Lottery Screenshot Speaks for Itself...

[ForteNightshade]

It was the easiest issue for them to deal with. Addressing the issue of there not being enough housing to meet demand is going to be a LOT tougher problem to deal with. Right now, I am less concerned about them dealing with this issue than I am about them not even telling us that they acknowledge there is a problem and that they intend to work on it. Is it possible that they don't actually see this as a problem?

Can we please don't making excuses for the dev team with regard to housing. This isn't an issue exclusive to Endwalker where they only had a few months to come up with a solution but one which has existed for over half a decade. They had implemented one band-aid "fix" after another without ever addressing their neighborhood system simply cannot meet the demand and never has. If they don't see it as a problem, then they're more than simply stubborn...

[Eraden]

Can we please don't making excuses for the dev team with regard to housing. This isn't an issue exclusive to Endwalker where they only had a few months to come up with a solution but one which has existed for over half a decade. They had implemented one band-aid "fix" after another without ever addressing their neighborhood system simply cannot meet the demand and never has. If they don't see it as a problem, then they're more than simply stubborn...

There were no excuses being made. It was simply the easiest problem to fix and so it should not come as a surprise that it was the first problem to be fixed. The other problem, the one of there not being enough housing to meet demand, hasn't even been publicly acknowledged by SE yet.

[TwistedTea]

Can we please don't making excuses for the dev team with regard to housing. This isn't an issue exclusive to Endwalker where they only had a few months to come up with a solution but one which has existed for over half a decade. They had implemented one band-aid "fix" after another without ever addressing their neighborhood system simply cannot meet the demand and never has. If they don't see it as a problem, then they're more than simply stubborn...

Exactly.

Players need to stop making excuses for SE.

SE has had nearly 10 years to see how this limited housing experiment has failed in terms of access for the majority of players.

For those of you working, imagine telling management that you're unable to come up with a long-term scalable solution for a decade.

1. Limited ward housing consumes more server resources than fully instanced housing. The exteriors of houses/wards are always loaded.

2. Auto-demolition, Botting/RMT resale of houses are the natural consequences of a system not designed with increasing player populations in mind.

3. SE has had ample opportunities to improve upon apartments. A lot of the complaints about housing would be reduced if apartments were a viable alternative to ward housing.

In short, either SE is grossly incompetent when it comes to having foresight or think their vision for 'neighborhood feel' is right despite the reality of access, for the majority of players.

Perhaps both.

[YukikoKurosawa]

Can you imagine being a new player and not even being able to participate because the prices are so ludicrous. Most sprouts are already locked out of ever getting a house simply due to the timing of these bids and the impossiblity of having the gil necessary in time while being a newbie. Gil making is garbage until you are at least level cap. There is no way a sprout is going to have the gil to even take part in these bids. Why the hell is a medium 20 million gil at a minimum? What in the hell are these prices and who is setting them?9

[ForteNightshade]

There were no excuses being made. It was simply the easiest problem to fix and so it should not come as a surprise that it was the first problem to be fixed. The other problem, the one of there not being enough housing to meet demand, hasn't even been publicly acknowledged by SE yet.

Claiming this was not yet another band-aid solution is making excuses. They've had years to address the larger issue but have stubbornly refused to acknowledge it. Remember when Apartments were their big fix to housing shortage? They were legitimately stunned players weren't happy with glorified FC rooms with 100 item limitations.

The dev team keeps trying to find one fix after another than seem baffled when players are still upset all while stubbornly refusing to let go of a neighborhood system that has been flawed since its inception. They aren't acknowledging it because they don't want to actually spend the resources fixing the problem, even if housing has essentially become a sunken cost fallacy. They keep adding onto a broken system that leaves the majority of their playerbase upset. At least among those who care about housing.

[Shibi]

..Gil making is garbage until you are at least level cap. There is no way a sprout is going to have the gil to even take part in these bids. Why the hell is a medium 20 million gil at a minimum? What in the hell are these prices and who is setting them?9

Of all the valid arguments we see about housing, this is the one that doesn't hold a drop of water.

It's not hard for a sprout to have the gil if they put the effort in with mining. And really, the gil isn't what is holding them back from a medium, supply is.

No, the gil isn't hard. The supply is, and enix is squarely at fault there.

[Eraden]

Claiming this was not yet another band-aid solution is making excuses. They've had years to address the larger issue but have stubbornly refused to acknowledge it. Remember when Apartments were their big fix to housing shortage? They were legitimately stunned players weren't happy with glorified FC rooms with 100 item limitations.

The dev team keeps trying to find one fix after another than seem baffled when players are still upset all while stubbornly refusing to let go of a neighborhood system that has been flawed since its inception. They aren't acknowledging it because they don't want to actually spend the resources fixing the problem, even if housing has essentially become a sunken cost fallacy. They keep adding onto a broken system that leaves the majority of their playerbase upset. At least among those who care about housing.

You keep calling this a bandaid solution. This is not a bandaid. It was designed to fix ONE problem and it did just that. You keep conflating the issue of equal access to housing with having enough housing to meet demand. They are SEPERATE ISSUES. By all means, call out SE for not addressing the larger issue but stop calling the Lottery a bandaid. You are actually giving SE CREDIT for addressing the larger issue by doing this. SE has not actually addressed the larger issue yet (they haven't even publicly acknowledged it).

[Archaell]

Can you imagine being a new player and not even being able to participate because the prices are so ludicrous. Most sprouts are already locked out of ever getting a house simply due to the timing of these bids and the impossiblity of having the gil necessary in time while being a newbie. Gil making is garbage until you are at least level cap. There is no way a sprout is going to have the gil to even take part in these bids. Why the hell is a medium 20 million gil at a minimum? What in the hell are these prices and who is setting them?9

The prices are ridiculously low - that's why there are so many bidders. A high level log sells for about the same as the low level log so even sprouts can easily earn money for a plot just chopping down trees. When Twintania started I made this character and by selling low level HQ gear bought a mansion barely touching Heanvesward when the housing opened up (btw. housing in a fresh server with first come first serve was so good, you could choose any plot you wanted - pure bliss would recommend). Now we have the player friendly lottery... of course bad for players willing to put in the time, but that's the cost of not having to place-card click. It might take years but an average player will eventually get a house as long as they persist trying their luck. Just don't give up.

[Rangiswimming]

Can you imagine being a new player and not even being able to participate because the prices are so ludicrous. Most sprouts are already locked out of ever getting a house simply due to the timing of these bids and the impossiblity of having the gil necessary in time while being a newbie. Gil making is garbage until you are at least level cap. There is no way a sprout is going to have the gil to even take part in these bids. Why the hell is a medium 20 million gil at a minimum? What in the hell are these prices and who is setting them?9

This is going to sound harsh but you will get enough money (500K GIL) to buy an apartment way before you finish ARR by quest rewards alone and without doing any gatherers, crafters or marketboard playing. Newbies aren't barred for the bare bones of housing (you even get a chocobo stable in it, just no gardening, nor the fC exclusive features).

Earning 3M isn't that hard either. If you play the marketboard wisely you'll pull that up in no time. You'll need 4M to buy a Small house and the house permit. (and yes I'm talking with personal experience. I got my Shiro small in 2021 barely after finishing the third dungeon of Stormblood and without having any level capped)

All of this is doable. The problem lays at the feet of the poor number of personal housing available for purchase.

[Nepentha]

I have beaten and saw many of my friends beat players who were suspected of botting. It's not that hard at all it seems, it just took some endurance.
Also they have long stopped the sale of personal owned homes, RMT had little bearing, I'd suspect.

I watched it happen on Balmung. Out of 10 homes that unlocked, a certain RTMer won 9 of them. Over hundreds of players also standing there placard clicking. And sold all of them for anywhere from 250 to 1000 euros. The only reason he's stopped is the lotto + FC master wait periods. So yes, it was definitely happening.