Guild Wars 2

Hero Home Persistence

While I do observe that certain NPCs I’ve either encountered or chosen along the way have appeared in my home instance, the overall execution seems lazy and the impact it has seems insignificant. I’m saying this in reference to how ArenaNet has constantly marketed the scenario where you have to choose between saving the burning orphanage / hospital (human world story).

As a Charr player, my home instance has barely had any note-worthy change to it in comparison to the above said human instance. I still the Vigil representative at the roof of the Hero’s Canton, but so what? Does he offer any useful advice? Does his presence there alone contribute to anything? Why doesn’t he do anything besides stand there? The execution so far is that, I meet these people, so they’re here. Empty wooden boards set up to convince me that my actions matter, but the truth is, with the exception of the race you picked to assist at one point, they don’t.

I’d like to invite my friends into my home instance and show off to them, so these are the options or choices I’ve made, this is how drastic things have become… Rather than just NPC space-fillers. If I’m a Legionnaire and renowned hero, why aren’t the streets plastered with posters of my stunning image? Why aren’t the copy-and-pasted merchants selling merchandise of me instead of generic weapons that I can get outside the instance? If I’ve lived in the instance for so long, why don’t the NPCs respond to my presence or choices made?

Choices Need Consequences

Say I picked this Charr NPC for my warband. Maybe he’s a talented mesmer and for whatever reason, I’ve saved his tail and recruited him into my warband. Let’s give him some character flaws for conflict and flavor. Turns out everyone in town hates him (for whatever reason) and are reacting negatively to his being there (rather than having everyone stand idly about). You talk to him, a new event / quest begins. This is an opportunity for ArenaNet to make the bonds they’ve been talking about, yet most NPC choices have been primarily a matter of apples or oranges with no real consequence (save the choice of which race to assist).

Let’s say I picked or saved this NPC from my adventures. He becomes a merchant in the town and occasionally gives me free stuff (in gratitude for my heroic deeds). Perhaps he/ she likes collecting pebbles as a hobby, and gives me gems or ores that I can actually use in reasonable quantity. Or maybe they’d like to show me this new armor they’re wearing and want to hear my opinion, something to establish that connection with you, the player, that they acknowledge your presence and actions. You choose a personality type response that encourages the NPC to continue with his/ her course of action but say, later has real consequences. (Fallout 3 – save the Ghouls and they take over all of Tenpenny Tower) If you encourage the NPC to keep up with the gem collection, you get more free stuff, but eventually in an over-zealous effort to please you, the savior, he/ she ends up getting killed from a recent misadventure. If you discourage them, they may go off and pick up some other job thing, rob a bank or something… A seemingly harmless choice leading to surprising after effects.

Give Us A Real Home To Return To

All in all, as much as the game needs to have this ultimate end goal of saving the world and fighting the dragons, more time and levels can also be dedicated to side-tracking personal stories (not tied to the main arc) that add more flavor and depth to the characters and racial choices. Events can occur in home instances unique to individual player choices and provide and incentive for inviting friends and sharing with them. Customization options can be made available for purchase or discovery to provide another layer social interaction and sharing on social networks. Meaningful and even quirky NPC merchants can be saved, recruited or instructed to provide new item options (instead of the generic copy-paste gear) that are tied to lore and your choices. I understand that while the game has higher priorities like skill balancing and bug fixes, I do feel that much more work can be done to improve the home instance and pacing.

I really like your idea. The home instance has so much potential. It’s kind of sad that I never ever returned back to it after my first story arc. It was just so far away and nothing special waiting for me.
The home instance is THE place where your character gets the chance to establish THEIR story and build personal bonds with other NPCs.

It’s difficult for an MMO to cater to so many diverging stories and it’s more of a single player RPG feature, but what makes me (and many people I know) return to a game is the attachment we have to certain people and the “shared memories” we have with them. (of course, in an MMO ist more about the shared memories with other players, but you know, the home instance has the potential to make the personal story much more immersive)

I also like your idea about minor things having unexpected outcomes or making stuff depending on your personality. The personality of my character has so far only come up 3 times in 80 levels and TONS of NPC conversations. (I literally talk to every NPC I meet, everywhere and every time.) And it never felt like it made a big difference if I chose the noble option or went with a regular one.

However, I wouldn’t want negative or bad things to happen as a consequence. Like in your example getting the NPC killed or becoming a bank robber. There can be tension/drama/twists, but they should all end well one way or the other. (this is not a single player game that can easily be replayed within a few days, MMO choices are much more permanent)
Besides, there already are negative events in the personal storyline. For example, my Norn ranger has had some pretty devastating experiences, but they all eventually ended on a good note or at least in a way that my Norn would consider it good. (except this one story feels like it’s not going to get a happy ending and I’m invested enough in the story that I actually feel bad about it iRL)

To summarize: Love this idea. I hope we’ll see improvements like this sometime in the future.

I really like the event idea.

When starting the human story, I was really fond of characters like Riot Alice, and I was disappointed that the last time she appeared was the (hilarious) fight against the circus.

The Home Instance would give ANET a way to better develop some of the earlier, memorable characters who disappeared later in the story.

I’ve really not found a compelling reason to return to my home instance. It’s out of the way of everything and there’s really not much there.

Part of the problem is that the personal story morphs into an impersonal story about Trahearne, the Pact and Zaihtan. I’m going to go back to my home instance to what? Talk to that guy I beat up 60 levels ago who never appeared in my story ever again? I’m out here running very important errands for the Chosen Plant and doing other epic, world-changing stuff!

The metaphorical village doesn’t stay rescued when the metaphorical village is all of Tyria, and more specifically Orr, and you rescued it by slaying an Elder Dragon with the help of a guild you magically sewed back together by killing lots of Risen, as part of a gigantic alliance of which you were second-in-command.

As I’ve said before, that one decision they made about the flow and structure of the personal story had a lot of negative consequences.

I’d like an actual house to fully customize, add furniture to, etc. I think a lot could be done there and could help ArenaNet make more money, too. I’d definitely throw in $20+ dollars to pick out a house style and add decor. I loved that feature in Runes of Magic. The game was mostly terrible, but my house was awesome. The guild halls were really cool, too.

Edit – I forgot to mention that the Runes of Magic house was instanced. You would go to the housemaids and either enter your house, a friends house (from a list), or type a name to see if theirs is open to the public. You could get housemaids and train them to offer buffs and put full sets of gear on them for display (or storage). It was really well done.

You know, at the very least they ought to put your order’s armor vendor in your home instance.

They could at LEAST do that.

I really wasn’t expecting as much as was pre-release hyped with the home instance, butkitten all it is is 5 POI for map completion.

I anticipated at least the Sunspear Sanctuary level of interactivity. You interact with some people during the story, those people move in providing class based armor skins and some Karma consumables.

Didn’t even get that far.

I just thought of this because I loved it so much back in LotRO
The housing system worked so well, you could have big and small houses all in the district which can be brought, and it was all instanced.

Since we haven’t got Guild Halls Yet, why not allow the Guild Leader to Pick a City, The Home District then becomes the Guild District, Leader/Officers can then be assigned grander houses, with lower members given the opertunity to buy houses if they have the coin, The same houses could be used for multiple members, but each could have their own instance.

Another way ANet can gain money from the Gem Store would be to allow players to buy furniture and other decor items, while story accomplishments can be displayed for free, think of it as “HoM Mark II”