A Residence Reborn - Instanced Housing the Right Way

[LaylaTsarra]

d much rather be able to play the game, and when i see a plot is open, go drop my name in the hat, and then go back to playing the game, rather than having to meticulously scour the wards for when a plot opens or sit at a plot for hours literally not playing the game in hopes of getting a house. (I realize that, being on Mateus, this is particularly unique this server and one or two others, but still).

Yeah sounds like you just don't want to do much other than put your name in a hat and hope for the best. I got a house on Balmung working on a placard and it's worse than Mateus. I don't mind working for things but I sure don't want to give my chances up to the RNG gods and hope i can win a lottery. No thank you.

Yes the timer needs work but those willing to hunt and work at finding plots deserve a better shot at a house than those who simply want to do nothing but hope for the best with a lottery.

We lived for years without a timer and personally I don't think it would be much worse if they eliminated it. They certainly could improve it if they keep it by reducing the wait times to no more than an hour or two. It would at least prevent the direct selling of houses to people with instant sales after demo.

There is also lots they could do to reduce demand by improving apartments something they even said they were considering back around 4.2 with small, medium and large. The decoupling of workshops from FC would also help considerably. Lots of improvements they could made without resorting to a lottery.

[Kenky]

Yes the timer needs work but those willing to hunt and work at finding plots deserve a better shot at a house than those who simply want to do nothing but hope for the best with a lottery.

Genuinely going to side with Tsarra here. If Housing was truly a lottery-esque system, what with dropping your name in a hat, it completely ruins the purpose. You have just as much a % chance to get the house as someone who isn't going to use the plot at all and just put their name in to be a troll. Sadly, these sorts of people actually exist and they're not going away any time soon.

If you want a housing plot, you put in the time to get it. If "playing the game" is more important to you, then you must clearly not want a house as much as other people who obsess over them. Not that its a bad thing, just that your priorities are in a different order and should be treated as such. You, who doesn't have housing as a high-priority, shouldn't have an equal chance to someone who has been trying to get one for the past month.

[Penthea]

If "playing the game" is more important to you, then you must clearly not want a house as much as other people who obsess over them. Not that its a bad thing, just that your priorities are in a different order and should be treated as such. You, who doesn't have housing as a high-priority, shouldn't have an equal chance to someone who has been trying to get one for the past month.

The thing is it's not just players who want to play the game instead of hang around a placard that don't end up getting a house. Some players have missed out on getting a house because they needed to go to the toilet. That needing to do a completely normal bodily function can prevent you from accessing content just shows how flawed the system is.

Sure people can use bots to avoid toilet breaks preventing them from getting a house but it means risking your account and if you play on ps4 it's simply not an option.

That being said I do prefer the placard system to a lottery system as it does mean players more dedicated to housing have a higher chance than those who just cannot be bothered to even try. With lottery even people who are very "whatever" about getting a house would have equal chance to those who crave that content, and of course competition would rise due to it being very low effort.

The placard timer and the lottery idea are both really bad. They're just bad for different reasons.

[Atamis]

I do want instanced housing in some form, simply because the housing i want would require it if SE is being truthful about server limitations. I don't want this small suburb. I want a full Ranch with my own chocobo stables and airship workshop. I want to make my own race track, and i don't want to be tied to some pitiful outdoor decoration number.

[Eoko]

basically lottery isn't as fair as you think.

That is totally fair. I don't personally feel that having waited for a house for 4 years, or lost out on 50 placard wars, or being on a large population server entitles anyone to more chances at a house. I don't think the lottery is good. I just think it's better than the current system because it is less harmful.

I encourage everyone to discuss the ideas. We have seen changes to the acquisition of houses before, so input is valuable. A lottery is still the most fair compared to the options we have had. When complaints have been made about the housing system people mostly just say it sucks. Gotta throw out other thoughts, and get people talking, even if it's to disagree. Conflict can breed progress.

Housing acquisition can only be considered fair when all players have the exact same chance to get a house.

100% agree.

Re: Money/Time.

These are all very valid points. Though, I don't really consider time to be one because time is a product of the human experience. Regardless of what one chooses to do, time is going to be a factor, thus it becomes a null point. No one expects to just throw 1mil at a problem and for it to instantly go away. They money just pays for the means to make the fix happen. But, money would buy more tech and more people. And, profit margins have always been a point in relation to money. But at the end of the day, if it's not profitable, or at least a drastic saving to the company, it won't happen. That is why it's all about money. And regardless of time, money does pay for every aspect that is required to make it happen. Hell, I'm fairly anti-capitalist, but when it comes to businesses we all know that if there's not profit/massive savings to be had, it isn't happening. And I really don't expect anything to change. It's probably more likely the tech will just evolve to the point it's cheaper and able to handle more wards.

[Eoko]

The forum post limits completely murder me, but I am loving everyone's comments. Even if I strongly disagree with you on certain points, your comments and thoughts are valuable. It has been through conflict and discord that my own thoughts had initially been expanded to include the possibilities for housing options I might not personally want, but other people do. At the end of the day, whether you love something or hate something in my hopeless little dream thread, voicing them is important. Your love or hate of the idea is important. We have no idea if there are people at SE that are trying to brainstorm ways to change housing. If you're passionate about the system, either as it is now, or how you want it, your passion is important to the discussion.

PS.
Atamis, I love your chocobo ranch dreams. Oh! Wouldn't it be fun if you could like, hire out chocobo stalls like an FC/Apartment, but on a private lot? I would totally go to a "private ranch". That just feels so nice.

[Penthea]

That is totally fair. I don't personally feel that having waited for a house for 4 years, or lost out on 50 placard wars, or being on a large population server entitles anyone to more chances at a house. I don't think the lottery is good. I just think it's better than the current system because it is less harmful.

I encourage everyone to discuss the ideas. We have seen changes to the acquisition of houses before, so input is valuable. A lottery is still the most fair compared to the options we have had. When complaints have been made about the housing system people mostly just say it sucks. Gotta throw out other thoughts, and get people talking, even if it's to disagree. Conflict can breed progress.

I disagree that lottery is less harmful, to me it looks merely harmful in different ways to the placard timer. I don't consider swapping one set of problems for another to be a good trade. I want actual improvement, not just reshuffling what the flaws are.

These are all very valid points. Though, I don't really consider time to be one because time is a product of the human experience. Regardless of what one chooses to do, time is going to be a factor, thus it becomes a null point.

It's not a null point when you consider that the longer people take to do something the more money you will have to pay over time. Not everyone who works for SE is SE staff. Like any other company some of their staff are hired contractors who work for a specific amount of time agreed upon in a contract. If the task takes long to do then the contract would either be quite long or would have to be renewed multiple times. If a contract has to be renewed it puts the contractor in a position to negotiate for a higher fee. Additionally even SE staff themselves can negotiate for a higher wage if they learn that they have high-demand skillsets that SE cannot afford to let go of. SE is far from the only huge game company in Japan. There are certainly some staff in SE who would be spoiled for choice if they decided to go elsewhere.

Also if something takes very long to do you run the risk of completing the task when technology has moved on so you may have to restructure that work to keep up to date which then costs more time and money.

No one expects to just throw 1mil at a problem and for it to instantly go away. They money just pays for the means to make the fix happen. But, money would buy more tech and more people. And, profit margins have always been a point in relation to money. But at the end of the day, if it's not profitable, or at least a drastic saving to the company, it won't happen. That is why it's all about money. And regardless of time, money does pay for every aspect that is required to make it happen.

Time and money go hand in hand. Having all the money in the world is meaningless if the tasks take so long to complete that upon completion their high profit window is gone, and having all the time in the world is meaningless if you don't have the money to fund those tasks. Furthermore as people gain more experience they can ask for a raise and if their skills are in high demand the company may have no choice but to give them more money. And if they don't that person can just leave to go somewhere else that pays more money for their time. Turning time and money into a good profit is actually a very delicate balance, especially in a field as competitive as the gaming industry.

Hell, I'm fairly anti-capitalist, but when it comes to businesses we all know that if there's not profit/massive savings to be had, it isn't happening. And I really don't expect anything to change. It's probably more likely the tech will just evolve to the point it's cheaper and able to handle more wards.

And here time makes itself relevant again when we talk about money. Sometimes waiting for the point in which time and monetary cost would be lower is the most profitable solution.

The forum post limits completely murder me, but I am loving everyone's comments.

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[Eoko]

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Well! You're my new favorite person ever.