Digital Leisure’s Penthouse
by Burbie52, HSM team writer
I am not much of a gambler, either in real life or in Home. I do, though, visit the Casino to play video poker and try my hand at the daily super slot machine. I have occasionally played Texas Hold’Em poker there as well, and I even win once in a while. But I haven’t really gotten into any of it all that much.
However, I have friends who love the Casino. One of them, destinysanctuar, is a reward hunter. She won the new Penthouse, the reward for reaching one million in total winnings, on the day it came out, and so I asked to see it.
I must say, I’m impressed. It makes me wish I was better at this kind of game.
The previous two spaces that Digital Leisure has given us, both the Comped Hotel Room and the VIP Suite you receive when you join that elite crew, had one thing in common: they were very small. The VIP Suite includes a hallway, but the space itself is tiny. And the most common complaint about it is that it’s already so full of baked-in furniture that you can’t do much with it. But Digital Leisure has more than compensated for that with this new reward space. Not only is it very large, it is beautiful as well. I loved it, and it is a fitting reward for people who have spent so much time playing and winning in the Casino.
When you first arrive in the space, you see a short hall with a half bath to your right. The bathroom is very nice, and has a working mirror and a toilet you can sit on. There is another room off to the left, which turned out to be a laundry room! I think that is a first in Home. It has a built-in sink and counter, with the dryer and washer on the other side. None of these work, of course, but you can set things on the counter if you wish.
The hallway opens into a large living room area with a built-in fireplace (which includes a nicely-animated fire) that separates it from another large room. Outside is a wonderful terrace overlooking what is obviously intended to be the Las Vegas Strip, with other suites visible along the wall to your right. It is a nighttime scene, appropriate for a space like this, with many casino properties blinking their lights across the busy road. There are obvious visual quotes of the Luxor and Paris, and our own property is fronted by a copy of the famous Bellagio fountains. The terrace has nice hedge-like shrubbery built in, and you can sit on the walls. The area is spacious enough to create an additional outdoor room. The owner had already won a really well-done hot tub for earning 750,000 in total winnings, and it looks quite nice sitting here.
The colors in the suite are subdued, which lets people create their own color scheme when decorating. There are ten spaces for pictures or other wall ornaments. I liked the pale gold drapes and whitewashed wall look — despite the obvious wealth, this space is not gaudy, as some other “luxury” spaces have been. The subtle elegance here suits a millionaire’s suite. From the abstract modern chandelier in the living room area to the dark hardwood flooring, the space has clean lines and an open, airy feel. Though there is a lot of built-in furniture, it isn’t overwhelming. And as the place is so large, it is actually quite welcome. You won’t have to add a bed, for example, and there’s a fair amount of built-in seating. The dark wood floors give you a lot of latitude for adding color with rugs.
On the other side of the first floor, you find the kitchen and dining room area. The kitchen modules are built-in as well, but they include usable counters, and the sleek design matches the rest of the space. The kitchen is large, and includes enough extra space for a dining area, or perhaps a gaming room. Though it might seem odd to put games in the kitchen, you have a head start on one, since there are already working video poker and slot machines here. These are an appropriate addition — after all, gambling is how you earn this space in the first place.
There is a staircase to the left of the living room, which leads to the upstairs loft area. This space serves as the master bedroom, and you will find a very classy looking built-in bed, which you can sit on. A working mirror is placed above the built-in dressers, and there is a walk-in closet behind the bed. The closet has shelves, and even some coat hangers, which are a nice realistic touch.
The master bath, which opens off this room, has a tub, a sink with two working mirrors and usable counter space. There is also a linen closet with stacks of towels inside. Once again, it is the little things that give this space the feeling of reality.
This place is unique in design and functionality, and it gives those who love the Casino a worthy goal to pursue. Just like other Home apartments which could be won, such as the Aurora Champions’ Apartment, this space provides a wonderful reward to strive for. People will probably appreciate this space more because they have won it. If they had simply purchased it for $6.99, they probably would have found something to complain about.
I am happy to see that the reward-winning activities in Home are continuing to grow and thrive. And for those who are willing to work hard for those rewards, it is only fitting they get the best of them. This new personal space definitely steps it up a notch. I think it will take me a very long time to win this space. In fact, I will probably never achieve it. But it is a very well thought out apartment, and I enjoyed visiting it.
October 29th, 2012 by Burbie52 | 5 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.
Thats the second space in two weeks Ive won, gonna need more furniture, the penthouse is the best reward to come along in a long time though, they could of sold this no problems. it beats several sold apartments in size and quality. But what do they do next. hopefully not another bright coloured tuxedo.
I was a little harsh on Digital Leisure when they released the Casino because the rewards seemed to be mostly lame T-shirts. They have definitely proven themselves since then with regular updates all around and awesome community interaction.
I didn’t start playing the Casino in earnest until just recently. I’m almost halfway to the Penthouse by playing just a little each day. It must hold the rank of the #1 reward on Home currently. It’s a reward that certainly entitles the owner to more bragging rights than something as superfluous as the Mansion or a gold suit. I look forward to earning the Penthouse.
Harsh where you needed to, as there are a lot of the casino rewards that are poor quality including the most exclusive leader board jacket particularly for males is terrible
Maybe so but let’s give credit where credit is due.
Digital Leisure has updated the casino and their personal spaces regularly, often following the recommendations of the community. They’ve added games and rewards to the casino with the Penthouse being the grand-daddy of Home rewards at the moment. Free chip giveaways and free daily plays of some games are also nice touches. It’s so refreshing to see a developer remain active with their releases.
My initial criticism was based on the lame rewards for pay-to-play games when the casino first came out. I still have no use for many of the casino rewards but I do appreciate what Digital Leisure is doing for Home. Considering all the playing time and rewards (good and bad) that have been yielded by a single purchase of chips, it’s not such as bad deal in hindsight.
Not too hip on gambling myself… People have always been far more interesting than cards to me. There are spaces that I would play to win… but this is not one of them. I am far more interested in the fantasy place that Aurora has to offer and have been slowly working my way to the 100 mark too obtain it. I have spent some money too.. trying to obtain it. I think a prize that is a space has got to be something special or else gaming to get it takes a back seat. But I do think a personal space is a great incentive. Like the Go Fish Space too.