Wishlist for Future Improvements to Housing

VelociousLegend · January 2017

This is ZOS's first attempt at implementing playing housing in ESO, they understandably left many desired features out to get the fundamental features that make housing possible. With that said, I thought it would be a good idea to list some future improvements to the system that could be beneficial and open the discussion for other good ideas for Housing.

Housing storage
Armor mannequins to hold our armor sets or to just show off good looking armor
Weapon display cases and mounting
Fishing and gardening
Housing steward or assistant (maybe only in larger housing)
More intractable/dynamic objects
Ability to mount in outside areas

These are just some of the ideas that I have seen or thought about myself. Please feel free to list other ideas and hopefully they will get recognized by Zenimax - better yet implemented in future updates!

[Edited to add weapon display cases]

Gedalya · January 2017

Love this wish-list! Storage is the overwelming wishlist; I am hesitant to even list it along side other things I'd like to see; beyond storage though I'd like to see this:

Armor mannequins
NPCs (a steward or assistant as suggested)
More intractable/dynamic objects
Raise cap for number of player's in house (if possible)

Maybe also a theme feature to allow us to save certain placements of objects for loading at a later time.

Phaius · January 2017

VelociousLegend wrote: »

This is ZOS's first attempt at implementing playing housing in ESO, they understandably left many desired features out to get the fundamental features that make housing possible. With that said, I thought it would be a good idea to list some future improvements to the system that could be beneficial and open the discussion for other good ideas for Housing.
Housing storage
This has to be the top requested feature I have seen in the forums. To expand player storage options giving them the option to store items within trunks, safes, cabinets, and other storage containers within their houses.

If there's one thing that is hotly debated in Cyrodiil about housing that I've seen, it's this. A lot of people I've seen have complained they see no use for housing unless there's storage in houses. I wouldn't agree that there's no use for houses without storage, but this is something that really should be considered IMO. Especially for players who haven't bought the banking assistant.

Something I'd love to see is weapon racks, display cases, pedestals, and wall plaques. Much like you find in the museum in Orsinium or in Skyrim with the housing DLC there. There are some nice looking weapons that I'd love to see hanging around my house and would fit well with the theme of warrior/explorers that we are. I mean, there are weapon racks in game anyway, why not give those to the players in Homestead? Might also be fun to have it also so we can display mementos which otherwise sit in our collections too.

Jim_Pipp · January 2017

I would like an option to choose your house as a background on the character select screen. It would give a reason to have multiple homes (for each character) and to decorate them (as I doubt many people will go back to their homes given their limited functions).

Sigtric · January 2017

Music boxes or a bard NPC that plays bard music from the various taverns, when on your property

Danikat · January 2017

I'd like to expand on the storage option slightly: Allow us to place any item from our inventory as a decoration in our house.

Being able to store stuff in the chests and wardrobes would be useful. But it would be really nice to be able to use items I've found, or gotten as quest rewards or looted from enemies as decorations. I'd really like to be able to have a table beside my alchemy station with reagents and potions scattered on it, or a stack of ingots beside the forge. I'd like to be able to keep some of the novelty items I've "found" in other people's houses, like a fast-running hour glass or a fishle and display them on my mantle piece.

Unfortunately that's actually asking a lot since I think the vast majority of those items don't have models in the game. But it would be amazing if it was possible.

I definitely think mementos should be placeable however.

Blackmoon777 · January 2017

It would be nice if u could have garden when you can grow plants.

Titansteele · January 2017

Ooooooo I have two ideas!!!!!

Instead of the craft material minion peeps delivering to your individual character mailboxes how about they show up just inside your default home and deliver all the goods for all your characters then walk out your front door after you have interacted with them?
If you don't have a default home you still have to log onto each character but if you do then one login would do!
It would make it feel more alive for me.

The second idea is for a drop off storage/mail box, visitors to your home can show appreciation by donating gold or items. Yeah they can do that via mail but if they can also do that via visiting your home it will just make it feel more alive.

Lokryn · January 2017

I wouldn't mind some sort of settlement system down the road like Fallout 4. Just call them refugees from the Three Banners War.

Dasovaruilos · January 2017

I really like all of your ideas. I think we will see huge amounts of improvements in housing really quickly in the first year.

I just don't like storing things in different containers, though. I'd like to have something like being able to increase bank space by X amount if you have this in your house. If you remove it, it would work like Craft Bag and Furniture limit: you can keep it but only add more if you bring it back to the limit.

The mannequins/wardrobe is really needed. If you need to switch gear on a per-fight basis like sometimes with trials healing, it is a big pain. Having this in the house and maybe some other assistant (a squire?) would be awesome.

The ability to pick writs in the house is essential (mailman, maybe?). If I need to go to a city to pick them up, I'll probably just stay there and craft it avoiding another long loading screen.

Fishing hole and gardening as well. Make them spawn just once a day for all I care, just give me a reason to go home at least once per day.

Also, I would add making the assistants fully functional inside the house. As I said, if I still need to go to a baker to access guild store/bank and to a merchant to repair armor, I might as well just do everything there too and avoid more loading screens. Make the need to craft a working station for them if needed to enable this, just make going and furnishing your house an efficient way to do stuff.

Right now I think housing will be nice, but I don't see myself doing much after the novelty is gone. I don't want to add 2 more loading screens between my writs, repais, decons, banking and such. I want to make my house my own little Rawl'kha

AdamBourke · January 2017

Storage - Of course! But I don't want it to be just a bank extension, I want them to be individual chests/drawers/wardrobes. Maybe with a capacity depending on their size.. I assume that this is what ZOS is going for, as if it was a bank extension it would have been easy for them to implement and wouldn't have been delayed.

Mannequins / Weapon Racks - I'm surprised these weren't in at launch. They should be fairly easy - even if they are treated as NPCs wearing the armour. with a shop like interface for placing items. At the very least, crown store costumes and hats should be placeable as mannequins.

Treasure - I definitely think that it would be great if you could place at least purple and gold things that you steal. There's only like 10 gold items, so it should be reasonable to make models for these. If they did it with some of the more common stealable items, It would also mean that ZOS could implement "Treasure Nodes", where a random item is on display, and you can just steal it.

Stealing ordinary stuff - I want to be able to take every small item in game and "relocate" it to my house. This is unlikely to happen because of the ridiculous grind ZOS wants us to have to get even small items.

NPC movement - First, make it so that assistants can walk around and interact with things. Particularly chairs/tables/bed, but also maybe the crafting stations. Then:

NPCs - I don't mind if these are in the crown store, or in the base game (or DLCs), but I WOULD like to be able to hire a cleaner, or a bard, or a guard, or maybe a chef. Just for decoration, and there would need to be several of each (maybe one for each profession per zone). Maybe you can get a "Cleaner pack" in the crown store to unlock all cleaners, for example. There should also be a "Guild Trader" assistant, who gives you access to your guild stores/Banks. (If should show the livery of a selected guild).

I like the "Donation Pot" idea - especially you can link it to your guild, so that you can have hangouts where people visit the guild.

I think the mounting might be a problem due to consoles - the mount button is probable mapped to an editor function. on the PS4, for example, it is the touchpad, and is likely going to be used to open/close the editor.

VelociousLegend · January 2017

I also heard from PTS testers that furniture is not bankable. Furniture items seem to be handled differently than the other collectible items found in game. Could just be a limitation or bug since it is PTS, but if it is Zenimax's intention to not allow furniture items to be bankable then I think an account wide storage will be needed to store all the unused furniture. Otherwise it looks like we will have to have a separate house just to hold all of the extra furniture items - or clutter up character inventory.

I also like all the crafting housing ideas since my personal intention for my house will be base of operation for my crafting.

helediron · January 2017

- Storage and mannequins like others have already mentioned.
- Locking of furniture. No one can move locked object. Only owner can lock/unlock.
- House bank for unplaced objects. Decorating is currently very clumsy without it.
- Bards and other npcs. With waypoints and actions and talk.
- Exit wayshrine.
- Dirt patches to level out ground e.g under tents and to get rid of grass poking through.
- Stairs. I built some elevated platforms for better view to outside but had to use planks or series of stones.
- Handrails.
- Resource nodes.
- Fishing hole.
- Some brighter light sources.

MLGProPlayer · January 2017

Full merchant and banker functionality. I get why a merchant can't repair your armour or why a banker can't give you access to guild store/bank while in the middle of a dungeon. But they should be able to do all that when placed inside your house as there is no gameplay advantage there.

WhiteCoatSyndrome · January 2017

+1 to mannequins and other 'display' options. I would also like to use my stolen goods as decorations.

AtraisMachina · January 2017

A bard and i wanna be able to toggle weather i can see my other characters chillin at home

SirCritical · January 2017

Danikat wrote: »

I'd like to expand on the storage option slightly: Allow us to place any item from our inventory as a decoration in our house.

Being able to store stuff in the chests and wardrobes would be useful. But it would be really nice to be able to use items I've found, or gotten as quest rewards or looted from enemies as decorations. I'd really like to be able to have a table beside my alchemy station with reagents and potions scattered on it, or a stack of ingots beside the forge. I'd like to be able to keep some of the novelty items I've "found" in other people's houses, like a fast-running hour glass or a fishle and display them on my mantle piece.

Unfortunately that's actually asking a lot since I think the vast majority of those items don't have models in the game. But it would be amazing if it was possible.

I definitely think mementos should be placeable however.

Easy solution: ZOS should code those 3d models.

Really, these posts always make me angry, I mean not the post itself, nor the author, but the issue, with this housing. Sooo many options, possibilities would be available with (lots of) coding, but this game could be the best on the market but somehow I feel things and ideas are just wasted.

ZOS shouldn't make secret of their planned implementations but they should "leak" them from the very first moment, to let the players brainstorming, get a lot of ideas, lots of them are really worth to at least think about them, and use them while developing the new content.

Even I could say that bring back the subscription model instead of this "free" one, but PLEASE hear the words of your players and make this game the best.

SirCritical · January 2017

AdamBourke wrote: »

...

Double awesome from me for your post.

altemriel · January 2017

VelociousLegend wrote: »

This is ZOS's first attempt at implementing playing housing in ESO, they understandably left many desired features out to get the fundamental features that make housing possible. With that said, I thought it would be a good idea to list some future improvements to the system that could be beneficial and open the discussion for other good ideas for Housing.
Housing storage
This has to be the top requested feature I have seen in the forums. To expand player storage options giving them the option to store items within trunks, safes, cabinets, and other storage containers within their houses.

Armor mannequins to hold our armor sets or to just show off good looking armor
Yes, this is also technically another storage option like above. However the this specifically has been requested to better manage the many armor and gear sets that many of us have collected and saved over time. And this will also provide a nice decorative option to show off the better looking armor sets. In addition, this could be expanded in the future so that full gear setups can be saved and swapped out on our characters. PC players already have this functionality through addons, but this would be a much better place to implement this in-game.

Fishing and gardening
Many of the housing have plenty of space or areas to allow for fishing spots or gardening plots. A private fishing hole for yourself and buddies. A garden plot to harvest a limited number of resource nodes.

Housing steward or assistant (maybe only in larger housing)
Maybe add a collectible assistant that can assist you with decorating and other crafting specialties. The steward can allow players to pickup crafting writs without the need to go into cities/towns. Maybe even occasionally pickup furniture recipes (similar to hirelings) to provide to you.

More intractable/dynamic objects
Currently you can interact with most lighting sources (turn off and on), seating, placed assistants, and crafting stations. It would be nice to see a few more objects that respond to players such as buttons or switches (e.g. pressure plates) to active other objects. Possibly have some object animate upon activating (statues, placed mounts, etc.).

Ability to mount in outside areas
This one is pretty self-explanatory.

These are just some of the ideas that I have seen or thought about myself. Please feel free to list other ideas and hopefully they will get recognized by Zenimax - better yet implemented in future updates!

yes!!!! all of this please!!!

and interactable objects - also secret doors after bookcases or statues, that lead to underground basement, where we can store our treasures!! or just secret basements!!

@ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_KaiSchober @ZOS_JessicaFolsom @ZOS_RichLambert @ZOS_MattFiror

Elwendryll · January 2017

I would really appreciate some guild banners. As probably a lot of notable houses will be used as guild houses

Banana · January 2017

No more housing fluff and resources moved to a new zone.

manavortex · January 2017

Statues of deities for the use in indoor shrines
Enough glass beakers, tubes and pistons to play alchemical pipe games with
Loose papers and letters for the aspiring detective or messy mage
Tablecloths, wall hangings, decorative wall tiles, bed covers, blankets, drip mats, beach towels, napkins, mount rear view mirror covers:

Dunmer Great Houses
Deities (include, but are not limited to: Akatosh, Dibella, Arkay, Zenithar, Stendarr, Mara, Kynareth, Julianos, Azura, Boethiah, Clavicus Vile, Hermaeus Mora, Hircine, Malacath/Trinimac, Mehrunes Dagon, Mephala, Meridia, Molag Bal, Namira, Nocturnal, Peryite, Sanguine, Sheogorath, Vaermina, the Tribunal as well as the individual Tribunes, idols of minority cults, such as Khajiit, Argonians and Redguards)
Alliances

The other nine celestial signs (I have found Tower, Ritual, Shadow)
Tools like pincers, hammers... to clutter around
Full body models and weapon racks to display our gear in our houses
Dwemer parts in different sizes as well as broken/partially disembowelled constructs
The regular, blue Welkynd stones
Huge tables that can be used as surgery tables (or sacrificial altars) (we’re kind of spoiled by the Daedric tables in Heimlyn Keep Reliquary, the standard interior in your Daedric ruin)

Danikat · January 2017

SirCritical wrote: »

Danikat wrote: »

I'd like to expand on the storage option slightly: Allow us to place any item from our inventory as a decoration in our house.

Being able to store stuff in the chests and wardrobes would be useful. But it would be really nice to be able to use items I've found, or gotten as quest rewards or looted from enemies as decorations. I'd really like to be able to have a table beside my alchemy station with reagents and potions scattered on it, or a stack of ingots beside the forge. I'd like to be able to keep some of the novelty items I've "found" in other people's houses, like a fast-running hour glass or a fishle and display them on my mantle piece.

Unfortunately that's actually asking a lot since I think the vast majority of those items don't have models in the game. But it would be amazing if it was possible.

I definitely think mementos should be placeable however.

Easy solution: ZOS should code those 3d models.

Really, these posts always make me angry, I mean not the post itself, nor the author, but the issue, with this housing. Sooo many options, possibilities would be available with (lots of) coding, but this game could be the best on the market but somehow I feel things and ideas are just wasted.

ZOS shouldn't make secret of their planned implementations but they should "leak" them from the very first moment, to let the players brainstorming, get a lot of ideas, lots of them are really worth to at least think about them, and use them while developing the new content.

Even I could say that bring back the subscription model instead of this "free" one, but PLEASE hear the words of your players and make this game the best.

Sure it would be easy, but it would also be a lot of work. There's hundreds of items you can steal. Modelling each one might not be a lot of work on it's own, but modelling all of them would be a pretty massive job.

SydneyGrey · January 2017

Yes to everything the O.P. said, plus:

1) Raise the cap for the collectibles you can have per house. In the small homes it's 4, and in the medium homes it's 6. It's pointless and frustrating. It doesn't seem to serve any purpose other than to disappoint people.

And on the subject of storage: Even a single usable chest in each house that held 20 slots would be amazing. It doesn't make sense that you can spend thousands of gold on upgrading your bag space, but when you spend thousands and thousands (or a couple million) for a house, you don't get any extra inventory space.

Alexium · January 2017

New houses. For example small house in Glenumbra wilderness. I love this location so I want to live here, but I not love cities.

Small cavern or crypt for vampire like characters. For example on Betnikh graveyard.

Usable beds and coffins.

Opened books for placing it on reading stands.

Display cases for our trophies (not a dungeon trophies).

petraeus1 · January 2017

Definitely integrating the various game systems, so that you can put 3D models of crafting items, stolen items, trophies, treasure maps etc. People have been clamouring for 3D previews of craftables, so that could be a joint effort there.

In general, the more customization options we are able to procure from various sources in Tamriel, and various gameplay efforts, the more fun the actual customizing becomes, rather than just an economic effort of getting enough money to get stuff.

david19979 · January 2017

A reasonable item cap for collectibes and furnitures which everybody can enjoy.

Konstant_Tel_Necris · January 2017

Completely agree with OP, current state of housing is really poor without of such features.

Altharos · January 2017

I would be glad if there is an inhabitable ship!

thomasdumbox · February 2017

We need a housing edit.

For example the ability to add an outside water fall or pond or both.

The big one would be to add another level to you house like a basement and/or another upstairs floor.

ixie · February 2017

thomasdumbox wrote: »

We need a housing edit.

For example the ability to add an outside water fall or pond or both.

The big one would be to add another level to you house like a basement and/or another upstairs floor.

I like these ideas, it would be great if when they add storage they made it in a basement area that could be added to your home