Housing and guests. To guide or not to guide?

SantieClaws

Greetings travellers

This one often gives friends and other travellers tours of her many homes and businesses. She is happy to do this.

The thought occurred to her though.

Is it better for this one to show them everything and explain what everything is or would it be better to just let them go - to find their own explanations for what something might be and why it is there? To explore at their own pace. Be able to take the time to just look at things instead of running around in 10 minutes at the speed of this one. With the risk of course that they may not find the little interesting secret places that are often there.

Yes Khajiit knows why a certain thing at the family temple is not in the same place as other things of the same kind, for example, but is it not better that a traveller who visits the temple can wonder about this thing themselves - if they find it.

We create to make Tamriel an infinite world for others no? Well this one does anyway. Is not the imagination of the visiting traveller of more value than any explanation this one herself can give?

This one also wishes it was possible to craft readable stone tablets you could leave in places for others - useful information or cryptic messages perhaps ...

This one is curious of the thoughts of others on this.

If anyone else has had this thought at all of course

Yours with paws
Santie Claws

prof-dracko

The problem with tours is that people tend to run off while I'm typing out explanations. I'd usually let them run around and if they miss something that's their loss.

mbthorry

Perhaps both. A tour first and then a leisurely browse if they want to

aaisoaho

Design the house to guide the visitors? Some tricks used in level design and architecture:
- Signs: use signs to guide people where they want to go (we have crafting signs to use, for example)
- Grand and flashy details: people are attracted to large/flashy/cool things. Put a huge statue you can see from the door somewhere you want people to go and they will use their instincts and curiosity to wander towards it. People also tend to circle these so use it to make the navigation easier.
- Remember: everything has a meaning. Put nothing at random, use the props to tell a story or to guide people to avoid confusion.

There are other techniques of course, these are just some you can use.

Glaiceana

Its nice when there's an option for both! When I have been on housing tours, I like to walk with the owner as they take us round and explain things to us, quite often there is some very interesting meanings behind decisions, sometimes heartfelt stories. I am patient enough to wait with them as they explain things. And at the end of the tour, then there is time to look around alone at your speed or at things you want to see closer
I agree leaving notes would be pretty cool to explain things for solo visitors! If that is not already in EHT, he will probably add it someday haha

Xerikten

our guild tours just let people run around and in discord comment on certain did you see this.

SantieClaws

You know on the issue of the stone tablets …

While this one would prefer to have the option to craft specific ones she would also be delighted if a few generic ones were added to the store maybe?

Things like 'danger', 'don't touch' 'welcome', 'beware', 'eat well', . This one is sure you can come up with better ones though.

Yours with paws
Santie Claws

bayushi2005

SantieClaws,

I usually do bit of both. I highlight what is worth mentioning or easy to overlook and then let my guests roam around. My houses are loaded with animations and I let my guests pull the levers on their own (risk).

Being on voice chat with my guests also works well, as everybody tends to go tired with walls of text.

If it comes to tablets and messages - you could do that with Essntial Housing Tools FX, which allows you to add text to pretty much everything. For these, who don't use FX I would add arrows made of some sort of glowing crystals (dreamshards?) or just let them explore unguided.

Freddycruz89

I personally like to lead the tour and explain areas, house background story, and a few odd furnishings purpose within the house, but if they take off I'll just run after them so I can see what they're looking at and tell them of any areas they may have overlooked before they leave.

When in someone's house, I like for them to guide me around and show me, but that's just my personal preference. Signs would be a great addition. Craftable signs you can only write in when crafting them so it doesn't get out of hand. Also, a bulleting board with usuable interface so you can write on it would be great for guild halls.

Tigerseye

I just let people run free.

I'm either a libertarian, or a very poor host.

D3AKUs

Depends on the situation. If i invite someone for a solo visit out of my friendlist i often explain stuff or guide them through the stations of the house. Most of the time i come up with a back story of my own for all the houses is build and why i build them the way they are.


If i just want to show it to a broader audience, lets say one of my housing guilds , ill just let them run around and discover all on their own and if someones interested i give out more Information if they want to listen.


Overall i like to chat around a bit with people that visit my places it often ends up with them showing u their places too and thats what i love most about the housing community. Connecting with other creative people, looking at other ideas , get inspired, get feedback from a different view and so on.

Sturmfaenger

Challenge your guests - one way to make sure your guests look into every corner is to entertain them while they explore. For example with a question like "How many balls of yarn can you find?"

Generally it depends on the background and level of interest of your guests, if you show them details or not.

Minyassa

I used to do the tour thing but I've noticed that most of my visitors prefer to explore in their own way. Given that when I am looking around I tend to want to go immediately to the left and work my way around, while I have friends who like to start at the top and work their way down, or some other variation...I decided to just let people look for themselves, and follow them around so I know what they are commenting about.

sueblue

Good question!

I personally avoid houses where the owner insists that I walk and follow them. Maybe it's my ADHD but I rather a free roam situation. As for when people visit my houses - I am rarely there to spectate. If I am and I notice they missed something cool, I point it out.

Aaishoaho made a great point about using elements to subtely guide visitors so they don't miss things.

Shadow_Akula

Well for me, I rarely have people visit some of my houses but when I do, it’s usually to show something off.
And the times when I just want to show the house I usually let the people go explore but I stick close in case they have any questions or to prevent them getting lost in the house.

superryan94

Usually when I let people in my house it's to give them inspiration. Like how I turned the psijic villa into a tavern or to show them my workstations with crafting stations in them.

Those are details often missed because people don't expect them. And when peeps find them (after asking for them) the love the detail^^
But for psijic villa where I can only do the inside(outside takes to much slots for my detail requirement) people usually just run in, scan the halls and leave. Kinda demotivating to to invite them and let them roam around. But I think I'll give in to that seeing how you think about it:)

GoonyGoat

SantieClaws wrote: »

Greetings travellers

This one often gives friends and other travellers tours of her many homes and businesses. She is happy to do this.

The thought occurred to her though.

Is it better for this one to show them everything and explain what everything is or would it be better to just let them go - to find their own explanations for what something might be and why it is there? To explore at their own pace. Be able to take the time to just look at things instead of running around in 10 minutes at the speed of this one. With the risk of course that they may not find the little interesting secret places that are often there.

Yes Khajiit knows why a certain thing at the family temple is not in the same place as other things of the same kind, for example, but is it not better that a traveller who visits the temple can wonder about this thing themselves - if they find it.

We create to make Tamriel an infinite world for others no? Well this one does anyway. Is not the imagination of the visiting traveller of more value than any explanation this one herself can give?

This one also wishes it was possible to craft readable stone tablets you could leave in places for others - useful information or cryptic messages perhaps ...

This one is curious of the thoughts of others on this.

If anyone else has had this thought at all of course

Yours with paws
Santie Claws

Your tours are awesome and the right mix - informative to show the best of your homes .... Yet still allowing the freedom for one to see if he will survive a cannonball into the temple pools