Lot Deeds: Never Oversold

I think that complaint goes on a different thread.

 

A possible solution is to not release all the available home lots at launch and do gradual home deed release; possibly every 3 months ... that way it allows people that flow in at later points in the game to at least have a shot ... maybe a lottery or some other possible system could be created/implemented to evenly distribute the chance of becoming a home owner

 

That's right -- we don't know the specifics of the land rush strategy. It may be every reserved lot being available Day 1 of launch, or they release them in batches of 25% each quarter until the next Episode is released.

This could be done in addition to any new content they release throughout the year. They can certainly add new POIs to accommodate demand, but doing so requires a lot more work than just creating empty town lots (town backstory, town design/layout, modelers, artists, NPCs, dialog, quests, etc). Plus, we know Richard and team hates endless neighborhoods.

 

When I joined UO there were no lots left and I didn't quit. Fact of the matter is, houses did not make you better or worse. It was sure nice when the expansion of trammel came so I could place a house. I had a place to hang my hat. Not everybody had a house after that too. I was fortunate to get a house when Trammel opened up too. There were 5 or 6 people standing in the same spot I was at before the placement began. It just so happened I clicked at just the right time.

 

Well when I started UO, it took me 2 years to get my own house.

It didn't really matter to me, I met some cool people and joined a guild. I was given house space to store items and to train my crafting skills.

If I can do that, I'm quite sure other more 'modern' players can.

 

Good questions.


If that happens after the game is live - that is just playing the game. I agree that each expansion that comes out will have new housing areas so new players can place in the old (when lots free up) or the new towns.

That won't happen before the game is live - we are guaranteed a spot if we obtain a House Lot through - pledging or the Add-in Store before the game is live.

 

The thing is, this isn't UO. I don't recall UO advertising like this one the ability to own your own home and make it your own with decoration etc. I didn't start playing UO thinking I need to get a house, I wanted to adventure around I didn't even think of housing at the start. Here, housing is the number one feature so far.

 

Two things...

1) Just because you didn't quit doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't. There's a balance to be had here, and it's going to be difficult to manage regardless of the choices that are made by the devs.

2) If this game is primarily a "doll house" where the point is simply to decorate your trophy case of digital sparkles, then I don't really care what the devs do because I won't be playing the game and it won't matter.

 

There's been just about zero talk about adventure. If RG didn't have the reputation he does, I dare say many of us would think this was an epic bread baking game the likes of which hasn't been seen since farmville.

I know to a lot of people (PVP aka real adventure) seems like a great mystery or even a taboo based on it's failure over the years (including during UO) but it's really not that difficult to manage and develop around, you just have to have the guts to innovate.

I sense a lot of reluctance from the dev team to do this (I would probably pay them money just to let me help point them in the right direction!). Maybe I'm wrong and it's more of a timing issue, we'll see. But it seems like the time to start engaging the community in other areas is fast approaching. This game is supposed to launch in less than 10 months.

*edited for content* ~ FireLotus

 

Ok here's the good news...

1. This game is not UO, but like UO a house is not necessary to play the game.

2. Even if a person did quit Portalarium will not loose their subscription fee.... REASON: You have to buy the game to play it, there are no subscription fees. So if somebody quits they aren't losing money.

3. After a new eppisode is released the person who did quit might come back (paying the full price of the game). If they do it is as if they never left the game as far as Portalrium's coffers are concerned (just minus the bandwidth the guy didn't use). So even if this guy quits playing again, he's paid full price just as much as any full time player.


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So I'm not saying we should cause people to quit the game, but they know housing is limited when they began playing. If we waited 2 years for a house I'm sure most people would be willing to wait for their house... in fact I've already waited since March of last year for this game. It won't be released until October 2014 at the earliest. I really think based upon the budget they have, Portalarium stands to make a great return on investment. If there are only 500,000 players they might make over 2 million cash then lets say 100,000 spend an additional $100 in the online store (that's another $10M). Now imagine if they get 5 to 10 million players. Imagine if they get 25 million players over the lifetime of the game and 10% of them spend $100 or more in the store! In other words RG will be sending his whole family for a summer vacation in F'ing space, and he could buy a real castle and move it stone by stone to New York and build hidden passages in that.

 

And with the high demand for lots and heated debates across thousands of posts about lot availability, restrictions, placement, land rush, KvB homes etc etc, etc, it would seem a lot of people do want Barbie Dream House Online

Looking forward to tomorrow's Update with hopefully: Blade of the Avatar Chapter 4 and a new Story/Map Reveal. One day, we'll get to go adventuring there.

 

well the main selling point of the game is the storyline and having an Ultima style single player game of about 40+ hours of story and even longer ongoing plot leading into eppisode 2 - 5. So I'm not worried about the storyline and adventuring.

 

You're overlooking the simple economics of this game. RG recently said they needed an additional $1 Million to complete Episode 1. So where does the money come from for Episode 2, 3, 4, and 5 if people are quitting?

The only way this game (or any other) survives is if it has new people or if the old people are willing to put in more money. That's a fact, unless of course the devs are going to start working for free and the servers are going to never break down, etc etc...

That's a great thought on an internet forum, but that's a horrible business model. Try pitching that to a potential investor. Hey, don't worry that we lost a bunch of people, they've already paid. Now for my next project (Episode 2) I'm sure we're going to find enough new suckers out there that will give us $3 Million so we can disappoint them.

Remember, the money that was made for this game was done so PRIMARILY because RG and UO has a reputation. If that gets tarnished, how are they going to make more money?

Right, but it sounds like you're just defending the game without really thinking about what you're saying all the way through. You're also thinking about it from the standpoint of having a house and not having to worry about not having one. The guy that shows up here in early 2015 probably won't have that luxury, and the fact of the matter is that when UO started there wasn't 100 other games a person could go to as a viable alternative.

 

I won't lie, I want a house for my adventurer, but I won't pay the entry fee. It is too high(for me) to justify. I would however like to be avble to save up and buy one in game, knowing that if I work hard there will be the availability to buy a house. I won't be able to give the time to be one of the first. Does that mean I'm out of luck?

1. This game is not UO, but like UO a house is not necessary to play the game.

It's not...but they sure make you think that it is important to the game with the advertising.

 

That's the crux of the matter at the moment considering that many people today expect some form of housing and SoTA is actually providing features that many people that are into decorating want ... so there is a lot of potential revenue there ... and not just monetary potential but advertising momentum - if house plots are distributed all throughout episode one, and not just in a one shot deal at the beginning - the general interest for obtaining a house will keep people playing and hopefully spreading the word to future SoTA players

I'm not here for housing: I got lucky when I ran into the Kickstarter campaign: the minute I saw the words "Ultima" and Richard Garriott I decided this was a game for me but there are a lot of gamers out there that don't know what the Ultima series or for that matter UO were about - so you have to come at them from an angle that they get: at the moment housing is our strongest piece until we have more info concerning PvP and Combat.

With that said - I like the efforts being made to advertise the game and although the add on store is rubbing some people the wrong way I think that its a good idea ... and the e-mail updates are fantastic .. keep up the good work.

 

Well... I remember once this friend invited me there, and had all this junk he didnt know what to do with.

You know, the mmo version of hoarding? Well this guy had it. LOL.

Anyhow my point- ever since that time.. I have approached mmo housing with a very cautious approach.

And in fact, my own storage. When you really get to the elite level, you end up having to sort out gear that is good.. but not the best. As for myself, I will sell off all that isnt the best or VERY useful. Like in real llife; make a system to sort out the best so it is ready to go at a moments notice. Toss/recycle all that other junk. Take pictures IRL for the memories, but dont keep junk that has surpassed its use; unless it is actually art!

 

To the point of available housing lots in a persistant world: I have been recently playing a game called Istaria, which has persistant housing lots. I don't know how popular of a game it is or was as it's been around 10 years. This place is full of empty lots. I was thinking on SoTA in respects to this game with so much worry about there not being enough lots etc...It seems to me that alot of people are not worried about housing in their online gaming experience...granted some of us need that for our gameplay but I would be willing to bet that more than 50% will not even worry about a house at first if ever as their gameplay will be about traveling and adventuring alone without the need for a house.

I don't really want to see a world full of empty lots and for sale signs. It does make for less of a vibrant world like in Istaria...a ghost town with half built houses and no mobs or npcs for miles.

Just my 2 cents.

 

That's a very good point and another reason to release housing in phases ... if the demand is real Portalarium ensures that people have a fair shot at getting housing and if there is a lot of abandonment/lack of demand then the empty lots would not exist (I imagine that they could do some slight of hand trickery with the size of a hex to expand or shrink it) ....The way I see it is that you don't want to run out of food when you have guest over

 

Lots are a resource like anything else.

Since the game has the 2 scale map system any town/city can be expanded/contracted as needed by adding new empty lots or removing empty lots as the devs see fit.

Its not a static world. It can grow/shrink to adapt to player population.

The only real concern I have about lots is with their distribution within a particular town or city. I really don't want to see endless fields of lots with nothing but houses. I hope that there are shops, taverns and other non-player structures sprinkled throughout the player lots. I'd hate to have to leave my house and walk 20 minutes just to grab a drink. Hehe.

 

I would imagine that there will be many player run taverns and shops.......I'm certainly planning on doing it.