Quote Originally Posted by Greyhawk View Post
Realistically, no that is NOT the answer. The design is poor, functionality is poor and is more taxing on the backend which SE claims to be the root cause of all their issues related to ever doing anything productive with this game.

The answer is instancing and can accommodate the existing structure of how housing is set up now with some tweaks. I wrote a very lengthy post about is the other day, but basically:
  • Reduce to one ward division. Use the NPC to teleport to where you want to go (friend's house, FC, etc.). This is your 'common area' and you can walk up to a house and port into whoever created an instanced house there, visit an open one or port into your FC house.
  • Instance the plots at the entrance to the yard, not the front door. This allows you to instance housing including the yard to keep gardening, exterior decor, etc. intact for every person.
  • Instancing at the plots also allows you to pick whichever house size you want from apartments to a mansion. It creates only what is needed, not the static bloated mess it is now. Less taxing on the backend, on development and provides for the player base. Allows a better opportunity to get more backend hardware if needed if extended time is needed to acquire the hardware.
  • It actually functions like true instancing. Not this instance upon instance, upon instance, upon instance crap we have now.
No need for an aetheryte crystal, you teleport to your instance, not a ward. Frees up a decor slot on the already taxing limitation.

No, throwing the same problem at the problem is not going to solve the problem. It's just a 'same turd, same smell' scenario.
I don't want the 2 mansions I worked towards over the course of 8 YEARS of gaming to become instanced. I very much enjoy what I worked hard to earn with the neighborhood layout. This part with the yards and streets make each house feel like its own special liminal space in the video game landscape and I don't want that part to change no matter how many times you use the word "turd" to describe your displeasure about it.

I am all for more people getting housing, if not all people. To that end I support adding instanced options but not at the cost of what I and so many of us worked so hard for and continue to enjoy.