My biggest project to accomplish over the next month or two in SL is dedicated to the complete overhaul of the criminal and legal system here in Dead End. From systems to policy, I think it’s time we took a hard look at the way the police/legal/criminal dynamic works and how we can further push the envelope when it comes to urban role-play in SL.

When I think about Dead End, I think about a sprawling metropolis with dark corners and a cesspool of corruption. I think there’s an opportunity to expand the opportunities of role-play scenes, social classes, and character depth (ie. more jobs, offering cred for various kinds of RP outside of police and medical, etc.).

I took my first stab at the though process over the weekend and have decided to do the following:

1. Add a new sim to Dead End that expands downtown and establishes a civic center (city hall, court, offices, park). I’ve already begun designing the buildings in my sandbox and once I reach a threshold of builds complete, I’ll pull the trigger on purchasing the new sim.
2. Each new building will have a function to serve in the city – the court will enable lawyers, judges, and criminals to run trial RP sessions for cred; the city hall is an opportunity for town hall RP sessions, etc.
3. Police systems to get an overhaul; I started working on a new HUD experience that will help guide police (especially rookies) into thinking in terms of good vs bad cop to help reinforce corruption – also a way for brass to gauge corruption within the department. As a “noir” themed sim, we need to think through the role of detectives and features for them so they are encouraged to follow up on incidents that makes sense for good stories (ie. VICE, gangs, not just parking tickets). Furthermore, lawyers will be built into the flow of the jail/release process. I have details and flows mapped out already; I’d like to hear the community’s general thoughts as to where we can improve.
4. Revenge culture has been a popular debated topic in the past months; I think it’s important that the RP guide calls out the need to establish consequences when it comes to kidnap scenes. At the very least, it should get people thinking about some basic guidelines of how to kidnap someone and what needs to be communicated ahead of time. I’ve got more advance ideas on how to tackle this, but for the time being, I’m going to start with updating the role-play guide and running a campaign in-world to bring everyone up to speed on it (notices, etc.).

This is a very high-level summary of a few pages of notes I’ve been working on. I wanted to throw this out there so you can pitch ideas or feedback on the points I touched on. I’ll definitely answer any questions I have answers to now, as well as take your feedback into consideration as I wrap up the new features.

I’ve also talked to admins about reviewing our current staff and leaders to make sure we have a roster of active folks as we get these changes in place.

Stay tuned!