Initial Information
January 2013
The first official information we got about the coming housing update was in the Producer’s Letter from Kate Paiz in January 2013:
Housing – I am extremely pleased to say that this year we will be tackling a major revision to the Housing system. In February and March we will be gathering information about how Housing should change, and then we’ll be releasing revisions to the system in the latter half of the year. We look forward to leveraging our new Player’s Council to help shape and guide the extension of this feature!
Other Information
March 2013
From Scarycrow, LOTRO Dev Twitter Chat:
Q42: @PArriola Will we be able to have crafting in houses?
A42: Matt “Scarycrow” Fahey Yes we will be adding crafting facilities to housing.
May 2013
A post from Sapience in connection with the introduction of Housing Foreclosure in May 2013:
In preparation for some cool housing updates later this year, it’s time to clean up those old homes and get them back on the market.
August 2013
A clarification from Sapience on the forums in August 2013:
I just want to set some expectations before too many people start getting the wrong ideas.
Primarily, please do not confuse ‘this year’ with ‘Helm’s Deep’. While there may be some first steps in launched alongside Helm’s Deep we aren’t trying to tie the two things together. Any housing changes wouldn’t be tied to a HD purchase for example. So don’t expect HD to launch with an entirely new housing system, and I’d caution against thinking we’re going to be able to rip out the old system and build a new one from the ground up. That’s just not in the scope of this. If you think more in terms of revise and revitalize, you’re a lot closer than if you’re thinking overhaul and rebuild.
September 2013
Posts on the LOTRO forums by Sapience:
The housing update has always been planned for this year. It is not part of Helm’s Deep. If you recall, it wasn’t listed in the press release announcing the expansion. What we said in the interview is that Housing is slated for this year, but not in the expansion pack. Look for changes in an update after the expansion releases.
Keep in mind we’ve been saying update, not overhaul and not ‘new system’. If you’re expecting a radically different, or entirely new system you’re going to be disappointed. If you’re thinking improvements and updates, you’re probably going to be a lot more realistic in your thinking and a lot closer to the reality.
[Free placement] was never on the table. Extra storage might make you a bit happier.
Source: https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthread.php?522506-Housing-update-postponed-What-s-happened-with-it
October 2013
Q/A in 20 (40) Player Questions in October 2013 had this from HoarseDev:
Q30: SpongedarkSquarepants: Will we hear any new info on the housing update before the release of Helms Deep?
A30: HoarseDev: We have some of the early bits in (changes to house inventory). We are prototyping more features and will continue to develop and add to live. Housing work is going to come in phases.
December 2013
From a comment to Massively by Hannah Foell:
After some excellent feedback from the Player’s Council we elected to spend more time on it and push the housing update back to next year.
December 2013
From Executive Producer Kate Paiz:
One thing I had hoped, when penning this letter last year, was that at the end of 2013 I would be able to write about the great changes we’d made to housing. But, as you are aware, we had to delay the bigger housing changes we have been working on to 2014. We had some very good discussions with the Player’s Council about what we should include in the housing revamp and there are a lot of excellent ideas out there. It takes time to develop those ideas into good, fun housing features, and while we could have rushed something out just to say we’d done it, instead we decided to take more time and make more meaningful changes. We will continue our conversation around housing with the Player’s Council, and I look forward to giving you an update later in 2014.
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