Remember FFXI’s Housing System?

Let’s take a moment to remember FFXI’s housing system. Final Fantasy XI is Square Enix’s 1st MMO, the game is also about to hit being 20 years old now.

Housing in FFXI was very simple but also very fair for everyone. In FFXI everyone, and yes, I mean everyone just starts out with a house don’t even have to buy it. In fact, it’s part of the gameplay. The housing is instanced, and everyone gets the same size house. You can do a quest later on, at your own leisure to add a 2nd floor as well. Only thing that varied was the style of walls and such depending on the city you belonged to.

Housing in FFXI was used for decorating with furniture, planting your own crops in flowerpots, changing jobs at the moogle in your house, and storing items.

The furniture you added to your house would also have increase your storage space and different furniture would give your character different buffs and effects.

Why is this important? Well, it shows us that Square Enix is fully capable of making a fair housing system for their MMO players.

Now let’s go back to FFXIV’s housing system. In my own personal opinion what happened with the Ishgard housing was doomed from the beginning, and I mean before we even knew about number 0 winning and wards 1-18 being FC housing only, leaving personal housing to be even more vicious than before. The way I picture the new lottery system is basically the equivalent of throwing an ice cube at a burning dumpster.

I’ve mentioned in the past and I will mention again as so many have already done. FFXIV needs instanced housing. Square Enix has shown in the past with FFXI that they can do it and do it well.

This isn’t like a rare shiny mount that’s locked behind a luck system and even then, you can keep trying. FFXIV Housing is an entire gameplay system that’s locked behind luck.


-We don’t need wards.

-We don’t need apartments.

-We don’t need small/medium/large houses.


What we do need is a system with equality. Everyone gets an instanced house at their own leisure and upgrades it with more rooms and floors when they can/want.

No, the problem is that housing isn't a gameplay system at all! It has no mainstream function in the game. What happened is that retainers became the one stop shop for all functionality that would normally be attributed to housing, leaving the housing simply a trophy system that people fight over that the dev team has constantly tried to find minor ways to make it relevant. Sure, free companies have functionality that is tied to the housing, but there's really no reason that this requires a physical location in a limited availability plot system that has been constantly abused by every kind of group imaginable.

If anything, it looks like the rentable rooms at the city states were supposed to be the housing, but then got retconned into this temporary abode thing and then we got this weird system.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Colt47

No, the problem is that housing isn't a gameplay system at all! It has no mainstream function in the game. What happened is that retainers became the one stop shop for all functionality that would normally be attributed to housing, leaving the housing simply a trophy system that people fight over that the dev team has constantly tried to find minor ways to make it relevant. Sure, free companies have functionality that is tied to the housing, but there's really no reason that this requires a physical location in a limited availability plot system that has been constantly abused by every kind of group imaginable.

If anything, it looks like the rentable rooms at the city states were supposed to be the housing, but then got retconned into this temporary abode thing and then we got this weird system.

---

I would have to respectfully disagree; housing IS a mainstream function in the game. Let’s remember this is a game, its main purpose is entertainment. Everyone experiences entertainment differently. Some people like to fight bosses, others raid, some like fishing, others like crafting, while others still enjoy housing. There are some people that play this game just for the decorating and housing aspects of the game and have no interest in dungeons or bosses. Everyone should have a equal opportunity to enjoy all aspects of the game.

I'm against fully standalone instanced housing it would be lonely and devoid of neighborhoods just like in ESO, bad. They just need to make the wards grows as the server population needs. It's 2022, there is no way their servers unable to handle more than 24. These people are paid customers for cactuar sake, not a free loader in your house SQEX. This artificial housing scarcity is doing more harm to your community with zero benefit. Except to those who managed to grandfathered their plots.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Heh

I'm against fully standalone instanced housing it would be lonely and devoid of neighborhoods just like in ESO.

---

As someone who has had a house since they introduced housing I have to say, this is a null point, there is absolutely zero interaction in the housing wards. You barely even see other people. The one or two ppl who come on here and talk about how friendly their neighbors are, do not even in the slightest sense, represent the wards of ffxiv. While the forced community was backed up with some good intentions, reality does not always reflect that. The wards are just as lonely and devoid of other players as ESO's, and at least in ESO I don't have to stare at that stupid Piassa skin or that vomit inducing candy cane house skin.

Being against instanced housing in ffxiv at this point is the most absurd thing ever. There will always be the wards, tearing them down to put everyone in their own instance would be one of the greatest blunders in mmo history. So, letting players have the option to do instanced housing instead of ward housing would be nothing but a boon to the housing system.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Heh

I'm against fully standalone instanced housing it would be lonely and devoid of neighborhoods just like in ESO, bad. They just need to make the wards grows as the server population needs. It's 2022, there is no way their servers unable to handle more than 24. These people are paid customers for cactuar sake, not a free loader in your house SQEX. This artificial housing scarcity is doing more harm to your community with zero benefit. Except to those who managed to grandfathered their plots.

---

I mean currently housing wards are largely empty except for being able to see other people buildings. Unless some FC is specifically holding an event they're practically ghost towns.

I don't understand why this is superior to an instanced based system where people don't get screwed out of this content in the game soley due to a horrendous imbalance in supply vs demand.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MicahZerrshia

As someone who has had a house since they introduced housing I have to say, this is a null point, there is absolutely zero interaction in the housing wards. You barely even see other people. The one or two ppl who come on here and talk about how friendly their neighbors are, do not even in the slightest sense, represent the wards of ffxiv. While the forced community was backed up with some good intentions, reality does not always reflect that. The wards are just as lonely and devoid of other players as ESO's, and at least in ESO I don't have to stare at that stupid Piassa skin or that vomit inducing candy cane house skin.

Being against instanced housing in ffxiv at this point is the most absurd thing ever. There will always be the wards, tearing them down to put everyone in their own instance would be one of the greatest blunders in mmo history. So, letting players have the option to do instanced housing instead of ward housing would be nothing but a boon to the housing system.

---

Maybe your wards are empty of life buy I interact with my neighbors all the time and my ward is alive. I worked very hard to welcome neighboring houses and interact with them to make a small community. The RP venues also make those wards very lively as well. If you want your ward lively you need to work to make it so. Nothing is given without effort

Housing is not essential to the game. It's mostly for RP purposes so people saying it is essessential are just plain wrong. It is a trophy of a sorts. Instanced Housing completely takes away from the community and would honestly make ff14 feel more like a solo player game. The fact that you can mostly get through the game solo is a benefit and a fault in it. Why make it feel like even more of a solo experience. I'm only talking about your first play through for the solo experience.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BellBixbite

Maybe your wards are empty of life buy I interact with my neighbors all the time and my ward is alive. I worked very hard to welcome neighboring houses and interact with them to make a small community. The RP venues also make those wards very lively as well. If you want your ward lively you need to work to make it so. Nothing is given without effort

Housing is not essential to the game. It's mostly for RP purposes so people saying it is essessential are just plain wrong. It is a trophy of a sorts. Instanced Housing completely takes away from the community and would honestly make ff14 feel more like a solo player game. The fact that you can mostly get through the game solo is a benefit and a fault in it. Why make it feel like even more of a solo experience. I'm only talking about your first play through for the solo experience.

---

You're already not interacting with a vast majority of players who haven't been able to get houses due to the system anyway. So instead of letting them expierence that aspect of the game at their own leisure, you want to keep it like this for your own little clique?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Heh

I'm against fully standalone instanced housing it would be lonely and devoid of neighborhoods just like in ESO, bad. They just need to make the wards grows as the server population needs. It's 2022, there is no way their servers unable to handle more than 24. These people are paid customers for cactuar sake, not a free loader in your house SQEX. This artificial housing scarcity is doing more harm to your community with zero benefit. Except to those who managed to grandfathered their plots.

---

Wards are already devoid of players because most of housing takes place in the instanced interiors that can't be seen from within the ward. My ward has been a ghost town since early 2019 when the one big FC in the ward fell apart due to drama so there was almost no one left at their FC house. Occasionally I see another player at the marketboard and that's it.

If that's where most of housing takes place, then might as well make all of housing instanced. Wards could still exist as the common area players pass through to reach whatever house they're trying to visit but instead of a single player per plot, there could be a couple of dozen instanced plots in each location. That would keep the wards far more lively with more players coming and going.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BellBixbite

Maybe your wards are empty of life buy I interact with my neighbors all the time and my ward is alive. I worked very hard to welcome neighboring houses and interact with them to make a small community. The RP venues also make those wards very lively as well. If you want your ward lively you need to work to make it so. Nothing is given without effort

Housing is not essential to the game. It's mostly for RP purposes so people saying it is essessential are just plain wrong. It is a trophy of a sorts. Instanced Housing completely takes away from the community and would honestly make ff14 feel more like a solo player game. The fact that you can mostly get through the game solo is a benefit and a fault in it. Why make it feel like even more of a solo experience. I'm only talking about your first play through for the solo experience.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MicahZerrshia

As someone who has had a house since they introduced housing I have to say, this is a null point, there is absolutely zero interaction in the housing wards. You barely even see other people. The one or two ppl who come on here and talk about how friendly their neighbors are, do not even in the slightest sense, represent the wards of ffxiv. .

---

Found them! I knew at least one would come out of the woodwork to tell me I am wrong. But then they doubled down and said housing was exclusively for RP purposes and I just sat back and laughed and laughed at not only proving my point but also being 'that guy' you know the "We need them for me and mine not you and yours" type.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MicahZerrshia

Found them! I knew at least one would come out of the woodwork to tell me I am wrong. But then they doubled down and said housing was exclusively for RP purposes and I just sat back and laughed and laughed at not only proving my point but also being 'that guy' you know the "We need them for me and mine not you and yours" type.

---

The funny part about their argument is that for RP venues, the event is happening inside their house. So unless - and this is only sometimes - the house gets filled and people have to party outside, you still have a dead ward lol. I guess if you consider a dozen people funneling into a house "interaction", there's your lively neighborhood for you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Padudu

The funny part about their argument is that for RP venues, the event is happening inside their house. So unless - and this is only sometimes - the house gets filled and people have to party outside, you still have a dead ward lol. I guess if you consider a dozen people funneling into a house "interaction", there's your lively neighborhood for you.

---

I have told this story many times, but the only time I really have had any interaction with anyone in the wards was when the rp fc across from me decided their small house was bad and wanted to use my large house instead. I don't care if someone comes in my house, but when you have a full rp guild hanging out, talking in open air chat, emoting like it was life or death, it becomes obnoxious. They even asked me to place certain furnishings in certain places to cater to their rp. The only way I could get rid of them was to lock my doors and take absolutely everything out of my yard. GMs were worthless of course, even told me just to lock it and be done when they were ERPing in my house. Boy was it a happy day when I logged in and saw their plot empty.

Housing is not just an RP thing. I love having a house and I detest RP. It's just a fun little place you can customize to your liking that is great to hide away in, to craft or wait for queues. A small part of the game world to make your very own, which should be available to anyone who wants it, not just "Rp OnLy".

Being against instanced housing as an option because you personally do not like and then being actively vocal about it to try to sway opinions is exactly how we got to where we are. Unlike nerfing content or the travesty that has become the job system for the same reasons, it literally will not affect anyone negatively.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MicahZerrshia

Found them! I knew at least one would come out of the woodwork to tell me I am wrong. But then they doubled down and said housing was exclusively for RP purposes and I just sat back and laughed and laughed at not only proving my point but also being 'that guy' you know the "We need them for me and mine not you and yours" type.

---

The funny part to me is that the players who wouldn't interact with them due to instanced housing, likely do not want to interact with them at all.

It be nice to have a safer harbor from RP cringe.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MicahZerrshia

I have told this story many times, but the only time I really have had any interaction with anyone in the wards was when the rp fc across from me decided their small house was bad and wanted to use my large house instead. I don't care if someone comes in my house, but when you have a full rp guild hanging out, talking in open air chat, emoting like it was life or death, it becomes obnoxious. They even asked me to place certain furnishings in certain places to cater to their rp. The only way I could get rid of them was to lock my doors and take absolutely everything out of my yard. GMs were worthless of course, even told me just to lock it and be done when they were ERPing in my house. Boy was it a happy day when I logged in and saw their plot empty.

Housing is not just an RP thing. I love having a house and I detest RP. It's just a fun little place you can customize to your liking that is great to hide away in, to craft or wait for queues. A small part of the game world to make your very own, which should be available to anyone who wants it, not just "Rp OnLy".

Being against instanced housing as an option because you personally do not like and then being actively vocal about it to try to sway opinions is exactly how we got to where we are. Unlike nerfing content or the travesty that has become the job system for the same reasons, it literally will not affect anyone negatively.

---

Holy.. I can't believe you heard online neighbors from hell! I learn something new every day. And the fact that they had the audacity to ask you to accommodate for THEIR hobby at the expense of your time, money, ect.. wow. The entitlement ballooned up to make a star with those people, I'm glad you were able to get away from that insanity lmao.

Fully agree! Housing is what you make of it, it doesn't have to be for RP at all, it's up to you on what to make of it. And saying "my neighborhoods rps!" as if a good portion actually engaged in the wards do this. There are plenty of spaces to rp if you want to do it in the great wide outdoor, really there's no excuse other than wanting to feel privileged and exclusive. RP venues will miss out of 0 from instanced housing