In Housing, Is Cheating is the Only Way To Win?

At any open plot, there will be one or more characters that, like clockwork, check for the ability to buy maybe 10-20 times a minute, for 12+ hours straight, usually with an exact timing between each of their actions.

They are blatantly using scripting/botting (i.e. a 3rd party program), and unfortunately, it works really well. Despite reports to GM's, no one from Square-Enix comes to stop the bot securing their ill-gotten gains.

I spoke to a GM directly about this, however they only said they cannot handle abuse of 3rd party software directly, and to report it to the task force. This cheating is obvious for every player to see, yet Square Enix does nothing to stop it, and has taken a very "hands-off" approach to punishing it, if they punish it at all.

How is a player is supposed to acquire housing on a highly populated server without resorting to cheating? Is housing just not something we should expect to be able to participate in?

Screenshot of the closest thing to a response I received from the GM:

https://i.imgur.com/BiRTMWr.png

Old news, many people blame a third party, but seems more of just timing. I've been able to get houses no problem on updates or expansions time frames. It;s more about planning, or you can buy it of a FC they just need to make you a leader and then take over.

We don't even know if the STF speaks English fluently enough to understand the reports we send in, which is a huge issue in itself as we could be explaining what we're seeing in a way that does not translate over well. If we knew even that it we be a huge communication boost as we as a community could put together some 'canned reports' in their native tongue that describe things like repetitive movements and such. If it is the case that they don't speak English fluently, then we really need some localized STF teams that can clear through reports at a much faster pace.

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Originally Posted by Dustytome

We don't even know if the STF speaks English fluently enough to understand the reports we send in, which is a huge issue in itself as we could be explaining what we're seeing in a way that does not translate over well. If we knew even that it we be a huge communication boost as we as a community could put together some 'canned reports' in their native tongue that describe things like repetitive movements and such. If it is the case that they don't speak English fluently, then we really need some localized STF teams that can clear through reports at a much faster pace.

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The time difference doesn't help either. It wouldn't surprise me that some of the research is relying on what is happening on the live system not on logs. With the 16 hour time difference events on the NA servers would be over by the time the STF arrived at work to check things out. So not only better translations are needed but we also need people who can take action to be located in the States as well as Japan. The same would go for the EU too.

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Originally Posted by MerchantOfSoul

How is a player is supposed to acquire housing on a highly populated server without resorting to cheating? Is housing just not something we should expect to be able to participate in?

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With the actual system, he can't :/

What's all the commotion about? There are tons( dozens ) of smalls available on every server. The housing crisis has been over for months. Even FC or personal relinquishes are very cheap. right now. This is blasphemous. More people who just wanna complain without putting in any effort. You don't need to cheat,just have the gil, and click purchase.

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Originally Posted by Abelfei

What's all the commotion about? There are tons( dozens ) of smalls available on every server. The housing crisis has been over for months. Even FC or personal relinquishes are very cheap. right now. This is blasphemous. More people who just wanna complain without putting in any effort. You don't need to cheat,just have the gil, and click purchase.

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More popular servers are going to have less available plots for sale. Mateus has spiked in player population since 4.0, so naturally there will be less opportunities for plots there compared to a preferred world with less players on it. (It's also the server that's notorious for two players owning an entire ward of houses.) And you can have the gil for a house, but unless you get lucky and beat others standing around waiting for the purchase timer to expire, you aren't guaranteed a plot simply for having gil.

The housing situation is better than it has been in the past, but it's not perfect. My server will occassionally have a small or two open up, but they don't stay open for very long once the purchase timer expires. And it's rare to see more than a dozen open in all housing districts combined. I don't know about people using scripts to wait out timers, but on higher population servers, housing can still be problematic.

Tons of plots on every server.

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Originally Posted by Abelfei

Tons of plots on every server.

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Not on every server. Try logging into Balmung and finding an empty plot. You'll be fairly hard pressed. Cactuar is fifth in terms of population last census, and there were no free plots last I checked (around a week ago). At most, I'd probably find 1 or 2 open right now. That's not "tons of plots". Preferred worlds will have more open plots compared to non-preferred worlds; I see you're on Sargatanas, which is currently preferred. So you'll see more than someone who is not on a preferred world (or someone who is on Balmung).

I'm on gilgamesh. It's one of the more populated servers. I got into housing when an FC mate decided he didn't want his anymore. He abandoned it while letting me know so I could buy it. It was a small house. Then more recent I was able to move into a medium house when they opened up the kugane housing. I found an abandoned medium in the mists and bought it up.

I would suggest is that wait for the next new housing area opening or if they add districts, lots of houses in the older districts will open up as people try to get the new stuff. Also less people think to look in old districts instead trying to buy in the new areas.

Balmung, my server, is in an odd spot for housing. Yes, we are the most populated server, but we also have a zero-to-negative population growth due to the lockout. This means that, unlike most other servers, there are no replacement players as homeowners transfer to other servers or stop playing. This has put us in a weird spot where the plackard competition pools have gotten smaller over the last few months since the new system was put in place.

I've noticed that pattern of open plots usually happens is as follows.
• If a small empty plot is not in The Goblet then someone in The Goblet who doesn't like it transfers there ASAP (unless they have a M or L). The preference seems to be Shirio > Mist/LB > Goblet and there are times when the campers in the other districts get the plot since no one transfers in (though that is rare)
• If a plot in The Goblet opens up then that plot will be camped by about 10 or so people. The crowd was about 50 or so people when the new housing system was put in place back in February.
• If the new small plot is in the goblet then the same 10 or so people go for the plot.
• If ANY medium or large opens then most will go for the upgrade if possible (Even if it is in The Goblet) and the other patterns will kick in as things settle in

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Originally Posted by MerchantOfSoul

How is a player is supposed to acquire housing on a highly populated server without resorting to cheating? Is housing just not something we should expect to be able to participate in?

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You server swap to a smaller server XD

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Originally Posted by Pastahnak

You server swap to a smaller server XD

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Beware! The Housingsward might take issue with such heretical thoughts and seek to destroy you.

Though certainly it's a solution if housing is that important to someone. I guess people are discovering that having a house isn't as important to them as they want others to think.

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Originally Posted by Jojoya

Beware! The Housingsward might take issue with such heretical thoughts and seek to destroy you.

Though certainly it's a solution if housing is that important to someone. I guess people are discovering that having a house isn't as important to them as they want others to think.

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Considering the question was specifically phrased as "on a populated server" that kind of response is really, really disingenuous.

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Originally Posted by Elamys

Considering the question was specifically phrased as "on a populated server" that kind of response is really, really disingenuous.

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Nothing disingenuous about it. I was being totally sincere.

The majority of non-instanced content can be done solo and hunt linkshells exist on every world for what little can't be solo'd. Cross world groups can be formed for instanced group content. Cross world linkshells for chat can be created for friends playing on different servers if they lack other forms of communication outside of the game. I've made alts on other worlds for the sake of visiting friends on those worlds when they just wanted people to come visit their houses and hang out chatting for a while.

The solution is there for those who want a house. It's up to them to use it. If they won't use it, then housing isn't something they want that badly after all.

OP, how can you be so sure that it bots? You coming across like that first thing to blame.

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Originally Posted by Jojoya

If they won't use it, then housing isn't something they want that badly after all.

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Doesn't change the fact that the question was phrased to specifically exclude transferring. Housing is the only content in the game limited in this way, there's nothing else that requires you to transfer servers. You don't have to hop worlds because all the Savage/Ultimate "spots" are full on your server. People have plenty of perfectly valid and legitimate reasons for not transferring servers even though they want a house, and it doesn't mean they don't want a house badly, it means that the thing they badly want is less important to them than whatever reason they're staying on the server for.

I badly want a new video card, but I'm not willing to dip into my savings to purchase it. That doesn't mean I don't want a video card, it means my savings and the peace of mind I get from having them are more important.

Also, the hilarity of this post, to me, is that OP is from MATEUS, not a high-pop world, just medium-pop. If the system can't even handle a medium-pop server population, the system doesn't work.

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Originally Posted by Elamys

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It's also the only reasonable way for someone to get a house in the system we have now without stressing over it.

It's definitely possible and I've heard stories of people camping plots until they get lucky, but of u want to put in no effort outside getting the Gil u should transfer to low pop. I managed to pick up wat I consider to be the best medium in the goblet (3rd best medium through out all wards) at full devaluation (9.5mil) and my previous house knocked it down to 9mil and large houses are open every few weeks or so and aren't picked up right away.

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Originally Posted by Elamys

Also, the hilarity of this post, to me, is that OP is from MATEUS, not a high-pop world, just medium-pop. If the system can't even handle a medium-pop server population, the system doesn't work.

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Where are you getting your data that Mateus is only a medium pop world? Or are you just making an assumption because it hasn't been marked congested like Balmung?

There's something pretty funny about data. The information it provides can be twisted based on how it's gathered and interpreted.

Too many people expect the things they want to be handed to them and then complain when they don't get them. If you want something badly enough, you will make it happen for yourself. It's just a game unlike real life where we have to balance obtaining necessities against the things we want.

There are houses available out there. I stand by my statement that those complaining but who refuse to transfer don't really want them that badly. The things they actually want badly are the things keeping them tied to their current worlds and while having a house might be fun, it's really not that important to them in the long run.