Most players will note the distinct and almost jarring lack of choice when it comes to housing. In 2021, this sort of do-or-die mentality is unheard of and is definitely bad game design, unless their is a proper reason.
When designing this game AGS had to be aware of this. Their reasoning, I’m assuming, is that it would be unfair to companies who have worked hard to take a territory, only to see all that tax revenue move away.
Now that we’ve seen the game in action, we know these things:
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Most players are bizarrely obsessed with what color this or that territory is.
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Large companies do not take territory solely for the tax gain. In fact, on the two servers I’ve played on, multiple companies have taken an outlying territory, upgraded it past what it could support, and paid the taxes out of their own inventory, just to have a nice town to live in.
Here I will list off the advantages of letting players freely move their houses:
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It would build a better sense of community within each faction. I think most players feel odd and out of place doing PvE things surrounded by enemies.
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I’m all but positive that there is a distinct and substantial drop in individual play time once a player’s home territories get flipped. Transferrable houses would lessen this.
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One of the best features of New World is how players naturally slide into a deep familiarity with a handful of terrritories. Not only does this give the player a sense of “home” within the game, but it also adds some mystery to the other places. As it is, there’s no reason to go explore other territories, except for the sake of exploring. For me personally, Everfall, Mourningdale, and Reekwater are my home. If I could move houses and the board flipped around, I would most likely have ample motivation to go discover Windsward, or Cutlass Keys, or Weavers Fen. In the current system, I will just continue to play in my zones even though they’ve been “occupied,” or succumb to the “outcast” feel that living in enemy territory naturally inflicts and quit the game.
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Progression in the housing arena of the game is not only undesirable but could even be worthy of ridicule. “Don’t buy a big house” is common advice. In a general sense, players not-progressing being the wise choice is an obvious indication of a flawed design. I intentionally don’t decorate my T4 so that people won’t see it and call me a rich no-lifer, or try to guilt me into giving them money. I really do want to drive this point home. If housing was freely transferrable AGS could increase the territory standing needed and have another wheel to grind in an MMO (and regardless of your opinion, MMO’s are all about producing as many wheels to grind as possible.)
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It would play up the faction and company conflict. For instance if you hate one faction but don’t mind the other, you might keep your house where it is. Or if you hate a specific company, maybe because you remembered how they all exploited in the first month, you won’t have to pay them your taxes. Again, lets drive this point home. A player without the means to scrap a house and buy another is literally motivated to QUIT THE GAME to not give money to a group of cheating enemies.
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For those companies that do care about making tax revenues, the entire map centers around three territories, solely because people have houses there and can’t move. Its a shame how neglected the other territories are, and I’ve witnessed larger companies forgetting they even own territories like Monarch’s or First Light. It seems beneficial in all regards to spread out that revenue and give other territories a reason to be fought over. Additionally there’s a balance issue at play. Those companies that hold the three big territories get way too rich way too fast, and this can potentially break a server.
Maybe you disagree with me. Maybe there’s something I’m missing and by doing this some system would get completely broken. But I just don’t see it.