Timelapse Build - the initial design

[Sorontar]

We have decided to build an industrial Steampunk city (Timelapse Build - single vote on the theme (round 2)). The full suggested description was:

Floating industrial/steampunk city - not so much a floating palace of beauty and wonder type deal, more functional and gritty, eg giant engines with exausts caked in soot, warehouses, docks, big waste pipes out the bottom etc etc.

The aim is to build this as a community project, on a new MC 1.2 world, and record the construction so that we can make a timelapse video.

However, we still need to design it. This involves working out what sort of initial world we want, what types of buildings and other aspects we want and other design factors.

We are also looking for volunteers who wish to take on roles within the project. People are welcome to take on management positions within the project or just take responsibility for small components. All are welcome to contribute to the discussions.

Design the past city of the future today!

Sorontar

[Hoathy]

Pretty excited for this project. I'm more than happy to help out in anyway needed. I'll start doing some research into design so I can help with the planning stage

[Obsi]

Right cool

I think Bazz should be chief designer Given he has already done a Steampunk inspired project.

Given we're wanting a floating city thing... should we start with just the flat world template, build the floating city base island thing up in the air a bit and build from there? (we could flood the ground with water to make it look like it's floating above the ocean) - with the new world height we shouldn't have any problems having enough height even if we do that.... or use some sort of world editing thing to make a floating island that doesn't have land under it (might not look as nice though with nothingness underneath)


What might be a good idea is if we can all think of some ideas we think would be good to incorporate and post them... Building designs, machinery designs, town layout..... So we can start getting some ideas together. Even better if you can go into a SP game and play about with some designs of things, and post the pics here. (If anyone has problems posting pics, shout out and we can help)

And we need to think of a texture pack. I know Bazz's vote would be Glimmar's - Glimmar's Steampunk v3.7.1[32X][1.2] Animated Cogs & Alchemy at Work in a Dark Victorian Industrial World -UPDATED 28thFeb-Fixes & 64x water,lava,etc - Minecraft Forum

Any other suggestions?

[Bazz]

Sorry - wanted to get some ideas down before I forgot.

I think Obsi's post further down sounds like a good idea - I like the idea of the central industrial heart, with different districts radiating out from it - also like the idea of these being at different levels to give it depth and interest.

I think if instead of trying to each complete a full district, we could build several buildings each - I think the single texture pack will tie in the different designs, and once we have a catalouge of buildings, we can start to assign them to different areas etc.

So for overall look (and this is very very rough):


Any one who wishes to have a play around with designs can do so near the air factory if they wish (and too check out the steampunk pack if youd like!)

Here's a quick pic of what the pack looks like:

[HenriDeacon]

Maybe the big industrial buildings upon massive platforms in the sky, owned by a greedy mining company and zepplins floating around them. The ground level being the poor slums where the oppressed workers live. Sewers, dirty rail system, small cramped houses

[DaedalusAlpha]

You need at least one giant steam powered spider

[Misnik]

Originally Posted by Obsi

And we need to think of a texture pack. I know Bazz's vote would be Glimmar's - Glimmar's Steampunk v3.7.1[32X][1.2] Animated Cogs & Alchemy at Work in a Dark Victorian Industrial World -UPDATED 28thFeb-Fixes & 64x water,lava,etc - Minecraft Forum

An overall texture patch would make it certainly make it look more authentic.

If we break the 'City' into districts that might help. Then people can pick what kind of district they want to work on.

I like the idea of the lower and upper floating city, that is used in a lot of different books and genres like scifi.


example:
Residential - lower class
Residential - upper class
Industrial
Harbor - land/sea
Harbor - Air
Mercantile
Governmental


For a single floating city to keep people from overlapping too much could designate a central hub/line...Fancy boulevard and build out from there:

..... industrial.......|.........Harbor............|.... Merchantile
. -------------------------------------------------------
....Low Housing.....|........Governmental...|...High Housing

[HenriDeacon]

You are welcome to jump on my 1.2 server to trace out any rough ideas for the build. I can reset the map to flat if we are going to use that format.

Creative and flying are enabled.

IP: 203.217.24.110
Port: 25565

[Obsi]

If we break the 'City' into districts that might help. Then people can pick what kind of district they want to work on.

I was thinking it would be good to do that too - not only to break the build up into a few different focal points, but also to allow a bit more variety, because the different districts could easily then take on a different look, and still look like they are part of the same build.

Different levels could work nicely. They wouldn't even have to necessarily be one level below another, they could radiate out like spokes on a wheel but at different heights depending on class.

So here's my idea -

There could be a centre large island that has the large industrial buildings and machinery - forming the industrial heart of the world - with the smaller islands around it, which would be the more residential areas of the world.

Upperclass ones would be above the ground level of the industrial section, and have fancier looking buildings, more landscaping/gardens and decorations for example. There could even be a couple of small islands that are parks... stuff like that.

Middleclass would be below the level of the Industrial section. Perhaps have the houses more tightly packed together, and smaller and less fancy, less gardens and landscaping.

We would have to decide if the outlying islands connect to the centre one or not. Perhaps not, and we can add a couple of smallish airships to show how people travel around. Though I think it could be nice to have some smaller islands connected with arched bridges in the districts.... maybe having each district separated from the main industrial section by a reasonable distance but those districts being made up of a cluster of islands that are closer together and some connect.

We could have the slums directly below the central industrial part. As the people living there work in the factories above, so it's easier to get to work, and they can't afford airships to get to the other districts, so have to live where they can get to the city.... an it's the dark (on account of the city above blocking the sun) and uninspiring part - so would be very slummy. Perhaps as an upside down city - so you've got the buildings coming down from the ground that the city above is on (like a stalactite, only squarer), with some interconnecting bridges and stuff to make it look interesting. We could make hanging lights to light that underneath area (so you can see everything) by using fenceposts as the cable, and glowstone as the "bulbs" - which would also soften the look of that underground area, and almost take on the look of roots or something hanging down from the land above.

[Misnik]

Originally Posted by Obsi

Perhaps as an upside down city - so you've got the buildings coming down from the ground that the city above is on (like a stalactite, only squarer), with some interconnecting bridges and stuff to make it look interesting. We could make hanging lights to light that underneath area (so you can see everything) by using fenceposts as the cable, and glowstone as the "bulbs" - which would also soften the look of that underground area, and almost take on the look of roots or something hanging down from the land above.

Some of the land masses don't have to be floating either. Like the main industry area. It could be a large land mass supported on massive girders with rail lines running through to send items between.

A large strip mine at the edge of the slums could be nice as well, and the slums could be on part of the older edges. I guess the idea is that the city section was built on normal land and the mined out everything below and now there are slums and mines below with even section of the slums built between girders.