[Minecraft] Maybe its because I'm a Northerner

[tempusfrangit]

Liverpool is not my hometown but it's definitely my homecity, it's where I hung out as a kid, where I went to visit family, where I went shopping every weekend. It's where my family are from originally so Liverpool is pretty much my go to city. So, I decided I wanted to build a cityscape from scratch and I wanted like layers and castles and shit but could I find a decent layered map with good biomes? Nope, no I could not. So, I've decided to use a superflat map. I know this means monsters will spawn easily but I'm going to try and build up the levels as I expand out.

I set off from my spawn point and the carried on diagonally until I came to a rough point that I wanted to start building from. I started off in general Minecraft texture pack as you'll see but updated to the new city texture pack when the update came out. The first thing I wanted to build was like Liverpool or what represented Liverpool to me which is the Liverpool Chinatown Gate which is stunning.

I came up with a structure that is roughly 40 x 25 x 4. I started from the columns working my way up, I know eight is apparently a lucky number so I wanted to incorporate as much as I could into my design. I'm also a big fan of symmetry, so I tried to replicate the design as often as I could.



I used a mixture of lapis lazuli, gold and coloured wool to achieve the actual coloured decoration of the gate. And I like it my only criticism is I wish they had wool stairs so I could make more angled coloured rooftops.

There was a Minecraft update which meant I changed to the city texture pack and boy do I love it. The gate looks so much more vivid and striking now and even though I may go back and change the glowstone and lighting situation I love it.



Looking at the surrounding area of the real life chinatown, I realised there were quite a number of commercial premises which I decided I liked the look of but decided to make them residential. Watching Sjin (from Yogscast) Let's Play Build Erebor, gave me a lot of ideas on how to use steps as an interesting feature on otherwise plain walls. I gave the walls different layers so that there wasn't just flat building scape. And I really love the detailing at the top (a pain to replicate on the other sides). I decided the windows were still looking a bit too flat though so added window boxes with decorations, I've now added trapdoors to give it more of a city windowbox theme but haven't uploaded those pics yet.



The first thing I knew inside I wanted to build was different floors with different apartments. I seperated each floor by first creating a trapdoor lift (rather than a piston) and assigned each floor a colour to indicate where people are. I worked on each quadrant building from the middle up then coming back later to finish off the ground floor. Once all my templates for room layout was done, I went in and furnished each apartment giving individual choice and style.

I decided to add Tabula Rasa names to this building, given the Compoundy feel inside. The exception of course being my BFF SamSam who plays PS3 and deserved her own room in my apartment block.

APARTMENT 3B CHRISTINA:



APARTMENT 6B SAMSAM:



APARTMENT ?? IDK SOMEONE ON TR WHO LIKES BRIGHT THINGS IN DARK CREEPY APARTMENT BASEMENT



There are other apartments but they're TO LET so they're undecided yet as to decoration. There is also a rooftop garden filled with plants and all sorts.

I came back down into the dimdark ground floor and added a couple of apartments, a reception desk and an office with other villagers. I added a cafe, glass atrium and a swimming pool. To enter teh swimming pool you first have to go into a changing room, go to a changing room booth and open the chest (inside the chest is a button to open the doors.) I really liked the pool idea.



I finished up the reception with a sign declaring the building name and you can see what it was inspired by.



I'm not finished with the building by a long run but I've decided to bulk up the surrounding area for the moment and move on. Currently working on a Victorian column and circular sort of roof building design which is in front of the gate, I'm really enjoying working on this.

And that is my week in Minecraft. :)

I might do a Darrow apartment building opposite Ha :D

Comments

[b_radwick]

So awesome, I love it!

[tempusfrangit]

Minecraft is a complete and utter addiction. I just wish more people had it on PS3 so I could play with them booo. OR I had a better PC and then I could play it online.

Seriously, YOGSCAST is one of the funniest thing on YOUTUBE that I watch and is pretty much the reason I'm into Minecraft at the moment. And I'm just constantly astounded that people are coming up with really cool games/maps inside the Minecraft system. LIKE a Minecraft version of PORTAL or Super Mario or ALL SORTS.

People are wondrous Brad. WONDROUS.