Premium Account Improvement Thread

Anything ever get done with this idea from last year? I haven't seen a single word on it since this thread was closed and buried

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I had to use google search to dig it up and find it. Is there nothing going to be done about premium accounts?

/me thinks LL expects to continue collecting money from them.

Aside from that, that discussion was just fluff.

I think you know the answer.

Kind of like the Forum Redesign -- it will happen in Oct

Yeah I was just hoping for a different one than what I thought it was going to be.. Wishful thinking on my part.... Wonder if they still got over 50,000 premium accounts since the high back in Dec 2007 was over 93,000 and during 2008 they were losing more than 1000 a month up until November 2008 when they stopped publishing the data on it.

Yes.. Part of their new push to improve transparency. Sadly, improving it means to LL that they make it go away. No bad numbers = things must be good!

Right now there's a problem with predicting that nothing will happen: Lindens have been dropping all kinds of mysterious hints that Big Doings Are Afoot, slated for September-ish. Because they're being uncommonly circumspect about what all is in the works (besides the "SL2.0" nee "Viewer2009" thing), everything seems up-for-grabs.

Maybe they'll up the bonus tier to one full sim. Given the Mainland market, that seems about right.

Land would definitely be a thing to improve upon.
Adding tier allowance is an option, but improving prim allocation/sqm would be an option as well.
Even increasing the tier allowance by 10% while at the same time ditching the 10% group bonus would be an option. This 10% bonus allowance for groups is nothing but a means to shorten out the new residents as it is now. While at the same time, more experienced residents know to create an alt and form a group with that alt for no other reason than to grab the 10% bonus tier. Existing groups won't or will hardly notice the difference if this gets implemented correctly.

Increasing the amount of allowed groups for premium members could also be considered a definite benefit. People have wanted more than 25 groups for ages, even when we were allowed only 10, most people thought that something like 50 would've been a more appropriate number.

More picks: Yes, people use picks for all sorts of things. So allow more picks, and add a scroll button incase the list turns out longer than the window. If you're worried about people gaming the search system by using their picks: only count the unique results from picks, so when seaching through picks for "trains", only count the first pick that mentions "trains" within a profile, and simply skip the rest of the picks. The profile itself should show up pretty high when searching for "trains", but locations the search directs to shouldn't be affected by multiple entries from a single profile. Not from a premium profile, nor from a normal one.

An alternative mainland system in new sims:
Just something that could be tested, to see whether it works. Mainland sims where land CANNOT be re-parceled or set for sale, but only abandoned to Governor Linden.
Yes, such land wouldn't be worth a thing, which is the whole point of it. It would still be worth a LOT to the people who actually go to live there, or set up a business. The catch for people in those areas will be that they can't expand unless a neighbouring parcel becomes available or they move out, and that there won't be such a thing as "prim land". However, "prim land" could be simulated by landscaping some 15-20% of the land and make it protected land, while giving citizens a 10% prim bonus. Similar to some of the better estates, but then on mainland. The protected parcels can serve as barriers between parcels, making sure every parcel always has one or two "open" sides where they won't be bothered by a wall right against their parcel bounderies, effectively reducing neighbourhood quarels to a minimum. A few trees on the protected land is all that's needed to make a view on any walls on the other side of the protected land more pleasant and managable as well.

"Premium subscriptions are immaterial in our overall business."

/me points! Out of context!! Out of context!!!

That quote was talking about the fees they collect for premium membership. Since they give most of it back in stipend anyway, it is indeed immaterial to the business.

Yes, but it's sadly a truth, even out of context. Nevermind the fact that to own mainland, you have to be a premium account...

/me read that whole list.


There some good ideas, and there is some bad ideas.

More group spaces for just premium members? Pro's: Will attract more premiums. Con's: Will possibly piss a lot of people off.
I mean there's basic accounts out there that possibly payed more into SL then premium members.

Lower upload cost's for just premium members? Bad idea, there's a lot of basic account content creators.




Back up inventory safely? Good, that is something worth paying monthly.

Ability to mute group Im's? Bad idea. Everyone should have that ability.

More land for less tier and more prims per meter. That would make me happier with my premium account. Unfortunately, it usually goes the other way.

There are plenty of reasons to give LL crap. Sticking to the valid ones instead of looking for slights that aren't there will improve your case.

/me was not trying to pick on Tali. It's just a pet peeve of mine.

That still doesn't change the point that why on Earth would they use any resources on it, then?

I'd like to see a system something like this:

NPIOF: 10 groups allowed (existing accts grandfathered), script limitations to reduce griefing, inventory capped at 10000 items
PIOF: Same as above, except script limits removed and inventory up to 20000
PIU: 25 groups, inventory up to 50000 items
Premium member: Can own 1024 sq.m. mainland tier free, 50 groups allowed, inventory up to 75000 items
Business member: 2048 sq.m. mainland tier free, 10% discount on private island fees, 75 groups allowed, inventory up to 100000 items
Business Plus member: 4096 mainland tier free, 15% off private island fees, going up to 25% if more than 10 sims owned. 100 groups allowed, no inventory cap.

Ruining basic accounts doesn't really improve premium accounts.

What would you charge for each of those levels?

Stop there. Please. We went though this in the last thread. Let's not encourage premium membership by nerfing anything else.

It's a gateway drug to land barony.

Whereas I disagree with Ayesha nerfing basic accounts, and really, plenty of people spend plenty of money inworld and rent estate land so don't see the need for a premium account, I think that the concept of different premium membership schemes should be a good one.

So forego your free tier and get a bigger stipend or something, something to replace that free tier offer because many people don't see the value in that, but for those that do, keep the free tier option. Making more choices avaialble would enhance the appeal of premium membership.

But, "out of context" or not, unless said choices come with a considerable price increase, LL has no reason for making premium membership appealing.
-I do, however, think that the talk about "enhancing premium" was indeed seeding the ground for exactly that; an excuse for raising the price. It'll scare some off, freeing up support resources, and will start making money on those who accept the "improved" (whatever that'll end up being), more expensive premium.

My comment was 100% about that quote being out of context. There are plenty of real reasons to be annoyed with LL. Using ones that are just quotes taken out of context distracts the discussion and weakens your argument.

I fail to see why a statement that LL consider premium subscriptions immaterial doesn't qualify as an argument that they are not going to use any resources on them.

Bay City, Nautilus and now Zindra.

Seriously, I beleive that LL think owning land in those areas is enough of a draw to lure people into premium and keep them there. Beyond that they have no incentive unless large tracts of mainland start getting abandoned, which may start to happen sometime in the near future, or not depending on whose forecast you listen to.