Norrathian Spotlight – The Captivating Designs of Jerry Dechant

The Norrathian Spotlight is an opportunity for the EQ2 Community to recognize one player per month who contributes to the player community in some measurable way. The last official nomination was in January 2015 when I was featured. I’m overjoyed to announce that fellow EQ2 players take up the mantle of identifying one player per month and interviewing them about how they make Norrath just a little bit better for everyone else.

From Suka on the EQ2 Forums:

Hi everyone.

Starting this month, we will try to spotlight one person a month who contributes to our experience in Norrath. You can nominate people for us to spotlight in this thread.

This month, we have chosen Jerry Dechant for our spotlight. A talented designer, he has made a lot of wonderful items for Player Studio. He is also no slouch when it comes to decorating houses. We will give a few sneak peaks at some of his items that have been submitted recently and in the reply, we will also show some screenshots of his houses. As usual, we are limited to 10000 words so if we go over it, we will use the reply feature to get it all in.

Suka:How did you get started in designing?

Jerry: When I was very young, I wanted to be an artist and/or teacher, but my parents didn’t encourage me to follow that path in life. Even so, I’ve always enjoyed art while in school and beyond, I’ve been being creative in various ways throughout my life. I had downloaded Blender quite some time before SoE announced the Player Studio Program, but I hadn’t really done much with it before then. So when I started making stuff for Player Studio, I was really a total newbie to 3D art. I continue to learn as I go.

Suka: Where do you get inspiration from?

Jerry: Initially, I wanted to make stuff that I wanted to use in my own decorating efforts, but eventually, I turned to the other decorators via in game chat and the Homeshow Forum and Facebook Page for suggestions for things they’d like. Most of the stuff I make now is by someone’s suggestion. I look around on the web for ideas on how stuff looks, them make my own version(s) of that.

Suka: What was your very first piece?

Jerry: I guess, if you take it out of context, the first thing I submitted was pretty funny. It was something not only I wanted for in game, but others had expressed an interest in having such an item, so the very first thing I submitted was a toilet paper holder. It didn’t get approved. I guess Norrathians don’t use toilet paper  Eventually though, I made a whole bathroom set in the GnomeWorks Workshop style, and that stuff is on the Player Studio Marketplace now.

Suka: What were your favorite pieces to make?

Jerry: Gosh, I’ve made hundreds of items, it is hard to pick one as a favorite. I like how most of them turned out and I’m delighted when I see them in other player’s homes. I made a couple of Japanese type swords along with a sword stand to hold them. I really like that stuff, but they declined them without comment.

Suka: Where can we go to follow your design efforts?

Jerry: I have a Facebook Group named “Jerry Dechant’s Player Studio Stuff” Everyone who is interested in seeing the stuff I’m working on, and make suggestions for things they’d like to have in game, can join the group. I don’t promise I will make everything requested, but if it is something I believe I am able to create successfully, and I think the Devs will approve it, I will make it.

I also have a topic in the Daybreak Games Forums under the Homeshow section titled, “Player Studio Items I’ve Created.” Typically, I post pictures of stuff I’m working on and/or have submitted there too since not everyone like Facebook.

Suka: How hard is it to get a design published?

Jerry: If one follows the technical guidelines for submitting Player Studio items, as well as creates items the player community wants and will buy, and if the dev team likes it, the likelihood it will show up on the marketplace is pretty good. When I make stuff these days, I make it in such a way as to minimize the work involved for the game staff to get the item added to the marketplace, and also so I don’t have to make revisions which take a lot of my time and theirs as well to do another review.

Suka: Do you have any websites?

Jerry: I have a website, but it isn’t art related. “Good Vibrations with Jerry Dechant”.

Suka: Tell us more about your work.

Jerry: Since I’ve retired from my job at Hewlett-Packard Company as a Patent Paralegal, I spend most of the daytime hours, (and sometimes long into the nights,) working on the stuff I make for Player Studio. If I was to be paid an hourly wage for the stuff I make, and the items were priced accordingly, they’d probably cost a hundred dollars or more. (good thing they don’t huh?)

Suka: Talk to us about you.

Jerry: As I mentioned in the prior comments, I’m retired. I worked for HP from 1981 to 2012. During that time I primarily first worked in the Printed Circuit Fabrication Shop in various capacities, then when given the opportunity, started work in the Patent section of HP’s legal department.

I’m originally from Hays, Kansas. Moved to Colorado Springs when I got out of the US Navy where I had been an Aviation Electrician stationed at Moffet Field NAS, which is partly why I now live in Mountain View, CA which is where the Naval Air Station is located. When I lived in Colorado and was working in the Printed Circuit Board Fabrication shop, they were closing down that shop and gave us the opportunity to relocate to another location. So since I liked the Mountain View area of California, I told my boss, if I had to move anywhere, that’s where I’d like to live, so I got transferred out here to California and have lived here since 1987.

Outside of work, I’ve pursued acting, wrote an album’s worth of songs which I produced and performed all the instrumentation. I also like playing golf, going to the movies, going sightseeing and stuff like that. As I previously stated, I spend most my time these days making Player Studio stuff, and of course playing EQ2 where I have 14 toons to keep me busy. I’ve played EQ2 ever since it first started and have enjoyed playing it for many years.

A sneak peek at some designs to come:

Suka: How long have you been playing?

Jerry: I started playing EQ1 about 3 months after it was released. When EQ2 came out, I started playing that and have been playing it ever since.

Suka: Which server do you play on?

Jerry: Currently on the Halls of Fate server.

Suka: What toons do you play?

Jerry: I have 14 characters of various races, my main character is Rawl, a Ratonga Dirge who is master crafter, tinker and transmuter adorner. I currently have 6 of the 14 characters at lvl 100. Amongst them all, I have master crafters for each tradeskill type as well.

Suka: What do you enjoy most about the game?

Jerry: I like that you aren’t required to follow a certain path to completion of the game, like so many games are designed. I like that you can do pretty much anything you want within the world of Norrath and there are things for any play style interest to spend their time doing. I particularly like the housing system and the abilities to decorate homes in any way you want.

Suka: Do you craft? What is your favorite tradeskill class and why?

Jerry: Specks is my Master Carpenter. Since I like decorating homes, he makes most the stuff I use in the creation of the decorating endeavors. As I mentioned before, I have master crafters for each trade skill, so when I need something made, one of my own toons can make it.

Suka: Is there anything else you want us to know about you and your designs?

Jerry: I believe each of us is here to find the joy of life in each moment lived. A joyous like as it unfolds is like a pearl necklace with each joyous moment adding a bead to the necklace. The beauty of a life well lived is reflected in the beads of the necklace. Take time to find your joy and dwell in those moments as much as possible.
As far as my Player Studio creations, I thank all of you who’ve contributed in some way to the success I’ve enjoyed by making these items for all of you. I appreciate constructive critiques and suggestions. I hope I’ve made at least one thing that brings a smile to your face, and joy into your heart. Thank you all very much.

Suka: Can we tour your finished houses? Can you tell us which ones are published and under what toons?

Jerry: These are published under Massive Homes

Bloodwing – Bloodwing’s Grand Hall of Fame Dome and Home (where you will find portals to all my houses)

(dome is made of books!)

Leaf Leaf’s – Super Leaf Dome Home

Rajani – Rajani’s Palace

Rawl – Rawl’s Pool Party Retreat

Speck – To the Moon Alice

Wizdum – Wizneyland

There is much more to see than I can show here. You can go to visit or view some of the pics here:
http://s328.photobucket.com/user/eq2showcase/slideshow/Jerry Dechant
http://s328.photobucket.com/user/eq2showcase/library/Jerry Dechant?
http://s328.photobucket.com/user/eq2showcase/slideshow/Jerry Dechant/Jerry houses
http://s328.photobucket.com/user/eq2showcase/library/Jerry Dechant/Jerry houses