Why not just add instanced housing?

[kamikrazy]

Its simple: Leave the plots how they are, and from the same area you access normal housing, add an option to enter an instanced housing area specifically for yourself. In place of the Ward selection, have it list everyone on your friends list, party, or simply a search bar for someone's name, so that you can enter it while they aren't there.

Just reuse the same assets from the original housing areas so no new assets have to be crafted for it. Just make it at a distance far off that overlooks the normal housing wards or something.

There, everyone has a house, no new assets need to be created, and this whole availability thing becomes something of the past.

[Syrehn]

Its simple: Leave the plots how they are, and from the same area you access normal housing, add an option to enter an instanced housing area specifically for yourself. In place of the Ward selection, have it list everyone on your friends list, party, or simply a search bar for someone's name, so that you can enter it while they aren't there.

Just reuse the same assets from the original housing areas so no new assets have to be crafted for it. Just make it at a distance far off that overlooks the normal housing wards or something.

There, everyone has a house, no new assets need to be created, and this whole availability thing becomes something of the past.

Instanced housing isn't the be-all end-all solution that many think it is. Current instances are not saved (e.g. nothing in the Inn Room is saved). In an instanced housing model SE still need to make sure all that data gets saved (object placement, character location etc.). This means that regardless of wards or instances SE is still going to have to purchase/setup hardware and storage.

Here's a quote about it:

Finally, I’ve seen a few posts on the forums saying housing would be better if it was instanced like inn rooms are, so I want to point out that instances aren't saved. Nothing in an inn room needs to be saved; player housing, on the other hand, necessitates personal save data for things like furniture placement and character location. So, it would really amount to adding more land anyway.

I talked a bit about this here.

[Shirobi]

Snip

That's not quite accurate. The amount of data storage necessary for saving instanced housing would be drastically less than for creating an entire zone which simply works as a hub to access housing that is already instanced anyway.

Its the archaic and, frankly, rather odd approach SE has taken to housing that has turned it into such a debacle when perfectly working models exist both in other MMOs (Rift, WoW), as well as their own game (FFXI).

[Risvertasashi]

Its the archaic and, frankly, rather odd approach SE has taken to housing that has turned it into such a debacle when perfectly working models exist both in other MMOs (Rift, WoW), as well as their own game (FFXI).

Well, some other MMOs have had neighborhood/community hub setups for housing like Wards in FFXIV, but they 1. launch with housing reclamation and 2. automatically add new wards when they get 80% full or so.

FFXIV's is definitely the worst implementation I've seen.

[StouterTaru]

Instanced housing isn't the be-all end-all solution that many think it is. Current instances are not saved (e.g. nothing in the Inn Room is saved). In an instanced housing model SE still need to make sure all that data gets saved (object placement, character location etc.). This means that regardless of wards or instances SE is still going to have to purchase/setup hardware and storage.

If the instance is only available to the owner, that stuff can be stored client side. Several things are already stored there (inventory sort, hotbars, macros) and all that would have to stay server side is a list of what furniture has been placed (but not where it was placed).

[Risvertasashi]

If the instance is only available to the owner, that stuff can be stored client side. Several things are already stored there (inventory sort, hotbars, macros) and all that would have to stay server side is a list of what furniture has been placed (but not where it was placed).

Honestly even stored server side it's not that much data, or shouldn't have to be. A single image-laden email would be far bigger than a list of items & positions and even a longer text email could easily be bigger. But, SE seems to have some very questionable architecture... :/

[Shirobi]

But, SE seems to have some very questionable architecture... :/

AMEN

I cannot begin to the fathom the sort of inefficient in coding or the sheer antquity of their hardware that something as tiny as player housing, especially instanced player housing, has such a huge premium in server space and resources attached to it.

Something is terribly, terribly wrong with SE's architecture in this game, be it the coding, the actual hardware, or both.

[Naunet]

Instanced housing isn't the be-all end-all solution that many think it is. Current instances are not saved (e.g. nothing in the Inn Room is saved). In an instanced housing model SE still need to make sure all that data gets saved (object placement, character location etc.). This means that regardless of wards or instances SE is still going to have to purchase/setup hardware and storage.

Oh no! SE may have to get their hardware up to par with other MMOs! The horror!

[Morningstar1337]

Instanced housing isn't the be-all end-all solution that many think it is. Current instances are not saved (e.g. nothing in the Inn Room is saved). In an instanced housing model SE still need to make sure all that data gets saved (object placement, character location etc.). This means that regardless of wards or instances SE is still going to have to purchase/setup hardware and storage.

You know, SE is gonna have to update their servers eventually, unless XI's servers lasted as long as the content did (which would explain a lot)

[Syrehn]

Oh no! SE may have to get their hardware up to par with other MMOs! The horror!

You know, SE is gonna have to update their servers eventually, unless XI's servers lasted as long as the content did (which would explain a lot)

SE never said they wouldn't update/add new hardware etc. Obviously they are or we never would have seen additional wards/sub-wards. Regardless of their reasons why (finances, hardware etc.) they're just not doing it fast enough for some players. Even once they do start adding more wards/storage they're not likely going to change their current ward model to an instanced model, much to the annoyance of some players that want instanced housing, and have given their reasons why.

Side Note: I'm pretty sure they mentioned the next time we're going to see more wards is after they finish the Housing Transfer feature they're working on; then after that, maybe some Ishgard wards.