Topic

Urban decay

Once the game goes into general release there will be a lot of homes purchased and then abandoned (people stop playing the game but still own the home).  Over time this could lead to essentially uninhabited neighborhoods.  For all I know, my neighbors could be those people now as I have NEVER seen anyone else on my street.

The animals and plants will die (small tear runs down my face), but the house will remain standing.  

Should there be a way for the central authority (God, I think) to recover those homes and put them back on the market|?  Say, if someone has not done ANYTHING in 30 or 60 days?  if they come back, they would have to buy a new house.

Posted 15 months ago by Kookaburra Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • maybe after 30-60 days let squatters enter the dwelling.  The international squatter symbol appears on the door and any who want to enter can.  Not sure if this would add to or relive your fear of decay...  once the real owner logs in they can relock their door and kick out the squatters.  This would provide a good alternative group housing option.
    Posted 15 months ago by Artilect Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You'd better implement any changes to the way housing possession works BEFORE going to wide release, since anything which changes the "I permanently own this property after paying 10,000 for it" standard will make a lot of people extremely unhappy.

    If anything happens to change the way owning property works, you'd also better implement many, many email warnings about it. I know I'd be furious to come back and see all my property (and all the stuff in my house) gone.
    Posted 15 months ago by Shoehorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • That said, I agree: I haven't seen anyone on my street either.
    Posted 15 months ago by Shoehorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • All in all I'm not fond of this idea.  The devs say that adding more houses is easy, so this only affects neighborliness, not housing availability.  You can also get the same affect if no one likes your location or housing style.  If you want to know who your neighbors are, invite a lot of friends when a new block opens up. 

    Knowing how I play games, 30 to 60 days is WAY too short for any kind of time limit.  Try 6 months to a year.  I've even gone back to online games 2 years later, and pretty much expected all my possessions and skills to be exactly how I left them.  Anyone with a paid subscription should start the countdown only after their subscription expires.  There should also be an option to delete or close your account on purpose.  Most people will walk away without bothering with that, but it could help some.
    Posted 15 months ago by KhaKhonsu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • No thank you. If I buy something in game, I expect it to stay mine if I take a break. I've taken year long breaks from several sites, why should I loose my stuff on those sites while I'm away? 
    Posted 15 months ago by Ebil Subscriber! | Permalink
  •  Try 6 months to a year.  . . . . .   Anyone with a paid subscription should start the countdown only after their subscription expires.  There should also be an option to delete or close your account on purpose.  

    These are all awesome suggestions.
    Posted 15 months ago by Kookaburra Subscriber! | Permalink
  • if you have not met the people on your block it is time for a block party.  another option is that many of the housing areas and even some of the blocks have groups to help with neighbor communications.
    Posted 15 months ago by Artilect Subscriber! | Permalink