Waterfall cities - How to...

[marekz]

Hi there,

I would like to learn a thing or two from you guys.

I'm currently writing a story to my daughter that will be based in a city we constructed with rocks on a very small and real Waterfall. However, the story I was telling her was on a bigger scale (think of the Niagara or Iguaçu falls).

My first question is, how would you draw a city in the middle of a Waterfall (Niagara falls image as reference attached)?

The 2nd is, how would you graphically layer the city? In my mind it would have 2 to 3 "floors" (think of Machu Picchu)?

Drawing depth on a top 2D view is hard for me to visualize.

Thanks for the suggestions?

[Falconius]

It's difficult. You can use elevation lines and they work pretty well but they don't pair well with other information like buildings (it gets lost in the clutter). Another option is to shade the ground in the same manner you would do elvation lines with lighter colours on top to give the illusion of depth. And the last option is just to try and render it either by hand or with computer stuff. Mouse has a few maps where she has done multiple level places in CC3+ (at least think that's what she uses).

https://www.cartographersguild.com/s...l=1#post328621
https://www.cartographersguild.com/s...l=1#post363334
https://www.cartographersguild.com/s...ad.php?t=36241

[Azélor]

The city is on an island? If so, its mostly on the same level.

But in general, there will be multiple level, likely more than just 2 or 3. The waterfall could go down in one go or in several steps but that's up to you. Also, the cliffs are likely not at 90º angle so you still see the side of the cliffs even with a top down view.

Then there is erosion and rocks that makes the ground uneaven.

[jesterman]

Well, I would guess that for your first question (can't help much with the second) that it depends on the technology at hand. If the technology is good enough, they would probably go for a kind of bridge that the city can sit on, but that requires lots of time, effort and technological power if the waterfall is as large as you say (Building a bridge over a river where you just build over is easier than on a fast flowing waterfall and safer too). Another more likely option would be to build a boat form of city that slices through the water and is attached by chains of some kind (if magical, that would be great) and eventually anchored down (as the city grows larger).

There is another option, much less likely and it requires a lot more technology or a heck of a lot of magic, but theoretically, you may be able to make it float above the waterfall. Have you ever seen one of those hovering boats? They hover by pockets of air traveling at high speeds below them, and though your city is stationary, your waterfall is moving very quickly and may hold air and condensed mist with it. This could mean that, if strapped down correctly and aided by a bit of magic, your city could "float" above the water, but this is your project.

[jesterman]

also, you would need a safety mechanism, in case of extreme emergency and your city begins to be carried away by the waves. Likely, you could have long prongs, like teeth, pushing out at the edge of the waterfall and curving up like elephant tusks that would cause, if the city broke somehow and began to be carried away, that would stop the city, but wouldn't stop the water, unwanted debris and unlucky fish that are too small to be caught. You could also strech wires across these "tusks" that would provide more safety for your city, but the fish would still be doomed (unfortunetly)

Win-win: it makes it look really interesting and stylish.

Win-Win-Win: You could attach the city to these tusks:
Most buildings, built upward, must stand against the strongest force: gravity, but in this scenario, the force of the oncoming water would be the strongest and most dangerous. If you could use these "tusks" as a makeshift ground and build horizontally, it would fight against the oncoming waterfall and still hold to.

[Ghostman]

Instead of a top down view, consider using an isometric or a bird's eye perspective. That way you could represent both the layout of the streets and the elevation of the falls.

Would it be acceptable for the waterfall to be split in two or more parallel falls with a big cliff in the middle, like this? The city would be perched on top of the cliff. And if you also had high cliffs rising up on either side of the falls, the city could be accessible via long rope bridges. Or maybe even cable cars.

[Azélor]

Instead of a top down view, consider using an isometric or a bird's eye perspective. That way you could represent both the layout of the streets and the elevation of the falls.

Would it be acceptable for the waterfall to be split in two or more parallel falls with a big cliff in the middle, like this? The city would be perched on top of the cliff. And if you also had high cliffs rising up on either side of the falls, the city could be accessible via long rope bridges. Or maybe even cable cars.

The isometric perspective is a lot harder to get right. But if you do manage to pull it off, then yes it does look better.

Now, just replace the Ice Wall with waterfalls and... voilá!!

It's voilà.

[nwisth]

I started mapping a castle on a waterfall last week. It is still very much a work in progress, but here's a small snip of it:

WIP-ThunderFalls.PNG

I decided to start by making a height map of the area, and assigning various colors to various heights. I went for the non-linear option, where the fault line cliff that divides the area in two (the yellowish-green line) has an elevation increase of a whopping 54 meters, while the rest are just 1-4.

Then I simply started designing the castle to fit the terrain. I gave the courtyards a slight transparency to remind me of where the builders would have to remove material or make the walls higher.

I'm sure something similar could be applied to a large city map; I'll be mapping out a waterfall city of my own in a while, once the characters in my novel move from Thunder Falls down to Heathersbridge, a large regional capital built over the great Vaerenbergh river, to which the 90-meter-wide Timsbury river here pictured is but a tiny tributary - so I'll be eagerly following this thread to see what other suggestions come up. :D

-Niels

[marekz]

Hi all, thank you so much for all the replies.

@Falconius, thank you for all the links, the Merelan city from Mouse is incredible. It is now a reference for me on how to draw mountains on a top view. I deeply appreciate. Regarding the CC3, unfortunately it doesn't work for MAC , but I'll go to the software list and look for some which does

The city is on an island? If so, its mostly on the same level.

But in general, there will be multiple level, likely more than just 2 or 3. The waterfall could go down in one go or in several steps but that's up to you. Also, the cliffs are likely not at 90º angle so you still see the side of the cliffs even with a top down view.

Then there is erosion and rocks that makes the ground uneaven.

@Azélor, no, the city is not on an Island. It is quite hard to explain without the lore (I'll save for my WIP post), but I'll try anyway.
The city is located at the edge of the world (not a Globe) at the Never Ending Waterfalls connecting the Known World (bottom of waterfalls) with the Yet to Be Discovered World (top of the waterfalls). To help you visualize a bit the scenario, I've attached below the Antartica Walls which covers circa 95% of the continent coast
800px-Ice_Wall.jpg
Now, just replace the Ice Wall with waterfalls and... voilá!!

@Jesterman, your ideas are gold and made me think more on the lore. In my story, the city was discovered after an accident and was already fully built, but empty without signs of any previous residences, kind of a mystery surrounding it (Saving for my WIP - I'm also reshaping the story, so nothing concrete yet, hence not developing much).

Instead of a top down view, consider using an isometric or a bird's eye perspective. That way you could represent both the layout of the streets and the elevation of the falls.

Would it be acceptable for the waterfall to be split in two or more parallel falls with a big cliff in the middle, like this? The city would be perched on top of the cliff. And if you also had high cliffs rising up on either side of the falls, the city could be accessible via long rope bridges. Or maybe even cable cars.

@Ghostman, spot on!! The city has 2 main waterfalls like the Godafoss waterfall photo you sent. As the water stream is constant, there are many smaller ones inside the city and I was also thinking in adding 1 or 2 aqueducts. What would connect the city "floors" are 3 elevators, however, I may reconsider as the cable cars idea is really nice, I have not thought of that before.

@nwisth, that is a good idea to start with the terrain, however I'm also having issues with that because on mine, it is just water.

I've started drawing something and will post it soon. I just arrived home from a 1 month trip (where I started this story with my daughter), I'll unpack and scan the drawing for feedback.

Once again, thank you all for the suggestion and, if you have more, keep it coming.

[jesterman]

That is very impressive and very well done. I hope it's okay if I use parts of this map for an inspirational reference because it is really incredible! I might consider something like this in my own story.