Housing --- Message Boards and Visitor Log

[Stabby-Chan]

Wouldn't it be cool if houses of all sizes had their own internal message boards and Visitor Log?

The message board would serve for people to leave comments to the owner of the house in various matters. The Log would serve just to know who visited your home while it was open to the public.

I know there would be more load on the server, but it would help communication within the wards and to bring them back life. It would create a sense of community within each ward independently through the kind of interaction that would take place across each home's message board.

With so much focus on improving housing.
I've been in thought on how to improve life within the wards themselves.

[Lucinda]

I like this idea, it feels more immersive. Though I don’t think it’ll really bring wards back to life. It’ll help a little though =)

[InkstainedGwyn]

While I completely understand the allure of these ideas, I'm going to be a bit cynical for the moment and say that were they to be implemented (and while the visitor log could be, the message board won't, because there's too much room for harassment there) I think people would be incredibly disappointed with the results.

Maybe it just comes from being a creative sort on the internet, but people don't take the time to comment. (In before "but I would!", yes, it does happen, but it happens very, very rarely.) I write fanfic, and my stories get hundreds of hits a day. I get 2-6 comments on a first release, and then I get perhaps 1 every 3-4 weeks. And while I'm not saying the two (art/writing, and housing) are necessarily comparable, I do think that while a few hundred/thousand folks across all the servers wander through houses on the regular, most people don't. Those looking for ideas frequent housing forums/blogs/sites, and if they do wander, they're probably not going to take the time to stop, find the message board (if it's free-placed), and leave a message. Even if it's on the placard outside, most people just aren't going to take the time. People don't even like to leave comms, and that's three clicks you don't even have to run and find. Also, as social media has shown, a lot of people (with both good and bad motives) feel uncomfortable messaging or commenting without an anonymous option. And I think an anonymous option would be a very, very bad idea.

Unfortunately, the people who do have the time are the ones who bounce around the housing area for 3h waiting for their queues, and most of them are probably going think it's fun to just find random message boards and draw ascii dicks (or worse: see above for "very, very bad idea").

(Also, 1,000 char limit, you know it'll happen xD.)

In the end, if they do (and I just really think they won't, because more moderation would be required) and it works out and people are happy, I'm glad for it. I just see this request on a semi-regular basis, and these are the thoughts that go through my head every time. I think that people who would already be the types to go out of their way to leave comments assume many more folks are the same way than is really the case.

As for the visitor log, I can see it being a thing, but I'd also like them to implement the ability to block individuals from your house, first. Nothing would be more unsettling than finding the same person visiting your house 2-10 times every day or two and not being able to block them. It wouldn't necessarily be encouraging creeper behaviours, but it would be exposing them, and while I think that would ultimately be beneficial to anyone being creeped on, currently all they'd be able to do is report it, but even that would probably just be ignored by the GMs.

TL;DR: Harmless, fun ideas that I don't think would be as fun as people want, and that I really don't expect to see, but hey, I've been wrong before.

[Jojoya]

I've thought about this myself but realized it wouldn't really work in the long run. I can see some players leaving less than appropriate messages in it.

I think it would also become a data storage issue for SE. If they were inclined to add it, would they limit it to the 20 most recent messages? Would they allow you to flag messages you wanted to keep so they don't auto-delete when the message limit is reached?

It's just problematic.

[Stabby-Chan]

You're right...
Stupid me!

Lets not implement message boards at all, or visitor logs.. What was I even thinking?
By the same token..

Lets eliminate all forumboards since there is salty behavior and possibility for harassment too.
How about eliminate most of the chat channels for the same reason?
Hell, why not wipe the majority of communication altogether? I can see that as a boon to the Square-Enix data storage issues too. :P

Harmless, fun ideas? Like MMORPGs?

Like when FF XI came out and people skipped out on life to play the game causing pandemonium all over Japan. How about when mmo gamers started murdering people in real life over in-game items?

I do not have an interest in your fanfic background because it works the very same everywhere.

There are more views than replies to a forum thread
There are more views than replies to a youtube video
There are more views than replies to fanfic.

See the pattern here?
Your argument has no merit

[Dualgunner]

He's taking a cynical look at your idea and saying why he feels it wouldn't be as good an idea as it sounds. I know it was a dense post but he also does say "If it is implemented and works I'm happy."

Truth is his point is valid. Perhaps that's why you felt the need to overreact to it.

[Velisra]

You're right...
Stupid me!
snip

This has got to be the most supercilious rant I've seen in a while on these boards, and a fine example of why your idea of a message board (or even a visitors log) could be a bad one.

I'm with the folks that say it might be fun, but it would probably cause more trouble than it would be worth in various ways.

[Awha]

Snip . . .

Overacting much? Truth be told if really you felt his point lacked merit you probably would not have become defensive. SE has quoted data usage as a limiting factor that prevents them from making a lot of changes. Looking at it from that point of view, do you think it would be wise for them to put effort in a feature you have admitted yourself will have fewer replies then views. Though if they did add such a system it would be make for fun shits posts, so I would welcome it.

Edit: Well looks like you were right, seems like we are getting a guestbook from 4.3.