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In Retrospect
2018 was an amazing year for ArdaCraft. A total of 72 projects have been finished in 2018. This is 23 projects more than the year before and this really shows the growth of the community. The 72 projects finished in 2018 are not just small ones, but include very large projects such as the Westfold, the Eastemnet and the Beorning area.
The vale of the Anduin and the Beorning settlements in it were finished not that long ago and the whole area looks amazing. Even though the final weeks were difficult, the end result is always worth it.
The Westfold was the first area of Rohan that was worked on. It was an instrumental project in the look of Rohan as a whole, not only in terms of architecture but also in realism. The farmland around the villages that adds so much to the look of them. On the other hand the Eastemnet set the tone for the camps that will be dotted around northern Rohan.
Another location where great strides were made is Lothlorien. The architecture, which is dubbed to be the most difficult style on the server, in combination with the Mallorn trees is nothing short of amazing.
For the future
In 2019 ArdaCraft will celebrate its first lustrum and a lot of exciting stuff will happen.
The map has seen incredible progress. Just shy of a year ago there were still projects being done in the Lossoth area, whereas now, great progress is made in Rohan, thousands of blocks away. This also shows the incredible scale of the map and in 2019 this will become even larger.
A huge area is currently under development that will fill in the area between Harlond and Isengard. These locations are so distant it feels odd using them to illustrate the size but this perfectly encapsulates the size of this section. With this mapsection much of southern Arnor will be added and this will include locations such as Lond Daer and Tharbad, as well as more of the beautiful nature scenery that has become a trademark of ArdaCraft.
Currently under construction, the Folde will see some amazing locations. Edoras and Aldburg, the two largest cities in Rohan will be worked on in 2019. It are the locations like Edoras that truly excite the Tolkien fan, and to have this project on the horizon is very exciting.
It is incredible to think that with Thorin’s Halls we are closing off Lindon, the area that has been so instrumental in the history of ArdaCraft, with builds like Mithlond. The closing of this chapter in ArdaCraft’s history will shift the focus to new regions, one of which is Moria. Moria, which is so large its name means "black abyss". Though abandoned, it will be the largest dwarven mine on the server and of outstanding quality and realism. The plan still stands to plan out the whole project at a 1:10 scale, and then replicating that 1:1 in the separate Moria world.
In 2019 the Conquest modpack will also get one of its biggest updates yet. Update 1.13 will include corner and quarter blocks as well as a great deal of new blocks. This update will ensure Conquest and ArdaCraft remain at the top of the creative servers worldwide.
Personal touch
With all this in the near future I can personally say that 2019 will be an amazing year for ArdaCraft, and I am sure we can do all of this together. But I also want to say a couple of personal words. 2018 was the year in which ArdaCraft became more personal than ever. A group of builders met up in the Netherlands and this showed we have a lot more in common than an unhealthy interest in Tolkien’s Legendarium.
2018 was also the year in which I recieved a peculiar Discord PM from Fornad; “hey beat, how active do you think you’ll be over the next couple of months?”. I did not know then that this was the start of the conversation that would lead to me becoming Admin. But I am very glad I did this, as Fornad passed his Navy Assessment and is now en route to becoming a submarine officer. I am also very thankfull for Fornad’s trust in me. I am proud of this community I get to lead. I am grateful for this amazing project Fornad left me.
But most of all I am frightened, of whose shoes I have to fill.
Thank you @Fornad , for everything.
