Something has to be done about the housing RNG timer...

[TheJarvisMan]

Today marks the 10th time I've camped out in front of a house for over 4 hours (sometimes in excess of 9 hours) spam clicking hoping that I'll be the person to get the house. I've failed every time. I hate doing this, but it is literally the only way to get housing on my server. I care less about the RNG part of this, and more about the fact that I have to dedicate huge chunks of my time to brainless clicking to even have a shot. Maybe let us just put our names in a hat if we are interested, hold the money in deposit, and randomly pick when the timer is done so that we aren't all just standing staring at a placard all day.

[Nixxe]

The worst part about the housing timer is that it really only serves to encourage breaking the rules and running a script.

[dapperfaffer]

This is where it would be nice to have a slums like area in housing districts, that way everyone could at least have something to call home instead of being a homeless vagabond.

[MaybeOliverB]

Today marks the 10th time I've camped out in front of a house for over 4 hours (sometimes in excess of 9 hours) spam clicking hoping that I'll be the person to get the house. I've failed every time. I hate doing this, but it is literally the only way to get housing on my server. I care less about the RNG part of this, and more about the fact that I have to dedicate huge chunks of my time to brainless clicking to even have a shot. Maybe let us just put our names in a hat if we are interested, hold the money in deposit, and randomly pick when the timer is done so that we aren't all just standing staring at a placard all day.

There are more efficient ways to get what you want. Stop wasting your free time.

This is where it would be nice to have a slums like area in housing districts, that way everyone could at least have something to call home instead of being a homeless vagabond.

It's called apartments.

[TheJarvisMan]

There are more efficient ways to get what you want. Stop wasting your free time.

I plan to. In the meantime, SE should make this more accessible though.

[Allegor]

Today marks the 10th time I've camped out in front of a house for over 4 hours (sometimes in excess of 9 hours) spam clicking hoping that I'll be the person to get the house. I've failed every time. I hate doing this, but it is literally the only way to get housing on my server. I care less about the RNG part of this, and more about the fact that I have to dedicate huge chunks of my time to brainless clicking to even have a shot. Maybe let us just put our names in a hat if we are interested, hold the money in deposit, and randomly pick when the timer is done so that we aren't all just standing staring at a placard all day.

Just yesterday I was giving moral support to a friend over a small plot that opened recently in Mist, him and 4-8 other players were standing there waiting over 12 hours for the timer to open up...I waited with them for like, 4 or so hours, chatting and killing time. Some of the suggestions were putting bids like an auction, or make a global notification that a house is available and let interested players make a run for it a la Black Friday.

PS: Elise, if you read this, I'm really sorry you couldn't get it, best of luck!

This is where it would be nice to have a slums like area in housing districts, that way everyone could at least have something to call home instead of being a homeless vagabond.

Funny enough, while we were waiting I joked we might as well make a mini Gatetown around the placard lol

[Melichoir]

They could just turn it into a live auction. House goes up for sale for 1 mil start price, and increases in a set increment (lets say 200k a bid.) As long as people keep bidding, the price point remains open. The catch, however, is you have to put in your cash on bid. So if you bid for 1.2 million, it takes your 1.2 million and holds it. If the timer on teh bid expires, you win the house. If someone outbids you, it holds your money. Should you choose to take another stab at it, itll take the amount needed to overcome the other bid. So if you bid 1.2 million, the other player bids 1.4, youd need to bid 1.6 million to be high bidder. That means itll extract 400k more and add it to the balance you have already provided. If you decide the amount is to much, then you can withdraw at as long as youre not the highest bidder. Highest bidder's money is locked in and cannot be withdrawn unless they win or are outbid. If the Auction ends and you arent the winner, the money is mailed back you.

Furthermore lets say you have to be highest bidder for 12 hours before you win the plot. If someone outbids you at 11 hours 59 minutes, then the timer restarts. If they want to be super savvy, they could hook up the bidding system to the FFXIV app. So if youre outbid, the app will notify you and you can place a new bid so long as you have the cash on your character (not retainers. Has to be on your actual character). This way you dont have to be logged in to bid on a house that youre already interested in. Mind you, you wouldnt be able to bid on multiple properties. Only one bid at a time.

Should make it more fair. If you have tons of gil, youll have more buying power. So people who craft or gather may have a better time of it. Furthermore, you cant abuse it by putting down 10 million at once. Its a set increment. Perhaps the increment can be different depending on small, medium, or large housing. If its hooked up to the app, youll be aware of how your bid is going and with the timer reset, you'll have time to outbid so no one can ninja it from you last second. On a 12 hour timer, should give most reasonable people time to sleep or work without losing the bid. And for people who want to troll the market, they have to be careful because if they become high bidder, they're stuck. Set that up with ensuring 1 house per character per realm, and you wont have to worry about people with multiple characters taking up housing.

Should help fix the system, and reward players who got the cash and determination to actually get a house to have better opportunity.

[Hash_Browns]

snip

This would lead to +50mil small houses, houses that barely leave the timer because people keep outbidding each other, and the same experience: people having to put aside hours to assure they get the house.

This potential system isn't better. It would just cost more.

[Nixxe]

Instead of some convoluted system, they could just make the timer visible on the placard. The simple fact that you can't demo a house and instantly let someone buy it will still serve the desired function of preventing player-to-player housing sales of property not attached to an FC, and it will also eliminate the need to camp the plot for hours, usually in vain.

[Akamukai]

Wait, what's this about a RNG timer? Isn't it just the first to click after the timer ends gets the house?