It seems SE sees apartments as Housing

[Yodada]

At least half of the available Lodestone Languages are advertising Housing including apartments. If we like it or not.



So I wouldnt bet on any substantial solutions for the future besides new Server or DC.

From Squares perspective they are still following the advertisment and it seems this kind of information got lost somewhere in the translation Limbo for the NA / French Players.

So get ready for more bandaids ;P

[ballprince]

I really think they should listen to more player feedback about apartments, but that is just me. They could be adequate if the features were the same, we weren't entirely blocked off from using ANY outdoor furniture, gardening, more spaces please. I agree completely on thinking square will always view apartments as part of housing, I do wish they'd address the issues players have been talking about for a long time.

[Jojoya]

We know they see it as part of housing. That's why I encourage posters to say "house" instead of housing if they have no interest in apartments and their concern is houses.

That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement across the entire system, whether apartments or houses.

[Archaell]

It is housing. And it would be perfectly fine housing were the physical houses non-existing. But because the houses do exist, players of course thirst for the capitalistic ownership. I for one would be perfectly fine with houses being FC only - were there mechanics in place that would make it impossible for one person to keep the FC shell going of course. Nobody likes exploiters.

[Jojoya]

I for one would be perfectly fine with houses being FC only - were there mechanics in place that would make it impossible for one person to keep the FC shell going of course.

Unfortunately, many of us wouldn't be fine with houses being FC only because most FC officers don't allow their members to use the housing specific features. They keep access to themselves (not to mention the gil mentioned from those features as well). The members end up mere visitors in their officers' private housing.

Certainly there are some good FCs out there that try to give their members reasonable access (it's an awkward situation filled with trolling potential) and use any gil earned to benefit the entire FC but that number is smaller than it should be.

Thus players do what they need to secure a house for their own use. Personal plot when they can, shell FC otherwise. That's a fault of the system design, not the players.

[Ilisidi]

The only things private houses have over apartments are the outdoor area and option to cross garden. So, yeah, apartments with outdoor areas would be a substitute.

The Shirogane Inn shows a courtyard garden. Having such a thing with 10 outdoor plots accessible by apartments would have made me not click camp for a private house.

And I think SE is regretting ever opening the wards to private housing.

[Eraden]

The only things private houses have over apartments are the outdoor area and option to cross garden. So, yeah, apartments with outdoor areas would be a substitute.

The Shirogane Inn shows a courtyard garden. Having such a thing with 10 outdoor plots accessible by apartments would have made me not click camp for a private house.

And I think SE is regretting ever opening the wards to private housing.

I think the biggest problem that SE has is a lack of personnel that have a firm grasp on the intricacies of human nature. I've said this before and I will say it again, it's basic human instinct to want some place to call home, even if it's within a virtual environment. The moment SE opened up personal housing, it lit a fire in the hearts and minds of a good many players. A fire that can't be easily put out. A fire that won't be dimmed by the rather lackluster offering of the poor substitute that apartments currently are. And, by the way, I can think of another bit of functionality that houses have over apartments. You can have additional tenants for your house and those people can make use of the items placed in that house. I would love to have people over to my apartment and serve them meals that they can actually eat. It may be RP fluff, but then, that is a lot of what houses are about.

[AlzabetSmallberries]

All of that, and allowing tenants - I do decor/design for others and get SO many players asking if I can do their apartments... but, alas, no. Cannot be added to access housing menu. Even if they could just allow one other person permissions for those purposes

[Jojoya]

I think the biggest problem that SE has is a lack of personnel that have a firm grasp on the intricacies of human nature. I've said this before and I will say it again, it's basic human instinct to want some place to call home, even if it's within a virtual environment. The moment SE opened up personal housing, it lit a fire in the hearts and minds of a good many players. A fire that can't be easily put out. A fire that won't be dimmed by the rather lackluster offering of the poor substitute that apartments currently are. And, by the way, I can think of another bit of functionality that houses have over apartments. You can have additional tenants for your house and those people can make use of the items placed in that house. I would love to have people over to my apartment and serve them meals that they can actually eat. It may be RP fluff, but then, that is a lot of what houses are about.

They've provided players with a place to call home - apartments.

It's not a lack of understanding of human nature. Housing is perceived differently in JP than in the US. Unless you're living with family (parents and/or children), you most likely will be living in an apartment in Japan. If you're living in one of the more heavily populated areas like Tokyo and are single, you may even be living in a boarding room.

Houses in Japan are much smaller on average than houses in the US (1400 sq ft versus 2200 sq ft).

Culturally, we're always striving to get more in the US instead of learning to be satisfied with "enough".

It goes far in showing why the developers may not see the housing system as the problem that we see it to be, especially with many of us used to western MMOs that have done housing very differently. But considering how much work they've put into the game to make it more appealing to the western audience and not just a JP audience, they really need to take that into account when it comes to the housing system. House ownership is very important in the US ("the American Dream") and so it's natural that NA players are looking to buy houses in game, not apartments. It's a way to fulfill the dream when it might be financially out of reach in real life.

(I don't know how EU residents view housing so better for them to speak for themselves on the issue. Are houses also the standard there regardless of familial status or are they more likely to settle for living in apartments like JP?)

[Risvertasashi]

I agree, all their marketing material for housing shows off apartments so people should just realize - wait...