Newby Decorator Tips

Discussion in 'Norrathian Homeshow' started by Ladymist, Aug 26, 2013.

  1. Ladymist Well-Known Member

    I posted this on my guilds facebook group and thought maybe this might in some small way help any other beginner decorators? I wont list links to websites here because I see that is covered in spades heheSo I humbly will share it here
    You can now toggle decorator mode and see you can do Many things you couldnt before. play around with this in a empty room

    Clutter

    Don't over crowd your home with trophies. Make each piece be important. If it isn't or if you don't have room, store them away in moving crate and change your collection from time to time.

    Lighting

    Lighting is very important! It is what adds the homeiness to your innroom. Lights around or above paintings, hide some in cabinets bookcases or fireplaces sink some in the floors under a plant or inside a fountain ect. Dark rooms go unnoticed

    Color

    Think of a color theme for the room your decorating. Try not to go past 5 colors, it makes it look busy. you want the colors to flow and compliment each other

    Pets

    limit the roaming pets. they really do cause lag of en mass

    Scaling
    Dont be afraid of making some items bigger or smaller. example. If ceiling in room is high things don't look great if you have standard or small sized furniture. Low ceiling room looks crowded if you scale your furniture larger

    Small accents

    Don't underestimate small accents like pillows on bed or furniture, items on a desk like inkwell a timer ect. Open books or vases on a coffee table. Sometimes its the little things that add the right touch

    Build your own furniture
    Try to build one piece in the home, whether its a fish tank, fireplace, table or maybe a bed ect. it adds uniqeness

    Pocket expanders
    Sages make a dimensional pocket expander that adds 100 items to your item limit. Great for finishing touches! Also if you can the station cash store sells pocket expanders under Homes. Yes they do stack with the crafted ones! they have a 100 and a 200 just get the 200

    Plants
    No really use them! there are a ton of plants to pick from. you can shrink them to fit in a vase or put on a table top. fill a corner or put a small one in a book shelf



    Save that Layout after you finish each room


    Any other tips from the big time decorators I bet will be appreciated
  2. Ladymist Well-Known Member

    And since edit doesnt work for me i forgot to add one thing

    Think of the race your decorating for. A Ogre wont like tiny fae sized furniture and a fae will stomp their foot at a chair too large for them to get in hehe.

    Also the personality. Dont make a martha stuart home for a brooding dark elf assassin. Or a dungeon of horrors for a healing naturey fae who loves life and vibrancey
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone and Karrane like this.
  3. Sapienta Active Member


    I've actually just been thinking about this recently. I've got houses everywhere except Maj'Dul, but the Qeynos and Freeport houses are so gloomy! I haven't had a chance yet to explore many of the decorating options beyond what you get from quests in the earlier levels, and I would really appreciate any recommendations on good light sources.
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone likes this.
  4. Ladymist Well-Known Member

    The brellium sconces have a nice light, the formal bellium sconce is one of my fave to hide in fireplaces ect this requires brellium ore a rare also the kunzite lamp shrinks pretty small

    mine lanterns are also a nice submersible along with vale candelabra. I have heard tin sconces work nice too

    for fish tanks i Like eerie green candelabra because it seems ot have green in there but also a blue glow. another fave is the ebon sconce . if you want to get colorful add a ruby on in there. then theres the grobb sconce. its a bit more powerful light source

    for reds brooding glows go with spellbinders ebon sconce or ruby red glass candelabra

    the redwood teardrop lamp gives off a nice soft orange glow


    for table tops kunzite lamp, ironwood table lamp, ornate cobalt table lamp deathshead candle to name a few that you can use as is or shrink into a lamp you make yourself

    also if you accidently grab the wrong item, hit escape...it will snap back to its original spot
  5. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    Kudos to all of these ideas, though fair warning: if you have a Carpenter toon and a Weaponsmith or Armorer toon, you WILL be arguing with yourself a lot on the use of Rares for something as "trivial" as mere decorating (fortunately, only weapons, Chest armor, and Leg armor will be fighting for Rare materials)... ;->

    You'd be surprised how much light some of the merely Handcrafted light sources give off; heck, the first one you make, during the "get your crafter from 1st to 9th" questline (the Simple Candelabra) gives off an amazing amount of good bright light. Check out the selection in www.EQ2Furniture.com; I think it even has how bright/dim they are in each entry, and definitely what their origins are, be it quest reward, special holiday recipe, regular recipe, et cetera. There are also many quest reward items, special holiday recipe items, etc. that give off as much or more light as one of the Rare materials made ones, and they may even look the same. ;->

    If any new decorators want to consider using the various Editors to get fancy (though the current Decorator Edit Mode can be really useful now), you might want to look at guides for using Notepad for editing or the actual Layout Editor, ably created by JesDyr. But that can be for later, when you run across ideas that would be impractical/impossible any other way. ;-)

    Uwk
    Faeonara likes this.
  6. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    Here's a link to using Notepad/Wordpad for editing the layout file:

    https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq2/index.php?threads/mistals-notepad-or-wordpad-editing.6554/

    And there are whole sections on using the Layout Editor program on The Decorator's Resource thread:

    https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq2/index.php?threads/the-decorators-resource.247/

    You'll have to download the program from JesDyr's site, but everyone who has, has apparently been very happy with it. Now, if I can just convince my over-conscientious, yet apparently easily confused Win7 system to let me have the game in Windowed mode and another program (be it Notepad or JesDyr's) run with it at the same time, I'll be one happy kitty. ;->

    Uwk
    Faeonara likes this.
  7. Morg Well-Known Member

    MOST IMPORTANT TIP OF THE DAY!!

    WHAT LADYMIST SAID!!

    IF YOU GRAB THE WRONG ITEM HIT YOUR ESCAPE KEY!!!

    Also when you can catch the guide quests, they have my personal favorite bright white light "The Fairy Lantern".

    Tuptan lamps come in floor, wall and ceiling model.

    Brazier's of Hate and ( having a senior moment here can't remember the other's name) there are 2, one is bright like sunlight one is a blueish color. They come in Floor stands and ceiling lights.

    Enchanters Candelabra - you can buy these from the Housing Merchants located near the Inn Rooms. They run 2gold plus change.
    _______________________________________________________________________________________
    I find having a Tall Halfling Ladder in my bags to be able to use while decorating is a great tool! Plop it down, make it as tall as you need, then tilt it a bit and you have a great ladder without the You can't go here ledge thing happening.

    Also Drunder tiles!! They make a great starting area for a floor or ceiling as they get HUGE! Great especially in houses where the floors, walls and ceilings were made by the Mad Hatter from alice in wonderland ( not quite square or flat hehe ) which appear to be ALL houses in game so don't be shocked if your floor doesn't quite look square with the walls hahaha. Buy a couple and use them as tools as well :)

    Do some city writs/crafting writs to get 20 city tokens. Buy some Teleportation Pads from any city festival ( they run the 1st -7th of each month and take place in a different city each month as well) they allow you to reach areas you normally can't without a TON of engineering expertise.

    Also Join this channel as soon as you can just type in your chat bar /join Antonia_bayle.homeshow from whichever server you happen to be on.

    Don't be afraid to ASK QUESTIONS in that channel! there are usually Zero Trolls in there and everyone is helpful!

    Those are some tips I have - hope someone finds them useful :)
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone likes this.
  8. Sapienta Active Member

    @Ladymist Thank you very much for those suggestions! There are so many recipes, which is great, but it can be a little overwhelming. It is very helpful to me to have a starting point instead of staring at a list of names. Hmm, I hadn't even thought about colored lights - red brooding glows would definitely go with some of my toons' houses, and blues for others, and greens, and... oh, I can't wait to check those out later on when I play. Thank you!

    @Uwk I have one of every crafter, but some are still in the very early levels. I work on Qho's quests as I level them up and share a crafting house with a family member who does the same, so we have a pretty good selection and supply of most harvests.

    Thanks for the reminder about EQ2 Furniture. It's a great site! I need to spend more time there. I haven't quite got the hang of searching there yet, but that's because I'm still learning all the EQ2 terminology and I often don't know what I'm searching for, or what to call it, and not a problem with the site.

    The layout editors can produce amazing results! Though I think I'll probably hire someone if I ever plan anything that can't be handled by the in-game edit mode. I fuss with text all day (I'm an editor), so the thought of fussing with numbers isn't really appealing as an end-of-the-day activity. :)
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone likes this.
  9. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    I'm exactly the same way about my crafter alts; I'm on four servers (my original, Crushbone; Test and Splitpaw, because back in the day, you could have characters there without affecting your character maximum [of SEVEN, total?! what were they thinking?], and got two more, count them, two, on Antonia Bayle, one evil, one good, just for house-hopping. Now, of course, they've blossomed into nine on AB, one for each craft (which is why I now have 36 total toons, with more to come on free accounts for more house-hopping on other servers; thank goodness I'm limited there ;->)... X-P

    Most of them are way lower than their adventuring levels, since I've been bad in that regard. A buddy of mine who got me into EQ2 in the first place suggested I have my crafting levels about 10 levels higher than my adventuring levels, but so help me, I hate crafting grinding (especially Provisioner, but it's so much cheaper making food and drink for your alts than buying the stuff on the Broker, and the vendor stuff is...sub-par). It's far better now, with all the tradeskill quest lines, but I'd still like them to continue supplying us with Rares as quest rewards in the levels beyond the 20s (do not even talk to me about using Feysteel for anything other than armor or weapons!). :-/

    As far as using the various editors out there, I, too, am much more of a word editor, but once you get the hang of what you're seeing in the numbers, it's pretty easy, especially with the Notepad method; less of a learning curve, but you can't do nearly as much as with Layout Editor -- at least without taking a lot more time for it. :-/

    Uwk
  10. Sandyfoot Well-Known Member

    Decorate for yourself.

    Grab a bunch of stuff (even real cheap items off the AH) and experiment to find your own style. Then, when you find it, enjoy it. Remember, not everyone appreciates a Picasso nor a Rembrandt. Tastes can vary. Although some may not appreciate your efforts, there are others who will.

    Some of the most intriguing houses I've ever visited were like museums with trophies carefully arranged throughout the house. Nothing wrong with displaying all of them. Eclectic and even very colorful can create fascinating homes that are a joy to visit.

    There is nothing wrong with a necromancer who is a bit eccentric liking bright colors. Nothing wrong with an assassin having a "normal" bright house to lure her prey into her lair.

    There should be no stereotyping when it comes to a fantasy game that holds so many possibilities.
    suka and Uwkete-of-Crushbone like this.
  11. Sapienta Active Member

    @Morg Great tips! That ladder sounds very handy. Love the teleportation pads; I haven't used them to break out yet, but they sure are handy for some of the bigger houses!

    @Uwk LOL, I'm afraid to make a character on another server 'cause I know I'd end up playing a bit too instead of just house-hopping; then I'd need another character... Ah, well, I'm trying to resist until my AB characters are all closer to max.

    It's not that I mind dealing with numbers, but after fussing all day making sure every last comma and period is in its proper place, the idea of switching to fussing with numbers isn't very appealing. It's nice to be able to relax and submerge myself in the beauty of EQ2, even if trying to get something placed just-so is occasionally a little frustrating.

    @Sandyfoot Excellent advice! I also do bookkeeping for an art gallery for a few hours a week (ack, see, fussing with numbers too!), and there are few things as diverse as taste in art.

    My character all have different themes that I try to co-ordinate through their gear, mounts, companions (pets and mercs) and houses.
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone likes this.
  12. Ladymist Well-Known Member

    I wonder if we could get this stickied since none of the other threads have tips in them including the decorators resource
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone likes this.
  13. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    Oh yeah, +1 for stickying this! :)

    And Sandyfoot, it's the Broker here; AH (Auction House, for those who haven't played) is WoW...we have a waaay better system here. ;->

    When I was still playing WoW (they pretty much lost me with Cataclysm), I did notice that the in-game economy (as opposed to the Marketplace, etc.) was infinitely better here (starting with the Broker and just going on from there [the banking system, the mounts {though that had improved immensely in WoW by the time I left}, the containers, the quest rewards, etc., etc., etc.]), despite some of the Other Game's advantages. But the economy, for me, was a huge difference, and when WoW screwed around with er, went in a major new direction with their story line, one thing piled on another, and now I'm here full-time. :-/

    But yeah, Sandy definitely has a point: there was at least one decorating challenge where people were limited to T1 and T2 items, basically stuff just about anyone could make at any crafting level, especially if they were a Craftsman. You can easily outfit a house that way, and if you're in a 2- or 3-room place anywhere, no one will really object, and if you're the only one who sees it and/or doesn't worry about how visitors might wrinkle up their noses (fgah; it's your house ;->), you can use that to decorate the fanciest 6-room or prestige place. ;->

    Uwk
    who still has relatively low-level Carpenters...
  14. Perrigrin Well-Known Member

    Don't be afraid to use commonplace items for decorating in ways they weren't originally intended for. Tables, benches, etc. can have a great effect if you flip them around and use them to make a funky ceiling or walls. There are stone merchant tables off the Thurgadin docks with the blue glowy lines that look AWESOME sunk into the floor, or flipped around to make walls or ceilings. Also the tables from the Paineel merchant make a really cool pattern on the floor if you sink them in so just the very top part is showing.

    Another good light source is just a simple candle (I can't remember the exact name just now) but it's just a single candle, very low level crafting, that gives off a good amount of light and you can sink it into stuff to make them stand out.

    There are also the enchanters candelabras from certain housing merchants that glow nicely and have a decent appearance.
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone likes this.
  15. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    An extremely popular item choice (I wish my Carpies were high enough level for these; must force them...) is the Rough Stone Table (\aITEM 587159412 -1849042291:rough stone table\/a) from the Grobb faction in the Moors of Ykesha. They are brilliant for use as cliffs, "natural" stone walls, etc. Lots of good stuff in that book, Grobb Tradishunal Furnushings, including the Crude Stone Bench (\aITEM 2120275272 1173347762:crude stone bench\/a) and Crude Stone Block (\aITEM 36291915 -1607685707:crude stone block\/a), also very popular. ;->

    Does anyone know about that book? Is it No-Trade or Heirloom or etc.? My main could do the quests easily enough to get it, but he doesn't have the Carpy skills or levels, and my Carpy there doesn't have the adventuring levels to do it safely. On the other hand, it does say "level 65 Artisan," so maybe that means any crafter of level 65+? :-/

    Uwk
    who would qualify if that's the case, even just being an Armorer ;->
  16. Sandyfoot Well-Known Member

    My Ratonga Sage just picked up this book in Grobb and it is "No-Trade". The "grind" for faction to pick it up has been greatly reduced since my other character did it (Carpenter).

    Once my Ratonga finished the crafting quest series in Grobb, she earned enough faction to purchase the book and use the bank.

    What is great about this book is that it is an artisan book and can be purchase by anyone (even if they don't have a tradeskill yet) as long as they have the faction needed to get it. So an adventurer can pick it up and later, work on whatever craft they have chosen, and scribe it when they get to 65 and make some great items either for their house or to sell on the broker.

    The Tuptan and Survival Accord books are also Artisan and available to anyone with the required faction which can be earned by tradeskill quests, adventurer quests, or a combination of both.


    (btw, Uk, I don't play that game you mentioned. Silly me, I know EQ2 has brokers, but I still seem to use the term AH. I should correct that but can't because I am unable to edit my post)
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone likes this.
  17. Sapienta Active Member

    Oh, those Grobb furnishing are great, and I know just where to put them - my beastlord's cave in the Hua Mein Retreat. Thank you both for the information!

    Now if only I could craft a few more hours into each day. :D
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone likes this.
  18. Lera Well-Known Member

    It's no-trade (as indicated in the link - searching for a recipe book shows not only the items, but the book itself). You only need -10000 faction to get the book, and there are plenty of quests to get there without having to grind faction.

    You do need 10000, though, for one of the cuter items in the game, a slimy slug.
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone likes this.
  19. Perrigrin Well-Known Member

    @Uwkete - I've got a carpenter that is lvl 57 adventuring and she's able to do the faction quests for the moors crafting factions, but I have to be very careful. She'll get a couple deaths here and there, but it's worth it :)
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone likes this.
  20. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    Hnh! Cool; I think my main Carpy could do it, then! :)

    Uwk