Few lot owners owning loads of lots in NPC towns?

I lost my beautiful row lot in Aerie over a year ago. This made me sad but it isn't a big deal since I haven't been actively playing, and I'm not complaining. My main residence (a village lot) was always in a POT and I have been able to restore it because the POT is deserted. I'm just curious about why some players try to buy up as many lots as they can in NPC towns. In Aerie many players own several lots and one player even owns 18 lots of different sizes. I assume the situation is similar in other NPC towns. I remember in the old days places like Owl's Head or even Braemar were always extremely popular and full to the brim, though I never understood why. These players who are real estate moguls must constantly monitor the lot status in such towns and immediately claim any lot that becomes free. I lost my prime lot in Ardoris as well, but there are still many free lots there on the far outskirts. Ardoris was never the most popular place to live in. Any insights into why people are interested in grabbing so much land in a single town like that?

 

If you go to Central Britany and check the Row lots, you will see what the intention of some real estate moguls is. Some people think, there is still a big business with lots in NPC towns.
I remeber some very scary moments in the game, when player announce that they will free a lot for "only" 2 million+ gp.
There are so many cozy POTs around Novia with free lots and sometimes individual placed lots, that a lot in a NPC town isn't of big intresst todays. But that is my opinion.

 

I think players are hoping for an influx of new avatars looking for land in an NPC town to make a sale. We'll see what the future holds...

 

I guess the operative word is "can" since there hasn't been any moderation to Central Brittany either.

 

Kara Brae,

nice to read a post from good "old" Avatars again ...

I own a few lots in Ardoris.

My intention to "grab" some, was exactly this:
people grab them and try to sell it.

If you are in need of a nice row lot in Ardoris, just inform me.
May be you like one of those I own currently.
No fee will be taken

There are really nice lots in Outlander Welcome center, too!

 

Thank you so much for your kind post and generous offer! It really made my day, though I don't really need a lot in Ardoris any more. Although I played this game daily for several years and got my place anywhere lot deeds as early pledges, I've forgotten even the most basic things about the game. I can't do anything any more. I try to log in every month to think fondly of the good times I had in the early days and think of all the wonderful players I saw come and go when I was still active. It's hard for me to comprehend that I once volunteered to help newbies The Outlander Welcome Center is not too far from Ardoris. Perhaps I can manage to get there without having to fight bandits. If so, I will visit the town!

 

I love the town and since it is right near the beginner's area it is a great jump-off point if I ever have time to start the game over and learn by doing from scratch again. I didn't have much time so I only claimed one of the free row lots and looked around a bit. I didn't see a crafting area, so the first thing I'll do is add one of my basements and purchase crafting stations from the housing merchant.

 

Beside the Oracle confirmation is the Viking Inn; property of the town Governer Johnkirk Bayard.
Inside the Viking Inn you can use all crafting stations for free

For quest information visit my Museum of Virtues. CU around!

 

Super! Thanks!

EDIT: There is also a beautiful crafting pavilion right within site of my lot. I was walking around at night and had forgotten that I have Night Vision, so I didn't see it.

 

Hello everyone,

I’m one of those “evil real estate moguls” in NPC towns that people are talking about. I have to say that, for many of us, it has been far sadder over the years to see NPC towns empty out and long-time players disappear for long periods of time.

One of the best things about Shroud of the Avatar is the freedom to play whatever role you enjoy most. Some people trade, some build towns, some explore the world, some kill mobs… and yes, some enjoy playing the role of a real estate mogul.

When a lot becomes available because its owner hasn’t played for a long time, it simply returns to the game world for players who are still active and interested. Some players collect decorations, others create neighborhoods, and others invest in properties — they are all just different ways of enjoying the game.

What I find curious is the surprise that someone might be interested in something that remained free long enough for a property to expire.

In the end, that’s part of the beauty of SotA: everyone can play the character they want… even the villainous magnate who buys up land that others no longer find interesting enough to return to for years.

And honestly, I would be more than happy to give up every single one of my lots if it meant seeing SotA once again filled with players and regain the vibrancy it once had.

 

I camp many lots in the past for friend's even have brought and resold a few over the years
real estate mogul can be fun =) But mostly discontinued my lot camping service

 

Thank you for your explanation! When I asked the question I was genuinely curious and in no way did I mean to imply that people who collect property are "evil". When I became homeless in Aerie with my account Sara Brae and lost my lot in Ardoris with my account Kara Brae I looked for a way to get back to my guild's POT where I could restore the home I lost there. I visited loads of player-owned vendors both in Ardoris and in Aerie looking for teleport scrolls to purchase and their wares hadn't been updated since 2020 or 2021. I'm sure there are some more recently updated, but I didn't find them. That is why I wondered why anyone would want to claim land in a dead town that no one visits. But thanks to your explanation I understand now. I ended up leaving Sara in Aerie for the time being in case a lot ever became available again, but Kara travelled to a POT near Soltown and claimed a row lot there. There were lots still available in Ardoris, but they were far from the town center, oracle and crafting pavilion. One interesting (to me) anecdote is how Sara and Kara managed to claim their great row lots in Ardoris and Aerie in the first place. I'll tell it mainly in case people read this who weren't playing the game back them and didn't experience the first great run on lots (it had a name, but I can't think of it). Way back when (I think around 2013), when the game became persistent, players were able to claim lots with their deeds in a certain sequence. People with the most expensive pledges had first pick and got to log in first, then the game was open to the next group of players with pledges of lesser value, and so on and so forth. Ahead of time, everyone would park their avatar in front of the lot that they hoped to claim and wait for their turn to log in. I assume that popular lots like in Owl's Head had very many avatars parked in front of them. The avatar who was quickest to claim the lot got it. Any player who had a slow connection was at a disadvantage. Kara had two place-anywhere deeds: one village lot and one row lot. Sara had one-place anywhere deed: a row lot. I had already decided to place Kara's village lot in our guild POT, so I didn't need to worry about it. I only wanted to claim a row lot for her in an NPC town. I chose a great row lot in Ardoris right up the stairs from the main square. So when my pledge's turn came, I logged in and was able to claim that great lot without any competition. Apparently most people in my pledge group were busy claiming village lots in other NPC towns. My account Sara Brae had a lesser pledge and her turn to choose a Row lot came later. I had chosen a row lot in Aerie for her right near the Oracle because it had a gigantic blossoming tree next to it, which was beautiful. When I was able to log in I failed to claim the lot because someone else was quicker. So Sara ran towards the water and claimed the first unclaimed lot she spied. This is the lot she had for 12 years and lost last year. As it turned out, the original lot she had wanted soon became less attractive because the large blossoming tree was removed from Aerie, so the surroundings were no longer especially attractive. The lot is still owned by the individual who claimed it back in 2013 but it has always been locked up and undecorated. At least Sara decorated her Row home beautifully and walked around town a lot. Sorry for the long story-telling, I just got caught up in memories! Oh, and in case anyone wonders why I have two accounts (Kara Brae and Sara Brae) in the first place, that is because when I started playing the game, my adult son promised me that he would play with me. So I purchased a second account for this purpose. He never did play with me, though.

 

We own a plethora of NPC lots in Celestis. Our reasoning is to decorate the town so it doesn't look empty if anyone comes to check it out. What else were my wife and I supposed to do with all the stuff we've bought and still buy to support the game? We have a mostly empty POT that we can use, but we wanted something more unique and more likely to be visited. It just needs a quest giver or two And a brazier or candles at the Sequanna memorial pagoda so it is not dead at night... (we can dream.)

 

that's a good, small request i'm gonna take the opportunity to start introducing @Laney to some basic scene-editing with. SOTA-72909

@Sannio

 

I've been thinking about your reply and about my reply to one of the real estate moguls where I said I didn't mean to imply that lot-hoarding was "evil". When I made that reply, I was thinking only of the role-play aspect of the game. If a player wants to play the role of a real estate mogul, they are free to do so. Since reading your reply, I have been considering a different aspect, i.e. whether playing such a role is hurting the game overall and preventing the very "influx of new avatars" that you refer to. From day one of the alpha release, property ownership was the main attraction of this game. New players interested in that have no reason to stay if all NPC town housing is unavailable to them. Granted, there are POTs, but they are mostly empty because people mistrust them. I am reminded of the post that Lum made back around 2007 about the downfall of Ultima Online. It talked about how the role-play of a few made the game unattractive for many. THE UNBEARABLE DARKNESS OF ULTIMA ONLINE | Broken Toys

 

And in a dog-eat-dog PvP game, there will only be the PvPers.

As it should be. Lol

 

My house is located on the Brave Coast, the best NPC PVP town.

just run away from real estate tycoons lol

 

Does any PvP go on there?

 

Thank you for the kind and thoughtful reply, and especially for sharing your story and memories from those early days. It was really nice to read. Many of us who have been around since the beginning remember that first land rush very well, and your story brought back a lot of those moments.
Over the years I ended up claiming a few lots in Ardoris as well. If by chance one of them happens to be your old lot, I would be more than happy to give it back to you. Just let me know which one it was and we can check.
For many of us who still love this game, the real goal is not collecting property for its own sake, but hoping to see old players return and maybe even new ones discover the game. That’s really what would make the world feel alive again.
I can also assure you that, unfortunately, it’s extremely unlikely that players decide not to play SotA (or not to return) simply because they cannot find a lot in a specific NPC town. If anything, the alternative would be NPC towns that are completely empty — almost like cemeteries — and that would probably discourage people even more from staying.
Feel free to write to me when you are in game. Hopefully it won’t be another year before we see you again!