RENT: A Better Housing Solution

[MomomiMomi]

That's what the 45 days is for.

A relatively short amount of time. We don't get new content for 3 months at a time.

[WinterLuna]

A relatively short amount of time.

That's over a month, a very fair amount of time for a break.

[Reaperking386]

If we had an abundance of houses compared to players I can see the need for a "renting" system, but because housing is so limited it is not possible to even find a house for sale on high pop or medium pop for more than a min.

[Preypacer]

That's over a month, a very fair amount of time for a break.

Sincere question... A "very fair amount of time" according to whom? And under what circumstances? That's kind of a difficult call to make, I think.


Anyway, what I wanted to add to this thread is that people are focusing their energy in the wrong direction, I think. Rather than going at each other over who has the right to hold on to a house for how much time, we should be asking Yoshi-P - very loudly - "Why the hell, many months on now, is it still even a problem? Why are the solutions being implemented little more than band-aids and not actual fixes?"

I realize more wards are being added, along with apts. Apts are a separate thing, apart from the Housing system - they're not a fix. Adding more wards is only a temporary fix. Once those fill up, we're right back where we are now.

The problem is, the housing system was poorly planned, poorly implemented and needs to be completely revamped and re-designed from the ground up, in a way that will accommodate demand on-the-fly, or far closer to it. "But! But their resources!". What about them? That's their problem to sort out, not the players' to just "deal with".

Mind you, I say this as someone who's fortunate to have a FC house. I was lucky and snatched up a property that was available right at the time I was looking. But this isn't just about me. I'm not going to say "Got my house! Sucks to be you who don't!". I was raised to have this (apparently) rare thing called "empathy", and to realize that the universe doesn't begin and end with me "having mine".

The reaction of people who'd like an in-game place for themselves and/or their FC is absolutely understandable and completely justified. Things like suggesting a rent payment (which is actually not a bad idea - several other MMOs have had this, and it does work well, IMO) is every bit as valuable as anyone else's. The suggestions of ways to maybe help them become available more rapidly/readily is absolutely understandable. The real point, IMO, is that such suggestions/solutions shouldn't be necessary.

Someone mentioned LoTRO's housing system earlier, which XIV's shares a lot in common with - at least in concept. Execution? lol! No. In LoTRO, new neighborhoods were created as existing ones filled up. Only the absolute most populated servers did they ever "run out" of neighborhoods, and that took a very, very long time to happen. And LoTRO's housing system was created years ago, on far lower spec hardware.

And if anyone's going to defend XIV's housing by claiming how "advanced and complex it is"... hold that thought. Before you say anything, go check out the housing systems for Wildstar and Rift. Look at all they entail. Go look at EQ2's housing - a MMO that released a month before WoW. Look how much EQ2's housing entails, and how each player can get not just *one* house, but *multiple*, if they wish. I don't care what you think of those games, I don't care what their current status is. We're talking housing here, not popularity. Then come back and try to tell me - with a straight face - about how complex XIV's housing system is, and that the extreme limitations on it are justified.

[WinterLuna]

Sincere question... A "very fair amount of time" according to whom? And under what circumstances?

SE had to choose a time limit that catered to both players with housing and players who wanted a house. 45 days is a month and a half. This isn't a ridiculously short amount of time, nor is it a long time. If a player wanted a break, they would be able to take one, while not leaving players without housing waiting too long.

So, the answer is by SE's standards. It would be impossible to take each individual players circumstances into consideration too. Things happen that make people unable to log in, but there are also people paying a subscription that want a house and would be online to use it.

[StouterTaru]

That's over a month, a very fair amount of time for a break.

But what about the guy who has an automobile accident that causes him to lose both parents, a pregnant wife, 2 kids, both of his legs, feeling in the left side of his body, and is hospitalized for 8 weeks.

How can that guy find any ray of sunshine if his video game house is taken away while he was in the hospital?

[MomomiMomi]

Things happen that make people unable to log in, but there are also people paying a subscription that want a house and would be online to use it.

And the solution to that is more houses. That's what you're paying them for, isn't it? For them to provide you the service you paid for.

[Preypacer]

SE had to choose a time limit that catered to both players with housing and players who wanted a house. 45 days is a month and a half. This isn't a ridiculously short amount of time, nor is it a long time. If a player wanted a break, they would be able to take one, while not leaving players without housing waiting too long.

So, the answer is by SE's standards. It would be impossible to take each individual players circumstances into consideration too. Things happen that make people unable to log in, but there are also people paying a subscription that want a house and would be online to use it.

Fair enough.

I still think we're (as in everyone) barking up the wrong tree by even having that discussion. As I explained in my previous reply, it shouldn't even be necessary, and I really think it's wasted energy for players to be arguing with players over a system which, by all rights, should be able to accommodate everyone far more sufficiently than XIV's system currently does (or even will in the future, despite the additions they're talking about - unless they've found a way to add more wards as they're needed).

The question is, or should be (IMO), "Yoshi-P, why are we, your paying customers, having to sit here and try to think up ways to work around your botched housing system?"

[WinterLuna]

And the solution to that is more houses. That's what you're paying them for, isn't it? For them to provide you the service you paid for.

They're adding more houses. That doesn't mean they won't be bought in less than a day on the populated servers. Unless they add thousands of houses, this is going to be a continued problem. The 45 days is fine.

[WinterLuna]

I still think we're (as in everyone) barking up the wrong tree by even having that discussion. As I explained in my previous reply, it shouldn't even be necessary, and I really think it's wasted energy for players to be arguing with players over a system which, by all rights, should be able to accommodate everyone far more sufficiently than XIV's system currently does

Completely agree with you. The only reason I'm arguing is because of the current situation, and as of now, the time limit is the only thing keeping things balanced unless they completely redo the housing system.