Housing Timer Improvement Suggestion

[Zwipp]

Since the Housing Timer doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon I thought I'll give an improvement suggestion that maybe could help, or at least making buying a house a little less painful with the current system.

When a house is relinquished or demolished and the Housing timer starts, it should be easy to see that the house is under the Timer and can not be bought at the moment.

This could be done by changing the Auction Plot Icon to a Timer Icon instead.
(See Picture)



When you click at the Placard during this time it should state that the plot is only available for relocation.
(See Picture)



And when you click on "Purchase Land" the "Private Individual" and "Free Company" should be grayed out and unclickable. This is to prevent people from trying to buy the plot even though the Timer is active. Simply so they won't feel the need to spam click.
(See Picture)



When the timer ends the plot icon and messages should just go back to normal.

Optimally could be that the Placard makes a sound and a flash of some sort when the timer ends to notify patient players waiting there that the plot timer has ended.

Even though this might not solve the problem I think it could make it a little less painful to buy a house since you won't have to spam click the Placard for hours just to see if the timer has ended.


(Please note that I do not endorse the current timer system, I just want to improve it until they find something better.)


If you have any thoughts on this, or have any idea yourself that might make the timer system better, feel free to comment!

[Jojoya]

Since the Housing Timer doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon I thought I'll add a improvement suggestion that could help, or at least making buying a house a little less painful with the current system.

When a house is relinquished or demolished and the Housing timer starts, it should be easy to see that the house is under the Timer and can not be bought at the moment.

This could be done by changing the Auction Plot Icon to a Timer Icon instead.
(See Picture)



When you click at the Placard during this time it should state that the plot is only available for relocation.
(See Picture)



And when you click on "Purchase Land" the "Private Individual" and "Free Company" should be grayed out and unclickable. This is to prevent people from trying to buy the plot even though the Timer is active. Simply so they won't feel the need to spam click.
(See Picture)



When the timer ends the plot icon and messages should just go back to normal.

Optimally could be that the Placard makes a sound and a flash of some sort when the timer ends to notify patient players waiting there that the plot timer has ended.

Even though this might not solve the problem I think it could make it a little less painful to buy a house since you won't have to spam click the Placard for hours just to see if the timer has ended.


(Please note that I do not endorse the current timer system, I just want to improve it until they find something better.)

I like your ideas for the most part. Improved status information on the placard interface would be nice.

But I don't see it stopping the placard camping and spamming on those worlds where available houses are rare. People who are desperate for a house will still sit there waiting because seconds can make the difference between getting the house and someone else getting it. A house that is marked not available for purchase when the map is opened could be available by the time you walk to it. It would really only benefit players on the worlds where there is little to no competition for available houses so houses remain unpurchased for several hours/days.

[Zwipp]

I like your ideas for the most part. Improved status information on the placard interface would be nice.

But I don't see it stopping the placard camping and spamming on those worlds where available houses are rare. People who are desperate for a house will still sit there waiting because seconds can make the difference between getting the house and someone else getting it. A house that is marked not available for purchase when the map is opened could be available by the time you walk to it. It would really only benefit players on the worlds where there is little to no competition for available houses so houses remain unpurchased for several hours/days.

It's not meant to stop the camping, only to make it easier for those who camp. They can sit next to the placard and wait instead of having to spam click purchase. The timer icon is meant to be seen on the mini map as well so you can see it right away when the timer ends.
That is why I think it would be nice if the placard made some noise and flashed a little when that happens.

[plasmacutter]

Or they could just remove the timer, which is even more unfair than when people would re-sell plots.

Someone finds a plot, camps it for hours, and some yutz clicks at the right time and snatiches it from under them.

It's outrageous and harms a heck of a lot more people than a few profit-takers.

[BehindTheFlowers]

I for one don't really care where I get a house, what ward etc. All I looked at was what I could afford. (for the first ime since it ever came out as a feature I had gil to spend on a house! woohoo)
Anyway.
Make a list where interested people cna sign up. Specifying what size of house they want. You can do it area specific or just general for all the areas, ul'dah, limsa etc.
When a house is vacated, then let the first on the list get a note that they now can buy it, and they will have xx amount of hours. 24 hours sounds about fair. If they do nothing the next in line will get the offer etc.
Now should they ofc not react on a offer there can be sanctions. There can be, lets say after 2 or 3 failed offers, be sendt down to the bottom of the list, and start all over. Yes they will be having problems if they go on vacation etc. But no system is 100% fair.
Should they say no? Then again back in line and start over.
Guilds? They can also bo ont eh same list, and should offer the same avaliability. Especially if the lists are so you can pick or choose what size housinng you want.
Now for the money? stop that devaluation stuff. It only works because of the random crap timer of doom. As soon as a house is demolished people are there to buy it at the full price. So just make one price and that is it. And ones you sign up for the list pay the price. Then people don't have to do much other then go and say "yes please, and thank you" when they get the offer of the first avaliable plot.
Ofc should they wish to leave the list they will be refunded the amount they payed beforehand.
Should you choose to change the size you wish to go for, you just change it, retain the number in line, and pay the difference from what you payed till what the new price would be.

All this should ensure that housing is moving faster, people just have to go up a list where no one can sit at the top and camp it and say no to housing till the right one comes. If they want the right one they can keep saying no and go back in line and hope the right house is there when they get the offfers ones more.

Also if the houses that people who haven't been online for 5-6 months could be made avaliable for buying this would be a super efficient system. Lets say that after 6 months they get a message. 24 hours to log in or the house is gone and thier stuff thrown in to storage.
THis means houses would be made avaliable and people can come back online and fetch their stuff at some Ul'dah gremlins sweat shop in the promiss to never abandone a house again for that long.
This would insure active players can make full use of the game and inactive players can't use server storage or horde housing they don't use.

Of course this means people can't choose what house they want and what special plot. They will just get one. But at least people will get a plot and that is a start.