Team Adraax:Official City Design Contest

[Baldur]

Very good Niko! \o/ Other than the angle of the lower left bend of the house wall(should be straight) it looks fantastic Good job as well in incoporating medieval house elements into the design

I do still concur with ThomPhoenix, the gong-gong being less effective in communicating the situation And towering towers would fit the Klyros' arhitecture.

[Nikodemus]

I thought about using a traditional horn or something, but that's used everywhere, even in the Winch. And the issue is that when a horn or gong sounds, the Vigesimi has no idea what is wrong but only that *something* is wrong. When a Klyros guard sees a threat, he could alert the guards via a sound mechanism and then jump from his tower and glide towards the Vigesimi to immediately inform him about the threat. The only premises here is that the towers need to be high enough.

Well, that's pretty much a good argument.
Now i wonder how much height does a trained Klytos loose over a distance of 10m.

[ThomPhoenix]

Perhaps Settings knows something about that. I think information about how the Klyros fly is vital to the city architecture since it has landing platforms, gliding platforms in houses, etc. The Klyros would have built the city so that from most (more expensive?) houses all nice parts of the city are easily reachable.

[Zweitholou]

Hello all!
Sorry to have been out for a bit. I had to climb a mountain this weekend.  I still drew when I had the chance.

@ThomPhoenix
Your excellent idea prompted me to do a sketch of a short, and then another taller, tower. (below) As far as sound signals I agree. However, could flags or other visual signals be used? The message would be relayed around the wall to the tower next to the vigesimi's house, where a guard would fly to tell the vigesimi? Or perhaps messengers could fly from tower to tower? Just an idea that might make the necessary height more realistic.

@Karyuu
Thank you!

@Nikodemus
Your building looks great! The perspective is good, and the architectural elements fit very well. Just a thought: Perhaps the expanded upper level should be a primarily Klyron characteristic due to their affinity for heights and Inca's earlier concept art.

@Baldur
I've tried to incorporate concepts from your map into my new one. 

Here is the new map:

Here are the main and landing platforms roads:

Green is the Main road and red is the Landing platforms road.

Also, here are some sketches:

Top is the shorter tower, bottom left is a possible city seal, bottom right is just a concept building.


Top left is a rough magic shop sketch, top right is the taller tower, and bottom is an (unfinished) wall concept.

[Baldur]

Working on a design for the Guardtower as well currently I like the spikes idea! I'll try to incorporate that as well Zweitholou, I so like the details. I'll add some of them to my version of the tower cause they're so "Klyros", if that's okey with you

Thank you for the inspiration!

Concerning the walls: Perhaps we could develop on the idea of of tower meeting wall. The wall could have two floors. Often, during a siege, bowmen and crossbowmen are often out in the open, vulnerable to counterattacks during reloads and depending on warriors to hold enemies off. This vulnerability could be less of a problem if the lower floor could have small windows for crossbow- and bowmen and the upper used for other warfare. There wouldn't be a problem with enemies breaking in on the lower floor because it only consists of windows which no one can fit into.

Though, if catapults are to be introduced the thinness of the two-storey walls would be a obvious disadvantage.

If this design fits well with ye others the question lies how we make the two-storey walls resistant to big projectiles and, possibly, prevention of a complete takeover if the walls are breached

[Nikodemus]

Zweitholou, thx for comment. Nice new concept art. I'm only under impression you forgot about windows at all ;P Btw, I made a 2-level Ylian building and they are mean't to be always lower than Klyros buildings, so I'd expect most of the Klyros buildings to have at least 2 full floors. While 2 floors Ylian buildings being the highest of its style.
You have made a new modified map, but my most recent objections still occure. If you feel like, maybe re-read them, maybe you missed something, :s or maybe you just want it the way you did. 

Spikes I like spikes on the walls, on the towers - maybe. It would be nice to find for them some practical reason, because it is too major element to remain purely artistic.
Would attackers use flying creatures? Also, can some of the stone labiryths creatures fly? Then i can imagine the wall spikes to perfectly come in handy. Hm, maybe on towers also.
No spikes on landing platforms lol! Megaras land there! Unless it is indended to break their wings :] No spikes there.
Same can be about towers too. If you mount spikes, no pterosaurs land there, in case reinforcments were needed or evacuation. Though all the towers should be joined with underground corridors, they can be still cut off somewhre in between.

Towers IMO should have levels.
- wall level
- midlevel
- top level (no spiky wooden roof)
- windows in between.
- tall towers - an extra level with shorter diameter just for the height.
No idea about catapults, if they even exist and what mages can do with elemental element of their magic.

We have like a month to make a finished city plan with underground corridors and alike and we have to agree on one.

[rast]

I am still here! Honest

There are some awesome ideas bouncing round.

I like the idea of wall spikes, but i wonder how practical it would be in the event of attack. It would certainly stop flying creatures/klyros from landing on the walls, but if the creatures/klyros are manouverable enough, surely they can just glide/fly over the top of them/through the gaps, then drop downwards into the city. I think catapults/crossbows would be more effective in keeping out "serious" attackers, whereas the wall spike could keep out some of the less motivated attackers maybe? I dunno

All the pics posted look great =]

cheers all,
Rast

[Zweitholou]

@Baldur
Of course! That's teamwork. The spikes would also defend against attacking Klyros.
Is this what you mean by the walls?

The cross is the window, because it allows an archer to move the bow many directions without leaving a big opening through which other things can get in. The bottom floor is filled in with rubble, and stairs are in the guard towers connected to the walls.

@Nikodemus
Your Ylian building inspired me to do a Kllyros take on the same building shape. Maybe this will help to compare architectural styles.


I did not have many windows because yes, I forgot. They were quick sketches.
I meant to fix the map, and I am confused as to what I forgot. Please compare:

Here are the main and landing platforms roads:

Green is the Main road and red is the Landing platforms road.

I colored the different sectors from dividing by the three roads:

I think it is possible, no fourth gate needed in my opinion.

I realize that the road is not a gentle curve. I have reasons for that. I believe some planning of the city (including roads) was involved, especially in the Landing platforms. Therefore, IMO the road would not be quite so directly curved, if you understand. Also, IMO while buildings are built to fit in the land and on roads, the layout design would not include places between roads that are so narrow that buildings cannot be realistically built. For the landing platforms road, I think it would need to go further into the landing platforms to effectively improve transportation between all parts of the city. The wall curves in by the landing platforms because the platforms are dangerous and noisy, IMO scaring away potential residents. The highlighted roads have some angles because I highlighted them with a straight line tool.
I agree with the tower levels. I realize that half of our time is gone. As soon as we agree on a city plan, I will start working on the underground layout. Thx for the comment. 

@rast
I see you posted below me. Glad to know you're still here.  I agree about the questionable nature of spikes. They were just an idea.

[Nikodemus]

Klyros don't fly up! they glide always down.
A pterosaur has wings like 10m long. If in LOtR they would have spikes on walls, maybe the Nasguls wouldn't grab soldiers from the walls so easly.

Differences:
 - there are no hills around the city at all, they didn't affect city walls in any degree. They should be shaped closer to a circle than something completly else. I didn't include towers on mine, coz we know there are somehwre in beetwen, but the walls itself are made to cover bigger area
with the same resources.

- what kind of planning was done exactly about the roads?
No planning was done with a main road. It was there before the city. They have built buildings around it and then there was nothing to change about it, coz they would have to demolish 10 buildings at once. Instead they made the perpendicular roads away from it.
On your plan it seem that all the other roads are more important than the main road itself, they are nicely curved, even though they were later to come.
Make main and platforms road nicely curved and all the other roads not if you don't want the roads join with 40^o angle.
Yes, landing platforms road can be longer, to go deeper into its quarter, but here again, its the most important road - all the other roads are shaped to fit it. The LP road main purpose is to effectively bring stone into the quarter and then less out of it with caravans, coz most is said to be transported by megaras. It needs strong connection only with warehouses and landing platforms. For the rest of the quarter there are sub-roads.
People who live in the quarter are there, because they can't live somewhere else. They have to bear the dangers and noise and can do nothing about it. They have the smallest influense for any decissions in the city. They are there to work. Probably why most of them live in shacks and tents.
If there was planning involved (there was really little in RL at that age) it was for the efficiensy. That is my opinion.
Sorry if that sounded definite, but your arguments wasn't convincing at all. Maybe you aren't saying something.
I'm also under impression that the city would indeed evolve a bit like on Baldurs plan (the layout of all quarters)

[ThomPhoenix]

In the middle ages it was common to use attack towers to ride up against the walls of a besieged city. The technology in Yliakum is at least at that level, looking at the Winch. So perhaps attacking Klyros would carry a tower with them to glide over or onto the city walls?

[Lanarel]

Maybe a silly question by someone who is not following this very much, but why would Klyros attack a Klyros city, in a peaceful world such as Yliakum?

[Baldur]

Maybe a silly question by someone who is not following this very much, but why would Klyros attack a Klyros city, in a peaceful world such as Yliakum?

Most peoples we know of big enough to populate a square kilometre are often seperated into rivalring Factions. The reason for rivalry could be anything: resources, differing morals, riches or, simply, words.
Yliakum as I see it is not peaceful and follows a political pattern similar to real life. Even in peace times irl wars are waged in different parts of the world.

[ThomPhoenix]

Plus, the Bronze Doors weren't built for nothing

[Baldur]

In the middle ages it was common to use attack towers to ride up against the walls of a besieged city. The technology in Yliakum is at least at that level, looking at the Winch. So perhaps attacking Klyros would carry a tower with them to glide over or onto the city walls?

Good ideas, ThomPhoenix!

@Baldur
Of course! That's teamwork. The spikes would also defend against attacking Klyros.
Is this what you mean by the walls?

The cross is the window, because it allows an archer to move the bow many directions without leaving a big opening through which other things can get in. The bottom floor is filled in with rubble, and stairs are in the guard towers connected to the walls.

Exactly, Zweitholou! And a good continuance on the idea, I hadn't considered that

@rast
As Nikodemus mentioned, the glides the invading Klyros performed to take over the towers would need to be quite precise if they were going to avoid the spikes so they could be quite useful after all. The Klyros glide in a quite linear fashion if I'm correct. Even if windy circumstances could change that they'd still be useful overall.

@Nikodemus
I'd say I want Zweitholou's plan. It seems most fitting for the prospect and he's got alot of ideas. As Zweitholou's incoprorated some of our ideas into the planning I don't see why we shouldn't continue working on Zweitholou's plan.

[Baldur]

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