Did the rules for alts change?

[GrayNathan]

I planned on using alts to make characters for screen shots and just for fun. I read on the forum and wiki that you could have 5 free accounts and pay 10$ for any more. But after coming back after a few months I read the terms of service and some other stuff. There was no mention on a limit. Did it change? I know it was an old rule that was only inforced if there was a problem. But I'm worried about doing that because of my anxiety issues. Can anyone help me out? Should I just contact Linden labs? 

Edited October 10, 2019 by GrayNathan
Typo

[Lindal Kidd]

There haven't been any changes.  Theoretically, LL limits alts to five per "household" or email address.  However, they really don't enforce this unless you start making armies of alts.  Many people have more than five.

[Maitimo]

5 minutes ago, Lindal Kidd said:

There haven't been any changes.  Theoretically, LL limits alts to five per "household" or email address.  However, they really don't enforce this unless you start making armies of alts.  Many people have more than five.

Is this still the case though? I've just read the TOS again and there's no mention of it anywhere.

I believe there is still a hard limit of 5 per email address; if you try to use an address at sign-up that you have already used 5 times, it will force you to choose another. Or at least that was the case a couple of years ago. I haven't tried to make any new alts since about 2017.

[Lindal Kidd]

LL's alt policy is not found in the Terms of Service.  Which makes sense; the ToS describes the relationship between an account holder (you) and LL.

You can read the official policy on alts here: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Alt_account_policies

[GrayNathan]

1 hour ago, Lindal Kidd said:

LL's alt policy is not found in the Terms of Service.  Which makes sense; the ToS describes the relationship between an account holder (you) and LL.

You can read the official policy on alts here: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Alt_account_policies

Your probably right. I just got confused because I decided to read the rules and I heard someone say the wiki was out of date. I guess I'll see what happens. I only plan on using it for creating characters and maybe uploading screen shots of them to deviantart, not sure about the second. I'll pay the fees if I need to.just wanted to get started on this sense I've been waiting till I done with trade school and had a job. Thank you

Edited October 10, 2019 by GrayNathan
Typo

[Linda Reddevil]

If you need more than 5, create and/or use another email address. The 5 alt limit has been around for years. 

[Clara Hollyberry]

In 2014 and 15, I had 20 alts on two email addresses (my Tiny Empires addiction was out of control... happy to have left that behind finally). My own account and email were separate.  I could not make 20 new accounts in one day of course.  It was over a period of time. So there is a control in place about how many per day.  

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

I have more than 5 and we all use the same email address. 

[LittleMe Jewell]

3 minutes ago, Sylvia Tamalyn said:

I have more than 5 and we all use the same email address. 

Thanks for that info.  I was just getting ready to go try changing a bunch of my existing ones to see if I could set more than 5 to the same email.  I think I currently have a max of 3 on any one email.

[GrayNathan]

the rule for new accounts is two per 24 hours, according to the wiki.

[Rolig Loon]

6 hours ago, GrayNathan said:

the rule for new accounts is two per 24 hours, according to the wiki.

The rule is simply a way for Linden Lab to discourage people from creating an "army of alts" (their words). It isn't something to get overly anxious about unless you were hoping to create a dozen throwaway accounts and go into the wholesale griefing business.  If that's what you were planning to do, and if your griefing business caught the Lab's attention, you'd have more to worry about than whether you had violated a 5-alt limit.  As others have said, Linden Lab has much better things to do than count how many alts you have.  They haven't enforced that rule rigidly in the 12+ years I have been here.

[GrayNathan]

14 hours ago, Rolig Loon said:

The rule is simply a way for Linden Lab to discourage people from creating an "army of alts" (their words). It isn't something to get overly anxious about unless you were hoping to create a dozen throwaway accounts and go into the wholesale griefing business.  If that's what you were planning to do, and if your griefing business caught the Lab's attention, you'd have more to worry about than whether you had violated a 5-alt limit.  As others have said, Linden Lab has much better things to do than count how many alts you have.  They haven't enforced that rule rigidly in the 12+ years I have been here.

ill be OK. i planning on using them to make the characters that i come up with. happens a lot because of my other hobbies. really dislike griefers because of my time on gta 5 online. 

[Ceka Cianci]

I remember they charged me for my alt back in 2006..

I forget how much it was,but it was my first only alt.. I believe they stopped doing that way back then also..

[Selene Gregoire]

10 hours ago, Ceka Cianci said:

I remember they charged me for my alt back in 2006..

I forget how much it was,but it was my first only alt.. I believe they stopped doing that way back then also..

Odd. I never had to pay for either of my alts that were created in 2005 or the ones after either. And they all used the same email.

I'm pretty sure basics were introduced in late 2004/early 2005. Unfortunately, LL doesn't mention when basics were introduced.

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/History_of_Second_Life

[Ceka Cianci]

14 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

Odd. I never had to pay for either of my alts that were created in 2005 or the ones after either. And they all used the same email.

I'm pretty sure basics were introduced in late 2004/early 2005. Unfortunately, LL doesn't mention when basics were introduced.

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/History_of_Second_Life

I think it may have been for premium accounts..

I should still have the email from back then..But yea,I had to pay..I'll have to go look for it and see exactly how much it was..

[Selene Gregoire]

9 minutes ago, Ceka Cianci said:

I think it may have been for premium accounts..

I should still have the email from back then..But yea,I had to pay..I'll have to go look for it and see exactly how much it was..

That's what I was thinking. It had to be for premium.

[Ceka Cianci]

7 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

That's what I was thinking. It had to be for premium.

Phil Knew what it was when I brought it up last time..I can't even remember that much about it,but he knew what it was about..

I looked through my emails and can't even find the email where I made the account,so I must have deleted it or it's just too buried in emails. hehehe

[Selene Gregoire]

3 hours ago, Ceka Cianci said:

Phil Knew what it was when I brought it up last time..I can't even remember that much about it,but he knew what it was about..

I looked through my emails and can't even find the email where I made the account,so I must have deleted it or it's just too buried in emails. hehehe

I have no idea what you're talking about... Phil? brought it up last time? huh?

No worries. Not really important. Just in all the years I've been in SL the only account I ever paid for was my original that was "premium" before there ever was such a thing as premium. Basics didn't exist at the time. This was during the early years when you got a free week trial and then it was a monthly sub.

I've never paid for any basic accounts, ever. But then, I've never gone crazy creating alts either. 

 

[Ceka Cianci]

4 hours ago, Selene Gregoire said:

I have no idea what you're talking about... Phil? brought it up last time? huh?

No worries. Not really important. Just in all the years I've been in SL the only account I ever paid for was my original that was "premium" before there ever was such a thing as premium. Basics didn't exist at the time. This was during the early years when you got a free week trial and then it was a monthly sub.

I've never paid for any basic accounts, ever. But then, I've never gone crazy creating alts either. 

 

I figured phil was one of the names I could mention in the forums that just about everyone knew..hehehehe

All i was saying was,when this topic came up awhile back and I had mentioned about my alt,he knew what the alt fee was for..

I just have the one alt..I never bothered making anymore because I didn't really think they were worth the money back then.. lol

[Selene Gregoire]

7 hours ago, Ceka Cianci said:

I figured phil was one of the names I could mention in the forums that just about everyone knew..hehehehe

All i was saying was,when this topic came up awhile back and I had mentioned about my alt,he knew what the alt fee was for..

I just have the one alt..I never bothered making anymore because I didn't really think they were worth the money back then.. lol

Ah... I think I know what you are talking about now. Back then they did charge you for creating an account if you already had one. The charge was $9.95 I think... right at $10. That changed in 2005 though. I would never have made the first alt if I had had to pay for it. You must have created that one before the change.