Potential Housing Crisis Fix (Includes ability for permanent Housing (Sm, Med, Lrg)

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Originally Posted by Solowing

So you're gonna have apartments that are larger than smalls but costs less , but also don't have a demolition timer?

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If apartments are the only thing most people can get, then yes they should have 3 sizes. I said nothing about cost, although they should be cheaper unless they can work in some outdoor furnishing placement for the larger sizes. I thought you were all about people taking advantage of apartments? lol having different sizes would definitely make them more appealing!

As for auto-demo, that was due to player demand, due to the scarcity of plots. It’s always been my stance that everyone deserves an equivalent housing experience, of all the different types, plot, apartment, FC room and Island. The benefit of the instanced forms of housing (and why I continue to campaign for instanced plots as well) is that they are not taking up permanent space. So they don’t prevent anyone else from getting one by keeping them off auto-demo, and they’re only loaded when they’re in use, thus not putting as much strain on the servers.

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Originally Posted by SophiaDL

Because what you two are asking for is basically for instanced housing that is better than ward housing which is limited and has an auto demolition timer, it's absolutely silly.

You want none of the risk and time it takes to take a plot, and want more than ward housing gives which needs both of those provides, it makes absolutely no sense.

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Originally Posted by Solowing

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First off as my understanding I can log in to RS yes but housing is a paid member thing not a free user thing unless things have changed.

You're looking at this as if it's designed to replace ward housing, when that's simply not the case. Solution 9 condos wouldn't be "better" than ward housing, they'd be different. Wards would still offer outdoor spaces, exclusivity, and full plot customization, which condos wouldn’t have.
You mention that permanent housing already exists in the form of apartments, but apartments are extremely limited, single-room spaces with far fewer customization options. The scale and flexibility of condos would provide players with a middle-ground: bigger than an apartment, more accessible than a ward.
This isn't about sidestepping effort, it's about offering housing that works for different types of players. Some want the gamble of obtaining a limited ward plot, and that's fine, but others just want a secure, customizable space without dealing with the stress of auto-demolition timers.
And regarding a housing crisis? It isn’t just about Balmung. It’s about players across many servers who struggle with housing accessibility due to limited supply, life circumstances, or simply disliking the idea of losing their space if they take a break from the game. If ward housing works for you, great, keep your ward plot. But acting like everyone should just accept a flawed system because you did isn’t reasonable.
This discussion isn’t about entitlement, it’s about making housing more accessible without taking away options from anyone else.

P.S. Wards are instances. Fight me on it.

The idea that you have needs to be trickled down to apartments.

The way i'm looking at it from how it suggested is I have a small plot. And I had to go find my plot, buy it and keep active to keep it. And you deserved to also have a plot with none of the drawbacks. You deserve a free plot that is bigger then my small, is free, and lacks a demo timer. I'm pretty sure.
You can understand where the frustration would start to boil up. Because you've implemented a regressive system.that punishes players for going through the ward housing system.

Players deserve an equivalent housing experience? That already exists. Again you don't like the form it's in that's the real argument here. Not that housing is unavailable but you simply don't like what you can decorate and people need to be honest with themselves about that rather than saying it's a housing crisis when it clearly isn't.

Limitation breeds creativity and some people don't have creativity. If you're telling me you cannot decorate a singular room with 100 items. I have 2 floor Apts with that 100 slot limit. And you're telling me you can't make it work at all? ( Yes I agree with you that the item limit can be increased)

Yes it was demanded because people would buy out plots and then quit and then never relinquish them. It was done by necessity. The plot weren't freeing up fast enough so they implemented apartments. Which is allows the player to partake in housing if they don't have a plot. Which now solve the issue of housing being unavailable without a plot. So when players says housing crisis. If they are not talking about Balmung or at capacity servers, it's misrepresenting. You can have a housing crisis if their no way to access the housing feature. But if you have a bunch of empty housing units that nobody wants well that's not a housing crisis that's a plot crisis with surplus housing units

If they bring this to the ward plots, then trickle it down to apartments.I would like it so much more because they would feel like a national progression.

I think apartments still should be the "lowest tier". But in proportion to everything else. Like I like the idea of different layouts.That's great! Give them to plots first , then trickle it down to Apts. So that way the apt upgrade doesn't encroach on plots.

Like if the small medium or large plot got the multi layout then I would be completely fine with the apartments getting a small plot layout..

If the standards for the ward plots are up , then the standard for the apartment should be upped.

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Originally Posted by Solowing

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First off where did I ever say free anywhere?

You're approaching this from the perspective that condos would be "free" housing that undermines ward ownership, but that's not the case. Condos wouldn't be handed out as freebies, they would still require purchasing, just like apartments do. The difference is that they would serve as a middle-ground option: larger than apartments but without the outdoor space of wards.

Ward plots would still retain their unique benefits: yards, customization of exterior elements, exclusivity, and neighborhood-like settings that instanced condos wouldn't provide. Saying that condos are a "better version" of ward plots ignores the fact that outdoor space and full plot control are major advantages that condos wouldn't offer. If someone wants those benefits, they’d still need to go through the ward system.

Regarding the idea that limitations breed creativity: Yes, working within constraints can push people to be creative, but that doesn't mean more space shouldn't be an option. Some players enjoy decorating in compact areas, while others want a larger, more customizable living space. Offering options isn't a bad thing, it’s simply catering to different playstyles.

The argument that a housing crisis only exists on Balmung overlooks a major point: housing scarcity affects players across multiple servers, especially on populated worlds where plots are difficult to obtain. The need for permanent housing isn't just about availability, it’s also about stability. FFXIV is the only MMORPG that removes player housing due to inactivity. That’s not standard industry practice, it’s a unique design choice that affects players disproportionately.

There is absolutely a housing crisis on Behemoth.
https://i.imgur.com/n8nAe2D.png
(P.S. it's basically identical to that on all of Primal)
You know what just to make my point here you go
https://i.imgur.com/HBnazBZ.png
https://i.imgur.com/mZSGeFr.png
https://i.imgur.com/3KxSaLW.png
https://i.imgur.com/Q2pGqBo.png
https://i.imgur.com/wqxqsa3.png
https://i.imgur.com/DanI5bC.png
https://i.imgur.com/wEqfP0V.png

Lastly, the idea of trickling upgrades down from plots to apartments ignores that apartments themselves have always been a compromise, a limited alternative for those unable to obtain plots. Expecting ward housing improvements first, and apartments to be upgraded later, doesn’t solve the real issue: offering meaningful permanent housing that exists alongside, not instead of, ward plots.

If ward owners want an upgrade path, that’s a separate discussion. But the proposal for condos isn’t about invalidating ward housing, it’s about providing an alternative system that gives more players access to stable housing while still retaining meaningful distinctions between plot-based and instanced homes.

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Originally Posted by Solowing

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Your stance on this comes across as gatekeeping, you're defending a system that actively restricts housing from the majority of players while ignoring the fact that FFXIV is the only MMO where player housing can be lost entirely. It seems less about preserving the ward system and more about keeping housing exclusive to a limited group, which is why many players feel frustrated with the current system.

If your concern is fairness, wouldn’t a solution that **adds more options without taking anything away from ward owners** be ideal? Because the way you're arguing against permanent housing makes it sound like you’re more interested in maintaining exclusivity than actually improving housing accessibility for the broader player base.

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Originally Posted by Solowing

There isn't a housing crisis. There's a plot crisis. Let's make that distinction.

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And another thing, if it's a plot crisis as you are claiming, why exactly are you contributing to it by owning a private house and an FC house (which from looking in lodestone you and your alts are the sole participants of said FC house basically meaning 2 private houses 1 with workshop for yourself. Like I said Gatekeeping.

https://i.imgur.com/jdqDEin.png
https://i.imgur.com/dIzUjhH.png
https://i.imgur.com/8e3Eej3.png

I mean if you wanted to come to my ward and look at plot 38 and 39. Those were plots that went on unclaimed for months. One person bidd on plot 38 , but never cleaned it so went back up on sale. And eventually two free companies came along leveled up their fc to lvl 7 purchased it and went inactive. Nobody bid on plot 38. So the second squatter purchased it without any competition. The houses are both locked and clearly unused as both fcs are still the same levels years later after purchasing the plots.

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Originally Posted by Solowing

I mean if you wanted to come to my ward and look at plot 38 and 39. Those were plots that went on unclaimed for months. One person bidd on plot 38 , but never cleaned it so went back up on sale. And eventually two free companies came along leveled up their fc to lvl 7 purchased it and went inactive. Nobody bid on plot 38. So the second squatter purchased it without any competition. The houses are both locked and clearly unused as both fcs are still the same levels years later after purchasing the plots.

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Roll, you should have left one of them open. If there is a "plot" crisis than you still shouldn't need an extra plot for yourself if you yourself say there is a need for plots regardless of their location or when they are available, it doesn't matter if it was open for x amount of time, someone would want it eventually and all you're doing is contributing to the "plot" crisis as you put it by taking it from someone who potentially would want it in the future.

I like your optimism but reality doesn't work that way. If you don't take advantage of an opportunity someone else will. So I chose to take advantage of the opportunity. Given you've been to the site.Those houses and rooms are well furnished. They're not left abandoned And I have more apartments style rooms then a plot. If I want I have the ability to make up to fc style rooms. And if I want to have another housing unit to do that I can easily find one.

Which is why I don't see it when people say housing crisis. Because you don't want housing you'll wanna plot. I want housing so i'm going to make a sixth room and decorate it, while you ask for an entire system rework because you're too good for a instanced non demolishable room.

I think your idea is good in an instanced system. But that's not the system we have. But I also don't think that reworking the entire system is going to move the needle. Those who don't care about housing aren't gonna care about the rework. Oh , she already liked housing wasn't going to leave anyway unless the game itself was on thin nice. Housing doesn't bring new players it simply entrenches those who are already here.

You think a company wants us to stop paying? You are literally asking them to allow you off the hook because you don't want to pay? If I were square I wouldn't change the system either. You are too useful as a subscription an data point on the monthly active users and a quarterly active users.

Lizard would have killed to have a system like that. But they're going the other way as they're going to marketplace items. So you don't have to pay to keep it. But you are certainly gonna pay through the item shop.

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Originally Posted by s32ialx

And another thing, if it's a plot crisis as you are claiming, why exactly are you contributing to it by owning a private house and an FC house (which from looking in lodestone you and your alts are the sole participants of said FC house basically meaning 2 private houses 1 with workshop for yourself. Like I said Gatekeeping.

https://i.imgur.com/jdqDEin.png
https://i.imgur.com/dIzUjhH.png
https://i.imgur.com/8e3Eej3.png

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Lol @ Gatekeeping

You are not owed a house by playing the game and paying your sub fee, in fact you are owed absolutely nothing.

Nor are you owed an empty plot or someone else's plot, multiowners use the game system to get houses fairly and without any kind of cheats, making it completely ToS friendly

Put in more effort and you can get what multiowners get, dont want to ? Keep bidding with one character, but dont blame other players for putting in more work than you do and try and guilt trip them by saying they're "gatekeeping"

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Originally Posted by s32ialx

Roll, you should have left one of them open. If there is a "plot" crisis than you still shouldn't need an extra plot for yourself if you yourself say there is a need for plots regardless of their location or when they are available, it doesn't matter if it was open for x amount of time, someone would want it eventually and all you're doing is contributing to the "plot" crisis as you put it by taking it from someone who potentially would want it in the future.

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Same as above tbh, people are not charities, I'm not doing housing to think "Oh maybe this person wants this plot instead, maybe I shouldnt bid !" lmao, what is that for a point of view ? Do you also pass on all of your loot in raids in case someone else wants it ? In the case of housing, I want a house, I get a house, I am not here to think of some random person I've never met in my life wanting that house, as said above, I am not a charity

You are literally the only person that would go up to a placard with 500 bids and think to themselves "Oh, this plot has 500 bids, I'm not going to bid on it just in case one of those 500 people want it !" like ??? lmao