Selling & purchasing new plots

[Gimthen]

Currently if you wish to buy a plot, you have to be without plot. As such, for existing plot owners who wishes to move/upgrade, they are required to sell their own plot first. Obviously we all do the same thing first. Take everything out of storage, decon each building before selling the plot before we buy our new plot.

However, when you have done that and you go to your new plot to buy it and discover that although it was still for sale prior to you deconning and no not anymore, it is not just really frustrating, but heartbreaking.

Is it not possible to alter the plot buying rules in the following way:
- Existing plot owners who wishes to move/upgrade, can buy their new plot whilst having their existing plot. When they have bought their new plot a “timer” will start.

- The timer will run on their old plot – which will “decay” whilst the timer is running. The timer will be of a set amount of time (don`t see a need longer than 24 hours)

-The timer will allow the plot owner to empty his existing storage and decon/sell his old plot with no fear of losing the new one.
- The timer stops when the plot is sold.

- In the event that the timer ran out prior to the plot being sold again, then it is automatically “reclaimed” without notice to the community and put up for sale. (with the potential loss of items, novians, plot value).

With this change plot owners who are moving/upgrading, would not be left exposed in having deconned your plot, sold it back and then noticing that whilst you did this, the new plot was sold, leaving you without a plot and loss of resources due to the decon you did. This was something which a fellow player/friend unfortunately experienced.

[Bronwynne]

Personally, I think this is a very good suggestion! After all, not everyone has an additional plot-holder account that is able to handle such a transaction. Emptying, deconning, and selling an old plot takes time...and buying a new prime plot is a time sensitive endeavor! A player who experiences this type of fiasco loses not only 20% of their construction materials, but they lose 5% of the original purchase price of their plot, not to mention the investment of time they had put into planning and building the original plot! Frustration is an understatement!

[Bronwynne]

After thinking about this situation more, it seems that another possible alternative would be to have a way to "hold" a property with a deposit of a % of the total purchase price. Place a time limit to complete the full sale transaction (perhaps 12 or 24 hours). If the sale isn't complete within that time period, then the property becomes available to the public again. This would permit a player who only has one plot subscription to secure the new property and then safely decon & sell their previous plot without running the risk of everything going horribly awry.

[Ladydragon]

I think these are great ideas for lairs too. Yes please please please institute something like this!!!

[Dhalin]

Or, if that is too difficult to program with the engine and all, we could do something that would have the same benefits:

Allow us to "claim" a property.

To "claim" a property, you must pay 25% of the property's cost and once you do, you effectively "own" the property. However, you cannot build on it until you sell your current one.

If 24 hours passes once you "claimed" your new property, the property becomes un-claimed and available for purchase again. It would be optional whether or not you lose the 25% down payment or not. If you made them lose the payment, it'd make a player think twice about "claiming" or "reserving" a property, but yet if a player got disconnected / lost power / etc and couldn't log back in, being out that much money might be a little disheartening.

[Delite]

Yes a way to hold a new property while deconning and selling the old property would be great!

[Finkledbody]

I do and don't like this idea. Mostly don't. I agree that it sucks when you decon and sell a plot for a upgrade and you find out that it was taken in between.. It does suck, and it is disheartening.

But what would stop someone from seeing a 80x80 plot pop up, claim it for the 24 hours.. over and over again just to keep it tied up so someone else can't buy it?

What about someone claiming it over and over again for the day when they decide to pay for another plot sub? I know I would. Hell. I'm sitting on enough coin to pay a 25% fee time and time again, even if I lost all the coin everytime. I could tie up a nice plot 80x80 plot anywhere i wanted for a year or more just because. Coin is not needed in this game so there would be no effect on me.

Hell, I would pay for 3 plot subs, and than use this new feature to keep 3 plots locked up right beside my 3 so I own a small city. Just keep paying the 24 hour fee over and over...

Or what about someone seeing a nice plot for a guildie? They pay it, lock it up, wait for there friend to get on. Than sell it to them? This idea is really killing the first come, first serve basis.

For the hardcore gamers (there are many in this game) it would just make it harder for the noobs to get a good plot.

_______________

If a system like this were to work, you'd have to limit the timer to 2 hours. Pre-pay 100% of the plot cost, with a 50% tax to hold the plot. If you don't claim the new plot in time you lose all your coin.

This feature should also be limited to 1 per account, regardless of how many subs the player is paying for.

But even with these tweaks. I still don't like the idea. It should stay as a first come, first serve basis.

[Bronwynne]

I agree that the idea would require some tweaking & limitations. There should not be an option to "hold" a plot for more than one turn, otherwise unfair exploitation would most certainly take place. I, personally, see nothing wrong with having a shorter hold time duration (the 12-24 hour period was simply a suggestion). With the plot exchange I did recently, it only took me about an hour to safely stash my belongings & decon the old plot. I also agree with Fink's idea about limiting the "hold" to only one per account, to avoid another type of exploitation of a player with multiple alts purposely tieing up a prime plot.

However, I do not agree with the hold deposit being 100% of the plot purchase price. Many players have some of their available coin invested in their existing plot, and have to sell it to be able to afford the new plot. Perhaps a deposit of 25% would be more fair.

As another idea to prevent malicious "holding" of prime plots, a penalty fee of, say 10% of the deposit could be assessed if the player chooses to forfeit the "hold" and not purchase within the set time-frame.

[Tcei]

Alternativly not being able to put the plot on hold again for a week or so would also prevent someone from locking the plot down.

[Steelclaw]

I think we should stay away from a hold or claim model where the plot buyer has the ability to back out of a purchase. If you want to buy a plot, you buy it, and you're committed to that purchase, subject to the existing time constraints. That should keep the plot market fair and alleviate concerns about abuse.

Gimthen's idea sounds a lot more plausible in terms of fairness, so the discussion should focus on that pipeline model, or something else that doesn't allow the buyer to tie up a plot and wind up not purchasing it.

[Gimthen]

I think these are great ideas for lairs too. Yes please please please institute something like this!!!

sorry .. .being a biped I usually think of Plots, but obviosly the same would be for lairs.

Gimthen's idea sounds a lot more plausible in terms of fairness, so the discussion should focus on that pipeline model, or something else that doesn't allow the buyer to tie up a plot and wind up not purchasing it.

As steelclaw understood correctly, My thinking behind the suggestion was indeed not to "hold" a plot. Once you buy it, you get it and no one else.

It is to benefit those that wishes to move, where the risk of loss of money and resources is so good as gone. (by deconning and then discovering that the plot is sold under the current mechanism). It should not benefit anyone else.

The suggestion is not intended or should not be used for an ability where other players can "reserve" a plot for someone else. Hence why, I thought that if the exisitng plot of the owner is being targetted in being decaying/demolish, the owner is even more forced to carry out the swap within a (short) time frame.

In terms of time frame, it is my personal view that it should not be 12-24 hours. I am sure we all can store our stuff and decon a plot within a couple hours max? If the timeframe would be longer, you indeed open up to a more holding position, so the shorter the better - but still a realistic time.