The situation: To challenge myself (don't learn if you don't try, and all) I decided I wanted to work with the smallest template possible, namely the Freeport 'newbie home', the Jade Tiger inn room, while decorating the place both fully and stylishly--paneled walls, ceiling, flooring, the works. I didn't cover up *every* native element (don't like to do that if I can avoid it), keeping what went well with my design scheme. I did cheat a little (place starts at 200 items placeable) with expanders and the books I used for the coffeecup emblems...regardless, just under 500 items (495 I think) plus 42 books or so. My original thought (ironic as it may be for someone allergic to coffee to do) was a Freeport-ish version of Starbucks, or at least a coffee shop. Any resemblance to a Starbucks, Seattle's Best, or other big chain coffee franchises is covered under Parody Rules (TM)...as well as completely accidental From the entry, one can see the counters and pantry/work area. As well as Barista Betty of course. She's a trooper, always on duty. Mirrored counters created by Fast Eddy's Home Designs. If you want it fast, you want Fast Eddy. (No, those aren't building blocks underneath the mirrors--paintings, believe it or not.) Closeup view of Betty's cash register and coffeepot...ignore my little camera-hog of an Innoruk deity pet...Deadslow will take any opportunity to sneak into camera view. Now the pantry shelves...suspending them from the ceiling wasn't really necessary, but it does give a nice look. And no legs down below for Betty and any other employees to trip over. Big Bend Brew & Bake has the very latest in employee worker's compensation programs--you get hurt, you can't work, you're out on the street. Yes, more paintings, these with straight sides instead of angled. No restaurant, cafe, or coffee house can get away from the need to do dishes. Busboy wanted, contact Betty for details...just don't ask what happened to the LAST one. Try the meat pies, by the way. Two silver services and wastebaskets stand ready, the former featuring a recent invention: paper towels! Neat, huh? Just rip off pieces of paper and clean up the spills, guaranteed non-absorbent and sure to scratch your skin all to heck--whaddya want, Bounty won't be in business for a few hundred years. The wastebaskets...aren't always used properly, where'd these skulls come from... (Yes, I was busily feeding the halfling in Thundering Steppes to get silverware for quite some time! I think I'm on first-name basis now with Duggin.) Next to the entry room is the drinking room (there're probably better words for these...the drinking room qualifies as a dining room too, naturally, this is a bakery as well as a coffee shop. Maybe coffee bar for the main room?). Really need a busboy to bus up these stray cups and glasses. The finest gnomish powered lighting has been installed in both rooms. And absolutely fails to remove the 'dank pit' air about the place. Oh well! Here's a closeup view of one of the tables...yes, I made those myself. Two paintings, one atop the other (Painting of a Sun God I think) perched atop stone columns, if anyone's curious...didn't find a single cafe-like table that suited me, so I got crafty. I'll include a view of the coffee house's various signs in another post I think...I'm already worried this thread will take two weeks to load up, what with the images! Anyway, come to Freeport server, small homes on the leaderboard, to Big Bend Brew & Bake...I could sure use the votes!
As promised, the signs! I went a little sign-crazy. Possibly the most important...the legalese. And the obligatory advertising spiel. Coffee made fresh from Freeport sewer water... I applaud any establishment that includes a sign similar to the one below. Or the below...surely I'm not the only one who's gone into a cafe that smelled like...well, never mind. Have to include the drink and pastry prices, of course. Pay extra for the clean mug. Trust me. The dysentery you avoid may be your own. Pretty Petunia would pummel me if I didn't provide promotions: (No, these establishments don't really exist, just having fun here) Speaking of pummeling... Yes, cudgel included. I think that's it...any I may've forgotten are my fault entirely of course. Again, come visit Freeport server, 'small' homes (the smallest, really!), Big Bend Brew & Bake.
Not much smells better than fresh coffee ( puppy noses, the air after a thunderstorm, & hot PIE also qualify)! I love your table tops, & I fear the cudgel, lol. Nice work here.
The whole thing was great, save one thing. If fresh donuts are 5s each, but 2g for a dozen, customers are likely just to order 11 of them and pay 55s.
I just love how you did the menus and the tables. what server is this on? I would love to see this in person.
Freeport server, small homes on the leaderboard. Do hope the menus look that way in person...if they only look like that on my computer, I'll be so disappointed.
I love this place, just cracks me up reading all the stuff you have setup in here. Its a wonderfully well done home for something that isn't ideally that big to begin with. I am impressed with the overall. I am guessing that when my current project is done it might be the yin to the yang of this house considering its a good home 3 bedroom pie shop/bakery. I'll have to post pics when its finished. Might not be till AFTER my guild's current contest however.
Yeah, that was part of the challenge for sure...besides trying to decorate the place without it seeming cluttered. Two rooms and 500 items really ain't much. Sure, I could've set it up as a bedroom and living room...but that I think would've been easy when compared to trying to make it look like a real business Rather tongue-in-cheek attempt at making it look like a business, but... Sounds good. I've still got a bakery to finish, though I think I'll do so after the bubble vale I've been promising. I just needed a break from that, and decided to try and knock out the coffeehaus. Anyway, thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
My place is attempting to be a mish mash bakery consisting of Gnomes in one room and Halflings in the other so i got the old school bakers meets the new school bakers type of deal lol. i find that bakeries are fun to do because they don't have to conform to rules in that you can do whatever design you want as long as you have some form of baked goods involved
Oh I agree. Cookiecrumbs' is planned to look like a combination bar/bakery...which makes a lot of sense (back in the days I've always envisioned the game to be set in, assuming that makes any sense at 1 AM, hardly anyone drank anything other than beer and wine anyway, fearing--probably rightly--the water that was available in cities would kill 'em). Well, a bar/bakery run by a Ratonga. Must get more cheese plates...
Oooh where to start : okay I looove your coffee pot, I love the lamps on the ceiling, I love the table, I freak out when I look at the number of spoons, forks and knifes you had to quest, and the signs are top-notch! It doesn't take a high item count to build something very nice and comfy. So big congrats!
Thanks. I'm waiting to hear from somebody when either of the coffee pots (there's one on the stove, too) 'go off'...one of the fireworks launchers, Qeynos' one I think, forms the 'spout' of the pot, and those launchers seem to start up on their own at random when somebody enters a room with 'em, can't do anything about that I don't think. When those pots boil over...they boil over! Yeah, that's what I was thinking exactly when I started the little project...which didn't feel so little when I was doing it (those walls are NOT straight! Grr!). Can stuff anything into a house with 1000+ capacity...but half that?
I love all the little details! I agree with what Sharann said, loved the coffee pot and am just dying thinking about all of the questing for the silverware & coffee cups! You must want an in game plushie for the lazy halfling by now to do something evil with It's always nice to do a smaller project even if that does mean 500+ items. Plus it seems less stressfull to do the smaller houses and not staring at a gigantic void of a zone...All in all great job, the space is very well designed and un-cluttered.
Y'know, that's not a bad idea...kill two birds with one stone even, we were discussing in the Homeshow channel having plushies of the various player character races (Kerra, Ratonga, Erudite, the works)...having an 'abuseable' (as I tend to call the Nathan Ironforge and Qho Augren plushies) of Duggin would both give us a new abuseable, and a halfling plush. Though I still say the next one I want is a plush of the Faundler--Faun Elder from the root beer grotto, that is I got a pot of boiling water with his name on it. *dunk!* Well, a little bit of on-purpose clutter...should've heard a guildie giggling at me for being so meticulous with trying to make the silverware service and the wastebaskets artfully cluttered inside, even going so far as to put silverware in the *wrong* bins like you'd get in real life. So I spent hours on that, big deal... I must say I prefer having more room to work! Still, glad I did this project. Thanks for the comments!
There is something to be said about the smaller places being "restrictive," but it's restrictive in the way good ol' poem forms are (it has to rhyme, has to be this many lines/syllables, these lines have to rhyme/match those lines, etc.); it makes you get even more creative, imho. There are times I feel I've done better jobs with the smaller places (on at least 2 occasions!), but it's also why I like the wide open spaces of the prestige "lots" like Halfling Vale, TT, Hua Mein, etc.; I can make the buildings there as big or small as I want (the Teapot Village rocks for that!). ;-> Uwk
I just stopped by and loved the visit! Great idea suspending the counters and shelving with the chains and I adore your tables. Nice work
just took a look yesterday, it look's good. the menus came out great by the way, gave you likes and a tip for Barista Betty.
No arguments from me all the way around That's one of the good things about poetry really, and one of the good things about a smaller house. I love the Tenebrous island, a blank pallete that's fun to fill...but it's good to have boundaries sometimes too.
