Workshops - getting 4 people in there to progress a tier is getting tedious

[Chiami]

You're assuming that SE is unhappy with the amount of workshop use, or that they want to turn the workshop into solo player content. I doubt either is the case.

If we're going to convince SE to make changes to how progressing a project works, saying it's hard to get 4 players together in the workshop is the wrong argument to use. The truth is it's not hard to get 4 players in a workshop even as a small FC. My alt was the only active member of her FC for several months yet I never had a problem getting others to come hang out in the workshop when I was working on expanding and upgrading the FC airship and sub fleet. At no point did I feel I was being punished.

What we need to point out is that it's a bad system to require 3 players to be present solely to watch one other player to select a menu option. FC members can contribute to an active project on the fabrication station without being in a group, assuming they have the proper level class and FC rank permissions. The only thing that requires a party is progressing or completing the project, and only the party leader does something to accomplish those things. The other party members do nothing at all. Their presence serves no meaningful purpose.

That's bad game design and that's why a change is needed.

We have the word from the devs themselves, in some interviews over the last few years, that they consider the workshop an underused feature, and tried to revitalize it with things like submarines. Yoshida also said already several years ago they want to listen to feedback from the playerbase about what to do with workshops -- sadly so far nothing has come from it, besides submarines which are essentially just more airships in a new garment.

So I am not assuming anything here, as we have interviews stating about as much.

While for making it solo player content, I never said to make it that. We do not know whether the devs want to keep it strictly group content or are okay with one-man-FCs also utilizing the workshop alone, and I think that is irrelevant for this case and request stated by now numerous times over -years-. Personally I have no problem with the workshop requiring some group interaction -- or allowing it also to be done solo, the amount of work involved to make ships and the like is pretty hefty for one person and as such already working as a bit of a gate, while quickly churning out a few aetherial wheels for the FC is just a convenience if we could do it solo.

What is not irrelevant is that maybe some small FCs like yours have no problem to get outside people spending their valuable time afking in someone else's workshop, so I'm glad it was not a bad experience for you. I have been in the same position -- the only one subbed in FCs -- and it was always a huge hassle to ask people to please stand in the workshop, besides the pretty bad feeling of encroaching on their time like that, knowing full well many of them have maybe at best an hour or at best three every day (if even every day at all) for XIV and I was taking away from that with the request.

So while it might have been fine for you... others in small FCs, or in FCs where a lot of their members are currently unsubbed have a harder time using the workshop due to the party requirement, which does make it punishing for some small FCs, and it is punishing for all the non-FC members who out of kindness sacrifice their time for this when they help out.

It is also inherently bad design to require people to stand around doing nothing -- "if it is not fun you are doing it wrong". There is no fun in afking in a workshop, it is wasting valuable gaming time. So regardless whether it is intended to be group content or not, you are right that the presence of 3 people in the workshop as it is right now serves no purpose and needs to be changed.

The easiest way would be to just remove the party requirement, while any FC member with sufficient DoH level can contribute mats any time, and any FC member regardless of DoH levels can progress the project any time -- allowing it to remain a group project. Yes that means solo or three-man FCs could also use the workshop, whatever, it's not like this would break the game. If anything that is the state as it is right now -anyway-, given people with solo-FCs then drag other, non-FC-people into their workshop and just use it anyway (on the backs of those who are helping out like this).

Alternatively and if it is felt as such a huge problem if solo-FCs might use the workshop here an idea: Any given project could require at least 2 FC members to contribute to the project at some point in some way. Personally though I think that would be somewhat pointless -- people could just park an alt in their solo FC and thus circumvent the entire requirement again, as they do right now with the party requirement by having non-FC members afk at their workshop.

It is just a pointless hassle and waste of time spent in unfun ways, the light party requirement, and needs to go.