6 minute read
Interview with Patch Linden
GRID NEWS ins and outs of SL Interview with Patch Linden “Mayor of Bellisseria”
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Bellisseria May 2020
We will be trying to shed some light on the new happenings around Second Life, the new things that are going to brighten our days, future plans and of course we’ll be talking about the amazing new continent, named Bellisseria. For the readers who are not accustomed with what Bellisseria is, this new project is Patch’s baby, and the Belisserian citizens see him as their beloved Mayor. Patch and his team of Moles have been working hard since last April, - well way before that in reality, but from what was visible to us, - to bring the Second life users the most beautiful continent ever. There are already 4 themes of homes available, we are looking forward to the release of the 5th theme which was already revealed at the Home and Garden Expo. The log homes are now available to everyone.
Dear Patch, please tell our readers a bit about yourself and your role in the development of the new “look” of Second Life; about the Moles team and about future plans regarding the new developments and projects that are planned. We know you can’t reveal too much but we’d love to know as much as you can tell us.
Today, I am the Vice President of Product Operations for Linden Lab. Prior to that and even going back to my earlier days, I’ve always been deeply involved with Second Life and it’s Product Operations. Due to the length of time I’ve spent in, and working on this platform, I’ve been a stakeholder expert when it comes to it, both as a Product and a representative of Residents inside Second Life. One of the core values I embraced when I started working with Linden Lab was “Walk in our Resident’s shoes”. I feel that guiding principle has been partly responsible for how we make decisions internally and how they impact all of you. I feel that leads to how I can help guide all of us towards the future and what Second Life can do for all of us as we go forward, both from a look and feel perspective to a business and product perspective. As for new projects on the horizons, I think you all know most of them already, so I won’t spend too much time rehashing them, but Premium Account features are high on that list.
How did Bellisseria come to be? What was your vision and what made you want to give this new “face” to the old Linden Homes? Are there more themes planned to happen?
One of the biggest pieces of feedback
we were receiving surrounding Premium Account features as we started working on them was the aging Linden Homes offering and a calling for us to update them. As I listened to that feedback I started to dig into more about what was wanted, features requests, theme suggestions, etc. Once I had a really good grasp on everything, we put together a scope for the project and we were given the opportunity to move forward with building our first home theme. There are more themes coming!
general population has changed. What made this open doors policy possible?
I owe credit to Ebbe for this. Not long after he started, Ebbe encouraged us to increase that communication dynamic directly into the communities with Residents.
Is Bellisseria supposed to resemble any real life continent?
This is a really deep set of questions, at least for me it is because I come from having been a fairly large content creator myself back in the day. It’s difficult to answer for me, because I want to do so compassionately and I don’t know if this is the right venue to answer it. I could practically make an entire interview out of talking about it. I suppose if I had to give a partial answer to it, I feel like there are safeguards that can be taken, and even in light of the fee increases we’ve seen over time, the cost of doing business has to adjust and being ready to scale with it is key. That’s my business hat talking, but also coming from the perspective of having been that Resident creator before.
Second Life as a virtual platform requires a lot of computer power per se, and also a good graphic hardware. With all the beauty and technology we have available now is not hard to do, but will Second Life be even more graphic power oriented? I know it’s not mandatory for everyone to be in SL, but that would also limit the average population that doesn’t have a mid powerful PC to enjoy it to the fullest, or even to leave it be due to that.
It’s a tricky balance to maintain. Wanting to go out and make Second Life even more beautiful and take advantage of the latest and best graphics hardware available today would cause that bar to potentially move up. We’re always very cognizant of the choices we make when we work on things like rendering or content compatibility to ensure the most backwards compatibility we can offer.
We have heard about the Super-Premium membership. If you could share with us a little what that means? There are a lot of speculations about that and people are really curious…
We’re calling it Premium+ :) It will be another level of premium membership that has additional features on top of what the normal premium membership level gives you today.
Last, but not least, I know I have asked you about that name change option before, and the return of the last names, and I’m sure our readers would also like to know more about that, too. How will all that happen and what conditions are necessary in order to be able to get a name change? Will name changes be only available for Premium members or will they be available to anyone?
All will be revealed along with answers to these questions when things are ready to go out the door. :)
How did you discover SL, what made you stay this long, and did it have anything to do with your love for Disney?
I discovered Second Life during a time when I was sort of between MMO’s back in the day. I had heard about Second Life on a radio talk show when I was driving home from my then job. As I’ve always had a certain affinity for all things Disney, and having come from the land of the Mouse, along with the fact that I’ve always been extremely creative, Second Life seemed like a natural fit for me to stretch my creative side. In Second Life I can come in and use my imagination to bring things to life, virtually of course.
