Housing abandoned plots, this is needed SE!!! Thank you!

[SQBoard]

I don't think I need to point out that Square Enix had an operating loss of 400 million USD last year Q1 and is only just now beginning to turn a profit... It's getting stronger, but you don't come from a red situation with up and down earnings reports to spending big money for things that could have very little profitability. This is a volatile time for them, though they are at a 57% increase, that swing could end horrendously and move them straight back into the red like they were for years with game after horrible game... IE FF10 etc and on-wards.

They've had a Deus Ex here and there but yeah, this is a company on the razors edge and millions are a massive worry for investors.

Don't suppose you have a link to that $400 mil number? Not sure where that loss is from.

I've seen the big loss they had 2 years ago before 2.0 where they had a 13.7 billion yen ($135.4 million USD) "extraordinary" (another way of saying unusual and not likely to repeat) loss back in fiscal year ending 3/31/13. And mostly due to restructuring costs and production studio shutdowns from projects that didn't pan out.

But ARR turned it around for them. February 2014 they were estimating up to $59 million USD profit from about 150 billion yen sales projetion for the full year (actual sales was slightly higher)

The report from 3/31/15 was saying their profits doubled from sales of 167.9 billion yen but without any major console game releases.

So far it's been positive for about the last 2 years. Sure, it could all come crashing down...never know but maybe half-assing their biggest money maker may not be wise.



References:
http://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/ir/index.html
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/2...XIV_reboot.php
http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/...-mobile-titles

[Niwashi]

I don't think I need to point out that Square Enix had an operating loss of 400 million USD last year Q1 and is only just now beginning to turn a profit... It's getting stronger, but you don't come from a red situation with up and down earnings reports to spending big money for things that could have very little profitability. This is a volatile time for them, though they are at a 57% increase, that swing could end horrendously and move them straight back into the red like they were for years with game after horrible game... IE FF10 etc and on-wards.

They've had a Deus Ex here and there but yeah, this is a company on the razors edge and millions are a massive worry for investors.

Yes, they've had some rough times, but this is the game that's brought them back up, is paying off what they'd lost from its first iteration and is paying for other games still in development which will only bring in income down the road sometime when they're ready to be released. Even struggling companies have to invest in the cash cow that's keeping them afloat.

It's perfectly understandable that SE started 2.0 on a shoestring budget after having lost money with 1.0. It's a testimony of the importance that the Final Fantasy franchise has to their company that they'd even attempt to reboot the game like they did. But it worked. It worked extremely well, in fact. And they need for it to continue working. They have to invest in the game that their company's success is riding on.

You don't seem to think SE can afford to invest in this game. I don't think they can afford not to. Don't starve your cash cow if you want it to keep you going.

[Syrehn]

You don't seem to think SE can afford to invest in this game. I don't think they can afford not to. Don't starve your cash cow if you want it to keep you going.

It's not that they can't afford to invest; they obviously are or there would never have been additional wards and sub-wards. It's that they're taking it slowly where housing is concerned and gauging how much they can/should invest at any given time.

[SQBoard]

It's not that they can't afford to invest; they obviously are or there would never have been additional wards and sub-wards. It's that they're taking it slowly where housing is concerned and gauging how much they can/should invest at any given time.

Well, there is such a thing as "too little, too late" when it comes to mmo updates.

They added ward 7 and 8 back in patch 2.38...and the last time they increased the plots was when they added the subdivisions in patch 2.4. Patch 2.4 was in october 2014 so that would make 1 year since they added the last plots.

I understand carefully added more wards because they are unlikely to remove wards once they add them. So if they overestimate the demand or demand decreases, then they'll be stuck with wards that use up server resources.

And that issue is their own doing for choosing this design for their housing system.

Since launch, i've noticed a lot of choices by SE that gives me the impression that, although they make a decent RPG, it's the MMO part that they seem to have a problem with. From scalability issues, to player overcrowding and even anti-RMT measures...they didn't even put an akf logout timer till they were basically forced to in the beginning.

And it's strange because ARR is technically their 4th (?) mmo and besides that, there's plenty of other mmo that they could've learned from.

[Neira]

*information*

Thank you, I didn't have the energy to compile all of that last night when I read the reply.

Since launch, i've noticed a lot of choices by SE that gives me the impression that, although they make a decent RPG, it's the MMO part that they seem to have a problem with. From scalability issues, to player overcrowding and even anti-RMT measures...they didn't even put an akf logout timer till they were basically forced to in the beginning.

It's perfectly understandable that SE started 2.0 on a shoestring budget after having lost money with 1.0.

I've honestly felt that a lot of their issues boil down to a lack of foresight and a continuing use of a minimalist budget. Neither of which is really justified though, as you both have pointed out, based on the success of the game and the experiences of the company. Yet, this is where we find ourselves.

I also hate to piggyback on both of your posts, it's just not often I find myself checking these forums and thinking, "Yep, everything they said."

[Madjames]

Wow my thread got big

Here is what I think SE should do. They should tie the housing timer if they implement it to your subscription only, NOT when you logged in last.

I have been playing MMORPG's since 1997 until now. I have never canceled a sub, ever, unless I was moving games. Some months I would pay for a month and quit that game and resub to a new game. This happened when I moved from Ultima Online to wow.

Anyway, I have never had my sub lapse, ever. For those of you saying IRL stuff happens, let me tell you a story.

Ultima Online had a 30 day decay timer on their housing system. It was not tied to your sub. Instead you had to log in and physically open and close your front door on your house, this would in turn reset your decay timer.

I remember when I was gone from the game still paying for my sub for 6 months straight. I had my mother log in for me once a month and reset my timer. She had no idea what she was doing only she knew how to open and close my house door.

IRL stuff happens but there is ALWAYS a work around. When my mom could not be there due to her taking a trip, my brother would do it for me. When he couldn't, my best friend did for me. The point here is do not use some lame excuse like being deployed. My brother was deployed over to the sandbox for 18 months and all of us in the family and a few of his army buddies kept his houses from decaying and being a loot fest of all of his stuff.

If they tie it to your subscription (Which would be ideal) then pay the sub and you do not have to worry about it as $15 a month is nothing. I have been paying $30 a month for the past 10 years for my wife and I. In the next 6 years I will be paying for 4 subscriptions, 2 for my twin boys, and one for the wife and I.

I have NEVER had a sub lapse in over 18 years STRAIGHT! I started gaming when I was 11. I paid for my sub from day one by doing a lawn service for my parents neighbors. I paid them and they paid my sub. If I missed even one month they would have canceled my sub immediately. I never let it lapse.

So if an 11 year old kid can keep his subscription going for 18 years, I would think that everyone else can.

[Nicobo]

...Here is what I think SE should do. They should tie the housing timer if they implement it to your subscription only, NOT when you logged in last...

Hopefully you don't need to withdraw your "thank you" to SE.

SE intended not to tie the timing to subscription, YoshiP has said this explicitly.
Threfore last time they wanted to tie it to "access your house", even not tie to "last logon".
That's why many subscribers did not satisfied to it.

[Madjames]

Hopefully you don't need to withdraw your "thank you" to SE.

SE intended not to tie the timing to subscription, YoshiP has said this explicitly.
Threfore last time they wanted to tie it to "access your house", even not tie to "last logon".
That's why many subscribers did not satisfied to it.

Even so, I told you above. Ultima Online kinda tied it to both your sub and having to physically log in and open and close your front door.

You had to have a sub to log in

then you had to log in, and physically click on your front door to open it and close it to reset the 30 day decay timer.

While this is my second choice, I still say thank you to SE if you tie it to having to log in or something. I did it for over 7 years straight in Ultima Online. I kept my sub and when I was gone from the game for 6 months, I had my friends/family log in for me.

[Nicobo]

Even so, I told you above. Ultima Online kinda tied it to both your sub and having to physically log in and open and close your front door.

You had to have a sub to log in

then you had to log in, and physically click on your front door to open it and close it to reset the 30 day decay timer.

While this is my second choice, I still say thank you to SE if you tie it to having to log in or something. I did it for over 7 years straight in Ultima Online. I kept my sub and when I was gone from the game for 6 months, I had my friends/family log in for me.

You don;t have problem if the timer is 30day, I don't have problem even the timer is 24hour.
However a lot of subscribers have problem. Let's look forward to it.

[Neira]

Here is what I think SE should do. They should tie the housing timer if they implement it to your subscription only, NOT when you logged in last.

Given that they had expressed the intent to introduce it at the same time as shared housing, I emphatically hope it's tied to access of housing functions or something similar, so anyone can reset it, and not just the original owner. Anything less on their part would prove rather effectively that their primary focus is on the money and not helping out the community, which already seems likely given how little this solution will help the community overall.

I have been playing MMORPG's since 1997 until now. I have never canceled a sub, ever, unless I was moving games. Some months I would pay for a month and quit that game and resub to a new game.

I'm sure the people who run MMOs are grateful for your contribution. I have been playing MMOs since 2004, and I have cancelled my sub often, including this game, because I'm not planning to pay for something I'm not using or enjoying. I only ever let one of my MMO subs run continuously, and that was FFXI, when I was younger and still a student, which brings me to...

Ultima Online had a 30 day decay timer on their housing system. It was not tied to your sub. Instead you had to log in and physically open and close your front door on your house, this would in turn reset your decay timer.

I remember when I was gone from the game still paying for my sub for 6 months straight. I had my mother log in for me once a month and reset my timer. She had no idea what she was doing only she knew how to open and close my house door.

IRL stuff happens but there is ALWAYS a work around. When my mom could not be there due to her taking a trip, my brother would do it for me. When he couldn't, my best friend did for me. The point here is do not use some lame excuse like being deployed. My brother was deployed over to the sandbox for 18 months and all of us in the family and a few of his army buddies kept his houses from decaying and being a loot fest of all of his stuff.

I have NEVER had a sub lapse in over 18 years STRAIGHT! I started gaming when I was 11. I paid for my sub from day one by doing a lawn service for my parents neighbors. I paid them and they paid my sub. If I missed even one month they would have canceled my sub immediately. I never let it lapse.

So if an 11 year old kid can keep his subscription going for 18 years, I would think that everyone else can.

This whole commentary. You got your point across, but I doubt it is the one you were aiming for. I had a constant, recurring subscription to FFXI for a couple of years, whether I played it or not, because I wasn't paying the bill. I'm not going to try to get into an argument with you over the internet, but given that an 11-year old can't have a credit card, no matter what chores or work you might have been doing in real life, your first seven years of MMO gaming was paid for with your parent's money. Additionally, given that you also referred to your mother and brother helping you keep your house, I'm left to draw the conclusion that you were perhaps being assisted by family a fair amount.

I don't want to get too sidetracked into your personal life(despite that being the primary focus of your post), or even my own, but what you're describing is an ideal situation where your family is assisting in your video game endeavors. That is hardly the norm, in fact I would say it's quite out of the ordinary, especially for older people. Even now, you say your wife plays, so if something happened to you, she could still assist. Well, not everyone lives with family, spouses, siblings, or even has those people to call upon. Your proclamations are based upon your own happy-sounding life, and congratulations on having that, but it's downright arrogant to presume that everyone has your means, and bigoted to ignore those who might not.

On top of that, while it's good to hear that $15 a month has never been a worthwhile amount of money to you, in your entire life, that isn't the case for the rest of the world either. I've personally had points in my life where $15 was my food budget for a week, and I doubt I'm the only one. I don't know if you're unaware or simply don't care that you're just 1:5000000 of the people who have subscribed to this game, or if you live your entire life unable to view things from the eyes of another, but your entire post sounded like nothing more than the opinion of someone who hasn't ever dealt with hardship.

This is a video game, real life comes first and always will, and if something happens in real life to the majority of subscribers, the last thing we will care about is keeping up a subscription or asking someone to log onto their character. If your priorities really do lie with the video game, then I really don't even know what to say. Hopefully you will never find yourself in the position of choosing between a MMO subscription or food for your family, but that's the kind of reality that happens.

Finally, if SE would of said, from the onset, that they were planning to make subscriptions or log-ins mandatory for the homes that took many hours of effort to get in their video game, I'd imagine some people wouldn't have wasted the time. I do know I personally would not have, because I can't support a system like that. However, they didn't say it, in fact they LIED about it, claiming it would never happen. Now I'm stuck with a house that I invested over one hundred hours into, making it how I want, in a video game, and I'm saddled with a subscription I don't necessarily want to keep active all the time unless I want to lose my investment.