grymalkin Builder Application

[grymalkin]

28


United States


I've been hopping on as a guest for years now. I can't actually remember when I first heard about WesterosCraft, but it was before the Kings Landing rebuild that I was hopping around checking things out on the server. It might have been on Youtube or in a Facebook post.


The Name of the Wind and Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle series) by Patrick Rothfuss



Game of Thrones
Clash of Kings
Storm of Swords
Feast for Crows
Dance of Dragons
Winds of Winter
All of the above



Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
All of the above


I've always loved Sansa Stark because she goes through hell and not only comes out of it determined to never be tormented or married off against her will again, but because she also comes out of it aware that she needs to make smart decisions and look at everyone as a potential adversary in order to stay in control. I find her transformation inspiring, especially considering her trauma, which could have easily broken her forever. I also think people don't give her enough credit. Sure, she can't fight, but there are a lot of characters who can fight but can't lead, and I think Sansa is really coming into her own as a leader.


I'm obsessive about my builds (on my singleplayer worlds and servers I play on with my friends) and I'm constantly tweaking until I get something right. I'm also a writer and editor with a graduate school background in fantasy literature and genre fiction, and my whole life is pretty much about fantasy narratives so I'm really able to immerse myself in the world of Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. I probably spend too much time in my head daydreaming about Game of Thrones and Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle series instead of doing things like laundry or dishes, but I like to think that makes me a good fit to be a builder on the server.


I'm really passionate about world building, not just in Minecraft but on paper in my writing projects. The thing that makes me happiest is being able to create, and I think that my passion for worldbuilding and creating has just always brought me back to Westeroscraft. I applied in the past, but I had a lot of stuff going on IRL and wasn't really able to comitt to working on the issues with my application. I think my building skills and mindset have grown and evolved since then, and my real life has settled to the point where I feel like I'm able to really contribute to the coolest thing any group of people has ever done with Minecraft. I feel like Westeroscraft, as a virtual recreation of G.R.R. Martin's world, is making history, and that history is one that I want to contribute to in any way that I can.

https://imgur.com/a/vWpXfih

YOU KNOW NOTHING, JON SNOW!

 

[thecoddfish]

Hey grymalkin, great to see another Kingkiller Chronicle fan!

You've done exceptionally well with your first house, there's very little I can fault with it at all.

Things I like:
- Great use of daub and wattle
- Nice use of vines to put the house in the context of the surroundings
- The interiors are class-appropriate and logical

Things that need improvement:
- The roof needs rafters to support it. Here is a good example (taken from the White Harbor sprawl)

- Mix some gravel into the dirt on the floor (it's just how we do things on the server)
- The ratio of stone foundation to daub and wattle vertically looks a bit funny - something closer to this tends to look better (stolen from Bandallon)

- Minor point, but think about how things would be transported to the upper floor if there is only a ladder - things like chests (which are quite expensive and should be used sparingly) and barrels would be difficult to get up there

For your challenge, I want you to go to /warp Fairmarket and build a house in that style. My advice is to find 5 houses you like in Fairmarket and take photos of them, then go into singleplayer and use them as a reference to make one of your own. Focus on making a nice staircase (this is the first part of the build I plan, along with the fireplace), planning your rafters early on in the picture, and making a nice veggie garden that would fit into the town.

Good luck!

 

[grymalkin]

Here's my house for the Fairmarket challenge. I'm hoping this fits the Fairmarket style. I spent extra time working on the rafters and staircase, so I'm hoping that's improved a bit.

https://imgur.com/a/imwXDzg

 

[grymalkin]

As soon as I hit post, I realized that I forgot to vary some of the wood detail on the outside of the house. I was going to go in and add jungle wood in place of the oak in some places like most of the Fairmarket houses seem to have. If you'd like me to change that and repost with new images, please let me know!

 

[thecoddfish]

Nice work! I think you've done a really good job with the house

Things I like:
- Great exteriors
- The interior layout is well done
- Looks like it would fit nicely into the town

Things that need improvement:
- Seems like too many books/scrolls in the house - remember the literacy rate in Westeros is likely very low (and even if a person is literate, they likely don't own a bookcase full of books)
- Cover up the topsides of daub and wattle blocks with the wooden carpet blocks (in this case oak) when they're part of a floor
- The shed is a bit funny looking - the thatch looks excessively large on top of such a small structure, especially with overhangs on all sides. A simple shed like this is nice

- The overhangs are a bit awkward/bulky with the stairs and wall blocks. A tried and tested technique is alternating stairs/slabs, as below

- The yard is a bit sterile/plain. Use long grass/fern/other vegetation blocks to bring it some life, along with mud (used logically in patches as below, rather than a random mix). The things I like about this yard are the cute and simple shed, the nice muddy patches and the timber in the yard (it's a furniture maker's house). As a new builder, rather than reinventing the wheel and making your own new features, copy aspects of other peoples yards until you get your head around the style - the same goes generally for interiors and exteriors.

- Cover the unused sides of cabinet/crafting table blocks with a half door or against something else rather than leaving them uncovered
- Full brick blocks as tables (like the one next to the fireplace and in the yard) look sort of weird
- Aspects of the interiors are a bit rich/fancy - for example the multiple glass cabinets and bookcases

Your next challenge is a low class, single storey farmer's house in the style of Holy Hall. I want you to focus on keeping the interiors low class without being too empty (pro tip: 1-2 spider webs help add character to an otherwise bare house) and making a really good yard - for the purpose of this build, I'd like to see a clothesline, a small firewood shed and some veggies.

Best of luck!

 

[grymalkin]

Thanks for the feedback. Here's my low-class farmer's house for a farmer and his wife! I've tried to remove that "sterile" feel to the yard by varying the ground textures (with more mud, for sure) and including bushes with some wattle. I was a little worried about overcrowding the interior, but it seems like that might be common in a small farmer's home, though I did add the shelf above the fireplace to make the storage more practical for a house of this size.

https://imgur.com/a/bB576e6

 

[thecoddfish]

Things I like:
- Pretty much everything

Things that need improvement:
- Yard would likely have a more regular shape, rather than being "bubble" like (but these are usually plotted for you)
- Interiors are quite cluttered. This is definitely within the limits of normal, so it's not actually a problem, but don't be afraid to go more sparse either!

You've impressed me with every build you've made so far, and I think that you will continue to improve by honing your skills on the server itself. Consider yourself approved!

The next step is to contact a mod in-game to promote you to New Builder. Please make sure to read the New Builder guide here: http://westeroscraft.wikia.com/wiki/Newbie_guide
And also make a probation thread in the probation forum. You can start building at any open locations on the server - you can find these at /warp build, although it's sometimes outdated, so I would also recommend just asking people in-game and checking the forums for recent project happenings.

A probation leader should post on your thread within a week or so and continue to give you constructive feedback on your houses for the next month (though they can be quite busy in real life, so don't shy away from asking other builders and mods for feedback either!)

Welcome to the team!

 

[grymalkin]

Ahhh, thank you so much! I'll ask to be promoted in-game as soon as I see a mod on, and I'm reading the New Builder guide now!