Cities And Housing Archive
Thread: AN IDEA! customizable houses.... on a deeper level
Heres my idea. SOE make an outside program that can be downloded onto the desktop. Have the program like The Sims house builder. You pick the walls where you want them, stairs, lights, stuff like that. Size would be easily overcome as well. Simple set a chunk of wall (a certain length) to a number. set the maximum number of wall tiles that can be set for a certain size of house (small, med, large). This wouldnt be too hard, i dont think. I'm guessing the devs use a similar program to design houses.
How would they be implimented?
I sugguest a simple dev check. You would save the house as you like it in the program, then send it to a database. The devs look over a design and decide if it's feesable or not. Then the devs could drop the deed into your inventory. This could be updated every patch or something to add these schematics into the game. Make a weekly small patch or smething to load all the new styles into the game.
And think of the possiblilties
This could save devs time! if they see a really nice design made by a player, they could use it for future home design releases. And this would be a great outlet for creative people that want to show the gaming community their talent
Just my thoughts though. Feel free to post comments/sugguestions about it
Message Edited by fleken on 06-13-2005 09:00 PM
The devs aren't going to spend time on creating an outside program that probably only 25% of the population would use at most. Alot of the people in my guild (including myself) just use houses as a means of storage.
Letting each person upload their own house into a database would use up far too much room in their servers. Lag on servers would be greater than it already is (I play on Bria where at peak usage you get 1 FPS in theed.) I would personally much rather get more slots for vehicles (since now after my AV21 and BARC I only have the option to either carry one of the new speeders or my swoop.)
Either way, I truely doubt that the devs would implement it, in the viewable future anyway.
I'm not trying to bash your idea in any way, it's a nice idea, just not "do-able" from an economic and development standpoint in a MMORPG. Of course, 10 years ago the thought that thousands of people could play a game together at the same time wasn't "do-able" or even thinkable either. 
hehe who knows.
It's a nice idea, but it won't happen. Here's an explanation from someone's Fan Fest report in the Architect forum:
Player design houses: no way in hell. Period. Nope.
The suggestion was a contest, players use the dev's tool to create houses, submit them to SOE, and let the dev team decide. The reasons it was declined were that the tool is too complex (maybe that's why the dev's don't create new buildings?) and that they need to be in control to make sure the building design fits into the Star Wars style.
rofak wrote:
I agree with the other comments. However, there is another solution, requiring only a few new schematics: make houses with no walls. Then make walls available in a few styles from architects. People could place them ingame and use them just like they now use statue bases and so forth.
What would happen if people did not put walls on the house? Could the houses be used? Would they look like bare foundations? Would a roof be present? Etc., etc.
devilsfan wrote:
What about a tool similar to the image design tool that can be used on houses. This will allow players to customize the floor, wallpaper and other parts of the house. Maybe even add a new type of artisan, interior designer.
Some architects wouldn't like a new artisan profession called Interior Designer; that is the name of the badge for the architect furniture line level 4 box. Also, there are lots of practicing interior designers who are not artisans at all, they buy what they need and arrange it. I don't think this particular skill is enough to warrant an entire new profession.
Saego, Master Architect, etc., Wanderhome
I'm all for internal texture changes though, since those could still be loaded once you enter the house just like items and vendors. But any change to the mesh or exterior needs to be loaded when it comes into view, and that'd just kill most people.
Poldano wrote:
rofak wrote:
I agree with the other comments. However, there is another solution, requiring only a few new schematics: make houses with no walls. Then make walls available in a few styles from architects. People could place them ingame and use them just like they now use statue bases and so forth.
What would happen if people did not put walls on the house? Could the houses be used? Would they look like bare foundations? Would a roof be present? Etc., etc.
I think houses must continue to have walls before being placed. I think the easiest house customization to achieve is interior colors and textures, followed by exterior colors and textures, followed by interior floorplan variations. Architects would generally prefer to see such customization achieved through kits, so as to be able to craft and sell more stuff, or through architect special abilities, so as to be able to do better hands-on design.
Saego, Wanderhome
I'm guessing that Poldano was refering to INTERIOR walls. I actually think this idea has some merit...how many players use structuralmodules or other furnishings to "simulate" a wall within a structure? Player-crafted wall panels purposely implemented by the Devs would be a huge boon to all aspiring interior designers
It would be nice to have Architects be able to craft appropriately sized wall panels. The panel could come in various "standard" dimensions such as 1/3 height (suitable forcounters/dividers) and full height(they wouldn't need to be stacked in a 1-story house just to reach the ceiling). Width would also be appropriate for most houses so when placed alongside each other in MOST buidlings, you won't have that small gap which requires additional pieces (structural modules) to beburied 90% into a "real" wall just to fill it. As an example: 3 wall panels placed side-by-side would completely span the rooms in a Medium Generic ("perfect fit"), whereas it takes 3.2 structural modules to currently cover the same distance.
These panels could (at least) be a light tan to match most interiors, as opposed to the darker grey which structural modules come in. Customizing would be nice, but I'd be happy with a neutralcolor/texture which more closely matches the exisiting structure's walls.
This is a GREAT idea.
For example, you could change the carpet or flooring of the buildings and walls or ceiling. The Master architcts could move small amounts of floor from one place to another at an experrimentation cost.