Reclamation of Inactive Housing announced

[Nerisu]

I don't really mind this house reclamation thingy as it will give other players a chance to get their own houses but it should only affect those who do not have an active subscription. If someone already payed for like months in advanced and for some reason or another is unable to log in for an extended duration, they should not be subjected to it. It's like renting a house, the landlord cannot just evict you just because you seldom go home specially if you've paid in advanced.

[SuperZay]

There was never an agreement that housing plots were yours for life.

Likewise, there was never an agreement that housing plots weren't yours for life. SE can change the rules to their liking, yes. But should we really agree with these changes if they take away from players? I can't speak for myself because I'm regular, but these changes are definitelly casual players unfriendly.

[worldofneil]

But should we really agree with these changes if they take away from players?

Take away from the minority of players that actually own houses that are affected because they don't play so that their houses can go to players that do regularly play? A resounding yes from me!

I can't speak for myself because I'm regular, but these changes are definitelly casual players unfriendly.

Well with all due respect, maybe you should let those people complain then... or possibly they're too inactive to even do that :P

[Nalien]

Likewise, there was never an agreement that housing plots weren't yours for life. SE can change the rules to their liking, yes.

There was though, there was always an agreement that SE can do pretty much whatever they damn well like with your character data, virtual items (and thus housing) included.

But should we really agree with these changes if they take away from players? I can't speak for myself because I'm regular, but these changes are definitelly casual players unfriendly.

Find me the casual players who are upset over losing their non-existent houses then. This entire argument feels like it's made of straw... You have people like me, who own plots and are fine with this because we accept that is is necessary, arguing against people who have seemingly no vested interest in the topic... They either own no land, aren't the kind to take frequent breaks, or were already thinking about quitting anyway... I've yet to see a single person who is solely invested in this game because of housing, and is dreading the life time subscription they'll now have to pay because of this...

The ideal out of this, is that more Free Companies can obtain land, meaning more Private Rooms can be opened up and offering more options for casual players.

[Kyonika]

Doesn't mean they don't deserve to own content everyone has access too. That's discrimination based on your subscription days.

Likewise, there was never an agreement that housing plots weren't yours for life. SE can change the rules to their liking, yes. But should we really agree with these changes if they take away from players? I can't speak for myself because I'm regular, but these changes are definitelly casual players unfriendly.

Disclaimer: not aimed solely at you, per se, but to all those who share your views.



45 days is more than fair. Personally, I feel it should be closer to 30 days. But anyways... the devs made the call, and I fully support it.

I'm sorry for those that feel that it should be longer than 45 days, or that you should not have to worry about losing your house -- when you take several months breaks at a time -- but...

.... the game does not revolve around you. Other players do not revolve around your schedule. If you can't be arsed to take 5 minutes out of your busy schedule once every 44 days, then a house is wasted on you. Owning a house is both a responsibility and an investment. If you are unable or unwilling to do both, simply put, you neither deserve nor require a house: it's a privilege, and not a right.

If you need to take a break, great, you could always just switch your sub to like 60 days recurring or something like that, and quickly login for 1 minute once every 44 days to keep your house. What I don't get is ... Is that really so hard? ... Really??....

If it really is too difficult for you to do so little to keep your house, then you deserve to lose it, so other players, more active than you (or more deserving than you), should have the opportunity to buy your unused space.

This is about fairness, and we all have to accept that -- especially, the ones that don't want to.


Btw, I'm casual, and I don't own a house, as I don't need it. I belong to a guild that has a wicked awesome house, so that is good enough for me.

[AzakaTonnerre]

Likewise, there was never an agreement that housing plots weren't yours for life.

Section 1 of the terms of service you agreed to would beg to differ...

"1. YOUR LIMITED LICENSE TO THE GAME AND SERVICE AND LACK OF OWNERSHIP RIGHTS

YOU ACQUIRE NO OWNERSHIP OR PROPERTY RIGHTS IN ANY CHARACTER OR OTHER IN-GAME VIRTUAL GOOD..."

http://support.na.square-enix.com/ru...2&tag=users_en

You signed it to play. You agreed to this "agreement" in order to play. Maybe read it?

[StouterTaru]

Many people renew subscription just for 1 month for major patches. Then they take a 60-80 days break till the next patch because, let's be honest, there's not much to do when content gets stale like now.
By definition, they can't own a house even if they are regularly playing since August 2013.

The people that only play for a month after each major patch because there's not much to do never buy houses to begin with.

[Seryl199]

Find me the casual players who are upset over losing their non-existent houses then. This entire argument feels like it's made of straw... You have people like me, who own plots and are fine with this because we accept that is is necessary, arguing against people who have seemingly no vested interest in the topic... They either own no land, aren't the kind to take frequent breaks, or were already thinking about quitting anyway... I've yet to see a single person who is solely invested in this game because of housing, and is dreading the life time subscription they'll now have to pay because of this...

Whether the break is frequent or not isn't an issue. It's a singular break, one time that you're away from your estate for more than 44 days, whether your subbed until next year or 5 days from now, whether you planned on taking a break or thought you'd still be logging in every day. If you don't pony up for sub time just to walk through your front door, your house is demolished. 45 days feels like a very short time for demolition, and I feel like it's just as much to discourage patch surfing as it is to root out inactives.

[Blood-Aki]

Likewise, there was never an agreement that housing plots weren't yours for life. SE can change the rules to their liking, yes. But should we really agree with these changes if they take away from players? I can't speak for myself because I'm regular, but these changes are definitelly casual players unfriendly.

Actually it's unfriendly to people who want everything, "I bought this house, i should have it indefinitely, screw everyone else" Do you honestly think it's fair to have a house and never use it? fortunatly, like i already stated the decision has already been made so crying about it won't change it, Be lucky you even got away with it for this long, they are finally changing it now BECAUSE enough people found it unfair.

And there was no way possible that anyone new could ever hope to get a plot on a fairly populated server. Unless they shelled out more gill then they wanted to make someone give up the plot. Assuming they actually played.

[OfTheWhitewind]

Owning a house requires lifetime subscription whether you want to take a break or not.

If you're not playing the game for 45 days you a) don't need a house and b) aren't actually playing the game. People who subscribe for a month and then leave for even longer aren't ever going to be SquareEnix's target customers. They are going to reward people who pay them consistently above everyone else. And why shouldn't they? Limited content is limited so it should be prioritized to the consistent customers and not the ones that only pay them for a month or three out of the entire year. It may be harsh but the line for limited, high demand content has to be drawn SOMEWHERE.