LE House Mod request

[XxFigmentxX]

So I've been searching high and low for the "perfect" house mod for me and I just can't seem to find one that suits my needs and tastes. They're all either too big and I spend too much time getting to where I want, or they don't have the storage I want.

I've toyed with the Creation Kit and was able to actually OPEN one of my Hearthfires Homes. However, I can't seem to figure out how to edit what I want... (I Love my Lakeview home)

My problem is, I'm a collector as I'm sure a lot of you are. And I like to proudly display the stuff I've earned but there never seems to be enough weapon racks, display cases, etc. I also LOVE having books.

I have Placeble Statics and this helps a bit as I was able to move some stuff around and I can craft display cases.. But the one thing I TRULY want is MORE WEAPON RACKS. Not the plaques but the full blown racks.

So I did a VERY VERY crude diagram of what my PERFECT house would be and thought I'd throw it up here to see if anyone wanted to tackle it. I call it Ithrandir Manor. (If someone tackled this, I'm sure they would change the name)

So here's my crude layout:

http://just-stuff.net/images/ithrandirmanor.png

If someone wants to try this out, PLEASE let me know. I take NO credit in the design or anything. I just want my house.... :(

[fortie]

What area would you want it built?

[fortie]

and what dlc's do you have so I know what I can and can't use to build with

[XxFigmentxX]

I have all 3 DLCs: Dragonborn, Dawnguard and Hearthfires.

As for location, I'm not picky. Somewhere with a nice view. Maybe near a lake.

I actually found a house mod that is really nice and suits my needs. Tons of bookshelves, weapon racks, Mannequins, and a couple cute house carls walking around. (Already married me one. Hehe) but it's still not THE perfect house. It's one where it has the stuff I need, but there's just.... TOO MUCH other stuff that I feel is going to waste.

 

My vision is to have (As my diagram showed) a main hall with maybe a dining room or something. (Not unlike the Hearthfire homes) a room off to one side with a TON of bookshelves, a wing on the opposite side for bedrooms or just a storage room with chests. Then the rear wing to be weapon racks along the outer walls, broken up by a mannequin every once in a while, and in the center of the room running the length of the room, display cases. Maybe a few plaques thrown in along the outer walls for good measure.

The basement would be my workshop. Smelter, Forge, tanning rack, more storage chests for materials, Enchanting table with a chest or two and alchemy stand with a chest or two. (I'm OCD about organizing...Man am I playing the wrong game....)

A Second floor wouldn't be bad either, for expansion, storage, bedrooms, w/e. But that's not a deal breaker for me. (As long as my wife and I have somewhere to sleep, I'm happy)

As for aesthetics, I'm not picky. I'm not TOO fond of Dwemer architecture. Feels too cold. I actually really like the feel of the Hearthfire homes. They're just not customizable enough for me.. :(

 

[fortie]

I can't promise anything but ill have a fiddle see if i can come up with something half decent for you.

[XxFigmentxX]

I can't promise anything but ill have a fiddle see if i can come up with something half decent for you.

You sir, are my newest hero

[fortie]

Any more info you could give me would be very helpful.

Anything about location, exterior, interior what to incline what not to include. Anything at all.

Edited February 24, 2013 by fortie

[XxFigmentxX]

Hmm... Well, I USUALLY try to leave this sort of thing up to the artist. (Believe me, I feel what you guys do is a true art). However, lemme see what I can come up with.

I've been enjoy a nice wide open space, or something with a view of a lake. If you need me to be more specific that this, I've been tinkering with other mods in the area EAST of Rorikstad, because it's open and fairly flat.

As for house materials, I'm not fond of Dwarven, Solitude or Riften constructions.

Interior, other than the Weapon Racks, Display cases, Mannequins and Bookshelves I suppose something a little more high class. Silver dishes instead of wooden ones, that sort of thing.

I really like candle light. Wall sconces, Sconce stands and chandeliers are always the first things I build when using Placable Statics.

I don't like a lot of clutter. All the extra boxes, sacks and satchels that get plunked down in Default houses irks me. I DO however like my home to feel like a home. Shelves, Dressers, Corner Shelves, a chair here and there, Dining table etc are all good things.

I need at least one master bed for my wife and I. I don't really care whether I adopt kids.

If possible, a fireplace would be nice but not NEEDED.

A shrine pedestal wouldn't be bad with all the shrines on it, but I can live without it if space is an issue.

My biggest thing is boosting my vanity by being able to look at all my stuff, but not have to travel across 5 rooms and 2 load zones to get to it.

Storage is important so I can organize my crap and chests near the enchanting and alchemy are a must as I like to keep materials next to where I use them. (I tend to plunk chests down next to the Smelting station, for example)

Hmm..How else can I get specific.... Oh! Wolf heads. I love wolves, so wolf heads are good for decoration.

Furs or rugs on the floor would be a nice touch.

Beyond that, I leave the rest in your hands. I can envision what I'd like...but putting it into super detail is just not a good thing for me to try. :/

I will say this: If you can pull this off, I'm not going to keep bouncing back to you "Can you change this little thing, that little thing" etc.

I've finally figured out how to open certain things in the creation kit and edit a little. (Still trying to figure out how to edit Chests to read as something else... I'm close but missing something...) So if it's something I can fix myself, I will. If not, I'll live with it.

Thank you again for attempting this. I've been using the Dovahkiins Warehouse mod. The "bedroom" side of the mod is actually RIGHT up my alley. You walk in the door, walk through one more door and you're in a room full of chests with all the crafting stuff you need. (I just had to add a smelter). Go up one flight of stairs and there's all the bookshelves, Weapon racks and display cases I could hope for.

The drawback is that there's another "side" to the mod, the warehouse. It's HUGE, has a TON more mannequins, weapon racks, display cases, etc. It's just too much. I don't need all THAT stuff. Just one building, with enough room to hold all my crap.

If I'm still not being specific enough, let me know and I'll try to lay it out more.

[fortie]

Do you want like a fortified look on the outside?

what do you want your exterior like?

Im putting ideas together and doing some rough drawings to get some good ideas.

[XxFigmentxX]

Do you want like a fortified look on the outside?

what do you want your exterior like?

Im putting ideas together and doing some rough drawings to get some good ideas.

For the outside, I'd like it to be just pleasant. A home, not a fortress.

Exterior (I'm assuming you mean home types?) I actually like the outer look of the Hearthfire Homes. They're fairly bright and not "rustic" looking. I guess I'd like it to be semi-elegant, like someone of importance lives there. (Who wants a shoddy home if you're a Thane of multiple holds, right?)

As for stuff AROUND the home, I guess a lot of that depends on what's in the area. If you place it in the area I mentioned before, there isn't much around so perhaps a few trees couldn't hurt. I didn't scout the area too much, but I know there's a small river/creek nearby. Might be nice to walk out the front door and see that river not too far away.

I like to be immersed in the game a bit when I play, so when I come home after a long day of killing stuff, I like to feel relieved when I see my house and walk through the door.

The Hearthfire homes are very nicely done in regards to atmosphere, but they're just not complete enough for me. Too cluttered and as mentioned before don't have the stuff I need/want.

I guess it boils down to I'd like something elegant, but not "flashy". I'm a Thane, but I don't want to necessarily rub peoples' noses in it.

It might be nice to have a stable outside. Maybe a fishery.

It might be neat to have a few NPCs for various reasons although I understand that could be quite a bit more work and isn't "needed". But if you went that route, a vendor or two would be nice, either wandering around the house or set up outside somewhere. But again, my main concern is the house functionality itself.

If you do a second floor, a balcony would be nice, maybe overlooking said river/creek. Or some sort of outdoors relaxation spot.

I tried my hand at the CK again tonight, and I just can't seem to get the thing to do what I want.... Video tutorials are great, but they can only do so much. They can't answer questions. I need to find someone who lives near me who wants to sit down with me and walk me through this stuff. Once I've done it successfully once, I'd have no trouble from a technical standpoint in doing this myself. (Artistically on the other hand....Not so much)

Let me know if you need more to elaborate more. I'm trying to think of things you might ask ahead of time but I don't know what all goes into this yet. Thank you for being so patient. :smile:

 

Hey also, while I've got your expertise, is there an easy "step by step" tutorial you're aware of for changing the name of a chest without changing EVERY chest? I THOUGHT I found one, but it didn't work. Basically, instead of a chest saying "Search Chest" when I hover on it, I want it to say "Search Ingots" or Hide, or armor, or whatever. I know it has something to do with the ID.

Edited February 25, 2013 by XxFigmentxX