Automatic Home Demolition is Resuming!!

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...dc7f8fbefe7955

The exact date for recommencement will be alongside the release of 6.3. They do state that suspension may come back "if the need arises".

Link above for more details.

But why...?

It's not like we'll be struggling with housing vacancies with the new data centers/worlds, not to mention 1,800 new plots in 6.3.

I guess I can't take any more breaks for a while :c

Ah, well guess that means I really outta work on making a cafe theme house. D;

Took them long enough, should've been enabled again 9 months ago. Also the fact they're not reseting the timer for people that were ticking down prior to the system being disabled is guaranteed to catch at least one person out.

I wish they would just disable it entirely or atleast put it up to super long timers like over a year.

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Originally Posted by DeNada

But why...?

It's not like we'll be struggling with housing vacancies with the new data centers/worlds, not to mention 1,800 new plots in 6.3.

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1800 plots is not a lot on NA servers outside of Dynamis.
Those 1800 plots are also gonna be split between FCs and individuals - and considering the demand for ward housing is mostly from individual players.

The last I checked, the average NA server outside Dynamis has ~20k active characters based on Lodestone/census data.

Currently there are 7200 ward houses per server. With an additional 1800 houses, it comes to 9000 houses.

20,000 - 9000 = 11,000 ward house shortage

Of course, not every players wants a ward house but the point is that the housing supply is nowhere close to the demand.

borderline criminal of se.

I have to pay subs to reset the timer? Blasphemy!

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Originally Posted by NekoMataMata

I guess I can't take any more breaks for a while :c

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SE's logic seems to be to encourage taking breaks but still continuing to pay them money.

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Originally Posted by TwistedTea

1800 plots is not a lot on NA servers outside of Dynamis.
Those 1800 plots are also gonna be split between FCs and individuals - and considering the demand for ward housing is mostly from individual players.

The last I checked, the average NA server outside Dynamis has ~20k active characters based on Lodestone/census data.

Currently there are 7200 ward houses per server. With an additional 1800 houses, it comes to 9000 houses.

20,000 - 9000 = 11,000 ward house shortage

Of course, not every players wants a ward house but the point is that the housing supply is nowhere close to the demand.

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All true. On the other hand, players can just DC visit now. So have your home on whatever DC/server you can - it isn't like high ping matters for housing. Then DC visit to do content.

About time housing shouldn't be held hostage to world events. They were more than generous with the amount of time given but either you have a demo timer or you do away with it.

I do wish that they extend the auto demolition timer to at least 90 days though which is roughly the amount of time between each major patch cycle.

Since YoshiP himself has advised players to unsub if they are bored after clearing the content and that way, casual players who only resub during each new major patch cycle are not punished by taking away their houses.

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Originally Posted by dspguy

All true. On the other hand, players can just DC visit now. So have your home on whatever DC/server you can - it isn't like high ping matters for housing. Then DC visit to do content.

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This is the practical solution that I've advocated in the past - live in the suburbs and visit your former server, if you really want a ward house.

But that doesn't change the fact that the ward housing system as it is, is not ideal. The fundamental problem of ward housing, is supply.

SE was able to give all of us an instanced island each. But still refuses to implement fully instanced housing.

The autodemo timer exists because the limited ward housing system is not a scalable system which can keep up with increasing server populations.

Keep the existing ward housing for those who want limited housing but let everyone else have the option to have a fully instanced house as the minimum baseline.

except the islands are on the same instance servers as the houses. and everyone visiting their island during launch made it somewhat difficult to let people into their houses. now that it's died down it's ok but the problem still exists.

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Originally Posted by Saraide

SE's logic seems to be to encourage taking breaks but still continuing to pay them money.

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Just buy an apartment instead! You don't need a sub for that.

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Originally Posted by DrWho2010

except the islands are on the same instance servers as the houses. and everyone visiting their island during launch made it somewhat difficult to let people into their houses. now that it's died down it's ok but the problem still exists.

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That's typical congestion that occurs with just about any content when it's first released and everyone is trying to do it at the same time. Being patient a little while generally solves it.

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Originally Posted by Jojoya

That's typical congestion that occurs with just about any content when it's first released and everyone is trying to do it at the same time. Being patient a little while generally solves it.

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You'd have to have a player base that's shown to be patient for that to work. Which totally isn't this one. Not with how often since EW's launch that problem has been popping up. Or you know the many who blitz through everything in the first few hours after a patch has gone live only to complain that there's nothing to do and wanting a miracle to happen in the devs to deliver them more new shinies next week thar they'll again blaze through only to restart the cycle.

Lemme tell you about my EW launch experience. I'd get home from my job about 6-6:15 PM, enter the queue to login, wouldn't get logged in till 7:30-8:30 depending, some nights not all. Once in, I couldnt even go into the FC house, I couldnt visit my room, I had NO private area to craft while I waited for my friend to login so we could continue the MSQ since we were still in StB/ShB.

You know why? I've heard from multiple people within the FC that they (and I'm sure many others) had ways of avoiding the AFK timers and were holed up in their private apartments. I have no idea what that method was but it did happen. they'd be at work for hours on end and when they get home they never had to deal with the 2-3 hour queue just to log in. When 7.0 hits its going to be even worse I'm sure what with the updates to the game engine and everyone wanting to know what kind of story is in for us. They simply DONT have the servers to deal with everyone having their own private house since wards are their own instance shared by multiple people.

And this is exactly why despite not playing the game I kept my sub going, just in case that reactivated. Also as a reminder just a sub alone won't save your house, you have to go inside the house itself to save it.

Thank god, get those people who unsubbed and are trying to hold onto multiple houses outta here. Pay like the rest of us or stop holding onto the house for someone who would use it.

So SE's XIV profits are dipping and they need some incentive to keep those subs going? I guess we should have bought more mogstation items. :/

Finally, jeez. My ward still has a few actives thankfully, but I did notice that every single person who won the lottery since that system started in my ward specifically-none of them wound up using the house. None of them, not one of them. I'm a nosy neighbor I visit mines often, so I was keeping track lol. I don't even think those people logged in again after winning. Not one furnishing, not one outdoors thing. Just a basic bare bones glade exterior and a dead gloomy house. So yes, I'm personally looking forward to it.

Would love to see people actually winning and moving in excitedly using houses again instead of winning them and leaving them to rot for a year simply because they can.

About time. Now here's hoping they do this every time there's a big problem out there in the world since they set the precedent for that.

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Originally Posted by Saraide

SE's logic seems to be to encourage taking breaks but still continuing to pay them money.

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That's exactly their logic. It's clever in one way. You pay SE a subscription, but they don't need to provide long term content with good replay value, you're meant to pay another company for entertainment on top. Then SE tell you they do it out of concern for your health and free time and are praised for it.

Similar with the housing. Plenty of posts here saying "good, I'm glad SE is starting to smash players houses again!" without any expectation of instanced housing or better availability, even though SE are the ones who decided on Wards in the first place and stubbornly stuck to the system for the last decade despite being limited by server space.

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Originally Posted by DeNada

But why...?

It's not like we'll be struggling with housing vacancies with the new data centers/worlds, not to mention 1,800 new plots in 6.3.

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are they adding 1800 new plots to every server?

This is good, although it would have been nice to let people take up abandoned houses before the holidays. It's fun to decorate when there are less other things to do in game.

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Originally Posted by Saraide

SE's logic seems to be to encourage taking breaks but still continuing to pay them money.

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That was only a line fed to the XIV simps lol, anyone with a brain realized it was bullshit from the get go

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Originally Posted by Akira

are they adding 1800 new plots to every server?

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Yes. That was one of the notes in the previous LL.

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Originally Posted by Liam_Harper

Similar with the housing. Plenty of posts here saying "good, I'm glad SE is starting to smash players houses again!" without any expectation of instanced housing or better availability, even though SE are the ones who decided on Wards in the first place and stubbornly stuck to the system for the last decade despite being limited by server space.

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You make it sound like it would be such an easy and flawless transition, when it likely isn't. The data for the outside and inside spaces don't even exist in the same server space.

Hmm...might have a chance to upgrade my FC house from a small sooner than I had though...if RNGesus decides to allow it.

I don't mind the demolition, but I think its too short. It shouldn't be 45 days, it should be three months. Lets be real, but people take breaks from the game during patch cycles. Sometimes people get bored, and sometimes people have shit to do. I'm a traveling DJ, so I don't always have time to play. Sometimes I also just want a break. I shouldn't have to log in just to keep my house. Sure, its just once a month with a tiny bit extra days, but still. It's pretty lame.

Yay my friends will have to resub now!

I know there are a ton of players that want housing and can't get it. I feel the demolition does help, and it is unfair for inactive players to be taking up very scarce resources... but the timer needs to be much longer. 45 days is a slap in the face and borderline predatory... holding housing hostage to keep active subscriptions. I would be less annoyed if they somehow saved the state of your house furnishing/customizations...

I have 3 additional retainers and the monthly cost is close to $20... guess I will just have to keep paying it and set a monthly reminder to login... because I don't want to risk losing my house!

If only the community felt this passionate about putting exclusive items in the cash shop.

Oh wait no, the community does feel as passionate. In that they will bitch but keep paying anyway and thus nothing will ever change.

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Originally Posted by stratogod

I know there are a ton of players that want housing and can't get it. I feel the demolition does help, and it is unfair for inactive players to be taking up very scarce resources... but the timer needs to be much longer. 45 days is a slap in the face and borderline predatory... holding housing hostage to keep active subscriptions. I would be less annoyed if they somehow saved the state of your house furnishing/customizations...

I have 3 additional retainers and the monthly cost is close to $20... guess I will just have to keep paying it and set a monthly reminder to login... because I don't want to risk losing my house!

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Or you could think about what's really important in the game and give up one or the other. You don't need 3 additional retainers to function in the game. I do most everything and I manage my space just fine with 2. I only ever had one extra for a couple months when I was getting caught up to cap in ShB.

Honestly ask yourself why you have a house and what it is you do with it. I've had access to houses through tenancy and been given free reign to decorate and use them. I barely touch them.

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Originally Posted by stratogod

I know there are a ton of players that want housing and can't get it. I feel the demolition does help, and it is unfair for inactive players to be taking up very scarce resources... but the timer needs to be much longer. 45 days is a slap in the face and borderline predatory... holding housing hostage to keep active subscriptions. I would be less annoyed if they somehow saved the state of your house furnishing/customizations...

I have 3 additional retainers and the monthly cost is close to $20... guess I will just have to keep paying it and set a monthly reminder to login... because I don't want to risk losing my house!

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If you havent joined the game for more than a month, you are inactive. Plan and simple. And as you said there's nothing wrong about demolishing houses of inactive players.

Hot and cold.

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Originally Posted by TwistedTea

The autodemo timer exists because the limited ward housing system is not a scalable system which can keep up with increasing server populations.

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It exists because the players asked for one as well. Can you imagine what the complaints would be like if they didn't implement an auto-demo of houses? People who haven't logged in for 8.5 years still having houses? Yeah.

Yes, it's indicative of a bigger problem, I won't contest that because I agree, but for all the "Yoshida walked back his auto-demolition promise" it was needed.

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Originally Posted by Chiharu_Sakurai

I've heard from multiple people within the FC that they (and I'm sure many others) had ways of avoiding the AFK timers and were holed up in their private apartments. I have no idea what that method was but it did happen.

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3rd party tools. Plenty of people boasted on Reddit that "it won't matter, I'll still stay logged in because I have a script that'll spoof the system that I'm active at my keyboard with key clicks and it'll automatically log me back in if they kick me out." Same people, same jerks. You can call them like they are, it's fine.

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Originally Posted by Reinha

This is good, although it would have been nice to let people take up abandoned houses before the holidays. It's fun to decorate when there are less other things to do in game.

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The very first auto-demo was done on Christmas lmao. Merry Christmas to XIV players, some got houses that day.

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Originally Posted by SannaR

You'd have to have a player base that's shown to be patient for that to work. Which totally isn't this one.

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More of the player base has the ability to be patient than you think. You don't notice them because they don't raise a fuss in the forums or other social media.

It's also funny that the next time that content is released and the same problem occurs, it's usually the same vocal players from the last time acting as if it had never happened in the game before.

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Originally Posted by Chiharu_Sakurai

(snip for space)

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Yeah, there are a lot of ways to avoid the auto-logout timers that involves 3rd party tools that violate the ToS. Those players don't care - it's all about getting what they want.

But it was also a very temporary problem, wasn't it? After a couple of weeks, logging in was no longer a problem.

They do have the servers needed to allow everyone to have their own private house IF it was all instanced. What they don't have is the servers to allow almost everyone online to be in a house at the same time. That will never happen since most of the game happens outside of the housing (and Island Sanctuary) areas. There will be the occasional congestion as large numbers of players are checking out new content at the same time but that congestion will disappear.

As for not having a place to craft in private while waiting for your friend to get online, you did have one - the inn room. That's instanced separately from housing. All it would lack would be a Company Chest if you have some of your crafting materials stored in it.

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Originally Posted by Xeronia

And this is exactly why despite not playing the game I kept my sub going, just in case that reactivated. Also as a reminder just a sub alone won't save your house, you have to go inside the house itself to save it.

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Why is it so important to you to keep a house in a game you don't want to be playing?

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Originally Posted by VerdeLuck

Thank god, get those people who unsubbed and are trying to hold onto multiple houses outta here. Pay like the rest of us or stop holding onto the house for someone who would use it.

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It won't get rid of them. They'll be back to reset their demo timers.

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Originally Posted by stratogod

I know there are a ton of players that want housing and can't get it. I feel the demolition does help, and it is unfair for inactive players to be taking up very scarce resources... but the timer needs to be much longer. 45 days is a slap in the face and borderline predatory... holding housing hostage to keep active subscriptions. I would be less annoyed if they somehow saved the state of your house furnishing/customizations...

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Increasing the length of the demo timer won't help more players get a house. It will make it worse.

But again, why do you want a house in a game you don't want to play? If you're only interested in returning for 2 week when new content is released then quit playing again once you've done it all, why is the house so important? Why not just get an apartment?

As for predatory, ownership of a house in the game isn't mandatory nor do you need to be subscribed constantly to keep it.

30 days subbed. Enter house first and last day of subscription period.

44 days unsubbed.

Repeat. That's only 40% of the year you need to be subscribed to the game not to mention if you get lucky with timing, you can take advantage of the Free Login Campaigns to reset your timer without paying for the month.

If you're constantly paying a sub for a game you don't want to be playing, you only have yourself to blame. Be smarter,

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Originally Posted by rainichan

It exists because the players asked for one as well. Can you imagine what the complaints would be like if they didn't implement an auto-demo of houses? People who haven't logged in for 8.5 years still having houses? Yeah.

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While it's correct to say players asked for demolition, they wouldn't have need to ask if SE had designed a better system in the first place so only a limited number of players could own a house.

Look at RIFT. I had lots of housing in RIFT (multiple Dimensions per character, multiple characters). I stopped playing for over 4 years. Went back before Endwalker's launch to revisit it. All my housing was still there. Other players weren't prevented from getting housing during that time just because I still had mine. While their system does has a couple of flaws (art aesthetic has aged badly, and the cash shop involvement since it's a F2P MMO), in most respects it's superior as a housing system to what we have here and addressed most of the complaints we have before players there knew they could be problems.

Its about time.
I'm coming for your large, squatters!