player housing should be available to everyone.

[LineageRazor]

They aren't fully instanced. Only house interiors are instanced. The wards themselves are always "on" even if there are no players in them, unlike instances that are only generated when a player is present.

I still think about the Q&A from the EU FanFest where they talked about new technology they were working on that would allow players to see what's happening in non-instanced areas from an instanced area. If they're successful in creating that, it could really change housing for the better and allow instanced houses while retaining the neighborhood feeling.

Each Ward is an instance - that was my point. True "open area housing" would not have wards - just a single, enormous zone with every house in it. Further, and I didn't mention this before, the interiors of the houses should also not be instance. You should be able to just walk right in, look out the window, and see your neighbor's house, as well as any people walking around. (This effect COULD be emulated by the new technology you mention - but the goal I'm speaking of would not require emulation.)

This is an unrealistic goal, right now, but is the theoretical ideal for in-game housing.

For that matter, removing instancing is an ideal for a MMORPG game world as a whole, at least when it comes to open-world areas (dungeons and such are debatable - it's not much fun running a dungeon if you're just tagging along after another group that's cleared everything out already!). You shouldn't need to load into a new instance when you enter a new area. However, this is something FFXIV TRIED to do in its original 1.0 release, and there are very good reasons why they backed off from that for ARR. The technology just isn't there, yet - at least, not in a form that's affordable, and implementable on the majority of players' systems.

[Dfess]

Each Ward is an instance - that was my point. True "open area housing" would not have wards - just a single, enormous zone with every house in it. Further, and I didn't mention this before, the interiors of the houses should also not be instance. You should be able to just walk right in, look out the window, and see your neighbor's house, as well as any people walking around. (This effect COULD be emulated by the new technology you mention - but the goal I'm speaking of would not require emulation.)

This is an unrealistic goal, right now, but is the theoretical ideal for in-game housing.

For that matter, removing instancing is an ideal for a MMORPG game world as a whole, at least when it comes to open-world areas (dungeons and such are debatable - it's not much fun running a dungeon if you're just tagging along after another group that's cleared everything out already!). You shouldn't need to load into a new instance when you enter a new area. However, this is something FFXIV TRIED to do in its original 1.0 release, and there are very good reasons why they backed off from that for ARR. The technology just isn't there, yet - at least, not in a form that's affordable, and implementable on the majority of players' systems.

If we are being honest this game shouldn't even have zones. It should be open world. I'm not familiar with the ffxiv engine so idk if open world is possible. I heard that it can't be put into open world because that would cause too many issues and the previous developer was an idiot or something along those lines.

[Eldevern]

I'm wondering why one earth some people feel that bothered by the idea that everyone having a nice housing? Is that the word "everyone" that bother them that much? It is not as if people were asking something technically impossible. BDO or Wildstar show there are solutions (without timer).
An evolutive and upgradable instancied system would be technically possible and for more fair, lively and up-to-date than the current wards system where most wards are dead empty except the few ones with a populated and active FC (especially the RP ones). Since ARR it is visible. More wards turn individual oriented, more they are empty and ghost town.
The interesting thing in a game, a virtual world is it is not the reality then it is possible to get ride on the real world limits. Why on earth do you want these limits in a game, a virtual world?

[hydralus]

Why on earth do you want these limits in a game, a virtual world?

I like having something that other people don't have.

[Eldevern]

I like having something that other people don't have.

I know. It's just to show they are unable to admit it out of loud and use poor excuses as a pretext.

[Arillyn]

If we are being honest this game shouldn't even have zones. It should be open world. I'm not familiar with the ffxiv engine so idk if open world is possible. I heard that it can't be put into open world because that would cause too many issues and the previous developer was an idiot or something along those lines.

Yes it was a mess. 1.0 was like that with "no zones". It was copy pasta, pretty empty and laggy.

[FF16Necromancer]

Yeah.. it definitely should. They advertised it as part of the content in FF14.

[Gramis]

It definitely should be something people can opt into. If not for content then to have another gil sink in the game.

[BehindTheFlowers]

THey should sit down and have a real good look at the housing, and rethink the whole situation.
Personally I think they can save on server power and customer dissatisfactino and perhaps score a few points as it shows they where listening to us.

Instead of what they do now.

[Gramis]

THey should sit down and have a real good look at the housing, and rethink the whole situation.
Personally I think they can save on server power and customer dissatisfactino and perhaps score a few points as it shows they where listening to us.

Instead of what they do now.

Yea. This adding wards once or twice per expansion is just a bandaid