Originally posted by Bladestrom It's a great idea in theory, but it would have to be indestructible to avoid obvious grieving and only be allowed in certain area or you will just get property sprawl that would destroy performance and immersion. If you limit to certain areas without instancing then space is limited, and if you don't limit space and don't instance you hit performance issues. Its a good idea but can only work in games that have small populations, ie if a game is good with housing it's catch 22 it can't cope.
You obviously never played SWG. There was plenty of space for housing. In fact entire cities sprang up. They did not create any lag and actually were one of the best points of the game.
If you want to keep players in a game, non instance housing is a surefire way to do it. Instanced housing is a joke and the games that bother to have it are pathetic.
What I consider to be the clear and defining line, defining the bad from the great:
Non-Instanced-Housing
If the MMO that I'm playing doesn't have it, if the developers don't even know what it is, if the community have never experienced it. Only few, and by few I mean I can only name 2 MMORPGs that have ever even boasted Non-Instanced-Housing, knowing it's rare I'll explain to those who have not experienced it. It is when your house in the game is not a decoration, it is terrain, it directly impacts other players as not only can they see it but they are forced to walk around it, it is as real as the rest of the terrain in the entire game, when you open the door you are *NOT* transported to an imaginary place that only you and invited friends can see, for ALL CAN SEE AT ALL TIMES, NON-INSTANCED-HOUSING defines whether an MMORPG is worth dedicating the time to stay in or not, because most don't have it most aren't worth wasting time on.
The entire game changes with Non-Instanced-Housing, bad neighborhoods, turf wars, good neighborhoods, alliances, wars, battles, it becomes more than a place to store your crap, it becomes the game itself, property value, real estate, economy, there are so many factors I can't list them all, but when an MMORPG has Non-Instanced-Housing instead of Lame Instanced-Housing, or no housing at all, that game you know is going to be serious, you know a game with Non-Instanced-Housing is going to be kick ass. For those who haven't experienced it are missing A LOT.
I thought it was fun...
So did Arenanet...
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Originally posted by Auzy Gonna have to disagree and say its combat....
Combat? Nah.
SWTOR had good combat, yet the game is terrible.
It's a combination is things, e.g., world size, housing, player-driven content, content, end-game, combat, animations, etc.
If I had to say only 1 thing, I would vote for the ability to express yourself. Can I do what I want to do or be what I want to be without being guided the entire time and locked down my story?
Community. Most new MMO's don't require you to work with other players anymore, except for end game raiding. Which may contribute to why so many people just bounce from MMO to MMO now.
In general no, but maybe in certain games. I just cannot fathom the amount of work that would need to be done to be able to handle such capabilities. So you're saying if you took a AAA game with the population similar to something like WoW, it would make the best game in existence? I think not. I can't see the benefit of being able to do it except for having something to show off that people are forced to see AND move around.
The only game I can see this working and making sense is a sand box mmo like Xyson or something where there really is nothing to begin with, but you must recreate civilization... At least that way there's more of a point and it makes sense.
The most important thing in an MMORPG for me would be the Community. After that the combat/gameplay mechanics. But they both kind of go hand-in-hand. I couldn't play WoW, even if all my friends did. Nor could I play any MMORPG without my friends/spouse.
Originally posted by Auzy Gonna have to disagree and say its combat....
I will say PvP is #2, or 'Combat', but without Non-Instanced-Housing I won't waste my time and money on any MMORPG no matter how great the combat is.
And i don't care about non-instanced housing. I won't waste my time on games without good combat, and i don't care about non-instanced housing if the combat is fun.
Originally posted by Auzy Gonna have to disagree and say its combat....
I will say PvP is #2, or 'Combat', but without Non-Instanced-Housing I won't waste my time and money on any MMORPG no matter how great the combat is.
And i don't care about non-instanced housing. I won't waste my time on games without good combat, and i don't care about non-instanced housing if the combat is fun.
You do realise non instanced housing can greatly add to combat right?
"Come and have a look at what you could have won."
Originally posted by Auzy Gonna have to disagree and say its combat....
I will say PvP is #2, or 'Combat', but without Non-Instanced-Housing I won't waste my time and money on any MMORPG no matter how great the combat is.
And i don't care about non-instanced housing. I won't waste my time on games without good combat, and i don't care about non-instanced housing if the combat is fun.
Ok.. then you should play The War of Roses, because in that game combat is fun. Well.. it doesnt have anything else, but the combat is fun.
What I consider to be the clear and defining line, defining the bad from the great:
Non-Instanced-Housing
If the MMO that I'm playing doesn't have it, if the developers don't even know what it is, if the community have never experienced it. Only few, and by few I mean I can only name 2 MMORPGs that have ever even boasted Non-Instanced-Housing, knowing it's rare I'll explain to those who have not experienced it. It is when your house in the game is not a decoration, it is terrain, it directly impacts other players as not only can they see it but they are forced to walk around it, it is as real as the rest of the terrain in the entire game, when you open the door you are *NOT* transported to an imaginary place that only you and invited friends can see, for ALL CAN SEE AT ALL TIMES, NON-INSTANCED-HOUSING defines whether an MMORPG is worth dedicating the time to stay in or not, because most don't have it most aren't worth wasting time on.
The entire game changes with Non-Instanced-Housing, bad neighborhoods, turf wars, good neighborhoods, alliances, wars, battles, it becomes more than a place to store your crap, it becomes the game itself, property value, real estate, economy, there are so many factors I can't list them all, but when an MMORPG has Non-Instanced-Housing instead of Lame Instanced-Housing, or no housing at all, that game you know is going to be serious, you know a game with Non-Instanced-Housing is going to be kick ass. For those who haven't experienced it are missing A LOT.
I would have to say the most important thing in an mmorpg is the player community. Story isn't as important as that can be experienced in offline rpg's. Combat is a vital part of mmo gameplay...or is it? An mmo could be a non combat one like H&H or a tale in the desert but without people, and a good, friendly, helpful community then I don't think an mmo is really special.
It is the community in LOTRO that has made me go back to it numerous times.
I would have to say the most important thing in an mmorpg is the player community. Story isn't as important as that can be experienced in offline rpg's. Combat is a vital part of mmo gameplay...or is it? An mmo could be a non combat one like H&H or a tale in the desert but without people, and a good, friendly, helpful community then I don't think an mmo is really special.
It is the community in LOTRO that has made me go back to it numerous times.
This is an ok point and community needs their heros. There needs to be a disparity between haves and have-nots to keep the "plebs" trying. Maybe it's horrible to say.
Originally posted by Auzy Gonna have to disagree and say its combat....
I will say PvP is #2, or 'Combat', but without Non-Instanced-Housing I won't waste my time and money on any MMORPG no matter how great the combat is.
And your wrong, PvP keeps coming up as important and countless companies have believed it but the simple fact remains that PvE is what actually sells games. There hasn't been any PvP centric game that was a success. Eve Online comes closest but they are still tiny compared to the PvE giants.
The problem that PvP outside the rigid "all sides the same" structure of FPS, is ALWAYS going to be unbalanced and that means people whine and then leave.
And your wrong about housing too. SWG had it and all it means you had a messy maze around every hub filled with houses of long dead accounts.
The probkem is that giving each player a house in the game world simply means you end up with map that is a suburb. And suburbs are not fun gaming environments.
Originally posted by Auzy Gonna have to disagree and say its combat....
I will say PvP is #2, or 'Combat', but without Non-Instanced-Housing I won't waste my time and money on any MMORPG no matter how great the combat is.
And your wrong, PvP keeps coming up as important and countless companies have believed it but the simple fact remains that PvE is what actually sells games. There hasn't been any PvP centric game that was a success. Eve Online comes closest but they are still tiny compared to the PvE giants.
The problem that PvP outside the rigid "all sides the same" structure of FPS, is ALWAYS going to be unbalanced and that means people whine and then leave.
And your wrong about housing too. SWG had it and all it means you had a messy maze around every hub filled with houses of long dead accounts.
The probkem is that giving each player a house in the game world simply means you end up with map that is a suburb. And suburbs are not fun gaming environments.
in pvp people don't leave for imbalance. people leave because the best pvp game's goals have been lofty and engine mechanics don't deliver on massive scale battle. war online was beautiful til there was no support for 200v200. swtor was great til ilum was shit. gw2 wvw is a mess.
Yeah, yeah, I know that's more like three things, but the combined effect is what I value the most in any MMO. Maybe just those won't keep me playing a game for a long time, but I surely won't play a game where I feel the above is severely lacking.
Number one thing is fun that lasts. If non-instanced housing makes the fun last for you, then yep, it's important.
How many games out there have non-instanced housing? I'd hazard a guess and say that not many of the AAA games do, making shooting the feature way down on the devs totem pole.
Comments
You obviously never played SWG. There was plenty of space for housing. In fact entire cities sprang up. They did not create any lag and actually were one of the best points of the game.
If you want to keep players in a game, non instance housing is a surefire way to do it. Instanced housing is a joke and the games that bother to have it are pathetic.
THe most important things in a MMORPG to me are:
1. character development
2. combat
3. community
346. non instanced housing
I agree. The world, and what can I do in it.
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So did Arenanet...
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good, non tupperware pvp
I can count mmos i liked on 1 finger that didnt have this - coh
all the other mmos i liked either had an rvr orientated endgame like daoc or were sandboxes where you managed your own risk like eve.
I really really really dont like raid orientated mmos.
Combat? Nah.
SWTOR had good combat, yet the game is terrible.
It's a combination is things, e.g., world size, housing, player-driven content, content, end-game, combat, animations, etc.
If I had to say only 1 thing, I would vote for the ability to express yourself. Can I do what I want to do or be what I want to be without being guided the entire time and locked down my story?
What happens when you log off your characters????.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFQhfhnjYMk
Dark Age of Camelot
it really cool if its there, but its far from necessary...
The definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.
In general no, but maybe in certain games. I just cannot fathom the amount of work that would need to be done to be able to handle such capabilities. So you're saying if you took a AAA game with the population similar to something like WoW, it would make the best game in existence? I think not. I can't see the benefit of being able to do it except for having something to show off that people are forced to see AND move around.
The only game I can see this working and making sense is a sand box mmo like Xyson or something where there really is nothing to begin with, but you must recreate civilization... At least that way there's more of a point and it makes sense.
We?re all dead, just say it.
And i don't care about non-instanced housing. I won't waste my time on games without good combat, and i don't care about non-instanced housing if the combat is fun.
You do realise non instanced housing can greatly add to combat right?
"Come and have a look at what you could have won."
Ok.. then you should play The War of Roses, because in that game combat is fun. Well.. it doesnt have anything else, but the combat is fun.
i disagree. this doesn't make a better game.
I would have to say the most important thing in an mmorpg is the player community. Story isn't as important as that can be experienced in offline rpg's. Combat is a vital part of mmo gameplay...or is it? An mmo could be a non combat one like H&H or a tale in the desert but without people, and a good, friendly, helpful community then I don't think an mmo is really special.
It is the community in LOTRO that has made me go back to it numerous times.
This is an ok point and community needs their heros. There needs to be a disparity between haves and have-nots to keep the "plebs" trying. Maybe it's horrible to say.
And your wrong, PvP keeps coming up as important and countless companies have believed it but the simple fact remains that PvE is what actually sells games. There hasn't been any PvP centric game that was a success. Eve Online comes closest but they are still tiny compared to the PvE giants.
The problem that PvP outside the rigid "all sides the same" structure of FPS, is ALWAYS going to be unbalanced and that means people whine and then leave.
And your wrong about housing too. SWG had it and all it means you had a messy maze around every hub filled with houses of long dead accounts.
The probkem is that giving each player a house in the game world simply means you end up with map that is a suburb. And suburbs are not fun gaming environments.
in pvp people don't leave for imbalance. people leave because the best pvp game's goals have been lofty and engine mechanics don't deliver on massive scale battle. war online was beautiful til there was no support for 200v200. swtor was great til ilum was shit. gw2 wvw is a mess.
someone make an engine to accomodate 300v300wars.
Bikini armor!
Second most important ...
Boobs jiggling physics!
Yeah, yeah, I know that's more like three things, but the combined effect is what I value the most in any MMO. Maybe just those won't keep me playing a game for a long time, but I surely won't play a game where I feel the above is severely lacking.
Number one thing is fun that lasts. If non-instanced housing makes the fun last for you, then yep, it's important.
How many games out there have non-instanced housing? I'd hazard a guess and say that not many of the AAA games do, making shooting the feature way down on the devs totem pole.