"The REAL Problem With Housing" and Other Flaws on the Dev's Behalf

Everyone has been talking about "add more houses" "add more wards" and as a person who has been homeless for about three years now I can tell you, I'm pretty damn thirsty to live in a taste of vanity. I hear the frustrations of the common man, I share them, I understand them. But I am here to tell you that simply adding wards isn't going to solve the issue, and it goes back to core issues we experience in game.

Brace yourselves cuz I got a lot of replies to this post and its gonna get chunky.

Bots

Let's start off with this. Botting has made this game absolutely abhorrent and it doesn't look like this problem is being addressed. We have servers that should belong to players, not programmed player scripts. Botting gets worse as patches roll around, as with each patch new features are promised, features which normally cost gil, gil that these bots earn, and they need to hoard a lot of it so EVERY server in EVERY data center goes through huge member inflation.

Bots lead to server crowding and sometimes crashing, so every real human player, because they are not on a real time program, can't take priority to get in or even join some servers because the servers are always full and the load isn't even humans behind it.

This NEEDS fixed. And it isn't enough to say that it needs fixed, we as players all know this, but the game only gives us an option to report these fake accounts and that's it. Furthermore the accounts can be easily remade and rebotted--they don't mean anything to the people behind the scripting programs that uphold them, all these bots are to them is gold generators, gold that can be remade in a given amount of time and redistributed. SE should dedicate more of its time getting to the root of this rather than ban single characters and call that a solution.

Real Money Transfer

As if the botting isn't enough there are people who actively participate in real-money-to-gil transactions. In both situations, gil is sold, meaning that gil is given real money value. In many cases in games with a currency of their own this causes inflation. Put that to the housing sink, everything purchased in it can now be converted to a real life currency, one in which people will pay rather than earn it in game.

We can't just say 'well give them more gil either because that isn't solving that problem, at least not fully, but at least then the market would be determined by the players who work for their gil rather than pay money for it.

Self Sufficient Gameplay

Sounds like a good thing, and it is..but it isn't. "Omni" players, objectively, do not need anyone to fulfill their purposes if they so choose. It is interesting as it gives players an option to try a little bit of everything they want, but at the same time it eliminates community and cooperation. In games where players have a list of jobs and are only allowed to choose a few but have need for all, this gives players a chance to work with other, make trades, barters, and exchanges, and flourish the economy. Really the market board is used for luxury purchases with the necessities taking second slot, this can be seen by looking at any board; I guarantee you pets and bardings will completely outprice most to all crafting materials.

Too late now to take the classes back, but one way to aid this issue is to give more benefit and reward for specialization, and something that people will use and circulate.

Gold Sinks

So we've established that bots take up too much room (and one is too much frankly) and that gil is as valuable as the real money amount that is placed upon it. We've also established that gil isn't circulating properly just by self sufficient all-available crafting and gathering, eliminating the need for community cooperation and commerce. But now consider the gil sink traps into which we fall in game, which includes but is not limited to market board taxes (which pay for nothing, so why do they exist?), the steep cost of housing and estates (for what reason should the best large estate be 50,000,000 gil??) and all furnishings therein, teleportation fees (though small they do stack up), and so on. As MMO players we just grow accustomed to the nickel-and-diming, but if that gil isn't being circulated back into the hands of the people, then for what are we spending it and why in such large quantities?

Supply & Demand

Three housing districts. The Goblet, The Lavender Beds, The Mists.
Each district has 8 wards
Each ward is constructed of 2 divisions
Each division contains 30 houses each
For every 1 ward that is 60 total
For every district, that is 480 houses.
For all three districts that gives us a total of 1,440 houses.

You would think that number of houses isn't bad, right? But we've all played this game, busy servers easily top such a number, hell that number could be a collection of only three or four full Free Companies! So what does SE do? Give us 720 more houses in total and tell the players have fun.

Considering the tens of thousand of game subscribers, that number isn't going to cut it. Further still, when the census was taken, ward needs were distributive objectively rather than to server/data center need. Meaning that a low pop server will get just as many new wards as a high pop, rather than distributing wards to places with a much greater demand.

House Availability and Ownership Restriction

But the worst out of ALL this is this scenario right here.

Let's say I run a free company (I do), and I pay the full sub so I have 8 characters on a server (I also do). Housing as far as FC estates will count the FC leader as estate owner. This means that in theory I can:
-Have my characters buy houses within my own estate
-Have my characters buy personal houses of their own.
The only thing it doesn't restrict is the ability to purchase FC estates. SO, in THEORY I, as one player, can own up to seven personal estates and one free company estate. In a word? Stupid.

Why should I be allowed that greed? Account bound ability would be nice in this case, and as disheartening it would be to limit what I could get, much rather I have the limitation if it means more availability to others. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this scenario, and I know for a fact that there are people who exploit it to the dismay of others.

Demolishing Restrictions & Activity

If someone is going to squat on a plot, why let them? But so far that is what SE allows. This can be easily eliminated by shortening the activity window. Will the victims of demolished estates be mad? Sure, they have the right of it, but if they have been gone for so long, at whom should they direct their anger? Their damn selves.

Conclusion

One thing I'd like to note is a Tweet I read a while ago discussing how Final Fantasy XIV isn't given proper budgeting and adding too much wards isn't possible because that means paying for additional server space. I mean XV has an anime, manga, movie adaptation, merchandise, and inspired fashion line even BEFORE the game, but *cough cough*

One suggestion to that? Set up an RMT system where SE can profit. World of Warcraft found HUGE success when they offered coins that players could purchase in their vanity shop and sell in game for in game gold, it virtually ELIMINATED the need for gold sellers, and even better it made the in game economy player dependent. It was a win/win/win from all fronts, and i guarantee you that there wouldn't be a person willing to throw a tenner for something poofy or sparkly to show off in game. And then the bots would diminish. And the the economy would find a bit of stability. And that money could go to server space and other necessary fixes. Boom, there it is.

In conclusion, an MMO is an investment and therefore should reward those who invest, not those who pay through rule breaking means, not those who bot and script, not those who show neglect. Some of these fixes are simple, some not, some quite extensive, but this game is already speaking of its next expansion and these issues have been long since plaguing.

When a baby cage is broken you don't just throw an infant a rattle and hope it works out, eventually the walls can and do crumble. And in this case, it may cost subscribers, which may lead to the beginning of the end, and I don't want to see that happen.

You can edit your post to bypass character limit.

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Originally Posted by Eothas

You can edit your post to bypass character limit.

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Really cuz I tried and it was like WOW you went too far please stop, let me try it

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Originally Posted by EssenceFlux

Really cuz I tried and it was like WOW you went too far please stop, let me try it

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YOU JUST CHANGED MY LIFE

AMEN MY BROTHER"

I really like your post OP. I came from WoW, and can attest that it was rather nice being able to buy the tokens from the in-game store. It was mutually beneficial in that wealthy players could buy subscription time, and not so wealthy players had a means of getting gold. Was it perfect? Probably not, but it sure dud reduce the bot-driven RMT transactions that plagued WoW.

Great post OP.

Sadly it means nothing because as long as the Japanese players are happy with the patch the Devs will do nothing, leaving everyone else boned and we probably won't see anything happen for at least another patch.

Still, 10/10 post and nice too see someone voice their problem with real issues in the game.

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Originally Posted by Desfin

Great post OP.

Sadly it means nothing because as long as the Japanese players are happy with the patch the Devs will do nothing.

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Is this really all the whim of the Japanese servers? And there have to be more of them playing than us here in the west, are they too raising their voice? I hope so, and also that would really suck because a core theme to Asia made games is grind fests and dissatisfaction until a whole lotta work is done for minimal reward. I am not looking forward to being complacent, and anymore I don't want to be.

Why not send those improvements to se? They should get the chance to consider your proposal.
At least, they could give us a statement, when or why (not) they would implement those features.
I wish u good luck on your quest, since I got an FC, got a house and selling a lot of stuff for gil. So it doesn't bother me.
But I still wish u good luck.

Also I'd say they should discourage this kind of behaviour, they should get those FC that work like organized crime lol.

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Originally Posted by Cipher_Zaabiz

Why not send those improvements to se?.

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Because that "Submit Suggestion" button is there for flavor, they don't listen, don't read, and Ive dumped suggestions in the box and I assume it's all going to some internet incinerator

I think you made a lot of good points, especially the part about "distribution based on population".
While the housing districts expansion is a solution but it's a solution that only attempts to solve the problem on the surface and not trying to solve the root problem.
This is not to say that they haven't identified the root problem with housing nor do they not want to find it. It might just be it's "easier" to just throw more plots at the players.
However, if this is the only solution that the dev team is willing to make (with auto demolition being the same kind of solution as it only frees up the plot) then it just shows how irresponsible the dev team is regarding the issues around housing.

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Originally Posted by Serllen

However, if this is the only solution that the dev team is willing to make (with auto demolition being the same kind of solution as it only frees up the plot) then it just shows how irresponsible the dev team is regarding the issues around housing.

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We've been waiting since 2.89 for more wards, the Devs DO. NOT. CARE. about us and have shown that repeatedly by turning of auto-demolition and not talking about housing for most of that time.

Seriously, too everyone here that hasn't dealt with this team, as someone who has lurked the forums, subreddits and anything else you can get information on, they hardly ever even say there is a problem (or anything at all.)

I really loved this game but the Devs clearly don't care about people with play styles outside of raiding which gets old fast. Housing has, is and will probably continue too be an after thought too them, even if most of the population's only option is join someone elses FC.

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Originally Posted by Desfin

I really loved this game but the Devs clearly don't care about people with play styles outside of raiding which gets old fast.

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Now hold on a bit.

Let me make this clear that it isn't that the developers do not care, quite the contrary, the transition from 1.0 to 2.0 shows us that they care a great deal about us! But unlike its competitors who have had years on this game (in WoW's case a decade and some), this game in this format is still new, not infantile, but new. I believe the developers didn't see this game, niche as it is, grow as popular as it has and most likely planned modestly initially. What we are seeng now is a result of a bit of poor planning, a bit of surprise census, and a bit of human error as far as expectations--on both player and developer end--and the culmination thereof has set a mood of complacency and disappointment, but this is all very fixable!

They just have to get off their ass and fix it.

Also, no dev is gonna outright say "we don fuk'd up" because that paints a terrible picture; it took a lot of humbling for the devs to rehash FFXIV to make ARR and that isn't something devs just do.

I'm not saying give it time, I myself am sick of waiting, I'm just giving a perspective.

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Originally Posted by EssenceFlux

Because that "Submit Suggestion" button is there for flavor, they don't listen, don't read, and Ive dumped suggestions in the box and I assume it's all going to some internet incinerator

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lol I hear you, I submit a lot of suggestions that way, 99% of mine are through the suggestion button in game......I sometimes add a sentence hoping they are enjoying their double double coffee from tim hortons cause I honestly feel our suggestions are relayed to some tiny meaningless cubicle in Montreal .. Now that's just my gut feeling!! lolol

This post has enlightened me, its too bad that people of Importance wont read this and realize how amazingly insightful this is...are you blessed by the Good King Moggle Mog XII?

I also really want to point out that how can the devs not realize that they are in fact GATING CONTENT from players who have spent the time and effort to gather the resources and ability to gain access to housing only to be denied and RIDICULED by such ridiculous updates of false hopes of less than a couple thousand new plots all taken up within MINUTES of servers coming online. Minutes where most users spent there time in a queue trying to get onto servers.

While they frown upon other players grieving and gating other players from content, they do not realize they are doing the same thing on a much grander scale?

What are our other options as players? to dig up our "causal" FCs and move to a less populated server (somehow moving our hard earned gil) in hopes of finding a home? Great now you're gating content being a MONEY WALL. Thanks SE. Why give players ability to have multiple personal houses/land (is there even a reason to do so other than for grieving and profit?) when there are still MULTITUDES of players and FCs without a house?

If there is much content attached to housing why is it not available to everyone that has the ability and saved up the gil to do so? Maybe the solution is to make the housing content (workshop/gardening/breeding) available to all, albeit with a price (gil) to access it. Heck, lets rent work shops, gardening plots and proper stables. All while a team of brilliant devs work on and come up with a solution to resolve the housing design issue they have dug themselves into.

Even though I agree that it is hard to change the design of housing as an after thought, you owe it to your ever growing player base to address the issue and come up with a solution. "It's too hard" should never be an excuse to not change.

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Originally Posted by ZeroAngels

If there is much content attached to housing why is it not available to everyone that has the ability and saved up the gil to do so? Maybe the solution is to make the housing content (workshop/gardening/breeding) available to all, albeit with a price (gil) to access it. Heck, lets rent work shops, gardening plots and proper stables. All while a team of brilliant devs work on and come up with a solution to resolve the housing design issue they have dug themselves into.

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Just what I was thinking. Why are we not all entitled?

Perhaps what should have been done is apartment style housing FIRST and THEN estate housing. This way, it would ensure everyone got a little bit of something and for those who were able, get a little something more.

I also think that free companies should be first to get estates because they serve more than one person. I think a free company estate should be an included entitlement, and it would make sense to do so. Why should a personal house for one person who maybe visits it maybe take priority over a free company estate that serves over two hundred players? And I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks that. Some would call this discouraging personal purchases, but really it is encouraging community and social interaction--this IS an MMO, over half of what we do in game is suggested for party.

I think a huge cause of the issue (and something I think which should be included) is the fact that you will LOSE certain 'rare' items if you demolish/lose an estate. You can't remove them or they perish. I realize this was done to keep a constant 'flow' of new housing items being created, but it actually causes people to unnecessarily hold onto houses they don't need. By this I mean to say... If I am going to take a long break from the game, I think I would be more likely to willingly relinquish my house if I was able to keep *EVERYTHING* I put into it (except for the full price of money that was put into the plot itself, which I know would be returned as only a small fraction of the original cost). By the way... this is why I'm really hesitant to boot inactives from my FC... because I don't want them to lose their unique items in their personal room even if most are returned to them from an NPC.

Please correct me if I'm wrong about this, as I'm not 100% sure if you can hold onto plots via the 'free login campaigns' they frequently offer... but if you can reset the timer on your house being autodemolished using the free login campaign, then there really is no need for people to hold onto their subscriptions if they are in the boat of... "Well, I don't know if I want to come back, but I don't want to play right now... and I don't want to lose my house because I might come back..." There are plots near me that I have been watching for months and they never go on sale despite never seeing the person who owns the plot around. The character is level 50 and doesn't seem to have done anything with Heavensward. But, the plot is still there... either because that character is an alt or he is using the free login campaign to keep his house. I understand the timer for a plot being autodemolished has been put on hold right now, but this house has been here forever.

All of that said, I don't have a huge desire to have a personal house. I love my FC's house. We worked very hard for it and I stayed up ALL NIGHT prior to the 2.3 patch to make sure we got the plot we wanted -- because I knew that's what needed to be done. If I wanted a personal house, I know I would have to do the same. But, I do find it a little odd that people are allowed to have as many personal houses as they have alts. It seems excessive, especially since there are people who just don't have the option to stay up all night and log in as soon as the patch goes live.