NEWS [UO.Com] Publish 101 Comes to TC1

[ThulsaDoom]

Why can't we have stone colored options for walls? You have these freaking neon dyed houses (crafted and used dyes on) that people put up and all we want is some tasteful stone colored options, valorite, agapite,shadow, gold, bronze ect. This should be a PRIORITY

 

[Chap]

Heres my castle design, I called it Chateau Lavefeu
It has a courtyard and are open for decoration as the owner decides

May the best designer win

 

[Lieutenant Dan!]

@Lieutenant Dan! That's interesting I'd like to come see that check it out more could you include a location?

Thank you @MalagAste . Its located a few screens north of the Luna North gate.

 

[Delores D]

Thanks Tjalle for posting the keep and castle for me.. Nothing extra has been put in. What you see is what you get. They sure do look good from that angle.

 

[Anon McDougle]

The only answer here is for everyone to come to Origin where there is lots of room for castles

 

[Cyrah]

Oh Anon, I would do that if I still cared, maybe I will later. They really took the joy away this time. Rocks we can walk over stop my new homes. Origin is nice though for you that still care. Good luck all in designs. I would have dearly loved to use the winning ones.

 

[Maximus Neximus]

Something for creators to keep in mind; The castles and keeps in Fel need to have doors and closed off areas. So, while I really do enjoy some of these open space designs, they aren't necessarily practical for everyone to have. I'm not asking everyone to cater to that. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[Spartan]

@MalagAste First floor, S side the steps on the corners almost make me go "hmmmm, is something here?" without the markup. Can they be removed like the E side one and still allow exit at least?

My hats off to all the designers. There's some really nice looking castle and keep plans. Keep it up!

 

[MalagAste]

@MalagAste First floor, S side the steps on the corners almost make me go "hmmmm, is something here?" without the markup. Can they be removed like the E side one and still allow exit at least?

My hats off to all the designers. There's some really nice looking castle and keep plans. Keep it up!

If you are talking about those little rooms with the secret doors on them I was rather thinking that since stairs kinda leave silly space if you butt them up next to walls those little cubicles are actually nice spots to put teleporters to either other houses or areas in the house. If that makes sense...

Or are you speaking about the two small rooms North of both sets of stairs? As those can certainly be removed and left open like one large room just having the halls on either side. I guess I was keeping more in tradition with the current castle design but yes it can be removed that might actually be more useful to have that open.

 

[Spartan]

If you are talking about those little rooms with the secret doors on them I was rather thinking that since stairs kinda leave silly space if you butt them up next to walls those little cubicles are actually nice spots to put teleporters to either other houses or areas in the house. If that makes sense...

Or are you speaking about the two small rooms North of both sets of stairs? As those can certainly be removed and left open like one large room just having the halls on either side. I guess I was keeping more in tradition with the current castle design but yes it can be removed that might actually be more useful to have that open.

Yup. Makes sense now that you clarified things. Keep truckin' and I'll leave ya alone!

 

[Minerva Foxglove]

I will leave openings in the walls so ppl can decide if they want to close them with masonry, make an arch or a door in thoose they choose to keep. But only in the ones build with old castle type of walls ofcourse. Remember we cant remove anything but we can add, with masonry, walls, low walls, archways , secret doors and even metal doors.

 

[Gidge]

I will leave openings in the walls so ppl can decide if they want to close them with masonry, make an arch or a door in thoose they choose to keep. But only in the ones build with old castle type of walls ofcourse. Remember we cant remove anything but we can add, with masonry, walls, low walls, archways , secret doors and even metal doors.

I went back and forth on this and am doing the same.

I am debating the opening size though. 2 or 4

I wish I could build another next to an exact copy to show further customizing ideas with granite, like a little stage and such.

 

[Mene (DF)]

Shoot me... but somehow.... i still seeing cubes... I'm still waiting for some japanese players to see their results because they have always been great in housecostumizing...

I submitted my Castle yesterday, and I finish one of my keep plots an hour ago - with a complete other look to enjoy... or not
Here we go with the Keep-plot.... A year ago i had the idea of some elvish looking houses and found this design, but never could realize this idea on an 18 x 18 plot.
but now - so i did it:

Welcome to Mergaras - King's Castle

 

[Izzy MBC]

Shoot me... but somehow.... i still seeing cubes...

Just to chime in my thought on this, I agree, but I believe the reason is more-so the greater apparent nature of the recurring tiles. (I think your design does a brilliant job of avoiding this, there's plenty of texture and variance; avoiding straight wall runs)

I believe for many tiles there is not more than 1 variant. I think for Grass floor tiles there are at least 4 variants to help alleviate the obvious bland recurrence in large grass patches. For most types of wall though, there is only 1 variant. I realise post-decoration efforts will help alleviate it, but it seems the larger the area, the harder it is to avoid "The Cube" without some serious creativity.

 

[Cyrah]

I have been playing and paying since 2001. My game style is houses and crafting. I have one castle with a keep beside it on LS. I waited 8 years for that keep spot to open ( grandfathered small blocked it). Because of 3 rocks I can walk over I can't use a new design in the spot I love most? I have 8 accounts sometimes 9. Most are keeps. One has no rocks. One. They are on a dying shard and no one wanted them . They won't now either.

I am watching vet players say this does not matter if "certain" persons cannot convert. I am one of those "certain" persons. One says it is only 20%, If it was only one player it still isn't right. The rocks can be removed.

I supported almost every play style for others all this time. Rares fest, pvp, crafters , tamers when they had issues. Now it is 2 bad 2 sad for me ? I built an awesome keep design on test, freaking awesome. An ok castle. Now even if I won both contests I can't use them where I live. I know we all have to leave UO someday. I just was not ready yet. For all the designers on test thank you so much. So many wonderous homes. The llama has to find a new game? arg..

 

[Mene (DF)]

.... Hm... fight for our rights ?... But Stratics Foren are now the wrong place to fight - useless hoping to get answers here from any of the Dev-Team now
Might be possible the some of the Devs read here hidden, but wouldn't it be better to shout it out on this odd offiziell forums?

I can remember as they changes the runebook colors just with an overpaint - OMG i never heard Stratics people get in such a loud protest against what they did. Best would be we did here the same - on their odd forums *thinking*
I personally found the best solution they just implemate this feature on prodo and everybody can decide by himself if he want to change an exicting castle or keep plot into a costumizeng one.

 

[Chrille]

Cyrah have you looked at test? Walkover rocks doesnt block placement there and will not on other shards either. I think at least 95 % of the castles will be able to use the new designs and unless you have a tree in the walls of your keeps nothing will stop you from using new designs on them either.

 

[Cyrah]

Ty @Chrille for caring. This is the issue. On live shards once active publish, you will open house menu and choose convert to custom. Then you choose which new design you want. Tada.

What will happen for me and others is I will not be allowed to covert to custom. If there are any rocks, trees or etc. (whatever that is) in the grassy areas of a keep or castle. Placing a plot on test over rocks is not the same thing. On test we do not change the plot to custom.
The courtyard areas are on the actual land not on an existing foundation. The grass is there whether a castle or keep is or not.

The only way is to manually remove the obstacles. Or redo the whole land. !! yikes!

 

[Cyrah]

@MeneDF thank you also for caring. Your new castle design is a world of its own and so so so fun! Bleak is here a great deal, So is K. They know exactly what is happening. A few pages back in this thread I had no idea I would have the issue and posted that they would NEVER let this happen. I was wrong. I will stay to vote.

 

[Mene (DF)]

@Cyrah thx back

I have so many ideas in mind i would like to costumize. If you like to see my "smaller solutions" feel free to follow the Link in my Sig "Mene's Atelier"

Mene's Atelier - It's time to present you my real game passion :) -

 

[Anon McDougle]

everyone is different I like single story structures. i don't need three floors but would still love a 31x31 sized plot the draw of custom housing is we call all do our own thing ..

 

[Chrille]

Cyrah its the same thing if you can place a foundations plot where your keep is now it exactly the same thing as convert later on on production, there will be not another set of rulings to change your house into a foundation keep then there is now to place a foundation keep on test.

 

[Spartan]

Shoot me... but somehow.... i still seeing cubes... I'm still waiting for some japanese players to see their results because they have always been great in housecostumizing...

I submitted my Castle yesterday, and I finish one of my keep plots an hour ago - with a complete other look to enjoy... or not
Here we go with the Keep-plot.... A year ago i had the idea of some elvish looking houses and found this design, but never could realize this idea on an 18 x 18 plot.
but now - so i did it:

Welcome to Mergaras - King's Castle

Holy moly! That's gorgeous!

 

[Cyrah]

@Chrille, I so wish you were right. I do not think so. My LS castle and keep will not covert to custom according to Bleak. Therefore no new design. Look at it this way, they finally found a way to run off the llama. After 17 years! Some will rejoice.

 

[Khaelor]

I will leave openings in the walls so ppl can decide if they want to close them with masonry, make an arch or a door in thoose they choose to keep. But only in the ones build with old castle type of walls ofcourse. Remember we cant remove anything but we can add, with masonry, walls, low walls, archways , secret doors and even metal doors.

I wish when people were designing they thought about more how people could customize their homes. I've seen a lot of grass roofs, lava fireplaces and moats. Remember, we have access to grass tiles, we don't have access to sandstone tiles. So if you do a roof in grass floor on a sandstone roof, that does not allow whoever picks that house to be able to make a sandstone roof, thereby limiting people who may enjoy that design. But they can make a sandstone roof into a grass tile floor.

Lava is the same thing, plenty of lava tiles in game. Making those prefab lava fireplaces takes up valuable wall real estate and limits what people can do with those homes, but people could make a lava fire place or moat themselves. Again, opening up who may vote for the design.

These are just thoughts of what i see when i look at people's designs and think "what can i do with this"

 

[MalagAste]

Yes there are a LOT of Cube designs mine included... but if you think about how Castles and Keeps are today with those added tiles and such people want to use every tiny square inch they can get to design and customize and to display the vast quantity of things they have acquired while playing.

There are 100's of castles out there with 3 and 4 floors on them as it is right now and filled in all the way to the top with stuff.

Most people will IMO want to "finish" out the castles themselves. Remember we are only going to be getting a tiny number of designs... and of those designs, I personally would like one I can still work with. Sure some are pretty cool and look great but will they function practically? Can I put my own spin on it or will I be completely limited by the design? And do I really want someone else's deco there? Yes, some people can build really great ponds and super awesome spikes and really neat illusions but when it comes right down to it... Rather do that myself. Rather have a nice base to work with.

And think about getting around... You can't walk on water, lava or through walls. These designs have to last. Do you think they will ever revisit this idea? I don't.

But we all know it will really be more of a popularity contest than anything that is real. Those with the most votes and accounts will push their own designs regardless of what anyone really wants. That's my fear... is we may get 3 designs that are completely hideous or just as impractical to use as what we have right now.

 

[Cyrah]

Ok I had a brilliant plan! Switch the placement of the LS castle and Keep to avoid rocks. Great Lakes same area has it this way. Dun dun dun... no way. There will still be a rock in the castle east courtyard not the keeps. Oh and I think we get to design them every new publish. Think so. The ranking is maybe to weed out the... um bad ones?

I am trying to do everything, every trick I can to stay with UO. Do you you hear the llamas Bleak? Oh and even better, the one keep without rocks ( I thought) no one wanted months ago, they still won't on LS, there is a rock.

Adding this, every single type of rock that is in my many courtyards I can walk over. So why is it an obstacle at all?

 

[Pawain]

Ok I had a brilliant plan! Switch the placement of the LS castle and Keep to avoid rocks. Great Lakes same area has it this way. Dun dun dun... no way. There will still be a rock in the castle east courtyard not the keeps. Oh and I think we get to design them every new publish. Think so. The ranking is maybe to weed out the... um bad ones?

I am trying to do everything, every trick I can to stay with UO. Do you you hear the llamas Bleak? Oh and even better, the one keep without rocks ( I thought) no one wanted months ago, they still won't on LS, there is a rock.

Adding this, every single type of rock that is in my many courtyards I can walk over. So why is it an obstacle at all?

They respond to outcries. Keep complaining. Email them all daily!

What if, before you change the castle in the menu, they add a button that removes obstacles below a castle or keep foundation.

Or they could just do a worldwide cleanup below all plots and issue solved. If you have a tree in your grass area, you should not have been able to place anyway.

 

[DevilsOwn]

@MalagAste we seem to have similar taste..... this post is from 2011, but I think Kurgan's contest was '06(?) - been a long time

and I would have tried to replicate it on test, but like someone above posted, ran around for quite a while and found no castle spot open

fully customizable castle plots would be a nightmare, imho... a few preset designs? hell yah..... here's mine.........

first floor
​

second floor

top floor

​

barely alters the outward appearance, the courtyard should be part of the house and lots more opportunities for deco.... and this design could benefit from another staircase or two

looks larger, doesn't it? same footprint
​

 

[ThulsaDoom]

@MalagAste we seem to have similar taste..... this post is from 2011, but I think Kurgan's contest was '06(?) - been a long time

and I would have tried to replicate it on test, but like someone above posted, ran around for quite a while and found no castle spot open

Best design yet!

 

[Zeke]

Here's my Keep on TC1:

From outside - (Note: open doorway on East side are Hidden Doors)

Level 1 - Open doors are Hidden Doors since I'm OCD and couldn't have 2 doors on a 23 Tile Layout

Level 2

Level 3

Roof

I left it pretty wide open so that people can create their own rooms with the crafted walls & pavers.

 

[Treasure Hunter]

I would have tried to replicate it on test, but like someone above posted, ran around for quite a while and found no castle spot open

Would you like my castle plot on test?
I was going to mess around with one myself but I'm just not going to have the time with real life keeping me so busy.

Private msg me if you're interested in my castle plot on test.

 

[MalagAste]

@MalagAste we seem to have similar taste..... this post is from 2011, but I think Kurgan's contest was '06(?) - been a long time

and I would have tried to replicate it on test, but like someone above posted, ran around for quite a while and found no castle spot open

Yeah I like the KISS method... just simple. Finish it yourself or don't... either way works... and yeah I liked that design as well ... just remember you get 2 whole extra floors with this tool... Which is AWESOME. Way less work adding tiles.

 

[Treasure Hunter]

Would you like my castle plot on test?
I was going to mess around with one myself but I'm just not going to have the time with real life keeping me so busy.

Private msg me if you're interested in my castle plot on test.

DevilsOwn is going to hold off until round 2.

Castle plot is just going to sit there on test and collect dust. If anyone needs/wants it let me know and it's yours.

To be as fair as possible, Please no PM's, post here If you want it and I will PM the 1st person interested.

 

[Lieutenant Dan!]

I went with more of an open floor plan with these
But seriously. If they don't want us to use the house customizing tool on production shards then at least allow us to build from the ground up with craftable stone masonry floors and walls. I emailed Mesanna about this when they first announced the contest but never got a response. I really hope it fly's.

castle plot



Keep Plot

 

[Drakelord]

@MalagAste we seem to have similar taste..... this post is from 2011, but I think Kurgan's contest was '06(?) - been a long time

and I would have tried to replicate it on test, but like someone above posted, ran around for quite a while and found no castle spot open

I like that one the most

 

[Larisa]

Mine is modeled after an 18x18 I've done a few times..this is a keep-sized plot.




And the first floor of one of the houses I build (18x18)

 

[Lady Michelle]

heres mine roof 3rd 2nd 1st

 

[Zeke]

Per previous suggestions I replaced my Water Moat with a Grass one

I left an Open doorway on the East and West sides so you can add whatever door you want to get in there

Level 1

Level 2

Level 4

 

[Zeke]

I may end up going back to the Water Moat. If you're creative you can find ways to put something "on" the water. Thoughts?

 

[uokings7]

I've always wondered why they never made a bigger classic sandstone home. This is the Sandstone Guard Compound. Wanted to keep it simple but have potential for decorating. It's on a keep plot.

 

[Mene (DF)]

@uokings7
Wow - Anasazi Houses ? Great idea and good design. I saw it yesterday ingame becaucse it's on the exact location where i have my keep on DF - and i stood standing to have look what's seldom happens .

 

[TheGrimReefer]

Is housing so important that you need this contest every year? Do you think other aspects of the game are perfect that you can spend year after year on housing?. Yes this is something that we have been asking for throughout the years, but if its going to take a year to come up with the new design, whats the point? We will pick a design then next year pick another design and so on. Get rid of the contest and just give us the 2 new plots. Trust me people would be happy with just the plots.
As for items blocking placement of new plots, Im sure they can fix the trees or rocks in courtyards, they just dont want too take the time. If they are willing to waste years for these contests, then they can waste a few months deleting items in courtyards to allow placement of these new plots.

 

[MalagAste]

I went with more of an open floor plan with these
But seriously. If they don't want us to use the house customizing tool on production shards then at least allow us to build from the ground up with craftable stone masonry floors and walls. I emailed Mesanna about this when they first announced the contest but never got a response. I really hope it fly's.

castle plot
View attachment 85457
View attachment 85456

Keep Plot
View attachment 85458
View attachment 85459

That's an OK idea and all but keep in mind that those buildings when you build your own like that with stone masonry unless they changed it and I'm not aware you can't use Circle of Transparency on them making them difficult to deco and such...

Which may be ok with you but I find it very annoying.

 

[TheGrimReefer]

That's an OK idea and all but keep in mind that those buildings when you build your own like that with stone masonry unless they changed it and I'm not aware you can't use Circle of Transparency on them making them difficult to deco and such...

Which may be ok with you but I find it very annoying.

They were suppose to fix the COT of the crafted walls but guess its still in the 20 year back log.

 

[Cyrah]

@Zeke you can use the Ter Mur solid blue carpet tiles to make water. Those can be walked on and it really works. Try in game. Just saying.

 

[Cinderella]

if you had gone to the stone in Brit Commons, you would have gotten a house placement tool & saw this message.
"No lockdown or secure items can be used in the design."
I've seen a couple places that looked awesome but they have been decoed.
It would be a shame to see it not being included in the voting.


I myself built a "borg cube" in Trinsic swamps, tram side...
not the traditional stone walls but the shadow walls with stained glass
would really appreciate feedback of likes/dislikes

 

[MalagAste]

Yeah I read that as well Cinderella.

 

[DevilsOwn]

two things..... first, thanks for all the likes on my old castle design, much appreciated

second..... it's things like this that make me think of Sarsmi, would love to see what she would do with it

 

[uokings7]

I have a question maybe someone here can answer. The rules specify 3 story. Does that mean there can be no tiles on the 4th floor? I'm working on my castle plot and have a preliminary design but i have floor tiles and short walls on the 4th floor to cap off my 3rd floor. Is that acceptable? I wish the rules were just a tiny bit clearer lol.