I'm putting this out here because of the recent patch causing another rush of players charging the houses to each other's despair, and I would like to say this:
The random timer should be removed.
I understand players may have been frustrated in the past with people forming a monopoly on the housing market to resell them at a substantial profit but this is not the way Squeenix should resolve it.
With housing transfers freeing up homes, players are back to looming in front of a board praying for a chance at a feature that should be available to everyone as opposed to being available to those who sweat hard enough.
This is meant to be a game played for fun, one where we get along and communicate, set up a social aspect that shapes the world around us through our personal connections. The markets, the housing, groups, raiding, crafting, FATEs, roleplay, it was ALL in the hands of the players. As such, the random timer removes player agency from the equation, and creates a hostile environment.
Here's why we need a return to houses becoming available the moment they're freed up:
1. Players will be able to free up spots for each other through communication and coordination. Is there a potential bias to this? Of course. MMOs are about making friends, so what's stopping you?
2. Buying from someone who supposedly 'gouges prices' actually gives you value for your money, as you are acquiring the plot without the added anxiety of this toxic competition for what should be a feature for everyone.
3. Reporting players has always been a feature, and if someone is going in with this kind of transaction, they can prepare screenshots to make sure the seller remains true to their word, or report if they are charging well more than is necessary (which can always be established as a rule, ToS changes often).
4. Meritocracy has never worked. The random timer has forced people to suffer just for a chance at a home. The moment a game causes you genuine distress just to use a basic feature, you know it needs reworking.
5. A player housing market for all its flaws allowed players to have a degree of control. The beauty of FFXIV is that it doesn't resemble the real world entirely in its economy, as the game doesn't account for inflation in the player economy. Anyone can get the money needed to buy from a seller, and in a much shorter span of time than we'd expect.
This might very well just be me shouting into the wind, but this new system is nothing short of a communist fantasy that leaves people wanting, distressed, confused and worst of all, hostile. That's not healthy for an MMO community. We shouldn't have to see the player behind the screen of another character as an enemy. The vitriol that's being witnessed, the depressed states that are being created and the genuine malice that's forming is horrifying to look at. Whomever pushed this new system should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.
Continue reading...
The random timer should be removed.
I understand players may have been frustrated in the past with people forming a monopoly on the housing market to resell them at a substantial profit but this is not the way Squeenix should resolve it.
With housing transfers freeing up homes, players are back to looming in front of a board praying for a chance at a feature that should be available to everyone as opposed to being available to those who sweat hard enough.
This is meant to be a game played for fun, one where we get along and communicate, set up a social aspect that shapes the world around us through our personal connections. The markets, the housing, groups, raiding, crafting, FATEs, roleplay, it was ALL in the hands of the players. As such, the random timer removes player agency from the equation, and creates a hostile environment.
Here's why we need a return to houses becoming available the moment they're freed up:
1. Players will be able to free up spots for each other through communication and coordination. Is there a potential bias to this? Of course. MMOs are about making friends, so what's stopping you?
2. Buying from someone who supposedly 'gouges prices' actually gives you value for your money, as you are acquiring the plot without the added anxiety of this toxic competition for what should be a feature for everyone.
3. Reporting players has always been a feature, and if someone is going in with this kind of transaction, they can prepare screenshots to make sure the seller remains true to their word, or report if they are charging well more than is necessary (which can always be established as a rule, ToS changes often).
4. Meritocracy has never worked. The random timer has forced people to suffer just for a chance at a home. The moment a game causes you genuine distress just to use a basic feature, you know it needs reworking.
5. A player housing market for all its flaws allowed players to have a degree of control. The beauty of FFXIV is that it doesn't resemble the real world entirely in its economy, as the game doesn't account for inflation in the player economy. Anyone can get the money needed to buy from a seller, and in a much shorter span of time than we'd expect.
This might very well just be me shouting into the wind, but this new system is nothing short of a communist fantasy that leaves people wanting, distressed, confused and worst of all, hostile. That's not healthy for an MMO community. We shouldn't have to see the player behind the screen of another character as an enemy. The vitriol that's being witnessed, the depressed states that are being created and the genuine malice that's forming is horrifying to look at. Whomever pushed this new system should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.
Continue reading...