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Taverns: Hearth is Where the Heart is
Kesarakk
Member, Braver of Worlds, Alpha One
This topic is something I've been very interested in since Kickstarter and something I want to discuss with the community and developers further. For me, a Tavern is something more than a place where you logout, sell junk items or pick up your next stack of food or water as you go out questing. It is the place where players come together and socialize and not just the RPers. This post is about some of the features I'd love to see in Taverns and something that can set the Taverns apart from each other in a friendly, competitive market. I will ignore the more common subjects like food buffs or rested XP areas and focus more on the things I would like to see, or things I've seen in other MMOs.
Patrons:
Anyone who has worked in the food industry knows there are always those select few regulars who come in. They build quasi-relationships with the staff and management and often get deals whereas a tourist would barely look at their server as they order. For Ashes, I think something that would be a neat concept is Patron Players. These players rent out a room in the Tavern and in return are given special buffs or discounts inside the Tavern. Eating food at your Patron Tavern would increase stats or durations. Another perk might be extended rested XP while in the area of the Tavern.
Upgradeable Content:
I'm a player who loves options and nothing makes me jump up and down more about this game than the sheer number of options I'm given: everything to the race and class to the type of Node or location I want to spend my time in. For Taverns, I'd like to see more options to add a flare to them and to make players think harder about where they want to spend their coin other than its location to a dungeon or raid.
An example of this would be a Players have three (3) slots inside their Free Hold they can upgrade once they make the choice to place a Tavern. One slot would be to add rented rooms (See Patron above), while two other slots could be reserved for either crafting stations/buildings or stables. Players who have the same artisan class would be able to use this station when they are in a rush, or simply don't have a freehold in which to place one of their own. Stables could be used as either a form of faster travel or the purchase of a mount. Other variations of these slots would be to set up a kiosk for the Free Hold owner to set up their own shop or maybe farmland to increase the buffs food provides, so long as the player tends to their crops. Or, perhaps these players invest in a pond or garden of many-colored and exotic flowers to cater to those souls that wish to explore the depth of their characters in quiet contemplations or meet with other like-minded players.
Bounty Boards:
This is something I've seen in many fantasy shows, games, movies, etc. and I would love to see in Ashes. There a player sits, waiting for their food when they see a portrait of a thief, murderer, or enemy of the Node with a reward showing "Dead or Alive" and thus their adventure begins! (Edit: This would follow the Node's own bounty system and not something individual players could post themselves to avoid griefing or targeting a player)
The other thing this could be used for is Rare spawns. As no plugins/addons will be added to the game (Which I'm a major supporter of) what better way to reveal rare spawns than on the board with their image on it. There is no location for these creatures or what loot they may be holding, but it is in the area and anyone brave enough to face such creatures would surely be rewarded handsomely.
Tavern Defenses:
When a siege is lost and players are forced to defend their homes from marauders, a Tavern would be a prime target. What better way to rub the salt in a wounded community than destroying their favorite haunt after a long night of raiding and questing? Players who rally behind their favorite Taverns could receive a special buff to give a slight advantage against attackers, and those that have their own homes to defend if inside a Tavern's area could be bolstered in a similar fashion. When morale is at an all-time low and the city has been burned, a Tavern that was defended could give a special buff that increases resource gathering so the community may rebuild what has been lost, or to seek revenge on those that dared attack their homeland.
Affiliations:
With multiple organizations being in the game, a player who owns a Tavern may have the option to host for one of them. This would cause an NPC to spawn that could introduce a quest to players looking to gain reputation or entry into one of these organizations. A member of the Thieve's Guild may sit at the bar while a cleric or priest of a deity may sit in the corner of the room. Maybe an archeologist has just arrived, indicating a new dungeon or ruined tower has appeared on the map, sending players out to find it for themselves!
What are your thoughts? Is there something you would also like to see inside a Tavern? Tell me below!!
Patrons:
Anyone who has worked in the food industry knows there are always those select few regulars who come in. They build quasi-relationships with the staff and management and often get deals whereas a tourist would barely look at their server as they order. For Ashes, I think something that would be a neat concept is Patron Players. These players rent out a room in the Tavern and in return are given special buffs or discounts inside the Tavern. Eating food at your Patron Tavern would increase stats or durations. Another perk might be extended rested XP while in the area of the Tavern.
Upgradeable Content:
I'm a player who loves options and nothing makes me jump up and down more about this game than the sheer number of options I'm given: everything to the race and class to the type of Node or location I want to spend my time in. For Taverns, I'd like to see more options to add a flare to them and to make players think harder about where they want to spend their coin other than its location to a dungeon or raid.
An example of this would be a Players have three (3) slots inside their Free Hold they can upgrade once they make the choice to place a Tavern. One slot would be to add rented rooms (See Patron above), while two other slots could be reserved for either crafting stations/buildings or stables. Players who have the same artisan class would be able to use this station when they are in a rush, or simply don't have a freehold in which to place one of their own. Stables could be used as either a form of faster travel or the purchase of a mount. Other variations of these slots would be to set up a kiosk for the Free Hold owner to set up their own shop or maybe farmland to increase the buffs food provides, so long as the player tends to their crops. Or, perhaps these players invest in a pond or garden of many-colored and exotic flowers to cater to those souls that wish to explore the depth of their characters in quiet contemplations or meet with other like-minded players.
Bounty Boards:
This is something I've seen in many fantasy shows, games, movies, etc. and I would love to see in Ashes. There a player sits, waiting for their food when they see a portrait of a thief, murderer, or enemy of the Node with a reward showing "Dead or Alive" and thus their adventure begins! (Edit: This would follow the Node's own bounty system and not something individual players could post themselves to avoid griefing or targeting a player)
The other thing this could be used for is Rare spawns. As no plugins/addons will be added to the game (Which I'm a major supporter of) what better way to reveal rare spawns than on the board with their image on it. There is no location for these creatures or what loot they may be holding, but it is in the area and anyone brave enough to face such creatures would surely be rewarded handsomely.
Tavern Defenses:
When a siege is lost and players are forced to defend their homes from marauders, a Tavern would be a prime target. What better way to rub the salt in a wounded community than destroying their favorite haunt after a long night of raiding and questing? Players who rally behind their favorite Taverns could receive a special buff to give a slight advantage against attackers, and those that have their own homes to defend if inside a Tavern's area could be bolstered in a similar fashion. When morale is at an all-time low and the city has been burned, a Tavern that was defended could give a special buff that increases resource gathering so the community may rebuild what has been lost, or to seek revenge on those that dared attack their homeland.
Affiliations:
With multiple organizations being in the game, a player who owns a Tavern may have the option to host for one of them. This would cause an NPC to spawn that could introduce a quest to players looking to gain reputation or entry into one of these organizations. A member of the Thieve's Guild may sit at the bar while a cleric or priest of a deity may sit in the corner of the room. Maybe an archeologist has just arrived, indicating a new dungeon or ruined tower has appeared on the map, sending players out to find it for themselves!
What are your thoughts? Is there something you would also like to see inside a Tavern? Tell me below!!
5
Comments
All successful bounties will show a giant 'X' over their picture for 24 hours with who got the final kill.
The board could show the weeks most successful hunters are.