Approved Project Application : House Crane of Red Lake by ZoSo_666

[ZoSo_666]

Hello everybody and merry Christmas !
After learning a lot about project management with Chelsted, i am proud to present you my app for house Crane of Red Lake an old project which deserves special carefulness regarding its location and cannon informations about it !


Feeedbacks and comments would be appreciated of course !

ZoSo

 

[an_escaped_duck]

Hi Zoso, is Red Lake sworn sword lands? If so, perhaps you could use a house style more similar to Durwell? When I applied for Durwell mods told me that the style I made would be the regional style for Sworn sword lands. However it may be too far to the east, you will have to check.

 

[Emoticone11]

I don't believe Red Lake is considered part of the Sworn Sword lands, and it is also significantly eastward of Durwell. I don't really mind the variation in style- they still look like suitable Reach houses and it makes sense for there to be some variation over the distance between Durwell and Red Lake.

 

[Elduwin]

Hey zoso
That's a nice app and we can see you put real effort in it

Overall, everything looks fine to me, and I'll take a look at the tests in game asap. I have a few recommandations I can already give you though:
- Castle: House Crane being one of the main Reach Houses, with quite a lot of canon and historic informations, the castle could be larger. That'd be quite easy to do imo, using your insp: adding the newer parts (the white buildings on the insp pictures) on the shore, facing the main part of the castle.
Concerning the castle directly, and the house style in general, I wonder if you could use LP slates (instead of red slates), or at least make a try with them. They're used further south at Uffering and will be used at Westbrook (and I'd really like them to be used at Stackhouse as well).
- Terra: I'd gladly use your help to terra the Mander along Crane's lands and on the Westbrook rivers. Your insp for the lake are nice and I'm sure you'll make a great work there. Also, do you plan to make it larger? As said in canon, it is supposed to have at least 1 island (large enough for the dragon's cave, so quite large). I'd extend it to the East.
- House style: I agree with @Emotione11, I'm fine with the style being different from the one used at Durwell.

Cheers, Eld

 

[Elduwin]

I checked your house and castle test this afternoon.
House style looks fine, I'd still like you to try the LP slates roof.
Castle is nice too, I prefer the 1st version, with the small courtyard on the side (northern side i believe?), I put a melon on the one I prefer to be sure. Overall, I think you could do it a bit larger and fancier: the general structure is fine, but you should use 2 blocks thick walls for the main parts (I'd say the 4 main wings and the main towers), and 2 blocks thicks floors too. It'll allow you to create more depth for the walls of your buildings, adding arches and carved windows, and to have colored floors for the fancy rooms. The central courtyard could be larger, meaning you could extend the 4 sides of the "square". I'd also add defensiveness on the eastern (?) side (the one facing the shore), on both sides of the bridge.
Same as for the houses, I'd like a test with LP slates.

 

[ZoSo_666]

Thanks all for your feedback! I'll try to deal with everything so,

Duck:
I don't think Red Lake is a part of sworn lands, at least there no mention of the Cranes or Red Lake in the Sworn sword, maybe we can consider the sworn lands delimitated by the western shore of Red Lake, the Horseshoe hills and Dosk surroundings!

Eld:
Thanks for all your feedbacks!
-terra: I didn't plan to expand the lake first but I see no problem with that, it doesn't altere to much my plans. I admit it would look better if I have to make the island bigger for the cave. So consider that I'll make the lake larger!

-houses: unfortunately I haven't access to a computer for the moment, it shouldn't be too long, but I'll provide some version with LP slate asap!

Castle:
-Slate: the pictures will come at the same time than the houses!

-layout: I chose this size due to the space I have between the little river and the northern shore at the beggining. But now, if I terraform a bit the lake I agree to make it a bit larger, mainly the central courtyard as you said.
-Walls/floor: I already plan 2 blocks walls (it makes the living part with 7 blocks I think) and 2 blocks floors ( it makes wings with a height of 6 blocks). But I understand what you said with arches, ect and if the castle have to be fancier it's a good idea to add 1 block! Do you need another test for that?

- additional buildings referring to your first post : I plan to do add some of them but more as a 'work' complex with stables, kennels, servants house, ect.. . Maybe I can add that as the first defense of the castle, so with a proper gatehouse, walls and little towers a bit like the inspiration. It would make the castle more imposing.

I hope I clarified everything!

ZoSo

 

[Elduwin]

- additional buildings referring to your first post : I plan to do add some of them but more as a 'work' complex with stables, kennels, servants house, ect.. . Maybe I can add that as the first defense of the castle, so with a proper gatehouse, walls and little towers a bit like the inspiration. It would make the castle more imposing.

That's exactly what I had in mind.
I'll wait for the LP slates test, but otherwise I don't see anything more, so consider your application approved

 

[ZoSo_666]

Perfect thanks Eld!

 

[ZoSo_666]

@Elduwin i tried LP + other slates on houses and LP slates on the caslte, here are the pictures :

https://imgur.com/a/YeYWb

LP, red and brown looks good together imo but i'm not sure if mix them with other one it would clash too much.

For the castle LP slates look good but i admit i would prefer red slate for the main keep and play with both for the additional buildings. But if the majority thinks LP looks better i'll use them !

 

[Elduwin]

Concerning the houses, I can already tell you no for the green and blue, especially for the blue... it looks horrible
In general, I really like the LP slates, so I would advise to use them, but feel free to use brown too (you can mix both). Imo red slates for houses is too bright/fancy.

For the castle, I also prefer the LP slates, giving that orange-ish color you have on the roof of the insp. It also looks more realistic. Tho I would understand if you'd prefer to use red slates for the main keep. In any case, that's an easy thing to change if we want to.

 

[SseriousBusiness]

I gotta say I agree with eld the lp slates look very good on both the House tests and castle tests. Otherwise this app is very very good love the castle test

 

[ZoSo_666]

Thanks Seri!
I hesitate now.. I think I'll start with LP slate and then see how it goes!

 

[ZoSo_666]

hey!
As we talked about additional buildings i made a model of it, you can find it under my plot.

https://imgur.com/a/izuCr

there is:

• stables (6 horses)
• kennels
• a warehouse where the lord receive his taxes from his people
• a gatehouse flanked by to towers (guards towers)
• a blacksmith + other work areas
• a servant common room + its kitchen + servant bedchambers
• a laundry
• the seneschal tower
  
• a falconry
• a food storage for the whole keeps

All buildings will be smaller than the main keep of course same for the towers !
I know it's pretty large so if it' necessary to downsize it, it's possible to change the tower size, reduce the number of stalls and reduce the wide of buildings.

 

[Elduwin]

Mmmh, I'm not sure about the towers, I'd make the whole facility quite low, maybe except 1 tower, a bit like on the insp. I'm fine with it taking some space, but don't make it too high to prevent it to hide the castle.

 

[ZoSo_666]

I agree with you, it shouldn't hide the castle; i plan to make something similar to what is done at Rousemont, it's not too high and it allows to have at least one storey! i also removed a tower and changed the gate house with a tower gate as the inspiration.
As we talked previously about making maybe the castle a bit bigger, (for 2 blocks wide wall, yards, ect..) i worked on the layout. So the main wings are 9 blocks wide and the great hall 11. it'll make the ints less tricky than the previous version.

https://imgur.com/a/SD07V

also maybe it's time to bump for another mod ?

 

[ZoSo_666]

Bump!

 

[Enah]

lol, bump only after a week or so of no activity or 3 days

 

[Andy_Jones]

Will get to you in the next two days mate! Like it so far

 

[ZoSo_666]

thanks Andy!

By the way, i have another update concerning the outyard builds.
I made several iterations and they received feedback which concerns always the same things :
it's too castleish (with towers, large builds in general), too big compared to the main castle and i kind of agree with that (you can check all version on my plot).
So, i build a version which i think fit better the whole thing (you can find it at the playground).

https://imgur.com/a/DG3Cq

 

[Andy_Jones]

Sorry for the late reply, time flew by faster than expected.

I got the chance to come ingame today and was amazed by your castle and especially the new outer complex: I love them! I agree Elds small feedback at the castle, that would be nice and small additions to the building.

For the lands I agree with making the lake larger towards the east. PLease rework that river like you proposed, and add a few tributaries to it as well - maybe also one or two more streams that flow into the lake itsself. I trust you with doing great terrain!

Approved.