Quote Originally Posted by Stormfur View Post
I imagine it must be different on JP servers maybe... or possibly even EU where people live in closer proximity to each other.

I've literally seen 2 people in my same entire ward, ever.
It's not different on the other worlds. If you're running into players in the wards, it's usually because some big FC or RP venue is running an event. There's no reason to be in the wards because there's no content to do there other than player generated content.

Limsa Lower Decks can be used as a great example of why the wards are failing as a community builder. Think about what it looks like right now with players coming and going as they do quests, check the Marketboards, use the Summoning Bells, etc. There's going to be about 200-250 players moving around there during peak play hours for a world.

Now make 48 copies of it and randomly place players into one of those copies as they enter. Instead of seeing 200 players milling around, you're down to 4 or 5. Maybe you'll run into one of them, maybe you won't. Lower Decks is a fairly big place between the Octant, Bulwark Hall, Hawker's Alley, Arcanist Guild and Fisherman's Bottom.

Now change those 48 copies into 192 (the number of wards/subdivisions on a world). Chances are good you're all alone. You're not going to see anyone. Lower Decks will look abandoned.

Dead.

Is it any wonder we feel that way about the wards? There are too many wards spreading out where the players who want to be in housing are at any given time. Even those who are there are usually inside the instanced interiors, not hanging out in the non-instanced ward.

Those who can't buy a house because there aren't any available have even less reason to be in a ward while those who own multiple houses can only be at one of those houses at a time.

And so the wards feel abandoned. Dead.

Until SE can understand these things and the negative effect they have on housing as a player experience, housing in this game will never be anything but a substandard system.