Welcome to the Tycoon’s Penthouse
by Burbie52, HSM team writer
Did you ever want to know how Donald Trump feels when he gets up every morning? If you have, or you just have a penchant for modern architecture, then you have to take a look at the new penthouse that Sony has created for us. The Tycoon Penthouse is a spacious two floor apartment located in the middle of a Home metropolis.
It has a huge living room space, complete with fireplace and built-in working EOD-like television and animal skin rug. These are the only furniture pieces that are burned into the space. There are four burned in art work-type pictures frames with some very modern art in them. You are allowed to add five pictures of your own – two downstairs and three upstairs.
There is a beautiful spiral staircase that brings you up to the second floor where you will find a very small but useable area, then you go into the back, where there is an area still surrounded by glass. I would probably build my bedroom space there.
All of these areas have that open feel to them; there are no walls to block the 360-degree views. I can visualize myself sipping coffee in my bedroom with a laptop in front of me as I complete my next story, or 
next business deal if I am the tycoon who lives here.
There are many interesting added perks here, too. There is a working elevator that takes you to another good-sized useable area with stairs that take you to your very own helipad! I only wish I had the helicopter to go with it, so I could fly all around the beautiful metropolis that sits below me.
The space has such a realistic feel to it that you really believe you are in Hong Kong or Los Angeles. There is an ocean in the distance and a beach with palm trees. A highway into the city is visible, with cars buzzing up and down it and on the other side there is a bridge spanning a canal that leads into the city.
One of the nicer built-in perks is the two story aquarium. It has several fish swimming about, and plants as well. There is even your own pet shark lurking about in it. The light blue of the water is a nice contrast to the blue in the sky and all of the steel and glass that create the structure of the space.
The space also boasts its own furniture bundle. This includes a couch, end table, low-back chair, a bed with an attached side table, a desk, lamp, bookshelves and a hot tub.
I might buy a few of these pieces, like the bookcase, but the others look like some of the furniture I already have, so I doubt I would get the whole pack. When trying to decide on a space to buy, I always look around and decide what furniture I think would suit. I own a great deal of furniture already, and I could easily see what I would place here. I am very glad that though they added a television and rug that were permanent; they didn’t overdo it – for I – like many of the people I know in Home – like to make a place that I buy a reflection of my own tastes. And too much furniture that is burned in limits one’s individual decorating tastes.
Back down on the first floor, you will find the kitchen and dining room area. It is nicely done with a free standing center counter and built-in appliances, though none of them are interactive like the ones in the Luxury Lakeside Cabin. It is interesting to think that though none of our avatars eat, we still need a kitchen to make us feel “at home.”
I can remember when there weren’t any personal spaces available that had kitchens, or bathrooms, probably because it seemed silly to the developers to add such non necessary areas for virtual people. But it seems that even in a virtual reality, we still need to feel like everything is in its right order, and so now we have kitchens in more and more of these places.
The whole place feels like it is sitting in the air; it is open and full of light. I doubt there will be much – if any -need for lamps here, as the sunlight is streaming in from all directions. In that respect, I kind of wish that they would add the night to day choice here, like LOOT did on the Sunset Yacht. It would be great if you could watch the city lights turn on below, and then turn on lamps and lights in your apartment, creating a whole new feel to the mood of the place. It would make the fireplace glow and be an excellent place to curl up in front of with a good friend or two and chat the night away.
All in all, I have to say that I was very impressed with the Tycoon Penthouse. It is one I may have to seriously contemplate purchasing when it become available to us. Good job Sony!
September 5th, 2011 by Burbie52 | 58 comments
Burbie52 is a 62 year-old published author and founder of the Grey Gamers group within Home. Born and raised in Michigan, she has lived there her entire life, with the exception of a twelve-year residency on the Big Island of Hawaii. She enjoys reading and writing, as well as video games, especially RPG's. She has one son in his twenties.
Unlikely this will ever come to Asia….:(
What’s with the Dead Island blood splat on pic 2?
That was a poster that the HCV who showed me the space had up. It is actually one of the places on you can put up any photos frame.
I still don’t see myself getting more personal spaces. If I need one for a video or a picture and I can’t find someone that has it I may buy it but as “hang out” spots,theres just not really enough to DO in personal spaces, especially with friends. IF they had a helicopter that would give you and guests tours of the city, and would give a different tour depending on the number of people who are going for the ride, I would consider buying the space. There is just a mass of interactivity missing from most of the personal spaces out there.
I most definately would like to welcome Day or night settings for all spaces, because it gives users a choice in which to match not only their mood but the Timezones in which the owner is presently at. I would love the chance to curl up with a friend by the fireplace and just talk about anything and look out of the window at the twinkling stars above. I like the image you draw on the curling up thing. I buy spaces mostly for comfort but I do agree with Gideon there has to be more in the realm of interactivity here. And beds, I WANT to lay in the beds, lol
Nice write up Burbie. I spent some time visiting this apt over the weekend and thought it was quite spacious. The elevator seemed kind of glitchy tho and wasn’t sure when it worked or didn’t work. I am the same as Gideon and don’t really buy personal spaces but I can still appreciate nice ones like the tycoon penthouse. the 2-story aquarium is a nice touch and i love seeing the shark in it too.
i join gideon and cheeky, real beautiful space, but imagine it at sunset, sunrise, nite(like irem beach at thanksgiving in japan,not amateratsu…)and WHERE is my helicopter????Damn! i will be late at the ambassador party!^^
Adding day/nite cycles is not simple because you have to test the lighting. The reason it works for the yacht space is that you are on water. Get the boat and the water right and you are done. Adding it to this space would have been a huge undertaking.
While it is possible to do in Home, I expect it to be rare.
Is there any other place in Home comparable to the view you get in the glass elevators as you go up and down? If there is, I am unaware of it.
True enough. I think the space is a wonderful new addition either way. But many people I have talked to feel as Gideon does, and unless a min-game or something is attached to new spaces, I feel as though many who have bought in the past may not in the future. the economy we are living under dictates that we need to save, not spend, so anything new will have to be outstanding for many to be interested.
I know. I know. If only there were a helicopter that takes you to the Mansion. If only…
OMG. They heard us. Okay, my group heard us.
FYI, the helicopter was not part of the original design. There was internal pre-screaming in anticipation of the public screaming. So the system works. It doesn’t catch everything, but it caught this one.
Enjoy!!
So now get them ALL to read the Forum posts today! People are buying that space specifically because of the helicopter. And some are finally buying the Mansion also -- for that reason -- although they are a bit disgruntled. Who knows, maybe even Norse will break down and buy one now.
I’m somewhat surprised to hear this, because day/night cycles seem to now be a standard feature of all Granzella spaces, both private and public. In particular, the day/night cycle at the new Edo era Japanese village is exceptionally well done.
I suppose I will simply take this as yet another indication of the overall excellence of the Japan Home, due to the extremely high standards which are pursued there.
Interesting question: The stairs had no railing by design. I insisted if there was no railing, that players could fall. They were going to add an invisible collision railing and I said that would be a mistake. I am not a fan of invisible barriers in Home.
I am interested in the Home user thoughts on this.
Well you can fall but who cares? It isn’t as if we are going to break a virtual bone after all and when it comes to barriers I am with you, they get in the way as far as I am concerned. I bought this place today just because I loved the whole design. I love that the furniture spawns in several places, it makes things much easier. I wish all the developers would do that, it gets very tedious having to move furniture so far. And I saw the helicopter today at a friends place, since I don’t own all the mansion pieces myself I don’t get one, but it was way cool.
The helicopter is a gateway to the Mansion, so it makes sense that it is there for Mansion owners.
It could have always been there as an ad for the Mansion and only functioned if you owned the Mansion. That would have been my preference.
The reality is the helicopter is really a cool replacement for the Navigator if you are going to the Mansion.
This whole thing begs the question (I feel an article coming on) -- “If you buy a space, should developers put things in it that only work if you buy other things?” The reality is they will. The question is whether this is a good or bad idea over the long term. How much alienation is created versus how many sales? Does the alienation really even register on the meter or is it amplified by the forums and a vocal minority?
I have to say, this space and the Villa are a bargain. They would have been fine without the vehicles. To me, they are worth the price without the vehicles. So why the potential for extras is a point of contention is odd to me. It is like complaining when you buy a DVD player that it only comes with some DVDs, not all the DVDs.
This may just be a moment in time between getting everything for one price and the microtransaction upgrade future. And some people want to go back.
There are Day Night cyles in Japan at the Granzella Island and the new EDO Japanese Village. The new private space at Island space also has a day/night cycle similar to the public spaces.
It’s two hours if I’m not mistaken and it’s pretty impressive. I’d hope to see a lot more of that type of space/time interaction.
You could have accomplished the same exposure for Mansion sales without making some people hopping mad by adding Central Plaza as a possible destination.
Someone is always hopping mad. We could have changed who it was by changing the behavior, but we could not have eliminated the complaints. Someone is always accusing us of trying to generate more money not realizing that if we don’t, we would not have jobs. Home is not something that Sony would do and lose money at. Yet some people think they should. I am happy for them and their dream, but the reality is that this is what we do for a living. We don’t have the option of volunteering. And if Home does not generate enough revenue, we all go away.
This is quite a revealing series of statements. Everyone here at HSM volunteers their time, energy, expertise, because we love Home and we want it to succeed. That means we want it to be commercially successful. That is not the issue. The issue is how.
From my vantage point, it certainly seems that there are devs in Home who are successful at what they do. I will use Irem/Granzella as an example, because I am most familiar with them. Earlier this year, their headquarters was flattened in a natural disaster. And with astonishing speed, they rebuilt, launched a new company, and so far have produced three amazing lounges for Home, two public, one private, and they are also expanding into the other regions with lightning swiftness as well. I would assume that they would not have returned to Home in this manner had they not been successful as Irem, and did not expect to achieve similar success as Granzella.
And the key to their success, I feel, is quality, unparalleled quality. They are innovative, they are constantly setting new standards for others to reach, and they are professional. The manner in which Irem has coordinated its departure from Home with Granzella’s arrival was not “necessary” but it is deeply appreciated, and I feel indicative of the respect with which Irem/Grazella views its consumers.
I could make similar comments about the entire Japan Home. Japan has had to deal with unprecedented natural and financial convulsions this year, and throughout it all, they have continued to release new content and maintain the same high standards they always have, and this includes of course the public events for which they are well known.
And just to keep things simple, I will sum it all up by saying that somehow the Japan Home manages to do all this without employing the types of marketing gimmicks that are so prevalent in the North American Home. And I think it’s perfectly legitimate to ask why the North American Home and the NA devs aren’t able to accomplish the same. And to simply dismiss criticism such as this by saying that someone is always angry, I just don’t feel that that is an adequate response.
The number one selling space in NA, the Hollywood Hills Apt, is from LOOT which is a NA developer. The number one selling item in terms of units is by Mass Media, a NA developer. I am pretty sure the number one creator of revenue this year will be the Mansion sold by Sony, a NA developer.
No one short of the direct people involved have any idea what happened with Irem/Granzella. How much of the spaces were done before Irem closed and was given to Granzella as a going away present? How much did Sony help create the new company to get out the material that was almost done? Is Granzella the pet project of some billionaire who doesn’t need to make money? I don’t know.
You assume, by your own words, that they are doing well. A lot of people assumed EA was doing well. EA left after 18 months. Will Granzella leave after they have burned off their seed capital? I don’t know.
The last part of your fallacy is that their quality is unparalleled. I take issue with that. You don’t look at the jet ski game and see the animations are weak. You ignore all the rough edges and corners that they leave undone and call them cute. Our animation for getting in and out of the helicopter (a quickly done addition) is better than anything they have done. Go to the Winter Villa and stare at that waterfall and you show me anything that they have done that compares to that, let alone is better.
Our view is that everything has to be good. Not perfect, but the best we can do. And so far, I would say all the best things that are coming out for Home are from NA developers.
Looks can be decieving. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Never assume.
What happened to Irem isn’t a mystery. After the earthquake and tsunami, a friend who visited their headquarters in Japan told me it looked like it had been bombed. That was one factor. The cancellation of Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories was another factor – also out of their control. Internal politics involving Irem’s parent company was another. All of these things led Kazuma Kujo, arguably Irem’s leading developer, to form Granzella.
You say you have superior animations? Great. Guess what else has superior animations? Lockwood’s Mechjet. I don’t care about that either. And I actually do realize that the jet ski game has weak animations, but I simply don’t care because it’s still a fun game -- just as the South Sea Isle is a fun and relaxing place to visit.
I’m going by your own words, where you stated that day/night cycles are difficult to achieve, and yet for Granzella they are the norm, and they do them very well. As far as I know, Irem/Granzella was the very first company to use them. The semi-private space in the South Sea Isle retreat is another innovation. Has anyone in NA ever done anything like that? And their April Fool’s Day events? Now those are true Easter Eggs. Again, innovative, and unique, and without parallel in the NA Home.
So now I’m confused. Are NA devs making money or aren’t they? Because earlier you were justifying your hard-sell tactics on the grounds that NA devs needed to survive, but now you’re saying that you’re all doing just fine. So if the Mansion is doing so well, why do you feel the need to force it upon people like myself who really couldn’t care less about it? All that bling burns my eyes. I don’t care how many cute vehicles with superior animations you add to personal spaces, I’m never going to buy it. Things like that don’t mean anything to me anyway. Jeeps? Helicopters? Yawn.
Edit. You might also want to look into reports that your helicopter is causing the PS3s of your Mansion owners to lock up and freeze.
I cannot speak to this because of my position, but do not assume you know what you are implying. You would be wrong.
The business dealings between Irem and Granzella are not public knowledge. If you have a source of information you would like to share, feel free. The question is not why Irem closed but whether Granzella is a model for Home developers or something else entirely.
Feel free to blast what I have done. What have you done?
I love what IREM has done and the new Granzella spaces are amazing. I think Home developers do need to look at what they are doing because I’m personally very impressed and most of my friends who are other region travelers are too.
Some people in Home may object to what they see as commercialization, but, in the latest list of top ten items sold, 8 out of 10 are Sony items. You can’t fault a corporation for trying to maximize sales, especially when their efforts have been paying off.
This conversation is causing me to formulate certain theses which I will keep to myself for now. It will be interesting to see what happens when the Hub is launched…
As if all developers in NA are working on the Hub.
It may be safe to say that when we are inclined towards a particular product or service, we are more forgiving of how it is sold to us; and, conversely, the same is true in reverse — when we find little that is aesthetically appealing in a product or service, we are less tolerant of the ways in which it is presented.
I’ve never been to Japan Home, but the feedback I’ve gotten from friends who go there — Aeternitas, Joanna, Burbie and so forth — is that it offers some memorable community events, innovations in personal estate design, and a (generally) well-behaved populace. While the last item can be attributed to cultural differences, it’s the other two that I find so interesting.
Any version of Home — Europe, American or Japanese — has, as far as I know, the same basic business model: to sell virtual commodities at an acceptable ROIC to justify further investment in the platform, and possibly enhance sales of video game titles and related peripherals. The *methods* to achieve this goal may be different, but the goal is nevertheless the same.
So now then: if America Home (and possibly Europe Home) are far more blatantly commercial than, say, Japan Home, then the obvious question is why. Without knowing any of the behind-the-scenes details, my guess — and it’s strictly a guess — is that Japan Home and some of its developers are being subsidized.
In the industry I work in — resort development — it’s much the same thing. I spent years working for one of the largest hoteliers in the world, and every time my division (which was a wholly-owned subsidiary of the parent company) committed to a new project, we had to go to the parent company’s executive council and sell them on why they needed to give us the seed money to buy the land and build the resort. This required the parent company to subsidize us for several years before we had heads on beds — and as long as we had a sufficent track record to justify the investment, we could keep going.
When America Home first entered open beta, Sony had to frankly give away the store to generate a sufficient repeat-user base. Xi is a perfect example of this: Sony went to nDreams and provided the capital for them to develop a massive ARG which is still cited as the high-water mark of Home. It almost certainly cost a fortune, and it’s hard to measure how much revenue it is *directly* responsible for.
Attractions that *could* be monetizing — the Bowling Alley, for instance — were (and are still) free. And while I love Home’s core concept — a social network for gamers — the harsh reality is that if you put a bunch of American gamers in a space together and expect them to talk to each other…most of them won’t. The majority lack the social skills or necessary equipment (such as a keyboard) to do so. Thus the criticism that “there’s nothing to do in Home” was born, and Home’s shift to a more gaming-oriented service took place.
To those of us here who *are* socially-minded and actually have the capability and desire to hold intelligent conversations, we’ve always had stuff to do in Home. But if we *were* the majority of the service’s revenue generation, Home’s content providers would be pursuing a different strategy entirely.
So now let’s look at Japan Home. Do they have a more literate and well-behaved population which generates a lot of revenue for the service without the need for blatant and overt capitalism? I suppose we can’t rule that possibility out. A more likely possibility, however, is that Japan Home — being a different business entity from America Home — along with its third-party developers, are currently receiving greater levels of subsidies than their American counterparts.
Subsidies, of course, are merely a means to an end: help grow the business or service until it can monetize and produce a balance sheet in the black without assistance.
Let’s look at Japan’s Macross Concert event, for instance. Obviously a very expensive undertaking. And hard to quantify in terms of return on investment. But a great way to build buzz, grow user numbers, and increase average session times. All key items needed to help drive future revenue generation.
One area where Home differs from other virtual realities is that there really isn’t any peer-to-peer commerce. Despite what Home’s original FAQ states, Home so far has restricted its development to authorized parties with dev kits. As a result, Home’s economy isn’t being driven by the community in quite the way that Second Life is; Gideon put it best when he described Second Life as a sprawling metropolis, and Home as a gated community. And the primary business logic behind this difference is that Second Life (and Entropia and the rest) are entities unto themselves, whereas Home exists not just as its own business entity but also as a tool to help sell products and services for a parent company.
I don’t begrudge America Home’s developers from experimenting with different pricing strategies and methods of generating revenue. Some of them work and some don’t. Home doesn’t have much of a template to work from, if you think about it.
I do find it interesting, though, that the most vociferous anti-commercialization comments towards America Home seem to come from people who frequent Japan Home. Perhaps Japan Home is simply more covert in its capitalism; having not been there myself, I can’t really say, nor do I want to portray myself as any sort of informed party on the subject. This is all just semi-reasoned (and sleep-deprived) guesswork on my part.
One thing I do firmly believe in, though, is that you don’t give something away — regardless of culture — if you can sell it or at least barter it. The first rule of economics is that human beings respond to economic incentive (hence why “the world’s oldest profession” deals with biological interactions between people). Thus I would guess that if Japan Home is less overtly commercialized at this point in time, it may have less to do with cultural differences between the user bases and more to do with a difference in balance sheets.
All of this has to do with logic, though. Let’s talk emotion for a moment. At the heart of the discussion taking place in this thread, we have two people who have strong emotional investments in their respective points of view, and for very understandable reasons. My only request is that we refrain from unncessary sarcasm or caustic commentary whilst making our respective points, particularly as we’re communicating via a medium without vocal tone.
Keep in mind that HomeStation, as a publication which examines Home’s social issues, doesn’t shy away from debate and discussion. Heck, we *foster* it with this publication. But we do try to keep it civil and reasoned. No one individual is responsible for the whole business ethos of SCEA Home, nor is any one user the speaker for an entire consumer trend, so let’s try to see the other person’s point of view before racing to shoot it down. We all have our personal biases, but we should still be *kind* to one another.
Besides, we all know that XBox is the real enemy here.
The assumption by many people is that the regions are identical in business models. They are not. What are they? I don’t know. But things that work in Japan would bury companies here. Especially those events.
It is funny how people in Japan like what they see in NA and people in NA like what they see in Japan. People in Europe often ask for things from NA.
Hopefully this year we will do something so worthy as to make everyone outside of NA jealous. Even so, I am sure someone will complain.
There’s the old saying that the grass is always greener, and there might actually be some scientific truth to this. Chris Wayan (who, admittedly, is a bit out there) put it thus:
“When you look at grass you’re standing on, you’re looking down; you see the leaves end-on, so a lot of bare earth is visible too. When you look over the fence at your neighbor’s grass, you see it full-length, at a low angle, so the grass-blades overlap and hide the ground. Even if your lawns are identical, your neighbor’s grass really does look greener.”
(Source: http://www.worlddreambank.org/D/DUBIA.HTM)
I don’t think any product or service will ever provide universal praise; just as people prefer one automotive manufacturer over another for aesthetic reasons, so it is with various Home regions and what experiences they offer.
The real benefit of these sorts of discussions, I think, is *insight.* Beneath the emotionally-charged opinions that go hand-in-hand with discussing social issues, we gain perspective into different points of view.
When the question comes up about why SCEA and SCEE Homes don’t have the same sort of events as SCEJ Home, I usually think to myself that if it was economically feasible and advantageous to be pulled off, it would be done. Thus, logically, if it’s not being done, it’s either infeasible or unjustifiable as an expense, since there would be no malicious reason for the parties involved in Home to withhold something that the community would likely enjoy. This suggests that the business models (and revenue sources) of the various Homes are quite different — which you already pointed out.
On the question of invisible collision barriers with staircases: personally, I tend towards allowing the avatar to “fall” if it goes beyond the edge. Can’t really quantify why, but it somehow makes things seem more real to me, somehow. In Silent Hill 3, you could accidentally kill Heather by running off the edge of something, whereas on easier settings there were invisible collision barriers.
(Here’s a thought — and maybe this isn’t feasible — what about a multi-story personal estate which gave the user the ability to activate or deactivate the collision barriers as they so desired?)
The “If you buy a space, should developers put things in it that only work if you buy other things?” question you brought up is a darn good one, and I really do hope it gets developed into an article or series of articles, because it’s a great social issue to discuss. For instance, in Burbie’s latest Granzella review, she mentions that there are elements of the public space that are only accessible if you’ve purchased the corresponding private estate. To me, this is no different than adding extra helicopter functionality to the Tycoon Penthouse.
I’m going to add that question to the agenda for the next recording session of The Upload. Should be interesting.
Norse, the difference has already been pointed out by Joanna I believe, in terms of underlying principles.
If someone buys the Granzella space, they automatically have access to the semi-private space. This is true for all owners of the private space without exception. In the case of Granzella, all owners of the private space are receiving the exact same content.
In the case of the Penthouse or the Villa, the situation is different. You only get access to the jeep or the helicopter if you have purchased a number of additional Mansion spaces. So in the case of SCEA, all owners of the private spaces are not receiving the same content -- even though they have paid the exact same price.
Now is this legally permissible? I’m not a lawyer, so I won’t pursue that question. But I do think from an ethical standpoint it’s extremely questionable for bonus content to be tied to another item in this manner.
And my apologies for phrasing things so badly, but I’m sleep deprived as well.
My personal intuition is that it would have to be legally defensible, otherwise it wouldn’t have made it into Home to begin with; the question of whether or not it’s a good idea, commercially, is one that’s highly subjective. Pricing strategy and virtual commodity sales are as much art as they are science in Home, and I don’t begrudge any developers for trying different methods of generating revenue.
This doesn’t mean that every approach will work, of course; Scribble Shooter and SlapHappy Sam are two examples of how, at least on the Sony forum, their sales strategies were not universally applauded.
Being something of a petrolhead, I liken the helicopter debate to owning a Porsche 911. Two people can buy the same exact vehicle for two different prices, because the list of optional extras is a mile long. The vehicle itself is basically the same, but it comes with some extra functionality — at a price.
I think part of why there’s some debate over the helicopter is that it links to the Mansion, which itself was a controversially priced commodity that lit up a “have or have not” social-class debate. And, certainly from an aesthetic standpoint, I’m not the Mansion’s biggest fan by any stretch, even if I do appreciate what went into it. But if I mentally substitute the Mansion for a space I tend to prefer (such as the Tropical Escape), I have to admit that my emotional satisfaction just went up — because it links to a specific estate that I personally enjoy.
I really do like the idea of linking private estates together; staying “in world” to go from one private estate to the next, without having to use the navigator, helps sell the immersiveness of the experience to me. I know that a fair number of people on the Sony forum have been asking for the ability to go from one space to another in Home more seamlessly (imagine if every part of Home was connected to Central Plaza, the way the current core spaces are), so this seems like a natural first step towards that sort of thing.
Will the helicopter or Jeep stop me from purchasing the Tycoon Penthouse or the Winter Villa, just because I don’t own any of the Mansion pieces? Nah. To me, they’re both worth their respective price tags without the extra vehicular add-ons. Do they add any incentive for me to purchase the Mansion? Nopers, because the Mansion leaves me cold.
All that said, I think it’s cool that they’re trying this out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained…
Norse you really need to make a Japan account and other regional accounts for that matter and spend some time there seeing what they have to offer. It will give you a first hand perspective on how and what home is capable of and certainly give you a better perspective worldwide.
The day/night cycles Granzella has introduced into it’s new spaces are amazing. Their mall content is amazing. Their events are amazing. I simply love them. If they can do it there we can certainly strive to do it here. There are lots of other things that go on in other regions as well which are certainly worth the time to explore and experience.
Personally I love all the homes. Each has something special to offer. None are perfect.
I am a bit taken back by the aggression here in the responses of someone who clearly appears to be working for Sony. Customers and their opinions are things that should be taken into account and their opinions should be valued whether it be positive or negative in nature especially if that criticism is offered in a polite and constructive manner.
Certainly someone will always complain but the developer who considers – and Lockwood Voice is an excellent example both on their Facebook page and on the forum – what it’s customers have to say will certainly be successful and gain the respect of it’s users.
The region-hopping question has always been a source of internal debate for me, Jo. On one hand, I’m very curious to experience the other regional Homes firsthand. On the other hand, I believe region hopping is technically against the TOS, and thus I’ve refrained from it so far.
This is further exacerbated by the fact that HomeStation itself is globally read by Home citizens from all over the world, yet each regional Home is administered by a different business entity. It’s a sticky subject.
With regard to this particular discussion, I think it’s just a matter of strong opinions expressed in a medium without vocal tone, which makes everything sound colder. When we care about something, we tend to defend it; what I like, though, is that this whole conversation has provided insights that might help, in some oblique way, with our enjoyment of Home and how future commodities and their pricing strategies may appear.
(This is a bit of a non-sequitur, but I just had an idea regarding personal estates: what if they were bundled into different “collections” and categorized or sold as such? Imagine buying The Nature Collection — Waterfall Terrace, Log Cabin, Tropical Escape, Treehouse Apartment, etc. — for, say, the bulk price of $24.99? There could be an Urban Collection, a Science-fiction Collection, and so forth. Just a crazy thought.)
You don’t have to tell hun! Go ninja! LoL Sony knows we do it. They could have stopped it with IP blocking after the hack pretty easily I would imagine. :p
Well I’m not a fan of the current Mansion Hard sell. It personally disturbs me given there are lots of people who spend tons of money on the service but who elected to not buy the mansion and now they are buying spaces unrelated to it that don’t have all the features other users have who bought it. A Central Plaza option in that menu in that helicopter could also have been part of the options allowing all users the access to that vehicle.
I don’t support it and I’m not afraid to voice my opinion. They can either listen to what I have to say or not. I can’t control what they do but I can certainly tell them how I feel and I do LOVE HOME and am not afraid to spend money.
I do think the new public space versions of both the Villa and Tycoon Penthouse are great additions to the service This is something that North America should be very proud of.
I do think that these public space versions could be also used as rentals for parties given there are many many clubs and general users who would love to have access to private spaces and the number of people they can host. It’s another potential revenue source that SCEA could use to help grow the service. I’d certainly love to see Club House improvements as well given the current club house space is extremely boring.
In reference to club houses I did offer a suggestion on the Forum relative to the mansion.
The possibility of making a version of the Mansion that is also a club house offers the community the potential for a space that has multiple rooms and where the host would not be an issue. The ability to have a lot more users as well as the ability to move from the 1st floor to the pool to the garage and so on without an invite would be an awesome addition to those of us who use clubs and who love to host parties.
It would also allow for further revenue related to the development that went into that space for the benefit of the community.
I agree with that idea wholeheartedly Joana. If they would give us the ability to use these public versions of personal spaces to host club events it would be epic! And it would generate a lot of income for Sony as one of the big things I have heard from many people is that they wish they could have more people in their club spaces for events. The fact that they can make these personal spaces available to people to show them before buying proves that it is a possibility, one that I believe they should consider in the future. It would be an easy way for Sony to make cash and also make a lot of customers happy. I would be more than willing to pay $5 to have a large personal space like the Silicon or Tropical or Penthouse to use for a club event and so would many others I know.That being said, I am not sure this is possible not knowing the technical aspects of it, but they could at least add on to the current club capabilities to make people happy.
And I might add:
Konami is another perfect example of a developer responding and responding quickly to customer complaints about changes it made to a private space after it went on sale.
Rapstar Studio, Who Decided to Change It?
http://community.us.playstation.com/thread/3890141?tstart=0
Heavy Water also changed pricing on it’s Pin-up bundles by significantly reducing the price on them after feedback it got from the Forum community.
Developer interaction with its customers is commendable. Like anything else in life one needs to weigh what people have to say and proceed where possible by taking positive and worthwhile criticism into account when moving forward. Not all input is practical or polite. That will happen in any forum environment.
It’s really a shame this forum format does not allow edits after a post has been made.
Interestingly, in the Forum poll the Tycoon Penthouse is getting fabulous ratings. Only complaints have been (1) that cowskin rug being burned in instead of optional is a problem with decorating and (2) a suggestion that Central Plaza should have been one of the optional destinations for the helicopter so that everyone gets that feature.
If those two suggestions could be ‘tweaked’ in somehow, this space might be up for one of the most popular spaces of the year.
And, yes, Cubehouse, if it is possible to add an edit feature to the Forum posts, it would be very appreciated.
Yeah I agree that they shouldn’t change your personal space after you have bought it without giving you an opt in/out option.It’s sorta like changing a contract after both parties have signed without telling the other party and I feel the other party should have the option to accept the new changes or stick with what they originally bought.Changes can be a good thing but some ppl might not like them and then have buyers remorse.
Norse there was once a bundle of personal spaces for sale in the PS store,I think it was 10 spaces for $20 but I could be mistaken as it was awile ago that I bought it,so a bundle is quite possible.The thing I don’t understand when it comes to these inter-regional differences is why Sony doesn’t take what is successful in 1 region and at least try it out in the others,maybe in a slightly different form to conform to cultural differences.If something is a success in 1 region it has already proven it can work so why not try it out in the other regions?I still think a concert in the N.A. Home would be a cool way for Sony to keep us entertained,make cash,and would be something for ppl to do between games so that Home isn’t viewed as solely a place to game with nothing else to do.Sony already has an extensive music library,why not put it to work on Home?I’d be happy to pay a couple bucks,maybe more depending on the artist,just to get into a virtual concert.As for invisible barriers,I really like that staircase in the tycoon penthouse without them it’s actually a quick way to get downstairs.Just fall off and your there,I too would like to see this falling down feature implemented as a way to get around a personal space.As I’ve said before I’m lazy even on Home and it’s much easier to just fall down than walk down stairs and it saves me time,double bonus.The only time I appreciate invisible barriers is when they keep me from an endless fall,like at the luxury lakeside cabin when it’s all glitched out and you step off the side.
*awhile
I truly do not have time for this today, so I’m going to make this post and then I’m going offline today. Sorry, Norse, but I don’t know if I’ll be at today’s meeting.
To chime in on what Joanna is say, Granzella has earned respect. I know some of their items are a bit pricy, but then again, I’ve never bought any of their items and felt buyer’s remorse. Even when I buy an item I’m not sure about, my usual reaction is “Wow, that’s twice as better than I thought it could be.” And then I’ll head back to the mall to buy something else from them.
There are a few issues with their new content. I and others are aware of this, but we also understand that Granzella is pushing out this new content as quickly as possible in order to cover Irem’s departure, which, as I said, they didn’t have to do. The South Sea Isle is clearly a replacement for Irem Seaside. The Edo village is clearly a replacement for Irem Square, and may serve as a replacement for the Fields of Ge Kito as well.
As for the events, both Irem’s and the Japan Home’s, I’ve said myself that Japan style events wouldn’t work in the NA Home, and not just for financial reasons. The amount of discipline and cooperation which the Japan devs take for granted when designing their events simply don’t exist here. This also applies to their public spaces, such as the new Aquarium. As I said before, the amount of discipline and patience which is assumed is simply not realistic for the NA Home.
As for the issue of subsidies, that is something I haven’t addressed for a number of reasons. One is that I have no info on the level of support that Japanese devs are receiving from SCEJ, and even if I did, I know that I would never receive comparable info from SCEA. So it’s a subject for speculation only.
As Joanna has stated, I think it’s possible to learn from the things being done in other regions. In appreciating what is being done in other regions, I’m not trying to bash the NA Home. And it was never my intention for this to turn into a North America vs Japan argument, because the core complaint I have has nothing to do with the Japan Home.
The only criticism I’ve made here is with the manner in which the Villa and Penthouse are being tied to the Mansion. I simply find that very questionable. As Keara and others have suggested, if it were possible for the jeep and the helicopter to transport us to locations other than the Mansion, they wouldn’t be so… irritating. And if SCEA wishes to reward Mansion owners, why couldn’t they make the jeep and the helicopter available to everyone, but simply give mansion owners a discount on the purchase of the Villa or the Penthouse? That I wouldn’t have an objection to.
As Joanna says, I do think it’s important for feedback from consumers to be taken into consideration, not dismissed out of hand because “someone will always be angry.” We are flesh and blood human beings after all, not merely “consumers’ for virtual products. I’m not going to get into a long dissertation on this, but I do feel that the increasing use of the term “consumer” over the previously accepted “customer” is not an advancement. No one enjoys feeling that they are being objectified and dehumanized, and this is especially the case when one is made to feel that their feedback is not necessary and not desired.
No one is dismissing anyone’s comments. The reality you get after doing it a while is that you realize that by doing things, people complain. It is like the rug that is too big for the room. You jump on the hump and two humps appear on either side.
Your “answer” of changing the price depending on ownership was already tried in the Mansion and people complained. So they tried giving bonuses for ownership (cars, a Jeep and now a helicopter) and people complain. They give out $4.99 spaces to HCVs to spend 30+ hours giving tours and people complain.
This isn’t unfair to anyone. It is all in how people are taking it.
Sony is trying things in terms of marketing to see if they work. The amount of money spent to create these bonuses has to be paid back. If they don’t generate revenue, they will go away. If they give them to everyone for free, then they will never get made.
So the options are not as you present them. You act like you have a knoble cause that you are fighting for, but there is none. As a developer, we slide in extras when we can, but we are limited by the budget. And the budget is limited by the expected return.
Let me just point out another great example of Lockwood Voice and their listening to members of the Community. I’m so impressed with Alex over at Lockwood.
He’s also made some comments of hoping to develop the Silicone Lounge or perhaps something similar as a Club space.
http://community.us.playstation.com/message/36312104#36312104
Well as we all know Lockwood is the gold standard when it comes to alot of things and other developers would do well to follow many of the good things they are doing over there.They’ve made it pretty well known that limitations don’t mean too much to them and they are always looking for ways to push the limits of what can be done on Home.That mindset combined with the way they allow users some creative input creates an attachment with users that few if any other developers have atm.The template is there for others to use,the question is will they?
Did you read the cover story in issue #5?
Yeah I did and just to be sure I just went and re-skimmed it.Honestly I don’t consider companions as pushing the limits of Home.The Boombox was close,if it could of had more songs it would have been a game-changer.I’m not sold on copyrights being the big barrier that it’s claimed to be in the case of music as Sony has 1 of the largest collections of copyrighted music available but I guess there could be unspoken legalities involved.If the Sony library were available for sale over the Boombox that would be a limit pusher.Changing the table in the mansion was a start in the right direction as far as listening to feedback.Look I don’t want you to think I’m putting your work down here because I’m not but in the case of many things on Home there is a feeling that if things were slightly different it could be much better.Maybe if there were feedback surveys,like at Sodium 2,in every personal space on home or the ability to customize our personal spaces more than is currently available would help out?I view Home as an ever evolving work in progress so I don’t understand some developers,yourself,Lockwood and maybe a few others excluded,just making a personal space and then never changing it.Of course I think the owners of the personal space should have the ability to accept or not accept those changes,but I also wouldn’t have a problem with developers charging a price for those changes or additional add-ons.Home is a great place,but it can get better and I think the Home community would like to help it get there.
We will see if they remove all the ads from Silicon Lounge like people are requesting.
I’m curious if you can share with us whether or not Club Houses are do for an upgrade soon. I understand if you can’t share that with us.
I am not telling you anything you haven’t read in the press by saying that clubhouses are being worked on. I am sure the Home Core Team is developing enhancements also, but I have no first hand knowledge.
Many times releases are held up for business reasons, so predicting when things will happen is impossible. We had to push to get the Mysterious Doll out by Halloween last year even though development was done a couple months in advance. I think it just got lost in the shuffle.
Honestly there is no big plan like people think. There is no conspiracy to get people’s money. We all like Home as much or more than most people.
The problem is we squeak in things not in the original plan like the Reward Machine in the Mansion, the Jeep and Helicopter recently, and we hope that people like them. If they don’t, they will not be able to be squeaked in next time. So the question is not always “Is there a design where people will complain less?” and is more “Is this something we should do in the future?” Creating a helicopter that goes to the Central Plaza is not likely to happen since it has no ability to generate revenue. But one that goes to the Mansion can be justified.
I appreciate your opinion, but the repition starts to sound like a battle-cry. And people listen a lot more than anyone gives us credit for.
There is an analogous saying that applies, “God answers all prayers. Sometimes the answer is ‘No.'” Not because we don’t want to make everyone happy, but usually because we can’t do everything ignoring the fact that we are a business.
I was hoping you might know and might be able to share it with us. I know it’s something I would love to see happen and there has been no news about that in quite some time. So forgive me I certainly have no current information. It appears you have none to share so that’s fine too.
And relative to a battle-cry. I’m sorry you take my dislike for the mansion in that vein. I wasn’t pleased with the Jeep either. There was a forum thread discussing that issues as well awhile back. It’s how I feel and I’m not the only one who feels that way. I’ve been expressing my opinion on the forum for quite some time and I plan on continuing to do so.
I personally think it would be nice if the SCEA team you appear to work for had a voice on the forum like Lockwood does. Communicating with customers certainly would be welcomed by the community.
People who love home and who spend money on it I would think are more than justified giving input and feedback. I don’t look at it as complaints. I’m really sorry you feel that way.
I like to hear how people think. It makes me re-examine the premises under which I operate. I have never seen your comments as complaints.
But fortunate or not, your opinion does carry a lot of weight. Everyone knows you from all that you do. So people listen to you more than many others.
I am not talking about me though, I am talking about the people who make the actual decisions. I have my own little world that I rule, but it is not apartments or fashion. We do work on those, but we take commands from above (Foster City). They follow the forums and listen. That is why the helicopter was not in the tours after the complaints about the Jeep.
I think if you go back and look, you got what you asked for, then changed what you asked for when you got it. I am not saying that to lay blame, I am saying that to point out people are doing what you want. You just have to be clear about what you want. And when you get it, you need to be understanding, make a suggestion and move on.
We are trying very hard to give people what they want. And when we take risks (like adding an extra free helicopter) don’t look at it as a slight to those who don’t get it as much as a bonus for those who do.
With three Mansion parts you would get the Jeep and helicopter. Just be happy!
I do appreciate your comments. And I do enjoy talking with developers. You have a very special job and I know we all do love home!
And to clarify that is the Mansion Helicopter given I actually own three mansion spaces. The Infinity Pool is one of my favorite spaces.
FYI, the Helicopter works as of the 1.55 update.