An Evening with LOOT
by Kassadee Marie, HSM team writer
Most of us dedicated Homers enjoy the chance to spend time with a representative from a third-party developer. However, these affairs are often staged in Home public spaces, which does not seem to be the best choice.
There are few things more annoying at these gatherings than an uninformed person, walking up and asking questions like, “Why are you all standing here?” or “What’s so special about this spot?” Then upon being informed of the reason for the gathering, they usually go on making unnecessary remarks. Of course, the people who know why we are there and see this as their chance to air every perceived grievance that they have with the developer are near the top of the annoyance list. And why do some people join the crowd and continue to make personal remarks to others in local chat? Have they never heard of private messages – or good manners, for that matter?
A better choice for a “meet-the-developer” is a club space. Yes, anyone wanting to attend has to send a club request, which means there has to be an open club spot on their list. But, this indicates a sincere interest in meeting the developer. And once they are added, they can simply jump to the club in time for the meeting and leave when they are ready, of course. The developers are very good (quick) and patient about adding people, even when that person hasn’t requested an “add” ahead of time, as they should.
Frankly, the 32-person limit can be a blessing, as a huge crowd can be nearly impossible to deal with, especially if there are people in the crowd with an overblown sense of entitlement. At times, the chat log is whizzing by and you can’t read it all, much less figure out who is talking to whom. Give the developers kudos for graciously handing such difficult situations.
This last Saturday, LOOT employees hosted a meeting at their wonderful TARDIS club house. If you haven’t seen this personal estate and club house, be sure to request a tour from a friend (some of the HCV Guides have it as well) or one of the Homers offering tours. A list of those people can be found on the Sony forum. Be sure not to miss the pink room, by the way. The hostess on mic was Lindsey, and Jason, David and Danilo were also on hand. The meeting was casual (the hostess stated that she was at her home and in her pajamas and bunny slippers already) and a lot of the conversation was not only about the venue, but about the “Doctor Who” television show itself. (No spoilers were given about that night’s episode, thank goodness.) The conversation ranged into other areas of science fiction, other LOOT products and questions about LOOT’s plans for the future.
By the way, it’s been said that every casual conversation ends up with the people talking about food and this time was no exception. Mmm… cookies.
A lot of suggestions were given and these were all noted by the developer. The attendees were informed that all suggestions are recorded and a total is kept of the number of times that same request is made by different people. Suggestions and requests can be made in various ways such as the Sony forum, Twitter and LOOT’s own Facebook page and forum.
So, this is a chance for you to have input into the future of Home, if you want. Some of the suggestions and requests were made for other “Doctor Who” and his companion outfits; Home pets/companions, such as K-9; and “Doctor Who” villains’ outfits, such as the Weeping Angels.
Requests were also made for more wildlife and new scenery at the Sunset Yacht estate, and a Space Station clubhouse. (Hey, we can dream!) Many of the people there had questions. Not too surprising, some questions were answered without giving direct responses. LOOT is not ready, of course, to divulge all their future plans and developments. And even products ready for release can only be stated as releasing “soon” for various reasons, including legal liability and fear of disappointing fans if a product is delayed due to Sony’s QA department.
Some new offerings we can expect soon, include MIB (Men in Black) and “Forsaken Planet” crazy-cool locomotions or ride-on’s, which look to be a lot of fun; changes to the range of sound for LOOT Radios that are built-in; swimming in the pool at the Hollywood Hills estate; and of course, future “Doctor Who” waves of an (as yet) undetermined number.
Also, as mentioned in their live stream – which you should check out, if you haven’t – the night time version of the Hollywood Hills House will be out this summer and it will sold separately and be bundled with items such as Tiki torches, a fire pit, and the LOOT active camera and searchlight. It will also be bundled with the day time version and both of the club house versions.
Near the end of the evening, the gathering moved to the EOD theater and watched “Doctor Who” trailers before saying good night. Several of the Doctor’s transformations are shown in these trailers. It was very interesting to see some of the older versions of the Doctor, even those filmed in black and white. After all, the television show is in its fiftieth anniversary year.
I was lucky to be one of the attendees at this gathering and I suggest you also take the time to attend a meeting if you have the chance. It was a fun and informative evening. And I only got lost in the TARDIS once. Thanks for the rescue, Lindsey!
April 10th, 2013 by Kassadee Marie | 2 comments
Home is endlessly entertaining to this California girl. Kassadee has been in Home for about four years, and loves almost everything about it (with a few notable exceptions). She spends way too much money there, and perhaps too much time... Someday she will travel the world and write about the people she meets and the places she sees.
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Fantastic write-up, Kass. Great seeing so many HSM team members at last Saturday’s LOOT hangout!
Loved the write up!
I was sad that I couldn’t make this event as i am a fan of Dr Who, and I love what Loot are putting out there now.
Waiting very excitedly now for the 50th Anniversary episode to explode on our screens this year!