Instance Housing as Alternative Option to Wards

[Bourne_Endeavor]

I do think that an account-wide cooldown might not be a terrible idea, and I would love to see FC-exclusive wards implemented. I worry, though, that in an effort to solve the problem quickly the community would be willing to trade what is, I think, one of the central benefits to the housing system we've labored under.

People are denouncing the current neighbourhood system because the overwhelming majority will never experience as server stability simply cannot handle the strain. Furthermore, wards just aren't active. The idea of a bustling community where everyone chats and interacts with their neighbours is fantasy. What actually happens is you occasionally see a couple people here or there and offer little more than a "hi." A good number don't even see that much interaction. Now, of course, some will post stories about how wonderful their neighbors are, but those experiences are rare. I was on Balmung, the roleplay server of all places, and scarcely saw anyone around my house save for one FC who didn't venture too far from their yard most times.

Neighbourhoods were a nice idea, in theory. In practice, they simply don't work.

[Dischord]

Agreement for those in here who are talking about wards not actually being bustling neighborhoods. The most that you see this is on the RP servers, and then, only during the active events where people are interacting in the Ward because the entire event is situated there. Otherwise you might find just one or two people playing together, and otherwise not interacting with those around them, because they're playing out transit from point a to point b. Most of the interactions in Wards goes on within an FC, or within an event, or within a house. Not in the open parts of the ward. This might change with the swimming areas that have been added, but again, it isn't as if the OP is suggesting that we get rid of wards, simply that opening instanced housing would be a good alternative for those who do want a house and are uncaring about being in a ward and having a neighbor.

[Insainbutterfly]

I think this is a fabulous idea that builds off of the current infrastructure! I would love for SE to implement this!

[Claviusnex]

This might change with the swimming areas that have been added....

The common areas don't have to go away with instanced housing. They just become an entry point as they are today. In fact I think they would actually become more active as they become the central area for everyone to get access to the MB, shops, etc.

[Xerek]

Have to add my voice to this. I think this is a wonderful solution. Those that already have a house, and those willing and patient enough to play the waiting game for a warded house can continue on, utterly unaffected. At the same time, those without a house that don't care if they have neighbors don't have to wait and can nab an instanced home. Only people that would suffer are the house flippers.

[Cinnamonster]

I love the idea with option 2: the ability to upgrade the sizes of apartments would be a godsend!

[D-chan]

Instanced housing was one of the two options offered to us when they first introduced the idea of PoH to the XIV fan base. We chose wards. We chose community neighborhoods. We chose this fate. They told us the limitations of both systems, and we chose the one we have.
Now after all the programming has been put into place, you want to take it back. Ask them to rewrite everything so that we all can get a slice of land, isolated from each other in lonely little single house plots.
I’m going to say no to this. We made our bed, and I for one am happier with the system we have over the system that games like Wildstar and Rift have in place. Everyone gets a free house, and most of them sit empty all the time. At least this way we remain interactive with each other and the plots and

You want us to be punished for a choice that was made no doubt with countless of those who were in favor no longer playing, with many of the current playerbase either being too recent to have had a say then or potentially having chosen the opposite and been overshadowed or just not given their input, and when that choice was made at a time when basically no one could have predicted how overcrowded some servers would become (and how poorly SE would prevent/handle this issue), how poorly SE would deal with housing if overcrowding become an issue, and how popular the game would get/remain four years later? Yeah, no.

I actually suggested the very same idea as Tiergan's the other day with my FC and many of them were on board. We all agreed we'd be happy to not have a lawn if it meant being able to have personal houses in general, for us and everyone else who is so willing. I don't know why apartment numbers are limited, and I don't know why they're only available in the size of an FC private chamber. I would love to have a medium-house sized "apartment" even if it meant having no lawn and no exterior to customize. I think these should be cheaper than regular housing, given those drawbacks, but unlimited fully instanced housing would be great, as is the norm in most MMO's with housing, and would get around the "we don't have the servers for that" issue with non-instanced wards.

This is far from asking them to "rewrite everything." We are not asking for existing wards to disappear, or even for the new wards they are seemingly planning on adding not to also be implemented. We are asking for more "apartments" (those things that are already coded and already exist) and for them to have the same indoor space and layouts as Small, Medium, and Large houses (you know, those other things that are also already coded and already exist).

[Maero]

I don't ever recall having a say in the matter when housing was going to be introduced.
Guess i never got the memo as i have been playing this game for 4 years, anyhow....
I have yet to really see any sort of community activity.
Sure it is nice seeing other houses and what others have done but if instanced housing would mean more players can actually get a house i could care less of "community feel"

Myself i had suggested on multiple posts that we should have a mix of instanced and non instanced.
Perhaps non instanced (wards) for Free Companies and instanced for personal

How is it a game like Elder Scrolls Online which i have played less then a year, i had no issues getting a Large house months after housing was implemented.
Oh right it is instanced housing.
I know not about their server capacities but they have less servers then ffxiv.

[Amomomo]

We chose wards.

I am sure majority of the new player base (especially since HW and SB) will strongly disagree with that statement.

MMORPG must remain relevant to its ever changing player market in order to continue to attract current and new players to the game.

This is how FFXIV achieved its great success in its transition from 1.0 to 2.0.

Upholding options favoured by legacy/veteran FFXIV players wouldn't be healthy for the future of FFXIV.

There is no "Community" that comes from housing wards unless you have an FC...

I strongly agree with this.

Majority of the housing wards, even in a highly populated server as Tonberry, there are limited evidence of "neighbours" interacting with each other.

Upholding the ward system at the cost of housing availability will only benefit the privileged few, especially if you are lucky enough not to be surrounded by empty houses owned by shell FCs/alts.

[ArcheustheWise]

At least this way we remain interactive with each other and the plots and wards get used.

So plot twist... no one's wards or plots are ever so interactive it warrants us having wards.. half the time i would be hard pressed not to find anyone thats just sitting there afk.. and thats even if i find someone. There is zero socializing going on at all. Sure you get an rp group on certain events, but they can still run events if they had instances as well. Nothing changes.

So all in all instances win out.