Fix Housing Megathread

[Caitsithhh]

Na it’s your attitude that thinks it’s something more than a luxury that kills it. Imagine thinking just owning the game means you’re owed everything

[Jojoya]

Na it’s your attitude that thinks it’s something more than a luxury that kills it. Imagine thinking just owning the game means you’re owed everything

MMOs run into problems when they restrict access to content to a lucky few instead of making that content equally accessible to every player who is paying the required real money to play and meets the game play entry requirements for the content.

If limited resource content systems that only a few players get access to were so beneficial to MMOs, why don't we see more of them getting used?

When you want customers to keep returning to a theme park, you need to make sure they can get access to the content that interests them the most. If they can't get that access, they stop returning and your theme park is short the revenue it otherwise would have been earning. That's not a good business decision.

[Almagnus1]

MMOs run into problems when they restrict access to content to a lucky few instead of making that content equally accessible to every player who is paying the required real money to play and meets the game play entry requirements for the content.

If limited resource content systems that only a few players get access to were so beneficial to MMOs, why don't we see more of them getting used?

When you want customers to keep returning to a theme park, you need to make sure they can get access to the content that interests them the most. If they can't get that access, they stop returning and your theme park is short the revenue it otherwise would have been earning. That's not a good business decision.

That's also why it needs to be reasonably easy for someone to get a house. These are not supposed to be status symbols, and if someone really likes housing, the best they can do with getting started is with an apartment, but ultimately... that's not everything that comes with house ownership and little (aside from skills) transfers from an apartment to the house.

[Jillian]

Na it’s your attitude that thinks it’s something more than a luxury that kills it. Imagine thinking just owning the game means you’re owed everything

Items available in the FFXI online store are a luxary item. Housing is part of the base game and should be available to everybody (especially with how heavily SE advertises it every expansion).

[EliTheGunbreaker]

I agree that instanced housing is the way to go. At this point it is clear that continuously putting up more wards is merely temporarily laying off the problem instead of addressing it, and there will never be enough for everyone until something is done.

What is worse, the current conditions like the random timer not only do not stop the housing black market of overpriced plots (there are literally Discord servers that do that), it makes it easier for rich players to get even more while making it harder for new players/ FCs to grab a plot because of players with houses being able to bypass the invisible timer, potentially relocating at any time they want, even if the newbies camped the same plot for hours.

I am speaking this as I literally formed a FC with my friends a few days ago, and after rising to rank 6, had to witness the horror that is camping in times that are not ward expansions (I was spared the process back when I was on Cerberus due to both buying my first house and relocating on ward expansion days, and I still haven't bought a personal house after we all switched data centers). I lost 2/3 of the plots I have camped to people relocating, sometimes for the most minor reasons, despite standing there for hours. Some may say that this is the way things work, but then why do many other MMOs handle it better?

Besides, both I and many others have lives outside the game. We can't just keep pouring hours of our time to get a digital hours at the expense of real life and health, only to have this house taken right in front of us and having to start over again. I say if a system forces a person to go to such extremes for that house, it definitely is broken.

[TroySoFab]

Yeah, I think none of these suggestions, aside from making the purchase timer visible, are viable strategies to help fix housing. Lottery doesn't address the fact that many houses are owned by singular players across multiple characters, and with the auto demo timer being suspended so frequently, it has made it harder to have inactive players removed. Secondly, having instanced housing really undermines what housing is supposed to feel like in FFXIV. Housing was supposed to foster a neighborhood type feel, and while there are customization and QoL issues that hinder that, instanced housing would only further reduce it.

Looking at how housing is now I have a few of my own suggestions that I think would improve things.

1. More Wards:
Yes its a simple fix that on its own won't do much, but when looking a the number of Active players (usually hovers around 15k or even lower for most servers) we currently have nearly enough houses. So just throwing more at the problem is a slight fix, but it becomes better when combined with other solutions.

2. One personal house and One FC house ownership per account:
This is the big one and would probably have the most impact. Some have suggested this be even more restrictive, but I think this should suffice. Yes, there are players who own multiple houses. Some have even owned an entire ward and bragged about it. This alone would free up so much space for active players.

3. You must be at the current max level to purchase a home:
This is just another way to help mitigate multiple homes being owned by one person. No sprout is going to have the gil to buy a home, but an alt account will.

4. Stricter auto demolition timer:
If the wind blows, the timer has been suspended. I understand that the devs want to help accommodate players who have been impacted by whatever large scale event occurred, but it seems like the timer is paused for months at a time. Did we really need the timer paused during most of covid lockdown when even more players were actively playing this game?

[Jojoya]

Housing was supposed to foster a neighborhood type feel, and while there are customization and QoL issues that hinder that, instanced housing would only further reduce it.

That might have been the intent. It wasn't the result.

Neighborhoods feel like neighborhoods because you see people doing things, not because you see houses. We're stuck only seeing the houses because there's little reason for players to be in the wards themselves. If they're at their house, they're far more likely to be in it than outside but we're got no way of knowing they're in it from what we see on the outside.

Player behavior when in the wards goes far in showing how players don't really want neighborhoods. There have been a few occasions when I've been at my house or our FC house and someone randomly comes by. Greet them and they almost always run away if they were caught doing something wrong. Clearly they're interested in how others have decorated their houses but they aren't looking to be a neighbor.

If all other players are interested in is seeing how someone else decorates, that can be achieved with instanced housing. Create a party finder type menu that lists instanced housing with guest access enabled so players can visit. Enable teleports just as we have estate teleportation to anyone on our friend's list that has enabled guest teleport. I hate being the broken record but other MMOs are doing these things and it would be nice if they were happening here so all FFXIV players could have a fully enjoyable housing system instead of one filled with drama and frustration generated by the current limitations.

[NanaWiloh]

Yeah, I think none of these suggestions, aside from making the purchase timer visible, are viable strategies to help fix housing. Lottery doesn't address the fact that many houses are owned by singular players across multiple characters, and with the auto demo timer being suspended so frequently, it has made it harder to have inactive players removed. Secondly, having instanced housing really undermines what housing is supposed to feel like in FFXIV. Housing was supposed to foster a neighborhood type feel, and while there are customization and QoL issues that hinder that, instanced housing would only further reduce it.

Looking at how housing is now I have a few of my own suggestions that I think would improve things.

1. More Wards:
Yes its a simple fix that on its own won't do much, but when looking a the number of Active players (usually hovers around 15k or even lower for most servers) we currently have nearly enough houses. So just throwing more at the problem is a slight fix, but it becomes better when combined with other solutions.

2. One personal house and One FC house ownership per account:
This is the big one and would probably have the most impact. Some have suggested this be even more restrictive, but I think this should suffice. Yes, there are players who own multiple houses. Some have even owned an entire ward and bragged about it. This alone would free up so much space for active players.

3. You must be at the current max level to purchase a home:
This is just another way to help mitigate multiple homes being owned by one person. No sprout is going to have the gil to buy a home, but an alt account will.

4. Stricter auto demolition timer:
If the wind blows, the timer has been suspended. I understand that the devs want to help accommodate players who have been impacted by whatever large scale event occurred, but it seems like the timer is paused for months at a time. Did we really need the timer paused during most of covid lockdown when even more players were actively playing this game?

Number 2 is not as simple as you think there is something your failing to address.



Here is a picture of my FC house placard. Take a good look at the owner, cause thats not my characters name or anyone elses..

[TroySoFab]

Number 2 is not as simple as you think there is something your failing to address.



Here is a picture of my FC house placard. Take a good look at the owner, cause thats not my characters name or anyone elses..

If your FC house isn't owned by a member of your FC or anyone on your server, then maybe you need a GM to help you out with that. Not even sure how that can happen, unless there are some interesting exploits I'm not aware of.
Outside of this I think my point still stands. 1 personal home, and one fc home ownership. It could be modified with an additional restriction of one FC ownership per account, for those extra creative players.

That might have been the intent. It wasn't the result.

Neighborhoods feel like neighborhoods because you see people doing things, not because you see houses. We're stuck only seeing the houses because there's little reason for players to be in the wards themselves. If they're at their house, they're far more likely to be in it than outside but we're got no way of knowing they're in it from what we see on the outside.

Player behavior when in the wards goes far in showing how players don't really want neighborhoods. There have been a few occasions when I've been at my house or our FC house and someone randomly comes by. Greet them and they almost always run away if they were caught doing something wrong. Clearly they're interested in how others have decorated their houses but they aren't looking to be a neighbor.

Its not the result because most wards are owned by a few players with no interest in actually doing anything with the home other than reselling it, or inactive players.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oPC4D-rHqg

I've linked this in other housing threads before, but I think its a good example of what can be done in wards when people who actually care about having a home and decorating it, have said homes. As apposed to people who only hold on to them for "other reasons".

[NanaWiloh]

If your FC house isn't owned by a member of your FC or anyone on your server, then maybe you need a GM to help you out with that. Not even sure how that can happen, unless there are some interesting exploits I'm not aware of.
Outside of this I think my point still stands. 1 personal home, and one fc home ownership. It could be modified with an additional restriction of one FC ownership per account, for those extra creative players.




Its not the result because most wards are owned by a few players with no interest in actually doing anything with the home other than reselling it, or inactive players.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oPC4D-rHqg

I've linked this in other housing threads before, but I think its a good example of what can be done in wards when people who actually care about having a home and decorating it, have said homes. As apposed to people who only hold on to them for "other reasons".

There is no mistake no exploit the Free company itself owns the house not any of the Free companies members. Check the placecard of any FC house on your world you will find the FC name listed as owner. A restriction on buying a FC house was once put in place but was quickly removed due to issues it caused. Restricting player to one fc house interfers with the FC's leadership and FC's must have a lead at all times. It also would prevent players with mulitple characters from putting their other characters into FC's with homes be it on the same world or a different world. This why such and idea will never be implemented by SE.

To be blunt Restrictions that work for player house cant be applied to a FC house without causing more problems that have to be solved.