Approved Lonely Hills Terra Project

[Jakethesnake8_8]

Here's a draft of some shepherd paths that extensively cover the region. While not all of it would be under my jurisdiction, I'd just make the start of the roads and then mark them with melons to be joined up to projects like the Dreadfort and Last Hearth and Karhold when they get picked up. I've also added in some glacial tarns, which are lakes that form in glacial bowls near the peaks of the mountains. This just breaks up the monotony of having several empty valleys, and allows a greater variety of landforms. I've also decided to include river braiding as a result of all the deposited glacial till, there'd be multiple channels of water flowing in every which direction. Let me know your thoughts !

 

[Jakethesnake8_8]

Important to remember that with the terraforming around Long Lake - the White Knife currently does not have rapids (canonically they should have) and the current form of the river in server is too level/low - the river and therefore the Lake itself will probs be 3-5 blocks higher if this ever gets sorted out. Just something worth keeping in mind I guess.

Definitely something I can work around, I’m not terraforming the white knife itself, merely a branch of it, which will look somewhat rapid like as a result of the river braiding.

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Here's a basic test of what that may look like ! I tried to show scroll bars but they didn't really show up how I wanted them to, but you can appreciate some of the differentiation in sediment through biomes and different pebbles.

 

[Kor_Bro]

All of this is looking lovely. Absolutely loving it Jake ❤️

 

[AerioOndos]

Heya, I think this is at a point where it can start going. I approve!
That being said, with an immersion of this size you're going to need two approving mods. Also, when you're preparing plots, working out building style, could you post here again/let us know?

 

[DutchGuard]

I second the approval! Likewise, let's keep in touch about builds when you get to that stage.

 

[IronGentleGiant]

I love the terra layout and as for the various streams and creeks coming down the hills well I was wondering if beaver dams could be added at locations where the elevation drops. Beaver dams are very good for a healthy water habitat and do protect native fish populations. You can find some facts on Beavers and their dams here and how they help local ecosystems.

 

[lemonbear]

I believe we also have some beaver dam tests in the test world somewhere

 

[AerioOndos]

We also have a few beaver dams on the server, and I think some at White Harbor

 

[Jakethesnake8_8]

I come bearing gifts! A 3 week update! So landscaping is going well, the main valley and its offshoots are mostly done or being worked on by myself. In the more complete valleys, I've started to map rivers, landslides and forests. As a rudimentary colour and method test, I've whipped up this. Let me know what we think, and how it can be improved!

 

[Jakethesnake8_8]

Hey all!

I'm here to bring up a little roadblock. So canonically, the White Knife has rapids downstream of where the Lonely Hills are. With that, comes the need to raise Long Lake and the White Knife itself. While Carc's terrain is brilliant and has revolutionised the North, I think it's inevitable that it needs to be scrapped and raised in order to make those canon rapids further downstream, as would the Long Lake.

I am writing to then ask for guidance. I would need to get very close to the river and lake anyway for the immersion, so I'd like to know how much freedom I have to change things with respect to the river and the lake? Obviously I don't want to lock myself into something long-term, but if it has to be done at some point, why not now when half of the lakeside terrain is getting a revamp?

Let me know your thoughts, mods,

- Jake

 

[Margaery_Tyrell]

//move up 20 blocks and then fix the edges

 

[DutchGuard]

Hi Jake, I think we're leaning towards getting it sorted out now while you are working on the lakeshore. Could you try to tell us specifically how to you want to go about doing this? How much higher do you expect the water level needs to be? How would the existing project there be affected?

 

[Jakethesnake8_8]

Hi Jake, I think we're leaning towards getting it sorted out now while you are working on the lakeshore. Could you try to tell us specifically how to you want to go about doing this? How much higher do you expect the water level needs to be? How would the existing project there be affected?

That is something I haven't even thought about yet (if I think about illustrious plans, I tend to set my heart on them lol). Uh, well I would reckon anywhere between 10-20 blocks to allow someone to create some really good rapids downstream. I reckon anything north of Ashwood is at risk of some sort of change. Afaik canon dictates the rapids are closer to WH, so that area seems to be where they'd be placed. Projects around Long Lake are, to use the technical term, *fucked*. The portion of Kings Road as well probably needs to be shifted up.

I'm not going to lie, this definitely seems like a much wider scope than my original intention with the project

 

[Margaery_Tyrell]

Do it do it do it

You LOVE terra

 

[AerioOndos]

Seems like a good time for someone to apply for Harclay....

Anyways, yeah we've got enough lore details for the kingsroad journey to be revamped a bit.

If you wanted to, you could put the long lake development as a later stage of the lonely hills immersion. maybe lift half of/one bank of the waterways so there's not absolutely enormous selections and disruption to existing projects.

Then the height fix up on the west bank could be done together with a Wolfswood Revamp/Lake revamp/Project Harclay.
Just thinking of how to get one part completed before there's another big area of placeholder terrain.

Alternatively, we could use this long lake fix up as a way to try 'speed running' a terra project by getting multiple (3+) editors on board to work simultaneously on the area, possibly across time zones. Admittedly this would be difficult because it would require working out a Wolfswood style and possible new tree schema, snow transitions, working across lore from Stannis/Asha, Bran, Tyrion and Jon who have passed through nearby as well as WOIAF notes.

 

[Jakethesnake8_8]

Hiya gang!

Here's my 7ish month update! The greater portion of the hills are terraformed now, it's just a matter of doing rivers, vegetation, roads and the odd shepherd plot here and there. I'm also contemplating a small hamlet in the wider part of the valley just as a POI to draw people into the landscape.

I've also come up with some etymology for the Hills. They are the Lonely Hills because the few people who live there have seasonal depression and get lonely af :'(.

So, what's left to do? Well I need to transition things into the surrounding terrain and create a cohesive border. This will then lead into the raising of Long Lake (eek). I want to outline what that will entail in more detail (that rhymed lol). Anyway, it will result in the marked area being raised up and then patched into existing terrain.

There are two possible ways to go about this:

1) wipe projects around the lake and slowly build surrounding terrain in to raise the lake that way

2) poly select an area and raise it 10-15 blocks and then smooth the edges as best as possible

I am personally a fan of doing option 1) as it allows the snow border to be updated without having to skirt around structures. It also would end up with the most aesthetically pleasing version. It would also allow for the Wolfswood to be updated- something I believe is already on Carc's radar.

Let me know what is the most feasible solution and I'll set about making plans and preparing an application for an immersion to carry on when the lonely hills are complete.

 

[Azulejo]

I assume you have no intention in updating the wiped down projects (basically Long Lake) yourself. A possibility could be to paste the few buildings that make them up again on the new terrain, even if they end up open for being updated/redone. Having said that, if we were to take option 1, what will the new area be left as? Currently it is placeholder forests, which are not particularly valuable, but more than a wool desert. Would you add some short of placeholder forest back into the area? Terraform it yourself up to our current standars (I guess this is not the idea given that you mention Carc's plans on the area)? Would the area be left as wool for someone else to eventually terraform?

I don't want you to feel pressured into having to more than double the size of your terra immersion, I'm not suggesting that. But given the huge area that you have highlighted I think it's important to discuss at what state is it gonna be left as. While I understand your workflow and thought process, I can also understand the complains of those who wouldn't want the heart of the North to be left us a green wool patch waiting for someone to do it.

Also, in case it needs to be said, I don't think leaving the Long Lake untouched is an option, given that it would make us basically unable to adress the canon about the White Knife.​

 

[Jakethesnake8_8]

Heya,

Thanks for the swift response. You’re right, I have no intention of updating the structures in the project(s) affected myself, as it’d be a bit of a stretch on project rules. I also feel a little out of my depth building in the north, as it’s not something I got much experience doing as a probie or builder.

With the forest, I’d intend to update it myself (a feat made all the more easier by Emots scripts). However, should Carc return between now and then I think it’s only fair to yield to him if he’s willing.

Large immersions can be intimidating and difficult and you’re right the bring up potential roadblocks there. In my mind, despite it being roughly the same area as the lonely hills, it’s probably half as difficult. The terrain is already mostly shaped, and shaping what’s left is not exactly rocket science. Similarly, a great deal of it is covered in forest, which as I mentioned above, is infinitely more easy to do with Emots scripts.

My only hang up is that I’m off to uni and I don’t know what that’ll do to my personal workflow but I can assume I won’t have as much time as I used to. So we’ll see how things go there and if I feel like it’s something I can undertake I’ll go for it, maybe inviting some people to help. To be honest all you need is Emots scripts once the area is shaped properly. Anyone with Macros could theoretically help out without me being there, just as long as I specify parameters for the script.

As I’m writing this I’m remembering scripts might be a thing of the past come 1.18. Hmmm I’ll have to think of another way around that at some point.

 

[Emoticone11]

As I’m writing this I’m remembering scripts might be a thing of the past come 1.18. Hmmm I’ll have to think of another way around that at some point.

We have an alternative scripting mod that should work, but I'm still working on a tool for converting the existing scripts

 

[Azulejo]

Re-reading your first post about the matter it seems like you have the intention of tackling this expansion as a new immersion app, which I think is a good idea. If that's the case, and it is done just before the Lonely Hills are finished (to tie everything together), it should go smoothly. I think it is wise for you, as you said, to wait for when you start university, so you aren't surprised by a big load of work that prevents you from doing the new area. If that's the case there's alternative temporal solutions for adressing the lake's height change, so do not worry.

In the meantime you can try doing some tests. I imagine one for the southern edge, one for the northern edge and another for the main body of the forest, as well as one for the lake shore. Make sure to reach our North terra nerds, I'm sure they have plans and ideas for the area already, specially regarding the snowline. There might be some canon about the area that may be nice to check, perhaps regarding tree species or the general feel. The King's Road goes through it, I'm sure some POV has described the stretch from Winterfell to The Wall.
​

You’re right, I have no intention of updating the structures in the project(s) affected myself, as it’d be a bit of a stretch on project rules. I also feel a little out of my depth building in the north, as it’s not something I got much experience doing as a probie or builder.

There's few structures in the area, so I do think the idea I mentioned before (pasting them back in the new terrain) is feasible.