Housing Contest - Cruel Rule Needing Clarification

[Dustytome]

Still I feel the entries should have been judged by the screenshots alone, since I bought the new home well after the contest entry period had ended.

It's likely so they can confirm people weren't just grabbing images off housingsnap and such and passing them off as their own, of course they could be judging off the full tour as well. That does seem like a bit of stretch to wait though for people that love to change things up. Only about a month to go, though that does lock contestants from doing Halloween decorations (of course it also means possible lost mogstation sales for decorations unobtainable in game now).

[Edax]

I, for one, hope they're looking at more than just screenshots. It's so hard to get all the good stuff into 6 shots, especially when you like to decorate your house with rooms and nooks.

That's a fair point, I didn't think of that. Still, for a contest that's suppose to be fun, that's a few long months to keep a house unmodified.
If they allowed Youtube, I could have filmed a tour, and there would have been no doubt that was my house.

[Beckett]

I, for one, hope they're looking at more than just screenshots. It's so hard to get all the good stuff into 6 shots, especially when you like to decorate your house with rooms and nooks.

I would imagine that's the reason why this contest takes so long. They need to actually go to each house to judge them in their entirety, perhaps just using the screenshots to weed out the worst ones.

[Neko_Yanagi]

I'm sorry, but what is there to clarify?

The wording of that rule is just slightly confusing to some. I have a LS mate that completely overhauled his house recently, when I asked him why he did that after submitting to the Housing Contest, he said that he thought "changes to your estate" meant the location, name, and greeting. He was even concerned about adding the new tags just for that reason. After he said that, I could totally see how that mistake could be made, and started doubting what that rule actually meant. It didn't say "changes to your estate and all it's contents." Then I found several other folks I know thought the same exact thing. That made me question everything about the rule then...

How would they know you changed something if it wasn't in the screenshot you submitted?

I don't know. However, the rules say nothing about keeping your house unlocked, so I'd assume that if someone was to check the house, it might be a GM or someone who could enter even if the house was locked, and they would check some sort of housing logs. Maybe?

Try getting out into the real world and see what true cruelty is.

Fully aware of how cruel the real world is, thank you.

You're not asking for them to clarify, you're asking them to give you a pass....

As explained above, I know several people who thought the rule meant changes to the estate, but not the contents (since that rule did not state that specifically). On the other side of the spectrum, I had a player tell me not to even change the outside or use the garden... that's how paranoid the rule has made some people. Personally, I'd like to know if adding anything (but not necessarily changing anything that is already there) would be against that rule, since again, it wasn't specified.

I added a mannequin to my house just to see what it looked like, how it worked, goofed around with it, then removed it. I also want to know if something like that counts as grounds for disqualification. I'm sure I'm not the only one curious about that.

Yes, I also would like to just add the mannequin to my house without fear. But more than that, I don't feel the rule was 100% clear. I'm glad to hear so many folks are content with thinking that you should leave your house exactly as it was during the screenshots. For some others, it's making them a nervous wreak because it's the first time they felt brave enough to submit something for a contest, and they don't want to mess it up. To some people, this is a really big deal to them. I wasn't looking for negative commentary about my post. I was looking for some additional clarification to the rule because many people I know felt it to be vague.

So what I'm requesting is some official clarification if possible, please.

[Ryaz]

One of my FC mates gave up on the contest and remodeled his basement. Having to keep your house static for months is crap.

[Neko_Yanagi]

I had to just listen to a FC leader friend rant for 20 mins on how an officer of her FC removed and threw out an item in the FC house, and now the house may no longer qualify for the contest because of it... The officer's defense was that "someone had eaten up all of one of the food items, so wouldn't that already be considered a change to the estate? I was just getting rid of it to replace it later."

It was one of those pumpkin stews from a few Halloween events ago I think. No one in the FC has another to replace it with. The FC leader might have to buy one off the Mogstation, but she's not sure if she's already disqualified just because a change was a made. It may all be for nothing.

Some people take these contests super seriously. In addition, no one has an answer for when this sort of thing happens, since it wasn't specified in the contest rules.

[Kio]

It would be nice to know when we could rearrange our furniture. I agree it's really disheartening to have new items added and the judging period not be over. Halloween is my fave holiday so skipping it this year is heartbreaking. Especially assuming I don't even win anything and it was all for naught.
Some people in replies were a bit harsh. Please understand for a lot of people decorating is their main source of fun, we all play for different reasons. Yes we read the rules but doesn't mean we can't groan about it.

[nranola]

I ended up disqualifying myself because a large mansion in Shirogane went up for sale and I bought it, obliterating my little Shirogane cottage forever, but this was an opportunity I sure as heck wasn't going to miss.

Housing contest is fleeting, but a Shirogane large is forever. Was I in your shoes I would have done the exact same thing. Congrats on your new home!


As far as clarification regarding the rule goes, I would have to agree that we be told what the restrictions are as it seems like different people are interpreting the rule in different ways. If we use our flower pots during the judging period, would we be disqualified? What about if we place something in the house just to preview it but remove it again afterwards? What about food items that can be immediately replaced? Little nuances like this need clarification.

[Legion88]

What is the problem with interpreting this rule?

It is as clearly as possible.

"Do not make any changes to your estate until after Sponsor reveals the winning entries."

And in the context of the contest it is clearly stated that they are meaning the interior of the house/private chamber.

For comparson the german version:
Verändern Sie Ihre Unterkunft nicht, bis der Sponsor die gewinnenden Beiträge bekannt gegeben hat.
Translated this means:
Don't change anything at your housing till the sponsor reveals the winners.

[InkstainedGwyn]

What is the problem with interpreting this rule?

It is as clearly as possible.

"Do not make any changes to your estate until after Sponsor reveals the winning entries."

And in the context of the contest it is clearly stated that they are meaning the interior of the house/private chamber.

For comparson the german version:
Verändern Sie Ihre Unterkunft nicht, bis der Sponsor die gewinnenden Beiträge bekannt gegeben hat.
Translated this means:
Don't change anything at your housing till the sponsor reveals the winners.

That's why I'm being "harsh" in this thread. "Don't change anything" means anything. Anything at no time has ever meant "only some things" or "this but not that".



And I'm sorry, but how does "changing the decorations inside the estate is fine but you can't change the name or greeting" make any sense when it comes to an interior design contest?

I get that decoration is the lifeblood of many people in this thread, and it's one of the things I enjoy most about this game. But all I'm hearing is "I know I read the rules but I changed my mind, I want to be able to participate but still use the new toys right now can't you make an exception?" There's nothing about the word "anything" that is vague. The aquarium patch notes were confusing, this is not.