During the claiming period allowing lateral first come first serve relocations

[caspergrey]

Allowing relocations and limiting them only to lateral moves on newly vacated houses during the claiming period allows for house shuffling into more desirable plots, and ensures that the same amount of large/medium/small plots remain available to bid on during the next bidding cycle.

We all have preferences whether we want to have a beach front plot, a secluded nature plot, a plot by the pool, or simply in the same ward with friends. Given the current housing situation with limited wards, there isn't any decent mechanism for that.

I think even if they limited to same housing area lateral moves... goblet med -> goblet med/small in the same or different ward, that would still be better than the current system if people were worried about less plots being available for more popular housing areas...

[Shibi]

One of the big arguments by the pro-loterites was "But lottery allows people who have jobs and kids to get a house without having to deal with the login queues and rush"

What you are suggesting brings back that very first-second rush of First-Come-First-Serve relocation. The very second the plots were chosen at 1am in the morning people would feel obliged to log in, check their placard, then run as fast as possible to the better house and try to snag it with a relocation.

Wouldn't those busy and responsible people who have their lives, jobs and kids miss out, while the (as the pro-loterites termed them) no-lifers do those long 1am queues, and bot-fueled rush in the first second of the results period hoping for a relocate to the better house?

Edit: If you want a better house under this system you need to bid for it. If you win, then you can relocate your Goblet 52 into it. If you don't win, then you stay in your Goblet 52.

[caspergrey]

One of the big arguments by the pro-loterites was "But lottery allows people who have jobs and kids to get a house without having to deal with the login queues and rush"

What you are suggesting brings back that very first-second rush of First-Come-First-Serve relocation. The very second the plots were chosen at 1am in the morning people would feel obliged to log in, check their placard, then run as fast as possible to the better house and try to snag it with a relocation.

Wouldn't those busy and responsible people who have their lives, jobs and kids miss out, while the (as the pro-loterites termed them) no-lifers do those long 1am queues, and bot-fueled rush in the first second of the results period hoping for a relocate to the better house?

Edit: If you want a better house under this system you need to bid for it. If you win, then you can relocate your Goblet 52 into it. If you don't win, then you stay in your Goblet 52.

This is not about "getting" a house. Under no circumstances do the number of houses available, change during this period. This is a shuffling period. For every house that gets relocated into, another house is vacated that can be relocated into while relocating is active or bid on during the next bidding cycle.

This is not the same thing.

[Amenara]

This is not about "getting" a house. Under no circumstances do the number of houses available, change during this period. This is a shuffling period. For every house that gets relocated into, another house is vacated that can be relocated into while relocating is active or bid on during the next bidding cycle.

This is not the same thing.

I guess I am confused about what you are asking for then. Are you asking for a new part of the lottery be added at the end of the claiming period that allows players to relocate without having to deal with the lottery? Are you saying the claiming period should include a first come first serve relocation so that you can snipe houses from other players by relocating to the plot? I think both would be pretty terrible and defeat the purpose of having a lottery, to make it fair for everyone.

It sounds like you just want the ability to freely relocate your house around without having to go through the lottery.

[caspergrey]

I guess I am confused about what you are asking for then. Are you asking for a new part of the lottery be added at the end of the claiming period that allows players to relocate without having to deal with the lottery? Are you saying the claiming period should include a first come first serve relocation so that you can snipe houses from other players by relocating to the plot? I think both would be pretty terrible and defeat the purpose of having a lottery, to make it fair for everyone.

It sounds like you just want the ability to freely relocate your house around without having to go through the lottery.

No the claiming period/shuffling period would be the same period. In the most conservative example if you limit relocations to lateral moves in the same housing area, it would look like this:

Bidding period ends and winners are announced:

As people claim their houses, any vacated houses are free for relocation as long as it's in the same housing area and is a lateral or downward move... small-> small, medium -> (medium, small). Think of it as open shuffling, where you're taking a plot, but opening up a plot to be available for bidding the next cycle... maybe you just want to be in a ward with your friend.

Once the next bidding cycle begins, everything is locked again.

But yes, it allows anyone to relocate under certain criteria before the next lottery bidding.

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "fair". The bidding system severely limits lateral movement. When free shuffling is allowed, a plot is vacated for every one that is relocated into... there are many more opportunities for players to move into a new plot while giving other players the opportunity to do so with their previous plot. More houses are moved into, and more people are moving into houses that they want without affecting the number of houses/plot sizes available in the next lottery cycle.

Right now, fewer players overall are getting into houses that they want in a strict bidding system, with fewer opportunities to do so. Allowing some form of shuffling is an overall benefit to more players.

[Amenara]

No the claiming period/shuffling period would be the same period. In the most conservative example if you limit relocations to lateral moves in the same housing area, it would look like this:

Bidding period ends and winners are announced:

As people claim their houses, any vacated houses are free for relocation as long as it's in the same housing area and is a lateral or downward move... small-> small, medium -> (medium, small). Think of it as open shuffling, where you're taking a plot, but opening up a plot to be available for bidding the next cycle... maybe you just want to be in a ward with your friend.

Once the next bidding cycle begins, everything is locked again.

But yes, it allows anyone to relocate under certain criteria before the next lottery bidding.

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "fair". The bidding system severely limits lateral movement. When free shuffling is allowed, a plot is vacated for every one that is relocated into... there are many more opportunities for players to move into a new plot while giving other players the opportunity to do so with their previous plot. More houses are moved into, and more people are moving into houses that they want without affecting the number of houses/plot sizes available in the next lottery cycle.

Right now, fewer players overall are getting into houses that they want in a strict bidding system, with fewer opportunities to do so. Allowing some form of shuffling is an overall benefit to more players.

I guess I just don't see the problem with bidding on the plot you want to relocate into? It reminds me of the old system of relocations where you got to completely bypass the system in place for new home buyers and relocate whenever you wanted. It gives relocators an advantage again that I disagree with.

[Jojoya]

That disrupts things for those who had legitimately won the plot via the lottery and opens the door to a lot of trolling via relocation. There's also the question of whether the system coding can sustain both FCFS and lottery purchase mechanics at the same time.

I don't see that ever happening.

[caspergrey]

That disrupts things for those who had legitimately won the plot via the lottery and opens the door to a lot of trolling via relocation. There's also the question of whether the system coding can sustain both FCFS and lottery purchase mechanics at the same time.

I don't see that ever happening.

I think you might have misinterpreted the suggestion.

The lottery still exists. At the start of the lottery, all open plots become available to be bid on.

It's simply saying, that as people move into plots they've won, any vacated plots during this time period are available for some sort of lateral or less relocation. For the same of argument, it would be fine it it was even limited to within a ward. Effectively creating a shuffling period before the next period starts.

In the most conservative example, where relocations are restricted to lateral moves in the same housing area... if I have a small in Lavender Beds, and another small in Lavender Beds gets vacated, say I have a friend in that ward, I have an option to immediate re-locate to that plot, while vacating my current plot which will be available to be bid on in the next bidding cycle.

Once the new bidding cycle begins, relocations are no longer allowed until the next claim cycle.

[Jojoya]

I think you might have misinterpreted the suggestion.

The lottery still exists. At the start of the lottery, all open plots become available to be bid on.

It's simply saying, that as people move into plots they've won, any vacated plots during this time period are available for some sort of lateral or less relocation. For the same of argument, it would be fine it it was even limited to within a ward. Effectively creating a shuffling period before the next period starts.

In the most conservative example, where relocations are restricted to lateral moves in the same housing area... if I have a small in Lavender Beds, and another small in Lavender Beds gets vacated, say I have a friend in that ward, I have an option to immediate re-locate to that plot, while vacating my current plot which will be available to be bid on in the next bidding cycle.

Once the new bidding cycle begins, relocations are no longer allowed until the next claim cycle.

It's still not going to happen because it cracks open the door again for plot resales via relocation. Seller relinquishes plot just before the claiming period starts, buyer is waiting at placard to claim plot when relocation begins.

It's also going to complicate a system that already had one major bug screw up plot purchases and continues to have smaller bugs with specific respect to relocation.

I'll be honest. Unless the number of players looking to buy houses ends up less than the number of houses available to purchase by large margin (pardon me a moment as I roll on the floor laughing hysterically), First Come First Serve is a dead system for housing purchase in this game. The system already has enough ways to abuse it even when it's strictly lottery. FCFS only makes it worse.

[Nezerius]

It's still not going to happen because it cracks open the door again for plot resales via relocation. Seller relinquishes plot just before the claiming period starts, buyer is waiting at placard to claim plot when relocation begins.

Except this would still require both parties to already own a house, of the same (or smaller) housing size. The seller wouldn't be able to just pick up the buyer's old plot, as they wouldn't have a house to relocate.
Besides, we already have house sales through FC plots. Which is an easier method, since there's way more wards that are (currently) FC-only. And with SE messing up the first lottery, the 30-days requirement isn't as effective.

It's also going to complicate a system that already had one major bug screw up plot purchases and continues to have smaller bugs with specific respect to relocation.

I'll agree with this, though. They probably got a lot of spaghetti code going on, considering that one major bug.

I'll be honest. Unless the number of players looking to buy houses ends up less than the number of houses available to purchase by large margin (pardon me a moment as I roll on the floor laughing hysterically), First Come First Serve is a dead system for housing purchase in this game. The system already has enough ways to abuse it even when it's strictly lottery. FCFS only makes it worse.

OP isn't asking for the FCFS purchase system. They're asking for a relocation system outside the lottery period. The difference between them is that the latter wouldn't actually affect the amount of plots re-entering the lottery.