What should be added to housing...

[Hito-Shura]

Hello everyone!

I've been playing FF14 for a long while and needless to say me and my mate have accumulated a vast amount of wealth which allowed us to purchase a large house and invest millions on it ever since. We are very proud of our acquisition to say the least! But such a valuable possession can quickly become a heavy burden and I will soon explain why.

First of all, a house cannot be sold thus making such an acquisition a very poisonous one as there is no way to ever get back the gil invested in any way. Obviously, the housing system was built to be a permanent cash sink which is a shame since it binds people. Even worst since the items inside are bound to the house thus further preventing the recycling of used items. Unable to relinquish the demesne for a price is a grave flaw that has to be fixed in the future in my opinion or at least give players the option to alleviate the circumstances... For example... If I even want to change server one day because friends move to a new place, I won't be able to in fear of losing my extremely large investment. I would like to propose solutions for such an hindrance before it does become a major problem for some.

My first idea was to allow people to move their house with them or in this case... the instance of your house from one server to the other. Since each houses are separated instances with fixed locations for a limited amount of furniture, it could technically be possible and even easy to simply move the data package depending on how the system works and allocate a new trigger (door) that will lead the target to the house instance. That would allow a player to move his house to a free plot on a different server or even better, change plot on your current server if you are not satisfied with your current plot. That would require some additional plots depending on the available ones and incoming players (a bit like what Yoshi-P said about new instances being created as the plots fill up) hence why it might not be the best solution but with a bit more polishing, something could be done.

Another idea would be to make all housing areas accessible by all the servers. Such an idea would require a lot of work, additional programming if not even additional servers altogether. It is a very complex idea but I believe this idea could bring some life to the currently deserted residential districts and turn them into social hubs and gateways to the communities of other servers thus linking us all in some way (With appropriate restrictions such as ''No-trading'' to keep things balanced). Crazy talk... I know. Anyway, as for the solution that would bring to a transferring player? It is pretty simple... It no longer matters since your house will be accessible from a different server so changing server wouldn't be a sacrifice anymore. Finally, such an idea would also allow population of crowded servers to access the housing areas of low pop servers and purchase houses there if no other plots are available.

What do you guys think? Do you think the housing areas are okay as they are? How would you feel about losing a 100 million gil investment because you want to switch server? Would you like to meet players from other worlds in your residential district?

[CGMidlander]

Some people "sell" land by occupying it and freeing it up once a fee is paid. Granted, there is some risk with a transaction such as this, but the risk similar in vein to selling raid clears.

As for housing's function as a gil sink, I think that is intentional.

[Bluevann]

What should be really added to housing is the feature to kick houses that haven't been accessed for over a month. I bet there's so many abandoned houses up in the older wards right now... -.-

And I still think wards should be an option, not a must. They are an hinderance right now as they limit the amount of houses we can have. They should've started with instanced houses first.

The funny thing is that they justify the wards system by saying people asked for neighborhoods, yet said neighborhoods are mostly desert. I am in my FC's ward daily and it's a miracle if there's more than 6 people in the zone at any given time. Imo, this is what they should've done:

1) Make instanced housing. This allows everyone to have a house, especially if instead of gil it asks for GC points or Main Scenario progress like for most of other games. I'm thinking of an instance similar to the Demon Doors in the Fable games, with house, yard with field, well and whatever. It would start with small, and will be able to be expanded through further accomplishments.
2) Make the housing wards, limited as they are now (since they don't have the servers do add more currently). For a fee (like the current fees we have now), you'll be able to move your instanced house inside the ward. Of course, the price will raise with your instanced house's size, and you'll need to select a plot your house can fit in.

This way, all those who want a house can have a house, and all those who actually care to have a neighborhood (and will use it), can have a neighborhood. Houses for all, and no more ghost towns.

[MomomiMomi]

What should be really added to housing is the feature to kick houses that haven't been accessed for over a month.

People take breaks from MMOs. They shouldn't be losing 40 million gil because of it. Maybe 100 days, but absolutely not a month.

[Bluevann]

People take breaks from MMOs. They shouldn't be losing 40 million gil because of it. Maybe 100 days, but absolutely not a month.

I don't see why players who actually play every day and take the effort of making the money for a house must wait that long for someone who isn't even playing the game. Players shouldn't have the power to occupy any kind of space while offline. If you can't stay play the game for a month, then get a smaller house and lose less money. Why should you have the biggest and coolest house away from others to then let it rot while offline?

But of course this is an imaginary scenario we're talking about, cause in all servers there's plenty of large houses still free. The small houses are those that need to be free'd up. And you can make 4M back in a month if you really slack.

Also, I'm not sure if you've read the rest of my post, but if SE went with my suggestion (which is not only my own), this feature wouldn't even be needed.

[CGMidlander]

I don't see why players who actually play every day and take the effort of making the money for a house must wait that long for someone who isn't even playing the game. Players shouldn't have the power to occupy any kind of space while offline. If you can't stay play the game for a month, then get a smaller house and lose less money. Why should you have the biggest and coolest house away from others to then let it rot while offline?

There are many different playing patterns out there.

Some people burn through content and don't come back until the next major content update. I know some people like that, and personally have done something like that before. (Quit partway through 2.2 and came back at the cusp of 2.3)

Some people do want time to play other games. I burnt through some of my steam backlog during my hiatus.

[Bluevann]

There are many different playing patterns out there.

Some people burn through content and don't come back until the next major content update. I know some people like that, and personally have done something like that before. (Quit partway through 2.2 and came back at the cusp of 2.3)

Some people do want time to play other games. I burnt through some of my steam backlog during my hiatus.

And that is fine, but why must the staying players suffer for them? You are offline, it's been a month, all you had to do was keep paying your subscription and log in once (or have one of your FC mates do it). If you won't go through that hassle, why should you keep the house? That you paid for it a while ago is not a valid excuse. Seriously, if it were for me I'd make the cooldown ever shorter. I am a casual, take 2-3 days breaks when I really have to, but every time I log in I do spend time around my house to craft, RP, or just chat with friends while I wait for queues. The other houses around ours are empty and ghost-like, it's unnerving.

In my opinion, if you go through the hassle to get something and then don't use it at least on a weekly basis, then you didn't really want nor need that thing, and someone should have the right to take it if the source is limited.

I don't know how things work over there in the United States, but over here, if someone who cannot afford buying a house finds one that has been abandoned for x years and goes through the effort to fix it up and make it fill the requirements to be considered a safe living place, he can rightfully claim ownership of that house. It's how we solve the issue of abandoned homes in the countryside.

To want to keep something that you have not been using and that others cannot get elsewhere is selfish to say the least.

[Kiyyto]

Completely agree... So because I worked harder and got my house earlier than you, and finished all the content... Now I get to have my house taken away cause you are slow?

I'm still paying my monthly fee, why do I have to login just to keep my house?

1 month is way too short.
3mo min.

[Cynthis]

What should be really added to housing is the feature to kick houses that haven't been accessed for over a month. I bet there's so many abandoned houses up in the older wards right now... -.-

Hell no. I had planned to go on a five week trip in 2015 and I have no plans to bring my PC along. I am thinking I only dare to be gone 4 weeks now with the 35 day limit and the fact that my investment in the game is starting to effect my real life plans disgust me. Se should increase the amount of inactive time instead assuming you still pay your subscription. In fact, as long as a person keep paying they should never have to log in to ensure everything is saved.

[Shougun]

Instanced structured upgraded housing. Start out with a streamlined near given event, like main scenario unlocking a chocobo - in this case main scenario unlocking a customization small inn room.

Upgrade-able in size, rooms, and then to even outdoors. Make it a gil sink sure, but also make it streamlined in an extremely accessible manor. Something like Wild Star/Rift*, except with the FF insurance of quality- general awesome graphics and wims we know of FF. *Just off hand examples.

Add networking later, cheap but possible quaint FC Chrono Trigger end of time rooms- even deeper connections with actual instancing docking or just cute doors and portals, like having a "room" in your FC that is just a door to your own housing area. Make it optional, or seriously improve on the current system cause.. no one is socializing and only a few houses are actually active. I think binding FC to personal housing would be helpful (making ease between the two, and the usefulness of both).

Also a stronger housing editing system so people can make like the inn rooms as seen by the three companies, so obviously a wall editing tool. All pipe dreams, and I would not except any of this possible quickly.. but would be neat (imo). Basic shapes for people who just want to plop a square, throw some hay and trough and call it a choco shed.