What do people think of player services?

[hijifa]

One problem with housing now is that its very empty where ever you go. There is a lack of a "neighborhood" so to say.

They have tried to incentivize it by letting players mark their house as a restaurant or hotel or etc, but what if they push it one step further and let players set up their house as a service to other players?

For example, if you have a house marked as a "restaurant" and have a CUL leveled, you can open your "shop" (that will run even if you are offline or not there) that will sell food for people to eat. The buffs your food gives will be better than if you just bought the same food off the MB and ate it yourself or the duration would be longer to make people want to come.

Then it can be extended to so many other things like a "blacksmith" where they have extra melding rate, extra rest exp from staying in a "hotel", extra durability for repairing from an "armorsmith" house.

Slap on a leveling system to that (higher level "hotels" give more rest exp that low level ones) and boom, everyone is visiting those places to get their special services.

[Gula]

I like all of this, however they could implement it. I see so many fabulous houses but it sucks you can't really do anything with them.

[Jojoya]

They aren't going to tie owning a house to any in game advantages because that would make some players feel forced into getting a house - which already has a smaller supply than demand on most servers.

Like it or not, the wards should be empty most of the time because of the limited number of residents per ward and the amount of content located in other parts of the game. If people were always hanging out at their house, it would indicate severe problems with the rest of the game.

If you want your ward to feel more lively when you're there, then it's up to you to organize events at your house and invite other players to come.

[Doozer]

If people were always hanging out at their house, it would indicate severe problems with the rest of the game.

I think that's a very narrow way to view a social game. My partner and I frequently hang out at his apartment or mine after doing some dungeons or something, and can sit there for an hour or two just chatting or crafting. I think you forget that the entire game isn't just grinding the latest content for tomes to get the best ilevel. Also, I don't see you mentioning the people chronically AFKing in cities and other places. That seems like more of a problem to me than people socializing in housing districts.

[Jojoya]

I think that's a very narrow way to view a social game. My partner and I frequently hang out at his apartment or mine after doing some dungeons or something, and can sit there for an hour or two just chatting or crafting. I think you forget that the entire game isn't just grinding the latest content for tomes to get the best ilevel. Also, I don't see you mentioning the people chronically AFKing in cities and other places. That seems like more of a problem to me than people socializing in housing districts.

I don't forget any of those things you mention. I do socialize with people at my house and my FC house just as you socialize with your friends but that's still just a small portion of the time we spend in game.

It's not a social game per se. It's a MMORPG based around slaying monsters with groups of other players. Did you decide to play FFXIV because you wanted a house to sit around and chat with people or because you wanted to experience a game with a combat related story and other content? Take out the MSQ and all the other combat related content so there was just housing (and maybe glamours) left and how many people do you think would continue to play the game?

As for people AFKing in the cities, they're going to be AFK regardless. Would it really make the game better to you if they were AFKing in the housing wards instead? They're still AFK. They aren't interacting with you.

[Doozer]

Did you decide to play FFXIV because you wanted a house to sit around and chat with people or because you wanted to experience a game with a combat related story and other content?

And what if I did? Really the only reason why I play at all is to play with my partner who lives somewhere else. It lets us hang out together as close to in-person as possible. It also allows us to have something to do with our friends who also live in other places. I like FF as a franchise, but I don't usually play MMOs completely solo.

I don't know if you're aware, but MMO stands for "massive multiplayer online", like, specifically based on being around other players. It's not just fighting enemies with other people. And in other MMOs there are servers actually dedicated to roleplaying (not just player defined). How do you explain that?

[Kytrin]

Oh my god I love this idea! I would absolutely remodel my medium into an apartment for me upstairs, a restaurant/bakery on the ground floor, and my basement into a giant kitchen.

[not_ya_wify]

It's not a social game per se. It's a MMORPG based around slaying monsters with groups of other players. Did you decide to play FFXIV because you wanted a house to sit around and chat with people or because you wanted to experience a game with a combat related story and other content? Take out the MSQ and all the other combat related content so there was just housing (and maybe glamours) left and how many people do you think would continue to play the game?

I literally just play the game for housing and socializing. I hate all things combat and only do it when the story requires it or I want to attempt to get something to craft special furniture (which I never go through with and just end up buying it or not getting it).