Premium Plus and Linden Homes

[Derrick Linden]

1 hour ago, Nika Talaj said:

Thank you, Derrick!  Altho I'm still a little puzzled about how I saw coastal stilt-on-lands being claimed by Premium Plus members when there were none of that type on the Land Page, and oodles of them set to Linden Home inland in those same regions.  Perhaps that was just a timing issue when Premium Plus was first starting up.

If I'm thinking of the correct release, I believe this may actually be a different situation. At one point a few months back we released some Stilt home regions that were labeled incorrectly, on land regions incorrectly labeled as on pier if I remember correctly. We've since fixed all of those, but I could see what you're describing being possibly the same issue.

[Marisa Starbrook]

4 hours ago, Nika Talaj said:

Thank you, Derrick!  Altho I'm still a little puzzled about how I saw coastal stilt-on-lands being claimed by Premium Plus members when there were none of that type on the Land Page, and oodles of them set to Linden Home inland in those same regions.  Perhaps that was just a timing issue when Premium Plus was first starting up.

Nika, I guess I benefited by somebody giving up a coastal stilt on land in Lobster Roll. I and my alt are not premium plus, and she landed Lobster Roll a few days ago. 

[diamond Marchant]

On 8/8/2022 at 11:25 AM, Derrick Linden said:

There is no difference in how the LH picker assigns out parcels - they function the exact same. Any homes claimable by someone that is Premium Plus is also claimable by a Premium user, and vice versa. All parcels (both those returning to the pool of available parcels by way of a resident abandoning, or newly released parcels) are made available to both Premium and Premium Plus members simultaneously

It is now being claimed in another thread that prior to releasing a region of homes to the queue of homes allocated by the algorithm, Lindens accept requests from Premium Plus residents and pre-assign these homes. Days later, the region is released to everyone else but the choice homes are already taken.

Is this true? 
If so, is this documented anywhere?

[LittleMe Jewell]

1 hour ago, diamond Marchant said:

It is now being claimed in another thread that prior to releasing a region of homes to the queue of homes allocated by the algorithm, Lindens accept requests from Premium Plus residents and pre-assign these homes. Days later, the region is released to everyone else but the choice homes are already taken.

Is this true? 
If so, is this documented anywhere?

 

Here is the official announcement that shows what P+ gets:

https://community.secondlife.com/blogs/entry/11080-introducing-premium-plus-for-your-second-life/

Notice this screen shot and the hilited part:

 

And from the referenced FAQ:

Edited February 11, 2023 by LittleMe Jewell

[Nika Talaj]

4 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

 

Here is the official announcement that shows what P+ gets:

https://community.secondlife.com/blogs/entry/11080-introducing-premium-plus-for-your-second-life/ ....

I don't see anything in that writeup about whether PP tickets on a previously unreleased region will be fulfilled before the region is available on the land page, which is what happened recently with the houseboats.  That would be REALLY good to know.  If so, I generally won't pay any attention to new releases, and will focus on abandons when I feel like hopping.

I used to really enjoy fishing for a great parcel at new releases.  But, things change.

[diamond Marchant]

46 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

Edited 43 minutes ago by LittleMe Jewell

It all hinges on what "is released" means. Derrick's post of 6 months ago clearly states that the "is released" means that release for both Premium Plus and Premium is "simultaneous".

However, reports are that release for Premium Plus happens BEFORE release for Premium, that is, Premium Plus residents can cherry pick new homes before they are put into the queue for Premium.

This is the point that I am asking @Derrick Linden to clarify.

[AzureWaves]

3 hours ago, diamond Marchant said:

It all hinges on what "is released" means. Derrick's post of 6 months ago clearly states that the "is released" means that release for both Premium Plus and Premium is "simultaneous".

However, reports are that release for Premium Plus happens BEFORE release for Premium, that is, Premium Plus residents can cherry pick new homes before they are put into the queue for Premium.

This is the point that I am asking @Derrick Linden to clarify.

What's really hard to understand? If they release to the general public (premium) before fulfilling tickets, that would cause a lot of unhappy customers, having to evict people. It makes sense to assign the tickets first then release the region. So whenever they start on the tickets for a region, it is considered released. I have never seen it work the other way, and when it does, as with the recent boat regions, it caused a lot of abrupt evictions! It seems plain as day to me how PPlus concierge works. And yes, the Lindens have changed the terms quite a few times - for example, now they've started holding the homes for a bit (no homes on land page) even though a ton are Linden Home in-world. Who knows why? We're all just reporting what we've seen and experienced, we don't need @Derrick Linden or any Linden to spell it out for it to be a truth.

[diamond Marchant]

1 hour ago, AzureWaves said:

What's really hard to understand?

I am NOT debating the pros and cons of any particular policy. My issue is getting Linden Lab to just state what the CURRENT policy is.   Just tell us what the rules are. What has been published so far appears to be out of date.

[Abnor Mole]

Released means the parcels in that region have been made available to residents. If the land is group owned by LDPW it is has not been released. If the region names starts with SSP it has not been released. That is why the support page dissuades premium plus members from putting in tickets for locations in regions that start with SSP, because it can be several weeks before that location is released. There is no way for residents to know when a region will actually be released, and no... we will not tell you.

[Polenth Yue]

9 hours ago, Nika Talaj said:

I don't see anything in that writeup about whether PP tickets on a previously unreleased region will be fulfilled before the region is available on the land page, which is what happened recently with the houseboats.  That would be REALLY good to know.  If so, I generally won't pay any attention to new releases, and will focus on abandons when I feel like hopping.

I used to really enjoy fishing for a great parcel at new releases.  But, things change.

The majority of houses in the release were not ticketed. Some of the ticketed houses were quickly dropped and picked up by someone else. It took some days for most of the houses to fill (and looks to be getting slower with every houseboat release). So you might as well keep trying for houses in releases if you find it fun.

[Nika Talaj]

2 hours ago, Abnor Mole said:

Released means the parcels in that region have been made available to residents. If the land is group owned by LDPW it is has not been released. If the region names starts with SSP it has not been released. 

Whitney has already told us that a region's name must not start with SSP to file a ticket.  So we're not asking about that.

The question is: After a region's name changes to its final one, is there a delay before the homes are available to the land page, to allow time for PP members to file tickets and get them filled?  That is what happened with the recently released houseboat regions; was that just how it played out this time, or will that generally be the case?

Understand, that is OK (at least with me).  I would think that would simplify things for the folks managing the PP tickets.  It would make the GOH less interesting for me, but hey, things change.  One moves on.  It would just be nice to know.

[Abnor Mole]

I don't know if the delay was intentional or if it just happened that way due to circumstances. I'm not heavily involved in that process on their end or know what (if anything) prolonged the release process. A grid emergency? A flood of support calls to the office? An unscheduled meeting? Lunch?

But... and you might want to think about it this way... does it not make good sense from a business standpoint to try to keep the perceived value of P+ membership as high as possible? And wouldn't one of those ways be by making sure Premium Plus members were getting maximum benefit out of the perk of being able putting in tickets for home locations.

[Chloe Bunny]

To highlight Nika's points and add my own  - I've found being premium only quite frustrating recently in terms of LH but I find PP which I have upgraded to a couple of times now on a monthly basis when I have to upload lots of stuff for events - very easy, always get the LH I put a ticket in for and everyone is quick and super friendly. A painless system that  I have been using to pick up abandons on the map. If PP did not have a monthly option I would be more hesitant but I am teetering over the annual fee as to me the uploads and the mainland are enough and I am unsure I want a 2048 LH. I've tried all the membership options at different times of year and the ones I prefer are the cheaper non LH ones, (very zen no stresses but have to be economical with what you are doing), and the PP, (all the perks, non of the stress and still some LH fun if you want to use your concierge service to pick a different home). Can I afford it right now though, the major question!

[Marianne Little]

If the Houseboat's best spots (end of line, not obstructed view) were not selected by P+, it could be because rumor spread slowly from the forum and out to the general public.

Eventually, the early P+ customers hold so much land elsewhere, Linden Homes are of no interest for them.

As the situation is now, the Coastal Victorians are few and very many are interested. I doubt I am the only one who consider going P+ just for a month, then downgrade to P. It means more good spots will be taken, maybe all in a region. This is a whole new group of customers, compared to the ones who selected P+ mainly for uploads and more groups. This is the group where the Linden Home is the main attraction.

So what we search for, is the answer: Will the regions that are renamed from SSP to the final name, be held for a period of time and the tickets from P+ filled? And then, only then, are the region showing up on the land page, available for P+ and P equally?

Is it so? Transparency, we want that.

I am not going to pay 30US monthly out of my love for SL, if I get no benefits over paying 12US monthly.  As @Abnor Molesay, get the maximum benefit out of P+, and my main interest is Linden Homes, so more groups and all the other perks is not benefits worth 18US more.

I understand there are many who want equity and that P and P+ should get the same rules. I am worried that those people will complain if they see P+ use the perks of P+, because that is "unfair".

It is already a lot of negative comments about people who pay for more than one P, and get better odds for picking good homes. It would be best for all if LL laid out the rules, and say if it is a delay so P+ with tickets are assigned their selected home before the houses show up on the land page. And LL say clearly: This is how P+ is meant to work.

It would hopefully cut back the complaints about "abusing the system, and finding loopholes".

And those who want to know if it is a point in paying for P+, we do not know how the perk really works. Some say we are sure to get a house we want. Some say it is not so, and it is just a coincidence that it has worked like this until now.

@Derrick Linden

 

Edited February 12, 2023 by Marianne Little
added a few words

[AzureWaves]

4 hours ago, Marianne Little said:

And those who want to know if it is a point in paying for P+, we do not know how the perk really works. Some say we are sure to get a house we want. Some say it is not so, and it is just a coincidence that it has worked like this until now.

@Derrick Linden

 

Once they remove SSP from any region, you can submit a PPlus ticket. If you're eyeing those new coastal victorian regions, there are only a few coastal spots per region. Some as few as 3. You're not guaranteed to be the first person to ticket 1 of 3 homes or even all 3 of 3 could be ticketed before yours. Those people are assigned the homes; it's first come first serve. The Lindens can't make this process any more fair. It's fair, as far as we know, in the order tickets are received. The only way to guarantee your own success, is to watch the regions.

[Marianne Little]

8 hours ago, AzureWaves said:

Once they remove SSP from any region, you can submit a PPlus ticket. If you're eyeing those new coastal victorian regions, there are only a few coastal spots per region. Some as few as 3. You're not guaranteed to be the first person to ticket 1 of 3 homes or even all 3 of 3 could be ticketed before yours. Those people are assigned the homes; it's first come first serve. The Lindens can't make this process any more fair. It's fair, as far as we know, in the order tickets are received. The only way to guarantee your own success, is to watch the regions.

When I read this thread from the top of the page, it is not so easy. It is raised questions if P+ tickets will be fulfilled before a region is released. Many say yes, Diamond say that it goes against LL policy. I would like to hear it direct from LL. Not that I doubt you, it has worked in previous releases.

It is first come, first serve. No problem. I wish it was automated, so we got the message back immediately, "taken" or "you have this house".

I was told that we can put in a second house in the ticket.

I think it will take a lot of luck, to see the moment "SSP" is removed from the region names. Maybe when I'm asleep or making dinner. I doubt coastals will stay unclaimed. So it can be many P+ who comes too late with their tickets.

LL made so many Fantasy and Chalets. It is over 50% vacant homes of those two themes. But it must be hard to predict what will "sell". So many said they want fantasy, but they didn't get their fantasy. Some wanted tree houses, some hobbit houses, all sorts of fantasy homes.

It is almost 50% vacant homes of Sakura too.

[Kylie Jaxxon]

I think the vacancy rates will be even higher once the 2048's come into play...

 

[Lydia Amethyst]

2 hours ago, Kylie Jaxxon said:

I think the vacancy rates will be even higher once the 2048's come into play...

 

If we ever get them, that is. There's all this talk and rumors but nothings actually been confirmed. I am starting to think they are a myth at this point, myself.

[Kylie Jaxxon]

Hopefully not!!  The price of a Premium+ was such a huge increase, there has to be more than what we are getting now for choosing the higher echelon...keeping fingers crossed

[Chic Aeon]

Not going premium again -- like never I suspect but I do see the snippets of this thread go by as I scroll. Wanted to say it is GOOD to be upset and justified.   So make a little more noise and bang a few kettles.  Likely "someone"  will notice that the natives are restless.

 

[Aria Aurelia]

On 2/11/2023 at 4:02 PM, diamond Marchant said:

It is now being claimed in another thread that prior to releasing a region of homes to the queue of homes allocated by the algorithm, Lindens accept requests from Premium Plus residents and pre-assign these homes. Days later, the region is released to everyone else but the choice homes are already taken.

Is this true? 
If so, is this documented anywhere?

That’s the way it has worked since premium plus became a thing.  I’ve acquired a few houses like this.  2 which I still have 

[Aria Aurelia]

21 hours ago, Marianne Little said:

If the Houseboat's best spots (end of line, not obstructed view) were not selected by P+, it could be because rumor spread slowly from the forum and out to the general public.

Eventually, the early P+ customers hold so much land elsewhere, Linden Homes are of no interest for them.

As the situation is now, the Coastal Victorians are few and very many are interested. I doubt I am the only one who consider going P+ just for a month, then downgrade to P. It means more good spots will be taken, maybe all in a region. This is a whole new group of customers, compared to the ones who selected P+ mainly for uploads and more groups. This is the group where the Linden Home is the main attraction.

So what we search for, is the answer: Will the regions that are renamed from SSP to the final name, be held for a period of time and the tickets from P+ filled? And then, only then, are the region showing up on the land page, available for P+ and P equally?

Is it so? Transparency, we want that.

I am not going to pay 30US monthly out of my love for SL, if I get no benefits over paying 12US monthly.  As @Abnor Molesay, get the maximum benefit out of P+, and my main interest is Linden Homes, so more groups and all the other perks is not benefits worth 18US more.

I understand there are many who want equity and that P and P+ should get the same rules. I am worried that those people will complain if they see P+ use the perks of P+, because that is "unfair".

It is already a lot of negative comments about people who pay for more than one P, and get better odds for picking good homes. It would be best for all if LL laid out the rules, and say if it is a delay so P+ with tickets are assigned their selected home before the houses show up on the land page. And LL say clearly: This is how P+ is meant to work.

It would hopefully cut back the complaints about "abusing the system, and finding loopholes".

And those who want to know if it is a point in paying for P+, we do not know how the perk really works. Some say we are sure to get a house we want. Some say it is not so, and it is just a coincidence that it has worked like this until now.

@Derrick Linden

 

They fill all premium plus request for particular regions which are being released before the linden restarts the sim to put it on the land page queue

You can put 2nd choice 

3rd choice 

even a 4th choice 

that way I’ve found Whitney hasn’t had to come back to me 

Edited February 13, 2023 by Aria Aurelia

[Coffee Pancake]

We know from "that website" how many premium+ accounts were seen in the wild.. even as an under estimate, is a crazy amount of regions with 2048 homes that need to be built and deployed .. and there is just nothing.

At this rate, if they stop doing all work on regular Bellisseria homes and task every mole and their aunts with building, staging and deploying 2048 homes, it's going to be a year before everyone who wants one can have one.

Edited February 13, 2023 by Coffee Pancake

[Trinity Blakewell]

Maybe a good percentage of those PP members got the membership for the other benefits, like the free texture uploading and land allowance? 

[Baiphen Quintessa]

10 hours ago, Aria Aurelia said:

They fill all premium plus request for particular regions which are being released before the linden restarts the sim to put it on the land page queue

You can put 2nd choice 

3rd choice 

even a 4th choice 

that way I’ve found Whitney hasn’t had to come back to me 

I've always wanted to ask, and now I can, how you put in your other requests? Did you put in a new ticket for every one of them? Or just put them in the last little comment section.