Pushed to quit after 1,860 days subbed

[Solarra]

You can't complain there's no information regarding something when there is. You're just lamenting that it's just not in a more convenient location for you to read it, which is a moot point. The Lodestone is part of the game, you literally cannot log into the Lodestone or do anything without an account. They make the presence of the Lodestone apparent every single time you try to log into the game.

I'd love to know how many people actually do check the lodestone every time before they log in to the game. I hardly ever do. It's time consuming on PS4 as pages take so long to load. I'm not saying I'm right, just saying that it's not something I regard as part of the game or as a necessary part of my log in. But we're getting sidetracked. The Lodestone doesn't tell you if your house is about to be demolished, either.

I think it would be a great idea to have the information in a 'more convenient location'. If it stops people losing houses they wanted to keep and cuts down on work for the GMs, surely that would be a good thing. After all, this is a game, not some sort of character development programme.

[ko_]

I'd love to know how many people actually do check the lodestone every time before they log in to the game. I hardly ever do. It's time consuming on PS4 as pages take so long to load. I'm not saying I'm right, just saying that it's not something I regard as part of the game or as a necessary part of my log in. But we're getting sidetracked. The Lodestone doesn't tell you if your house is about to be demolished, either.

I think it would be a great idea to have the information in a 'more convenient location'. If it stops people losing houses they wanted to keep and cuts down on work for the GMs, surely that would be a good thing. After all, this is a game, not some sort of character development programme.

I only do it mainly cause my PS4 pro is also my computer. I don't have a PC :C So I check normally everytime I'm online. But you're right on one thing.. even on the PRO some pages load WAY too slow.

[R-Pete-G]

But, every time before you're able to log in, you have the option to visit the Lodestone for information.

No offence, but that kinda derails the rest of your post. The Lodestone is an optional resource for the game. It is very much supplementary reading.

[Gemina]

No offence, but that kinda derails the rest of your post. The Lodestone is an optional resource for the game. It is very much supplementary reading.

While this is true, what needs to be said is that while it is optional for the player to read, it is mandatory for things like the Lodestone to provide such information. This covers their butts when things like a player getting blindsided by their house being demolished happens.

The same thing can be said if a player was to get upset because they didn't know about server maintenance resulting in loss crops or something. They can go to GMs all day, but fact of the matter is they did indeed provide the information, and also did so with a reasonable amount of time for it to be read.

[Sigma-Astra]

No offence, but that kinda derails the rest of your post. The Lodestone is an optional resource for the game. It is very much supplementary reading.

Having the option, as in literally the link/button to click on the page, to read the Lodestone before you log in does not mean that you don't have to read it.

What if someone was not buying a house when the lodestone had the relevant information about a timer in it? What if someone does not need the topic right now and thus wont read every single post on the lodestone? What if they later decide to then own a house but since they might have visited the housing district months/years ago they also dont remember that information? Should everyone be forced to search old posts for something that could have easily been part of the game?

What is literally stopping that person from asking someone in-game who owns a house? I mean, other players are fountains of information as well and they're right there too in-game to help you.

The information was already there and readily available and right now we're arguing over an ease of convenience because some people feel that reading for more information outside of the game itself is too much work apparently when, as far as I know of, most people who own housing haven't had a problem taking care of their homes or learning about the process through those other means.

[Alleo]

What is literally stopping that person from asking someone in-game who owns a house? I mean, other players are fountains of information as well and they're right there too in-game to help you.

The information was already there and readily available and right now we're arguing over an ease of convenience because some people feel that reading for more information outside of the game itself is too much work apparently when, as far as I know of, most people who own housing haven't had a problem taking care of their homes or learning about the process through those other means.

Why should they ask someone who owns a house if they dont even have the idea that there is another system behind it? Why are you so against simply adding more ways to see that such a timer exists ingame ? I can understand if you say that maybe the OP should have looked at their house more often since they did not notice that it was gone until even the items were destroyed but I am honestly confused why you argue for making it easier? What would it change for you if they give you an overview of housing rules when you buy the house? Or give a message with the mogry post or when you log into the game when the timer is going down to a certain day?

You say that its fine because an outside source is there. Yet would you be fine if in other parts of the game you can only for example solve a riddle if you see the hints on some website outside the game? How about putting most of the lore in some books that you need to buy to understand it?

If this was a game that does not hold peoples hand at all then maybe you would have a point but this is a game where even the achievements are now forced on us. Something that is really not important. Yet there should not be a change to receiving housing informations because people should just research it outside the game? For something that might mean that they even could lose exclusive items that are not avaiable again or that they need to pay real money for?

Proooobably stated somewhere here by someone else, but the game does tell you about the auto demolition via the Resident Caretaker (which I thought you had to talk to in order to unlock teleporting there; might have them mixed up with the enthusiast). When you click on "Land Ownership" followed by "What happens if I abandon my estate?" you get the following:



Either way, upon entering the residential area, you get a pop-up explaining the area. In that area, it says to go visit the Residential Caretaker for additional information about housing.

Then maybe they should not state the "what happens if I abandon my estate" but rename it to something more like "Can the estate be taken away?" Because if someone does not plan to abandon their estate, why should they even look at this question? Because the timer is something that is forced. Also you already get a quest to enter the residential area when you are a newbie. So depending on when you finally buy a house this was months/years ago.

In the end they simply could give a pop up before people buy a house or afterwards. And on top of that give some messages ingame when the timer has like 15 days left. And lets not destroy items of people that lost their house. This is probably even worse than losing one because you can simply buy a new one, but you wont be able to get all the items back if they are destroyed.

[Alleo]

But, every time before you're able to log in, you have the option to visit the Lodestone for information. The game literally gives you headlines and topics that you should click on and read BEFORE you even log in to play the game. It's not supplementary reading when the game literally posts it right in front of your face each and every time you log in. We may as well argue that people reading their tool tips is supplementary reading because people already don't do that and it's already in-game.

What if someone was not buying a house when the lodestone had the relevant information about a timer in it? What if someone does not need the topic right now and thus wont read every single post on the lodestone? What if they later decide to then own a house but since they might have visited the housing district months/years ago they also dont remember that information? Should everyone be forced to search old posts for something that could have easily been part of the game?

Like others have said, the game gives us notifications about the achievements that we cant really stop, yet the important things like housing timer and losing your stuff after another 35 days are not in the front. Also is it really fine that they even do delete all these items that people gathered for years?

[Coombah]

Wow another player gone , good job SE at least the cash shop and the mobile app are still up and running right?

[Kurando]

but because I doubted Squenix's capacity to make really important information available as they should.

But you know housing is not that important of a feature, it's not required to play the game and it's mostly for glamour/self-fullfilment purposes. Sure you can put lots of money and time in to it but anyone can do that with any of the optional features the game provides, but it's only important to you and not to SE so you cannot put the complete blame on to them. You didn't check the Play Guide (lodestone or ask around etc) when it came to housing, you made the assumption this was like another MMO and your house was permanently safe, and kinda feinted ignorance for playing the game for so long and not knowing at all how it works. The house and it's stuff is gone and that's unfortunate, but like a few have stated, it's clearly not as important until you lose it.

[R-Pete-G]

Absolutely.

I think a lot of the discussion does boil down to a split over what people consider to be a reasonable level of due diligence in researching a feature of the game you're using. Clearly there's some strong opinions here, and it's a lot more subjective than perhaps people realise from where they personally would draw that line. My own stance will always be that a game should communicate anything of significance - and something like losing a house and its contents is pretty significant - without leaning on resources external to the game to do so clearly.

That seems to have struck a nerve with the community here, which is why it's getting focused on perhaps. But as some have recognised, the poor communication on auto demolition is really only a side-point in my experience I'm relaying as a whole. My main grievance is the loss of furnishings alongside that, which a lot more people seem to agree is handled very poorly indeed.


This has been an interesting thread. I genuinely didn't expect it to get so many replies, and I'm guessing a lot of this activity is from disagreements on how the housing system works that have existed long before I posted. On a slightly sour note, it has been a little disappointing how quickly people on either side of the conversation have turned a little nasty - towards one another more so than towards me as the OP. I guess it's an internet forum for an MMO, so I shouldn't be too surprised. But whether or not people are able to put themselves in the shoes of the people they disagree with, I've always considered the FFXIV player base to be that bit more civil and mature than the other MMO crowds.

Don't let that slip, at least.