Premium reservations: In case you missed the news post.

[Madelaine McMasters]

5 minutes ago, Lexbot Sinister said:

None of course.

But there's also a reason why they are not full the entire time. The longer an event has been ongoing, the less "new" and attractive it gets, and the whole point about events is that you get the stuff while it's brand new. Otherwise, why hammer the teleport, when you could wait for the in-store release ? Most events have very very few exclusive items.

By the time the event is easy to get into, there's another one somewhere elsewhere. The excitement for the old event is long over.

If the idea is that new events are for premiums only, that is going to repulse a lot of non-premium residents. Yes, the ones with money.

I don't recall all the details in the Linden's explanation for the change, but I recall it was in response to customer feedback. I think that tells us they're monitoring things. And if this change doesn't work, their monitoring should reveal that and they'll adjust.

It may appear that SL runs open-loop, but that's because we're not in control.

[Nova Convair]

The reserved spots are added! If a sim holds 100 avatars it holds 110 now and the additional 10 are reserved. For non premium user it changed NOTHING they have still 100 free spots as they had b4. So most complaints here make me kind of laugh.

If a sim owner reduces the # of avatars they need to add the 10% on their own. If they dont do it they maybe are too stupid or maybe not - however - it's their sim and their rules.

From my point of view, I don't care.

[Lexbot Sinister]

If people feel pressured to get a premium account just to be able to enjoy SL shopping like they used to, then it most certainly "works".

The more people with premiums for this specific reason, the lesser the advantage though, too.

[Madelaine McMasters]

1 minute ago, Nova Convair said:

From my point of view, I don't care.

Imagine how different SL looks from the LL point of view, where they have access to metrics we haven't even dreamed of. And imagine how much more they care about those metrics when SL puts food on their table.

[Lexbot Sinister]

1 minute ago, Nova Convair said:

The reserved spots are added! If a sim holds 100 avatars it holds 110 now and the additional 10 are reserved. For non premium user it changed NOTHING they have still 100 free spots as they had b4. So most complaints here make me kind of laugh.

If a sim owner reduces the # of avatars they need to add the 10% on their own. If they dont do it they maybe are too stupid or maybe not - however - it's their sim and their rules.

From my point of view, I don't care.

I explained how it changes more than "nothing".

Try reading.

 

Also not "their sim, their rules" because the top 10% will now always be reserved for premium accounts, no matter what the region owner thinks about it. LL's sims, LL's rules, always.

[Ceka Cianci]

A lot of events are about getting the things that you can't get after the event is over..

Special edition things..

OMG where did you get that hair,I want it so bad?

Oh,this old thang?You can't get it anymore, it was only if you went to the 2015 hair fair..

 

I could never get on those sims with my old computer..I have a new one now that nothing has been able to bog down yet..So look out world,I'm Back! \o/

hehehehehe

 

[Madelaine McMasters]

3 minutes ago, Ceka Cianci said:

So look out world,I'm Back! \o/

hehehehehe

 

And thank goodness for that. I've always enjoyed your joyous energy, exemplified by your use of...      \o/

;-).

[Nova Convair]

19 minutes ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

Imagine how different SL looks from the LL point of view, where they have access to metrics we haven't even dreamed of. And imagine how much more they care about those metrics when SL puts food on their table.

LL is pushing premium for quite a while now. Maybe they got inspiration from free to play games? All the advantages (including this one) I don't care. But the more they add they will hit the "soft spot" of more and more people.

The effect on SL - don't know - only LL has statistics. 

[Talligurl]

6 hours ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

Hair just ain't that important.

Wear a hat.

Hair is important, but there is plenty of great hair available without dealing with drama, or lag 

[Madelaine McMasters]

11 minutes ago, Talligurl said:

Hair is important, but there is plenty of great hair available without dealing with drama, or lag 

Right, hair is important, but it ain't that important. Nothing in SL, other than people you care for, is worth getting worked up over. And sometimes not even then.

;-).

[Qie Niangao]

47 minutes ago, Nova Convair said:

The reserved spots are added! If a sim holds 100 avatars it holds 110 now and the additional 10 are reserved. For non premium user it changed NOTHING they have still 100 free spots as they had b4. So most complaints here make me kind of laugh.

But if demand ever creeps into the 10 reserved slots, those 100 slots will not be as available to non-premiums as they were before. No non-premium will get in again until demand from premium users falls below 100.

[Qie Niangao]

1 hour ago, Lexbot Sinister said:

If the idea is that new events are for premiums only, that is going to repulse a lot of non-premium residents. Yes, the ones with money.

I'll find this interesting to watch, not for the drama of repulsed non-premiums, but for the shift in SL commerce away from super-crowded events. There are plenty of ways to promote sales of hair (or gatcha gimmicks, or whatever), and the Boxing Day model of "crowd all buyers into sims simultaneously so they can compete for resources" may not be the best approach, even now.

[Callum Meriman]

3 hours ago, Klytyna said:

This might come as a shock to you but many NON premium people pay what we call "rent" on parcels, for their homes, this "rent" is used by the landlord to pay "tier" on the land that they "own". This practice is especially common in the 24,000 plus private sims that are NOT Premium only mainland, sims that exist because NON Premium peasants pay substantial amounts of money to "rent" them.

Not to argue what you say, but just to make a comment.

I am an estate owner, and I still have 2 premium accounts. My own account, and the alt who actually owns the land are both premium, and have been for quite along time. It's not much money in the grand scheme of things, and it provides some good benefits, benefits that even people who rent on an estate should consider to see if they can also use them.

Premium is not just for owning mainland, it allows access to some nice clean, safe sandboxes unlike the few public ones. Sandboxes which I find are ideal for sorting out congolmerations, or rezzing new Blender made objects with a potential to explode your sim (looking at you huge LI mesh and the associated "return the entire sim" bug)

But I know, not everyone has a lot of conglomerates, or uses blender - so as an additional advantage Premium also gives a lot more group slots.

 

Ultimately though, it all comes down to what one sees is important for oneself. For Linden Lab, it's an easy income source, so it's in their interest to keep adding value to premium with hopes that it tempts more people renting on estates into taking up the deal.

[Talligurl]

Really in the overall grand scope of things in SL, how many people even care about any of this? I know there are people who probably live to go to these events, and probably a lot of them since the events are always so crowded, but as a percentage of the total number who log on in any given day, how many is it? I am guessing it isn't many. People come to hang out at their favorite beach, or play a game, or chat with friends, and I bet most of them have never even been to one of these things, and a lot more like me have gone, actually bought something, and then said never again. It is a great gimmick to try to get some of the event junkies to sign up for premium accounts but I don't think it is going to affect that many people, 

 

[CheriColette]

Ive been to some events and the atmosphere is great but really the goods are not priced any cheaper so why do people flock there? Mostly the goods are available back at the main shops later anyway.....and if not, then I dont worry. 

[Talligurl]

The one thing I got at an event was the hair for my wedding. I saw it pictured in the store and thought that is it, then I found out it was only available at the event. Waiting till later wasn't an option because the wedding was going to happen before the end of the event. 

[Amanda Crisp]

I've been paying Premium a little while now, but I'm not sure if "special privs for Premiums" is the way to go.

Not because I don't think Sl is a business and membership should not have some perqs - Premium subscribers are "reliable income" for LL and having predictable income allows for capital to be spend more freely on things like server upgrades and infrastructure beyond "basic maint.".

I think its a bad idea because of the demographics of SL.

The population skews towards people who dislike the idea of a financial caste system (even when that caste system pays a lot of the freight). Similarly to the other recent RL protests, when this kind of thing goes sideways and active protest begins - it will not be *just* directed at Linden Lab; but also at Premium Members who have done nothing other than just pay their monthly tier. Rage is indiscriminate, and many at whom it will be directed would not really deserve to have their SL disrupted by it.

So this is a bad idea because it red-flags people who have done nothing wrong and fans resentment when there is no need.

Premium lets me own land and gets me a little stipend; that's enough for me.  I can do without the drama ;-)

Edited April 16, 2017 by AmandaKeen

[Callum Meriman]

2 hours ago, Talligurl said:

Really in the overall grand scope of things in SL, how many people even care about any of this? 

You may be surprised. Quite a few smaller, but still popular dance clubs run on Homesteads - which have a limit of 20 avatars.

This change bumps the number to 25 for no extra cost to the club owner.

[Bree Giffen]

I don't think the new feature would affect me with the way I use SL. The Lab should just figure out how to kick people who have gone afk (away from keyboard) for over ten minutes. Netflix checks if I am still watching a show. Second Life should do the same for busy parcels. 

[CheriColette]

Nods @Bree Giffen. That annoys me too, not just at events but in ballrooms etc. 

[Ceka Cianci]

7 hours ago, Bree Giffen said:

I don't think the new feature would affect me with the way I use SL. The Lab should just figure out how to kick people who have gone afk (away from keyboard) for over ten minutes. Netflix checks if I am still watching a show. Second Life should do the same for busy parcels. 

I wonder if there is a way they could give the sim owner an option to allow AFK or to not allow it on their sim?

One that take precedence over the viewer option

 

Edited April 16, 2017 by Ceka Cianci

[Nikolai Warden]

I think a good many people who use SL do not see notices from LL as they do not read the LL blogs or venture to the forums. I think this issue may prove to be something of a tempest in a tea pot for that reason, and also because people who try to get into events the first day (or week, for month long events) expect to have difficulty getting in. I notice that capacity for regions on which events take place is usually set by the sim owner to between 40 and 60. It seems to me that a sim owner could increase that number a wee bit and no one attempting to get into an event would even notice. I doubt there are many who, when attempting to tp to an event, upon receiving the notice that the region is full, will go to the map and see how many people there are on the sim, and then upon finally getting into an event, will go to WORLD and region to see what the capacity is. They are too busy shopping and being happy to have finally gotten in to brood about such matters.

As for premium perks ... I know some who have had premium accounts for years. I have never found it necessary. The sims on which I have lived have always provided sandboxes to tenants, I have no need of a free LL home ... though visiting them and camming about the neighborhoods is always rather a blast from the SL past, so to speak ... and the weekly stipend is a drop in the bucket in relation to what I ordinarily spend in SL. Extra group slots can be handy for some, but without them, I rarely reach the limit of groups and usually have at least a half dozen group slots available.

[HarrisonMcKenzie]

Looks up to see if the sky-prim is falling, sees that it isn't.

LL is adding to area capacity. I really fail to see why people are getting upset. For non-premium players, there isn't a change.

And with regards to these events, just wait a day or two before going. As long as the event is still running, you can still enjoy it and buy your stuff. If you miss free gifts, than you missed the free gifts; LL adding capacity doesn't change that. And to that person who complained that new events will start and the old event won't be cool anymore... Seriously?

Edited April 16, 2017 by HarrisonMcKenzie

[Qie Niangao]

2 hours ago, HarrisonMcKenzie said:

For non-premium players, there isn't a change.

That's just not true once regions start using any of that added capacity. Starting then and potentially for a long time after the demand drops below the non-augmented capacity limit, the region will be disproportionately populated by Premium members, compared to before the change.

Personally I don't particularly care about that, and wouldn't mind if SL commerce depended less on these big shopping events anyway. Unrelated to such events, this change is especially good for those of us on the Mainland. So it's all fine with me.

In contrast, though, for those who run such events or otherwise want them to succeed, they may want to encourage the Lab to make the 10% Premium-only capacity be a setting at the option of the Estate owner.

[HarrisonMcKenzie]

51 minutes ago, Qie Niangao said:

That's just not true once regions start using any of that added capacity. Starting then and potentially for a long time after the demand drops below the non-augmented capacity limit, the region will be disproportionately populated by Premium members, compared to before the change.

Will it though? I don't remember reading that in the blog post. How will non-premium players be forced out of Sims when the non-premium cap is still 100%? Why would there be a disproportionate amount of premium players or any lasting once the area is no longer full?