Private housing is in total shambles

[Antoine_Lenheim]

in my server FC wards are like free cake to pick, so many plots that only have 1 participant. Meanwhile the personal housing wards are already have 20-30 people participants each plot. And I believe the amount will just be double during the last hour. Just what are SQEX thinking?

Because it was a no-brainer to give so many wards to FCs. Are they aware that FC transfers are the preferred way to RMT houses? That by giving whopping 18 wards to FCs and not limiting amount of FC houses you may own on one account, they help RMT to flourish even more? Gah.

[Illmaeran]

Same here. I just picked a plot that is farthest from aetherite and market board and harder to get to. It should remain closer to lowest entries in the end - makes no sense for the least desirable plots to be contested more than average.

That's exactly what I did. It's as far as I could get from the MB/bell, fairly far from the aetheryte, has an ok, but not spectacular view, and isn't the cheapest small available. Hopefully those combination of factors will reduce the number of participants. We'll see come Saturday morning!

Forgot to add earlier that people waiting until the weekend to participate may end up very disappointed, especially if they're NA. The local cut off time for entries is 8am Pacific Saturday morning. Works out a little better for EU (late afternoon), JP (late night) and OCE (very early Sunday morning).

As of this post, 13:30 Eastern US it's 18:30 in London on 4.14, 2:30 AM and 03:30 AM Friday, 4.15 in Tokyo and Sydney, respectively.

[AlexionSkyllark]

2/3 of wards for FCs?
pfeh, you wish

it's 6 out of 24 wards. This is 75% FC-only wards, it's 3/4. It's even worse than what you're saying.

And you guys wanna hear something really priceless? People who relocated and left vacant plots behind, if their ward number is lower than 19, only FCs will be able to bet on those vacant plots for the next lottery cycle. They didn't make only Ishgard plots FC-only, they made ALL REGIONS 75% FC-Only.

Oh, and by the way, about the bug where 0 was considered for a possible winning number, and some people who were the only entries to a house lost the lottery?
EVEN IF SE FIXES THAT PROBLEM, now those poor people who were happy about finding a house without others betting will have to dispute with... well... EVERYONE WHO LOST, since those will pretty much be the only plots available for the next cycle. Neat, huh?

[PimsLamora]

I knew I wasn't going to win, but it was still a huge bummer. I've been playing since launch. Took a break for a few years and missed that window where housing was easy to obtain. Been trying for a couple years now - camped for DAYS ON END - and still no house.

I get that not everyone can have one, but it seems like only what, 5-10% of the population on the server does?

I'm feeling pretty defeated. There will be a second lotto and all the houses that were abandoned will have even higher numbers of lotto tickets. After that? Who knows. My guess is that the already crazy low odds will plummet even further.

I get that it's not the most important element of the game, but good grief. I'd sure like to experience it.

Oh well. Congrats to the winners.

[Antoine_Lenheim]

Lol, I love how this thread aged like fine wine. I knew they will screw up with this sytem somehow

[SlickPaws]

Lol, I love how this thread aged like fine wine. I knew they will screw up with this sytem somehow

*Proof is in the pudding... Or screenshot, I guess.*

[saxman09]

I read previously that Squeenix wanted to foster large, vibrant, active FC's.

It's like they've never played thier own game outside dungeons. You go into wards and it's DEAD, there are literally maybe 5-6 players active in a ward at a time. Instanced houses would easily fix the problem as not only do FC have a dedicated spot, so do solo buyers and everyone in between. I would gladly trade my small if it means I can have a larger house buy building up my instance house. I feel at this point wards are just wasting server space for all of 6 people to be in said ward.

[saxman09]

I get that not everyone can have one

My guess is that the already crazy low odds will plummet even further.

1) Every could have a house if they implement instanced housing the same way apartments Are implemented. You get a giant list, get a blank plot, choose the size you can afford in the same blank space.

2) You'd be 1000% correct as as it stands a lot of the people who left their old plots are plots now considered FC only plots. Ergo, inorder for a private buyer to get a house, it would have to be lucky enough to be on wards 19-24. So that one plot that opened up in the mist or wherever will once again have 50+ people fighting for it.

In the end this system is terrible as it caters to the "social experience" of having 5 active players in a ward at a time. They are wasting far more server space with wards than instanced housing and it very upsetting at this point. Memory issues isn't cutting is as again, your wasting far more memory of having 1 PLAYER load in the entirety of a ward, ALL the house, ALL the teleports, ALL the different decorations, JUST FOR 1 person to be in that ward.

[Gunbladesman]

I can't wait for 6.2 for them re re-assess all the empty FC houses OH WAIT if you are on any sort of populated server all those will be taken up by private buyers who just make their own fc to circumvent the system

[Laytnor]

It's frankly embarrassing. Disregarding the whole thing of someone in squeenix thinking "HEY, LET'S MAKE ALL WARDS FC ONLY AND ONLY GIVE THE PRIVATE PLEBEIANS WHO DIDN'T MAKE THEIR OWN FC'S A SMALL HANDFUL OF WARDS LMAO" is the right approach, the fact that in the CURRENT YEAR, we still have this tussle over housing to begin with is ridiculous. Introduce instanced housing already. PROPER instanced housing, with current normal house sizes and systems, not the joke known as "apartments". "Sowwy muh spaghett" in terms of their excuses as of why this, and many other features such as glamour log is still impossible, simply ain't cutting it anymore. How about use some of that massive profit you generate to ponder over the engine/code/whatever else issues so that you can improve the game already? Perhaps squeenix shouldn't leech off FF14's profits to create things nobody cares about such as marvel avengers? Anyone tried telling that to the higher ups in that corporate hellscape?

The fact that they're clearly trying to kill the concept of private housing, BEFORE even introducing any work arounds or alternatives such as instanced private housing, is such a massive slap in the face of the people who genuinely likes the housing aspect, that I don't even have words to describe it without resorting to pure seethe and profanities.
People love to lap up whatever SE does and excuse every mistake they make, but this issue has been a thing for YEARS, without a sign of improving, only worsening in fact, and it is simply inexcusable.