AKADEMIKA - Faction Thread (Matt's Server)

[knolli]

The Akademika is an institution that is more like Oxford University than Hogwards with a good bit of the Unseen University of the Discworld.
The people living and studying there know that magic exist, but have no means to influence or use it, yet. To learn that is the main reason for its foundation.
Af course magic - or Thaumaturgie, as they call it - is not the only field of knowledge that is studied and taught there. Philosophy and math, astronomy and alchemy, botany and medical science, history and archeology and others also have their place.
For the greater good (and to get some money) services are offered to the public. These include trade with rare or enchanted items, medical services or simply the write documents for those who can't read or write themselves.

Right now Akademica is still under construction.
But before you start building at random, I would discuss my plans with all members of Akademika. As with Castle Seaview I may be a little hesitant to give you free rein but I am always willing to hear you out if you have ideas or other opinions.

1. Bibliotheka: I like how the Bibliotheka and the L-space came out. The combined efford was well worth it. I'd like to leave it in the care of the Head Librarian.
2. The Shard Room: It looks empty and needs more decoration. Who wants the job?
3. The outer wall: It is a mess. So far not much more than the foundations exist. If you have ideas how we could improve the design (see the section between blue and black tower) just go ahead.
4. The blue roof: Now that I see it I am not satisfied how the Blue wool looks like. Lapis Lazuli blocks would be much more epic. Snakes, can I count on you here?
4.1 What room or rooms should be on the top floor of the tower? The Grand Councel's conference hall? the Grand Master's study? Anything else?
5. What will we do this the big empty space inside the walls? The farm building, the farm land and the small cots you have built have to disappear rather sooner than later. Instead we will have the faculty buildings, dorms for the students and teachers (including us), economy buildings like dinning hall and kitchen and such, class rooms and lecture halls, laboratories, offices...
I want to make a plan for all the buildings inside the walls before I place the first block. Also I want to have them organized thematically: The botanic garden near the green tower, the dorms near black and so on. I still can't decide wether I want a big central building or an empty ground where the message board is now.

I'd like to hear your oppinion to any of that.

PS: 6. The Street: Akademika depends on trade. To aid travel and trade, we need streets leading to the other factions and spawn. Maybe we can build even a railroad.

[Ex-Lep]

1. Wooh!
2. meh....
3. dolfin99 was thinking of doing some cleaning up for the wall, im sure shed be happy to, but ask her.
4. O.O (all lapis?! the roof will be worth a fortune)
5. large buildings seperated by profession? (astronomy, dorms, offices, botany, math, huge aditorium, etc.)
6. NOT IT! (i hate building roads. so boring.)

[SnakeMittens]

You can count on me, knolli! I'll decorate the shard room, I'm pretty good at that, and I'll work on the roof.

Side note: dolfin99's a girl. She's my sister.

[Ex-Lep]

note taken. i just assume evreyone online is a guy until i find out otherwise.

[knolli]

5. What I fear is that we start building on the dorms for example and then learn afterwards that it is a little too two blocks too far to the right. The we would have to raze the whole building and rebuild it two blocks to the left. That would be easy if we had MCEdit and an admin who would do that for us. The way it is now all we can do is plan excessively so that we don't get into these troubles.
I also want to establish a common style and main construction material for the buildings, although individual variations are allowed and welcome to a certain point. I don't want steel-and-glass to be wall to wall with medieval framework. You also have to consider the proportions of the buildings to each other and the outer wall.
How many separate buildings?
How big?
Where and which orientation?
What to do with the green?

Everyone, close your eyes, think of how you wish Akademika to look like and describe what you see in as much detail as possible. Please.


EDIT/UPDATE: Construction of blue roof completed . Lapis looks much better than wool ever could. Somehow the shape looks a bit odd, but I don't know how to improve it. The balcony still needs some work.
I destroyed the left overs. I don't like cheating. This time was the only exception, because Lapis is just too rare.

[Ex-Lep]

alright, im thinking we seperate the subjects into departments and put each of those into one of the quarters of the green. each subject would have eiher its own building or share one witha subject like it.
like say, sciences: botany (greenhouse!), medical sciences, husbandry, astronomy, chiefly.
the mystics: alchemy (potions and enchantment), magic, Nether-study,
the common subjects: math, philosophy, history, archeology, english?, arts, pretty much regular classes (except science)

of course, we wouldnt fill the entire space, leaving one quarter for student and teacher dorms, possible split into two buildings. offices would be in their respective subject buildings.

thered still be grass between the various buildings or the occasional tree. in the residential quarter, there could be a commons grass-area. (make the sudent dorms into an empty square, grass inside.) the message board could stay where it is, and should mobs still spawn at night, there should be a tunnel complex to move about safely.

[knolli]

There are five towers along the wall and I thought we could devide the area in between not into four but five parts. Paths from each of the towers would form a pentagramm. But maybe there wouldn't be much space between the paths left to construct any buildings. In any case we should light up the whole area. We can use torches for now and switch to better light sources later.

I found pumpkin seeds in a deserted mine in the north east, so now we have a complete set of seeds. The greenhouse mustn't be a full-fledged farm. We don't have the space for that. Not if we want some stock breeding, too.

Does the Akademika need a second (or third) entrance other than through the blue tower?

What do you think about a small village near to the main entrance? Some farms that provide the food for Akademika? It's obvious that it can't produce everything inside its walls.

[SnakeMittens]

I volunteer to run one of the branches. Either science or mystics. But shouldn't alchemy be considered as part of the science branch?

[Ex-Lep]

thats what i thought at first, but potions and enchantment struck me more as mystic than scientific.

--gave me an idea: have the alchemy building arch over one of the roads into the science section. imagine arc de triomphe, with more stuff on each side.

[BFenix]

I would like to say that the Akademika looks incredibly awesome and offered dolfin and snake a postion as New Ironfall's representatives of the Akademika. I shall build a mage tower of you ever wish to bring your studies over.

[Ex-Lep]

....would someone like to explain why the entire akademika has been overrun by snow golems?
im killing them as fast as i can.

[RunsWithLegos]

if i may offer, i'd be more then happy to make your roads for you.

[knolli]

if i may offer, i'd be more then happy to make your roads for you.

There is a very short length of road at Akademika's main entrance. If you want to connect it all the way to Ignetium or any of the other faction's homes, you are welcome. But be warned: Akademika is far far away. A minecart track from here to there would get you the On A Rail achievement for sure.

UPDATE:
6. Someone replaced the Jack'o'Lanturn posts in front od the main entrance with sandstone-glowstone pyramids. I liked the old ones better. Neither color nor proportions of the new ones fit.
7. Someone - you, Runs? - started a road leading to Akademika. Pure cobble. Please try to mix in other materials. for better looks.
8. I started to layout the foundation of the dormitoriy. Help welcome.

[RunsWithLegos]

all ready started my liege, i am currently at Ironfall working my way to your Prestigious Academy.


i also suggest a system of nether subways.

[Nitewatchman]

5. What I fear is that we start building on the dorms for example and then learn afterwards that it is a little too two blocks too far to the right. The we would have to raze the whole building and rebuild it two blocks to the left. That would be easy if we had MCEdit and an admin who would do that for us. The way it is now all we can do is plan excessively so that we don't get into these troubles.

....Or you could fill the whole thing with sand and set up a big wall of pistons to reposition it. I'd consider that more of an achievement than just building the thing.