Remaining Sims Have Found a New Home

UPDATE: Please see a list of affected sims at the bottom of this post.

Dear recent tenants of Desperation Isle Estates,

Before making the decision to close our multi-tenant regions, I spent a full week contacting other estates and publishing in estate land transfer groups looking for someone to take over our residential sims and New Desperation Isle- but not one of the dozens of landlords I talked to was in a position to take on the whole group.

To my surprise, Thex Lecker, the owner of Rockhopper Estates, saw a thread I had started at the SLUniverse forum about our decision to close the sims and contacted me. He expressed an interest in taking over the remaining six sims- including New Desperation Isle- and preserving the homes of anyone still remaining on the estate. After checking out his estate and agreeing on several conditions of sale, I approved his proposal. The remaining sims will be changing hands, unchanged, except for the sim names and their location on the grid.

If you have not yet relocated, Thex is offering to give you a few days free rent and to take you on at the same rates you were paying me before. If you have already moved on, I apologize for both the hassle and the interruption. If you haven’t yet picked up your things, I apologize for the drama. It was always my wish to preserve peoples’ homes, and this deal allows me to do that for anyone who wishes to remain on these islands.

PLEASE NOTE: We do not know who has left already and who has not yet moved. You might get one more communication from Thex Lecker, as an offer to anyone who is still on the islands. Please forgive any intrusion. That should be the last you hear about the matter if you have already found a home.

Thanks for your time.
Wildefire Walcott

Affected sims
The following sims will NOT be shutting down. They will just be renamed and moved to a new portion of the grid sometime after December 14. If you have land on these sims and wish to stay, you don't have to do anything:

• New Desperation Isle
• Desperation North
• Desperation South
• Desperation West
• Desperation Kelly
• Desperation Juno
  

Update on the New Desperation Isle Mall

Thanks to those of you who toured and voted on the mall prototype designs this weekend. Voting for the survey is now closed, and here are the results:

• Model 1: The Square 47.4% (9 votes)
• Model 2: The Big Circle 31.6% (6 votes)
• Model 3: The Little Circle 21.1% (4 votes)

The Square is the second-most compact prototype mall I built in the past couple of weeks, and I believe it is small enough to actually fit on the island where the current mall resides. This slightly changes my plans a bit.

1. Beginning on Monday, the 17th, I will be return vendor items from the current mall so I can tear down the mall and replace it with the new one. You are free to pick up your things before-hand if you like. (It ill make my life easier if you do.)
   
2. I will decorate the mall a bit, and place any teleporters or signs so that you know where things are going to be and aren't surprised by new additions upon later trips to the mall. I'm also decorating a sort of welcome area in the castle. This is where many of the signs currently at my welcome area will go, so they're not blocking the view of stalls in the mall.
   
3. Once the mall is in place I will personally invite my long-time tenants to take their pick of spots
4. Next I will send out a group notice to the rest of my vendors.
5. If there are any spots left, I will contact vendors currently on my waiting list.
6. After you claim your stall I will apply any rent that you had remaining on your old rent box to your new box, and give you a free week of rent on top of that. (I have not been charging any rent the past 2 weeks and I know exactly how much rent every tenant had remaining on their boxes.)
7. Once the mall's sufficiently populated, I will send out an announcement to the New Desperation Isle updates group (separate from the renters group) and do some advertising in several places to get the word out about the new mall.
   

Here's picture of the winning model people voted on, for those who missed the open house. The others were round, resembling arenas. Folks felt the big one was too big and the little one didn't offer enough visibility.

We should be back in business by this weekend. Thank you.

Changes at the New Desperation Isle Mall

About 1/2 of my current mall tenants responded to the survey, and the results are clear: I messed up the New Desperation Isle mall. More than half of my tenants who used to be at the original mall on old Desperation Isle said their sales were better there- in fact some folks mentioned that the old mall used to be one of their most profitable locations, while the current mall barely justifies rent. Commonly cited issues were the alpha textures (which contribute to slow rezzing), the "sign spam" at the teleport point, the ease with which visitors are able to escape the mall before it even rezzes, and the fact that some of the changes made after the mall opened blocked visibility to some vendors. So let me just get this out of the way: I'm sorry. Seriously. You deserve better.

The general feeling among people who responded is that a new, better-planned mall will improve sales. I really hate to rebuild, because I know what a hassle it is for my tenants to have to set up their stalls again- but the current mall just isn't serving my tenants or my guests. We need a new one.

Questions and Answers

What will be different about the new mall?
The new structure is much larger and has a completely open, arena-style layout. Every vendor in the entire mall will be visible and easily accessible from the landing point. There are walkways that lead from the landing point to four balconies that line the building where customers will find island teleporters (basically, visitors will have to walk past your products to get to the island). Each balcony will have a teleporter that takes guests to anywhere on the island. There will also be quick-access teleporters to allow visitors to jump between the main floor and the upper level. To reduce lag and to preserve the skyline of the isle, the mall will be moved up to 300m. All building textures are also opaque, and view of the outside is limited to the starry sky and what you can see off the balconies. Some of the signs that currently greet visitors at the existing mall will be spread around the teleport point, but out of the way and at a lower elevation so they do not block the visitor's view of any of our vendors.

Another difference worth noting is that I'd like for this mall to be sorted into sections. For example, one area for latex and fetishwear, one for casual clothes and footwear, one for BDSM furniture, etc. I am aware that several of you have product lines that span multiple categories. You may choose where you fit among the others, in that case. I will have signs up pointing out the desired areas. If people dislike this idea I'll give it up- but I'd like to at least give it a shot.

Is there a policy on renting several stalls?
Glad you asked! ;) While we first set up I would ask that folks not reserve more than two stalls at a time. If, after everyone's been notified, there are still spaces left, you may rent more.

Will the size or shape of the stalls be any different?
There are going to be a few differences. For one thing there will no longer be any crappy "corner stalls." All stalls have open, visible wall space now, and all are a full 10 meters wide. I am installing scripted dividers that vendors can show or hide at their discretion. If you don't see a divider, just go into 'show invisible' mode and click it. It will ask whether you want to show or hide the divider. Only members of the renter group can toggle divider visibility. I believe that dividers make things look cramped, but they're there if you need the extra wall space. Also, if you want to show or hide a divider that separates you from a neighbor, please ask your neighbor first.

Will there be downtime during the transition?
Not really. The existing mall will remain operational until the new one is in place, although I won't be charging you during the transition. I will be picking up existing rent boxes shortly and recording how many days each tenant had on their rent. You will still be able to make sales the whole time. (Note: Due to prim limitations, please pick up your items from the old mall before setting up at the new one.)

When will we be able to move in?
Within a day or two I will be personally contacting long-time renters (people who rented with me back on the old island) to let them claim their spots. Once the old timers have had at least 24 hours to move in I will send out a notice to the group, and individually contact current renters who are no longer in the group.

Will we be compensated for this hassle?
Yes. If you responded to my survey you already got a free week of rent added to your box. If you stay with us and move to the new mall I will give you an additional free week when I apply the built-up rent from your old box to your new one. You do have to pay for at least one week's rent, just because that's how the boxes work.

What do I need to do?
First, wait for me to notify you, whether by group notice or individual contact. Once I say that the mall is ready, you can go to the new mall and pay a rent box to claim your spot. Please pick up your things from the old mall before setting up the new one.

I'm no longer in your rent group. What do I do?
To get added to the rent group you can IM Wildefire Walcott, Clara Hirvi, or Vivienne Schell and request access to Mistress Wildefire's Sub-space so you can place things at the mall. We're an international team, so at least one of us is almost always on.

Survey Results
Here are the results of the survey I sent out, based on responses from 27 people.

1. Are you satisfied with your current sales at the New Desperation Isle mall?
   Yes 29.6% 8
   No 70.4% 19


2. If you used to have a stall at the old mall on the original Desperation Isle, how do your sales at the new mall compare?
   My sales at the new mall are better than at the old one. 3.7% 1
   My sales at the new mall are about the same. 14.8% 4
   My sales at the new mall are worse than at the old one. 51.9% 14
   I don't remember. 7.4% 2
   I am new and did not have a stall at the old mall. 22.2% 6


3. How do your sales at the current mall compare with your sales at other malls with similar traffic and price? (Our current traffic is between 14,000-19,000, and we charge around L$10 per prim.)
   I generally get better sales at this mall compared to my other comparable locations. 7.4% 2
   My sales are around the same. 14.8% 4
   My sales at New Desperation Isle are worse than at my other similar locations. 63.0% 17
   I don't know. 14.8% 4
   New Desperation Isle is my only location. 0.0% 0


4. How do you feel about the layout of the current mall?
   The current mall design is fine, I wouldn't change a thing. 14.8% 4
   The current design is okay, but could be better. 37.0% 10
   I don't like the current layout. 40.7% 11
   I don't know how I feel about it. 7.4% 2


5. Do you think a mall redesign would improve your sales at New Desperation Isle?
   Yes 81.5% 22
   No 18.5% 5


6. If we decided to rebuild the mall from the ground up in order to improve the layout and overall visibility, would you come back to us to try it out?
   Yes 96.3% 26
   No 3.7% 1


7. If we rebuild the mall and are ready for vendors to set up again, should we give first pick to the people who already have good locations?
   Yes, the people who already have good locations deserve to have the same chance at the newly-built mall. 40.7% 11
   No, everyone should have the same chance at getting a good spot. 48.1% 13
   I don't have an opinion. 11.1% 3

Thanks for your business and your patience. I'm going to get it right this time.

New Desperation Isle Video Tour

I produced the following video with some help from my friends and pets. It serves as a brief tour of the isle, showcasing some of the many roleplaying possibilities there. The music is "Midnight in a Perfect World," by DJ Shadow.


My thanks to Redfire, Whinter, Bethany, Vivienne, Ramonna, and Clara for their participation in the filming. You can learn more about New Desperation Isle at the official opening announcement.

New Desperation Isle is open to the public!

New Desperation Isle is an adults-only kink and fetish playground in the virtual world of Second Life. If you have Second Life installed, you can teleport there now. If you're new to Second Life, visit What is Second Life? to learn about it and sign up for a free account.

This post covers the following topics:

• Recent history
• Getting to the island
• Improving your experience
• Improving your performance
• Exploring the island

Recent history
The adult playground and kink mall New Desperation Isle is officially open. Old Desperation Isle was shut down on October 18, but most of the attractions there have made their way to the new island in one form or another. My slaves and I built the new island with our guests in mind, and with a goal of delivering a more focused and immersive experience for you to enjoy. Note that the old island has been renamed to Desperation East, and become one of the rental islands in the Desperation Isle Estates. To see if any land is available for rent, go to Search > Places and look for "desperation." All our rental properties are listed there.

Getting to the island
If you have Second Life open now, you can teleport directly there by clicking this link. You can also find us by going to Edit > Search and looking for New Desperation Isle on the Places tab. I also have a link to the island in the Picks tab of my in-world profile. While you can get there by simply flying West from the old Desperation Isle, I strongly recommend you update your landmarks and profile picks because the old island will be going away soon.

Improving your experience
(Note: If you've got an older, slower, computer, skip this section and move on to the next section about improving performance.) New Desperation Isle is a lot more scenic and visually dynamic than the old island, and if you've got a fast, recent computer and a good broadband connection, here are some suggestions for getting the best total experience during your visit.

• Edit > Preferences > Graphics > Draw Distance. I recommend between 192 and 256 meters. Any higher doesn't add too much, but affects performance.
• Edit > Preferences > Graphics Detail > Lighting Detail. Set to Nearby local lights for the best effect.
• Edit > Preferences > Graphics Detail > Terrain Detail. Set to High.
• Edit > Preferences > Adv. Graphics > Nighttime Brightness. If things seem too dark, increase this value until they look better. I strongly recommend doing this instead of using World > Force Sun, because the island was designed for a nighttime experience.
  

Improving your performance
The sim performance at New Desperation Isle is near-perfect. In other words, the island is not bogged down on the server side and all scripts and download services are running at full capacity. However, if your computer is old or you don't have a very good broadband connection or graphics card, you might have to make some compromises in order do get around easily on the new island. If updating your computer, graphics card, or RAM are not options for you, here are my recommendations:

• Play in full-screen mode. Generally you can get more frames per second (FPS) by running Second Life in full-screen mode, instead of "windowed mode." You can switch between full-screen and windowed modes at any time by pressing ALT+ENTER. To see what your current FPS is, enable View > Statistics Bar. Your client-side FPS is the number at the top of the statistics bar. This is different from Sim FPS, which is a measure of how fast the server is operating. If you find that your FPS actually drops when you enter full-screen mode, it might be because your computer's screen resolution is very high. If you set your computer to a normal resolution like 1024x768, full-screen mode will likely be faster for you than Windowed mode.
• Edit > Preferences > Network > Maximum Bandwidth. Set this slider to match your broadband connection's speed. The default is 500 kpbs but most cable modem connections are much faster than that. This slider has a maximum of 1500 kbps. It probably will not help you to increase the slider to a speed greater than your broadband connection.
• Edit > Preferences > Network > Disk Cache Size (MB). If you have the hard disk space, increase this slider to expand your cache, which will cut down on the time you have to spend re-downloading assets at places you frequently visit. The maximum value is 1000 MB, which is around 1 GB.
• Edit > Preferences > Graphics > Draw Distance. Lowering this value will increase FPS by limiting how many distant objects your computer has to display. 96 meters is an acceptable distance, in my opinion, and I wouldn't recommend any less than 64 meters.
• Edit > Preferences > Graphics Detail > Lighting Detail. You can get a minor boost by switching this to Sun and Moon only. If you select this, I recommend that you drastically increase your nighttime brightness or force daylight so you're able to see where you're going, as New Desperation Isle makes heavy use of local lighting for visibility and atmosphere.
• Edit > Preferences > Graphics > Terrain Detail. Setting this to Low will give you a 1-2 FPS boost. The ground won't look as nice.
• Edit > Preferences > Adv. Graphics > Filtering. Uncheck Anisotropic Filtering if it's checked. You probably won't miss it.
• Edit > Preferences > Adv. Graphics > Graphics Card Memory. Select the highest number that isn't grayed out. If your graphics card has less than 128MB of memory, you're not going to have the best experience.
• Edit > Preferences > Adv. Graphics > Max. Particle Count. New Desperation Isle uses many particle effects to enhance the atmosphere in several parts of the island. Lowering this number to something like 1024 or even less will improve performance in these areas.

Exploring the island
There are many places to discover on the isle. Here's a short guide to the major locations:

• The Mall. When you first teleport into New Desperation Isle, you land on the top level of our kink and fetish mall. Please support our vendors- they pay our bills!
• The Castle. Seven rooms for seven sins, each area in this castle is outfitted to cater to different kinks and fantasies. See if you can find the hidden dungeon! There have been rumors of dark rites being performed in the ancient ruins behind the castle... are they just stories?
  
• The Treehouse. This scenic location features a bar and slave parking downstairs, as well as a forniphilia lounge and a comfy private area on the second level. Use the teleporter inside the big tree to get upstairs.
• The Medical Center. Our experienced medical technicians specialize in gender reassignment (or enhancement) and a variety of brainwashing and fertility services.
• The Goliath Tree. Just West of the Medical Center looms the immense Goliath tree. Ride the teleporters to the top level for a 360-degree view of the entire Desperation Isle Estates.
• The Atrium. This is Wildefire Walcott's personal gathering place and office, surrounded by trees. Visitors are welcome; it's perhaps the only "safe" place on the isle.
• The Barn. At great expense, the Walcott Family contracted to have the most popular building from old Desperation Isle moved to its new, more private location, enshrouded in a ring of trees. Everything you remember is still there, although some stables have been added for keeping your pets where they belong. (The pony wash is now located on the South side of the barn.) Visitors will also find an inviting bonfire outside the barn.
• The Love Nest. One of the Walcott slaves contstructed this heart-shaped building as an expression of her devotion to her Mistresses. Find a comfy hammock, warm (scripted) bearskin rug, and a roomy jacuzzi on the top level. This structure has the best view of the giant waterfall and the tragic shipwreck of the Blessed Hellride.
  
• The Pirate Ship. (Coming soon.) This giant unmanned vessel floated into harbor one gloomy Fall morning; no trace of its owners was ever found. It seems too beautiful to dismantle, so we're looking for a use for it.
• The Cave. Like old Desperation Isle, the island sits upon a vast network of caves. Explore our 9,600-square meter cave and unlock its mysteries. Note: There is a secret entrance to the cave tucked away somewhere aboveground, but it can also be accessed from the island teleporters.
  

Big Changes at Desperation Isle

[Updated October 2, 2007]
If you've been to the Desperation Isle Estates recently you may have noticed that the scenery has changed. The central land mass, Desperation Isle, has actually moved one map slot to the East and a brand new island has moved into its old location. Work has begun on the new island, cunningly dubbed New Desperation Isle, and we are on track to open by Monday, October 8. We are going to great lengths (and expense) to ensure that the transition goes smoothly for visitors, residents, and mall renters. Please read on to learn what to expect in the coming weeks.

General questions

Is Desperation Isle going away?
The island you currently know as Desperation Isle will indeed be shutting down, but this is not going to happen until New Desperation Isle is completely up and running. Eventually "Desperation Isle" will become a yet-unannounced special island that I'm sure regular visitors will be quite pleased with.

How long until New Desperation Isle is ready?
We are tentatively planning to open New Desperation Isle on Monday, October 8.

Will we be able to visit New Desperation Isle while it's under construction?
The island will be restricted to members of the group Mistress Wildefire's Sub-space (which includes mall renters and tenants of Desperation Isle Estates). The general public will not have access until we're about ready for the grand opening.

What's going to be different about the new island?
While we're keeping some of our plans secret, you can expect more dynamic terrain and plenty of hidden gems to uncover. We know our audience, and I promise you that all of the popular items and areas on the old Desperation Isle will be represented on the new island in one way or another.

Why build a whole new island?
I had already been planning to add a new island to Desperation Isle Estates, and decided to take the opportunity to completely rethink Desperation Isle and produce something that more closely met my vision for a dark and intimate adult gathering place. Rather than simply shut down the old island and rebuild, I decided to take my time building New Desperation Isle from scratch while leaving the old island open for my visitors and mall renters. The way I've chosen to do things is actually costing me a fair amount of extra money, but I wanted the transition to proceed as painlessly as possible for everyone involved.

Is the new island going to lag like Desperation Isle has for the past couple of months?
Probably not. While we're ultimately at the mercy of Linden Lab, we are making certain design decisions specifically with lag reduction in mind. We hope to deliver a bigger, better Desperation Isle for you with performance that rivals or exceeds how the island used to perform before the mysterious lag issues that popped up in June. (By the way, performance on the old Desperation Isle has improved recently due to some changes that both I and Linden Lab have made.)

How do I find the new island?
At the time of this writing, the world map still hasn't updated so you can't get there by mapping it. You have a few other options, though:

• In Search > Places, look for: New Desperation Isle and click the Teleport button.
• Open my profile and look at my Picks. I have a Pick for New Desperation Isle with a working teleport link.
• Just go to the old Desperation Isle and fly West. The mall is at the highest point in the New Desperation Isle sim, in the NW corner. The teleport location is on the second floor between the two signboards.
  

I'm not able to get onto the island!
You must belong to the Mistress Wildefire's Sub-space group. This is the same group that vendors use on the old Desperation Isle. The group is invite-only. Just contact me and I'll add you as soon as I can.

Mall-specific questions

How will this affect mall renters?
The old Desperation Isle still exists, and is still listed in Classifieds and Places Search, so you will continue to get business there until (and probably a few days after) the transition. During the transition to the new mall, you will NOT be expected to pay double-rent. Beginning on Tuesday, October 2, existing vendors are now invited to set up shop at New Desperation Isle. Claim a spot by paying your new rent box only. Any time left on your old rent box on Desperation Isle will be refunded to you (and I will take your old rent box offline so you no longer get notifications from it), and you may keep selling your items on the old island until it shuts down.

Will mall rent remain the same on the new island?
We will have a new rent pricing structure, and the result will actually mean a reduction in rent for many vendors. Our base rent price is dropping from L$200/week to L$100/week, for a reduced number of prims. The rent boxes all default to L$200/week. I will make adjustments and refunds based on your prim usage once you're set up. Here's the pricing breakdown:

• 1 to 10 prims: L$100/week
• 11 to 15 prims: L$150/week
• 16 to 20 prims: L$200/week
• 21 to 25 prims: L$250/week
• 26 to 30 prims: L$285/week (5% discount)
• 31 to 35 prims: L$333/week (5% discount)
• 36 to 40 prims: L$360/week (10% discount)
• 41 to 45 prims: L$405/week (10% discount)
• 46 to 50 prims: L$425/week (15% discount)
• Over 50 prims: Let's talk. =)

Will you consider profit sharing instead of a flat rent?
While I prefer a flat rental rate, if you'd like to set up a profit sharing system to cover your rental, this is a possibility. There are several requirements:

• You must use a vendor that supports profit sharing.
• If your sales don't generate an amount of profit equivalent to my flat rates for rent, I may ask you to adjust my cut of the profits or move out if I get queries from vendors willing to pay the flat rate.
  

I have more stuff than I can fit in one stall. What can Ido?
You can rent out more than one stall. If you rent out adjacent stalls, I can even remove dividing walls at your request. The price you'll pay for the additional stall will either be L$150/week or higher, if your overall prim usage exceeds what L$150 would cover. For example, if you rented out two stalls and used only 21 prims, you'd pay L$200 for the first stall (up to 20 prims) and L$150 of the second, even though you're only using 1 prim in that stall's allotment, for a total of L$350/week. If you had two stalls and used your full 40 prims, though, you'd pay L$400/week to cover your prims. This actually works out cheaper than the old mall for vendors with large items or boxes who simply need more room, and is the same price for vendors who just have a lot of prims.

All the rent boxes at the new mall are set to L$200/week but I'm going to use more (or fewer) prims than 20 prims. What do I do?
If you know you're going to use a different number of prims than the L$200/week will cover, pay the box at least L$200 to claim your spot and I will make adjustments later, based on the number of prims you're actually using. The rent box only accepts multiples of weekly amounts (for example, L$200, 300, etc.) until I adjust it. If you overpay to cover your first week's rent, I will refund the additional amount when I update your box.

I set up my stall on the new island, but I still have some rent left at the old mall. Can I apply that rent to the new mall?
Since the rent box can only be updated in multiples of weeks, I will simply refund you any remaining rent you have on your box at the old mall once you set up at the new one. I'll also remove your old rent box so it doesn't keep bugging you for payments.

How will the new mall be different from the old one?
I have redesigned the new mall to give merchants bigger stalls (both taller and deeper), provide a less cramped environment, with bigger walkways, and still provide high visibility to a number of vendor stalls when people visit the island. The teleport location is on the east side of the second floor of the mall (between the signboards), and the ground-level entrance is directly below, on the first floor. The new structure is similar in architecture to the existing mall, however it covers a larger area, and has much better-placed staircases that should drive more traffic between levels. It will also be equipped with simple teleporters for moving between the two levels.

Will I need to join a new vendor group?
If you are already in the Mistress Wildefire's Sub-space group you will not have to join any groups to be able to set up shop on the new island.

Can we see a preview of the new mall?
The mall is essentially complete, and is ready for vendors. You can find it in the Northwest corner of the island.

Will the rules for vendors at the new mall be any different?
I will be updating the guidelines for accuracy and readability, but I don't expect there to be any major changes to the rules. I will update the Desperation Isle Estates blog with the new rules when they're ready.

I currently have a free space at the old Desperation Isle mall. Will I still be able to set up shop for free at the new place?
I do not have plans to provide free mall space to anyone but members of my slave family at the new mall. While this was a tough decision, the increased price of the new island necessitated the change. Hopefully the new rental pricing structure will allow you to continue doing business with us. If you're a current vendor at Desperation Isle and you do not think you'll be able to afford staying with us if forced to pay our published rates, please discuss the matter with me.

Resident questions

I'm a resident of Desperation Isle Estates. How will this change affect me?
You'll now see a very different (and more scenic) island at the center of Desperation Isle Estates. This land mass connects all of the four rental islands, allowing visibility of the entire region from all sides. All residents who are members of the Mistress Wildefire's Sub-space group will be able to explore the new island while it's under construction. It is understandable that you may have some concerns about your view. Be assured that we're working hard to make New Desperation Isle both an attractive and fitting centerpiece to our growing estates.

Will the change affect performance on the existing residential islands?
We do not expect performance of the existing residential islands to be affected by this change, however residents of Desperation North and Desperation West should see an improvement in the speed and seamlessness of border crossings when moving between your home island and New Desperation Isle.