Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 14

Thread: November/December 2013 Lite Challenge: Kessila

  1. #1
    Guild Journeyer
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    125

    Default November/December 2013 Lite Challenge: Kessila

    This looks like another fun challenge, and I have a(n old and rather neglected) world in need of a colony town.

    Supplementary Information:
    Kessila sits just west of a mountain range and a good distance east of an ocean-connected sea. The sea region was briefly home to a large empire, but internal politics eventually caused the empire to fracture. In the early days of the empire a Wall was established to guard the main pass which nomadic raiders used to cross the eastern mountain range and prey on the outskirts of the empire. During the generations of warring after the empire's collapse the raiders finally breached the defenses and destroyed many of the towns nearest the Wall.
    After the warring ended three powerful states emerged, and working together they repaired and extended the Wall. New colonial settlements were established along the Wall to provide strategic reinforcement, expand the influence of the states and help with burgeoning populations. By this time the tech level of this part of the world looks something similar to Ancient Greeks/Romans. In Kessila we will hopefully see that influence in the ordered approach to the layout.
    Although there will be six or seven cities established along the Wall during this time, the thing that sets Kessila apart (and what qualifies it as an entry for a 'colonies' challenge) is that it is not just one settlement, but three, with two of the major powers and a religious cult all showing interest in settling the location.
    Kessila is built over one of the razed towns, which was itself built on an older sanctuary. Kessila is in a drier region, so I originally wanted it supplied by a Qanat-style water system emerging from a cliff face. Although the Qanat idea may not be used, the idea lead me to (4th century bc) Priene, which I thought had unique features inspiring some character in what could be an otherwise very ordered and orthogonal town layout. I will try to let Priene inspire me despite Kessila being nowhere near a large body of water. I feel like the topo will be an important element, so I will spend some time laying that out here at the beginning, and maybe continue to refine it as I go along. The topo will definitely have to feature in the final layout, but I am not sure yet how much or what detail should be seen in the town itself.

    Haverfield (in Ancient Town Planning) give us some numbers for streets/blocks in Priene, so we have something to work with concerning scale.

    ...and some eighty blocks of private houses, each block measuring on an average 40 x 50 yds. and containing four or five houses. The broader streets, rarely more that 23 ft. wide, ran level along the terraces and parallel to one another. Other narrower streets, generally about 10 ft. wide, ran at right angles up the slopes, with steps like those of the older Scarborough or of Assisi...
    Priene - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    ### Latest WIP ###
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Kessila1.gif 
Views:	9021 
Size:	348.8 KB 
ID:	59264

    There is not much to look at yet, just a first draft of the topo. The center of the map is an oversized hill, and the top of it will eventually be walled off as a sort of fort/acropolis. Below that is a square roughly the size of Priene sitting on a plateau. I already want to redo some parts of the topo, but the next step will getting Kessila's areas walled off and doing a rough layout of the streets. I am not sure how much of this will be visible in the final layout, I may end up cropping out the acropolis area to focus more on the town itself.

  2. #2
    Guild Journeyer
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    125

    Default Quick Update

    Started on the layout of the town, not completely happy with where I stopped, but I feel it is far enough that I can let it stew in my mind over thanksgiving.

    ### Latest WIP ###
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Kessila2.gif 
Views:	7697 
Size:	472.6 KB 
ID:	59283

  3. #3
    Guild Journeyer
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    125

    Default A bit of Layout

    I ended up having a little unexpected free time today so I looked at some potential layouts. I put the best of a mediocre bunch below, but I am still not committed to the look.

    I liked Diamond's emblems in his Panhartha map, and I thought it might be interesting to use a similar effect for the symbols of the three factions participating in the settlement. There will be corresponding text for each faction as well, and on the right side there is room for an additional visual element, either a regional map or maybe a hand-sketchy aerial. The whole thing feels a little cartoony to me, but maybe that is because the graphics are not in yet. We will see.

    ### Latest WIP ###
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Kessila3-2.gif 
Views:	622 
Size:	1.67 MB 
ID:	59373

  4. #4
    Guild Journeyer Thurlor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia
    Posts
    126

    Default

    Really interested in seeing where this is going. I'm a sucker for most maps with good contour lines or city maps.

    To me (a symmetry addict) the bottom left corner looks out of place. Maybe have a fourth symbol (for the city/town).

  5. #5

    Default

    I love this map, RedKettle. I'm really curious to see how it evolves! I love the contours shot from the side in the inset, it really does a good job of showing how your height lines play out.

  6. #6
    Guild Expert Guild Supporter Lingon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Sweden
    Posts
    1,212

    Default

    Your layout looks really good! To me, an asymmetry addict, the bottom left corner is perfect Though it's the right side that really steals the show of course. I'm seeing this map with a lot of gold, brown and white in the color scheme, with hints of light blue…

  7. #7
    Guild Journeyer
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    125

    Default Directions

    Thurlor, Lingon, you are both correct. In this layout the street grid does a good job moving eyes from the lower left to center right, so despite my symmetric tendencies adding some asymmetry helps develop some tension. However, to me it feels like I was a bit too successful, and instead of a -tension- feeling I almost get a -wrong- feeling. This may partially be from the street grid, but I think that the separate text areas are already making the composition feel crowded and oddly disorganized. Back to the drawing board I suppose. I've put a few of the other unsuccessful candidates below. Still not sure how this will all lay out.
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Kessila3-2b.gif 
Views:	242 
Size:	429.3 KB 
ID:	59510Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Kessila3-2c.gif 
Views:	345 
Size:	405.9 KB 
ID:	59511Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Kessila3-2d.gif 
Views:	527 
Size:	506.2 KB 
ID:	59512Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Kessila3-2e.gif 
Views:	981 
Size:	520.3 KB 
ID:	59513

    The other question is what information I want to show. A quick aerial sketch would include the 'roof' view to some extent, so repeating that on the top down map feels repetitive. At first I was thinking of drawing out the first floor plans for the buildings (inspired by domus/insula), but the scale might be a little too small for things to be easily legible. Another option might be a diagrammatic map showing the colony before it has been inhabited, maybe with information on who (by family/faction) has been assigned to each plot. I am a little frustrated with myself for having to stop here without knowing where I am going, but I guess it will have to wait another day.

    Finally, I like Lingon's ideas for coloring. I had been thinking in terms of golds/browns and silver grays, but I knew I needed a few more colors in the palette.

    As always, thanks everyone for the encouragement, and comments/questions/derisions/applause are always welcome.

  8. #8
    Guild Adept fabio p's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Roma, Italia
    Posts
    306

    Default

    I prefer the layout you posted on 27 november.
    Maybe I do not like much the second one, starting from the left, posted today, 2 dec: the circle and the oval are too big compared to the city layout and you want to give more importance to the city, not to what's inside the circle and the oval.
    But, excluding this single exception, I think you can even random choose one of your layouts and move on, as they seem to me all quite good.

  9. #9
    Guild Expert Guild Supporter Lingon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Sweden
    Posts
    1,212

    Default

    I'm with Fabio, your first layout was the best. Very well balanced and designed. The others are really cool too, but none of them match the first. You have a point about the separate text areas though, at least if it's going to be one coherent text. You could move the circular graphic (in the first design) to the top right corner and combine the text boxes into one large below it, maybe?

  10. #10
    Guild Journeyer
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    125

    Default

    You guys are probably correct that it is the strongest composition, I was hoping someone would see something I am not. I will probably move to adding details to the walls and civic buildings next to avoid committing to a layout right away.

    So there is something to look at, here is a study with the elevation shown as a colored height map. It creates a Triangle of Action which helps balance things as well.

    ### Latest WIP ###
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Kessila4-3c.jpg 
Views:	233 
Size:	4.27 MB 
ID:	59532

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •