Kaidan Castletown experiments

[Gamerprinter]

I decided I need to create a castletown map of Tsue-jo, which is located on the western main island of Kaidan, on the opposite side of the island from Gaijinoshima. This will be a fairly complex map with all kinds of intended cool features.

There's the castle (shiro) itself: dunjon (main tower), 3 concentric bailleys, with yagura corner towers and reinforced gates. There are wall sections and stretched yagura tower walls, moats, bridges. Within the castle ground will be the lords palace, which is are single and two story connected multi-buildings, located in the inner bailley.

Outside the main gate to the castle will be straight road flanked by walled and gated homes of the senior samurai retainers. All structures immediately surrounding the castle are samurai homes. A temple area beyond that. The rest of the town comprising sections divided between social castes surround the castle. The town layout itself is mazelike and part of the defenses of the castle.

This castletown will be located on an island on a river not far from its mouth.

This is the first destination in the 3 adventure mini-campaign arc called the Gaijin gift.

If allowed, I might enter the finished castletown as an entry into this month's CWBP habitation challenge. Granted I know this is for Region 2, not 1, but we'll see if a CL will allow this as an entry. Even still, I intend to use this map in a commercial product, but I don't mind offering a CC version for use by the Guild.

I'll be creating interior maps for the adventure, so the town map won't take much away as a free giveaway to the adventure anyway.

The 3D model is a bit crude and the textures on the roof need improvement, but I'm likin' the basic idea so far.

Three views: top view, 3/4 view, and isometric view...

GP

PS: I just got done reading the first book of The Tales of Otori: Across the Nighingale Floor, by Lian Hearn - really great read, and Otori castletown, as described in the book has inspired me to try to emulate that in this castletown, just to see how tough that would be.

[Gamerprinter]

On reflection, looking at the three views, I really like the isometric view - a lot! I'm thinking of keeping everything isometric, that way I can create the rest of the castle grounds, ancilliary buildings, moats, walls, gates, etc. Create the island. Put the castle on high ground, that drops to each bailley, reaching a narrow channel cut on the down stream side of the isle, really making two very close islands separating the fortress ground by a natural moat between the town part of the larger island upstream with a lower elevation.

Because some of the streets will be hidden from the angles behind buildings, the gap between should be noticable, I might even add street labels and labels to specifc structures in the castle town, notable retainers, temples, the floating world district, etc.

I'll do separate layers of every stage, cut away the excess, create a 3D island, create districts of town separately, but with multiple buildings close together with surrounding walls, then composite the final in Xara. That's the plan anyway. We'll see if it works!

GP

[Gandwarf]

Very cool. I like the 3/4 and isometric view best. Very interested to see the finished version!

This will probably take quite some time however? Doesn't look like a quick map to finish.

[Steel General]

This will probably take quite some time however? Doesn't look like a quick map to finish.

Oh ye of little faith... have you not witnessed and stood slack-jawed at the very speed which the GamerPrinter works. The very stars tremble at his cartographic celerity...

OK, you get the point, he works fast.

It's very cool GP, I prefer the 2nd version overall, something about the 3rd one seems weird - might just be the shadows.

[Gamerprinter]

The Japanese name for donjon is tenshu, which is the main fortress. This sits within the inner bailley, consisting of yagura walls, a yagura corner keep and a yagumaron main gate. I plan to plan one more building inside the inner bailley, which will represent the Hachiwara clan bushi school (samurai school), maybe a pine tree in here as well. I also plan to place a second right angle gate in front of the main gate, leading in the the middle bailley. Next step...

The Hachiwara clan is the noble house that holds this castle and town. Its bushi school specializes in the use of 2-handed techniques with the katana. Historically, the Eta caste is more populous on Yonshu island than elsewhere in the empire, and a few Eta revolts have led to actions by these samurai to suppress them. 2-handed sword swings are known to sever limbs and cut opponents in half. Such monsterous cuts do well to quell the revolts at seeing their fighters cut to pieces. Hachiwara Oda is the current Daimyo of Tsue-jo castle.

Note: the yagura walls, are 20' high stone walls with enclosed long, building chambers at the walls crest. Within the building are housed guards, weapons, anti-siege equipment and supplies.

So far I am sticking with the isometric view.

Inner Bailley of Tsue-jo castle.

GP

[ravells]

that's beautiful, GP...is it all done in xara?

:: edit:: went up and saw it was 3d modelling....looks fantastic!

[Ascension]

That looks great. I'd love to see a whole bunch of these