How do you create higher tier housing?

[Shoddyfrog]

So far I have around 4 or 5 commoners and they are all homeless. All listed as "Cannot find a house with enough desirability for my status"
There is existing tier 1 housing in 'High' desirability areas within approx. 30 meters of their workplaces. But it does not get upgraded. Do you need materials? I have wood, planks, stone, polished stone and tools in stock.

Tried creating an area zoned for housing directly next a commoner's workplace, then increasing that area's desirability with decorations. This proved almost impossible as decorations have such a tiny AOE that placing a decoration just blocks housing from being built and does not affect a large enough area around it to be able to create a blank area with average desirability. But after spending hundreds of gold on a semi circle of decorations I have managed it. Creating a blank area of map with average desirability, painted for housing, directly next to a homeless commoners workplace. But nothing gets built there.

New housing is getting built much farther away from workplaces, in low desirability areas with no decoration. So I am at a loss, if existing housing will not get upgraded when it is 'High' desirability and close to the commoners workplace. And they ignore empty average desirability plots next to their workplace, how on earth do you provide housing for them?

This is only commoners as well, if average or even high desirability is not good enough for a commoner what do higher tiers need?

[Pico 22]

i just saw a big house far from high desirability area upgraded to 2nd tier. There was no need for that to happen, no need for commoners/citizens to find a home. Now it stands empty and the expelled serfs had to build themselves a new one.

The upgrading system is not designed well. My advice would be to use a mod, but if you are playing for achievements you are stuck with it.

[Pops]

pico, this would never happen if u promote wisely. promote by house instead of willynilly.

[Wuik]

Hello,
my simple method before the 1.94 (can't pass the tavern bug and found a workaround ...), after a mission or if you won more money with trading than your tresory could keep : spam of trees at the same place next a house ... they cost 7 more than 5 before but you will see if the house was in hight desirability after clic on it...i have always does like that since the beginning of the game ^^

[Shoddyfrog]

I am starting to make some progress now. My mistake was thinking that people would move house, but they don't. I saw that I had housing in high desirability areas but I did not specifically promote the people who lived in those particular houses. I was just promoting unemployed people, giving them the Commoners jobs and presuming that they would move into and upgrade the suitable housing, and the Serfs who lived there would swap houses with them. That is not how the game works.

I selected the people who already lived in the high desirability houses and promoted them. Hey presto the house upgraded (it seems to trigger as soon as the majority of the people in the house are commoners) this has resulted in some unsuitable low tier workers being Commoners, but I can gradually correct that over time by firing people and gradually swapping around who works where.

So that seems to be the secret. Don't just promote a random unemployed person and give them the new Commoner's job expecting a place in a suitable house to be automatically given to them. People will stay in the same house regardless of it's suitability for them.

[Pico 22]

Originally posted by Pops:

pico, this would never happen if u promote wisely. promote by house instead of willynilly.

That happened in my first village where I haven't promoted anyone in a long time. I promoted a couple of serfs in my second village, with an empty house waiting; they moved in immediately. Maybe the game thought they needed yet another house, but the one that was upgraded was quite far from their working place and in a low desirability area. - Anyway, I tore down both houses, built a nice tier 1 home on the spot where the empty one used to be and serfs have been living there happily ever after.

[rkelly17]

Before promoting I always make sure I have some houses with 6 out of 6 that are high or very high desirability. I then promote everyone in those houses--trying to make sure that they are near job sites for commoners. They usually upgrade their house as soon as they are promoted and everyone stays put. Rarely they don't, often because I overlooked something, but sometimes I'm not sure why.