Should there be player housing in GW2?

[Tyncale.1629]

@Blude.6812 said:Glad this has finally came up. It's a great new idea. Housing, you would think that this might have been discussed already.

I hope people will be making new threads about this constantly, and I am NOT being sarcastic. :) The more Anet sees these threads popping up, the more it lingers in their mind. And I will post a big YES to Housing in all those threads, with an explanation why I think this is a good idea. Sorry man. Still A+ for sarcasm, I like it.

[Randulf.7614]

@Jimbru.6014 said:

@Raknar.4735 said:Something like Rift/Wildstar housing would be nice.

Yes. Whenever housing is mentioned, Wildstar is the example I think of; it's almost the only thing that game did right. A home instance with an actual home that you can stock and decorate and others can visit.

I didn't play enough of WIldstar to get to housing, but Lotro absolutely nailed it. The thing is, Lotro makes decorating your house really easy. Most decorations come from festival and quest rewards, with a few from bosses and crafting. GW2 is not set up well for rewards so it risks being a grindfest or something more like scribing. I reckon I have 200-300 decorations in storage for a 2 storey, 9 room, 3 garden Gondorian mansion

I'm not against it for GW2. I'm just not sure if it fits the style of game. The potential to reinvigorate old content to get decorations exists though - but as long as it isn't horrible grindy. Housing and grind don't go together because housing tends to appeal to a more broad base

[Sylvari.2953]

Yes so I can finally quit ESO, I only play it to scratch my housing itch. I would sell my soul for a very colorful and leafy home for my salad girls. <3

[Raknar.4735]

@kharmin.7683 said:

@"Raknar.4735" said:Something like Rift/Wildstar housing would be nice.

Personally, I think that people who want housing like these games should just play those games.

Oh I have played them. Didn't help that the rest of the content and underlying features in those games was subpar IMO.

Let me rephrase myself: "Something better than Rift/Wildstar housing would be nice!"That'll do, no need to play these other games anymore, since it isn't like their housing anymore ;)

Just interested in what way Anet could innovate housing, just like they did with mounts, since those weren't welcome at first, too.

[snh.7091]

If you want player housing, stop trying to copy ESO and just play it.

[kharmin.7683]

@Raknar.4735 said:

@kharmin.7683 said:

@Raknar.4735 said:Something like Rift/Wildstar housing would be nice.

Personally, I think that people who want housing like these games should just play those games.

Oh I have played them. Didn't help that the rest of the content and underlying features in those games was subpar IMO.

Let me rephrase myself: "Something better than Rift/Wildstar housing would be nice!"That'll do, no need to play these other games anymore, since it isn't like their housing anymore ;)

Just interested in what way Anet could innovate housing, just like they did with mounts, since those weren't welcome at first, too.

I guess my somewhat hidden point was what games have been successful with housing? Seems that those games with it don't do too well? Maybe ANet has seen industry metrics that we haven't and have thought that housing would be detrimental to the game as a whole? /shrug

[Ayrilana.1396]

I personally don’t see the value in it other than RP and another gold sink. I played ESO and wasn’t all that impressed with the housing as all I cared was the storage. Same goes for all of the other games that I played that had housing as all I saw beneficial was the storage. This is my personal opinion as I don’t see what it can really offer in the context of this game.

Also be careful what you ask for. There have been numerous things players have requested, Anet then added, and players almost immediately upset about it. The options for player housing could be limited with desirable locations locked in the gem store. The same could be said about furniture and for decorations. There’s also the possibility that decorating your house could be expensive which would upset the self-proclaimed casual players.

Look at build templates. How many people like the way they turned out? How many like how highly monetized they are?

Look at mounts. How many like that every skin is only available through the gem store?

Capes are fairly new so it’s difficult to comment about them at this time but keep tabs on how many skins are available from the playing the games versus the gem store. How about the quality of those skins?

Also, look at the guild halls. How many people got what they wanted who had requested them?

[Raknar.4735]

@kharmin.7683 said:

@Raknar.4735 said:

@kharmin.7683 said:

@Raknar.4735 said:Something like Rift/Wildstar housing would be nice.

Personally, I think that people who want housing like these games should just play those games.

Oh I have played them. Didn't help that the rest of the content and underlying features in those games was subpar IMO.

Let me rephrase myself: "Something better than Rift/Wildstar housing would be nice!"That'll do, no need to play these other games anymore, since it isn't like their housing anymore ;)

Just interested in what way Anet could innovate housing, just like they did with mounts, since those weren't welcome at first, too.

I guess my somewhat hidden point was what games have been successful with housing? Seems that those games with it don't do too well? Maybe ANet has seen industry metrics that we haven't and have thought that housing would be detrimental to the game as a whole? /shrug

Games have also been successful without combat. And some games with combat don't do too well.

Anet deemed it worthwhile to have guild halls, dungeons, build templates and more neglected content.I also didn't think this thread is about what Anet deems detrimental to the game, but about the players' opinion if they want to see housing in the next expansion, detached from what Anet deems worthy.

Your hidden point wasn't hidden at all, but not wanting housing is still just an opinion, just like wanting housing. Telling others to play a different game just because they don't share your opinion about housing sounds kinda petty ;)

You're right in a sense that what we get in the end depends on Anet, but that shouldn't prohibit any kind of discussion on desires for future content.Who knows, maybe there are some industry metrics that say that games like Animal Crossing will be the next big thing?Where would be the fun if we couldn't share our wishes or speculate just because there are some naysayers? It worked for the mount crowd.

[kratan.4619]

Yes, look back at Dark Age od Camelot's housing, just trying to obtain the trophies to display added so many things for me to do.

[kharmin.7683]

@Raknar.4735 said:First, thanks for the respectful response. It is appreciated ;)

Anet deemed it worthwhile to have guild halls, dungeons, build templates and more neglected content.Perhaps yes at first, but now as you mention it is neglected. Something has shown them where the most profit is to be made. If it were in these items listed, I'm sure that production would have been continued in those veins.I also didn't think this thread is about what Anet deems detrimental to the game, but about the players' opinion if they want to see housing in the next expansion, detached from what Anet deems worthy.Yeah, I know that.

Your hidden point wasn't hidden at all, but not wanting housing is still just an opinion, just like wanting housing. Telling others to play a different game just because they don't share your opinion about housing sounds kinda petty ;)Yes, it is my opinion. GW2 cannot be everything to every player. Some games do things better than others. My point was not so much telling people to play other games as it was trying to point out that games which seemed to have heavily developed housing didn't do well so maybe it isn't such a grand idea for GW2 despite the continuing call for it.

You're right in a sense that what we get in the end depends on Anet, but that shouldn't prohibit any kind of discussion on desires for future content.I agree.

[Raknar.4735]

@kharmin.7683 said:

@"Raknar.4735" said:First, thanks for the respectful response. It is appreciated ;)You're welcome! Thank you for elaborating on your comments.

Anet deemed it worthwhile to have guild halls, dungeons, build templates and more neglected content.Perhaps yes at first, but now as you mention it is neglected. Something has shown them where the most profit is to be made. If it were in these items listed, I'm sure that production would have been continued in those veins.True, and while it probably isn't the last time Anet or any other company will burn their fingers for branching out contentwise and not having a high RoI, I'm trying to stay optimistic for new features in games I play, even if those run the risk of ending up abandoned.

Your hidden point wasn't hidden at all, but not wanting housing is still just an opinion, just like wanting housing. Telling others to play a different game just because they don't share your opinion about housing sounds kinda petty ;)Yes, it is my opinion. GW2 cannot be everything to every player. Some games do things better than others. My point was not so much telling people to play other games as it was trying to point out that games which seemed to have heavily developed housing didn't do well so maybe it isn't such a grand idea for GW2 despite the continuing call for it.

I agree that GW2 can't be everything to every player.I just mentioned Wildstar and Rift, because those are the games where the housing system "saved" the game for me. Without the housing I'd probably had quit those ones earlier. Rift didn't really have a heavily developed housing system IMO, it was similiar to the current Guild Halls we already have (Edit: developed for personal use contrary to GHs). Wildstar is an outlier that lured me in with housing, even though the rest of the game didn't really interest me.

I just wish we could have a small personal build space, where the decorations belong to us and not the guild. A system that isn't developed for a large amount of players.The tech for moving objects in a free space and placing/saving them in locations is already there. I'm not sure how much strain a lot of small personal instances would cause on the servers/databases though.

ESO, FFXIV, Runescape and BDO, which are what I'd currently consider successful MMORPGs, actually have housing, but I don't find their aesthetic look appealing, nor does the rest of the content in those games satisfy me, so I didn't mention them, as I've not delved too deep into their housing systems to be able to form an opinion. I'd say their housing systems aren't really talked about much, since they are overall solid games with solid content, so the housing doesn't stick out as much as it did for Wildstar.I really don't think heavily developed housing, which I've only seen Wildstar have and is the only thing I really remember enjoying in that game, is the reason the games didn't do well.

I didn't intend this post to be as long as it is, but I'd still like to apologize for thinking your intention was to make players leave the game based on their opinion.That housing could be detrimental to the overall game is a fair opinion to have, more so as you wouldn't personally enjoy that content and it would take ressources which could otherwise be spend on other content that you'd enjoy, negatively affecting your experience of the game.

[arooboo.5143]

@"Raknar.4735" said:

ESO, FFXIV, Runescape and BDO, which are what I'd currently consider successful MMORPGs, actually have housing, but I don't find their aesthetic look appealing, nor does the rest of the content in those games satisfy me, so I didn't mention them, as I've not delved too deep into their housing systems to be able to form an opinion. I'd say their housing systems aren't really talked about much, since they are overall solid games with solid content, so the housing doesn't stick out as much as it did for Wildstar.

I can't speak for ESO or Runescape, but housing in XIV is a pretty big thing. It's also a massive sore-spot for a lot of players since they have only a finite amount of houses, so a majority of the playerbase cannot have a house. I'm not really a huge fan of their housing system as a whole. X: Aside from the limited number of homes, the inside of houses feels very "boxed-in" as it is its own instance, the lots are pretty small (especially compared to Wildstar) and you're limited to how many items you can place. It's a massive step up from their moghomes in FFXI, but definitely leaves a bit to be desired (IMO).

[videoboy.4162]

I think Housing would be a good way to bring in money, if GW2 did it well. It seems really popular in other games and people spend a ton of time playing with them. Seems like it would help with player traffic too.

[kharmin.7683]

@videoboy.4162 said:I think Housing would be a good way to bring in money, if GW2 did it well.Be careful what you wish for. Many players gushed about paying money for templates who are now dissatisfied with the price and implementation of them. Many don't believe that GW2 did templates well, but someone signed off on it and now we have what we have.

[videoboy.4162]

@kharmin.7683 said:

@videoboy.4162 said:I think Housing would be a good way to bring in money, if GW2 did it well.Be careful what you wish for. Many players gushed about paying money for templates who are now dissatisfied with the price and implementation of them. Many don't believe that GW2 did templates well, but someone signed off on it and now we have what we have.

I mean, the GW2 templates aren't finished and Anet said as much when they released them. I agree with you that, if not done well, housing could be a huge detriment.

[zityz.6089]

I don't think they would, for a few reasons.

1. A lot of the games that have housing, had housing from the beginning and their engine supports it,or a road map for it I do not believe that this game's engine really has anything that can support with proper home building where you can place your furniture however you want.

2. Having plots of land to sell is always a mess. You have either to buy you plot, play for a couple months, never play again and have your abandoned home sitting there. Or you need to pay a "rental" fee to keep your plot which is a money sink just so you can show people your shiny expensive cupboard you made.

3. It would only work with your home instance, and if they were to implement it, the home sizes and inside layouts would need to be pre-done, like how GTA online's are, you just pick your style and away you go.

4. Player housing is very niche and appeals to a small percentage, smaller still to keep at it after months. I personally do not feel that its a feature that would have long term benefits for the amount of work anet would need to put into it.

5.Applying crafting to the housing is not just adding housing, it's adding a whole new crafting system with levels from 1-400(500), which is adding more systems and work.

I mean It's entirely possible that they could add it, and I could be 100% wrong in all of this. All of my reasoning is personal opinion only. They could also add Polymock into the game , finish SAB, and more, so who knows.

[Randulf.7614]

@kharmin.7683 said:

@Raknar.4735 said:

@kharmin.7683 said:

@Raknar.4735 said:Something like Rift/Wildstar housing would be nice.

Personally, I think that people who want housing like these games should just play those games.

Oh I have played them. Didn't help that the rest of the content and underlying features in those games was subpar IMO.

Let me rephrase myself: "Something better than Rift/Wildstar housing would be nice!"That'll do, no need to play these other games anymore, since it isn't like their housing anymore ;)

Just interested in what way Anet could innovate housing, just like they did with mounts, since those weren't welcome at first, too.

I guess my somewhat hidden point was what games have been successful with housing? Seems that those games with it don't do too well? Maybe ANet has seen industry metrics that we haven't and have thought that housing would be detrimental to the game as a whole? /shrug

There is no correlation between in game housing done well and the success of an mmo

Lotro does it perfectly. It is still going healthily today, with continuous content drops, expacs and instances with a tiny dev team. It was on e regarded as the best mmo and community on the market and any change in that is purely down to the age of the game.

But lotro does it right by removing almost all the grind from the equation and giving widespread customisation, an enormous amount of decorations and every single thing about it fits the theme of the game exactly. And it did it right from day one.

GW2’s issue would be that it has a lot to catch up to 8 years on and that Anet love sending players on massively grindy tasks for these sorts of things. Grind and housing do not mix.

If they got it right though, it would be an excellent feature for many players

[Bassdeff.1895]

I just want the ability to decorate my home instance like we do with the guild halls.

[coso.9173]

I would like to. But the issue is there are many overlapping systems already.ile home instance and guild halls.

[Anchoku.8142]

I have a home instance with my own nodes to farm, a kitchen with access to the bank, and vendors.

The guild halls also have gathering nodes, bank access, guild bank access, and vendors. You may even be able to decorate your guild hall.

Lots of places have access to crafting, banks, forging, Black Lion traders, etc.

Not sure what is missing from these places.

[Funky.4861]

It's been said before; we already have it in home instances, Suns' refuge, EoTN, guild hall etc.

[Biermeister.4678]

No Housing1 It would takeaway from the Tyrian Hospitality Industry2 Subdivisions would pop up all over Tyria forcing indigenous species from their territory3 Would cause the price of T-6 Mats to go up4 Property values would fluctuate too much, say you build a nice 6000 gold house an Asura builds next to you your property value goes down with all those broken Golem parts and failed experiments

[Dami.5046]

Aion had beautiful housing areas, the more expensive the house the more buffs it gave. The only downside was when they did sever mergers, everyone lost their house and had to re-bid. I lost 14 houses and just got back the ingame money I paid.Houses in aion were rented. Each week you had to a pay a charge and if you didn't the house was lost.You say no one will want a house - people almost fell over themselves each Sunday with the bidding. Very much a status symbol if your character could show their palace status.Look around you - there are already many houses already in game so they wouldn't have to design much, just an area to pop them in and a way for the player to obtain them.Shop items, people went mad for the themed item in Aion, from christmas trees, to halloween and Discos. Then they brought in 'skins' so you could change how the house looked.Fashion wars - for houses.

[Witch of Doom.5739]

I would, but might be slightly concerned that I'd be tempted to spend too much on it, in that I enjoy "shinies" in GW2, like various mount skins. I think it could be a good money-generator for the company. I'd like it to be completely optional and personal.

And totally off-topic, if you enjoy life sim games like The Sims, a new indie one called Paralives is having the reveal of its people, called Parafolk, tomorrow May 19th. I'm excited for this game.

[TwilightSoul.9048]

Player housing would end up the same as all those useless "hubs" "home instance knock offs" and whatever, they're all equaly useless and redundant.I would very much prefer if they focused more attention back towards guild halls - more guild hall extensions for all the existing guild halls! They still have lots of unused space which could be used for many more interesting and even useful upgrades like crafting stations for all professions - expensive af of course so that we have something new to grind for! Seriously, give guild halls more love, player housing sounds like one of the worst ideas since playable tengus...