Nika Talaj

I forgot Persephone had already started a "new theme" thread

Well, I agree with your point. But I'm not sure you're thinking of the same area Sarah was talking about. That entire Southern edge of the Meds was released and claimed in the week after the Meds were released, Dec. 18th. There are no work borders, all rez zones are functional, homes are mostly decorated. Certainly most of the coast ends in a void, although Typhoon appears to have its final shape (makes sense because it has the large bridge in it), and Falkun Malti not only has its final coastline, but has 12 occupied homes. Reign de Mer also has a small corner of finished coastline. S̵a̵r̵a̵h̵ Diamond 's request was not TOTALLY absurd, but probably not worth mentioning, given that, as you say, it's early days for that whole area. Besides, the cannon is a fun way to get to the rez zone on the Ranch side.

Giving feedback to the moles about Belli is like giving feedback to the architect of a VERY large apartment complex that you live in. It's unreasonable to expect that your individual feedback will have any impact; but it's still worthwhile to publicly give the feedback, in case a LOT of residents agree. Cf. forum feedback may have contributed to the decision to add the tremendously popular treehouses to Fantasseria. [Btw, It's not impossible that another home style could be added to Fantasseria or other themes. *eyes SSP83X, SSP Conspiracy III, and QA Vault speculatively* ] I think it's considerate of Abnor to try to manage expectations; in this case he has of course neither confirmed nor denied that a rez zone will be added to Typhoon. But he has promised more development along that coast ... eventually. Meanwhile, there is an auto rez zone on the road right before the bridge to the Ranches. Or , for an easier edit to water, you are welcome to rez a smallish boat (40 or so LI) at my parcel in Reine de Mer. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Reine de Mer/243/34/29 Build is on, with of course autoreturn in a few minutes.

Long ago and far away, rez zones in Belli were so rare that Jon Ree maintained a list of them, in a set of notecards that were distributed every two weeks. As Belli grew, Jon added various other landmarks of interest ... also, rez zones became more common in newer areas. The notecards became truly unwieldy, and I think the last set may have been sent out in 2022. My alt just dropped the notecard for land rez zones in the Traditional areas on you. And you're right, there are very few! It was common during those early times for landowners to leave 35 or so LI free on their parcels and build on for everyone (with a few minutes autoreturn), so that passersby could rez a car or boat and drive away. You can find all such areas in the region you're in by using a rez zone finder gadget. She's also dropped one of those on you, courtesy of the LCC cruising club. There are a lot of those on the marketplace; this probably isn't the best one, it's just one I picked up long ago.

OMG, WHAT?? You don't remember the immense party at the cooling towers? The thread about 3 Mile Island (now known as region Permaglow) is hilarious. The towers themselves were, at that time, HUGE.

That makes sense, given your mapmaking mission, which you've been pursuing for quite some time now. The purpose of my map is different, to give newcomers to Belli a quick orientation for where they can find neighborhoods of each theme, a question I see often in Belli Citizens' chat. The Belli orientation area in BelliHub does not offer such a map, which is consistent with LL's and the moles' tendency to shy away from naming geographical features. @Abnor Mole , please feel free to distribute imy map there, as a resident-contributed navigation aid. I will also offer a mod version of the map (so that people could easily use it to show tour routes, if they so desire). [Incidentally, whoever is narrating the Bellisseria Orientation video in BelliHub pronounces it like Raspberry (and I) do, "Bell-iss-sair-ree-ahh". Every time I hear Patch's pronunciation, my little finger lifts reflexively. Haha, yes, well, I'm sure many in the BBB would not mind if residents think of them as the "Bellisseria Bureau of Bellicosity" . An enjoyment of (perhaps) ironic posh is something they seem to share with Patch. They do a lot of valuable community-building. The only objection I have to the BBB is their tendency to assume that their voice represents all Belli residents (definitely untrue), and their tendency to demonstrate a sense of ownership over all of Belli. I'm sure we'll see both of those assumptions on display, AS WELL AS their generous donations of time and energy, during Belli's anniversary celebrations. I'll update my map this week, taking into consideration some of the comments here (e.g. I will bid adieu to "Bellevaria", which IMHO is just the cleverest name ever lol, in favor of "Chalets".)

You mean, you don't like the idea of making up these names? I think of them as nicknames, primarily intended to help new people find the different theme areas in Belli. Or, you don't like some/all of the proposed names? If so, which do you like, and which don't you like? Do you have different names you like?

I'm puzzled as to why the BBB is pushing @primerib1 's map, when the map available from a vendor in their own headquarters in Swordfish is this one. I haven't yet updated it to include the Mediterranean homes. That said, I like her name for the Upper Clump (Pickle End). She may have left out the Lower Clump, for which I suggest "Fishtown End". I like her carving out "Victoria East"; and I suggest that my "North Houseboats" and her "New Islands" be combined to "North Islands". I'm open to "StiltLands" instead of "StilHaven"; tho many of the stilts are not actually on Land of any kind. I think the Campwich area DOES deserve it's own name, as I've done. ETA: I plan to update this map soon with the Mediterraneans, some of Claire's names, and any other suggestions made here that folks seem to like.

You know that you can move into a Bellisseria home instead, using your regular Premium membership, yes? The control panels work Most of the parcels in Bellisseria are 1024sqm, as opposed to 512sqm in the older homes. But there are a few themes that offer 512sqm homes (Newbrooke (modern), Sakura, Campers), and then you can use the extra 512sqm to pay tier on a mainland parcel. If you want to see the homes with a little sample of the landscaping for each theme, take a walk around the Belli Demo region, http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BelliDemo/100/3/22 . The parcel controllers work, and doors are unlocked, so you can walk through every style of home Belli offers, if you have the time! (Each theme in Bellisseria offers multiple styles of home in that theme)

9 HOURS! Wow, an amazing voyage! I see you went right by some nice Community Regions - I can only hope that when you took breaks for meals yourself, you arranged for your avatar to disembark and get a little refreshment too! 😜

I've often wished that explorations like @SarahKB7 Koskinen 's and others were easier to find, rather than being buried in the SSP, individual theme, or Linden Home Photos threads. So I hope that if you make a voyage and want to share the route, or just come across an interesting spot, you'll think of this thread! No need for gorgeous pictures (tho I so enjoyed @Rolig Loon 's travelogues!). Let me start with this N-S Mediterranean voyage. I started on water (red), then switched to wearable horse (yellow) to go to the nearest rez zone, then switched to my jeep for the drive down south (teal). It was a very pleasant and EASY voyage! Note that Med bridges are fairly low, you want a small (or phantom!) boat. The teal part of the trip is only approximate, to show the regions I went through. The Med road network is extremely easy to navigate, it is not as twisty as many themes and has few dead ends, so I was able to make my way by the seat of my pants, sometimes going out of my way to see a region that I thought might be nice. My jeep wasn't needed - any car will be happy on Med's roads. Have you noticed that on every void-facing Med region, there is a road in the exact center (N-S, or E-W) of each void-facing edge? I didn't notice if that's true on the edges that face existing regions, but I wouldn't be surprised it if was. But I didn't feel that I was driving in a grid, the impression was rather of pleasant wandering (someone should do a coffee table book of Med parcel entrances!). There are curves, hills, etc.. So far, I'm impressed with how residents are adhering to theme in their landscaping. I think the Meds so far are my favorite theme for a pleasant Sunday drive! Psst! I have not traveled the Ranches at all, and would be interested in someone else's experience there

Hi Elora! I, too, live on the Med's south edge, and I think that south of every such region, there'll be a custom-built coastal region that will have some homes on it, similar to how they are building out the Ranch east coast. However, in the case of Mirandela, it's also possible that LL could decide to follow the ranch coastline southwards, in which case there could be a fully residential region south of you. Hard to say. It's not impossible that coastal rail could show up as well ... the coastal Ranch line is suggestive, but I see no branches on it as yet, and there's not much space in Typhoon for adding things. Albert Ross is shaping up to be quite the transit center, tho, with a rez zone suitable for cargo vessels!

I'm having trouble visualizing what you want. Currently there are 8,830 Belli homes available to be claimed ... are you envisioning something like an overlay on the World Map that would have a pink dot for every available Belli home? Keeping that up to date would be a challenge! Or are you just thinking that, before you actually claim a home on the land page, you get its location, so you can see if you want it? Then maybe press a "SKIP" button or something? I've had decent success just using the World Map as it is. For new theme releases, you can just decide what regions you like. Then, if you are lucky enough to be able to do some hopping when a home or two in a region you like has been claimed, the chances are pretty good that, within, say, 10 claims (your main and 1 alt), you get something you like. Or, if you're willing to go Premium Plus for at least a month, you can simply choose a few that you like and submit tickets. It is more difficult for older releases .. but again, Premium Plus can help you. I've noticed that some incredibly great Stilts-on-Land are available to be ticketed right now. How did I notice? I just brought up the world map and zoomed in on my favorite 4 Stilt regions, and clicked on parcels until I saw a few named "Linden Home"

So, the latest addition to the Mediterranean subcontinent has been fully populated with homes, and kind of hangs off the main land mass on the right (east). There is a 2-region gap between it and the main land mass. Very odd! Looking a bit closer, you can see that the regions opposite each other across the gap are not clones, BUT ... they each have a single road facing the gap in the middle of the region (halfway down each region from the north). These roads line up perfectly. Space for one or two community regions? I'm harboring a hope that the river you see on the right of the pic (the one that goes up through Sesame) will continue into a community area here

Why must every waterway in SL be pressed into service to provide "useful" water access to all regions? I'm a person whose primary pleasure in SL nowadays is exploration, generally via water -- and I have no problem with Fantasseria being a land apart, accessible only via a storm-lashed passage. To me, it adds to the charm of the place. And charm is what Fantasseria is all about. Perhaps I AM a stuffy geek, but I don't think your practical desire for optimal boating paths should prevail over the desires of those who "get" Fantasseria's unique design.

I think this thread needs to be resurrected! I need to thank the moles and the LH queues for bringing me this intriguing Mediterranean parcel. It has 5 ponds near it (!), and @Garden Mole (whom I don't believe reads the forums), @Moonstruck Mole, and even @Quartz Mole have conspired to create the most beguiling soundscape. Songbirds, ducks, frogs, insects, gentle plashes, gurgles around rocks, daytime noises, nighttime noises. This is mostly Garden's work. Tho the parcel is not as beautiful as others I've had, and this avatar was supposed to go Basic tomorrow, I may feel compelled to keep it for a month...

Interesting! I see 3 regions of flat, featureless land reaching toward Sakura (Kakureta Kodachi) -- below, my camera is at the furthest edge of the 3rd region. Only 2 more regions to go until Sakura. There's nothing visible yet from Kakureta Kodachi. Will we finally get a glimpse of what Sakura's coastline will look like? Can't wait!

I caught an unusual parcel that really gave me Tuscan feels - it has no walls in the back, and looks out onto a valley. I wanted to take advantage of the "natural" feel of the landscape, and I love making ponds. I'll be letting this parcel go tonight or tomorrow sometime. The front has a very cute entry with stairs down from the street. If anyone wants to coordinate an abandon time, let Nika know with a personal message here on the forums.

In Firestorm (& other 3rd party viewers, but I'm not sure about LL's viewer), you can use World/Region Tracker to very quickly see if any regions you're interested in have changed their name from SSPnnnn to nnnn without scanning all over the map. To select a region to track, open the world map, click on the region, then hit "Track Region" on the map buttons. It will ask you what you want to call the region - just leave it as SSPnnnn. Then, when the name changes to nnnn, the Region Tracker will show the SSPnnnn line grayed out.

I (and others whom I know) have often done this. But, as happened to Milly, you MUST be prepared to lose it. Currently, to me it actually seems easier to do this than it used to be. It used to seem like there had to be at least two homes of a given theme available for them to show up on the land page. So, to trade a houseboat (for instance) between alts, you (or you and a friend) had to have 2 HBs to toss. Then you would refresh like mad and pick up the HB you wanted, and the spare. HOWEVER, sometimes one HB was already waiting for release, and it would get in the way, and you might miss the one you wanted. NOW, it seems to me that, after you release a parcel, it is almost always, briefly, the next one offered on the land page. Even if the queue has lots of homes in it, I've succeeded in trading a parcel to an alt. After a few minutes, it seems to disappear into the depths with other homes. Of course, your chance of re-catching the one you really want is better if, as Chloe says, there are very few homes of that theme available. It's all part of the GAME of homes. Chasing particular regions or homes, trading them between alts or to friends ... all a game, sometimes you win, occasionally you lose. If you lose, maybe you'll decide to go with a different home that you DID catch - sometimes you unexpectedly find that the home you caught is more fun than the home you were chasing! I've spent much time since 2019 sitting out the GOH ... sometimes for budgetary reasons, sometimes just happy enough with what I have, often too busy in RL. But, so far, I eventually always find that I miss hopping, and trading, and exploring through the GOH.

Well, indeed. I, too, am puzzled as to how LL came up with their "Top Themes". So, as a sometime GOH player and longtime GOH observer, let me offer my completely subjective take on the most popular themes. Oh, and to answer your supposition, 512 parcels are vastly less popular than 1024s. Many of the best sited parcels in the Newbrooke theme are 512s, and that seems to only have had a small mitigating effect. In order of (subjective) popularity, at this moment: New themes, Mediterranean and Ranch (both 2048). Ranch has surprised me with the longevity of its appeal. LL is being very cautious, building more of both themes only when they're sold out - they clearly don't want to end up with a large number of unclaimed PP homes. The demand for Mediterranean homes may be inflated at the moment for two reasons: The Mediterranean release is less than a month old. Personally, I'll be downgrading 2 alts who have Med parcels in the next few days. However, I didn't notice a bump in Ranch availability 1 month after their release. There is no 3-month PP membership (Grrrr!) Stilts-on-Pier and Stilts-on-Water. A small percentage of the 'piers' are more like boardwalks which form a coastline to a land mass. Note that LL is building a large number of Stilts for future release. Houseboats. LL has released a huge number of these, and most are occupied! The dream of living on water is STRONG. LL has a number of these built and not yet released, as well. Stilts-on-Land WITH ANCHORAGE. If LL came up with their list by counting the number of times a given theme is CLAIMED, that might account for their putting stilts-on-land high on their list. Because you go through a LOT of landlocked Stilts-on-Land when you're searching for one whose back decks are over water! Landlocked stilts account for most available Stilts-on-Land. Victorian. Traditional. This theme has a lot of disadvantages (small homes, no soundscape, many boring parcels hemmed in with hedges), and one HUGE advantage: to whit: it was completely built out by hand, no tiles used except for the 9-region "clumps", and the neighborhoods are brimming with unique little design elements. Log Home. Although slightly overbuilt, this theme has surprisingly high occupancy. Personally, I found the "tiles" the moles used to build out this theme VERY charming - wonderful homes nestled in a flowery forest landscape. Plus, volcanoes! And lots of custom-built coastline along both lakes and seas! And a wonderful rail line that is the quickest way to traverse the continent! What's not to love? Newbrooke. Even though these are all Container Homes, they are moderately popular, because they beg to be decorated in contemporary and/or midcentury modes. If LL had chosen a more imaginative version of "contemporary" home, I think it would have been wildly popular. I love the neighborhood designs. I think, before choosing a theme, LL should always complete this sentence: "I've always wanted to live in a ...." ... container home? Not really. Sakura. For my money, the most beautiful of all the themes, and a thoughtful variety of homes. All you people not flocking to Sakura, have your mental health checked 🙃 Fantasy. It hurts my heart that this theme isn't more popular, but ... it isn't. Campers. I found mine charming ... for a while. Chalet. Overbuilt, and land page often clogged with undesirable chalets while lovely ones languish. I'm amazed too. But why not just count them on the map? It's not hard to do - the subcontinents are compact!

Ah, good, thanks, Mini! Am I right in assuming that you're not ALL that interested in shots of landscapes, just as the moles built them? I take many beautiful Belli shots, but probably you already have a LOT of those! Most of my images are not great "community" pics, because my old rig tends to fail to rez if a bunch of avatars are around. If I take a pic of 6 avatars playing around at Treeowatoor, random things will be grayed out. Plus, I don't go to a lot of gatherings, since I'm generally on during SL night. So a lot of my shots are more contemplative, just one or 2 avatars sitting around. I'll send a few of those. Maybe a few oddball landscape shots, too. Just to give you a chuckle!

Excuse me, another size question. I take my pics to disk, so they all need to be resized anyway to be smaller. I'm assuming that they also need to be cropped to be 1:1 or 1:2 ratios, so that when they're uploaded they look correct? Or can they be another ratio, like 3:2? If so, should we put their actual size in the pic title? e.g. "Limestone 12-Dec-2021 1024 x 683"? ETA: nevermind, I'll make all dimensions a multiple of 512. You don't need to mess with individual pics that much.

I doubt gifs are acceptable! From 2021, right after chalet release. You'll have to forgive this ursine nautch dance, I think she was just really attracted to the chalet bears. 🐻 (And yes, that is the bear avatar LL gave out at SL10B. )