Let’s Go Racing with Codeglue!
by FEMAELSTROM, HSM team writer
I am a huge racing fan. Frankly, I love the racing of anything. Okay, not horses, but anything with an engine, preferably on a tarmac – road surfaces – as opposed to dirt (not knocking dirt, plenty love it and it is fun). I just got the new Codeglue DIY Racers set and there is a thrill in the air for me, like the feel one gets on the uphill climb of the roller coaster. I get to race in a private space with my friends, where we can have the fun we want and choose to race each other when and how we want.
One of the big issues that vexes public places is that you are sometimes forced to play people you do not know, and while that can be fun, sometimes it is riddled with the troll issues that are common in public game setting. Another issue is that if a publicly played game is well received, sometimes it is hard to play against friends simply because it is hard to find them on the play boards. The holy grail of gaming in Home though, is being able to design and create your own game, in a private space and in racing that means tracks.
This is where Codeglue came up with a golden idea. They have given us the freedom to design and create the track we want in our private spaces. This, to begin with, deserves a standing ovation. We can now invite friends over to race on custom tracks in the privacy of our homes. Before I say this once more, let us move on to see what is involved. First, let’s cover what you get for your money.
You get the DIY Racer itself. This comes in six colors. They are:
The Cardboard Car
The Hot Rod car
The Silver Car
The Blue Car
The Yellow Car
The Pink Car
There are even horns for each model car, so you can “Honk if you are Happy”. Each car costs $3.99 separately or there is a bundle pack available for $7.99 that contains all six cars. It needs to be noted here that the game engine is 35 slots, which is rather sizable.
A Great Idea with a lot of potential.
There are also furniture pieces available. These are designed to be placed in a private space to create a track of your own design. This has cool and fun written all over it. For those that like the fun of making in home games for themselves or friends, this is perfect. The furniture pieces are as follows:
Six different planks of wood for .49 cents each or a bundle for $1.99.
DIYR Hoop of Fire for .99 cents.
DIYR Arrow sign, concrete block, glass tunnel, night stand and dresser all for .49 cents each. There are six DIYR ramp pieces at .49 cents each with a bundle pack for $2.49. There are two lamps for $1.49 each. There is a coffee table, ramp table, wall rack, and bookshelves all also .49 cents each. The last item is a half pipe that doubles as a seat for $1.49. There are also bundle packs of some of these items that will save you money.
This is a good amount of items so that when you want to design a track, you can,with a nice amount of items, but wait there’s more! You can use furniture you already own as obstacles and object in the race track to go under and around and on. This is huge.
So that this is not a game that turns stale, “Codeglue” has added the ever loved rewards. I have to say that I haven’t seen what those are yet, but for the reward hunter, this could be a fun set to get. Anyway, you wouldn’t want me to spill those beans would you? That’s called a spoiler.
The other element to this racing is that it is less literal than some disk based games. It is based on RC racing cars. The cars look like RC cars and are even made to do tricks and stunts. This is a whole different dimension, because it adds the fun of performing stunts in to the game. Keep in mind that others in your home will not be able to see your actions while in game.
A developer that we should all be watching closer.
“Codeglue” is not new to Home. In fact they have brought us some cool, fun and good looking items. They have a clothing line that includes the “U ♥ G” line of clothes, as well as the riding reindeer and Santa suit for Christmas. They gave us the “Oriental Bundle Furniture”, classy gold dresses, multi-colored leggings as well as the Mayan Doomsday Clock, and this is just a sampling of their inventory. They are definitely out there in force and ready to feed the wants and needs of the PlayStation Home community, with quality product.
I put mine in my Harbor Studio. I wanted to test it out, so I invited over a few friends including Maebell99 and Bobsfed, and we set out to make some fun happen. I made a track and we tried it out.
My hopes from the outset were very high as I know that Codeglue is a good developer that has made fine commodities, but there are a few items that should be noted. First the good:
The idea of being able to build a track in your private space is great. There are a lot of well crafted pieces that allow for a large build, as well as variety. The furniture elements are all single slots and are easy to move around as are all furniture pieces. The elements work like they are supposed to, the ramps work like they are designed to, as does the hoop and other pieces. In this, they are designed well and free of the random glitches that sometimes plague DIY items. Single piece items are reasonably priced, so collecting all the elements won’t hurt the pocket book too bad. Once you get a hang of the driving physics, it is satisfying to perform tricks and race around the track you just put together, but there are a few elements that are troublesome and take patience.
These pieces make a good variety, and there are more in the store.
The first item is that the control inputs use the two thumb sticks on the PS3 controller, with the left stick being the gas and the right being the steering. After a full evening of playing with this configuration, I have gotten a better handle on the game play, but it is something that is not easy when first ventured into, at least it wasn’t for me and my friends. This configuration also makes it a harder task to line up the car for jumps; often one is forced to back up and try again.
Another element that could use some improvement is the display. The camera sometimes is limited and the on-screen display sometimes is in the way of where you are trying to steer the nose of your car.
One last item, in the game play I tried with my friends, it seemed only one person could play single player. Attempts to enter the game for more than one single player were unsuccessful.
Codeglue, you have a great idea on your hands. This is a great concept, though there are flaws, there are pluses and all is not lost. To those out there that want a fun game that simulates RC cars for a private space, this is good, it just takes some patience and practice. I also set this up in a larger space, which helped a little with navigating. This is a great effort Codeglue, and there are some things that need reworking for your next venture.
This is not all bad, it just takes a steep learning curve.
- Fun once you learn to drive it.
- Affordable prices and bundle packs.
- Furniture easy to work with.
- Rewards.
- Multi player available.
- Hard to control car until you learn it.
- Game is 35 slots.
- On screen display gets in the way.
- Had trouble having 2 people log in for single player.
April 5th, 2013 by FEMAELSTROM | 7 comments
FEMAELSTROM came to Home in June 2011 and never wanted to leave, even at weekly maintenance when he usually gets booted. The sand box environment appeals to the explorer in him and often is out and about as he ‘geeks’ out dressed like some sort of sci-fi character, while he people watches in popular public spaces. An artist and writer, FEMAELSTROM loves making friends and meeting people. He loves sci-fi and decorating Home estates and loves to respond “here” when people ask “where are you from?” in public places.
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I bought this as well and I am a bit disappointed in the controls for the car. Using both joysticks to drive is very awkward for me and for everyone I have had try this. Like you said the maneuvering is very clumsy. I wish they had used R1 for the gas. Some of the pieces of furniture are hard to line up together as well. The heights of the different pieces don’t line up for one, and for the life of me I can’t figure out what the tall lamp is for except a decoration.
The screen you get for viewing is weird, you are at such a low angle it is hard to see ahead to set up jumps and hit your target ramps as well, causing a lot of backing up and realigning.
My friends had trouble with the single player mode as well, I guess when someone is in that mode, no one else can play.
I hope they can readjust these areas because the concept for this is a great one, I was really looking forward to having people play this, but right now I doubt I will use it much myself even, which is sad because I just put out $8 of my hard earned money.
Good review Strom, I agree with your assessments.
Nice review Strom, I had no idea you were a racing fan, not at all lol! I tried the cars and had a very hard time controlling them, and I agree with Burbie the angle you see while using them makes it even more difficult to drive. Hopefully we’ll see some tweaking here.
ted2112, I’m a long time NASCAR fan, and I love anything that has 4 tires on road. I love it and understand it so well, so if it has to do with racing, I’m up for a chat. I also reviewed the NASCAR styled race car furniture items from Game Mechanics. I actually did set my DIY up in an oval that helps with the ease, so that’s a plus that helps the fun level go up a little after a long time of working with the learning curve.
I just read a post from the CodeGlue Facebook page that states that they have been at work updating the game. The post claims that they have improved the control scheme, added a power boost, and reduced the number of slots. I have yet to try it, but wanted to give CodeGlue a nod as they listened to the community and made changes.This does go a long way to making the populace here feel like you at Code Glue are listening (because you are) and helps to form a customer base that will return again and again.Good job Code Glue!
Ok, I have played the upgraded game and have to say that Codeglue has done a real good job of updating the game and adding an upgraded controls scheme that does make it easier and better to handle, plus a boost system that is fun. Good job Codeglue. Good job of listening to the fans and folks of Home and taking the time to show that you care for the people here, even after they have paid. So many real world companies will sell things and say that their obligation is done with the end of the transaction.Bravo Codeglue, you guys and gals stepped up in grand form.
Hi Femaelstrom,
So that had to be fixed, it’s no use to us to have a broken game in the store. The update was a good opportunity for us to implement some of the other feedback we received, like the boost, the camera, memory usage, etc. Anyway, we feel the game is much better now and we hope that people will enjoy it like we do. 
Cheers, Peter
Thanks for the compliments! We’ve spent quite some time on DIY Racer and thought we made the right decision on controls, but clearly we didn’t
I will thank you on behalf of everyone that had a comment or concern. That was a stand up job of listening and working on the set. A friend of mine was over and tried it after having tried the original set and said that it was something she was now going to think about buying. She liked the controls that were updated and thought that they were done in an easier way that she could enjoy. The boost was a great add on. thanks from the folks on Home.