Right now hooks are placed in patterns that seem to best approximate what the Devs suspect the area might be used for. While it was a good place to start, especially when testing the waters to see if the idea would take, I think it will serve strongholds better to switch to a new approach now.

I suggest filling rooms with larger hook layouts then arrange smaller hooks, and therefore the room, around the large hooks. To illustrate, the room looking over the balcony on the Dromund Kass and Coruscant Strongholds could be filled with a centerpiece hook and then what is not taken up by it can be filled in with smaller hooks as needed. It might already be this way in some rooms but it doesn't appear to be done that way consistently.

However, for this idea to work, Large, Centerpiece, and Starship hooks need far more layouts. Centerpiece and Starship hooks in particular also need to have better options for layered hooks (like with the large hook standard hook with the 9 small hooks onto a large hook), and for breaking them down into smaller hooks. This leads to the core of my suggestion.

It appears that hook layouts could benefit from being arranged based on room function. For instance, lay out hooks to set up a cantina, a throne room, or an office. From there, you will get a clearer idea of what hooks might need to be where, what might need to be layered on top of each other, or how a larger hook may need to be broken down.

I’ve come up with some suggestions for such a system. Though, I have only been able to work on the large and centerpiece hooks so far. I have plans to do more than what I am starting with and to work on starship hooks as well. Although, I believe some ideas for breaking down the starship hooks could be formed simply by using some of my centerpiece designs in the places where the starship hook places single centerpiece hooks.

I realize that my centerpiece layouts have a lot of hooks, but don’t imagine them as having every hook used up at once. The placement of hooks is just so there will be plenty of available hooks. I personally believe in avoiding cluttering a room with decorations for decorations’ sake. However, making many hooks available seems like the best way to counter not having the hook you need where you need it.

I’d also like to add, that I think larger hooks should always be layered to some extent. It will help with setting the tone of rooms, hook availability, and limits on what decorations are available. Even a starship hook with a starship on it could benefit from small or medium hooks on top of it for the placement of personnel or technological decorations near the ship.

https://i.imgur.com/epSy2So.jpg

All of these layouts are for making room for large assemblies of players or personnel. As you can see, I’ve tried to stick with the color of the hooks in game for ease of recognition.

Imagine the large hooks on all of the as future stage, throne, or platform decorations. They are placed to make it the central focus. Decorations like the Throne of Enlightenment that come with their own platform work as well.

Now imagine the medium and medium narrow as tables, podiums, surfaces to speak from, etc. You’ll notice tons of small hooks, but I promise I didn’t fall asleep while copy and pasting. The reason for so many small hooks is for the placement of banners, personnel, and chairs together. Though the hooks could be used for anything, the idea is that you would be able to line the area with banners yet still have room for seating in the event it’s an area for player use. You would also still have available hooks to populate the area with personnel decorations even with the banners and chairs.

https://i.imgur.com/hndv6pj.jpg

These layouts are for setting up barracks for many soldiers. Many strongholds are set up as bases of whatever faction or allegiance the character may hold.

Imagine the medium and medium narrow hooks as rows of beds and containers or decorations that stand in for personal effects. 6 is a little different from the rest in that the top medium and narrow hooks are arranged so that a data or communication system can be set up as well. Or whatever kind of system you may need to have very near your soldiers.

5 and 6 also have medium narrow hooks between the beds which can used to place tables or anything else that may be stuck in the middle of all the soldiers. Imagine the small hooks chairs, personnel, and small item personal effects.

https://i.imgur.com/1BuWGPz.jpg

The refugee camp layouts feature areas meant to represent tents, campgrounds, etc.

Imagine the large hooks as tents, large structures, or large decorations that may serve a focal point of some sort such as a large bolder in the middle of camp. It would probably also be a good idea to place flooring hooks in the center of each of the large hooks since many of the current tents used flooring hooks instead.

Then imagine the medium and medium narrow hooks as bunks, cots, containers and personal effects. Many of them are layered on top of large hooks so that they will be under the large tents. There is also room for setting up little command centers for 2, 8, and 9. They have a definite focal area. The small hooks are for things like personnel, lights, and stray chairs or banners.

https://i.imgur.com/DCdKrsu.jpg

The throne rooms are rooms meant to house a prominent feature with room for impressive decorations or an audience.

Imagine the large hooks with large statuary or civic pieces such as the throne of enlightenment. Now imagine the medium and medium narrow as a variety of civic decorations like fountains as well as consoles or tables. The small hooks can be used for personnel, banners, or lights.

https://i.imgur.com/7WpifpE.jpg

These layouts are meant to allow for bars and seating areas with the exception of 2 and 4 which are made to be a large bar or seating area respectively.

Imagine the large hooks as arrangements decorations such as the underworld bar or future platform decorations. Imagine the medium hooks as tables, couches, and various other surfaces that people might lounge around. 4 has a layout that is similar to one of the large hook layouts currently. Its four iterations of hooks arranged to accommodate seating around a singular table and they can be easily swapped out or combined with the currently available hook option that has a medium floor hook in the center.

Image the small hooks as seating and personnel decorations such as the waitress, serving droids, or various citizens.

https://i.imgur.com/GHxNK2u.jpg

This layout is for an office lobby, hotel lobby or some such thing. On these layouts even the medium hooks are layered. I think the layering of hooks is good because it allows for players to approximate decorations that don’t exist by stacking decorations on top of each other. It also allows for the use of the different hook types without having to switch out whole layouts just to get the right size.

The large hooks are layered and can be used for large desk or surface arrangements like the Underworld Bar, Arrangement: Executive Desk, or some future arrangement, hopefully desks like the ones at CZ-198. Imagine the medium and narrow hooks as potted plants, fountains, benches or whatever else. Imagine the small hooks as personnel and decorative features like plants, banners or lights.

https://i.imgur.com/p0DiN5v.jpg

These layouts are for setting up cubicles, worktables/workstations, etc.

The large hooks are layered in these layouts but imagine them as the focal points for those areas using some of the larger arrangement decoration. Now imagine the medium and narrow hooks as desks and tables for workers. They can also be used for the divider decorations or computer stations and consoles. Now imagine the small hooks as personnel and chairs mostly.

https://i.imgur.com/mnbvNV9.jpg

These layouts are made for turning an area into a plaza.

1 through 4 are centerpieces hooks with large through small hooks layered on top. 5 through 7 only have medium through small hooks on top. For 1 through 7, Imagine the centerpiece hooks used for large civic pieces like the Makeb gazebo or one of the large statues. The area is meant to be arranged around that major piece in the center.

All of the other hooks are meant for smaller statues, environmental decorations, fountains, benches, lights people, etc… Imagine also using these hooks for gardens.

https://i.imgur.com/aB1HSFC.jpg

These layouts are meant to make large hooks layouts easier to set up as stalls and kiosks.

Imagine the medium hooks as cabinets and supply storage the narrow hooks as tables or surfaces, and the small hook as personnel buying or selling. The small hooks can also be used for adding bits of decoration to sell the feel like some of the scavenging nodes use around a droid repair kiosk.

https://i.imgur.com/vUq3PyE.jpg

These are meant to make it easier to set up work areas.

Imagine the large hooks as being used for things like mounts or reasonably large things that can be worked on. Imagine the medium and narrow hooks as consoles and work surfaces then imagine the small hooks as people, things like toolboxes, debris piles and so on.