I like to keep up with the new user experience and have ran this experiment a few times.  So, today, now that I finally got my computer back after a week of downtime to get a shiny new RL floor… I made me a new alt. =^-^=

Yes, one more Immy alt. (=_=)

Anyway, Registering a new account remains easier than easy.  Give’em a name, birthdate, password, and secret question and WHAM, you’re in SL! (^_^)

… And WHAM, it is… (._.)

Remember Help Island?  Remember Orientation Island?  Remember Discovery Island?

Well, now we have Destination Island!  Frigg’n ya….. Hang on. Let’s take a look at this joint… (=_=)

For one, each DI sim is buried in a terrain megaprim, so they’re little more than green squares on the map.  What a newb sees there is this:

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Not too much to see here.  It’s nearly all mesh, so I can assume that day-1 newbies will have to be in clients which can see the stuff.  Any attempt to explore the sim by flying out will get you insta-teleported back to the center.  But, it’s what I don’t see that bothers me. (>_<)

THERE IS NO FRIGG’N TUTORIAL!!!!! DX

There is nothing to tell people about walking, talking, what page-up does, or what have you.  If anyone has been wondering why newbies have been starting in SL so gravely ill-informed… Well, this is why. (._.)

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All you get are exits.  I right clicked each one and found the regular gambit of landmarks in each.  Most roughly applying to the theme of the graphic on display.  RP places like CoLA, NCI found in the Social exit, and even an Adult door.  Now, with all these landmarks, one would expect an inventory offer once clicked? (^_^)

Well… No.  Upon left click WHAM!!! Teleported to one of the contained locations.  I don’t know how random it is, if it’s random at all, or they have some other fancy algorithm at work, but I found myself suddenly swooshed to the Blarney Stone sim. (O.o)

Mind you, that could have been an accidental click.  Or someone thinking “ooh, social, people there!” *click*.  Whatever it is, if you’re an arrival point, expect people to not know a bloody thing upon arrival. (=_=)

One thing I did not do is age verify or put any payment on file.  So, as a final test, I wondered how access was managed.  I did a quick drop of the map to my adult club in Jonesford Heights and ~FOOM~ I teleported right in. (o.o)

So, that’s the scenario now.  No tutorial, click to pseudorandomly teleport, full ratings access (hopefully based on an honesty birthday entry), and mesh.  Is there talk about bringing back Mentors? (._.)