Request: Remove the light party requirement from FC workshop projects

[BillyKaplan]

FC content is locked behind letting people who aren't even in the FC in on it for no purpose but standing there and looking pretty. Any argument that involves this being FC content and thus is group content falls short in light of this because it's likely not even your FC helping you out.
The thing is they shouldn't lock this behind only FC members because not only would this still be hella easy to get around (50k Gil, join my FC for an airship project, leave right after...), but what if you're the one single crafter in the FC? Oh so 3 other FC members unlocked craters just for this and never level the classes again. This is another way of getting around whatever the original intent was and is just a hassle for everyone involved. I feel like any change to this will ultimately make the content even less accessible than it already is (FC-less people, people who don't know many other crafters, etc). I can somehow get behind it being FC content at least on the lore level (you may be the WoL but they can't very well give individuals permission to operate airships. Now, FCs with standing with the GCs, on the other hand...), but this specific requirement is pointless.

[Niraves]

The requirement was always stupid. I say heck yes, please, get rid of it. It's very tedious trying to find three other people to stand around and do absolutely nothing for 45 minutes while I feed materials into the company crafting station. The limit serves no purpose other than to be another stupid gate that exists for no reason other than to be a pain in the ass.

[Dzian]

Even I, a predominately solo player, understands that FC Workshop projects are supposed to be a group effort thing, thus needs a group of people to complete. It defeats the purpose of it being a group project if a single person can do it all alone. If you dont want to deal with social issues then you shouldnt have the perks of a social system. Do some leg work, find another person or two that will join your free company, make more friends who will help with the group project.

It sucks as a group effort though when 3 people just stand there while one person presses the button a few times. It's not exactly interactive.

I wouldn't mind it if it actually involved the 4 crafters somehow like an actual group synth of sorts where each player could only account 25% of the finished part.

But as it is. It's 1 crafter and 3 dead bodies.

Edit if it actually worked better I wouldn't mind it scaling. Something like aetherialxwheels might be easy for a single person to knock up. No party required. But something like mansion glamour might need a full party of 8 as it's a much bigger project.

Could work pretty well as long as it wasn't just 1 person pressing buttons and 7 and bodies

[LaylaTsarra]

The thing is they shouldn't lock this behind only FC members

The crafting workstation isn't locked behind FC members. Any crafter can join the party and be counted toward the 4 person limit. I've done that numerous times for friends in other FC's or in link shells i belong to.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

Even I, a predominately solo player, understands that FC Workshop projects are supposed to be a group effort thing, thus needs a group of people to complete. It defeats the purpose of it being a group project if a single person can do it all alone. If you dont want to deal with social issues then you shouldnt have the perks of a social system. Do some leg work, find another person or two that will join your free company, make more friends who will help with the group project.

Except it isn't a group project. One person does all the work while three other people stand around contributing absolutely nothing to the craft. It isn't about finding friends but the sheer inconvenience of having three people who can stand around for ten minutes when I want to do something with the work ship. Sure, I can get them but again, it's a silly system. I'd feel differently if this were an actual project we build. Alas, it's just an arbitrary gate they put in because reasons.

[Talraen]

Aside from being inconvenient for small FCs, the light party requirement fundamentally changes how you build things in general. Because the chance of good/excellent progress is somewhat random, building one phase at a time allows you to be more efficient. However, in my experience, all the materials tend to get built for all the phases (and sometimes even multiple entire crafts) to minimize how often you need to get three people to stand around and AFK. And that means that good or excellent progress tends to leave you with a random assortment of extra materials.

[Galactimus]

It's not the players fault that solo FC's exist.

The housing system has been a mess since it first came out in 2.1. It was SE that decided that the only way to own a house on housing launch day was to be the leader of a Rank 6 FC. And let's be honest here, only the FC leader and maybe one or two VERY close friends get to play with FC housing; the rest are just occasional visitors. The majority never got to experience the Housing System unless they made solo FC's. I would have happily bought a Personal House, though they didn't exist yet, and thus was forced to make a solo FC.

[alimdia]

+1 for removal.

[Lilseph]

Yes, please: Remove it. It serves no purpose.

[Nalfein]

Please remove the requirement... All my FC members are bored to death by just standing in the workshop doing nothing not to mention that they're most of the time in the middle of something and I have to invite them to the same party therefore cancel their queue. Forcing people to participate by improving the system wouldn't work either simply because some people in my FC have zero intentions to craft, they don't like it. Nothing would ever come out by forcing non crafter to craft and that would break the system all together. Regarding synergy while I loved the idea and leveled mine to 60 alone...the entire time I've been playing the game I can count on one hand the time I actually formed a party to make something useful.