Can we have instanced housing please?

Keep the current housing system for people who wants a sense of real community and neighbors, and add instanced version of housing zones that all plots are available with the same price tags but without real player neighbors.

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Originally Posted by LitheSuxman

community and neighbors

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Can count on one hand how many times I've actually seen a neighbor, and I live on my plot.

I would rather they spent resources on creating instanced housing or expanding the apartment system than adding more wards.

Exactly, many wouldn't even care to have neighbors around as long as there are buildings in other plots so it doesn't feel so empty, can be easily done by generating randomized types of houses.

I've had an apartment for a little while now and in all the time I've spent touring the area outside I've seen another person maybe 2-3 times. Neighborhood community doesn't exist in this game.

No

/10 char

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Originally Posted by LitheSuxman

Keep the current housing system for people who wants a sense of real community and neighbors, and add instanced version of housing zones that all plots are available with the same price tags but without real player neighbors.

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Only if we have access to gardening patches.

I'm all for instanced housing, with or without the gardening plots or whatever else.. What would do it for me is bigger apartments with more slots.. or even same size apartments with more furniture slots. I'll make that work.

Have you played at release?
They can hardly handle just the people playing, what do you think will happen if everyone has an instance house?

Owned plenty of houses in different wards and location. Probably 5 people ive interacted thru years of playing this game and thats rarely... otw i dont get respond back whenever i try to interact :p
I once got a reply from a person telling me to stfu for no reason :D

Is this desire to keep to yourselves a North American phenomenon or does it extend to Japan as well? If not, then I don't think instanced housing would go over too well with the primary player base. I myself have had plenty of guildmates and friends come visit me at my apartment and I have gone to visit theirs. If my situation is an uncommon one, however, then there may be a deeper problem with regards to the North American player base than just a lack of housing.

My ward is nicely busy, there would be 10 people I see on a regular basis from 4 houses, and they are all friends now. Nice helpful friendly people.

But I understand the desire for instanced housing, and hope SE does it. Our own subscriptions and Mog Station purchases helped the company increase it's profits 22% last year, a bit of this plowed back into more servers to support instanced housing would be nice.

Hopefully if we keep pushing, then after the new USA and EU servers are installed (Thousands and thousands of new housing plots there) SE can then add more servers again for instanced homes.

I could be incredibly wrong, but I feel like a lot of people have a knee-jerk reaction when they hear "instanced housing" because they imagine it can only be like what we get with the inns/apartments. A basic square box and nothing else.

Wildstar you got your own private island that you could play with, including both exterior and interior areas. Or you could join with a 4 of your friends for a mega island. GW2 lets guilds have a HUUUGE instanced zone, pretty much the size of one of their main cities.

I know other games have their own instanced housing versions, but these are the two I'm most familiar with and I think they highlight how instanced housing doesn't necessarily have to suck.

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Originally Posted by Eraden

Is this desire to keep to yourselves a North American phenomenon or does it extend to Japan as well? If not, then I don't think instanced housing would go over too well with the primary player base. I myself have had plenty of guildmates and friends come visit me at my apartment and I have gone to visit theirs. If my situation is an uncommon one, however, then there may be a deeper problem with regards to the North American player base than just a lack of housing.

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Look at me look at me I insulted American's on the internet, can I has cool points??!!!1

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Originally Posted by Eraden

Is this desire to keep to yourselves a North American phenomenon

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I think you may have this backwards. People don't hang in wards because there are no people, so everyone (house or no house) usually congregate in the main cities. I hang out at my house because my friends and I like to relax together in PF in each others plot, but that's the most action we ever see. Even I go to the main cities quite often to socialize.

People want to be where the people are, but the self fulfilling prophecy states that no one will hang en masse in housing wards because there isn't already an established crowd.

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Originally Posted by Conundrum

Look at me look at me I insulted American's on the internet, can I has cool points??!!!1

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It was a serious question. Please keep your snide remarks to yourself. The purpose of my post was not to insult North Americans (of which I am one). I honesty want to know if this phenomenon is restricted to North America. If it is, we need to work on improving this so that we can justify a request for non-instanced housing.

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Originally Posted by LisSquid

I think you may have this backwards. People don't hang in wards because there are no people, so everyone (house or no house) usually congregate in the main cities. I hang out at my house because my friends and I like to relax together in PF in each others plot, but that's the most action we ever see. Even I go to the main cities quite often to socialize.

People want to be where the people are, but the self fulfilling prophecy states that no one will hang en masse in housing wards because there isn't already an established crowd.

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THANK YOU for a response that wasn't snide. You are actually making some good points here. I wonder if putting more features to draw players to wards would improve the ward population.

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Originally Posted by Eraden

THANK YOU for a response that wasn't snide. You are actually making some good points here. I wonder if putting more features to draw players to wards would improve the ward population.

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You're welcome!

I'm not sure if it can be helped at this point, honestly. Aside from big FCs holding a presence, people opening their home up for a venue, and friends having a kickback? The ship for making wards a mainstay of social hub has sailed for NA. I think that's why instanced housing inside the main cities is so appealing, honestly. It's the "neighborhood" feel that actual wards lack, but you still have your abode to retreat to.

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Originally Posted by Eraden

Is this desire to keep to yourselves a North American phenomenon or does it extend to Japan as well? If not, then I don't think instanced housing would go over too well with the primary player base. I myself have had plenty of guildmates and friends come visit me at my apartment and I have gone to visit theirs. If my situation is an uncommon one, however, then there may be a deeper problem with regards to the North American player base than just a lack of housing.

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I may be misunderstanding something, but in the games I've played with instanced housing, you can still have your friends come and hang out at your place. I don't see why that would have to be any different in XIV.

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Originally Posted by Skivvy

I may be misunderstanding something, but in the games I've played with instanced housing, you can still have your friends come and hang out at your place. I don't see why that would have to be any different in XIV.

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It's more level of community in the housing wards. Although there were a lot of similarities to the NA wards... The JA wards are/were quite amazing in some places, there is a whole night market in Tonberry (I think) with out of parcel building.

Youtube of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oPC4D-rHqg

I am hoping we get some of this feeling in Materia too, when that housing finally opens, rather than the more subdued and empty way. The number of ex-JA server players does seem higher now all the day-trippers have their 15 days of free gametime and left.

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Originally Posted by Conundrum

Look at me look at me I insulted American's on the internet, can I has cool points??!!!1

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Rushing for those cool points, trips over a lala and faceplants.

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Originally Posted by Shibi

It's more level of community in the housing wards. Although there were a lot of similarities to the NA wards... The JA wards are/were quite amazing in some places, there is a whole night market in Tonberry (I think) with out of parcel building.

Youtube of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oPC4D-rHqg

I am hoping we get some of this feeling in Materia too, when that housing finally opens, rather than the more subdued and empty way. The number of ex-JA server players does seem higher now all the day-trippers have their 15 days of free gametime and left.

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That video is amazing! Although from reading the comments, it looks like this had been only for a special event, and GMs asked them to take it down as it was causing issues (if the comments are accurate). :(

As a whole, I really despise the wards as they're pretty much ghost towns. Random RP events pop up now and then, and I'm sure some FCs hang at their house more often than others, but as a whole it's a lot of empty space. If they were as active and bustling as in that video, I think I'd have far less hate for them.

My biggest issue will always be that equal housing is not available to everyone. If SE's hamsters could manage, I'd also be OK with the suggestion that OP presented. Keep some wards for those people who do enjoy that experience, but add in decent housing for ALL players that is automatically included in the game.

There honestly might be a really good reason why they won’t/can’t do instance housing. Server and coding could be good reasons, as a rough guess… but at this point I think people should shoot for apartments and FC rooms to be updated since it’s already there. Maybe even turn Inn rooms into something we can decorate. Would love for bigger apartments myself and if island sanctuary lets me have access to a garden, I would be set.

I don’t mind the idea of instance being added but if it comes at the cost of neighborhoods being destroyed it might make peeps kind of heated. Even on NA, there are active wards especially if there’s venues there. I used to be in active ward before I moved this char and genuinely would see people practice rotations, goofing around, crafting, etc.

Anyone who played during early-mid EW release around non dead hours is likely familiar with this message (or something like it, I never took a screenshot of the actual message it displays whenever it happened to me) if they tried to enter their home, due to the sheer volume of people afking in houses/apartments away from peering eyes.

https://i.imgur.com/O9vCo28.jpg

and it's why ultimately fully instanced housing isn't going to happen. It's pretty clear on the backend, housing can only support a finite number of open instances before it prevents anyone else from opening an instance. Instanced housing is irrelevant in FF14 if the instance cap gets hit when only a fraction of the total playerbase even has a house, could you imagine how ridiculously hard it'd be to enter your house if the entire playerbase had a house with only enough instances to handle like, <2% of them? I actually wouldn't be surprised if this error message begins popping up more often come Ishgard, unless they can do small scale modularity for the number of instances that can be open.

Say what you want about housing in its current state. But when you managed to get one, all the hardwork and patience seems to pay off. With instance housing all of these will be gone when every Jane and John have a house in XIV. Thats probably the reason why they add Island Sanctuary instead of instanced houses.

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Originally Posted by Lieri

Say what you want about housing in its current state. But when you managed to get one, all the hardwork and patience seems to pay off. With instance housing all of these will be gone when every Jane and John have a house in XIV. Thats probably the reason why they add Island Sanctuary instead of instanced houses.

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So basically you want to lord it over others.

P.S. I have a medium house, and I still think instanced housing needs to come for all.

We have instanced housung its called apartments.

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Originally Posted by Conundrum

So basically you want to lord it over others.

P.S. I have a medium house, and I still think instanced housing needs to come for all.

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Not really. Instanced housing will feel like a dungeon. Theres no sense of achievement in it at all. And they have said Island will be like a house with more features and it is instanced. People just need to wait.

yes please even older mmos like aion have better housing system than this

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Originally Posted by Lieri

Say what you want about housing in its current state. But when you managed to get one, all the hardwork and patience seems to pay off. With instance housing all of these will be gone when every Jane and John have a house in XIV. Thats probably the reason why they add Island Sanctuary instead of instanced houses.

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What a bizarre sentiment. Other people having a house takes absolutely nothing away from you. You're not special for managing to snag one, it only means you lucked out on clicking a placard.

I've spent so much gil on housing over the years, and currently have a house that I love, but I'd still be first in line to burn the thing down if SE could manage to implement a housing system that allows everyone equal participation.

Just saw the additional post.....

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Originally Posted by Lieri

Not really. Instanced housing will feel like a dungeon. Theres no sense of achievement in it at all. And they have said Island will be like a house with more features and it is instanced. People just need to wait.

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So going to leave this here:

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Originally Posted by Skivvy

I could be incredibly wrong, but I feel like a lot of people have a knee-jerk reaction when they hear "instanced housing" because they imagine it can only be like what we get with the inns/apartments. A basic square box and nothing else.

Wildstar you got your own private island that you could play with, including both exterior and interior areas. Or you could join with a 4 of your friends for a mega island. GW2 lets guilds have a HUUUGE instanced zone, pretty much the size of one of their main cities.

I know other games have their own instanced housing versions, but these are the two I'm most familiar with and I think they highlight how instanced housing doesn't necessarily have to suck.

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Originally Posted by Skivvy

What a bizarre sentiment. Other people having a house takes absolutely nothing away from you. You're not special for managing to snag one, it only means you lucked out on clicking a placard.

I've spent so much gil on housing over the years, and currently have a house that I love, but I'd still be first in line to burn the thing down if SE could manage to implement a housing system that allows everyone equal participation.

Just saw the additional post.....



So going to leave this here:

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Yep thats definitely sounds like Island. I cant wait for it and no, I dont even own a med, I have a small and it felt like the hard work paid off. Thats all I can say. And its the truth, if all people have a house in XIV, the sense of achievement will be gone. That is the truth. Doesnt meant they shouldnt add more wards/plots though. And they have by opening OCE DC and will add more Worlds on NA.

When housing was first announced, I was honestly expecting it to be instanced. There were far fewer wards than there are now and no private quarters. I felt so incredibly sad for all the folks who simply could not get a house because there weren't enough plots available. It was like giving a single cookie to a thousand people and expecting them all to share only it was more than that because houses actually had functionality and purpose.

I got angry at SE (billing issue, not relevant) and left the game back in about 2019 or so, and only came back the other day, moving to the new server here in Aussieland.

There're no houses or apartments here. People are talking about maybe they'll be back in 6.1 but I don't know if that's true or not. I won't lie; I miss my house. Unfortunately, I didn't even get back the money or items from it because I was away for too long.

I have fond memories of the one person I saw in the neighbourhood on a regular bases shortly after the wards were first doubled but he left after a little while and I'd never regularly see anyone after that that I hadn't invited to my own house. It wasn't because I was locked away inside either; there was a market board, summoning bell and aethernet node right outside my place and even when I felt lazy I'd just sit on a stump in my front yard and relax but people didn't tend to come. I dunno, it just never felt like it was what SE expected it to be and it felt really exclusionary to have people buy houses only to never step foot in them other than to keep the demolition timer from running out.

It's very possible that all my qualms with it were resolved long ago (remember, I'm a recent returner on a server without housing so I really don't know the current state of things) but I still think instanced housing was the way to go. Having to keep whole neighbourhoods up all the time seems silly if you can just put a person's house away once they go outside, and it works perfectly well for inn rooms (and I'm assuming apartments, knowing nothing about them).

I'm all for personal house instances. Please make them a thing where you can still decorate, have stables and gardens, place decorations and useful implements, and invite others to your place. It doesn't have to be as complex as it is now but I'd get rid of the demolition system in exchange for an archival system after a while of inactivity (maybe the same 45 days as it was, I don't know if it still is that or not) and maybe they have to apply to get their house back and wait up to a day or something for it to get shuffled back in. Being instanced, it can all be incredibly modular, added to and archived as servers and funds allow.

I'm not dealing with the optional items store but I'm spending an awful lot on my full roster of retainers and collector editions and stuff like that. Surely SE could use some of that money for more instance servers and instanced housing amongst other things.

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Originally Posted by LitheSuxman

Keep the current housing system for people who wants a sense of real community and neighbors, and add instanced version of housing zones that all plots are available with the same price tags but without real player neighbors.

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As said, over and over again: Yoshi-P wants housing to be a social place to meet and blah blah blah...

Except, it's nothing more than a ghost town where the probability of meeting a neighbour is close to zero, except for a neighbourhood created for Rp purposes, I guess. And day one of the new big patch.

But whatever the reality, it's Yoshi-P who decides.


It's like the fact that FFXIV is even more casualized in Endwalker, despite the fact that noobs die in a loop over rather simple content. Experienced players have nothing better to do than farm the Ex, Savage and let and take a break until the next big patch.
Oh yeah, there's a reason the queues are down to 20-50 at the most now.

Again, it's Yoshi-P who decides.


There you go.

I'm waiting to see what Island Sanctuary will have and whether or not it will fill this need.

I've always felt wards should be for FC's. Before moving DC to OCE the ward our FC was in on Tonberry there was a total of 3 FC houses the rest were all private houses. Was always dead and most of the houses were absolutely empty. Most annoying because we were a FC in a small house and private mansions sitting there with nothing. Been to other wards where there were mostly FC houses and they always felt more alive, even our old plot had more of a community and that was 50-50 mix. Though apartments could easily be sized up slightly and include a balcony to allow some form of gardening (this of course depends on what Island Sanctuary brings to the game).

I have seen another player at my house and in vicinity maybe 3 times in YEARS!!

I have always advocated for instanced housing IF that would accomplish availability for all.
In Rift we could own many housing zones to build in ,and yes there was a list to search to visit a specific friend etc.
It was far superior imho.

They could use the idea of apartments but vastly expand their size and functionality. ie/ terrace that can hold garden plots, extra rooms for subs and airship building if we ever need fc apartments as well...

The neighborhood has always been a waste of resource space imo. The instanced homes can still be visited/seen if the owner chose to open them up...no different then now.

I think its a bit like why they don't want to improve on the inventory system in 14.
If they would update the inventory system, like having 1 material bank, people would need less retainers = less money for SE.
If everyone has instanced housing what would be the point of having to stay subbed to keep your house from getting demolished?
You could just get a new one if a timer would still apply.

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Originally Posted by Wolwosh

If everyone has instanced housing what would be the point of having to stay subbed to keep your house from getting demolished?

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So they are doing this system really badly just to keep the really small number of players who have a house subbed every month? Sounds like terrible idea to make money when you could make something that would force everyone to keep subbed. Even now during prime time it takes a small time to reserve a server for a dungeon roulette so I can just imagine what happens during patch/expandion launch days. People will be stuck reserving an dungeon instance when there are thousands of players AFK in their own housing instances. You couldn't even get to a housing ward the first few weeks so imagine all those players now having an entire instance reserved for their house :p

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Originally Posted by Lieri

Not really. Instanced housing will feel like a dungeon. Theres no sense of achievement in it at all. And they have said Island will be like a house with more features and it is instanced. People just need to wait.

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I don't want housing for a sense of achievement. I want housing for when I'm in a mood to flex my creative muscles.

And no, they never said Island Sanctuary will be like a house. That was people misunderstanding what the interpreter was saying in the Shenpai/Meoni interview (it's really funny how everyone attributes the question to Meoni when it was Shenpai who asked it). Island Sanctuary is intended to be different from housing, not the same thing.

There is nothing wrong with ward housing. I guess I'm lucky I have seen lots of people running around near my FC and near my apartment. Wards are not bad and the concept of neighborhoods is a good thing, the problem is there are not enough of them and the way they are obtained. It should be one house one apartment one FC room per account. I don't know what the solution is to stop people from buying and reselling the except to make them unsellable and only refundable for what you paid for it. If instance housing isn't a option. I love instance housing and I also love the ward concept. We just need more available and affordable.

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Originally Posted by mbncd

There're no houses or apartments here. People are talking about maybe they'll be back in 6.1 but I don't know if that's true or not.

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They did say they'd only enable housing later there, a month or two? Something about giving people time to settle in and all.
Otherwise all houses would have been hogged right away from the first transferrers/people levelling the fastest and the rest would have been left with nothing.