ESO Housing -- Let's have a discussion

So, word came out that ESO was getting housing a while ago now, but I've been thinking about it it lately. I've played a lot of different MMOs, as well as Skyrim's Hearthfire DLC, so I have been trying to figure out what housing will be like considering the limitations that exist within an MMO environment. While I gather my thoughts and eventually post them below, I'd like to hear what the rest of you think on the matter, or what you expect and would or wouldn't like to see.

Let's not just limit the discussion to the mechanics of housing itself, but also possible locations and other uses for housing.

This is my first MMO, so the closest thing to "player housing" I have ever experienced was Hearthfire in Skyrim.

It was fun to build.

I enjoyed Hearthfire, and I really hope that ESO's housing retains components of the building process. Usually ended up building all at all three locations, and between those three places I would have one of each type of wing. I like the idea of being able to build a place to suit your needs.

My biggest complaint about TES housing has been the overall lack of ability to decorate homes. Sure, you can buy or build modules to add to your home, but I think MMO housing typically needs to allow more freedom. EverQuest II, for instance, has a very robust decoration system and allows you to place furniture and other items (books!) where ever you'd like. It also provides the player with X, Y, and Z-axi to adjust the object, as well as size-scaling. I'm not lobbying for that amount of freedom, per se, but I do think that more freedom is needed. Star Wars: The Old Republic has a pretty good decor system, as well.

Wildstar has a very very good housing system - I had my preorder rocket ship! which was totally sweet! Lol. I'd like something with that kinda versatility - you know, can buy different bits from vendors all around tamriel, with different styles to match the area/city. That would be ******* sweet!

I admittedly did not play Wildstar enough to experience the housing. The game wasn't really my taste. 

The housing system was really really good, about the only thing aside from PvP that was!

Everything I do will be Daedric styling along with your typical common array of torture devices.

Oh, and my favorite tools of mayhem and destruction will be used for my wall decor.

Daedric Black & Red with a little bit of Coldharbour grey to break and transition the color schemes, ya know.

I'll even have a little Banekin as my house carl...with a lil butler suit (and a thick chain&collar around his neck to keep him from running away, of course).

{park that bad boy right in the middle of Daggerfall buddy-ro}.

Yep...that's Dogma Style for ya folks!  

I started my housing with Morrowind in 2002.  I extensively decorated my House Hlaalu mansion, especially focusing on the lighting.  I had every type of lantern and candle in the game on the walls, rooms etc.  Was impressive at night from outside.  I had my trophies on shelves and my arms and armor all over, even on my bed.  It added a lot of longevity to the game and it's a shame ESO didn't launch with it.  ESO will have housing, I just don't know when.  Decorating the abode is quite important to me.

I would be ecstatic if they were able to implement world interactive custom housing like Ultima Online, but doubt that would happen as it would put too much of a strain on the server. I imagine housing if it ever happens in ESO will be more like Everquest where it is instanced to the player and you can buy houses in the Crown store.

Yeah, I don't see it ever happening because: 1.) Having player houses all over would break lore and the flow of the game, and 2.) Having one giant megaserver would severely limit space. UO suffered from housing clutter, especially around cities, and trying to find a place to put a new house was extremely difficult.

I will personally be miffed if they let players buy houses with crowns; that would make it cheap and meaningless. I think houses should convey status and be earned through in-game effort.

For some reason I picture whips, chains and maybe some other medieval accoutrement in Dogma's real house. 

So, here are a few thoughts I had on housing... 

I think that ESO housing likely has a few givens:

1. Must be highly customizable (if not in structure, then definitely in decoration)
2. Should have utility beyond just decorating and/or building
3. Should feel like a status-related venture
4. Can't be open world
5. Shouldn't be such a focal point for gameplay that the player feels forced to use it heavily

Owning a house should be entirely optional. In most MMOs it is, and in previous TES games it has been, and you should use your house only as much as you want to. WoW's last expansion gave everyone housing (of a sort), but it was so integral to the story and gameplay that it almost trapped players. You shouldn't feel forced into using it, and you should also be able to use it as much or little as you want. In my first playthrough of Skyrim, my house in Whiterun essentially became one giant storage container. However, once Hearthfire released, I became obsessed with building and decorating my houses. ESO needs that kind of freedom in its housing.

As I said in a previous post, I don't see ESO attempting open-world building. Frankly, it's too messy. Randomly placed houses would upset the flow of the world around them. I also don't know that following EQII and SWTOR's example is the right way, either, because it cuts the player off from the world when inside. It unfortunately might be the best way to allow for customization, but I think it feels shallow.

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My Vision for Housing:

I think that a good option for the game would be to establish instanced neighborhoods or villages/towns in the same sort of way that they have multiple AvA campaigns. These neighborhoods could have various plots that can buy bought up by players which could have pre-established houses on them or empty plots that allow you to build similar to Hearthfire. With a neighborhood system, it could create a sense of community among the citizens of each neighborhood. Lord of the Rings Online used a similar system, and particularly active neighborhoods held their own events and parties within them. Also, kinships (LotRO's guilds) would often try to settle an entire neighborhood themselves so that they would have control over it and use it for events. I think that something like this would appeal to most guilds.

What I'd like to see is an instanced map that allows a player to set it as their "home" neighborhood or village/town. Inside, there would be a few buildings in the center that function as a town center and would provide utilities such as a bank, stablemaster, crafting stations with a writ board, a wayshrine, and even an inn for provisioning and RP purposes. Surrounding this center would be numerous plots of land that could each be purchased by a player. 

Once the player has purchased land, they could then build a house in stages from a design template similar to Hearthfire. Materials could be purchased through a vendor, or created by player crafters. Nicer furnishing would also be crafted by players, with some basic options purchasable from vendors. Players would be able to decorate their house and property as they see fit, even allowing others to enter their house by setting access permissions. Perhaps if enough guild members make up the neighborhood population, they could establish a guild hall near the center of town. This could even have a default guild storefront that anyone could visit and shop from.

                                                                Hmmm, perhaps.  

OK. !st thing we do is strap Dogma and Batosai in the Iron Maiden in the corner.  You know........just to keep the neighborhood safe.

The Ultima Online housing was exceptional...........building brick by brick and creative decorating.  DAOC had housing much as Heori describes.  Instance zones with little town centers.  Around the towns were numerous little neighborhoods of about 15 home sites.  There were like 5 home models you could pick from. We had a huge guild house and members built what they could afford around it.  You could recall to your house and set up crafting tables and storage chests as well as some decorative options.

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<Lord Dogma Wrote>                    

Awww Faded Jeans, Dude...this is awesome!

Interesting that you found her so quickly though...hid her quite well I thought.

Hmmm, well I guess my little secret is out...heh heh heh