FFXIV: Adventures in Housing Relocation
When S/E released the new Data Center for the NA servers, they also provided free server transfers. This was to allow people a chance to choose where they wanted their characters to be, especially after some servers that were previously connected by a DC were separated.
That, along with the reinstatement of housing demolition, has opened up new housing on every server – though, some more than others. I heard that the Aether DC still hardly had any housing, while some smaller servers on Crystal had 100+ (mostly small) houses to choose from each.
Considering the Move
On my server, it’s been a crowded rush to grab a place. And really, it’d not crossed my mind to move from my plot at all… until this weekend. I mean, the lot in the Goblet I managed to secure was my original home in 2015.
But you know… it’s 2019. And while I’m thankful to have a house at all given the housing environment of Mateus, I really haven’t been all that inspired to mull over a theme and decorate it. Which is a shame.
I started seeing all sorts of folks posting about their new dream houses and the lots they won and things like that. And even though I appreciate my spot in the Goblet, it inched into my head that maybe it’s time for something different.
We already have a FC house in Shirogane, which I love. But I have my fill of decorating a Shiro house and really wanted something different. I’ve never been much of a Limsa person, though the Mist is lovely – I’d have to have beachfront property there or nothing. So that just left hunting a house in the Beds. Much of my RP lately has been focused on the Shroud, so this just seemed like the natural place to be.
Once I’d gotten that in my head, it was time to try to make it a reality.
The House Hunt
Usually, there were about 2-4 houses sprinkled across the Beds at any given time. I’d seen upwards of about 8 in the Goblet once, and even 6 open in Shirogane on a Saturday night!
Most houses were heavily camped by the time I was aware of them. I’d scout out a place, see how many people were there, determine if this is the really-really spot for me… and usually walk away. I even passed up my old spot on the Shiro beach (for above mentioned reason).
You see, since I already own a house, as long as I have the gil to purchase the lot, I can walk up to any open place and just relocate my house to it. Which means… those other people who had been waiting on the stupid housing timer to drop were just out of luck.
And that sucks.
I hate that this is how the system works. It’s one of the most flawed things in FFXIV.
But at the same time, I did my time clicking the housing sign for hours to get my own place back in the day. Relocation is a part of the game, and perfectly legit to do if you already own a house. It just sucks for people who don’t have one yet, but I’ve also been there and done that myself.
So, knowing this, I tried to go about this in a way that was going to disappoint the least amount of people. That’s still a sad choice to have to make.
I popped by several houses over the weekend, until one lot – #7 in the Beds – opened up on Saturday night. I went there and realized it was one of the waterfall-side lots. It has a wonderful view of the lake, and is probably one of the more coveted houses in the neighborhood (though I think that Medium house just up from it is my dream spot).
There were two issues with it: 1- there was a huge crowd of people already camping it 2- the neighbors had dubious taste in decor. Namely, there was a moogle house to the right, a chocobo house to the front and a piassa house staring down from the hill above.
I thought about it a while, then let it go.
Housing Get
I’d almost convinced myself to just wait for everything to calm down by Sunday afternoon. Eventually, I’d find something that was to my liking, right? No need to rush.
But curiosity got me and I checked the neighborhoods again. Only to see that Lot #7 in a different ward had opened up. Thinking it was mid-Sunday and there was little chance in it not being massively camped, I popped over to look at it.
Not only were the neighbors nicely decorated here, but there were only two people camping the house. I thought about it for a bit. Then I nervously walked up to the placard, typed out an apology, and claimed it for my own.
It really was bittersweet knowing I got the house I wanted, but other people lost out on it. There were only two, both in the same FC. And they were actually very nice about the situation. They congratulated me on getting a lovely view and I told them where my previous plot had been in hopes they could get their foot in the housing door.
My old plot is often overlooked because it’s in the back of the housing area and not traveled very much. That was likely part of the reason I won it to begin with. So hopefully they have a chance.
I felt pretty bad about what I had to do to get that house. And it really speaks to a crummy experience that I in no way support when it comes to a housing system. At least these two people were very good sports about it – I apologized and thanked them and wished them well.
So, I spent the evening gathering and crafting exterior pieces for my new Gridanian style house. I hadn’t fully decorated it when I took the above pics, so it looks different now, but I’m very pleased with the move.
I’m still considering what kind of theme I’d like to create for it on the inside. I do feel a lot more inspired after the move to greener lands to work on decorating it. I’ll certainly write about it when I make some progress!