Holy Crap!

Cory,

I'm sure there are lots of incidental advantages to this proposed scheme. And yes, of course it would be wonderful to earn US$ from the game. But that is to ignore the underlying principle.

From a personal point of view I dont think, initially at least, I'll be affected much by the changes. I'm a lifetime member, I dont own huge tracts of land, nor do I build massively complicated buildings.

But I'm still vehemently against the idea of creating a hierarchy based on RL wealth and not ingame achievements.

Well, as the almost sole owner of an entire city, im screwed if ll does go this way. And if you do and donot change your mind soon, ya lost me, and countless others. Please read the responses before you act. I love this game, but a system like this in 1.2 will be the downfall of this great game.

Bonecrusher,
A quick check indicates that you can afford MORE land under the 1.2 plan than you currently own.
Cory

Great. So much for my fun in SL. I don't intend to play a game where my standing is entirely dependant on how much money I can spend each month. And the bit about us getting money? Oh horses**t! So maybe a handfull of the most gifted will get a few dollars so the advertisements look good. Everyone else gets a boot up the ass.

SL was fun while it lasted.

These changes make SL into a virtual world rather than a game now. Plots of land will act much like storage space on a ISP. Although at first I didn't like changes because RL dollars are involved, it does solve a lot of headaches. Casual users who don't build pay a lower price. Hardcore builders can actually make their dreams come true without worrying about neighbors, prim limits, ratings, etc.
I do feel bad for all those who have what they have through hard work. Now, well for land anyway, it's all about how much RL cash you want to give up a month.
I understand the move LL made with this. They need to make money and make customers happy while worrying about the resources. I'll be curious to see if this world will just turn into an extended internet with porn shops popping up with ads galore. Or maybe big time companies like Ford buy up a few sims to showcase their new line of crap vehicles.

This direction make's this game 1.5 life than 2nd life. I enjoy the freedom and being able to do what you want within your means.. creating funny crap 'just because' and not tagging some monetary value to it. I wouldn't mind the cash, but I'd like to think I play to have fun. I don't need to make my 2nd life feel like work to support my first.

I'm paid up till 1.5.04, cancelling my account tonight.

We all want you to look up our land bonus allowance, so how about you explain how it works then we can work it out ourselves?

I just went to check how much land i have at the moment, the land i have that houses my castle in Teal is 4640sq., which means i'm over 1/16th of a sim.

So...this means that i will have to pay additional $US every month, even though i'm a beta lifetime member?

Or am i wrong?

$1000 is going out this week and the Developer Rewards will grow as Second Life does. We intend to reward our users with thousands of dollars for doing the things that make Second Life great!

If the Lindens were so worried about prim-hogging, why weren't people who had more than a set percentage of prims taxed MORE instead of introducing RL money in to this game?

From what I read on the forums, there were a priviliged few SL'ers who knew about this prior to it happening. Who were they and did they get to decide for the rest of us?

For all of you who were so against There and paying RL money for it: Well, here you are... only *this* time, it's not as easy as hitting the "purchase Therebucks" button to know how much you're paying or what you're paying for.

The whole no more taxes, you'll own more for your money, pay less and what have you, is bologna. Once RL money is added to the SL equation, the whole economy will shift towards whoever wants to pay more for this game per month. It will have nothing to do with the creativity within the game.

Boy, I am *so* glad I decided to do the three month deal instead of lifetime.

My first reaction was "holy crap, indeed".

Upon thinking about it a bit, I realize that, for a user like myself, who is happy occasionally building and who for the most part stays right at the "equilibrium" point for income/outflow of taxes... this should work out fine.

My current break-even point, without a whole lotta prims in the world, is approximately 6% of a sim landholdingwise. I don't run a lot of events, so I don't count them in the income equation.

So I'd come out about the same, with the bonus of being guaranteed access to my prims. Assuming everything stays up. And I'd have less dis-incentive to keep my builds tucked away in their inventory, with the property tax out of the support equation.

Downside: To get "ahead" in the SL world from a "nicer/bigger property" standpoint, instead of eventing like crazy or being able to generate SL-income with SL-objects, work, scripting or texturing... I'd most likely have to spend RL money.

You know, as a lifer, I always had the suspicion that the LL cash-flow model wasn't going to make it... and that they'd need to come up with another method of getting cash out of the one-time-fee-and-no-further-paying lifers. Looks like they did.

We'll see. It's a work in progress. I'm a big boy, and I'm old enough to realize that there really is no such thing as a "free lunch". Now the question is whether - or how many - folks decide to go on a diet.

-Sinclair

Cory,

You missed all of my group land. I own almost 1/4 of Blue sim with Ramon Kothari, plus a plot of my own in Blue and some land in Taber.


So, no, I could not afford more as I understand it.


-Bone

So if someone pays 195/month will Linden Labs create a sim just for them?

It does kind of stink to know that when I see someone who owns massive land like Rathe Underthorn i won't look at him and say "wow this person is industrious, enterprising, insightful", but instead say "wow they are loaded in RL".

I suppose for LL they see that enough people use multiple accounts to afford an affluent SL lifestyle so these people will now just consolidate their payment for a larger chunk of land instead of using multiple accounts.

I use a 2nd account to secure a private group for 2, so I guess I pay $30/mo to play SL right now... this gives me about 1/16th of a sim which is equal to about what I group own with Taessa across 3 sims.

So I am ok if want to continue paying 30/month (now $25 on the 1.2 scale).

Also means anything else I want to do has to come from my real world income instead of my earnings in SL. Which begs another question for a separate post.

Briana Dawson

Speaking for myself, I'd rather not have the US$ and not have RL intrude into SL.

It seems rather a paltry carrot to compensate for taking away the one single thing that makes this game so attractive to many of us.

Why can't we have the option to pay for extra land with $L OR US? And even do BOTH, pay half in US and half in L or pay all in L or all in US. I would be fine with this if there was always the option to pay for extra land with L instead of US, this way, if someone really wants to buy more land and not have to work for it then they can, but also people who don't want to shell out US for extra land can have an opportunity to get more.

And also LL will benifit from those who choose to just use US.

Tell me whats wrong with that idea?

Baaaaaaaaaad... Baaaaaaaaaaad... very bad.. no matter which way I look at it... Baaaaaaaaaaaad. RL money should NEVER BE introduced into a game. NEVER EVER EVER. I admit that I take part in SL a lot during the days (since Im out of work only during the weekdays). But .. to limit the abilities for someone to create something just cause they're poor like I am.. well.... pffft to that.

I seriously hope LL doesn't go the way There did. There has to be a stop some point. The rich get everything here.. and I'll be d*mded if they get what they want in SL. I'm not going to take My only pride and joy away from Me by limiting My creativeness.

Over the days.. I've learned how to limit and manage resources by figuring out ways to cut prims.. (yes fey helps a ton with texturing since I do not texture). So what happens to Me when I can't earn anything cause I can't texture? does that mean I hafta pay REAL money to someone to help Me texture an object? I DONT THINK SO.

Maybe you need to capitalize it, then some people might actually believe this is a good deal. I for one don't give a **** that the handful HANDFUL of the very best builders/scripters owners of the themed builds get a few dollars.

Good lord, the vast majority won't see that will they? No. The vast majority are going to be smack out of luck when they're land AND (you sort of gloss this part over I noticed) your build puts you over the $10 a month limit.

SL is going to be a very empty looking place I think. A lot of ugly little tiny boxes with no decoration and a few SUPER HUGE builds by the people WHO CAN AFFORD TO SPEND THE RL MONEY ON IT.

Cory, what's going to happen to the M sims? Hmm? Going to make more? They're going to be overrun quick, and no more discussion of making it work, no, it'll be hardcapped by how much LAND YOU CAN AFFORD WITH RL MONEY ONLY.

Ohh too bad, all filled up, go live in a pg. DOn't want to? Too bad, but for only hundreds of dollars you can have your own sim.

I really loved this game. Sorry if I sound pissed, but I really really loved this game.

You shouldn't act this fast. If Second Life really will be unplayable, not fun or whatelse after this changes, I am certain that the Lindens will change it. The Lindens are some of the nicest Devs out there. They actually talk to their costumers. How many companies do you know, that are doing this?

I am afraid, too about what will happen to the game. I just signed up for a one month membership, yesterday and now there will be so deep changes. But I will wait and see how SL will look with the changes.

I do not want to say to you "Hey, stay here. Do not get away, or I will tell your mommy!" You can do whatever you want and I am in no position on telling you what to do. I only want you to think about waiting till those changes are actually implented in the game. Until that time, there are so many things that could happen. Maybe they will change a whole bunch of the features that are planned until now for SL 1.2, and you will never know if you go away before the changes are even made.

Or maybe the changes actually are good. For us, the community, the changes are dramatically. That is so, because the Lindes just told us about it and there are some really deep changes. But do you think, some of the Lindes got together in a small cabin, got drunk with a few cans of Budweiser and someone said "Hey, oh man.. I've got an Idea.. Let.. Let us chaaaange.. Burps.. Oh Sorry.. Let us change this and that and then do this. So we get more money.. Har har..." I don't think so. They really thought about this changes for a long time and know the dependencies (I hope this is actually an english word, hehe)of the changes and have a good idea about the affects of the changes, because they thought over it for a long time. We only have thought about this for a few hours. Naturally, we all think that the changes will mean the total annihilation of the whole world and all the people that live in it. But think about it. It would be really crazy if this would happen.

Im going to have to wait and see, like the rest of us.

I do know I am going to have to give up some land to avoid paying additional RL cash. I have some L$ and recently decided to allow Juro's Space Needle to sit on my land in Minna. I like his build and it is worth my land tax to have it sit there, But now it seems he is going to get RL cash for my in game generousity. Well, come to think of it, Juros' tower might be too prim heavy for the plot it is on to even exist.

No taxes = no motivation. I do events now and again to help defray my expenses. Now what?

I am a bit disappointed to say the least, I hope it winds up okay.

I dont build a lot of stuff. I like building when I do, but I will never be paid for my excellent builds. I have really enjoyed helping new players as a Mentor. I have felt vital part of SL just for helping out others. Now,I just wonder how its going to make me feel when Cubey tells me he got $50 RL cash for building a new airplane.

This has been quite the bombshell dropped today. In the past I always felt I was in the loop and a part of the changes being made, I sort of feel betrayed now.

Ok. For the amount of stuff I don on SL. I can probably live within the means of a 1/16 sim thingy.

but I agree with Viola on not including RL with SL bucks. That is basically changing the entire dynamics of the game.

:ighs:: guess I'll just keep reading and keeping my ears open

The changes for 1.2 have been made in order to increase your options and make Second Life a better place.

- The vast majority of you will be able to own as much land or more with the 1.2.

- Without rez costs and taxes, your L$ will let you do more without the danger of going negative due to taxes. If you just like building 1.2 is much easier to use.

- L$ will still be used for in-world transactions because even if you have no interest in the real-world economy, the person who sold you the shirt might want to trade her time and effort for real money.

- With the no monthly cost option, more users will be able to come into Second Life on a casual basis and attent your events, gallery openings, and parties.

Cory

It was quite the bombshell for Me too.. I mean.. sure.. owning 1/16 of land is all fine and dandy.. but what good will come outta it when youre restricted prim usage? Sure sure.. prim banking has been a problem.. but this can be managed in a civil respectful way. What will 1/16 of land look like with a restrictive prim count?.. hardly anything to be awed about.

I thought I did good for the community.. I wanted SL to be a better place to live in. I helped others when needed. Or if I couldn't help... I sent them to another person who can. So does this mean in order to have My dream home... Im gonna hafta pay extra because I probably will over extend the prim limit?..

No Chris, I don't think it will annialate SL. After all There is doing just fine from what I hear. There will be plenty of people who don't mind a bit paying 50 a month. I'm just not one of them.

Personaly I'd rather see the 1000 that is to be given out, go towards whatever else that paying for extra land would pay for. Meaning, I'd rather not get a bonus in US dollars if its going to mean people have to be charged extra for extra land.

Good idea, OZ!

Why don't the Liden's take that money and offset some of the cost they're trying to push off on us?