I think if we can use the server HenriDeacon has to plan, we can just go in there and mess about with buildings, so we have an idea of what we could build. I don't think we're going to manage to get it organised and built in time, but we can try.
I think we need to start the planning in stages, so we're not trying to deal with one big thing that's going to take too long to decide on... Break it into bits and get the bits all decided upon, rather than trying to decide on the whole mountain.
So if we can get the basics decided on first, we can progress from there.
Or would people prefer if we got a "committee" organise with a couple of people, who make all the basic decisions and then everyone else just comes in and builds to the theme already planned? - but with the ability to design their own buildings within that theme. (if so, who would be on the committee?)
So....
We've decided it's a floating city with industrial/steampunk type construction.. We need opinions on:
- How many islands and of what size? - Do you want to see 1 large island?, 3 large islands with a couple of smaller ones? 1 large central island with smaller ones around it? - what sort of look do you have in mind?
I'd like to see one large island in the centre with maybe half sized (but can be varying size) islands around it, at different heights for status... maybe the occasional tiny island that has like a tree on it...
- Island/s floating above what? - Water? land? nothing? How high up above this do you think they should be? (just floating a small way above or high enough that you can clearly see the under side of the islands) Is the island itself more important than what is below it, or is it an extension of the world below?
If you build a world from scratch, is there just vacant space below, or is there a bedrock level? I think it should either be floating above absolute nothingness, or well above water (just so that the islands themselves are the focal point and not any irrelevant land below) - I also think we should, for speed, create the islands in voxel and then build as our time lapse.
- What goes on these islands? (in a basic sense - detail can come later) Do we want just large industrial buildings on it? Do we want houses and shops and churches and other buildings you'd find in a town/city? If we have multiple islands, do we want them to reflect a part of the overall world? - like having them designated higher or lower status by the style of buildings and the level of the island in the space....
I've already given my idea of one central industrial zone, with additional islands around it with housing and other town buildings, parks and so on, in different heights.
- Islands connected or floating separate? Will they connect at all? with bridges? (foot bridges or railway bridges?) will some islands connect and some not?
I think it depends on how far away the islands are, but I like the idea of the smaller islands having some connections but not too many (or you lose the sense of islands, and the centre one being unconnected
- Is all the building done on the top side of the islands? Will some buildings be on the edges and almost drip down over the sides? Will there be anything built on the underneath of the islands? will all building be done on the top surface? or a combination?
I think most construction should be on the top surface, but I do like the idea of having the slums built under the main industrial part like a stalactite... I think some buildings going over the edge could look cool too.
- How do the islands float? - they just float on their own? they have propellers under them? Are they suspended by large balloons? (so they are almost like gigantic airships) or something else?
I think just plain floating would be good, I don't like the ones that I've seen that use propellers (since they don't look realistic in my view, you see this jumble of blocks and then realise it's supposed to be a propeller). If they were going to be suspended by balloons then there would need to be quite a distance between each one to allow space for the balloon parts (as they would need to be a reasonable distance from eachother)
- How can we bring Steampunk into it? - Airships are a commonly associated with steampunk, so since the city is in the air, that's pretty much a given... but what else?
If the scale of the buildings is large enough, we might be able to get some cog-like machinery made.... things like the lava and water tubes Bazz has in his Sanctuary Airship factory look good. If we go with Glimmar's texture pack, a lot of the paintings are cogs and machinery, which will help to give it the right feel that we can't do with blocks.
- texture pack -The Glimar's steampunk pack has been suggested, does anyone have any alternative suggestions? This is a big decision as it shapes the look of the build really...
and we can password / whitelist it.
