NEWS [UO.Com] Looking for New Castle Designs

[Finley Grant]

wasnt there a bunch of guys who stated again and again that a castle size plot "is not possible" with the custom menu? i have some sort of proof that it IS possible. anyone who wants to see ping me as i dont think i can paste that link here without getting the stratics assistant deputies who give me a ban LOL

 

[Mene (DF)]

Oki... What was it - we're looking for.... ah, yes... Castles!!! Perhaps someone like this one here?

I made one on TC and postet it in the housing forum.

Plz follow Mene's Atelier - It's time to present you my real game passion :) -
and scoll at the end for pictures - there are 6 Pics uploaded for your opinion first. If you think that it could have worth sendig this to Mesanna leave a reply plz.
Thx.

 

[ShriNayne]

@Mene (DF) That is a fantastic design! Well done, I'm sure it took you a while to make it!

 

[skett]

Oki... What was it - we're looking for.... ah, yes... Castles!!! Perhaps someone like this one here?

I made one on TC and postet it in the housing forum.

Plz follow Mene's Atelier - It's time to present you my real game passion :) -
and scoll at the end for pictures - there are 6 Pics uploaded for your opinion first. If you think that it could have worth sendig this to Mesanna leave a reply plz.
Thx.

I think we have a winner !!!

 

[Mene (DF)]

Thx for feedbacks - We have to convice Mesanna now, and for that I'm afraid I need your help with my lousy english knowlegdes *twinkles*
I will wait a few days more before I send her the mail.

Meanwhile ...on TC ... I'm working on the next. I really wish they would give as the 31 x 31 plot for selfcostumizing as 20anni gift - it's really no fun to work with other odd-looking tools than ours ingame or switching between 4 plots, screenshotting and than put the pictures together. Btw... i use GIMP for my screenshots to make a whole result of a houscostumization.

 

[Finley Grant]

Custom Plot that size will Not come because mesanna dont want it. There is no Technicolor reason for Not making it

 

[Minerva Foxglove]

I hope for a very empty design suggestion then. The four walls and a basic building perhaps towers on the north side .. so we can add our personal look and materials . Then two more completed designs for peope that are not interested in creating something, just want the storage in a castle with better logistics.

 

[ShriNayne]

Yes I agree Molly, I love the very fancy designs but maybe one of the three chosen should be a re-design of what we have already to make it easier to live with. Some people do like the original castle but just find it a bit impractical. My husband has been working on a revamped interior which keeps a lot of the original shape of the castle. Now I really wish they would do this same contest for Keeps...

 

[Razdunk]

Looking for New Castle Designs

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Mesanna
Good Afternoon Everyone,
Let me see if I can’t clear up some confusion. Please remember we have not finalized any plans as of this date but here is what we are thinking.

1. Castle would have the same footprint
2. The design would still be considered a prefab house
3. You would be able to access the design via the tool for original placement or via the house sign for a change in design. We are still working out what happens to items inside the house so stay tuned for upcoming announcements.
4. When you submit a design idea be very specific as to what you want.
5. When the final 3 designs are picked we will name them after the designers in game.

I hope this clears up some of the confusion and please remember, these are subject to change the closer we get to actually putting the concept in game.
Thanks everyone and we look forward to seeing your ideas.


Greetings all,
I know we have all talked about this before but I think putting in new castle designs for our 20th year would be something great to do. So we the team would like to have any designs from you guys. Looking for 3 stand outs to use. If you have any ideas or just like to design houses send them to me at [email protected].
Thanks in advance!

My old castle! Open green acres for the placement too, that would be weird 20th vet… you get a castle lot in green acres LOL

 

[railshot]

It's kind of sad that in a game that is often hailed as the ultimate sandbox, the devs want to limit the designs to the few that they find acceptable. Yes there will be a few borg cubes. Guess what - quite a few of real castles were huge ugly cubes too. They were not built to impress with their elegance.
I would also invite Mesanna to revisit the Home and Castles subforum here and look at the designs that players came up with for regular custom plots. Most of them far outpace prefab designs in creativity and beauty. Imagine what players could do if given a castle-sized plot to play with.

 

[Mene (DF)]

It's kind of sad that in a game that is often hailed as the ultimate sandbox, the devs want to limit the designs to the few that they find acceptable. Yes there will be a few borg cubes. Guess what - quite a few of real castles were huge ugly cubes too. They were not built to impress with their elegance.
I would also invite Mesanna to revisit the Home and Castles subforum here and look at the designs that players came up with for regular custom plots. Most of them far outpace prefab designs in creativity and beauty. Imagine what players could do if given a calste-sized plot to play with.

This.... and with 2 or 3 floors more than the four we have now

 

[MalagAste]

Noooo, not this. I 100% guarantee you that people would take such a huge custom plot, load it with stuff that lags, and crash everyone who comes near it. It's already bad with some 18x18's.

Lag IS an issue here, which is why a fixed plot is in order. An actual design is needed, not a custom plot. The ONLY way I see such a huge custom plot being possible is if they also remove the bamboo floor effect that forces everyone coming near the place to see it's contents. People could then simply not step on the plot and not get lagged out by proximity.

A compromise of basic outer walls, or perhaps basic outer walls and a center keep, with the rest being customizable BUT NOT VISIBLE TO ALL if they don't get on the steps might work. Nobody wants to see big empty plots or to slow down to a crawl.

Something nice that is maybe just the outer walls where the inside is completely usable ... but the current stone walls you can use kinda stink for building your own interior since then they don't work with the Circle of Transparency... would be terrible to try to use them to make something livable.

 

[railshot]

A compromise of basic outer walls, or perhaps basic outer walls and a center keep, with the rest being customizable BUT NOT VISIBLE TO ALL if they don't get on the steps might work. Nobody wants to see big empty plots or to slow down to a crawl.

This compromise I could live with. It wont' let me build my dream "abandoned castle ruins", at least I'd be able to customize the interior to be practical.

 

[Mene (DF)]

I think for those who use only a castle for the high number of storage and those whose fantasy only reaches for buildung borgcubes with customized plots let me say only this :
For you a small plot would be enough - let me say 10 x 10 - with excactly that high number of castle storage to build a small laggy borgcube only full of chest-walls from floor to top on each of the four usable floors now - very boring to see but most wished - so that's what i'm reading here. This and the most howling wolves might be very content and full of happiness.

Btw...




Any other better advances to look, better ideas for a "ready" Castle?

The new way to make keeps and castles more beautiful with the new stonecrafting tiles to me is not very user-friendly, but for the moment the only way to make an "other, different looking" box in which a good architect would become desperate.

 

[petemage]

When Mesanna says you can even draw your castle on paper, I can't help myself and think of this house in new Magincia someone apparently won in a contest.

For a couple of months it was a half-finished mess to look at, then it was just removed. I can't remember who won the contest, but I remember him stating here on Stratics that Mesanna basically never finished his design and then at some point just said it's to difficult to do and removed it.

I'm really looking forward to the moment of crushed dreams when they disappoint everyone with the final designs that end up in-game

E: Oh look, I found it. Was 16th anniversary contest about the "cultural center" and @MissEcho won it: [UO Herald] Cross Shard Treasure Hunt Contest

 

[ShriNayne]

I really hope you are wrong, that would be just too sad, especially since it's been asked for repeatedly! I remember reading MissEcho's account of that fiasco, I really think she should have been given something as an alternative, but not building her design which was not anything complicated was pretty lame!

 

[petemage]

I really hope you are wrong, that would be just too sad, especially since it's been asked for repeatedly!

I've been wrong quite a few times Odds aren't that bad for you, but let's see.

 

[SpellBreaker]

Here are some we did





Looking at the images I wish we would have put archways under the battlements (this way it wouldn't be floating), also like to match all the tiles to the dark color and lastly the windows should be the same style.


Be blessed,
Frederick
Leoric

 

[SpellBreaker]

Here are some we did

View attachment 64634
View attachment 64635
View attachment 64636

Looking at the images I wish we would have put archways under the battlements (this way it wouldn't be floating), also like to match all the tiles to the dark color and lastly the windows should be the same style.


Be blessed,
Frederick
Leoric

Also wanted to add one image showing the inside






Be blessed,
Frederick
Spellbreaker

 

[sir TEDLEY]

mine is on napa ice island bottom half its called a wax museum ity has 90 statue mAKERAs on it like there made of wax of people ive met and new that's past away sorry I don't know how to show pictures or tell you how to get to my castle also it has 4 levels to it not 2 but 4 not 3 or 5 but 4 lolol

 

[StressBall]

How about making a trash clearing tool with limited charges that allows you to clear obsticles so you can place larger houses (only available in shop for some $'s)

 

[SpellBreaker]

Couple more -




We wish you good fortune in the battles to come,
Frederick
Spellbreaker

 

[GarthGrey]

Oki... What was it - we're looking for.... ah, yes... Castles!!! Perhaps someone like this one here?

I made one on TC and postet it in the housing forum.

Plz follow Mene's Atelier - It's time to present you my real game passion :) -
and scoll at the end for pictures - there are 6 Pics uploaded for your opinion first. If you think that it could have worth sendig this to Mesanna leave a reply plz.
Thx.

That things awesome, it's like a little village...very nice.

 

[Merus]

Anyone hear any rumored time frame for when the TC design tool is supposed to be available?

 

[MalagAste]

No idea but can not wait! One thing I have always loved about UO is design and deco.

I just hope they give us access to more than just the normal tile sets. That could be great. There are some wall parts in the Tokuno styles we don't have that I'd like to have... as well as a great many in the old styles that we do not have access to.

But I'll just be super happy to build what I submitted for them because a picture doesn't do it justice.

 

[Lord Arm]

for me the only way to go is fully customizable castles with 3 levels and roof. u can display so much.
I just wish I could remove some stuff and add things as I feel fit. I'm always worried about the stone stuff getting clicked on and then decaying. located on napa, 33s 35w open for viewing but it is laggy

 

[Turbo]

It would be a good surprise to have keeps and castles changed to be allowed to be customizable. There's so much that could be done on a castle plot.

 

[railshot]

It would be a good surprise to have keeps and castles changed to be allowed to be customizable. There's so much that could be done on a castle plot.

There is an irrational (for a sandbox IMO) fear on the part of @Mesanna that players will use this opportunity to build a bunch of Borg cubes. The reasons I say it' irrational are these:
1. UO is an ultimate sandbox. It's supposed to provide freedom rather than limit creative expression. This is especially true for something that does not infringe on the game play of others.
2. Based on 18x18 plots, the impact of players' artistic creations far outweighs whatever aesthetic discomfort one may feel by running into a Borg cube here and there.
3. Real castles build for defense did not look like the ones you see in Disneyland. They frequently did look like Borg cubes. I present a few examples:


Please, please just think for a moment about the best examples of what players could come up with on customizable plots. And now imagine what they can do in a castle if they had the freedom.

 

[PrettyMel]

Honestly I would want it to be customizable like the plot houses. I have a 'castle' design I've used on my 18x18's over the years and I'd love to do it with my castle too. It's a 'princess castle' type of effect and I think it's really pretty for us women who play. Not a whole lot of girly things for us.....so....here is a vendor house I did recently.... something princess-ish and girly like the Disney castle would be perfect *^_^* (editing to add detail suggestions) the turrets should be round, the windows small arches, doors should be arched also, and give us a draw bridge! haha

 

[Sunseri]

I have always liked the lay out of the castle design. Only thing I would want to see changed is the material used in the construction of the castle. If I had a castle, I'd want to have a wooden fort look with no stone used.

 

[Cinderella]

View attachment 67426 Honestly I would want it to be customizable like the plot houses. I have a 'castle' design I've used on my 18x18's over the years and I'd love to do it with my castle too. It's a 'princess castle' type of effect and I think it's really pretty for us women who play. Not a whole lot of girly things for us.....so....here is a vendor house I did recently.... something princess-ish and girly like the Disney castle would be perfect *^_^* (editing to add detail suggestions) the turrets should be round, the windows small arches, doors should be arched also, and give us a draw bridge! haha

love this... would love a draw bridge and a gate that functions like the one that is at the hedge maze

 

[Sauteed Onion]

Perhaps someone like this one here?

This is a beautiful design, I hope you are not taking offense to what I want to do with it. I might use it as inspiration for a dog house. Hehe. We'll see what I come up with. Or just general pet house. That will be so cool. And good practice for me.

 

[DevilsOwn]

There use to be pictures in the UO Homes and Castles Forums, I will say years ago of different Castle and Keep designs, is there any way that a Stratics person can find them? I have looked and find nothing. At least one of them had an open first floor with just the outer walls and floor tiles.

I think this is the thread you are referring? Contest hosted by Kurgan, unfortunately some of the designs no longer load

A Challenge for all you home makers.

 

[Cymidei]

Here's my idea! Make multi-add ons that can be pieced together on any size plot or compliment any house design to make a really cool looking castle; gatehouses, battlements, walls, wells, balconies, gardyloos, towers of different sizes, textures, shapes, new gardens, gypsy wagon, stable, armories, etc. Stuff that we can't build right now, like round towers that look good, wagons, etc. that could be an add on.

If they had creative features that would be wonderful, bonuses, extra storage, etc. I think we'd all like that and it would go with the new stone masonry items that have already been implemented successfully in game.

 

[Finley Grant]

Here's my idea! Make multi-add ons that can be pieced together on any size plot or compliment any house design to make a really cool looking castle; gatehouses, battlements, walls, wells, balconies, gardyloos, towers of different sizes, textures, shapes, new gardens, gypsy wagon, stable, armories, etc. Stuff that we can't build right now, like round towers that look good, wagons, etc. that could be an add on.

If they had creative features that would be wonderful, bonuses, extra storage, etc. I think we'd all like that and it would go with the new stone masonry items that have already been implemented successfully in game.

I might have an idea that works:

make it a plot.

Job done.

People happy

 

[Ellie]

Some years ago on Catskills at Halloween there was land where they built an event. This land went on for screens and screens. If you are in the new lands (t2a) to the east you can see for miles green. If they opened that up for just castles. Or even just put down plots for us to build on, one per account, that would be great.
Aprils newsletter mentioned a tool for us to build a castle with but so far I have seen nothing about it. It was mentioned in about 3 lines under the blurb about the 20th party.

I would take the middle section and push it back against the inside back wall and stretch the 2 sides out to meet the 2 inside walls. Put doors in the sides and back to be open to the doorways. Remove the blocks at the front so you can go either way, maybe doors there to lock so just make an entry way there. Until I get something to build on I havent figured out the top part yet. Just and idea.

 

[Sariya]

I just wish we could buy a castle, make it a custom plot and keep the size. I'd have so much fun designing/decorating! Heh.

 

[Aquarius]

I also would love bigger plots. maybe a 25x25?
I was also thinking, although the new castle design would be cool, So much is going into the castles. They already got lock downs on grass and all that space. I would love some attention to the Keeps. Maybe allow us to use the grass.
i dont know, just a thought.

 

[MalagAste]

Just putting doors in to get in there would be nice and yes letting us lock things down in there..
I can use those tiles to build a floor in them then if I want to..

Would make them not suck so bad.

 

[Slayvite]

Keeps were on the list for new designs too, When it was 1st brought up by Mesanna, it was "a few new designs for Castles and Keeps".
Like everything else though....half ass'ed attempt so they seem to have been "forgotten about" now and it's just a Castle thing now.

 

[Ancient Sosarian]

Looks more like a Keep than a Castle, but an Awesome Keep!

Just emailed my 31 x 31 design to Mesanna. Did it in Minecraft so it is on the clunky side. The alternating colors in the perimeter tiles were for counting and the raised orangish slabs are supposed to represent teleporter tiles. The pictures show the layout of each floor and then just some views from around the interior.

View attachment 62986 View attachment 62987 View attachment 62988 View attachment 62989 View attachment 62990 View attachment 62991 View attachment 62992 View attachment 62993 View attachment 62994 View attachment 62995 View attachment 62996 View attachment 62997

 

[Jove]

I hate to be impatient and all but is this going to happen anytime soon? I'm excited to have a new design that I can play with and decorate!!! It's been a long.... time coming.

 

[DJAd]

I hate to be impatient and all but is this going to happen anytime soon? I'm excited to have a new design that I can play with and decorate!!! It's been a long.... time coming.

Well they did say this

I know we have all talked about this before but I think putting in new castle designs for our 20th year would be something great to do.

But I would be very shocked if they are out in time.

 

[Scribbles]

As much as i would love to see new keep and castle designs, I simply dont trust this staff to touch it. This is the staff that touched one thing to screw up idocs forever. The staff that still hasnt put on an account mngment site way past the date they said it would be done. The staff that hasnt released a single thing with out bugs.

I dont have a castle any longer so i guess it doesnt really matter that much to me. However, I sure as hell wouldnt want them touch the coding of castles while all my stuff was in one.

 

[arkiu]

As much as i would love to see new keep and castle designs, I simply dont trust this staff to touch it. This is the staff that touched one thing to screw up idocs forever. The staff that still hasnt put on an account mngment site way past the date they said it would be done. The staff that hasnt released a single thing with out bugs.

I dont have a castle any longer so i guess it doesnt really matter that much to me. However, I sure as hell wouldnt want them touch the coding of castles while all my stuff was in one.

Scribble Dibbles (@Scribbles) - i agree but let me just ask a question thats probably been asked but im too lazy to read through ~150 posts: what the donkey **** is the purpose of this "contest"? As in, why would the devs put their seemingly limited resources in developing a semi elaborate tool for a friggin contest???

Im sorry but this just sounds dumb. If anything make castle plots customizable but dont waste precious resources on limited use tool. Who thought of this??? Feel like there was some goofy stuff that was smoked which in turn inspired this concept.

By the way this in in no way taking away from designs posted above - some are pretty cool actually. I just think when this was first announced (wasnt this months back??) it was just so poorly thought out and just sounded destined to turn out ridiculous. Werent people sending in hand drawings of castles or something since there were literally no guidelines initially given? Sounds like some sticky was involved in this charade.

Btw scribs didnt you quit?

 

[Scribbles]

Scribble Dibbles (@Scribbles) - i agree but let me just ask a question thats probably been asked but im too lazy to read through ~150 posts: what the donkey **** is the purpose of this "contest"? As in, why would the devs put their seemingly limited resources in developing a semi elaborate tool for a friggin contest???

Im sorry but this just sounds dumb. If anything make castle plots customizable but dont waste precious resources on limited use tool. Who thought of this??? Feel like there was some goofy stuff that was smoked which in turn inspired this concept.

By the way this in in no way taking away from designs posted above - some are pretty cool actually. I just think when this was first announced (wasnt this months back??) it was just so poorly thought out and just sounded destined to turn out ridiculous. Werent people sending in hand drawings of castles or something since there were literally no guidelines initially given? Sounds like some sticky was involved in this charade.

Btw scribs didnt you quit?

That seems to be the direction of the staff. A lot of great ideas never ever thought out entirely.

I still have an account up but havent logged in. I still love the game, just cant support the staff running it any longer. Ill be on stratics a lot more now that im not logging in to the game.

 

[arkiu]

That seems to be the direction of the staff. A lot of great ideas never ever thought out entirely.

I still have an account up but havent logged in. I still love the game, just cant support the staff running it any longer. Ill be on stratics a lot more now that im not logging in to the game.

Ahh a soft quit! I soft quit years ago - glad you are still around!

 

[petemage]

Scribble Dibbles (@Scribbles) - i agree but let me just ask a question thats probably been asked but im too lazy to read through ~150 posts: what the donkey **** is the purpose of this "contest"? As in, why would the devs put their seemingly limited resources in developing a semi elaborate tool for a friggin contest???

Im sorry but this just sounds dumb. If anything make castle plots customizable but dont waste precious resources on limited use tool. Who thought of this??? Feel like there was some goofy stuff that was smoked which in turn inspired this concept.

They never thought that far when it started.

First there was only "send in your castle designs".
People started asking how to design them, and Mesanna said "you can even draw it on paper".
A couple of hand-drawn designs later, she might have realized how silly that idea was, and tries to save it by announcing that they build a complete tool for it.

Stay tuned for the next episode when Bonnie realizes such an tool is not done within a week

 

[Merus]

They never thought that far when it started.

First there was only "send in your castle designs".
People started asking how to design them, and Mesanna said "you can even draw it on paper".
A couple of hand-drawn designs later, she might have realized how silly that idea was, and tries to save it by announcing that they build a complete tool for it.

Stay tuned for the next episode when Bonnie realizes such an tool is not done within a week

Or that if such a tool were to exist that there would be little reason not to put it into production and let folks just build their own.

 

[petemage]

Or that if such a tool were to exist that there would be little reason not to put it into production and let folks just build their own.

My understanding is that they have a special version of the classic client where they do that world building things. Maybe they try to tone that down for public use, but I doubt they want to publish the complete client with all the unrelated features it might has as well.