Suggestion to improve Free Companies.

[Tiggy]

I believe your problem might be alleviated if you rethought how you think about Free Companies. My free company is always trying to help each other out, whether it be running through a low dungeon, getting someone their first relic, teaching someone an extreme fight, or helping someone get their T5 win. A Free Company is what you make it. The innate buffs are nice, but that isn't why you join a free company -- and if there was some sort of 'buff' to doing things with Free Company members (besides the fact that you know the people and thus SHOULD have an easier time achieving victory), it would discourage people from playing together on PF. What will end up happening is a few HUUUUUUUUGE Free Companies will form that just exist for the sole purpose of people getting that 2-5% buff you are proposing. It would actually reduce the amount of community and differentiation among Free Companies.

Everything this person said times 10 please.

OP, Free companies are what you make of it. You see them as nothing more than chat channels with a buff. That tells me a lot about you and the type of player you are. You don't care one bit about building a community, and that's why you see zero value in one.

[Clavaat]

A Linkshell is a glorified chat room. It's isolated from the world and has no representation to anyone on the outside.

On the contrary, I use my LS to run events and such because you are not limited by having 1 FC. For example, I have a group of friends I made that are in a different FC run by them. They are attached to the name, house etc so they didn't want to merge. The same can be said about my FC. So we basically built the LS up together and use that way more often as a means to get people together than our individual FC's. The caveat is that there is no LS Message system, so we have to rely on a website to make sure everyone knows whats up, or by word of mouth.

In other words, an LS can be a useful tool for gathering people together from different, existing FC's.

[Codek]

On the contrary, I use my LS to run events and such because you are not limited by having 1 FC. For example, I have a group of friends I made that are in a different FC run by them. They are attached to the name, house etc so they didn't want to merge. The same can be said about my FC. So we basically built the LS up together and use that way more often as a means to get people together than our individual FC's. The caveat is that there is no LS Message system, so we have to rely on a website to make sure everyone knows whats up, or by word of mouth.

In other words, an LS can be a useful tool for gathering people together from different, existing FC's.

I don't see the contrary, your using a chat system to spread an event by word of mouth. If anything, it sounds like your using a website + LS to do what is basically covered within an FC. If anything changes within the event, then a LS becomes a fairly ineffective way to portray that change without the help of those other utilities (FC messages/Website updates).

[Clavaat]

I don't see the contrary, your using a chat system to spread an event by word of mouth. If anything, it sounds like your using a website + LS to do what is basically covered within an FC. If anything changes within the event, then a LS becomes a fairly ineffective way to portray that change without the help of those other utilities (FC messages/Website updates).

You're missing the point. Where an FC is one player, one FC, an LS can be one player, many FC's in a way. I would like for LS to have a Message system similar to an FC (I made a post about it) for this reason. You still get the bonuses and house with an FC, but get additional info from your LS. People become tied to their FC for awhile for one reason or another and don't just want to jump ship because they made friends. An LS allows for you to do that. I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't have friends and leaders from other FC's with me for events that we worked together to set up.

[Codek]

You're missing the point. Where an FC is one player, one FC, an LS can be one player, many FC's in a way. I would like for LS to have a Message system similar to an FC (I made a post about it) for this reason. You still get the bonuses and house with an FC, but get additional info from your LS. People become tied to their FC for awhile for one reason or another and don't just want to jump ship because they made friends. An LS allows for you to do that. I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't have friends and leaders from other FC's with me for events that we worked together to set up.

That basically was the point.
LS = group of people without an identity
FC = group of people that want a unified identity

There's a bit more to it then the OP stating that an FC = LS + Housing/Buffs which was the point I was arguing against. Features pertaining to what a LS can do is more or less a completely different topic in general.

[Saziel]

Everything this person said times 10 please.

OP, Free companies are what you make of it. You see them as nothing more than chat channels with a buff. That tells me a lot about you and the type of player you are. You don't care one bit about building a community, and that's why you see zero value in one.

Good to see you can deduce everything about me based on my posts here....except not really.

[Ryuko]

I just thought I would point two things out that OP may not be aware of.

FCs allow you to set FC messages (that everyone will see upon logging in and will always see if they go to the FC menu). This makes scheduling events super easy, because you can set a time and everyone will see it (don't forget time zones though). I have a Coil static with seven members in my FC, and one member in my LS. We have to get in touch with him personally (whether it be through phone or ingame message) to ask him if he's available. FC people just see the message, and it's easier to coordinate. I have a few friends in my LS who need to win difficult fights, and I'd love to help them out, but coordinating with people who can't see my FC message is difficult. I do my best to get in touch with everyone, but it doesn't always work out. In FFXIV 1.0 (and even FFXI), linkshells had messages you could set just like Free Companies. I sometimes get frustrated that Linkshells CANNOT set messages (it would be an easy functionality to add), but I think SE is pushing us toward using linkshells as chats and free companies as tiny communities.

FCs also allow you to set 'short messages', but members can only update their OWN short message, and FC masters must give them permission to do this. I'll admit... when short messages were first added, I didn't see a point to them... but then, a week ago, something dawned on me. My Free Company has been growing considerably as of last month, and it is difficult for me to remember exactly who needs what fights cleared for progression. It frustrates me because I fear someone will get left out, or unnecessarily neglected. So, I gave everyone the ability to set their own short messages, and encouraged people to use those messages to write down what they needed. So far, it has been SUPER helpful, and I encourage all growing FCs to give short messages a try, even if just for fun.

Anyway... just thought I'd mention these two community-building functions of FCs that people may not realize exist, or at least they might not utilize them to their full potential.

[Saziel]

I just thought I would point two things out that OP may not be aware of...

I realize these things. I am in an FC that I helped form.

[Ryuko]

I realize these things. I am in an FC that I helped form.

And yet you still stand by your original statement of "FCs are just another chat channel?" o.o;;

[Sapphic]

When you're gathered together with at least 3 other members of your Free Company, it would be nice if there were innate bonuses that are not FC actions, like a power up buff that increases power by 2-5%. Maybe only 2% when you're in a 4-man, with all 4 of you being FC mates, and up to 5% when it's an 8-man.

Currently, other than housing and FC actions, FCs are just another chat channel, and we have linkshells for that. I just don't feel like being in an FC is that big of a deal right now.

Then they would have to balance the content around having that extra power from the buff, which would mess with LS parties and DF.