Instanced Housing Seperate from Wards

[Kisagami]

The housing situation is a mess in this game. It feels like only the long term, Elite players are able to get housing, especially if they level up multiple characters just to price gouge other players and FCs who would like to have a chance. Wards are a sensitive topic - and people love their yards and the like. But there needs to be some kind of compromise - as Square Enix is leaving thousands of players out of an experience of the game. Especially those who work and can’t play 24/7.

My solution is to offer some cheaper, affordable housing that is instanced - seperate from the current wards. Provide such housing to Free Companies and single players. This would then allow people to do more basic things the majority of players would love access too: like gardening so they can color their chocobos. You didn’t even give a garden to apartment owners.

I’m not saying interferring with the current wards is a solution. They can stay the status symbols of the elite and the more active players who managed to rush in and grab as many plots on as many alts as possible. I’m saying offer some instanced housing for Free Companies who just want a house where they can farm, decorate, hang out, and potentially have access to like a community airship or something.

My free company wants a house so bad it hurts me not to be able to provide one where everyone can teleport to it. That everyone, including those that need to work for the day, has a chance to have some semblance of housing. Even if it doesn’t include a yard.

I’m perfectly fine settling for instanced apartments for Free Companies. With farming and access to a community airship. Like I said, you’re building resentment and Elitism keeping the housing system the way it is. The people who have jobs and must work during the day -pay your salaries- and subscriptions. A little consideration thrown their way goes a long way towards building a loyal playerbase that feels valued.

[Calteru]

My solution is to offer some cheaper, affordable housing that is instanced - seperate from the current wards. Provide such housing to Free Companies and single players. This would then allow people to do more basic things the majority of players would love access too: like gardening so they can color their chocobos. You didn’t even give a garden to apartment owners.

The problem I see with this proposal is that it consumes server resources without returning anything back to the community. I've played games with separate instanced housing apart from any wards or other sense of community. Those housing instances are, for the most part, wastes of server resources as no one even so much as sees the vast majority of them.

(Continued due to draconian text limits. What is this - Twitter?!)

[Calteru]

(from above)

There's ZERO sense of community created with purely instanced housing. I would argue that any solution should also favor fostering a sense of community. This is an MMO, after all - not a single-player game. There's PLENTY of single-player entries in the FF universe, and even some that allow players to own their own housing (FF7's Costa del Sol house comes immediately to mind).

On a personal note, I would strongly encourage you to re-think the matter from a more neutral POV.

[Alien_Gamer]

You can edit your post to bypass the character limit.

Your post comes across in a much less neutral manner than hers does. But to address your point, after owning a house for over a year I have never felt a sense of community in the wards so instance housing being added loses nothing for me. It also loses nothing for you or anyone else if it's in addition to wards.

[Naunet]

The problem I see with this proposal is that it consumes server resources without returning anything back to the community. I've played games with separate instanced housing apart from any wards or other sense of community. Those housing instances are, for the most part, wastes of server resources as no one even so much as sees the vast majority of them.

Are you high? Rift and WildStar - both MMOs with instanced housing - have extremely rich communities. In fact, the housing communities in those games are some of the most dedicated and close-knit players I've seen.

[Abelfei]

I have met pretty much everyone I interact with in XIV through my wards and neighborhoods of my personal and FC house, even though I don't have a personal anymore. I think instanced housing, while it probably wouldn't kill community, it would take some of it away. Also, using the the " I work and can't play as much as others " isn't a valid argument for any development alterations. There are plenty of people who work and play this game that have houses, hundreds of millions of gil, and do end game raids, so in my experience that isn't any sort of restraint on the progression through an MMO.

[Abelfei]

Also OP, saying that only certain subscriptions, those of people who are employed, pay the wages for Square employees is downright rude. Are you implying that subscriptions of unemployed people do not count, and their money is no good? " We pay your salaries " is such a rude thing to say. That argument in my eyes is one of ignorance.

[Calteru]

Are you high? Rift and WildStar - both MMOs with instanced housing - have extremely rich communities. In fact, the housing communities in those games are some of the most dedicated and close-knit players I've seen.

Are you 12? Comport yourself with a bit more decorum if not.

All the pictures I see of these two examples show one, maybe two people in them. Lots of empty space. I think the idea of "community" is being taken out of context in your reply to better fit your argument, which is disingenuous.

I have a walk-up store in Shirogane. People can come and go without the need for special permissions other than setting my house public. This can also be done in SWTOR. I have EASILY had more traffic in Shiro than I ever did on Tatooine. And it's because the housing is completely instanced in the latter. There are no neighborhoods in SWTOR. There's no sense of community like there can be and is with FF's neighborhoods.

[ManuelBravo]

Hasn't there been enough threads about this already? Life is not fair, server overload, we all have a life be it rich or poor, blah blah blah, not enough time, it's call a game not everyone gets a trophy for trying ect ect.

in conclusion /em plays the worlds smallest violin for those who still don't get it's not about money we all pay our subscription, it's about stability.

[HyoMinPark]

Hasn't there been enough threads about this already? Life is not fair, server overload, we all have a life be it rich or poor, blah blah blah, not enough time, it's call a game not everyone gets a trophy for trying ect ect.

in conclusion /em plays the worlds smallest violin for those who still don't get it's not about money we all pay our subscription, it's about stability.

There's still no reason for a highly desired feature that was advertised as one of the main attractions of the current expansion to remain so limited. The Wards system is not going to work if this game continues to grow--it's already not working as it is.