Topic

Improved Housing View (with Photo Illustrations)

When at home in our test houses (just like out in the streets) we see both above and below the ground.

Occasionally there is a bug and you might end up below floor or street level by accident, but otherwise these below ground spaces serve no functional purpose for players (so far).

I propose that while in our home spaces that the default view be altered, doing away with our view of underground and thus increasing the amount of decorated wall space we can see. Doing this makes more of the wall space up near the ceiling/attic come into view.

To illustrate, the Default View: bit.ly/HC2lFm

and the Proposed View doing away with underground view: bit.ly/H21QJv

You can see the extra space in the second photo. With this new view I would actually move the SDBs and other decorations higher than they are now, but with the current default view they have been placed lower in order to have them appear cut off.

Another visual benefit occurs when we look at the view as it actually occurs (vs the Snapshotting above) when we see screen elements like our Energy/XP display, The Rock and the Mini-map appear. In default view even room decorations lowered for ease of viewing are somewhat obscured by these elements:

prntscr.com/7ku6o

The proposed view fares better but there is still some blockage by the mini-map:

prntscr.com/7ku7i

Just as the Map can be toggled by clicking M, maybe we could toggle the mini-map with Ctrl-M, or toggle off/on all the screen elements like mini-map, Rock, Energy, XP etc as happens when we take a Snap Shot.

I realize that having a different default view for houses may be incredibly difficult from a coding P.O.V., but if it isn't insanely too much work I think it should be considered since people are going to spend all kinds of time and Imagination customizing their homes. The resulting views could be less cramped down towards the floor, provide more room to make SDBs more accessible/visible and all around create an improved visual experience. I want my home to look great all the time, not just in Snapshots.

TL:DR
1)Lose the underground view in houses to show more of the wall space. (Underground still see-able, just not as a default)
2)Toggle on/off XP/Energy/Rock/Mini-map screen elements like when using Snapshotting but without using Snapshottery

Posted 8 months ago by The Cat Face Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • What happens when we get basements?
    Posted 8 months ago by Carl Projectorinski Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Do we need to see into the basement when we are on the floor above?

    All levels would act the same as the ground floor.

    And if you want to look into the basement from any higher floor (or vice versa) you can still use Eyeballery.
    Posted 8 months ago by The Cat Face Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Ah.  It depends, really, one whether the floors are treated as separate levels, or if they are all part of the same street scene.  So far, the taller the house, the taller the street scene.  And, from what Bees! and Stoot have related, and from their test videos, this is how it's going to work.  If each level was treated as a separate street, your excellent idea would work better.

    I'm not sure which I'd prefer, myself.
    Posted 8 months ago by Carl Projectorinski Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hmmm I have been thinking of it more like the current Alakol home with the same types of elevator doors for up and down. I'll have to watch those vids again.

    ETA: Just watched and some of the floors shown do have Alakol-style elevator doors. I think my idea would still work. In the vid they show both the current "long" rooms and some not as long rooms that look to be the same height. Either way at a minimum I'd like to be able to toggle away the stuff that blocks the stuff on the walls.
    Posted 8 months ago by The Cat Face Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It's a good idea. I like it.
    Posted 8 months ago by TheMonsterW/21Faces Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree. Unless we'll be able to build a basement (perhaps a secret multilevel lair) then it is pointless to look at the dirt.

    I thought the same thing when they 1st came out but tbh assumed we'd be able to build underground.
    Posted 8 months ago by M<3tra, obviously Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Metra in case of basement building we would probably still have a default view that showed a small portion of whatever is below, regardless of which floor we are on, since currently we get the same default views in homes out in the world. My 3 story bog house has a basement and I see below the floor on every level.

    So having lower levels makes no difference. The point is to have a better view of whichever floor you are currently located on. You would still be able to use Eyeballery or Decorate mode to view other floors if needed.
    Posted 8 months ago by The Cat Face Subscriber! | Permalink