Latest comment from Yoshida regarding Housing + Inventory space issue

[Apricoth]

Actually it's half and half with the community. Some say it's too pricey while others it's lack of lots. My rebuttal for lots is this, 2.38 only added 160 lots per server which isn't a lot but if he would have pushed back housing to 2.4 you would still be waiting.

Yes we would still be waiting. ALL of us would still be waiting instead of 160 less people waiting. This rebuttal is dead in the water.

[Rennah]

I think my biggest concern about housing isn't even the lack of availability, though that is a serious concern on my server, but the fact that FC and personal housing have the same price tag/wards. Competition is bad enough, but that may even out in time - the biggest problem here is that individual players are expected to save up amounts that were originally intended for large groups of people to work toward together. THAT is what I'd like to hear something on. How does it equal out? You can easily have 10, 50, 300 members save up gil together for an FC house, but expect the same for individuals...? One person can't do the work of an entire FC.

Yes, yes, I'm aware people are paying for houses as individuals - hell, I bought a small for a friend - but the fact remains that individuals still shouldn't be expected to do the same amount of work that's expected of a large group of people. I'd like to hear what he has to say on that subject.

[Vaer]

Yes, yes, I'm aware people are paying for houses as individuals - hell, I bought a small for a friend - but the fact remains that individuals still shouldn't be expected to do the same amount of work that's expected of a large group of people. I'd like to hear what he has to say on that subject.

It's to preserve the value of the house/land. If individuals could buy for what currently is the exact same house minus personal chambers for cheaper than an FC, large FCs that worked for months to buy a medium or large would feel cheated.

They would have to offer something completely different for it to be cheaper and put them in new areas or instance them. Work they either don't want to do or don't have the resources to do, since they are working on an expansion in the background along with the patches.

I mean I guess they could offer the same house for cheaper to individuals but we'll just be back here reading complaints about how individuals get around the same quality house for cheaper than an FC.

I think the main thing to be worried about is that Yoshi's replies are basically "deal with it" and unconcerned.

[Rennah]

It's to preserve the value of the house/land. If individuals could buy for what currently is the exact same house minus personal chambers for cheaper than an FC, large FCs that worked for months to buy a medium or large would feel cheated.

They would have to offer something completely different for it to be cheaper and put them in new areas or instance them. Work they either don't want to do or don't have the resources to do, since they are working on an expansion in the background along with the patches.

I mean I guess they could offer the same house for cheaper to individuals but we'll just be back here reading complaints about how individuals get around the same quality house for cheaper than an FC.

I think the main thing to be worried about is that Yoshi's replies are basically "deal with it" and unconcerned.

I see what you're saying, but I can't really agree with letting it go at that. The system itself is flawed, basically, and I'm aware there's no easy fix; however, in no circumstances should the gil an individual player needs to save for a house be equal to what an FC needs to save. There's something really wrong if that's a necessity, and I think it warrants further examination, or at the very least some kind of comment. Both sides are hurt by this, FCs and individuals both, unfortunately; FCs in having to save for months, in some cases, only to be bought out by individual players, and individuals for having to pay the same as a large group of players, and I'd like to see at least some steps taken toward mending the damage that's been done.

A couple other points unrelated to anything you've said, but to the thread and the issue as a whole:

-About lack of wards: yes, this is a SERIOUS issue, especially on legacy servers, but one that will hopefully even out with time. More and more wards will be added, so theoretically, everyone will be able to get a house sooner or later...though I personally believe that to make that sooner rather than later, the amount of wards added should be scaled by need, with less added on servers that already have free plots in existing wards, and more on servers that are perpetually full.

-To those who say housing is unimportant, shouldn't matter, or that it shouldn't get to anyone if they can't participate: I don't believe it's for one player to tell another what is valid to find enjoyment from in this game. For some people housing is a very big deal, evidenced by the sheer amount of people who have been waiting for it, and the amount of anger and frustration expressed in the wake of its implementation. Not everyone just wants a garden to make easy gil. Some people just want a place to call their own, and that is every bit as valid as anyone who would rather spend their time logging on for dailies or Coil runs. Other content cannot be expected to be looked at as a replacement for what someone really wants to do, just because it's there, and its existence does not invalidate any complaints or concerns about the unrelated things that someone takes a serious interest in.

Sometimes I login and I want to farm dungeons or coils. Others, I just want to laze around my FC house, or decorate a private room. Apples and oranges, and one does not replace the other.

[Cylla]

I don't care about the price. It can be 4mil, 5mil, 10mil, whatever! The fact remains that those who are still working on getting the gil or just can't be on when the patch drops, will never get a house because you got the people who either stay awake all night until patch drops or set their alarm to get up. They all sit and wait for that patch to drop just to get their house. Leaving those who have to work, school, etc with nothing because it "limited". Please, doubling the wards in 2.4? Does he really think this is going to fix the issue? And let not forget the people who are buying 4mil plots and reselling them to people for 10+mil.

[loreleidiangelo]

I don't care about the price. It can be 4mil, 5mil, 10mil, whatever! The fact remains that those who are still working on getting the gil or just can't be on when the patch drops, will never get a house because you got the people who either stay awake all night until patch drops or set their alarm to get up. They all sit and wait for that patch to drop just to get their house. Leaving those who have to work, school, etc with nothing because it "limited". Please, doubling the wards in 2.4? Does he really think this is going to fix the issue? And let not forget the people who are buying 4mil plots and reselling them to people for 10+mil.

Is this actually happening? I've seen a lot of people post fear-mongering theories that this WOULD happen, but with no way to feasibly "sell" a plot of land if you bought it as an individual I have yet to see it actually take place on my server (not through zone shouts or PF, at least).

[Cylla]

Is this actually happening? I've seen a lot of people post fear-mongering theories that this WOULD happen, but with no way to feasibly "sell" a plot of land if you bought it as an individual I have yet to see it actually take place on my server (not through zone shouts or PF, at least).

From what I've been hearing (I haven't seen shouts myself on hyperion) is that people buy up the plot and don't put a building permit on the land. Because they don't have to build a house on it right away, they can just hold on to the plot. Therefore, selling it for 10x more then they bought the plot for to someone who is willing to pay that doubled price just to have a house. My guess is the person buying would had to have 14mil in pocket. 10mil to the person who reselling the plot and another 4mil just to buy the plot. Again, this is what I've been hearing and can't actually prove it myself on Hyperion but sadly, I do not doubt that people are doing this. However, I will add also that the day of the patch drop I did see a house in ward 4 of mist go up for 4mil and then was quickly bought out before I had even gotten to it. Was it a trade? Or was it someone else just being quicker. I don't know but only one can assume at this rate. I suppose one way to find out would be to go to all the areas that are sold and see if their houses on them. If there aren't you can only assume that them lands are being held on to and resold by the person for double what they paid.

[HEC-]

The fact remains that those who are still working on getting the gil or just can't be on when the patch drops, will never get a house because you got the people who either stay awake all night until patch drops or set their alarm to get up. They all sit and wait for that patch to drop just to get their house. Leaving those who have to work, school, etc with nothing because it "limited".

This could be easilly solved (or at least decreased) by rolling release of houses over period of 24 hours - lets say to "Unlock" each of the 8 new wards in each state every 3 hours post patch - that should give much more people chance to run for the land

[Naunet]

I said Live letters. not dev posts, blogs.

Carbine's weekly (every Tuesday at 11am PDT) Nexus Report is a video stream interacting in real time with players and giving them access to a variety of devs on a variety of topics about the game. At least know what the facts are before you make claims about other developers.

This whole personal housing thing stinks of the fundamental flaw behind SE's housing system - and Yoshi states it in the very quote in the OP. They think the house itself is the reward, and that all the effort should be put into endlessly grinding gil to earn it. Because grinding gil is totally fun, yup.

They'd make a lot more people a lot happier if they flipped that philosophy upsidedown. The house should be a given. The reward should come from upgrading and decorating. Of course, that's not actually possible with the absolutely bare-bones housing system SE has created. It's lightyears behind most other MMOs in terms of customizability, which means I guess they had to put up that gil barrier... because otherwise people would run out of stuff to do with housing very quickly.

It's a huge flaw. Good thing I can go chill elsewhere in a game with a housing system that is actually fun.

[Dark-Saviour]

They'd make a lot more people a lot happier if they flipped that philosophy upsidedown. The house should be a given. The reward should come from upgrading and decorating.

This. The 'achievement' should be what you accomplish with it, rather than just getting the ability to make use of the system at all...


I've never been fond of instances in the style this game uses and have, for quite a while, hit my limit as far as playing through those with any degree of regularity goes.
Likewise, I am not fond of playing the market or any of that jazz; I like gathering and crafting for myself, but playing the economy minigame is a complete no-go.

Housing was the one form of content that I actually looked forward to at this point, as it is (or should be at least), a laid-back and fun experience I can just take at my own pace.
By saying, "Try harder to make gil", it's basically saying "Force yourself to do the stuff you don't enjoy and eventually you may get to have some fun."

I don't mind if upgrades, side-grades, etc. require doing a bit more of this-and-that, but by front-loading it all, the appeal of even this content is lost.

And the concept that making it cheaper encourages RMT?
:-/
Just admit that it's a way of artificially-gating it purely so that the availability issues won't be more obvious since you don't want to be on the hook for buying new/better hardware. The RMT argument doesn't even remotely work here.