Housing Demolition

[RhaegarFFXIFenrir]

SE is reactivating their Housing Demolition program, which was designed to make more housing available to the community via automatically demolishing houses of inactive players/FC. It seems to me that this isn't much of a solution to the problem at hand: not enough player housing available. Server space is a real issue, but let's be honest here: the problem isn't a few players owning houses and quitting. The problem is a few players hoarding houses. Here on my server, there's an 8 man FC with 40 houses. That's just one example. A sizable percentage of the housing available is in the hands of a few.

So with a bit of background provided, here's my solution:

1) Limit the number of houses a FC can own to some sort of combination of number of members and house size. This can't be a static number per FC because some FC are larger than others. One small house would be appropriate to an 8 man FC, but a three large house equivalency might be more appropriate for a 150 man FC. I'd set the minimum here at 1 Large. And move upwards from there.

2) Limit the number of houses an individual can own to two: and this is account-wide. The only reason this isn't one is because a player should have the option to upgrade.

3) Implement new wards with the above suggestions in place, and "grandfather" in current home owners. Current home owners shouldn't lose the houses they already possess with implementation of this system, but they should be prevent from purchasing new homes until they come within compliance of this series of rules. Because grandfathering is a necessity, more wards are a must. As an alternative, add in Ishgard housing wards and make this system only apply to the new wards.

The fact is, many of us who CAN afford a house and want one will never have one because SE couldn't possibly devote the amount of server space necessary to make housing ownership for everyone a reality. Still, this feature should be open to as many people as is realistically possible.

[oLLiCS]

I always thought an FC can own only one house and an individual can own only one house too?! Or do these 8 guys have alts?

[worldofneil]

Server space is a real issue

It's not server space that's the problem, it's the number of zones that housing takes up and having to have them all running. There's 12 housing wards, each with a subdivsion, in 3 areas. That's 72 completely different zones that are open and running, all the time. That's more than every other zone in the game combined (not including dungeon instances of course, but those are copies of a template and completely instanced because of it, they're not unique).

there's an 8 man FC with 40 houses

1) Limit the number of houses a FC can own to some sort of combination of number of members and house size.

This is already limited. Each FC can only have *1* house. If someone wants a second FC house, they have to create a new FC, level it up and then buy a house for that FC.

What you are seeing is multiple FC's with the same short name, each of which has been levelled to rank 6 to be able to buy a house.

They all look like they are same because the short name of a free company doesn't have to be unique (only the long/full name does) so although they might be the same bunch of people, they are all completely separate FCs (with alts probably).

2) Limit the number of houses an individual can own to two: and this is account-wide. The only reason this isn't one is because a player should have the option to upgrade.

Well right now each player can only have 1 house, although there is no account restriction (so a person could technically have 8 personal houses under 8 characters, assuming each was levelled to 50). It's currently not possible to "upgrade" either, a house has to be relinquished/demolished first before another can be bought. A moving feature is supposed to be coming after 3.4, but we don't know how much after or what it'll actually entail (i.e. will it merely automate the relinquish and purchase in a single transaction?)

3) Implement new wards with the above suggestions in place

Unfortunately this seems unlikely (Edit: unlikely any time soon) as it took over a year to add 4 more wards/subdivisions to each area, probably because of the number of total zones that are active all the time as mentioned above.

Houses will be getting demolished from September 27th though as you know, keep checking, someone is going to get them, might be you!

[Kosmos992k]

Sorry to say that this is all old news. Others have already covered the main points regarding server space and such.

However there are two things I wanted to point out;

1. Apartments are coming very soon, it's not 100% clear whether these will be one block per ward/subdivision (which seems most likely to me given that they are in effect ghost FC's to allow players to buy what is more or less a larger personal chamber without joining an FC), or if it's one per main city (seems less likely given the building to be used already exists in the housing wards/subdiisions). We'll soon see though.
2. Housing in an Heavensward location will bring a 33% increase in total housing per server when it comes - assuming tht the same number of wards/subdivisions are available in it as are available in the other housing zones (Seems a reasonable assumption).

[Dustytome]

As long as the ward system is in place as-is and housing provides access to bonuses (lvl 3 buffs, gardening, airships) the housing shortage will always be a problem. I love the social aspect of the wards, but they need instanced housing as well, possibly put something in where instanced housing can plug into a ward slot and if it goes past a certain number of days the house detaches from the ward but isn't obliterated. That still creates a limitation to the social ward areas, but allows everyone fully functional housing.

[FoxyAreku]

There really should be a limit that each account can only own one house per server that they have a level 50+ character on. (And have that house auto-shared with all of that person's alts on the same account and server...)

[Simpicity]

By hoarding do you mean they are not using the 40 FC houses for anything and are just empty shells?

If not and they are furnished and the players have put time and effort into furnishing setting up crafting stations airship deployment or just simply some advanced RP content, I would say they are not hoarding at all. If said FC houses are being used that is not hoarding that is a determined set of players playing the game as they envision it to be played. RP's are known to have multiple houses set up to facilitate their RP needs. I see no problem with them obtaining multiple housing units per ToS to allow them to play the game as they see fit RP or not.


(I know it would be against ToS to name said 8 players with said "40" FC houses but how you linked "40" FC houses to said 8 players would be fascinating to know.)

[LaylaTsarra]

There really should be a limit that each account can only own one house per server that they have a level 50+ character on. (And have that house auto-shared with all of that person's alts on the same account and server...)

There really should be a limit to people trying to impose their view of how many houses an account can own. Until SE allows alts the use of the main accounts house it is open season for them to buy houses just like any other account. Sorry but my alts can't even use the main accounts mender and have to go to FC or to the Adventurers Inn in Gridania to mend let alone use any of the other features a house has to offer. Oddly enough I can give those rights to friends by not my own alts.

[Ophie-Mio]

I was more baffled that the auto-demolition thing wasn't re-implemented in a timely manner. Having it down since April was absurd.

[Bixillarla]

I was more baffled that the auto-demolition thing wasn't re-implemented in a timely manner. Having it down since April was absurd.

Lets see you get hit by a large earthquake and see how long it takes you to recover and get back to normal life. It may be absurd to you but to those that got impacted by a catastrophe it is not.