here's what i think of your resignation letter
Can u summarize this, writing a whole ass novel damnHey there Cash!
Just seen that Dreadfort is open for plots! I have a few comments on the house style. Currently, I feel like the style is a little basic, and could do with some refining.
On the wooden houses:
The Viking-style roof frame is nice, but I think it would look better with stairs as opposed to slabs. I can’t think of any examples at the moment, but a few people have given that style a go on their plots. It might be an idea to see if they have anything to borrow from.
Secondly, the half door walls fit the style well, but a little variation and detail would be nice. We’ve got three types of wattle and a northern carving block which would be well-placed within the style you’re going with. Gradients using jungle vertical planks would help. Additionally, a dark northern variant of the house style could help diversify the style a little.
Details like firewood storage, sheds, barns, and grain stores could be nice additions to break up the rectangular plot shapes. This will just add a little bit of depth whilst including congruent details to the project, as firewood and grain storage would be even more important here where it gets snowy, cold and wet. As such, showing proper storage will help demonstrate this.
Lastly, I think the Viking elements have their place, but I think we can draw on a wider inspiration, as I often find the Viking style to be indicative of older server conventions. With the cycler tool and variants for every wood type now we can make something a little more current. I’ve attached some inspiration images that might help illustrate my point better.
On the stone houses:
The stone houses right now are really quite plain, with only 2 blocks in their gradient and no signs of much detailing. Currently, they look quite similar to houses we have in the Reach but with a northern gradient. Freeze-thaw action would definitely come into play in this part of the north, so showing that in the gradient with damage, icy cobbles, and darker blocks will help sell that northern vibe.
The roof material being thatch is good, but I wonder if a different design would work better. Maybe making the ridge of the roofline into a whole block and having the houses be slightly bigger will help differentiate it a little. Adding ornamentation or maybe smoke holes would be nice.
I think having bigger houses in general is a good idea. Families would have lots of children in case some of them died, which is an even greater risk in the North with cold temperatures and exposure. Similarly, fitting lots of people into one building means they can rely on each other for warmth which would be vital in the winter. Another detail you could consider would be having space for animals. Farming families may have pigs, or a cow, or goats that they would need to keep inside when the weather required it. I think it would help tie in with the pastoral elements I plan to use in the Lonely Hills.
Again, some inspiration. Combining elements of wood, stone, thatch, and sod rooves will also help diversify the style. That way you’ve got X amount of roof materials to mix with Y amount of wall materials, allowing for more detail and depth.
Potential House Style:
I also wonder whether having some brown/brownish-yellow plaster houses would work. This would represent daub and wattle, which would be a good material to use, as it is strong, insulating, and disperses damp— something that would be a concern in the cold snowier parts of the north. Perhaps it could be used on small hovels or storage buildings?
Some of these examples are paler than what I’d go for, but they illustrate the point well enough.
I’m more than happy to discuss further in-game or over discord or however you prefer, and I’m more than willing to work on the style in-game, because I’ll need to develop it myself when I get to that stage of the lonely hills.
Best of luck,
Jake