Housing Contest - Cruel Rule Needing Clarification

[Neko_Yanagi]

I'm hoping to get an official response regarding the Housing Contest rule:

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

It just seems a little cruel that all these new housing items come out for 4.4, but if we submitted our house for the Housing Contest, we aren't allowed to make ANY changes? What if we only add a few items to the house, will that really get us disqualified? Or what if we slightly move something or remove an item? If it's a solid "no" to any changes, what if it's in an area of the house that was not in a screenshot?

I love so many of the new items, especially mannequins. It's killing me that I can't add any of it to my house until sometime in November...

EDIT:
The wording of that rule is just slightly confusing to some people I know. They thought "changes to your estate" did not include the contents of the house. Others are of the idea that "changes" does not include "additions" like holiday decor or mannequins. Other people I have spoken to are afraid to make any changes, including the outside or adding the new tags. Purely because they do not want to become disqualified. I went emotional, personal, and maybe a little whiny for my post, I should have stuck with these facts to get less negative commentary regarding my question.

[MuseTraveller]

Meanwhile I wonder if I take a couple of weeks break after my sub expires will I be automatically disqualified?
I will be back in November for the halloween event but yeah > >;; I wonder if to risk it or just pay the sub and take my break anyway.

[Neko_Yanagi]

Meanwhile I wonder if I take a couple of weeks break after my sub expires will I be automatically disqualified?
I will be back in November for the halloween event but yeah > >;; I wonder if to risk it or just pay the sub and take my break anyway.

That too, would be a great question to have answered.

[AriesMouse]

Clarification on this would probably be nice for the peace of mind, but I also feel like this is the sort of thing you knowingly sign up for when you join a contest with that in the rules.

[Vidu]

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

Before you entered the contest, you hopefully read and understood the rules (and if you didnt, thats on you) and had the chance to evaluate if you wanted to agree to them or not. If you considered them "cruel", you shouldnt hav entered.
And at least I read and understood the rules with the knowledge that 4.4 was upon us and would most likely bring new furniture - no idea, what excatly, but I considered the risk that they would add something I'd really like to use.

I feel its going down a slipepry slop with the "what are we allowed to change" (swpiing out this chair for a different one? Mannequin instead of dresshanger? Changing the floor is only one item!) and a simple "nothing" is the easiest answer ton ensure the enteries get judged based on what has been entered - and hopefully throuroghly and fairly.

You agreed knowigly to those rules... wanting them changed later - because calrification is not needed, it says "Do not make ANY changes" after all - is like wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

[Miles_Maelstrom]

Why would the degree of changes matter? They said any, don't touch anything. I know it's hard I got the verdant patrician drop in the dungeon, its burning a hole in my inventory. Or disqualify yourself, less competition.

[Jojoya]

I'm hoping to get an official response regarding the Housing Contest rule:

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

It just seems a little cruel that all these new housing items come out for 4.4, but if we submitted our house for the Housing Contest, we aren't allowed to make ANY changes? What if we only add a few items to the house, will that really get us disqualified? Or what if we slightly move something or remove an item? If it's a solid "no" to any changes, what if it's in an area of the house that was not in a screenshot?

I love so many of the new items, especially mannequins. It's killing me that I can't add any of it to my house until sometime in November...

How would they know you changed something if it wasn't in the screenshot you submitted? I sincerely doubt the Community team handling the contest has any way of getting a snapsnot of everything you had placed and their locations at the time you made your entry.

Either way, it's totally up to you if being able to decorate and use the new items is more important to you than a chance to win the contest. I'm sure a lot of people entered not because they expected to win but simply because they wanted to share what they've done with others.

As for it being "cruel"? Sorry if you grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth so you think contest rules you freely and voluntarily agreed to are cruel. Try getting out into the real world and see what true cruelty is.

[InkstainedGwyn]

I'm pretty sure there's a record somewhere of what does/doesn't happen in a house, although whether or not they're checking it, I dunno. I wouldn't want to risk it, and I went into this event knowing that I wouldn't be able to change our FC house until November (or later). Granted, we then found a large and I decided I was willing to forfeit my chance in the contest for it, but that was my choice.

There isn't "clarification" needed. The word "any" means any. You're not asking for them to clarify, you're asking them to give you a pass. If you didn't read the rules, or you didn't consider them, or you (somehow) hadn't paid any attention to the fact that a patch was coming in September (and patches always have new furnishings), that's personal accountability. They can't be spelled out much clearer than they already are.

[Edax]

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.
I do hope there will be another contest in the future since I've spend weeks filling out my new home.
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.

[InkstainedGwyn]

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.
I do hope there will be another contest in the future since I've spend weeks filling out my new home.
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.

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.