The Case for Instanced Housing

[HadesNight]

I can imagine a PSO2-style apartment with small outdoor section, or something like Bokairo's Inn room but being able to use that outdoor yard section as garden / limited outdoor furnishing area.

As revenue incentive, they could maybe put on the 45-day demolish time limit for these "extended apartments".

I for one would let go of my plot if apartments would let me garden. Maybe just on my server, but the housing zone is usually pretty dead social-wise.

I'd pay more IRL money for guaranteed housing perks. This game is cheap entertainment, but people would lose their ever loving minds if this became a mogstation thing. So I just hope SE implements instanced housing for Ishgard. I mean lore wise it makes way WAY more sense for it to be instanced. The people of Ishgard are rebuilding and are poor. They can't build 21 wards with their resources, it makes more sense for one instanced manor that the WOL gets to have as a thank you for our efforts in restoring the area and all players have to do is beat the 3.x story that unlocks the area and unlock the firmament to access it.

This instanced house should naturally have access to a garden for everyone. SE treats FFXIV as a cash cow, even though it's doing so well so I really think they should make a heavy investment into the game to continue enhancing these basic features. Whether that's more server space or staff, something has to give.

[AngelCheese77]

I'd just be happy if I could get a 2 floor apartment with more than 2 damn flowerpots in them.

But yes, instanced housing has been done in tons of games. Making it only for those with gil out the wazoo and making it a rare 'resource' is just dumb. I mean look at the player who has nearly an entire ward of houses. They don't care ... shouldn't have been grandfathered in.

[yukiiyuki]

So basically ESO housing.
XIV have unique thing for housing, its called neighbourhood. Killing even more social aspects of the MMO is bad idea.
Also, stop being naive, people keeping their subs for saving the houses, because it makes them special, not very smart idea from business perspective.
How about just give apartments some extend and call it a day.

[HadesNight]

. I mean look at the player who has nearly an entire ward of houses. They don't care ... shouldn't have been grandfathered in.

Unpopular opinion: I completely disagree with the ending sentiment here. Players that have been playing the game longer than you (hence grandfathered in), or are playing within the parameters that SE themselves set and defended, don't deserve to be punished. It's not their job to care about all the players in this game. It's a game, and so if the game allows it, then I think it's insane for players to witch hunt them and not have a constructive discourse with SE on house ownership.

SE really needs to spend real money and time to fix their housing solution now that this game is popular.

As recent as December 2019, a player bought 60 plots on Spriggan because "it was a dead world" at the time and then told on themselves to a GM asking if it was against TOS.

When some people bought their multiple homes, one house per player wasn't even a thing and their worlds were dead too. But now for example Aether is packed, it's an issue?? That doesn't make sense to me.

https://twitter.com/SakuyaMikami/sta...69752851730434
https://gyazo.com/adb0c0d2fd7364d01dd96d8f80ce704f

Despite them asking opening about it, and the rules that were put into place in 4.2, the GM confirmed "If the game systems in place are allowing you to keep and/or purchase multiple housing plots on the same account, then that means that you are able to possess those specific properties". I was mindblown when I read this. 60 plots and a GM confirmed it was ok.

So at this stage, yelling at other players because you're jealous of them is getting you nowhere. SE knows what systems they have in place. We need threads like this one that call on the benefits and solutions to fix our housing situation, rather than devolving into petty name calling because you're jealous.

People can right now in the moment buy more than one FC house easily. It's not their responsibility to care about your feelings because you can get an apartment/FC but don't want it.

[HadesNight]

So basically ESO housing.
XIV have unique thing for housing, its called neighbourhood. Killing even more social aspects of the MMO is bad idea.
Also, stop being naive, people keeping their subs for saving the houses, because it makes them special, not very smart idea from business perspective.
How about just give apartments some extend and call it a day.

Scarcity makes things more valuable. It's 100% a fact of life, you might not think it's smart but people literally keep paying their subs just so they don't lose their housing because they are rare.

I do think that they should upgrade Apartments as stated before or just create really lovely instanced homes in general.

[GeminiReed]

.. you might not think it's smart but people literally keep paying their subs just so they don't lose their housing because they are rare.

Feeling obligated to sub because of fear is pretty damaging. Losing one's house to a lapsed sub is a huge disincentive to returning. Even worse you have a limited time to claim any decorations and the demolition refund. Losing that is just a giant middle finger.

[HadesNight]

Feeling obligated to sub because of fear is pretty damaging. Losing one's house to a lapsed sub is a huge disincentive to returning. Even worse you have a limited time to claim any decorations and the demolition refund. Losing that is just a giant middle finger.

I completely agree with you, I think the autodem system is necessary with this style of housing. You HAVE to purge houses because they aren't instanced, but the fact that it keeps people paying is pretty messed up imo. People feel obligated, my point was that it's a fact of life, damaging or not that is something is scarce it feels valuable.

If I lost my housing for any reason I'd stop playing the game really. It's what I spend most of my time working on it.

But it IS keeping people subbed, so from a business perspective it is smart and at the end of the day SE is a business.

[GeminiReed]

XIV have unique thing for housing, its called neighbourhood. Killing even more social aspects of the MMO is bad idea.

That's just a "sounds good on paper" idea. The vast amounts of anecdotal evidence suggest that real interactions in housing is super rare. Outside of some pre-arranged RP events the only other time I see people is when a plot is up for sale.

Instanced neighborhoods would be an awesome feature. At the very least you'd a much better chance of having neighbors that would interact.

[GeminiReed]

But it IS keeping people subbed, so from a business perspective it is smart and at the end of the day SE is a business.

Sacrificing long term profits for short term gains is never good business. Services live and die on retention and vendor lock-in is a fantastic way to encourage your customers to look elsewhere.

[yukiiyuki]

Scarcity makes things more valuable. It's 100% a fact of life, you might not think it's smart but people literally keep paying their subs just so they don't lose their housing because they are rare.

I do think that they should upgrade Apartments as stated before or just create really lovely instanced homes in general.

You literally rephrased what I said.
>not very smart idea from business perspective.
To make housing for everyone, that what I meant.