What type of "player house" would you like?

[Lysen]

Voted for the ship, just for the laughs. I am sure it will not be implemented, though it is a cool idea itself to have a personal ship, like in Arcanum. If there is a pirate class in Eternity, it would make sense.

[Raithe]

I wouldn't say it has to be connected to the main storyline. But it does help if it gets tied to your character in some specific manner. So its not some generic apartment that's the exact same for everybody. Whether it's more a fortified house, or some scholarly tower, or a renovated inn-turned roguish den... It should depend on the character you're playing.

 

It really needs some form of plot or a few side-quests and mini-stroylines of their own wrapped around it. Something that really ties how you feel and how much you invest in it. Not simply some room with a bed and a bunch of loot chests you use to store stuff you can't carry with you.

 

Or even something that will develop as you explore various aspects of it and any storylines relating to it over time and the game.

[limaxophobiacq]

Something that relates and is meaningfull to the plot, there should be a story to the place and how you got it. I'd also like if the house was somewhat magic in some way, possibly cursed, and was usefull to you beyond resting and storing your stuff. Whatever it is it should not just be 'a house', it should be something you get an emotional connection to and actually feels like a home*. I'd rather not have resources spent on different houses for different classes, but instead have all the work put into a single place.

 

*Actually, reading the post bellow mine the Ebon Hawk is actually something that was related to the plot, had history, and really felt like home. I remember actually getting pretty upsett when those bounty-hunters or whatever they were stom your ship in Nar-Shadaa; it really felt like they were invading my home.

Edited September 17, 2012 by limaxophobiacq

[FreezingShock]

If by "house" you mean something like the Baldur's Gate II strongholds, then I'd prefer no house at all. Those always felt like a massive waste of time to me. The only kind of "house" I'd like to see is something like the Ebon Hawk, a location central to the plot where you find yourself returning often because you actually have something to do there, not just for the sake of going.

[^Rayne^]

I think it would be really cool if the house or whatever form it takes is actually magical in origin and can be taken with the PC's and behaves like the tent in Harry Potter where it's small on the outside but much bigger on the inside. Something the PC's could invest to improve over time that also allows them to craft and rest safely and also has a few unexpected surprises.

[Ieo]

I would like a tree-fortress, with an inn and dungeon, and an customizeable airship anchored amongst the branches.

 

I'm serious.

 

And then you'd travel around with that airship, from town to town, region to region, or nation to nation. So that no matter where you went, you'd have that "hub" or "base" with you. And then you'd have a real, major "home base" in the fortress.

 

Furthermore, I'd like to see the player "home" significantly tied to your choice of race, class, and choices made in the story, subquests or universe. Different choices should result in you being able to recruit different characters or vendors, or get different upgrades. For example, if you can fit a temple into the fortress (or whatever we end up with), that should have a profound and long-lasting effect on almost everything else. Your choice of race could make the difference between a wall of living hedges defending your keep, or a massive thick wall covered in spikes.

 

Zeppelin fortress, Girl Genius. 'Nuff said.

 

 

(Otherwise like how BG2 did it.)

[Nakia]

They said the house would be upgradable so I would like to start with a nice house and either as I level up or tied to quests be able to upgrade it to a larger residence prehaps fortified or a stronghold.

In Morrowind one of the players residences was actually a small village. I liked that one the best.

[Delterius]

One which is tied to my character's class, personality, overarching plot, does't just serve to stock loot and has related quests and stuff.

And there's my vote.

[rohezal]

I want a zeppelin

[Blablachar]

One which is tied to my character's class, personality, overarching plot, does't just serve to stock loot and has related quests and stuff.

^--This...

 

Aaand this.

[Irx]

Imho, a house is probably the worst thing for a player base we can get in a game inspired by Infinity engine series. This is not a TES-like sandbox, so a place to dump stuff and trophies and "rp" is not really required. At least, not in a manner like it is done in TES/F3/FNV.

 

Keep it simple:

- A car in Fallout 2. Basically just a mount + additional inventory.

- A camp from DA:O.

- A pocket dimension from BG2:ToB.

The latter two could use a lot of improvement, but the ideas are interesting.

 

Or not:

- A house in Drakensang. Not really fun, barely useful - and completely utilitarian. The one in DA2 is similar.

- Strongholds in BG2. The fact that they are class specific is fun, but imo its too much work for too little output: wouldn't a single but much more developed stronghold with options for different classes/characters be a better idea?

- ...which is basically what we got in NWN2. Which was kind of clumsy and felt like a minigame. This could be fun, but requires a lot effort to make right.

 

Basically, I'd like to either keep it simple, or a real addition to story/gameplay, but not something in-between, like a gimmick house to keep stuff/decorate and collect companions in. Also, a citadel from Siege of Avalon or a castle from Ultima Underworld 2 are good examples of how to catch the right atmosphere for a player base.

[HangedMan]

Something else: Something like Crossroad Keep from NWN2. I suppose that might be a 'Fortress', but I want their to be a town and such. And, especially, one that I can shape and develop to some degree. A lot more freedom than the one in NWN2.

 

Also, I believe their is another thread on this very same subject floating around. It might be best if they get merged.

[Oerwinde]

This is what I posted in a couple other threads:

 

I think it would be cool for your home/stronghold to be an inn. At first it could be a dive, simply having a couple crappy rooms, one of which is yours. As you do quests you could recruit a bartender, cook, serving staff, musicians, etc. and you could expand it, adding the requirements for the various hirelings, bar, kitchen, stage, more rooms, etc. As you expand it, each companion could get his own room with personal touches, you could begin attracting customers, earning an income, and even attracting quest giving customers. Depending on your character you could develop it in specific paths, each path giving different bonuses or quests. Maybe develop it into an upscale inn, earning more of an income, or maybe a gathering place for adventurers, with rumors of dungeons and adventure, or you could develop it as a front for the criminal underworld, running illegal gambling or learning of new areas to rob, or caravans to plunder.

 

I find in games where a house is simply a place to store my loot, I don't go back often, or even put much effort into the place. If it is actually some sort of hub of activity and gives me a reason to return, then I will.

 

Customization = win. You don't need to do individual houses for each class, and it doesn't need to tie into the main story if they don't want it to.

Edited September 18, 2012 by Oerwinde

[Shades]

If I have an inn and my companions take a percentage of the loot I find then I'll expect them to pay for staying at my inn (preferably with whatever percentage of my loot they took)

 

A ship could be fun, both useful for storing stuff and travelling about in! (I'd probably have to force my companions to learn how to sail first though, and it might not be terribly useful inland unless it could fly (ooh! an airship!))

 

If you had a dungeon you should be able to collect monsters to drag back and toss into it.

[Rink]

I agree that it should make sense with story. I would like something like NWN2 as well (so more to do with house and not just storage opportunity). I would like to see it customizable with race/class (so for example u can add a magetower and magestuff-salesperson to your fortress as a mage) but I wouldn't make a full different housing for every class/race.

 

I would love to see a ship as housing in a RPG again, but that may not be the right game for such a thing). Mabye in Risen 3 someday?

[septembervirgin]

While I see the merits of an inn or fortress, it seems to me that the functionality of a fortress can be found in a war ship and an inn is only a place where a travelling adventurer might sign into just as they might sign into service aboard a sea-going vessel.

 

The benefit of a sea-vessel is that it's a vehicle and can be used to adventure in. One might store ones goods and valuables aboard, one might upkeep ones friends aboard, and notices as to places to rest during sojourns could be placed aboard the vessel. Given a magical world, one might never need to leave ones vessel except to gather resources, and fishing to support the life of sailors has been with us since pre-history.

[Lostbrain]

I hope it will depending of Character's class/morality/choice/race. If it's not, 200 000 $ to implent this functionnality is really too expensive.

[Qumi]

Remember Baldurs Gate 2? Every class could get some different "player house", a thief would get thief guild while warrior a fortress. That's the thing I would like. But I suppose this would require a lot of work, so instead - everybody starts with the same house, but as you complete quests the house changes to fit your desires. Even a castle can become a wizard laboratory ;-)

[Shatau]

I think the house should fit in with the story and the character. I don´t care what it is, it just needs to be believable.

[Posbi]

What Shadenuat said.

[Skie Nightfall]

An Inn would be cool.

In general I think it should be tied somehow to your character (e.g. BG2).

[Dianjabla]

Strongholds similar to what they had in BG2 and just as varied. Class or faction affiliated, quests to obtain, quests because you've got it, maybe even quests to keep it.

[Clammo]

One which is tied to my character's class, personality, overarching plot, does't just serve to stock loot and has related quests and stuff.

 

At risk of sounding conformist to popular opinion, this pretty much hits the nail on the head for me also.

[mkreku]

I would love a ship. It wouldn't even have to be sailable, but it could move from port to port as the main quest takes you further and further into the game.

 

Not sure how you would go around to upgrading a ship though, unless you're replacing it altogether.

 

One thing I always enjoy in my games, is when I can see trophies from my quests/side quests in the house I own. Like, if I got a side-quest to kill a minotaur, the next time I go back to my house, there would be a huge bull's head on a plaque in my house. Details like these make me happy. They had a little bit of this in Alpha Protocol, but I want it to be more obvious. I wouldn't even mind a trophy wall, so all the things I accomplish gathers in an easy-to-spot place.

[max8472]

In my opinion, it would be great to have an "house" according to character class like in BG II. But it would be AWESOME to also manage that to some degree (build new rooms, buy supplies, manage crew, etc.) and do that with some specific quests (a bard could make poems out of his adventures, finding good actors for his great comedy, etc. )