Give us a sign for potential auto demos.

[AriesMouse]

I feel like there needs to be some kind of sign, or a visual tell on the houses, that marks the inactive ones as abandoned/unused. Once a house hits the 30day mark, when they are getting an e-mail for not having entered it, there needs to be something to indicate that the house might be going up on the market soon. It would make house hunting for people so much easier.

I also feel like there should be a limit on how many e-mails you can received. If a person needs to be reminded every month that their house is about to be demolished, maybe they shouldn't have it? I think 6 months/warnings would be a fair limit, maybe have them reset after a certain amount of time with 0 warnings.

[Elamys]

There's really no need for this. Very few servers have housing problems anymore. We don't need vultures circling around a property, it's only going to make competition even worse.

In reality, the 45 days should be extended to at least 60 IMO. And I don't agree with that last bit at all. Some people just don't use their house that often, some people only go to the garden which doesn't mean they're not using it. Why should they have to contend with yet another limit? I realize the timer is probably necessary at this point, but it could do with some relaxing.

[AriesMouse]

There's really no need for this. Very few servers have housing problems anymore. We don't need vultures circling around a property, it's only going to make competition even worse.

In reality, the 45 days should be extended to at least 60 IMO. And I don't agree with that last bit at all. Some people just don't use their house that often, some people only go to the garden which doesn't mean they're not using it. Why should they have to contend with yet another limit? I realize the timer is probably necessary at this point, but it could do with some relaxing.

If anything, I think giving people an idea of what houses might be showing up might balance out competition, since people can communicate which plots they see as potential, and what ones they intend to camp, and work together, rather than all mad dash blindly to the same plot, leaving someone feeling ripped off when they are too slow.

As for the timer, I think it's perfect at 45 days. And honestly, I have seen so many houses never touched, that there really should be doing something about it. I've known people that literally kept a sub, and only logged in once a month to keep their house, and that was it. No gardening, no decorating. Nothing. On crowded servers, things like that shouldn't be considered acceptable, so long as housing is a finite resource. I look through the housing wards all the time, and I see the same houses, in the exact same state, no new furnishings, nothing moved, no garden bed in the lawn. A lot of them just have items from quests, if anything at all. I get that housing isn't an issue on all servers, but things like this could help ease some of the tension on the servers that are still facing issues.

Edit: Also, I generally do not think SE should have to hand hold people like children, and remind them to play with their toys. If someone has a house, it should be up to them to keep it, they shouldn't need reminders. If they do, maybe they don't really value that house as much as they should, and should pass it on to someone that does.

[Jojoya]

Displaying a notice that a house is close to auto-demo will only result in more drama. Campers will fight each others. They'll harass owners who show up to reset the auto-demo timer. They'll harass other players who relocate to the plot after auto-demo occurs but before the relinquish timer makes the plot available to new buyers.

Just no.

You're dreaming if you think people are going to coordinate who's allow to camp what. You're dreaming if you think people are going to be okay with someone else managing to get the plot before them if they've been sitting there for days waiting for it to become available.

Owners are under no obligation to do anything with their house other than set up the estate walls and enter it once every 45 days. They aren't required to decorate it. They aren't required to redecorate it. Nor does the lack of decoration mean it never gets used. It's not up to you to be deciding how players must use the houses they have purchased.

There's a much simpler solution if you feel like you're being left out of the housing game - transfer to a server where housing is available. Bring your friends who likewise want a house but can't get one with you. Coeurl had 500 houses available, including over a dozen mediums, when I did a census last weekend. You could have one right now and it wouldn't require any messy drama-inciting system like you want to create.

[Thamorian]

Displaying a notice that a house is close to auto-demo will only result in more drama. Campers will fight each others. They'll harass owners who show up to reset the auto-demo timer. They'll harass other players who relocate to the plot after auto-demo occurs but before the relinquish timer makes the plot available to new buyers.

First part I really don't see that happening. If there happened to be the outlier person that did that, you can blacklist them and report for harassment, cause I'm pretty sure that would fall under harassment.

Second part, people already relocate plots, and some people already harass the relocator after waiting to buy the plot for several hours. That won't change with a public sign showing auto timer. if someone wants their best chance to get a plot, they need to go to goblet to buy a house and relocate later (high pop servers anyway). Nothing will change for this part.

I don't really care if SE added public auto-demo sign or not, but you're really stretching here.

[Nixxe]

If a person needs to be reminded every month that their house is about to be demolished, maybe they shouldn't have it? I think 6 months/warnings would be a fair limit, maybe have them reset after a certain amount of time with 0 warnings.

This makes you sound like a greedy vulture just waiting to capitalize off of others' misfortunes. Regardless, someone who tends their garden bed(s) every day, but only goes in the house once every 40 days or so to prevent auto demolish is getting far more value out of their plot than someone who just visits their house once a week to plop down their most recently acquired piece of garbage.

If you want assistance with house hunting, join or create a housing Discord server for your server and recruit people who will help keep an eye on plots and report them to the Discord. Balmung has one and it has worked very well for myself and many others.

[AriesMouse]

Feels like people get a little hostile any time this subject is touched. They also just assume the worst out of everyone. I'm not sure if that is a commentary on the housing in this game, the community, or what.

While I can understand the worry over possible drama, I do still think it would be interesting just to see how many houses hit that timer, just to get an idea of how much some of the seemingly empty houses are used.

I agree that we can't tell people how to use their houses, decorated or not, but I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about people that have houses and literally do not even look at them more than once every month when they are e-mailed, being told to look at their house. You can't tell me you don't see at least a small problem in that, when we're dealing with a finite resource.

Suggesting people pay money to move servers isn't really a solution, as not everyone has that luxury/spare funds. Honestly, that argument could be made regarding the people that stay subbed only to hold onto a house that they visit once a month. Why not funnel them onto other servers rather than punish actually active players? Really, all I am saying in that regard is hold off a little on the warning e-mails. If the houses are really being used, then the e-mails aren't really needed.

Keep in mind, I say all this, while also having suggested in the past several ways in which they could try to change the auto demo system over all, especially to try to help those that have fallen on hard times, or people dealing with RL emergencies. This isn't so much about screwing innocent people over so much as trying to curb squatters, to a very minor degree.

Realistically, they just need to make instanced housing already and do away with all of the demo stuff.

[Jojoya]

I agree that we can't tell people how to use their houses, decorated or not, but I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about people that have houses and literally do not even look at them more than once every month when they are e-mailed, being told to look at their house. You can't tell me you don't see at least a small problem in that, when we're dealing with a finite resource.

Yet the player purchased the house within the rules of the game and they are following the rules to retain ownership of it. What they do with it past that point is between them and SE.

Even if SE did do something, it would only end up benefitting a handful of players out of the hundreds still trying to get a house on those worlds that are full. I don't think a player who can't get a house is going to feel better just because someone else who managed to buy a house first is required to place a few decorations, move them around one a month and go dance inside the house before they log out. The player still doesn't have a house and they're still going to be upset they can't get one.

Expanding the apartment system would be a much better course of action than expanding the housing ownership rules. Expanding rules won't provide housing to all those who want it. Expanding the housing options can.

[Alien_Gamer]

Feels like people get a little hostile any time this subject is touched. They also just assume the worst out of everyone. I'm not sure if that is a commentary on the housing in this game, the community, or what.

I'll take proven past and continuing behavior by the community over your wishful thinking of how the community will behave. I assume the worst because thats what players display when it comes to ...well anything.

While I can understand the worry over possible drama, I do still think it would be interesting just to see how many houses hit that timer, just to get an idea of how much some of the seemingly empty houses are used.

This information really doesn't benefit anyone. It gives people fuel to grief other players but doesn't actually do anything to fix the issues.

I agree that we can't tell people how to use their houses, decorated or not, but I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about people that have houses and literally do not even look at them more than once every month when they are e-mailed, being told to look at their house. You can't tell me you don't see at least a small problem in that, when we're dealing with a finite resource.

You're contradicting yourself. Either you agree that you can't tell people how to use their houses or you don't. You can't say people can do whatever they want with their house and then try to place restrictions or rules on how they can use their house. If someone wants to maintain a sub to keep their house thats their choice. If someone doesn't want to decorate or change their decorations, thats also their choice. NOTHING a player does with their house should ever be controlled by other players, you can dislike it all you want but their choices are not up to you. You really don't want to open the door of controlling what a player does with their house, it won't end well for anyone.

Suggesting people pay money to move servers isn't really a solution, as not everyone has that luxury/spare funds. Honestly, that argument could be made regarding the people that stay subbed only to hold onto a house that they visit once a month. Why not funnel them onto other servers rather than punish actually active players? Really, all I am saying in that regard is hold off a little on the warning e-mails. If the houses are really being used, then the e-mails aren't really needed.

It is a valid suggestion. You want a house, you're being told the best way to get one. Someone with a house shouldn't be suggested to move just so you can get a house. I guess telling people to go out of their way and make their lives more difficult so you can do something you want more easily works for you but it doesn't work for everyone else. There is no punishment of any players in advising you to move. You asking someone else to move for your convenience could be construed as you trying to punish someone else for having something you want.

The fact is, there is housing available. You just prioritize other things on your server over having a house so you won't move to get one, which is fair and I have no problem with it. But that decision means you'll need to live with the limited availability on your server and watch for a house to open normally.

Keep in mind, I say all this, while also having suggested in the past several ways in which they could try to change the auto demo system over all, especially to try to help those that have fallen on hard times, or people dealing with RL emergencies. This isn't so much about screwing innocent people over so much as trying to curb squatters, to a very minor degree.

Your past suggestions don't make these good suggestions. You're just trying to sugarcoat the fact that you don't like how others play the game so you want them to move so you don't have to.

Realistically, they just need to make instanced housing already and do away with all of the demo stuff.

This is really the only workable thing you've suggested.

[Luna-M]

I could go as far to say a mog mail sent out 5 days prior could be nice but other than that I think the system works just fine.
I have with free will allowed a alt house go demolished couple months ago and the email and in game timer worked flawlessly.