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Artwork Variety

March 26, 2013 | Dukus | 56 Comments

Stone Houses

Over the last few days I've been building new artwork. As houses are the most commonly placed building, a large group of them with the same model looks less than stellar. I've been creating multiple models to give some variety.

While doing this I try to create buildings that look similar enough so that the player knows at a glace they're looking at a residences, but with different shapes and roof lines to make a pleasing overall visual.

The screenshot is of the newly built stone houses. They can be placed as an alternative to wooden homes. They use less firewood to stay heated over time, but they take more stone and wood to build compared to a wood house.

While stone makes better homes in the long run, building them uses up the loose rock that is spread over the map more quickly. After the loose stone is gone, more rock can only be attained through trade or more dangerous rock quarries that require a large workforce.

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56 comments on “Artwork Variety”

  1. Keep posting art! You've got a really unique style going on, something that seems to have been absent from gaming in the last while. The industry seems to be saturated with overly stylized top down games, it's nice to see something that's as simple as it is realistic. Keep it up! Also, where are you based out of? If you don't mind me asking.

  2. Good stuff. I am really looking forward to this game. You've got our support.

  3. I really, *really* like this. Especially the curved porch roof line on the one to the left of the center. Please keep posting. I am very much enjoying keeping my finger on the pulse of this project :).

  4. Have you looked at generating a few dozen (hundred?) houses based on a pre-defined grammar?

    http://procworld.blogspot.com/search/label/Procedural%20Architecture

    In a world with infinite resources, you'd procedurally generate each building on the fly... but if you build a grammar for each kind of building then you could roll a few hundred random ones and keep only the ones you like.

    Game looks great. Count me in as a buyer when you're ready to ship!

  5. That suggestion sounds clever! Procedural generation of houses I mean.

    Just my two pence: the only house I think looks a little dull is the one of the right but no biggy πŸ™‚

  6. A challenging oldschool city builder!

    Count me in and take my 105$ what I paid for worthless scamcity.

    Going to spread the word about this gem.

  7. Looks pretty impressive considering that this is a 1 man project. Looking forward for more content, looks really good so far.
    Can't wait for access.

  8. This is looking really really good, im super excited to get my hands on a beta soon-ish. Keep up the good work and keep posting!!

  9. Looking good! Interested to see what you come up with for other designs πŸ™‚

  10. I heard about this project a few days ago, and I've checked the site several times every day since then. What I've seen so far really hit me spot on.

    This looks magnificent! The second house from the left is my favourite, but they all look like good variations of the same building type.

  11. Good job with the stone mechanics. Limited resource that can be upgraded to an infinite resource with a penalty sounds like good game design πŸ™‚

    Still excited man!

  12. Its decided. I must buy this game once it comes out!

    This looks like the city-builder that dreams are made of: challenging, deep and ultimately, fun.

    Looking forward to see more content and hopefully access! Keep up the good work!

  13. Everything is looking amazing, keep up the great work. It's hard to believe this is being made by a single person. I've recently gotten into these kind of games but none of them really gotten me really excited, however this one looks to be exactly what I'm looking for in these kind of games. Will definitely buy as soon as it's possible and I'd be willing to extensively test the game if you were to hold closed/open alpha/beta tests.

  14. It's kind of weird how there aren't any churches in the game.... even if you're not religious, they look good, and back then people were more religious as they were faced with more problems ex. disease, famine, war etc.

  15. This is the game i always wanted to make but didnt know how. It looks like the way the settlers should have gone. There was also and old game called far west which failed, but it had some neat features which you should check out.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ_O8Jchs_Y
    Get on kickstarter and hire more guys as it would be a shame if the game dosnt get the attention to detail it deserves due to the workload being too much 4u

  16. Every update makes me more excited about this game. I am ready to beta-test, and then I'm ready to buy the game!

  17. I am so excited to play this!! Please allow us to give you money so that we can help beta test. Also: I think one of the main reasons that this game is going to turn out so well is because it is your sole vision and that you are the only one working on it. With that said, it might be wise to do a kickstarter when you are feeling ready to get some extra funds so that you could hire somebody else to work on the game with you - with the idea being clear that the game is YOUR unique vision.

    Just because somebody else is helping you doesn't mean they will dilute your project... just a suggestion. Either way I think it's going to turn out great! πŸ™‚

  18. These look great. Have you thought about adding little details like barrels, flowers, etc to make them look more personal and lived in?

  19. Looks nice, did you think about changing the color of the buildings a bit (a simply multiplier to the texture) to give some variation or simulate ageing?

    So that a new wood-house would have a fresh cut wood look and over the years they turn grey and dark (like they're now).

  20. I like ALL of the houses. No town has all houses looking the same, desirable to everyone, or perfect. Don't change a thing and keep the eye you have.
    Looking forward to the game.

  21. Amazing what committed developers can put their skills too.

    Compared to EA's Sham Shitty and the issues they have had, this project looks an absolute winner.

    Like the idea of less generic buildings. Nice to have some variation, even if only minor cosmetic differences.

  22. This looks great! I am impressed that you're doing this all by yourself. Like another poster said, this game reminds me of the old "Settlers" title. I've been looking for something like this. Combat would be a bonus, but not at all required to have a rewarding game. Kudos! I will buy this!

  23. I am truly impressed but what you have done here on your own, it is clearly a labour of love & I predict a cult following with people queuing up to throw money at you. As others have said with that video footage you could raise 150K+ in no time on kickstarter, however you may not want to do that as it would push the goals of the project in many directions as the β€œsuggestions” pile in on where others want to the project to go. The least of all would be to hire more staff to get it done faster. Lots of stress that way for sure. Certainly as a little indi project I would buy it, I’m now off to tell all my friends about it.

  24. Keep it up mate. Fantastic work. Definite buyer right here... Your game looks amazing.

  25. I am stunned by how good this game looks already! As several people have already mentioned, I think that you have created a wonderful game here. If you need money, many of us here would gladly pay to support your work. Please keep going on this:)

  26. Simply beautiful game, would love to play this game at least before the year is over. God bless you. You are our savior!

  27. I think a Kickstarter would compliment this project perfectly. I'm sure you would receive donations by the storage barn full, lol.

  28. Love the variety, it's important in the 3D Anno games and really helps break up the monotony.

    And get a few adverts on this site πŸ™‚ earn some revenue from this boost of attention.

  29. Well done buddy. Your game looks great. Keep up the hard and work and keep it close to your chest until you're satisfied you have made what you wanted. I wish you and your clearly soon to be successful business all the best! Let me know when the game is for sale, i will certainly purchase a copy.

  30. This game is somewhat similar to the Cultures: Northland series I've been playing. I'd love to play a modern version of it! (from the description, they are quite similar - although there are of course differences).

  31. What sort of timeline are you looking at for this game - by this I mean how long (in virtual years) would you be able to keep a session going.

    In the write-ups it mentions folks ageing, births and deaths etc.

    Does this also mean your townsfolk may develop architecture and see the building evolve over time or would we see the same building lastings a 'lifetime' in the game with no scope for updates/replacement buildings?

  32. Very awesome! This seems like an incredible project and you seem very spirited about it! Can't wait for more information!

  33. Have you decided on a third animal resource yet? I understand you have Chickens and Cattle... is the third Sheep or Goats? Maybe since its an isolated area you may wish to consider Alpacas or Llamas for wool and food as an alternative to the standard food animals of this world? I'm looking forward to seeing the game in action.

  34. I think it would be a really good idea to get a forum going now that you have more coverage for this game

  35. I know you're probably tired of answering user questions, but what will maps look like? What size area will they be, and what kind of variety will they have?

    I for one really hope to see oceans and coastlines, and rough mountain terrain. It's one thing to build on a flat plain with some trees and some rocks and maybe a river, and something else entirely to settle in a narrow valley or a rough, be-fjorded island. If I can generate or otherwise create maps, and if those maps can be really, really large, then I'll be happy.

  36. I really like the level of detail you're working into the game. For example, the thought you've put into the long-term resource implications of a settlement using wooden houses or higher quality stone houses is fantastic. This really does look like the game I have been looking for.

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