Layouts

Where do you even start with it? Well, there's a few basics to understand about layout files before you begin.

• Layouts were designed to let you save your current house set-up, then pack everything up and with the push of a magic button it would put everything back where it was. This doesn't always work currently. Use with caution.
• A side benefit of the 'save layout' feature was the discovery that we can edit these files ourselves and do some pretty impressive things with them. This is the area we'll be talking about.
• Any layout editing should come with a big red warning "ATTEMPT AT YOUR OWN RISK" - items can/have/will go missing.
• Layout files can't tell the difference between this ash bookcase and that one over there - this is a very important fact to remember.

Once mastered though, even the simplest of changes can really make an impact on your designs.

 

I'm going to show you how to rotate a couple floor tiles (Crystal Mosaic Squares) to the wall. They could be used as paneling, a kitchen backsplash, shower wall, aquarium back, art - anything you want.

So, what's first? On your door are the two magic buttons that make it all happen: Save Layout and Load Layout. The first thing to do is make sure all the items you are going to be using are in your house, then use the Save Layout button. Name it anything you wish. Now, make a second 'save' and name it something new - THIS is the file we will be editing. The original one is there as a backup of how things started. Just in case.. Where does the file go, and how do you find it? In your Everquest II folder is a new folder called "saved_house_layouts". Open this file and find the layout you just saved (the one we plan on editing). Now, open it using a simple text editor such as Notepad (not Microsoft Office Word).
Don't be afraid. If you had a house full of furniture when starting, this file can be pretty long. Use the 'Find' feature to locate the items you're moving. If you are starting from an empty house, lucky you! Your file will only have those items you're editing for now.
Here's the most important step in trying to eliminate any accidental "oops" moments - delete everything except the first two lines AND the items you are working with (the crystal mosaic squares in this case). Did you read the note at the top about layout files not knowing the difference between this floor tile I want to rotate here and one I may have upstairs that I want to leave alone? Leave them ALL. Otherwise you may find the one in front of you has been left alone, and the one from upstairs brought down and rotated (leaving you a hole upstairs where the other one was).
Here's what my tiles looked like when I saved the filed above.
Now I'm going to change a couple numbers in the layout file to make the tiles stand up. How do I know which numbers do what? We'll get to that in a bit. But for now, I'm using the numbers in red to rotate them 90 degrees. Once done, save the file. By having ONLY these items left in the file, they are all that will be moved.
Now use the Load Layout button on your door (/house will bring up the door menu from anywhere in your home) and your tiles will move to look like this. Yes, they're halfway in the floor. That is afterall, where they started out. Many objects once rotated though, can be moved, resized and placed all while maintaining their new orientation. Some can't though (wall items, for example), so it is a good habit to get things as close to the right position and size before starting.
Here I have moved, enlarged and placed my tiles up on the wall. Once you have your desired effect don't forget to re-save your master back-up Save File!

 

Now, what do all those numbers mean anyway?

3,Version Number
1488842550,neriak_ph_5room
3828605684,18.49,-8.73,-5.45,0.00,0.00,0.00,1.00, false,"Crystal Mosaic Square"

The first two lines in the file are about the house. Everything after that are your objects.

3828605684 (item ID number), 18.49 (east/west), -8.73 (up/down - off the floor/down into the floor), -5.45 (north/south), 0.00 (rotation - normal allowed spin), 0.00 (tilt), 0.00 (more tilt), 1.00 (size), false (is it in the moving crate?), "Crystal Mosaic Square" (name)

The two numbers called 'Tilt' are the ones we are most interested in. One will flip the item front/back for you, the other side/side. Think of a sofa, one will lay it on its back, the other will stand it up on the arm. Altering either of those numbers by '90' would achieve that effect. Using '180' would flip it upside down. A 45 degree angle would produce the hay bale effect at the top of the page.

Play around with it. Take one item, try changing the numbers (one at a time) and see what happens. Remember what you started with, so you can put it back if necessary. Especially if you're working in an empty house, you really can't mess it up. The only things you don't want to ever change are the item ID and the name.

Some more tips:

• Save often, save multiples, save backups.
• Don't forget /house.
• Don't be afraid to experiment! You can always pick the item up and start over.
• Remember, you can use negative numbers as well (tilt by -35 instead of 35).
• If your item disappears, try raising/lowering it by .01.
• Layout Editor discussion on the Homeshow forum.
• Guide to editing house layouts on the Homeshow forum.
• Try using the layouts to lower/raise objects more than allowed in-game.
• Don't forget to /join antonia_bayle.homehow to chat with decorators across all servers!