LOL. Anyway:

Considering the “landscape” of Home. I really think Home has grown into something they didn’t think it would. We see this time and time again with the content that is released within Home. I think the foundation of Home just doesn’t lend itself to the more open world model of other games.

Games that are sandbox are designed from the ground up with that core concept. Home was designed from the get go to be smaller segmentations of an interconnected world. I have long wanted Home to be a more cohesive experience. This is one of the reasons I miss central so much. Hub and Pier Park with Sports Walk do a good job, but I really wish I could explore the entirety of Home without ever visiting my navigator. Space location? There’s the Shuttle… Sodium does well with Portals but I would much prefer if it was some guy in a beat up hover-taxi that asks me “Were you wanna go, mate?” Same result but with more personality than an teleportation orb.

I just don’t think Home is technically capable of having a thriving, pulsating, breathing, open-world.

Someone prove me wrong on this point… Please.

Even if the system resources are there to have a HUGE Home space, what’s the developer’s motivation for doing so? What MORE do they get if they build a large space in comparison to a smaller space? More time spent in development so more money has to be spent to get just about the same return? I’m sure that would go over well with investors.

Speaking of investors (and in case you’re wondering, yes… I did indeed attend the North Hampton Institute for Transitional Conversation. I majored in Segues.)

I think the “SAFEness” of reality is a byproduct of the business model of modern gaming. While I completely agree that we need more “reality bending” Home spaces (just IMAGINE what a Matrix themed space could be like) I think a developer is taking a chance with a space that could end up being a niche purchase. How many would ‘actually’ buy an Escher Space? How many own the Ansada Fone Apartment you mentioned in your article? I would venture to guess most found a friend that had it and just visited it instead of buying it. It’s better to make a “sure seller” than make something out of artistic curiosity.

This is the reason so many developers take it safe when making a game. For every Psychonauts (if you’ve never played this game: Shame on you!) we have two dozen first person shooters with “realistic-future weapons”. This is for a reason. That reason is green… well it used to be green. Now it’s more varied in shades with an orangy-beige background and greenish black print… and that’s just in the US. In Canada and Europe the reason is brownish… or red… there’s blue ones too…

Money. Ok. The reason is money.

Also… I never really minded I couldn’t go into the water of Locoroco Island. I figured that’s where the MuiMui go PuiPui. Hehe.

Ok. Thats it. I’m done.

(Sorry for the abrupt end of the response. I got a C- in “Closure and Resolution Theory” at NHITC.)