For many, housing is an essential part of an MMORPG. But should this housing be possible everywhere, or does it ruin the atmosphere of a game world?
Through housing, one expresses their creativity. Players decorate their homes according to their own ideas, look at how others have set up their homes, and display trophies. Owning a house in an MMORPG means showing others what you have achieved. Housing should offer as much freedom as possible. Not only in decorating but also in where the house should be placed.
Does player housing negatively affect the atmosphere?
Many housing fans would like to place their houses anywhere. The more freedom, the better. But this can also have disadvantages. Imagine a city in a fantasy MMORPG that has a rich backstory created by the developers. There is a temple district with magnificent buildings, a merchant district, and slums. In the slums are half-collapsed huts, and the streets are dirty. Here and there sit beggars. This creates an interesting and dense atmosphere.
But if players were allowed to place their houses anywhere, then beside a decaying house in the slums would stand a magnificent castle, next to it a building that looks like a Viking ship or an elf house in a large tree. There would also be strangely decorated front yards. Even makeshift cabinets would be stacked to the sky, a snowman would stand in front of the door, and an obscene word would be written in the garden with fruit. This greatly shapes the cityscape. So much so that it also affects the atmosphere.
The slums would no longer be slums. The entire city would turn into a colorful mixture of diverse buildings. The character of the individual districts and the city itself would be lost.
Is atmosphere not important anymore?
Still, players would have the freedom they want. Does player freedom now take precedence over atmosphere? What is more important in an MMORPG? In the selective multiplayer RPG Shroud of the Avatar, this is indeed possible. Houses can be built in cities anywhere on building plots. There are only restrictions regarding size. However, this leads to even in a small village somewhere, a manor or a castle standing. Viking houses line up next to tree houses. There is no consistent style for the city or the village, no character anymore. The freedom of housing fans takes precedence over the atmosphere.
Do you think this works? Or should MMORPGs ensure that the character of cities is preserved? What do you think?
