Evangeline Arcadia

@Grumpity Linden Not sure I understand this, can it be clarified please? My renewal comes up in the autumn. Let's say it's Sept. Does this mean I can renew early at the old premium rate, i.e. if I do it between 3-24 June, I have this current cycle left which will run out in Sept., then when the Sept. renewal date comes round it will already be paid, but at the old rate. Then next year Sept. (2020) the new rate will apply. Is this correct?

Lol The levity is much appreciated 😀. I still think one way forward would be to have different levels of premium from a very cheap one with limited perks to higher ones with more perks. At the lower end you might well get people signing up cos it's not so expensive whereas they wouldn't have joined before, so more income for LL. Or have add on perks that you could choose to pay for, so you have a more customised subscription package. That might be more useful for more people.

I wonder how many others will be doing the same? LL could lose some money here..

I kinda feel the same. The only new 'perk' or better features I feel there is are the new homes (I love the ability to choose style within the theme). I don't care about group and IM limits. Stipend is still the same. However, trying to take in a bigger picture, I'm thinking also, if it means the land owners do better that's more money for SL, so SL keeps going...

Yeah, many posts here with folks not happy. Thing is when people are unhappy you are more likely to hear those voices than those that are happy. There was bound to be some upset with the price rise, and that sentiment voiced in the forum. It's well known that you'll hear a complaint more than a compliment. I doubt many will bother to post saying 'yay great LL, I don't mind'. So it's possible that it's just a minority vocalising here, and the majority will just accept it and pay. I'm not happy paying more either:( I understand the complaints, but I recognise a premium rise was bound to happen sometime, just like the cost of most things in life. I do however think it would have been better to implement a much smaller increase over the past few years than a bigger one this year. I dare say we'll all get over it at some point (self included), and either suck it up or cancel the premium account. Let's hope it's not too much of the latter cos that won't help SL.

Here's a couple ideas: 1. More flexible premium choices (As I mentioned in another thread) e.g. a low premium with limited but good perks to entice people in or convert basic accounts, all those who may not have been enticed to get a premium account before because they thought it was expensive, but this low premium is reasonable for them - so now LL is getting money they might not have got before. Then two or three more levels above that, each one with increased perks to the one below. 2. Add-on perks/custom premium package: As someone suggested in a different thread have add-on perks, like you pay x amount to get x perk. Or you could build your own premium package to fit your needs. For example maybe pay extra for a certain number of groups over the standard limit. I wouldn't go for that but I think plenty other's would cos it's what they need. Sure, there may be flaws with the ideas - point them out if you like. I haven't thought too long and hard about these lol.

I do love SL. However I have to agree with the above. I personally do not see these 'perks' as enticing to join or continue with premium membership. I really don't care about getting more IM's or groups (or about land costs, but I get how that might generate more money for LL). I would rather have a lower premium cost and leave IM's and groups as they are. And the post only mentions futher improvements as new home themes (okay I'm on board with that!) and a new membership level (well that obviously will be a higher premium). So apart from the new homes I'm not really seeing premium as really being improved (apart from the homes, but the novelty will wear off...) I'm not sure how I feel about the price hike. I do understand that LL have their costs, of course, so on the one hand I'm thinking, yeah they gotta do it, but on the other hand, I question the the way it's being done. I think the new home themes probably will go some way to drawing more premium accounts (seems to have already), but will this premium rise put those people off now? Once the novelty of their new home has worn off they might well go to basic. So the increase in premium accounts may well be temporary unless there are more perks coming to make them feel they are getting their money's worth. I don't believe hiking up the cost so it's nearly $100 annually (and more if you pay monthly etc.) is going to attract more new accounts (ie. those not already in SL). I think a really flexible premium range might be better with different perks at each stage. For example (note, these are just vague illustrations I'm not saying these are the right or best ideas) at the bottom , level 1, you could get maybe a small stipend or something else, but not a LL home. At level 2 get a LL house too, and something else level 3....well you get the general idea. Benefits to LL: the lower premium could draw new premium members (or convert those who've been on the fence about getting premium). Maybe they'll stick at that level but it's still income for LL, and one they might not have got otherwise ( kinda like when you get that great offer at the store even though you didn't really need it, just because it seemed like a good deal or didn't cost you much so why not...) Some of those will choose to upgrade to get more benefits cos now they're here they're loving SL so much:) I may have missed the mark with the ideas, so don't crucify me 😁. I just think maybe there are some other ways LL could go about the premium to both attract, convert and retain users.

Thank you Abnor!:)

Lol, I had a simple question, never expected this kind of deep dive answer! Thanks:) I expect those odds will appeal to anyone looking to get a new theme home they want in the future (some pretty disappointed folks about judging by the forum...)

Interesting info, thanks!:)

Thanks Mollymews. I didn't think the 'cherry picking' was possible in that sense i.e. I always thought that what you got was just random. So maybe if you did want a particular location, for example with the new theme a waterfront, there's no guarantee that it would come up in your first few tries, you might get more inland a few times. So someone might have to keep abandoning till they got something they were reasonably happy with. A couple of years ago when I wanted to change my Meadowbrook home I abandoned a few times because I didn't like the positioning of the house and the view until I found one that I really liked, and then stuck with that. But the choices I was offered seemed really random. But I don't know how LL roll out their houses. Maybe it's always been in some kind of order (top to bottom of continent, around the edges first, whatever). If that were the case then maybe that'd be true. Or maybe it's just random. If it's random then the cherry picking in terms of specific location (meaning specific as in water front/inland etc.) wouldn't apply. I'm inclined to think Walpurgisnacht's explanation is more likely the real reason.

Thanks very much, that makes a lot of sense! ☺️

Thanks:)

I don't think you read my post properly. If you look at it you'll see I said "I was just wondering...." Perfectly innocent question based on curiosity. Is that not allowed? I never said I was personally changing 5 homes a day. And so what if I was???

Hi Kiramanell, maybe. I can't see what would be so bad about that, and you can do that anyway, but over a longer period i.e. by waiting 24hrs then going through 5 homes again. You could do that for a week or two till you find a home you really like better than the others you've seen. So eventually you will pick your spot. So I guess what I'm saying is, if you are correct, then why the 24hr rule if you are gonna get your spot eventually anyway? I'm inclined to think there's another reason (no idea what though).

I was just wondering what the reasoning is behind the policy for only allowing residents to abandon and get a different LL home within 24 hrs? Is it some kind of server load issue, or something else? Will this be the case going forward with the new themes that will be introduced? Maybe with the new themes coming it's not such an issue regarding styles as you can rezz whichever style you choose within the theme (fantastic new feature), although people might want to abandon to get a different theme in the future when they are finally all available. For the first gen Meadowbrook theme it would have been nice to be able to abandon until you found the one that you really like. I know it won't be an issue in the future as LL are getting rid of them. Any ideas?

I wonder what this is over at SSP187. Temporary structure maybe? It's the only one like it, so probably. Just curious and fun to ponder on.

I think it belongs to a Mole. We figured out it's just a premium home.

Is there anywhere to give feedback or suggestions to LL on aspects of SL? I know there are support tickets, but if it's not an issue doesn't seem to fit to use that. I've looked but can't see anything so I'm kinda guessing the answer is no, but I'd like to be sure.

I agree. It would be fairer to stagger the release considering members come from around the world, otherwise it'll be mainly those in the US or similar time zone who can grab them (unless you are prepared to stay up all night if it's bed time where you are...). And also not everyone can choose to come online whenever they want if they are working etc. So a staggered system would give a more fairer chance for all I think. I'm open to being corrected on that!:)

There's no sense of community where I live (Meadowbrook themed house region). Whenever I've been at 'home' there's never been anyone around. I think it's partly due to time zones, but also maybe home owners just don't visit their homes much. I often walk around the area for the fun of it and explore the little hang out places. But I never see anyone else about. From what I've read on the forums so far the new themed dwellings and environments are seeming to generate a great sense of community. I think the landscaping around the houses is a big improvement, so many cute little spots too, and seems more conducive to encourage people to get together. However, I'm skeptical it will last. At the moment yes it's all new and shiny, so people are naturally taking time to enjoy it, look around, meet others etc. But will it last? I think after a while the novelty will wear off and they'll be about as social as the old generation themed areas currently are. I really hope I'm wrong. I hope the community spirit will last and be the case for the other themes to come. At the end of the day it's up to the residents to keep the spirit going.

I'm soooo excited to see what other themes will be rolled out! I just hope some have rooms a bit more spacious than the new houses (old style meadowbrook are nice and roomy so something a bit more like that would be great).

Very nice! Thanks for sharing:) I like the little water decor outside too:)

I think I'd love to see LL have a wide variety of themes, from space, urban, beachy, rural to fantasy or surreal. I doubt however that they will have more than about 4 or 5 (going by the number of first generation themes). But in a space like Second Life, which encourages creativity and the exploration of it, and is not restricted by 'real world' considerations such as whether something is really possible or not (e.g. we don't have sky boxes in RL do we?), I would hate to see just 'conventional' themes being implemented in the future. I mean why when they can create whatever they want in SL? Why not give us something more creative and unusual than what we would experience as the norm in RL? So themes such as underwater, space or perhaps others that I haven't even considered would be great in SL. But again, maybe they wouldn't be as popular. Judging by the forum and rapid take up, people really seem to love the new houses, whereas my personal view is that they are too regular looking, urban, and small (rooms). I live in an urban area and don't want to go into SL to replicate the experience.....(yeah I have a meadowbrook themed house, so that might seem like a contradiction, but I find it quite minimalist and like that,and it's so roomy, with a lovely neighborhood, doesn't feel cramped, whereas the new house neighborhoods seem too cramped to me, plus I don't really like any of the other themes, so had to choose that one!). Maybe the general preference is for that which mimicks real life in second life? I recognise that I don't normally represent the norm lol!

Thanks (and to Kiramanell) for the info! I hadn't realised that.