House Change

Eligibility System

Threshold Requirements:

• First change: Total donation points ≥ initialpoints (default: 5000)
• Second change: Total donation points ≥ initialpoints + extrapoints (default: 5005)
• Third change: Total donation points ≥ initialpoints + (2 × extrapoints) (default: 5010)
• Formula: Required = initialpoints + (timespurchased × extrapoints)

Point Consumption (Optional):

• take = 0 (default): FREE once threshold reached (points NOT consumed)
• take = 1: COSTS points (first = initialpoints, subsequent = extrapoints each)
• Admin-configurable per-server preference

Examples:

• take=0, initialpoints=5000, extrapoints=5:
  • At 5000 total points: Can change house (free, unlimited)
  • At 5005 total points: Can change again (free)
  • At 5010 total points: Can change again (free)
  • Points never consumed, just milestone gates
• take=1, initialpoints=5000, extrapoints=5:
  • At 5000 points: Pay 5000 to change (left with 0 points)
  • Earn 5 more points: Pay 5 to change again
  • Points actually spent

House Change Process

Step 1: Access Lodge:

• Navigate to Prefect's Lounge (lodge.php)
• If eligible: "Change House" section appears
• Link shows cost: "Change House (free)" or "Change House (5000 points)"
• If not eligible: No link (threshold not reached)

Step 2: House Selection:

• Explanation: "Because you have earned sufficient points, you have been granted the ability to change your house."
• Dropdown menu: Lists ALL houses/clans on server
• No restrictions (can pick any house, even current one)
• Button: "Change House"

Step 3: Confirmation:

• Select house from dropdown, click button
• If insufficient points (take=1): "It seems that you do not have enough points to change your house at this time."
• If sufficient: Immediate house change

Step 4: Result:

• clanid updated to new house
• clanrank reset to CLAN_MEMBER (lose leader/officer rank)
• Points spent (if take=1)
• timespurchased counter incremented
• Message: "Congratulations, your new house has been set to [HouseName]."
• News post: "[PlayerName] has joined [HouseName]."

Strategic Considerations

Why Change Houses:

• Roleplay: Character development arc (redemption, betrayal, etc.)
• Social: Join friends' house
• Competitive: Switch to winning/dominant house
• Escape: Leave toxic/inactive house
• Sorting Regret: Fix initial sorting mistake

Costs to Consider:

• Lose house rank (member status, no leadership)
• Leave house vault access (can't retrieve items)
• Abandon house-specific progress (depends on modules)
• Reputation loss with former housemates
• Actual point cost (if take=1)

Optimal Timing:

• Before investing heavily in house vault
• After reaching 5000 donation milestone naturally
• When new house has specific benefits you want
• During house recruitment drives (coordinated mass-join)

Free vs Paid Mode

Free Mode (take=0, recommended):

• Points act as milestone gates only
• Once reached 5000: Can change houses forever (free)
• Encourages house experimentation
• Rewards long-term donors without punishment
• Simpler to understand

Paid Mode (take=1):

• Points actually consumed on each change
• First change costs 5000 points (expensive!)
• Subsequent changes cost 5 points each (cheap!)
• Creates point sink (reduces donation point inflation)
• Makes first change VERY costly (barrier to entry)
• Subsequent changes trivial (5 points = ~$0.50)

pointsdesc display adjusts automatically: "The ability to change houses upon reaching 5000 and every 5 points thereafter. (this doesn't use up those points)" vs "costs 5000 points initially and 5 points for every change thereafter."

Rank Reset Mechanic

Why Rank Resets:

• Joining house = starting fresh (logical)
• Prevents instant leadership takeover (security)
• Forces earning trust in new house (social)
• Prevents abuse (switch houses, steal resources as leader, switch back)

What You Lose:

• House leader status (if you were leader)
• Officer privileges (if you were officer)
• Custom clan rank (reset to default "Member")
• Permissions tied to rank

What You Keep:

• Character stats/items
• Personal bank account
• Dragon kills/levels
• Reputation with NPCs
• Everything not house-specific

Admin Configuration

Module Settings:

• initialpoints: First change threshold (int, default 5000)
• extrapoints: Subsequent change increment (int, default 5)
• take: Actually remove points? (bool, default 0)

User Preferences:

• timespurchased: How many house changes bought (int, default 0)
• Auto-managed, don't manually edit

Typical Configurations:

• Generous: initialpoints=1000, extrapoints=1, take=0 (easy access)
• Default: initialpoints=5000, extrapoints=5, take=0 (milestone reward)
• Strict: initialpoints=10000, extrapoints=100, take=1 (rare privilege)

Limitations

• No Confirmation Dialog: Dropdown + button = instant change (no "are you sure?")
• No Undo: Once changed, must change again (costs another increment)
• Rank Loss Permanent: Can't restore leader status automatically
• No House Restrictions: Can pick same house you're already in (wastes change)
• No Cooldown: Can spam changes if you have points (if take=0)

Integration with Other Systems

Clan/House Systems:

• Uses standard clanid/clanrank fields
• Compatible with clan vault, clan halls, clan buffs
• Leaving house = lose vault access (items stuck)
• Rejoining old house = member rank (not restored rank)

Sorting System:

• Players without house see "Get Sorted" instead of "Travel"
• After house change: Normal travel returns
• Can bypass initial sorting via house change (if rich enough)