Well, I’ve been absent from these forums for a very long time, and so I thought it was time to make another update before gonig back into hibernation.
So, to business:
First things first, thansk to all the people who commented on this map, and apologies for not replying earlier.
@Max: thanks, we’ll see how it works out.
@Chashio I: I also liked the handwritten notes. I like the idea of a map that can be literally read. So the notes will be back, in some form. I’m holding off for now so I don’t spoil the surprise.
@Chashio II: I’ve quickly realised that trying to make an entire model of Birdseye in Sketchup would be one of the stupidest things I could do. Instead, quick mockups and close up views of some areas might be possible. My pictures below show some progress down that route.
@Chashio III: the big problem is that the shape of the rock is so irregular and very specific. I’m still trying to figure out the terrain side of things. Frankly, play dough might be the best option.
@AMXPariah: thanks. The profile was simply a quick sketch. My plan had been to do it more completely once the 3d model was finished, but that’s not likely to be anytime soon. Glad you like the layout – I spent a very long time working on it.
So, what’s been changed? The entire layout of the town has been revised. Most of it remains the same, but some sections have been virtually started from scratch. The biggest change is that the bridge has been moved, and I’ve also added a map of what lies under the arch of the bridge (I haven’t uploaded that picture, though). The areas on the bridge haven’t been finalised yet.
Why has this taken so long? Every part of this city has been scrupulously researched (Italian towns being my preferred type), and no changes were made unless I was sure they’d be worth it. To give some idea, I might spend a whole night thinking about the exact placement and arrangement of a staircase (and then change my mind and remove it the next day). I certainly can’t compete with Max for output, but [EDIT: bad joke].
And what are these pictures showing? The first shows the revised town plan (minus most of the bridge). The second shows a very quick mockup of the town in sketchup, to give an idea of how it might look (the actual town is meant to look much steeper but I’ll worry about that later). And the third shows my attempts to model buildings for Birdseye. The method involves created discrete segments that can then simply be joined together in almost any arrangement. They’ll also need more work, but you can see the effect from just a couple of buildings put together. I’m pretty pleased with it, myself, and again, all tediously researched and based on pictures of Italian medieval houses (although the textures are a bit off, I’ll admit).
Comments are, as always, very welcome. Please don’t be discouraged by the extremely long time between replying – I will keep updating this thread, it just might just take a few more months.