Instanced Housing: Ideas and Details

[Ayan_Calvesse]

The resources required for instanced housing when a player is not in it is tiny in comparison to what is needed when it is loaded for entry. That's why demolition and maintenance fees are rarely seen in other MMOs. It's usually all instanced so there's no need to deter players from obtaining it.

If SE did a proper job of creating the hypothetical instanced housing, wards could go back to being FC only with any current private owners who wished to stay in the ward instead of moving to the instanced housing being grandfathered into their current plots (though unable to buy additional ward plots in the future). Most private owners would be happy to move to instanced if they had outdoor space in addition to indoor and if there is no demolition, which would create plenty of space for future FC houses considering the current FC to private distribution. SE could then suspend purchases in some wards until others had filled, then open up a few of the suspended wards to purchase as needed (similar to how wards on Dynamis right now are currently not available to purchase until the original wards fill).

Might want to add "I think" because the private owners I know have no real wish for instanced housing - many even interact with the people in their ward they have met over time.

[Kaiproberts]

Might want to add "I think" because the private owners I know have no real wish for instanced housing - many even interact with the people in their ward they have met over time.

The only reason some of us are playing this game is for the unique housing situation. If I wanted instanced housing, I would go play a different game entirely.

[Khryseis_Astra]

Again, if you have a house in the current ward system and you’re happy with it, great!

This topic is for those who don’t or aren’t, and would like to see a feature added alongside the current system. It’s not going to take away anything from anyone if we can actually get an instanced option.

[syndicategamer13]

I'm in full agreement to what Khryseis_Astra and Pablomaldito suggested. Instanced housing would be great for players who don't want the hassle of fighting for houses. I mean, most of us dealt with the housing wars and now a housing lottery, both of which still bring about a large sense of disappointment to players who cannot enjoy a house when they have the gil to finally purchase one. I'd definitely keep the wards around for those who want the social neighborhood aspect of it, but for those who simply want a space to have a home to style it the way they want without the fuss of a fight should be given that option. I'm sure a majority of the community simply wants to see everyone enjoy housing. I'm tired of seeing the negative comments towards people who vent their frustration and have people tell those players "Just don't bother cause it will never happen" or "Go play Sims if you wanna do that shit." Like, that's not helpful nor does it make that player feel better with people saying such things. There are areas in the main and sub divisions where they can post an NPC guard to take you to your instanced house just like the the gatekeepers that allow us to travel to different wards.

Give those players 3 options to make it public, friends only, or private. That way players who are roleplayers and want to use their house as a shop or something can allow outsiders in as well. I'm sure there are ways to do it, so I hope the devs will hear us out on the idea and put it into effect so the playerbase can enjoy all the content the game has to offer.

[Khryseis_Astra]

And there’s also the possibility that those who just want a house as a storage space, or who take frequent breaks and don’t want to be worried about keeping a sub just to avoid auto-demo would find instanced more appealing, thus freeing up more space in the wards for those who prefer ward housing.

As I’m watching the things they’re experimenting with on the Island Sanctuary, the more I think it could be totally doable. It almost feels like the Island is a testing ground at the same time as it’s stand-alone content, like they’re pushing to see what they can do and what issues might arise. And a single plot of any size is a lot smaller than the Island map…

[syndicategamer13]

And there’s also the possibility that those who just want a house as a storage space, or who take frequent breaks and don’t want to be worried about keeping a sub just to avoid auto-demo would find instanced more appealing, thus freeing up more space in the wards for those who prefer ward housing.

As I’m watching the things they’re experimenting with on the Island Sanctuary, the more I think it could be totally doable. It almost feels like the Island is a testing ground at the same time as it’s stand-alone content, like they’re pushing to see what they can do and what issues might arise. And a single plot of any size is a lot smaller than the Island map…

Also considering that on the Island Sanctuary they give the option of different sized houses we can upgrade and even glamour them to have the appearance of the ones we like. It definitely feels like they're testing it there before making any type of official announcement to avoid getting people's hopes up in case they run into issues that further delay the project. But I agree instanced housing is nice if we can avoid worrying about auto-demolition. While auto-demolition has its advantages to free up unused plots, the other problem is considering the players out there who cannot afford their subs every month or have to deal with some kind of real life matters that take them away from the game for long periods of time. I'm sure there are people out there who lost houses for reasons beyond their control and probably hated it.

Personally, housing is a concept of the game that everyone should be able to experience and enjoy if that's their cup of tea. If not, then those players can move along and do other content more to their liking, but for players who like designing and having a space for whatever their reason, then let us wisely put our gil into buying an instanced house and do upgrades the way we want instead of wasting our time and gil on these lottery tickets that really don't help anyone.

[Solowing]

And there’s also the possibility that those who just want a house as a storage space, or who take frequent breaks and don’t want to be worried about keeping a sub just to avoid auto-demo would find instanced more appealing, thus freeing up more space in the wards for those who prefer ward housing.

The reason why they see no reason to change it. You cutting into their revenue for the sake of not having to keep a sub is not something they are willingly going to implement.

Capitalism doesnt work that way.

The limited supply gives housing an air of mysticism and prestige and you may not like it. But it is working in S.E favor. Because some are willing to pay actual rent prices to buy a digital home in a video game which they will likely keep subbed in the long term for. Because losing it means you might be waiting awhile for another one.

[Solowing]

]
Personally, housing is a concept of the game that everyone should be able to experience and enjoy if that's their cup of tea.

Apartments are housing....But people dont decorate those, which flies in the face of the demands.

I people wanted housing as badly as they do, they would decorate ANY available space they could....But thats not the case.....Its being picky and not wanting to touch anything that isnt a plot...Which invalidates their own argument.

When i transferred off Brynildr, i had that choice, but to give up the house ward 7 plot 44. But when i got to Excalibur, i went to ward 12 apts and started decking out the room i had available to decor because i enjoy the housing aspect. I didnt get my first house until a year after i transferred.

Currently i own 2 homes, plot 41 and 42 (Mist). along with 4 apt type rooms (unsubbing is likely not happening anytime soon with that much investment)

[Khryseis_Astra]

Apartments are housing....But people dont decorate those, which flies in the face of the demands.

I people wanted housing as badly as they do, they would decorate ANY available space they could....But thats not the case.....Its being picky and not wanting to touch anything that isnt a plot...Which invalidates their own argument.

But they do! It can be widely seen on any ffxiv housing community. There are entire discords devoted to decorating, and yes, the players who can only get apartments and FC rooms ARE in fact decorating them. Some of them are such creative geniuses that it’s practically criminal that they don’t have an actual house!

No one is turning down apartments or FC rooms because “only a house will do.” Most often, it’s “I’ve already decorated the two tiny spaces I have access to, I have no space for these outdoor items I keep getting from seasonal events, and I’d like to participate in ALL forms of housing that the game offers.”

I’ve yet to see one example of anyone complaining about the lack of housing who doesn’t already own an apartment, an FC room, or both. Unfortunately I do see a lot of people who think they should just be content with those and not be upset to miss out on the whole plot experience just because they’re not lucky enough to win a lotto.

[Khryseis_Astra]

The reason why they see no reason to change it. You cutting into their revenue for the sake of not having to keep a sub is not something they are willingly going to implement.

Capitalism doesnt work that way.

The limited supply gives housing an air of mysticism and prestige and you may not like it. But it is working in S.E favor. Because some are willing to pay actual rent prices to buy a digital home in a video game which they will likely keep subbed in the long term for. Because losing it means you might be waiting awhile for another one.

And to address your main point, because it is a valid one, but you also have to look at the other side of the coin.

You can measure the ward housing with auto demolition and say this is keeping X amount of people subscribed and paying. Fair point. But what you can’t measure is how many subs they have lost due to not providing an adequate amount of housing for the player base.

Like it or not, the current “solutions” of extra wards added, extra worlds added, have not solved the problem. Even “unpopular” smalls are still going around 5+ bids on my server, but mostly in the 10+ range. And I’d say the bulk of people who were willing to go through the pain of transferring worlds with their mains (not everyone has multiple characters or wants to), has already done so. So what you have left are those who aren’t willing to go through the hassle of transferring, have lost every lotto, and are disgruntled. Enough that the game as a whole becomes unappealing enough to just quit.

That’s not me obviously. If I didn’t love the rest of the game, I would’ve left long ago. But just in my circle of friends, I have 2 people that straight up quit over not being able to get a house. They would come back for instanced, but they’re done with the lotto BS and it’s soured them on the game. So 2 subs lost. 2 others got their house demoed and couldn’t get another through this lotto system; housing and decorating was their main thing. Another 2 subs lost. And another handful who drop their sub and only come back for major patches, expacs and the creation of new wards, who let their subs lapse in between. More money lost. And sure, that’s anecdotal, but I’m on one of those congested worlds (Bryn, if it matters, others on Crystal are probably even worse off), but if I know that many people, I’m sure others do as well.

So who’s to say how much more money they could be making if they could create an instanced system, like the one we’ve described here, and could advertise the “everyone can have their dream home” experience? Compared to a “you can compete in a lottery for a limited supply of houses, which may or may not be to your preference”? Which do you think earns SE more money?