Suggestion to SE (Housing)

[Sukocat]

Ok, SE...seriously, this whole housing situation is becoming incredibly frustrating.

This isn't just a rant in which I'm complaining about not getting a house. No, this is a rant about having to spend exorbitant amounts of time waiting for a house, only to have players start continuously relocating, continuously resetting the market probationary timer.

It's gotten to the point of abuse. So much so, that I'm starting to see a pattern of the same players relocating in order to give their friends a favorable estimated timeframe (when there's less competition) at odd hours in the night to camp for their house.

So, I propose the following petition to SE:

When a plot is auto-demolished due to non-use, place a restriction that both prevents players from buying AND relocating to that plot for a random period of time.

I'm even willing to accept a compromise, in which this restriction can be bypassed in the case of upgrading from a smaller plot to a larger one.

[Sylvina]

Preventing players from buying plots for a period of time will just make the housing issue worse. If you see a house for sale you have to grab it or you won't get it, that's how it is and making people unable to buy open plots is not going to help matters overall.

[NephthysVasudan]

<ranting about housing on a overcrowded server>

Yet an another rant about housing from an overpopulated server.
Stop being picky...if someone relocates...they leave an open plot behind....start paying attention...get the first one that is available and then you can relocate later. Even if you hate the location.

The RNG timer prevents abuse....no one can relocate unless the plot is available and they already own an house.
Relocation leaves an open plot behind as I stated before...that is why the timer is not there in that context. They aren't exploiting anything...your just failing to think outside the box. You have just as much as chance as the next guy to get that plot so long as they do not own a house either or not running an FC.

Maybe you should think about transferring off to some place not nearly as crowded. Don't make housing worse for everyone else because you're not willing to compromise beyond what you already indicated.

PS: You could even make some friends of your own and do the same thing.....its not breaking the rules...you have just as much chance as the next guy. Even they have to answer to RNG Timer.

[Penthea]

It's gotten to the point of abuse. So much so, that I'm starting to see a pattern of the same players relocating in order to give their friends a favorable estimated timeframe (when there's less competition) at odd hours in the night to camp for their house.

I find it hard to believe that there are players constantly transferring their plot location. That's a lot of money, never mind how doing this automatically stores most of your furnishings so you would have to refurnish again every time if you actually want to use your house. It's potentially an incredible amount of money and trouble. Not impossible but unlikely.

When a plot is auto-demolished due to non-use, place a restriction that both prevents players from buying AND relocating to that plot for a random period of time.

I fail to see how this would improve anything. Let's not make the system any worse than it already is just because of a few bad eggs. A better fix would be to limit how many times a player can transfer plot within a certain timeframe.

[Rokke]

I find it hard to believe that there are players constantly transferring their plot location. That's a lot of money, never mind how doing this automatically stores most of your furnishings so you would have to refurnish again every time if you actually want to use your house. It's potentially an incredible amount of money and trouble. Not impossible but unlikely.

Everything on Balmung is cheap since the population is so high so housing is the only thing to really spend your gil on... and cottages are dirt cheap if you're transferring. When there were still plots available from the last ward increase, there were people who were transferring back and forth to troll those waiting out the timers. I didn't think it was still going on since plots have all been full for a loooong time now, but I honestly don't doubt that people with time and gil would find ways to bounce plots between themselves if given the chance.

That said

I fail to see how this would improve anything. Let's not make the system any worse than it already is just because of a few bad eggs. A better fix would be to limit how many times a player can transfer plot within a certain timeframe.

I agree with this 100%

[Beckett]

On non-Balmung servers, the relocation system is pretty decent. If you want a Medium or Large plot, you buy up one of the countless Smalls that are available, then relocate when a bigger plot opens up. And if you're looking for your dream plot, you can keep an eye out and relocate again when it becomes available. Every relocation still costs a fair amount of gil, so people tend to only do it if they really want the new plot.

The changes you propose might help out one server, but they would definitely harm all the other servers.

[Paladinleeds]

On non-Balmung servers, the relocation system is pretty decent. If you want a Medium or Large plot, you buy up one of the countless Smalls that are available, then relocate when a bigger plot opens up. And if you're looking for your dream plot, you can keep an eye out and relocate again when it becomes available. Every relocation still costs a fair amount of gil, so people tend to only do it if they really want the new plot.

This was how our FC got their medium and then large house. Sure, we stayed within The Goblet throughout, but our FC actually likes The Goblet so it's no big deal. This feels like a "fix for one server that harms the rest of the servers" kinda deal unfortunately what the OP has suggested and while I am glad he posted it, I'm just going to have to disagree with it. Someone suggested limited transfers within a period (maybe 1 transfer every 30 days?), that could work better.

[KisaiTenshi]

Someone suggested limited transfers within a period (maybe 1 transfer every 30 days?), that could work better.

Then what if someone moves to a medium and then a large suddenly becomes available?

No just change it so you can't horizontally move within the same ward (eg small to small, medium to medium) more than once. Once moved, you can't move your house again until all plots in that ward have cycled (assuming people are doing this to get their friends into the same ward.) If you're moving from one housing area to another housing area, the cycle will also apply to the one you want to move to. So if you've recently moved, then something opens up on the other housing area, you can't move to that area until all plots that in that ward before you last moved have cycled. If you last moved on 2018-05-29 1am, and there are 3 other plots that auto-demolished at 2018-05-28, you don't get to move into those. You had your chance.

[Paladinleeds]

Then what if someone moves to a medium and then a large suddenly becomes available?

You had your chance.

You answered it yourself. That being said, I wouldn't be averse to your idea of side-grade lockouts for a full cycle (45 days), except I would make it apply to ALL housing areas of that size. Not just the two you moved between. After all, a small is a small is a small. But, if you say go from a small to a medium, all smalls as well as mediums would be locked out for 30 days (large however would still be open). If you then upgrade to a large 3 days later, you're still locked out of smalls for 42 days more, as well as medium/large for 45 days (after all, you upgraded from medium to large, thus resetting the timer).

Though here on Louisoix, there's still a huge number of small plots available (between all housing areas, every one has smalls free, Goblet has an abundance though), most have some mediums free (I think only Shiro is sold out), and Goblet even has a large free. The changes made to housing ownership per service account definitely helped solve the housing issue here (though despite my FC having a large and my personal being a small, don't want med/large as for a personal that's way too big for me - even Small is a bit too big but it's nothing I can't work with, I am still a proponent for instanced housing). Now we can start work on this issue. And because of the space of houses of various sizes here, it's something I am taking into account here.

[Vivi_Bushido]

Yet an another rant about housing from an overpopulated server.
Stop being picky...if someone relocates...they leave an open plot behind....start paying attention...get the first one that is available and then you can relocate later. Even if you hate the location.

A house opened up next door to my FC on my server and I tried to give an FC member gil to purchase it but they were unable to because of the timer. While we were standing all over the placecard trying to plan our next move, some undressed miqo'te who was level 50 max, comes literally sprinting down the street, relocates instantly, and names their new house "My Ward, not yours". Not entirely certain what the message behind the name of the plot meant; but it was pretty obviously an alt with the intention to flip. That was two weeks ago and to this very day, the house has not been decorated. The same plot was later spotted on reddit for sale apart of an outrageous bundle deal requesting for 10 times the amount it was by default price just for relocation value. Yeah, it was a bit upsetting to see.