With most of with eyes fixed on Fantasy Faire (you can catch my own shorthand guide if the mood takes you). Daniel Voyager was looking in another direction, and tweeted an interesting find.
It seems the Lab and the Linden Department of Public Works could be busy working to address the demand for more houseboats within the new Linden Homes continent, with Daniel identifying a new 48-region SSP development being put together south of the original SSP development area.
There has been no official word on whether the new regions are being developed in response to the demand for houseboats, but certainly, that demand has been strong enough to warrant this, with repeated disappointment being voiced over the fact the houseboats initially made available were very rapidly snapped up. As such, it seem a reasonable deduction to see this latest SSP development as a move to meet at least some of this demand.
The new regions form a series of sandbars with extensive moorings of the same general type seen within the new Linden Homes continent of Bellisseria, strongly suggesting they will provide space for more of the new houseboats (see right). Some of the waterways between the sand bars look to be a little too narrow to fit houseboats and piers – perhaps these are intended for use by float planes and the like, if not to form a natural break to prevent the regions from feeling overcrowded.
There is no available date on when the new regions might be added to Bellisseria – again assuming the intent of their development is to meet demand. Nevertheless, it does bring with it a couple of questions.
The first is: where might the new development sit in relation to Bellisseria’s existing land mass? While I have nothing more to go on than instinct, my own thoughts are the area to the south and east of Bellesseria would seem the most likely. There is plenty of space for further regions to be dropped in there (south of the lower eastern tip of the continent), whilst still leaving room for the “unfinished” line down the east side of the continent’s western “finger” without causing any feeling of crowding. Or perhaps the new regions will eventually be placed to the south of that western finger, although that might put them a little too close to the channel running to Jeogeot (unless they are linked directly to it).
The second question is more intrinsic to Bellesseria as a whole. while houses along the cost are being picked up – they did so after the houseboats had gone. So, simply provisioning more houseboats possibly runs the risk of the continent’s inland areas remaining under-populated unless they are made more inviting.
Is the slow initial take-up of houses simply that the initial selection wasn’t seen as attractive enough, or was it down to something more fundamental? A lack of ability to link them to the continent’s road structure, for example or – as I noted in Making a (Linden) houseboat a home – is it the general lack of additional amenities people might appreciate having, such as a few airstrips scattered around to offer people the attraction of being able to rez and fly their light ‘planes off of the grass. Or perhaps some of the houses along the rivers could have small boat access to the water (although this could create issues of its own).
Time will tell on both of these questions, but in the meantime – and again assuming the move is to address the demand – the potential of more houseboats becoming available in the (hopefully!) not too distant future could well be as welcome as the recent moves by the Lab to deal with issues of banlines across the new region.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 
Thanks for that info, but sadly an ad appeared and wouldnt budge for me to read the second (question)part.
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Oh its removed itself now…I go back and read rest.
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Reblogged this on Thar She Blows! and commented:
LOL, as a sea mammal I’m all for houseboats but! We need land as well, else houseboat living wouldn’t be so special anymore. But read houseboat-dwelling Inara’s post about it:
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Very interesting to see how it’s all progressing.
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when will there be any more new homes at all
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It would be great if they put in an airstrip on the land side or some other prominent features to make it a bit more picturesque. Houseboats and land on the water front are being snapped up because they have amazing views (And the houseboats are a bit of a novelty). Attracting people landward will require a good REASON for people to want to move there over the waterfront.
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you said demand has exceeded demand? Did you mean supply? At the top of the article.
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I wonder what the lab plans on doing with those mountain areas. It would be great views from high up looking over everything.
A airstrip would be nice at least.
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Reading this a bit late as I was looking for something you said to quote LOL.
BUT, actually the HOUSES along the coast were some of the first places that were offered and taken up. I went over RIGHT after the announcement and took the second COASTAL lot offered to me. It was easy to see from the green dots on the map that LL was releasing down the West Cost from the North Coast first — presumably because these were some of the best lots (I still think so and I am happy with mine).
Houseboats were available at the same time of course but I was about number 25 to get a plot by my estimation — simply by counting the number of other green dots on the map when I got mine :D.
So I mostly wanted to clear that up for you. Many of the folks in my neighborhood and other friends across the continent only wanted a house (Chic waves hand wildly). For me, the houseboats are just too packed together. I want SPACE and a garden as well as vista. I got it all and I am thrilled.
The only big issue with the houses that The Lab guessed wrong on was SIZE. A huge number of folks are in the largest home, the Winchester. The tiny houses while cute have not been very popular. But I am pretty sure that some of the houses to come will be both larger and more open.
Meanwhile — going to check — Winchesters comprise all but ONE house in my sim (Heathstone)
HMMMM.
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“BUT, actually the HOUSES along the coast were some of the first places that were offered and taken up.”
That may have been your experience based on where you were / are. However, my comments are based on observation of the Linden Homes page. To explain: I grabbed my houseboat at just after 20:00 UK time, but by the time my partner logged-in several hours later, houseboats were no longer an option from the selection page but houses very much were, something which disappointed her. Also, complaints about houseboats no longer being available came well before houses stopped being available.
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