Sparkely Sugar

So I was looking at the new interface with some friends. I love the new interface for selecting your character, however, I could not access this. I was only given the old Avs as my avatar option. One of the things that I feel really needs to be addressed is the lack of diversity in the skin options. There are only 2 options for black skins, the lips are black, and some of the shading on the back is extremely dark. At a minimum, there needs to be more diversity in the skin choices for the darker-skinned avs. One of the comments made by one of my friends "LL is definitely not thinking about us".

Which skin did you use?

It is the Lily head. I think that was one of the gift ones one year. I could be wrong though.

Senra Body with one of the free Lelutka heads versus Senra Jamie Head, what a difference if they had made a head even close to this.

What skin did you use?

Using the included skin

This is the best I could do, digging up a really, really old Glam Affair skin. Honestly, the head is appalling, It is not very responsive to the sliders, the chin is so long even at 0 it is ridiculously long. The body, this no heels option is just, I have no words, the breasts are too large no matter what I do with the sliders, if I make them small they are pancaked, and the arms are too skinny. The gigging on the pants is terrible I move and my leg pops out. I want to cry at how poor this represents SL, I really do. This is what avs were 10 years ago, this is not comparable to new MMOs with a character creator. She looks decent because I was able to find a skin that somewhat worked. New people will not be able to. I understand LL needs to convert people into paying players as soon as possible, I don't think a starter av based on a look that is well over 10 years old is the way to do it. I am so very disappointed.

Sorry I thought I had posted both links you can listen on Spotify for free

I had a really great time speaking with Matt Silverman, the hosts of 2 Girls 1 podcast, and Hamlet Au of New World Notes. It was a fun chat that reminded me so much of the early years of SL and what has made this such an amazing adventure. We talk about the beginnings of SL, its highs and lows, TTP, Bellasaria, and what we hope for the future of SL. Hamlet and I are starting at the 28-minute mark, I come in at around 42 minutes. It really was a lot of fun. Check out Hamlet's book Making a Metaverse that Matters. You can listen on Spotify or Apple podcasts both links are below. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/second-life-turns-20-and-its-still-the-metaverse/id1285444706?i=1000620472875 https://www.amazon.com/Making-Metaverse-That-Matters-Fighting/dp/1394155816

Oh, I misunderstood, I thought you got Lifetime Plus. Glad you got it. Congrats!

I did not know that they would still add things like rivers, waterways, and bridges post-release. I have not seen that happen previously, I hope that is the case and look forward to seeing it develop. I will go visit Merrymount, it sounds like fun. I do know the big community areas are still to come, I was suggesting a few more builds/items to give the regions more character. Like we have the silos, grainery, etc. Just a little more detailing, I do think resident will create their own unique and interesting builds, and look forward to that.

Why not make the theme more diverse? Some regions could be labeled as Southwestern Ranch, others Country Ranch. I have a few friends that were expecting a sandy desert dude ranch and find this too green. I would have hated that, and would not have gone plus. My point is that by varying things LL has a higher chance of converting and retaining people into a PP subscription which I assume would be one of their long-term goals. Make me love it, want it, something that I won't easily walk away from. The 2048s are not for everyone, some are happy with the smaller parcels, mainland, or other options. There is a segment of the SL population that really wants these. Other than the prim allotment most of the things I have suggested are feasible, it just requires looking at how we maximize the options in each theme. How can adjust and alter this environment so there is less repetition but still give people the ranch/farm lifestyle they want?

That is simply not true, I have a double prim parcel on the mainland, so it is indeed possible. Would it require coding changes and some work on the billing system? Yes, it would but I simply do not believe it is impossible. I am not saying it is an easy thing to do by any means, but it is something residents have been asking repeatedly for. As LL I would look at finding a way to do this, maybe the parcels come with a bonus built-in, and it is coded to be turned off if you are not paying for the dbl prim allowance. I have a double prim bonus in Horizons, and yes all the parcels are dbl prim, I have also seen I think 1.5 on a few other sims, I would need to go look again to be sure. Regions used to be 16.5k then 20k and there is an option for 30k, which shows that there is a possibility for changes in the future, even if it is not possible under the current system .

I love the new ranch theme, it makes me like I am in a cross of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and National Velvet with a touch of Stars Hollow in the region I am in. I took my Irish Cob and rode through the farm/ranch lands for a few hours the other night and loved it. I do feel a few things are missing, I would love to see an old town country church, a country-style general store, a community farmers market, and a little country gazebo park here and there on Linden land. More waterways/features. Please LL you know how we all love water add rivers more waterfalls and ponds. I saw 2 very cute bridges, consider adding some covered bridges. Bridges of Madison County anyone? Lol, I am full of nostalgia and movie references today, I will throw in Anne of Green Gables for good measure. A few more trees and flowers, apple trees you could pick an apple from, berry bush anyone? I feel this is a great start but I would really love to see it become a fuller more immersive experience, that encourages not only premium plus ownership but reasons for people to visit and participate in this area. Yes, I know as users we can create experiences too, but we can not on Linden-owned land, let's see that put to more use, and make it more interactive. Perhaps some games or activities for Linden prizes, that are not just the Halloween hunt, things to encourage activity year-round. My other request is I am seeing that most of these regions are 15 or 20k what not bump them to 30k and give each parcel the option to buy a couple hundred more prims? I beg, plead, and throw myself on your mercy please please make a new style of 2048 Victorians. It is my all-time favorite theme and the 2048s are much more suited to that theme because you really need the additional prims. Make our Victorian house dreams come true, I know I am not alone in this request. Lastly, I think it would be interesting to combine some themes that complement each other in the same regions, it would be nice to see more variety in the regions so it is less cookie-cutter and a bit more realistic. I am sure have more things I would love to see, but this is a start.

Mind if I ask what time you put your ticket in for Lifetime Plus?

There was just no notice that this was coming, and there were a lot of unanswered questions. Some people were able to jump immediately. I think its a much fairer option. Aslo allows those in the European time zones who tried to get one the opportunity to do so.

This is a great suggestion.

My reply on my support ticket said I would lose my grandfathered stipend. Also, can you clarify if I buy a lifetime premium and want to pay the difference for plus can I do so on an as-needed basis? Also, it would be great if we could pay this in 4 quarterly payments, it would make it a lot easier, it is a bit unfair to spring this on people with no notice about the price and it is so limited. I am honestly very upset right now the more I think about this. @Patch Linden

I agree, there needs to be some vanity incentives with this. This is a big investment and a commitment that shows your belief in the future of SL and your participation in it. There should be something to reflect that.

I was ready to pull the trigger but I have questions and no answers. I have my premium account paid for the next 2 years, will they credit me for those years? I have a grandfathered stipend of 500 per week, will that remain on the lifetime premium? I may need premium plus for a few years can I pay the difference for the year I need it? Support had no answers and I was told I need to commit to $1749 or $749 before knowing the answers. That is not ok these questions should of been anticipated this is not the first time they have been asked in regard to premium and Plus. I do not like the pressure of this, why not make it limited-time? This is a big financial commitment, it is far more than what initial lifetime cost, it is a commitment to SL and a belief in the future. Give us some time to think and budget. Please reconsider and make this a limited-time offer for a month.

I think the Belleza team made an error in pricing too.I was really surprised and disappointed when the body was released and I saw the price.IMO They should of gone for the same price Maitreya was and more people would of taken a chance on it. At the very lease an introductory offer. I went intending to buy and decided against it. I did purchase it when it went on sale, but not a ton of clothing options yet. That being said the body is absolutely gorgeous, the hands are really beautiful.

To clarify some things as @AzureWavesposted Siddean is at this time not interested in selling. Secondly one body had a unique UV, the other was based on the SL UVs. While the C and C bodies where in production Siddean made it clear she was trying to create a more natural looking body. The beauty of SL is you can now choose the body you want to some degree. I do think she had more development planned for these bodies, but experiencing such tragic losses in succession at the same time your trying to release a product, will put anyone off their game. I think with a different shapes the body was quite nice, the hands needed to be a bit smaller IMO. If you preferred a petite slender av this body was not for you, nor would something like Kupra. There are plenty of people who wanted something more curvy shapely but not exaggerated. It is a shame the bodies did not gain popularity, perhaps one day she will return. She did a lot of innovative work for SL and would love to see her come back some day. I do hope if nothing else LL has read and taken in some of the things that have been said about Nux, and that they release a really good body.

@Ceka CianciI agree with many of your points about what the new user needs, where we digress is in quality. If Nux is a good quality body av creators would create for it, if people would keep using it. I am in complete disagreement that creators should be in control of the base body. If LL had addressed this years ago the mess we have now would not be such chaos. In my opinion bodies sold by creators should be offering variety, diversity, and options not available using a base av. It should not be what I "have" to buy xyz body to look good and buy clothing in SL. If it is not a good body that people enjoy and continue to wear after a week or two creators will not waste their time creating for it.

that would be an option as well

Exactly, I love, love, love that we have body diversity with mesh bodies and addons, but the basic avatar body should be from LL. If people think people will stop buying bodys or heads from creators they are obviously not in tune with what drives SL, we are a consumer economy. We like new different and variety. How many different pairs of jeans, hairstyles, heads skins do we own. The notion that a good body from LL would destroy the mesh body business is ludicrous.