Durndl

[lisze]

The depth of my dissatisfaction is great.



I made the buildings in Inkscape (which I downloaded mostly for this map, though I've already found more uses for it). I don't want to do every block one at a time. It'd be *easier* to do bit by bit in inkscape, but my computer doesn't like doing that very much.

So now I'm wondering maybe mapping out which areas are primarily residential/etc and coloring them differently. Then marking important locations, landmarks, etc.

I don't know what to do.

In other news, I've figured out the basic guild system in Durndl. The guilds cover professions and if you practice that profession, you join that guild. Within each guild are Houses that compete with one another. When a House gets interesting info from another city, they tell their members first, then release it to the guild. The guilds didn't always work this way, but as their importance in Durndl grew, they expanded and changed. I have the guild list and they're ranking within the city (the highest ranked guilds are those that helped overthrow Elosian control of the city. That is how the Theater/Arts Guild became so important in Durndl). The guilds are active in the government, maintain dock space (the docks extend beyond the walls of the city. The outer docks are guarded by those who rent them), provide education (nearly all schooling in Durndl goes through the guilds; students don't have to participate in the guild, but that is one way to pay off school fees), and intercede if a guild member gets in trouble over seas. Guilds may also set a min/max on price/quality, but other than protecting against extremes, they usually leave that to the Houses to bicker out.

----

ETA: Is by hand really my best option? I started with some buildings over in in the Warren using Inkscape's path editing tool to make the buildings fit the shape of their blocks.


(The thin line going down one side is part of a grid I'm using to help me keep track of where I am.)

Surely, there is a more efficient way to do this.

[lisze]

So, I took a break from this for a little while. When I came back, I had the streets layer I used here that I'm not entirely sure how I made (though I think it involves some bitmap tracing in Inkscape, either that or messing up a tutorial). Anyway, I decided to work with that.

Also rather than trying to mark all the houses and such in the city, I'm only marking off major landmarks and such. It isn't the map I wanted, but I think I need a better scale to use the help I got toward my original goal.

Currently on this map:
Red Landmarks: The gates, a famous inn, a library, the seat of government, the courthouse, a library, a theater, and possibly a museum.
Yellow splotch: The main guild headquarters. (Larger buildings and such are nearer to gates and markets, but these are considered the main branches/etc)
Green patches: Parks (there are more green spaces. These are the largest and those known for their use in worship)
Red patches: The major markets. (The large square is the most famous, the one to its right is less prestigious and primarily imports, the one near the theater (bracket shaped building with green within and to the right) is mostly fine crafts and art, etc)
Blue Spots: Police stations (every ward has at least one)
Other red thing: The docks



What other landmarks should I add? Do I need more parks, you think?

[Ascension]

I like your varied widths on the streets - reminds me of a really big village with dirt roads and how people always cut the corners thus rounding things off. With paved streets things stay sharp and rigid. Where the streets are wider this would suggest that there's some important building there that gets a lot of traffic.

[ravells]

I really like the feel of this map which looks like it's been drawn with runny ink on canvas. It has real character. Keep going, Lisze!

[jbgibson]

More parks? Not necessarily. Why do your residents stay within the city wall? If they have to, and the city is prosperous and growing, there would be serious pressure on any open space. If your folks' technology is permitting taller buildings, then a lot of the growth could be upwards. On the other hand, if the prosperity is expressed in *some* of the locals getting filthy rich, then they might clear out a little breathing room around their homes, whether for safety, or for show & status, hence more parkland. If there's enough prosperity for some leisure, at least among some of the populace, maybe they need some athletic fields. Or if the Duke's retainers are required to maintain a bow and keep their archery skills up to date, maybe there need to be open-air firing ranges.

Reason I asked about era up front, was your misstart of a initial map looked like a more modern layout - a city center off to the side of a 'bypass'. Medieval patterns would more likely have main arteries going to and from the important city, with only minor routes going past instead. You have dodged that whole issue by focusing tightly within the walls, so that's a moot point. Still, your in-wall planning will benefit from what you're thinking about the surrounding spaces. For instance if there's thousands of acres of royal parklands just outside the gates, available to citizens, you could trim internal green space to the bone.

The latest version looks good. I sympathize with a wish for more detail. Other than insanity and hand cramps, putting in ten thousand buildings might not get you much, though. If you want to show the flavor of your city up close, maybe you could do an inset of the couple of blocks right around some really important feature -- leave it to the viewer's imagination to populate the other 500 city blocks with similar buildings. Make him work a bit :-).