Guild of Maintainers Forum

Dear Village Residents,

What do you think about changing the landscape of Devokan? We (Dot and myself) have a desire to alter some of the topography of our shared Village. As the village has grown in residents and lots, some of the decisions in landforms made at the initial creation of the sim seem inadequate to meet current needs of residents and land owners. This thread is to explore/define possible changes to the landscape/buildings currently on the sim.

As time has passed, it appears that some buildings/areas are not being used. We would like to explore the possibility of a "hillside village" that would have various levels of land instead of the relatively flat area we currently have.

Would you think about the current areas/buildings in our village and reply with your thoughts; both general and specific. What are your needs? What features are desired? What current features are of no interest to you? Does the idea of a hillside village have appeal?

Thank you in advance for helping as we work toward improving our community!

Regards,
Paislee

My favourite general areas in the village are the main square and the village nexus. I see them as key gathering areas, especially if a large group is visiting as the TMP did the other Sunday.

I also like having waterways, waterfalls and ponds, and the different views that are framed by buildings, archways and trees.

Having the sky village in the clouds, easily reachable by airship or avie flight, is another key aspect for me, but I would understand if I needed to relocate my house in order to fit in all the different needs of the community.

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I would like the area surrounding the 'link-in-spot' to be the same. Thats because I'm an occasional inhabitant, some periods I can visit more often, some periods not so often. And then I like to feel 'at home' upon arriving. But that's just me I can understand your thinking, but my thinking is that I want it to be 'real' - the land is given and the only way of changing it is to make eartquakes toss up new land, or create crevices and such, or a general sinking of the sea-level . New buildings can be built upon existing ground, old buildings can be moved or taken down.
This said, I'm just an occasional villager so I'll make the best of what you do, you're after all the architects!

Thanks for the note, ametist.

Where exactly do you link in? Is it by the village square facing the inn? Or is it by your stable?

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Geological research done
Its possible to rebuild the island due to either vulcanic activity (which have occured) -the SW end would then be risen up with a steep slope where the ship can have a natural harbor;

or rebuild it as if it was created by the great ice (iceage) - same result only smoother cliffs;

some rough pics to show me thoughts:






Pics from real iceage creation:

Wow ametist! You really did your digging! Thank you for the pictures. I like your idea with the split bit of land on its own. You really help put things in perspective with those drawings. Very nice.

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In memory of James Rigney, 1948-2007.

Very amazing input ametist! I have removed my boat and mooring to make way for the coming changes. I am not sure how the house I rent will work on a hillside but I will wait to see how this all works out.

Light

Thanks, Light.

Whatever happens, there will be mooring for your boat and your house will be close by. That's a priority! The house and mooring may well be further to the east, so you will gain an uninterrupted view of the sunrise.

Quin's flooded cottage is probably due for demolition -- rotted wood, serious subsidence, to say nothing of the health hazard it was before all that happened. The lighthouse is likely to be needed on the west-to-northwest shoreline to warn ships away from the cliffs, and to provide some shelter for Mermaid Cove where the pirate ship will anchor (it is still on the move).

The sky island intended for my new home has been taken down in preparation for all these moves.

One thing that has emerged from working on different levels (ground level, sky village, building level) is that it helps if all the land is set to the same group ownership. What I was finding when trying to place islands at the building level is that they often overlapped with individually-owned plots, which could cause problems if prim limits for those plots are exceeded. If all the land is group owned, the whole 15,000-prim sim allowance can be spread out over the various plots.

Each cottage can still be on its own plot and named accordingly -- so, for example, Nyn's cottage could still be on a plot called 'Seaside Cottage'.

The doors and windows on the cottages have security devices that can be set so that only the person living in the cottage can unlock or open them. Would this be enough to maintain individual privacy?

Providing you are a member of Devokan Estate group (and if you rent there, you are), you can set your 'home' to be anywhere on the sim, including your house, i.e. it is not necessary to 'buy' or 'own' a plot of land. This in fact mirrors how Quin's landlady has set up the rooms for rent in Port Babbage.

I didn't realise all this when first setting up the cottage rentals -- sorry.

I'm putting this out for discussion. If people would prefer to keep individual ownership of plots, that's understandable and fine!

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I guess you have to tie everything in the house, and nail the furniture to the floor - Just kidding! No, actually I really no expert on this, what I can do is provide textures for the kind of rocks this 'new' island is going to be made of. And I guess, the actual'making' have to be redone several times to be good, my hope is we do it together.



Ok with me!

(I'm wearing my co-owner hat now!) When Devokan first began it was only Dot and myself planning it. We were new at land ownership, terraining, and building. The sim met our needs and we felt at home in it. Now that our region has become a community it is important to make sure it meets the needs of everyone involved. So a decision was made that we create an improved Devokan. One that retains the flavor of the old but has more character and variety of terrain.

One of the things that is difficult about such a renovation is the real upheaval this will cause temporarily in the places in which we enjoy relaxing. I wanted to share this uncomfortable fact with you so we all know that for a while...things will not look so good. If we can endure this time, I believe Devokan will emerge on the other side a more vibrant and interesting place. One that we have created together!

Soon we will have a resident meeting (hopefully this coming Saturday - more later on this.) A time to discuss ideas that have been shared here and hopefully formulate/finalize our vision for the sim's landscape so work can begin in earnest. Moving all the features of the island will be a tremendous job - one which we will not want to repeat any time in the near or even far future! It's important we get it right the first time out of the chute.

So...thanks for the ideas shared so far! It is nice to know there is a real interest in this renovation. If you have not shared ideas or posted a question here about the upcoming changes...please do so (if you are comfortable with this.) It's our hope all options can be "spread out on the table" for all to consider.

(Putting on my Paislee hat now!) Here's what I'd love to see included in the new village:

a variety of land levels beginning high on the southern end to integrate the tall ship through bluffs /cliffs and cove, a high spot for viewing, then land that slopes down toward the northern end of the sim.

a "Rowan Green" feel to the layout-particularly terracing with stone retaining walls and gates to allow for drops in land heights in short linear distances

a wooded area perhaps containing a dwelling or two

a open grassy area for those who like unobstructed views

public areas for meeting (the village square, an inn/lodge, the chapel and crypt), water features, the fish house and dock (for small public use boats)

a more natural placement of houses in the landscape with pathways to meander through and discover water features, little nooks to sit, etc.

an cozy, sheltered feel to our village that's tucked behind the wind-breaking bluff

Paislee