Shell FCs are a bigger problem than we think...

[Kyssa]

Yes, because any standard account is allowed to buy 8 FC houses and 1 personal house, per world. There was a temporary restriction on FC houses, but that only lasted one week. For whatever reason the housing mini site was never updated to reflect that the temporary restriction was removed (and since nothing in-game points to that site, most people won't even see it and even know there were restrictions)



That's because the requirements are different.

An FC house needs a FC that is rank 6 or higher, the level of the player isn't important because the house is owned by the Free Company.

For personal housing (FC room, apartment or an actual house) it requires the player is level 50+ and has at least second lieutenant rank with their grand company (also if it's Shirogane then they need to have finished 4.0 MSQ too).

Understood, but my point remains. I have no qualms with this player getting housing for active characters but that level 2 isn't active in the guild. The level 80 likely used the guide posted in this thread to get the FC they made to rank 6 (we've watched it happen many times with just this one person- it's taken the person less than 2 days time to achieve this- which was easy to do as the level 80 has every crafting/gathering skill maxed), acquire plot and hand it off, where it just sits- placeholder character not even doing anything to progress from level 2 which you get within 10-15 minutes of playing the game.

I have nothing against FC's with 2, 3 or 4 people. Heck, me and my family play and we're the only ones in our FC- but we are actively playing. Actively progressing. I do take issue with what I've described though as there are many people out there that share the same play-style I do being denied housing because one person and their army of level 2 alts are hoarding plots they clearly intend to sell.

*edit to add- I understand the rules of apartments and private homes- however given the issue at hand, I think the system of FC ownership is working in a way that was unintended.

[Silpher]

Honestly I just wish they would make different size apartments. Having my own house would be awesome, but seems unlikely with the limited amount. Hopefully they find a way to add more but if not let us get "deluxe" apartments that are the size of a med house.

[Arielen]

"it's a bigger problem than we think!"
- "it's less than 5% of housing"
"it's a bigger problem than we think!"

i love it here

[Jojoya]

"it's a bigger problem than we think!"
- "it's less than 5% of housing"
"it's a bigger problem than we think!"

i love it here

It is a problem even if the size of the problem is up for debate.

One player owning multiple houses means multiple players will be unable to get a house because the supply isn't sufficient for the entire player base let alone for every player who wants multiple houses to have them.

Even if only 5,000 houses are owned by multiple house owners using shell FCs to get the additional houses, that's 5,000 players who want a house and won't be able to get one.

[Big_Bap]

It is a problem even if the size of the problem is up for debate.

One player owning multiple houses means multiple players will be unable to get a house because the supply isn't sufficient for the entire player base let alone for every player who wants multiple houses to have them.

Even if only 5,000 houses are owned by multiple house owners using shell FCs to get the additional houses, that's 5,000 players who want a house and won't be able to get one.

How cute of you. You are yet again failing to mention the bigger issues that come from personal housing. /yawn

[Almagnus1]

Skipping out on the (numerous) personal digs...

The point is that FC housing can accommodate way more people than personal housing. Hence why personal housing is much more problematic, granted it takes up the majority of the plots for a lot less players.

As has been pointed by other people, FC housing for the vast majority of players is something that basically isn't an actual housing experience, just a destination that belongs to the FC. While it is true that FC housing is great for the FC leader and officers, generally speaking, everyone else is locked out of all decorating, gardening, and generally do not have the ability to run voyages with the airships or subs.

Your words ring hollow when the cold, hard truth is that personal housing IS the solution to the housing problem, and its going to need time to get the wards (or more realistically another 2-3 additional neighborhoods) before there's enough supply to resolve this. FC housing IS DEFINITELY not the way to fix the housing problem, and all the shell FCs have done is make a bad problem worse.

Setting the record straight darling.

Well bless your heart, but I am not your girlfriend so please do not refer to me as such.

You think a couple of thousand house owners are a problem but ironically, personal housing has no issues.

Stop trying to downplay the issue by making the 10,042 to 27,768 properties (depending on how you define a shell FC) seem like it's only "a couple of thousand".

As a shell FC is a an FC that is created with the sole intention to acquire and hold a house (and typically as a way for a player to acquire and hold multiple properties), and that practice is actually obstructing a player (or a legitimate FC) from getting a house. I mean, reading https://support.na.square-enix.com/f...=68216&id=5382 it looks like the shell FC is actually in violation of:

・Other obstruction of play
This means all other behaviour that deliberately obstructs another person's game play by some means.

Not only is that your opinion

Please point to where in the CoC or TOS it's a violation to hold an opinion.

1: It's not irrelevant when personal housing brings in way more issues.

Ok, start listing issues, and no, the lack of FC rooms or workshop doesn't count. And for the record, I have long advocated that the workshop functionality be moved out of housing so it's more generally available.

2: The temporary restriction on FC housing doesn't even work

And it's really more of a case that SE needs to make a policy decision and not change it because all it's doing is creating more issues than taking a hardline stance and enforing the same set of rules to all housing owners.

The temporary restrictions are a good starting point, but I'm generally in favor of getting rid of that housing restriction (and have been for a while) as IMO it's too opaque. Personally, I see no issue with a player having a personal house and also being part of an FC that has an FC house. The only way to fix this housing issue is to shut down the shell FCs (so the only FC houses out there are the ones that belong to legitimate FCs) and get as many personal houses out there for people to acquire and use.

4: Funny how you bring in SE's intent when you've previously stated that you believe any FC with less than 4 members shouldn't exist (something they obviously disagree with).

I think SE's intent was made pretty clear in another thread. I'm using FC population because that's an easy catch all for the shell FCs, although I would be more in favor of a more accurate way to determine what is (and isn't) a shell FC. The best solution to the shell FC problem is one that deletes the shell FCs without causing collateral damage to the micro FCs.

The game allows you to own as many FC houses until you cap an account.

I'm fully aware of that, and that's why I am fighting to bring as much visibility to the shell FC problem in hopes that SE finally deals with it.

3: FCs with 0 members exist because of character recovery.

Which is all the more reasons why those FCs shouldn't be searchable... and kinda proves the point about the SE data being... weird... which was what I was getting at earlier.

In-depth? You are one most uninformed people I've come across on this forum.

Just because you disagree with me does not make me uninformed (or for that matter, just because you disagree with me doesn't make me a troll).

[iamed]

The worst offender on our server here owns 17 properties, all the same tag, closed, with 1 maybe 2 PCs in them, and all rank 6.

It's honestly just disheartening hearing people committing to the pain of trying to get a property seeing such flagrant and obvious circumvention of the limits in place and getting demoralized by it.

In reality I think they need to decouple the things that act as an allure to owning multiple FC properties (buff prep/airships/subs) and make them be accomplished via other means. Then tighten up restriction & enforcement of such things afterwards.

[Karhu_Katsu]

And the second highest has 15, and a website advertising their "investments". Funny calling something an investment if you aren't making money off of them.

[Jojoya]

And the second highest has 15, and a website advertising their "investments". Funny calling something an investment if you aren't making money off of them.

Why do you think they're not making gil from them? Workshops handled properly generate a lot of gil.

[Almagnus1]

Why do you think they're not making gil from them? Workshops handled properly generate a lot of gil.

It's why public workshop access should be granted to everyone. For as much stuff as we have done for Garlond Ironworks, Cid had better be over the [real] moon happy that we want to work with him.