Turn Housing Demolition on

[dspguy]

Ultimately it's this. Square Enix added the auto demolition system, after the housing wards were added, due to the fact some players go inactive. Regardless of the reason why someone goes inactive, the current limited availability housing system necessitates this timer.

The idea of the housing timer isn't a bad one. Given the limited availability, I think it is a good idea since there is limited availability. However, having a video game alter its policies such as auto-demolition due to real-life events changes that. I understand the empathy that SE has with natural and man-made disasters (given the 2011 tsunami disaster). The halting the housing timer only underscores the problem with housing in this game.

I wonder how the playerbase would respond if SE announced that in order to develop instanced player housing that is available to all (small, medium, large sizes) would result in pushing back the next expansion by 6 months - how would they respond?

[Doc_Seraph]

Kupo, this reminds me of that movie Demolition Man when the highest food in the land came from Taco Bell. Too much demolition and we will all eat at taco bell kupo ...which will demolish our systems later <3 kupo jk jk

[Alleo]

Even if they turn it back on again I doubt this would free many houses. Which means that most will be out of luck again.
As long as there is no instanced solution, the timer will just be another bandaid.

[Jojoya]

You'd think they could at least, say, only pause it on the EU servers, and not the NA/JP ones.

As others have said, it's not just the war in Eastern Europe. JP had a major earthquake in March that destroyed a lot of major factories and disrupted supply chains for other businesses. That's caused a loss of income for a lot of families.

You're also assuming that people only play on the data centers closest to their homes. Plenty of EU players play on the NA and JP data centers. Plenty of JP players play on the NA and likely EU data centers.

This is not a solution, instanced housing is terrible. And it would put even more pressure on their already "crumbling" servers anytime there is anything out of the ordinary and a lot of people log in

Instanced housing is not terrible when done right.

Also, if their "crumbling servers" were in such bad shape we wouldn't be getting Island Sanctuary in 6.2. It may not be housing but we know it's a personal area with farming activities and some player customization through placement of buildings. If the crumbling servers can handle that, then they probably could handle an updated version of instanced housing considering the resources already being used for existing apartments could be folded into the updated system.

But what I'm curious about is this: had the auto-demolish already been reinstated pre-war, would SE really have paused it again? I honestly don't think so.

Yes, they would have because of the JP earthquake.

[TwistedTea]

This is not a solution, instanced housing is terrible. And it would put even more pressure on their already "crumbling" servers anytime there is anything out of the ordinary and a lot of people log in

Limited ward housing is a terrible system which consumes more server resources than fully instanced housing. The exterior of houses/wards are always loaded.

Adding more ward only increases the consumption of server resources

There's a reason why other major MMO with housing choose to go the fully instanced route; to avoid FFXIV's limited ward housing and all its associated problems.

There would be no reason for things like auto-demolition to exist, if every player had a fully instanced house.

SE has had nearly 10 years with this housing experiment. It's time for SE to acknowledge that limited ward housing is a colossal failure, in terms of access for the majority of players.

[Batbrat]

Even if they turn it back on again I doubt this would free many houses. Which means that most will be out of luck again.
As long as there is no instanced solution, the timer will just be another bandaid.

This is true and you're right, BUT! But.

If it's on, that means there's a steady and UNPREDICTABLE! trickle of houses that come up for sale. Right now, we're all on the same clock. We're getting houses that are springing up over someone moving to another house during the housing reclaim period. With demolition turned on, one could appear at any moment. Which means-maybe anyway, in theory!! That maybe...people could all rush to bid on one house, right..and then another opens the next day, and those who bid on that have an easier chance. You know?? Maybe, its a maybe! Not quite sure yet exactly how that works-

Either way though! It's unfair that people have gotten to hoard houses for almost an entire year now without having to be subbed for it. I personally know someone myself, who hasnt been subbed because "lul, my house is safe, I dont have to". Which means all this time, he's had this house that he isnt even playing the game anymore for. A big giant empty house. For months on months. That someone could be using and enjoying every day. But it's just sitting all because he doesnt have to pay to keep it. and this is why demolition is needed to begin with. Because its bad enough when someone wins a house and doesnt use it while they're actively playing-at least you could still say "well, they're around but they're just doing other things". Its even worse when someone wins a house and doesnt use it and doesnt even play for almost an entire year. That shouldnt be allowed to happen.

I already have a house. So I'm not hurting as bad as others, but it's just a little bit unacceptable to keep seeing friends disappointed time after time again. That's hard to keep watching. That's hard to see and know that there's at least one thing that could be done that might help that's just still not on the table for whatever reason. Please, turn housing demolition back on.

[KuroMaboroshi]

If it's on, that means there's a steady and UNPREDICTABLE! trickle of houses that come up for sale. Right now, we're all on the same clock. We're getting houses that are springing up over someone moving to another house during the housing reclaim period. With demolition turned on, one could appear at any moment. Which means-maybe anyway, in theory!! That maybe...people could all rush to bid on one house, right..and then another opens the next day, and those who bid on that have an easier chance. You know?? Maybe, its a maybe! Not quite sure yet exactly how that works-

If it does work that way, then in theory by relinquishing a plot just before the sign-up period for the lottery ends, then having someone place their bid at the last second before anyone else can, you could still flip houses, which would be the height of irony, since no matter how horrible placard spamming was, it at least fixed that part.

However, I don't agree with the conclusion in the rest of the post. "Some people are abusing the system" isn't a good enough excuse to screw over those who are not abusing it, yet now have to rely on the demolition suspension to not loose their houses because of all the external circumstances that warrant demolition suspension that have been listed in this thread up until now.

[IDontPetLalas]

This is true and you're right, BUT! But.

If it's on, that means there's a steady and UNPREDICTABLE! trickle of houses that come up for sale. Right now, we're all on the same clock. We're getting houses that are springing up over someone moving to another house during the housing reclaim period. With demolition turned on, one could appear at any moment. Which means-maybe anyway, in theory!! That maybe...people could all rush to bid on one house, right..and then another opens the next day, and those who bid on that have an easier chance. You know?? Maybe, its a maybe! Not quite sure yet exactly how that works-

Either way though! It's unfair that people have gotten to hoard houses for almost an entire year now without having to be subbed for it. I personally know someone myself, who hasnt been subbed because "lul, my house is safe, I dont have to". Which means all this time, he's had this house that he isnt even playing the game anymore for. A big giant empty house. For months on months. That someone could be using and enjoying every day. But it's just sitting all because he doesnt have to pay to keep it. and this is why demolition is needed to begin with. Because its bad enough when someone wins a house and doesnt use it while they're actively playing-at least you could still say "well, they're around but they're just doing other things". Its even worse when someone wins a house and doesnt use it and doesnt even play for almost an entire year. That shouldnt be allowed to happen.

I already have a house. So I'm not hurting as bad as others, but it's just a little bit unacceptable to keep seeing friends disappointed time after time again. That's hard to keep watching. That's hard to see and know that there's at least one thing that could be done that might help that's just still not on the table for whatever reason. Please, turn housing demolition back on.

i expect it would be an unpredictable quantity but bidding would open at a set time. just as it occurs now. SE would likely announce it, and it would open and then close 5 days later.

It wouldn't make any sense to have bids open as each house is demolished. So, after demolition, the plot will just be available for some varying length of time.

[dspguy]

Which means no lives are actively lost and no livelyhoods are threatened, which would make it not reason to suspend demolition. < snipped >

But even if the situations were comparable, which they are not, it is besides the point anyway, since Korea has its own servers, < snipped >

Missed the forest for the trees.

I think you zeroed in on Korea. That wasn't the point.

Here is a short history of auto-demolition being suspended. It is not exhaustive. Just what was easily searchable:

• Auto-demoltion added in Nov 2015
• 2016 - Suspended for a natural disaster (earthquake)
• 2017 - Suspended for a natural disaster (hurricane)
• 2018 - Suspended for a natural disaster (hurricane)
• 2018 - Suspended for a natural disaster (typhoon, which is a Pacific Ocean hurricane)
• 2019 - Suspended for a natural disaster (typhoon)
• 2020 - Suspended for a global pandemic
• 2021 - Suspended for the Russia/Ukraine war

Frankly, I don't think my earlier statements were far off the mark. Maybe Korea was tongue and cheek. Mind you, these are all tragic on different levels. I do think my argument is legit.

How can they NOT justify stopping the timer for war if they are stopping it off for a hurricane?

If they suspended it for X (earthquake) why not for Y (hurricane)? If for Y (hurricane) why not Z (regional war)? Honestly, from a pure standpoint of global events that effects a lot of people, all these refugees produced by ongoing unrest in the Middle East as well as in Ukraine will have much longer and far reaching effects than a hurricane that caused localized damaged. They should just keep it off indefinitely***.

Will they stop it if the US goes into a recession? Players can't afford their internet to play the game - I guess top the timer if that happens.

Just saying

(Your argument) is ridiculous and you know it.

Doesn't make it true. I think it is backed up very nicely.

***What was the purpose of the auto-demolition timer? To free up houses that are unused by players as part of the effort to provide housing to active players. If they are going to keep it off indefinitely or for as infrequently as they have been, then the timer isn't doing its job and they need another solution.

[Vahlnir]

With how fierce the competition is now, coupled with an already too limited supply (especially for solo players specifically since they decided to give most of the wards to FCs), turning it back on wouldn't accomplish anything. Even with house or two popping up at random, hundreds/thousands of players would lose the lottery. I say leave it off. It would be nice to see SE being pressured to actually do something about the situation, though I'm not foolish enough to believe that they will.