Explorer Restoration Center

[Ruvinka]

I love that photo!

Having one terrace cleared out for the ERC space I could see, but what would we need the others for? Lower sets of buildings?

You could use them as hanging gardens with a gazebo type structure here and there like Delin. The gardens could be a good way to display exotic flora explorers have found on their travels. Hey..maybe the Zoological Society could help with that!

Well I orgininaly thought that if we had underground areas of the ERC that the lower layers could afford them windows and natural light. Atheni's idea is fantastic however and maybe both thoughts couldbe combined. I think it would be really lovely to have as many explorers and organizations be able to showcase as we can make room for.

[Jennifer_P]

Well I orgininaly thought that if we had underground areas of the ERC that the lower layers could afford them windows and natural light.

Were we going to use the lower layers to try to create a D'ni themed underground area for D'ni-like art? (In that case we wouldn't need the outdoor light)

You could use them as hanging gardens with a gazebo type structure here and there like Delin. The gardens could be a good way to display exotic flora explorers have found on their travels. Hey..maybe the Zoological Society could help with that!

Hm, hanging gardens does sound pretty. But I think that if we import exotic flora the DZS would have our heads for bringing in possible invasive species. Want to make the gardens with plants native to the Age?
And it would be neat if the DZS would like to join in; they'll need something to do here shortly, and I bet they could contribute a lot to making the jungle more scientifically realistic.

[Ruvinka]

Were we going to use the lower layers to try to create a D'ni themed underground area for D'ni-like art? (In that case we wouldn't need the outdoor light)

This is very dependant on what Cyan says we can and cannot use. If we are not allowed to use anything D'ni then maybe just having a few tiers would be ok...if we dont give the underground areas windows then it might make a nice patio area for a cafe

We should be very careful not to introduce a kudzu ( an invasive vine brought from Japan to Georgia to help prevent erosion...it instead took over and now swallows anything in its path. The strange topiaries it creates look really creepy on foggy Georgian evenings). I do think that a garden of natural plant species would be a nice addition to any tier we turn into a cafe or restaurant.
It's a very good way for museums to earn money.

[Jennifer_P]

Reminds me of the coffee maze I toured on Kauai!

This is very dependant on what Cyan says we can and cannot use. If we are not allowed to use anything D'ni then maybe just having a few tiers would be ok...if we dont give the underground areas windows then it might make a nice patio area for a cafe.

Good point, about Cyan authorization. I'm going to have to get that Fan Age license request sent.

I suppose I'll go ahead with having the Japanese influence on the exterior of the ERC then. I think it will really look pretty situated in the gardens.

And because I'm fond of weirdly colored landscapes, I figured I'd try out a red jungle:

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Just a thought. I also thought that we might be able to reconcile misty/sunny and island by having clouds in the valley, sun above, and the ocean and islands in the distance.

[Ruvinka]

Looks very autumnal! I love that.
I think your weather solution is good. Clouds in the valley would create a cloud forest...

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which usually houses my all time favorite plants! Orchids!! Talk about strange, alien and exotic. Orchids come in any imaginable shape and hue. From ugly to etherial.

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Do we want the entire age to reflect oriental design or do we want to limit it to the areas outside of the building?
I could draw up a building that had a D'ni feel to it without using any of the recognised symbols in the facades. On the other hand... sketching an altered Buddhist temple shape for the ERC's main structure could be a lot of fun too!

soooo many drawings in my head at once!!!

[Jennifer_P]

Looks very autumnal! I love that.

Are you suuuuure? I really don't know if red would be better than green or not... /shrug

I think your weather solution is good. Clouds in the valley would create a cloud forest...

Ooh, a cloud forest, that would be lovely. And another thought crossed my mind, regarding the ocean+islands; suppose we replaced that with a lake and an island at the bottom of the valley? That might look nice too. We'll have to ask Monkeyboy what he thinks of that when he gets back from vacation.

Orchids are your favorite flowers, huh? They are indeed both very weird-looking yet very beautiful. Truly a flower worthy of Myst.

Do we want the entire age to reflect oriental design or do we want to limit it to the areas outside of the building?

Hm, toughy. I think the way it's looking we're heading towards doing everything outside in an oriental style; as for the interior of the ERC, we'll have to wait and see what turns up once the exterior is completed. We'll have to reconcile the different feels of the art rooms with the interior style of the ERC, which is going to be interesting...

I could draw up a building that had a D'ni feel to it without using any of the recognised symbols in the facades. On the other hand... sketching an altered Buddhist temple shape for the ERC's main structure could be a lot of fun too!

Can you try blending D'ni and Japanese architecture? Just to see what sort of new style comes out.

And on the subject of the altered temple, watch out that you don't make a derivative works without knowing it; it's actually a form of copyright infringement. For example, if you were to take a picture of a Japanese temple, then directly copy chunks of it and apply them to the ERC exterior so that you could easily see the resemblance, you would have broken the copyright by creating a piece of art directly derived from that picture of the temple. Not that I think you would do that, since it would look clunky applied directly to the ERC, but an overresemblance is still possible without direct copying. The trick is not to use too much from one source; as one author put it (more or less), "Taking material from one source is called plagiarism; taking material out of ten sources is called research." So yeah, the more sources you can draw from, the better. (And don't limit yourself to just temples; the Japanese built some awesome castles, teahouses, and even storehouses!) Just a word of caution, since it would be a shame to have to throw out a whole bunch of good work because it was too close to the pieces you used for reference/inspiration (which has happened to me before; missed out on $75 because of it).
Anyway, since you get to do the ERC exterior, I want the gazebos!

Himeji Castle

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Teahouses

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Storehouse

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Houses

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[Ruvinka]

And on the subject of the altered temple, watch out that you don't make a derivative works without knowing it

Understood.
I'm going to make a real vague sketch of the ERC.
I'll work on different ways to give it a unique style without letting it drown out Monkeyboy's greenhouse cone or be too much a copy of either D'ni or temple stylings. The Center should be a way of introducing the public to the quiet reflective mood of viewing art and historical pieces. My aim is to to keep the Center's facade generalized and subtle while still allowing it to make an impression. It should also be a way to ease the visitor into the style they will be seeing as they move further down into the age.

The pavilion is all yours.

I've an idea for our pathway. Maybe a smooth reflective surface? I was wondering how Blender would handle raked gravel as a path. Since grass is a challenge in Blender I was thinking giving it a defined mown design would be a great solution for the lawn areas. The Japanese garden that I frequent has many places where they have employed the half circle wave pattern in the grass around selected boulders and trees. In effect they often times symbolize significant landmarks like islands or major cities and even mountains and temples.

Looks very autumnal! I love that.
Are you suuuuure? I really don't know if red would be better than green or not... /shrug

I think reds are fine. I think they would look great with red-violet as the hardwoods and various reds-oranges-yellows-pale greens as the foliage. If we use that pallet we'll need to choose a hue for the lawn outside the ERC. I can then use the hardwood colours to apply to the ERC itself... I imagine we'd need to (IC) build it out of the materials in the age.

Welp.... off to sketch

[Jennifer_P]

I'll work on different ways to give it a unique style without letting it drown out Monkeyboy's greenhouse cone or be too much a copy of either D'ni or temple stylings. The Center should be a way of introducing the public to the quiet reflective mood of viewing art and historical pieces. My aim is to to keep the Center's facade generalized and subtle while still allowing it to make an impression. It should also be a way to ease the visitor into the style they will be seeing as they move further down into the age.

Sounds like a good plan (/me pretends that she didn't really intend to use a colorful Chinese style on the pavilion, heh heh ). I will keep the words "quiet and reflective" in mind as I'm designing the pavilion--they sum up the feel of the place so perfectly.

I've an idea for our pathway. Maybe a smooth reflective surface? I was wondering how Blender would handle raked gravel as a path. Since grass is a challenge in Blender I was thinking giving it a defined mown design would be a great solution for the lawn areas.

Smooth and shiny is possible, but we can't do reflections unfortunately (at least, I don't think we can). I think mowing would probably work alright; and if that doesn't work, I'm sure moss will.

The Japanese garden that I frequent has many places where they have employed the half circle wave pattern in the grass around selected boulders and trees. In effect they often times symbolize significant landmarks like islands or major cities and even mountains and temples.

Oh, wow, I didn't know that those patterns had meanings. That's pretty cool...

And I wrote up a draft of our fan created Age license. I'll try to get it posted later today. (Along with some thoughts on a release schedule for the different parts of the Age)

[Ruvinka]

Okay here are 4 ideas I came up with for the ERC concept.
Just quick sketches to get the general shape and colour ideas across.
If these are too stylized then I can do some more concepts working in a more generalized direction.
First is in a tall temple style. I rounded the edges and added a glass concept.[spoiler=][img]
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x136 ... ncept1.jpg
Next is a more traditional shoganate style.
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x136 ... ncept2.jpg
Now a style inspired by the Japanese Lantern plant. Style is more exagerated.
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x136 ... ncept3.jpg
And lastly a style inspired by one of the pictures Jennifer posted.
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x136 ... ncept4.jpg

What I tried to do was look as a bunch of photographs to get the shapes, curves, and bold strokes to get the style in my head. I also watched a movie by Japanese director/filmwriter Akira Kurosawa. (showing my geekiness lol) Anyway after all that I then started sketching. If there is a style liked but elements need changing let me know I'll sketch up an alternate.

[Jennifer_P]

Oh my...how very lovely, Ruvinka. I'm very impressed. I'll think about it and get back to you tonight, after I get back from work. But who is Akira Kurosawa...?