Access to Housing

[Wyrdsmyth]

Please make access to housing more reasonable.

The main inducement players have to visit other players homes is to purchase items directly in or to avoid broker fees.

Unfortunately the current system is so convoluted and problematic that many players just give up and stop going to houses and just eat the broker fees even though it costs them substantial plat.  Here are the most significant problems:

1. The seller name and the house title are too long so the zone name gets clipped off with ellipses.  This is especially problematic for Prestige Housing which has the same title but is only available from the zone it was purchased (either Freeport or Qeynos).

>Suggestion: Make ALL Prestige Housing available from ANY prestige housing portal and put a portal in every city (i.e. add portals to Neriak, New Halas, Timorous Deep, Kelethin, ...).

>Suggestion: Make the entire Seller Name, House Title, and House Zone viewable in the broker window.

2. With the elimination of the hovels outside Qeynos and Freeport, standard housing has become physically harder to access and more dangerous now that it is in the heart of the cities.  This basically trains new players that visiting housing in hostile cities is a pain and likely to get you killed.  Even high level players often find visiting hostile cities is now more trouble than it is worth.

>Move standard housing to one of the remaining outlying lowbie zones.

[Rainmare]

there has not been an alter alignment city yet that my paladin hasn't been able to get into and avoid guards to any housing or guildhall. it just requires patience in a lot of cases. I know that's a strange concept to a lot of younger gamers.

though I would concede on being able to see the entire address/city for prestige housing on the broker.

to be honest, most times I just buy it from the broker directly becuase the amount extra I'd be paying is negligable. unless it's some like 50-60p+ item. but most items I buy..like arrows...yeah the broker fee isn't worth bypassing.

[ZachSpastic]

Rainmare@Oasis wrote:

I know that's a strange concept to a lot of younger gamers.

OP is talking about shopping, not raiding.

[Rainmare]

the comment was more to the idea of being a little patient and allowing guards to path. I've run all over freeport/neriak as a paladin. and I have yet to have an issues getting to a home. because I can actually wait for the guards to path by me/stay out of thier sight.

if your going to bypass the broker fee by visiting the home, that doesn't mean they should rearrange it so that you can run over and leave. it might take you longer to reach the house because you have to wait 2 minutes for pathing guards.. or you might have to use the sewers to get to where you need to go.

for example I just did the run from the SQ sewer enterance to the Lion's mane inn. avoided the guards...took me 1 minute 45 seconds.

getting the the prestige housing might be a bit more difficlt, but still doable. just reuqires a little patience. if you want to get it and get it now..buy it direct from the broker and eat the fee.

[Finora]

While I also don't usually have any issues getting to where I want in any city (except Neriak, which I just don't like much anyway so mostly avoid even on my characters who 'live' there), the broker does have issues displaying addresses.  As the OP states there are some addresses you just can't see enough of to know where they are. That needs to be fixed.

It would also be great if they broker didn't show addresses on houses that haven't had their rent paid so are inaccessable making your trip through a city of opposite alignment for naught.

For now, if you have a ton of trouble navigating cities of opposite allignment, you can always send an alt of that alignment. I've done that in the past just to not have to mess with Neriak on a good aligned character.

[ZachSpastic]

Rainmare@Oasis wrote:

the comment was more to the idea of being a little patient and allowing guards to path. I've run all over freeport/neriak as a paladin. and I have yet to have an issues getting to a home. because I can actually wait for the guards to path by me/stay out of thier sight.

if your going to bypass the broker fee by visiting the home, that doesn't mean they should rearrange it so that you can run over and leave. it might take you longer to reach the house because you have to wait 2 minutes for pathing guards.. or you might have to use the sewers to get to where you need to go.

for example I just did the run from the SQ sewer enterance to the Lion's mane inn. avoided the guards...took me 1 minute 45 seconds.

getting the the prestige housing might be a bit more difficlt, but still doable. just reuqires a little patience. if you want to get it and get it now..buy it direct from the broker and eat the fee.

I'm going to the supermarket to pick up a can of peas. I guess it's time to break out the S.W.A.T gear.

I keep a home in the Near Residential Aerie in Kelethin just to sell high-priced items, because the Kelethin guards don't harass shoppers and that particular home is very close to a travel globe. Players shouldn't have to treat shopping like a quest.

[Mermut]

ZachSpastic wrote:

Rainmare@Oasis wrote:

the comment was more to the idea of being a little patient and allowing guards to path. I've run all over freeport/neriak as a paladin. and I have yet to have an issues getting to a home. because I can actually wait for the guards to path by me/stay out of thier sight.

if your going to bypass the broker fee by visiting the home, that doesn't mean they should rearrange it so that you can run over and leave. it might take you longer to reach the house because you have to wait 2 minutes for pathing guards.. or you might have to use the sewers to get to where you need to go.

for example I just did the run from the SQ sewer enterance to the Lion's mane inn. avoided the guards...took me 1 minute 45 seconds.

getting the the prestige housing might be a bit more difficlt, but still doable. just reuqires a little patience. if you want to get it and get it now..buy it direct from the broker and eat the fee.

I'm going to the supermarket to pick up a can of peas. I guess it's time to break out the S.W.A.T gear.

I keep a home in the Near Residential Aerie in Kelethin just to sell high-priced items, because the Kelethin guards don't harass shoppers and that particular home is very close to a travel globe. Players shouldn't have to treat shopping like a quest.

I think a more apt anonology would be the difference between paying the grocery store to deliver the peas to your front door and having to brave rush hour traffic to get to the store to get the peas yourself. Rush hour traffic takes longer and is dangerous if you don't pay attention.

[SteelPiston]

An easy answer to your travel problems:-

Make a character in each city. Have the character make all of your alts trustees. Then you can use the guildhall -> home portal pad to go to any city in 2 seconds. Simply exit the house and then enter the home of where you wish to visit.

I've used this method to get low level alts to their shopping destinations for ages. No worries about good/evil alignment.

[ZachSpastic]

Mermut wrote:

ZachSpastic wrote:

Rainmare@Oasis wrote:

the comment was more to the idea of being a little patient and allowing guards to path. I've run all over freeport/neriak as a paladin. and I have yet to have an issues getting to a home. because I can actually wait for the guards to path by me/stay out of thier sight.

if your going to bypass the broker fee by visiting the home, that doesn't mean they should rearrange it so that you can run over and leave. it might take you longer to reach the house because you have to wait 2 minutes for pathing guards.. or you might have to use the sewers to get to where you need to go.

for example I just did the run from the SQ sewer enterance to the Lion's mane inn. avoided the guards...took me 1 minute 45 seconds.

getting the the prestige housing might be a bit more difficlt, but still doable. just reuqires a little patience. if you want to get it and get it now..buy it direct from the broker and eat the fee.

I'm going to the supermarket to pick up a can of peas. I guess it's time to break out the S.W.A.T gear.

I keep a home in the Near Residential Aerie in Kelethin just to sell high-priced items, because the Kelethin guards don't harass shoppers and that particular home is very close to a travel globe. Players shouldn't have to treat shopping like a quest.

I think a more apt anonology would be the difference between paying the grocery store to deliver the peas to your front door and having to brave rush hour traffic to get to the store to get the peas yourself. Rush hour traffic takes longer and is dangerous if you don't pay attention.

That analogy would be more apt if M2s were standard equipment on automobiles.

[Cloudrat]

I have been killed by guard while zoning out of portal for houses on a stick in Freeport on a level 80 character.

Qeynos epic guard sometimes stands right at houses on a stick as well after chasing someone.