Major changes needed for housing

[Divinemights]

It really grinds my gears how people in this thread are so willing to just throw hundreds of people under the bus and take away their hard work because of a handful of people exploiting the system. It's an incredibly selfish mentality to have. I'm sorry that this housing system isn't to the specifications that some would like it to have, but it used to be worse. I get that camping sucks and that you have to compete with bots, but it's not hard to beat them either. Find a solution that doesn't involve stripping innocent players of their houses that they invested time and millions of gil into (My boyfriend and I have probably sunk well over 100-200m and dozens of hours into our designing our houses and I'll put up one hell of a fight to keep them because of it).

Don't worry too much.
It is not like these type of ideas will ever been taking serious by anyone.
The only two idea ever impacted player ownership is 45 days timer and reclaim timer and both are installed because of SE's internal data and review; not really players feedback.
The main purpose of General forum is merely for people to rant, 90% of contents are not feedback SE can use to improve their game.

[Tommara]

Don't worry too much.
It is not like these type of ideas will ever been taking serious by anyone.
The only two idea ever impacted player ownership is 45 days timer and reclaim timer and both are installed because of SE's internal data and review; not really players feedback.
The main purpose of General forum is merely for people to rant, 90% of contents are not feedback SE can use to improve their game.

You're probably right. I've played SquareSoft games since implemented on 8-bit Nintendo in the US, they remind me of IBM in a lot of ways.

Utterly solid technically (although their first PC conversions were horrible), but completely out of touch with what customers want.

However, SquareSoft's forte was story, and SquareEnix has copied that aspect well in FF14 (second time around, and got better with each expansion).

But I'd still like to hear LianaThorne's reasons for their post. I once watched a stump for days for a cleric quest in Everquest. I don't wish for other EQ clerics to have to go through that, even though I did.

However, I eventually married the man who kept me company while I did, so there is that.

But camping that stump for a ground spawn improved my ability to heal.

i.e., I pretty much don't get the purpose of FF14 housing except as status symbols or fulfilling people's dreams of owning a house, neither of which I need. But I do think the devs are incompetent of they can't manage it, having played so many games where housing for all is not a problem, and isn't reserved for only those who are stupid enough to watch a stump for days, as I did, even though it at the time, it did result in a combat advantage, not a house.

And finding my soulmate.

[Vickii]

I've said this probably 5 times now: housing does exist for everyone already. They're called apartments. You can easily own property RIGHT NOW. I know that you don't want an apartment but that doesn't stop them from existing and claiming that there isn't enough housing to go around is a complete lie. The issue is that you just don't want an apartment and want an easy method to getting a house, which is a massive slap in the face to those who already went through camping for plots. And then you also want to take away their hard work so you can have a plot? No. That's selfish and you don't deserve to profit off of someone else's efforts.

It really grinds my gears how people in this thread are so willing to just throw hundreds of people under the bus and take away their hard work because of a handful of people exploiting the system.

Camping isn’t hard work. It’s a terrible game mechanic. And I’ve done it, twice.

Also apartments don’t include gardening which is really the main point of owning a house for most.

And it’s not a handful of people exploiting the system either. It’s bots and anyone who can see a profit to do so.

Housing is broken. You having a good experience doesn’t really impact that.

[Divinemights]

i.e., I pretty much don't get the purpose of FF14 housing except as status symbols or fulfilling people's dreams of owning a house, neither of which I need. But I do think the devs are incompetent of they can't manage it, having played so many games where housing for all is not a problem, and isn't reserved for only those who are stupid enough to watch a stump for days, as I did, even though it at the time, it did result in a combat advantage, not a house.

FF14 Housing, what you are seeing is the culture difference between Eastern and Western, in another word, individualism vs collectiveism
Most of NA players has no interest in Housing when it first installed (no EU at that time) because there is no private ownership.
When Personal Housing is available the just want it for status symbols, not really because they cares or will actively use it (Not saying everyone, but majority of us)
You will see the claim for Garden Plot, but everyone knew that is just a fat lie and excuse.
No matter how good apartment is, people will still want House for status symbol

[LianaThorne]

Just gonna say this:

Do I think the system is good? No. And I also never said it was.

Am I accepting reality for what it is? Yes. As should everyone else.

If you think camping is stupid, you have that right to think that. If you think the system is flawed, which it is, then you have that right to think that too. I'm just not going to sit by quietly while people talk about taking things from people who aren't involved in botting or selling their plot for monetary gain. If it bothers some people that I'm not against relocation sellers, you're more than allowed to be bothered by it because not everyone involved in that is handling bots or shuffling houses through the system. It's still not going to change how I feel though, just like I don't expect anything I've said to actually affect anyone or force anyone to make a change. Will I sit and be quiet about it if I have a strong opinion against it though? No, not at all.

The reality is, and I'm sorry if this is a hard pill to swallow for some, not everyone is out trying to make a profit off housing. I personally have mine because I'm very heavily into gardening and my boyfriend and I wanted a place to share. I also have an FC so I have housing for that on top to provide my members with crafting stations, food buffs, etc. Plus, it's fun to have a house. Simple reason: it's fun.

It's fine if you don't see the value in that or think that what we had to do was hard work, like I said, your opinion. It doesn't change the reality that it wasn't easy for us to get our house at first, but we didn't stop trying. We camped for....14-15 hours that first day (ironically the same day we first met) but didn't give up and we got our first house within the next 2 days and beat out bots. I know it takes people way longer, but that's what I'm talking about by hard work. It is hard work mentally to force yourself through the same activity day after day in the hopes of getting a reward. Those are the people I'm speaking up for.

You're allowed to be frustrated by camping but that doesn't make it not the system we currently have. If Square wants to change it, that's on them. But until then, this is the system we have and I'm going to speak keeping that in mind and I'm also going to speak on the reality of what we'll all have to deal with if they choose to not do anything about housing. I apologize if anything I said came off too blunt, I am a very direct speaker and am aware that I can come off strong, but I don't take back anything I've said either.

You're allowed to have an opinion, same as I am allowed to have one.

P.S. For the person who asked where I'm coming from with things being taken from people, it's been said in the comments that everyone should be limited to 1 house regardless of whether or not they're actively exploiting the system (i.e. normal people who have a personal house and an FC would also have that taken away from them). It was also suggested that FC leaders only should be forced to give up their housing and be satisfied with having only an FC while everyone else in said FC has access to personal housing. Therefore, if that was to be implemented I would not only lose my personal house but lose my right to having privacy simply because I am an FC leader. It's not fair for people who haven't done anything wrong to be forced to give up what they worked hard to get simply so other people can have access to an easy house and it's not fair for FC leaders to be punished like that simply because we want to help people. Strip them from the people who own half of a ward in Goblet and are actively exploiting the system, not your average Bob and Sally who sat and camped and beat out people for their house and are minding their own business now. I'm all for making changes but not ones that punish people who don't deserve it.

[ItMe]

i.e., I pretty much don't get the purpose of FF14 housing except as status symbols or fulfilling people's dreams of owning a house, neither of which I need.

It is a creative space where you can express yourself, and new options and possibilities are constantly getting patched in.
Considering how much people love glamour, I know I can't be alone in feeling this is the big draw for housing.

[Nabril]

1. They need to stop removing the demolition timer.
2. They need to strip houses away from people who own multiple houses- If they got it by exploiting loopholes, that's their own problem. I have no sympathy.
3. They need to remove the relocation feature which would stop house flipping.

[LianaThorne]

1. They need to stop removing the demolition timer.
2. They need to strip houses away from people who own multiple houses- If they got it by exploiting loopholes, that's their own problem. I have no sympathy.
3. They need to remove the relocation feature which would stop house flipping.

I'm all for the first 2 options but the 3rd is one I'm against for reasons I've said already but I'll repeat:

1. Not everyone is out to flip the market.
2. Removing the relocation feature has the potential to make people who own houses feel trapped to the server they're in since they can't sell it and get at least a portion of the money they invested into their house back.
3. Relocation still allows for people to acquire their dream plots which normally are never popped wild.

I get the negatives (like people relocating into plots while people are camping) but there are still good reasons for it to exist and it does help homeowners.

[Awha]

Camping isn’t hard work. It’s a terrible game mechanic. And I’ve done it, twice.

Also apartments don’t include gardening which is really the main point of owning a house for most.

And it’s not a handful of people exploiting the system either. It’s bots and anyone who can see a profit to do so.

Housing is broken. You having a good experience doesn’t really impact that.

Camping is not a game mechanic put in place by SE. It is a player driven mechanic. I do not think SE intended for people to camp out hours for plots. Sure it is a byproduct of their design choices but was never the intention.

[Vahlnir]

Camping is not a game mechanic put in place by SE. It is a player driven mechanic. I do not think SE intended for people to camp out hours for plots. Sure it is a byproduct of their design choices but was never the intention.

The dev team has very bad foresight at times, but they should (key word being should) have seen this coming a mile away. It is this sort of thing that makes me wonder if they really understand an MMORPG player base at all. Or human nature. Sure, they will never be able to account for everything but this...was a pretty obvious oversight if this wasn't their intention.