The Other Side of the Housing Issue

So everyone argues the problem with housing & inactive players/companies, but there is another facet to the current housing shortage that is not being addressed people who essentially own multiple plots per server.

These people create just as much of a problem by making alt characters to put them in charge of "dummy companies" they either create & buy property with or buy FCs that already have a house built/furnished.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot that can be done about this due to the fact these players are subverting the system via putting alts in control of these "DFC"s other than putting a restriction on the number of FCs any single account can own.

(Needed to vent this out because of the lack of available housing & the surplus of inactive houses on Brynhildr)

I know what you mean. I've spotted at least one FC with a sub-FC, in which both own a house. Why do they need two, and how is that fair to those of us who haven't seen an open plot in ages?

I finally have the money, and there's no land to buy!

Um... It's talked about just as much as inactives, trust me. Dig up those threads and you'll see it, it's not a forgotten issue.

But yes, it definitely is an issue. Just saw a character in his own FC (meaning only one member) yesterday, and ofc the FC had a house as well......... yeah.

The big mistake they made, which would be almost impossible to rectify, was to mix private & FC housing. How it should have worked was that once you got your FC to a certain level you got a guaranteed plot in a FC only area. You would have to pay according to size of plot, obviously, but a plot would nevertheless be guaranteed. It would start as a small plot and you could, over time, increase the size by the current FC Workshop system along with the relevant payment.

Private housing should have been somewhere separate, maybe accessible through the housing wards using those roads that go nowhere (I know Lavender Beds & Goblet have them) and with different names rather than subdivisions.

The private areas could have more houses if only small plots were available, alternatively, they could have a higher than 25 (or is it 20?) outdoor item limit.

Cont. (unable to edit & paste on mobile site).

All too late now but it's how I would have done it. I'd have also instigated a one house per server account with all the alts on the account having access to the house. For example, one character on Balmung = 1 plot, second character on Tonberry = 1 plot but if you have 2 or more characters on Balmung they would still share the same house. It would be impossible to have more than one private house per account.

Hyperion has a few douchey companies that do the same.