Castle/Keep in Old School Blue

[Turgenev]

Thanks SG. I'm really enjoying this project. It makes me wonder what I should do next in Old School Blue.

[Talroth]

A point of rep, and something you missed. Your windows, they be backwards. defensive windows flair OUTWARD, unless this is suppose to be a jail that lets the guards randomly shoot people inside and keep those inside from having good angles to shoot out of.

[Turgenev]

A point of rep, and something you missed. Your windows, they be backwards. defensive windows flair OUTWARD, unless this is suppose to be a jail that lets the guards randomly shoot people inside and keep those inside from having good angles to shoot out of.

Thanks for the rep, Talroth. From everything I have seen and read, it is the opposite. The arrow slits, or loopholes as they were also called, flair inwards to give the archer room to move (thus to get a better angle of shot against attackers) and the narrow slot at the end gives a smaller target.

For example, Conway Castle:



Or the Tour du Coudray:



For the record, I meant the slits in the keep to represent small narrow windows and not arrow slits per se. That's why they are narrower and close together unlike the arrow slits on the towers. I also picture them being high up near the top of the wall to allow light and air movement but not easy access from outside (being on the 2nd floor helps in that regards also). With that said, I might change the keep's windows so they don't look so much like the arrow slits. I do plan on creating a Legend for the upper levels of the keep like I did for the dungeon level (once I have finialized the various symbols I am using - I still have to draw the Balistas for the top level).

Cheers,
Tim

[Talroth]

That is an interesting point, my experience is with far later fortifications. Firing from the narrow side means you only have to move slightly be be protected from all angles at the opening, and only have to move a little to change where you're aiming at. Narrow opening at the outside means you have to take a step to either side to see the entire field of view.

I think where this is most noticeable is in modern fortifications, the large concrete bunkers of the Great Wars, with their stepped framed openings. Basically the gun ports would be formed by using a stack of wooden forms, each one smaller than the last by a bit, making the sides right angled steps moving inward. Anything shot at it would catch, and any deflection would likely knock it into the far side to be caught, and not into the defender.

Sadly the few books I have on castles from earlier years, (which would post date Conway Castle.) and showed the narrow side inward, are all packed away in god knows where now. I wonder just when this switch happened, and why.

[Turgenev]

That is interesting. I wonder when the format was reversed. I'm sure there are regional variances as well. Course that isn't counting the various changes that occurred with the passage of time.

I found this illustration covering hall windows interesting as well.

[ravells]

Stay with it, Turgenev, I think you've found a wonderful variation to the old blue style which looks fantastic.

[Turgenev]

Thanks Ravi. I've done a minor update to the Upper Level. I realized I should had the statues and steps at the front door of the keep under the cloud cover. Here's the revised version.

bluecastle001-03b.jpg

Now onto the next level.

[Turgenev]

Okay, here's the next level.

bluecastle001-04.jpg

One more level to go.

[ravells]

Now THAT really looks brilliant!

[edgewaters]

That is interesting. I wonder when the format was reversed.

Machine guns, I think, because they are difficult to reposition.

We have a number of "Martello Towers" in our city, built in the early 1800s. They all feature loopholes for gunners beside the main door, and beside doors leading out of the first section beyond the main door. They are all still the same as medieval loopholes, with the narrow end on the outside.

You can also see here that even in WW2, the narrow end was still on the outside for loopholes meant for single shot rifles:

http://www.pillbox-study-group.org.u...illboxpage.htm

(scroll down to the last 2 pics)