Sophisticated Player Housing

[septembervirgin]

I do believe that we should have player housing that's more than a nicely illustrated box to contain items and henchmen. We should be able to decorate the box, lay protections in it, hire people to care for it and stock it with goods, attract villagers. Think of Covenants ala Ars Magica. Think of the palace in the computer game Civilization. Think of keeps and granted land in AD&D -- and the guidebooks and rules for establishing and maintaining these. Think of Havens in Vampire: the Masquerade. Think of the Sims (suppress your shudder of horror while you're at it).

 

Player housing should be no less than a utility box of playtime.

 

In the PnP game Ars Magica, a covenant is a collective of mages. Bear with me here, I do not think that houses are solely for mages, but in Ars Magica immersion and gameplay meet neatly in a set of rules that make these gaming living spaces a true *living* part of the game. We should be able to create it like a character, albeit it has the same architectural and internal appearance game after game. If we select a haunt in our home, it should be haunted. If we indicate that gold is local but is privately owned and mined, that should occur too. Let's select these by points and add some random extras. Game anyone? Does this seem good?

 

In Civilization we were able to decorate our palace with trophies of our victories. I noticed the trophies in Hrothgar's home in Icewind Dale (much like trophies from a Sierra game, but I digress). We should receive trophies for each of our victorious quests where applicable. Placement of these trophies should be automatic. Some quests might permit us a choice of trophies and some trophies might do more than just look pretty (and provide a bonus to a function of our home somehow).

 

Keeps in AD&D were granted to characters of high level, as part of the rules. These keeps attracted not only other powerful characters but also "zero level characters" who just sought sanctuary and protection in the keep in exchange for labor. This is a good idea. We should be able to hire and attract laborers who through the pantomime of animated emoting indicate a full life (and seem to go about their duties). We should be able to hire and attract soldiery, retired adventurers, runaway outcasts from outlaw bands, and any who might help guard. We should be able to assign duties to our companions, tactical (should we be assailed) and domestic administration -- assigned like Star Trek officers to consoles.

 

Succinctly, as I've covered most of the ideas already (covering ideas we might glean from VtM havens and the sims would just be redundant), I suggest that our homes have traits we can assign it, that decor can be added automatically to our homes (but not placed by us), that our homes attract more than just our companions.

[evdk]

This sound suspiciously like the Sims. I'd rather they used the resources to tie the "house" to some quests, if it has to be in the game after all.

[Infinitron]

If they're going to make it 'sophisticated', it might as well be a stronghold, not a house.

[Delterius]

If they're going to make it 'sophisticated', it might as well be a stronghold, not a house.

 

I may be wrong here, but read the last line. The ability to decorate is indeed superfluous and I'm certain that should be no priority in any way. Like ever. But that's not what the OP seems to be suggesting. His suggestion is in the penultimate paraphraph - somethings there sound exactly like a stronghold questline.

 

'Decoration' in here appears to stand for 'trophies appear and the appearance change overtime'.

Edited September 20, 2012 by Delterius

[Entropious]

No, I do not wish for my house to be "customizable". I'd rather it be beaufitully painted, full of interesting, perhaps addible tidbits, elements and even NPC's making for an even more unique aesthetic experience. I want the entire house (or stronghold) to be architected and planned from top to bottom by an artist, not an artistic ignorant (namely, myself and 99% other players). And I know what I'm talking about, since I'm George Bush.

Edited September 20, 2012 by Entropious

[Tauron]

It would be great if we could choose what sort of "house" we get. Yes a plain simple house where you put your stash and have companions wait for you is fine but having a lair would be awsome. Yes, a lair or housing like a wizards tower, with that plainhouse just beneath. Or if you are warrior stronghold, if priest a shrine that ca be upgraded to tempel etc. Idea is not new to devs, probably we want have it if it doesnt fit story. So I hope game will be highly moddable.

[septembervirgin]

I suggested that we get trophies in our home to represent our victories. I didn't say we should decorate.

 

This sound suspiciously like the Sims. I'd rather they used the resources to tie the "house" to some quests, if it has to be in the game after all.