Housing Just Went Live

[Devolved]

'More importantly', some of us have strange priorities!

Somehow I cannot believe that you do not already have a bazillion universal ingredient packs in your wallet ...

I do.

And my priorities have been given strange looks before.

 

[Dwardulf]

For sale signs are clickable, and purchasable. Just letting people know, the mad rush to get houses has just begun

On what server exactly? I don't see anything available on Peregrin

 

[Thanorblade]

It was on Peregrin, Bree homesteads->Eabury. And ya, I'm not one for cherry picking, if we aren't supposed to have the house yet, I'll drop the house for fairness and equality sake. In return, I'd love for SSG to return our chest of kinship resources that have been lost during transit ><

 

[FactualWannabe]

It would have helped if people provided more info. That's what was throwing people off as if it was a troll post.

Server is Peregrin. The housing area is the Bree-lands Homesteads and in the Eabury Neighborhood:

• 4 Long Street
• 5 Long Street.
• 8 Long Street
• 4 Garden Street.

I've not checked any other Neighborhoods or Homesteads.

Last night I confirmed the 8 Long Street is owned. I was about to enter to use task boards and chose Eabury because of the comments in WC. Owner is level 15 and named HomeSweetHome. I didn't notice but someone in WC said it was a kinship house.

 

[Thanorblade]

Homesweethome is another player that purchased a house same time as us. We have the kin house with the rohan windmill, and the erendil statue

 

[Cordovan]

if "well announced" has the same significance as "finished soon" i still don't know if that indicates any particular time span, could be still less than 24 hours earlier but "well announced" aka gets it's own thread/lotro-news-post ...

As we have consistently stated from the start, when we are in a position to announce a housing opening start time it will include both a date and time and be broadcast across all our social media, the forums, Discord, the game launcher, the web site, and any other venue we control.

 

[Hoppendi]

As we have consistently stated from the start, when we are in a position to announce a housing opening start time it will include both a date and time and be broadcast across all our social media, the forums, Discord, the game launcher, the web site, and any other venue we control.

I never doubted your word here and i am sure you will announce it on the forums. The post you quoted from me was a follow up to this message i wrote a little earlier:

Very sad that the team and @Cordovan didn't announce something like "We will inform players at least 5 days ahead of the to be set housing opening times" - that's it and housing freaks could chill out until such a statement comes. For now we have to expect something like a spontaneous less than 24 hours announcement when they deem transfers are completed far enough... What's the problem that prevents such a simple statement so especially coordinating friends/kins don't have to be on the edge every day?!

So all I (and some other players) wanted to hear for now is a statement like the one i suggested in the quote above. Otherwise - and because of the importance housing holds to some - we have to expect this announcement every day and it could be like: "Get ready, housing will open tomorrow 4 pm EST" - if you would agree to officially state that from the announcement on there will be at least 3/4/5 days until it opens there would be enough time to gather the kin/friends and coordinate together. There are people that check everyday on forums because they are afraid of the "opening tomorrow" statement and you could easily prevent most of this stress by confirming from the official announcement on housing will stay locked for at least X more days. Didn't ask for more than that and just want to eliminate this "housing could open any day" state that we are in right now.

Edit: And since it just came to mind: it would also be helpful if you could definitely additionally state something like "Housing won't open before 24th of March" and if it takes later you could update it by "Not earlier than 28th of March" or whatever - for those that have high importance for housing addresses (especially groups/multi accounts) that would really reduce stress a lot!

 

[Magdalyn]

So all I (and some other players) wanted to hear for now is a statement like the one i suggested in the quote above. Otherwise - and because of the importance housing holds to some - we have to expect this announcement every day and it could be like: "Get ready, housing will open tomorrow 4 pm EST"

Exactly. Especially as the announced time will be EST (i.e. SSG's business hours), which usually means that players in Europe who have to work cannot meet it. For example: 9 a.m. for SSG > 2 p.m. CET.

I took off an entire week for the transfer debacle (little did I know that even this wouldn't be sufficient) so that I would at least have a decent fighting chance in the upcoming land rush and housing shortage. I can't take days off at a hat's drop.

One would think that SSG should be interested in paying customers (which usually means: people with jobs, since not everybody can be a millionaire or retired).

Btw: Cordovan's above announcement was at roughly 1 a.m. CET. And here we are again, monitoring the forum in the timeslot 6-7 a.m. before work. Business as usual for European players who want to buy at least some of their houses back ...

 

[Westlen]

Exactly. Especially as the announced time will be EST (i.e. SSG's business hours), which usually means that players in Europe who have to work cannot meet it. For example: 9 a.m. for SSG > 2 p.m. CET.

I took off an entire week for the transfer debacle (little did I know that even this wouldn't be sufficient) so that I would at least have a decent fighting chance in the upcoming land rush and housing shortage. I can't take days off at a hat's drop.

One would think that SSG should be interested in paying customers (which usually means: people with jobs, since not everybody can be a millionaire or retired).

Btw: Cordovan's above announcement was at roughly 1 a.m. CET. And here we are again, monitoring the forum in the timeslot 6-7 a.m. before work. Business as usual for European players who want to buy at least some of their houses back ...

When it is business hours for SSG (Standing Stone Games), it is already afternoon in Europe due to the time zone difference, so the europeans will be mostly done with their working hours.

 

[Magdalyn]

When it is business hours for SSG (Standing Stone Games), it is already afternoon in Europe due to the time zone difference, so the europeans will be mostly done with their working hours.

It do not think that most full-time workers are already home in the afternoon (in the first half of my career, that would have applied to excactly zero percent of my colleagues; now it would apply to two colleagues working part-time).

But in any case, scratch my example and the European aspect. The start of SSG's business day would be just as bad or even worse for full-time workers on the East Coast of North America. The times for the transfer on March 3rd / 4th / 5th were probably better for Europeans than for US players. The appearance of the transfer button 3 a.m. European time was not.

What I was mainly trying to say to SSG is:

• Give players sufficient notice in advance so that we can plan accordingly.
• Let us know early on which timeframe you are envisioning, so that we do not need to constantly monitor the offical discord and forums.
• If you give a notice e.g. 24 hours in advance at a time when Europe is sleeping, keep in mind that for European players, the heads-up will arrive about 1/2 day later.
• Especially players who work and need to take time off, as well as groups of players (kinships, friends, families) that must coordinate their housing efforts in the upcoming land rush need a notice that is proivded several days in advance.
  • The majority of the players who financially contribute the most will most likely have a full-time job
  • Kinships and other communities are the social foundation of LOTRO.
  • Please do not come up with a house sale that factually caters to solo players who are basically free to play 24/7 (which makes no sense from a commercial perspective).

 

[Jenara]

What would make the most sense is to open housing for US servers during US prime time, and EU servers during whatever is considered EU prime time. This is, in my mind, a no-brainer. Then again ...

 

[Hurin]

Last +Cord of the Rings show said that data analysis has led them to believe over the years that noon Eastern time (or thereabouts) is the fairest time to do things like open housing. No, it can't please everyone, but it allows for the greatest number of people to be available to play the game.

 

[Karac Avalron]

It do not think that most full-time workers are already home in the afternoon (in the first half of my career, that would have applied to excactly zero percent of my colleagues; now it would apply to two colleagues working part-time).

But in any case, scratch my example and the European aspect. The start of SSG's business day would be just as bad or even worse for full-time workers on the East Coast of North America. The times for the transfer on March 3rd / 4th / 5th were probably better for Europeans than for US players. The appearance of the transfer button 3 a.m. European time was not.

What I was mainly trying to say to SSG is:

• Give players sufficient notice in advance so that we can plan accordingly.
• Let us know early on which timeframe you are envisioning, so that we do not need to constantly monitor the offical discord and forums.
• If you give a notice e.g. 24 hours in advance at a time when Europe is sleeping, keep in mind that for European players, the heads-up will arrive about 1/2 day later.
• Especially players who work and need to take time off, as well as groups of players (kinships, friends, families) that must coordinate their housing efforts in the upcoming land rush need a notice that is proivded several days in advance.
  • The majority of the players who financially contribute the most will most likely have a full-time job
  • Kinships and other communities are the social foundation of LOTRO.
  • Please do not come up with a house sale that factually caters to solo players who are basically free to play 24/7 (which makes no sense from a commercial perspective).

The problem is going to be server load and timing (the later you illustrate clearly). Imagine a moment they say "April 10th we are opening housing" which is how SSG usually operates. What happens on April 10th? Thousands (yes thousands) of players trying to log on and flood the housing brokers with requests for private housing instances? Not only that then they will need all their items to get things "set up".

It has lagfest, disconnect party and queue quandary written all over (except the British, they know how to queue properly). The transfer issues we have had doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Ideally SSG takes your ideas into account and staggers housing release by server. You know a nuanced, strategic approach that requires planning?

So ya, EU servers get reasonable EU times to open it up. But you do 1 server at a time to make sure that server is sorted before you do the next. Opening them all at once, on the same date, at the same time looks like a disaster in the making. Let me say this again, because I have in other threads. You thought transfers was a **** storm, wait until lotro players do not get the houses they want, when they want them. Its going to get ugly fast if that is the case.

 

[Magdalyn]

Last +Cord of the Rings show said that data analysis has led them to believe over the years that noon Eastern time (or thereabouts) is the fairest time to do things like open housing. No, it can't please everyone, but it allows for the greatest number of people to be available to play the game.

If SSG is (again) aiming for a uniform worldwide go-live date for the land rush, this is true.
(As a member of a team scattered from Singapore over Frankfurt and London to New York, that somehow sounds familiar to me).

It also makes sense that SSG is not triggering something like this at the end of their business day (as the potential for disaster is very high).

However, the least that SSG should do is to give players a chance to organise themselves by clearly communicating SSG's plans well in advance (which can be done without providing the actual ETA in the form of a fixed date).

The problem is going to be server load and timing (the later you illustrate clearly). Imagine a moment they say "April 10th we are opening housing" which is how SSG usually operates. What happens on April 10th? Thousands (yes thousands) of players trying to log on and flood the housing brokers with requests for private housing instances? Not only that then they will need all their items to get things "set up".

It has lagfest, disconnect party and queue quandary written all over

Agree, but it seems to me that a uniform worldwide go-live date is what SSG is currently aiming for.

 

[Magdalyn]

Twenty minutes ago on Discord (times are CET):

Breaon — heute um 19:31 Uhr​

That broker is gonna get destroyed when housing opens up. Considered adding additional ones? Rivendell, etc?

1. 
   
   

   Scenario

   

   — heute um 19:32 Uhr​

   Hopefully - the layering system will help mitigate that issue to a degree.

 

[auximenes]

So, no, no additional steps to try to mitigate the disaster.

 

[HappyBudgy]

One disturbing thing I noticed during our shortly lived move-in was that we were missing an entire kinship house chest of resources, years worth of supplies. We checked escrow, housing chests, and vaults, but it seems to all be missing. I have read on the forums here that other people have also experienced stuff missing from their housing chests, not getting transferred to the new 64's. It's something everyone should check when they eventually get into their houses and kin houses.

Missing stuff here too. Not fun.

 

[Thanorblade]

Hey @Cordovan, what procedure should we be taking to address bree kinship housing chest items that were not transferred over from the old server?
Hathalrin has checked Escrow, and her vault on Peregrin, but they are non-existant since we abandoned the old kin house back on Crick. She even went as far as starting a character back on crick so that we could check escrow on the old server to make sure it wasn't accidentally left behind, but it has completely disappeared. We have screenshots of everything that were in that chest before moving.

 

[Stronkie]

Housing live? where.. I am trying to buy , nothing is open

 

[Thanorblade]

You mustn't have read through the whole thread?