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-