The Bramblenook Update
by Burbie52, HSM team writer
In Home, it often seems that public and personal spaces appear, are briefly popular, and then are abandoned by their creators. Many of these orphaned public spaces have removed. And many once-fresh personal spaces, though still in inventory, are now neglected by owners who move on to new arrivals and the excitement they bring. A few companies update their personal spaces from time to time, but at present Juggernaut is the clear leader in space updates.
Once again Juggernaut has come through with a wonderful update for an existing space, Bramblenook Farm. The update costs only $3.99, and it adds some outstanding new options to the space. Not only do you now have cows to raise, and cow and calf companion items. You can also create new woodworking items, and even remodel your home with two different exteriors if you have enough wood and gold. One is a log cabin look, which takes fifteen thousand gold and eight thousand pieces of wood. The other one is a beautiful dark stone farmhouse with a tiled roof — that one requires thirty thousand gold and three thousand wood pieces.
House blueprint game
As you can see, you are going to be chopping a lot of wood and farming your tail off to accumulate this kind of cash. I have already been doing this every day. I think this is a brilliant move on Juggernaut’s part, as it will keep people coming back regularly to unlock both of these wonderful choices. Too often, we lose interest in a space once we have earned everything it has to offer. Having a high-level goal like this should keep us engaged for a very long time. I hope that once the remodeled houses are unlocked you will be able to change them at will. This makes me wonder what could be next in line for the space — perhaps an egg gathering game? After all, we do have chickens.
One other thing came with the space, and this one is free and appeared for every owner of the space. You know how inviting that pond is behind the house? Well now you can swing on a rope and swim all the way around the house to the dock on the other side. Be sure to let your guests go in first though, as if you go first the game locks down and doesn’t allow them in.
You might also notice that the exterior of the space seems to have been updated, with more flowers and lily-pads. And it even looks like they added a bit to the scenery across the lake.
Five new created rewards
Another nice new feature that is included in the upgrade is five new items you can create for you and your friends — four new furniture items, and one locomotion item, a lute. The lute animation is funny to watch. I will have to put together a minstrel outfit for it. You can also create a chest, a lamp post light, a ship in a bottle, and a very large tabletop candlestick light. It is a fun way to put your friends to work chopping wood for you at your space if they want those rewards. Of course you can also sell the things you make for more gold for your house remodeling. It really helps to buy the axe, so you get two pieces for each log you chop.
One of the things I like most about this space is that no matter what actions you or your friends take here, everyone sees it. If I am watering my garden, my friends see me doing it; if I am feeding my animals, walking through a door or if anyone is chopping wood or diving in the pond, it is seen by everyone in the space. This adds a wonderful feeling of not only realism but connectivity to others who visit you here, something that is sorely lacking in many other personal spaces.
Another nice feature of this space is the sound. For each of the times of day you have realistic sounds, and there is also that wonderful built-in music box that has several selections to play. The animals you add all have their own sounds as well.
Wonderful new active items
Along with the basic update they have also added three nice furniture bundles with a whole slew of new active pieces to add to your inventories. The first bundle costs $5.99, and has a Fine active bed (three slots), and it’s a nice one at that; a gazebo with butterflies that you can actually put a bench inside; a cuckoo clock that keeps real time and acts like a real cuckoo clock with an animation and gongs on the hour; an active potted herb garden; a cow manger that puts three cows out to wander your space; a small harp that plays five wonderful songs and a cupboard that allows you to place up to forty pieces of china and silverware anywhere in any house you own. I have been finding the cupboard to be very useful in filling up those empty shelves in the kitchen and mantelpieces as well.
The next item bundle is a bit different. For $3.99 you get an Alchemist’s Lab with a hysterical animation of you, or your friends, drinking a potion. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde anyone? There is also an Alchemist’s Chest that lets you place up to thirty-five jars and things in your space, and a new camera that works just like the Observer but looks like a cannon, of all things. There is also a bearskin rug with a lying-down animation and two non-active items: a globe and antlers for your wall.
The last item bundle has more traditional pieces that are all non-active: a spinning wheel, a bench, a rowboat, a hobby horse, a lute ornament and a sheep statue. All of this costs $2.99.
Second active pack
Juggernaut has once again provided upgrades to a space they created previously, as they did with the Cutteridge Estate. And the quality of update items is consistent with the original space. I simply love the thoughtfulness of the things they create for us. The actives I have gotten from them are all intertwined in one way or another. One thing I noticed was the outdoor lantern we can make now is the same one found on the dock of the Cutteridge, besides being the one outside at Bramblenook.
I am looking forward to whatever Juggernaut decides to do next. Their active items and spaces are top notch, and I will probably buy whatever they offer, as I have never yet been disappointed.
- Great new upgrades to house
- Swimming!
- Nice rewards for friends
- Very cool active items that fit the space well
- Rope swing doesn't work if owner goes in first.
August 30th, 2013 by Burbie52 | 1 comment
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.
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Nice article Burbie,
charging for an optional update is such a good idea. Only people who love a space will pay it and it encourages developers big time to revisit already released content. It’s a win-win!