by Susan, HSM team writer

This past week, SCEE Home saw a very significant change: the deployment of a new Home Square.

Obviously, any time the main gathering spot for a Home region is changed, it’s a bit deal. We lost Central Plaza some years ago, and SCEE is now seeing another Home Square update. Gone is the downstairs lounge area, and all the buildings have been replaced. I liked the big display that Digital Leisure had up for the Casino, and that’s gone too — although, to be fair, that’s a marketing set dressing and not part of the scene itself.

You now spawn in a little alcove with a beautiful waterfall that leads you out to the plaza area. It has information points and a teleporter for fast access to a few selected areas. You will find the usual visual merchandising display scattered throughout the area, with Home Tycoon currently in the center of the plaza. The storefronts are all fake, except the one where you can go shopping for goodies.

Atrani, along the Amalfi Coast. A possible inspiration for the new Home Square?

The area that used to house the downstairs lounge has been replaced by a sandy beach, and that ominous scenery was changed to feature a beautiful blue sky with birds chirping, and a body of water that you can go swimming in. Put out your inflatable inner-tube LMO in the shallow water and it looks like you’re literally floating on the water. The sounds of your avatar walking on the sand, along the rocks or swimming in the water were a nice added touch. It’s a great place to lay out one of your picnic inventory items, or perhaps a relaxing LMO chair. If you don’t own any, no worries because they have several sun loungers on the sand, begging for you to lay down upon. The sky isn’t diurnal, and that’s too bad; watching a sunset on that lookout point would be spectacular, especially if they added fireworks.

If you continue walking around you will find another hand-chiseled stone staircase which takes you upstairs to an area that allows you to actually climb the rocks.  Walking over to the rail not only provides you with a panoramic view of the place, but you can jump off and perform various dives. Officially awesome. The place is really detailed visually and aurally, and it would be a neat place for me to hang out, except for the fact when they took out the lounge they took away the music too. There is a little area with three tables people can sit and chat at, but no music plays anywhere. If there is any music/dance area, in the thirty minutes I was in there I never found any.

(Personal wishlist: I would recommend taking away those tables, or at least moving them, remove the fake storefronts, and put in a dance area.)

Overall, I found the new place to be a positive improvement, and it is one of many reasons why I encourage you to have an account in the SCEE region. It will be most interesting to see if SCEE opts to temporarily reskin it for various holidays through the year. For now, though: enjoy.

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3 Responses to “It’s Hip To Be Square”

1. Gary160974 says:

   March 29, 2014 at 2:20 pm

   I certainly thought it’s missing a dancefloor but then I thought I’ve hung out on granzella or irem beach without a dance area before. So what was wrong is it just soulless or is it just it’s not better than either of those beaches. Dont know it feels ok but not wow.

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2. Susan says:

   March 31, 2014 at 4:20 pm

   I was thinking maybe at least just add some music to that sitting area, much like Peir Park does. It’s nice just to sit and do some work while chatting with a friend or occasional passer by..The fake store fronts maybe some day will be rented out…

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3. Susan says:

   April 16, 2014 at 11:43 pm

   This article can now be read on the SCEE News Reader. #awesome !!

   Reply