What do YOU want in a house?

[ferogain]

As I write this there are 542 files in the "Abodes - Player Homes" section. That definitely counts as a "glut". With that many houses on the market, I was wondering what do you look for in a player house? What is it that makes you say "Hmmmmm, I'd like to use that one."? I am curious because I was thinking about making another (even with the V5 bug still broke) house mod, but with so many out there, I was thinking ... well, why? So I thought I would put the question to fellow modders (and non-modders who read this section) and see what you all thought. Thanks for your time.

[BigKevSexyMan]

What I do want is kinda tough. A lot of things like forges and such can be found at whiterun.

 

I can tell you what I DON'T want. As you said, there are tons of house mods out there and some of this stuff hast been done to death.

 

1) I don't need a kajillian mannequins lying around because you built your house to big and didn't know what to fill it with.

2) I'm sick of seeing frozen dragon pose statues. And no, throwing some tacky effect in front of it doesn't make it better. If you have to do this. At least change the texture so it looks like an actual statue and not like someone took a dragon to the taxidermist.

3) This is actually something I do want. Some sort of unique functionality, if you can't stick out in looks alone then add some cool stuff. Like the mod that connects all your homes together via the basement. Or that new mod that looks like it's based around a mining community. Any unique functionality is required before I even think about another housing mod.

[Dan3345]

What I do want is kinda tough. A lot of things like forges and such can be found at whiterun.

 

I can tell you what I DON'T want. As you said, there are tons of house mods out there and some of this stuff hast been done to death.

 

1) I don't need a kajillian mannequins lying around because you built your house to big and didn't know what to fill it with.

2) I'm sick of seeing frozen dragon pose statues. And no, throwing some tacky effect in front of it doesn't make it better. If you have to do this. At least change the texture so it looks like an actual statue and not like someone took a dragon to the taxidermist.

3) This is actually something I do want. Some sort of unique functionality, if you can't stick out in looks alone then add some cool stuff. Like the mod that connects all your homes together via the basement. Or that new mod that looks like it's based around a mining community. Any unique functionality is required before I even think about another housing mod.

 

I agree with this. Although for my third preference I would prefer aesthetics over all else. A small cozy cabin (in the external world) with lots of green foliage around it and plant life within would be awesome. anoriths shack (spelling?) is the best example of this I have seen so far, though I would prefer it to be a tad bit larger and without the links to the thieves guild.

[Jadak]

Mostly, I look for evidence that someone actually put some thought into the layout of the home, and that it's not too big. Some people make vast fortress homes with lots of nice scenery, but you have to walk though like 8 doors to get between functional areas. IMHO players houses should be kept small, compact, simple, and easy to navigate. I like to be able to fast travel right to my door, and be able to efficiently get to my storage and crafting areas. Save the bigger locations for dungeons.

Try and give your houses some character too, don't have them just be a hall full of mannequins. It needs a little style and aesthetics. It's more about having your furniture and clutter well thought out than just having a lot of it. Streamline the floorplan so that only the stuff that needs to be there is present. Make every room and piece of furniture have a purpose, not just there to make the house bigger. Quality over quantity is the way to go with a house.

Shameless plug for my house mod if you want to see how I do it: The Cascade House

 

P.S. - The CTD issue got rolled back in the current Skyrim beta, go here for instructions on how to sign up for the beta version on Steam.

[mynamethatislong]

One of the things I'd like -- especially in those giant sprawling fortresses -- is a few unique NPCs. If you've got a house big enough to accommodate an entire town, why not throw in a butler, maid, cook, guard, or whatever to look after the place while you're away?

It wouldn't hurt to throw in some decent decorative clutter along with your 50,000 mannequins and weapon racks. This is something I particularly like about Deus Mons (yes, giant fortress). Your soul gems are stored in a container that looks like soul gems and your potion rack always appears to be full of potions.

I also think it would be cool if your house were linked to the world in such a way that, very occasionally, it would spawn random encounters like thieves, assassins, or even a squatter.

Really, I just want something that would make returning home into more than a routine visit to the storage shed.

[Jakisthe]

I know I DON'T want a tiny room with all the crafting areas all clustered together. Really makes it feel like the other areas of the house, not to mention other areas of the world, are useless. I can understand that it makes things more convenient, but it's just lazy, imo. It's almost like god mode of crafting, imo.

 

I don't have anything against manequinns or weapon racks, as long as they're all in one place.

[Rennn]

I want something without a load time, just a house that I can walk into and walk out of seamlessly. That's the biggest thing I look for in a house.

I also don't like it when the crafting areas all bunched together. I'd prefer for the blacksmith stuff to be outside or at least on stone or dirt with ventilation nearby, for the alchemical equipment to be in a small study or special room (also with ventilation for corrosive reasons), etc.

 

After those two things, I want it small and realistic. No castles or fortresses. Just a small tree house or cabin with a few rooms is the largest it should be. I should never get lost in my house, lol.

 

Mannequins, I don't care for since they would be out of place in a small, exposed house. Weapon racks are fine as long as they don't completely coat the walls in my opinion.

Edited March 28, 2012 by Rennn

[jase180]

Two things come to mind. I'd like to be able to have a character retire after all that dragonborn stuff and be the blacksmith in a village with the option to sell to locals. A house like that, small farm or small shop in a town like the guy in Riverwood would be cool. A few towns lack a blacksmith.

 

The other is a place geared toward Barbarian types, not enough of those.aside from the abandoned orc fort. I think a for/house like than in a great location would be a nice change up. 1 or 2 npcs are more than enough. So many big houses and so few useable places for just living in Skyrim after the MQ and doing what ya like.

 

AHouses made for specific classes are starting to show up, but nothing like Mushroom Manor where my Mage lived after the MQ and just did his thing or a good Skyrim hunting lodge for just that.

 

Thistle Cottage is a good example, but its just outside Riverwood and not deep in the mountains.

 

usefull stuff not overkill, a house that functions like Millstone Farm

 

So far, for me, Reachwind Eyrie is the best one because its just the right size, has a story and fits into the world. So I guess the short answer is houses with a purpose other than loot museums.

[BigKevSexyMan]

Oh! I just had an idea for a great player house!

 

Mannequin mansion:

 

I know I just bashed mannequin's, but this actually puts good use to them. But it will require some scripting. What you can do, is you can equip a mannequin with whatever you like. Then, say, there's a spell that will bring it to life as a follower. Then just build the house around that concept. I think that would be a pretty cool concept right there. Also, you wouldn't have to worry about voicing them, since in reality they are just wood.

[AxlRocks]

For me, there are two kinds of houses I like. Basically, if I'm going to download a mod for only a house, I want something that is small-medium sized. I'm talking Breezehome sized at most. I also like to keep it balanced, so maybe one type of crafting area. The other thing I want is a LOT of containers. I like to keep things more organized than just the default game categories. I have never had too many chests. If you made a house with 200 chests in it, I could find a use for each. With just the stock game and no mod items even.

 

With that said, if the mod is a larger house, I still want all my storage/functional areas centrally located, and like for the rest of the house to be display area or maybe have unique functions. But for me to use a large house like that, I want a quest, or even a series of quests,where I truly earn the house. A little shack being plopped into the wilderness is fine, and it's nice to roleplay different scenarios with. (You're a bandit and it's a hideout you lucked onto, you're a knight who has decided to now live out a life of peace and quiet in the woods, etc) Having a castle plopped into the wilderness as a home, just breaks immersion to me. It's a bit too jarring to not pay attention to for my tastes.