General Store

[RecklessEnthusiasm]

Started work on a general store. This one will be bundled with my Village Home map along with some other stuff, I hope. I haven't added much yet, so it still looks really 'flat.'

I don't know why I started this. I am already busy with another project, and haven't worked on my darn mapping challenge entry in a week. I never could focus on one thing at a time... oh well.

[tilt]

well, a good start, but a bit flat as you say. And do you know that studies show that the more you get used to doing 1000 things at a time, the less able you are to focus... its like those abilities are on each end of old fashioned scales

[RecklessEnthusiasm]

I wouldn't be surprised by those results, tilt. If I'm not careful, I start half a dozen hobby related projects, and give each not half the attention they deserve. Anyway, hope things are starting to "pop" a little more now that I am adding the dressing.

I am hoping to make this part of my first map-pack on RPGnow, so I would welcome any advice that anyone has to offer (and criticism as well). I am also hoping to make these maps map-tool compatible, so if anyone knows of any good maptool setup tutorials, I would welcome a link!

[tilt]

looking better - I would however expect things like shovels to stand up in a shop

[Aegeri]

I like how it is going so far myself

[Sharpe]

Artwork looks great! The store will want a door in back for a loading dock for the heavy sacks and barrels. With the loading dock, you would back your horse-drawn wagon up to the door, which would be about level with the wagon bed, and the workers would throw the grain or roll the barrels into the wagon. You'd hate to carry that stuff through the store and down the stairs! If the wagon's bed wasn't the right height, you'd use a ramp to wheel the stuff up to the door.

[RecklessEnthusiasm]

Sharp -- you are brilliant. That hadn't even occurred to me. Thanks a bunch, I'll get to work on a wagon "docking bay" and add some wide doors to the stockroom!

[Sharpe]

Glad I could help. My other suggestion would be to add hitching posts.

The dock could just be a set of doors about 4' above ground level, or the doors could have an outdoor platform (probably wooden) beneath them with a ramp leading up to it.

[Meridius]

Not to be annoying (which I probably am) but doesn't that shop look rather modern? I believe it was not 50 years ago that in stead of browsing around, the shopkeeper would in stead ask how to be of service, and get the stuff FOR you.

Another thing, about Sharpe's post... not to be a spoilsport (which I probably am) but I do not believe that a horse-and-cart combination has a reverse... and thus is incapable of 'backing up'. This problem lies in how a 'draft' animal is attached to the cart. Though I might be wrong... I just have never seen a cart back up in my life.

Removing draft animals, and manually backing up would I guess be possible, but I guess side-loading would be easier. I also suspect people weren't as 'ergonomic' as we are today, and just loaded and unloaded carts with a human chain (a row of people, just passing objects from one person to another). For larger storage buildings, in Europe it was custom to build high, take the effort to hoist it all up in one go, so later, you would only have to drop it down. After all, dropping stuff is easier than getting it back up

And before I forget, even though I've got a lot to say about it, I still think it looks great!

[RecklessEnthusiasm]

Not annoying at all! I have moved on to other buildings in the 'city pack' but I will come back to this one for final touches later, and this is exactly the kind of helpful comment I could use. Thanks!