Hello,
I have a friend who has been in the mentors and the greeters for a long time and who also has the distinction of a telehub "regular' if that makes any sense. 
He has lived in several sims now and takes on the role usually of greeter, hanging out at the Telehub talking to the people that arrive and helping them find things.
So I went and had a long talk with him yesterday morning and got what he says is the straight poop on what we should have on the Platz. This got me thinking about the Platz layout of course and Sudanes ideas for changing it and this is the result:
1) - Number one thing people are looking for is "something to do" like building classes, poetry, live music or any kind of [b:2xa5qdpp]event[/b:2xa5qdpp] so it's really important that there be information right at the hub and giant arrows pointing to events wherever they may be. If there can be an event within visual range of the hub itself then that is even better. If they cant see the thing they want from the hub and there is no pointer, they generally go away.
2) - Number 2 in the "something to do" category is a bar or coffee shop or some kind of similar gathering place. It is [i:2xa5qdpp]really important to have a gathering place like this[/i:2xa5qdpp] and it's really important to have [b:2xa5qdpp]free[/b:2xa5qdpp] drinks and again, events or music. The best Telehubs have a place like this that you can see as you res on the hub, basically a place to hang out and talk.
3) - Again in the same category, anything interesting like a funky build or games and especially [b:2xa5qdpp]free games[/b:2xa5qdpp]. If there is something to interact with, an avatar will hang around even if they are completely alone and free board games are a natural in this category.
4) - One word, "Shops." By far the majority of random travellers are looking for stores. According to my friend, the most popular in this category are specialty shops. "People are always looking for shoes stores and hat stores" he says, "and men's clothing stores." Any unique accessories will also sell. (I think I am going to change business models ).
5) - In the shops category, people are also always looking for [i:2xa5qdpp]unique themed shops[/i:2xa5qdpp], especially ones that are about the location or the sim itself. In our case we should definitely include a large "Neufreistadt" shop that has branded merchandise but also the kind of things that we are about. Medieval houses and clothing, stuff like that.
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Now it could be the case that we are unique and these ideas are not relevant, but they all kind of made sense to me so I have attached a map (hopefully) that shows my proposal for the realignment of the platz in keeping with these ideas and with Sudanes.
I have gone with an asymmetrical arrangement to break up the rigid monotony of the square. The north-side shops have been pushed back to give a bit of needed space to the bridge road, but some have been left sticking out to give a kind of "end" to that relentless horizontal line.
I have left Catfahrt Alley partially open as those houses front on it, but added a new north-south lane that leads to the wall. The "f" is for "feature" perhaps a statue or a nice place to sit. The idea here is to draw people down the lanes into the city instead of leaving them all corralled in on the Platz.
The stores on the south side are in the same place so as to leave bladedancer allee but are all small now so the same number remains (even though one is removed on the corner by the church.) This allows what is now my property (which I have suggested could be the cafe here) to slide up leaving a way to get out of that cul-de-sac. You can see the little tables outside it if you squint.
The more we can put in little lanes and streets for people to wander off into and discover different parts of the city the better in my view. Currently if you want to get to Gwynethstrasse or even the museum, you have to go a long way out of the way. The Platz needs to be the centre, but it needs to be easy to wander off and go somewhere else.
The squares labeled g1, g2, g3 are my idea of [b:2xa5qdpp]games[/b:2xa5qdpp] [i:2xa5qdpp]built into the sidewalk itself[/i:2xa5qdpp]. Here I am thinking of perhaps a memory game, or soduku! Sky and I worked out the particulars for a soduku game that would be easy to adapt for this purpose. I think this would be a great idea and be hours of entertainment if done right.
here's hoping the picture works here. It's my first time using this service...
[img:2xa5qdpp]http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j292/ ... latz-1.jpg[/img:2xa5qdpp]
