The Housing problem and my proposed solution

[Preypacer]

Obviously, Prey is comparing a feature in another game she thinks did housing really well. The video highlights it well, but could you please tell us specifically what we're looking for? As far as I can tell, it's about how players can buy plots designated as housing spots and build houses there. There's some obvious differences in graphics and house size, but as far as I can tell, it's not anything different from the current housing system.

The videos, along with their audio/narratives, and the small tidbits of info I provided in that post should at least indicate how the housing systems in those games - some near or over a decade old, now - go well beyond what XIV offers us, or is even close to being capable of.

I'm incredulous that you saw nothing more than what you describe in any of them, even implicitly.

To wit: both you, and Rheunis, have somehow overlooked what's being displayed/described in those videos.

I'll put it this way...

We can start and finish the list of ways that XIV's housing system falls short in one single point, which happens to be at the core of this thread, at least:

Every one of those MMOs accomodates every player with at least one personal home (with Guild-sized homes being an option). Further, in some of them, players can own multiple homes, in various locations, of various sizes.

But, to expand on why this is so... I'll focus on just two MMOs.

1. In EQ2, every player gets access to a small house/apt, with 2 rooms. It has full customizability (floor, walls, ceiling, etc), can hold numerous pieces of furniture and other items. It provides additional storage, and direct access to sell one's wares to others through.
   
   Beyond that, every character can own up to 25 homes, total, from tiny homes, way up to full on mansions. And, unlike XIV's current system, they can do this without impeding anyone else's ability to acquire even one.
   
   EQ2 has had this system in place for at least 10 years now.
2. In RIFT, players get 'Dimensions'. These are essentially their own plot of land, based on their choice from a number of different environments, derived from areas in the game.
   
   In these Dimensions, they can build, almost literally, anything they want, from scratch, using a wide variety of building materials and items available in-game. If they're not keen on building, and just want something ready-made, they can purchase pre-built houses as well. Or, build a mix of the two.
   
   Further, unlike FFXIV's current system, they can own several Dimensions, of varying sizes... without impeding anyone else's ability to acquire even one.
   
   If you want to see the kind of community that can build up around a well-designed and put-together housing system that empowers and supports players' creativity, take a look through this site. Check out this video in particular, for just one example. This is all built by a player, through Rift's take on a housing system.

If the glaring disparity between XIV's system, and other MMOs - including one over a decade old - isn't clear now, then I don't know what else to say, except "there are none so blind as those who will not see".

That's just two examples. The key thing to take from this isn't necessarily the features they have (though many of them are damn awesome). The point is, that each of these MMOs, one of them over a decade old, has managed to pack all of these features into their respective systems, while still guaranteeing that each player can have not only one home (given for free), but can acquire multiple if they wish, without limiting anyone else's ability to do the same.

Now, folks may still somehow dismiss all that as unimportant, or whatever, "because reasons", or because "it doesn't affect them", but it's a major gripe - and a valid one - among many, many players.

At this point, I think most people would be satisfied to be able to get a house at all, in a neighborhood of their choosing. That such a desire is so out-of-reach, to so many, is really at the core of this entire issue.

In a nutshell: FFXIV's housing system was poorly designed, poorly implemented and is far far too restrictive and limited in its current form. The band-aids they are applying to "remedy it" are not what it needs. In my opinion, it needs a complete overhaul, from the ground-up.