[gocleau]

Crazybees and I have our mine and main base set up in a somewhat barren snowy (maybe frozen river...? I'll look whenever I sign in again) biome with a flower forest and large lake right at our back door.  We are planning on putting a few houses around the lake, and will probably make the area into a little village of some sort.

Right out the front door of our mine, however, there is a large natural depression in the ground that would be the perfect spot for a castle.  Crazybees has never built a castle, but I have completed around four, and (furthermore) there are already castles on the server.  I am always in the hunt to make something I haven't before, so I'm going to look into a more modern sort of aesthetic; a castle with large and pointy gables for the roof, and probably one that is more tall than wide, maybe even one without a keep.

Does anyone else have any other ideas though?  I would like to kind of keep it within the late 1800s time frame I think, and I know there were some cool things in Russia and Europe at that time for sure, and America was trying to recover from the Civil war, but I don't really know what was going on in other places.  I would also like to add some ancient monalithic parts to the structure to give it some history... many of the large castles and cathedrals, etc. were built on top of older historically important sites, and I would like to suggest that with my build.

Also, does anyone have any lore they would like to add to it?  Lore always adds great details to a build... Like the area was a warm place before something changed the weather in the area and the inhabitants had to start over to make up for the temperature changes.

Most of my builds up to this point on the server have had a heavy Asian-design influences, and I would possibly like to keep that up... it would tie the castle into the other builds around it.

I don't know at this point that we would need any resources, but suggestions for design or features is always appreciated, and if it would help to see the area in question lemme know in game and I will tp you there.

[gamerluuk]

I have no ideas right now, but if i get them, i will tell you.

[Marbou9]

What always helps me in starting a new build like this, is determining a block palette. I don't generally build in very specific styles, but build with blocks I think would fit the build, and the surroundings it's built in. For this, thinking about materials is something I do before starting the build.

In a block palette, you'd preferably have 2 or 3 blocks (roughly) that are a recurring theme throughout the build. Think of hardened clay, stone types, concrete, granite, diorite, you name it. Then, depending on how modern or classic the build is, you may want to pick a type of wood (logs and planks may be of different types), since that's widely used in large builds. You may also want to pick an extra block besides wood to offer more stairs and slabs to work with. Think (red) sandstone, netherbrick, etc. And of course, during building, you can add minor accent blocks throughout the build. Block palettes are meant to help you get started, not to limit you in building.

If you want to see an example of how I have made these choices in the castle I'm working on, ask me when you see me online. The castle is mainly made of hardened clay types and polished granite, with hints of spruce, dark oak and netherbrick. I originally started that build since I'd never built an actual Minecraft castle before, but now it's evolved into a whole different project, to make a minigame of sorts on the server. But more about that in the future, when it's more developed

[gocleau]

I like this, especially for the superstructure of the castle... the large outside stone detail areas.  I usually don't have the problem of finishing a months long project, and then when I'm done it's just a mess... but I DO tend to finish a large build only to find that I was too repetitive and kind of looks like a early 2000s video game.  But I bet that if I were to figure out a block colour pallet (which I do when I'm painting buildings in Photoshop and Blender... duh I should have thought of that) and then if I figure out a few features like a massive draw bridge that no one can cross, it would end up more varied.  I also really really like the idea of concrete for colour and a touch of modern, but I am also going to be helping supply and build a sci-fi city, so I will probably only do splashes here and there.

What if I made it a castle that has some sci-fi elements thrown in here and there, kind of taking inspiration from Falsesymmetry's base on Hermitcraft V.  I of course want to make it visit-worthy and potentially someday (I'm still new to the server, so someday) it could be a sort of public area...?  I guess that depends on how much interest there is in the area as I go along building it.

On a side note, does anyone know of Bishop's Castle in Colorado?  It's worth looking up ^^

[gamerluuk]

If you are incorporating sci-fi elements, then i suggest making a the central tower or something similair to that emerged from the ground with a crater below it, and stained glass below the floor, like a final protection in case the outer walls were destroyed by their opponents. It could be magic or an unknown ancient technology, that's for you to decide (just like using this idea). You could connect it to the rest of the castle with a few Nether portals.

[gocleau]

Dude.... this is an amazing idea.  I was first thinking that I needed some kind of large monalithic building to put in on, but I like the idea of an ancient mystical and technological tower that the castle has evolved from so much better.  I'm going to have to do some sketches of this one I think... a good plan makes for a better build.

[crazybees]

I like the medieval feel a little bit but all of these ideas are great.

I really want a Belle tower... which would be a bookshelf-filled tower.

[MattLong936]

This is like so old