Just another Housing fix recommendation

[TDChangeling]

Look, we all know that housing right now is a joke, made worse by the suspension of auto-demolition. As housing stands now, it's completely against the stated goal of the game, that being something you don't have to treat like a job.

To that end, I suggest replacing the current RNG timer, hope you get lucky and click before anyone else, with a simple roulette. Easy to program, easy to understand.

How it would work:

Essentially, when a house is relinquished, the timer starts, same as now. It can be visible, invisible, it doesn't matter as much with this proposed system. While the timer is active, players can approach the placard and interact with it, same as now. Only, instead of being met with 'not ready yet, try again as fast as you can.', the game would treat it as though if the player were buying the plot, asking if it would be for personal use or FC.

Whichever the player picks, the requisite cost is subtracted from the player, and their name would be entered into the drawing. If buying for the FC, than the FC would be entered into the drawing, to prevent a horde of members from the same FC coming together to attempt to bully out any smaller FC, or any single member.

If the player wins, they are alerted via in-game mail (as well as an alert on screen), and they are given a set time, say, 72 hours, to enter the building and claim it. If they lose the drawing, they were refunded their gil by mognet (if not an automatic refund.)

I think this is a simple fix to a major problem, that likely, others have suggested before me, that solves players being aggrieved at being forced to stalk a sign for over 24 hours in some cases, stops many of the awful tactics (such as sign blocking), slows bots (as I do see ways to still circumvent this system), and is far more fair for all involved.

I renounce all claim on this idea should SE choose to implement it, as I just want the house buying experience to be a more level playing field that doesn't cause actual, real-world injuries to it's players.

[Jojoya]

Similar ideas have floated around for a couple of years now and the pros/cons/ways to exploit discussed thoroughly.

Ultimately, you're exchanging one form of RNG for another and the final result is going to be the same - the players who didn't get the house are still going to be angry that they don't have a house. The only thing that will fix the problem is SE improving the housing system it's possible for every player to have a house.

Also, no one is suffering real world injuries because of the housing system. Please stop with the dramatic exaggerations.

[TDChangeling]

Also, no one is suffering real world injuries because of the housing system. Please stop with the dramatic exaggerations.

Ask anyone who's spent the night clicking the same placard how their wrist feels.

I didn't say it was major injuries, but CTS and other repetition related injuries are a thing.

[LaylaTsarra]

They simply need to redo how the timer works. Do away with clicking the placard for 12 hours. Simply have those who are interested in the house be in the immediate vicinity of the house in question and have an alert come on screen that the house is ready to purchase with say a 1 or 2 minute countdown. Let people fend for the house when that times finishes. Timer should be a maximum of 2 or 3 hours... the current system is simply ridiculous.

I'm opposed to a lottery. I think those interested should be present at the site otherwise it simply makes it way to easy to have 100's in line for the property. I'm opposed to a lottery system myself.

[Drkdays]

Also, no one is suffering real world injuries because of the housing system. Please stop with the dramatic exaggerations.

I'm with TDChangeling here.

[Jojoya]

Ask anyone who's spent the night clicking the same placard how their wrist feels.

I didn't say it was major injuries, but CTS and other repetition related injuries are a thing.

CT and other related injuries don't suddenly appear from rapid clicking for a few hours straight. They develop over months.

The rest of their game play is far more like to be the cause of someone's CT injury than what they did for one day.