Random thoughts about Wipeout HD and PS Home

[s0mmieUK]

So, this is going to be a bit of a flight of fancy, but I'd appreciate opinions on it anyway! :)

I love the idea of the WipEout Museum in Playstation Home, but I think it could be so much more. For a start, I wish there was more made of the museum aspect. Why not have a room with posters showing concept art and print ads for the original games? Why not have the option to stream some of the original music tracks in a personal jukebox? Instead of hologram viewers showing weapon icons, why not show the evolution of ship designs over the course of the series? Why not put in some material relating to the WipEout universe and backstory?

There are also a number of video screens around the place that don't seem to show anything (although that could just be my connection). Imagine if the main screen could show a spectators view of a random race happening live online. Other video screens could show adverts and video footage of the original series of games, or highlights of the best online races of the day.

The other major way I would suggest the Home room be improved would depend on Sony implementing the ability to launch games from within Home (which is apparently on the cards). I believe the Home environment is set in the middle of Metropia. How awesome would it be to arrange to meet your fellow pilots in the middle of Metropia, and then move down to, perhaps, a pit area where you could configure the parameters of the race and launch WipEout HD directly from there.

One of things I have always loved about WipEout is the convincing, coherent universe in which it is set. Home provides the potential to really flesh out this universe and take the immersion to the next level.

Of course, I don't know how many of these things are even technically possible with the Home platform, and I guess whoever maintains the WipEout Home has better things to do than redevelop a Home space that not many people really use.

Then again, if there are going to be new tracks and ships in WipEout 2048 and it's going to support cross-platform multiplayer, then it is safe to assume WipEout HD will recieved an update with the new content. An overhaul to the Home room could be a great promotional tool.

[Rotational_aspect]

Why not have unlockable Home content as you race? As you get golds/trophies, you get unlockables like ship models, access to new rooms etc.

[blackwiggle]

Why not indeed?
We've been hearing that Wipeout will be launchable from within HOME since HOME was still in BETA trials.
I think the likely scenario is that SL would have had in-house trials of launching HD/FURY from within HOME, and found that it introduced unacceptable performance hits to the game.[I imagine you would get similar to "Spectator mode" performance if HD/FURY was launch via HOME]
If this is true, they have wisely chosen not to inflict what would be a travesty to the game, and saved themselves from a barrage of abuse from disgruntled Wipeout players

The Wipeout Museum seems to have been made during the period between the lay-off's of a lot of the original Psynosis/Studio Liverpool staff back in Jan/Feb last year, and what was presumably was the start up date of what has become 2048, seems that would of been around Sept/Oct 2010.
So about 8 months I reckon.
Most of the Wipeout Museum seems to be accredited to SL staffer Zico Liu - of "Beat Zico" notoriety, if he or SL had plans to make it more of a museum showing past Wipeouts or not before they were mustered onto 2048 I guess we will never know.