Making a house mod complete

[Grumpf_be]

Having things to do is a big drawcard. Like baking bread making weapons. It's the magic of scripting but take a look at Korana's houses. :)

 

Yikes! That's a bit beyond my skill level, as of now. Still, thanks for the idea.

 

There is a fair amount of unusual scripting in already. I'm rather pleased with it. :)

 

Should be releasing fairly soon.

 

Simple uniqueness that will make you feel home... As simple as some nice royalty free songs playing in the background when you're inside. Things to fix annoyance like bounty, broken gear, discharged items etc. Nice NPC that will entertain you with a lot of dialogues depending on your quest achievements, a little dog that will bark then greet you... Not too complicated, I'd go for useless stuff: a growing plant, a color changing light with the season/time, a painting that'll reflect your last achievement etc. Even Bethesda did it with house improvements. Do it but without the straightforward 1 then 2 then 3. Offer a way for the player to improve the bedroom with 3 choices, but only one possible so the home will be customized. A nice shower with animations, especially with companion...

 

5 teleportation doors with corresponding spells (that you acquire with time) etc etc.

 

 

I got more if you're not discouraged already :)

[AurianaValoria1]

Having things to do is a big drawcard. Like baking bread making weapons. It's the magic of scripting but take a look at Korana's houses. :)

 

Yikes! That's a bit beyond my skill level, as of now. Still, thanks for the idea.

 

There is a fair amount of unusual scripting in already. I'm rather pleased with it. :)

 

Should be releasing fairly soon.

 

Simple uniqueness that will make you feel home... As simple as some nice royalty free songs playing in the background when you're inside. Things to fix annoyance like bounty, broken gear, discharged items etc. Nice NPC that will entertain you with a lot of dialogues depending on your quest achievements, a little dog that will bark then greet you... Not too complicated, I'd go for useless stuff: a growing plant, a color changing light with the season/time, a painting that'll reflect your last achievement etc. Even Bethesda did it with house improvements. Do it but without the straightforward 1 then 2 then 3. Offer a way for the player to improve the bedroom with 3 choices, but only one possible so the home will be customized. A nice shower with animations, especially with companion...

 

5 teleportation doors with corresponding spells (that you acquire with time) etc etc.

 

 

I got more if you're not discouraged already :)

 

Thanks for the ideas. :)

 

It's already released, in case anyone is wondering: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=39918

[Death01]

+ 1 to Hickory's comment: I've moved stuff around before to suit others, even when a prominent moderator here advised me against it.

Even with help, it was very time consuming.

 

Also, a + 1 for Grumf_be, in reference to an idea; I've always meant to script in guild banners that would appear after you've joined a guild, such as mages, fighters, etc.

Appearing over a "place of honor", so to speak, a common room or even on the front of your dwelling. Last time i tried to though, I couldn't get the scripting to work correctly. Bad scripts in a mod can cause some weird errors, and the "banner" scripting at the time on my incomplete mod may not have been the culprit ; forewarned is forearmed!

 

BTW, You can easily modify the healing alter script to a custom one, so that you can be healed more than once a day. You're probably already aware of that.

 

People seem to like house mods that let you order your NPCs around.

I didn't check to see if you mod FO as well. I seem to remember that FO3 had a invest in a vendor option where you could order the vendor to invest more heavily in certain types of items.

If I were to use my "business" option in another housing mod in the future, I would script that option in for the TES mod. Just an extra way to order your NPCs around!

(hint hint, If you want to rip the scripting out of mine and use it in yours, i would like to see the change done, lol)

[Balakirev]

What does a house mod need? Think along the lines of what activities people in Oblivion typically engage in, which might indicate what they need a house for.

 

Storage space. Probably number one. But instead of just placing a bunch of standard format chests and boxes, why not use non-standard containers? And fit them into the overall decor of a room? For example, why not a world globe? Or a series of glowing lights? Ayleid spaces give you the opportunity to think out of the box on this one.

 

Alchemy. A lot of people want not just a set, but COBLized scripting that takes and properly sorts all potions, scrolls, and ingredients, and also returns just the potions, scrolls, and ingredients used to make the potions they want. Consider giving them drawers labeled for different types of potions (healing, poisons, boosts, etc). How about decorative elements that serve no functional purpose? There are some good ones out there. I've seen a large flask filled with bubbling liquid that smokes, and a skull that pulsates.

 

Enchanting and spellcasting altars. Another given.

 

Weapon and armor displays. You might want to check around--I've seen a few houses that use wallmounted displays, where you stick a weapon on the mount, and it stays.

 

Mannequin pedestals. Yes, well--personal interest, here. ;) But then, I like to display all the armors I've bought or fought for.

 

Companion-safe areas. Where they can't leave unless they're following, have places to sleep, sit, exercise, and eat (from COBLized refilled barrels or tables). Some people like a lot of space for many companions. Don't discount the idea of a kind of dormitory, though done up much nicer.

 

Decoration. Plants, banners, unusual objects. I'm not a big one on adding boosts to a home, but consider something that lets the player character teleport to the big cities--since they can do that anyway via fast travel, this isn't a "giveaway." Try to make each room feel and look distinct, while keeping within a general style. Avoid long corridors. Nobody likes to spend their time walking halls.

 

Just some ideas from my perspective. The nice thing about Ayleid ruins, as I mentioned earlier, is that you can be more imaginative about connecting object and function. The culture is largely gone, they were very different from modern times, and a giant vase doesn't have to be a container--it can be a teleportal to an arboretum, for example.

 

Best of luck!

[Death01]

I consider Balakirev's comments a primer on "Housing: beyond the basic shack".

 

Speaking of mannequin pedestals...is there an in-game mod for placing pedestals for the mannequin mods? I looked for such a while back and didn't notice one on the nexus....

 

...Makes one what to rip thru Reznod's scripts to build such a mod (with Rez's blessing). Of course you can use item codes and the placement altar mod.

[Balakirev]

Speaking of mannequin pedestals...is there an in-game mod for placing pedestals for the mannequin mods? I looked for such a while back and didn't notice one on the nexus....

 

Nothing like that.

 

...Makes one what to rip thru Reznod's scripts to build such a mod (with Rez's blessing). Of course you can use item codes and the placement altar mod.

 

I tried contacting Reznod repeatedly while working on my Skin-toned Mannequins, but never got a response. But you could always borrow from something like Armory Lab 4 or 5, taking the elements you wanted and adding them to your house.