Guild City

[J.Edward]

I just noticed that the city of Guild is awfully close to the border with the orc regions of Chor'Tah to the east.
So...orcs and war and stuff might be a bit bigger of a part of life in Guild City... maybe.

[Mouse]

That means walls and proper defences. Jo will be pleased to hear about that - a chance to put his award winning siege wall drawing skills to practice

EDIT: Its also the perfect excuse to have a proper castle in town - 'Robbie's Pad'

[Straf]

So if I'm understanding this right, there are potentially four spacial dimensions, of sorts, to map: The obvious 2Ds of W-E and N-S, the level dimension which shows individual 'floors', and the zoom dimension as in elevation which is a coded feature. So let's say the ground level is 0, we could have a range of -4 to +4 if we wanted. Whatever level you choose as your 4th (spacial) dimension level 0 is always visible, unless the level is less than 0. For anything below ground only the current level is visible, for anything above you can always see the ground. A single bit will sort that out. Using only 8 bits we could have 128 locations, approximately an 11 x 11 grid, with each location given a particular land mask based on a certain resolution and a level using the level bit. The whole location of a map could be encoded in a number from 0 to 255.

[Josiah VE]

We should put our heads together as mappers and try to come up with the coolest city design possible. We could make a thread dedicated to collecting the ideas of guildmembers and put them in a pot, boil for ten minutes, take it out, and mash and stir together to create the coolest-est (maybe another 'est') and unique-est city map ever design (now my words are getting all mixed up). After all, between all the amazing cartographers on here, we must be able to make something awesome together.

[kacey]

This has definitely peaked my interest so I hope I'm understanding things correctly...Someone will map out the main city structure with basic elevation information, main roads, and rivers? and if I understand correctly specific locations like city hall, taverns, and such which Mouse has started a list for will be allocated to different sections by who ever is planning the main layout?...So we will be givin a chunk of city to work on with main roads, and maybe a few key locations which we need to incorporate into our section? and then other buildings, and smaller roads, and alleys, and houses, and such will be up to us?

And if the main level map is top down, but there will be hot links to specific building, and indoor maps can we do these side maps in different perspectives? Sort of like if someone is browsing around the zoomable map they will be able to click on different buildings, and get linked to a different map just detailing those areas, and if they find a hatch in the basement, and they click on that they may be able to view maps of the underground, and sewer system? If I'm understanding it right, it all sounds very complicated for who ever is putting it all together.

Also I think for such a big project the time limit would have to be very long or not at all. I think it would be cool if it was ongoing, continually growing, continually getting more detailed, on all the levels, street view to inside of buildings to underground.

I really like the idea of being able to do separate hot linked maps to the indoor areas.

I also like the idea of it being more organic then square grid like J.Edward suggested.

I've never done a city map before, but always wanted to, so if it's ok, I'm understanding it right, and there isn't a strict time constraint then I'd like to reserve a spot if I could.

[J.Edward]

You are pretty much correct in your assumption Kacey.

I think we will try to start with the main top-down stuff and try to get the broader city layout done and then try to work in to the buildings and floors and sewers and stuff.
But yes - I do hope that we can do hyperlinked stuff where you could go to, say, a perspective of a building and a floor map for it.
Maybe even to a room and/or items in a room. This all depends on the desire of Redrobes to do all the linking.

As for me, I really want to do that sort of level of detail. I think there is a lot of fun potential there.
We have plenty of time, but I do know that energy and interest wains as time goes by.
It is just how it plays out. Some will remain interested. Others will burn out some.

There is also potential for little villages outside of the city proper. Though, we would need to know the cities limits first, to know what was outside the city.

[kacey]

I was also wondering...Could we have some say on what type of district or area we get. Like will the city be divided up into different types of areas? If so then I would be particularly interested in doing the learning, and science area, where the people of this guild city do reasearch, and have universities, and such, and maybe do an observatory, and science centre, and learn all sorts of things, maybe a school of astronomy, that type of thing, because I feel like that's what I do here at the forum is observe other people work on there maps, and learn from them, and well, I just think these types of buildings would have more interesting rooftops. Also there might be some good potential for some underground tunnel systems, and chambers where forbidden knowledge has been kept secret by the ancients.

[J.Edward]

That sounds splendid Kacey.

I can not speak for what people will ultimately want to do, but my intent is for the city to just be divided up based on interesting areas and sizes and then it is up to each mapper to plan their section.
If we end up with 20 sections that are all about science and learning, then so be it.
I doubt we will, but I don't wish to dictate what a person maps that specifically.

I may well do some slums and some other not so pretty parts. They are actually quite fun to create.
I think there is a lot of potential for all sorts of fun things.

[kacey]

I think this is a great idea, now that I get it

Every city needs a council. I suppose that involves electing councillors. Then the councils will have to have meetings to decide important things like the tea and biscuits budget, the criteria for sending out the snow ploughs and gritters and which foreign cities to twin with. Then when they're all busy bickering about all of that we get busy with the actual work. The paperwork will go through a doddle because we aren't short of artistic talent, so I'm sure the various necessary forms will have the correct signatures in the correct places

If this is to be true to life then we should find out what everyone wants and do the exact opposite. TheHoarseWhisperer will no doubt confirm that a major part of city planning is aesthetic and practical juxtaposing. So, for example, where there are beautiful Gothic style townhouses, there needs to be an incongruously ugly and impractical behemoth of plain concrete, of 1960/70s design, slapped right in the middle of it because someone once thought it would be a great idea (see almost every UK city for real world examples).

On the other hand, this could be a perfect place to live... A place where every building has beer taps connected straight to the brewery. Sort of like The Big Rock Candy Mountain

Where I'm from that impractical behemoth of plain concrete would be torn down, and turned into a skate park. Then the city councillors would decide it was where all the bad kids hang out, and put up an equally ugly chain link fence with a really big padlock on the gate.

[Mouse]

This has definitely peaked my interest so I hope I'm understanding things correctly...Someone will map out the main city structure with basic elevation information, main roads, and rivers? and if I understand correctly specific locations like city hall, taverns, and such which Mouse has started a list for will be allocated to different sections by who ever is planning the main layout?...So we will be givin a chunk of city to work on with main roads, and maybe a few key locations which we need to incorporate into our section? and then other buildings, and smaller roads, and alleys, and houses, and such will be up to us?

And if the main level map is top down, but there will be hot links to specific building, and indoor maps can we do these side maps in different perspectives? Sort of like if someone is browsing around the zoomable map they will be able to click on different buildings, and get linked to a different map just detailing those areas, and if they find a hatch in the basement, and they click on that they may be able to view maps of the underground, and sewer system? If I'm understanding it right, it all sounds very complicated for who ever is putting it all together.

Also I think for such a big project the time limit would have to be very long or not at all. I think it would be cool if it was ongoing, continually growing, continually getting more detailed, on all the levels, street view to inside of buildings to underground.

I really like the idea of being able to do separate hot linked maps to the indoor areas.

I also like the idea of it being more organic then square grid like J.Edward suggested.

I've never done a city map before, but always wanted to, so if it's ok, I'm understanding it right, and there isn't a strict time constraint then I'd like to reserve a spot if I could.

I've added you to the list Kacey - welcome aboard

EDIT: I think a time limit would be useful for having all the normal surface stuff done, or we will end up with only part of a city, but the rest of it - the building detail and the underground - I don't see why people can't have all the time they need to do that kind of stuff

I was also wondering...Could we have some say on what type of district or area we get. Like will the city be divided up into different types of areas? If so then I would be particularly interested in doing the learning, and science area, where the people of this guild city do reasearch, and have universities, and such, and maybe do an observatory, and science centre, and learn all sorts of things, maybe a school of astronomy, that type of thing, because I feel like that's what I do here at the forum is observe other people work on there maps, and learn from them, and well, I just think these types of buildings would have more interesting rooftops. Also there might be some good potential for some underground tunnel systems, and chambers where forbidden knowledge has been kept secret by the ancients.

There is a university already on the list, but I don't see why there cant be two. I'll add another one and an observatory too - also the secret chambers

If I've missed anything just shout

So if I'm understanding this right, there are potentially four spacial dimensions, of sorts, to map: The obvious 2Ds of W-E and N-S, the level dimension which shows individual 'floors', and the zoom dimension as in elevation which is a coded feature. So let's say the ground level is 0, we could have a range of -4 to +4 if we wanted. Whatever level you choose as your 4th (spacial) dimension level 0 is always visible, unless the level is less than 0. For anything below ground only the current level is visible, for anything above you can always see the ground. A single bit will sort that out. Using only 8 bits we could have 128 locations, approximately an 11 x 11 grid, with each location given a particular land mask based on a certain resolution and a level using the level bit. The whole location of a map could be encoded in a number from 0 to 255.

I think it was so far into the small hours when you posted this that it just went sailing right over my head at the time, but I think I get it now. What you are saying is that instead of just normal zooming from birdseye to ground level the whole focal range is shifted downwards several notches so that we go from top of tallest building down through the ground to the underground parts of the city. Is that right?

I don't know if that's what Redrobes was describing (because he's so clever I seem to miss most of what he's actually said and need it translated to simpleton for me), but if its possible that would be totally cooooool