Housing Rally 12-20-2014 - More Frost-feely Feeling!!!

Welcome to the December 20th 2014 Homes and Tomes House Rally - More Frost-feely Feeling!!!

We’ll start off in chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to group/raid channel (if we need to) once everyone is on board!

I’m your host Kuerden Basajuanak, and tonight we’ll be looking at some Frostfell-themed housing! This is the biggest decorating time-of-year, and people do amazing things for the Holidays!

As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! Try to wait until everyone zones in to LIKE a house though – otherwise the house can shift in the list and make it hard to find!

For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. Sometimes the numbers have shifted a little, just ask if you can’t find it!

So set your Leaderboard for Hall of Fame/Newly Published and head to:

Snowflake Manor (#5 Hall of Fame/Newly Published) by Critana

A Five-Room New Halas Estate

Here we have a lovely ice-themed house! On zone-in you are presented with a small entrance alcove. Head forward a little and you’ll find a hidden teleport pad. This will take you down to the ocean edge.

Now that we are out-of-box (i.e. outside the traditional boundaries of the house), you’ll see ahead of you an ice building taking shape over the water. WAIT until it forms fully, or you may fall through into the water!

In the meantime, look behind you and you’ll see a small corral with assorted mounts and a tool shed. Several Frosty Vespyr Trees and pines are used in the landscaping.

Once the house is fully rezzed, go up the Kerra Steps and into the house. Proceed up the hallway to the central room. As you can see the house is formed like a snowflake! Let’s go clockwise around the house!

Directly ahead is a sitting room and sleigh bedroom.
To the right is a bathroom and a guest bedroom.
Then a Dining Room and a Curio area.
The next two rooms are weapons/trophy displays.
Next (skipping the doorway) is a reading library/reading room.
Bedroom and Kitchen.
Gaming room.

I thought this was beautifully done – at least for the exibitionistic at heart!!! I liked the minimalistic decorations that didn’t detract from the transparent character of the house either! Spend a few minutes wandering and we’ll head to the next house!

Don’t forget to Like It if you Like It!

Hartay’s Holiday Retreat (#3 Massive Homes/Newly Published) by Hartay

A Snowy Dwelling

I popped in here in my usual Leaderboard Crawl, and thought it was very well laid out for a Holiday Party!!! Lots of space to mingle and enjoy Frostfell social life! On zone-in head for the main house!

Make a right onto the open sitting area and dance floor. This provides a nice view on the ocean and snowballs!

Enter into the house and see the main room. There is a hidden portal take it to the bedroom, icy patch and Kitchen.

Wander a few moments and we’ll continue on! Don’t forget to Like It if you Like It!

Our next house is:

Frostfell Isle GHC - Crazyapple (#14 Massive Homes/Newly Published) by Crazyapple

A Snowy Dwelling

Here is a scratch-built lodge built net to the snowy dwelling! This place has so many decorations I’m just going to have people run around and comment!!!

Take a few minutes and wander. This house shows a lot of attention to detail, so check out how things are done! Like It if you Like It!

That’s it for tonight folks! We are going to try to do one last Frostfell in two weeks! Should be good!!!! Don’t forget to rate it if you like it!

Good Night Everyone!

Housing Rally 12-7-2014 - Getting that Frost-feely Feeling!!!

Welcome to the December 7th 2014 Homes and Tomes House Rally - Getting that Frost-feely Feeling!!!

We’ll start off in chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid/group channel (if we need to) once everyone is on board!

I’m your host Kuerden Basajuanak, and tonight we’ll be looking at some Frostfell-themed housing! This is the biggest decorating time-of-year, and people do amazing things for the Holidays!

As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! Try to wait until everyone zones in to LIKE a house though – otherwise the house can shift in the list and make it hard to find! Remember a good rating means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!

For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. Sometimes the numbers have shifted a little, just ask if you can’t find it!

So set your Leaderboard for Hall of Fame/Newly Published and head to:

Ho Ho Home (#1 Large Homes/Newly Published) by Beattrixx

An Uncanny Estate

Here we have a beautifully furbished Uncanny Estate! No ghosts, vampires etc. – just a very festive home with lots of actors!

On zone in you’re dropped into a main hall with a family waiting to see Santa! Note the creative use of actors! On the right is Santa Glug and his sleigh! As you cross the room amid falling snow and drifts (ceiling problems?) look at the wide range of decorations!

Make a left and head to the Frostfell Feasty Bar! Again, lovely and festive will multi-colored decorations – but what really brings the room to life are all the actors. Check out the back of the room with all the dancers!

Head back out to entrance hall, but note the reindeer mural on the left as you exit! Clever!

Now head across the room to the far side and enter the toy shop! Again, the use of (rather gnomish-looking) actors for Santa’s elves gives this room life!

Head on up the stairs and break left! Here we have a bedroom complete with an actor and tasteful Frostfell decorations.
Exit the room and cross to the room on the other side. Here we have a children’s ward (complete with guard!). Check out the Ratonga asleep on the with a gingerbread cookie. Some of the other ‘kids’ (?) use actor animations that work surprisingly well rotated onto a bead!

On the balcony is a circle of kids at a game (?) and possibly a storyteller!

This is one of the best use of actors I think I’ve seen. There are simply so MANY, and they make a nicely decorated home into an exciting Frostfell experience!

Take a couple of minutes to look around, and then well move on!

Our next house will be…

Early Black Friday at the Mall (#18 Massive Homes/Newly Published) by Silvendras (Dani)

A Tenebrous Island Refuge

I popped in here in my usual Leaderboard Crawl, and was really struck by how creative this house is! On zone in check out the fantasy parking lots on either side! Very amusing!

Move forward into the mall! Again, lots of actors of diverse race! After a small stall you can see an art sale directly ahead.

Turn left at the art display and head down the shops on the right. In order, you have:

The Piano Man (Pianos)
The Elegant Heroine (Clothing)
Message in a Bottle (Fine Wines)
The Pet Spot (Pets)

Then there is a food court – the proprietors call out to passer’s by.

Plant Shop
Hard Hats (Armor Shop)
Norrathian Travel Agency

And back down the other side…

Norrathian Home Furnishings (Furniture)
Chesterfield Lighting (Lighting)
The Trophy Shop (Weaponry)
Ye Olde Curiosity Shop

There’s also an employee parking lot if you can find it!
Wander a little and then we’ll move on…

Our next house is:

Treelily’s Frostfell by Tenchigirl (#1 Hall of Fame/Newly Published) by Treelily (Tenchigirl)

An Everfrost Summer Home

Here is a scratch-built house on a built in an Everfrost Summer Home! I always like to take a look at anything scratch built, as they require quite a bit of thought to make things work!

This is a completely modern home decorated for Frostfell. Technigirl always does very beautiful detailed work. Continue down the entry hall to the first room on the right – a sitting room. Off the sitting room is a kitchen and the Dining Room set up for a feast!

Behind the kitchen is a small undecorated laundry room, and a small office completes the floor.

Upstairs are several well-executed bedrooms!

Take a few minutes and wander. This house shows a lot of attention to detail, so check out how things are done!

That’s it for tonight folks! We are going to try to do a special Guild Hall crawl soon to look at other guild halls whose décor is truly notable!

Good Night Everyone!

Housing Rally 10-19-2014 – Crypts for the Newly Dead!

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #32 – Crypts for the Newly Dead!

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid/group channel once everyone is on board!

I’m your host Kuerden Basajuanak, and tonight we’ll be looking at some brand new NotD housing! This is my favorite decorating time-of-year, and people do such great creepy retreats to look at! Some darker than others!

As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! Try to wait until everyone zones in to LIKE a house though – otherwise the house can shift in the list and make it hard to find!

DON’T FORGET THOUGH!!! A good rating means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!

For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. Sometimes the numbers have shifted a little, just ask if you can’t find it!

So set your Leaderboard for Small Houses and Recently Published and head to:

The Mad Hatter Boutique (#2 Small Homes/Recently Published) by Cheribomb

A Personal Dojo

Here we have a cute idea - A costume shop for NotD! As you zone into the Dojo, you are immediately presented with the Masks & Hats section. To the left are Womens masks, and to the right Mens.

A bit of mist by the doorway and Misty Red Tiles create a nice creepy effect, as does the Mossy Briarwood Dividers. Add some scary decorations and some spider webs, and the first room looks cool! The signage helps orient people to the wares and location.

It’s also very nice to see the assorted NotD (or otherwise Halloweeny) masks and headgear available all in one place!

Go through the door and you come to the Costume area with leg, head and full manikin displays. Look around a bit at the wares! Another neat use of the always versatile Dojo!!! Take a sec and give a rating if you’d like!

Next we are on to:

Melalei’s Necromancer Raid Shop (#1 Medium Homes/Newly Published) by Spinsong

A 3-room Apartment

Here is another creepy shop! This is a little place necromancers go to purchase needed wares! On zone-in you are presented with a dark and foggy, with an Actor as proprietor (yay!).

This is a very straight-forward decorating project – no reskinning or florid decorations – just a minimalist job that works really well!

Walking through the tapestry takes you into another similar room (again with an actor), that includes a grave and a mourner for the house designer. Fun!!!

Returning to the main room, go through the grated door (Rusty Prison Door). It’s a bit hard to click on, but you should be able to get it open. Here we have another room that I thought was keen for the spider web with the human-sized wriggling cocoon in the spider web!

I thought this house was excellent because it is beautiful and effective WITHOUT elaborate decorating tricks! You don’t have to spend hours in the layout editor to make a great house! Here it’s done with minimum items and a great layout – and lots of fog generators!

Take a sec to look around a give a rating if you like!

Our next house is:

Secret Crypt of the House of Bayle (#17 Large Homes/Recently Published) by Some Weird Guy

Everfrost Summer House

Here we have a fantastic, amazing house just published by some weird guy… (DISCLAIMER: I AM THE WEIRD GUY). This place took a few months of part-time work to complete – so here it is! Feel free to break down and weep (via emote) if I talk too much!).

On zone-in you are presented with a view of the main hall. Extensive statuary was used, and the room is dominated by 4 Qeynos Guardian statues front-lit with Shadowed Chandeliers. These can be resized very large for a really impressive effect!

The line of twin apprentices (yes I do have that many alts) guard the entrance along with two actors. Everything is skinned in black marble.

Ahead is the large white sarcophagus of Bayle Shiverfist and his wife. Only the wife is present – Bayle is MIA in the Void. There is a large book on his bier with info on the Bayle line.

The pads surrounding sword are designed to use the shimmer-effect deliberately as is the large sun on the ceiling. I picked three motifs for the House of Bayle: The Sword, the Sun and The Lion. The pad in front of the book is a teleport portal.

Three actors are present, representing a couple of my characters, and a monk guard on the steps. Go past the monk into the Gold Room. Vallius Bayle and the first Lords of Qeynos are here. The altars are selected based upon their backgrounds.

Return to the main room and break left. This is the White Room with the middle three Lords et al. The one with the Rose is Antonia’s direct descendant. I wanted to have her here, but I couldn’t get a good likeness, and the bobblehead sucks!

Return to the main room and cross it again. This is the Red Room and has the last three Lords. I changed the crypt style to wood to make it feel more modern.

Return to the teleport pad in front of the book (in the main room) and pick Chamber of the Faceless Guardians. Here you will see several actors discussing matters (assorted alts).

Next take the teleporter to the Pool of Making. Here I stole the idea of a crafting circle from HaT – all the crafting tables are buried under the pool. Lots of collectible items here to give visual interest.

Finally (YES!) pick the Room of Ways. This is my central nexus to all my chars houses. I used the Reflecting Mirrors here because of the interesting effect of a mirror and a portal. Unfortunately, the lighting does not affect them uniformly.

Assorted other portal objects are present…

The Everfrost Summer Home actually offers a lot of opportunities for decoration. Some of the surfaces are complicated to work with – but a two or even three floor revision are possible!

Now on to:

De Vampir Manor (#5 Massive Homes/Recently Published) by Crazyapple

Mistmoor Crags Estate

On zone in you are presented with a really well-set up tableau! Really compelling using a Firiona Vie statue and Leaning Cypress with Lamps! The Erudite Bookcases frame the entranceway and add a library-like effect! Apparently vampires are avid readers!

Go left up the long stairwell to a nice vampiric bar! This place would be great for a vampire guild! To the side is another reading room with a nice dark look! Above the bar is a GRAND BALLROOM! Really neat – with actors dancing!

The next room clockwise is a undead throne room leading to what I think is the empty Master’s Crypt.

Proceeding clockwise, you head up another stair to a very creepy dining room. Next door is a refrigerator – take a look in them.. A Chapel and Altar are set up on the other side.

Take a few minutes to look around and don’t forget to rate it if you like it. I thought it was a wonderful effort!!!

That’s it for tonight folks! We are going to try to do a special Guild Hall crawl soon to look at other guild halls whose décor is truly notable! We’ll also be scheduling a Proof is in the Pudding Faire soon for anyone who wants to get their Solstice Earring – so keep an eye out for announcements!

Good Night Everyone!

Housing Rally 9-28-2014 – Museums for Fun and Profit!

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #31 – Museums for Fun and Profit!

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid/group channel once everyone is on board!

I’m your host Kuerden Basajuanak, and tonight we’ll be looking at the museums of Norrath! What do you do to commemorate an institution, an idea or a loved hobby? Build a museum of course!

Tonight we’ll look at several different museums and memorials – some more serious than others! Frankly, I was amazed at what some people have done!

As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! Try to wait until everyone zones in to LIKE a house though – otherwise the house can shift in the list and make it hard to find!

DON’T FORGET THOUGH!!! A good rating means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!

For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. Sometimes the numbers have shifted a little, just ask if you can’t find it!

We’ll now switch to Raid (^) or Group (#) Chat and dig into this week of Norrath’s Gold!

Our first stop is…

Antonia Bayle Carriage Museum (#15 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Cheribomb

A Mistmore Crags Estate

Here we have a cute idea. I live a few blocks from a car museum, and this place nails the concept!

As you zone in you’ll see a concept carriage directly in front of you! A ‘Lover’s Carriage,” take a look at how it was put together! The Festive Pine Garlands are a neat touch, and show how far you can go repurposing items!

Look around a little – there are actors everywhere! To the left of the 1st carriage is a ticket/food stand, again with actors adding visual interest! Go left at the fork.

Here we have a large room with five carriages. The leftmost is Kelethin themed, The center three are New Halas (note the joke), Qeynos and Gorowyn. On the right is a Freeport hansom cab!
Continue around to the right and up the stairs. Here you have a very nicely done Gypsy (Artisan Caravan) coach followed by a Funeral Carriage complete with mourners! Lastly a more traditional Gypsy carriage completes the room.

Take a look around and examine the construction of the assorted carriages – a lot of thought went into them! The general decorating also successfully changes the feel of the Estate, and adds to the museum feel!

We’ll now move on to…

Arboretum of Eternal Memory (#20 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Bakuu

A Felwithe Mansion

Despite the name, this is more of an art museum than an arboretum! Continue up to the fountain as you zone in!

Here you begin to feel the art museum in the benches and paintings. The understated decorative plantings add to the tranquil atmosphere.

Continue past the fountain to the 1st intersection. Here you see art curving away from you on either side! Note the MANY Elaborate Brellium Lamps! That’s a lot of Brellium!

Go left until you get to the 1st path. Down it you’ll see a neat use of the pre-fab treehouse! Works extremely well, as does the bamboo furniture and Kerra steps! Simple but lovely!

Cut straight across the central quad through the Lilac Bristletree grove. Several quiet tables exist here lighted with Ruby Red Candelabra, which give a nice red lighting effect! Lots of fireflys and butterflies in use as well!

The far side alcove is similar to the first, while the central path between the stairs leads to a crafting area! If you go up the stairs, you’ll find a flying ship about to disembark.

Again, all around the place are paintings, so a visit is worthwhile just to see so many up and viewable! This place works very well without elaborate reskinning, and reminds me a bit of the Getty in California!

Wander a bit and look at paintings!

Our next house is:

Norrath Museum of Science and Technology (#47 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Alarielle

A Felwithe Mansion

Here we have another Felwithe Mansion used as a fairly conventional museum! The nice thing is everything is properly labelled. Just wander around and look at things!

The overall feel here is terrific, and it probably gets the nod for best aquarium exhibit in Norrath for the stunning fish tank!

Several interesting decorative items….

A brazier embedded in a Thurgadin Mystic Magefire sphere…
An Anashti Sul Familiar!
An Effigy of the Storm Queen plushie

And many more. Well worth a look for just the curios in the museum, let alone the tasteful landscaping!

That’s it for tonight folks! We are going to try to do a special Guild Hall crawl soon to look at other guild halls whose décor is truly notable! We’ll also be scheduling a Proof is in the Pudding Faire soon for anyone who wants to get their Solstice Earring – so keep an eye out for announcements!

Good Night Everyone!

Housing Rally 8-3-14 – Developing Taste Part Deux!!!

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #20 – Developing Taste Part Deux!!!

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid/group channel once everyone is on board!

I’m your host Kuerden Basajuanak, and tonight we’ll be looking at places that Everquest 2’s very own Developers developed a hankering for! Their picks are very wide-ranging as to style and complexity, so take a look and see what you think!

As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! Try to wait until everyone zones in to LIKE a house though – otherwise the house can shift in the list and make it hard to find!

DON’T FORGET THOUGH!!! A good rating means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!
For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. Sometimes the numbers have shifted a little, just ask if you can’t find it!

TONIGHT SHOULD BE EASY! JUST SET THE LEADERBOARDS TO DEV PICKS, and all but the last house will be right there! Yell if you can’t find it!!!

We’ll now switch to Raid (^) or Group (#) Chat and dig into this week of Norrath’s Gold! Our first stop is…

Magic Kingdom (#1 Dev Picks/Creativity-Recent) by Sairalindie: A Tenebrous Refuge

Here we have Sairalindie’s first published house! She joined H&T just a few months ago, and got this done in just a couple of weeks! It’s quite lovely, so it’s no surprise the Devs took to it!

On zoning in just take a second to pan around! There is lots to see! I loved the dancing dragon on the floating island to the right! You actually zome into a Thurgadin Mystic Magefire sphere. Head right to the spiral stair to the main house!

Here you can see a large kitchen as well as a couple of sitting rooms. The roofing is done using the woven leaf rug, which give a nice forest ambiance. The floating island itself is made of Oggokian Rock Tables, which have that slight purple cast to them.

Underneath the house is a nice scratch-built stream that adds a lot to the character of the house! Follow it to the garden and garden-house. Just over the edge is the floating castle! Go on in, noticing you are walking on Misty Tile!

The entryway has an assortment of farm animals (reminds me of the Baiten Kaitos game). Inside is a lovely manor house, and upstairs is an archery range (neat!). As you leave the manor, there is a stone mount to the left.

Climb up and you come to a cute little witches hut!

Wander around through this one! There is lots to see! This is a very rich house with many items and plushies! The use of the assorted Vesspyr trees have really allowed people to ‘scale up’ the island, and add a wide range of color!

Now we’ll move on to our next house:

Widow’s Storm Isle (#2 Dev Picks/Creativity-Recent) by Dawnstriker: Storm Tower Isle.

Here we have a Storm Tower Isle – an underused house that offers many interesting possibilities to decorators. On zone-in you are deposited looking towards the un-skinned Storm Tower. Directly ahead is a very nice Hansom cab!

As you look around, you can see some very tasteful landscaping principally utilizing hedge seeds. The area around the tower is tiled using Sullonite paving stones. Ahead by the front door are additional paths, leading first to a open crypt.

The crypt is a beautiful scratch-built structure – and yes there is something moving in the coffin! Check out the other decorations and the use of roses.

Nearby is a small ocean-overlook shrine that reminds me of some British WWI memorials I’ve visited. There is mirror-placed fountain on the roof which I found and interesting feature.

On the island outcropping is a small graveyard, and the central to the paths is a well-executed gazebo. Look at how Ornate Shadowed Bookcases are uses as structural framing. Continue on into the tower.

Inside you are immediately presented with a sitting/music room. The paneling is interesting – it uses Wantia Armoiries to give an almost Qeynosian paneling effect. Adamantine columns and red glass tiles complete the effect.

On the far side of the room is a small kitchenette that is quite nice! Going up to the next floor is a bathing room using a Vasty Deep shrine for the floor.

The next floor is a bedroom, with Sumac and Burnished Metal paneling. Overall, this is one of the best-decorated Storm Towers I’ve seen. Take a few minutes and wander around!

Now we’ll move on to:

The Ratongian Escape (#3 Dev Picks/Creativity-Recent) by Darkzephyr: Personal Dojo

This is a lushly decorated dojo that shows how much can be done with a small space. As you zone in, the first thing to notice is the custom fireplace to the right. Built using Neriak round counters and Paineel dividers, more visual interest is added by using Sombre Frostfell Candles.

On the other side note the use of crimson fire tapestries (one of my favorites) as dividers and Conquering the Waster pictures (covered with black marble tiles) make up portals to other residences.

Going through the doorway you enter a dining room/ kitchen, with the kitchen offering a lot of wonderful detail. Around the corner is a washer/dryer combo, and next door is a small bedroom.

Wander around a couple of minutes and see how everything was built.

Is it a madhouse or a dream (#4 Dev Picks/Creativity-Recent) by Vadra: Everfrost Summer Home

Here we have an interesting Tinkered Everfrost Summer Home. This house, despite its beauty is quite difficult to re-skin due to its complex structures. Here a ‘jumbled’ approach gets around this problem nicely.

There is a ’dare’ issued on entry to see if visitors can get into all three rooms on all three floors.
Moving forward to the face-down corpse with the axe in its back, you can see the various pumpkin torture stations! The use of Misty Tiles makes the floor more interesting.

Crossing the room, head for the Freeport door. When you open it, you are immediately faced by a fire devil plushy – very interesting because of its rotation! Give a neat fire vortex effect!

Now wander and see if you can find a way to the other floors! Hint – some of the fallen panels are ramps! The second floor is a music/science lab. Sort of an Island of Dr. Moreau lab effect! Nicely done!

Try to get into the 3rd floor room! I wasn’t able to figure it out! See if you can!

Next we’ll move on to:

The Shoe House (#5 Dev Picks/Creativity-Recent) by Bonnfire: A Tenebrous Refuge

Here is the classic fairy-tale house in a shoe! Cheri always does interesting things, so take a look at the construction of the various items. Note things like the flagstones (upside down Scrimshaw Ritual Sculpture).

The windmill is an interesting collection of tinkered items, check out the use of the Titanium Hex Gaskets as struts.

The standard Treehouse is decorated with assorted streamers – but I liked the ‘rope’ bridge using Indium Cage Bars.

Going into the toe of the shoe, check out the very nice stained glass oval work. The use of the dreadcutter rug as wallpaper give a nice Victorian look. The boot includes a scratch-built kitchen that is nice!

Wander through the house and look at the items and rotations.

Finally, take a look at this newly posted house…

Elysium (#7 Hall of Fame/Newly Published) by Eriassa: A 3-room Apartment

Sapphyre ran across this little gem, a lovely modernistic house in Qeynos! Check out the fish tank, the custom-made furniture and the very nice kitchen. I always like it when people decorate non-prestige housing – they are often overlooked, but offer wonderful decorating opportunities!

Wander a bit and check things out!

Well, that’s about it for tonight! In two weeks we’ll meet again on Saturday to view some of the beautiful Guild Halls of Norrath! We'll also be previewing The Secret Crypt of the Bayles! Be there or be square and have a great evening!

Housing Rally 7-6-14 – Developing Taste!!!

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #19 – Developing Taste!!!

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid/group channel once everyone is on board!

I’m your host Kuerden Basajuanak, and tonight we’ll be looking at places that Everquest 2’s very own Developers developed a hankering for! Their picks are very wide-ranging as to style and complexity, so take a look and see what you think!

As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! Try to wait until everyone zones in to LIKE a house though – otherwise the house can shift in the list and make it hard to find!

DON’T FORGET THOUGH!!! A good rating means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!
For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. Sometimes the numbers have shifted a little, just ask if you can’t find it!

TONIGHT SHOULD BE EASY! JUST SET THE LEADERBOARDS TO DEV PICKS, and all 5 houses will be right there!mYell if you can’t find it!!!

We’ll now switch to Raid (^) or Group (#) Chat and dig into this week of Norrath’s Gold! Our first stop is…

Magic Kingdom (#1 Dev Picks/Creativity-Recent) by Sairalindie: A Tenebrous Refuge

Here we have Sairalindie’s first published house! She joined H&T just a few months ago, and got this done in just a couple of weeks! It’s quite lovely, so it’s no surprise the Devs took to it!

On zoning in just take a second to pan around! There is lots to see! I loved the dancing dragon on the floating island to the right! You actually zome into a Thurgadin Mystic Magefire sphere. Head right to the spiral stair to the main house!

Here you can see a large kitchen as well as a couple of sitting rooms. The roofing is done using the woven leaf rug, which give a nice forest ambiance. The floating island itself is made of Oggokian Rock Tables, which have that slight purple cast to them.

Underneath the house is a nice scratch-built stream that adds a lot to the character of the house! Follow it to the garden and garden-house. Just over the edge is the floating castle! Go on in, noticing you are walking on Misty Tile!

The entryway has an assortment of farm animals (reminds me of the Baiten Kaitos game). Inside is a lovely manor house, and upstairs is an archery range (neat!). As you leave the manor, there is a stone mount to the left.

Climb up and you come to a cute little witches hut!

Wander around through this one! There is lots to see! This is a very rich house with many items and plushies! The use of the assorted Vesspyr trees have really allowed people to ‘scale up’ the island, and add a wide range of color!

Now we’ll move on to our next house:

Widow’s Storm Isle (#2 Dev Picks/Creativity-Recent) by Dawnstriker: Storm Tower Isle.

Here we have a Storm Tower Isle – an underused house that offers many interesting possibilities to decorators. On zone-in you are deposited looking towards the un-skinned Storm Tower. Directly ahead is a very nice Hansom cab!

As you look around, you can see some very tasteful landscaping principally utilizing hedge seeds. The area around the tower is tiled using Sullonite paving stones. Ahead by the front door are additional paths, leading first to a open crypt.

The crypt is a beautiful scratch-built structure – and yes there is something moving in the coffin! Check out the other decorations and the use of roses.

Nearby is a small ocean-overlook shrine that reminds me of some British WWI memorials I’ve visited. There is mirror-placed fountain on the roof which I found and interesting feature.

On the island outcropping is a small graveyard, and the central to the paths is a well-executed gazebo. Look at how Ornate Shadowed Bookcases are uses as structural framing. Continue on into the tower.

Inside you are immediately presented with a sitting/music room. The paneling is interesting – it uses Wantia Armoiries to give an almost Qeynosian paneling effect. Adamantine columns and red glass tiles complete the effect.

On the far side of the room is a small kitchenette that is quite nice! Going up to the next floor is a bathing room using a Vasty Deep shrine for the floor.

The next floor is a bedroom, with Sumac and Burnished Metal paneling. Overall, this is one of the best-decorated Storm Towers I’ve seen. Take a few minutes and wander around!

Now we’ll move on to:

Is it a madhouse or a dream (#3 Dev Picks/Creativity-Recent) by Vadra: Everfrost Summer Home

Here we have an interesting Tinkered Everfrost Summer Home. This house, despite its beauty is quite difficult to re-skin due to its complex structures. Here a ‘jumbled’ approach gets around this problem nicely.

There is a ’dare’ issued on entry to see if visitors can get into all three rooms on all three floors.
Moving forward to the face-down corpse with the axe in its back, you can see the various pumpkin torture stations! The use of Misty Tiles makes the floor more interesting.

Crossing the room, head for the Freeport door. When you open it, you are immediately faced by a fire devil plushy – very interesting because of it’s rotation! Give a neat fire vortex effect!

Now wander and see if you can find a way to the other floors! Hint – some of the fallen panels are ramps! The second floor is a music/science lab. Sort of an Island of Dr. Moreau lab effect! Nicely done!

Try to get into the 3rd floor room! I wasn’t able to figure it out! See if you can!

Next we’ll move on to:

The Shoe House (#4 Dev Picks/Creativity-Recent) by Bonnfire: A Tenebrous Refuge

Here is the classic fairy-tale house in a shoe! Cheri always does interesting things, so take a look at the construction of the various items. Note things like the flagstones (upside down Scrimshaw Ritual Sculpture).

The windmill is an interesting collection of tinkered items, check out the use of the Titanium Hex Gaskets as struts.

The standard Treehouse is decorated with assorted streamers – but I liked the ‘rope’ bridge using Indium Cage Bars.

Going into the toe of the shoe, check out the very nice stained glass oval work. The use of the dreadcutter rug as wallpaper give a nice Victorian look. The boot includes a scratch-built kitchen that is nice!

Wander through the house and look at the items and rotations.

All the houses tonight are great examples of taking truly fanciful concepts and turning them into game-reality. Remember you really can do pretty much ANYTHING!!!

Well, that’s about it for tonight! In two weeks we’ll meet again on Saturday to view some of the beautiful Guild Halls of Norrath! We'll also be previewing The Secret Crypt of the Bayles! Be there or be square and have a great evening!

Housing Rally 6-22-14 – Piratical Palaces

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #18 – Piratical Palaces

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid channel once everyone is on board!

I’m your host Huell Kuerden, and tonight we’ll be looking at places Pirate Hangouts! These are the places that lowlives and hedge-fund managers like to congregate! All are quite different, and excellent examples of the art of decoration!

As we view the houses tonight, remember that lots of people on our tours have extensive decorating/design experience and are happy to explain any techniques used, so if you have any questions feel free to ask!!!

And now on to this week of Norrath’s Gold! As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! A good rating means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!

For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. This time we will be looking at the 2nd category down – Dev Picks.
We’ll now switch to Group (#) Chat and dig into this week of Norrath’s Gold! Our first stop is…

Bataai & Oolee’s Treasure (#24 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Oolee: Vale of Half-Pint Delight.

Here we have a Half-Pint Vale, nicely redone into a pirate’s base! As you zone in, you are looking down a lushly landscaped lane. Behind you is the ship you just arrived in, you pirate scumbag! Go ahead and follow the path and enter the Nature Reserve! Lots of plushies and pets to see.

On your right just ahead is the Halfling hole. Go on in! There is a nice sitting room and a treasure hoard (featuring a LON Hoard of the Scaleborn). I did like the effect of the pirate tapestry covering the hoard door!

As you head down the lane you’ll see a Lincoln-Log (maple column) stable to your left, and just past it a small custom gazebo (made from Wantia beds) out on the small island. Once again, many mounts and plushies are scattered about, giving a lot of visual interest!

Wander around a bit! The thing I found most striking was the detailed landscaping, giving a very beautiful and natural setting!

Now we’ll head to:

An Old Salt Waits for the Wind (#159 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Quabbin: New Halas Single Room

This was a neat concept executed in a basic house! What’s not to like! On zone in you are dropping into a half-sunken ship (presumably). The use of Elm throughout gives a nice nautical feel, and the use of a watery platform (one of my favorites!) gives the room great interest!

Wander uphill (bear in mind the doorways are hard to see due to the Elm). From the flooded forecastle, you’ll head up to grog storage and then finally the Captain’s cabin! The Old Salt is over by the window!

Check out the construction for a minute, and then we’ll head on to our next stop!

Now head to:

Tower of the Twins Triumphant (#1 Massive/Newly Published) by Jaezila: Storm Tower Island

Head to Massive Homes and go to 'Tower'. This is an attempt to red the Stormwind Tower to something a little less EVIL looking. Intended as a Qeynosian anti-pirate base, and home for a characters RP order.

Note the use of purchased white tiles. They can be sized 2x crafted tiles, and so keep the overall count down. Rough stone tables were used to shore up the tower - the spines of the original equipment tower stick out too far to allow the tower to built without 'enhancement'.

Other Houses of Note:

Lady’s Pirate Ship (#242 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Lady: Galleon
Winterlilac’s Love Ship (#69 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Winterlilac: Galleon
Leyden’s Pirate Stronghold (#3 Hall of Fame/House Title) by Leyden: Storm Tower

All the houses tonight are great examples of taking truly fanciful concepts and turning them into game-reality. Remember you really can do pretty much ANYTHING!!!

Well, that’s about it for tonight! In two weeks we’ll meet again on Saturday to view some of the beautiful homes of Qeynos and Freport! Be there or be square and have a great evening!

K-

Housing Rally 5-27-14 – Portals, places and things!

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #16 – Portals, places and things!

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid channel once everyone is on board!

I’m your host Huell Kuerden, and tonight we’ll be looking at places that get you other places, along with a smattering of new houses just published! Portal Nexi can help keep all those dratted houses – complete and not – in some kind of order and easily accessible!

People have come up with many interesting variations on just how to do this, so we’ll be looking at some beautiful efforts! And now on to the tour!

By the way, lots of people on our tours have extensive decorating/design experience and are happy to help, so if you have any questions feel free to ask!!!

As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! Try to wait until everyone zones in to Like a house though – otherwise the house can shift in the list and make it hard to find!

DON’T FORGET THOUGH!!! A good rating means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!
For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. Sometimes the numbers have shifted a little, just ask if you can’t find it!

AS WE USUALLY LOOK AT MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF HOUSES, BE SURE TO SELECT THE LEADERBOARD SETTINGS GIVEN FOR EACH HOUSE, OR YOU MAY HAVE TROUBLE LOCATIING THEM!
Each house will have a Category and an Attribute, just enter them in the Leaderboards screen and you’ll be fine! Yell if you can’t find it!!!
We’ll now switch to Group (#) Chat and dig into this week of Norrath’s Gold! Our first stop is…

Hops’ Emerald Portal Hub (#212 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Syngende: A Personal Dojo

Here we have a very nice Dojo done up with stone (weathered grave markers) and Halasian woods, which give a nice medieval look! Look at the two custom pools at either end of the zone-in room!

The color key of this house is all greens (emerald), blues and turquoises. The emerald fire torches give a nice lighting effect, while still keeping things dim (they don’t cast light). Note the exquisite doorway ahead. Just a lovely look with really simple components!

The next room uses Green Stained Glass Tiles and Tizmak Braziers to enhance the greens in the room. The cross-hatching in the ceiling uses Halasian Dividers – not rails.

The portals use a reflecting mirror (one of my favorites) as a base, and include a sign above them to describe the various destinations! A central book includes a bit of text!

Take a couple of minutes to look at the components used here, and then we’ll move on.

Our next site is (you can take the portal titled Rainbow Dome or use the Leaderboard):

The Jester’s Rainbow Dome (#16 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Degaahr: A Felwithe Mansion.

Here we have a use of the massive Felwithe Mansion as a shrine to the Jester and as a truly impressive ‘room of ways’ to many interesting houses!!! The numbers of portals alone make this an amazing place!

The striking visual feature here is the use of a wide range of stained glass tiles for a lovely multi-hued effect! Continue down the hall to the shrine, and note that you can see the ‘jester’ right from zone in! Very nice!

The chief ingredients here are the ever useful Black Marble dividers and tile along with their Sumac cousins! Paintings in the entryway are also nicely matched.

The main area is centered on the BBday Jester in the center of a nice custom planter. Above is a dome of multicolored glass tiles, edged with Black Marble with triangular Sumac inserts.

Continue on into the next room – a ‘room of ways’ to many different houses! Degaahr & friends have certainly been busy! In addition to the nicely done portals, there is also a fish tank.

This house does a great job of being both Dark (due to the black marble) and Colorful (due to the stained glass). An usual combination that I thought worked very well!

Now we’ll move on to:

A a a transport hub (#4 Hall of Fame/Newly Published) by Thygon: A Mystmoore Crags Estate

We are stopping here not to admire the decorations, but to look at some of the OTHER portals that are (or were} available! Here we have:

A Tender’s Growth Floret (craftable from a seed of growth)
A Vesspyr Isles Spirit Anchor
A Drinalian Whisper Column
A Vespyr Isles Whisper Column
A Captured Void Portal
And a Guildhall Door.

Assorted other picture portals are spread around – but I thought it would be interesting to see some of the odder ones!
Next we’ll move on to:

Next, lets go to:

Magic Kingdom (#13 Massive Homes/Newly Published) by Sairalindie: A Tenebrous Refuge

Here we have a brand new house – the first by Sairalindie – that is beautifully done, so I had to show it! It really is a wonderland! On zoning in I loved the dancing dragon on the floating island to the right!

Wander around through this one! There is lots to see! Be sure to check out the garden and garden shed, the floating castle, the distillery, and main house (by the spiral stair)!

Take a few minutes to look around in detail, this is a very rich house with many items and plushies! The use of the assorted Vesspyr trees have really allowed people to ‘scale up’ the island, and add a wide range of color!

Now we’ll move on to our next house:

Felwithe Wedding Chapel (#50 Massive Homes/Newly Published) by Ladynightshade: A Felwithe Mansion

Here we have another brand new house just published by Ladynightshade! This is always a difficult house to do due to its sheer scale! This works well by utilizing a wide range of landscaping with a clear concept and color scheme.

As you zone in you’ll see a nicely framed rack garden and tree with two contrasting Marble statues – a nice effect. I also liked the unicorn-drawn cart at the entrance! The heart garlands and use of massed pink and white candles gives a lovely lighting effect, and leads to a nice chapel under the open sky!

Wander a few minutes and we’ll hit our last house!

Office of the President (#24 Massive Homes/Newly Published) by Jazabelle: A Felwithe Mansion

Here we have a TRULY MASSIVE Room of Ways! Jazabelle has decorated so many houses some kind of library was clearly necessary. I liked this as it gives prospective customers a wonderful chance to view her work!

Continue on to the end of the hallway to her office. Here you’ll find one of the largest fish tanks I’ve seen in game! Be careful though – the doors on the sides are actually portals to other places, so don’t click on them by accident!

Wander a few minutes and feel free to take portals that interest you!

All the houses tonight are great examples of taking truly fanciful concepts and turning them into game-reality. Remember you really can do pretty much ANYTHING!!!

Well, that’s about it for tonight! In two weeks we’ll meet again on Saturday to view some of the beautiful homes of Qeynos and Freport! Be there or be square and have a great evening!

K-

Housing Rally 5-25-14 – Eclectic Houses and Maj’Dul Madness!!!

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #17 – Eclectic Houses and Maj’Dul Madness!!!

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid channel once everyone is on board!

I’m your host Huell Kuerden, and tonight we’ll be looking at places Everquest developers think are noteworthy! These houses occupy a special place on the Leaderboards, so for once they will be easy to find! All are quite different, and excellent examples of the art of decoration!

As we view the houses tonight, remember that lots of people on our tours have extensive decorating/design experience and are happy to explain any techniques used, so if you have any questions feel free to ask!!!

And now on to this week of Norrath’s Gold! As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! A good rating means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!
For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. This time we will be looking at the 2nd category down – Dev Picks.
We’ll now switch to Group (#) Chat and dig into this week of Norrath’s Gold! Our first stop is…

Dymand’s Colorful Maj’Dul Residence (#8 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Dymand: A Maj’Dul Residence.

Here we have a Maj’Dul Residence – a underused house that offers many interesting possibilities to decorators.
On zone-in you are depositing down a warm red sitting room with the typical Maj’Dul white-washed walls! Look at the customized red furniture and fireplace. A really outstanding color-based decorating effort!

To the left is a door leading to a bedroom, with a wide range of customized furniture. I particularly liked the use of the Vallonite Carved Tile on the walls.

The next door on the right leads to a full bathroom featuring one of the very few showers I’ve seen in Norrath.

The next room is a dining-room – note the hanging Maj’Dul lamp. In case you don’t know, this lamp can be set to a fixed position (as this one is) or set to bob up and down.

The right door from the Dining Room takes you to a modern kitchen, and out to an espaliered yard with extensive water features.

The left door leads to a Study/Library/TV room. Wander a few minutes and look at the crafting done here – this is a very polished work, and a very lovely house!
Now we’ll move on to:

Lake of the Snowy Pines (#9 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Alarielle: Snowy Dwelling.

The title of this house doesn’t do it justice! Rather than a single house, this is a whole community with shops, a bank, a manor house, and a church! A nice little prosperous community.
On zone in you see a typical view of the Snowy Dwelling (church) and a carriage, and DON’T see all the other stuff around you! Do a quick 360 and bear in mind there is so much it may take a few seconds to render!
On your left behind you is the scratch-built Bank done up in white marble! To your right is the main dock.
Head in that direction, and you’ll see the scratch-built Tavern/Inn behind the ship. Inside you’ll find a large lower floor bar (with a noteworthy fish tank), and upstairs guest rooms with different color schemes!
Now exit and head up to the church (the Snowy Dwelling). The Altar uses a portal to make it glow (though I haven’t taken the portal). I liked this as the natural architecture of the dwelling lends itself well to this role!
Head back to the bank and make a right! Here is a row of shops of various kinds, including a florist, a general store, and a barber shop!
Continue on and you’ll come to the manor house built out over the water. The lower floor features a large sitting room with bar, and the upstairs is a library/bedroom! The view from the second story is outstanding!
P.S. There is a hidden bathroom if anyone needs it behind the bookshelves!
Take a few minutes and wander!
Next we’ll move on to:

The Shoe House (#3 Dev Picks/Creativity-Recent) by Bonnfire: A Tenebrous Refuge

Here is the classic fairy-tale house in a shoe! Cheri always does interesting things, so take a look at the construction of the various items. Note things like the flagstones (upside down Scrimshaw Ritual Sculpture).

The windmill is an interesting collection of tinkered items, check out the use of the Titanium Hex Gaskets as struts.

The standard Treehouse is decorated with assorted streamers – but I liked the ‘rope’ bridge using Indium Cage Bars.

Going into the toe of the shoe, check out the very nice stained glass oval work. The use of the dreadcutter rug as wallpaper give a nice Victorian look. The boot includes a scratch-built kitchen that is nice!

Wander through the house and look at the items and rotations.

All the houses tonight are great examples of taking truly fanciful concepts and turning them into game-reality. Remember you really can do pretty much ANYTHING!!!

Well, that’s about it for tonight! In two weeks we’ll meet again on Saturday to view some of the beautiful homes of Qeynos and Freport! Be there or be square and have a great evening!

K-

Housing Rally 5-10-14 – Developer’s Ghoulash!!!

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #17 – Developer’s Ghoulash!!!

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid channel once everyone is on board!

I’m your host Huell Kuerden, and tonight we’ll be looking at places Everquest developers think are noteworthy! These houses occupy a special place on the Leaderboards, so for once they will be easy to find! All are quite different, and excellent examples of the art of decoration!

As we view the houses tonight, remember that lots of people on our tours have extensive decorating/design experience and are happy to explain any techniques used, so if you have any questions feel free to ask!!!

And now on to this week of Norrath’s Gold! As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! A good rating means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!
For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. This time we will be looking at the 2nd category down – Dev Picks.
We’ll now switch to Group (#) Chat and dig into this week of Norrath’s Gold! Our first stop is…

Widow’s Storm Isle (#1 Dev Oicks/Creativity-Recent) by Dawnstriker: Storm Tower Isle.

Here we have a Storm Tower Isle – a underused house that offers many interesting possibilities to decorators. On zone-in you are depositing looking towards the un-skinned Storm Tower. Directly ahead is a very nice Hansom cab!

As you look around, you can see some very tasteful landscaping principally utilizing hedge seeds. The area around the tower is tiled using Sullonite paving stones. Ahead by the front door are additional paths, leading first to a open crypt.

The crypt is a beautiful scratch-built structure – and yes there is something moving in the coffin! Check out the other decorations and the use of roses.

Nearby is a small ocean-overlook shrine that reminds me of some British WWI memorials I’ve visited. There is mirror-placed fountain on the roof which I found and interesting feature.

On the island outcropping is a small graveyard, and the central to the paths is a well-executed gazebo. Look at how Ornate Shadowed Bookcases are uses as structural framing. Continue on into the tower.

Inside you are immediately presented with a sitting/music room. The paneling is interesting – it uses Wantia Armoiries to give an almost Qeynosian paneling effect. Adamantine columns and red glass tiles complete the effect.

On the far side of the room is a small kitchenette that is quite nice! Going up to the next floor is a bathing room using a Vasty Deep shrine for the floor.

The next floor is a bedroom, with Sumac and Burnished Metal paneling. Overall, this is one of the best-decorated Storm Towers I’ve seen. Take a few minutes and wander around!

Now we’ll move on to:

Is it a madhouse or a dream (#2 Dev Picks/Creativity-Recent) by Vadra: Everfrost Summer Home

Here we have an interesting Tinkered Everfrost Summer Home. This house, despite its beauty is quite difficult to re-skin due to its complex structures. Here a ‘jumbled’ approach gets around this problem nicely.

There is a ’dare’ issued on entry to see if visitors can get into all three rooms on all three floors.
Moving forward to the face-down corpse with the axe in its back, you can see the various pumpkin torture stations! The use of Misty Tiles makes the floor more interesting.

Crossing the room, head for the Freeport door. When you open it, you are immediately faced by a fire devil plushy – very interesting because of it’s rotation! Give a neat fire vortex effect!

Now wander and see if you can find a way to the other floors! Hint – some of the fallen panels are ramps! The second floor is a music/science lab. Sort of an Island of Dr. Moreau lab effect! Nicely done!

Try to get into the 3rd floor room! I wasn’t able to figure it out!

Next we’ll move on to:

The Shoe House (#3 Dev Picks/Creativity-Recent) by Cherrybomb: A Tenebrous Refuge

Here is the classic fairy-tale house in a shoe! Cheri always does interesting things, so take a look at the construction of the various items. Note things like the flagstones (upside down Scrimshaw Ritual Sculpture).

The windmill is an interesting collection of tinkered items, check out the use of the Titanium Hex Gaskets as struts.

The standard Treehouse is decorated with assorted streamers – but I liked the ‘rope’ bridge using Indium Cage Bars.

Going into the toe of the shoe, check out the very nice stained glass oval work. The use of the dreadcutter rug as wallpaper give a nice Victorian look. The boot includes a scratch-built kitchen that is nice!

Wander through the house and look at the items and rotations.

All the houses tonight are great examples of taking truly fanciful concepts and turning them into game-reality. Remember you really can do pretty much ANYTHING!!!

Well, that’s about it for tonight! In two weeks we’ll meet again on Saturday to view some of the beautiful homes of Qeynos and Freport! Be there or be square and have a great evening!

K-

Housing Rally 3-30-14 – Bristlebaney Miscellany!

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #15 – Bristlebaney Miscellany!

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid channel once everyone is on board!

I’m your host Huell Kuerden, and tonight we’ll be looking at places celebrating the old Bristlebaney Magic! This means houses celebrating chance, chapels to the God of Tricksters and washrooms with exploding toilets – you get the idea!

While not as heavily decorated as Frostfell and NotD, it could be – as there is tons of cool Bristlebane bric-a-brac to use. We’ll take a look at some of these items, and the fun uses they can be put to!
Remember – Bristlebane Day is inherently weird – so let your weird decorating instincts hang out in full view!

Lots of people on our tours have extensive decorating/design experience and are happy to help, so if you have any questions feel free to ask!!!

And now on to this week of Norrath’s Gold! As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! Try to wait until everyone zones in to Like a house though – otherwise the house can shift in the list and make it hard to find!

DON’T FORGET THOUGH!!! A good rating means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!

For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. Sometimes the numbers have shifted a little, just ask if you can’t find it!

THIS WEEK WE’LL BE LOOKING AT MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF HOUSES, SO SELECT THE LEADERBOARD SETTINGS GIVEN FOR EACH HOUSE, OR YOU MAY HAVE TROUBLE LOCATIING THEM!

Each house will have a Category and an Attribute, just enter them in the Leaderboards screen and you’ll be fine! Yell if you can’t find it!!! We’ll now switch to Group (#) Chat and dig into this week of Norrath’s Gold! Our first stop is…

The Jester’s Rainbow Dome (#14 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Degaahr: A Felwithe Mansion.

Here we have a use of the massive Felwithe Mansion as a shrine to the Jester and as a truly impressive ‘room of ways’ to many interesting houses!!! The numbers of portals alone make this an amazing place!

The striking visual feature here is the use of a wide range of stained glass tiles for a lovely multi-hued effect! Continue down the hall to the shrine, and note that you can see the ‘jester’ right from zone in! Very nice!

The chief ingredients here are the ever useful Black Marble dividers and tile along with their Sumac cousins! Paintings in the entryway are also nicely matched.

The main area is centered on the BBday Jester in the center of a nice custom planter. Above is a dome of multicolored glass tiles, edged with Black Marble with triangular Sumac inserts.

Continue on into the next room – a ‘room of ways’ to many different houses! Degaahr & friends have certainly been busy! In addition to the nicely done portals, there is also a fish tank.

This house does a great job of being both Dark (due to the black marble) and Colorful (due to the stained glass). An usual combination that I thought worked very well!

Now we’ll move on to:

Dragon’s Rest Casino and Saloon (#196 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Agameman: A Uncanny Estate

We looked at this recently on our Saloon run, and I had to include it again! The entranceway is partially reskinned, which makes the usualy somewhat shabby look into something very sharp!

Go left to enter the main saloon area! Here we have a beautiful game/tavern area, complete with a stage and band that’s very nicely done (The Screaming Pink Tacos)! The best static band I’ve seen!

Clever use of mirrors and red dividers adds to the saloon effect, as do the red drapes! The large number of paintings also makes this visually a striking room!

Across the Entrance Room is a Gaming Room, again very plushly (ha) done! I liked the use of the massed ornamental lanterns!

Upstairs is a lovely large bedroom – and a bank to borrow money from!

Wander a bit – there is so much here we’ll tarry a few minutes before moving on.

Next, our final house is:

Sandimas Gaming Skiff (#233 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Cheddarella: A Skyblade Skiff

Here is one of those rare homes you don’t see much! A gratuity received for going to Fanfaire 2010, there just aren’t that many of them around!

In addition to the usual games, there are some unique ones! Several custom roulette wheels are present, as are a grabber game and an extensive bar area. In addition a cashier, a central stage allows performances during gambling sessions!

There are several unique items as well, my favorite being the Hoard of the Scaleborn (a LON loot card).
Wander a few minutes and check out the games and items before we move onto the next house.

Next, lets go to:

Aprilis Playground (#239 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Kaeylee AB: A Tenebrous Refuge

Here is another high-number HoF house that I thought was a nice effort, and I felt a child’s playground also fit into BBDay!

Take a look around at the assorted play areas: there’s a carousel, treehouse, climbing wall, playhouse, sandbox, mini-golf, moon-bounce, swimming pool with floats, jungle jim and a slide! I liked it, and I’d bet BB would too!

Take a few minutes and see how these were accomplished, and then we’ll move onto our last house.

Next, go to:

Men’s Room & Apocalypse Shelter (#66 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Kehhi: A Personal Dojo

Here we have an attempt at a modern Men’s Room combined with a Guild Office. DISCLAIMER – this is one of mine! If you have sound on the whole place is quite gurgly!

Here the Dojo is reskinned in white tile, with white light provided by Icy Pedestal Tables from Frostfell. These cool little items give off a white, unwavering light that fakes fluorescents quite well. They are covered by blocks of ice to conceal them.

The fixtures are based on Titanium Pitchers, which have the benefit of having a water-effect in them. By the way, you can see in the ceiling a little error I made without noticing – the beams from the Shelter stick through – and I didn’t notice until now!

The large red button is on a sign that provides instruction. I’m not sure if the effect only catches the presser or if it is area effect! Volunteers?

Opening the cleaning closet door, you’ll see a second door. Open it as well. Go into the Shelter and check it out. There is an instruction manual on the control station.

Look left down the room and you’ll see a wall ventilator made with a gear and a rotated fan and round black tile.

Yes – this is where Kehhi thinks up his demented schemes. Here behind the washroom!

All the houses tonight are great examples of taking truly fanciful concepts and turning them into game-reality. Remember you really can do pretty much ANYTHING!!!

Well, that’s about it for tonight! In two weeks we’ll meet again on Saturday to view some of the beautiful homes of Qeynos and Freport! Be there or be square and have a great evening!

K-

Housing Rally 3-15-14 – Pubs, Taverns and Brothels of Norrath!

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #14 – Pubs, Taverns and Brothels of Norrath!

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid channel once everyone is on board!

I’m your host Huell Kuerden, and tonight we’ll be looking at at the places of celebratory inebriation throughout Norrath! In olden times, (and still today some places), these businesses were the center of social life in a town or village, and people came from all over to drink and gossip!

On Antonia Bayle, there are several taverns that cater to the large RP community – feel free to check them out! Many are quite fun places to visit. The Eency Weency Spider in Qeynos is open Tuesdays at 8PM EST – just avoid being evil or undead!

Other bars and taverns come and go, so keep your RP ears open for opportunities! Here again you’ll see some really astonishing creativity. There are so many possibilities out there – so be sure you don’t discount that great idea because it’s just a bit weird!

And now on to this week of Norrath’s Gold! As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! Try to wait until everyone zones in to Like a house though – otherwise the house can shift in the list and make it hard to find!

*** Don’t forget though!!! It means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!

For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. Sometimes the numbers have shifted a little, just ask if you can’t find it!

THIS WEEK WE’LL BE LOOKING AT MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF HOUSES, SO SELECT THE LEADERBOARD SETTINGS GIVEN FOR EACH HOUSE, OR YOU MAY HAVE TROUBLE LOCATIING THEM!

Each house will have a Category and an Attribute, just enter them in the Leaderboards screen and you’ll be fine! Yell if you can’t find it!!!

We’ll now switch to Group (#) Chat and dig into this week of Norrath’s Gold! Our first stop is…

The Blushing Maiden (#71 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Neversea: A Galleon of Dreams.

Here we have a use of the Galleon of Dreams Prestige House – one that doesn’t see much use due to its complexity of design. Go straight into the pub!

Neversea used Hua Mein and New Combine furniture to achieve a ‘ropey’ nautical effect in the pub. A very nice refrigerator is placed to the left, and the bar includes a small sink. The red marble dividers and stained glass do a god job of concealing the underlying Galleon word – which becomes boring after a bit!

For those that want to explore just a bit, there is a teleport pad by the mid-ship castle.

Now we’ll move on to:

The Lotus Resort (#74 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Lotusresort: A New Halas 5-Room

Here we zone right into a nice little restaurant/tavern based on an unskinned New Halas 5-room. Tastefully and minimally decorated, it features a piano and stage and New Halas-themed furniture.

Upstairs is a more upscale restaurant (the Vino D’Loto) for the silk cravat crowd! A nice kitchen sets it off. Above the kitchen is a small raised dining area and one of the most unusual staircases I’ve seen of standard ash shelves! The Eucalyptus Wine Tables do look nice!

Take a few seconds to check thing out, and then we’ll move on!

OUR NEXT STOP IS:

The Ebon Dragon (#101 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Vichane (Depitore): A Maj’Dul Residence

Here we have a really neat effort! Look up at the entranceway effect of the Misty Tiles over the Starry Tiles. The use of the crude stone benches for a broken-ceiling effect is a nice effect. Note how the Adamantine Dividers match well with the stone benches on the ceiling.

To the left is a small sitting room, reskinned using large redwood bookcases – a beautiful effect. On the right a very nice little chapel! I found the chapel very well done! The altar embedded in the Lions Palm Table is very good!

Continue on to the main sitting room with a completely different look! The GIANT stone candlesticks is another nice look. Go left into the small tavern/smoking room.

Lots to see here! There are Nagas and candles under the Gazing Orbs, some nice terrariums in the walls, and an interesting use of the Dervish Glass Chest.

Back across the sitting room is the bar proper, nicely done with Maj’Dul themed pillows and lamps. There is a sign on the wall saying Designed by Depitore!

Wander a few seconds – I love this Maj’Dul house, and Depitore did a beautiful job, and then we’ll more on… Don’t be afraid to examine – some of the components here will surprise you!

Next, we’ll head to:

Forest Refuge and Chapel of the Four Winds (#157 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Kuerden: A Tenebrous Island Refuge

OK – Quick Disclaimer – This is one of mine, from a long time ago (before I joined HaT!). My office is right here, but we’re looking at Taverns, so go out the other side and take the teleport pad to the Twin Falls Tavern!

I wanted to do a tavern in a particularly lovely location, and so ended up hanging this small bar on the side of the Tenebrous Island. At certain time of day the light from the sun is just gorgeous!

A small stage and dance floor sets it off. The door leads to a kitchen underneath the tavern. It’s a little sparse, as this was before blocks were counted separately, so I maxxed out the house items and was stuck!

Wander a bit and check things out, and then we’ll move on!

Next, head to:

Dragon’s Rest Casino and Saloon

Dragon’s Rest Casino and Saloon (#190 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Agameman: A Uncanny Estate

Here we have a very nicely done Saloon! The entranceway is partially reskinned, which makes the usualy somewhat shabby look into something very sharp!

Go left to enter the main saloon area! Here we have a beautiful game/tavern area, complete with a stage and band that’s very nicely done (The Screaming Pink Tacos)! The best static band I’ve seen!

Clever use of mirrors and red dividers adds to the saloon effect, as do the red drapes! The large number of paintings also makes this visually a striking room!

Across the Entrance Room is a Gaming Room, again very plushly (ha) done! I liked the use of the massed ornamental lanterns!

Upstairs is a lovely large bedroom – and a bank to borrow money from!

Wander a bit – there is so much here we’ll tarry a few minutes before moving on.

Next, our final house is:

Fuego Bar and Grill (#182 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Ravanazar: A Lavastorm Winter Residence

On zone in head straight down the path!

Here we have the HOTTEST bar of the night (Yucks). It works very well without reskinning, and the use of Red Stained Glass and assorted red and orange tapestries accentuate the colors! A wide range of red lighting is also used.

The bar at the end is well-rendered, and the use of the Red Marble Mirrors very original! Upstairs is an extended bar area.

Wander a bit and enjoy this effort! Without reskinning, Ravanazar’s use of color makes this a terrific effort!

Alternate if need more time:

Den of Frosty Ale #187 by Kuerden
Ebony Hall #204 by Leyden
The Feathered Hat Pub #351 by Zheif

Lots of people on our tours have extensive decorating/design experience and are happy to help, so if you have any questions feel free to ask!!!

All the houses tonight are great examples of taking truly fanciful concepts and turning them into game-reality. Remember you really can do pretty much ANYTHING!!!

Well, that’s about it for tonight! In two weeks we’ll meet again on Sunday to view some truly monumentally huge structures! Be there or be square and have a great evening!

K-

Other noteworthy locations found:

The Red Room by Boglily #73– Nice Room of Ways
Temple of Halas #173 by Nabeth – Nice temple
The Crimson Dragon #177 – Fight Club
Munchkin’s Hall of Merriment #194 by Marisol

Housing Rally 3-2-14 – Stranger Houses of Norrath!

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #13 – Stranger Houses of Norrath!

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid channel once everyone is on board!

With this Rally, we’re looking at homes, temples and gardens that are, well – just a little strange! By strange, I don’t mean BAD, just they aren’t same-old same-old! For those who are still hung-over from the Highland Games, just chalk up any strangeness to drinking too much new green ale!

Here again you’ll see some really astonishing creativity. There are so many possibilities out there – so be sure you don’t discount that great idea because it’s just a bit weird!

I’m your host Huell Kuerden, and tonight we’ll be looking at some strange places throughout Norrath, in all corners of the world both Good and Evil.

And now on to this week of Norrath’s Gold! As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! Try to wait until everyone zones in to Like a house though – otherwise the house can shift in the list and make it hard to find!

Don’t forget though!!! It means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!

For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. Sometimes the numbers have shifted a little, just ask if you can’t find it!

THIS WEEK WE’LL BE LOOKING AT MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF HOUSES, SO SELECT THE LEADERBOARD SETTINGS GIVEN FOR EACH HOUSE, OR YOU MAY HAVE TROUBLE LOCATIING THEM!

Each house will have a Category and an Attribute, just enter them in the Leaderboards screen and you’ll be fine! Yell if you can’t find it!!! We’ll now switch to Group (#) Chat and dig into this week of Norrath’s Gold! Our first stop is…

A Crannog in the Woods (#10 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Degahr: A Tenebrous Island Refuge.

For all of you that think EQ2 isn’t an educational game – well you’re WRONG! I’m going to teach you a new (actually very old) word: CRANNOG! Gee, would work well as a character name!!!

A Crannog is a small, circular artificial island that was created by folks in the ancient British Isles (and other places) to make a small defensible location. Helped to keep from getting eaten by the local wildlife and unfriendly neighbors! There will be a test at the end of the tour .

As we zone in, you are placed on a very nice wooded path made of inverted Oggok Chairs. Freeform paths like this are beautiful but quite a bit of work to do well! Continue down the path to the CRANNOG!

Here you see a circular hut placed on piling in the terminal pond! Lovely, and well-framed by trees! Before you go in, check out the roof! What is it made of? Maple Railings! No go inside and look at the beaming of the roof! Fantastic!

Take a few minutes to wander a bit. Lots of little touches – fish traps, fish drying poles, a fire pit! Oh – and note nothing shimmers! Fine, fine craftsmanship! Really feels late bronze age!

OUR NEXT STOP IS:

Uthanuk’s Ship (#4 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Uthanuk: A Thurgadin Grand Hall

Here we have Something from the other end of the Universe! We visited this amazing effort back at House Rally #1 way back in September of 2013 – and it’s time to look at it again!

At Zone-in, take a few seconds to check out the entrance area. Note there is a narrator who tells you what is happening! Note the use of Freeport Counters for an iris effect. Proceed down the gangway tube!

Now look back before you enter the main ship! You can see your shuttle’s engines running outside the tube – the perspective work with misty tiles is terrific. Check out the use of white marble with embedded port plates. Gives a very different look.

As you continue down the corridor, you’ll see occasional remnants of the crew – skeletons in chairs, and arm caught in a hatch. The hatches use embedding to get some very interesting effects, and the walls are none other than Coldain Merchant tables!

At the first intersection, you can see a damaged area walled off via a forced field – nicely done using red misty tiles! Further down, bottles of preserved sathirian skulls look great as failed cryotubes! Go ahead and take the turbolift to the Navigation Center.

Here we have some very nice control panels, complete with shorting components. I particularly like the deliberate use of shimmer on the console screens. The wreckage hanging in space again gives a neat effect.

Next visit the Cryo Chamber to see the Preserved Sathirian Skulls up close!

Finally, spend a few minutes and look at some of the crafting used here. Don’t be shy – examine things to see what they are made of – some will surprise you!

Next, we’ll head to:

Crazy Crystal Cavern City (#19 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Gindotto: A Hua Mein Retreat

Here we have a subterranean city built around a mine! Does anyone see the Mua Mein Retreat? It’s completely disguised!

On zone in you start in a small antechamber with some portals. Take the teleport pad to the Main Reactor, and give the area a few seconds to load! Now wander a bit up the street, stopping at the various shops and taverns along the way.

There is a mess-hall, a machine shop, Tavern, Crystal Mining area, and a Great Hall! This place you just have to wander through, so take a look.

Next, we’ll head to:

Teapot Town (#1 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Cheribomb: A Tenebrous Island Refuge

Here we have a monumental work around a teapot theme! It always reminds me of the castle in Shrek! Each of the teapot houses has a different theme and materials.

Head to the orange house on the left. This little place is built of ash and redwood, and has a small hidden patio as well. This is a whole house with kitchen and bathroom despite the size! I likes the patio firepit!

Now head across the street to the blue house. See the teapot? This house has a darker feel, and comes complete with an elevator to the 2nd floor. Again, you’ll find a kitchen and a washroom! A small stone patio completes the house.

Exit and head down the street to the white house. The foyer is a very nice multi-sided room, with a vaulted ceiling. The rest of the house uses Briarwood to give a completely different look from the outside. Don’t miss the bedroom and bath!

Take a look around for a few minutes and feel free to ask questions! Lots of people on our tours have extensive decorating/design experience and are happy to help!

All the houses tonight are great examples of taking truly fanciful concepts and turning them into game-reality. Remember you really can do pretty much ANYTHING!!!

Well, that’s about it for tonight! In two weeks we’ll meet again on Sunday to view some truly screwy structures for BB day!!! Be there or be square and have a great evening!

K-

Housing Rally 2-15-14 – Lovely Houses of Norrath!

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #12 – Lovely Houses of Norrath!

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid channel once everyone is on board!

With this Rally, we’re looking at homes, temples and gardens devoted to The Goddess Arisen – Erollisi! What you’ll see is some truly beautiful places of all sizes devoted at least in part to Love.

Here again you’ll see some really astonishing creativity, as a Valentine’s/Erollisi theme is a bit more challenging than Frostfell or NotD! After all, most people don’t decorate for this holiday!

I’m your host Huell Kuerden, and tonight we’ll be looking at some beautiful, lovely houses throughout Norrath, in all corners of the world both Good and Evil.

And now on to this week of Norrath’s Gold! As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! Try to wait until everyone zones in to Like a house though – otherwise the house can shift in the list and make it hard to find!

Don’t forget though!!! It means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!

For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. Sometimes the numbers have shifted a little, just ask if you can’t find it!

THIS WEEK WE’LL BE LOOKING AT MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF HOUSES, SO SELECT THE LEADERBOARD SETTINGS GIVEN FOR EACH HOUSE, OR YOU MAY HAVE TROUBLE LOCATIING THEM!

Each house will have a Category and an Attribute, just enter them in the Leaderboards screen and you’ll be fine! Yell if you can’t find it!!! We’ll now switch to Raid Chat and dig into this week of Norrath’s Gold!

Our first stop is…

Grand Temple of Erollisi (#5 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Kaian: A Felwithe Mansion.

Here we have a Felwithe Mansion, always a challenge to decorate due to it’s size! Here, much of the ambience is done by placing trees and shrubbery, a very natural appearance that fits well with themes celebrating the Huntress. Move forward but don’t take the teleport pad.

Ahead is a lovely fountain, surrounded by golden marble columns. Expensive but very beautiful! The trees and other vegetation give the illusion of being outdoors, despite the dome overhead.

Moving straight ahead, continue to the shrine of the bow. You’ll pass through a Lover’s Grand Veil – note at how large they can be made! Again, this area has beautifully arranged landscaping, again giving a very tranquil effect.

Be sure to look up! The open dome adds to the effect! Also look at the Tuptan Wall Sconces, which are used to give a warm yellow light to the golden columns. You have to look close to even notice them!

Continue on to the temple. The use of Vigilant Screens for some neat geometric effects can be seen here. I liked their use on the columns! I’m also a fan of Gold Sparkle Balls - Ahead you can see an open-air bedroom, again beautifully landscaped.

All through these areas lighting is key! Lighting was given careful attention here and as a result the decorations are much more dramatic!

Turn around and go back to the entrance to the Temple. Use the teleport pad on the leaf rug to visit the Red and Blue rooms.

I’m a particular fan of novel lighting effects, so look at the scratch-built bath in the red room. Note the use of flickering Braziers of Hatred to give a blue-white light, and an Acropolis feel.

The blue room uses the natural waterfalls and Purple/Blue vegetation to give a darker effect. A few bright green plants set off the darker colors.

Wander a bit – a lot to see here – and then we’ll move on to our next house!

OUR NEXT STOP IS:

Romantic Private Island Retreat (#15 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Twinklin: Vale of Halfpint Delight

Here we have a nice romantic retreat built by our own Twinklin! We visited it briefly during our ‘Whole House’ episode, as if built ‘For-Real’ it would be a neat place to live!

At Zone-in, take a few seconds to appreciate the ponds and waterfall! This is all scratch-built, using watery platforms, crude stone benches/tables and Steamlord Tapestries. A beautiful piece of work!

Now enter the main house, again scratch-built! I loved the use of Leaf Rugs and assorted stained-glass for the roof! The decorations are very tasteful, and not the custom hearth! I liked the snowglobe with the flower embedded in it too!

Go through the sliding Vampiric Mirror doors to the patio and look around. E-day decorations are used as accents here, and the views are really nice!

Now move back into the main room and up the stairs. Straight ahead is an archery list (not a garden!). Continue up the ramp to the bedroom! All the amenities are here, including a makeshift shrine to Erollisi, sine the SoE folks STILL haven’t gotten us a REAL altar <grinds teeth>.

Jump down from the balcony and you’ll find a nice little picnic area – outdoor love nest!
Wander around the island! There are liitle decorated areas everywhere! A Wedding Chapel, secluded garden, etc.! We’ll move on in a few minutes!

Now we’ll MOVE ON TO:

Honeymoon in Neriak (#197 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Orpiment: A Nerian Residence

Here we have a lovely use of the Standard Two-Room Nerian Residence, a frequently overlooked house that actually offers a lot! I found this house WAY down the list, and it’s so nicely done it needs to e kicked up a bit!

As you look ahead, you can see the room has been partially skinned with blue marble and stained glass tiles. The main area also features a bathroom and small kitchen area.

Go through the door into the bedroom and the décor changes! Now we have lots of dark reds as well as blues. A bathing pool, small house altar area and a love gazebo sleeping (?) area complete the Newlywed Suite!

Lots of Erollisi Day decorations round out this little apartment! Haven’t seen a lot of small love nests this year, so kudos to Orpiment for doing one – especially one with a Dark Elf theme!

Now we’ll head on to:

Romantic Hideaway (#47 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Boglily: Personal Dojo

Here we have the ever useful Dojo! I used mine for a Men’s Room, but here it’s a Romantic Retreat! Oh well – no accounting for taste!

The standard dojo has been partially reskinned using red stained glass and sumac, and the ceiling done with red-rose topiary, a nice touch!

Decorations use some of the Castellum furniture line, and in areas like the kitchen they are used quite creatively! Check out the stove and fridge! Lots of Marble vases with plants and roses complete the effect.

In the inner chamber sports a custom fireplace and a bath, as well as the Castellum bed – my favorite of the ‘buy-me’ beds.

Another neat effort showing how much can be done with even a small space!

Next we’ll move on to our final house at:

Romantic Island Getaway (#52 Hall of Fame/Creativity-Recent) by Tempting: Vale of Halfpint Delight

Go left down the path to the house. As you go, note the small island picnic area, garden and water pools!

Here we have a more modern look! Go in through the front door, and you’ll enter the dining area. I like the Paineel chairs – they have a different look! On the far side of the room is a nice small kitchen, making use of ferrite cupboards as cabinets!

The white/blue/grey color theme looks very nice and modern! Don’t forget to check out the fridge – it uses Qeynos display counters as doors!

Going to the left is a sitting room with cushions and a custom fireplace!

Now head upstairs! You enter a terrific library/bedroom area (my bedroom just has Piles of Books – I’d like it here!). It includes a full bath!

This house is another example of a finely-built scratch house that I included even though it isn’t heavily E-Day themed (other than the title).

Take a look around for a few minutes and feel free to ask questions! Lots of people on our tours have extensive decorating/design experience and are happy to help!

Well, that’s about it for tonight! In two weeks we’ll meet again on Sunday to view some truly monumentally huge structures! Be there or be square and have a great evening!

K-

Housing Rally 2-2-14 – The Large House

Welcome to the Homes and Tomes House Rally #11 – The Large House

We’ll start off in guild chat to let late-comers join up, and then switch to raid channel once everyone is on board!

With this Rally, we’re finally looking at wealthy zip codes <chuckle chuckle>, but still houses that can be decorated in great detail! Larger than these 5-6 room houses, decisions must be made as item counts just don’t match square-footage anymore.

Some of these large homes are however challenging to decorate, due to the placement of rooms and unique architectures – but the results can be stunning!

I’m your host Huell Kuerden, and we’ll be looking at some beautiful large houses, both the largest houses available in game throughout the cities of Norrath, and the Large Prestige Houses available through the marketplace!

And now on to this week of Norrath’s Gold! As we take a look at these houses, don’t forget to reward the designers by liking creativity and/or style! Try to wait until everyone zones in to Like a house though – otherwise the house can shift in the list and make it hard to find!

Don’t forget though! It means more people will visit and enjoy someone’s hard work!

For anyone new, we’ll be visiting houses via the Housing & Leaderboards selection of the main EQ2 menu. Sometimes the numbers have shifted a little, just ask if you can’t find it!

THIS WEEK WE’LL BE LOOKING AT LARGE HOUSES, SO SELECT ‘LARGE HOMES’ IN THE LEADERBOARDS, AND THEN ‘CREATIVITY’ IN THE ATTRIBUTE AREA. If a house has different settings I’ll let everyone know!

We’ll now switch to Raid Chat and dig into this week of Norrath’s Gold! Our first stop is…

The Spirit Tree (#2 Large/Creativity) by Vanesh: A Kelethin 7-room Acorn

Here we have a standard acorn decorated largely by adding trees and shrubbery, a very natural appearance that fits well with Kelethin. A very nice look is created without reskinning the acorn – a nasty and involved job due to the irregularities of acorn rooms.

A touch I did like was the hiding of the ramps – my most unfavorite thing in Kelethin architecture. It does make it easier to get lost though! Head through the doorway to the left.

This room is decorated with natural stone furniture, which is again very in-line with the overall theme. Behind the stone wall is the ramp down, go ahead and take it!

Here is a nice sub-surface room with a feeling of being down in the Kelethin tree roots. The stones and water tiles are very well done, and just a touch of mist completes the effect! The lighting is also quite well done.
Return to the main entrance room, and take the hidden ramp up. A stone ring occupies this room, again lushly decorated with plants. In the center is a teleport disk – take it to the Tunaria Café and Shrine of Tunare.

Here we are OUTSIDE the house. The illusion that disguises is done via a wall of trees along the ramp – a neat effect. There are a few areas where you can hop out of the ‘house’, but they are well hidden. Wander a couple of minutes, and then we’ll move on!

Rising Sun Spa (#4 Large/Creativity) by Degahr for Vichane: A Maj’Dul Vacation Suite

Here we have a spa built of many interesting woods. I found the use of redwood and ash particularly beautiful, and the use of Sandy Square tiles match the wood well! Note that if you have your sound turned up you can hear the swish of sand on your feet.

Right ahead is a welcome sign, and a sign-in book (non-functional). Note that the Quel’ule book is one of the very few open books you can make. Moving to the left is a small ‘window’ diorama – very attractive!

Continuing down the hall you enter a bar area – be sure to look at the custom picture on the wall! The weapons display across the room is also nicely done!

Continue on down the hall through the massage room until you reach the double doors. There is a hidden teleport pad here, take it to the baths!

Here we have one of the very few functional baths! You can jump into it! Look at the how the tapestry of the steam lords over the mosaic tiles works so well, and the little detail of the control at the back on the bath.

Up around the corner is a small matching bathroom!

Wander a few minutes looking at the detail in this house.

Now we’ll move on to yet another city, go to:

Summer Portal Home (#5 Large/Creativity) by Padeshar: An Everfrost Summer Home

Here we have a lovely use of the Everfrost Summer Home, a frequently overlooked house that actually offers a lot. I found this house amusing because I’m currently working on a house skinned in black marble tiles rather than white. It is striking either way!

A you look ahead, you can see the use of white marble tile and azure stained glass squares. The effect is very nice. This house is intended as a general portal to other homes, and the portal frames add to the overall white & blue effect.

The shadowed stone chandelier gives excellent light for this, making the blues brighter and the whites icy. The flames of hatred at the corners of some of the portal frames achieve the same effect.

Carved Platforms used as steps and door lintels give a interesting character to the rooms. Across from the entrance is a sitting room using the same color scheme. Look at the use of the ornate shadowed bookcases as ornamentation!

A music/altar room and a bath complete the house. Look at the workmanship on the bath, with the griffon head fountains and interlocked mirrors. I also like the use of the wide carved benches as the walls of the bath!

What is also interesting here is there is easily enough room for another set of rooms on top of the ground floor – the rooms are all very high.

Spend a few minutes wandering and checking out some of the construction techniques, and then we’ll head to New Halas!

Now, head to:

Den of Frosty Ale (#14 Large/Creativity) by Kuerden: A New Halas 5-room House

Well, here is one of mine – a fairly old one! So old some of the editing was done by hand and with notepad rather than the layout editor. Little reskinning, but lots of bits and pieces.

This was intended as a roleplaying house with room for parties, and easy access to player amenities. All the broker displays are immediately inside the entrance, as is a bulletin board and mailbox. The alcove under the stairs holds a guild door.

To the left of the entrance is the Den of Frosty Ale, with a wide array of barrels! Passing outside, the use of an Icy Brazier and Stone Candlestick give a nice lighting effect on the Qeynos Claymore.

Downstairs is a carpenter’s shop including a selection of assorted wood sheets (stairs) for carpentry work. Upstairs is a bedroom, Feasting Hall and a shrine.

The shrine is fairly complex to achieve the animation, using a rotated Griffon Fountain for the main effect. The ray effect is an artifact of the rotation. The Shrine sconces are Icy Pedestal Tables.

We’ll now move on to another city! Go to:

Dragons Rest Casino and Saloon (#40 Large/Creativity) by Agameman: An Uncanny Estate

Here is a nicely done Uncanny Estate, lushly decorated with a wide assortment of bric-a-brac! The uncanny estate can easily appear shabby, but here it loses that look with some minimal reskinning and creative lighting.
Go left into the Casino/Saloon. There is a band playing – the Screaming Pink Tacos! Going across the entry hall you come to another gambling room. Note the extensive use of mannequins and plushies throughout the house.

Upstairs, there is a music room, a bedroom, and a casino bank.

Take a few to appreciate just how elaborately this house is decorated. I thought it was a really outstanding effort!

Lady’s Pirate Cove (#11 Large/Creativity) by Ladynightshade: A New Halas Five Room
Forestmoon Manor (#10 Large/Creativity) by Moonpanther: A New Halas Five Room
Optikal's Prismatic Sanctuary (#57 Large/Creativity) by Flamesong for Optikal: A 7-room Acorn
Halas: Port of Entry (#54 Large/Creativity) by Furrene: A New Halas Five Room

Well, that’s about it for tonight! In two weeks we’ll meet again on Saturday to view some Erollisi Day Themed Homes! Be there of be square and have a great evening!

K-