ArcaneDude Builder Application

ArcaneDude

Mummer
Guest
27


Belgium


A few years ago, likely through reddit and then an article (not sure which medium).


Tolkiens work, chiefly The Silmarillion.



Game of Thrones
Clash of Kings




All of the above



Daenaerys Targaryen. I don't like her as a person, she's a ruthless ruler like so many, but she had me fooled for quite some time. This character made me reconsider how easily we (I) fall into the trap of following strongmen, and her personal journey was great to follow. The fact that it didn't reach a happy end, contrary to any given main character, makes it better.


I learn new building styles fairly quickly and have experimented with different styles in previous builds. I have a background in historical research, and like grounding my builds in the real past. I'm a stickler for details when it comes to setting small scenes.


I want to be part of something greater and I want my builds to last, to mean something. I've started out at least five or six big projects on my own, putting in a lot of work only to abandon them when it proved too much work for just myself. At some point, those builds get lost or deleted and I feel like all the work has been for nothing. For once I want to work in a team, add my own work to the greater whole and hopefully contribute something useful. I love GoT, and I really appreciate this server for what's is trying (and succeeding) to do. I want to be a part of that. I also want to learn: this server has many great builds and great builders, and I hope I can become a better builder by working with them.





YOU KNOW NOTHING, JON SNOW
 
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Emoticone11

The Dark Lord Sauron
Staff member
Hey ArcaneDude,

Thanks for the application! Very sorry for the long delay, we've had a lot of backlogged apps and a lot of mods who are pretty busy irl.

Anyways, while your build isn't currently up to server standards, it looks like you already have a good understanding of some of the basic principles of our style, as well as a good eye for detail which is awesome. I think with some help you should be up to server standards soon enough. I won't try to address every tiny thing this time around, but will point out some general feedback before getting you started on some builds in specific styles:

- Never use log blocks in houses (except for, say, actual log cabins), as it's considered an outdated practice as it nearly always looks clunky/messy. Sometimes thin log blocks are acceptable for interiors, like for supports and such, but in other circumstances avoid logs.

- Avoid "messy" thatch rooves. Not only does it look sloppy, but thatch rooves actually have more structural integrity when they're neatly woven.

- Don't use glass (and especially not stained glass, which is usually just for septs/castles) in ordinary houses, as it's an expensive material. In houses like this, windows should just be 1x1 or 1x2 (vertical) holes, with nothing inside of them but a shutter on the outside so they can be covered up.

- Avoid using trapdoor blocks for anything other than actual trapdoors, since (a) guests can mess stuff up by toggling them, and (b) the texture for them looks rather bad. Use our "half door" blocks, wood carpet blocks, or slab blocks instead.

Before continuing, I recommend you check out the following resources on the server, if you haven't seen them yet: /warp gradient and /warp furnish. Both of them should be very useful for learning more. Then, spend some time studying and practicing building in the style of some of our more recent locations: King's Landing (esp. /warp klsprawl), White Harbor, Highgarden, Hawthorne, Uffering, Bandallon, Westbrook, etc. When you've built a house from one of those newer styles that you feel confident in, post it here and we'll continue the app. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions, and good luck!
 

Emoticone11

The Dark Lord Sauron
Staff member
Hey ArcaneDude,

Thanks for the update, and for being patient with my reply!

Overall your house looks pretty solid, it's a big improvement. I like the interiors for the most part, most of my feedback is on the exteriors:

- The gradient on the house needs a bit of improvement. A couple general things that stand out: 1) having the light grey stone directly next to the white cobble contrasts too much. Generally, when light gray stone is used in WH, it's just at the very base of the house (1 or 2 blocks at most) to represent dirtiness. Furthermore, you should never have light grey stone directly next to the white cobble, but rather always have at least one "faint light grey stone" between the two as a transition block. 2) some of the borders of the white plaster creates kind of harsh looking vertical or horizontal lines that the eye can pick out, like on this facade. While obviously having borders is unavoidable due to minecraft, you want to aim for "smooth" gradient transitions (sort of forming blobs) rather than hard edges, at least in the white harbor style. Mostly this all just takes practice, it seems pedantic at first but then you develop an eye for gradient work.

- Notice how your roof has a slight "bell" shape, where it gets steeper and then gets flatter at the top. You usually want to avoid this, and instead make your rooves have a linear slope - that is, either all 45 degrees (stair-stair-stair-...) or 60 degrees (stair-block-stair-block...) all the way to the peak.

- The large curved wood detail over the windows here is a bit strange. Sometimes you can do a plain horizontal one of those over a single window, but often it isn't even necessary at all. Do make sure to have shutters though!

- The overhang here is not bad, but the alternating stair supports on the bottom extend a bit too far. For such a small overhang, you can probably make the supports there a bit more subtle.

- The kitchen in the back here feels a bit too modern, with the big row of overhead cabinets above the furnace and all. You probably want to tone the kitchen down a bit and make it a bit more rustic. I recommend using google to try to find sources on what medieval kitchens would typically be like, as well as asking around on our server and trying to see if you can find better examples in newer builds.

- As a matter of personal taste I typically use jungle or oak half doors with standard bench/cabinet/etc. furniture blocks, since the colors match better. You can still use spruce for other parts of the interiors (floor+ceiling) though. In general, I try to be consistent with the wood type I use for furniture, and the wood type I use for structural elements of the house, but those don't necessarily need to be the same.

Anyways, feel free to ask if you have any questions on the above feedback, I'm happy to clarify. Awesome work so far. For the next challenge build, please make a medium-size house in the style of /warp woodwright. Good luck!
 

ArcaneDude

Mummer
Guest
Thank you for your feedback. Here is my next build:

 

Emoticone11

The Dark Lord Sauron
Staff member
Hey Arcane,

This house is a huge improvement in all regards! The feedback I have this time is a bit more limited (though still important):

- The gradient still needs a bit more work (although it's an improvement from the previous house). The blocks/textures still seem a little jumbled, rather than a smooth transition. Part of this is that you're trying to fit 4 distinct blocks into a small house facade. It would probably be better to just go with three blocks (for instance, using reach light brick as a primary block, then having a bit of reach cobble at the base of the house, and then light stone at the top - eliminating the reach smooth brick).

- The fences supporting the roof on the corners aren't really necessary, amd feel a bit clunky. The thatch roof itself is also slightly on the messy side still, it looks especially weird with the big dips in the peak of the roof.

- I'm not a huge fan of the use of crate blocks in house facades (although I have seen a few people do it on the server, so it's somewhat a matter of taste, I would personally discourage it).

- The plume of smoke coming out of the chimney is rather unrealistic for a small house hearth (it would be appropriate for a forge or something). Usually 1 or 2 smoke blocks is all you need.

- The yard is a bit too grassy for somewhere that would presumably be used quite often. Usually I try not to have grass blocks adjacent to stuff like mud or farmland blocks (the one that veggies grow on), but rather use dirt/gravel to transition (and possibly the 'soul sand' block as well). Also, I think the clothesline could probably be one or two blocks higher.

The interiors seem well done from what I can tell, I don't really have any feedback there.

For the next challenge, please build a middle-class house in the style of /warp duskendale. This is a WIP build currently, so I would take the opportunity to specifically seek out the houses marked as “example houses”. Good luck!
 
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Emoticone11

The Dark Lord Sauron
Staff member
Hey ArcaneDude,

Sorry for the time it's taken me to get back to you! I had a presentation I needed to prepare for, so I've been quite busy last week.

Anyways, you did a great job with this house! It has a lot of cool architectural variation, but not done in a way that makes it seem excessively messy. I could see it fitting in Duskendale. I'll jump into feedback on some of the things that I think need work:

- The gradient on the front of the house is very well done. However, on the side of the house it needs a bit more work. There are harsher transitions between light & dark blocks there, and it's also a bit spottier (such as in the chimney).

- In the same side, the windows are a bit too eclectic. I count four different types of windows on that side alone, some of them have shutters on one side, some have shutters on both sides, and some have no shutters. The two arrow slits here especially seem weird, and also add to the messy gradient I mentioned in the previous point.

- The potted plant being supported by a piece of stone sticking out of the chimney is also strange. Probably you can just kill the stone stairs there, and have the plant supported by a sill.

- The number of windows on this side in the foundation of the house is excessive.

- On this side, you tried to make a bay window and a corner turret. While both of these things have been done in Duskendale, the execution in your house needs a bit of work: the bay window feels very squashed (and somewhat forced- usually these face a major street), and the turret feels very messy/jumbled. I recommend studying examples of these in Duskendale a bit more, and at first trying to recreate the common designs.

- The interiors look good overall, not finding many problems there. Make sure to cover the sides of bench/cabinet blocks with half doors though, like here.

- Also, you should always try to cover up slate blocks from the inside, or at least make sure it's supported. This is most important in the attic, although it also applies to things like the slate-covered porch in the front of the house.

Good work overall though, you're definitely getting there. For the next challenge, let's try something more rural: please make a house in the style of /warp fermont, along with a full yard & other details surrounding the house. Good luck!