Even if you have a decent computer, there are some things in Second Life that require technical compromises. Case in point: Occasionally crowded shopping sims with beautifully built surroundings. Mayfair is the perfect example of this, a place full of clean, classic mesh buildings. It's also home to popular brands Celoe and Mon Tissu, meaning that you'll rarely find yourself there alone, even if you visit during the current lull between releases.
That said, visiting Mayfair in SL Go was a surprisingly different experience than I'm used to having there. Here's why:
As I mentioned Mayfair hosts Mon Tissu and Celoe, two brands formed by several designers working collaboratively. Among those designers is Elie Spot, who was featured in one of the earliest episodes of The Drax Files: World Makers. She's a ridiculously talented digital designer, not to mention her work as a lifestyle blogger and photographer, so it's no surprise to see her name associated with one of the most polished locations in all of Second Life.
The problem with a big beautiful sim hosting popular main stores like these is that it can be hard to navigate them in their full glory (especially after a recent release.) Most of the time you'll need to make some compromises, and those compromises typically don't lend themselves to soaking in the majesty of your surroundings. Reeling your draw distance down is one of the easiest ways to reduce lag, but in a sim as scenic as Mayfair that will likely leave you with big unpleasant gaps in your surroundings, as though the sky were swallowing whole chunks of the place around you. It may make for more efficient shopping, but it's not an ideal way to experience the sim.
However, when you don't have to worry about the load on your own computer -- when you're free to crank just about everything up as high as it'll go -- sims like Mayfair can envelope you completely. Whether you want to take screenshots like mine without taking a huge hit to your framerate, or you just want to explore the area and hang out, it's well worth taking SL Go for a spin around this sim.
If you're visiting Mayfair through SL Go or a third party viewer, copy and paste this link into the viewer's address bar to start exploring:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/MAYFAIR/138/117/22
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