The Old New Babbage

[Rip Wirefly]

I’m not here to harp or complain, or anything of that sort, just bring something to everyone’s attention. Last night Greg Merryman led me into the beta grid and I was shown something quite amazing. New Babbage Square and Palisades, from around one year ago. The land was the same, as was the layout, but the builds were quite different then what is in babbage today.

The first thing that hit me when I teleported in, dirt, the place was far from clean, as an industrial place should be. I looked about, a few of the builds that are still here today were there as well, the Mason Horta hotel, the steam works, city hall, the Paleozoic Museum, though it was far larger than it is today. What struck me was not that those structures still exist today, but the ones around them that are not. So much industry, smoke was seen across the skyline, as should be in an industrial city. As well, the builds, they were not all the most detailed or well built, but what they all had going for them was that they all fit together. Builds did not look like they were different from the one next door, they went together, they fit. It did not look like a bunch of puzzle pieces from different puzzles thrown together. The stores were gritty, the atmosphere just felt like the air was dirty, the city appeared as if it was covered in a layer of dirt, and I loved it.

I am still relativly new here, in my opinion. When I came to babbage it was a completely different monster, the place was clean. Houses were everywhere, though there are no problems with homes in a city, but as well there were so many stores, and each one was pristine. The few factories remaining looked as if they were not in order. It was a different babbage then what I saw it had been. I think somewhere people stopped focusing on the concept of babbage and more on the commercial part of it. I am not saying we ban stores, and cafes, and houses, and bars, but instead attempt to try to recapture the essence of babbae. Learn what your sim’s purpose was, talk to the residents who have been around longer, and find out what babbage is really about. I have been chatting with some older residence as of late, and have been learning much more about what babbage is about.

There is a reason industria is in our motto.

[Artemisia Paine]

I never backed up my snapshots of New Babbage from the first year I was there, and my old computer died in the move. It'll be nice to see what you have.

[ZenRascal Mandelbrot]

2¢ here. I don't have a lot to contribute but in reading here I'm worried that a dispute may be taking shape that needn't be IMHO.

Several dynamics have been mentioned. A smaller tighter early founder group with a vision for Babbage vs. a place today that has more diversity and a real community. Commercial interests (businesses & stores) vs. private (homes & factories that don't sell anything). Geometric tidiness vs. irregularity. And, of course, dirty & sooty vs. clean & shiny.

I would submit that there are plusses & minuses to each side of these dynamics and, in particular, many of them aren't any business of the town of Babbage. For the town as a whole, what does it matter how tier is paid, whether a particular resident earns it in a store or funds their presence in their own way? Babbage has a real community now and I will say myself that I love it, it's a big part of why I am hooked on this place now, at this point in time. No, I didn't consider moving here when I first visited about a year and a half ago. I wasn't looking for someplace to become part of as I am today. I can remember it was much dirtier overall including the air. Even the dirty/clean dynamic comes down to where it's appropriate. A classic steampunk symbol, the steam engine, has parts that will be shiny clean, others that will be grimy dirty, and perhaps a few inbetween. Ditto for device after device. Functional consequences. It's not anything Babbage-wide rules can be applied to in any sensible way.

One thing I see right away as a recent arrival is that there are different parts of town among the six sims with different "feels" to them. I'm in fact quite sensitive to this because I'm looking to purchase a parcel of land here, and I have my favorite parts of town (the industrial sector). And yet others make different choices. Fine. Any surprise to this?

I will side with Bob in that too much geometric regularity bugs me. I like strange angles & twists & turns as this applies to infrastructure and the exterior of builds which is, after all, the topic that the Babbage Covenant devotes much of its attention to. In many cases regularity is just what's needed. Our trusty steam engine comes to mind again (parts of it anyway).

Look, what are we talking about here? Babbage is different now along many dimensions than it was a year or two ago. Is this really a surprise? Babbage began based on a vision that differentiated it from the pretty Victorianism of Caledon. Isn't that still the case? Isn't that why we choose to be here? A big factor in this is the strong Covenant of Babbage and the things it applies to. It was there in the early days and it's there today.

Babbage citizens fall at different points on the dynamics I've pointed to here (and many others as well no doubt). But are these things that want to be advocated or decided on a town-wide basis? Is anyone seriously taking such a position?

Sorry if this post sounds like it's all over the place. I'm not real happy myself with how it came out but there are things I have strong opinions about here, even if I didn't state them well. I'm gonna post this anyway.

[DreddPirateBob]

hehe

aye, as much for my rant i love the fact that Babbage varies. The palisades is SO different from the port, both sims i spend most of my time in, and it's good that way. I love how the canals are squished up and chaotic, and that wheatstone is quite open. I think it can be seen in thier ages maybe. as time has gone on things fill up and veer towards a theme.

as much as i love chaos in a build i understand some dont.

And the metaphor (analogy? i aways get them mixed up) of Babbage as a steam engine is perfect. just perfect.

edit: i've just realised Rip might be showing his age.. "I remember when all this was factory's! None of yer fields!" Well Rip, the grass is always browner on the other side :D

[Ghilayne Andrew]

I'm in agreement with Mr. Mandelbrot here...

Real cities that have existed for years and years aren't cohesive... in fact, precisely the opposite.

Neighborhoods come and go, as new residents and ethnic groups arrive they make changes to suit their tastes, they in turn are supplanted, the neighborhood changes once again. Living in old cities has given me a taste and appreciation for that... and that's why I like New Babbage. It is not ALL old soot, industrial builds and the same cookie-cutter look and texture everywhere... that may be easier on the browser, but I find it dull-spirited.

Instead, as one moves about New Babbage, we find the old and industrial, stately influences of the robber barons, residential areas housing the wealthy/gentry, dirty waterfronts, a few parks with some green and and hardy weeds... and like real cities, these different places and influences coalesce into a warm, community whole.

If folks want what Babbage was... a few people building their dream vision of a greasy, dirty industrial city, with little visual or functional variation -- that's fine. But it's not my dream of steampunk or New Babbage; my view is of a broader, more inclusive community that retains the flavor of the original. Look at Pittsburgh, Lowell, even Detroit and the industrial cities of New Jersey have their "nice" areas. I wouldn't have settled in the old Babbage anymore than I would wish to settle in the present Caledon, and would hate to see Babbage go back to what I'd view as a less dimensional environment and community.

There is a middle ground -- just as steampunk doesn't have to be the unrelenting pretty of Caledon, neither does it have to be only the unrelenting ugly of grimy, rusting decay. It's finding that middle ground that will allow New Babbage to continue to attract new people as the old leave, grow and thrive.

For what it's worth... my 5cents... (seeing Mr. Mandelbrot and raising him 3 pennies)

[Capt. Red Llewellyn]

Here, here! Miss Andrew...you're brilliant! ...ummm what she said!

[Eggberta Echegaray]

"Seems to make sense, as the original town was put together by a group of friends with a shared vision." Actually, It was more like a group of people as opposed to a group of "friends" with a shared vision...sure, some of us knew one another prior to the first Babbage sim, but then again, half of the other first new people, I personally had never met them before. Speaking of founders I had never met before....LOL...I can say that one person in particular *coughs* Lazo...didn't quite have the "same" vision as the rest of us...some of his "toys" were...bizarre. I think he had a prim baby in a jar as a toy. :/ Shaun talked to him, and I think he slapped some goggles on the baby's head and thus, it was steampunk themed. *grins*

[Capt. Red Llewellyn]

What!!?? I want a baby in a jar toy! i already have a Cepholopod under glass, now a soot globe, now i want a baby in a jar...with goggles! [grins]

[Greg Merryman]

Drat the timing! I just logged back into the beta grid to take a look at the ground textures in the Palisades *which I believe I've gotten wrong) and it seems that LL has updated the beta grid as of last night. The beta version of the Square and the Palisades look just like the "real" ones did yesterday. This is a real loss.

On the upside my beta inventory is now current as of yesterday too.

[Eggberta Echegaray]

That sucks...I was wanting to check this out myself when I got home from RL work :(

[Breezy Carver]

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This is a great Post Rip and eye openning because with out insulting anyone of us we dont want to loose THE concept .. No I do not have a factory but i have been flying around and seeing some amazing builds up close I have even made a point to tell some of YOU on im .. and I have seen others that well .. its all relative .. before one can cast down on another remember something about NEW BABBAGE it is a place where each of us are able to evolve and ya our dreams can come true .. but the key do our dreams work with the infostructure of what was intended .. it starts with an idea a build .. a Dream ..
and while we each have strong characters and dare i say egos .. don't forget personalities aside everyone matters in New Babbage .. so before anyone judges another .. lets not forget we are suporting together something and with that someone very very special ..

damn straight * warm smile* deal with it ..
hugssss and twirlssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss




an oldie .. but goody there .. where the dreamers dream .. stand back .. give me steam !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Mr. Tenk]

crap! well, at least a couple of you got to see it. Good thread, Rip.

[Ceejay Writer]

This is where I get to again show my ignorance. Beta Grid? *puzzles over that notion, having never known of its existence*

Everyone's already said a lot, and so I'll be brief (someone give Shaunathan smelling salts, I'm sure he just fainted at that statement.)

Our different neighborhoods tend towards unique personalities. Palisade is on the edge of town, upwind from the factories and Bob (whew). But it's still fairly gritty, EVEN for a suburb.

Yes, I'm building a cafe. No, it's not an industrial factory, but also, it's not completed yet. There's more to my vision and it's a very Babbagey vision indeed. I also sootwashed my stonework when I laid in the textures, but I have been very tempted to soot em up some more and most likely will. I've tried to keep in mind where my cafe is in context with the city. It's not downtown, it IS near the salon, and there are a handful of residences close by. The cafe fits the neighborhood.

Babbage is evolving, almost daily. No, it's not what it was... and it's not what it's going to be in another year. The good old days were great, but like Tiny Tin, standing in the Vernian, I look out and ahead to where we are going. Sooty, dirty, stinky progress is being made! We're growing. We will thrive. And cough.