Time for Mainland 2.0

[BilliJo Aldrin]

12 minutes ago, elleevelyn said:

1/2 region tier is $US103. mainland tier pricing schedule here: https://secondlife.com/land/pricing

when you said drive a road thru the region and put 8 4096m parcels on it then costs 1/2.region tier to claim all 8 parcels (effectively the whole region), which the big landlords will be right into for sure, if rentals are allowed

i understand that you exploring ideas, is just that this is not a new subject. 20 years on these forums - and its predecessors - these kinds of things have been discussed many times. So while I might seem to be raining on you, I don't mean it that way. I am just imparting too you the years long collective exchange of ideas and thoughts. Many of the things I might say on these topics haven't come out of my own head. The come from the collective wisdom of the forums and I am just passing this on

and tbf to Linden they have done this in parts of mainland, Nautilus City and Bay City for example. Should Linden do more of this on existing mainland ? I think so. The interesting thing in the few built up areas like those mentioned, the residents do tend to stay in theme even with the standard mainland covenant

 

No, if you claim 8 4096's at 22 US a month, that's the price of a full sim 8 times 22 is  176 dollars, full sim price is 166 dollars, not sure how they get it for half?

Like I said before, to prevent large land owners claiming all of it, make it like Linden Homes, only one of these parcels per account.

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by BilliJo Aldrin
added stuff

[elleevelyn]

Just now, BilliJo Aldrin said:

No, if you claim 8 4096's at 22 US a month, that's the price of a full sim 8 times 22 is  176 dollars, full sim price is 166 dollars, not sure how they get it for half?

if one person claims all 8 parcels on the region then the tier is $US103. 8 x 4096 = 32,768 = 1/2 region

[BilliJo Aldrin]

3 minutes ago, elleevelyn said:

if one person claims all 8 parcels on the region then the tier is $US103. 8 x 4096 = 32,768 = 1/2 region

Right, so make it like Linden Homes, only one per account.

Problem solved.

This isn't being suggested to provide more opportunities for large rental companies, its suggested to  provide an opportunity for individuals to own a piece of mainland risk free

Edited December 22, 2023 by BilliJo Aldrin
fixed stuff

[BilliJo Aldrin]

Perhaps someone should start a new thread: "Premium Members, You can own mainland, why don't you?"

Then we can see that all their concerns could be addressed by the new Mainland 2.0

[elleevelyn]

24 minutes ago, BilliJo Aldrin said:

Right, so make it like Linden Homes, only one per account.

this could work - only one each. With 8 x 4096 parcels per region Linden could double-prim them without stressing the region hardly at all and charge a little bit more. Maybe tier equivalent to 1/16th of a double-prim private estate region scaled to mainland schedule

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by elleevelyn
scaled

[Prokofy Neva]

On 12/21/2023 at 12:12 PM, BilliJo Aldrin said:

having to purchase mainland is the biggest impediment to people getting land. If it was free, many more people would get mainland. LL gives houses, both 512’s and 1024’s for free, its time to do the same with mainland. They owe tier once they take posession, so its not like LL is losing money over it.

You don’t buy it, so you cant sell it. It would be great if when u get tired of a parcel, you abandon it and pick up up a new one, just like Linden Homes

The fact that you need to purchase a Premium Account with its now 1024 m2 to buy anything of that size or more (if you add tier) on the Mainland is actually a great deterrent to blight, although imperfect.

If you made the land free, you would end up like San Francisco, which started a plan to hand out US $750 per month to the homeless, and thereby attracted every drug addict who could get bus fare to SF and wound up with hordes of folks with the fentanyl bends all over downtown, most of the main brand stores pulling out due to theft and mayhem, and just general chaos that now is leading to the recall of officials.

You would end up like many sims did in the early years of SL when you could get First Land for merely $512 ($1 per meter) and it was gamed with alts and bots and filled up with masses of junk and flipping insanity.

The Lindens may not make money off Bellisseria, I am told by those "in the know". I find that hard to believe, as they get a stable premium and are putting out loads of sims -- more than is under tier by individuals currently on the Mainland. Just look at the map and the Grid Survey. We're talking 3000 regions -- and the Mainland is only 5000 regions -- a certain percent is made up of Linden roads and parks, and then you have X percent abandoned. 

Neither Bellisseria or Mainland are any kind of cash cow or even stable revenue center. A lot of it is a cost center because of staff time, Moles have to be brought in to build, wrangle sims, etc.

The islands remain the revenue generator. Why is this so hard for all the big thinkers on here to grasp? Look at the map and look at the price list. There are under 30,000 regions. Of these, let's say under 10,000 are Mainland plus Bellisseria. That leaves a whopping 20,000 regions generating the current island tier. To be sure, some are only $178 + tax as they are grandfathered. But the overwhelming majority are 1) $349 for a set-up fee to buy and then 2) the full tier of $206 per month. So work out the math and you see it clearly. 

Let's say the 3000 Belli sims were completely fully sold (they aren't by any stretch) with 20 customers per region, each paying the annualized $99 fee -- that's 20 x $8.25 x 3000 =  $495,000 per month (in an ideal world -- it's likely 30% of that).

Now over to the islands, not even looking at the set-up fees. 20,000 x $206 = $4.12 million.

Again, that's idealized because some of those are only homesteads that are cheaper, some are grandfathered. But even allowing for that, those islands are there, on the map, and not gone into the ether, because they are tiered, and that means $206 + tax per region per month. The Lindens would have to create like 10 Bellisseria continents to come anywhere near their island revenue, and the demand just isn't there with under 50,000 concurrency.

The 10% tax on the Marketplace sales where "millions" of items are sold doesn't in fact involve millions, and in fact doesn't reach that figure of island revenue, either. Let's say the Lindens took 10% tax off 500,000 items selling per month on the Marketplace. That's only US $50,000. Not $495,000. Not $4.12 million. Put in any numbers roughly comparable you like, but the point is the same: islands are the revenue generator unless in fact people are buying millions of little different coloured dresses on the MP that I'm not aware of. 

It's in the interests of island dealers to keep the Mainland ugly, blighted, and driving customers into their arms; some used to openly advertise this theme to get business. One would like to think the Lindens are neutral, above the fray, etc. but their self-interest is at stake, too. They need to have the islands, which cost more to set up (Mainland is $0 set-up) and generates $206 per region, to be the main product -- and PS it's much less customer service, as people who buy islands run them themselves pretty much, and don't file tickets about neighbours encroaching, griefing, blighting because...there are no neighbours.

They're like that town in "It's a Good Life."

[BilliJo Aldrin]

59 minutes ago, Prokofy Neva said:

The fact that you need to purchase a Premium Account with its now 1024 m2 to buy anything of that size or more (if you add tier) on the Mainland is actually a great deterrent to blight, although imperfect.

If you made the land free, you would end up like San Francisco, which started a plan to hand out US $750 per month to the homeless, and thereby attracted every drug addict who could get bus fare to SF and wound up with hordes of folks with the fentanyl bends all over downtown, most of the main brand stores pulling out due to theft and mayhem, and just general chaos that now is leading to the recall of officials.

You would end up like many sims did in the early years of SL when you could get First Land for merely $512 ($1 per meter) and it was gamed with alts and bots and filled up with masses of junk and flipping insanity.

The Lindens may not make money off Bellisseria, I am told by those "in the know". I find that hard to believe, as they get a stable premium and are putting out loads of sims -- more than is under tier by individuals currently on the Mainland. Just look at the map and the Grid Survey. We're talking 3000 regions -- and the Mainland is only 5000 regions -- a certain percent is made up of Linden roads and parks, and then you have X percent abandoned. 

Neither Bellisseria or Mainland are any kind of cash cow or even stable revenue center. A lot of it is a cost center because of staff time, Moles have to be brought in to build, wrangle sims, etc.

The islands remain the revenue generator. Why is this so hard for all the big thinkers on here to grasp? Look at the map and look at the price list. There are under 30,000 regions. Of these, let's say under 10,000 are Mainland plus Bellisseria. That leaves a whopping 20,000 regions generating the current island tier. To be sure, some are only $178 + tax as they are grandfathered. But the overwhelming majority are 1) $349 for a set-up fee to buy and then 2) the full tier of $206 per month. So work out the math and you see it clearly. 

Let's say the 3000 Belli sims were completely fully sold (they aren't by any stretch) with 20 customers per region, each paying the annualized $99 fee -- that's 20 x $8.25 x 3000 =  $495,000 per month (in an ideal world -- it's likely 30% of that).

Now over to the islands, not even looking at the set-up fees. 20,000 x $206 = $4.12 million.

Again, that's idealized because some of those are only homesteads that are cheaper, some are grandfathered. But even allowing for that, those islands are there, on the map, and not gone into the ether, because they are tiered, and that means $206 + tax per region per month. The Lindens would have to create like 10 Bellisseria continents to come anywhere near their island revenue, and the demand just isn't there with under 50,000 concurrency.

The 10% tax on the Marketplace sales where "millions" of items are sold doesn't in fact involve millions, and in fact doesn't reach that figure of island revenue, either. Let's say the Lindens took 10% tax off 500,000 items selling per month on the Marketplace. That's only US $50,000. Not $495,000. Not $4.12 million. Put in any numbers roughly comparable you like, but the point is the same: islands are the revenue generator unless in fact people are buying millions of little different coloured dresses on the MP that I'm not aware of. 

It's in the interests of island dealers to keep the Mainland ugly, blighted, and driving customers into their arms; some used to openly advertise this theme to get business. One would like to think the Lindens are neutral, above the fray, etc. but their self-interest is at stake, too. They need to have the islands, which cost more to set up (Mainland is $0 set-up) and generates $206 per region, to be the main product -- and PS it's much less customer service, as people who buy islands run them themselves pretty much, and don't file tickets about neighbours encroaching, griefing, blighting because...there are no neighbours.

They're like that town in "It's a Good Life."

You seem to miss the point. Mainland 2.0 isn't carved into free 1024's, its carved into 4096's.

Any premium that wants one has to pay tier on it.

As they fill up, LL can create more.

Belli is a cost drain, because it eats up the money they make from selling premium but giving away the 1024's.

Mainland 2.0 is all profit. Its a way of generating fully occupied mainland sims.

$166 US a month is what they charge for mainland, that is what they get.

It HAS to increase their revenue. In time they could convert empty mainland sims to 2.0, and have it full of happy paying premium members who no longer have to suffer under mainland blight.

The islands aren't going anywhere, someone has to provide homes to all the non premium members, but anyone that is premium should get themselves a piece of Mainland 2.0 when it comes out.

I won't because I'm on that piece of heaven known as Zindra 😂

[BilliJo Aldrin]

Thinking it over, was it a mistake to ever give out free homes. Just give them the tier and tell them to go out into the world and buy yourself some land.

Every Belli and 512 house sim is the reason mainland is so dead and empty

Build mainland 2.0, and everyone will flock to it, even if they keep their free house, so many want a piece of mainland, but don't want to put up with the mainland free for all.

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by BilliJo Aldrin
spacing

[Prokofy Neva]

19 minutes ago, BilliJo Aldrin said:

You seem to miss the point. Mainland 2.0 isn't carved into free 1024's, its carved into 4096's.

Any premium that wants one has to pay tier on it.

As they fill up, LL can create more.

Belli is a cost drain, because it eats up the money they make from selling premium but giving away the 1024's.

Mainland 2.0 is all profit. Its a way of generating fully occupied mainland sims.

$166 US a month is what they charge for mainland, that is what they get.

It HAS to increase their revenue. In time they could convert empty mainland sims to 2.0, and have it full of happy paying premium members who no longer have to suffer under mainland blight.

The islands aren't going anywhere, someone has to provide homes to all the non premium members, but anyone that is premium should get themselves a piece of Mainland 2.0 when it comes out.

I won't because I'm on that piece of heaven known as Zindra 😂

You seem restless and have a lot of threads going. You might want to channel that energy into starting your own grid, maybe using Open Sims or some other kind of world/game and try out these ideas.

You might want to start trying them out YOURSELF by buying and tiering just one sim -- that doesn't cost much -- dividing it into 4096s, and seeing if people will fill up that sim for you and keep paying cash or putting in tier, however you arrange it. Then try two sims.

I've done that for nearly 20 years, I'd invite you to branch out from your 16m2 and try running a sim, then you will have insights to give the Lindens who really don't run sims, in a way; they don't live here, they just work here.

I don't see how this will increase their revenue because: Customer Service State. Read about that theory in various books.

If the 4096s is bundled with the premium, instead of just 1024, it is essentially free then.

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by Prokofy Neva

[BilliJo Aldrin]

1 hour ago, Prokofy Neva said:

You seem restless and have a lot of threads going. You might want to channel that energy into starting your own grid, maybe using Open Sims or some other kind of world/game and try out these ideas.

You might want to start trying them out YOURSELF by buying and tiering just one sim -- that doesn't cost much -- dividing it into 4096s, and seeing if people will fill up that sim for you and keep paying cash or putting in tier, however you arrange it. Then try two sims.

I've done that for nearly 20 years, I'd invite you to branch out from your 16m2 and try running a sim, then you will have insights to give the Lindens who really don't run sims, in a way; they don't live here, they just work here.

I don't see how this will increase their revenue because: Customer Service State. Read about that theory in various books.

If the 4096s is bundled with the premium, instead of just 1024, it is essentially free then.

 

I have zero interest in laying out $166 us and hoping i make it back in rentals. Micro parcel flipping is totally without risk for me. If I make a few hundred a week, its free $Lindens.

Some of us have rl jobs to give us a money stream. Second Life is my recreation, its not a business, and if it amuses me to flip micro parcels, that's all that matters

By the way, the 4096's aren't bundled  with premium, you have to PAY TIER ON IT EVERY MONTH.

They get the 4096 for free, just like a free house, BUT unlike a free house, they owe a months tier as soon as they take posession .

Understand now?

Probably not 😂

Edited December 24, 2023 by BilliJo Aldrin
added lots of extra stuff, annnd more stuff

[BilliJo Aldrin]

Forgive the crappy picture I made, its not supposed to be beautiful, but just to show my vision for the Mainland 2.0 sims.

The blue band is the road, with 8 4096's roadfronts along it

The narrow brown parcels are 512's, 8 by 64, the narrow red parcels are 1024's, 16 by 64

You claim your 4096, then put in a ticket for as many parcels behind your property that include your tree tier allowance, 512 gets the first brown parcel, 1024, gets both brown parcels, 2048 gets all three behind your parcel. That way you max out your tier, and free tier is included in the fully paid for sim

The yellow parcels top and bottom are reserved by LL for public greenways.

Of course, this is just an example, LL can run their roads however they wish, creating irregular 4096's but still having the same amount of unused land for greenways.

And once again, each premuim member gets only one free to buy 4096. Sorry Provoky, this won't be your next rental property sim. Of course if you want to put rentals on your 4096 plus, that's up to you

Feel free to trash away 😂

Imagine, LL rezzing sims that will fill up as fast as they are set up.

Edited December 24, 2023 by BilliJo Aldrin
added stuff for clarity, twice

[Qie Niangao]

If I understand the proposal correctly, that 4096m² unit is a painful size for Premium members who start with 1024m² "bonus" tier. To get to 4096, they'd need to pay US$22/mo for the whole 4096 tier and then spend their 1024 bonus tier  on something else. I guess Plus members would be eligible too, so they'd only have 512m² to dispose of elsewhere. I guess Premium Plus subscribers could combine their bonus 2048 with 2048 tier at US$13/mo.

This assumes it would be basically large-grained Belli: one per subscriber, no sales, no group-deeded land. The thing is, Belli parcels are specifically sized to the bonus tier areas of 512, 1024, and 2048m² for the different subscription levels.

I suppose there could be a DoublePlusUltra subscription level with 4096 bonus tier at whatever price and with whatever extra benefits were left out of PremiumPlus.

Also, 4096 is big. People don't spend all their time in-world, and only a share of that at their in-world "home" site, so regions would be even more sparsely populated than Belli… probably just about 25% as densely populated with actual users. Folks used to worry that large parcels reduced interaction and thereby diminished appeal of being in-world at all, but I'm not sure that's a real concern now that residents are no longer as welcoming to spontaneous socializing with neighbors as in, say, the days of First Land 512s.

What's most interesting about this proposal—"interesting" in that I'm not sure whether it's good or bad—is the way it, like Belli, supplants land sales. It's all free to acquire, so it's the familiar "Game of Homes" to get a better site.

The fact there's no pre-defined theme enforced with mandatory Mole-build prefabs means each site has some risk of ugly neighbors, moreso than the limited variety of decoration allowed on Belli. On the plus side, though, that means no pre-defined theme to become obsolete.

[BilliJo Aldrin]

2 hours ago, Qie Niangao said:

If I understand the proposal correctly, that 4096m² unit is a painful size for Premium members who start with 1024m² "bonus" tier. To get to 4096, they'd need to pay US$22/mo for the whole 4096 tier and then spend their 1024 bonus tier  on something else. I guess Plus members would be eligible too, so they'd only have 512m² to dispose of elsewhere. I guess Premium Plus subscribers could combine their bonus 2048 with 2048 tier at US$13/mo.

This assumes it would be basically large-grained Belli: one per subscriber, no sales, no group-deeded land. The thing is, Belli parcels are specifically sized to the bonus tier areas of 512, 1024, and 2048m² for the different subscription levels.

I suppose there could be a DoublePlusUltra subscription level with 4096 bonus tier at whatever price and with whatever extra benefits were left out of PremiumPlus.

Also, 4096 is big. People don't spend all their time in-world, and only a share of that at their in-world "home" site, so regions would be even more sparsely populated than Belli… probably just about 25% as densely populated with actual users. Folks used to worry that large parcels reduced interaction and thereby diminished appeal of being in-world at all, but I'm not sure that's a real concern now that residents are no longer as welcoming to spontaneous socializing with neighbors as in, say, the days of First Land 512s.

What's most interesting about this proposal—"interesting" in that I'm not sure whether it's good or bad—is the way it, like Belli, supplants land sales. It's all free to acquire, so it's the familiar "Game of Homes" to get a better site.

The fact there's no pre-defined theme enforced with mandatory Mole-build prefabs means each site has some risk of ugly neighbors, moreso than the limited variety of decoration allowed on Belli. On the plus side, though, that means no pre-defined theme to become obsolete.

4096 is probably one of the most popular tier levels, thats why probably 90% of estate parcels are  that size. In my proposal you pay for your 4096, and have the option to add your free tier to your main parcel.

Its just an idea i have, it will never happen anyway, because too far outside the box for LL to even begin to think about imagining the possibility of considering it. 

Give a 4096 free so we can charge tier? 

Naw too many people will think it was supposed to be free forever. 😂

 

[BilliJo Aldrin]

2 hours ago, Qie Niangao said:

If I understand the proposal correctly, that 4096m² unit is a painful size for Premium members who start with 1024m² "bonus" tier. To get to 4096, they'd need to pay US$22/mo for the whole 4096 tier and then spend their 1024 bonus tier  on something else. I guess Plus members would be eligible too, so they'd only have 512m² to dispose of elsewhere. I guess Premium Plus subscribers could combine their bonus 2048 with 2048 tier at US$13/mo.

This assumes it would be basically large-grained Belli: one per subscriber, no sales, no group-deeded land. The thing is, Belli parcels are specifically sized to the bonus tier areas of 512, 1024, and 2048m² for the different subscription levels.

I suppose there could be a DoublePlusUltra subscription level with 4096 bonus tier at whatever price and with whatever extra benefits were left out of PremiumPlus.

Also, 4096 is big. People don't spend all their time in-world, and only a share of that at their in-world "home" site, so regions would be even more sparsely populated than Belli… probably just about 25% as densely populated with actual users. Folks used to worry that large parcels reduced interaction and thereby diminished appeal of being in-world at all, but I'm not sure that's a real concern now that residents are no longer as welcoming to spontaneous socializing with neighbors as in, say, the days of First Land 512s.

What's most interesting about this proposal—"interesting" in that I'm not sure whether it's good or bad—is the way it, like Belli, supplants land sales. It's all free to acquire, so it's the familiar "Game of Homes" to get a better site.

The fact there's no pre-defined theme enforced with mandatory Mole-build prefabs means each site has some risk of ugly neighbors, moreso than the limited variety of decoration allowed on Belli. On the plus side, though, that means no pre-defined theme to become obsolete.

im sure you would consider my place ugly, but there will be no 64m tall privacy screens, and no low hanging skyboxes, thats half of mainland ugly eliminated right there.

Plus there are no microparcels, and no ad parcels.

Edited December 24, 2023 by BilliJo Aldrin
added a line

[Love Zhaoying]

2 hours ago, Qie Niangao said:

each site has some risk of ugly neighbors

If you look to your left and right, and neither of your neighbors is ugly..then the ugly neighbor may be you!

 

[BilliJo Aldrin]

LL homes supplant land sales, they always have. This will have minimal effect on mainland land sales, because you are still free to buy regular mainland from a flipper, and enjoy the mainland free for all

[Extrude Ragu]

-- Personal thoughts --

People's expectations of virtual worlds go up every year thanks to other platforms and the progression of technology.

We're never going to use up all of the abandoned land on the original mainland - The quantity is there, but the quality is absolutely not. Land developed ~20 years ago does not meet peoples expectations in 2024. There is insufficient political willpower to impose a covenant on the original mainland or enforce it - Trying to change the original mainland is therefor IMO a fools game.

Premium land is popular because the surroundings around ones home don't suck, but premium land is slowly turning the perception of SecondLife into a retirement community due to the fact it is whole islands of nothing but homes with absolutely nothing to see or do. If everyone moves to premium homes, exploration in SecondLife can be pronounced dead, because there is absolutely nothing to see or do in premium land.

A demand that is going completely uncovered is land for business. There are arguably zero attractive places to set up a shop in SecondLife that aren't private regions.

-- At the same time --

If we do a whole new continent, it's going to take a very long time to populate, as most residents have somewhere they go now. Although the quality will inevitably attract new residents, it would be a very long slog to fill a new continent. We're not exactly in a boom period.

-- So what do? --

My opinion is land improvement should be a multi-pronged approach, involving the de-boring-isation of premium land, and rather than create a whole new continent, make much smaller, higher quality development areas.

-- de-boring-isation of premium land --

There is zero reason to walk out of your premium home very far as it stands. I propose converting some of the linden homes (Say, 1 or 2 per region) to business premium land. This could be a small shop, a club, a park etc. . LL would provide the buildings in keeping with the expectations of premium residents.

The covenant will be strict about lag, noise and external signage so as to not annoy neighbors. When neighbors complain, LL should more often than not side with residents than shop owners, to make it clear that business is 'guest' in this land.

Shop owners could optionally choose to provide car/bicycle parking/rez to encourage exploration. It would count towards land tier, which would simultaneously help fill up the smaller premium plots and also help LL sell more pl00s subscriptions.

Additionally, street names and wayfinding signage shall be added to premium land, to help stop the whole place making you feel like a dementia patient who accidentally walked out of your care home.

-- Smaller, high quality development areas --

Rather than make  a whole huge continent that will take forever to populate I'd make much smaller, more concentrated new land developments in the style OP suggests with loose-but-not-no restrictions. Perhaps do these developments either side of the existing premium land so as to sandwich the more boring area with more interesting stuff either side, which should also get people out of their homes exploring more, bumping into each other and making the place actually have some life.

By keeping the development small, we ensure that at any given time it is bustling, we only expand it as it gets full.

I ran out of energy to keep fleshing out this plan around here but it's a starting point

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BilliJo Aldrin]

47 minutes ago, Extrude Ragu said:

-- Personal thoughts --

People's expectations of virtual worlds go up every year thanks to other platforms and the progression of technology.

We're never going to use up all of the abandoned land on the original mainland - The quantity is there, but the quality is absolutely not. Land developed ~20 years ago does not meet peoples expectations in 2024. There is insufficient political willpower to impose a covenant on the original mainland or enforce it - Trying to change the original mainland is therefor IMO a fools game.

Premium land is popular because the surroundings around ones home don't suck, but premium land is slowly turning the perception of SecondLife into a retirement community due to the fact it is whole islands of nothing but homes with absolutely nothing to see or do. If everyone moves to premium homes, exploration in SecondLife can be pronounced dead, because there is absolutely nothing to see or do in premium land.

A demand that is going completely uncovered is land for business. There are arguably zero attractive places to set up a shop in SecondLife that aren't private regions.

-- At the same time --

If we do a whole new continent, it's going to take a very long time to populate, as most residents have somewhere they go now. Although the quality will inevitably attract new residents, it would be a very long slog to fill a new continent. We're not exactly in a boom period.

-- So what do? --

My opinion is land improvement should be a multi-pronged approach, involving the de-boring-isation of premium land, and rather than create a whole new continent, make much smaller, higher quality development areas.

-- de-boring-isation of premium land --

There is zero reason to walk out of your premium home very far as it stands. I propose converting some of the linden homes (Say, 1 or 2 per region) to business premium land. This could be a small shop, a club, a park etc. . LL would provide the buildings in keeping with the expectations of premium residents.

The covenant will be strict about lag, noise and external signage so as to not annoy neighbors. When neighbors complain, LL should more often than not side with residents than shop owners, to make it clear that business is 'guest' in this land.

Shop owners could optionally choose to provide car/bicycle parking/rez to encourage exploration. It would count towards land tier, which would simultaneously help fill up the smaller premium plots and also help LL sell more pl00s subscriptions.

Additionally, street names and wayfinding signage shall be added to premium land, to help stop the whole place making you feel like a dementia patient who accidentally walked out of your care home.

-- Smaller, high quality development areas --

Rather than make  a whole huge continent that will take forever to populate I'd make much smaller, more concentrated new land developments in the style OP suggests with loose-but-not-no restrictions. Perhaps do these developments either side of the existing premium land so as to sandwich the more boring area with more interesting stuff either side, which should also get people out of their homes exploring more, bumping into each other and making the place actually have some life.

By keeping the development small, we ensure that at any given time it is bustling, we only expand it as it gets full.

I ran out of energy to keep fleshing out this plan around here but it's a starting point

 

 

 

 

 

 

we dont really need a whole new continent, in fact entirely abandoned mainland sims could be converted in situ to mainland 2.0. Simply change land permissions, and add a covanent.

They could add new sims as they filled up, a waiting list could help guage demand too.

In the end 100 sims full of  people paying tier means more money for LL than 100 sims full of people using their free tier.

Mainland should never go away, but converting sims to mainland 2.0 when possible will in the end, in my opinion generate more revenue for LL and entice more paying members to increase their tier.

[animats]

How about a new covenant for new mainland regions? Borrow from the Bellessaria covenant, which seems to be working well. At least the Skybox and ban line rules, which are objective.

Then add a few new mainland regions, put them on sale, and see how it works out.

I'd like to see the southeast quadrant of Zindra filled in. There's a hole where four roads dead-end and, if you cam off-sim, you can see the raw edge of the world. The western edge of Bay City has a similar raw edge. Both of those would be high-value real estate if created, and it would be interesting to see how they are used. Auction them off and see what happens.

Land auctions should extend the time to at least one minute after the last bid, to reduce auction sniping.

[BilliJo Aldrin]

31 minutes ago, animats said:

How about a new covenant for new mainland regions? Borrow from the Bellessaria covenant, which seems to be working well. At least the Skybox and ban line rules, which are objective.

Then add a few new mainland regions, put them on sale, and see how it works out.

I'd like to see the southeast quadrant of Zindra filled in. There's a hole where four roads dead-end and, if you cam off-sim, you can see the raw edge of the world. The western edge of Bay City has a similar raw edge. Both of those would be high-value real estate if created, and it would be interesting to see how they are used. Auction them off and see what happens.

Land auctions should extend the time to at least one minute after the last bid, to reduce auction sniping.

a new covanent for new mainland would be a good idea. no one has to live on the new sims

[Zalificent Corvinus]

56 minutes ago, animats said:

How about a new covenant for new mainland regions? Borrow from the Bellessaria covenant, which seems to be working well. At least the Skybox and ban line rules, which are objective.

NO!

Just stop with the "let's destroy mainland with Belli-Bigot BS". People who live on mainland don't WANT to live in the Belli Anti-privacy zone.

One of your previous threads suggesting a "new covenant for mainland" ended with a suggested regime that:

Banned any security below 4000 m,

Banned any build above 250 m.

Banned any build over 20 m high.

Banned any build not on the ground.

Banned any build on parcels less than 68m x 68m.

 

A regime that would have made most of the mainland unusable to it's owners. Just STOP.

 

 

[Kathlen Onyx]

9 hours ago, animats said:

How about a new covenant for new mainland regions? Borrow from the Bellessaria covenant, which seems to be working well. At least the Skybox and ban line rules, which are objective.

Then add a few new mainland regions, put them on sale, and see how it works out.

I'd like to see the southeast quadrant of Zindra filled in. There's a hole where four roads dead-end and, if you cam off-sim, you can see the raw edge of the world. The western edge of Bay City has a similar raw edge. Both of those would be high-value real estate if created, and it would be interesting to see how they are used. Auction them off and see what happens.

Land auctions should extend the time to at least one minute after the last bid, to reduce auction sniping.

All great ideas!

[BilliJo Aldrin]

15 hours ago, Zalificent Corvinus said:

NO!

Just stop with the "let's destroy mainland with Belli-Bigot BS". People who live on mainland don't WANT to live in the Belli Anti-privacy zone.

One of your previous threads suggesting a "new covenant for mainland" ended with a suggested regime that:

Banned any security below 4000 m,

Banned any build above 250 m.

Banned any build over 20 m high.

Banned any build not on the ground.

Banned any build on parcels less than 68m x 68m.

 

A regime that would have made most of the mainland unusable to it's owners. Just STOP.

 

 

They start out good, but they always go way too far. All I suggest is no sky boxes below 1000 meters, and no 64 m high security screens. Those are the two big mainland blights. Add farms and micro parcels won't exist on mainland 2.0, so right there we have beautified mainland considerably.

Ban lines can stay, zero second security orbs can stay, because I don't ever recall seeing a security orb that was a blight on the view, and ban lines can be turned off (made invisible).

I'd also be opposed to any restrictions on building style.

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by BilliJo Aldrin
added words

[Zalificent Corvinus]

3 hours ago, BilliJo Aldrin said:

They start out good, but they always go way too far

Oh, first there was "outlaw skyboxes, force everyone to live at ground level for immersive Criminal Biker Gang RP, and EXILE ex-skybox owners to Sansar", then there was "cover all mainland with copies of Kama City, because gritty Urban Criminal Biker Gang RP and badly built roads everywhere!".

Then there was some nonsense about connecting continents by building strip mall "upscale living" with 24 1024 sized plots jammed together either side of a ship canal, with "lots of roads and water", with a mall sim every dozen of so residential strip sims.

Then the "destroy all parcels under 68 x 68 m" nonsense. Then another attempt to "shove Belli Rules down Belli hating mainlander's throats", then "Anti Gravity Tax£, then a 3rd "shove Belli BS down mainlanders throats".

There's a definite pattern.

"Surely EVERYONE wants to live in a Gritty Urban Criminal Biker Gang Forced RP World that spans all the continents! Mah Immershun!"

 

[Love Zhaoying]

The terminally bored come up with the "best ideas"!