Difference between revisions of "Tier"

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'''Tier is a key concept to understand when it comes to Second Life land ownership.''' There's common confusion about what "tier" means and what it's all about, so hopefully this page will help you straighten it out.
 
{{KBcaution|These are the simplified basics. There are ''exceptions'', be sure to see below.}}
 
In general usage, "tier" can mean a "rank".
 
In Second Life:
 
* '''"Tier" refers to the maximum amount of land you ''can'' own on the [[Land units|Second Life mainland]], measured in square meters (m<sup>2</sup>).'''
* "Available tier" or variations like "free tier" (free in this instance means "it can be used", not "free of charge") refer to the ''remaining, potential'' land you can own, not counting land you already own.
** For example, "My tier is 1024m<sup>2</sup>. I own a 256m<sup>2</sup> parcel, so I have 768m<sup>2</sup> of ''free tier''. If I buy a 384m<sup>2</sup> parcel, that leaves me with 384m<sup>2</sup> of ''tier that's available''."
* A Premium account ''includes'' of 512m<sup>2</sup> tier, which can be used for a free '''[[Linden Lab Official:Linden Home|Linden Home]]''', which is a rather pretty house on a 512m<sup>2</sup> parcel.
* '''Tier is ''not'' the land itself. It's your ''potential container'' to own land.''' Think of it like this: each land parcel is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_block toy block] like Lego (larger parcels are bigger blocks), and tier is a box. Buying land "fills the box with blocks".
** For example, if you have "4,608m<sup>2</sup> of available tier" — the Premium account's included 512m<sup>2</sup> + 4,096m<sup>2</sup> additional tier level — then you can own any combination of land parcels up to a total of 4,608m<sup>2</sup>. So owning a 1,024m<sup>2</sup> parcel + a 2,048m<sup>2</sup> parcel + a 1,536m<sup>2</sup> parcel = 4,608m<sup>2</sup> which completely fills your tier.
* '''If you need more land, you need to upgrade.''' By upgrading to a higher tier, you also increase your land use fees, but you also get a "bigger box for blocks".
** Increasing your tier level is sometimes called "tiering up".
* '''Tier is ''not'' the same as land use fees; the service and cost are connected but ''different''.''' Each tier level is tied to '''[https://secondlife.com/my/account/landfees.php Land Use Fees]''', which is where you change your tier level.
** Tier is not a currency like [[Linden Dollar|Linden Dollars]]. This is especially important for new landowners to understand, as some experienced Residents use it inaccurately (they know what they mean by it, but you might not).
** For example, "I pay ''for'' tier" or "I pay tier fees", ''NOT'' "I pay tier".
* When purchasing a land parcel, you're notified if buying it will increase your tier.
* Tiers don't have formal ranking names aside from the amount of land you can hold. But to have a mainland tier, you ''need'' to have a Premium account.
 
=== Does a Premium account ''always'' have 512m<sup>2</sup> of tier? ===
 
To be accurate, a Premium account has an included ''minimum'' 512m<sup>2</sup> tier. Let's call it "512m<sup>2</sup> base tier". As long as you have a Premium account, it's there with you, and one of the perks of being Premium.
 
You can always increase your tier on the '''[https://secondlife.com/my/account/landfees.php Land Use Fees]''' page, which ''adds'' to the 512m<sup>2</sup> base tier. For example, if you upgrade to the "8,192m<sup>2</sup>" tier level, that's actually:
 
: 512m<sup>2</sup> base tier + 8,192m<sup>2</sup> additional tier = 8,704m<sup>2</sup>.
 
Say for some reason, you wanted to downgrade the additional tier to 0m<sup>2</sup>. That means:
 
: 512m<sup>2</sup> base tier + 0m<sup>2</sup> additional tier = 512m<sup>2</sup>.
 
So yes, as a Premium member, you can't have ''less'' than 512m<sup>2</sup> tier.
 
=== Since a Premium account includes a 512m<sup>2</sup> of tier, does it also come with free land? ===
 
With the introduction of [[Linden Lab Official:Linden Home|Linden Homes]] as a benefit for all Premium account holders, yes, ''if'' you [http://secondlife.com/land/lindenhomes/member.php choose a Linden Home]. Previously, the answer was no: you had to buy the land separately, which you can still do if you want, but why not give a Linden Home a try? It's ''free'', after all.
 
=== Exceptions ===
 
This list is partial.
 
* [[Linden_Lab_Official:What_are_the_different_levels_of_account_membership|As explained in the different levels of account membership]], you can own a private estate, yet not have a mainland tier.
*  [[Help:Groups_and_Land|Group land gets a 10% bonus tier.]] This is understandably confusing at first.
* Some Resident-owned private estates may have own, ''different'' tier systems which are ''not'' part of Linden Lab's [https://secondlife.com/my/account/landfees.php Land Use Fees]. Resident estate owners may adopt similar ideas to Linden Lab's system, but ultimately, if you're [[Land_Buying_FAQ|renting land]] from them, you need to contact them (or another appropriate Resident) for help.

Revision as of 10:19, 2 March 2011

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