I am waiting for Premium Plus and Stilt homes, I am not a patient person

[Marianne Little]

What the title says.

I have said before that I am going to stay in Bellisseria for ever. I think the honeymoon period is over, and a divorce is looming in the distance.

I have used all the types of homes and all the add-ons. It is nothing new.

I have cheated on Bellisseria with other land.

I feel no remorse for the 2 Bellisseria homes I have, because I pay for every ounce of land I have in SL. But I am tempted to break free from at least one. Because the day has a fixed amount of hours and I can't use time everywhere. So pay for what I do not use is annoying me.

I really need something new to stay Premium..... I need more prims as a reason to be Premium. I think the 351 is just crumbs. Why does LL keep all that abandoned land and pay for servers to run it, while paying members live on a minimum of prims?

Edited September 30, 2020 by Marianne Little

[Alwin Alcott]

14 minutes ago, Marianne Little said:

I really need something new to stay Premium.....

a bit the same here, currently only holding one camper, and didnt even go there in a month. But because it's a great location not going to abandon it yet.
In about 8 weeks my premiums start to renew, and currently with a finger on the button to downgrade to basic, ready to push as soon the date gets closer.
My stipends pay my private ental at the moment, but also have a mainland parcel.. a bit of tier will cover that last, so might keep one premium, and let 4 others go down.

[Syo Emerald]

For my personal situation, Belli homes are the best option for me, so I'm going to stick to it (unless I would need to drop Premium completely for whatever reason). But I do get the impatiance about the Stilt Homes. It has been ages since they were showcased and now its radio silence on when to expect them or when developement of the regions will even start. I don't think we will see them in 2020 and I'm starting to doubt we will see them in 2021.

Edited September 30, 2020 by Syo Emerald

[Marianne Little]

I am glad to hear it is not just me.

I know I am in a bit down in RL. I always question my use of money in SL when I feel it is stagnating.

I can always drop my alt's Premiums and buy Premium again when the Stilts are coming. I am holding back, because I have good locations. But I see how great locations some people score all the time in the Beautiful abandons thread. I just need patience if I will go back to Bellisseria. It is not like all residents of Bellisseria keep their prime locations for ever.

I was Basic for what, more than 10 years? It was only the increase to 1024 tier-free land that made me pay for Premium. The increase in price for Premium must be paid back with more prims.

[Milk Pixelmaid]

You do know that some day, when they stop releasing new themes, that will be all there is. Then what?

[Frigga Freidman]

1 hour ago, Milk Pixelmaid said:

You do know that some day, when they stop releasing new themes, that will be all there is. Then what?

Sorry, couldn't resist -     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPP6UgkmyM4

 

[Marisa Starbrook]

41 minutes ago, Frigga Freidman said:

Sorry, couldn't resist -     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPP6UgkmyM4

 

I hadn't heard that song in ages. Thanks for sharing. It means a lot more now that I'm retired.

[Morena Tully]

GoH was incredibly fun. Watching things develop was fun. Stalking region releases felt like a safari. Now I'm coming down off the high, and have lost all interest in SL. I know the flame will rekindle at some point. I'm looking forward to whatever comes after stilts, since those aren't my thing. Personally I have no problems with prims. Enhanced premium I don't really care about unless it means I can own a homestead. I'm not replying to whine to LL about the state of things because I'm positive they're working hard to do their best to give people what they want. And like Milk said, one day it's going to be all there is, the end. I just miss the challenge and excitement.

I get the impression that things are just on a slow burn not only due to the cloud switch, but the whole future plans for SL with the change in ownership. 

[Evangeline Arcadia]

6 hours ago, Marianne Little said:

I have cheated on Bellisseria with other land.

Shame on you lol!

I admit I feel impatient too. I can't wait for Stilt homes. It feels like such a long time to wait, but we did know it would be. In June Patch said they were basically ready, but couldn't be released due to the lack of region capacity (page 8 of the thread NEW THEME!! Beachy/Summery),  so would be released after the uplift around autumn time this year (that was in another interview/thread somewhere). Of course that is not set in stone I'm sure, but  I really hope we see a release (of a large quantity!) this year, not next year...

2 hours ago, Milk Pixelmaid said:

You do know that some day, when they stop releasing new themes, that will be all there is. Then what?

I'm sure there'll be those who still like GOH, and that has no end date:)

[Elena Blossom]

Well, I guess that everything that goes up has to go down. 2019 was an intense year in Bellisseria, there was a big excitement about all the releases and new themes, so I guess the natural curve is to expect some decrease in that excitement; like everything, it is cyclic.

The lack of new themes or unique regions, plus the RL situation we are facing don't help.

Personally, I got a mainland parcel because I wanted to create something of my own and, despite loving my homes, I was bored. Now, I've got tired of my mainland parcel, I've got ridden of an impressive cabin I was over with but refused to see, and got a new Trad. I'm also being silly and hopping homes just for the fun of it, but I know I'm heading to downgrade some alts...  I dont need more prims, since mainly I focus on the garden and I always block rooms I don't use, but I'd like to see something special for the Premium accounts. 

Still, I love Bellisseria and the amazing work the Moles have been doing, so I think I'll be there for a while, but probably just keeping a house, and I will enjoy the experience in a different way, not focused on the home itself, but on the Community. That is something I'd love to see grow stronger.

Edited September 30, 2020 by Elena Core
grammar mistake

[Sardonyx Mysterious]

@Marianne LittleI cheated too! I rented small parcel but it ended up too small so I trade up to a larger one.
 My Belli home was in a beachy area and I was not feeling it for fall and winter seasons. Maybe I will go for a cabin this time? I am ready for something new! I understand that the stilt homes may not be soon but was hoping at least for the premium plus.

 

 

 

 

[Chic Aeon]

While I left Belli in mid April when my Premium was up (and primarily because I didn't want to "agree" to Tilia) I was definitely in the We Love Belli chorus for a long while.  You know that. And I certainly understand everything that has been said here. 

 

From that larger looking from a distance viewpoint, the Belli predicament is just one instance of our general inability to "move forward".  Many of us are feeling it these days, at least most of my virtual and real life friends.  Now I know some of you believe in the power of the planets (or the order of the Universe or whatever you might call it) and others do not.  But either way it is interesting that we are currently in a Mars retrograde period (from Sept 9th).   I didn't actually know when the Mars retrograde started. My go-to astrologer has gone over to the dark side and can't seem to say more than a paragraph on actual astrology without delving into COVID or conspiracy.   So I went to Google and asked.  At the top of the list was a website with this comment:

 

 

If I still had my astrology website I would have been echoing these words.   

 

It isn't just Belli and it isn't just Second Life and it really isn't just being locked up more or less in our homes.   Cause and effect and cause and effect, it goes round and round. For many of us Second Life is an extension of our real lives. We are pretty much the same people here and there.  So all that real life angst gets reflected to us when we log in each day.   

 

Sure, we can have sunshine when it is dreary and rainy outside, sure we can have gorgeous bodies and perfectly coiffed hair, but those "me" parts of ourselves are still dealing with things here in our virtual world.  You can see it in the lackluster (not all mind you but a very high percentage) of new releases at events. You can see it in disappearing brands and people on "hiatus".  We get to DEAL in our world sitting in front of the computer; we get to deal with it as we drive our virtual cars along mountain roads. We simply can't escape it. 

 

I would really like to say that the stars are on our side, that things will get better --- and they will eventually, I have faith in that. But it is going to be a long road. We need to have patience and trust in ourselves and each other.  The stars are telling us that it is going to get worse before it get's better.  They set that story in stone with their movements when the world began.  It is our time to "toughen up", be strong and CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER.    

 

On a personal note, I thank Marianne for this thread. It helped me back on a better path, one where I will LOOK at the information rather than trying to avoid it -- one that will hopefully get me moving forward purposefully in mid November.   

[LittleMe Jewell]

I never actually expected the Stilt Homes until the holidays - possibly around Thanksgiving, but more likely mid-Dec -- simply because I don't expect them to finish up their cloud migration before that.  I actually think that they already have some regions created, hidden, somewhere, but are waiting on having enough regions for a large rollout.

I've always held some regular Mainland with my Bellisseria properties - though I am currently down to just a Houseboat in Bellisseria.  I also am still holding 4 Premium accounts, and due to the 'pay ahead' specials they had, they are all paid through at least half of next year, with one or two paid into 2022.

[Dyna Mole]

Hang in there, GOH team!  I have no idea what the release date is --- I just work here, after all  🤪 --- but stilt houses are coming Soon™.  We'll need a distraction from  the cooler weather ahead (well, at least in the northern hemisphere.... ). Keep thinking kind, summery thoughts about the beach. 

[Marianne Little]

6 hours ago, Milk Pixelmaid said:

You do know that some day, when they stop releasing new themes, that will be all there is. Then what?

Yes, what.... For me, it all depends upon if the prims for land match what Premium costs. I could pay for Flickr Pro instead and begin to post how my avatar looks. I am close to the 1000 free images we can have. I don't need Premium Plus for that. I posted lots of looks in 2014 - 15, all I do now is move trees and furniture.

In the years I was basic, I used to rent land a month or two when I had the desire to set up a house. And then I left the estate, and could have a break from SL. Having a break from SL now, feels like I am paying for a service I don't use.

2 hours ago, Sardonyx Mysterious said:

@Marianne LittleI cheated too! I rented small parcel but it ended up too small so I trade up to a larger one.
 My Belli home was in a beachy area and I was not feeling it for fall and winter seasons. Maybe I will go for a cabin this time? I am ready for something new! I understand that the stilt homes may not be soon but was hoping at least for the premium plus.

 

If we got more land without tier, much of the abandoned land would be bought up. ☺️

The bright side is that I am not afraid to abandon homes in Bellisseria now. Or is it that I am feeling so lackluster that I can't care? I kept thinking about a parcel I gave up in January for 6 months. I would not bother to take it back now if I got a 100% safe way to take it back.

2 hours ago, Chic Aeon said:

While I left Belli in mid April when my Premium was up (and primarily because I didn't want to "agree" to Tilia) I was definitely in the We Love Belli chorus for a long while.  You know that. And I certainly understand everything that has been said here. 

 

From that larger looking from a distance viewpoint, the Belli predicament is just one instance of our general inability to "move forward".  Many of us are feeling it these days, at least most of my virtual and real life friends.  Now I know some of you believe in the power of the planets (or the order of the Universe or whatever you might call it) and others do not.  But either way it is interesting that we are currently in a Mars retrograde period (from Sept 9th).   I didn't actually know when the Mars retrograde started. My go-to astrologer has gone over to the dark side and can't seem to say more than a paragraph on actual astrology without delving into COVID or conspiracy.   So I went to Google and asked.  At the top of the list was a website with this comment:

 

 

If I still had my astrology website I would have been echoing these words.   

 

It isn't just Belli and it isn't just Second Life and it really isn't just being locked up more or less in our homes.   Cause and effect and cause and effect, it goes round and round. For many of us Second Life is an extension of our real lives. We are pretty much the same people here and there.  So all that real life angst gets reflected to us when we log in each day.   

 

Sure, we can have sunshine when it is dreary and rainy outside, sure we can have gorgeous bodies and perfectly coiffed hair, but those "me" parts of ourselves are still dealing with things here in our virtual world.  You can see it in the lackluster (not all mind you but a very high percentage) of new releases at events. You can see it in disappearing brands and people on "hiatus".  We get to DEAL in our world sitting in front of the computer; we get to deal with it as we drive our virtual cars along mountain roads. We simply can't escape it. 

 

I would really like to say that the stars are on our side, that things will get better --- and they will eventually, I have faith in that. But it is going to be a long road. We need to have patience and trust in ourselves and each other.  The stars are telling us that it is going to get worse before it get's better.  They set that story in stone with their movements when the world began.  It is our time to "toughen up", be strong and CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER.    

 

On a personal note, I thank Marianne for this thread. It helped me back on a better path, one where I will LOOK at the information rather than trying to avoid it -- one that will hopefully get me moving forward purposefully in mid November.   

That was very interesting! If a certain landlord is still in SL when/if I cancel my Premium, maybe I will move back to renting from him... the very cheap landlord you found. I have been feeling awful in September. Things pile up on me in RL, both on the physical and mental plan.

Patience, I do not know her. But maybe I can be aquainted with her?

[Nika Talaj]

4 hours ago, Morena Tully said:

I get the impression that things are just on a slow burn not only due to the cloud switch, but the whole future plans for SL with the change in ownership. 

I'm also beginning to feel that LL is in slow gear right now.  Tho things are happening, LL isn't making much noise about them.  I wonder how many SL residents are aware that LL opened an official "SL Merchandise" storefront?  Why isn't there a banner for it on Marketplace?  How many know that the Endowment for the Arts is back? 

And Patch hasn't posted a pic on Flickr since Aug 6th, tho he's certainly attended inworld photo-worthy events.  /me pouts and, absurdly, hopes all is ok with him.  *rolls eyes at self*

But to me the most concerning thing is the absence of any LL update re: Project Uplift.  Yesterday's simulator meeting evidently featured SL engineers expressing interest in reports of unsteady simulator performance grid-wide (things DO seem shaky to me as well, lots of borked logins), but no updates on the most obvious possible cause of them!  How is it going, @Oz Linden?  Maybe it's time for a blog post of your own? Your target date as of August was the end of the year.  Still looking good for that?  I ask because it seems there will be no new LH regions until Uplift is done-ish.

I suppose any slowdown could be attributed to regulatory review of the acquisition, which can be very time-consuming if a party to the acquisition is a public company.  In this case, no public entities are concerned, but Tilia is certainly an interesting beast from a regulatory viewpoint, so review taking over 6 months doesn't seem out of line.  Probably unrelated, I see that a few changes were made to LL websites on Sep 17 having to do with Skill Gaming, looks like really just a few "i"s being dotted.

/me decides to shut up, since the quickest way to derail an acquisition is to talk about it.

[Milk Pixelmaid]

9 hours ago, Dyna Mole said:

Hang in there, GOH team!  I have no idea what the release date is --- I just work here, after all  🤪 --- but stilt houses are coming Soon™.  We'll need a distraction from  the cooler weather ahead (well, at least in the northern hemisphere.... ). Keep thinking kind, summery thoughts about the beach. 

Dyna, thank you! We appreciate you.

[Anna Nova]

I'm selling my mainland, or more likely abandoning it, I haven't even visited for months, and the tier is stupidly high.  I have already taken my alt basic, and I may follow, as even the houseboat isn't much fun when you can't cross the region boundaries in your boat reliably.  Oh well, there's always pixel sex....

[Resi Pfeffer]

41 minutes ago, Anna Nova said:

I'm selling my mainland, or more likely abandoning it, I haven't even visited for months, and the tier is stupidly high.  I have already taken my alt basic, and I may follow, as even the houseboat isn't much fun when you can't cross the region boundaries in your boat reliably.  Oh well, there's always pixel sex....

There are some bandaids you can use for getting less hurt at region crossings. 
I took off all things i really dont need while sailing, like the mesh body hud, what is she wearing HUD, and all that stuff i heard about people using like spankers or mama allpa ^^
I took copys of all my body parts and any attachments like hair, and deleted the scripts whenever it was possible to do so.
And the boat got the same treatment, as i really dont need cuddle poses when i race the catamaran boat.

Since then, crossings are very fast and smooth so far.
And also Linden Labs did contribute to this, as they transferred blake sea regions to the cloud, what obviously also gave the whole thing a performance boost.

[Rachel1206]

22 hours ago, Marianne Little said:

What the title says.

I have said before that I am going to stay in Bellisseria for ever. I think the honeymoon period is over, and a divorce is looming in the distance.

I have used all the types of homes and all the add-ons. It is nothing new.

I have cheated on Bellisseria with other land.

I feel no remorse for the 2 Bellisseria homes I have, because I pay for every ounce of land I have in SL. But I am tempted to break free from at least one. Because the day has a fixed amount of hours and I can't use time everywhere. So pay for what I do not use is annoying me.

I really need something new to stay Premium..... I need more prims as a reason to be Premium. I think the 351 is just crumbs. Why does LL keep all that abandoned land and pay for servers to run it, while paying members live on a minimum of prims?

Nothing wrong with taking a pause and reconsider, when Premium Plus is a reality. I took a break some years ago, rented a nice cheap apartment in a skyscraper at a NY style sim. Used public sandbox in that period to create and build.

I chose to renew membership annual and rented a tropical homestead sized island besides my free Linden home. With all that space (and prims!), I can build, create, make like themed skyboxes and experiment with art, creations. So creating, building, scripting were my main reasons behind becoming member again, besides just loving SL with all its amazing stuff and things going on from art to live music.

[Patch Linden]

In general, everything is still running full steam ahead.  There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes, and not just for my team, but across the Lab.   The uplift efforts are proceeding very well and you'll see even more about that soon I'm sure.   

As for me and the LDPW team, I took a real vacation with a bit of a daring trip to the house of mouse.   Prior to that the we'd been super busy working on several large scale events, such as Titmouse and all the fun stuff we're just releasing around Halloween like the huge shopping event, Swagginator, all our gift and Halloween content, the Millbank surprise, readying the Halloween Haunted Tour and it's modifications for the year and so on.  The stilt homes can't be released yet due to uplift and simulator availability constraints.   The theme following Stilts is in the end stages of content production completion and will also soon™ be positioned for release.  The theme after is entering content production now, and the theme following is ready to follow it pretty quickly.

To that end, and as gently as I try to remind everyone, the Linden Homes model of home ownership is positioned as a constricted value proposition type of new user or starter home.  I have said before that at some point you probably would or should naturally want to "grow" out of the Linden Home ownership model and want bigger, better, more control, etc.  That is totally ok and by design, but some people are also perfectly happy with staying put in a Linden Home, also ok.   There are many other amazing land ownership options out there from Mainland to Private Estates.   No matter where you end up ultimately, we were glad you were part of something really special, we still equally love everyone and the community that continues to be a huge part of Bellisseria's continuing success.

At some point in the near future, I'm going to start a regular town hall type meeting for Bellisseria.  Who knows what tidbits of information could potentially drop from that.  😉

[LittleMe Jewell]

1 hour ago, Patch Linden said:

I took a real vacation with a bit of a daring trip to the house of mouse.

Brave little mousy, you are.   

I hope you had lots of fun during your very much deserved vacation.

[Nika Talaj]

1 hour ago, Patch Linden said:

I have said before that at some point you probably would or should naturally want to "grow" out of the Linden Home ownership model and want bigger, better, more control, etc.

 

1 hour ago, Patch Linden said:

It some point in the near future, I'm going to start a regular town hall type meeting for Bellisseria.  Who knows what tidbits of information could potentially drop from that.  😉

Oh, I hope those will be actual inworld gatherings! 

/me begins to make popcorn.

[Marianne Little]

Deat @Patch Linden☺️

One of the things I am eagerly awaiting is the Premium Plus. Because I have not grown out of only the Linden Homes, but also out of the 1024 m and 351 prims/Li tier free option. (I still use the term prims, even if I know the correct term is Li. Old habits die hard.)

I find it a bit... low value for the money. Sorry, it is because land is the thing that really interest me. I have heard others say that only the increase in groups is worth paying Premium, so of course we are different.

I was Basic for (10?) years. I did not pay for Premium until the increase from 512 to 1024 m, was it as late as 2017?

Maybe the Lab say that pah, one Premium account, it does not matter what I mean? On the most I had 6 Premiums. The increase in Premium pricing to 99 USD was not followed by an increase in prims, but I had Bellisseria to keep me and my "army of alts" Premium. It is not just a starter home, it is the whole landscaping, no skyboxes 100 m over the ground and no 64 m tall privacy screens. And let us not forget that the house does not count against the 351 prims. So new themes is "Mmmm.... new... shiny... must have it".

Perhaps I remember it wrong, but I think I escaped VAT in the start because I am in an EEA country and not in EU? But now I pay VAT. I know the rules is not LL's fault. Still sour money to pay.

I am not going to be both Premium and rent from a Private estate with pretty landscaping. The free tier is my main reason to be Premium. So if the price for Premium goes up, I want to get more land and prims back. It is no other reason for me to pay. If I pay rent to another resident, the Premium has to go.

And did not Ebbe Linden say that LL will switch from TIER BASED to SUBSCRIBER BASED income for the lab? I am as hopeful about Premium Plus as Clark Griswold was for his Christmas bonus in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. 🎄 Will I be as sad as him when I see what Plus is? 🤞

I know you can't say anything, I am not that stupid. So this is just my musings on Premium, land and prices. Have a great weekend!

[Pussycat Catnap]

I'm good with my spots in Bellisseria.

I still do have 2 nearly identical house boats because I can't decide between them...

But I've been premium since 2009 and even though I rarely do anything social in SL anymore, I'm still there.

 

As for new things. Covid-19 has basically put the entire world on pause... so I'm OK with the delays here.