Care For A Swim?
by ted2112, HSM team writer
They say the human body is mostly water. So, maybe that’s why we love to swim so much. Go to any hotel pool and you will see kids in the water, in a state of bliss. We love water, pools, beachfront property, water parks, and just about anything else that will get us wet.
Here in Home, we have a spectacular variety of spaces that in some shape or form involve water. Why not? In Home, the landscape reflects a wonderful fantasy of awesomeness. From the Harbour Studio’s dramatic view to the lush beach of the Tropical Escape, Home is replete with scenes of nature that bring you close to water. You can take a high dive into the lagoon at the Loco Roco private island, relax in the mega hot tub of the SeaClyff estate, or dance over the water in the Hub itself.
You can see the water, but what you can’t do in many places is jump in.
I love how LOOT added the swim feature to the Hollywood House personal estate, particularly since it was a free retroactive upgrade for everyone who already owned the original. It’s a blast, and in real life to have a pool of that size would be amazing. However, in the pixelated world, it leaves me longing for more. I just want to keep going.
I get that this is a really difficult thing to do. There isn’t a “free swim” button in the HDK (although I encourage them to explore the uses of the tilde key right below the escape button — nobody ever uses 
that, who knows what it will do, and it kind of looks like water in motion).
In all seriousness, I also know that the technical limitation ceiling is a real thing, and most developers really push the limits and do an amazing job, so forgive me for daydreaming. There’s only so much VRAM to go around, after all, but imagination is endless.
Consider for a moment the Dream Island glitch. This is the glitch where you can use the Essence of the Seven Winds active furniture item and levitate your way out of the back of the secret cave and outside the invisible boundary zone of the island. It is a blast, and for me the glitch is all about swimming. You know those islands you see in the distance? Well, drop on in and swim to them. It’s an endless ocean to explore and swim to your heart’s content. This is exactly the kind of simple fun I’m talking about.
Think of the possibilities: we could expand on the Southern Island Hideaway of reef exploring and really Jacques Cousteau it up, or bring back the Red Bull Beach and frolic, Spring Break style. Irem’s Seaside of Memories has some great swimming, but how about cutting through those glass walls and heading for the digital horizon? These are all wonderful spaces that in my opinion really thought about the water and what you could do with it. I also think the response to these spaces were an emphatic yes, so lets keep that beach ball rolling!
How about a Home mashup where we could swim from space to space? Jump in that water off the Adventure District and swim right 
on through to Pier Park (yes, it would still require a scene transition, but shush). Don’t you just want to explore those islands you pass on the Sunset Yacht, or jump into that alien ocean of Planetland? Who know what lies below those strange waters?
Heck, how about a water theme park to show off the myriad swim fashions sold in Home? Cowabunga!
I have always felt that the sky is the limit in video games — or, in this case, the water is the limit. Swimming is a great locomotion, and here in Home the architects were kind enough to surround us with it. So, what say we put on our swimsuits and explore? Anyone care for a swim?
March 8th, 2014 by ted2112 | 3 comments
ted2112 is a writer and a Bass player that has been both inspired and takes to heart Kurt Vonnegut words...."we are here on planet Earth to fart around, and don't let anyone tell you different."
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Little-known trivia tidbit: I believe the islands in the LOOT Sunset Yacht estate have collision detection built into them.
Didn’t know about that Dream Island glitch, though. I’ll have to try that one out!
When Dream Island first came out. Burbie, Bonzo, and quite a few others would cliff dive at my space.
Lots of fun! Thanks Lockwood. 8)
The Glittering Sands personal space offers the best swimming experience that I’ve seen in Home. The built-in swimming feature allows one to swim near the shore and dock. A little creativity frees your avatar to actually swim with dolphins and out toward the infinite horizon. I believe that the Granzella flotation devices work in the space as well.