No more basic bonus money

Did you all notice no more 250L signup bonus for free accounts?

MIght help a little I guess.

They haven't been giving that for several months now. However, I didn't follow the whole process. Is there anywhere to indicate if you want a premium account when you sign up? If not, then there's no more bonus for those either....

Guess they'll just have to start dancing their little pixel butts off to make some starting money. Welcome Area the new red light district full of inexperienced "virgin" noobs? Huh... I see a business oportunity here

The signup bonus has been given out up until today, and only on the new registration flow.

~puts away my wizard cloak and staff~


~pulls out my pimp cane and coat~

Now you get the idea!!

Failure to recognize sarcasm noted.

Or alternatively complain about "bait and switch" tactics advertising "free" play environment with no cc data required, yet still expecting them to put in their cc details and start spending real cash to get anything from the very first minute... log off and that's the last you've seen them.

I don't know whether it's possible to increase the number of n00bs asking "so how do u make money", but I'm thinking that somehow it will rise. Maybe they'll be asking twice.

As has been pointed out by swaths of folk, buying L$ is and will always be optional - no one has to buy anything to have fun in SL.

As pointed out by swath of entertainment software developers, you only have one chance to make first impression. And your customers basically make up their mind if your product sucks during first 5 mins of gameplay.

Guess how making this first impression significantly inferior is going to help SL as far as increase of player base goes...

Where is the connection between having L$ and having fun? It's not as strong as you seem to suggest.

Not that I'm really wanting to defend this move... I'm a beliver in the "give them a taste" method. That L$250 was a weensy addition to the pool that granted a new user and easy taste of the for-pay side.

"I'm stuck with newbie look, and the client is opening me a "buy L$ with cash" panel every time i try to buy something because i don't even have 1 L$ on me to get me the cheapest stuff, nor i can upload my own textures or anything? Fuck this 'game', i'm out of here"

SL is virtual tourist economy. Spending and getting cool stuff is a large part of a tourist's entertainment. Building your own things is also part of fun. Yes, you can still have fun in SL without spending but it's relatively less fun in comparison to situation where you can both have that money-free fun _and_ buy yourself something. Ergo, SL becomes relatively less funny place for new people.

Producing new copies of merchandice is just as free as minting new L$'s... so if LL is stepping down... time for merchants to step up!

Tempt players with a few sample wares for free... instead of charging them for their free L$'s.

Good point. However the GNUbie store probably needs to stop charging even 1L, they'll have to knock that down to zero to really be effective now.

I think Linden Lab should also work more closely with the various freebie store people, so that new players can more easily find the products.

Also it might be nice if the default library was more obvious. I know I didn't find that until about 2 weeks in!

"Guess how making this first impression significantly inferior is going to help SL as far as increase of player base goes..."

Number of vast virtual environments created by Lindenlabs: 1.
Number of vast virtual environments created by you: 0.

How about we let the people with experience worry about it, shall we?

"Also it might be nice if the default library was more obvious. I know I didn't find that until about 2 weeks in!"

Oh dear. How do you put your socks on in the morning?

Musuko.

Musuko, since your knowledge about me doesn't go beyond fact both of us post in SL forum, kindly stick the aforementioned sock in it until this changes. if ever ^^

Tsk. If I have to pull this thread over one more time!

With difficulty. I'm not a morning person.

I find this change pretty sad. People that might have been able to experiment with uploading a texture and making something original now will instead scour clubs for money trees before giving up in disgust. I know that I would never have taken up this game if it weren't for the ability to try out uploading stuff before putting my credit card down.

"Musuko, since your knowledge about me doesn't go beyond fact both of us post in SL forum, kindly stick the aforementioned sock in it until this changes. if ever ^^"

Okay, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt: have you created and managed a vast virtual world over the past three years?

"I know that I would never have taken up this game if it weren't for the ability to try out uploading stuff before putting my credit card down."

Make a few friends and ask them if they can lend you a few Lindens.

Musuko.

Well US $10 will get you around $L3,500 Linden dollars at the current rate of exchange. Surely that is not really significant to you, in my country (UK) that is about £5.50 which is the cost of about two pints of beer or a double Gin and Tonic.

Not a lot of money to see if you like something or not

Regards

Paul

I'm not going to mention who, but I do wish he WOULD put a sock in it.

The new basic user will sign on and be sent into the world with no money and very little knowledge of how the world works. I was a newbie as little as 4 weeks ago, and I can tell you that it is a very confusing time....and you want to be able to buy things.

Having $250L is just enough to get a taste of everything, from $1L purchases to the $10L texture uploads of family pics.

Once you get going, though, you realize that what you want is land. And there's two ways to get it. One involving more $L and one involving US$. So, you're going to take the option that is the best deal...right now the $72/year with the stipend and first land tier.

Taking away the basic user's 250L and 50L/week is basically taking away their first taste of the economy. The psychological barrier to giving out my credit card for an online game is way high, and I think others feel the same.

With the 'first one's free' policy, there's at least the opportunity for them to get a taste of shopping in world for real products ($50L avatars and such). The addiction can take hold, and beckon them. Now, that's gone.

"Taking away the basic user's 250L and 50L/week is basically taking away their first taste of the economy."

There are money trees and plenty of friendly people willing to help out newbies. If you are so concerned about the newbies, perhaps you should be hanging around the welcome area giving them directions to the money trees, the yard sales, and giving them L$250 each out of your own pocket?

"The psychological barrier to giving out my credit card for an online game is way high, and I think others feel the same."

Didn't the recent announcement state that they'll no-longer require credit-card details?

Yes, here we go:

"Most importantly: No billing information will be required for free accounts!"

"With the 'first one's free' policy, there's at least the opportunity for them to get a taste of shopping in world for real products ($50L avatars and such). The addiction can take hold, and beckon them. Now, that's gone."

I think the amazing diversity and scope of SL can stand up on its own merits without the need to bribe new players in with free money.

It's how it is inside SL itself; if you can only attract a crowd to your venue by using a money ball or camping chairs, your venue isn't very good.

Musuko.

Assumptions to work from in an Internet Economy:

1. Internet users are cheap bastards.
2. The lure of easy money trumps even sex when it comes to advertising.
3. If you don't have a link to someone's credit card up front, it will be at least doubly hard to make a sale.

If these three assumptions are right, and I think they are, then you're wrong.