Are the Islands better than owning a house?

[Limecat]

Yes understood but if you didn't have a house would the island be a viable option?

Not really. You still can't use the indoor furnishings(what most people are probably after), you can't install a garden(if you wanted to do seed crossing and such), and of course there's no ability to do airship and submarine ventures like if you purchased a solo FC house.

[Kuroka]

When they added the outdoor furnishings it finally had some decent customizability. The rest of the island is all the same and is just a giant gathering zone. I think it's funny they put your bedroom in the upper floor in the previous version but then put it back on the ground floor for the final version. I guess they think most people like being watched by mammets while they sleep.

It triggers me so hard, like, its pretty but its kinda a step back... and i mean, have you seen the rainstorms there? lol id wished for something more enclosed... i dont really wanna but i might go back tho the skin from before...

[TheMightyMollusk]

Maybe if they'd put a house on the island that could actually be customized, but they didn't.

[Oizen]

Maybe if they'd put a house on the island that could actually be customized, but they didn't.

what did you expect effort in your subscription mmo? Do you not like spreadsheets??

[MsQi]

Yes understood but if you didn't have a house would the island be a viable option?

If all you want is “thing to invite people to so you can show off what you did” then I guess it’ll do fine. They are still two very different things with a small amount of crossover.

[chip793]

They're not a stand-in for housing. You can't do several things a house is actually useful for on your island (Thavnarian Onion my beloved, workshop, summoning bell. The list goes on.) It's just a gussied-up minigame with the depth of a puddle. Slice of life "content" that until recently had no real incentive to continue playing once you hit max rank. Even now you can just schedule vouchers within a day or two after buying all the blue cowrie unlocks with little to no need to grind for mats thanks to granaries and automated farming. The best part is that doing so each week future-proofs you from any new blue cowrie unlocks they might add.

[Wolferey]

I mean, the only point to have a house besides bragging/(illegally?) selling it is:
- A spot to gather
- A spot to decorate
- Gardening

they barely do the first 2, its limited to like 16? players and they have to be on your friendslist to begin with, no way to get your entire FC to hang there, and you only decorate the outside and its better than housing, but no inside/actually customizing the house... and the last one they don't let you do at all (the crop thing is not the same gardening). So in all regards, island is not better than housing.. though not by much, the only bonus is you don't have a digital mortgage now, everyone gets an island and you won't lose it if you unsub, though the island itself is more a curse brought upon us by Tataru if you ask me.

[DiaDeem]

Well... not entirely, but as far as furnishings go, you just register an item and then you can place as many as you want of said item, so you can build a lot of creative stuff outside.

[Chasingstars]

Apartment? Decorating, very limited gardening.
Private house? Gardening plots, decorating.
FC house? As the prior but also comes with a workshop which is fairly substantial.

The island sanctuary is more like an outdoor version of a FC house, but instead of airships and submarines, its cowries and what rewards they offer. But still misses out on having a lot of gardening plots.

[sagacious]

Apartment? Decorating, very limited gardening.
Private house? Gardening plots, decorating.
FC house? As the prior but also comes with a workshop which is fairly substantial.

The island sanctuary is more like an outdoor version of a FC house, but instead of airships and submarines, its cowries and what rewards they offer. But still misses out on having a lot of gardening plots.

But still 100's of forum posts wanted instance housing and we got instance islands. Square hit two rocks with one stone by not angering the housing owners and providing the entire player base a Island home. I'd say that's a win win for sure .