Open World WIndows for Housing? [Minor ShB Spoiler]

[MaiSuu]

Not sure if the title explains it well, what I'm asking for is a window in our apartments/Homes that open up to the real world. No, it does not need to show our neighbors but maybe some scenery like the one in ShB's inn room.

I'll try and provide an image below, (not sure how to do that) if not I'll just share the link to Imgur.

I think it'd be amazing if we could get one of these ESPECIALLY for apartments as they'd give us a little 'outside' space....

Infact, if they tweaked it some more it could even functional and allow for little bit of gardening in that plant section at the bottom. (It would relieve some pressure off Housing plots)

Thoughts?

[Jojoya]

I don't know if it would be possible to accomplish in existing housing via a new imitation window that could be added or removed as the player chooses. Current housing interiors don't feel like they're designed to handle such depth of view and many players would be upset if their housing designs were randomly destroyed by changes to existing interior walls to add such views.

The devs have said they were exploring the possibility of making different apartment sizes for players to choose from. If they did add them, I could see this being incorporated directly into the new apartment layouts to make them more attractive options for players to choose over owning a house.

[Jkap_Goat]

i dont think this is possible, when you zone into your house or apartment, you actually zoning into another area.


https://youtu.be/1IDeu8UnfZ8

see?

[Drkdays]

Sounds like a server crash waiting to happen. Nice idea, but not even Skyrim could pull that off.

[Iscah]

i dont think this is possible, when you zone into your house or apartment, you actually zoning into another area.

The same goes for inn rooms, though. You're not actually seeing the live version of Lakeland outside that window.

It might be hard to implement for other reasons, but if it's explicitly a "fake window" then the lack of a live view shouldn't be an issue.

Most likely it would need the stability of a fixed inn room though, like they've said is the issue with the glamour dresser, and would need to add more space outside the walls of the house to work properly.

[MariaArvana]

i dont think this is possible, when you zone into your house or apartment, you actually zoning into another area.


https://youtu.be/1IDeu8UnfZ8

see?

yes, but there's a trick that tons of developers use to create the illusion of 3d geometry outside of an area's level boundaries by using a combination of 2D textures to simulate 3D. Lots of games use it, but here's a nice example of giving a view of the outside world from inside the home of the simpsons in the hit & run game: https://youtu.be/4y07g7N2ROo?t=328

For our homes, it wouldn't be too much different. Create a window, attach a bunch of 2D textures right outside of it to give the simulation that there's a 3D environment past it, done. There'd have to be some limits like you can't place two windows near each other less they cause texture clipping, but it's an entirely feasible thing to do.

[Ceridwenae]

I would suggest courtyards for houses which can then share an external instance like apartments. Blocked off from the shared open instance, a courtyard functions like a room itself, using the same door as rooms, just it has an open sky rather than a ceiling. Have its walls work like interior walls, but with exterior wall designs. Limit the object number to the same as apartments/FC rooms, but allowing gardening plots and exterior furnishing, perhaps some interior if possible. It costs to add the courtyard, like a room in an FC costs. If a courtyard doesn't figure, a greenhouse type or conservatory room just for gardening could work too.

Then windows like the one pictured up top (Kugane's inn does this too) should be added too. They don't show the "real" external instance for housing. My only issue is I don't know if allowing for a weather system would be problematic, but it would be a lovely addition if it was possible.

Of course, that courtyard/greenhouse design and even the latter day inn windows would not really fit the look of the houses in game already; but given the FC houses let you add on rooms with windows, and you can place windows anywhere and none of it really makes sense with the exterior buildings, I'm not sure how big a deal that actually is.

Apartments should have "courtyards/greenhouses" too - arguably more than the above houses! Purchase a second apartment, give a door to the original and it works in just the same way as above, so everyone can garden if they want, regardless of if there's bigger housing plots available.

Of course, I know nothing about whether this is possible, so don't poke me about it. Just shower thoughts.

[VictorTheed]

I can't remember if it was in a live letter or just player desire but balconies were mentioned were you could go outside your apartment and other people in your apartment complex could go out thiers to and u guys hang out, I'd like this for apartments and your window idea is cool, if be down for that

[MaiSuu]

yes, but there's a trick that tons of developers use to create the illusion of 3d geometry outside of an area's level boundaries by using a combination of 2D textures to simulate 3D. Lots of games use it, but here's a nice example of giving a view of the outside world from inside the home of the simpsons in the hit & run game: https://youtu.be/4y07g7N2ROo?t=328

For our homes, it wouldn't be too much different. Create a window, attach a bunch of 2D textures right outside of it to give the simulation that there's a 3D environment past it, done. There'd have to be some limits like you can't place two windows near each other less they cause texture clipping, but it's an entirely feasible thing to do.

Yup, I was definitely thinking about it more along these lines, even if they can't attatch any gardening to it, just having that 'fake' view would be nice. I figured if it was possible in the Inn room in ShB they must have been trying to work with it for actual housing maybe... Maybe if we're lucky it'll happen, but I don't think it'll be too complicated if they do just go with a 2d pic that looks very indepth!

[Jojoya]

yes, but there's a trick that tons of developers use to create the illusion of 3d geometry outside of an area's level boundaries by using a combination of 2D textures to simulate 3D. Lots of games use it, but here's a nice example of giving a view of the outside world from inside the home of the simpsons in the hit & run game: https://youtu.be/4y07g7N2ROo?t=328

For our homes, it wouldn't be too much different. Create a window, attach a bunch of 2D textures right outside of it to give the simulation that there's a 3D environment past it, done. There'd have to be some limits like you can't place two windows near each other less they cause texture clipping, but it's an entirely feasible thing to do.

The problem is the walls of the house interiors. They don't just disappear when you place a wall mounted object. If you placed a window with layered textures on the wall, either the wall is going to clip the textures or the portion of the textures that extend beyond the window frame to create the depth of view illusion when seen from an angle would be visible within the house.

A furnishing created to accomplish this would probably need to the size of an entire wall to pull it off successfully. It might be possible with a partition sized object if it was to be a small window with very limited view but then we get into whether the window view should be placed high/low/etc. I doubt it would work with something like the current imitation windows.