Linden Lab Announces New Gifts For Plus, Premium, And Premium Plus Residents

 

 A few days ago in the official blog, Linden Lab announced that Seraphim, a leading shopping group and website, had released their next quarterly set of gifts for residents with paid accounts, Plus, Premium, and Premium Plus. 

 

The wait is over! The newest round of SeraPlus Quarterly Gifts is here, packed with exciting virtual gifts from some of Second Life’s most celebrated creators — and available exclusively to Plus, Premium, and Premium Plus members.

 

 
The items include skin fatpacks, footwear, clothing, accessories, hair, Home and Garden items, and a "full interactive item." To get them, if you have a paid account, head over to the SeraphimSL sim at (122/154/34) and get them at the display area. You can get this set from now to October 26. After that it will no longer be available. 

 

To read more, Click Here to check out the blog page.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

EOTB: Linden Lab Enters Paid Members in Computer Giveaway

 

Several days ago, Linden Lab announced as part of their "Membership Mania," they were entering members with paid accounts, Plus, Premium, and Premium Plus, in their "Membership Mania Computer Giveaway."  

 

We’re giving back to our loyal Plus, Premium, and Premium Plus members with an automatic entry into the Membership Mania PC Giveaway! Members have a shot at being awarded one of three ultimate gaming PCs (or cash equivalent)

There are three prizes. Premium Plus members are entered to win a HP OMEN 45L Intel i9 RTX 4090 Premium Gaming Desktop worth about $4,679 USD. Premium Residents are in the contest for a Skytech Gaming PC Desktop, which is worth about $1,999 USD. And those with Plus accounts can get a Thermaltake LCGS Quartz i460 R4 Gaming Desktop, worth about $899 USD.

 

In place of the computers, winners can take the value in cash. Eligibility is "based on membership tier status as of 11:59 PM PT on February 28, 2025."

 

As mentioned, those with paid accounts are automatically entered. Free residents can still enter, but need to send a handwritten postcard with their name, address, email, and phone number, along with which contest they want to be in, to the following address:

 

Linden Research, Inc.
548 Market St., PMB 59201, San Francisco, CA 94104-5401, USA

 

The drawing is on March 10, with the odds depending on how many entries there are.  The winners will be notified within five days, and have 48 hours to respond or may forfeit their prize. "Winners are solely responsible for any applicable taxes, duties, or import fees." and "U.S. winners ... must submit a Form W-9 and will receive a Form 1099-MISC. Non-U.S. winners must submit a W-8BEN and will receive a Form 1098."

 

Residents from several countries are not eligible due to local regulations or restrictions, Belgium, Italy, Brazil, Poland, Russia, India, China, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates. "and any country under U.S. embargoes or trade sanctions."

 

For more information, check the blog entry Here. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

SL Fandom Con Raffles and Auctions

 

 

 From Oldesoul Eldermar, "Wow, it's time!!!  We have Raffles and Silent Auctions for Linden items on and ready at the Thunderdome Stage, and Pirate's Cove."

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/WastedLands/138/48/23    

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nautical/202/70/23
sl-fandom-con.org/linden-contributions
 

"All monies go to the American Cancer Society."

 

 Several items are being raffled by Linden Lab:

6 Month Premium Account Access
12 Month Premium Account Access
1 Hour Hangout/Photo Session with Patch
3 Last Name Changes from the Existing Last Name Pool
Pick a future last name and receive change for free *subject to LL approval

Two items are being auctioned (at the WastedLands location

Homestead for 6 Months

Premium Plus Account Access for 6 Months

Go Relay!

Upcoming Premium Linden Homes Announced, Sneak Peek at Christmas Expo on Dec. 7

 

Earlier today, it was announced in the Second Life forums there will be a new theme of Linden Homes available in the future. And for those wanting a speak peak, there will be sample homes available for viewing at the Christmas Expo. 

Get ready for a magical moment this holiday season as we unveil the theme for the next wave of Linden Homes at the Christmas Expo event! As with our last theme, Ranch, this theme will be available exclusively to Premium Plus users. 

Join us on December 7, 2023, at 7:00am SLT, for an exclusive sneak peek into the enchanting theme we've crafted just for you. 

 

The homes will be at Expo 1 (104/128/23)

 

Source: Linden blog. 

 

"Second Lifetime" Premium Accounts For Life, Upcoming Ranch Linden Homes Announced at Lab Gab

 

 

 (Click here if the video does not play)

On Monday June 26, Patch Linden was interviewed in the first of the SL20B's Lab Gab shows. Patch almost always reveals something about what Linden Lab is planning or is about to release, and yesterday was no exception. But the big details involve users with the most cash to invest in their inworld experience. 

 

At the SL19B last year while talking about then upcoming Premium Plus option for accounts, Patch stated that eventually there would be a 2028 sq meter option for Linden Homes just for them, double the size of the max available for Premium residents.

On Monday, Patch stated the homes were just about ready. He would also mention them in the forums.

 

The all new Ranch theme features country style Ranch homes in multiple sizes and open floor plans on 2048m2 parcels. It is a beautiful rural area with gravel roads, split rail fences, windmills, silos, and stunning fields of wildflowers.

More land means more land impact. Previous themes have 351 or 175 LI per parcel. These have a whopping 703! Plus a new theme means a new content pack, with wildflowers, hay bales, and such. 

They would also be mentioned in the SL wiki in the page about Linden Homes.

The ranch theme is your invitation to step into life on the grasslands of central North America. This is farm country, a land of rolling prairie and big sky. It’s a place where you can imagine raising wheat or corn or soybeans and having a few cattle, a horse or two, and a flock of chickens. You might have a barn stocked with hay bales and a tractor and harvest machinery. Or, perhaps, you could have the large garden for vegetables and flowers that you always wanted.

The houses are in a new area in Bellisseria, north of the central part of the continent (and the new WelcomeHub area, which is now also connected to Bellisseria by a road). The sims themselves often had appropriate names such as Silo, or whimsical ones such as After You and Knott Mine. There were several different styles of Ranch houses, Spring View, Stable View, Knotty Pine, Creek Stone, Silver Spurs, Buffalo Pastures, and Grizzly Point. With the larger amount of land per home, plus the gravel roads and the country look of the houses, the place certainly looked more backwoods than much of the Linden Home continent. There were silos, windmills, and other farm buildings and structures in places. And some residents and brought in cows, horses, and other animals.

 

Despite that "selection of specific Ranch homes will not be available until July 10," demand for these houses was high. In Bellisseria chat, it was stated that a day after they were made available, there were no more left to claim. When the next batch will be available is unknown.

 

 

The other feature aimed at Premium Plus, and Premium, accounts was "Second Lifetime." This was an option to have a Premium, or Premium Plus account for life.

 Be among the lucky few to claim one of the limited edition SecondLifeTime Premium or Premium Plus plans – available in extremely limited quantities at SL20B. Each SecondLifeTime plan offers the same benefits as Premium or Premium Plus – but for a one-time fee for the rest of your life! Only available while supplies last!

Patch Linden would explain some details at the Lab Gab, and there was also a "Frequently Asked Questions" page. The one-time payment for a lifetime Premium account is $749 USD, and for a lifetime Premium Plus, it is more expensive at $1749 USD. Compared to Premium at $99 USD a year, and Premium Plus at $249 USD a year, it's comparable to a resident paying for several years in advance. 

 

Patch would say that only so many residents can get a lifetime account. Only two hundred residents will be able to get Premium for life, and for Premium Plus for life the limit is much smaller, just twenty. The openings are available on a first-come first-served basis. On the FAQ page, it stated a Premium for life account holder "might not" be able to upgrade to Premium Plus, and anyone wishing to do so would have to talk with a Lab agent to see what could be done. 

While it wasn't mentioned by Patch, or the FAQ, it should be reminded that even a lifetime account holder would still be subject to the Lab's Terms of Service, and people have been banned for what some would see as small offenses such as using a parent's credit card. 

Patch would discuss other things in the video, such as the upcoming newcomer NUX avatars, the new WelcomeHub area, an SL radio station, the *possibility* of one of the more recent last names being brought back temporarily, and Linden Lab talking to the producers of a TV show about a deal which would have Second Life being a big part of the plot of one episode. This would be the first time since an episode of CSI in 2007.

Bixyl Shuftan

 

The SL20B National And Global Contests

 

 The Second Life Birthdays have had prizes one can win for some time. But there's a chance to get a real-life prize from a contest here at the SL20B celebrations, in addition to a chance every day to get a free upgrade to Premium for a year, or maybe for life.

Visit the SL20B welcome area and look for the National and Global contest kiosks to win one of many huge prizes! Qualifying U.S. residents can  win a brand new Chevrolet Bolt EV car or a high-end ASUS computer in the physical world. Global community members can win one of several special prizes including daily giveaways of One-Year Premium Second Life Subscriptions and more!

 

The welcome area is in the SLB Awesome sim, a globe-shaped structure with greenery that in most hours of the day has had numbers of people. Going inside, at ground level there's a number of kiosks, and a rotating model of the grand prize for one of the two contests: a real-life electric car.

 

Of the two contests, one is open to US residents only, the National Sweepstakes.  The other is open to all residents of Second Life, the Global Sweepstakes.

 

The greater attention is on the National Sweepstakes prizes, as they're higher in value. The Grand Prize is an electric car, a Chevrolet Bolt EV, which has a "suggested retail price" of $27,495 USD. There are also five First Prizes, "Sponsor specified" laptop gaming computers described as worth about $2800 USD. 

Of the Global Sweepstakes, the prizes are free upgrades to one's account. The Grand Prize is a free upgrade to Premium for one's account, for life. The First Prize is a free upgrade to Premium Plus for one year. There are also Daily Prizes for a free upgrade to Premium account for one year.

One can enter up to Wednesday July 5 for both the National and Global contests. The drawing for the Grand and First prizes will be "on or around" Thursday July 6. One can enter the draw for the Daily Prize in the Global contest once a day. 

 

To enter, head to SLB Awesome (108/122/35).

Details for the contests are (here) and (here).

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Linden Lab Changes Name Change Fees

 

When Linden Lab made it possible to change the last name of one's account a couple years ago (or bringing back last names as it was often called), it could be done only by someone with a Premium account. So someone with a basic account would have to sign up for it, at least temporarily, and then pay the fee.

A few days ago, Linden Lab announced that there would be changes to how one would pay for a name change. The good news, those with basic accounts won't need to sign up for Premium, and those with Premium Plus will pay a much smaller fee. The bad news, those with basic accounts won't be paying much less.

 Today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve updated our Name Change service in a major way. We’ve told you that we were going to keep working on adding new features to the Premium and Premium Plus offerings, and we’re delivering on that once again today. From here on, Premium and Premium Plus subscribers will benefit from a reduced price for the Name Change service.

But that’s not all! Not only are we discounting the service across the board, but we’ve decided to democratize the service to everyone.

For those with Premium accounts, the fee has been cut from $39.99 US Dollars to $34.99, a reduction of about one eighth the price. Those with Premium Plus will benefit the most, as they will now only have to pay a $14.99 USD fee, less than half. For those with basic accounts, their fee is $49.99. While more convenient than the old way, it's not much less than the $51.98 combined for a one-month subscription for Premium and name change.

For the blog post in full, Click Here.

Bixyl Shuftan

 

"Premium Plus" to be Available in May

 
There's been a little discussion, and a few questions, about "Premium Plus" since Linden Lab first mentioned it as an upcoming option some time ago. But they've spoken next to nothing about just what it will offer. Finally in the April 6 Web User Group Meeting (filmed by  Pantera Północy), Reed Linden gave some answers. Premium Plus should be available sometime in May (mentioned just after 2:25 in the video). Most likely, it will be closer to the end of the month than the start of May. When first available, those with Premium accounts on annual subscriptions with at least six months left before the next yearly payment will have the option to upgrade to it.

So what will Premium Plus offer? Reed couldn't tell us everything, partially because some details were still being worked on. But he did say the Plus option would offer higher stipends, "more than double what a premium stipend is," larger land grands, larger sign-up bonuses, reduced fees "on certain things," more group slots, "it's more of everything. It's more good things. ... "I will say you're close to getting double the stuff ... in many cases, you're getting more than double."

So how much more will Premium Plus cost than the $99 US dollars a year fee for Premium? Reed couldn't say yet other than "It'll be more."

With only about a month left, give or take, the Lab may or may not have more information before Premium Plus is finally released. So stay tuned for more details.

Hat tip: Inara Pey, Dreamer Pixelmaid

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Linden Lab to Begin Charging Sales Taxes on Sim Tier, Other "Recurring Billings"

 

Yesterday on February 28, Linden Lab announced it would begin charging Second Life's residents in the US sales taxes. The Lab stated they had been paying the costs of what residents would otherwise owe for the past few years but "are no longer able to absorb them."

 Ever since Second Life’s inception two decades ago we have seen many local, state and federal governments impose new ways to collect tax revenue from internet-based businesses. The Wayfair Sales Tax case decision by the Supreme Court was when prior rules about sales tax really changed.  Since then, we have done our best to shield our residents from these taxes as long as possible, but we are no longer able to absorb them.

As of March 31, 2022 we will begin charging sales tax in the U.S. For the time being we will charge taxes only on recurring billings, such as premium subscriptions and land fees. The amount of tax charged will be communicated clearly in the receipt or invoice.

We will continue to absorb the taxes at point-of-sale purchases such as one-time L$ buys, first-time premium subscriptions, and name changes. At some point in the future we will need to begin passing those taxes on to you. We will make another announcement when those charges are phased in.

Your individual charges will be determined by your local jurisdictions. There are more than 13,000 sales and use tax jurisdictions in the United States, with great variation in their rules and tax rates. Tax amounts are also affected by other factors such as the type of goods or services being purchased. To determine the charges, we will be relying on an automated third-party system which closely tracks local tax laws, so the tax amounts are always up to date.

This is news we don’t enjoy sharing, but for the health of the business and of Second Life, we can no longer continue absorbing these tax burdens.

As stated, the Lab won't start charging until the end of the month, and will charge taxes "only on recurring billings." This means Premium accounts and sim tier. For now, things like name-change fees, Marketplace transactions, "first-time premium subscriptions," inworld purchases, and of course the buying of Linden dollars, won't be affected by taxes. But the Lab is saying " At some point in the future" they will begin passing down tax charges on those as well. The Lab will be using "an automated third-party system which closely tracks local tax laws" to determine how much tax a resident owes.

It was the South Dakota vs Wayfair case (of which Overstock.com and Newegg were also involved) in 2018 that allowed states to tax Internet transactions. It's unknown when states in the US first started telling Linden Lab they were owed money. But it is probable that the increase of Second Life's number of active residents in the Covid Pandemic put the Lab in a better position to absorb the costs. And lately, the number of new Covid cases has been plummeting.

In the official forums, response was somewhat muted, European residents saying they had been paying a Value Added Tax (VAT) on purchases for years, one saying, "I like our VAT system. We all pay in and we all get something back in return ..." Some were of mixed views, "This is neither surprising nor unfair, as European users well know. It does, however, perhaps represent a step backwards for the efforts to reduce the role of land cost in the SL economy." And some groaned, "They use this excuse to raise prices. Not so strange with the roaring inflation. But I guess they will use the inflation excuse for another raise later in the year."

In any event, while we've sometimes thought of Linden Lab's fees as taxes on our virtual experinces, real taxes are now coming to Second Life.

To check out the blog entry in full, Click Here. 

Source: Wikipedia

Bixyl Shuftan
 

"The Bellisseria Cipher Challenge"

 

On the "Linden Homes" section in the Second Life forums, on Friday December 17 Patch Linden started a thread about a certain challenge in the Bellisseria continent, one that offers a prize for the first person to tell him the solution

 Some of you may have seen a recent interview where it was revealed that there is a secret (currently unsolved) cipher hidden throughout the Fantasy regions of Bellisseria (Fantasseria).  

The first person that legitimately brings me the correct cipher...

Will get (1) - 1 year of free premium, as an annual membership, which will be renewable at the end of the term. Annual membership will be effective the date the submission is accepted.

If you team up with others, this can only be applied to a single account, you will have to choose among yourselves who will receive the benefit.

Submissions should be submitted to this forum thread. First to get it completely right wins!

The challenge ends on December 23, 2021 at 12:00pm SLT/PST if nobody is able to solve it. 
 
The thread is here for anyone looking for clues.
 

Breaking News: Linden Lab Says Last Names Available Again By Jan 31, For Premium Residents

Earlier today, Linden Lab posted on the official blog a date on one of the more persistent questions of residents, the return of last names. The Lab stated it is "working furiously" to have the option to get or change a last name. However, the option will only be available for Premium Residents, and there would be a fee for it.

Soon it will be possible to change the name of a Second Life account. This is one of our Residents’ most requested features and we’re working furiously to make it available by the end of January.  Name Changes will be exclusively for Premium members at an additional fee. Changing one or both of your First and Last Name will be available as a single transaction. Last Names will be picked from a list, which you can help us curate.

It was also announced the Lab would soon hold a contest for suggestions on new last names. Five of the people who submit suggestions will get a free name change, regardless of their being Premium accounts or not. The contest will run for a month from December 16 to January 15.

At the SL16B this year, Oz Linden stated that the reason it was taking so long for last names was, "every part of Second Life, absolutely everything, was built with the assumption that your name can never change.  ... we have to go back and find that assumption everywhere in Second Life. And that's a *lot* of code."

The Lab would also announce a new level of Premium membership, Premium Plus, "an additional choice for Residents who want to get even more value from their Second Life."

Also announced were changes in Marketplace, including the fee to list an item as Featured reduced ten percent and "commission rates on Marketplace sales will become 10% of the item price." There was also a reminder about the Linden Home at the Christmas Expo.

To read the blogpost in full, Click Here.

Goodbye Premium

When Linden Lab made the decision to raise the yearly price of Premium level accounts for Second Life residents in May, some predicted many people affected would downgrade their accounts. Recently, Cyfir (Cyfiremmerich)'s Premium account was up for renewal, and he had to make the decision to accept paying the higher rate or downgrade to basic. After some thought, he chose the later. In his latest article, he explains why, the price increase being just one of the reasons.

Read Cyfir's story in Extra.

Linden Lab Raising Price of Premium Accounts, Reducing Group Capacity in Basic Accounts

Yesterday on Wednesday May 29, Linden Lab announced "Land Price Reductions, New Premium Perks, and Pricing Changes." But it's the "Pricing Changes" that are getting most of the attention plus The "Premium and Basic Account Changes."

The Lab announced "the difficult decision to make our first Premium price increase in over a decade." Their monthly rate was going up by over 25% from $9.50 USD a month to $11.99. Their quarterly rate was going up by almost 50% from $22.50 every three months to $32.97. And their yearly rate was going up by almost 40% from $72 a year to $99.

The Lab did say on June 3 they would be offering a "limited time offer" until June 24 for Premium account residents to renew at the old rate for one more cycle, including for those being billed monthly to switch to quarterly or annually and for those billed monthly to go quarterly. For basic accounts going Premium, being billed quarterly would no longer be an option. That option would remain only for existing Premium accounts.

Linden Lab was also increasing the credit processing fee for selling Linden dollars to Paypal and Skrill accounts from 2.5% per transaction to 5% (with a minimum fee of $3). In Nov 2017, it was raised from 1.5% to 2.5%. The Lab gave "increased regulatory and compliance costs" as the reason.

The good news for Premium account residents, Linden Lab announced that effective June 24, their group limit would rise from 60 to 70. The number of stored offline IMs would rise from 50 to 80. Unfortunately, Basic account residents would be taking a hit. Their group limit would be cut from 42 to 35, and their stored offline IMs would go down from 25 to 15.

This is the first time that group capacity for residents has been trimmed back. In October 2010, the limit for all accounts was raised from 25 to 40. In January 2011 it was raised to 42. In June 2015, it was raised to 60 for Premium residents, with regular ones still having a limit at 42.

The best news was for landowners. Linden Lab announced that the tier for full sims was going down again, effective June 3. For most, it would be from $249 USD to $229. The rate for grandfathered, or "bought-down", sims was also being cut, from $195 USD to $179. The $30 fee to add to the prim limit was unchanged.

The residents were quick to react, numerous comments in two threads in the Discussion Forums, "$99 Problems," and "What Are Your Opinions ..." There's also one in VR Universe. Needless to say, there were many expressing disappointment and anger, with accusations the Lab was acting out of greed.

For the blog post in full, Click Here.

Breaking News: Linden Lab to Impose Complexity Limits on Avatars

In an announcement in the official blog, CEO Ebbe Altberg. Ebbe Linden announced that due to increasing complaints about lag, Linden Lab has decided to put a cap on avatar complexity, at least for those on standard accounts. Starting tomorrow, users without Premium accounts will be limited to a complexity rating of 40,000. While this seems like a lot, popular skins such as Maitreya can use up 80-100,000 with just the base body alone.

We at Linden Lab have strived to encourage improvement for this virtual world. However, the improvements on detail on certain avatars have come with a complexity that is more than two or three times that of characters in leading computer games. This increased complexity multiplied over many avatars has made attending popular events difficult to close to impossible for many without frequent graphics card crashes. So we are encouraging designers to be more creative and are putting a limit on how complex in polygons an avatar and it's accessories can be.

For regular residents who don't change from a high complexity avatar, when logging in tomorrow they will appear in the old default avatar, or "Ruth." Avatars under Premium accounts are unaffected, and still have no complexity limit, yet.

In the forums, one skin designer accused Linden Lab of trying to run her out of business, "Unless you're a pony or furry, you need lots of detail to look good." One fashion blogger felt Linden Lab's real reason was money, "There's an old joke it takes real money to look real beautiful. It seems The Lab wants a piece of that money and is once again reaching for our wallets."

Details are still coming in about this latest move by Linden Lab that is sure to generate no shortage of discussion.

For the blog post in detail: Click Here.

Exclusive Winter Gift For Premium Accounts by Linden Lab

When Linden Lab announced their Winter Swaginator Hunt, they also stated that "Premium members will see a very special new and exclusive gift"and it would "go with your Winter Swaginator gifts." A few days ago, they announced it was available for pickup, at least for those with Premium accounts. And what is the gift? A winter cabin.

This charming home-away-from-home features a scripted door for added security, extra textures for the exterior, and other features. If you’ve been collecting the weekly Swaginator gifts, you’ll find this cabin in the perfect place to decorate with those gifts or give it your own personal flair with your unique decorative eye.

So if you have a Premium account, head to a Premium Gift Collection Spot and get it. If you're not, trying gets you a message like that on the left. For everyone else, the clue for the final gift in the Winter Swaginator Hunt should appear on the official blog sometime today.

Bixyl Shuftan

Eye On The Blog: "The Return of the Haunted Halloween Tour," Halloween Glytches, and Premium Gift

Linden Lab is getting into the Halloween spirit by announcing the return of the "Halloween Haunted Tour." The fifth installment of this haunted ride, the Lab promises some new tricks to this Halloween treat.

Who says horror series can’t get better and better? The bone-chilling Haunted Tour is back again - and this fifth installment offers some new twists! Hop in a coffin and enjoy the wild ride through the twisted mind of madness. There is a rule in horror that you’re more likely to survive if you travel with a friend - so face your fears, grab your favorite squad of fiend-fighting friends and follow the Halloween path at Portal Park to the abyss of oblivion at the Haunted Halloween Tour.

For those playing the "Tyrah and the Magical Glytches game," there are some Halloween-themed Glytches to collect. So keep your HUD and weapon handy.

For Premium residents, Linden Lab is offering a special gift just for you: the Haunted Campsite.

This is a fully interactive scene straight out of an 80s horror movie. You can control so many different elements, including weather, bats, music, and much more. Customize your tombstones, seek some relief from the unrelenting elements in your very own tent (though it won’t protect you from machete-wielding maniacs or hungry monsters!), and enjoy candy apples and scary stories around the roaring campfire.
 

There are so many options, it’s almost terrifying!

 To read the blog post in full, Click Here. 

Breaking News: Mainland Tier Reduced By 10%, Premium Residents' Free Land Doubled

For those who say "the tier payments are too darn high," some good news, at least those who live on the mainland. Earlier today, Linden Lab announced "Effective immediately, we’ve reduced Mainland costs by over 10 percent." They have also doubled the small amount of free land that Premium accounts get, from 512 square meters to 1024 square meters, or about a quarter acre.

This news does not directly affect those on private sims or free accounts. What it looks like is Linden Lab is trying to encourage people to buy up mainland parcels, of which much is empty land, and encouraging more residents to go Premium. How successful will it be? Time will tell.

Bixyl Shuftan

Transaction History For Premium Members Extended To 90 Days

Linden Lab is offering another small perk for those with paying accounts. Earlier this week, they announced that they were extending the Transaction history of Premium accounts to ninety days. This is three times that of regular accounts.

The change is aimed at merchants in the virtual world, Linden Lab giving some statistics.

There’s a ton of activity in Second Life’s L$ economy: every day, the Marketplace alone sees more than 20,000 unique buyers purchasing more than L$16,000,000 worth of goods from more than 15,000 unique sellers. That’s a whole lotta Lindens changing hands! And that’s not even including inworld transactions. With all that activity, transaction history can be a handy reference for shoppers and merchants alike for bookkeeping, providing customer support, or just keeping track of your own purchases and L$ spending.

These figures give some idea of how much Linden Lab makes from its cut on Marketplace sales. Inara Pey estimated with a five percent fee, the Lab was taking in over $1,123,000 from Marketplace commerce.

It's notable this perk aimed at Second Life's merchants comes about a week after Linden Lab announced it was raising fees to buy, and later sell, Linden dollars, which was criticized as an attack on "those who work to create the SL economy." So the move could be seen as an attempt to ease any ill feelings among the virtual world's businessmen and women.

To any merchants reading the article, what do you think? Will this extension in the transaction history be useful?

Bixyl Shuftan

Linden Lab Giving Out Halloween Gifts, Haunted Halloween Tour Returns

Linden Lab no doubt has been blamed, rightly or wrongly, for a number of tricks on the residents. This Halloween, they have a few (almost) harmless tricks, as well as some treats. They announced details on their blog last week.

Halloween isn’t just about dressing up and reveling in the spirit of all things spooky - there’s also that whole bag full of delicious treats your gather - so here are some stops you’re going to want to make to get your goodies. Exclusively for Premium members - we have Mary O’net - a special edition, wearable Glytch avatar. Mary is the perfect combination of elegant and creepy - a delight to don and dance away in haunted halls and stages all across the Grid!   ... There’s also a bag bursting full of free treats for everyone! Just drop by Portal Park and see what’s in store for you inside the gift bag! There’s something for everyone inside - so be sure to drop by!

I headed to Portal Park (incognito), and in front of the portal to the Haunted Halloween Tour ride (more on that later), I saw a couple of gift boxes. I got them, took them to a sandbox, and in one found a few goodies, including a skeleton avatar and a "Flying Eggling" vehicle that goes about by way of a rocket. In the other was a "trick or treat" bag, one that really does give out tricks or treats.

Are you ready for Halloween? Because we want to be sure, we have prepared a special Trick or Treat bag for you!  It's loaded with everything you'll need to enjoy the holiday with friends. (Well, mostly tricks, but you can find plenty of treats in Second Life.) Tyrah and Punkee designed this bag to build on the new inworld game, "Tyrah and the Curse of the Magical Glytches."  You can set it on your doorstep as a surprise for curious visitors or you and your friends can dream up ways to use it for party games. Each time someone clicks on the bag, it chooses a random result.  Usually it's a trick -- try it and see! -- but every once in a while it offers a treat for the person who clicked it.  So ..... First person to get the treat wins?  Or maybe you have to give everyone else a treat if the bag plays a particular trick on you?  You make up the rules.   Or just have fun.

Rezzing the bag on the ground, I clicked it a few times. Occasionally it would give me the "treat," a 2 Euro coin. Usually there was some other result. Most commonly, the bag would catch on fire, or bats would fly around. Other results included apples flying out of the bag, the bag turning into a jack o' lantern, the bag flying off, or the bag ending up on your head. Ha ha!

To get these Halloween gifts, head over to Portal Park 1 (175/118/52)

For Premium Residents, there's a Glytch avatar, "Mary O'net." The areas to pick it up it, such as Unttan (130/128/81), are accessible only to Premium Residents. To help encourage residents to upgrade their accounts, Linden Lab is offering 50% off their first quarterly payment if they sign up for Premium, until November 2.

Also, Linden Lab announced the return of the Haunted Halloween Tour

Who says sequels never live up to the originals? The spine-chilling Haunted Tour is back again - and this third installment is scarier than ever! Some new additions to this house of horrors have been crafted for your enjoyment. Hop in a coffin and enjoy the wild wide through. By the way - if you have a fear of clowns, you may want to make sure you bring a friend!

Stepping through, I saw an old abandoned manor up a hill ahead. A coffin-like car rezzed. Once in the ride took control of my view, so there was no panning around. The scenery was unnerving, and those with a problem with blood and gore might not want to get on, but I didn't see anything that was likely to cause heart trouble. 

To go on the Halloween Haunted Tour, like the gifts head over to Portal Park 1 (175/118/52) 

To see Linden Lab's post in full: Click here. 

Bixyl Shuftan 

Improved Sim Capacity And Access

It's an annoyance regular Second Life members are familiar with. You hear about a great event, and at the starting time you head over, only to find the sim is filled to capacity! You can't get in. Supposing you can get in, if the sim fills to capacity and you crash, the addition of one more means you log in at another location and can't teleport back. Even sim owners and managers aren't immune to this problem, meaning they could potentially be locked out of their own events.

Well, the Lab is making a few tweaks to sim capacity, which is good news if you have a premium account or a sim owner/manager. First, if a sim is filled to capacity and none of the residents inside are the owner or manager, then either can enter with the limit not applying to them. But this applies only for this first of these to enter. Since the sim is one over capacity, two residents would have to leave before any more managers could enter.

Second, an additional ten percent over the sim capacity will be allowed to enter, but only if these extra members are premium account holders. For instance, if a sim is set to a capacity of fifty residents, an additional five premium account residents could enter. This extra capacity does not apply to regular members.

Linden Lab has offered residents with premium accounts perks ever since the creation of free accounts. At first it was basically just the ability to own land and a weekly stipend of Linden Dollars. Later on, it was being offered gifts and exclusive access to a few sims. In 2015, they began allowing premium accounts to join an additional 18 groups, going from 42 to 60. It should be interesting to see how many premium accounts the Lab gets from this move

Read the announcement from Linden Lab: Here.

Bixyl Shuftan