Furniture durability

superhero6785

So I was thinking about the economy of housing and furniture. Every game seems to have the same problem in the furnishing economy where once you buy you never need to maintain it. Most things in game have some type of repair costs, timer, or are consumable in order to keep the flow of goods moving. Furniture doesn't. What if furniture had durability or began to look 'worn' over time? Couches and chairs begin to look ragged. Tears or holes would appear in the fabric. Wood would begin to crack or deteriorate. Dining chairs may break a leg randomly. This doesn't have to happen often. It's not meant to be a gameplay-loop, just a way to ensure furnishers have a lasting economy.

Brujo

I've seen this system in Puzzle Pirates. I like the idea.

Balanz

I wonder how stable apartments, homes, and Freeholds will really be, given the amount of turmoil expected among nodes.

Furniture wearing out could be the least of your problems.

I can imagine a winter so long we're forced to burn furniture to stay warm or cook food.

Aquaticmouse

I can see the weather be used to wear out houses and maybe magical termites to nom on your furniture

Thecatslock

I know they plan on mailing back the housing blueprints. Perhaps if they expect a node siege to happen every week/ few weeks the durability for some important house items would make sense. Like this potted plant was destroyed but this chair survived with 80 durability or something so it can last 3 or 4 sieges before having to be replaced. Super hard to make stuff should last longer because of time sink grind but common useful items might need to be repaired every once in a while. That or furniture making will have a few diffrent things in its tool belt we arent expecting that we will need to constantly be making. For example to build a caravan to ship goods they could add certain items besides raw materials like wood or whatever. Or wheels for catapults might need to be made by furnishers while alchemy needs to make gun powder. Stuff like that.

Noaani

In most games I have played with furniture, the thing that spurs on the economy in that sphere is the addition of new furniture, encouraging people to remodel.

Specifically in EQ2, the other major thing that kept the furniture economy spinning was when people started to sell their services as a decorator. This meant that even people that didn't really know how to decorate a home well were able to get someone in to do it for them, resulting in more furniture needing to be made.

Some of the better decorators in that game had wait lists of 6 months or more.

Not that I am against the idea of furniture degrading, I just see other means of keeping this specific market buoyant that seem to me to add fun, rather than add chores.

Jhoren

Whether it's through degradation, or some other system, I do agree that furnishers need to have some sort of job security and relevance as time goes on.

PenguinPaladin

This degradation concept. How would it function with bought cosmetic skins? What if people start liking the stage one degraded look over its main look, and then want it to stay that way.... maybe instead of making the furniture change and degrade give it a passive effect that weakens over time. And the time the passive effect lasts is relevent to its rarity

Or maybe do have a degrading system in place, and be able to hire an npc maid to maintain your home and furniture. Could be a possible gold sink. regardless furniture crafting does need some sort of loop to have some involvment with the economy. But i also dont want the chore of hunting down a furniture maker ever other week because my house looks like shit again.

SongRune

Thecatslock wrote: »

I know they plan on mailing back the housing blueprints. Perhaps if they expect a node siege to happen every week/ few weeks the durability for some important house items would make sense. Like this potted plant was destroyed but this chair survived with 80 durability or something so it can last 3 or 4 sieges before having to be replaced. Super hard to make stuff should last longer because of time sink grind but common useful items might need to be repaired every once in a while. That or furniture making will have a few diffrent things in its tool belt we arent expecting that we will need to constantly be making. For example to build a caravan to ship goods they could add certain items besides raw materials like wood or whatever. Or wheels for catapults might need to be made by furnishers while alchemy needs to make gun powder. Stuff like that.

I was going to comment in this thread earlier, about how I didn't like the idea of my furniture just wearing out over time, but I also didn't want to lose everything in a node siege defeat (and I didn't think they planned to go that way anyway). As a carpenter, though, I didn't really have a good solution.

I LOVE this.

Having durability lost when nodes or freeholds are destroyed results in not having that same "horrible loss" feeling, particularly if the loss is random or staggered so not all of my items wear out at once. At the same time, there's a steady market for furniture replacement as time goes on. You don't even need to make players housing start to look shabby (until maybe the bottom end of the durability curve), which was bothering me as well. This solves all the problems.

Intrepid, do this!

SongRune

SongRune wrote: »

Thecatslock wrote: »

I know they plan on mailing back the housing blueprints. Perhaps if they expect a node siege to happen every week/ few weeks the durability for some important house items would make sense. Like this potted plant was destroyed but this chair survived with 80 durability or something so it can last 3 or 4 sieges before having to be replaced. Super hard to make stuff should last longer because of time sink grind but common useful items might need to be repaired every once in a while. That or furniture making will have a few diffrent things in its tool belt we arent expecting that we will need to constantly be making. For example to build a caravan to ship goods they could add certain items besides raw materials like wood or whatever. Or wheels for catapults might need to be made by furnishers while alchemy needs to make gun powder. Stuff like that.

I was going to comment in this thread earlier, about how I didn't like the idea of my furniture just wearing out over time, but I also didn't want to lose everything in a node siege defeat (and I didn't think they planned to go that way anyway). As a carpenter, though, I didn't really have a good solution.

I LOVE this.

Having durability lost when nodes or freeholds are destroyed results in not having that same "horrible loss" feeling, particularly if the loss is random or staggered so not all of my items wear out at once. At the same time, there's a steady market for furniture replacement as time goes on. You don't even need to make players housing start to look shabby (until maybe the bottom end of the durability curve), which was bothering me as well. This solves all the problems.

Intrepid, do this!

I have to just expand on this to say that this ties the loss or quality/appearance decrease to a real concrete, visceral player experience. Having to constantly upkeep your stuff to stop your house from looking shabby, just because time passed is on the level of maintenance buffs, and is just an all-around poor experience. Having something like this, where the change is based on "my node/house got wrecked, what's salvageable here?" makes it more engaging and immersive, as well as connecting to a meaningful experience, rather than just a recurring punishment for having been playing for a month or two.

PenguinPaladin

I agree, your house being destroyed should either roll a sink die, and just any furniture peice that fails is destroyed, or have a degridation system allowing things to get beat up or aged, until ultimately destroyed.

superhero6785

Great suggestions everyone!

CROW3

I would also avoid inviting orcs over for tea if you're running low on chair maintenance funds... just saying.

superhero6785

CROW3 wrote: »

I would also avoid inviting orcs over for tea if you're running low on chair maintenance funds... just saying.

I plan to play an Orc. Job security.

ClintHardwood

I think furniture that give buffs should have a duration before they need to be replaced or maintained by an experienced carpenter.

Sweatycup

Could always opt to Cat-burgle and steal said furniture if gameplay mechanics were to allow it. Now that's what i call durability issues.

superhero6785

Sweatycup wrote: »

Could always opt to Cat-burgle and steal said furniture if gameplay mechanics were to allow it. Now that's what i call durability issues.

Sell them back their own stolen goods. I like it.

darthaden

PenguinPaladin wrote: »

This degradation concept. How would it function with bought cosmetic skins? .

The way skins work in Ashes this wouldn't have any impact on your cosmetics. When you buy a skin you can't simply place the skin, you have to own the equivalent item in game first. In other words if you buy a couch skin you must first buy or craft a couch in game before you can use the skin. You'll get no extra benefit beyond ascetics for placing that skin. If the coach you bought or crafted has a buff you'll get that buff, if it doesn't you get nothing from placing your couch skin.

darthaden

ClintHardwood wrote: »

I think furniture that give buffs should have a duration before they need to be replaced or maintained by an experienced carpenter.

I believe this is the plan. Pretty sure at some point Steven mentioned housing buffs would be consumed on use so if say a trophy has 25 charges and you use the buff you'll be left with 24 charges.