a mole store on the MP would be a convenient way to distribute premium content.  

I find it useful to have all of the content packs, regardless of which theme I am currently occupying, as some are more complete than others, and in many instances, textures for one work well with another.  I recently spent a couple of days grabbing homes from each theme in order to make sure I have the latest of each.  It's not that big of a deal, but it would be much easier if they were all available from a single location.

An up-to-date mole store would be great!  I recently stumbled upon one in-world with a handful of items circa 2009. (Having just seen Abnor's comment about the content packs earlier in this thread, I edited out my comment just as you responded to it.)

Edited December 6, 2020 by Frigga Freidman

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

5 hours ago, Raspberry Crystal said:

I've always assumed that you must derender a lot of stuff, because you've mentioned it frequently before, especially as a solution to problems others may be having with neighbours. Maybe that assumption was incorrect and you really do embrace the chaos!
I easily get overwhelmed with too much contradiction, low slung floating plywood platforms, glow in the dark trees, square patches of ground snow in an otherwise green neighbourhood.
I theorise the reason that you are not finding the newly revealed theme puzzling, is because you share a culture with its creator, you understand the editing. 
You will not be eating your breakfast wearing a frown and wondering who did the marketing exercise that made such a strong association between half-timbered buildings and Bavaria that it led to a theme park being built in Georgia USA (there are a lot of places in Europe with half timbered buildings..why Bavaria..and if Bavaria why not their more unique buildings?)
To me it is a strange and arbitrary as someone making 'american mail-box world' in say, Coventry UK, completely modelled on some random spot in , say Idaho, and then if a mail box is seen in second life, the comments would be 'ooh it's just like Idaho'.
Part of the fascination, and opportunity of second life is in seeing things, the world, people, through the lens of their creations or style choices, and in attempting to see the world through another's eyes.
It seems we have more opportunities to understand the culture of the USA through this theme, than the culture of Bavaria. I could understand a Bavarian being a bit miffed at that. For myself, I will most likely learn something and alter my own world view to fit the new information. Patch himself remains a huge puzzle, he would maybe think the same if he ever thought of me, which I doubt

Actually, I very seldom derender things! I am just aware that the tool is there for us to use. Floating plywood platforms do get derendered though, as do square patches of snow. Even I have some limits! lol

But I think you don't understand me about the new homes still. For me, the appeal has nothing to do with culture, and I don't really expect to find faithful representations of ANY culture in SL. That is where imagination comes in. It's like artistic expression. People can make their own vision of things which may not be 100% perfect by RL standards, but still be lovely. Why insist upon exact representations of RL in SL? If one wants to see RL, one can just look out the RL front door. This is a place for creativity, after all!

If someone wants to come in and make a totally creative (and factually inaccurate) display that is their vision of the USA, I am all for it. I feel certain that has already happened in SL and if I run across it, I won't be offended in the slightest. Maybe the real difference here is that I have an art degree in RL and I love to see imaginative work... and I think history is boring. 😂

 

[Morena Tully]

I'm just hoping the demo region is meant to show what houses are coming, and not what the surrounding theme will look like. When I think of chalet, I think of homes in the mountains. I'll save judgement for when they're actually released. There's so much potential, and usually what the region looks like means more than the house itself, as any hopper can tell you.

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

3 minutes ago, Morena Tully said:

I'm just hoping the demo region is meant to show what houses are coming, and not what the surrounding theme will look like. When I think of chalet, I think of homes in the mountains. I'll save judgement for when they're actually released. There's so much potential, and usually what the region looks like means more than the house itself, as any hopper can tell you.

I think that the demo for the log homes was pretty bleak (or that's how I recall it) in comparison to the actual regions, so I'm hoping the same is true for the chalets. I'm looking forward to seeing the actual chalet regions and their terraforming and landscaping because I agree, that can make a huge difference in whether I like a theme or not. 

[Tamara Adored]

22 minutes ago, Morena Tully said:

I'm just hoping the demo region is meant to show what houses are coming, and not what the surrounding theme will look like. When I think of chalet, I think of homes in the mountains. I'll save judgement for when they're actually released. There's so much potential, and usually what the region looks like means more than the house itself, as any hopper can tell you.

I agree that the demo area looks bleak but I’m thinking there may be snow involved once they are built. Very steep rooftops, the window boxes etc gives me an Alps vibe.

[Milk Pixelmaid]

If I recall correctly, the demo region for the Victorian and Log homes became actual regions. So... we will have to assume that the demo is the showcase of what's to come. I'm not expecting anything more or less.

[Blush Bravin]

15 minutes ago, Milk Pixelmaid said:

If I recall correctly, the demo region for the Victorian and Log homes became actual regions. So... we will have to assume that the demo is the showcase of what's to come. I'm not expecting anything more or less.

The only demo that was an actual region was the first demo of the Trads and Houseboats. The Campers, Vics, and Log Home demos didn't have the same number of homes you'd find in an actual Belli region. If I remember correctly the Vics only had 8 homes in the demo region. So who knows. This demo does have the normally expected number of homes. So I guess we'll all have to wait and see. None of us have a crystal ball.

[Milk Pixelmaid]

Vic demo region was Bartlesmoor

[Blush Bravin]

8 minutes ago, Milk Pixelmaid said:

Vic demo region was Bartlesmoor

The Vic demo region had a large pond in the center of the region. Bartlesmoor does not.

I remember that pond specifically because of the Willow and the ducks. You could hear those ducks in the demo walking in from the entrance. I loved those ducks!

Edited December 6, 2020 by Blush Bravin
added the willow and ducks

[Nika Talaj]

9 hours ago, Raspberry Crystal said:

I theorise the reason that you are not finding the newly revealed theme puzzling, is because you share a culture with its creator, you understand the editing. 
You will not be eating your breakfast wearing a frown and wondering who did the marketing exercise that made such a strong association between half-timbered buildings and Bavaria that it led to a theme park being built in Georgia USA (there are a lot of places in Europe with half timbered buildings..why Bavaria..and if Bavaria why not their more unique buildings?)
To me it is a strange and arbitrary as someone making 'american mail-box world' in say, Coventry UK, completely modelled on some random spot in , say Idaho, and then if a mail box is seen in second life, the comments would be 'ooh it's just like Idaho'.
Part of the fascination, and opportunity of second life is in seeing things, the world, people, through the lens of their creations or style choices, and in attempting to see the world through another's eyes.
It seems we have more opportunities to understand the culture of the USA through this theme, than the culture of Bavaria. I could understand a Bavarian being a bit miffed at that. For myself, I will most likely learn something and alter my own world view to fit the new information. Patch himself remains a huge puzzle, he would maybe think the same if he ever thought of me, which I doubt

In my case, I am not puzzled by the theme's architectural choices.  Not particularly because I am American, but because I have no expectation that a LH theme will be anything other than a simplified, "inspired-by" representation of any one style. (I was astounded by how well they did with the Vics).  I've never heard any Linden imply that understanding other cultures is a goal of the Linden Home program.  Patch's team is small, and rather than indulging in research to attain European verisimilitude, I wouldn't be surprised if the research were something more like:  "Hey!  It'd be nice to something with a European flavor.  People really like these alpine villages!  It wouldn't be HARD to do something like them!  Let's go have lunch in Helen and see what we can find."  The Chalets are a nod in the direction of European alpine styles, not a textbook.

I have to admit that it is totally LOL to me that you would be frowny about a small American town deciding to invigorate itself by remaking itself into an alpine tourist town.    Here we have Leavenworth, Washington - it is unabashedly mock-Bavarian, and has the advantage of being set in a genuine alpine landscape with fabulous skiing.  People love to stay there in the winter, eat a little bratwurst, drink pilsner and Rhine wine, and feed carrots to the Clydesdales that pull them around the countryside in big open sleighs stocked, predictably, with hot chocolate.  Restaurant wait staff in dirndls and lederhosen.  Lots of Bernese Mountain dogs.  They know it's pastiche, they do it all with a wink, but it's fun. And it brings dollars into a region that would otherwise be, economically speaking, a little bleak.

And as for the Idahoan mailbox-world, if such a thing happened, you can bet some guy in a garage in Twin Falls would get to work with his lathe to create a miniature golf course with that theme.  Idahoans might be so delighted at the attention from the UK that they would research the mailboxes in "Idaho-world" and hustle to install clones all over the place.

@Raspberry Crystal, I really hope you get a "chalet" and make something that pleases you with it.  I would really welcome a little education on authentic styling within the strictures of these homes!

 

 

[Blush Bravin]

I was visiting earlier when it dawned on me that one, possibly more, of the homes is ideal to separate the entry with the stairs off from the rest of the lower floor. On the side of that house is a lovely entrance that could then be used to access that lower floor, which I could turn into some kind of shop. It seems the perfect thing to do to add to the feeling of a tourist attraction. I could make the lower floor into an art gallery, a flower shop, a little cafe .. who knows .. the possibilities are endless!

I would then turn the top floor into a small apartment to "live in". I can't wait to see the open floor plans. It might even make doing this even easier. I'm excited now for the release.

[Leora Greenwood]

I am SOOO looking forward to see what bits and pieces folks will make to go with the Chalets and the Stilts! 

[Malayaa Morningstar]

1 hour ago, Leora Greenwood said:

I am SOOO looking forward to see what bits and pieces folks will make to go with the Chalets and the Stilts! 

I remember touring the Log Homes preview, and thinking that they looked kind of bland inside and difficult to furnish, then the homes were released and right away creators were offering additions and Belli peeps were showing their furnished homes and landscaped yards, and wow what a difference!  Wound up with several versions over time of warm, colorful and cozy log homes that I was very happy with.   So when I got the same feeling about the Chalets, how am I going to make these look like home, I knew not to worry    Coincidentally I found a store yesterday who sells Tudor Chalet Cottages AND windmills!  The cottages have cute stone cladding on the outside...mullioned windows...and warm beams inside.  See interior/exterior pics below for inspiration! 

 

[Milk Pixelmaid]

2 hours ago, Blush Bravin said:

I was visiting earlier when it dawned on me that one, possibly more, of the homes is ideal to separate the entry with the stairs off from the rest of the lower floor. On the side of that house is a lovely entrance that could then be used to access that lower floor, which I could turn into some kind of shop. It seems the perfect thing to do to add to the feeling of a tourist attraction. I could make the lower floor into an art gallery, a flower shop, a little cafe .. who knows .. the possibilities are endless!

I would then turn the top floor into a small apartment to "live in". I can't wait to see the open floor plans. It might even make doing this even easier. I'm excited now for the release.

I'm excited to see your add-ons for stilts and chalets. Hands down, you're the best add-on creator for LHs.

[Cinnamon Mistwood]

 Traditionals: squarish houses made of wood with siding and roofing shingles.  Manicured hedges and a few deciduous trees built side by side in neighborhoods with cement sidewalks and roads.  Not inspired by anything, but we needed an easy name for marketing purposes 

Campers: Tiny homes on tiny parcels made of wood or metal with wheels underneath making them temporary and movable.  Not inspired by anything, but we need an easy name for marketing purposes.

Victorians:  A house made of wood in pastel colors and some with turrets surrounded by perpetual spring time plants, trees and flowers with cobblestone roads and neat bridges.  Not inspired by anything.  We just needed an easy name for marketing purposes because just describing them uses too many words.

Houseboats: Tiny homes on tiny parcels that happen to float on water.  Not inspired by anything.  We just needed an easy name for marketing purposes because just describing them uses too many words.

Log homes: Houses made of wood that kinda sorta looks like 3D logs surrounded by rocks, trees and vegetation like you might find in some, but not all mountainous regions around the world. Not inspired by anything..  We just needed an easy name for marketing purposes because just describing them uses too many words.

Chalets: Beige stucco type houses with dark wood accents and flower boxes with tulips if you want them, surrounded by freshly mown grass and manicured hedges, brick sidewalks and cement roads. Not inspired by anything except our imaginations.  We just needed an easy name for marketing purposes because just describing them uses too many words.

Welcome to SecondLife.  If you become a premium member you can get a starter homes based on nothing but our imaginations, so no one can complain about authenticity.  Do you want one or not?

You also have the option of purchasing virtual land and making your very own, very authentic, themed home based on historically accurate time periods and geographical locations.  You don't HAVE to rely on our imaginations.  You have the power to create your own area here.  Fun!

[Quartz Mole]

4 hours ago, Cinnamon Mistwood said:

Houseboats: Tiny homes on tiny parcels that happen to float on water.

The houseboat parcels are all either 16 m x 64 m or (like the parcels for all the other themes other than the camper/trailers) 32 m x 32m, so no more tiny than than any other LH parcels.

The camper/trailer parcels are the small ones, 16m x 32m.

Edited December 7, 2020 by Quartz Mole

[Cinnamon Mistwood]

14 minutes ago, Quartz Mole said:

The houseboat parcels are all either 16 m x 64 m or (like the parcels for all the other themes other than the camper/trailers) 32 m x 32m, so no more tiny than than any other LH parcels.

The camper/trailer parcel are the small ones, 16m X 32m.

*correction:  Houseboats: Tiny homes on 2 different parcel shapes that happen to float on water.  😁

[LunaThyme]

7 hours ago, Malayaa said:

I remember touring the Log Homes preview, and thinking that they looked kind of bland inside and difficult to furnish, then the homes were released and right away creators were offering additions and Belli peeps were showing their furnished homes and landscaped yards, and wow what a difference!  Wound up with several versions over time of warm, colorful and cozy log homes that I was very happy with.   So when I got the same feeling about the Chalets, how am I going to make these look like home, I knew not to worry    Coincidentally I found a store yesterday who sells Tudor Chalet Cottages AND windmills!  The cottages have cute stone cladding on the outside...mullioned windows...and warm beams inside.  See interior/exterior pics below for inspiration! 

 

@Malayaa - How lovely!  Could you please tell me where the store is that sells those Tudor cottages and windmills?