Please Remove Housing Timers During the Covid-19 Epidemic

[QT_Melon]

Well calling it an epidemic, is wrong because it's a Pandemic.

It's really kind of becoming really tasteless to argue in the case of this issue that "Well that's your problem/responsibility"

So we should encourage "lol you lost your house bro to COVID 19, gonna sit by it so I can snag it" ...really people?

[Avidria]

I feel like this kinda highlights the worst side of the housing limitations and demolition system... People are always gonna get screwed if real life issues happen while this system is in place, even if they love housing and actively use it when they can, and a LOT of people are gonna get screwed when large scale real life issues happen.

Whether people should have other priorities doesn't matter. Fact is there aren't enough houses and people losing them because of crappy life circumstances is still crappy whether it's "low priority" or not.

[TheMightyMollusk]

Well calling it an epidemic, is wrong because it's a Pandemic.

The thread was started before it was officially declared a pandemic, and the forums don't let you edit thread titles.

[Akonyl]

But if my house gets demolished, how will I shelter in place?

[Nedkel]

We cant destroy other people houses, they need them in order to quarantine themselves in them, omg.

[Divinemights]

Well calling it an epidemic, is wrong because it's a Pandemic.

It's really kind of becoming really tasteless to argue in the case of this issue that "Well that's your problem/responsibility"

So we should encourage "lol you lost your house bro to COVID 19, gonna sit by it so I can snag it" ...really people?

They can make a pledge with those weak arguments i listed earlier.
They have right to do so but S/E is not obligated to do it.
It is a gesture but people in this tread is showing entitlement.

[QT_Melon]

The thread was started before it was officially declared a pandemic, and the forums don't let you edit thread titles.

I was not referring to topic title, but the person who left the rebuttal below

They can make a pledge with those weak arguments i listed earlier.
They have right to do so but S/E is not obligated to do it.
It is a gesture but people in this tread is showing entitlement.

Not really the arguments I was making more to the point that because of this crisis (which I was pointing out to you that it's a PANDEMIC not epidemic)
would encourage exceptionally tasteless behavior that would be really bad on SE's part to let it go unchecked.

The current housing timer isn't making people unsubscribe - I mean by having it up normally for people who want a house. I will say it's far more likely people wouldn't come back to subscribe if the economic situation recovers from being dire and find their houses taken by other players likely to gloat how this pandemic gave them an opportunity to snatch a house.

That would bring more toxicity to the game and likely you'll lose players not willing to come back due to that scenario.

The only tricky part is when, and the duration for said timer to freeze. I don't have an answer for that, but I don't have the data they have or the staff more qualified to judge when it's appropriate. I don't envy their position.

I just feel your arguments are actually more weak in terms of rebuttals.

[Penthea]

You assume incorrectly regarding my intentions. Hysteria and panic is making the situation far worse than it needs to be in the real world and that applies to online services as well.

Funny how you say this a few hours before the UK enters a lockdown, and as far as I recall you live there too.

While I agree that hysteria and panic are making the situation worse, a lot of people's fears from all of this are not an overreaction. We're quite fortunate to live where we do, but if you're keeping up with the news a great number of countries are far less fortunate. Some are only a short flight away, and in those countries there are a lot of people who play FFXIV.

I'm absolutely fine with losing them if I don't log in within the next 45 days. I'd take comfort in knowing that even if I lost them, other players could find some joy in finally acquiring their dream home for themselves.

Would you take comfort that others could lose years of effort because for some weird reason a global crisis isn't as worthy as a comparatively localised violent storm or earthquake when it comes to demolition suspension?

Would you take comfort that some of the people who would lose their houses are not only people who could have been fighting for their lives, but could have also been overworked medical staff who don't even have time to think about logging in never mind actually get to do it? There is a famous video of a UK nurse who was crying after a 48 hour shift because she couldn't find food in the shops. If she plays FFXIV, do you think she had time to log in when she had trouble finding food?

Would you be okay with the idea that medical staff who are currently busting their behinds to keep us safe could lose assets in a game because they were too busy trying to contain and cure a global disaster to log in?

The least we can do for anyone who is working hard to keep this crisis under control is not take things away from them when they're too preoccupied with keeping us alive. They're all looking forward to when all of this is over. When their lives can be normal again. And for some "normal" means logging in to FFXIV in the garden at their house.

If the demolition timer is suspended, however, then the majority of players - those who do not own a home - would be unable to acquire a home for themselves for what could very well be a very long amount of time.

Speaking as someone who was homeless in the game during one of those demolition suspensions, it did not bother me in the slightest that the suspension happened. I'd rather get a house because it was likely the previous owner lost interest in the game. Not because it's likely that a large scale tragedy stripped them of their livelihood or even their life.

And honestly the misfortune of those homeless in a game does not outweigh the misfortune of those unable to log in because of a global crisis.

[Theodric]

Funny how you say this a few hours before the UK enters a lockdown, and as far as I recall you live there too.

Yeah, I live in Scotland. Naturally I have some concerns about the entire situation but none of them pertain to FFXIV as it's just a game and completely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

In short, I reckon people have more important things to worry about than whether or not they have access to a house in an online game.

It'd be more productive for people to ask for additional housing wards to be added, I reckon.

[Seraphor]

Yeah, I live in Scotland. Naturally I have some concerns about the entire situation but none of them pertain to FFXIV as it's just a game and completely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

In short, I reckon people have more important things to worry about than whether or not they have access to a house in an online game.

It'd be more productive for people to ask for additional housing wards to be added, I reckon.

"People have more important things to worry about."
For the 100th time, that's the entire point.

SE aren't going to magic up any housing wards that haven't been in the works for months already. They're not going to offer free subscriptions either. These are the entitled suggestions.

Suspending demolition is a free gesture they can offer, that harms less than it aids, and for which there is precedent.