How will SE respond to WoW's new housing system?

[Feronar]

I'm interested in seeing what Square-Enix will do to make player housing in FFXIV competitive with the new player housing system in World of Warcraft, because WoW's system is vastly superior to FFXIV's system in its current state - even in early access. Here are some examples:

• It is actually easy to buy a plot, no lottery system, no arbitrary limits on the number of plots. If all plots fill up, the server simply spins up a new ward. Houses are also very cheap, costing 1000 gold.
• You can customize the floor plan of your house, and the floor space limit is quite generous and will increase as you advance in the system. Further increased limits will be unlocked with the release of Midnight. You aren't limited to a choice of 4 layouts (apartment, small, medium, large).
• There is a wide variety of room shapes and sizes, and even outdoor "rooms" that will be released with Midnight.
• Item placement limits are significantly more generous than in FFXIV, and will increase as you advance, with further levels unlocking with Midnight.
• Placing items exactly how you want them is super easy, and you can turn off collision restrictions simply by pressing V. There is also advanced mode, which allows you freely move items along the X, Y, and Z axes, rotate them along the 3 axes, and scale them.
• Auto-demolition is far more lenient. It activates based on your subscription status, rather than when you last set foot inside the house, and from what I hear, the timer is far longer than in FFXIV.
• Furthermore, if your house is demolished, your work will be saved, so when you return, you will be able to instantly restore it. You just need to choose a new plot (Far easier than in FFXIV).

So I wonder what upgrades SE is going to make to FFXIV's housing system, now that it has serious competition from WoW.

[Solowing]

I do like the item locking, so I hope they add that.

[Themarvin]

so can you hold massive parties in WoW housing?!? and access the houses as easy as in FFXIV is a good question, though I do like you can adjust rooms and more and better placement as I hear of mentioned above in WoW but not in FFXIV.... as for buying a house in FFXIV, the lottery system works like a charm, as for buying property as it is such as apartments... also works like a charm in FFXIV, all you need is it being more enhanced.

[CNitsah]

They won't.

[OdrN]

WoW's system is vastly superior to FFXIV's system

You don't say! 12 years after FFXIV it would be VERY strange to do worse!

Seeing the time they need to make any (more or less) significant update to XIV housing, do not hope for any big change.

[Darkstride]

They won't.

I agree, they won't.

[Feronar]

You don't say! 12 years after FFXIV it would be VERY strange to do worse!

Seeing the time they need to make any (more or less) significant update to XIV housing, do not hope for any big change.

But WoW first released 21 years ago. Player housing early access started less than a week ago.

[CidHeiral]

But WoW first released 21 years ago. Player housing early access started less than a week ago.

When it first released is irrelevant. Their housing system was developed a decade after FFXIV's housing was released and has the benefit of being designed specifically to avoid all the pitfalls people dislike about FFXIV's version. Now the question is how FFXIV will respond. Instanced housing is unlikely to ever happen but I hope they implement the XYZ axis gizmo at the very least.

[Solowing]

When it first released is irrelevant. Their housing system was developed a decade after FFXIV's housing was released and has the benefit of being designed specifically to avoid all the pitfalls people dislike about FFXIV's version. Now the question is how FFXIV will respond. Instanced housing is unlikely to ever happen but I hope they implement the XYZ axis gizmo at the very least.

They've said last live letter they are looking into the Z axis

[Kytrin]

When it first released is irrelevant. Their housing system was developed a decade after FFXIV's housing was released and has the benefit of being designed specifically to avoid all the pitfalls people dislike about FFXIV's version. Now the question is how FFXIV will respond. Instanced housing is unlikely to ever happen but I hope they implement the XYZ axis gizmo at the very least.

I vaguely recall something Yoshi-P mentioned in passing during a live letter or interview, I can't really recall, that he was looking into implementing XYZ control as a possibility along with some of the other housing updates we're getting. There's no telling if that actually panned out since they've been so tight-lipped about it, but maybe we'll get some good news on that front as well.

In general, it WILL be very interesting to see how Square responds to WoW's system, I think. There's absolutely no way they'll be able to replicate the system exactly. Even if they had the hardware for it (unlikely) they can't just copy and paste Blizzard's system. They'll have to create their own version.

What the optimist in me is HOPING will happen is that the hardware optimization they're doing now will allow them to address a number of issues players have been complaining about for years (item limits, glamour plates, where we can glamour, etc.) at least in part. Once they've done that then maybe they can turn their attention to overhauling current systems with more robust ones... and talk the execs into spending money on better hardware and more people instead of whatever they're blowing it on now.

Yoshi-P has made it pretty clear recently that they're looking at redesigning a lot of things to give the game a facelift to better match contemporary games. I am praying with everything I have that means we'll be seeing a lot of improvements with 8.0.

I'm... trying very hard to ignore the pessimist in me. <.<