I am so, so tired...

[Seraphor]

To make larges available to everyone, it would have to be a system different than the ward system we have now (with 3 larges per ward). I have a solution that might work... and technically SE has this capability in place already.

Imagine a they add a new ward to each of the 5 districts. Each plot is laid out just like it is now, lots of smalls, a few mediums and fewer larges. You pick whichever plot you want. You decorate the exterior however you want. You decorate the interior just like you would for any house (presumably large for the sake of argument). I can own Ward 31, Plot 30... and so can you and you and you and you...

How do we do this? The very same way that SE leverages what is actually on your screen depending on where you are in a quest line... like tribe quests or MSQ. You know how the world changes based on where you are in a quest line? Let's say the exterior of your house... looks like how you decorated it... just for you. So I walk up to Ward 31, Plot 30 and it has my decoration. And when you walk up, it has yours. And... within the scope of the plot of land, no other PCs are visible. So it isn't like we'd see each other at this plot of land. You click the door, it brings you to your instance of a house, not someone else's. I suppose there could be a way to visit someone that shares your plot... Other plots around you, the server maybe randomly picks which version of the plot to display to passersby.

It isn't that far-fetched for an idea. Even when it comes to things you can interact with. My mining point spawns are only visible to me and not to you. What I pick up doesn't effect you whatsoever. Nor does what you do effect me. Make the exterior decorations the same way. If I have that campfire furnishing... you can't click it. You can't even see it. Nor can I see your stuff.

I think they have most of this capability in place given what is in the game right now. They could pull off something like that.

Sorry but this is an awful idea.
Nobody wants dozens of random players hopping on invisible tree houses in 'their' garden.
Fully instanced would be better than this.

[dspguy]

Sorry but this is an awful idea.
Nobody wants dozens of random players hopping on invisible tree houses in 'their' garden.
Fully instanced would be better than this.

Ignorance is bliss. How would you know anyone is there - you can't see them.

[Seraphor]

Ignorance is bliss. How would you know anyone is there - you can't see them.

So then what is the point of it? You have an empty ward with no one else in it, and the whole point of the ward system is obsolete.
May as well just have unique new instanced plots.

[Jojoya]

So then what is the point of it? You have an empty ward with no one else in it, and the whole point of the ward system is obsolete.
May as well just have unique new instanced plots.

Most of us with houses are already in wards with no one else in them. It's unreasonable to think that the 30 house owners in a ward/subdivision are all going to be online at the same time and standing around in the ward.

Now take what's currently just 30 house owners and turn it into 450 house owners, with 15 housing instances per plot. There's a far greater chance of running into other players in the common area of the ward and stopping to chat. "Oh hi! Come by and see what I've done to my house!" Both players go into one's instanced house and then they go to the other player's house. On the way to the other player's house, they run into a third player who joins them.

The ward system doesn't work now because there are too few players per ward and most of them are actively engaged in playing the rest of the game, which does not take place in the housing wards. You're more likely to feel like you're in an actual neighborhood if there are more players actively coming and going through it.

But yes, if it came down to a choice between ward housing (even with the instanced plot enhancement) and having unique instanced plots, I'd rather have the latter so I had more choices of where my house is located and could more easily relocate if I got tired of my current location. I wouldn't have to worry about how my neighbors are decorating and whether it will clash with my own. And hopefully the limitations we're currently bound by would be lifted. Even if my overall item count didn't increase with an instanced plot, I would love to have the entire 330 items I get with my current medium to be free of indoor/outdoor restrictions so I could have 150 outdoor and 180 indoor if I wanted.

This seems to ignore the fact that SE has historically made decisions that are often related to fairness, regardless of profitability (e.g. their gifting on mounts and ceasing distribution of codes is a good example).

Yet they've also made decisions that are related to profits, such as putting seasonal event items on the Mogstation when they could easily make those items available each time the event rolls around in following years by allowing players to farm event currency to purchase them.

As for your example about the changes to gifting on the cash shop, that's got nothing to do with fairness and everything to do with profitability. The scamming was costing them a crazy amount of money in chargeback fees and jeopardized their ability to engage in credit card transactions. That was an extremely bad example to use if you wanted to talk about fairness.

Just because the "biggest" complaint comes from a distasteful world/server doesn't make it any less of a community issue. Maybe the cries aren't as loud on Maduin, sure, but there 198 pages here on the forums that testify differently.

You're right that it's a community issue. How ironic that SE presents a solution to their community (transferring to the worlds that have available plots) but the affected community whines that they won't do it.

Sure, and that's exactly what I did.

Kudos to you for not complaining about a choice you made regarding housing, but that still doesn't invalidate or negate the complaints of others. Just because you choose not to speak up doesn't mean they should lead by your example.

These forums exist for the ability of everyone to have a voice, not just the same handful of people to stomp on the opinions of others once they disagree.

Yes, the forums exist so everyone can have a voice.

Yet where are they? It's generally the same players on all sides of the arguments and they're all stomping on each other. The majority of players remain silent.

What is SE to think if the majority do not speak up?

[Jojoya]

Sorry but this is an awful idea.
Nobody wants dozens of random players hopping on invisible tree houses in 'their' garden.
Fully instanced would be better than this.

You wouldn't know they're present any more than someone starting the quest "You Are Not Alone" is going to see all the gatherers doing their tribal quests at the same location.