In our continuing series of discussions about online games, Logan had a conversation with Dale 'WF_Jaruh' Garnier-Wells, Atriarch Community Liaison about housing in Atriarch.

Disclaimer: "Atriarch's feature concepts are discussed through the interprative filter of the individual for the purposes of conversation. These features may or may not be present in the current beta environment or at initial release depending on factors outside the control of the individual and/or World Fusion."

Jaruh
AT will probably allow you to rent out apartment buildings if you want. :)
Guess we are really less lame. :)


Logan
Are you saying "In addition to being able to build custom structures wherever you want, players in AT will also have the ability to rent apartments"?

If so, that's not lame (especially if players have the ability to rent out apartments to other players). If there were no NPC's at all to rent from but the PC's did have the ability to build apartment buildings and become slum lords, then that is really cool. I know a lot of people who would love to be a slum lord in a game.

If you are saying "Despite our screenshots of Lego like building blocks for AT, you won't be able to build jack - just rent the pre-furnished buggy apartment" then yes, I'd agree that's lame.

Jaruh
Renting: Its not set in stone but the original design called for starter apartments. Since apartments are just a form of building, it's possible that people will be able to be landlords.

Look-feel: Building skill will determine whether you are working on something that is standard or more detailed.

I disagree. Starting apartments is a great MMOG feature. However, the games that have it don't have it as a "starting" feature--so there's no reason to build/need anyone else and therefore a missed opportunity for community.

Logan
Hum. In AO, people had starting apartments - no community building happened there {as a direct result of having starting apartments}. I can't say that it won't with AT - I can only go by the results I have seen with other games. Is there something drastically different about AT apartments than AO apartments that might add to the 'community spirit'? [I suspect we will see the same in Neocron which also has starting apartments.]

Jaruh
AT allows for construction.

Logan
I'm just not making the connection between 'having starting apartments will build community' and 'the ability to build custom buildings'. I would agree wholeheartedly that the ability to build custom buildings would most certainly build community (assuming several different specialties are needed to make them) but the apartments - whether a world has or fails to have construction - I'm sorry - I'm just not making a connection there.

Jaruh
Starting apartments, if they exist, are separate from construction. The first is a gimme, the second is a feature.

Logan
Despite having custom built housing in the game, I fail to see the correlation between the free starting apartments and building of community.

Jaruh
OK...for some games, apartments exist but construction doesn't. So, people can stay in their apartment and use it to packrat their junk. There's no reason to move beyond that and therefore a missed opportunity. if the apartment were only for starting characters, and then you were forced to find other accommodations, then the design would create more interdependence.
Its about how the feature is used that causes problems, not its existence.

Logan
One problem that EQ had is that (despite giving them plenty of space in the bank) people who were craftsmen etc had to create several mules to hold stuff. Right now, I personally have 11 of 16 possible players (2 accounts) devoted just toward holding things. In AT will we be able to get lots more space? Swap things between characters? Rent bigger bank space?

In my 'dream FAQ' I solved the problem by having 'work benches'. Each work bench someone was renting would be like an additional bank account - handy for craftsmen but had the downside of requiring more secure space for more workbenches. In other words, if you went into someone's shop and looked into their work area, you could tell how diverse of goods they could make by how many workbenches they were renting. (Unless they were shooting themselves in the foot by renting several work benches and not using them).
What are your thoughts?



Jaruh
AT will have multiple slots and you can have your characters work together if you want. Banks will be physical locations and not magical like the fantasy games.


Logan
Could you clarify that?


Jaruh
You can offline script your alts, the world is persistent, and therefore you can group with yourself or whatever.


Logan
So if I had (for example) six characters on one account, I could set them all to the task of building a house?


Jaruh
Yep :)

This discussion and other interesting goodies can also be found on Logan's own site Recon! News.