“Inspecting” the Un-inspected
by Jin Lovelace, HSM team writer & filmmaker
I’m going to open this article with a simple question that begs for a straight answer: Why does every small thing have to be so controversial when it comes to Home?
And what I mean by “small”, is the most idiotic, dumbest thing any person can surmise.
“Jin, we said to keep it professional!”
Okay guys — allow me to explain.
This week we were graced with two fantastic features on Home, one of which we’ll see in SCEA soon. (As of this article, it’s only available in SCEE.) The other is something that many have requested. And now that it’s here, many other have complained about: the Inspect option.
Everyone in Home is always asking me where I get this top from, or who made that dress. I’ve even asked a few people where certain items came from, being that I had never seen them on Home. Some were items that weren’t available in that particular region (hint, hint.) Or they might be an unfamiliar commodity, possibly some kind of exclusive reward item, for which I didn’t know the source or developer. Either way, the answers have often either been “I don’t remember”, or an outright lie to keep the origin of their clothing items a secret.
Now put yourself in the paragraph above. You have on Saggy Skinny Jeans, and someone asks where you got them. You don’t recall where you got them, nor do you remember who made them. It would take perhaps two minutes of your time to go into your wardrobe, go to the exact item, and click L3 to see the information, if the space isn’t laggy and the item is not buried deep in Storage. But sometimes they are, and you may not want to bother.
Either that, or you don’t want to reveal where you got it. For whatever reason.
Home’s history has taught us not to trust our Wardrobe in public spaces, since it is well known for either lagging us out with some error code, freezing us in the wardrobe, or just taking too darned long to access. Some people won’t even risk using the much overlooked “My Purchases” option in our Navigator menu, under the Personal tab.
But now we have the chance to move beyond checking the wardrobe or My Purchases in favor of something more convenient for all of us… and amazingly, people don’t like it.
Why? “Privacy.”
Since when did any of the items on Home became a privacy issue? (Let’s leave the ISE thing out for now — we know why people want to keep that private.) I tried to comprehend this I met a person sporting a nice T-Shirt that I had never seen before, and I asked the dreaded question: where is it from? Instead of telling me that it was the Party Shirt from Lockwood, she insisted that it was no longer available on Home and I couldn’t get it. Even though it was still available at the time.
To even ask why this option has a negative impact to the Home community is pathetic in itself. Seriously, I can think of five different issues and problems that this solves in Home. But the announcement drops, and now suddenly people don’t want to have anyone conveniently come to their avatar to inspect their items that they’ve been curious about or searching for, and make a purchase that contributes to the community we all care about.
You like this Jacket? Please, by all means WEAR IT!
Alphazone 4 facilitates such inquiries by adding all Home items to their database for everyone to view. Twilight Touch has articles and catalogs featuring Home fashions with the parts listed, to inspire others to create outfits on their own. The publication you are reading has contributors who submit videos and articles on interior design to inspire those that aren’t as talented in that area of expertise.
If it is your intention to show off your wardrobe design skills, why would you be angry over someone asking where you got your items? I can somewhat understand how there are certain works you wish to be exclusive… well, no I don’t. I don’t understand at all, because this new Inspect option on Home wasn’t created to steal ideas. It’s not meant to invade your privacy. Neither is it intended to diminish the value of your exclusive clothing combinations. If anything, it lets others realize how very clever you were to combine that old, forgotten item with others to create a new, exiting look.
No, the Inspect option was designed to do something that most people are too lazy to do when asked: convey information about the items they are wearing, and/or what inventory item they are using. So if you really don’t remember where that dress you’re wearing came from, no worries at all; everyone can go to your avatar and select the Inspect option to save you the trouble of checking. It’s so convenient, one finds oneself wishing there was a way to Inspect oneself.
Again, I find it ludicrous for anyone to even complain about something as helpful as a tool that helps others on Home, and potentially increases Home sales. How useful is it for me? To be honest, I remember nearly every one of my items — where they are from and how they were obtained, as well as their significance and sentimental value. If I can’t recall where I purchased an item, I always had the option to look into my wardrobe to gather the information, or look in the My Purchases tab. I can also just go to the Home stores to find the item and its current price, or check the resources cited in this article for a reference.
But with the Inspect option in place, I can now instead just walk to your avatar, take a gander at the goods on display, smile and say thanks, Inspect option.
September 24th, 2013 by Jin Lovelace | 12 comments
Jin Lovelace is a machinimist and team writer for HomeStation Magazine, as well as the founder of Twilight Touch Inc. -- http://twilighttouchinc.com and http://youtube.com/twilighttouchinc. When not found in PlayStation Home, Jin studies graphic design and illustration (character design and fashion), gaming, and the culinary arts.
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Thhat’s curious. Beside a well known freezer/ISE provider, I don’t remember people complaining about that feature.
I guess some Diva love their “exclusivite”.
Coming from GaiaOnline, I can understand both sides of this. Those who don’t like this feature wish to preserve what they believe to be their unique look, their individually as it were. I remember when I first started home, I stumbled upon a clothing combination that looks a lot like Dante from DMC. When people asked, I told them where I got everything. Fast forward several months… Dantes EVERYWHERE!
Those who like the feature may not want to emulate a person’s look entirely, they could just like some little detail or accessory and have no idea where it’s from.
If people want to opt out of using the feature, that’s perfectly fine.
That’s the exact point! They don’t HAVE to use it and since its implementation, I’ve only used the feature once. I create unique looks all the time and this is in a social MMO where everyone’s unique look is solely based on the skimpy spectrum and popularity.
The fact is, people will emulate whatever you have if it looks good on them. Jim Lee is a fantastic artist and broke out to be the best. Andy Kubert emulated his style for years and to this day many artists do the same thing. If you look at their work then and now, you would see how Kubert’s work has an identity of his own while Jim Lee retains his originality.
The drive here for this feature is to purvey information on where the items came from without social vitriol. If a person were to emulate any of my styles--my individuality--then that’s fine because I can refer them to a site where they got it from.
Thank you for your comment.
I agree with jin on this one, people should be glad that this feature was introduce this would help a lot of of individual on home.
Jin Lovelace you rock!!! Long live twilight touch!
I’ve been having a lot of fun with Inspect since it came out. And I’ve learned a lot by using it.
Such as, a verified ISE item does show up in the list, but it has a weird name, like it’s been only half-installed in the local database.
Such as, there are items out there that are not available in NA Home yet. They are listed with descriptions and prices, but no buy option. Beta stuff? Cross-region wanderers? Possibly even ISE goods, with complete local database records? Maybe next time I see this, I’ll simply ask.
Such as, there is some way to appear in Home as a pair of android feet, and when you Inspect the avatar, only the feet and a (unseen) LMO are listed. Definitely weird stuff, and I suspect someone was showing off their hacking skills. I have to admit I was impressed.
I have overheard a number of avatars praising the Inspect feature, and mentioning the items they have purchased because of it. So, to that extent, the option is working as planned — it’s increasing Home revenue. That’s always a good thing.
And I now find myself constructing my outfits more carefully, with an eye to whether someone Inspecting me is going to be impressed that I have combined completely unrelated items, some of them fairly obscure, to create a coherent look. And I add some defunct or hard-to-win reward items, like the EA Sports Poker Bracelets, just to show off a little.
As for privacy — and I have heard that argument made by people who are not notorious ISE hackers — I find it a lot more disturbing that anyone in Home can view my PSN profile and wimpy trophy list. Yeah, I’m only at level 5 after all these years, but that’s just because I live in Home, and Home doesn’t have trophies. But it still makes me look like a total noob, and frankly I’m not thrilled by that. Having my wardrobe inspected is a minor intrusion by comparison, in my opinion.
The Inspect Feature told me EVERYTHING about your nooby Trophy list, and those sweet EA items.
Thanks you. 8D
XD
I’m of the same thinking as Yojimaru; I’ve found that people without imagination tend to just copy cool looks you might have spent a while coming up with. I know, I know; imitation is highest form of flattery, right? Yeah, not after you’ve spent ages trying to look original only to find a ton of people wearing the exact same combo a few days later.
I’ve NEVER followed fashion. I like my own look, the things I personally feel look good on me, combined by me. I mean absolutely no offense to you here Jin but I find people that do follow whatever the “current fashion” generally annoying and shallow. Again, I don’t mean you personally, just the general mob, y’know?
Anyways, it’s the mimicry and lack of imagination that frustrates me most, which is why (although I’ve never used it) I know I’ll hate this extra feature.
I can understand what you mean in terms of the general mob. Being trendy isn’t something what I’m about, which is why TT exist. So I understand what you mean.
I like to make my own combinations but I change things frequently so I don’t care if someone copies. I also like putting together default items with freebies or rewards. Now, I’ve been on Home for several years so I have too much stuff but … I can’t find the “Inspect” option. May I humbly ask someone to teach me where the heck it’s found?
OOPS! You can tell I’m behind on reading HMS. Just read Burbie’s well-written and thorough article. Thanks to all.