Block Change Request: Leaf Block and Tree Bark Expansion

[Jakethesnake8_8]

Request: Leaf Block and Tree Bark Expansion

Request Type: General Addition

Try to describe all workarounds and associated issues that make it necessary to add this block in your eyes.
Hi all, I’m making this request so we can expand our leaf blocks so we can produce a nice variety of trees in various states. For example, flowering cherry or almond trees, chestnut leaves, or willow leaves. I’ve listed the different requests here in descending order of necessity. The same format has been done for different tree bark.

Types of evidence to support your request: Historical, Canon

Historical Evidence
Willow leaves
In my mind, a willow leaf texture should be silvery green in colour, similar to birch but a different leaf shape. Additionally, the model for willow leaves should be closer to a wall or a fence, as current attempts to make weeping willow schems leave the trees over scaled and looking outdated.

Willow trees give the name to a few places on the server and are prominent features in canon.

SIlvery green leaves
There’s already a separate request for this, but I figure it’s important to keep it all in one spot.

Pink flowering leaves
Flowering trees like almonds and cherries lose their leaves when in full bloom. In order to represent this, a pink leaf set would be necessary.

You may be quick to say that these trees only flower in Spring. Yes, you’re right, but plants clearly operate differently in Westeros. How for instance would Cider hall become so lucrative if apples require frost to grow. Also it seems every crop is in season regardless of the fact that it’s autumn in our timeline.

Copper beech
Copper beech trees have a very purple-y red toned leaf, something that can only really be represented with weirwood leaves. However, that usually doesn’t go down very well with the community, and weirwood leaves are overly saturated. This would also help change the landscape of certain places, and break up all that green space in grassy areas.

Chestnut leaves
Chestnut trees are common deciduous trees. It would be good to separate these trees from others, as sweet chestnuts would be harvested for consumption.

Pine bark
Currently we use jungle wood as a substitute for pine bark. However, often the bark of some pine species turns orange after awhile. Additionally, pine bark is not as smooth as the jungle texture is.

Birch bark
Currently our birch bark lacks a common feature of birch trees - black splotches. The reason this hasn’t been implemented before is because birch logs serve a dual purpose of being weirwoods. I propose adding weirwood bark and retrofitting it into godswoods and then retexturing our current birch log.

Orange bark
This would be used to create trees like the arbutus, some types of maple or almond trees. This would add some variety among our bark types.

Mottled bark
This would be a mix of oak and jungle colouration to provide a mottled effect. This would be used for types of trees that are sort of in between the two colours. I propose having little flecks of green as well to represent moss.

Sycamore bark
Sycamore trees have a characteristic bark pattern of light grey and off-white. This forces avid schem-makers like me to have to choose between birch and jungle. I think by adding this, it would help achieve realism.

Let me know if I missed anything

Canonical Evidence
There are willow trees that can’t be represented with our current blocks. They are required for the Willow wood

 

[EStoop]

I'd be careful adding this amount of new tree bark blocks at this point of production. We've always relied on a somewhat ambiguous nature of our blocks, so they can represent a multitude of things/variations rather than a single dedicated block for something very specific. This is the reason we have a combined use for the birch bark for weirwood, birch, aspen and more, for none of which it is a perfect match, but it is adequate for all of them. This also applies to a lot of other blocks and textures.

That said, I'm all in favour of new blocks being added and expanding the palette we build with to create a more indepth, realistic world. However, I think we should finish the current map first, and see if we can improve it after that. I've been on this server long enough to see updates/additions like this draw a line in projects from "before" and "after" it, and while it might not lead to a need for redo's right away, projects without this wider palette of trees will start to feel outdated or bland over time.

 

[Jakethesnake8_8]

Hi Estoop! I completely understand your concerns, and while I don’t expect it all to be added, I’d like to see some of these blocks implemented so we can use them in areas that are already destined to see major updates. For example, around the God’s eye will require a lot of willows as per canon. Dorne will and the Arbor have warmer climates which give us the opportunity to diversify vegetation and create some region-specific plants and trees.

As for the combined use and relying on ambiguity, I understand that it’s easier and even preferred, but it’s just a little pet peeve of mine, not being able to make accurate aspens or whatever tree it is, so I can make my peace with that. The different bark types were added as an afterthought, however, I do think we’d benefit from the Orange bark. Seeing as the Arbor and parts of Dorne and the south of Oldtown are being done in mediterranean climates, it would be great to have the blocks to make those regions feel even more ‘special’ by way of expanding their biodiversity.

Hope that clears everything up!