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-
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