New Housing FAQ and Housing Article on Polygon

Actually, that is a vast assumption, but one that I am standing by because I like cream cheese frosting.

 

I think you are correct. It's a vanity thing. A bit of extra storage and a place to show off some stuff.
I don't think anybody will be screwed by not having a house.

 

Agreed 100% and this is why I don't see a problem with offering housing as rewards or store items. Gardening, vendors, crafting, storage are all going to be available for non-homeowners (according to past dev chats.) Housing as rewards have been a significant fundraiser and every person that pledges high improves the game for everyone, so while low backers may not get a house immediately at launch, the trade-off is that the entire game as a whole is better for them because of the higher funding. I think it's win-win.

Also keep in mind that there will be trade opportunities between players throughout the life of the game if you can't manage to find an open lot. Even backer style homes will be available to non-backers as some of those people start upgrading to towns and may not want to keep their village land.

 

This is getting ridiculous.

Housing will be limited (this has been known from the start). Why? Housing is being used as a main source of fundraising. If its not limited or rare, it kind of loses its purpose as a fundraising tool.

Anyone have a better idea ? Can't sell insta kill swords for $500, right? Would you rather have a huge cash shop of over 100 items priced at $10 each to nickel and dime everyone?

Why not have some instanced housing? Well, that would put a damper on using housing as a fundraising technique.

Why not let everyone have a house? hmmmm..... 24,000 houses.....where the hell we gonna fit them? How many resources would that require? How many servers? How much would that cost to maintain?

We don't have 19 mil like Star Citizen, wake up !!

There are people forking over $500-10,000 just so the majority of people have a game to play.

As the game progresses, year after year, more land and housing should be available.

Does it suck that some can't afford a house and miss out on that aspect of gameplay? Sure. But the majority of content will not revolve around housing.

I didn't have a house in UO for over 1.5 yrs. At one point my guild of 7 or 8 had to make due in a 7x7. You may have to find a guild or friend to share a house with.

I just wish people would fully understand why SotA has used housing as a fundraising tool, give it a rest and try to focus on the majority of the content (pvp, pve, quests, crafting etc).

 

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I initally thought that these were mainly vanity items to begin with but the more I read, it started to seem like they were becoming a necessary part or at least marketed that way. I put down $150 for this game and honestly if I find it to be this terrible grind, sorry, i'm gonna be a little pissed. Honestly i could see this game having a cash shop anyways. The thing that gunga din is referring too as inital funding is going to continue. The people forking over 500 - 10,000 aren't doing me any favors either, that's BS. It mean't that much to them to fork over the cash and that's fine. My question was simply about gameplay experience.

 

Direct favors no, indirectly yes.

I added $55 to my pledge during the kickstarter. You know what tier or reward I asked for? Nothing. I gave an extra $55 just to help get to that 2.25 mil mark. Not just for me, but for everyone.

 

I don't think Gunga meant that they did it as a favor to other players. Rather, them doing it means you will have a decent game to play, and housing was a driving force in enticing players to donate to the project. If the pledges were lower or houses were not a reward, the game would not be as full as it is going to be.

 

I saw this article on Polygon and was kind of ashamed I didn't know about Shroud of the Avatar after enjoying so many years of Ultima Online! It was a great help in getting me up to speed on housing, kudos to everyone involved in that!

 

It seems people isnt giving this a rest and some even seem to withdraw their pledge/support -

http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.c...s-a-devoted-fan-of-all-ultima-until-this.html

Everyone should be able to get a house with enough ingame money. As it is in Star Citizen.

 

Star Citizen Hangars are instanced. The Ship is basically your gear. SotA is pushing more of an open world with its static towns. Again, you need much greater funding to allow for 24,000 houses and the servers to hold/maintain them.

More housing options will open up as the game progresses, they just won't be there at the start.

 

More houses? You mean developers will devalue the house owners pledges?

I dont think so.

 

I give up tyring to explain housing. I'll let the DEVs handle things. Adios...

 

I agree. Beating dead horses on this forum is getting old. <<unwatch>>

 

@Ara - Expansions in each Episode = more lots opened for more housing. The houses paid for in-game will be purchased with earned in-game money. Such houses/lots will be taxed in-game. No one is being de-valued. Not only so, but it is highly unlikely that all of the lots will be gone when Shroud of the Avatar goes 'live'. It may not take long after that for all available plots of land to be taken, but if plots are available at that time [when SOTA goes live], the possibility exists for in-game gold to earn and pay for plots in-game. If you feel that you cannot earn the gold fast enough, you might have to get creative in-game in raising gold. [Friends/guildies/people who want to share a house.]

 

A small historical note:

Oklahoma benefited from being one of the later U.S. states to transition to statehood. The inhabitants had seen a number of the problems that had arisen during the 19th century, particularly the latter half. Another large group in residence were the Indian tribes who had been forcibly resettled to "Indian territory" by the U.S. Army. So the Oklahoma Constitution contained specific prohibitions on land ownership that forbade ownership by non-US-citizens who were not native Americans (i.e. "Indians"), and forbade ownership of land outside cities and towns (municipalities) by corporations.

Article 22:
"1. Aliens - Ownership of land prohibited - Disposal of lands acquired.
No alien or person who is not a citizen of the United States, shall acquire title to or own land in this state, and the Legislature shall enact laws whereby all persons not citizens of the United States, and their heirs, who may hereafter acquire real estate in this state by devise, descent, or otherwise, shall dispose of the same within five years upon condition of escheat or forfeiture to the State: Provided, This shall not apply to Indians born within the United States, nor to aliens or persons not citizens of the United States who may become bona fide residents of this State: And Provided Further, That this section shall not apply to lands now owned by aliens in this State." (Ref: http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=85144)

"2. Corporations - Buying, acquiring or dealing in real estate.
No corporation shall be created or licensed in this State for the purpose of buying, acquiring, trading, or dealing in real estate other than real estate located in incorporated cities and towns and as additions thereto; nor shall any corporation doing business in this State buy, acquire, trade, or deal in real estate for any purpose except such as may be located in such towns and cities and as additions to such towns and cities, and further except such as shall be necessary and proper for carrying on the business for which it was chartered or licensed; and provided further that under limitations prescribed by the legislature, any corporation may acquire real estate for lease or sale to any other corporation, if such latter corporation could have legally acquired the same in the first instance; nor shall any corporation be created or licensed to do business in this State for the purpose of acting as agent in buying and selling or leasing land for agricultural purposes; provided, however, that corporations shall not be precluded from taking mortgages on real estate to secure loans or debts, or from acquiring title thereto upon foreclosure of such mortgages or in the collection of debts, conditioned that such corporation or corporations shall not hold such real estate for a longer period than seven (7) years after acquiring such title; and provided, further, that this Section shall not apply to trust companies taking only the naked title to real estate in this State as a trustee, to be held solely as security for indebtedness pursuant to such trust; and provided, further, that no public service corporation shall hold any land, or the title thereof, in any way whatever in this State, except as the same shall be necessary for the transaction and operation of its business as such public service corporation." (Ref: http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=85145)

This became very relevant very shortly after Oklahoma became a state, as the oil-production exploitation boom began. Among those affected (kept from doing what they wanted to do) were B-P.

 

I'm confused as to why so many people think there will be no land reserved for post-launch. Obviously, these people are not interested in informing themselves - the daily standup, for instance, is an excellent way to see where the money is going. AND they're paying some of it back to pledgers for art! Everything I hear from the devs just gets me more amped up about Shroud!

Thanks for trying to explain things Gunga Din - sometimes people have made their mind up so firmly that they won't listen to the actual information. I think it's funny how folks are treating this thing like it's a charity or like they bought stock in a company. If Portalarium were to disclose exactly how much land was available, it would allow speculators to manipulate the market more fully, to the detriment of most everybody. Also, pledges and store items are not the only source of revenue for SotA. It's a fair bet that several of the people on the team, including RG are putting personal money in. Not to mention the costs of starting Portalarium before any of this SotA business.

The way I see it, issues like this will result in some people choosing not to back the project. It's ok to choose not to gamble on it. Some people can't appreciate the experimental aspect, that's ok too. It's easy to forget that the full game will be released closer to 2015, and that it is not Portalarium's intention to have all sales be presold. There's just no way RG and his business partners aren't taking these possible problems into consideration. I'm sure they're also prepared to take the whining of the shortsighted and the trolls.

They can gnash their teeth and stomp their feet and then go buy the game in two years when it's super popular and there really isn't any land left. I will be in my ivory tower, watching them wallow with the unwashed masses and encouraging my house servant to keep them off the property.

 

@rild - I was with you until the last paragraph. Heh. I'm not watching anyone from 'my ivory tower'. Humility is a Virtue.

 

You mean I can't build a ladder to heaven out of virtual money? *sigh* I'm writing an angry letter to Life and demanding a refund!

Way to lay the smack down Fireangel - old testament style, new testament message

 

You know what the issue is? Not many people here, including myself, have ever been allowed to participate in the development of a game at such an early stage. They don't know how to handle the process. Every suggestion or update just launches them into a frenzy.

Relax, let the DEVs do their job and give them positive feedback along the way. You don't like how something is going? Post your concerns, in a professional manner, and come up with alternatives or feedback the DEVs can use.

At least we have the opportunity to make a difference in the creation of game. Better than waiting 2 yrs, paying $40, only to find out we don't like a ton of the features that could have been improved upon very easily if they asked us.

 

*chuckles* I was joking in all honesty (primarily directed at Lori).. but in response, I guess you havent noticed me around *tear rolls down cheek*:
I played UO for about 7 years, ran a top 10 server ranked guild (in top 10 for # of members and highlights both) on catskills. RP Guild.
Was co-gm of another top 10 server ranked guild (Higlights, I think we where jsut a tad shy on members but can't rememebr for sure). PVP-RP Guild.
Was a member of another guild that enjoyed offical support for events on occasion (LONG LIVE KINSHIP VILLAGE and Clan Dalaigh!!). RP Community support based guild.
When i left sold my accounts for 2800.00 as I was that "experienced" in UO (sold because I had been out of work (company went out of business) for 6 months and had a newborn baby to feed, care for, and spend time with).
^^ I played 60-80 hours a week ( I was muuuccch younger and didnt need sleep, just UO and work... now i have sleep disorders - let this be a lesson kids)

Played and won every ultima game ever produced, (as they where released, although i don't have all the game details memorized like some).
Have been following Portlarium since blackjack, poker, and ultimate collector (which i played for a long time to offer input and support - I hate faebook games).
Have been publshing a news feed since kickstarter.
Am one of the top poster's in the forums.
Founded the Shroud of the avatar facebook group during kickstarter (come join, Id like to hit the 100 member mark soon!)
At this time have generated about 3500.00 in funding for SotA from friends and family (and myself).

I avoid the Chat, I must admit.. Ive tried it a few times, and I always feel like my IQ just dropped in half based on the general maturity level that takes place in the chat. Maybe ive just jumped in at bad times, but the 2 or 3 times i did jump into the chat, I left within a couple minutes because a room full of 3 year olds seemed more intelligent. Im not saying everyone is like that, but theres enough of them in there to make it to painfull to hang around to talk to the good people. Ill stick with Dragonsmeet's, Markee Dragon episodes, and such.

Im not a "PR arm" for Portalarium though, most likely because I am also going to run a guild and do not make that a secret. The two things are seperate hobbies for me that share a theme *Shrugs*. I made the decision on day#1 that if that removes me from the list of being considered an offical source for PR, so be it... Im not going to give up one off the two things im enjoying doing, for pat's on the back or offical recognition. I do them because i enjoy doing them and that's reason enough. My hope is that some of the 100 or so people who currently follow my news feed, find it of use. THAT makes it worthwhile.

Back on topic though, the PolyGon article was done well enough, I was able to use it to convince 3 people that while perhaps a risk, it may also be worth the 150.00, and I raised another 450.00 in funding from village lots, and another 150.00 from viking houses (*grumbles* although all 3 of em are lazy and had me make the purchases and are wiritng me checks... *sighs* that means a trip to the bank..... I hate going to the bank!).

If I can get more articles like that, I still have about 6 friends im trying to convince to sign up... press like that will help me make that happen! Good stuff.