An Open Letter to Yoshida-san: Please Slice One Zero Off the Housing Prices

[WhiteDragon]

WhiteDragon, more like WhiteKnight, am I right? You just keep on defending their bad decision. I'm sure you'll be looked upon favorably as you continue to prove how awesome and cool and awesome you are!

I picked a random name because all of my names were taken do to me coming into this late in a multi lingual game. But interesting argument that offers no counter.

I'm sorry that you're illiterate.

I'm sorry that you're playing a game with goals. Heaven forbid someone gets that the DEVELOPERS have more data then FIGURES YOU MAKE UP IN YOUR HEAD.

[cainejw]

I picked a random name because all of my names were taken do to me coming into this late in a multi lingual game. But interesting argument that offers no counter.

You assume I'm bothering to counter someone who thinks they have to prove their self-worth through video games.

[LiadansWhisper]

I'm sorry that you're playing a game with goals. Heaven forbid someone gets that the DEVELOPERS have more data then FIGURES YOU MAKE UP IN YOUR HEAD.

I'm going to repeat this one more time. I really want you to pay attention and actually read what I'm saying.

If a goal is unobtainable, is it really a goal?

No no, stop talking. Sit there and read that a few more times. I know you can do it - I believe in you!

Okay. Good. Very proud of you. Now I want to you to think further. Is something that will take you a minimum of two and a half years to have a hope of obtaining truly a realistic goal?

*holds up a finger* No no, I know what you're saying - in real life, you're absolutely right. But this is a game. C'mon, take a deep breath and repeat after me - this is a game.

They are asking each person in my guild to spend the equivalent of $450 to get a the smallest, worst house. Is that really, truly a realistic goal?

I am not asking to get housing on day one. I haven't really seen anyone ask for that. I am asking that the goal be realistic and not require me to grind all day every day for months (or years) to achieve it.

Btw I think people are overreacting about the prices. I could understand if people would be mad if personal housing would cost so much but fc housing? It's a prestige object - on thing you try to gain with your fc not alone.

- Plays on a server where the cheapest FC housing is three times less than it is on Legacy servers
- Is fine with that

This is so not surprising. o_O

[WhiteDragon]

I am not asking to get housing on day one. I haven't really seen anyone ask for that. I am asking that the goal be realistic and not require me to grind all day every day for months (or years) to achieve it.

Welcome to a long term goal, that's what they are, and there's plenty of people who enjoy them.


Some people don't enjoy hand outs. Some people enjoy working for their stuff, some people enjoy saying "I have this thing that nobody else has!" and you know what? That doesn't exist in this game right now. Housing is a way for people who want a reason to keep playing after they clear the story or beat a dungeon to play. Right now I log in once a week to clear BC and then I stop playing. Now I'll log in daily to do quest and look around for how I can make money at the market and contribute to my guild's long term goal of making money for a house.

[Scarletyoshi]

Welcome to a long term goal, that's what they are, and there's plenty of people who enjoy them.


Some people don't enjoy hand outs. Some people enjoy working for their stuff, some people enjoy saying "I have this thing that nobody else has!" and you know what? That doesn't exist in this game right now. Housing is a way for people who want a reason to keep playing after they clear the story or beat a dungeon to play. Right now I log in once a week to clear BC and then I stop playing. Now I'll log in daily to do quest and look around for how I can make money at the market and contribute to my guild's long term goal of making money for a house.

Absolutely right. In fact, I think they should restrict all the new dungeons until you've completed the old AT LEAST 1000 times each. People need long term goals right?

[LiadansWhisper]

Welcome to a long term goal, that's what they are, and there's plenty of people who enjoy them.

There are plenty of goals in this game. But housing has always been - in every MMO I've played, including SE's other MMO - a casual affair. But, I actually agree with you that housing should involve goals. I simply disagree with you on how they should be laid out. Housing should be relatively easily obtainable, and the long-term goals should be locked into how you choose to customize the space. They could still make housing a huge goal - and having the most tricked-out house be a sign of greatness. But doing it this way simply locks a majority of the player base out of ever being able to obtain housing for their FC. With how much SE has pushed Housing as a cornerstone of this patch, it's incredibly disappointing and upsetting to see that they were basically just leading us on. Smaller FCs will never be able to purchase even the smallest building. Ever.

Some people don't enjoy hand outs. Some people enjoy working for their stuff, some people enjoy saying "I have this thing that nobody else has!" and you know what? That doesn't exist in this game right now.

Really? I kind of thought Twintania was a big deal. I guess everyone has that down. >.> Not like, less than 1% of the population.

Housing is a way for people who want a reason to keep playing after they clear the story or beat a dungeon to play. Right now I log in once a week to clear BC and then I stop playing. Now I'll log in daily to do quest and look around for how I can make money at the market and contribute to my guild's long term goal of making money for a house.

How is it a reason to keep playing when it's effectively forever out of your grasp? Assuming that my FC can get 15 members together (which is a big assumption as several have just stopped playing, many aren't level-capped (they're brand new or just haven't been able to put the time in to level that first class), and others simply aren't available every day due to real life constraints) and we all earn the supposed maximum of 20k a day (ignoring repair bills - I guess we'll just have to do these runs naked since we won't be able to use any of that gil to repair our gear), it would still take us about 4 months to buy the smallest plot of land. So for four months, we will have to donate everything we have - every bit of gil - to hopefully be able to pick up that piece of land. That will fit...about five people on it.

I guess we just shouldn't take in any non-level capped people. I guess we should have sold titan runs. I guess we should have taken advantage of a dirty-gil-flooded market at the beginning and sold coke and potash for 200k a pop (because, let's be honest - very few people, even on legacy servers, had that kind of legitimate money to waste on tomestone items). I guess we should have focused on grinding ourselves into burnout instead of focusing on RP and helping people with titan runs (my guild has actually hosted free runs to help people get their relics).

I don't know man. I'm happy that you're happy, but I wish you could understand why I - and many others - are not. I really wish you could for once in your life step out of your shoes and put yourself into someone else's. Because it's like you are stuck in your mind and feel that becuase it's not a big deal for you, it shouldn't be a big deal for anyone. And anyone who disagrees with you is just a whiner, lazy, or stupid.

[Sovereign]

<snip>

Way to long to quote the whole thing, but very well said.

It's a simple fact that this housing system excludes the overwhelming majority of players from even participating in the content. That's not an opinion or a hypothetical situation. It's an absolute fact.

The correct way to implement this system would be to have a very low barrier of entry and a very high barrier to mastery. In other words, every Free Company can get a small plot of land right away, but if you want the big ones or the shiny house or the giant trophy or whatever, then you have to work for those. Otherwise, FC housing is simply non-content for a lot of people. I will never, ever be able to afford an FC house unless Square Enix reduces the prices by 90% or more (which would then, rightfully, upset many players who already bought a house).

[WhiteDragon]

Smaller FCs will never be able to purchase even the smallest building. Ever.

Not true at all. FC size does not determine your ability to grind, craft, or abuse the market and make millions each day.

Really? I kind of thought Twintania was a big deal. I guess everyone has that down. >.> Not like, less than 1% of the population.

Twintania is one boss in the entire game that has more people downing it each week as gear averages get better and better making it easier and easier for a lot of people.

a reason to keep playing when it's effectively forever out of your grasp?

It's only out of your grasp if you aren't willing to work to it. Again I go back to what I said before in that a lot of people enjoy working hard in games to have something not a lot of others have. You're asking for a hand out as someone who does not have anyone who can play the market in a FC with a bunch that just don't play.

[Talynia]

Welcome to a long term goal, that's what they are, and there's plenty of people who enjoy them.


Some people don't enjoy hand outs. Some people enjoy working for their stuff, some people enjoy saying "I have this thing that nobody else has!" and you know what? That doesn't exist in this game right now. Housing is a way for people who want a reason to keep playing after they clear the story or beat a dungeon to play. Right now I log in once a week to clear BC and then I stop playing. Now I'll log in daily to do quest and look around for how I can make money at the market and contribute to my guild's long term goal of making money for a house.

You sir, have made me laugh a lot the last few pages. How dare people want access to content that is supposed to be casual on day one! How dare people want access to content they have been saving gil for from 1 -18 months depending on when they started playing FFXIV. Those people are just being silly. Let alone the fact that the rest of the game is catering towards people being able to play at their own pace.

For someone who keeps shouting about SE has the data so they know best you should think about what has been experienced so far when it comes to SE interpreting their data. They had the info on pre-orders and stuff as well which resulted in the smoothest launch in mmo history.

Oh... wait.

Why are we just now hearing about land limitations when one of the main points things they said is if there wasn't enough land to accommodate FC's more would be generated on the servers. Also... wait for it.... they have all of the data on how many FC's there are so should have already planned accordingly! I'm on Exodus, the house my FC wants isn't too out of reach but the lack of planning for the legacy servers is stupid. The fact that the non-legacy players on the legacy servers were basically an after thought is stupid.

Lastly!

I don't think getting the plot should be the long term goal. Making the house as awesome as possible with decorations, furniture, and the future features now those are good goals and a good way to get people to spend gil. If they really wanted to get rid of large sums of gil they should have released player housing first because there are plenty of people who will spend money customizing their own place. Especially in a game that has little to no customization right now.

[Aylis]

Welcome to a long term goal, that's what they are, and there's plenty of people who enjoy them.

I'm sorry you don't understand the issue. Yes working and earning something is perfectly okay and acceptable. Its when the end result does not justify the time invested that it becomes a problem. Though if you do honestly think spending 20-50 million for what is essentially a one room studio apartment house is fair, I do have a small garden shed I could rent you?