Is the concept of a FC already dead?

Imo coil lockouts has a part of this (in agreement with a few others mentioning this first). I understand loot cannot be too fast since players will grind every hour possible.. But, I hope SE is looking hard for a different system more friendly. Like being able to run the coil with anyone even after a win, but rather than getting the premium drops instead being able to obtain a vanity subset or even crafting materials - something. They can certainly make the lockout socially more inviting. I've personally experienced the issues that coil makes with a FC. Not only in a social clique but also in awkward obligation as you've set a static and that means setting strict times, forcing people out of content because someone has life in the way or is waiting for someone else that had life in the way. Lock outs aren't the only issue but I certainly see them as an issue (a lockout of top tier loot is understandable, just make it socially amicable).

Now hilariously I did coil a while ago, and since coming back and playing catch-up have not tried the second coil- if the lockout system has changed since the first coil please inform me so I can slap myself... :)

Sometimes "surplus" isnt that bad...
On XP gain it was terrible, but on loot?
The problem we have here is: its group loot and not personal, even then we have random loot and not the "choosen one"...
Most players i talked with agree, that CT loot system is what they currently like the most! Still, its not the best system because most just throw away gear because waiting for the "choosen one" to drop.

An FC is nice to have but currently there are far too many of them because people are selfish. Someone starts up an FC, the members expand and things go along nicely for a while but then someone feels they should have more power/rights even if they did not necessarily earn them. Rather than voicing their issue, most will choose to leave (often while taking a few other members with them) to start up their own FC. A few months later someone in the FC of the person who left and started their own feels the same way and leaves to start their own. Rinse and repeat. This leaves the community fractured into smaller groups looking out solely for their own personal gain.

Running a FC is hard as it is, mainly because of trust issues. While we would love for everyone to be able have access to everyone we know full well that if you are given rights within an FC you could harvest and take all the expensive crops and clear out the FC chest and SE will not do anything about it. Rules are in place for a reason and you cannot allow just anyone to take what they want because you can be burned only so many times before you get a bit leery of others until you get to know their intentions. While many things can go wrong, if you get a team that works well together for the betterment of the entire group then an FC is a splendid thing to have with xp buffs and benefits for everyone involved.

Better communication would solve the majority of these issues and people would never find themselves lacking someone to do content with, but that would require sucking it up and acting like an adult :)

When I first joined the game, I went right into the same FC as an IRL friend of mine and a few people that came to the game with me followed. A couple of the officers in that FC were obviously dedicated and obviously wanted to save up for a house and whatnot. A couple of them... well, not so much. After the leader cleaned out the funds from the FC storage and bailed (he said he quit, but then we saw him around town a bunch), there were one or two people that were obviously just milking the other FC members for points. They never crafted. They never ran dungeons except to cap soldiery. They never helped any of the newer people with their dungeons or trials for their main story. Basically they didn't do a whole lot that generated points, but he would do things like take down EXP actions to put up a spiritbonding action when we had people actively leveling.

Several of us became pretty upset with the way things were going in that FC and left to make our own. Along the way, we've picked up new friends and friends of friends alike. It's turned into a nice little core group of 5-6 people and another 5-6 that are either newer or more casual. Anytime I hear from someone that their FC doesn't help them with content, I make them an offer to join ours. I'm not pushy about it or anything, I just think that an FC that doesn't help its members mayaswell not even exist. Crafting materials that we get as drops from dungeons go into the FC chest to help the newer people make the item level requirement for their first relic quest, and to help our crafters in their quest for three-star. Those mats go on a page that is only accessible to officers/leader, but if someone needs something from that page, all they really have to do is ask.

TL;DR: I don't think the concept is dead. I think an FC is what you make of it.

All I know is that I would KILL for one that plays during USA "sun hasn't risen but it's after midnight" hours and I can't find one, perusing the boards for all the servers leads me to the conclusion that maybe I'm just SoL for progression unless my situation changes.

I think the concept is dead people want active convenience and not an FC where you jump through hoops to get it.

If anything, FCs are just LS with benefits.

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Originally Posted by Cynthis

I agree that the housing becomes a catch-22. You need quite a few players to raise the ridiculous amounts of gil but you can only get a lot of players if you have a house. SE really need to fix their servers and make it a lot easier to get FC housing.

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Ridiculous amounts of gil? You only need about 2 million to get a small FC plot. My FC consists of 7 friends (5 that play daily) and we live on a medium plot. We managed to save 2.4 mil to buy our first house, then we saved 20 mil for our second house.

If you craft and gather, gil is a non-issue in this game. Heck my retainers have brought me 2 mil this week alone (2 floss silk). Then there is the gil to be made from spiritbinding and selling of materia. Lets not forget all the gil you can get by doing expert delivery missions then cashing in those GC credits for crafting items. Etc. These things all require you to do something besides stand there admiring yourself, which I understand can be hard.

If you ask me houses should cost more, or be harder to get; get a sense of accomplishment from getting one. (tbh I actually think fc credits should be needed to buy fc houses, on top of gil)

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Originally Posted by MilesSaintboroguh

If anything, FCs are just LS with benefits.

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This. They could have just expanded the Linkshell system.

I see no advantages to FCs that couldn't have been included in the linkshell system.

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Originally Posted by Kiara1

This so much!
I created my own fc for the house, so me and my friend got us to rank 8 andI bought the house for my own money only. Now I got 2 new members recently and I've been lucky with drops so I got a lil rich. So was planning on getting a medium house. On my server it vosts about 12 mil gil, which isnt that much, but if I could sell my current house I'd get the new house faster.

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You actually can sell the house itself. You get back the building permit you purchased to place your house upon relinquishing the plot. That permit can be sold on market. I have a small house on market for 350k. You should be able to sell back the land too.. however you lose that gil forever.

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Originally Posted by Aegis

This. They could have just expanded the Linkshell system.

I see no advantages to FCs that couldn't have been included in the linkshell system.

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Just because you can't see them doesn't mean advantages don't exist.