Premium News

Often I tell folks that the primary benefit of having a Premium membership to Second Life is that if your account is suspended or frozen, paying Residents are far more likely to have the issue resolved than are non-paying Residents. Live chat generally stinks but Premium members have some pull and other resources, too. Plus there are the in-world benefits, like the really quiet sandboxes, a regular L$ stipend, a really nice Linden home or up to 512m² of land rent-free (just buy the land) and the occasional gift. Now there is a special game just for those of us that pay: Premium Wilderness! Six different G-rated venues, actually. Check out the video:

The six regions blend seamlessly, though each does have a bit of a unique flavor to them. You can ride a ferry between regions, ride an automated stone-age "segway" vehicle, travel by Capybara, and more. Lots of tropical birds and monkeys (some throw bananas!) as well as quite a few other critters fill the lush grounds. Some regions even have special activities, though you'll find 7-Seas fishing, free scuba gear, floaty toobs, boats, and other things common to all the regions. Look for surprises all over and be sure to try interacting with animals and objects on the trails and the many social camp sites. Here are a few scattered observations for each region with gratuitous landscape porn:

Premium Wilderness: Caiman (SLurl) Of course you'll find caimans here, but you'll also find tribblepigs (teeny capybara) which can be herded into a paddock for prizes.

Premium Wilderness: Capybera (SLurl) Simply beautiful. Like all the regions, be sure to at least try the regional default Windlight settings. The water is a bit strange, but the ferry ride is still pleasant. Play fetch with a jaguar at the ruins (SLurl). Um. Unless you don't like dead chickens.

Premium Wilderness: Gecko (SLurl) lots of bugs and mice and a 7-Seas aquarium to which you can add your fish (I put in a Grape Jelly Fish) is inside the big building on the shore. But look at the toucans! Of course, you'll find geckos in Gecko.

Premium Wilderness: Piranha (SLurl) I love the riverside dock huts, all within line-of-sight with Leech. Try the Whac-a-Mole games or play some checkers with a friend. Not that I'd really hurt the Moles. They've done such a beautiful job on these regions.

Premium Wilderness: Leech (SLurl) Sandy shorelines and a jungle with a dance club on the big hill. You and a buddy/partner can ride a capybara through the jungle and even race them against others on a special course. Here I'm eyeing a large beast before opting for the "Flintstone Segway" instead.

Premium Wilderness: Tapir (SLurl) This was my first stop and the very, very beautiful waterfall was a great introduction to the regions. Here I'm risking my butt with the piranha by sitting in a floaty toob.

I was in the six regions for a couple hours and still didn't see everything. Well, some of that time was spent AFK to write this blog post, but I did a lot of flying around and riding the ferry and walking about the ruins that are all over.

I see a tremendous potential here as Non-Player Characters (NPCs) are introduced and story lines are added (The Lab did buy a story company, you know). Once the wonder of seeing an actual jungle canopy wanes and one has explored as much as possible, Residents can still play the little games and gather socially, but I don't see that happening much.

Now, if we can get the Elderglen Infohub (SLurl) turned into a Premium area ....

Not a premium member? You can have a full-year's subscription for just $9.95USD per month. Paying annually is a good deal for just $72USD, a savings of $47.40USD! Billed quarterly at L$11.25USD leads to an annual cost of $90USD, but there is a special on right now for half-off the first quarter making your annual cost but $78.75USD.