More cities (City Designer 3)

[Gandwarf]

Next WIP, most of the city is now complete. I just need to add more farms and houses. I want the area between the city walls and farmland to be empty, but it's looking a bit weird. Then again, I am used to cramming my maps full of stuff.

I will probably finish this map in 2 or 3 days.

[Hoel]

If you want, you could put a dry moat or ditch in there. And maybe series of blockhouses

[Gandwarf]

Yeah, I thought about a dry moat... with you suggesting it I might place it.
Problem is, I have written extensively about Meerzicht in my novels and it doesn't have a dry moat there

[Hoel]

"Oh bother" I think the term is.
Why shouldn't the fields go all the way to the walls? They don't provide don't block the line of fire for the defenders after all.
But think you could keep the area empty if you like, it doesn't look wrong to me.

[Midgardsormr]

It was common in the Middle Ages for a lord to designate a certain amount of space around the walls of a castle as pasture. No farming plots were granted there, and the lord received a tax for each animal put to pasture in that area. I'm not sure how that would work for a city, though. For one thing, the longer wall means a heck of a lot more pasturage, and the typical existence of a middle class in a city usually limited the powers of the lord to collect the more extortion-like taxes.

Even so, I can think of several reasons why farms might be forbidden within a certain distance from the walls. Religious, city planning, aesthetic, tradition, economic warfare on the part of landowners, etc. Is there a specific reason for it in this case?

[Gandwarf]

I think I will go with pasture lands, at least for some of the area. That is a nice idea, thanks. Maybe I'll put in a low stone wall or hedge to make sure the cattle don't escape.

They would want the area to be as clear as possible to make sure attacking forces are out in the open and can't use cover.

[Gandwarf]

A real quick update (just snapped a screenshot in CD3). I decided to go with a dry moat and I added some pastureland. I don't want enemies digging from the moat to the lake, because the moat would then flood with water and could potentially freeze later, so I added a protruding platform with two towers on each side. Attackers would now have to dig along the protruding wall to connect the lake to the moat.

The platforms can be used to shoot at attackers all along the wall as well and the platform wall is thick enough to withstand rams or siege engines for a long time.

So thanks for the tips Hoel and Midgard

[Steel General]

This is really turning out to be quite a cool one Gandwarf, great job.

[Hoel]

The moat looks great. Glad you added it.
I've really enjoyed the discussion in this thread

[Nomadic]

Looks good. Just remember that the moat makes it easier to undermine the walls. That's not a problem though unless a large and capable enemy attacks (one strong enough to hold the moat). Of course by that point the city is going to fall without reinforcements anyways. You could actually incorporate that into a game/story. On another note, not that you could really map it, but an effective counter to undermining would be a way to flood the moat. Anyhow, that's my 2cp. Again, it's looking wonderful.