This is your regular reminder that apartments are a thing.

[PredatoryCatgirl]

Actually apartments are running dry too. Nearly all the Ishgard ones are now taken. And they don't seem to be adding more of them despite saying they could based on demand.

This is a problem unique to Balmung. I'm not saying it doesn't need to be addressed, but lets put it in perspective.

[Issaella]

The apartment thing is exclusively a Balmung problem due to everyone wanting one for their RP alts (guilty). On any other server the apartment occupancy is maybe 60% full at most. But even with that, there are usually apartments coming up for grabs fairly frequently. It only took me a couple days zone-hopping and checking the housing Discord to get one in Goblet and while I was lamenting how bad the Goblet pillars are to work around 2 popped up in the same Subdivision in Lily Hills so I moved. So they are available, you just have to spend some time to get one, usually the best time is the day after a lottery period ends.

EDIT: lol got beat by < 30 seconds.

[Mimilu]

Mimilu is making a disingenuous argument. What they really mean is what about the FCs who can't get a med or large.

No, I meant in general. :B
It had more to do with the fact that FCs can't use apartments. This will be a big problem for new and future FCs, especially once July 10th rolls in and all those free FC plots turn into personal ones; people will eat them up.

[Issaella]

There are still going to be 9 wards+subs per housing zone on every server that will be FC only. There are still a lot of small plots available on every server to any FCs that want them (on most servers Empy FC wards are literal ghost towns). I will grant you that months or a year down the road new FCs might have an issue getting housing, but at present it's a non-issue. There are hundreds of FC only plots available at this very moment and while the number is going to be cut in half next Tuesday, there will still be a substantial number of unclaimed plots in FC only wards. The FCs that are holding our for med/large just need to buy a small and then focus on upgrading. It's only a 3.5mil investment and you get a partial refund when you move.

[Divinemights]

No, I meant in general. :B
It had more to do with the fact that FCs can't use apartments. This will be a big problem for new and future FCs, especially once July 10th rolls in and all those free FC plots turn into personal ones; people will eat them up.

That is up to SE future plot release, it is not an argument for not owning FC this patch

[Jojoya]

No, I meant in general. :B
It had more to do with the fact that FCs can't use apartments. This will be a big problem for new and future FCs, especially once July 10th rolls in and all those free FC plots turn into personal ones; people will eat them up.

There will still be 9 wards reserved for FCs, which creates a percentage higher than the percentage that have been historically owned by FCs. On Coeurl, those 9 wards still have about 200 available plots and we had little reduction in the number of available FC plots in the last lottery.

It creates enough "breathing room" that it shouldn't any issue in the near future, especially with the new EU worlds coming this week and new NA worlds in August, plus more worlds for both next year.

Of course, that's assuming that more players desperate for a house for personal use don't choose to go the shell FC route over waiting to transfer to one of the new worlds to get a personal.

[katthekat]

This is your regular reminder that apartments do not allow you to do the following:
-Place more than 100 items (The smallest item limit, and while you can make it work, if you're going for something cluttered it'll definitely be difficult)
-Use more than one small room
-Share your living space with your friends
-Share placed food with your friends (for a social aspect; this is DIFFERENT from just giving people food items. It FEELS different.)
-Decorate an outdoor space
-Use outdoor decorations
-Intercross gardening plants
---By extension, you are unable to obtain seeds for exclusive crafting materials and onions without going to the Market Board

"B-but, apartments are TECHNICALLY considered Housing! Why aren't you happy with that?" This may be true. This doesn't mean that apartments allow you to have a full housing experience. Everyone knows this. We have said this over and over. I HAVE an apartment. In fact, I even have an FC room as well, and have been lucky enough to decorate an FC house. This is what has shown me that apartments are not a full housing experience and we should not treat them as such. We should expect better when we know SE can deliver better.
Just saying "Apartments are a stepping stone, get one and be happy with what you have!" is a bandaid fix and is a poor mindset to have when we, as players, should be able to experience all content the game has to offer. The fact is the housing system (as a whole) has content that is locked specifically behind owning a house. Island Sanctuary doesn't fix it. Getting an apartment doesn't fix it. Houses should not be prestige content when they are advertised as being a big social part of the game.

[Solowing]

This is your regular reminder that apartments do not allow you to do the following:
-Place more than 100 items (The smallest item limit, and while you can make it work, if you're going for something cluttered it'll definitely be difficult)
-Use more than one small room
-Share your living space with your friends
-Share placed food with your friends (for a social aspect; this is DIFFERENT from just giving people food items. It FEELS different.)
-Decorate an outdoor space
-Use outdoor decorations
-Intercross gardening plants
---By extension, you are unable to obtain seeds for exclusive crafting materials and onions without going to the Market Board

"B-but, apartments are TECHNICALLY considered Housing! Why aren't you happy with that?" This may be true. This doesn't mean that apartments allow you to have a full housing experience. Everyone knows this. We have said this over and over. I HAVE an apartment. In fact, I even have an FC room as well, and have been lucky enough to decorate an FC house. This is what has shown me that apartments are not a full housing experience and we should not treat them as such. We should expect better when we know SE can deliver better.
Just saying "Apartments are a stepping stone, get one and be happy with what you have!" is a bandaid fix and is a poor mindset to have when we, as players, should be able to experience all content the game has to offer. The fact is the housing system (as a whole) has content that is locked specifically behind owning a house. Island Sanctuary doesn't fix it. Getting an apartment doesn't fix it. Houses should not be prestige content when they are advertised as being a big social part of the game.

Housing isn't really prestigious, having a house is. Balmung players im sure would kill even for just an apt lol

[katthekat]

Housing isn't really prestigious, having a house is. Balmung players im sure would kill even for just an apt lol

I will repeat myself. Houses should not be prestige content when they are advertised as being a big social part of the game.
Even if one server would kill for just an apartment, it doesn't mean apartments are equal to houses, either. They are still incomplete in comparison to the full housing experience that is available and should be available for all players who put in the effort to obtain it, not just those who win a game of chance.
And no, the lottery isn't to blame for housing being RNG; it was RNG when placard clicking was a thing, too. Housing became available at a random time, and if you were clicking at that time, you won. They just made it so that rather than dedicating a full day to it and losing, you have less dedicated time but have to wait several days for your results instead.

[Divinemights]

I will repeat myself. Houses should not be prestige content when they are advertised as being a big social part of the game.
Even if one server would kill for just an apartment, it doesn't mean apartments are equal to houses, either. They are still incomplete in comparison to the full housing experience that is available and should be available for all players who put in the effort to obtain it, not just those who win a game of chance.
And no, the lottery isn't to blame for housing being RNG; it was RNG when placard clicking was a thing, too. Housing became available at a random time, and if you were clicking at that time, you won. They just made it so that rather than dedicating a full day to it and losing, you have less dedicated time but have to wait several days for your results instead.

Yeah......apartment certainly can't let you ERP like that billiboard FC...