Instanced Housing

Here is an idea for housing. Keep the city housing and also the village housing. But to make room for the thousands of possible players to have a home do something like they used to do in Asheron's Call. Do instances of player housing. It's basically an area near a city or village (lets say a stone arch). Once a player walks through the arch then it will give you the option to choose a 'zone/instance' and it tells you how many housing plots are available or allows you to enter it. This would keep the land uncluttered yet give an almost unlimited amount of player housing. So basically a nice scenic area with maybe 50 different plot sizes in each instance... Just an idea...

Also make the housing instances different for each town/village to allow people to have a choice in what kind of area they want their house in...

 

How can you have vendors in a house that only exists for you. However This is a cool option... what about a type of enchanted house. Bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.

For those of us that aren't fortunate enough to have the City locations, but have earned enough in game gold, or been in game for a number of years ...

maybe the DEV TEAM could write some code to upgrade our village house with a type of enchant or annual gift that makes the house appear larger inside the house to give us more space for "lock down items" etc. I don't know if i worded that well but I hope that makes sense.

 

The benefit for what esham stated is that yes every player could potentially have a house somewhere to decorate, and extra storage. But the spots where you would place vendors would obviously be in the more limited locations. I know what he's talking about here. LotRO did the same thing.

As for the "reality factor" of real estate, reality says people can build homes in trees or in apartment complexes. So no need to split hairs here. I think it's possible to have the best of both worlds. Or if nothing else, allow people to to create something like apartments/inn rooms instead of a blacksmith shop for their vendors to rent out space

Just a thought. But some level of instance housing/rental is good idea in conjunction with prime real estate.

 

I second this!

Via Esham_the_unholy
Here is an idea for housing. Keep the city housing and also the village housing. But to make room for the thousands of possible players to have a home do something like they used to do in Asheron?s Call. Do instances of player housing. It?s basically an area near a city or village (lets say a stone arch). Once a player walks through the arch then it will give you the option to choose a ?zone/instance? and it tells you how many housing plots are available or allows you to enter it. This would keep the land uncluttered yet give an almost unlimited amount of player housing. So basically a nice scenic area with maybe 50 different plot sizes in each instance? Just an idea?

Also make the housing instances different for each town/village to allow people to have a choice in what kind of area they want their house in?

 

I much prefer non-instanced housing as in UO. Way better. I think it makes more of a world having player housing visible in the actual locations that they are placed... it's much more immersive.

 

Given the way that the limit on availability of housing plots was used to drive people to pledge during the campaign, I don't see how this aspect can be changed later without causing considerable upset.

Many of those who pledged would never have gone to the level they did without the oft stated fact that not everyone will be able to get a house in the game.

This may turn out to be one of those things that the team ultimately regret using as a motivator, but having done so, they can't back-track and remove the limitation now they have everyone's money without facing very justified complaints of having grossly misled their backers.

 

Assuming the devs poopoo on instanced housing, which is my guess, I was also brainstorming ideas for the thousands of homeless players to still have someplace to call "home" in the world but without actually owning property.

https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/?topic=citizenship-without-property

 

I think housing scarcity will only last the first year or 2... after that with all of the new lands opening up with each episode there will be village housing for many players. by episode 4 or 5 expect everyone in the game will have a house.

For those without a house, sharing houses is what we used to do pre-trammel UO. housing was hard to come by. once trammel came out most people had houses, (not all) but most of the time it was a smaller house.. keeps were still hard to place... now you go in and you can build just about anything. (except castles). that has more to do with dwindling player base.

Anyway.. The Dev's have set it up so you wont need a house, it's a nice thing to have but not necessary. if you want a house you'll have to work hard for it (or pay big during pre-alpha). I view it as a status symbol, instanced housing cheapens the deal and lessens the value.

 

Serious instanced housing sucks........really sucks.

Bring in landlord system so a homeowner can allocate a secure area within his/her house in exchange for rent. Much better system as owning a house should be a luxury not a right.

 

"The Dev?s have set it up so you wont need a house, it?s a nice thing to have but not necessary. if you want a house you?ll have to work hard for it (or pay big during pre-alpha). I view it as a status symbol, instanced housing cheapens the deal and lessens the value."

Agree with this completely. I think it is very much desired by the devs to have the housing shortage and instanced housing does not mesh with the world as well.

 

I think Instanced housing has a little value. yes having a house of your own should be a hard to get, high cost item. But housing being something you have to work for means play time in game. For many people this is a major problem. The game I play now. Yes game I have time to play one. And that not nearly as much as id like to. Is a problem. I am sure there are going to be many other who like I who just aren't going to have time to play as much as they will need to to get a house without having to take years to do so.
A NPC Inn in each village, town and city, with a instanced rooms set up paid for on a weekly or monthly basis. Could give people who don't have the play time to get that house. A place to call home. also there was this thread I posted that would also solve this : ttps://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/?topic=not-everyone-wants-a-plot-of-land-trader-wagons-gypsy-vardos-and-tents

 

I hope come time for release they are very up front about that if that is the case. I hate to say it but no housing because I (for whatever personal reasons) had to wait until retail launch means, pass. Realistically, what this implies is you cant even pitch a tent or hew a cabin out 'there. If housing is (underlying) simply a capital generator, thats sad.

 

Just want to toss in my, "NO INSTANCED HOUSING" hat.. *drops it here*

These singular houses that we all see are what will contribute to the look and feel of our one shared world. Having the citys look completely different for people depending on what instance they are in, is not something I believe was part of the vision I was sold on. Not to mention the "hide aways" this creates. Housing is tough, it takes work. Rent something or share something, but in the same instance.

 

They have already stated that housing will be more like in UO (except there will be predefined and limited "plots") and will not be instanced. They have made it clear your neighbors will be able to hear you in your house and you will exist in the world. I think SOTA will have enough instances, and we do not need this done will houses.

Besides I need to be able to look out my window and yell at people to get off my lawn!

 

Just say no to instanced housing. Didn't like it in EQ2 and would not want it here

 

The non-instanced housing (which resembles UO) is top notch.

Now as for instanced housing, I wouldn't mind seeing some sort of Inn that players can rent a room at, for a night, week or month. Let's say you go into the Inn, speak with the Innkeeper and rent the room. You proceed to walk up to the second floor which has a door that leads to the "rooms" but in fact it'll port you to your instanced room. People can still visit you by going to that door and typing your name/room password to enter. Perhaps allowing a minimal amount of storage/decorating options as well but when your rent is up, your items go back into your bank.

 

Ohhhh... really... lol

 

I don't like permanent instanced housing, and like the idea of above ground and below ground housing-specific land-hexes in villages, towns and cities.
However, I'm all for using instancing where it makes sense, and using decorated PC and NPC buildings (houses included) as a blueprint for burglary instances makes sense, to me.

 

As usual i agree with Brenton. I have 9 houses on lotro....instanced of course, and its lousy.

I loathe instanced housing. One of the reasons im here.

 

Not really a fan of instanced housing but what I loathe even more is the prospect of not having enough housing to suit the playerbases' needs. If after a week there's no more plots left anywhere, then I just see this as a nightmare where only those tied in from the beginning will benefit. I surely want those who laid out cash via KS to get theirs and the good stuff, but i'm concerned about the availability of plots relative to releases where new plots may be made available. I don't want it just to be that everyone is guaranteed housing per se, just think that there's needs to be constant evaluation so that housing doesn't turn into a mess.

What I'd like to see is the controlled growth of villages/towns where 'suburbs' could arise replete with new plots as the demand exists. If the devs have a view of players vs. plots and see that there's a drastic shortfall, i think that they could dynamically respond based on those needs.