Housing Should Be An Alternative To Going Back to Town

Pandorii · September 2020

Hi. Returned after a long break of ~2 years.

I am rediscovering housing and find myself disappointed that there isn't much incentive to actually be in my house.

I'm sure this topic has been discussed many times, but I thought I might bring it up to see if forum-goers know about any future plans from ZOS to make housing more desirable.

Some thoughts:
-adding repair feature to merchant somehow (discussed many times and not exclusively for housing)
-adding guild store feature to banker merchant or having some other NPC guest that has that feature (same as above)
-writ boards that can be put into houses
-adding the luxury vendor as a guest

*If these features require investment in time, gold, or crowns that's fine. It gives guilds an incentive to pool their resources and deck out their guild hall that everyone can use. As a new player, I'd be totally happy hanging out at the guild hall with guildies to be able to use all the cool stuff.

Seems like a lot of opportunity there. Are yearly homestead updates still a thing?

SilverBride · September 2020

I spend a lot of time at my homes. Sometimes friends come over and we run around the house being silly. But I like going to town to sell and shop and craft. I don't think they should make it so we can do everything at home, and turn us into hermits.

DMuehlhausen · September 2020

No, terrible idea. If you could do everything from your house cities would feel empty.

Sylvermynx · September 2020

While I would prefer to do do everything/whatever from my housing, I do get why it's not possible an option.

spartaxoxo · September 2020

No. It would empty towns. They could probably get away with writs but guild features, undaunted pledges, staples, etc should remain town activities.

Tannus15 · September 2020

While these things would be nice, it's the kind of thing that gives the impression of a "dead game"

So many times i've seen "this update has killed ESO" based on one dude's anecdotal time that he went to Rawl'ka after an update and it was "a ghost town"

A lot of the traffic in towns is people doing writs. It keeps the game feeling vibrant and "alive", it's important to keep it feeling this way.

Pandorii · September 2020

I don't think the main zones could ever be replaced with questing, daily world bosses and delves. Additionally, I think that managing instances can help make towns feel alive. If they are limited to only a few, they will be easier to fill.

Doesn't it feel like the population dips a few weeks after new content?

idk · September 2020

Zos has said they want us to have reason to enter the cities. They do not want them to become empty. That was their reasoning when they said that some requested 1functions will not be added to homes.

StabbityDoom · September 2020

this is why housing enthusiasts often install EHT community addon, so they can visit open houses. If you are on console (or pc) there's whole guilds that do videos with actors too - I know Aetherius on PC/EU is one. There's ways to get enjoyment from too with contests and now with pathing. Not being a pollyanna/white knight, but I wanted to give you some ideas of what you could do to enjoy housing further.

derpy_cat1234 · September 2020

World of Garrisons 2: Electric Boogaloo

UntilValhalla13 · September 2020

I'd love to not have to go to cities. Having people block crafting stations with pets, or duel near the wayshrine, lagging it out when porting to the zone.

bmnoble · September 2020

While I would like that especially writ boards and turn in points, they won't do it because they have intentionally designed the game the way it is, to keep players visiting cities, to make them seem alive, don't think they will ever change it.

Jaimeh · September 2020

Pandorii wrote: »

Hi. Returned after a long break of ~2 years.

I am rediscovering housing and find myself disappointed that there isn't much incentive to actually be in my house.

I'm sure this topic has been discussed many times, but I thought I might bring it up to see if forum-goers know about any future plans from ZOS to make housing more desirable.

Some thoughts:
-adding repair feature to merchant somehow (discussed many times and not exclusively for housing)
-adding guild store feature to banker merchant or having some other NPC guest that has that feature (same as above)
-writ boards that can be put into houses
-adding the luxury vendor as a guest

*If these features require investment in time, gold, or crowns that's fine. It gives guilds an incentive to pool their resources and deck out their guild hall that everyone can use. As a new player, I'd be totally happy hanging out at the guild hall with guildies to be able to use all the cool stuff.

Seems like a lot of opportunity there. Are yearly homestead updates still a thing?

Writ boards would be great but without writ-delivery space they would still require going out of the house. It would be cool if they added both the boards and the delivery in houses.

CMDR_Un1k0rn · September 2020

UntilValhalla13 wrote: »

I'd love to not have to go to cities. Having people block crafting stations with pets, or duel near the wayshrine, lagging it out when porting to the zone.

What platform are you playing on? On PC EU that is not an issue, at all.

kathandira · September 2020

Pandorii wrote: »

Hi. Returned after a long break of ~2 years.

I am rediscovering housing and find myself disappointed that there isn't much incentive to actually be in my house.

I'm sure this topic has been discussed many times, but I thought I might bring it up to see if forum-goers know about any future plans from ZOS to make housing more desirable.

Some thoughts:
-adding repair feature to merchant somehow (discussed many times and not exclusively for housing)
-adding guild store feature to banker merchant or having some other NPC guest that has that feature (same as above)
-writ boards that can be put into houses
-adding the luxury vendor as a guest

*If these features require investment in time, gold, or crowns that's fine. It gives guilds an incentive to pool their resources and deck out their guild hall that everyone can use. As a new player, I'd be totally happy hanging out at the guild hall with guildies to be able to use all the cool stuff.

Seems like a lot of opportunity there. Are yearly homestead updates still a thing?

I'm ok with certain things being kept out of player homes. With less reasons to go to major cities, the world would look even emptier. Nothing worse than an MMO where everyone is in their own instances at all times.

Andre_Noir · September 2020

kathandira wrote: »

I'm ok with certain things being kept out of player homes. With less reasons to go to major cities, the world would look even emptier. Nothing worse than an MMO where everyone is in their own instances at all times.

Now without jokes: what part of MMO is in a cities ?

kathandira · September 2020

Andre_Noir wrote: »

kathandira wrote: »

I'm ok with certain things being kept out of player homes. With less reasons to go to major cities, the world would look even emptier. Nothing worse than an MMO where everyone is in their own instances at all times.

Now without jokes: what part of MMO is in a cities ?

The players, and the activities and hubs which they interact at.

Daemons_Bane · September 2020

CMDR_Un1k0rn wrote: »

UntilValhalla13 wrote: »

I'd love to not have to go to cities. Having people block crafting stations with pets, or duel near the wayshrine, lagging it out when porting to the zone.

What platform are you playing on? On PC EU that is not an issue, at all.

Meh, depends on how lucky you are I guess

MajorDavood · September 2020

kathandira wrote: »

I'm ok with certain things being kept out of player homes. With less reasons to go to major cities, the world would look even emptier. Nothing worse than an MMO where everyone is in their own instances at all times.

Agreed. We seem to have a pretty good balance right now. We can load up on crafting stations, mundus stones, and related bits but still need trips into the town for certain things.

Plus, I kinda like seeing other players.

UntilValhalla13 · September 2020

CMDR_Un1k0rn wrote: »

UntilValhalla13 wrote: »

I'd love to not have to go to cities. Having people block crafting stations with pets, or duel near the wayshrine, lagging it out when porting to the zone.

What platform are you playing on? On PC EU that is not an issue, at all.

PS4 NA

Cities like Stonefalls and Auridon take forever to load, just because of the duelers congregating around the main wayshrine.

Andre_Noir · September 2020

kathandira wrote: »

Andre_Noir wrote: »

kathandira wrote: »

I'm ok with certain things being kept out of player homes. With less reasons to go to major cities, the world would look even emptier. Nothing worse than an MMO where everyone is in their own instances at all times.

Now without jokes: what part of MMO is in a cities ?

The players, and the activities and hubs which they interact at.

But the players interact with banker, craft stations and stableman not with each other. There is a big difference between forever lagging Wayrest and bustling Abah's landing

MajorDavood · September 2020

Andre_Noir wrote: »

kathandira wrote: »

Andre_Noir wrote: »

kathandira wrote: »

I'm ok with certain things being kept out of player homes. With less reasons to go to major cities, the world would look even emptier. Nothing worse than an MMO where everyone is in their own instances at all times.

Now without jokes: what part of MMO is in a cities ?

The players, and the activities and hubs which they interact at.

But the players interact with banker, craft stations and stableman not with each other. There is a big difference between forever lagging Wayrest and bustling Abah's landing

I take your point and you're right about the interactions. (and sometimes the lag!)

However, we also bump into people who have questions or need a port somewhere remote. Just today, I ported six people to remote spots from Daggerfall. I couldn't do that from my home. Another person couldn't see the banker for some reason so I popped into town, put Ezabi out, and she handled her business. Again, not something I could have done at home.

Hamfast · September 2020

Personally I would love having the writ boards in my house, not to turn in the results, just to pick them up... I would even pay crowns for them in a heart beat... the rest I would have no real issue with, but I don't think I would buy them...

ZaroktheImmortal · September 2020

I actually like this idea. Besides the fact that people doing writs and stuff doesn't add anything to zone other than several other people doing so plus not everyone would have access to these.

Beardimus · September 2020

Pandorii wrote: »

Hi. Returned after a long break of ~2 years.

I am rediscovering housing and find myself disappointed that there isn't much incentive to actually be in my house.

I'm sure this topic has been discussed many times, but I thought I might bring it up to see if forum-goers know about any future plans from ZOS to make housing more desirable.

Some thoughts:
-adding repair feature to merchant somehow (discussed many times and not exclusively for housing)
-adding guild store feature to banker merchant or having some other NPC guest that has that feature (same as above)
-writ boards that can be put into houses
-adding the luxury vendor as a guest

*If these features require investment in time, gold, or crowns that's fine. It gives guilds an incentive to pool their resources and deck out their guild hall that everyone can use. As a new player, I'd be totally happy hanging out at the guild hall with guildies to be able to use all the cool stuff.

Seems like a lot of opportunity there. Are yearly homestead updates still a thing?

I brought this up alot at the time. ZOS said they want people in towns. Thus don't expect a change

Houses are pointless functionally, I shoved the pixels about for a few hours then got bored and only go back to access my storage.

I would buy the banker of it had guild store and bank. I'd pay 10k if I had to basically to put it in my house or a guild house.

I would buy a tailor / mannequins to save setups onto (sets / Champion Points / Skills) to allow easy switch PvP / PvE

But back to your thread title, appears ZOS want the opposite.

Morwaenna · September 2020

No no, some cities like Wayrest (besides the way shrine/guild trader area) already feel empty as it is, so this would just make it worse.

Eifleber · September 2020

Don't agree with OP that houses should be a mini-town all by itself.

Do agree that houses should have more uses.

Also think that more houses should be in the vicinity of stables, crafters, writs.

As it is now by far the most houses are isolated mansions in the middle of nowhere. Which is very impractical. It's for a reason I picked the Alinor Townhouse as my main house as it's close to everything. But it's very rare for a house to be situated in such a useful environment.