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Thread: Work in progress could use advice

  1. #1

    Post Work in progress could use advice

    Well right now i am working on a pet project of a fortified city and i was wondering if i could get some advice on it
    The first section is in brown and that is the city it’s self the second part is a Calvary and infantry barracks and the inside the white area that I have yet to do is where I am paining on putting the dukes residence , but any ides or advice ?


    [IMG]H:\Reference\ART\Pictures\forts\Fort 01.jpg[/IMG]
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  2. #2
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    Ok what I see is that you have a clear concept for what you want, some kind of palace surrounded by, if not outright protected by, some type of defensive fortification surrounded by the city proper enclosed by walls and abutting a body of water. So far so good. The problems lie in the execution of the vision (I'm usually the opposite - not sure of what I envision). My first word of advice would be to read through the tutorial section and read only the ones that concern the software you possess or are familiar with. I, myself, had never done a city until I read the ones from RobA and Pyrandon where I learned a vast amount from them. My second word of advice would be to just plop down some black squares and rectangles to represent buildings so that you can see how the city would be laid out and use some gray lines to draw in some streets. Everything after is just adding detail and style. If you're somewhat intimidated by using some program then just break out the old pencil and paper to sketch out your ideas and later scan it in and just color it up. If you don't have a scanner then Kinko's can scan it onto a disc for you. At any rate, check those tutorials, do a little practice and see where you want to go.
    Last edited by Ascension; 07-28-2008 at 10:49 PM.

  3. #3
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    Here is a little 10 minute modification I did using what you already had. All I did was to add patterns on top of the various parts, threw down some rectangles and put in some roads. Since I use Photoshop I added some drop shadows, bevels, a beach, and clouds to break up the monotony. It's a rather simplistic mod but it's just something done quick to show you the next step in the evolution process.
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  4. #4

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    Hey revan54115110!

    Yeah it looks like you are starting to get the idea of the city together and have some initial plans and concepts. I agree with what Ascension suggested: Print it up, and just try your hand at a rough sketch (and scan). Then head over to the tutorial section and take a stab at some of the things that might work for your idea. Post it here and let the real fun start!

    Some things to keep in mind while getting started to help you out:
    1) Consider the history of the city - Where did it come from? What was the first structure(s)? What was it's purpose? Who built it? Is the city young or old?

    2) Think about life in your city - How do people travel in the city - e.g. walking, running, swimming? What is the "center" - e.g. a military base, a market, a wealthy borough? How do people migrate from one area to the next - e.g. main roads, boats, horses, carts, wagons?

    3) Think about tensions in the city (cities can be very diverse but very fragmented communities) - Are the merchants at odds with the duke? Are the sailors at odds with the caravans? Are the poor at odds with the rich? Are the native dwarves at odds with johnny-come-lately humans?

    4) Think about the economy of the city - Does is survive on trade by land, by sea, by flying eagle? Are the mines near by? Is the city the capital, an outpost, the last of it's kind?

    I hope that helps, and looking forward to what you come up with!

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