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Art Request: World Building

   
Art Request: World Building

I'm currently building a game that I plan on running in the near future. Unfortunately, I'm lacking in artwork. I can find a lot of the artwork I need through google images, but there are just some things that aren't going to be there, no matter how hard I look.

For now, I need the hand of somebody who's great at drawing buildings and landscapes.

The game takes place on a small island with a single town of about 3,000 people. The city takes up less than half the island, and the rest is forested, with hilly terrain.

However, the island itself can wait. What I really need right now is a drawing for the academy situated on the island. The school is a magic academy that takes a practical approach to teaching. The magic in the setting is all elemental (meaning fire/earth/water/air), and the school has a sprawling grounds, with areas dedicated solely to training those specific elements. For example, some of the school buildings may be situated directly off the beach, so that they're connected to the training ground situated directly on top of a local tide pool, while others are nestled into a natural rock formation deeper in the island, so the earth-users can practice their craft.

This is a very fluid idea right now, but "practicality from a magician's standpoint" is the primary theme, here.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greyfeld View Post
What I really need right now is a drawing for the academy situated on the island. The school is a magic academy that takes a practical approach to teaching. The magic in the setting is all elemental (meaning fire/earth/water/air), and the school has a sprawling grounds, with areas dedicated solely to training those specific elements. For example, some of the school buildings may be situated directly off the beach, so that they're connected to the training ground situated directly on top of a local tide pool, while others are nestled into a natural rock formation deeper in the island, so the earth-users can practice their craft.
Is the Academy in the city?
How big is the Academy compared to the entire island, and/or compared to the city? 1/4 of the island, including some portions in the hills and forests?
Have you considered different campuses, instead of spreading the Academy over such a large area?
What kind of architecture are you after? Greek style squarish buildings with columns, made of stone? More medieval with wooden framed stone brick walls?

I'm only a sketcher, but I'm inspired by your ideas, and will be creating some images based on your island, whether you will use them or not.
Thanks very much.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaviien View Post
Is the Academy in the city?
How big is the Academy compared to the entire island, and/or compared to the city? 1/4 of the island, including some portions in the hills and forests?
Have you considered different campuses, instead of spreading the Academy over such a large area?
What kind of architecture are you after? Greek style squarish buildings with columns, made of stone? More medieval with wooden framed stone brick walls?

I'm only a sketcher, but I'm inspired by your ideas, and will be creating some images based on your island, whether you will use them or not.
Thanks very much.
The academy itself is most likely on the edge of the city, or just outside of it. The city is sort of run and operated by the same people who run the two academies in town, so they sort of hold a place of prominence. That, of course, and teaching students to fling around elemental magic isn't something you want to do in the center of a city.

Ummmm... I hadn't really given the overall size much consideration. I don't want it to be quite THAT big. As I said, there's another academy on the island as well, and they have to share space. This is the picture I'm using for the other academy. Where that one is built upward, I sort of want this one built outward.

I actually did consider different campuses, but the political nature of the schools would prevent one of them from having buildings scattered all over the island, I think. If one of them was laying stake to that much land, the founders of the other school would have seen it as a sort of "power play."

I hadn't actually given much thought to the style. The schools were founded in 1715, on an island off the coast of western europe. I still haven't decided if that means Britain, or something in the Mediterranean. So, if that gives you any ideas, let me know.

For what it's worth, I got the idea from this picture. You notice how the little town area sprawls onto the water, and into a few outcroppings of rock? I was going for something similar to that. The reason I didn't just use that picture is because the airships and the floating island in the background gives way too much of a "fantasy" vibe than I would like.

Edit: I'm sorry if I'm not explaining myself very well. I tend to come up with grand ideas, but have a hard time putting details to them. That's why I sort of left it open for interpretation. I can tell if I like something or not (and why), but until I see it, I have a hard time really getting a clear picture in my head.

That's very helpful, especially the images.
Quote:
The city takes up less than half the island
Is that including the 2 academies?
Quote:
the little town area sprawls onto the water, and into a few outcroppings of rock?
You want some of the beach front academy buildings out in the water?

I'm thinking this academy will be like a city wall. Like, but not an actual wall. Running from the ocean, all the way in to the centre of the island. A thinish strip of buildings, with the main building halfway between the ocean front buildings and the earth buildings towards the centre.

Is there a volcano or something, to base the fire buildings near, or should that maybe be near the beach as well, in case they need some water...?

1715 Western Europe will give me plenty of inspiration for style, I should think, as did the image of the other academy.
Feel free to keep throwing your random ideas around, it's how I work best as well.

Have you thought about creating a world building wiki?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaviien View Post
Is that including the 2 academies?
That was the original idea. But I'm always open to new ideas. I thought maybe the academies might be the size of your average highschool. The schools, combined, should definitely be smaller than half the city proper. Of the 3,000-ish population of the island, students make up about 1/5-1/6 of that, in total.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaviien View Post
You want some of the beach front academy buildings out in the water?
I was thinking maybe in like, a sort of tide pool. Not out in the ocean proper, but just built over a little gulf that curves into the island.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaviien View Post
I'm thinking this academy will be like a city wall. Like, but not an actual wall. Running from the ocean, all the way in to the centre of the island. A thinish strip of buildings, with the main building halfway between the ocean front buildings and the earth buildings towards the centre.
I'd like to see it.

Another idea is to have the school built into a cliff face, overhanging the water. Have the core building on the edge of the cliff, earth training rooms buried inside the cliff, air training facilities built onto the side of the cliff itself, then water training buildings running all the way down to the water.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaviien View Post
Is there a volcano or something, to base the fire buildings near, or should that maybe be near the beach as well, in case they need some water...?
This is actually something I've been struggling with. I considered a volcano on the island for this very reason, but pulled away from the idea, to avoid too much cliche. But other than that, I'm not entirely sure what sort of facilities would work best for the fire users.

I kinda feel something very obvious is staring me right in the face, but I'm completely missing it. I ask myself, "What would a person need to train for using fire magic?" and I completely draw a blank.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaviien View Post
Have you thought about creating a world building wiki?
I'm not sure what you mean.

Quote:
I kinda feel something very obvious is staring me right in the face, but I'm completely missing it. I ask myself, "What would a person need to train for using fire magic?" and I completely draw a blank.
I was thinking they would need stuff to burn, and maybe they could just be in the forest, but not sure how the general population would feel about the constant threat of their island burning down...

Myth wiki world building something something Just something to think about. If you use a wiki, it may be easier to keep track of notes etc.

One last question, do you have any ideas of the shape of your island, or anything important?
I'll put together a very quick concept sketch, which won't be pretty, just for layout and stuff. Thanks for the inspiration.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaviien View Post
I was thinking they would need stuff to burn, and maybe they could just be in the forest, but not sure how the general population would feel about the constant threat of their island burning down...

Myth wiki world building something something Just something to think about. If you use a wiki, it may be easier to keep track of notes etc.

One last question, do you have any ideas of the shape of your island, or anything important?
I'll put together a very quick concept sketch, which won't be pretty, just for layout and stuff. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hmmm never used the wiki before, been keeping all my notes in my forum. I'll look into it.

Ummm... I kinda wanted something a little asymetrical. You know, something that looks natural. Nothing "perfect crescent" or "perfect circle," or anything like that.

I actually did a google search and found a couple real island images that look intriguing as a base with which to draw new ideas from.

http://media-3.web.britannica.com/eb...4-E02EBE3E.jpg
http://volnomuvolya.com/images/deser...d%20344334.jpg

I actually really like the second one, because its shape is sort of unique, but it still looks like it could have happened over a few centuries, and a few dozen volcanic eruptions.

LMAO is this you, Greyfeld? http://www.outspark.com/forums/showt...eld-quot-sucks

I started doing a quick sketch, showing the layout of the island, and reading through your notes, realised you said you JUST want the Academy for now. The general layout is still important, to me at least, but I canned that, pasted in a few snippets from the images you linked, just to see if this is where you would like the new Academy.

I'll do a better sketch, of just the Academy, starting with the main building, and working my way down to the Fire Campus, in the foreground.
With the ideas you've given me, I think I can get all of the campuses in the one image, except the Earth campus, if you want it inside the cliffs. I may be able to re jiggle some things, maybe have the cliffs facing back towards the mainland, or draw from the ocean side.
Anyway, basically, one Clifftop Academy Great Hall, coming right up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaviien View Post
LMAO is this you, Greyfeld? http://www.outspark.com/forums/showt...eld-quot-sucks
LOL yes, that is me. I haven't played that game in quite a long time. How did you stumble onto that thread?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaviien View Post
I started doing a quick sketch, showing the layout of the island, and reading through your notes, realised you said you JUST want the Academy for now. The general layout is still important, to me at least, but I canned that, pasted in a few snippets from the images you linked, just to see if this is where you would like the new Academy.

I'll do a better sketch, of just the Academy, starting with the main building, and working my way down to the Fire Campus, in the foreground.
With the ideas you've given me, I think I can get all of the campuses in the one image, except the Earth campus, if you want it inside the cliffs. I may be able to re jiggle some things, maybe have the cliffs facing back towards the mainland, or draw from the ocean side.
Anyway, basically, one Clifftop Academy Great Hall, coming right up.
That's actually not a bad idea, the current layout you have. The triangle layout appeals to my sense of symmetry, while still making sense in the layout of the island.

I'm thinking, with the fire hall, it should have high, fire-retardant walls (some sort of stone), but stacked with burnable materials (IE lumber), which explains the proximity to the forest. Maybe some sort of detachable wall section so that advance fire students can practice controlling their flames in the wind, but with a firebreak set up just behind the training hall to avoid accidentally sparking wildfires. What do you think?

Yeah that's what I'm thinking. Firebreaks created by the Earth students?
I was talking to my wife, and came up with another layout, more like my original "wall like" idea. Main building on and in the cliffs, water building/s where they are in my sketch, earth training area around the base of the mountains/volcano* then an air training area on the mountainside, and I was thinking fire training in, or on the rim of the volcano, but as I write this, I'm thinking a small, inactive volcano crater would make a great firebreak, with maybe advanced training area on the rim of the volcano, for all elements.

I found that thread by googling Greyfeld. I was looking to see if I could find more info on your world. I like the sound of your new class, but having never played a game yet, I didn't bother reading the details.

I'm going to start by sketching the main building, on a clifftop like the above image, and the rest can come later.
How different do you want it to look, compared to the other Academy, and comparing both academies to the town centre?
Are the Academies newer, or older, or all similarish?

I'm thinking upper class/markets etc near the coast, and have a few large houses up in the hills, with lower class areas scaling in between, as in:
Ocean, market, city centre, middle class, lower class, middle class, hills, upper class, volcano in the centre. Academy either side. I'll paint my original sketch with labels, to show exactly what I mean.




 

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