Suggestion:
Introduce the option for players to construct their own housing in their home instance. This will require housing objects constructed through the introduction of three new crafting disciplines; carpentry, masonry, and metal smith. Karma will also be used as a currency in conjunction with these new crafts.
Details:
There are plenty of threads calling for the addition of player housing. This suggestion is not attempting to argue in favor of player housing. Instead, it assumes player housing will be introduced into the game and suggests a method of adding achievement, gating, and progression to the process.
Similar to the existing crafting disciplines, carpentry, masonry, and metal smithing will have 400 levels of progression. Each will have options for constructing purely functional building elements (e.g. wood beams, stone blocks, metal panels, etc.) as well as decorative objects (e.g. furniture, statuary, ornamental iron work, etc.). There will be objects to unlock in the discovery panel as well as “recipes” that can be purchased outright.
Existing resources such as the various wooden logs and metal ores will be used as the raw materials to construct these new objects. New resource nodes will have to be introduced for masonry; granite, marble, shale etc. would be some examples.
Objects crafted from these new disciplines can be sold on the trading post just like any other commodity. Players can then purchase them to use in the construction of their own housing instance rather than fabricate their own, if they prefer. To prevent a level 2 player from purchasing the materials to build an opulent mansion in their home instance on day one, use two limiters; player level and karma.
A level 2 player can purchase but not equip armor, weapons, and trinkets made for level 80 players. Likewise, a level 2 player can purchase but not use high-end construction materials and finished objects until they’ve reached the appropriate level. If you want an in-game rationale for this, assume the low level player is permitted to be in possession of such materials but is not granted zoning or code clearance by their home city until they’ve become a citizen of some renown (read: higher level).
In the same vein, karma can be used as a further limiter to rapid construction. To be permitted to build a residence within a city’s limits takes more than raw materials. It takes influence among city officials, code enforcement officers, and the citizenry. Karma is another in-game representation of a player’s influence and renown; earned from performing heroic deeds throughout Tyria. Thus, it becomes the “coin” with which to “purchase” the right to build ever-larger and more opulent structures.
An NPC from which a player must purchase a permit with karma could be introduced; similar to how players must purchase Training Manuals to unlock their trait lines. For example, to build structures using level 1 through 25 construction materials requires a level 1 permit (with an associated karma cost). Each individual act of adding a level 1 through 25 construction material or finished object to the home instance will incur an additional karma cost beyond the purchase price of the permit itself. Karma costs will then scale up with increasing permit and construction material level.
I would caution against limiting players’ on the basis of how many levels of their Personal Story they’ve completed, though. Some players have no interest in the Personal Story but may have an interest in building up their home instance. It wouldn’t be in keeping with the “Play your way” philosophy to force players to complete Personal Story steps just to build up their home instance. Again, karma makes a better currency; players still need to earn it, but it can be earned in multiple ways.
As to the structural elements and the finished products with which to decorate one’s home, I won’t go into detail. However, the potential for the vast variety of such objects should be obvious. What’s more, each race could sell “recipes” for culturally unique structures. To encourage a bit of exploration, make these recipes obtainable from NPCs of each race and account bound on acquire; they can not be bought and sold on the Trading Post.
This isn’t to suggest that only Charr-influenced structures can be built in the Black Citadel, for example. If you want to build a Sylvari-influenced flower house in your Black Citadel home instance, knock yourself out! Rather, it is to say there will exist a variety of housing elements which are specific to the architecture of a particular race; but they can be built anywhere.
(continued in next post)