by Godzprototype, HSM team writer and filmmaker

Memory considerations will always be an issue, no matter how high you build a platform. Technology grows exponentially. With the patterns us older gamers have seen, it wouldn’t be surprising that this pattern will change again.

Keeping something interesting and fresh is not easy. People tend to just get used to something and then it does one of two things. It stays the same with things tacked onto it, or it changes altogether. Regardless of either route, it still changes. I once heard something I really liked and I paused for thought on it: “After every moment happens, change follows.”

With respect to the way the water is flowing, metaphorically speaking, everything these days is interconnected to each other. Computers, smart phones, the Vita, and the PS4 – our technology is talking to each other. In an appealing way, mind you, but a way that doesn’t override one or the other in doing so.

So far with smart phones, I see large potential in avatar character creation, and modification. Changing one’s avatar in much more detailed ways like adding attributes for later use. If the club you were in had a date to get together for a race or even a social party. You could dress that avatar and add the theme and dance for the party. And for the race, paint your car or detail the specs for the type of race you would be having. Afterwards, you could upload it to your space and finish the afternoon. As much as I have seen people modifying their avatars in Home with dress and dance this would be a nice addition for those constantly on the fly. But there would still be the issue of memory constraints for the phone. Likely, it couldn’t handle the full ability you may have on something as powerful as your computer or PS4.

Here is an alternative to that. The space that you would be using currently could be loaded as a background picture on your phone that your avatar was modified on. Your avatar would be fully functional on the phone. Changing clothes, and adding particular movement should be possible with the type of memory a smart phone has.

With that said let’s say an area of your space needed modifying on the fly. Without all the horns and whistles, you could move furniture items in one area of the space at a time with no more than what we are used to in Home – a drop down menu and section of the space to work with. This should be possible. Keeping in mind that the space wouldn’t be fully functional until you entered either your computer or your PS4. Only the parts you were modifying.

Pose Tool 3D
(Google Play App)

That would be the tip of the iceberg. I can imagine many mini mods made to various things through the handheld device. Very small but specific things. Animator apps could be possible through wire-framing points creating your own movements that could be uploaded. The elegant swiping on touch devices should make this process easier than it used to be. This would also no doubt help to create new developers.

None of these suggestions touch communications. That should be a topic all by itself. As obviously it would be the most important of all. These are small suggestions.

What if this environment, Home, has had it’s moment? How could Home, or a good and fair variant of it, be made? Taking into consideration everything Sony and PlayStation Home’s third party developers have learned over the years. Build something people will use for years and remain truly fresh through it’s time on the console and all of the satellite devices iterations. Some of that I believe is up to us. Sony does seem to be engaged in making the PS4 about what you do on it, all about how you prefer to interact with it.

My hopes are that many people will make suggestions on the coming change. We have all had a moment for sure. A good one for you I hope.

Your imagination, and what comes next could be the future. So do try by submitting your ideas of how what we all have had in Home that matters to you, and how that could translate in to a future iteration of what Home has been to you. What that could be to someone else you might meet.

Share

2 Responses to “The Right Mix”

1. Burbie52 says:

   May 26, 2013 at 1:42 pm

   Very interesting ideas Godz. I don’t have a smart phone, no real use for one, but I could see some of what you say coming to pass in the future.
   Home is a huge playground for most people, they use it to play the games they prefer and meet others who like the same things as they do. I play some of what Home has to offer, but it is the social side that is most important to me. I have met some great people here, and I hope that Sony decides to continue to support Home for a long time to come, even if they don’t bring it to the PS4.

   Reply
2. deuce_for2 says:

   May 27, 2013 at 10:39 pm

   Very thought provoking. I believe that there is a future for online communities, but to survive they have to give the people what they want. I feel like Home the way I felt about MySpace -- it’s almost right, but not right enough to survive. Unless it evolves of course.

   Reply