RoleCraft: Home Is Where the RP Is

In this week's RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks at the issue of player housing in MMOGs and how it can shape one's roleplay experience.

Read Full Article

I'm not fond of player housing that serves no purpose. If I wanted to build a house and fill it with stuff i'd play the sims. FFXI had a nice system where everyone had their own instanced house which served a purpose and decorating it was just a matter of taste, you could happily go through the game never buying a piece of furniature beyond the default bed and fireplace (though buying some things allowed you to do weird stuff - I remember being able to buy plant pots where you grew crystals).

I think the one housing system I really liked was in Lineage 2. Not player housing as such, but Guild Halls. They were heavily contested, each town only had 2-4 guild halls and they cost a fortune to buy and maintain but they were the ultimate status symbol (well, short of having a castle). Having a guild hall in the capital city of the game where you could hang out with guildmates away from the crowds was awesome, plus they served a purpose, the furnishings gave new buffs to the NPC steward. A fully furnished house gave a steward who could give you all the major buffs in the game for free and lasting twice as long as the ones you'd recieve from a dedicated buffer class.

tl;dr i'm fond of them if they serve a purpose, but if they're just for decoration and to spend virtual cash on i'd rather play the sims.