Well they did also mentioned being able to further change interior, supports and pillars were used as an example, that being said, likely to all be distant features...
Yoshi-P did float the possibility that they might be able to change the size of the interior. So you could have a small house and have a large interior. If they could apply that to even apartments, that would help with a lot of problems. If you could have any size interior in apartments or any house, have the island for outdoor stuff if you don't have a yard, all we'd need is some sort of static gardening plot everyone can use and we'd be set. Would only would have to start making zones just full of apartments and concentrate on that to make sure everyone could get some sort of house. A far from elegant solution, but a solution nonetheless.
Too bad that Yoshi-p only briefly mentioned it, and stressed it was just a possibility. And didn't mention it would also include apartments. Guess we'll see.
Nah.
Put instanced housing in apartments, let them be bigger and with a small balcony at highest size with space for 1 garden plot.
We dont need everyone with LB41's and S60's. Instanced housing is a temporary thing in between when people bid to have a house in the meantime, not a permanent thing, nor should it be, it lets people have a proper place to call home while they go through the ward system, or to have a home at all if they are satisfied with that.
Instanced housing > wards. Imo :p. Obviously your imo is wards should stand atop, but honestly I find the wards an inferior concept altogether. I'd much rather have an instanced space with more power over it than beholden to the restrictions that are forced upon the wards. Though I'm more than happy to see major benefits shared back into ward users (as per my first post in the thread showed).
At the end I'd like to see ward be an 'option' like an accessory to the house system itself. Do you want a physical address, and 50 slots exclusive to that space? Go for it. If not, EVERYTHING else, can be done without it. Including max garden spaces, chocobo features, etc.
Now if you're discussing adding phasing, removing any physical limitation, I'd be back at the table to discuss the idea. But if one was fixed on limited, then I'm full out in terms of that being a good idea- or even a half good idea.. it's just a bad idea (imo lol, particularly in a 'not a sandbox' mmo).
I'd like the bigger apartment idea. Personally, I don't see any benefit to the ward system we have now, so we're just not gonna see eye to eye on this. The neighborhoods are hella empty and in my eyes they serve no useful purpose. At worst, people whine about homes around them having bad decorations (candy houses, carbuncle manors, etc.) and at best... what, what good even comes out of this system? Housing gets arbitrarily limited. People who want specific homes are denied them. People who hate this game feel compelled to stay subbed so they don't lose their house because the ward system in its current form requires a demolition system to function. All these downsides, and for what. What, besides "it's unique" does the ward system bring to the game that makes it worth all this BS?
Just scrap it; it's worthless trash.
edit: Actually, no. Don't scrap it. Keep it for people who really care about this sort of thing. I'm sorry. But give everyone else who doesn't give a shit an instanced house. This is ideal imo. Nothing at all wrong with this. Everybody gets what they want.
I'm on balmung. No issues.
My hubby has a small lost it, got another small.
I got a small and upgraded to a medium.
After the 1st round of bids there was still smalls available.
If people see 100 people going for this medium maybe they should have gone for a small with no other people going after it.
If you insist on salvaging this system, i was recently considering the option to somewhat limit who can participate in a lottery. By that i mean while everyone can take part in lottery for smalls, only small owners can place bids on medium houses and only medium owners can place bids on larges. This way while somewhat limiting, it will lower amount of participants for any lottery and make going through house sizes an actual upgrade system that many people claim it is.
If anything i'd see the distinction more like: instanced housing would be for people who want to decorate for the sake of it and having their own place, wards are for people who want housing for their social aspect and more roleplay opportunities.
But instanced is still superior