Sim owners increasing tier

Right here is why I'm raising the price on new renters now. If you take existing renters and raise their fees suddenly then they either immediately quit or all start talking about calling the FBI and sueing you for violation of antitrust laws. Or at least that's what I gather from the reaction to LL's announcement. I want to avoid that as much as possible.

Yes but it's Linden Lab we're talking about here, they have proven in the past that they don't know their arse from their elbow. Expect the unexpected.

Actually, I think they've changed a bit. I think they have a plan and are proceeding with it. And that it's taking them where they want to go.

What I don't think has changed is their ability to communicate with their customers. And this has affected their implementation of the plan.

But I wish you all the luck in the world that they do reverse the decision or not raise the rates as high.

Although, I bet that everyone would have screamed at a 30% rate increase. But now, if they make it only that, a lot of people will be relieved. And they'll look like they listened to the community. So, without knowing their plan, it's hard to say if they really respond or not.

Firelight

USD$100 is my guess and yes people will be relieved ...and will have been hoodwinked but that's the the way things happen.

Course they still get a 100% increase from all the grandfathered ones. But I can't argue with that one. They've been grandfathered for longer than Linden promised. (And yes, they did keep that promise. I don't know if they made other promises later, but they kept that initial one.)

Firelight

I live off of renting openspace sims and I REFUSE to move to a mainland or a full sim area. Why? Full sim would mean I would be paying the same amount for barley any land at all (about 3~4k sqm.) and I split my rent between me and my best friend on the game and all she wants is about 3k sqm. to put her japanese themed house with a small garden (which is very nice if I may say so) and I run a rather large warehouse themed hangout for me and a few friends with a small skatepark/simboard halfpipe (though I might be taking the halfpipe out) so fitting both of those in 3~4k sqm. is near impossible unless I want a floating warehouse. So basically I'm sticking to openspace no matter what..I don't care if I have to switch down to a 12k sqm. lot because of the prices I'm staying..but we'll see.

And the reason I won't stay at an area on mainland is simply because its way more expensive just to get something way laggier and smaller than you could get otherwise..so openspace is really my only choice in this situation. I'm moving to a larger/cleaner area that is very low lag/low traffic and they are saying they will offer customers some sort of solution to the price raise..hopefully this means we won't have to pay more but I'm sure it'll end in that.

It's simply astounding that someone would make this statement. OS sims are fine for light residential use (not according to Jack though) but the performance on all of them is absolutely more laggy than the majority of mainland locations. As for it being more expensive... it won't be soon. After the increase half a sim of mainland will be the same price as an openspace. Very comparable in value I'd say. Personally I'd go with the mainland but it's a toss up.

You've really got to tell me where these not as laggy mainland locations are. My openspace sims weren't anywhere near as laggy as the mainland that I've been visiting this last week. And I've been trying all kinds of mainland places.

Now, if you had said the performance on most of the open spaces sims were more laggy, then I would just have thought I had some of the better performing open space areas - and would figure that I'm just going to have to put up with lag on the mainland.

Any ideas on where to visit?

Firelight

"Yes, I will reduce prices if any further changes happen."

THat's good of you, but I was more asking if you'd refund the money you are already charging ahead of any tier change. No prices have changed yet, and frankly i wouldn't hold my breath. LL isn't the highest authority that could be involved in this situation before it is over.

You don't bait and switch this many people without risking scrutiny. With the gambling and the banks i guess they are used to it. No idea why they'd further invite it, though.

Are you implying that the US legal system could get something accomplished in 60 days - during the major holidays of the year, not to mention the election going on?

Hopefully, you are not implying the legislative government would get involved. That's the last thing we need.

Firelight

I have been to mainland hundreds of times with my statistics bar up, ONE time (which is where I lived for the longest time) was it not under about 30 sim FPS and lagging my arse off.

I've been to well over 30 or so openspace sims looking for prices before and NONE of them have gone below about 35 unless it was spiking, which happens everywhere at some point. Trust me I live in openspaces I would know if it's laggy.
Besides, the only thing I do that would require the sim not to be laggy is simboarding which works terrific most of the time and sometimes combat : samurai island fights (which we don't do so much anymore)

Yes, I am. Not legislative, because laws against bait-and-swtich behavior are already in place.

Recently, for instance, during gas wars at a local venue, our state attorney general intervened when it was shown that the stations were pulling a bait-and-switch. like, within days. Government intervention in crime isn't overstepping its power, it is the function of government.

The bad faith here is obvious. They aren't addressing server load, they are raising
prices. They aren't cutting our prims. They aren't capping the number of avatars. Tehy aren't limiting script use. They are raising the rent after they got our non-refundable deposit.

If LL knew that they were going to do this at the first change, or if somewhere in the middle they knew they were going to and continued to advertise the sims, then they have pulled a bait and switch. Set up fees are a great way to buy hardware. ONce the first owners pay for your hardware, every time you "set it up" for someone thereafter it is pure profit.

All you have to do is free the hardware up. Coincidentally, this is going to free up a bunch of that hardware. Probably enough to set up a new region to promote in the loading screen. Kudos, if they get away with it. I have a feeling that people who investigate this kind of behavior, though, are going to be invited to look into it by a lot of SL users.

Mainland is the most laggy, add farm filled place Ive ever been on the game. Giant mega prims being used as walls, sex adds everywhere, lag lag lag. Id never own mainland unless my favorite color was grey.IMO

Of the 7 residents I have on my 2 open-spaces - not 7 on each, 7 in all - most will not stand for a 66% tier increase and I will have to abandon the sims and see the small community we have created destroyed.

I'm not acting hastily though.
I can wait some more days to see how the chips fall, as LL work out their position.

Personally I'm crossing my fingers in the hope, that the existing open-spaces will be 'grandfathered', as long as they are held by the original owner.
We shall see…

What I'm actually worried about is ...

After reading the office hours with Jack Linden transcript [ http://homeless.inworld.sl/2008/10/jack-linden-office-hour-10-30-2008-transcript/ ] we learn that there are waaaaaay much more private owned sims than LL owned sims. I reckon there are many estate owners who use a mix between OS sims and private sims to create a lovely region. Using OS sims for protected areas and such. For example the Otherland Group.

Many protected areas (os sims) will never be rented out. I think the current rent is paid by for example the (leftover) tier that is coming in on private sims that have residents. If estate owners don't want any holes in their region map, won't they be forced to up the prices on the private sims that are protected by OS sims?

I'm currently looking into alternative places to live and still enjoy space *& waterways like I have now with my 3 OS sims. So I'm looking into large estates (connected sims). But with the recent developments I'm not sure how ALL tier prices are effected *sigh*

Has anyone got an idea or is it impossible to tell what will happen to the tier prices on private estates ?

sorry ... same thing happened to me too ... you are not alone

Watch this tsunami of price hike for everything in SL...

and tsunami of exodus from SL...

and the collapse of SL just like the greed hungry Wall Street collapsed the world economy...