Alternative to Personal Housing... Farms!

[Mishini_Dracoto]

Overall, I definitely like this idea, but there seems to be a caveat to one of the points. If your goal is to feed other people chocobo's, then this would likely still not be an option.

What I envision with this suggestion, is we pay a flat rate to 'rent a farm' we talk to an NPC, and we enter an instance, much similar to an inn room. We are alone, but instead of a bed, summoning bell, etc, we have a single garden plot, a single Chocobo Stable, maybe a small hut with a bed etc. (Let's be honest, we have to be fair and give a benefit to the FC's who can and did fork the gil over for these benefits).

It's a rental, so you probably can't do much in the way of modifications to the house. I think for the reality of this project, and what it's intended to address, that the point is moot. If Yoshi's team(s) can add in customizability without impacting the servers much at all, then go for it. If it creates even an additional medium load, I say drop customization as this should be a more light-weight project, only updated/modified based on the player demand/usage. (Once implemented they would be able to get a clearer forecast of it's uses. Some people might never rent preferring to buy, just like IRL)

This has the potential to be a light-weight solution to unlock content for players who are otherwise unable to access it. With that vision in mind, it's a great idea. Some of the finer details to be worked out by Yoshi's team. (Like pricing of rent etc. Really, we know there's a guy who watches the game economics, pricing it out would be his job)

[Mihana]

Overall, I definitely like this idea, but there seems to be a caveat to one of the points. If your goal is to feed other people chocobo's, then this would likely still not be an option.

From what I understand (I have not checked or tried.) one poster in another thread had mentioned that you can feed the chocobos of other FCs out there. I'm guessing it has to be set by the FC to allow outsiders to feed chocobos but if that's true then making the ability for others to visit your plot (Think like how you can lock and unlock a personal chamber.) would alleviate that.

Would they being the area is instanced or loaded on demand? Maybe, maybe not. Either way they have the option to. As for customization I'd be all for it, but at the same time I didn't want this to be taken as a replacement for housing. With a personal house you can do all this already and more. It would be designed again, for the players who cannot get land due to availability, cost, or perhaps just don't want to do all the work. The casual player who just wants a place to dump their bird, do a quick garden or two, then log out. Some may not like the idea of permanently settling down in a specific area and just want to roam around. Rental option allows this.

Is Thanalan too hot for you or maybe the scenery doesn't suit your taste? Pack up and rent out a plot in the Black Shroud. Left the Twin Adders and joined the Maelstrom? Say goodbye forests, hello sea breeze!

But jumping back to customization for a moment (I'm looking over your response as I write.) the idea I had about it would just be presets. Glade, Oasis, or Riviera themed. Furnishing types. It'd be all the basic, non-movable stuff. Cannot mix say a riviera bed with a glade table, they'd just come as a "set". You can't set up customized furnishings outside or mess around with the placement of goods. Of course even customization is an optional thing and a preset design based on the city-state you are in would be equally good.

The whole goal of my suggestion is make gardening and chocobo care available to the average player who for some reason or another cannot obtain it or only cares about those and nothing else personal or FC housing may offer.

[Wyrmnus]

Why can't Personal housing just be there for... PERSONAL HOUSING!? Alluva sudden it's just another term for "meal ticket." I'm sorry, but something like this would not be an alternative, but rather something defeating the purpose of a home.

[Mihana]

Why can't Personal housing just be there for... PERSONAL HOUSING!? Alluva sudden it's just another term for "meal ticket." I'm sorry, but something like this would not be an alternative, but rather something defeating the purpose of a home.

I'm sorry but did you even read my suggestion or just skim it? This really wouldn't defeat the purpose of personal housing.

1.) Personal houses can be fully customized. Even if customization was allowed on a farm (Again this is just optional.) it would be severely limited.
2.) Personal housing offers much more in the way of gardening. My suggestion was four-to-six spots, think of it as one small gardening plot whereas a personal home can offer maybe three to four times the space depending on the plot size.
3.) Personal housing is being designed as open-world. A farm is instanced, you cannot look to your left and see someone else working on their farm. You cannot stroll down a street and see how your neighbor's garden is doing at a glance.

And lastly if personal housing wasn't so difficult to get due to lack of land which by the way will still be in place even with doubled wards next patch, then this suggestion probably wouldn't even exist. I have a FC with a house, and my own personal chambers I'm really happy with. We've got a stable as well so I've dyed my chocobo a color I'm happy with too. Although I cannot garden given time I can talk with my FC leaders about getting maybe a single spot to plant something and grow it. What I'm doing is suggesting an alternative, a solution for those who are not as fortunate. Personal housing should and always will be the primary focus being it offers so much more. A little farm will at least make functions people want to enjoy but can't because it's gated (Yes gated, land scarcity makes it a game of who can buy up land first when more is released along with the high prices.) available to them. It is still a form of a gil sink too since there is a rental fee whereas once you buy a plot of land it's yours permanently.

This thought came to mind because I'm leveling Botanist, I come across so many kinds of seeds and most are just fodder to be thrown away. They might grow something that could be of use to someone, or just for the sake of enjoying gardens could be planted. But limited gardening spaces and land to grow them on makes that nigh impossible. I honestly don't understand why so many are against something like this, what is there to gain by making gardening and stabling locked behind the requirement you have a home?

Here's something else to consider: If farms existed then it would also leave more space for those who truly want a home and want more than just a place to garden or stow their bird. Some people want to customize a house. Some just want a place to grow stuff and if their FC doesn't offer it a place to store their bird to take advantage of features it offers. They don't want or care about having a personal house because they really just want to enjoy the features that come with it. However they cannot, so they need to buy the land, build a house, and there goes a plot where space is already limited. Giving a farm or plot of land that you can use whenever you feel like opens up more plots in already crowded wards and thus less competition.

[BobbinT]

A farm is instanced, you cannot look to your left and see someone else working on their farm. You cannot stroll down a street and see how your neighbor's garden is doing at a glance.

Not everyone likes to show off. Besides, I'm more into functionality than aesthetically.

Not that I don't care about personal housing. When I do have the chance, I would love to enjoy the perks of it.

But gardening is a whole different thing. You like majority locked out of having the chance earning their own gardening if they're unable to have personal house or need to be in FC which even need to queue in line just to have their chance of gardening (and who knows what happen if FC senior decide to makes things more difficult)?

And for last, look here:
http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Mog_Garden

[kidvideo]

oh lord... smh

[Bluevann]

I approve this 90%. Why allied seals?

I'm a peaceful farmer, not a bloodthirsty hunter :/

Company seals or gil would be more plausible.

[myahele]

When I 1st saw the BTN guild and red rooster stead I was hoping they'll had farm in a large area. Instead we got FC gardens that only a select few members grow and harvest.

[arctic]

To the Developers

Please consider developing Community Gardens. These are garden areas where you can buy a plot and raise your produce. An FC or player could buy a plot much like a personal room.

There is considerable interest in gardening and some people bought personal housing just to get a garden. If we could just buy garden space, it would free up some of the personal housing!

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...munity-Gardens

[Luvbunny]

SOLUTION: it's literally right in front of them... just copy "personal moogle island" from FFXI (you can garden, etc) and FFXI housing aka "FREE ROOM FOR EVERYONE" - heck they can be "Creative" and copy Animal Crossing inside housing with second floor and basement layout. ALL should be hosted in separate instance, you never need to see anyone else unless you open your housing access to your party members or friend list.