PS3 UI Screens

[Skies]

An instanced housing system just takes players OUT OF THE GAMEWORLD and relegates them into instanced lobbies, thereby diminishing the "massively" component of a MMORPG. Maybe Starlord should be asking you why you play an MMO when youre obviously so antisocial.

Did not even read the entire thread but I saw this and I need to comment.
I played Ultima Online, I played goddamn Ultima Online wherein many of those 'innovative' features first existed and were later done away with because of player attitude.
One of the things that was done away with was non-instanced housing. The worlds, when they were at mid-capacity, were chock full of goddamn houses everywhere. The oldest players in the server had nice houses in nice places, the newer players had goddamn tents in the middle of some god-forsaken long-forgotten dungeon that nobody went to because it was the only space left.
No, open-world housing is a bad idea

[bobbygunz]

Did not even read the entire thread but I saw this and I need to comment.
I played Ultima Online, I played goddamn Ultima Online wherein many of those 'innovative' features first existed and were later done away with because of player attitude.
One of the things that was done away with was non-instanced housing. The worlds, when they were at mid-capacity, were chock full of goddamn houses everywhere. The oldest players in the server had nice houses in nice places, the newer players had goddamn tents in the middle of some god-forsaken long-forgotten dungeon that nobody went to because it was the only space left.
No, open-world housing is a bad idea

There's a difference between non-instanced housing and urban-sprawl/player-built housing, first of all. And if over 10 years later, you think game developers can't solve that issue, then no wonder the genre is seemingly stagnating.

And this is exactly the point of lacking ambition, the acceptance that a solution is too hard, or untested, so preserve the status quo.

[Jennestia]

And this is exactly the point of lacking ambition, the acceptance that a solution is too hard, or untested, so preserve the status quo.

Welcome to 2012.

[Shougun]

There's a difference between non-instanced housing and urban-sprawl/player-built housing, first of all. And if over 10 years later, you think game developers can't solve that issue, then no wonder the genre is seemingly stagnating.

And this is exactly the point of lacking ambition, the acceptance that a solution is too hard, or untested, so preserve the status quo.

No zone systems are entirely possible (like you are suggesting :P ), most common (works) is grid based with heavy LoD. Common example is Bethesda games, now someone will probably say grids outside of you dont render - well yes and no, but it doesnt matter because all you have to do is glide them in or "pop" as SE does once within range. Your computer doesnt need to know what the -whole- map is doing, it is irrelevant.

I think the problem is SE has no experience doing this, SE would have to test a whole new style and that would take a long time specially as their "first time" test. (1.0 is fairly zoneless but in the way they did it in their own words "limits detail of the zone by less unique textures and entities" so obviously they did it wrong lol)

Wish SE would have done no zones but it would have taken them too much time for their release schedule
- new concepts to their programmers (probably)
- level designs have to be seamless which
- something else.. lol

Anyway would have probably taken them 6 months to a year just to redesign the whole world to be a seamless piece (without the limitations).