Roquer is the French word for Castle. I wanted to give a bit of a historical feel, but still, have a castle fitting for Sosaria. Features of many French-style castles include a moat, bridge, towers, and huge rooms. This works perfectly for Sosaria, as the open rooms allow for a whole lot of customizations. With this design, I actually built it using the Classic Client of UO, then went into the Enhanced Client to make sure it looks the way I want. After snapping some pictures, I returned to the Classic Client and decorated it using Masonry Walls and Deeded Deco items.
As always, click images for larger views.
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| Map Location - Trammel, Dagger Isle near the shrine's entrance. |
Enhanced Client View
I have learned that the Enhanced Client shows some things differently than what I see in the Classic Client. I did a lot of previewing and tweaking between the clients with this custom castle design.
Exterior Design
Running about the outside shows this huge construction has a couple of interesting features. First, the moat, with a bridge already lowered. A side exit on the east face is also present which can be kept open, or use arches, or even place steel doors. The upper roof is designed with random grass, which can be covered with pavers - or even completed with grass tiles.
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| Exterior Design |
Ground Floor
Jutting from the main building are two faux towers - each "separate" but yet part of the overall design. The west small tower offers stairs to its second floor, whereas the east small tower is a single room. However, there is a secret door in the east tower to gain access to the main castle area.Crossing the moat is easy with the dropped bridge, and the entry-way is vaulted with a split stair leading to the secure second floor. The rest of the floor is highly customizable with proper walls for the side-exit to make separations without a gap.
The smaller towers can be used as space for friends without a home, little markets, dungeon/jail, or private quarters. Decoration ideas will be featured later in this post.
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| Ground Floor |
Second Floor
The west tower's second floor offers a secret door into the main area which is secured with double doors at the top of the split stair. An open plan with a balcony on the west side for viewing your neighbor. The east tower sports a small stair up to its roof and can serve as a storage area, a privy, or a closet area. The central spiral stair leads to the third floor. Again, ease of use for Masonry Walls to make smaller rooms if desired. A sampling of this is shown later in this post. |
| Second Floor |
Third Floor
A huge, open expanse just waiting for your customization! The front balcony overlooks the moat and bridge and a side balcony on the east side is perfect for a private suite. There is one last secret door leading to the roof of the east tower, which then offers a straight stair to the rooftop. There is no ready access to the roof of the west tower, so a ladder will be needed. |
| Third Floor |
Classic Client View
The decorations used for these pictures are all from deeds. There are no lock-downs used anywhere as they are prohibited for contest entries. Colored Walls (blue, black, and white) are crafted with the Masonry skill and not part of the contest design.
There are two vendors, one is testing the new Commission Vendor. Both vendors are selling deco-items for use in contest designs.
Decorated First Floor
Representing Yew, I always put up that region's banner on my favored buildings. The two towers are sparsely decorated, but cozy with fireplaces. The open entryway introduces courtly elements that should help visitors realize they are in for a treat. Go to the left and the room there could be an armory or even a stable. To the left of the entryway is a hall for holding court. Turning right, we see a banquet area that is warmed by double fireplaces. Beyond that is a kitchen area.
The blue walls are crafted with mined stone and not part of the actual contest design. Arches are used at all of the open doorways.
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| First Floor - Classic Client with decor. Court, banquet hall, kitchen, and stable areas. |
Decorated Second Floor
Here, the vaulted ceiling of the entryway is put to use to display banners higher up than normal. The second floor of the west tower continues with a fireplace, to keep it cozy.A small public office is separated from the rest of the second floor (with blue walls and curtains) while the open balcony serves as a summoning area (them mages are just tinkering).
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| Second Floor - Classic Client with decor. Small office, summoning, and torture areas. |
Decorated Third Floor
This is where things get interesting. The open floor plan is sectioned to provide a living suite to the east while the west is host to crafting stations. The tower roofs are also decorated, and that pesky stair to the top roof is perfectly matched with the lighthouse! A ladder is used to get from the top roof to the west tower's roof. |
| First Floor - Classic Client with decor. Lighthouse, living suite with full bath, reception room, crafting workshops. |
Decorated Top Roof
The perfect place for your roof-top garden. Open area allows for placement of garden beds, koi pond, water wheel, and garden shed. Or pave over the grassy area and add more Masonry Walls for something else! |
| Rooftop - Classic Client with decor. Gardening, need we say more? |
