GMs won’t help me with my issue of putting gil in the wrong plot while distracted

Yeah I know this is mostly a rant, but I feel this needs to be public knowledge and I’m not even sure if I should be posting this here…


And now, onto the show.

Yes I know from the title it’ll be “sounds like your own fault, no sympathy just move on.” And if you feel that way I understand your point of view and don’t meet with it and that’s fine. But I want to make this post to help future players perhaps.

So when the new housing wards was announced I was excited. I’d been trying to upgrade to a Medium for a while. To no avail. Something I think we all agree on.

I used to make fun of people on Reddit and here for having housing problems because I got my house the moment I found the plot when the server Im on was more empty. Now I got my all deserts I guess.

I was prepping for raid, finishing up D&D on Discord and thought I’d quickly check out the new wards to see if they’re available. They were and I was excited. I got out my gil went to the board and put in my bid without really looking or thinking and ADHD had already made me forget where I was so I assumed I was stood right outside of the one I wanted. There was this disclaimer that would pop up but my monitor made the text impossible to read for me cuz my eyes suck even with glasses. I wish I had someone to restate them to me so I could know if this is what was said in it.

This all was all good everything was fine. Until I noticed my gil was higher than it should be. It was then I realized I was stood in front of a small. Alright cool I’ll just withdraw and move over. Nope. It won’t let me withdraw. Okay, then I’ll just move over to the medium and just force it to, nope. Won’t even let me.

And this is where my frustration began. Because I was right at that moment pretty indifferent to how things were going. Just contact the GMs they’ll fix it everything will be fine and all will blow over and Raid will be smooth as butter. GM finally contacts me and… “it is currently not something the GMs can do.” (Not literally just my own words). Huh? Okay then guys, who can help me then? Where should I take this concern? They wouldn’t get back to me until I was about to log off but I’d already drafted up an SE support ticket for it as well. Surely they have higher permissions. Well the GMs got back to me and explained how… I’d have to wait for the ruling to get the gil back because it was impossible to do or blah blah blah and that I’d just have to withdraw if I won and lose half the gil I put in.

This made me upset. I could not understand their logic. They neither addressed my issue or my question I asked about who to contact. I sent the SE email and thought I’d not hear from them in a week (spoilers, it was under 10 hours). And on top of that I was already of the belief that if I won I’d waste the other person who bid’s time and now I’m losing gil too? What nonsense is this? So I desperately waited for the SE support (not gonna post their response, it was literally the exact same thing). And the more I thought about it, the more insulting that response was to me. They didn’t even give me an answer to where to take the complaint to my issue. Part of me is so upset I want to live stream me on hold with SE to find out how to fix this if I even get in a call with them at all.

At this point I’m not mad. I’m almost dejected and want my woes heard. Every time I make a post on this on Reddit it goes nowhere and people tell me how I’m in the wrong, usually rightfully so. But now I’m going to waste my own gil and someone else’s time because the GMs and nobody will help me direct where to take this? And I don’t have any help whatsoever and just have to hope I lose a 50/50 coin flip when the plot I want could go away as well? Like at this point I’m disappointed. I’ve not had a bad experience with SE’s GMs but this just made me sad. I hope this is the outlier of my issues but I don’t know.

Anyway: TLDR, exactly what the title says, just the full story and me explaining that I’m probably in the wrong in places and that’s fine if I don’t meet eye to eye with everyone on this. Sorry if this is nothing but a rant and nobody takes sympathy on me.

It doesn't just sound like it's your fault, it IS your fault. Maybe, you just need to chalk this up to one of life's little mistakes we make and move on.

I get your feeling OP but unfortunately it is perfectly normal than GMs don't deal with those cases, because people do A LOT of mistakes when biding on a plot and GMs can't put that much of time dealing with these mistakes.
IRL, I work all day with people who do things on a rush and don't read ; most of my time is taken by fixing their mistakes for them, so maybe I'm a little biaised here, sorry.
Plus, withdrawing could cause many problems during biding times, with people trolling. This is why is not allowed.
I hope you'll manage to grab your M plot on the next turn.

There are probably technical reasons why withdrawing an entry isn't possible. As well as design reasons. I could vote on a plot with all my alts to make a plot undesirable, then withdraw so my friend could win. RMT could take advantage of it as well. Right now vote manipulation isn't a thing precisely because no one is allowed to withdraw.

If your ADHD is making you sign things without reading, spend unknown amounts of money and go to places without thinking, you are in real life danger as an adult. I hope you are able to consult a doctor and rebalance your treatment.

RPGs are mainly about choices, not so much about fast reflexes or strategy. A free choice includes the ability to make a bad choice. It's not the GMs job to fix those for you. You could get someone else to help you with your desicions in game or you could just accept that you are going to make mistakes.

The GMs would be swamped with refund requests if players could contact them to withdraw their bids for whatever reason.

If players were allowed to withdraw bids on their own during the entry period there would be a fair amount of trolling occurring, making the process even more irritating for those trying to get a house and failing.

That's why the Purchase Guide on the Lodestone clearly states:

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Entry Period
In order to submit an entry, access the placard of an available plot during the entry period and proceed with the submission procedures to receive a lottery number.
* Once submitted, a lottery entry may not be withdrawn.

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While I do have some sympathy for you (we all make mistakes at times), as others have said you should take this as a lesson. Wait until you can focus before engaging in actions that can't be reversed. I know you mentioned ADHD but unfortunately too many people who have never been diagnosed with it and probably don't have it use it as an excuse for their actions so it has lost its meaning (which is sad for those who truly do have ADHD).

Hopefully, someone else will win the plot and you will get all of your gil back then another medium will appear in the next lottery period for you.

And I thought those additional confirmation screens where you have to click twice or more for even basic stuff were unnecessary.

I'm sorry but it is entirely your fault.

The game warns you MULTIPLE times that you CAN'T change your bid.

It is what it is.

I'm sorry, that does suck a lot. Unfortunately, this really isn't something GMs can do anything about, SE doesn't allow them to. So I'd save your ire for SE basically making GMs customer service folks who handle harassment complaints and not much else.

Unfortunately there isn't much you can do. My only suggestion is next time read the multiple windows that pop up giving you warnings rather than steamroll through them. I do have some sympathy, I get that ADHD can be challenging at times, but ultimately you know you have this condition, and need to make sure you accommodate for it.

Imagine actually reading

They don't have to and also this IS your fault and rolling into a lottery like this may complicate taking your vote out of it in a figure of speech.

Try again next week and if you do win at least you got a house that you then can relocate to a new one with the next lottery going on or something down those lines.

Would need to be fair for all, and if everyone could ask getting their ticket taken out and refunded GM's would have nothing else to do.

As others have said, the way the system is designed it cannot allow for backsies, since it would allow for plot manipulation and be open for bad actors to exploit it. Neither can they made an exception for any reason. After all, if they reverse your bid because of ADHD, who's to say bad actors won't also abuse it and pretend to have the same? The silver lining is if you don't win, you'll get 100% of your gil back. You only have to lose half if you win and don't claim. The other silver lining is that if you don't already have a house, you can at least enjoy that small if you win, then attempt a relocate in the next lottery period if there's a plot open you want still.

While your story is unfortunate and I can empathize with ADHD as I have a friend who has it, I can only suggest that you try your best to develop the habit of triple checking anything you do in-game that is a major decision. Like putting money into a plot, buying tome gear, etc to prevent another unfortunate event from happening.

I can empathize as I bid on a medium plot today when I meant to bid on a small as I was paying attention to FC chat instead of actually looking at the plots since they looked all the same size on my map. Oh well, if I win I guess I get a bigger place to decorate.

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Originally Posted by FireMage

Imagine actually reading

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The game has way too many confirmation windows for players to have to read through. It gets to the point we're mindnumb to them and stop paying attention.

It's a situation where too much for the sake of caution becomes more problem than help. Redesigning the UI so things are clearer in the first place and fewer confirmation windows are needed would help.

"While distracted" sounds like the best possible time to bid large sums of gil on a very limited resource.

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Originally Posted by Jojoya

The game has way too many confirmation windows for players to have to read through. It gets to the point we're mindnumb to them and stop paying attention.

It's a situation where too much for the sake of caution becomes more problem than help. Redesigning the UI so things are clearer in the first place and fewer confirmation windows are needed would help.

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In most cases, I'd agree, but when bidding on a house, where you know that you're putting a large sum of money on the line, paying attention should be the first thing you do, and that includes making sure you read the confirmation pop ups. If you (royal you), like the OP, have eyesight problems and you know this is the case, compensate for that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jojoya

The game has way too many confirmation windows for players to have to read through. It gets to the point we're mindnumb to them and stop paying attention.

It's a situation where too much for the sake of caution becomes more problem than help. Redesigning the UI so things are clearer in the first place and fewer confirmation windows are needed would help.

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Talk about garbage logic

"Nah we need less reading for important things"

Yikes

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Originally Posted by FireMage

Talk about garbage logic

"Nah we need less reading for important things"

Yikes

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The banks would agree with that logic :D

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Originally Posted by MilkieTea

In most cases, I'd agree, but when bidding on a house, where you know that you're putting a large sum of money on the line, paying attention should be the first thing you do, and that includes making sure you read the confirmation pop ups. If you (royal you), like the OP, have eyesight problems and you know this is the case, compensate for that.

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Oh, I'm not trying to say that the surplus gives players an excuse when they make the mistake. It's just why such mistakes are likely to happen and how SE could help improve the situation.

As you say, it's something that we need to be especially mindful on those occasions with greater consequences.

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Originally Posted by FireMage

Talk about garbage logic

"Nah we need less reading for important things"

Yikes

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Where did I say that?

Oh right, I didn't.

Too many of the confirmation windows are for things that are not important. SE needs to cut them down to what actually is important.

I get that General Discussion has been on the slow side lately with everyone back to playing the game instead of bored and just hanging out so you're not getting much material worth trolling but this particular effort on your part lacks your usual flair.

I can't tell if this weak effort means you're desperate for material or coming down sick. If you're sick, I hope you feel better soon.

As someone with ADHD as well, things get super overwhelming so we rush & lose focus- it's hard to stop for a moment & it's not as easy as just 'pay attention' lol
I feel your pain bc I did something similar on a recent lotto-now I'm out of the gold I needed for a medium but I do still have a nice small plot. It is what it is.

Just learn from the mistake is all I can say

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Originally Posted by Jojoya

The game has way too many confirmation windows for players to have to read through. It gets to the point we're mindnumb to them and stop paying attention.

It's a situation where too much for the sake of caution becomes more problem than help. Redesigning the UI so things are clearer in the first place and fewer confirmation windows are needed would help.

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I totally agree with this. It isn't a valid excuse for the OP, but it is a problem. We are constantly asked to confirm choices - many of which have consequences not worth putting the confirmation even in there for. When a consequential choice is presented, our brains are already wired to just click yes anyway.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jojoya

Oh, I'm not trying to say that the surplus gives players an excuse when they make the mistake. It's just why such mistakes are likely to happen and how SE could help improve the situation.

As you say, it's something that we need to be especially mindful on those occasions with greater consequences.


Where did I say that?

Oh right, I didn't.

Too many of the confirmation windows are for things that are not important. SE needs to cut them down to what actually is important.

I get that General Discussion has been on the slow side lately with everyone back to playing the game instead of bored and just hanging out so you're not getting much material worth trolling but this particular effort on your part lacks your usual flair.

I can't tell if this weak effort means you're desperate for material or coming down sick. If you're sick, I hope you feel better soon.

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Imagine actually trying to say that spending millions of gil isn't important. Garbage take as per usual from you. Also if anyone is sick here, it's you since you seem unable to push buttons correctly. Dismissed

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Originally Posted by FireMage

Imagine actually trying to say that spending millions of gil isn't important. Garbage take as per usual from you. Also if anyone is sick here, it's you since you seem unable to push buttons correctly. Dismissed

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Jojoya: The game needs to cut down on confirmation windows for useless crap so that players don't ignore the confirmation windows for housing.

Firemage: YO WAI U WANNA GET RID OF CONFIRMATION WINDOWS FOR HOUSING!?

The reading comprehension is amazing

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Originally Posted by HeyMcFly

As someone with ADHD as well, things get super overwhelming so we rush & lose focus- it's hard to stop for a moment & it's not as easy as just 'pay attention' lol
I feel your pain bc I did something similar on a recent lotto-now I'm out of the gold I needed for a medium but I do still have a nice small plot. It is what it is.

Just learn from the mistake is all I can say

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It's hard to stop for a moment, yes, but not impossible. For important decisions such as this, you need to make the effort to pay attention.

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Originally Posted by Pablomaldito

Jojoya: The game needs to cut down on confirmation windows for useless crap so that players don't ignore the confirmation windows for housing.

Firemage: YO WAI U WANNA GET RID OF CONFIRMATION WINDOWS FOR HOUSING!?

The reading comprehension is amazing

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All the confirmation windows are important, t-cup

Sadly if they allowed people to Withdraw bids you would DEFFINETLY see this exploited.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MilkieTea

It's hard to stop for a moment, yes, but not impossible. For important decisions such as this, you need to make the effort to pay attention.

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I'm not disagreeing with you because YES it's common sense to make an effort to pay attention- I tell myself this all of the time but it doesn't help.
AND when you don't think anything is wrong, the issue of double checking goes out the window

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Originally Posted by Ayan_Calvesse

Sadly if they allowed people to Withdraw bids you would DEFFINETLY see this exploited.

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This ^

While yes, I've been on the other side of the fence at 1st with "we should be allowed to retract our bids etc"
I've seen so many people who would just use it to help their friend get a plot by discouraging others with a high bid

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pablomaldito

Jojoya: The game needs to cut down on confirmation windows for useless crap so that players don't ignore the confirmation windows for housing.

Firemage: YO WAI U WANNA GET RID OF CONFIRMATION WINDOWS FOR HOUSING!?

The reading comprehension is amazing

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He knows what I said.

He's trolling as usual.

Sometimes I indulge his need to be fed. While he isn't pleasant to be around, I hate to see living things starve to death.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HeyMcFly

I'm not disagreeing with you because YES it's common sense to make an effort to pay attention- I tell myself this all of the time but it doesn't help.
AND when you don't think anything is wrong, the issue of double checking goes out the window

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I say this as someone who's Autistic (so I struggle to pay attention, just for... different reasons) as well as someone who's partner is ADHD.

We've both developed a system that typically works for important things such as this: ignoring whether or not we think anything is wrong or right. We might get out of the house later, or take a longer time to do things, but it means that mistakes like this (which can translate to IRL! I've almost bought a TV that was 3x the price it was supposed to be) are readily avoided because we double, triple, quadruple check even when we're sure we're right.

Leaving the house? Check if the stove's off, the toilet's flushed, the sinks are off, and the keys are where they should be. Many a time's I've saved our house from burning down because of this.
Buying something? Check the price. Check it again. Make sure you check the price a third time because, who knows, your mind might've wandered.

It makes things go slowly and my GF hates it but, hey, when the habit's developed it just ultimately makes life a lot easier.