RtB houses - Open Letter to the Devs.

[lupushor]

What we need is more transparency from the Devs.


1. There is clearly a big issue related to RtB houses. They directly affect housing and item count on all shards. They are not just a little npc bug.

2. A lot of people are aware of this issue and of it's impact. People that have them and also people that don't have them.

3. Nobody can deny that this is a code error, not some random event, so the responsability of handling the situation is in the Devs backyard.

4. For years now, the developing team did absolutely nothing about this issue.

- They just do not know about this issue, assuming the housing system is working swell.

- They do know about the issue but they did not found a way to remove the bug and they gave up / are still looking into it.

- They do know about the issue and found a way to correct it but they are afraid of the impact it would have if they implement it so they are still thinking about it.

- They do know about the issue, the way to fix it and a way to safely implement it but for a reason they do not go through with it. -> Now, when one gets to this point and suddenly the reasons don't make any more sense, conspiracy theories tend to bloom.

So Devs, we need you to come forward and explain us the situation.

Devs, are you fully aware of the existance of bugged houses that were supposed to go Idoc and they did not?

If you are aware, then you need to make a public statement about what you are going to do about this, even if it's about doing nothing.


And secondly, while we are still on this subject, maybe you would care to explain what happened with the last Return to Britannia promotion 2012 and why it was only advertised on its last day?
I know I check uoherald on a daily basis and I did not see anything about it until the last-minute reminder. I personally found this situation highly insulting and still expect some kind of an apology note. Was this just a harmless omittance, a very bad joke or a targeted scheming?
Were you in fact able to fix the issue and that is why you opened a new promotion as part of solving it? Cos if you didn't, it surely looks like you did it only to fill the idoc-palooza new spots with just more of these bugged houses.


In the hope that you see how many questions are raised by the current situation and our need to find out your point of view, I eagerly await for any sign from you regarding this issue.


Sincerely Playing Ultima Online
Wolfy of Trinsic


P.S. - I personally don't think this situation should be handled by deleting these houses one by one, but by fixing the code and allowing all houses to immediately enter the idoc stages.

 

[Smokin]

What we need is more transparency from the Devs.


1. There is clearly a big issue related to RtB houses. They directly affect housing and item count on all shards. They are not just a little npc bug.

2. A lot of people are aware of this issue and of it's impact. People that have them and also people that don't have them.

3. Nobody can deny that this is a code error, not some random event, so the responsability of handling the situation is in the Devs backyard.

4. For years now, the developing team did absolutely nothing about this issue.

- They just do not know about this issue, assuming the housing system is working swell.

- They do know about the issue but they did not found a way to remove the bug and they gave up / are still looking into it.

- They do know about the issue and found a way to correct it but they are afraid of the impact it would have if they implement it so they are still thinking about it.

- They do know about the issue, the way to fix it and a way to safely implement it but for a reason they do not go through with it. -> Now, when one gets to this point and suddenly the reasons don't make any more sense, conspiracy theories tend to bloom.

So Devs, we need you to come forward and explain us the situation.

Devs, are you fully aware of the existance of bugged houses that were supposed to go Idoc and they did not?

If you are aware, then you need to make a public statement about what you are going to do about this, even if it's about doing nothing.


And secondly, while we are still on this subject, maybe you would care to explain what happened with the last Return to Britannia promotion 2012 and why it was only advertised on its last day?
I know I check uoherald on a daily basis and I did not see anything about it until the last-minute reminder. I personally found this situation highly insulting and still expect some kind of an apology note. Was this just a harmless omittance, a very bad joke or a targeted scheming?
Were you in fact able to fix the issue and that is why you opened a new promotion as part of solving it? Cos if you didn't, it surely looks like you did it only to fill the idoc-palooza new spots with just more of these bugged houses.


In the hope that you see how many questions are raised by the current situation and our need to find out your point of view, I eagerly await for any sign from you regarding this issue.


Sincerely Playing Ultima Online
Wolfy of Trinsic


P.S. - I personaly don't think this situation should be handled by deleting these houses one by one, but by fixing the code and allowing all houses to immediately enter the idoc stages.

You know if they were to do this it would end messing up some how and ALL houses would go idoc and fall or something. Pissing a lot of players off.

 

[flappy6]

Most are prolly empty anyways,they use them more for blocking keep and castle spots maybe store stuff of less value. I wish they could tear them all down at once so the same people dont get them again,give everyone a chance.

 

[lupushor]

You know if they were to do this it would end messing up some how and ALL houses would go idoc and fall or something. Pissing a lot of players off.

Well, if it's rocket science, then they should just hire Nasa to do it.

My guess is the algorithm just checks active accounts and when one becomes innactive puts it in a stack to start idocing in 3 months. The RtB accounts never get actually active (paid for) so they are just ignored altogether. I can hardly imagine any situation in which active accounts could be affected. But that's why I think RtB houses should go through all Idoc stages. If anything goes terribly wrong they can revert everything and go back to sketching board.

 

[HD2300]

My guess is the algorithm just checks active accounts and when one becomes innactive puts it in a stack to start idocing in 3 months.

There is an algorithm in working already that checks if an account is paid up or not... the username password account login check. All they need to do is just adjust the date back by 3 months. It is very very very simple.

 

[Larisa]

It has been stated several times that the Return to Brit houses are totally different.

A house on an active account is tracked through the system, as it is attached to an active account.

A house on an inactive account is basically invisible to the housing server as it doesn't have an active account to attach it to.

When the Return to Brit program is activated, All INACTIVE accounts are switched on for a limited time, which I am guessing has no correlation with the housing server/system, which leaves all houses placed on such accounts in some sort of *limbo*.

What it would take to create a computer program/system to find these houses I have no idea, but I'm assuming there has to be a way other then us as players being honest and telling them *yes I have X amount of RtB houses please delete them*

I would like to see the RtB houses deleted, and hope that they can find a way to do so without too many issues.

 

[Ludes]

Sometimes there is really to much whining...

I been trying to get a castle since 1998.. still don't have one.

If there's a house there you can't place.... period.

Why does this remind me of the land barons trying to find a legal way to kick people off the land so it could be "their" land?

 

[Woodsman]

Why does this remind me of the land barons trying to find a legal way to kick people off the land so it could be "their" land?

I don't know, because RtB houses are houses that should not exist at this point in time and should have been taken care of a long time ago.

Personally I'd rather the devs just come out and say they aren't going to fix them or delete them, rather than the deafening silence.

 

[lupushor]

Why does this remind me of the land barons trying to find a legal way to kick people off the land so it could be "their" land?

Exactly, why does it?

This issue is about 'ghost' houses, with no active characters attached, no active players attached, no payment attached. Where did you come up with the "people kicked off their lands"?


Oooooh! I see your point. You are saying that there should be no idoc system in game. Every house ever owned by people leaving the game should stay in place as a monument to the departed owner. Turning the world slowly into a ghost world. Sorry, I have to disagree, too Necro for me.

 

[Woodsman]

Where did you come up with the "people kicked off their lands"?

Exactly, if you're not willing to pay for it, it's not your land.

I wish they'd put an end to those who only pay for a few months out of the year and game the system with the 90-day timer to keep houses they are aren't really paying for.

But they won't even deal with/acknowledge the RtB houses.

 

[MalagAste]

There has got to be some way to check this beyond having us do it... obviously there are some folk who serious ABUSE this...

I have a few inactive accounts but you know what??? All 8 of my homes are on PAID accounts. Accounts I pay for EVERY month.

I don't pay one month and let it go 2 months pay a month... BS... I don't place homes on inactive accounts...

This is insane.

I know of one such RtB house... I know who placed it... yet there it sits still... sure I could page about it... but my thought is... How then would I ever know if they finally fixed this issue?

 

[Flutter]

I'm not sure I understand what the big deal is. There's plenty of room for houses. Why do you all care so much about old RTB houses?
(and no I don't have any)

 

[goldenpower]

P.S. - I personally don't think this situation should be handled by deleting these houses one by one, but by fixing the code and allowing all houses to immediately enter the idoc stages.

I agree 100% with this.

RtB houses should decay. period.

 

[Woodsman]

I'm not sure I understand what the big deal is. There's plenty of room for houses. Why do you all care so much about old RTB houses?

Why should they remain standing? Especially the ones that the UO team knows about?

 

[Kojak]

I agree 100% with this.

RtB houses should decay. period.

but where would I put all my stuff then?

 

[Merus]

I can not understand how our Dev team does not seem to understand the unbalance this creates in the game. These RTB houses are allowing some players to have literally thousands and thousands of extra lockdowns without paying for them. Whats more it gives some of those same players access to houses across mulitple shards.

Housing is one of UO's most unique features, and allowing players to continue abusing a housing issue they are fully aware of seems wrong to me.

I am no programmer, but I know enough to know that there is a database somewhere that should show the location, structure, contents, and account for every single house. Dump the data in excel and use a couple of VLookup's for all I care, is should not take a programmer more than a day to identify every house not tied to a active account. A quick date forumula should tell you if the account is inactive, if it is still withing its 90 day grace period... if not, flag the house for decay. Yes it may be a manual process looking up the tables and creating a few formulas, but that is no more manual than Mesanna logging in to the game and manually deleting houses.

 

[goldenpower]

but where would I put all my stuff then?

considering the fact they could be reported and deleted at any time, it is a stupid place to store stuff

 

[claudia-fjp]

considering the fact they could be reported and deleted at any time, it is a stupid place to store stuff

Except you'd just be guessing since there is no outward sign for sure that they are RTB houses.

 

[claudia-fjp]

Sometimes there is really to much whining...

I been trying to get a castle since 1998.. still don't have one.

I quit around 2007-8 and let 2 castles fall, came back the end of 2010, before a year was up I had already placed 2 new castles. So you must not be trying TOO hard!

The motives/reasons for RTB houses fall into 3 categories and any 1 of the 3 is enough to fix it imo:

1) People who know about the bug and exploit it for a free house storage, the co-owner change was a boon for these people.

2) People who know about the bug and exploit it for a free way to hold land either to block others from upgrading or a potential spot to upgrade for themselves. People open an account every 3 months until a RTB then xfer the house to a closed account. Some even do it just to grief.

3) People who use RTB as intended but don't keep playing inadvertently taking up room. Not malicious but still clogs up the land.

 

[HD2300]

It has been stated several times that the Return to Brit houses are totally different.

A house on an active account is tracked through the system, as it is attached to an active account.

A house on an inactive account is basically invisible to the housing server as it doesn't have an active account to attach it to.
...

Well if that is the case, then if a house isnt on the housing server, then drop it. How much simpler can it be to check?

Seriously, how hard can it really be?

 

[Woodsman]

1) People who know about the bug and exploit it for a free house storage, the co-owner change was a boon for these people.

2) People who know about the bug and exploit it for a free way to hold land either to block others from upgrading or a potential spot to upgrade for themselves. People open an account every 3 months until a RTB then xfer the house to a closed account. Some even do it just to grief.

3) People who use RTB as intended but don't keep playing inadvertently taking up room. Not malicious but still clogs up the land.

The UO team wants to do a lot of bug fixes, and they have been, this sounds like a good bug they should take care of.

Well if that is the case, then if a house isnt on the housing server, then drop it. How much simpler can it be to check?

Seriously, how hard can it really be?

Even if they have to do it manually because it's not showing up on their database checks, they should be able to devote a GM to it and knock out most of the shards in a few weeks or a month or two. It's a one-time thing and I'm sure having GMs do it is far cheaper than Mesanna doing it.

 

[HD2300]

Even if they have to do it manually because it's not showing up on their database checks, they should be able to devote a GM to it and knock out most of the shards in a few weeks or a month or two. It's a one-time thing and I'm sure having GMs do it is far cheaper than Mesanna doing it.

If Mesanna can some how work out if a house is or isnt RTB or not manually, which I believe she can and has, there is no reason why it can be done in 1/10000th of the time and 1/10000th of the cost programmatically for all houses.

 

[goldenpower]

Except you'd just be guessing since there is no outward sign for sure that they are RTB houses.

well I have a dozen of them and I don't store anything in any of them because I know they could disappear at anytime since I'm not paying for the accounts

 

[Flutter]

Why should they remain standing? Especially the ones that the UO team knows about?

Because they don't bother me or change the way I play UO.

 

[HD2300]

Why should they remain standing?...

Because they don't bother me or change the way I play UO.

Because people may pay to place houses in these RTB spots. More accounts paying for homes = More money for EA = more money for development

 

[Warpig Inc]

Need squatters rights rule. Click on the sign everyday for 2 months. The last two weeks the sign gets a foreclosing notice nailed on the sign. Active account character owner of the house can remove the notice. Squatter goes and finds a different house. Click on day 60 house sign sets character as owner. Another squatter will disrupt the 60 day timer after two weeks of squatting.

 

[Zayin666]

I'm not sure I understand what the big deal is. There's plenty of room for houses. Why do you all care so much about old RTB houses?
(and no I don't have any)

Because they are blocking for other houses. I know a few places on Europa where people would be able to upgrade to castles or keeps if the area wasn't blocked by a rtb house.

Also they are often ugly

 

[LordDrago]

A quick note from EA:

 

[lupushor]

Need squatters rights rule. Click on the sign everyday for 2 months. The last two weeks the sign gets a foreclosing notice nailed on the sign. Active account character owner of the house can remove the notice. Squatter goes and finds a different house. Click on day 60 house sign sets character as owner. Another squatter will disrupt the 60 day timer after two weeks of squatting.

Absolutely not. Once you pay for an account, your house should be 100% safe. I'm glad the griefing days of house refreshing are gone.

Also they are often ugly

LOL. So true.

A quick note from EA:

ROFL. Pic is amazing, but your post would have been funny even without it. Just "A quick note from EA:".