UPDATE: Im done with my Trial.

Update: here is some interior work from my trial. its not from all of the buildings but only from some of them.

Hello Dahl.

Your trial is looking definitely better, than before, but there are still quite a few things you need to work on.


Try going for a more organized gradient and less spamming of random blocks all over the place.


Something more like this. As you can see the transition is more smooth and the blocks work better together.

Also I don't see any windows in any of the walls, they're an easy way to add more interesting features to your wall.

I'm unsure what the purpose is of this. Maybe a bigger version of this could be used for a stable.

The ceiling is very low and the floor looks quite boring (try another mix than the walls). You did add beams, to the ceiling, which is good, but the beams are too 'grand' for such a small room. Try something more simple (look at real life /concept art!)

Avoid having such long tables, rather split them up to avoid the repetitive look.

This wall is too sloped, It's good that you didn't make them completely flat and didn't spam random slabs all over it, but this is too much, it looks like you can just climb on it.


Also don't forget to get yourself inspired by other builds, in minecraft, in other games, in movies, in real life! (Just keep some realism in mind)

Good luck on your application!

UPDATE:
Hello Bart. I am updating on the things you told me to do! Here are some pictures


As you said my walls are too sloped. I made some changes to that as you can see.
I made some stables because you said that i could build a bigger version.
I also made some windows on the wall in the left corner.
I tried making the "wall design" you said i should do.
I hope ill become artist one day like all my friends...

-Dahlfc2

Hey Dahl,

I am glad to see that you are trying to become artist. Keep up the hard work!

- Although, I feel like you did not completely understand what Bart meant. In particular the gradients.
In Bart's example he shows you how it works,at the bottom he uses one material and he gradually changes it into another material when he goes higher up. This way you create multiple 'layers' in your builds texture.
Right now it it still doesn't look like Bart's example, all blocks are still randomly mixed. If you still don't understand what we mean, please contact me on discord and I can try explaining it to you in game.

- I suppose the "stables" Bart was refferring to was supposed to be a small storage? A storage like that would work for firewood, but hay needs to be lifted from the ground, so animals can't reach it and it doesn't go bad. Removing the roof and adding more exposed hay does not seem like a smart decision if you want to keep it good.

- I think that you mixed up some of the advices with the wrong picture, because the storage/table room now suddenly changed into a stable. I am pretty sure that is not what Bart meant.I still have to see it in game, but if it works, I guess it works.

- The wall sloped wall looks better now, Just the crenels seem a bit off now, try moving them more to the outside of the wall.

Hope I was able to help you! If you got any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

~TeamPalladian

Yea I did mess the pictures up with the wrong text. Bart also said that the “stables” I made looked fine. I now understand what he meant and what you meant with the block mixing. Thank you for responding, and me and darki are also gonna watch my trial soon. Thank you for responding Palladian. also I am going to fix the “hay” situation you said.

Keep going Dahl, great work

UPDATE. Hey! im back. i did some stuff while i was gone and i been building something so take a look. also i know that it has been cancelled but. yeah, just take a look. and im not done yet with this as you can see.

UPDATE, UPDATE!! hope u like this bert.

i still need more vegetation. but you can always respond and say i have to do something.

UPDATE:
Exterior Design:




Interior Design:



That was all the things. I think im done and now i just need answers from you guys.

Update. kinda
helped with a job yesterday in osgiliath. it was bart that made the job so he knows what im talking about but i dont have any pictures because i cant find the place where it is.

Update
Found the place so here are some pictures.

Alright Dahl here's some feedback.

Your trial build is not yet up to standards so I'm afraid I will have to decline it. On top of that I will not give you any new trial build because I think you'll learn much more and much quicker from doing multiple builds rather than sticking to one.

General layout
- The walls are way too curved. Building walls curved is rather difficult compared to building them straight, on top of that it requires more material
- The towers are placed quite randomly whilst the gate seems unprotected, you can even get on top of the wall above the gate.
- Most of the wall is not accessible
- The courtyard is way too big for the size of the fortress, it's useless to have that much open and unused space. Either you make it smaller by making the walls around the building smaller, or you make the main buildings bigger/add more buildings.

In general it doesn't seem like a fortress made to defend something, nor like a fortified house of some noble family or something like that.

Details
- The walls, the towers, the buildings all have the same colour and random mix, which makes them all look the same.
- The paths are all dirt, I'd most likely expect at least some stone paths or parts of the courtyard.
- The ground vegetation is way too messy and random. (don't use the crops on grass or dirt, they should only be used on stone, way too many different types of plants but also used too little, pretty much every grass block needs grass on top if it)
- Organize the blocks in your wall designs, add a gradient of some sort to make them more interesting and add some sense of scale.
- Don't add unnecessary lights/torches in unrealistic places.
- The spires with the flags look odd and way to tall.

Interior
- In general I'd refer to this Artist applicants guide
- Never have unsupported ceilings, if they're stone they need arches and pillars, if they're wooden they need beams.
- Don't fill every room with random crates and other stuff
- Again no need to add torches in every room
- Don't make stone furniture

Phew that was a long post, I hope you keep this stuff in mind when building. I think you should try to use way more real life concepts. Don't continue adding to this build, you'll be much better off starting new stuff.

Thank you for responding @barteldvn. The problem about the Walls as you said are not accessible. It’s because the builds i have seen didnt have any accessible Walls too. “As i remember”. Although i Think it’s fine that you Will give me a new trial build because ive had this trial build for a Long time now. Just respond because i actually really want a new trial build. -Dahl

oh. i read wrong. dont notice that message when i said i wanted a new trial. i read wrong thats why

HELLO! @barteldvn.
I have decided that i want to make another trial build. dont mind my recent message to you. i decided to take all the things you said and make it into a trial build. well not the bad things you said. i made a plan over the building/Keep. and i will put a picture of it in this comment. Just respond if you want to say something. -dahlfc2, from the kingdom of Denmark

Update
heres an update from the last picture

I will say again that you do not have a trial build moreover trial builds are no longer a thing.

Some feedback either way:

- The rubble at the bottom of the wall is a little too much in some areas, try to reduce it.
- All you floors are stone, in most buildings except very rich ones you'll find wooden floors on anything above the first floor.
- Try adding a different mix to your floors than to the walls (cobblestone maybe ?)
- Still way too many random torches
- Interior could also get some improvements (look at interiors in Anorien)

Overall it's a big improvement over your last version. Maybe try something different than just keeps? Showing that you can do one thing won't help as much as showing all the things you can do, or at least as many as possible.

Hello Bart. I will work on some other stuff. Ober said to me that i should do some moria pillars. and i am doing that right now. i do need to consider what else i can work on though