Housing: Purchase Timer - Alternative Idea

[Ittapupu_Berry]

The placard spam is bloody awful. I completely agree. But all that lottery will do is eliminate placard spam. It does not even remotely fix the actual problem which is housing availability, and it would introduce new problems of its own. We need more houses or a different housing system. Not rng that is riddled with intended and unintended favouritism.

Well we could have a broken system that allows people (who don't have 20 hours to spare) to get a house, or a system that only allows people capable of all-nighters to have one. I believe that bonuses to players should be looked over and approved by the game devs before implemented but the idea of a lotto vs current system is just picking your poison. I'd like the poison that gives more people a chance and allows players to play the game while house hunting.
Side note:we need more homes, we really do and that should be something to definitely hope for but in the mean time... improving (not necessarily fixing) a broken system would be positive

[Penthea]

Well we could have a broken system that allows people (who don't have 20 hours to spare) to get a house, or a system that only allows people capable of all-nighters to have one.

They're both horribly broken systems. In my eyes neither are good enough.

I believe that bonuses to players should be looked over and approved by the game devs before implemented but the idea of a lotto vs current system is just picking your poison. I'd like the poison that gives more people a chance and allows players to play the game while house hunting.

The end result is basically the same. It only changes who gets a house. Not how many people have access to housing. Lottery is not a solution. It's swapping one awful system with another.

Side note:we need more homes, we really do and that should be something to definitely hope for but in the mean time... improving (not necessarily fixing) a broken system would be positive

Sorry but I fail to see how a system that intentionally employs such blatant favouritism can be seen as better. I was a pretty new player when I started aiming for a house. Had the lottery system been in at the time I likely would have quit. The odds would have been crazily stacked against me. I wouldn't want to play a game that punishes new players for simply being new players.

More houses, vastly expanded improvement on apartments that give them more space and the ability to garden properly, a form of proper instanced housing...stuff like this and similar would mitigate the rng of getting a house. Lottery would not.

[AriesMouse]

Sorry but I fail to see how a system that intentionally employs such blatant favouritism can be seen as better.

The things above were a suggestion, and one of them was a bonus for "first time buyers" meaning, new players. How is there blatant favoritism at all, when those were a few options for potential bonuses that could be applied to literally anyone, new player, or veteran. Rather that balking at the idea and pushing it off the table, why not make a suggestion for how it can be tweaked, improved, etc?

The way the system is now is basically a lottery anyways, making it an actual lottery just removes people botting, and gives more players a chance at a house. It would be a better system on those grounds alone.

[Penthea]

The things above were a suggestion, and one of them was a bonus for "first time buyers" meaning, new players. How is there blatant favoritism at all, when those were a few options for potential bonuses that could be applied to literally anyone, new player, or veteran. Rather that balking at the idea and pushing it off the table, why not make a suggestion for how it can be tweaked, improved, etc?

My suggestion was at the end of my post.

I think a lottery system would be awful so my suggestion to improve it would be to have none at all. As for the favouritism maybe have a look at the bonuses you posted yourself. They appear to be designed to increase the odds of players with specific circumstances.

While placards do favour certain types of players, they were not designed with the intention of doing so. Your suggested bonuses would be designed with that intention.

The way the system is now is basically a lottery anyways

Yes it is, which is why replacing it with another lottery is not a solution.

making it an actual lottery just removes people botting, and gives more players a chance at a house. It would be a better system on those grounds alone.

It would vastly increase the competition on plots on highly populated servers. It would only improve the chances for players who have never engaged in placard spam. Those who did engage in placard spam would actually have a smaller chance because the amount of competition would increase due to the ease of entering a lottery. The odds of winning on the likes of Balmung would be insanely low. It's a very old server filled with veterans who never had a house.

I am not advocating for placard spam, I think it's horrendous. I think it's a disgrace that this is what a lot of people have to do to even have a chance to get a house. However I think the lottery idea would be equally disgraceful. I absolutely do not support any form of rng when it comes to housing.

[AriesMouse]

As for the favouritism maybe have a look at the bonuses you posted yourself. They appear to be designed to increase the odds of players with specific circumstances.

Again, these were just a few possible suggestions. There are dozens of options that could balance things out in either direction, so the favoritism argument doesn't really get much traction, since realistically, it could go either way depending on what sort of system was put in, and what sort of bonuses were put into place, since the ones I listed are not the only options.

Using a server like Balmung is never really a good point of reference. That server, and Mateus to a degree, are exceptions to the rule, not examples of it. We can not base the entire housing system and how it works on one, maybe two servers.

My point here is, if they are going to insist on keeping the rng aspect, keep the timer and everything, they should just make it a lottery, rather than leave the system as is with the placard spam. If we have to have the time, have to have the rng, at least make the rng truly fair, and something that is inclusive for all that qualify by the rules to purchase a house. A lottery system could be made to benefit people rather than the current system that just screws people over endlessly. Hell, it could even be made so that if a certain number of people apply for a plot via lottery, that the plot is then locked and people can not relocate to it. That could cut some of the headache and heartache out for a lot of people.

[Ittapupu_Berry]

at least make the rng truly fair, and something that is inclusive for all that qualify by the rules to purchase a house. A lottery system could be made to benefit people rather than the current system that just screws people over endlessly. Hell, it could even be made so that if a certain number of people apply for a plot via lottery, that the plot is then locked and people can not relocate to it. That could cut some of the headache and heartache out for a lot of people.

yessss positive thinking and brainstorming, well done m8

[Penthea]

That's very fortunate for your server, however on highly populated servers there tends to be no plots available. Even the Goblet. Goblet is completely full like the others. And just like every other residential area, if a plot is open, at least 3 people are there spamming a card with you for hours on end.

But do you not get my point? Things on my server are more favourable because there are more houses per active accounts. Placard spam is little more than an annoyance because there isn't so much competition. Surely the answer to your plight is to decrease the amount of competition by giving players more and better access to housing with various improvements to houses and apartments, as well as the addition of more wards?

I really struggle to understand how you seem to want merely another brand of rng instead of a legitimate improvement to the housing situation as a whole. Especially a suggestion that wouldn't change much for servers like mine, and would probably make things much worse for servers like yours.

I get that you want to remove the stress and tedium of placard spam, but you can't just look at placard spam on its own. You need to look at the reasons that make it so horrendous on servers like Leviathan, and why it isn't such a problem on servers like Moogle.

yessss positive thinking and brainstorming, well done m8

Am I to take from this that you do not think that giving players access to more and improved housing is positive thinking? That you would honestly prefer to rely on luck than to have more choice?

I remember what it was like to not have a house and to want one so damn much. I was lucky to get my house when I did and I really hate that I had to be lucky to get it. No one should need to be lucky to get a house. The housing system must get to a point in which it's normal for everyone to have one. Lottery will not normalise the status of having a house.

Well whatever happens I truly do hope you will get a house soon. You clearly want one very badly. Hopefully you will be able to get one when the world visiting and free server transfers get introduced. Maybe you could go to a new server on the same data centre and buy a house, or grab one someone left behind. If you are considering leaving then I suggest you have a look at other servers now to figure out which would be the best destination to increase your chances of getting a plot. Preparing as much as possible will increase the likelihood of success. Good luck.

[Ittapupu_Berry]

Sorry but I fail to see how a system that intentionally employs such blatant favouritism can be seen as better.

You're referring to AriesMouse's suggestions right? I'm sure they were only suggesting specifics to make the overall idea a bit more fleshed out. I agree that some of them have more favoritism than I'd like, but if you dislike favoritism shouldn't you be turning down his suggestions rather than the overall idea? There doesn't have to be favoritism in a lottery.

Not trying to attack you or anything, just curious as to why you think possible suggestions you don't like about this idea warrant disapproving the idea?

[Penthea]

You're referring to AriesMouse's suggestions right? I'm sure they were only suggesting specifics to make the overall idea a bit more fleshed out. I agree that some of them have more favoritism than I'd like, but if you dislike favoritism shouldn't you be turning down his suggestions rather than the overall idea? There doesn't have to be favoritism in a lottery.

I dislike the favouritism they suggested and I dislike the idea of a lottery. I am intentionally turning down both.

Not trying to attack you or anything, just curious as to why you think possible suggestions you don't like about this idea warrant disapproving the idea?

Have you not read my posts? I have already said why I dislike lottery. In fact I said so quite a few times today in this thread and in another very similar one you made. At this point I have already repeated myself on this subject in two threads where you are active.

You can't use lottery to fix a problem which is already essentially lottery. The suggestion OP made would merely reduce the amount of effort needed to participate in rng. It will not fix rng. The ease of participation would make the competition for plots on highly populated servers be nuts. It's already freaking crazy whenever new wards are introduced. If you're on a highly populated server then advocating for lottery is shooting yourself in the foot.

To repeat myself from your thread:

More wards, different ward designs that allow any size house to be built on a plot, apartment expansion for more space and proper gardening (why don't we have balconies? ><), allowing fcs to use apartments, adding more tenant slots to private homes, adding tenant slots to apartments...all of these and more would reduce the problems of placard spam. Increasing accessibility to housing is how to combat it. Not by replacing one form of rng with another.

A huge reason why placard spam is a problem is because of the extreme shortage of housing. If you're not fussy about size and location placard spam is merely a mild annoyance most of the time on my server because the population isn't so bloated that all the wards are constantly full. I just counted over 30 unclaimed plots in the Goblet. Shirogane is the only residential district that is full. The placard locking people out of purchase is usually only a delay rather than a road block filled with stress and competition from spam clicking. Housing shortage is what makes placard spam so bloody awful. Therefore tackling the shortage is the most logical way to reduce the problem.

I appreciate that you and OP want to make the housing situation better, but I strongly feel that lottery is a terrible way to do it. There are other and better solutions that won't force players to completely rely on pure luck.

[Ittapupu_Berry]

If you're not fussy about size and location placard spam is merely a mild annoyance most of the time on my server because the population isn't so bloated that all the wards are constantly full. I just counted over 30 unclaimed plots in the Goblet. Shirogane is the only residential district that is full. The placard locking people out of purchase is usually only a delay rather than a road block filled with stress and competition from spam clicking.

That's very fortunate for your server, however on highly populated servers there tends to be no plots available. Even the Goblet. Goblet is completely full like the others. And just like every other residential area, if a plot is open, at least 3 people are there spamming a card with you for hours on end.

At least there's nice people on Levi, made a few friends while we deprived ourselves of food and sleep. It wasn't a delay as much as it was a brain frying ordeal.