Windows, or the lack thereof.

[daggaz]

Valheim has beautiful scenery, but it feels kind of difficult to take advantage of it due to the lack of windows combined with the shelter game mechanism. I've built some forts with lookouts, other with a floor with an expansive open end where I just accept that the rain gets in with the view, and other forts ive messed around with small gaps so I can at least peak out and keep an eye on mobs in my vicinity.

What do you guys do? I know glass is very unviking but the desire to sit inside and look out is in every man's heart.

[XTazmanianDevilX]

I just stretch the roof a bit in front of my open view windows so it won't rain in

[BGratz]

:P
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2440514222

ok ok needs valheim+


This here is vanilla possible
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442511262
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442511302
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442511302
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442511353
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442511376

[I-Chi]

My keep's top floor is solely for shooting at raiding creatures, so one end of it can be completely open:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442511864

[Horemvore]

I use the Crosses for windows.

[daggaz]

Originally posted by Butt Stallion:

My keep's top floor is solely for shooting at raiding creatures, so one end of it can be completely open:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442511864

Yeah this is what ive been doing for the most part.

[XTazmanianDevilX]

Originally posted by Butt Stallion:

My keep's top floor is solely for shooting at raiding creatures, so one end of it can be completely open:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442511864

That's how I am doing it too...but I add a row of roof to the frontopening

[Weaver]

Learn what constitutes a wall for the game. Half wall? Nope. Stick a beam across its top edge? Now its considered a full wall. If you play around with parts you'll quickly find you can do large open views that are still considered sheltered.

[Weaver]

Here are some examples. The game uses raycasting to detect surfaces within a given distance of you. Enough checks from enough directions you are sheltered. The ones the go out directly sideways are done at 1m which means a half wall will be missed, but a beam at 1m or upper half wall will be checked. You'll note in all 3, despite being very open I'm considered sheltered:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442562766
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442562737
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442562685

[jonnin]

a house or shelter is 100% tied to the roof. open space? a roof on a pole is all you need to make it happy that its your home and all...
here is one similar to the above but in stone... was going to make the colosseum originally but decided 3 stories of it was too much and ended up closer to stonehenge instead.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442578529

[daggaz]

Thanks, Weaver. That is super helpful.

Jonnin, thats not entirely true. I have whole sections of houses that are fully roofed but dont count as shelter.

[Weaver]

Originally posted by jonnin:

a house or shelter is 100% tied to the roof. open space? a roof on a pole is all you need to make it happy that its your home and all...
here is one similar to the above but in stone... was going to make the colosseum originally but decided 3 stories of it was too much and ended up closer to stonehenge instead.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442578529

I mean, it's not just the roof. It's very easy to demonstrate simply adding or removing a nearby wall can add/remove shelter status. That's considered sheltered in the center because of the size and stone pillars are considered full walls for checks. You have to have a roof but the game absolutely raycast for checks sideways.

[Weaver]

Originally posted by daggaz:

Thanks, Weaver. That is super helpful.

Jonnin, thats not entirely true. I have whole sections of houses that are fully roofed but dont count as shelter.

here is an example of where a tiny change matters. First pic, half wall small window, next to it I'm considered outside. Second pic, add a bar across it's lip, it's now considered sheltered. That's the only thing changed. It's because the bar checked off the raycast done at the 1m and above heights in that direction. You can experiment with distances and so forth, but basically imagine a half sphere starting at 1m and enough checks need to be made. It's why really large roofs will work if you are in the center without much in the way of walls as well if the roof is large enough/low enough.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442588098
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442588120

[daggaz]

Thats a good point on using roof overhang to help, too.

[jonnin]

Interesting, I had not experimented at that low a level. Raycast from what, the sun?
Either way, open air homes work, as do holes in the walls for 'windows' and so on.

[Weaver]

Originally posted by jonnin:

Interesting, I had not experimented at that low a level. Raycast from what, the sun?
Either way, open air homes work, as do holes in the walls for 'windows' and so on.

From the player. It sends out checks from the player, starting about 1 meter high in a half sphere. It's like sending out a range finding lazer or motion detector. If enough checks come back as encountering an object within a certain distance, you are considered sheltered. I don't know the check number of frequency. Simplest systems use 5 checks, (front, back, left, right, top) but it uses more than that, at various angles.