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Sup Ladies and Gentlemen, would you rather see more behind the scenes writing streams or would you prefer just coffee and hangout streams with me discussing things and then doing the writing things later? Also, here is a new script for you all, what do you think about this one?

The System That DIVIDED WoW Players

At its core games are about expression. Who we are, the race we choose, the class we play to the gear we wear, it all serves to express ourselves in the games we play. All games these days sport an array of customizations that allow us to differentiate ourselves from those who play alongside us. Mods in games like Cyberpunk or Skyrim serve to allow for even more customization just so that players can look even more unique.

This isn’t by accident either, as humans we are constantly aware of how others perceive us because we are constantly aware of how we see others. It is what is known as the spotlight effect. The clothes we wear, our hairstyles the tattoos we put on our bodies, it all serves to strengthen the image we have of ourselves and to broadcast that image to the rest of the world. Video games seek to capture this spotlight effect and merge it with our endless potential for creativity to allow us the freedom to express ourselves in whichever way we choose without restriction beyond that which would break our immersion. This is a careful balancing act but when done right can lead to some truly magnificent gameplay and hours of fun for those who take part in it.

Even those who choose not to partake are actively partaking, their image is of one who doesn’t care, of one who wishes to be viewed as a rebel but ultimately, they are still part of the masses, they just wish for the masses to not think that they are part of it.

Speaking of being part of something, if you wish to be part of this group of amazing people on your screen right now then consider becoming a Patron today or join us over on Twitch for more of my mad rambling. Hit the like button too if you really wish to be cool.

In recent years World of Warcraft has done a phenomenal job of giving players more freedom to express themselves. From allied races to class customization options such as hairstyles and skin tones, players have more freedom in WoW than ever before to really create their champion in World of Warcraft, if only the story would actually allow us to feel like the champion that would be great, alas we will always be the champion that runs useless errands like picking flowers and collecting bear asses but this is neither here nor there.

One major flaw in World of Warcraft remains, however. HOUSING! Of the major MMO’s, ESO, FFXIV, Guild Wars 2 and Star Wars the old republic, World of Warcraft is the only MMO without Housing. A feature that in many of these games have led to massive, sustained success is still a feature that World of Warcraft has yet to even attempt.

Oh, but Accolonn, I hear you say, they did try it. Garrisons was a major failure, why would anyone want housing following Garrisons? Well, my little flower child, if Garrisons is indeed the attempt WoW made for housing, then it is by far the worst attempt at housing in any game ever. Housing in all other MMO’s is a non-invasive feature. It adds no player power, it isn’t mandatory, and it does not tie the player up with endless activities that seek to keep player from the outside world. If anything, it is used to get players into the world. Running dungeons looking for furniture, seeking out crafters for the drapes they have had their eye on for such a long time. Housing ties much of the world into it, giving players reasons to venture outside the walls of comfort in search of the divine.

In FFXIV housing have sparked a whole new way to play the game, there are websites with venues and timetables that will tell people when the next club night is taking place, clubs feature live music, photographers, and dancers. People work at these clubs as part of their RPG fantasy and they make friends in the process, making their own content, even in between patches. Yes, there is also the darker, naughtier side of housing in FFXIV, but I will leave you to your imagination on this one.

The point is, if games are about creative expression, then housing is the ultimate conduit thereof. The ability to make a space within the game world your own is something that players adore. To customize it to whatever your fantasy home in WoW would look like can provide players with so many more reasons to play the game. Imagine if you had a trophy area, displaying all your best achievements in WoW, maybe a few crafting tables that make you feel like an artisan that can invite your friends over to craft away and make some cool armours. Imagine if you could host a great feast for you and your friends after your raid expedition? I mean, there really is no end to what players would imagine given the option.

Umm Accolonn, I hear you say once more. Ion already spoke about this, he already explained that they would love to do housing but unfortunately in order to pull it off they would have to do it right and this would almost certainly mean losing a raid tier or a dungeon just to get it done and I am certainly not ok with losing a raid tier just so some people can have a home. To you I would say, BULLSHIT.

What if I told you, you could have housing without losing anything else in the process? Yes, housing is an incredible commitment. It would certainly take many months, if not years to complete. If you tried to do housing as part of an expansion feature, you will absolutely have to give up some features like Raiding or a dungeon or maybe even a new class. Housing, however, isn’t an expansion feature, it is a game feature it’s a persistent part of the game that exists completely parallel to whichever expansion is the current one.

This means you must look it at as a completely new problem to solve. In one of the recent FFXIV Producer Live Letters, Yoshi P announced the complete overhaul of graphics in Final Fantasy 14, from the ground up. All cities, all zones, all classes, and NPC’s will receive major updates to the look and art style. The way they approach this is incrementally. Every Patch they will update specific zones and cities until finally it is all done. How does one, eat an elephant? Bite by bite.

To achieve housing in World of Warcraft you need a roadmap, slowly, over time, you have a single team of developers put together the system. This may take 2 maybe even 3 expansions but, in this way, you are not taking away from the individual expansion development, you are also not rushing it. You give these devs the time they need to do it perfect. You include the player base in this roadmap. Tell them it is coming and that you are working on it and then allow the team to test what players may like or dislike, eventually maybe even have a housing beta where players get to test the system and give feedback and then, once it is ready you roll it out to the players.

Constantly Ion and the team at Blizzard looks at World of Warcraft in these limited 2-year windows where nothing can be attempted unless it can be done within 2 years but MMO’s aren’t just expansions or patches, they are breathing worlds that should exist as persistent ever-changing realities, not every feature for World of Warcraft should be made in 2 years or less, sometimes you can have different roadmaps for different aspects of the game. For a long time now, me and many others have complained about how the new world constantly replaces the old, how the old world is forgotten in favour of the new shiny things. In 9.2.5 Blizzard finally remembered they have a host of old dungeons that can absolutely serve as content for the player base. This means they are finally starting to realise that not everything needs to be discarded as soon as it is old, sometimes old things can still have a place in the game. Now it is time for Blizzard to fully embrace World of Warcraft and ALL OF ITS EXPANSIONS.

To be clear, I have never, nor will I ever have a house in an MMO, I do not personally care for the system, I can live without it, but I also understand that there is an entire community out there who would absolutely jump at this opportunity. To be able to express themselves in a personal space within a world they love. If FFXIV can update all their graphics in the game, ever, then World of Warcraft can and should have housing.

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