Completed Ghaston Grey by MDMeaux

mdmeaux

Envoy
Wonderful work Meaux, love the way this turned out! You have my post-approval. After the update comes out though I'd maybe add a little bit of variation to the rock using the "alt" dorne terrainset.
Thanks! Yeah, I was thinking about trying out the new terrainset. Also, there are a few places where I used (oak) wood covers with birch wood, so I might as well update those while I'm at it.
 
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Antony

Printmaker
I have a few points-feedback on how Ghaston Grey, should look.

So my points are:
1)Canon sais its a crumbling castle, with just one tower recked to shit, it doesnt make a castle crumblings. Parren is a crumbling castle, not Ghaston Grey, so the battlements, should be at most parts ruined, with the ramparts(the teethy part) missing pieces, and with cracks etc.

2)The walls need more cracks, generaly and whatever roofs exist, should be made with part, the block used now, part northern wood, and should have holes in it, with wooden support columns holding it up.

3)As for the towers, they too should more more ruined, like with their roofs, missing, wattle on the windows, maybe some cages hanging, just to add to the unpleasant-ness, and generaly less fancy ints too.

4)As for the harbour, there should be a prison ship on one of the wharfs, because we see some supplies having dropped over, and I dont think, that the ship would have left so fast, so that the supplies would still be there. There should also be a small table, for a guard, and an officer on the wharf, to write the names of the new inmates. (Imo one of the wharfs should be kinda ruined too)

5)Also, it needs, poles for whipping, in the context, of misconduct with the guards, Because we know of generaly how bruttal the Dornish are, so those practices, would be fitting. Even the fancier rooms should be less fancy, than they are now, and should have a bit of mud of floor, like uncleaned poop. As it is considered a horrible place to be sent, so imo, the smells of feaces, dead bodies, urin, and rotten food, should be a constant. There should also be mass graves in the compound, for people dying from the conditions, a space for an outdour kicthen pot-shop for the prisoners, so that they can eat something, the officers and guards will be eating from the kitchen.
Ah, and also there should be a more gallows and cages generaly everywhere.
( that, less a piece of feedback, than my own personal opinion, as I believe, that the presence of more cages, and more gallows, would be enough, to remind the prisoners, where they are, a place of death. So dead bodies, deteriorating, under the scorching dornish sun, would be quite the example making)
As for the log, for cutting, heads that shouldnt be needed. In medieval times, head cutting was reserved for nobles only, as an honourable and swift death sentence, in addition to hanging, plus, the dornish would surely want a more agonising death for their bad guys, so hanging, under the sun, would be quite a punishment.

I wouldnt say, a torture room is needed, as working constantly, under the burning Dornish sun, would be torture enough.

Thats, all I have to say.
6)Ah, also the island, feels a bit too smooth, for a simple rock. Should be a bit more "textured" if you will. Like with smaller rocky islets surrounding it.
Having, a personal experience with extremely rocky islands, by living in Crete, I believe, those are well made points, at least for the island.
20200907_082659.jpg
Here an example, of a fortress on top of a rock, so that I can prove, my knowledge of rocky islands. (The island is called, Ήμερη Γραμβούσα, translation: Tamed Gramvousa, so imagine how the wild one looks)
20200912_233559.jpg
Thats Wild Gramvousa.

I hope, you all agree with me.:)
Everything here, is with good intent, and I surely don't wish to cause a heated argument, as that is only my opinion, which I do think, that it is right.
 
Last edited:

mdmeaux

Envoy
I have a few points-feedback on how Ghaston Grey, should look.

So my points are:
1)Canon sais its a crumbling castle, with just one tower recked to shit, it doesnt make a castle crumblings. Parren is a crumbling castle, not Ghaston Grey, so the battlements, should be at most parts ruined, with the ramparts(the teethy part) missing pieces, and with cracks etc.

2)The walls need more cracks, generaly and whatever roofs exist, should be made with part, the block used now, part northern wood, and should have holes in it, with wooden support columns holding it up.

3)As for the towers, they too should more more ruined, like with their roofs, missing, wattle on the windows, maybe some cages hanging, just to add to the unpleasant-ness, and generaly less fancy ints too.

4)As for the harbour, there should be a prison ship on one of the wharfs, because we see some supplies having dropped over, and I dont think, that the ship would have left so fast, so that the supplies would still be there. There should also be a small table, for a guard, and an officer on the wharf, to write the names of the new inmates. (Imo one of the wharfs should be kinda ruined too)

5)Also, it needs, poles for whipping, in the context, of misconduct with the guards, Because we know of generaly how bruttal the Dornish are, so those practices, would be fitting. Even the fancier rooms should be less fancy, than they are now, and should have a bit of mud of floor, like uncleaned poop. As it is considered a horrible place to be sent, so imo, the smells of feaces, dead bodies, urin, and rotten food, should be a constant. There should also be mass graves in the compound, for people dying from the conditions, a space for an outdour kicthen pot-shop for the prisoners, so that they can eat something, the officers and guards will be eating from the kitchen.
Ah, and also there should be a more gallows and cages generaly everywhere.
( that, less a piece of feedback, than my own personal opinion, as I believe, that the presence of more cages, and more gallows, would be enough, to remind the prisoners, where they are, a place of death. So dead bodies, deteriorating, under the scorching dornish sun, would be quite the example making)
As for the log, for cutting, heads that shouldnt be needed. In medieval times, head cutting was reserved for nobles only, as an honourable and swift death sentence, in addition to hanging, plus, the dornish would surely want a more agonising death for their bad guys, so hanging, under the sun, would be quite a punishment.

I wouldnt say, a torture room is needed, as working constantly, under the burning Dornish sun, would be torture enough.

Thats, all I have to say.
6)Ah, also the island, feels a bit too smooth, for a simple rock. Should be a bit more "textured" if you will. Like with smaller rocky islets surrounding it.
Having, a personal experience with extremely rocky islands, by living in Crete, I believe, those are well made points, at least for the island.
Here an example, of a fortress on top of a rock, so that I can prove, my knowledge of rocky islands. (The island is called, Ήμερη Γραμβούσα, translation: Tamed Gramvousa, so imagine how the wild one looks)
Thats Wild Gramvousa.

I hope, you all agree with me.:)
Everything here, is with good intent, and I surely don't wish to cause a heated argument, as that is only my opinion, which I do think, that it is right.
First, let me say that I do appreciate this feedback, and will take it into account if I ever do a project like this again. I started to reply to each point individually, but I soon realised I was just essentially making the same general points just in different contexts.

On the whole: Personally, I'm happy with the finished product, and I realise it might be different to how other people might have envisioned it, but that will inevitably be the case with any build. To me, most of your points boil down to the castle should be more ruined, grimier and generally more unpleasant. I think that there is a trade-off here between exaggerating the atmosphere of the castle it is and how realistic it is. A lot of the time while making the castle, I was asking myself questions such: 'Should this roof have fallen in? Or, realistically, would it have been fixed at some point because it compromises the functionality of the castle?' 'Should there be shit all over the floor? Or would the prisoners have chamber pots, and the guards not want to have to live in such a mess?' 'Should there be dead bodies everywhere? Or realistically, would the guards have dealt with them at some point.' Overall, I would say I have leant more towards making the castle realistic and practical than dramatic and exaggerated, and I believe that was the correct choice in fitting with the server overall. If I had built some prison in Mordor on ArdaCraft, I probably would have made it more ruined, with more cages everywhere, etc.

As far as the ship is concerned, I had considered having one, but I decided against it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, not every harbour in Westeros needs to have a ship in it at all times. Secondly, having a ship there could mess with the feeling of scale of the castle. Thirdly, I really didn't feel like building a ship. Maybe if hc were still around...

TLDR; Thank you for the feedback, but I think that a lot of these issues are subjective matters, and I believe that I have made the right choices. Of course, if there are any big issues that the Mods decide need fixing, I will oblige.
 

Antony

Printmaker
As far as the ship is concerned, I had considered having one, but I decided against it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, not every harbour in Westeros needs to have a ship in it at all times. Secondly, having a ship there could mess with the feeling of scale of the castle. Thirdly, I really didn't feel like building a ship. Maybe if hc were still around...
As, for the ship, I am saying, it needs one, because, there are already stuff unloaded on the dock below. And since, there is a crane, picking the supplies up, already... the ship, that left them, might also be nearby. Most likely in the harbour, because, it would have surely, more stuff to unload too.

As for Hc, his ships, are now mostly outdated now. The best ships, are currently made, by Simba, Endy, and Ark. So, for the ship, ask to borrow one of theirs, to then change maybe some features, like the colours of the sails etc, to fit more to the area. Easy Peasy