We originally visited Dystopia // Carnage City (then called Dystopia // [flit ink] + aberrant) almost three years ago – see A taste of Dystopia in Second Life – so a return visit seemed well overdue.
As the name suggests, this is something of a post-apocalyptic themed region that offers a group build – supported by a website – intended to offer some fairly free-form role-play for those interested, based around a back-story set in the 2030s and a time when global warming has passed beyond the tipping point.
A group build, the region is divided into a number of parcels – most open to the public, although be warned that there is a private parcel in the middle of the north side of the region – which run together and the overall build sprawls across them.
Given it is a post-apocalyptic design, it should comes as no surprise that the city that takes up most of the region is in a state of decrepitude: the roads are partially flooded – the result of rising sea levels, perhaps – the buildings in a state of ruin, and nature is taking back control.
The city is roughly divided into three areas: Carnage City, which I’m using as the landing point here; the Boondock Slums and Happenstance, a wilder element of the region which – as the description states, offers a coastal forest and air crash site.
The Slums are perhaps the most inhabited aspect of the region: homes and places of commercial stacked one atop another, reached via ladders and steps or – for the keen eyed, a tunnel under the nearby hills. Aglow with neon signs and with pier for those seeking a little beach-side relief, it has the look and feel of life trying to pull itself together and thrive beyond the disaster that has overtaken the city.
Elements of the region offer echoes of past designs – such as the fun fair, aspects of which were present when we visited in 2016. Others are more unique to this build – but all offer a plenty of opportunities for photography and exploration.
I do confess to having some issues with performance when visiting – fps dropped to single digits until I disabled shadows. A little annoying, but not enough to prevent my appreciating the region during our wanderings.
All told, Dystopia // Carnage City remains an eye-catching visit that comes complete with the opportunity for light role-play among groups visiting the region, or for photography.
SLurl Details
- Dystopia // Carnage City (Excalibur Serendipity, rated: Adult)
- Exploring Second Life 2019
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 