Shep Korvin - Blog is the new Black

Spring has Sprung...

...and - in the traditional season of creativity - I've been inspired with a rather neat idea for a brand new Lucky Designs attraction. As usual, it's a little bit more ambitious than preceding Lucky productions ... this time involving some off-world server-based gubbins to keep everything ticking over (which should be entirely transparent to owners/end-users, so don't worry!). The challenge of remembering how to write php scripts and SQL back-ends has been keeping me busy/amused (delete as appropriate) for most of this week. Just as well, really, considering how awful the server stability in everybody's-favourite-virtual-world has been for the last fortnight or so - at least I've had *something* stable to work on :P

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Also - continuing the "spring" theme - I promised I'd pimp my new favourite stalker's spring fashion show here on my blog. So, without further ado:

(Just in case you can't make it out, that landmark is Plush Rho 61,146 - but I'm sure you'll be able to search for the location via "VR Designs").

If you're at a loose end tomorrow, I'd definitely suggest giving this show a look ... and that's *not* because VictoriaRose seems to be single-handedly keeping the BidBox market afloat *cough* ... but rather because I had a sneak preview of some of the outfits earlier this week... and her leopardprint minidress ("Daria"?) is definitely one to watch out for! ;)

(Not to mention the fact that the show is going to be presented on one of the most subconsciously Freudian catwalks that I've seen in a *long* time... )

Halloween pimpage...

...So, while I have your attention.... (I know, I know, I only seem to post when I want to sell you something) ...I should also announce that the Halloween Department is open for business at Lucky Designs!

Everything you need to promote YOUR store this Halloween, including:

The Unlucky Chair

...a 3rd Generation Lucky Chair, complete with an assortment of grisly death animations, bloody particle effects, and stomach-churning sound effects. Watch out for the rotary-saw head-chopper, that's my favourite!

Ye Olde Haunted Apple Bobbing

The traditional Halloween game, re-imagined for SL... A great new mechanic to attract people to your store - and keep them there! :)

Lucky Jack'O Lantern Hunt

Back in spring, I released a "Limited Edition" Lucky Easter Eggs game that was so popular that people still ask me for copies! This is a seasonal remix of that same game ... install this device in your venue, and grinning "Lucky Lanterns" will appear at random locations and intervals around your store, with lucky chair-style letters + prizes  ... keeps your customers searching; you never know where one might appear next!

All items are AVAILABLE NOW at Lucky Designs - and be sure to check our bundle deals for extra discounts!

Have a great Halloween!

New products, New home, and 10,000 chair-hops a day.

Wow... July has - possibly - been my busiest SL month *ever* (which is why the blog fell a little bit by the wayside). Apologies to everybody who's relying on my RSS feed to see what I'm up to. Here's the obligatory catch-up post...

First, the latest version of the Lucky Chair ("3rd Generation") went on sale couple of weeks ago. The new version of the chair is way more user-friendly than previous incarnations - has nice pop-up menus, and a boatload of handy new features like wildcard wins, options for cash prizes, self-repair mode, test wins, content tags, full oXDos compatibility... the list goes on! Suffice to say, it's a pretty major advance over the 2nd generation design.

Perhaps one of the more interesting new features - from my point of view - is the fact that the chairs can (optionally) report usage statistics back to a central server ... so, for the first time, I can finally track how popular lucky chairs are. (Or, at least, how popular this new batch of lucky chairs is). Can you believe that these new chairs are already reporting over 10,000 uses every day? Pretty impressive figures ... I doubt you'll find many other SL marketing attractions that pull in that kind of audience figure :)

Last month also saw the release of a brand new product - "What's in the Box?", which was developed in co-operation with a new Lucky Designs collaborator, Fnordian Link. I originally hooked up with Fnord a couple of months ago, when he came to me with a pitch for new device that he thought would be of interest to Lucky Chair customers. Weeks later (and after much refinement of the original design), "What's in the Box?" (AKA WITB?) is now available for purchase.

At heart, WITB? is a simple guessing game - if you're the first player to guess the prize that's concealed inside the box, you win the round (and the contents of the box!). Between "guessing" rounds, the unit displays a slideshow of potential prizes... so, in order to play the game, players need to hang around and watch pictures of your products.

The benefits to you, as an operator, are multifold: People spend time in your store playing the game (=dwell), people have to concentrate on pictures of your products in order to play (=improved brand/product range awareness), and of course - ultimately - you're dropping sample products into the hands of potential customers ... which they percieve as being higher value than a "regular" feebie, by virtue of the comparative scarcity/difficulty to obtain (the "lucky chair" effect!).

Development of WITB? was a new experience for me, as although I've collaborated with other developers on various SL projects in the past, this is the first time I've shared scripting duties with anybody. Fnord wrote the core of the script, while I concentrated on some of the trickier anti-cheating refinements (and ensuring the game has the same look + feel as other Lucky Designs products). The process went really smoothly - I'd anticipated a leisurely development cycle that would probably last a few weeks, but I think we managed to nail the majority of the code within a couple of days. Fnord was great to work with; expect further collaborations soon!

And finally - Lucky Designs has moved! The company was starting to outgrow the parcel we had in the November Sim ... so, I've moved to a much larger plot in Bermuda. (Frequent readers might recognise this as the spot that formerly housed my millionaire playboy mansion. What can I say... land is at a premium... sacrifices have to be made. *sob*). The building is actually a (very slightly modified) prefab by (???), called "Enigma" - as soon as I saw it in the store, I thought it would make the *perfect* beachfront corporate HQ. The new place has a huge showroom, a presentation room (which we packed full of avatars for the "WITB?" launch event), and a couple of other areas which I've got plans for... all to be revealed soon!

Do drop by and check the new place out :) http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bermuda/50/21/22/

Better than virtual chocolate...

You might've spotted these popping up at various SL stores over the course of the last week... Lucky Easter Eggs! Basically, they're a cross between a traditional easter egg hunt, and the "Lucky Letter" system that operates on Lucky Chairs. Once installed, the "Lucky Egg" system makes fancy easter eggs pop up at random locations around your store... each egg has a different letter floating above it; if you find an egg that's showing your initial, click it to claim a prize. Eggs constantly appear and disappear throughout the day - keep searching, you never know where the next one might be!

I've installed the system at LapGirl Boutique, where it'll run until the end of Easter weekend, with several different outfits up for grabs... and there's been a strong take-up of the system from other merchants, so hopefully there'll be plenty of other venues where you can go hunting for Lucky Easter eggs very soon! If you'd like to install Lucky Eggs at your own store, the full system can be purchased from Lucky Designs - it's completely automated, and can be installed in minutes... all you need to do is add some prize items.

Have a great easter!

XXXmas @ LapGirl

New this weekend at LapGirl Boutique - A dozen new lapdancer thongs, with seasonal prints ranging from candy canes to Mistletoe!

(Do you want to be kissed under the mistletoe this year? *ahem*.)

They're available as separates, or in nifty 3-pack "tube" boxes as pictured here... and yes, I had almost as much fun designing the packaging as I did designing the panties ;)

L$40 each, or L$100 for a pack of three.

Lucky Santa

Presenting... a seasonal twist on the lucky chair theme :)

First, the salespitch:

"Lucky Santa is the perfect centerpiece for your store's Christmas Grotto - he's a second-generation Lucky Chair, with fully-customised dialogue and effects. Sit on his knee, and let Lucky Santa decide if you've been naughty or nice.... your customers will love it!"

Lucky Santa is also my first collaboration with caLLie cLine (from whose blog I gratuitously stole this pic) - she wrestled with the prims, while I sorted out the scripting. Hope you like the results!

Expect more collaborative projects soon...  ;)

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

A couple of snippets, just to prove that I haven't *totally* neglected the LapGirl empire whilst out on my MobVend-promoting publicity drive...

Firstly, I'm pleased to announce that LapGirl is now stocking caLLie cLine's range of super-sexy "Rainbowas"! 

These flexi-feather boa's are *perfect* for the quintessential striptease/showgirl look... trust me - if you're a professional SL dancer, you *need* at least one of these in your inventory!

We currently carry the full range of 12 original colours - plus caLLie's recently-released all-black version - with a promise of more to follow (and hopefully a LapGirl exclusive or two!). What's more, the LapGirl multi-pack is *slightly* better value than the one in caLLie's own store, as it's got the black version bundled in with the other twelve for the same price... but... ssssshh! don't tell anyone! ;)

There's a strong possibility that I'll be collaborating with caLLie on a not-yet-announced, super hush-hush, top-secret project, at some point in the not-too-distant future. (ha! cryptic!!) ....Watch this space! :)

In other LapGirl news... just in time for the festive gift-giving season, I've gone for the gratuitous cash-in option, and opened a cafe press store! There's only one product available right now (a rather fetching LapGirl logo thong) .... but.... how can you resist? Your favourite 2nd Life lingerie brand, now available in 1st life! ;)

MobVend Publicity...

Over the next few days, I'll be running some small events to try to raise  public awareness of the MobVend system. If you have a store that's running a MobVend with a _really_ low bottom price, drop me an IM with details, and you might end up with a few bonus visitors ;)

Also on the subject of publicity, I had the greatest offline IM awaiting me the last time I logged into SL... (which the sender has kindly given me permission to reproduce here). It's great to hear some early success stories!

Cecelia Lewis: I just wanted to thank you for making the MOB vender lol - I made my money back from it 10 minutes after I bought it, actually double my money back LOL! 

I have a goofy photo of when the mob arrived I'll send you.

MobVend released

If there was ever a least-good day to release the MobVend to a wider test audience, then Tuesday was surely it. Barely moments after I sent out the "pre-release" announcement to the Lucky Chair Owners group, news started to filter back about the ev1lz of the copybot. And, well, you all know the rest of _that_ story.

Nevertheless - even in the face of copybot armageddon - a few plucky store-owners bravely soldiered on with the MobVend over the course of the week.... and as of now, almost 30 units have been installed in various stores around Second Life.

Early reports are promising, and the pre-release MobVends have been running without any reported problems for several days now, so I figure they must be ready for prime-time :)

Soooo... without any further ado, the first release of the MobVend is available for general sale right now. L$350 from the Lucky Chair Store.

Things I forgot to tell you...

Sorry, dear readers, I've been remiss in keeping my blog up to date. Slap wrists, etc etc, I promise I won't do it again.  (Yeah, you've heard that one before, right?)

So, what did I forget to write...?

Well, first of all, there's a new Lucky Chair on the market... it's just like the other 2nd Generation lucky chair, but with a MUCH LARGER ATTENTION-GRABBING screen.

Something that always amused me about SL was the way that certain SL TV manufacturers (mentioning no names) would charge you twice as much for a big-screen version of their TV sets than they would for a smaller version... when the only thing separating the two products, in creative terms, was a quick nudge of the re-scale slider...

It's interesting how people's perception of the "fair price" of an SL object can be tainted by thier knowledge of what the same thing would cost in the real world. I remember, one day, Nutterfly showed me a new outfit that she'd made for LapGirl... a full-body "bondage tape" suit. It'd taken her ages to get it right (lots of lining-up to do on the seams), and she therefore slapped on a premium ticket onto the piece to match her effort. I told her at the time that I didn't think it would sell at that price, and when she asked me why, I explained that - no matter how crazy it might sound - on some internal level, people would be thinking "I'm not paying that much for an outfit made out of tape!". Ultimately, it doesn't matter that the tape is virtual, and that the outfit actually took more work than half the other stuff in the store - people are just hard-wired that way.

(sure enough, we ended up having to slash the price after a couple of days, as people just weren't buying it)

So, I guess, by rights, I should have slapped a higher price tag on the "extra large" version than on the regular chair... but... I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So, take your pick - regular size, or xl size, are both on sale in the lucky chair store now, at an identical price of L$400 :)

In other chair news...

I've now got an in-world group set up for lucky chair owners, called - predictably - "Lucky Chair Owners". It's a low-traffic, update-announcements sort of group. Join it if you want to find out how to upgrade your regular 2nd gen chair to the big screen version :)

Also, Lucky Chairs got some coverage in the Metaverse Messenger a couple of weeks ago. Admittedly it's tucked away on page 16, doesn't have any pictures, and contains a few glaring inaccuracies... but, you know what they say - any publicity is good publicity! The largest of the in-game chair hopping groups is now up to the 800 member mark (wow!), so the cult of the lucky chair is still going from strength to strength! :)