Looking for Sci Fi theme inspiration, with a medieval twist!

Discussion in 'Norrathian Homeshow' started by Kattt, Apr 20, 2021.

  1. Kattt Well-Known Member

    Hi all!
    I have posted recently before, about how I am back in game as of Dec,2020, after 6 year hiatus. While I have caught up quite a lot on new things to the game, xpacs, and especially new house items, it is hard to catch up on all in such a short time. I definitely use guides, and Lera's and Niami's sites and all that. But in this particular case, I am looking for inspiration. I am looking to build a house for the most special person in my entire life, my son. He is the reason I play this game, which relates back to us playing PS2 Champions of Norrath together when he was a little boy (long story.) I am trying to get him and his wife to play this game with hubby and I more. I want him to see what housing in this game can really do! More people playing means more population too! ;)

    My trouble is, I want to make it so amazing, so perfect, and so fun and special for my baby boy (yes he is a man now, but always will be my baby,) that I find myself getting overwhelmed and lacking mojo. So what I do to help that, is explore game housing, ideas, and even loads of real life housing ideas, to help jump start mojo and inspiration. My son loves Marvel movies, Star Wars movies, science fiction movies, Harry Potter, and the colors blue and red. I have seen the houses that have done Harry Potter themes (well done too!) and one or two with small references to Star Wars. Matter of fact, if someone can give me the link for the R2D2 and the spaceships I have seen, that would help. (Forget where I found them on forums, and searches often turn up broken links from archive forums.) The house is going to be built in the Neriak 5 room. I envision doing a breakout structure for him, so there is less restriction, and less hair pulling with the vanishing spots. I can go one of 2 ways, I can build something that is closed off to the rest of the area, thus no need for any conformity of theme to area, or I can tailor it to some degree to "get along" with the structures there. I am not stuck on either idea at this point. However I do like the dark and misty looking skies there, but can work with that.

    Now for the theme. I am thinking when you watch both Star Wars and Marvel hero movies, and even some other sci-fi movies, you often see more primitive design in them than most people realize. Like for example, in Star Wars, lots of the towns are more run-down, primitive, or basic. Think the bar scenes, the swamps, the jedi villages, despite the more futuristic looking cities, the ewok villages, and even lots of other scenes that involve places other than the inside of a ship. Even some of those can be out of date intended interiors. Additionally, some of the marvel hero backgrounds have scenes in them with more primitive/medieval looking structures or backdrops. For EQ2 intents and purposes, I am thinking perhaps a design that has that Freeport combo of something semi-sci fi (think floating buildings), a little bit of erudite (lends itself to almost a futuristic society spreading its intelligence and technology and magic to the Norrathian world,) a little bit of gnomish tinkering to add some mechanical elements, not too many though, and a lot of majestic, medieval mighty heroes type theme (think the titan-like majesty of the Norrathian gods.) And the bottom line...a guys place! I want to do weapon walls, ferocious looking beasts and dragons, and things that makes guys happy! =) And most of all, my good-hearted son loves the heros and the good guys to win, thinks the bad guys are cool, but does not want them to win. Hence not too much evil or dark theme. So a sci-fi/hero/medieval mesh. That's a tall order right! That's a Mom for ya!

    So with that, any links or houses you can point me to would be GREATLY appreciated. Even just screenshots or small tips or ideas, or items that you think fit the bill. =) I do like videos, but appreciate photos even more because I can refer back to them for particular visuals, while videos require finding spots and freezing, etc. =) But any inspiration helps! I am waiting for a sale to buy an extra slot to go server hopping, and I tried a free toon, but found no mount, no run speed, and no roots anywhere to be incredibly slow and daunting. =( But if there are pictures and videos anywhere, that would be great!
    I would even love tips on tiles or blocks or even individual items that you think would fit the bill.

    I am thinking for some of it, those glowy Thurgadin counters so far, drunder tiles, and some other tinkered stuff. Of course the blue and black and red building block stuff, and definitely a wall for weapons like the L&L stuff he will collect. But that is about as far as I got thus far.

    ****TLDR---Looking for Sci Fi theme inspiration, with a medieval-heroic twist, with links to house images/videos, and/or tips of BB, items, or ideas. =) *****

    Thank you in advance for ANY help. =) You all inspire me SO much!
  2. Quiarrah Well-Known Member

    Well of you are on Skyfire or can make a toon over there you can check out Quiarrahs "AntonicApocolypse". O
    I dont know wher it is on the leaderboards now bit it is in the Relic House. Qyenos side.
  3. Kattt Well-Known Member

    Yes, I am on skyfire...its Kat/Lun I will definitely check that out! Thanks and looking forward! =)
  4. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    Was that the one you did for Niboota's challenge? :)

    Uwk
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  5. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    One thing I'll say re: Star Wars...especially the very first movie confounded "real," "hard-core" science fiction fans ("WE don't call it SCI-FI here...") into hating it, 'cause it wasn't "real" science fiction. Of course it wasn't! It's science fantasy, which is like a hybrid. There's science fiction stories/worlds with fantasy trappings (Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey [especially her original novels], even Game of Thrones, since the humans were colonists from Earth originally?), and then there's fantasy stories and worlds with sci-fi (sorry, hard-cores!) trappings, like Star Wars. Seriously.

    Except for the Death Star and maybe a few li'l "latest and greatest! :D" models here and there of ships and weapons, there doesn't seem to be any major advances in tech for hundreds, if not thousands of years. It could be argued that what the Jedi (and Sith! :D) could do could be explained away by magic or faith, and frequently was, though it could also be chalked up to psionics, I suppose (George came up with "midichlorians" [= mitochondria] to alleviate the wrath of the hard-cores). The Jedi had been the protectors of galactic civilization for centuries, if not millennia, since they trounced their other Force-using rivals, the Sith Lords (who'd taken over a world whose natives were called the Sith; hence...), to the point where any other Force users were considered pretty mythical (boogeymen? Demons?). They'd done so using powers and somewhat similar organization that George stole from the rumors of what the RL Shaolin monks could do in historical China (though I doubt a lot of the claims, especially in martial arts movies, had any real basis to them).

    When I first saw the novelization of the first Star Wars movie, I had heard about it, but it hadn't come up to our neck of the boonies woods yet in our theaters to be seen, and I was curious. So I looked at the front cover, back cover synopsis, etc., and shrugged. "Scary dude in black armor looming behind a kid with a SWORD and a gal in a robe and a CROSSBOW? With a description of said kid rescuing said gal, a princess, from a spooky fortress using his father's only legacy, a light saber? [The publishers didn't realize at the time that last term was supposed to be one word, lightsaber, indicating an old, elegant piece of technology that shouldn't be able to work without magic involved {how do you stop or restrict or reflect back (to shorten) a laser beam, essentially, without destroying the housing of the weapon?}, rather than a saber that didn't weigh a lot.] Piff, this is a fantasy. Where do the stars and a war enter into it? What the heck, I'll get it anyway and find out, I guess."

    Then I saw the first three movies and loved them, but it didn't really change my impression of it (I even liked Phantom Menace, but just for Maul :D). ;-> And come to think of it, the way the series ended seems to be a bit more almost Arthurian fantasy than sci-fi (though I didn't actually see the last movie, just heard about it), more like the end of an era, rather than an open-ended future, like in the more hopeful sci-fi (I preferred the Expanded Universe for that, frankly, with Luke restarting the Jedi again, etc.).

    So, a Star Wars thing might be even more appropriate than you think... :D

    Uwk
    who also liked the Thor movies, especially the scenes of Asgard... ;->
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  6. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    OMG, of course! /facepalm

    If you want sci-fi in a fantasy world, check out anything Oldpoint has done on these forums, Kattt. You will be blown away! :D

    Uwk
  7. Ocarinah Well-Known Member

    Oldpoint House Videos

    Title: Lonely Paradise
    Server: Maj'Dul
    Address: Vale of Halfpint Delight, South Freeport
    Owner: K a c k
    Forum Link: https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq2/index.php?threads/lonely-paradise-vale-of-halfpint-delight-majdul-video-tour.586473/



    Title: SONG Dynasty

    Server: Maj'Dul
    Address: Manors of Mithaniel, New Halas
    Owner: Darnbard
    Forum Link: https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq2/index.php?threads/song-dynasty-manors-of-mithaniel-majdul-video-tour.580621/



    Title: Everliving Labyrinth
    Server: Maj'Dul
    Address: Mistmoore Crags Estates
    Owner: Oldpoint
    Forum Link: https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq2/index.php?threads/eq2-everliving-labyrinth-by-oldpoint.577650/
    Kianne of Troi


    OR
    Febrith



    Title: Galaxy Union
    Server: Maj'Dul
    Address: Isle of Refuge, South Freeport
    Owner: K a c k
    Forum Link: https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq2/index.php?threads/the-evertour-entries-galaxy-union.565294/
  8. Ocarinah Well-Known Member

    Title: Ratbill's Alien Invasion
    Server: Skyfire
    Address: TT Isle
    Owner: Ratbill
    Decorator: Ratbill
    Forum Link: https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq2/index.php?threads/ratbills-alien-encounter-tt-isle-skyfire-video-tour.579416/



    Title: P9A-388 : the gardens of Khetep
    Server: Thurgadin
    Address: Lavastorm Winter Retreat, South Freeport
    Owner: Daoche
    Decorator: Edriliane
    Forum Link: House Deco Challenge - Reignite the Flames {Video Tours} | EverQuest 2 Forums (daybreakgames.com)



    Title: Warships on Mara
    Server: Thurgadin
    Address: Mara Estate, Freeport
    Owner: Synosha



    Title: The Enterprise (Norrath Style)
    Server: Halls of Fate (Guk)
    Address: Dimensional Pocket, South Qeynos
    Owner: Valzen
    Decorator: Valzen
    Forum Link: https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq2/index.php?threads/the-evertour-entries-the-enterprise-norrath-style.558391/



    That is all I can think of right now. I have a bad memory but maybe I will remember more. I know there is a house and guild hall on AB that is sci-fi but cannot remember enough to search in video tour spreadsheet.
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  9. Geden Well-Known Member

  10. Kattt Well-Known Member



    Uwk, I was reading this article and it made me think about what you and I were discussing. For you or anyone else, it is a fascinating read. =)
    https://www.thoughtco.com/star-wars-architecture-177933

    I am still mulling over a design for my son's house, but this all gives me so much to look through and inspire. =)

    By the way, I love that they say Lucas loves Victorian design. That is my favorite architecture! I never would have thought that about him, but SO interesting to see what really inspired so much of his set design! =D

    Thank you for such a thoughtful response, and hugs,
    Kat
  11. Kattt Well-Known Member


    Hi Oca!

    Some of these I had seen, but some I had not, so I am so appreciative! That labyrinth house is SO amazing. Those mazes, and cubes...wow! I had seen forum screenshots, but the video tours do so much more justice. Are they still published, all of them? Can't wait to visit! Is oldpoint still around? Really want to recreate his R2D2 for my son, but wanted to ask permission. =) My son is NUTS about Star Wars and even recently purchased a very high tech light saber and showed me. =) I have watched a few of these and have more to watch. I also love that Star Trek one! Just amazing imaginations! Thank you for sharing all these.
    I am filling with inspiration! =)

    Thanks and hugs,
    Kat
  12. Kattt Well-Known Member

    I have seen this ship in forum pics in the past, but it was hard to really get the feel without seeing that video, which I only just did. What a difference that makes! Amazing! So much thought was obviously put into that place! So many little details. When seeing the video, I kept getting hints of a VERY old sci-fi movie very few people have remembered or heard about, Galaxy of Terror. If you have not seen, I must warn though, it has some very frightening scenes, and very graphic. Not many can feel comfortable seeing "Joni" have happen to her, what does. (If you or anyone does watch, I would avert/cover your eyes when she slides down the shaft--its not for the squeemish!) But to sum up, it was an early 80's sci-fi horor thriller about a VERY haunted and abandoned space ship. With the skeletons about, the crash, and the arms sticking out, it kinda reminded me of that. It reminds us that space can both be so beautiful and wondrous, but so dangerous and scary too.
    One of my fav parts was your use of the "shimmers" that most of us wrestle with, that you used to relay a picture of technology that has been damaged and abandoned. The flicker gives you a sense of a once bustling monitor now defunct and malfunctioning. I have never seen anyone actually use the shimmer side effect as a part of your expression and effect. Just brilliant! I was wondering, there was one screen that she passed in the video and did not show much, it was in the hall, and had a frame with a spark coming from center. I did not get good enough look to see...how was that made? I also see hints of Aliens in here too. Was waiting for some hideous creature that had ravaged ship to come popping out. =P lol

    I have not gotten to see this in person yet, but looking forward to when I do, and reading your books and getting sense of all your thinking. I kept wondering what happened to these people, where they were going and came upon, when this accident happened?

    Just AMAZING and very inspiring. It reaffirmed I shall be wanting to use the thurgadin counters to build with. You and many others indeed inspire me so much!

    thanks and hugs,
    Kat
  13. Kattt Well-Known Member


    Just wowzers!! I am still watching some of these and just finished Synosha's place! This is it!! This is the mix of sci-fi and medieval I am looking for! The futuristic ship and the medieval looking stone structure! Yes...what an inspiration!
    Is this oldpoint as well? I am just floored and stunned!
    There is so much here that has jazzed up my enthusiasm to build something wonderful for my son. I do not have that stone recipe stuff, but I am thinking I want to do greyer stonework anyway, mixed in with the Thurgadin counters and such.

    All of these designers are amazing. I love how there are so many ideas and varied imaginations that do housing! What a plethora of beauty and brilliance!

    I am so grateful you remembered all of this! =)
    Thanks and hugs again,
    Kat
  14. Ocarinah Well-Known Member


    You are very welcome. I am so glad they helped. I have no clue if any house is still published or on same server, etc. I cannot even remember which of my houses are published lol. I have no clue if Oldpoint is still around. I have met so many people along the way I just cannot keep up with names since most decorators have many many alts. Most people have a different name on forums than in game. Gets too much for my poor old brain to keep up. I have a list of my alts cuz I cannot remember all their names lol.

    If Oldpoint is not around to ask permission, you could place a book at entry or near R2D2 you create to give credit to Oldpoint. Most people are okay with people recreating one item as long as it is not a huge percentage of a house. Lots of times people put their own spin on item when recreating.
  15. Ocarinah Well-Known Member

    Oh I almost forgot! Here is the video I did about making a group and using Group Mod...



    Here is a link to my thread Helpful Tips that I told you about as well.
  16. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    OMG, that was one I was thinking of, but didn't remember the particulars. Thanks!! Seriously, this one rocks beyond belief, as if the others didn't already. :D

    EDIT: And of course by the time I got done with my various comments, you'd already seen it... ;-> I love that we can edit these posts indefinitely. ;)

    Uwk
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  17. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    Lovely article! Thanks for the link! :)

    And I've been thinking this about Star Wars for eons (well, only 40+ years...omg), so thanks for finally giving me the excuse er, chance to get it down on "paper." :D

    Uwk
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  18. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    Yep, Oldpoint is still around, though I don't know if he plays these days. I know I saw him on the forums just the other day. :D

    Uwk
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  19. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    I do, but about the only thing I deliberately use it for is for -- hamburgers! :D BIG ones. If a kitchen where folks are cooking something for a party is involved (without it being for a holiday where a lot of food recipes are available with "official" dishes), I'll use a Kelethin Brazier, a couple of Bristlebane's Day (BBD) recipe Gold Coin Cushions shrunk down to minimum size (for "buns"; they're still pretty big...this is all best to do in an area where scale doesn't matter or can be adjusted for ;->), and a Rounded Tile of Black Marble and one of Red Marble. The Rounded Tiles I'll arrange so that their center attachment points are right there at the same coordinates in the layout editor EXACTLY, so you get that shimmer; then I'll turn one of them so that its points wind up in the other's flat areas and vice versa (wish I had a screenshot of it...I'll see if I can't find a video with it in there), making it a 20-sided, truly rounded single figure that looks "brownish" and cooking, since the Black and Red cancel/combine. :)

    I'll often combine that with a side table on which rests "lettuce" (a Head of Cabbage from a BBD recipe), "tomatoes" (Goblin-Tasted Apples from a BBD recipe, with the bite not showing and upside down, to be more tomato-flat than apple-round), a Bowl of Party Dip (for "mayonnaise"), and a Pot of Thekela's Honey, since it looks so bright and opaque it could be mustard. ;-> Most of the "ingredients" are from Bristlebane's Day recipes, or the City Festivals or Marketplace for the Tiles, but the Honey is from a very low-level quest in Greater Faydark. It's also available on the Broker if it's not too pricey, especially just for a silly gag. :)

    Oh! And a couple of Tiles of Baked Gingerbread, down to minimum size; they could be really big slices of cheese. :D

    EDIT: Here's a link to a ToT2017 page with a house that Ratta/I did for Shanette on Thurgadin, called The Clinic:

    https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq2/index.php?threads/tot2017-video-tours-r-us.582075/page-3

    I'm pretty proud of that one; the "chef" is in the "carnival" room (if you're squeamish, don't inquire too closely into the dessert toppings...). ;->

    I think there's also one that isn't quite so creepy, if I can find that one...brb... :D

    https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq2/index.php?threads/holiday-house-exchange-hhe18-videos.584983/

    Wulf's House on Thurgadin. The chef's in the basement and Feb kind of zooms past so it's a little tricky to see, but the burger patty is there. :)

    Hope the two are still published; I'm pretty proud of both! :D

    Uwk
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  20. Oldpoint Well-Known Member

    Hi Kattt, i replied your conversation and everyone are welcome to copy any creation of mine right away anytime they interest. By the way, i call the robot E2Q2 in the story of my videos.
    I got stucked in my guild hall design recently. haha, nearly drive me crazy.
    Here is my latest video, hope you like it


    Thankfully, everyone are fine and healthy