Raspberry Crystal

I guess risks outweigh benefit from LL perspective. Some plankton brained idiot creates a bot party neo nazi disco rally, and there's a press story with negative publicity. Josephine Public wanders past the plot and hears a live political rally with questionable views being broadcast, most people wouldn't think 'can I change the channel?', they are more likely to react differently, blaming LL for allowing hate speech. These trouble-makers might be a minority but as their whole virtual life may be focused on mayhem it will take a lot of effort to reduce their opportunities to express themselves. I would imagine that the collective memory of moles and LL staff include so many very unreasonable people that it affects how they approach things?

That's a lovely description of why the trads are my favourite!

Why not throw in a ten second reveal at the same time?

Oh wow, I've never seen an elderglen home look so nice, great job!

Experimenting with the Tahoe models on the old linden continent. This home is on a ridge and has long views on either side. The sloping walls are a challenge. Loads of LI allowance left, these 512m2 plots seem enormous after my tiny house experiments

That's a gorgeous look @Marianne Little !

This is a 240m2 plot, which feels a natural size for a small one story house. I wanted roadside so I could drive so the car went in first and I worked the rest of the LI allowance around that. I could squeeze some more out of this place with a bit more linking of decor, but it feels fine as it is.

@Tari Landar your hair is longer than mine! My lockdown style is now as tight a plait as I can get to shorten the length to something that doesn't go in my dinner:) Anything piled on my head is too heavy. Agree with no chemicals and minimum heat, if necessary (wafting about all day works better in the summer for drying).

You see, cultural education, it's unavoidable! Now I know most of the Florida homes are made of cinder block, and a quick google search later I also know what cinder block actually is, and that it isn't edible. Though the houses in florida being made out of bonfire night toffee will now also stick in my head

I don't want to sound too definite, in case there is a big switch of approach later, but as it is now, Belli is American Home themed, whether by definite design choice, or by other factors we are not aware of in the decision making process. Right this moment, after with the trauma of world events, it would be good to see houses which spark memories and feel comforting. Instead, we are being asked to make the leap and understand another culture and architectural style. It could however, be seen as an opportunity which is being denied those who are already familiar with the genres available. For me, it's a case of , 'what can be done with what there is?', rather than an emotional rush of 'ooh this reminds me of...'. Virtual worlds are , for me anyway, a dynamic between experiencing the unfamiliar, and rethinking the already known. I have to think that it's possible I might find it hard to accept a UK based Belli in any case. Design anomalies could grate, I might find myself complaining that everything was based on Southern english design and there was nothing i recognised from my own home town. Maybe USA Belli allows me to fuzz out those kind of issues in my mind. Second Life has its limitations, sometimes we need to be creative to work around those. As long as that doesn't mean ruining other people's experiences by trying to utterly change home themes externally, this seems ok.

The style is the same, the layout is different, and for me the larger windows make a difference, and I would have liked that in a non-stilt house as well. From a UK perspective it feels very odd to have so many houses made of wood, but if that is what you are used to then the differences between would seem more noticeable?

Aah but Moles never rest, that's why their claws are so worn down

Managed to visit the new models, and the smaller ones seem quite appealing to me. The larger windows and open-plan layout are attractive, and the landscaping displayed is lovely to see outside the windows. September will be great timing, presuming the cloud migration goes to plan. It gives me plenty of time to do other things and hopefully come back to Belli in a new frame of mind.

From looking at forum photos, these are more different than I had feared, which is a good thing. Loving the palm trees. As someone above said the lot (and outlook) will make all the difference. Water is a good thing. The possibility of having mixed landscapes, ie sand / water / land is a good thing. As a design these look oddly 'top-heavy' to me, big house on thin legs, but that may be lack of familiarity with the style. The original houses could look like that as well. It's american uh-gain, sigh. However, I think 'american' is going to continue to be the style of Belli, and a strong theme isn't a bad thing. Overall, I think there's enough here to get people interested, and the ultimate success depends on the landscaping, and the density with which these are placed.

If it is a mailbox update, then it is a nice one, for the reasons you mention though I'm doubtful that the rolled rugs mean anything in particular. If this is a new theme, then the open-plan and larger windows are welcome. I hope there's a single story cosy model. It does look very similar to the previous homes in many ways, so as a new theme, this seems more of an evolution which blends features from older models, rather than a completely new look. I do prefer this colour scheme to the log homes wood tones. I'm surprised that more water based homes haven't been released. Maybe lack of land is an issue until September? edit: I wonder if we will ever see any of these in Belli?

Funny you should say that. I just decorated my second 240m2 mainland plot and realised it is plenty big enough to make an interesting build, and with the linden plots the house prims don't count so there would be more to play with. It would very much depend what the surroundings were. Views out make the biggest difference. Having a terraced hillside would allow for that without taking up extra land.

Yes they do! 😄 edit: especially if they stood right next to them

...but it does bother me!

Replying to @Marianne Little also. The cloning affected me on an emotional level, from when it first began in the Victorian regions. (To be fair though, from day one, I thought the level of individual building felt unsustainable, I just hoped that it would continue.) Cloning killed the magic of the project for me, I stopped believing in the project, and lost my sense of connection and excitement. (Actually that first houseboat extension, which spoiled the natural look of the map was the first red flag.) I feel bad for feeling this way, and hope things change. My reaction doesn't feel fair, at all because it is still so much work for the creators, and the new places are very beautiful. All the homes are full, and the team are fulfilling their brief, but I personally am out of love with it and spending less time (and money) in SL as a consequence.

That's awful Jimmie, I'm irritated on your behalf. I wish they would get their act together.

Sounds plausible! I wonder if we will be enchanted?

Question for hoppers, has everything on the land page been recycles lately, no new releases? If so for how long?

I'm not sure why all the Moles need to be US based. Their job is the definition of one which can be done remotely, and whilst there may be operational reasons that Moles need to be online together for certain tasks it doesn't seem a far stretch to adapt this? Maybe this is already the case? I don't know if this is a controversial viewpoint, but it feels to me like there has been less excitement around the themes which have been solely focused on one culture, whether that's the older Japanese homes or the new Belli log homes. It seems like good marketing to appeal to the widest audience possible. Homes need an emotional appeal and familiarity to work, and anything which alienates a significant percentage of residents will reduce demand.

When I tried out the log homes I had this weird resistance, and thought 'do I really have to fill this up before I get itchy feet and have to start over again to get a new view?' I've decided to take the gamble that a new-style 512 will appear eventually, and am having fun seeing how far my premium allowance will go. This is my list so far; 512 Meadowbrook Linden house 128 Tiny house on narrow plot with thin side next to sailable ocean, Corsica, regular mainland 240 Cliffside squarish plot with a bay view, which fits a reduced sized regular house 192 left to 'spend', hoping for a driveable roadside space so I can get the car out on regular mainland 3.2m2 (if I knew four other people with the same amount leftover we could club together and buy a roadside tree on a 16m2 plot 🌳) Access to partner's Belli boathouse This is more than enough for now, and we also have our opensim place as which is great for the simpler life with more space. If I want to move I can replace one of my smaller plots, which is less effort in terms of redecorating. This seems to be working for now.

Am I to understand that there was a sticky Vicky?