The Lure of Design Home
One day while I was earnestly looking through the infinite number of videos exclusively selected for my viewing by Facebook, it suddenly dawned upon my mind that it was all such a waste of time. The precious time allotted to me by the Good Lord on this earth was ticking away! I realised that instead of watching God- knows- what videos, I should be doing something constructive...like maybe start a boutique..or become an avid baker and bake mouthwatering chocolate cakes for the neighbors' kids, (now I feel like eating a delicious, melt-in-the-mouth chocolate cake! Darn!), or write a nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat thriller which will make me super famous and sign autographs for my thousands of fans (hmm..have to work on that lame signature of mine), or become a great interior designer with rich and famous clients.
The last thought clicked and as any normal human being who has become enlightened, I turned to Google for answers. I searched for...I can't remember correctly..and ended up in Google's Play Store which lured me into downloading a game called Design Home...And my fate was sealed...
Beautiful furniture, spectacular decoration items, and our superior creative skill (ahem) to the test, other players voting on the best designs- that was what it was all about. What more could I ask for?
At the start of the game we are given 18000$, 75 keys and 8000 diamonds (all virtual of course, duh!). The game is played by completing challenges which usually have certain criteria (for eg._Place a Kathy Kuo table lamp) to be fulfilled. To enter a challenge you need 25 keys (15 in case of daily challenge) and you earn 500$ (2500$ for daily challenge) when you complete a challenge.
Huh! Pretty simple and lots of money to spend. I set to work immediately. A beautiful sofa here, a stunning painting there... And soon I found that one could turn from a princess to pauper in no time. Even though you earn 500$ for every challenge, most of the time you need more than 500$ to dress up the room beautifully. In short you actually end up losing money! Also all the decor items could be bought only using diamonds. Without proper decor, the room usually looks lifeless. So decor items are a must. What to do?
It wasn't long before I started watching ads for 15 diamonds/video and voting for keys(3 keys/5 votes). Voting is quite alright, though. It is fun to see other people's designs. Everyday I worked hard to get those pretty flower vases, that eye catching portrait... Wish I had put such effort on my studies!
I guess this is the point where I give advice to those taking those tiny first steps @ design home.
1. Spend the diamonds and cash that you get with fox-like cunningness. Buy only those items that are absolutely necessary. You can gradually build up your inventory by winning challenges. (When you get a rating above 4.0 you win a furniture. If you get 5.0 you get 125 diamonds as well! Hurray!)
2. Never spend diamonds on keys. Instead, vote!
3. If you are running low on cash, pick challenges in which you won't have to buy any new items. Thus you will have earned 500$ upon submission. If you have to buy something, then select items which cost less than 500$. You will earn atleast some money. If you have to spend more than 500$ just leave the challenge alone. They are for the rich people!
4. Submit designs with items that go well with the room's interior. If you put items randomly just for the sake of it, your rating will go down. Buying items in off white, cream etc. payoff well.
5. Everyday there is a challenge that will give you 2500$ upon submission. It costs just 15 keys plus there aren't any criteria to be fulfilled. Make sure to take part in it. Also there are special challenges now and then which offers special prizes. Check them out.
6. Login everyday to claim the daily rewards of 500 diamonds and 20 keys. My precious....
Sigh! I have almost become the Gollum of Design Home. See how much I have blabbered!
Coming the long way back to what I was saying... I got a couple of 5.00 ratings and I was thrilled. I showed it to my father and he said, "That's great, I am sure. But don't you think it is, after all, a waste of time?"
Sigh....
For what it is worth, here are some of my designs that got a rating of 5.00(Have been waiting to show it off from the beginning.)
Update
Design home has started a new challenge called "elite". Only those who meet certain criteria, such as those who have reached level 10, are allowed to take part. You earn 750$ and 250 diamonds! Delicious!
