Jump to content

What is the point of housing?


Songano

Recommended Posts

EDIT: You know what's funny? People hold up SWG as an example of how to do it "right"... but if you google SWG House you'll get a bunch of pictures of the interior of houses that look like... well... regular houses. With the chairs on the ground, arranged around tables and beds towards the wall and paintings on the walls... very few actually take full advantage of the free placement to make the house look like some sort of fairground or art exibit. Most actually just do what you can do in this game.

 

So what? When I watch

I am seeing paintings on the wall, rugs on the floor, plants in corners, tables and chairs around, yet it is still great because it feels unique and that system is far better than what we are getting here years later.

 

And most importantly a huge amount of the decorations were veteran rewards (gifts that you would get every 3 months of sub), items from various events that you could buy with the event currency, cheap crafted furnitures, which means that you could have an awesome house even with a limited amount of resource... the only limitation was your imagination. In TOR you can hardly get any furniture without farming a bunch of materials.

 

My gripe is even not about the hook system — I can live with that — but the fact that furnitures are such an hassle to get that in the end you are so limited with decorations.

Edited by demotivator
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 120
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

So what? When I watch
I am seeing paintings on the wall, rugs on the floor, plants in corners, tables and chairs around, yet it is still great because it feels unique and that system is far better than what we are getting here years later.

 

And most importantly a huge amount of the decorations were veteran rewards (gifts that you would get every 3 months of sub), items from various events that you could buy with the event currency, cheap crafted furnitures, which means that you could have an awesome house even with a limited amount of resource... the only limitation was your imagination. In TOR you can hardly get any furniture without farming a bunch of materials.

 

My gripe is even not about the hook system — I can live with that — but the fact that furnitures are such an hassle to get that in the end you are so limited with decorations.

That I can agree with, actually - even being a vocal defender of the housing system.

 

It was a punch straight in the gut learning that I will have to farm materials to get the majority of the decorations, and I am not complaining about the farming itself but rather that I have to do it all over again...before the achivements went live I had a bunch of end-game dressed chars and didn't even blink when I had to do all the planets again, do complete the flashpoint and ops achivements...and now, that I almost got all the achivements I could possibly get I am told I have to farm EV and KP for weeks and weeks to come to buy myslef a table to my house?

 

Seriously? I am disapointed.

 

There, I said it. I am disapointed that all I get from my achivements is a few lousy holo-paintings with different frame colour for each difficulty mode. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This system can work. There are some real limitations IMO however, setting aside the disappointment for some folks over having hooks in the first place....

 

First would perhaps be the idea that the furniture is not functional in any way. They have to provide emotes so you can sit and sleep, and that works I think to some extent, but I think it still speaks to the detached nature of the decorations. This is not a serious issue IMO, but it still stands as an example of one of the issues with the housing overall.

 

Second, the restriction of some of the terminals from use in our strongholds to avoid clearing out the fleet, and restricting strongholds to planetary chat. For those that will use Strongholds as a convenience item, this limits it's usefulness.

 

Then there are the costs. Some of the unlock costs are a bit high IMO, Legacy storage tab cost is WAY too high IMO, but the strongholds themselves, as well as some of the rooms seem to be quite reasonable....and they also give a decent amount of useful terminals to start with. A strange mix here IMO.

 

A UI that is poorly designed IMO, especially with respect to the item viewer. No way to hide decorations you do not wish to see inside a category. Bugs inside the viewer. Items that will not hold their facing position, break or disappear when you log out, forcing you to replace the item.

 

Add the strange placement of some of the hooks, the limitations of some of the hook patterns for unknown reasons, the holes in the placement of hooks in a few spots where one would expect hooks to exist, and you start to see a pattern....

 

....that this is still an early work in progress, with a long way to go before even their base design is complete IMO. But some of the design decisions seem a bit...narrow in scope in my eyes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there some way to interact with placed objects? So far it just looks like you can place all kinds of objects/items in your stronghold but cant use any of it. You cant even use chairs or your bed. Ok, you can use /chair for the immersion of really sitting on a chair, but you will get bad clipping doing that (legs going through the chair.). So what is the point? Can you prove me wrong and tell me about usable items inside a stronghold?

 

To have a place to live with your wife. A space ship is not a good place to raise a family.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there some way to interact with placed objects? So far it just looks like you can place all kinds of objects/items in your stronghold but cant use any of it. You cant even use chairs or your bed. Ok, you can use /chair for the immersion of really sitting on a chair, but you will get bad clipping doing that (legs going through the chair.). So what is the point? Can you prove me wrong and tell me about usable items inside a stronghold?

 

To give Interior Designers something to do in the game instead of actually playing the content of the game. Despite what many people like to spout out about, there is no "MMO standard" and there are just as many games out there without housing as there is with housing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i see no point in ever using it...its unplayable content and absolute fluff. it's barbie dreamhouse.

 

my free 5 room whatever place in nar shadaa will be empty and never set foot in.

 

meanwhile i'll wait for actual game content

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a lifeless exhibition hall of stuff.

 

They created housing free of any fun. You have to respect this achievement by BioWare. Any other person would have tried to make housing fun.

^^^

Quote of the week! So freaking true. They couldn't have screwed it up any more - everything from hooks to the costs to the unlocks...crazy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Where SWG you were part of a community and people could visit or use it as a shop. Here its a very minor aspect and then forgotten, which given the time spent on it is a failing.

 

This isn't entirely true. Crafters' houses will have greater utility b/c of their ability to craft the little items you need to buy utility consoles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it's barbie dreamhouse.

I see nothing wrong with that... to be honest the whole game can be seen that way, I dress up my doll (toon) and play with it then, so now I get a house to decorate too, not a bit of a change, except that some people like it and others do not. I, for my part, am fine with getting a house for my barbie!

Edited by Drudenfusz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is the point of raiding?

 

What is the point of PvP?

 

What is the point of denigrating content that someone else enjoys, even if you don't?

 

We're all wasting time here. If some choose to waste it in a different way than you, that doesn't make your way any less pointless.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is the point of raiding?

 

What is the point of PvP?

 

What is the point of denigrating content that someone else enjoys, even if you don't?

 

We're all wasting time here. If some choose to waste it in a different way than you, that doesn't make your way any less pointless.

 

This is the real post of the week right here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see nothing wrong with that... to be honest the whole game can be seen that way, I dress up my doll (toon) and play with it then, so now I get a house to decorate too, not a bid change, except that some people like it and others do not. I, for my part, am fine with getting a house for my barbie!

 

Yea it's kind of a ridiculous argument, as that's exactly what Cartel Packs are. I have to imagine if they didn't net them significant money from the CM, they wouldn't be developing them and putting them out at such regular intervals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While it is defiantly a good feature, it has no game play value IMO. So, I would log into my house and do what? Decorate it. Then what? That's like 2-3 hours exercise? Where is the replaybility? And considering the content we had this year:

 

1- The resources spent would be better been spent creating corss-server que.

2- The resources spent would be better been spent creating more WZs.

3- The resources spent would be better been spent creating more Ops.

4- The resources spent would be better been spent creating more non-tactical FPs.

5- The resources spent would be better been spent creating daily areas.

6- The resources spent would be better been spent creating more story content.

 

Instead we get a feature that is for all intensive purposes offer no game play option, because it is a great sink for Cartel Coins. i am not against housing, but wither it is housing or GSF, all I see is features introduced so Cartel Coins are sold on these features where actual content has been neglected. The population on most servers have dropped big time, and there is no wounder why.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The point of housing is suppose to be a small addition of something to kill your time and bring some fun and entertainment when you are not out in the world.

 

Will SWTOR be able to bring that with their housing? Not sure just yet.

Edited by Quraswren
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The point of housing is suppose to be a small addition of something to kill your time and bring some fun and entertainment when you are not out in the world.

 

Will SWTOR be able to bring that with their housing? Not sure just yet.

 

It'll only be really fun when we start seeing people from both factions congregating in the Tat and Nar Shaddaa houses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It'll only be really fun when we start seeing people from both factions congregating in the Tat and Nar Shaddaa houses.

Wow, that's cool, I had not thought of that. Gotta start spamming those silver keys! My Sith Sorc can finally meet my wife's Jedi Sage that's such good friends with my Sorc's separated-at-an-early age sister who became Jedi Knight.

 

Together, we will save the Republic and the Empire from themselves! In our own imagination, anyway. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's rare when I compare or use another game as a reference but one thing that would make Strongholds really useful would be unique buffs that are gained by having your stronghold either completed to a certain extent or by having certain items within your stronghold.

 

This was a feature of Wildstars housing system that really caught my attention when I was researching whether or not I wanted to try it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me the enjoyment of housing will be I'll have a direct influence on my in game environment. Housing will offer the enjoyment of expressing my creativity and seeing the creativity of others.

I think it will make the game feel more immersive.

I like seeing new types of content being added to the game.

It will allow me to create a space that feels like my own, instead of some ship that looks no different than the ship of everyone else in my class. Since I'm spending so much time in this game I should have some places that feel like home. The ships don't feel like home, the ships feel like hotel rooms.

Housing will encourage me to partake in more content and do more achievements so I can earn access to more items.

I'm hoping it will make crafting more viable too.

I think housing will offer us many more interesting options for places to socialize.

Edited by JediRelentless
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One could also ask "What is the point of achievements?", which most games seem to have nowadays. Housing is in a way, tied to achievement system, giving you a way to tangibly display some of your achievements and accomplishments. And it also incentives older content, for people that want to get certain housing-related drops.

 

But beyond that, it's a way for players to be creative, and do something laid-back, to take a break from the usual hack-n-slash all day. I've spent many hours over the lifetime of this game, playing around with combinations of gear for my characters and their companions to create a look of my own, so I'm looking forward to having something else to customize.

Edited by HeatRacer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The point of housing is suppose to be a small addition of something to kill your time and bring some fun and entertainment when you are not out in the world.

 

Will SWTOR be able to bring that with their housing? Not sure just yet.

 

Yes, that's fine, but if it is the only major thing launched in a 6 month window of time... it isn't enough...

 

This should have been an add-on, not the main course...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...