PS Home C-931 patch on Thursday

By Tom Bramwell Published 17 December, 2008

The "first step" towards sorting it.

Sony will patch PlayStation Home this Thursday, according to Home Community Manager "TedTheDog", whose real name we did know once but now can't remember.

"We'll be patching Home this Thursday and part of this change will be the first step in tackling the connection issues that you'll know as C-931 errors," he wrote on the official forum (thanks vg247).

According to a post elsewhere, C-931 "is related to very high levels of traffic", and in theory if you keep hammering away the game will let you in at some point anyway.

We asked Eurogamer's resident technical experts - i.e. the people who try and stop our servers exploding during key giveaways - whether trying again and again is a sensible workaround for connection time-outs. They cried.

Sony launched the PlayStation Home open beta last Thursday after nearly two years of build-up and the response so far has been lukewarm.

Eurogamer MMO complained about its "stiff, airless lack of character" and games of pool that aren't instanced, but was careful to note that "its defining feature - how it feeds into and connects with PlayStation gaming as a whole - is missing", and won't be introduced for a bit.

Meanwhile, Eurogamer's Ellie Gibson complained about being basically sexually harassed by drooling morons because she's a girl. MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John apparently had the same problem, but went on again the other day and got into some sort of conga line and therefore forgave it.

Check out our PlayStation Home open beta hands-on report for more details. We'll be sure to report back as the service evolves, too.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (39) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • NickDude #1 3 years ago

    they need more content...soon

  • mcbi4kh2 #2 3 years ago

    @news article

    Sony's clever ploy to reduce traffic loads by making Home featureless and boring have backfired, resorting to an actual fix instead.

    Fixed.
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/08 @ 08:59

  • DanWhitehead #3 3 years ago

    They really need to clamp down on the harassment thing. The image of gangs of boys crowding around female avatars and thrusting their virtual groins is rapidly defining public perception of the service. If Home just becomes a leery clubhouse for horny boys, it'll never be the mainstream product that Sony wanted.

  • DFawkes #4 3 years ago

    I was so looking forward to Home. I've been on 3 times, and I'll probably rarely use it again until it's better integrated and has some nice stuff.

  • JahB #5 3 years ago

    is the patch actually gonna make it interesting?

  • kangarootoo #6 3 years ago

    "They really need to clamp down on the harassment thing"

    I sort of agree, though I'm not sure how they would even begin to do that. Its not like other mmos don't potentially have the same issue. Its just 'cos its all new I guess, and eventually stupid kids will get bored of that sort of thing (like in real life I guess).
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/08 @ 09:22

  • Widge #7 3 years ago

    I've got an avatar based on my fiancee, yesterday someone trots up with a "Hi babe"... needless to say a large bassy voice stating "NOT A BABE" saw them vacate the area. Other than that, I tend not to get hassled, but I do randomly go around behaving like a loon running madly into groups of Italians and barking.

    Is the harassment more rife on the US Home?

  • LHH #8 3 years ago

    So Home is on the road to having a community like Live's lol

    Tried around 8 times yesterday (only downlaoded it last night) and was greeted by connection errors so will give it another shot tonight.

  • bad09 #9 3 years ago

    Funny people mention the harassment thing.

    Last night I went on Home for the second and last time (I wanted to show my missus, exactly how bad it was before I get my 3gb back!). As I wondered around I saw my first female avatar running for her life as a pathetic virginal herd of metrosexual avatars chased her shouting "hi!" :)

    Still not as bad as watching people actually dance in front of the PSP ad though.....



    Edited by 1 at 17/12/08 @ 09:43

  • JohnnyWashnGo #10 3 years ago

    It seems to me that lots of people trying to connect to the same service at the same time could be seen as a distibuted denial of service attack :)

  • chessboxer #11 3 years ago

    Home is not a fucking game. Why do people still call it that ffs?

  • Santino #12 3 years ago

    i still cannot believe how bad home is, and how it got to be this bad without somebody taking action or something. and they couldn't have possibly had a worse first impression what with all the errors, loading, and the fact that there is absolutely nothing to do even if you manage to get in. i don't think i will be re-installing this now that it is (thankfully) gone.
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/08 @ 10:03

  • MaxiSleep #13 3 years ago

    The harrasment thing is unfortunately a by product of :-

    (a) There is nothing worthwhile to do

    (b) There is no consequence of behaving like a berk

    in a mmo you do get this behavior but it is limited to the cities and people in general are getting on with their virtual lives. One you invest time in your toon you do not want to get it a bad rep. There is no downside in home.

  • Floppy #14 3 years ago

    Call me cynical, but does anyone else think all this patch will do is change the 'C-931 server error' message to read, 'Home is busy at the moment, try again later'.

    They could go one better and be helpful with, 'Home is busy at the moment, try again later... or just use your naughty US PSN account, as that is guaranteed to work, because we hate you Europeans. Merry Christmas, love Sony'.
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/08 @ 10:12

  • Zomoniac #15 3 years ago

    I still haven't played it yet. Got a C-931 every time I've tried it over several days.

  • TheMoonRat #16 3 years ago

    Is this the same "TedTheDog" of Barrysworld fame?

  • penhalion #17 3 years ago

    @chessboxer

    Home is not a fucking game. Why do people still call it that ffs?

    Maybe because you initially have to download it and install it. You then need to launch it everytime you want to use it. You know, just like a game.

    So what exactly did you think home was?

  • chessboxer #18 3 years ago

    @ penhalion

    Do you not do the the same with Firefox, Office, Dreamweaver or a million other applications out there? Home is an application, not a game.

  • paulf #19 3 years ago

    application, game, online virtual world, community experience - what ever you call it it still isn't very good

  • andromeda #20 3 years ago

    well some of the cockjob readers of IGNorant seem to think its a game lolz

    [link url=http://rr.ps3.ign.com/rrview/ps3/playstation_home /891773/97197/
    ]http://rr .ps3.ign.com/rrview/ps3/playsta...[/link]

  • lennon #21 3 years ago

    @paulf - +1

    It really is dreadful. And that was when there wasnt that many people using it. Nice view from your pad though.

  • CaptianScarlet #22 3 years ago

    Was on Home for about 10 minute yesterday. Wont be bothering to go back. What a dull piece of lifeless ugly crap!

    Surely Sony don't think this artistically challenged world is a good advert for PS3 Horse power.

    I think their new patch should be something that automatically deletes it from everyones machines and also their minds. that way Sony can move on quickly and pretend they hadn't wasted money developing this rubbish!

  • GitSomE_UK #23 3 years ago

    Not very impressed so far, so many things wrong e.g. Sterile environments, Customise your character costs real money! You enter a shop, select an item and hang on... 59p to buy a pair of shorts for your Avatar!

    It's more like being trapped in some sort of Sony sponsored hell prison near the South of France but without the beastings and rapes.

    The only good bit is playing a game of chess with someone.

  • peterfll #24 3 years ago

    Someone else in the forums talked about the amount of racial harrasment in Home, so when I created my avatar I made her a woman AND black*. Less to say within 10 minutes I'd had 3 types of racial slurs and a couple of "I like black babes" and someone chasing me around. One user in particular was bad "I HATE ALL BKLAC PEOPLE", so I went to report him, went to submit the complaint.... and got a timeout error and was thrown out.

    It's a conspiracy I tell ya.

    But yes, my experience is ratification of the type of users of said service. I know it's old as the hills but it doesn't make it any less valid. This sort of stuff shouldn't be tolerated be it sexist, racist, homophobic etc etc.

    * she is well foxy BTW

  • Doctor_What #25 3 years ago

    My expectations have been fully lowered by the comments I've read about it so far... So when I can actually connect to the damn thing I won't have very high ideals for it.

    It really does sound like it's an application in search of a purpose. Maybe the whole thing is really the Indian-looking girl from the third Matrix film? Oooo...

    Or not.

  • levitate #26 3 years ago

    @Penhalihon:

    A trojan or a keylogger is also something you have to download and install. Just because it's a piece of software doesn't mean it's a game. I've never tried out Home nor will I ever do it either. I'm not interested in that crap at all.

  • rprince #27 3 years ago

    Ellie Gibson is a girl?

  • Santino #28 3 years ago

    @Doctor_What

    lower your expectations as far as you can possibly imagine, i can still guarantee you will be disappointed with how home is now.

  • BobsUncle #29 3 years ago

    It's not all bad. When you finally log on you can go and stand in front of a big line of people doing 'The Robot' and call them all a big bunch of gay looking cocks.

    I pissed off one guy enough that he resorted to personal attacks on my Avatar, calling me Fatty. It cut so deep.

  • bioreit #30 3 years ago

    Well, at least Home appears to be good for one thing:

    Totally disproving the fallacy that Xbox Live has any kind of monopoly on immature, racist, homophobic, sexually-frustrated morons.

  • Arwin #31 3 years ago

    You should try the Namco museum public beta download on the Japan PSN. Playing that game unlocks Namco items, clothes and even Arcade cabinets in Home that you can use in your own space - no more queueing. ;) This together with game launching from Home is what it's about, at least for me. Those 'physical' rewards are very cool.

    As for the harassment thing - it's not that bad, and most girls like the attention anyway. ;) Besides the 'IT'S A TRAP' phenomenon looks like it's taking care of it pretty well also. If necessary though you can still report users for it.

    Anyway, love having a Pacman and Galaga Arcade in my Home personal space, and from the looks of famitsu.com there is more of that stuff coming soon (I think I noticed a Christmas tree and Santa outfits)
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/08 @ 13:13

  • peterfll #32 3 years ago

    "it's not that bad, and most girls like the attention anyway"

    No still means No Arwin!

    ;-)

  • konniehuqfan #33 3 years ago

    i haven't played home yet, but i want to.

    i hope they introduce pets into home, that would have a lot of potential, you could take dogs for walks, teach your parrot rude words, etc.

  • BobsUncle #34 3 years ago

    "you could take dogs for walks"

    That sound mindblowingly awesome. Then you'd go back to your 'personal space' and hoover up, do the washing, make dinner, then hopefully jump off the balcony.

  • Santino #35 3 years ago

    sorry but you cannot jump off of the balcony, i have tried, the inivisble wall and lack of jump feature wouldnt let me escape the awful existance that is life in home. actually that would be quite novel, instead of deleting it you could balcony jump and you would be removed from home, and home would be removed from your machine!
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/08 @ 15:39

  • konniehuqfan #36 3 years ago

    bobsuncle

    you may mock, but that's the sort of thing the massmarket will love! people love digital pets! in shenmue there was a little kitten, and i always made sure to feed him to and from my way to work :)

  • davisorle #37 3 years ago

    MUST READ!!!

    http://me gagames.com/news/html/console/c...

  • Wabe #38 3 years ago

    I admit, I had doubts that Sony could fix the C-931 error so quickly. I was wrong, C-931 is gone forever \O/

    It's now D5027

  • superrob88 #39 3 years ago

    Home is fun... but needs alot to make it some fun. ALOT. lol.