Probation: StanateeManatee

[StanateeManatee]

Build 12: Another of the tents in Mance's Camp, along the shore of one of the Milkwater's branches. Also the pig sty next to it, per Otty's request.

/warp mancescamp4 or -1479, 37, -20552

Also used a log as a chopping block, as you said I should.

 

[_Simbaa]

#7
- all good!
#8
- all good!
#10
- try to work on your gradient a bit, even simple houses like these should have the 1 block more towards the ground and the other should be more frequent higher up!
- avoid using fur/leather chairs & seats on dirt floors, I've explained this to you already!
- always have carpet in patches, avoid having a blocks mixed into the ground by themselves, it doesnt make sense or look good!
- why is there a random hole in the yard?
- add atleast a slab of wood into the firewood storage, right now it looks weird with the firewood used as ground blocks!
- avoid having all the crops be fully grown in your veggie patches, the odds of them growing all at once are minimal!
#11
- avoid using random stairs blocks as damage, always have in centralized
- I think the barn was meant to be mostly meat & grain & hay storage therefore: 1. main entrance into an animal pen makes no sense, 2. butcher work area is already close by so it shouldnt be in the building itself! 3. grain shouldnt be stored at a ground level to avoid it getting eaten by stuff 4. no reason for a treated (smoked) meat to bleed
- whats going on with the northern halfdoors? firstly they dont work well with the shape of the building, secondly they are different color than what they are supporting, thirdly they take up alot of the space you could have used for more stuff
- avoid random carpet patches
- why are there chains (painting) hanging from the walls?
- grain wouldnt be spilled on the ground
- I am not a fan of the cupboard
- barrels are round, the way you stacked it on the chest it would roll over!
- ive done few rough changes to help you get on the right tracks! such as plotting the door and adding few details to the exterior of the barn
#12
- all good!

 

[StanateeManatee]

#7, #8&9, #12

#10
-k
-I read back through and don't think you did, but I'll note it. That was a style common in the rest of Ferren, so I continued it.
-sure
-my mistake at 2am last night while touching up
-I've not seen that before, but I have seen this type
-Baff plotted and made the crops herself, I just accented the yard.

#11: Caught up in game and made major revisions, but I'll note your items
-sure
- 1. hay storage sounds like its for animals, so I thought that access to the pasture might be useful for tossing out there, plus an easy entrance to bring the animals in from a blizzard
2. didnt recognize it was a butcher for the fields, just saw the goose-fowl
3. this was a style in barns I've seen (and furnished) elsewhere
4. okay
- it was a support for the middle hayloft, will note
- not thatch "carpet", but fallen hay from the loft- near where the shovel (or pitchfork) was
- chains were for the livestock
- I don't know where this whole all-grain-must-be-elevated mentality came from, but it's grossly inaccurate in an ancient, medieval or even modern lens. Proper storage conditions are not always successfully achieved- thus why there is disease and famine. Sure, you may want to store grain in a temperature-controlled silo after drying it in an isolated dryer, but only if you have access to these resources. Agricultural resources, although the driving force in an agrarian society, are still limited in such poor conditions. The simplest course of action is often to leave it on the ground, where it will get contaminated (>60% of crops in some countries), but there is hardly any other choice. Even in the US, most corn is stored on the ground- either in a barn or *GASP * outside under a cover. This is a case of Perfection being the Enemy of Good- where the opportunity cost of better storage at least seemingly outweighs the damages. Medieval societies which depended on simple crops for survival would obviously give their upmost care to their livelihood, but as often was the case, they did not succeed in proper storage, and subsequently died. There's even canon for this in the North, like Ashwood where winters generally always kill the sick and old due to improper allocation of resources. Additionally, when handling grains, straws and oilseeds, some always spills, which might be cleaned up regularly in a cement-floored factory or an old wooden warehouse, but this isn't as achievable on dirt floors (can even take pictures of my lab and research farm if necessary lol). ~ a person who is doing their M.S. in agricultural engineering specializing in grain storage and handling. (sorry for going off, but as such, this is important to me, if we're going for realism)
-eh, it wasnt working for me too much either, I changed the whole interior.
-np
-thx

Thanks for all your suggestions, and sorry again for that rant, but I feel it needs saying. If realism is valued on this server, then the reality that medieval (and modern) farmers are not perfect in their grain handling, should be accounted for.

~Stana

 

[StanateeManatee]

Build 13: Very Poor House in Longmerton neighboring and sharing part of the yard with my last.

/warp longmerton or 427, 36, 17873

This house was built with the damaged, wooden style seen infrequently in the other Mertons. This was cleared by Kul. I adjusted the rafters slightly per his suggestion too. This back yard integrates a bit with the freshly terraformed streambed next to it. Vetch and figwort (which I design a bit differently from Stoop) are plotted by the creek along with a little tree (thanks Otty) and sitting/fishing area. Since this yard is the edge of town, I didnt feel like it made sense to continue the back wall up to the creekbed, so I let it crumble off. In the normal peasants-not-really-being-landowner theme, I integrated the yards of these two houses a bit (which was plotted this way) by having a shared parsnip patch (which is currently being fertilized). These people also have a batch of sea beets (chard) and a fallow patch where they normally plant beets. I also put an outside fire pit to further emphasize their poor station. Also did something I'm not proud of in an upturned piston table, but its what fit and made sense to me considering the six+ people living in this shack. I should note this yard would theoretically be VERY moist considering it partially sitting below the theoretical water table.

Build 14: Another Tent (and firepit) at the endocannibal camp in Mance's Army

near /warp mancescamp4 or -1495, 35, -20550

I made this firepit a few days ago, and Otty helped touch it up to integrate his nearby snowbanks. These people are the ones chiefly responsible for the nearby firepit, as evidenced by their large firewood stack, collection basket and chopping stump for any larger logs if they find them.

 

[StanateeManatee]

Build 15: Yet another Tent at the same camp in the Far North

-1480, 37, -20552

Also redid the firepit next to match it more to the style in the camp. Added the fish racks. For some reason my perms don't allow adding snow layers (or paintings, item frames or armor stands (these aren't even nearly as crucial).

Build 16: Guess what? I finished off this encampment by doing ANOTHER tent (I love them as I've chatted with Otty about)

-1499, 36, -20559

 

[StanateeManatee]

Sim, I saw you'd be away for a week on Discord; I hope everything is going alright. Anyway, I was in a building mood the other day, so here's some additional builds I've done:

Build 17: A dilapidated house turned into a shed for the neighboring hunter/trapper near Hagsmire.

West of /warp hagsmire1 or -1225, 39, 4480

Des has already looked over this and made some changes contrasting it from some of the other builds in the area before approving it. I really enjoyed building this and then wrecking it.

Build 18: Low class house near the manse in Brandybottom. Home to a husband and wife- orchard workers who also tend the stables.

/warp brandybottom or -7260, 49, 15204

Again, Earl has looked over this and approved it after I did a complete overhaul of the interior. Originally I built it as a more middle-lower due to the size of the plot and the request of it being a taller build, but I gutted it and made it more in line with the other orchard workers. Personally, I'm really happy with the ext, but disappointed in the ints, but Earl complimented it so I guess its a wash.

Build 19: Another Barn in you-know-where.

/warp ashwoodhf or 334, 44, -3642

I made another little hayloft in this one with a front haydoor. The front doors are inspired by some I saw in nearby Holt (iirc). I continued using similar racks like I did in the other barn for consistency, but here I put carrots and turnips/parsnips as you requested. I also put a table for chopping up cabbage and a crate to put it in (cabbage just doesn't fit spaces well imo). In the back there are stacks of barrels and a hoist to help stack them, as one is being lifted currently. There's also a tool chest and a lot of spare firewood.

 

[Endymion]

Hey

I'll be taken over as your probation leader.

 

[StanateeManatee]

Hey Endy, it was nice catching up ingame and reviewing a couple builds.

Build 20: Romocharcoal3
a charcoal burner living near the summer pastures for House Bridges in the Rousemont lands. The family consists of a man, wife, child (~10yo) and their hound.

/warp romocharcoal3

Mini presented entirely by yours truly. Inspirations for this build come from all around the Romo lands for the various buildings and from the WhiteHarbor charcoal burns for the kilns. I also used a bit of artistic license with them since grass blocks couldnt be used in making the pits, unlike how they were used in the North biome. I also changed the charcoal piles from basalt to valyrian stone based on a recommendation from May. A former stable, in the Romo style, has been converted into a nighttime shelter for the child and dog to keep watch over the burn by night. There are the remains of a couple old burns scattered around the clearing as well. A well was dug near the pathway for use by the family and the shepherds in the nearby fields. Their garden is slightly cordoned off to make sure no stray sheep wander by and nibble on their precious herbs. These gardens contain pease and pumpkins for additional sustenance, as well as 'edible' comfrey, bedstraw and chamomile all of which have various uses, especially in the treatment of burns.


Around this time, I also took the liberty of finishing up the final shed in Clennon (/warp clennon). Now I will be moving on to the next charcoal burner for Tham.

 

[StanateeManatee]

Thanks Endy for helping me with some of my builds and walking through some of my completed houses. Just so we have this indelible record, I'll list my last week's progress here. This might be nice to keep for posterity in case I want to look over my builds or if anybody has any questions about them.

Build 21: Romocharcoal4
Another charcoal burner house on the Outskirts of Rousemont lands near Bitterbridge (home of their overlords). The family consists of a 3-4 occupants.

/warp romocharcoal4

The outline of this mini is viewable in the Rousemont thread. The build is similar to the last; however, this time, Tham requested a wooden house and suggested a sod roof. Since there are no builds like this in the Romo lands, I had a bit of free reign on style. I tried to create a very earthy vibe all around the house and a dark, gloomy interior. One change I made compared to the other burner encampment is that I made one of the kilns be broken and in the process of collection- and a cart to haul to the nearby hamlet. Charcoal burners were often linked to witchcraft due to their secluded existence in the woods. Since woodswitches are already common in the Romo lands, these people might also fit that trend and in exploring around their house, you might find as deep, dark a secret as the charcoal they burn.

Also, the log cabin at Romowitch2 was actually designed by yours truly, but Tham did everything but the frame of the house.

Build 22: Buckley House
Peasant house near the Buckley estate near Romo and Tumbleton.

/warp buckley or /tppos 974,35,14930

Its got a porch. This was brought on by a comment by May, and the final porch is inspired by one near the main village near Romo. The yard was remodeled by Endy to give it a nice, clean look. Growing in the yard are vegetables you might expect in this climate, exposure and hydrological condition: Angelica, Cabbage, Comfrey, Fennel and Pease.

Build 23: Ferren Barn
Barn near Ferren Keep.

/warp ferrenkeep or /tppos -3053,60,12661

Very weird plot shape for a barn, and out of all the barns in the demesne, it is the smallest and most diagonal. This led to a bit peculiar design for windows, doors and roof, but it played out just fine. This barn is amongst a bunch of bocages feeding sheep and horses, so the barn reflects this with a hayloft. However, more importantly, this barn nearest the castle coming from one of its hamlets, so this serves as a repository for some of the incoming goods. These are stored on the shelves in baskets, crates and barrels.

Build 24: Ferren Barn
Interior of a Barn next to Ferren Keep.

/warp ferrenkeep

Since this barn is larger and right next to the keep, it serves as a place to shoe horses and as a place to shear sheep and collect wool. The barn also serves to shelter animals should the need arise during an intense storm or the such.

Build 25: Ferren Vineyard
A vineyard and small winery at the edge of Ferren, along the Gold Road.

/warp ferren or /tppos -2945,59,12736

My third Mini! Potential IG names for this winery could be Weasley Winery or the Wolverine Vineyard or anyotter name considering the Ferrens' love of mustelids. Three main buildings make up the winery and a large vineyard covers half of the hillside South of the village.

Entering the chief edifice from the Gold Road, there is a counter for the sale of wine and a small table seat. Behind this counter is a large bottle rack. The rest of this building is devoted to large fermentation vats and some storage for wine-making supplies and ingredients. Outside the large West door of the building is a large wine merchant's cart picking up several barrels to take to whatever city or castle he may head. On the back of the building is a small stable for the vineyard's two mules.

Continuing East, lies the huge barrels where the grapes are foot-stomped. The middle building holds the many wine barrels on stock. These are fine wines crafted using select grapes and special herbs. A wine merchant may wish to try some of these wares, as the one currently visiting is doing, at the table inside. The third building is storage for extra barrels, crates and baskets and the stocking of raisins.

Currently, the vineyard is wrapping up the harvest of one of their swathes of white grapes. These are being collected in baskets and tarps and brought down the hillside via wheelbarrow or mulecart. A vast amount of grapes are piled on the South bank of the stream near the lunching area. These are then brought across the stream by the small bridge to either be stomped or, since they're white grapes, sun-dried into raisins. Large sheets covered in drying grapes lie near the storage building. The harvest has been going on for several days now and some of the early grapes are already turned to raisins. A small garden completes the winery complex. Within it are several herbs useful for infusing wine and/or good companion plants for grapes- rosemary, rue, oregano and hyssop.

The vineyard has been refined from just the standard W/E. Almost all glitchy leaves were removed; extra soil types were added; inconsistent paths were levelled; the harvested section was turned to plain leaves; spots of leaves&grapes were interspersed to give a more natural feel. Beehives dot the property to help pollinate the grapevines and bees swarm throughout the rows. Repairs are underway in a couple places where vines have died or have taken damage. A shelter lies in the SE corner of the vineyard allowing for some shade from the sun and to house a few tools/spare baskets as well as a lumber pile for making new lattices (sic). At the highest most point on the property is a small altar to the Mother for her to share her bounty with the winery (vineyards are usually closely associated with religion).

Please come visit the Ferren Vineyard today and take home a bottle of our finest wine or heartiest mead!

 

[StanateeManatee]

I haven't updated this in a couple weeks, so here goes:

Build 26: Fairmarket House
Ints for townspeople house outside FM. I imagine the owner to work on one of the ships or the docks.

/tppos -666,36,5979

Build 27: Fairmarket Hovel
Ints for a dilapidated peasant hovel outside FM.

/tppos -647,38,6040

Builds 28, 29 & 30: Fairmarket Farmhouse and Barns
Ints for the a classy-looking farmhouse and its two barns outside the West Gate of Fairmarket. The farmer, his wife and two children live in the main house. The front barn stores a haywagon, includes a hayloft and workbench and has some general storage. The back barn has room for a couple of farmhands, as well as some more specific storage for grain, berries and meat.

/tppos -1148,51,6099

Build 31: Pendric Hills Hovel
Another Westerlander build, this time in the D&W palette. Small home for a couple of peasants. Worked this over with Endy and he had several tweaks he did to the layout.

/tppos -5150,70,8602

Build 32: Fairmarket House w/ Basement
Ints for a large house on the North Bank of the Blue Fork across the bridge from Fairmarket. After checking with Stoop, I made this a dyer's house, considering Luk built a weaver's next door. Considering the vast trade that would pass through FM, it made sense to have a second dyer's in the vicinity. On a personal note, I just love this house and its overall vibe and layout.

/tppos -817,39,5898

Build 33: Large Fairmarket Hovel
Ints and exts (sans roof) for a large low-class house on the North outskirts of the Fairmarket sprawl next to the Septry. This house was a struggle for me in all honesty, as the ints just werent working for me. Thankfully, Stoop came by and made a few adjustments that made it all click.

/tppos -788,38,5826

Needed a break from FM, so I built my first house in the Vale. Counting both times I built on WC, I have now built houses in every region sans the Iron Islands.

Build 34: Ramshackle Hut near Saltpans
Home to a couple of extremely poor crab-fishers near Saltpans but subject to Wickenden. No other wooden huts exist within the Wickenden lands, so Scubooty and I had to create our own style for them merging some Vale and Riverlander palettes. After seeing the signs here, it can be deduced that this conversation might have taken place here:
Ramen: "I saw a mudcrab the other day."
Emote: "Horrible creatures. I avoid them whenever I can."

/tppos 4714,37,8632

Build 35: Fairmarket House
Ints to the green-gabled house right outside the East Gates of Fairmarket. Home to some townspeople who also grow and sell sourleaf. They have a master bed, crib and another large bed. Perhaps they have a lot of children, or perhaps they recently adopted some girl named Anne to come live with them in their green-gabled house.

/tppos -667,38,6046

Build 36: Sheep Farmer near Saltpans
Home for a couple of sheep farmers along the road from Wickenden to Saltpans. Here, had to really try and be mindful of the 2013(?) construction of Saltpans, per Emote's suggestion. Also looked at houses at Lolliston, Haigh, Hagmire and Old Maidenpool for some inspiration. I also built the sheep shed and some adornments to the pasture. Endy helped a lot on touching up around the build and by adding a tree and awning to the front of the place. All in all, it is very cute and will hopefully blend well into the future Eastern Riverlands.

/tppos 4714,45,8573

Build 37: Kine Keeper with a Cattle Byre Below near Saltpans
Emote built a super-duper farmer house with a byre for cattle underneath and made an open plot for another, so I went for it. Unlike his house, mine had a mainly wooden frame and floors, so it had a few necessary changes like having a furnace instead of Emote's usual stone-brick-window fireplace. I also added a little loft above the byre entrance. Also, added a second little stair down to the basement where I put a second bed and some cabinets. The front entrance was a challenge, but I think it turned out well after Emote flipped one of the stairs and added some bushes, he also came up with an awesome design to help break up the gables. After checking with him, I also put a little chair out in the pasture by a rock where after a long day, the rancher could enjoy some mead with a beautiful view of the Bay of Crabs. Then Emote, May and I had a cattle party where we spawned like a stack of cows. On the house, per Emote: "I dig it." I believe there is no higher compliment.

/tppos 4624,47,8561

Build 38: Merton-y Cottage at Fingermerton
Kul asked me to build a house at Fingermerton, so I obliged. He requested the standard Merton-style, but with a Northern Wood roof. I tried experimenting with some new D&W designs, but they just weren't working, thus I went with a fairly standard one, but with the new vertical block. Unlike most Merton houses, I did not include a loft, but instead had a large sleeping area separated by a small screen from the fire pit. I added a little workshed to the back of the house to cover up some decorations I did to the firepit on the inside, and about the shed, I quote Kulmen as saying "That's dope." Not as great a compliment, but I'll take it all the same.

/tppos 554,47,17517


Server Involvement
I've been pretty active the last couple weeks, both building and socializing. Me and a few other builders have regularly been voicechatting on Discord, messing around on Test and playing Hide-n-Seek over all the worlds. I've also helped some builders with little projects: hand-terraforming Varner with Jake, building a market stall for Ramen, furnishing Summerhall's basements with Cash and, of course, chatting, giving and recieving feedback. I also participated in some of the timelapses that Fluboss and Dutch have been putting on.

All-in-all, it's been a very fun couple of weeks and hopefully I'll be able to keep some of this up and learn some more of the in-and-outs of project-planning after my probation ends. Thank you if you have read this and I hope you've enjoyed!

 

[Endymion]

Hey stan

Congrats! You’ve finish your probation. You still have some improving to do, but I am confident you’ll get there on your own. I’ll leave the last houses I have not checked yet to the respective project leads. My final advise would be try to imitate and be inspired by the building techniques of best builders on this server. It could help you get up to the building standard. Fake it ‘till you make it .

Good luck you’re a full builder now.