PETRICHOR: A PERFECTLY PIXELATED PARADISE – JOSH (THOMAS1 BELLIC) REPORTING ~ The SL Enquirer

Petrichor: (Noun) a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather

This week’s hidden gem of a Sim is managed by the rental company Petrichor. Anyone who has been in SL for more than about a week has learned to recognize the difference between a poorly built sim and a beautiful one. In a Grid full of sims of “comic book art” caliber, this place is indeed a Michelangelo. If Bob Ross could have painted in 3D, he would have designed a place like Chrystal Island. If you are a lover of beauty, scenic views everywhere you look, and lag-free properties on a grid of omnipresent lag, you will find this place to be a refreshing change. As I was exploring this once in a SecondLife time creation, I came upon The Starchilds, Night, and Onyx. They couldn’t wait to tell me about this Garden of Eden that they had created (minus the snakes).

Josh (Thomas1 Bellic) JB: What a lovely build. Did you do this yourself? Or were others involved, and what were their roles?

Night Starchild (NS): We had a vision and we involved some of our friends to help us build the sim. For the build I provided the building materials and designed a few parcels on my own, then our friend Julia (Judithan Resident) stepped in and used the materials to help design more parcels. She was also very helpful in bringing in her own creativity enhancing the feel of the parcels even more. She turned out great at designing the hot springs with crystals in particular. We also have some properties with the interior design already done by my lovely wife Onyx Starchild and our friend Winter Rose (Abraa Xue). If a renter isn't comfortable decorating their own home, they may choose to take advantage of the designs already made by them. Our friend Winter Rose also loves ripping some houses apart and making extra rooms or create a new upper floor and new stairs. She customized a few houses for us in that way.

Onyx Starchild (OS): Night Starchild, who has lots of skills and previous experience as a sim designer, started creating the sim, bringing to life the vision we had for Petrichor. Later on, some friends joined us to help along the way. Our friend Julia (Judithan) brought her building expertise, and our friend Winter Rose (abraa.xue) her abilities in the field of interior design and customizing houses. All of them are very talented, As for me, my role is mostly dedicated to the interior design of some of the properties.

JB: There are many beautiful Sims out there. What is the Petrichor Difference?

NS: We focus on the beautiful views of nature all around the properties and have privacy as a priority.. So, we obscure the view of other houses in the sim using nature and blend the houses in so they become a part of nature. We use only the best quality materials and we re-texture a lot to our own liking to make everything blend together. We built the sim using a particular set of textures that we think makes it so beautiful and by controlling the texture set size also eliminates lag.

OS: We wanted to provide the experience of a place that not only can offer privacy at its best but also, direct contact with nature. Each house is surrounded by unique landscaping and an enticing environment with breathtaking views. Everything here has been meticulously thought to bring our residents that special feeling that will invite them to call Petrichor their home.

JB: As we were touring the property, I noticed a lack of clear paths between the properties. Are you going to add those later?

NS: Aha, yes. We did that on purpose because we do not want people to wander onto other parcels. The property borders are not that clear from the ground when you walk around, which adds to the rural wild feel of the rugged nature around and on the properties. Having paths leading onto private properties would entice casual wanderers to enter private properties, only to be greeted with a security warning.

JB: Who would you envision as the ideal renter?

NS: Everyone has a different taste. Basically, someone that really enjoys the beauty, the privacy, and the overall energy of the sim. Someone that feels at home here. If they like to play the occasional board game with us at the community game center area then that would make for a fun renter in my book :)

OS: Someone who appreciates nature, and privacy and is looking for a comfortable place to live that they will proudly call their home.

JB: How are your properties laid out here?

NS: On the ground level, we have 8 big elite properties laid out in each wind direction. North South East West, and also on each corner. These are located on parcels that are around 4560sqm in size. They have around 2400 prims of which I use about 900 for the house and the nature around it. I tune the size of the parcel and its nature to have 1500 prims available for the renter to decorate their own space further and make it their own.

JB: Tell us about the different areas here?

NS: On the ground level we also have the center of the sim, a big greenhouse is located in the middle of the forest there. This could be used by renters to have a wedding party or something like that. Free of charge that's a perk of being a Petrichor Resident. When this space is not in use, we provide some game tables there. This area is completely obscured from view from the private properties, yet freely available to all. No roads lead to the center. The public center is separated from private parcels by streams of water.

OS: To clarify, this area is not connected in any way to the houses, so the residents won’t be disturbed in the privacy of their homes.

JB: What are some of the things that guests can do at Petrichor?

NS: Guests are welcome to wander the public center part of Petrichor sims, and play board games there. Of course, Petrichor residents can have their guests on their private land as well. Guests should not wander into rented homes or they will be returned home by security, although some renters turn off security and run an open house, and available cottages have security disabled as well.

OS: They can explore the public area of the sim, where the community center is located. And the guests of our residents should remain on their own property to respect the privacy of the other residents.

JB: Is the natural lighting changing here? What’s that all about?

NS: Yes, I’m glad you noticed. We have our own shared environment settings. The sim goes through about 6 or 7 different settings in the course of a day, which takes 6 hours in this sim. These settings change over time, along with the seasons of nature. It just makes the sim look so much better.

JB: Do you have any plans for future development?

NS: Yes. We are making a small community of a few very affordable tiny homes on smaller 1024 sqm private parcels on a platform at 2000 meters. This is currently under development to accommodate people with a smaller budget.

JB: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

NS: We see our properties being rented really quickly and we cannot keep up with demand. We have started building PetrichorSL.com where people can add themselves to our waiting list. The website was just started so for now the best thing is to contact me or Onyx Starchild if you want to be on the waiting list, and you will be notified when we create new rentals or one becomes available.

OS: We have put on this sim everything that we thought that the perfect place to live should have, such as stunning views of nature all around, lots of space and lovely comfortable homes. We love to invite everyone who appreciates nature with a dash of spirituality to come have a feel for the amazing atmosphere at Crystal Island.

Sooooo….there you have it. These properties are going to go fast. If you are interested in only the finest of residential properties in an idyllic mountain setting, you are going to want to get in on the ground floor of this deal. Go visit Petrichor at the SURL below. Tell ‘em Josh sent ya.

Be there! Aloha!

SURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Crystal%20Island/119/87/23

FLICKR: https://www.flickr.com/photos/petrichorsl/

Website: http://www.PetrichorSL.com (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)