UnilWay SpiritWeaver

This is a total side topic tangent but... Not as much the case in MMOs though. While the 'old guard' of SL might cringe at being called an MMO, it's the close equivalent and very likely what a lot of new users coming here have already experienced and use as their baseline for 'the bare minimum of what to expect'. I doubt they expect a game, but they likely expect no less initial avatar customization as they'd get in an MMO. Most likely expect more (especially as the most recent MMOs are often trending away from customization while older ones are adding to it or being revived because they had it). Part of that is likely expected to be able to easily "name your character". And those MMOs that have had restrictions as severe as SLs (like Amazon's New World does) have taken heat over this. I think SL should either bring back last names as part of your original account creation... or have 'set your display name' put right into account creation. Make it clear on that initial screen that one of the things being entered here is an 'account name' and the other is a 'character name'. - and then start hiding account names more. Visible only to identifying scripts (*), not something that can be simply printed out to the chat bar, and not displayed above a user's head AT ALL unless they lack a display name. I'd also disallow special characters in display names "going forward", allow other language characters IF an auto-translate reader is capable of reading them. <-- which is more permissive than most MMOs. TL:DR: - On gaming platforms people are used to having a clear character name. Platforms failing this get mocked online. - We already have that with Display Names. Have newbies set on on account creation. Make Display Name overtake username anywhere that won't break content. (*) You could in theory make it so the script functions that read username no longer work for newly saved scripts - but this would create issues if a new script needed to talk to an old script.

It might. But then when you display then inworld on a pick - if you uploaded them as 16x8.62 they will not be stretched or squashed when viewed. If uploaded as 2:1 ratio they will be stretched in a Pick or About Land. I use 1600x862 just because it's easy math. No need to try an upload a fraction of a pixel. If they squash it on their end - the fact that when I view it it shows up as the proper ratio is what I care about.

I've always been baffled by this. I log into any old MMO and make a new toon to go play some stuff and nobody freaks out or starts accusing me of being deceitful unless they've got issues. Log in here and spin up a new account to go try out something different - like a RP venue. Or just because you want to play around. And some people act like the sky reached down and smacked them on the head. That said - it's rare to see that drama here too. And just like in those MMOs, when somebody here freaks out about alts if you dig into it you'll invariably figure out they got issues...

This is what has driven me off of countless mainland plots before. And probably will again next time I get mainland. It's why my main focus is NOW on Bellisseria. The linden homes might have started with the idea of being a beginner step before you move on to mainland. But it's more often a refuge away from having to deal with the lack of any zoning on mainland and the unpredictability of estate land where the rules can change on a land baron's whim or new desire for that region. Belli will give you a strong covenant, neighbors who like you sought out that covenant, and a huge variety of community events run by both residents and LL staff (lindens and moles both). In exchange you have to give up some build freedom - you're stuck to having the house they provided. But so too are your neighbors. Compromises that achieve peace and community.

I'm surprised that Mediterranean is still around, let alone that high. I'd have thought those would be clearing out as fast as they could drop new regions down for at least another 20-40 regions.

They kind of botched it with Horizons. It's both a success and a failure. And not mildly so in either way. It's somewhat the 'halfway model' that led to Bellisseria. You could rez prebuilts on a 1024 but were not required to. It's lack of a strong covenant led to even worse 'build blight' than Zindra (which is actually often less 'blighted' than M rated mainland as most of the people who like ugly full bright and bad textures moved to Horizons where their neighbors couldn't put distance between each other). Horizons land is always owned by somebody - even if it's a land baron wanting $1million USD for a 1024m plot... they're still willing to pay tier to sit on that lot. The failure is that it's not accessible to most people. Folks have been priced out. And the 'wild west' nature has made it extremely unappealing to many people. Bellisseria shows LL learned the right lessons from Horizons. Just not entirely the lessons I wish they'd have learned - but I suspect if I was running LL I would have learned the same lessons they did. You don't do what you want; you do what works. Belli is built to create a user community of actively engaged residents, lindens, and moles who very often gel together happily. The strong covenant so many on this forum dislike works to keep all that together. It also likely helps REDUCE the support overload. Because the rules are clear, "I suspect" disputes are easier to handle, and don't "fester" into massive blowups as often. And the rules are designed to be 'community focused' which helps to drive away people not wanting that kind of environment though even more: it helps attract people who DO want that. It's entirely M rated and I'm sure this is very much on purpose. That keeps out complex governance issues from either the G or A side of things. I don't think they'll do an A-rated Belli, as much as I want it, because governing it would be more complicated.

There was a valentine's day train ride event of some kind. Not an adult-rated event, but it looked sponsored from the pics I saw of it in the 'funs things to do in Belli' thread. At least somebody with linden land rezzing perms put up a sign for it from the looks of the screenshots. But this might also be some of your answer. They're doing community events. Even around romantic holidays. But they aren't doing NSFW community events.

Profile Images for the 2L and 1L boxes are 1:1 - This is true for the official viewer, and Firestorm will use 1:1 or 4:3 depending on what you upload. But someone on any other viewer will see your 4:3 image squished into 1:1... so it's best to upload as 1:1. Profile "Picks" are... 16x8.62. About Land is the same. - I think they were supposed to be 16:9... but if you measure the box, it's actually 16x8.62 I like to make the Profile image 1024x1024. I make the Picks 1600x862

That sounds familiar. I've got 1024 of land left from premium plus after selling off my plot. Everytime I get mainland though - I eventually get a neighbor who just rezzes out some giant poorly built mess or puts up banlines. So I'm torn between trying yet again, or just downgrading.

I'm assuming you know who contributed. If not - it's listed in the members tab: So... just ask them what's going on. Something like "Hey are you missing tier you thought you put in your land group? Because it looks like it's showing in mine."

Can't be sure but I'd start at "Felix 1". It's a huge multi-region landscaping shop with many different waterfall themes. The picture above looks like their style. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Landscaping by Felix01/200/206/21

This could be somewhat solved if the house kit included some low land impact trees and shrubs. Items that ranged from 1-3 land impact so that people would feel able to use a few of them rather than going shopping for fullbright glowing magenta flexi prim trees as they so often do when the kit's lowest land impact item is 371 LI and only 1m tall.

I think most of us would just like it if Grand View could also be rotated in the OTHER direction. I am now in the perfect log home. That's my main's main spot in mainland. BUT to get it I had to pass over a half dozen or more other spots that were absolutely amazing if only grand view could have rotated THIS WAY instead of only THAT WAY. If I were to build another new style in log homes... I might go for a treehouse like fantasy got, but in a lower to ground realistic theme instead of fantastical.

Estate land just doesn't appeal to me. I don't like the lack of assurance for consistency. I don't like having to remember to log in and pay a box somewhere. And I'm just not interested in that here, in this discussion.

I actually wouldn't want one either. But the idea is there. And if they ever did niche themes it'd be one people could relate to. BUT I do wish we had a theme that felt more like a European or Latin American city - lively and vibrant spots. Mixed use zoning so you had commercial alongside residential. Which brings up a whole other "they should never do that, except wouldn't it be neat if they did" idea... Linden storefronts. Imagine a region with the standard 18-20 lots on it. Only 6 of them were small shops, and 2 were community social venues. And they were mixed right together side by side with the homes. Like in... almost any city in the world outside of the USA - and a few US cities that were fully developed before the 20th century. They'd never do it because I don't think they'll ever off a "linden storefront space" as an option for a premium account. But if they did... that would be the region I'd want my linden home in. Yeah... not my "Linden Business", but my home. It would just feel more like a lived in community even if like everywhere else all the other folks were rarely logged in at the same time as me. To some degree, this exists on some estates and places like Bay City. But I'd prefer it in somewhere with a covenant that kept the weird builds at bay. Even if I have some weird inside my own linden homes... I have it INSIDE them, or in a skybox. (Well not the skyboxes anymore, I ran out of land impact before I could do that). This would be one kind of region where I'd want the covenant for the "Linden Shop" to require at least 30% of the store, and the "landing spot" for the store, to be at ground level. Empty storefronts would ruin the experience. I don't think they'd ever build this. I suspect I'm almost alone in liking the idea. Other Americans probably just can't understand the appeal of NOT living in a walled off suburb. But I can still imagine it and pretend what it would be like if it existed.

Personally no. That could appeal to some, but I put that idea in here as an idea for Belli homes. Now that Sims 4's rental apartments expansion has come out - I can further see how the idea can be done. In one way this was already done in the old linden homes: You build a single building on the corners of 2 to 4 plots. Or the homes link up and have one exit to a common space (linden land outside the parcel - a hallway) This could be a 'tunnel hallway' underneath a balcony that physically connects them all while it's actually on a 4m wide strip of linden land. So two patterns emerge as the initial ideas: One Two Three Four - All four touch. or: One Two ---- ---- Three Four - One and Two touch, Three and Four touch. 4m wide covered hallway between them. The rest of the parcel land is then used to make it appear like one building sharing a common lot. It'd need some added covenant rules for theme in that outside land. I think once they finish all their main themes, it becomes the perfect time to do small scale builds of niche themes. Something like this wouldn't want to be done on more than 6-12 regions. Niche themes could appeal to some, but wouldn't have the same mass appeal. you could toss them around the map in quirky places. Other niche themes could be underwater builds, sky builds, cliffside houses, etc.

OK... I only learned about this one thanks to Dr Who. But it's really cool.

Modern pop just has nothing on this old stuff. I was only a year old when this came out:

As far as I know, there are no water base rez zones in Horizons. Maybe over by the infohubs? In fact I was never able to find any land based ones either. Nor did I ever see parcels that had water access (though maybe you could rez a boat in the air on a slope so it would slide off, over the road, and into the water).

Isn't IMVU just a 2D chat screen where you look at a still life cartoon picture with nothing going on? Or is it more than that? I've always wondered why it was compared to SL. It feels like comparing filling out an online tax form to hanging out at a music festival. Like... why are these things even in the same sentence?

Yep... That sounds reasonable. But over the years I've seen an odd thing happens a few times: That person who shows up on some land I own and decides to stay there 24/7 for weeks at a time, until I come along and ban them or something. If these folks could leave rezzed objects on my land, I'd effetely have full on squatters setting up a home and everything. Even if they "drove" the home onto the lot and then stood up from it. Remember that in SL: just because it looks like a "freenus shaped" house with strange looking "smoke" coming out the top, doesn't mean it isn't also a motorcycle...

In fact much of SL used to have auto return off. Not the seas to my recollection (could be wrong). But a vast array of old dead accounts with land on mainland due to having lifetime premium (something you used to be able to get and a lot of early folks did) or just having a bill on the bank account set to auto-pay they didn't notice. As a result all over mainland you could see vehicles stuck in the air or in random spots, just sitting there for years. Also a good number of "pieces of male anatomy" as well because I guess guys just like to rez those out and fling them around or something... I'd come across those floating in the air at least once a week back in the day - even on G land. So yeah... I'm of the opinion that auto-return should be on by default. Must be on on any abandoned and linden owned land, and every time land changes ownership it ought to flip on unless you 'check a box' to refuse to flip it on (you should have to opt-out of enabling it), and then... Id' also turn it on on land owned by any resident that hasn't logged in for more than a year (or who's land group "owner" hasn't logged in for a year). On land transfers - I'd set it to 30 minutes. Give enough time for people to go "oops" and flip it off, with one of those screen shake warnings like region resets do.

Well. What if I told you that auto-return on most linden land already is 5 to 10 minutes. The issue is that it's 5-10 minutes from entering the parcel, not from 5-10 minutes from removing an attachment and dropping the item (the rough effect of standing up). However... you can use this to your advantage. Cross any parcel boundary and the timer resets. So right before standing up cross into a another parcel and then back out. That's not always viable, but it often is.