Instanced Housing

[Blueyes]

The purpose of this topic is to discuss one possible solution to the housing situation in Final Fantasy XIV which is to introduce instanced housing.

Ever since housing was released there have been numerous topics about how SE should fix housing or that more houses should be added. Many community members have provided feedback on ways to help the current situation, ranging from limited housing to one per account to SE's own solution of housing demolition, but the suggestion of instanced housing seemed to be one aimed at solving the root of the problem.

Now unfortunately, we can't just say, "SE should just add instanced housing. Problem solved," because the issue is more complicated than that. Truthfully, I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to how instanced housing works, but I have read that with the way the game's servers are written it would be very difficult or time consuming to implement something like this.

I hope to have a detailed discussion about instanced housing to raise awareness for players, explaining how it can or can't be integrated with the existing housing wards, and hopefully encourage SE to investigate how they could implement an improved housing system that allows all players and all Free Companies to have a house.

[SokiYagami]

The inside of the house are actually instance, it's just the ward that aren't. The reason for that is because yoshi-p and team decided it that way for the community feel. Great idea, sadly didn't quite live up well due to numerous restrictions.

[Penthea]

We kind of have it already - apartments.

I am guessing that SE didn't go for instanced housing initially because they wanted residential districts to feel real - every house around you is unique and owned by someone or a fc, they're not npcs or models that give the illusion of having neighbours. I can see the appeal in this, and I do think it's great, but the obvious downside is the lack of foresight that came with housing in general, which lead to most players not having access to housing of any kind.

Apartments alleviated this somewhat but frankly they're too small and limited to make players feel SE really came up with a solution. And though they're instanced, there is still a limited number of them. Likely because they were added within the limitations of the current housing system. In other words a band-aid fix for a problem that really needs much more than that. On some servers there are no apartments left.

Aside from the obvious addition of more wards, SE really need to address how basic apartments are. They're just fc rooms with a chocobo stable. Almost all the feedback I came across about this was pretty negative. They need to be bigger, have a balcony for some gardening and decoration (turned out most players expected something like this) and introduce tenancy so players can live together. The tenancy would certainly increase the amount of players who have access to housing.

At this point I'm not sure if SE will wholly introduce instanced housing. I think we're stuck with wards because we have had them for so long they're an integral part of residency now. I don't think SE want to rob players of their neighbours and neighbourhood. So aside from adding more wards, what SE could improve, that is already instanced, is apartments.

[Zojha]

[...] but the obvious downside is the lack of foresight that came with housing in general, which lead to most players not having access to housing of any kind.

The main issue is that they did not restrict the Ward housing to FCs and allowed characters to get one. That is the prime mistake they made - if it was FCs only, we'd already have enough housing available across all servers and our only issue would be the uneven population. Since players are in the mix as well, it's not even close. Not even if we had a perfectly even population. And frankly, most neighborhoods are dead as well because the one player the house belongs to is never around.

That said, the first step is to disallow personal housing in future areas. The damage is done for the areas that exist and there'd be an outrage if you were to disown people, but there's no need to perpetuate it. Personal housing in future areas should be instanced instead - a separate area connected to the wards that features a full house of any size you can afford including a yard. Then you make a similar instance in the old residential areas for those who prefer that area and you're done.

It's not that hard in theory. I think the hardest part is acknowledging their mistake.

[ManuelBravo]

Actual instances are inside of houses. Apartments was a temporary solution and hopefully with new area coming soon people may start selling their plots. Housing is a minor part of the game ( people seem to like decorating though ) and the only real benefit I see in it is if its a FC house even if it's a one man FC. You might as well rent your home to an FC and make gill that way lol.

[Penthea]

The main issue is that they did not restrict the Ward housing to FCs and allowed characters to get one.

That said, the first step is to disallow personal housing in future areas.

I'm quite against this because the options for decorating are extremely low in apartments and fc rooms compared to having a house. The rooms are just too small and you have no garden. On top of that you cannot do any cross-planting unless you have a house. Even a cottage is a significant upgrade from an apartment or fc room.

Unless SE drastically improve apartments, preventing players from owning a house would be unfair because it would be entirely up to the fc masters whether players can cross-plant and do more decoration than the very limited options the apartments and fc rooms give you. Also this won't stop players from making their own fc's just so they can buy a house, and be the only member with free reign over the whole house. Players are already doing that.

I strongly feel that before any more restrictions are put in place, SE needs to expand the quality of housing across all types of residency. Especially apartments.

[KiraCifer]

one issues about housing they should fix is not allowing a FC leader to own a personal house too. Cause I know a few who run a active FC has a med-large house and spend whatever free time at said house and yet they own a personal medium or large themselves what they rarely go to and when they do it just to reset the 45day count down.

[Celef]

The inside of the house are actually instance, it's just the ward that aren't. The reason for that is because yoshi-p and team decided it that way for the community feel. Great idea, sadly didn't quite live up well due to numerous restrictions.

And is pretty useless due to the fact that those zones are, almost all the time, empty

[Dustytome]

one issues about housing they should fix is not allowing a FC leader to own a personal house too. Cause I know a few who run a active FC has a med-large house and spend whatever free time at said house and yet they own a personal medium or large themselves what they rarely go to and when they do it just to reset the 45day count down.

The FC house isn't always the way the leader wants it and is to the FC's tastes as a whole. There's no reason they shouldn't get to have a personal house of their own to decorate as they please.

[Rymm]

if it was FCs only, we'd already have enough housing available across all servers and our only issue would be the uneven population

While I agree that having both personal owners and FCs competing for the same houses certainly exacerbated the problem, claiming that limiting it to FCs only would fix the problem is being overly optimistic. Lamia is fairly middling in population and we have multiple FCs who (using 'shell' FCs with a single member and almost the exact same name) own multiple plots. One FC even has no less than seven plots in addition to their main FC mansion, in just the Mists alone.

Limiting housing to FCs would just increase the number of shell FCs.

In general, I feel that apartments are a (baby)step in the right direction. Square should leave the wards as they are, maybe occasionally add more (like they do now) or open a new housing district (like they are with SB,) but their main focus for housing should be in improving and expanding the apartment system. Adding more size tiers at a range of prices, giving the larger ones access to gardening somehow (greenhouses or balconies,) allowing owners to share them with other players, and maybe even giving them workshop access (slapping a door in the lobby that can take you to your FC's workshop can't be that hard to swing) would do wonders for the housing situation.