Housing and rent cost reductions

Am I alone in thinking the tax rate is too low? We need gold sinks for the tremendous amounts of good that are created everyday. The taxes are a good thing and keep people logged in. I wouldn't mind then getting bumped up to where you'd be better off using cotos.

 

Read the rest of the thread, you missed the point it was a conversation starter and to promote conversation about this new and fresh topic.

This isnt just a pledge person issue but can include people who have paid for tax free deeds as recent as yesterday or both even.

The conversation is worth having reguardless of what side of the conversaion you fall on.

 

Not read all of this so apologies if someone else has this idea -

First, I spent a lot on TF deeds/pledges and I am totally in agreement with taxes coming down.

Why not let all players with taxable deeds to choose 1 main (or their only) lot to be tax free, or super cheap.

People enjoy housing and access to cheap/free housing should be available for all.

 

The biggest issue with making it cheap and easy to own housing is the limited supply of locations. That being said there is a lot of space left so a fluctuating cost would be good especially if it is tied to the game economy.

 

The introduction of a free taxable row for completion of the story is a wonderful idea and long overdue.

The problem with property in SOTA isn't taxes. The problem is the fact property has almost no value outside cosmetics. Therefore anything larger than a Row deed is mostly without value. Other than cosmetic purposes the larger deeds are not worth owning currently therefore taxes are out of balance.

Solution is to make owning larger properties worth the grind. Then players will be willing to spend either money or time to attain and maintain those properties. Otherwise even if the taxes are minimal, people won't be interested in obtaining them. Not everyone wants to play with doll houses.

Games with a successful virtual property economy enable those who own the property a method of creating in game income using the property. Some go further and enable RMT with virtual real estate. Make virtual property valuable and people will spend money to attain the property. Make virtual property worthless and even with a zero tax rate people won't keep it.

Lowering taxes is great, but it won't fix the problem.

 

Hopefully you are imo. We have plenty of gold syncs A players space in the world is a very important thing to most players. Living out of a bank sucks in this game.

edited

It's like getting a new job and having to share a desk with someone or borrow someone's desk. That is no fun. Weekly rent would help a lot.

 

Agree to disagree I like how it's setup and think it's more than fair. Handing things to people gives zero feelings of accomplishment.

 

I agree that handing things to people gives zero feelings of accomplishment. This deed is not handed to anyone. They have to complete the quest lines and weekly does not mean no taxes and it is still a responsibility to players to have to keep up those taxes. I watch players quit over this all the time. I don't say this lightly. I've been around since 2013. I want the daily tax system removed and at least made to happen weekly at a lower price.

I also had asked for an individual long quest line to be created for this deed but this was what we got and it is still a long quest line with the reward which I am extremely happy about that part.

Housing in a housing game must be obtainable and not flaky feeling to get like the way it has been. I think that although deeds of other sizes will still need to be planned for and paid for in various ways this row deed option for all players is a wonderful addition.

So imo find some good gold syncs for us then but peoples place in a game is sacred and needs to be about giving players even casual players a chance to keep their homes using a weekly or even bi-weekly system that is affordable with some effort playing the game.

 

I backed this game since January 2014. I have 4 accounts. One has a Duke Pledge and a bundle, one has an Ancestor Pledge and the other two each have a bundle on it. So I have spent a lot to get 5 tax free deeds. I also own a taxed POT Row lot deed and a taxed POT village lot deed. I am not using the taxed deeds because I only play a few times a week for a few hours each time. I just don't make a whole lot of gold in game right now and can't afford the tax to place them. My buddy wants to get his own place, but he is like me, can't afford the tax. So he uses my large keep lot. I offered to place the Row Lot and he could pay the tax, but he just doesn't want to pay that amount each month. He is happy he will get his own POT Row lot deed, but said he hopes the taxes go down so he can place it.

I have no problem with taxes going down, at least for the Row lots, but no way could it be tax free. That would piss-off the masses. I don't even care if they make the tax 1 gold each day, but can not devalue my tax free lots.

 

They've mentioned before that nothing can be considered unique to kickstarters, and that they may make things obtainable in game. I have tax free deeds, but I'd be happy with people having a means to obtain a tax free deed in game. I got mine as a reward, they can get theirs through gameplay or the store etc., no skin off my nose. Port has no obligation to maintain a baseline RMT value for anything, that's just a risk people speculating with virtual goods need to deal with.
I'd like to see a considerable drop on taxes and easier access to deeds to help keep players get into housing. At the moment the world is filled with empty homes, empty claimed lots and homes with no one ever using them as people look to flip them. Those locations would be so much better with active players.

 

I believe that the barrier to housing should be removed. In other words, sell a village deed for 25K IGG instead of 100+real life dollars with COTO option.

Let people get deeds, why charge so much for the best feature of the game? Why place that barrier there? A small barrier, more will cross it - a large barrier, fewer will cross it. We need more players filling up the housing in SotA, remove the barrier.

The same can be said of taxes. Lower taxes equals more housing.

Although that said, I like the model of low entry cost and charge for upkeep. Like free installation but a monthly payment for the service. Give away the damn deed and charge 10 COTOs ($ dollars) per month for the service.

 

As it is i see no cities filled with life.
Either people place housing and are out scrounging up money to pay taxes or they do not care to have one to start with.

I know Polatarium does not want to do the monthly fee to play thing, but an monthly (rl money) fee to house thing would be sensible in my eyes.

I do not know where the desperate "we need money sinks" idea comes from and that it has to be expensive and on houses.

I play pretty much for my opinion and if i am lucky I have an income of 10k per week BUT my expenses eat that up for an big part

I am adv 89 and so far i have not found these rich sources of coin everyone talks about that flood the market with Gold Coin.

I found many ways that reduce my amount of GP though.

Make more gold sinks in game that are not housing, fine, but make them about things one wants but not needs (if they do not want many people owning houses fine by me, but then do not complain that Sota is not as attractive to players)

As it is, My bank slots are about 380, that is for my needs enough, I do not NEED to have an house, I do not have an house and the 6-10 dollars i spend in the web store each month are more because i feel as if i have to pay something at least to polataruim for playing the game.

Would an house add to fun and the desire to play for much longer? Certainly.

But as it is it is not worth the bother to have an house, the pressure to get the mulah for rent (by any means) and the amount by itself does not feel worthwile to me.

I am interested in raiding with my guild, in crafting, and all that i can do without an house.

I do like to decorate and have the convience of near endless storage space, but as long i do not find theese endless streams of cold hard gold coin people talk about all the time that inflate the pool..nah.

Yesterday my guild killed an mob with insane ammounts of hitpoints (Scary Larry) and he had 15 gp on him, nuff said about how loot scales with diffculty.

But I am ok with that because i do not have an house to pay tax for.

 

+1 I'm more concerned with the increase of players and longevity of SotA

 

I would also like for taxes to be lower, not removed.

 

I love the fact that when Darkstarr said the taxes would be reviewed everyone assumed it meant they would be lowered.

 

Well no one really loves taxes... having them in an game is problematic to say the least.

We need mechanics that leave us with houses 2 years not in use so they do have an point, but make it so we can pay them in RL money without hassle like cotos and so on... I am all for feeding money to Devs... all against playtime enforced to upkeep an house, when and if i play it should not be about "TAXES"

 

There are plenty of empty lots as it is, many pots have 0 occupied lots in them. We don't need to advocate for more emptiness.

 

Even if they lower the tax to 1G a day for a lot, you're still tax free. Taxes is why I won't own a house in this game. You paid taxes on the game purchase, on the computer you purchased to play the game, on the electricity to power your computer, on the house that houses your computer, on the chair you sit in and the food you eat while playing. Cause it's everyone's dream to be taxed virtually, because we don't get taxed enough IRL. I guess not owning a house is why I have so much in game gold to sell on the RMT Forum Marketplace to support those who enjoy paying more taxes.

They should use paying Taxes as a marketing strategy for SoTA. "Are you one of those people that's never been able to pay your taxes? Are you one of those people that simply enjoys paying Taxes? Do you long for April 15th each year and are saddened when it passes? If so, then we have the game for you. In SoTA we offer endless taxes and multiple Taxation payment options. You can happily pay Taxes on your house with IGG or eagerly with your VISA or MASTERCARD using our COTO method that's also taxed. Even if you don't log in, because you had to attend your Grandmother's Funeral, your taxes will still be waiting for you when you get back. The fun simply never ends."

 

Myself I don't mind if Taxes are adjusted. I however would love to see POT Owners get a cut of taxes for locals in their POT. not asking for additional tax but perhaps a cut from the already collected.

 

The thing is, compared to other games, the tax rates in Sota are extremely high. Nearly every MMO I've played with housing (and there have been at this point, dozens, if not over 100) either has no tax rate, or a nominal tax rate that is primarily utilized to ensure a player remains active, in scenarios where they are occupying a "spot." Sometimes there isn't even a financial component, simply an activity requirement.

These tax rates were set nearly 2 years ago, when the amount of gold a player could reasonably expect to obtain in a play session was significantly higher than it is now. Since then, we have seen many of the monster drop weaponry replaced with lower value equivalents. (Halberds to clubs, Two Handed Hammers to morningstars, Longbows value reduced and removed from many loot tables to be replaced with shoddy, etc.) In addition we have seen that monsters that used to drop a weapon 100% of the time now drop it 30% of the time, or less. In addition, we've had added expenses - such as consumables and food - we've increased the rate at which gear gets damaged, requiring more repair kits and more frequent gear replacements. While kits and scrolls do drop from loot, if you kill humanoids, eliminating the need to buy as many of these, in general unless you're going to a specific scene for the purpose of 'grinding money' - we're worse off. Other things like junk recipes used to sell for 200g now sell for 10; there's been a significant ramp down in sales price, and value, of many crafting items as well. But the rent prices have remained static.

Coming from someone who has done extensive grinding since persistence, saved up money to buy 'tax free' deeds at 5 times the price or more? I welcome a tax reduction. I'm not offended that I've chosen to buy tax free, mine will still be free, and its peace of mind and not having to screw with it more than anything. If you don't grind every day ,having a house even a village tends to get expensive quick....and even moreso for bigger.