Illegally Placed House

[Lady_Calina]

I'm sure you've all noticed that, in Zento, there are large garden areas between each designated house plot. The house plots are very obviously drawn out around the city and it's never been possible to place in between them due to the shrubs, logs and other large items.

Yesterday, I came to my home and noticed something wasn't right. There was a long, skinny home placed directly in between my neighbor's home and mine, right over all of the garden area.

I turned on my circle of transparency and walked the house perimeter, noticing that this house was blatantly placed over all sorts of things it shouldn't be. There was even a large bush sticking out from the side of the foundation and, upon walking inside of it, there were bits of plants coming through the floor.

After speaking to a fair amount of people and having them come see the house, we all decided to page a GM. Since the house had suddenly popped up after the publish, we figured it may be a bug.

I ran a search for the owner of the house on UO.com and came up with two names at the time, both of which I was able to rule out as the owner through my contacts. This morning, I checked again and sure enough there was a "newbie" character with that name, just created yesterday.

The GM actually came and spoke with me and asked me why I believed the house was placed illegally, and I explained. They then said that they would be looking into the house, and bid me farewell.

I log in this morning, and the house is still there, and still obviously placed over things it should not be placed over. Zento take pride in its gardens and open spaces, allowing for homes not to be stacked nearly right on top of each other.

Has anyone else noticed houses popping up where they shouldn't?

 

[Kellgory]

Not sure of the Fel house placement rules, but there have been some houses placed that the front half is in guard zone and some other houses just placed where the front corner of the house touches the back corner of the house in front so that unless your accessed to the house your unable to pass between. I know this was legal on grandfathered houses, but these were placed within the last month.

 

[Sebrina]

I've noticed that in many houses that I have placed, some greenery will come through, and I've tended to use those as decore, working around them. I know that some people have a knack for placing over shrubberies. You have to get the placement just right for something like that to work.

I even placed the largest house on Moonglow, because others thought that it would not work over certain shrubs and obsticles. It does take some time in many cases. Other people seem to plop them down without a second glance.

You do have a legitimate concern and you have done the correct thing in asking a GM to check it, but most probably, it is actually a legitimate house. If it is in a City Guard Zone that is an entirely different ball game, ripe for a GM to handle.

 

[Silverbird]

Well ... if its possible to place there legally, it should be possible to place there on every shard. Unfortunately I dont have any free accounts to test. So ... IF its possible and someone want a house there, just check for cats and notice the coords of the house. With the help of some cloth or gozas you should be able to outline that plot on other shards and for having an easier placement.

 

[Voluptuous]

me AND a friend have a problem of NOT being able to place anything bigger than a 13x13 in one of those 17x17 spots in Zento! We are both long time placers too...totally mystified whats going on in Zento this month.

 

[Flutter]

I just went and looked. Funny stuff since there's better more open spots available a little farther up on the road. Looks like whoever placed it did so just to grief you.
Either way I never tried to place over the flowers so IDK how legal or illegal it might be.

 

[Spellbound]

I'm guessing the north and south Zento walls want a 5 tile boundary versus the original two tile separation between home and wall. I know the old house that fell was 18 x 18 and all I can muster is to get within five tiles of the town wall now, hence no more 18 x 18...bummer.

 

[Lady_Calina]

Yeah, I noticed that alot of the houses along the north wall are no longer 18x18. I bought my home about two months ago, after over two years of stalking the spot waiting for it to be sold or go IDOC. I got lucky and it came for sale around the time I sold my castle, so I had the money to bid on it. The person selling it had been the person to place it when SA was released, so it was placed before that housing rule.

If they did it to grief me, which they most likely did because there were larger spots open nearby, they'll be sorely disappointed with my reaction. While I was initially surprised, I'll be on my merry way now

 

[kittykat]

it's always been possible to place over some plants (and it's changed over the years) so probably the house is legal. The placement rules in zento are definitely different then when the area first was opened. I have 2 houses that are 1 row shy of taking full advantage of the empty grass area all because of a stinking blade of grass. I've resized many times until I just have finally said the heck with it. My third house (okay, yeah, I love living in zento) has long suffered from what I'd better term as an unfairly placed house (note that I mean unfair only in terms of the spirit of how the zento plots were set up) - the guy placed over a bunch of plants, including a spider tree that sticks up through his floor, years ago and his placement cuts a prime size plot (probably 18x18 or close) down to where I could only place something like a 14 by something (I forget now - it was still max size size so I live with it). I keep hoping some day the house will fall since there is nothing in it and I never see anyone there, but it stubbornly stays and mocks me. A bummer for sure, but it's the quirky way that housing is...

 

[Voluptuous]

welp. day 4 and not only can i not place over the 2 rows of plants like on all the other shards for my north wall spot...but can't use most of the plain ol grass either. lovely. I finally get the exact Zento spot I've wanted for years and it won't even place a max storage size for me.

 

[Lady_Calina]

After reading the other posts here, I'd like to think that perhaps the rules for housing in Zento could be looked at? Possibly make it so that when you try to place over the obvious garden areas in between homes you get the message "Housing cannot be created in this area", like when you place too close to the dirt hills in Luna.

And maybe set it so that homes can actually take up the size of the cleared plot, regardless of a wall being there. If not, then once the old homes fall, spawn gardens up to the point a home can be placed, so it doesn't look so empty.

I'm not a Dev and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night... but I do love houses!

 

[Chrille]

Well that location has houses on all shards Ive visit so far, Drachenfels and Great Lakes. I guess on Cats noone just hadnt bother to place there. It was like 5-6 years ago thoose bushes stopped block placement.

 

[Lady_Calina]

That's very strange considering just a year or so ago when I placed my husband's Zento home that it wasn't allowing a larger placement because of those shrubs.

Whatever the case may be, it still seems strange, but that's alright

 

[Spellbound]

All this talk about strange housing places reminded me of something. I just noticed recently a bunch of houses "inside" the Malas Orc Fort. Wasn't this area a no house creation zone in the past?

 

[The Home Guild]

I myself being in the housing business... Many like yourself don't know you can place over rocks,small trees,flowers etc and yes in zento for i have in the past. I'ts not a bug nor exploit it is legal to place as long as housing is placeable there[by the tool] and probably another reason your gm hasn't done anything cause the home is legal to be there.

 

[Lady_Calina]

Oh, I know that you can place over some rocks and small flowers and such, as I've owned and placed so many home I've lost count. I had just never seen one placed directly over what appears to be a "untrimmed" short hedge. Very weird stuff, but obviously it was allowed so I'm not worried about it. I just wanted to be sure all was well

 

[The Home Guild]

Oh, I know that you can place over some rocks and small flowers and such, as I've owned and placed so many home I've lost count. I had just never seen one placed directly over what appears to be a "untrimmed" short hedge. Very weird stuff, but obviously it was allowed so I'm not worried about it. I just wanted to be sure all was well

Ahh,okies!!