alcalpella Builder Application

[alcalpella]

What is your Minecraft username?
RockRockAG

What is your age?
21-24

In what country are you living?
UK

Where did you first hear about WesterosCraft?
Don't Remember

What do you like the most about GoT/ASoIaF?
The ambiguities and mysteries in lore. Plus the books are fun and rich fantasy and great for rereading.

What is your favorite build on our server?
I really like the green belt of Dorne along the northern coast. I think it comes together really well aesthetically and transitions well between the different houses. It feels lived in and its nice to see care paid to the small farms and hamlets and infrastructure.

Why do you want to join our server?
I would like to build out the shoreline around Salt Shore. It seems odd that there are more salt evaporation pools by The Tor than at Salt Shore and I think it makes a lot of sense for there to be very small hamlets dotting the coast between Salt Shore and Spottswood. I'd like to make a more interesting desert coast with small olive clusters where wadis meet the sea; extensive sabkhas of salt; a treacherous coastline of sea stacks, cliffs, and a rocky shelf with deep tidal pools. This seems like a great way to fulfill the descriptions of the south coast of Dorne, while also making it actually populated, if sparsely. Plus I don't think Dorne should be an empty desert— from accounts of the Dornish Wars, we know tens of thousands of people can live away from the key fertile areas for years at a time. And I think detailing the coastline as habitable but harsh would really help flesh out the picture of Dorne given in the books— and help explain where they get 40,000 recruits for war.



Did you follow the application rules?
You know nothing, Jon Snow

 

[Azulejo]

Hey RockRock! Your application is music to my ears, glad to see another Dorne enthusiast around! One thing to notice is that the Tor is much newer than Salt Shore, so the difference and lack of certain aspects on it are expected. In any case, love your ideas, as many of them are what I thought as well for the region, like the sabkhas. Hopefully you will be able to contribute in the further develpment of the region sooner than later!

Regarding your build, nice work! I see no major issues with it. With this we hope you catched some of the techniques and ways we have of building here. Now your task will be to build other houses in the style of different locations in our server, but this time instead of copying you will have to come up with a design of your own based on the characteristics of the area we tell you.

Your next challenge will be to build a house in the style of /warp Sapphoshire, with a yard. Once you are done you can upload some screenshots here and I will evaluate them as soon as I can. Good luck and have fun!​

 

[alcalpella]

Hope this works okay! Added a little well and apiary to give some context

 

[Azulejo]

Nice work RockRock (or maybe Alcapella, what do you prefer?)! I will give you some feedback now.​

• Seems like you gave it a profession right? I would assume it is a carpenter, but for other challenges please let me know what profession you are doing.​
• Another small tip for the future, try to take your screenshots with night vision whenever is possible, makes it easier to see what's going on. If you find the potion particles annoying you canalways turn them off on settings and then back on again.​
• I also recommend you to use Imgur to upload your submissions, it allows to add more than 10 pictures, the limit of our forums.​
• When using blocks that have 4 sides with tools, drawers... like the cabinets, the bench tables and such, it's prefered if all sides but one are covered. They are designed to be used like that. You can either use another block to hide it (a basket for exaple) or a half door, if you want a cleaner look. On the picture bellow you can see what I mean:​

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• Small detail: here you can add a full thatch block so that it looks like the floor is evenly covered by it.​

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• Here you should turn the stairs so they face eachother. It looks a bit cleaner if what you are trying to do is a table.​

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• The table and chairs that you put at the outside are too fancy for being used on the exterior, they will quickly deteriorate. They are also probably a bit too fancy for the inhabitants of this house.​
• We usually don't use wall blocks for yard walls (usually). Instead we mix full blocks to create a rundown, chunkier look. Also, instead of having veggie pattches with all the vegetables mixed, separate them in small sections for each vegetable. Both of these things you can check on the image below:​

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All those points may seem like a lot, but they are mostly small details that you will polish slowly and don't think about in no time. For your next challenge go to /warp Tortown and build a house with a profession. A yard is optional since most houses there share a courtyard. I'm sure you will enjoy it a lot. Good luck and have fun!

 

[alcalpella]

Sorry this took a bit longer. Made a baker.

https://imgur.com/a/ffArUxY

 

[Azulejo]

Don't worry about answering "late" Alcapella, take the time you need for doing your application. The only one here who should answer within a week is me hahahaha. Going back to your house, Overal nice job! As usual now I will give you some feedback about it:​

• Don't use dirt on your path/soil mix, it is way too dark and "wet looking" for the streets of the Tor. Also instead of randomly spreading the pebbles and soil blocks, try doing a gradient where the pebbles are towards the center of the road and the soil at the edges, showing how it wears down due to people passing.​

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• The gradient of the house needs a little bit of work. The houses are Tor are meant to be plastered, and the stone you see are cracks and spots where it has pelled off. Knowing this may help you recreate them better. Basically, concentrate the stone towards the edges of the building and at the bottom, and leave the middle section mostly stone-less. Also keep in mind the order of the gradient: Arbor cobble > Lannisport brick > Plaster. You mostly respected it, but in some spots you have Arbor stone touching plaster.​

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• Just as with the exterior, remove the dirt from the soil mix inside the house. In the Tor the soil is just a combination of Dornish soil and pebbles, pretty straightforward.​

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• Instead of using just stairs for doing the rafters at the bottom floor combine stairs and slabs to have them more spaced. It looks neater.​

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• Upstairs you need to fully cover the roof's underside with wood. For that you can use the same stair and slab technique I just described.​
• A small suggestion: try making the table upstairs in oak wood instead of birch. Currently I feel like it blends a little bit too much with the floor.​
• Another small suggestion: you can use a sandstone wall block at the tip of your chimney to give it a more polished look.​

You did pretty good! The house with very minor changes would be up to our standars. Now, for your next challenge, go to /warp Duskendale and build a house with a profession and a yard. Have fun!

 

[alcalpella]

Decided to make a very prosperous wine merchant, with room for a large family and a servant or two. I realized while making the roof that I should have made the build with odd numbers width wise to make the roof neater, but by that point it didn't make sense to go back and rebuild the whole building. Wasn't 100% sure which direction to take the yard, especially because I went more with the style of the houses with alleys in the back rather than yards; plus, without other buildings around its going to be a bit weird out of context and it doesn't seem like the right type of house to have one of the lengthy vegetable gardens near the walls of Duskendale.

https://imgur.com/a/Tq55Giw

 

[Azulejo]

You're right about the use of odd numbers in façades in his type of houses. It allows the roof to look more clean. It's not that big of a problem though, specially since you are now aware of it. Regarding the yard yeah, this fancier house would probably be in the center of the town and lack a backgarden, but since I asked you to add one it's okay. Other than that nice build! As usual I will go over it pointing out some things that could be altered. Don't think this time will be too much.​

• Good idea adding a crane at the front of the build! Makes sense for a merchant. However, how it is currently done it wouldn't be very usuable. You need to be able to reach it from the inside, and by the looks of your pictures the window in front of it is too high up and also a bit small. Try a design like this instead.​

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• The 4 lanterns at the dinning area are a bit too much. One is enough to light up the room.​
• In the main bedroom (the one with a green bed) you used some bookshelves mounted on the walls. It's probably not the most time-accurate option. A tall cabinet that sits on the floor would probably more realistic.​
• As a general note, the interiors look a bit sparse. Some more furniture and decor could benefit them. That doesn't mean cluttering the space, just adding a bit more of visual interest. Go and check any high class house in King's Landing, Duskendale, Highgarden... for more examples on fancy furniture, we have tons of designs!​

 

[Azulejo]

All that said, I think it's time for you to get to the next stage. Anything new to learn would be much easier to do ingame. Consider yourself approved !

Next time you get online ask an available moderator (those with red names) to promote you, and before that make sure to read the New Builders' Guide. There you will find useful information regarding your new role as a "probie", as we like to call it, as well as everything you need to know and do during this time, like opening a Probation Thread. Once all that is done your Probation will begin.

Just like I did here with your app, a probation leader will step up and take you as their "probie", as we like to call it. They will judge your builds and guide you, giving you feedback, tips and tricks. Think of it as an extension of your Builder Application, but much more engaged, and hopefully even more fruitful! On top of learning more of our ways of building you will also get a good grip on how we manage builds and the community as a whole, as well as engaiging with other members of it, something I encourage you to do. Out of those little interactions you will learn a lot, trust me! Feedback can come from anyone in the server, so be willing to listen to what they have to say, with time you may end up on their spot hehehe.

To start building you can look at the dynamap in our website and toggle the "Open Plot" option, go to /warp build or ask any online members around for open building spots. Also don't forget to ask any moderator online for a plot of your own at the Test World (aka Testeros), where you will be able to practise your builds.

Congrats and welcome to the team!​