HavenBastion
Expert Stream Digger
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by... well, me of course.
First the bad (the good comes later, scroll down)
Roads are a path of least resistance. There are several reasons a road might deviate from a straight path; aesthetics, desirability (a well, ease) or necessity. Aside from the roads marked on official maps, many of the roads in MCMiddleEarth don't follow this rule.
In the case of roads which Are official, there needs to be a reason for each deviation, be it a village, a water source, a view, to avoid a horrid looking tree, whatever, but there needs to be a reason each and ever time. Many times that reason would be following the landscape, and that's perfectly in line with how people (even non-human people) would operate. When a road deviates without a real reason it can only be because it has traditionally gone that way but there was a reason in the past. There is a strict upper limit to how far roads can deviate without a reason no matter how perfect they were in the past and that excuse should not be mis-used or over-used. That's on the large scale.
On the smaller scale, I've noticed any number of places where roads do things that are just plain illogical. No One would follow such a road and the road would evolve to a straighter or easier path. When a road goes over a hillock instead of around it, that kills the suspension of disbelief that makes the world Work. When there's an easier path down a mountain, or in particular up one, that's the Only way people will go, regardless of where the road is and it becomes, de facto, the road.
You may think this is all beneath notice, but I disagree. In a fantasy world it is all the More important that things look and act as you would expect (in the context of the fantasy). It has to be internally consistant. If fire acts like fire and the sun and moon act like the sun and the moon, then roads need to act (and look) like roads. If importance is put into texturing on the small scale, it needs to be put into texturing on the large scale. We aren't merely talking about ways to more easily get between various interesting historical places, we're talking about thoroughfares which are used on a daily basis by an entire population of different races, an entire world's worth, and they're not going to put up with a road that doesn't make sense.
Now for some good stuff... I really like the quasi-roads that currently exist. My problem isn't with their design, it's with their layout. They shouldn't be everywhere and they should be along natural flow-lines. Just like water, people move in a particular way and that ought to be reflected. The bridges all seem very well done within the engineering constraints required. The overall flow of the roads is good, in particular heading through saddles in the mountains. Meandering roads are fine in some instances. In pretty places people like to take their time. It's just that when roads are used for transportation instead of sight-seeing that will never fly. I like most of what has been done and I really respect the amount of work that has gone into it but...
But, there is room for improvement. I would like to at least be given the means to mark out where roads would Not do what they're doing, show the proper path, and have some artist or designer take a look. What can I do to make this happen?
Side note: some of the roads would be well-maintained. This has much to do with the current political climate but we shouldn't have all rough ideas throughout, and we definitely need roads which are broader or have wagon-wheel tracks along major trade routes and deeper marked paths through narrow areas, etc. Horses, carts, armies, etc. all leave their own mark along the landscape. New paths are created anywhere it's convenient (looking at you, Shire). and so forth.
First the bad (the good comes later, scroll down)
Roads are a path of least resistance. There are several reasons a road might deviate from a straight path; aesthetics, desirability (a well, ease) or necessity. Aside from the roads marked on official maps, many of the roads in MCMiddleEarth don't follow this rule.
In the case of roads which Are official, there needs to be a reason for each deviation, be it a village, a water source, a view, to avoid a horrid looking tree, whatever, but there needs to be a reason each and ever time. Many times that reason would be following the landscape, and that's perfectly in line with how people (even non-human people) would operate. When a road deviates without a real reason it can only be because it has traditionally gone that way but there was a reason in the past. There is a strict upper limit to how far roads can deviate without a reason no matter how perfect they were in the past and that excuse should not be mis-used or over-used. That's on the large scale.
On the smaller scale, I've noticed any number of places where roads do things that are just plain illogical. No One would follow such a road and the road would evolve to a straighter or easier path. When a road goes over a hillock instead of around it, that kills the suspension of disbelief that makes the world Work. When there's an easier path down a mountain, or in particular up one, that's the Only way people will go, regardless of where the road is and it becomes, de facto, the road.
You may think this is all beneath notice, but I disagree. In a fantasy world it is all the More important that things look and act as you would expect (in the context of the fantasy). It has to be internally consistant. If fire acts like fire and the sun and moon act like the sun and the moon, then roads need to act (and look) like roads. If importance is put into texturing on the small scale, it needs to be put into texturing on the large scale. We aren't merely talking about ways to more easily get between various interesting historical places, we're talking about thoroughfares which are used on a daily basis by an entire population of different races, an entire world's worth, and they're not going to put up with a road that doesn't make sense.
Now for some good stuff... I really like the quasi-roads that currently exist. My problem isn't with their design, it's with their layout. They shouldn't be everywhere and they should be along natural flow-lines. Just like water, people move in a particular way and that ought to be reflected. The bridges all seem very well done within the engineering constraints required. The overall flow of the roads is good, in particular heading through saddles in the mountains. Meandering roads are fine in some instances. In pretty places people like to take their time. It's just that when roads are used for transportation instead of sight-seeing that will never fly. I like most of what has been done and I really respect the amount of work that has gone into it but...
But, there is room for improvement. I would like to at least be given the means to mark out where roads would Not do what they're doing, show the proper path, and have some artist or designer take a look. What can I do to make this happen?
Side note: some of the roads would be well-maintained. This has much to do with the current political climate but we shouldn't have all rough ideas throughout, and we definitely need roads which are broader or have wagon-wheel tracks along major trade routes and deeper marked paths through narrow areas, etc. Horses, carts, armies, etc. all leave their own mark along the landscape. New paths are created anywhere it's convenient (looking at you, Shire). and so forth.
