The Yacht Club: When Public Should Be Private

by Phoenix, HSM team writer

Exclusivity is the name of the game when it comes to selling some of the higher-priced spaces in Home. But what’s the point of feeling exclusive if you can’t show it off to others? Home is, after all, a social MMO.

And thus the restricted, exclusive public space was born.

Places like  x7 and Lockwood’s Dream Yacht Club are supposed to be the exclusive extras for specific purchases. How do you quantify how much of a reward that is? Aside from just being able to show that you have access to something that others don’t, what makes a space worth the trouble of gaining access to begin with? Personally, I think x7 has become just another lounge space; yes, it gives you access to some commodities a week before the general public can buy them, but really, with so much content being released into Home these days, does anyone actually care? Is it truly boosting sales?

Those are larger questions which may be beyond the scope of this article. For now, let’s talk about the latest exclusive public space from SCEA: the Diamond Beach Yacht Club and Marina.

PlayStation(R)Home Picture 07-29-2013 09-55-19

I was struck by the difference in style of this new space, compared to x7, as soon as I set foot upon the beach. There is a medium-sized cabana with a commerce point in place and a miniature of the Diamond Beach Mansion. An advertising board is also present here, showing what is needed to enter the gates ahead, should you be excluded. If you have what it takes to enter, you’ll find yourself on the other side of the crowd at the gate. Here, for me, is one of the best looking scenes in Home. As you approach, the marina is always visible to your right. There is the water taxi driver, who will explain you cannot use his service if you haven’t purchased the new mansion. There is a water sport mini game included at the other end of the dock. The surprising additions to the space are that the water here can be entered and the swim activity is available. You can find yourself underwater and exploring the sea vista there. There is an abundance of sea life and a fair amount of area to cover.  This space is on an automatic diurnal cycle.

On your left, rising out of the sand and trees, there’s a palatial colonial mansion: a pearl of West Indies classical architecture. The yacht club is well done in design and presentation: a large and roomy structure, complete with mullion segmented windows. A group of furnished and linen-curtained cabanas flank the front entrance and surrounding areas. The same types of NPC characters are present here as we’ve seen in x7, walking around with an odd strut that seems to be the hallmark of Heavy Water design. These characters, however, did not greet me or have any programmed speech, as the ones at x7 do. Shame, that; vocal interaction enhances the sense of realism.

Inside, a breezy melody plays as you take in a very stylish and comfortably furnished interior. Dark leather sofas and chairs accentuate the subtle nautical decor. Installed on a far wall is a video screen with Sony adverts. There is a bar with an NPC bartender like that at x7; again, he says nothing.

There was one drawback to this structure for me: the upstairs. I understand the design PlayStation(R)Home Picture 07-21-2013 23-38-56seemed to call for it, since it is a two story structure, but it does nothing for the space. It is simply a walk space. None of the many doors there open out to the balconies, and it has no other function other than aesthetics.

As I explored this new public/exclusive space, I was struck with the idea that this space seems more what I would imagine a mansion to be. This space seemed more thought out and better executed in design and style. It is large, yes, but understated and charming. With the addition of perhaps other rooms upstairs, this could have made a nice mansion.  The games offered and the interactive beach are a fitting choice for the space. How odd that the public space should be offered for private sale, and the private estate feels more like a public gathering spot!

At the end of my visit I came to believe that this was indeed a pretty well thought-out extra. Whereas x7 seems a continuation of the first mansion, this Yacht Club seemed completely different from its counterparts and contemporaries. It has an exclusive feel to it. I was reminded of a space no longer available to SCEA Home: the Smuggler’s Den at Sully’s Bar. There was that same secluded feel for me. Perhaps the yacht club should have been the Mansion, and the Diamond Beach Mansion should have been the reward space for purchasing it.

August 8th, 2013 by | 4 comments
Phoenix writes poetry and is a photography enthusiast, along with writing for HomeStation Magazine. She is currently studying for a BFA in Creative Writing and BA with concentration in Photography. psn ID phoenixstorm21 youtube.com/user/phoenixstorm21

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4 Responses to “The Yacht Club: When Public Should Be Private”

  1. KrazyFace says:

    I guess beauty must be in the eye of the beholder here. I came here again to check out the second floor of this place yesterday and again the static, tile-patterned sea left me with a “yuck” face on; while the flat, unreflective textures in other places maintained my facial feature. When I checked out the new floor’s bathroom area the mirror looked like a cross between lazy cleaning staff’s shoddy work and a horror movie prop when compared to Veemee’s crisp, reflective offerings from their Diner. And fill the unusable bathtub? With what, is that oil in there!?

    I see the place still has robotic fish and some weird looking Pokemon that craps diamonds. Guess that’s where the money comes from…

    Each to their own here Phoenix, I enjoyed your article but there’s nothing anyone could say to make me even consider paying so much for this tragic excuse to take money from the tasteless.

    • Phoenix says:

      I agree, this new mansion was probably a good idea in someones mind, but it lacks a good deal of substance. There are a few ppl I know that have it, no offence to them or their reasons. I’m too cheap perhaps, or it is too large an estate or too something or other for my taste…but I do enjoy the yacht club and marina. That was why my thought that the two should have been switched.

  2. Gary160974 says:

    The quality of public spaces for me is, what are the people like that hang out there, how many people hang out there, what is there to do there. I’ve been there several times and failed apart from once to get the necessary level id find to be good quality. I think the once was because of mankini though lol. Id go to what would be graphically or design wise considered to be poor if I knew the people and things to do were decent.

  3. KrazyFace says:

    True that the Marina has more appeal in its design, but its design is that of a public space; individual seating areas (that when high up enough on the hillside, gives a pretty nice -if minimal -- view) and there’s a bar, which I’m ALWAYS a fan of. Yet even at that I’d find it hard to hangout in just to meet randoms.

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