.Path Network Group

.Path Network Group
Survival 4 Survival 5
The Path Network Group HQ at Beagle Spawn
Project
Type	Server-wide Project
World(s)	Survival 4 (Beagle) Survival 5 (Akita)
Leader(s)	TheLemonCrafter (Inactive)  Montenator  CaveCreeper1024 (Former)  _Shako (Former)

The Path Network Group, or PNG as it was more commonly known, was a group formed during the Beagle world of Survival 4 and currently operates on the Akita world of Survival 5. The aim of the group is to provide high quality roads for use on horseback or on foot. The group runs somewhat parallel to the Road and Horse Network - the two have worked on separate worlds in both Survival 4 and Survival 5. The Path Network Group was officially created on the 20^th June 2020 by  TheLemonCrafter. The group officially merged into the larger RHN group on the 29th of January 2023, after 2 and a half years of road building.

Management

The project was overseen by the original creator of the PNG, TheLemonCrafter. From June 2020 until March 2021, TheLemonCrafter managed the operations of the PNG by himself. In March of 2021, two players who had previous experience with building the RHN on Husky,  _Shako and  Montenator, were approached to aid in the expansion of the PNG. So, on the 21^st of March 2021, _Shako and Montentator joined TheLemonCrafter in overseeing the progress of the PNG. Player  _edo also served a more behind-the-scenes consultant role to the PNG, and also provided the group with a link to the RHN on Husky.

The PNG was initially planning on not carrying forward to Survival 5, however when it was revealed that the RHN would primarily focus on Shepherd and Labrador, there was an opportunity for the PNG to fill a gap in infrastructure. Both TheLemonCrafter and Montenator were using Akita as their main world and decided it would be nice to see some proper road infrastructure on the world. Both agreed to operate the PNG again exclusively on Akita. The two would also be joined by  CaveCreeper1024 who had already taken initiative and started building 3 large bridges connecting spawn island to the surrounding continents. Player _Shako would return to primarily focusing on the RHN during Survival 5, serving as the project's leader in _edo's absence.

Network Design

PNG-style roads differed to the RHN-style roads in lots of different ways. While RHN roads were generally more streamlined and standardized, PNG roads were more heavily detailed and landscaped, and tended to meander more than RHN roads. PNG roads had different styles of detailing dependent on which biome they were running through. For example, the jungle stretch of the Alina Road took the style of a jungle boardwalk that snaked through the canopy, while further along the road in the taiga biome, the sides of the roads were decorated with ferns and berry bushes to fit the theme of the landscape.

The PNG also had many shelters along its roads. These shelters varied in size, from small hovels in the ground to grand structures like the shelter at the end of the Spirit of the Forest Bridge.

Notable Projects

Survival 4

Beagle Spawn Development

When the events team announced the Battle of the Spawns event in May 2021, members of the PNG noticed how many players flocked to the Husky Spawn area to build, due to it already having had decent infrastructure to expand upon. Beagle Spawn Town however, lacked any basic infrastructure and as a result few players were building there. The project leads of the PNG approached the Server [HeadMod]s asking for permission to develop the infrastructure of the roads around beagle spawn. The permission was granted, and a layout was plotted for roads in the area. A central boulevard would be located between  Broga_’s build and  dmgdog's NTN HQ and would stretch westwards to the edge of the Spawn Town area, crossing the Beagle North Line at one point. A circumference road would also be built by _Shako that curved around  EddyTeach’s observatory, past  _Blue_Max_’s rocket and connecting to an existing spawn road at  behid’s house. A central road that went from north to south was built by Montenator, along which many players built their entries. By the end of the month, Beagle spawn had seen an explosion of builds pop up along the roads, successfully developing Beagle Spawn and putting it on the map as a major point of interest on Beagle.

The roads were not the only contribution of the PNG to the Beagle Spawn Town, the PNG HQ was also located at the top of the area, close to Camp Beagle. The building was designed by TheLemonCrafter,  cheesyfrys, and  CrunchyCrackr, and reached high into the sky. The building was a modern style skyscraper featuring a spacious lobby area. The HQ was one of the tallest builds in Spawn Town and could be seen from anywhere in the vicinity.

Alina Road

Alina Road was by far the largest project undertaken by the PNG. It was for the most part finished, bar a few stretches. The goal of the project was to create a road connecting the City of Alina to Beagle Spawn. The PNG officially began construction on the project on the 20^th of October 2020. During its time, it was one of the most diverse and exciting roads the PNG had built.

Points of Interest:

SosigRam’s Base

Nestled into the jungle to the east of Beagle Spawn,  SosigRam created a futuristic base similar in style to  Xisuma's base on Season 7 of Hermitcraft. The Alina Road changed from the jungle boardwalk to a sleek quartz viaduct, which cut through the base. The floor was made of yellow stained glass, providing good views to the undergrowth below.

Clifton Bridge

Clifton Bridge was located in the mountains just outside the jungle, nearby East Station. The bridge had a grand design, with two sandstone towers supporting a large suspension bridge over the valley below. The bridge was constructed by TheLemonCrafter, with help from cheesyfrys and CrunchyCrackr.

Spirit of the Forest Bridge

Built mainly by  ashapink,  Sizzy1, and  ZBK42, this viaduct ran through a portion of the taiga biome further east of the Clifton Bridge. It had a rustic design and contained a large rest stop at its eastern end. Watch your step while on this rickety bridge, but the views of the surrounding biome were well worth the risk!

Point Cadwell/ Ormund Bridge

Continuing through the forest you would catch sight of the small seaside settlement of Point Cadwell, built predominantly by  jazzyamx and  ZBK42. The Ormund Bridge was half-finished, but still served its job of allowing the player to cross the coastal waters of the area, into the main town. The Benbow Inn was located nearby which served as another rest stop for weary travelers.

Port Slomo

As you journeyed out of Point Cadwell, you would approach the small coastal settlement of Port Slomo,  Slomo_1994’s base on Beagle. The Alina Road winded through the streets of the town and over the Beagle East Line. Players might just catch a glimpse of the City of Alina if they cast their gaze eastwards over the sea.

Alina Swamplands

The last portion of the road took the player across the canopy of a roofed forest before descending into marshlands surrounding the City of Alina. The road was in the style of a rickety boardwalk along the swamp. A small junction took the player either onwards into the city or towards a small swamp house built by  expedtadam.

Northern Roads

The Northern Roads led out of Beagle Spawn from a junction at the Beagle SSD. These roads were not as detailed as the Alina Road. Although many smaller roads connected to other players' bases, notable destinations along this road included the Beagle North Station, Ye Towne (the base of TheLemonCrafter and CrunchyCrackr, among others), and the base of  Lendog1888 and ashapink.

Southern Roads

The main road leading south out of Beagle Spawn started at the southwest end of Beagle Spawn City and ended in a plains biome roughly 1750 blocks from spawn. The first section of the Main Southern Road was laid out and constructed by  Montenator in a primarily simplistic form and later a further section was added by  CaveCreeper1024 in a more rustic form. Notable destinations along this road were several small towns and collections of players and connection road leading to Beagle South Station.

Survival 5

Akita Bridges

The Akita Bridges are a trio of large blackstone and quartz bridges that connect Akita Spawn up with the southern portion of the world. This project has been predominantly done by  CaveCreeper1024, who started the first bridge in the first few days of Survival 5. The bridges feature a grand design with a wide footpath perfect for horses to traverse across. The first bridge connects Spawn Island to a smaller intermediate island which CaveCreeper is currently landscaping. The second bridge carries on from this island and reaches a small peninsula known as Bridge Point. This area is planned to be a big junction for road and sea transport in the south of Akita. Currently a third bridge is under construction heading eastwards from Bridge Point, which will eventually link up to South Station. A further bridge going southwards is also planned in the area.

Bridge Point - Upton - Flowercliffe Road

Heading westwards from Bridge Point,  TheLemonCrafter built a large road towards his small community town Upton Upon The Wold. The path cuts through a savannah biome, hugging the coastline, before crossing a large canal which will eventually be crossed via an impressive bridge. Across the canal the path travels through the center of Upton, before heading into the jungle beyond bound for Flowercliffe. This road is currently have built, with the plan to eventually extend the road past the jungle into the forest and out onto the flat plains of Flowercliffe, passing by the starter base of  N1cM4tth3w63, before travelling through the center of Flowercliffe and finishing at Moor Station, located on the outskirts of the Flowercliffe area.

Bayou Road

Bayou Road is a large road in the South-East of Akita, which currently connects South Station to  Montenator's base Lakeworks. The road was constructed by Montenator, and it runs through lots of low lying marshy terrain as well as cutting through several coastal jungles and beaches. The road is broken up with various points of interests, including bridges, causeways and boardwalks. The road also travels past the small town of Fenswick, the base of  Aero_M before carrying on another few hundred blocks towards Lakeworks. Potential extensions of the road include heading northwards from Lakeworks to the base of  ReddestKnight, and possibly onto Emberperch Station.

Helpers

Alongside the three project leads, many other players also aided in the construction of roads for the PNG. These players are listed below:

 ashapink,  cheesyfrys,  CrunchyCrackr,  GullibleGeckbro,  jazzyamx,  Sizzy1 ,  skye,  SosigRam,  ZBK42, and  CaveCreeper1024,  MattKi01,  Aero_M,  eybwam,  bucherwurm31,  ElliotTheRedd,  LazyNine HatterSkye and  PopCulturePanda.

Merger with the RHN

The prospect of a merger between both networks had been planned as early as Survival 4, but after RHN Leader _edo became inactive on the server, the plans were put on hold until his expected return. Unfortunately _edo did not return in an active capacity, and by January 2023, Montenator was left as the last active leader of the PNG, with TheLemonCrafter and CaveCreeper1024 since becoming inactive on the server. The idea of a merger was then brought up by Montenator in the RHN Discord to which all seemed keen, including the remaining project leads of the RHN, _Shako and TyrantrumGOD. The merger was aimed to bring more cohesion to road building on Dogcraft. The RHN and PNG had always enjoyed a highly positive relationship with each other, but making all road construction be under one organisation reduced confusion and didn't fragment the helper base. On January 29th 2023, Montenator officially announced the end of the PNG, as it merged into the RHN. Montenator would continue acting as the leader of the RHN on Akita, until a new person can be found to dedicate more time to the role.

Additional Information

At the end of Survival 4, the PNG migrated from their old Discord server and now conduct the project from the new Akita Project Server, which is accessible via the Dogcraft Directory. Alternatively, you can contact one of the project leads in game or on Discord to get involved.

Gallery

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  The grand figure of the PNG HQ as seen from Camp Beagle.

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  A PNG road running over a roofed forest.

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  A typical taiga road, with an armour stand figure built by SosigRam.

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  The central boulevard at Spawn which was built by _Shako.

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  The circumference road at Beagle Spawn.

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  Lendog1888 and ashapink's base, accessed via one of the Northern Roads.

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  Ye Towne, the base of TheLemonCrafter, a main destination of the Northern Roads.

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  The base of SosigRam, a POI on the Alina Road.

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  The Spirit of the Forest Bridge. Shader screenshot by SosigRam.

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  The Clifton Bridge stretching across a valley.

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  A view of Point Cadwell, featuring the Ormund Bridge and the Benbow Inn.

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  Port Slomo, the Beagle base of Slomo_1994, of which the Alina Road runs through.

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  A swamp house built by expedtadam, close by the City of Alina.