A Love-Letter to Stone-Nest Design (Some visual spoilers – PTS U48) (Housing)

MoonPile

[Housing-related]
Just some shots from U48 PTS: Stone-Nest structures, villages, insides of homes, temples / ruins, etc. More in the post:
https://moonpile.tumblr.com/post/796890359857807360/spoilers-u48-pts-screenshots-stone-nest

Even more here, including upcoming furnishings & their sources: Tagged: Stone-Nest

It’s fun to see new Argonian lore and environment designs. Yes, some assets are similar / recolors of past Xanmeer assets. But I love the new textures, colors, lighting, and way of life we get to see through these new setpieces. On Eastern Solstice, we can go inside some of the Stone-Nest homes!

Really hoping for all of these roofed pieces and other structures as furnishings, incl. some of the more broken-up pieces. We don’t have anything quite as dimensional as these stone pieces yet – our furnishing walls and platforms are typically flat, even the "ancient" stone ones. Apart from building in the Stone-Nest style, I can imagine these layered with existing walls to add texture, used for cobblestone streets, and more.

LunaFlora

i love the Stone Nest architecture. i need those roofs

NoticeMeArkay

Aren't those just the deadwater tribe's houses being reused?

MoonPile

NoticeMeArkay wrote: »

Aren't those just the deadwater tribe's houses being reused?

Yep, mentioned this in the OP.

They stem from the same Xanmeer-building culture and Xanmeers have long been referred to as "stone nests". https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Xanmeer // https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Duskfall (maybe you know this, but others may not)

Here's a few comparison screenshots:
https://moonpile.tumblr.com/post/797043483545321472/comparison-of-the-same-stone-building-asset-in

I'm still excited about Solstice environment art, new lore, and most interested these becoming furnishings since we never got most of those structures. (In fact I posted these screenshots a year ago, before Solstice reveal: https://www.reddit.com/r/elderscrollsonline/comments/1d18min/comment/l5s6le2/) It made sense lore-wise since modern Argonians no longer build in stone. But with how Housing has expanded since then, I hope we can get more structural pieces, whatever the "excuse" may be.

I prefer the lighter and warmer colors of "Stone-Nest" style. And some of the texture and bump maps look nicer: the stones appear more rounded, beveled and dimensional. Versus the flatter planes, sharp corners, and grittier, noisier textures of the old Murkmire structures.

Environment designers' logic is probably mostly that the Solstice Stone-Nest structures are meant to be eroded by seawater and sand. But the overall effect just looks more "immersive", vs the older hard angles that look more dated and remind you these are 3D models.

Pieces like this would be excellent additions, since most of what we have is pretty flat. This would be cool for all kinds of things:


Another thing, in case the Housing folks see this – Everything from this area would be awesome to build with. Even though we already have these vines, I wish we could have the vibrant Solstice recolor! And more shapes of ivy bushes.


(Also, the Tide-Born Pool we'll be able to buy for Solstice Pathfinder is basically a recolor of a fountain that's inside Lakemire Xanmeer house, among other places, which explains the terrible water textures. Likewise the 'new' Master Writ Voucher furnishing plan, Stone-Nest Fountain, Triple Spout. I wish they could've updated the water too. https://en.uesp.net/wiki/File:ON-furnishing-Tide-Born_Pool,_Ceremonial_02.jpg)