How did you find out about us? : Through the Nerd of the Rings’s livestream
How old are you? : [17]
Where are you from? : [Sweden]
Are you in our Discord? Do you understand that you must have Discord running at all times when at your computer, and that you must check the forums every few days?: Yes on everything
Why do you want to help with this project? : Because I’m really passionate about minecraft building and I’m also in love with worldbuilding and the works of Tolkien. So I thought this project was perfect as it is very detailed an extremely well thought out.
Which Tolkien-related works have you read, seen or listened to? : [All lotr books and films and The Hobbit films, currently reading the simarilion]
Are there any styles that you excel at? Any styles which you have difficulty with? : I would say that I’m overall pretty good with most styles but I’m usually better at stone heavy type buildings. I would also say that I at times I can find 45 degree building a bit tricky
Other relevant skills : Not that I can think of no.
This was my first conquest build so I’m not used to the types of blocks and decorations you can use so I think that is something I will have to pick up on.
Overall, your build shows potential, which is what we’re looking for at this stage. For a first build in conquest, you’ve done very well. We all started at some point, and my first conquest build was a travesty, so, well done. That being said, there are some major changes that need to be made for it to be up to our standard. They’re very easily fixed though, so don’t feel disheartened.
Firstly, the overall build feels a bit big. Try starting with a 7x15 foundation, which would typically accommodate seven or eight people. The stone foundation itself doesn’t need to be above ground, and the walls only really need to be two blocks high before the thatch starts. The Rohirrim also don’t typically have extensions on the side of houses.
Windows would be a rarity, one or two at most. They’d want to keep as much heat inside as possible. This is also why the louvre on top of the house is too big as well.
You’ve attempted a gradient on the thatch roof, which you get credit for, but no one gets it spot on on their first try, so don’t worry about it. I’ll teach you the easy way of doing it if you grab me online.
As to the interior decoration, it seems to be a mix of class materials. On the one hand you’ve got curtains and lots of candles that indicate upper class, wooden floor elements would more likely be in a middle class home, and still other furniture would be more suitable for a lower class dwelling.
The allotment and yard is similarly too big. Personally I’ll say don’t bother with it during the application process. That’s something that can be learned as an Apprentice.
My advice would be to follow the instructions found at /warp rohanguide. There’s a step-by-step guide there, and a range of decorations that can be used. And as I say, for a first timer, you’ve done well. If you want further advice, just DM me on Discord, and as I say, I’ll teach you how to do the roof gradient etc.
After that, we’ll discuss your second application build.
There are still issues. However, it’s vastly improved, and I’m impressed by the speed at which you picked up that much. Suffice to say, I’m happy for the Rohan build to be accepted.
Personally, I hate doing ruins, so @Yannig is your man to review that and give feedback.
Finally, I’d like you to make a middle class Hobbit bakery with room for a family of three. Use ‘/warp hobbitguide’ for ideas, and already built examples around the Shire, such as the bakery in Sackville.
I should probably give shorter feedbacks on the ruins if I don’t want to get burnt out. Oh well…
So! Without any particular order:
I am sure it is a simple accident but try not to forget to replace the grass blocks that are under other grass blocks
You left dirt in lieu of mud near water. This type of soil is not wet enough and you have put green sedge on it even though it should only go on grass or coarse dirt close to the water and particularly humid areas. Also, you have put 1 block tall reeds and rushes but they should always be 2 or even sometimes 3 blocks tall except if you put them above water to simulate the fact that they grow in the drink.
Staying around water; you shouldn’t do canyons like that in the mud. Water streams and ponds typically form smooth depressions in this type of terrain. Additionally, your walls are way too tall near water bodies. streams and ponds erode rocks faster than rain and Tharbad has been in decay for at least 1400 years or even more in some parts.
The walls don’t look smooth/eroded enough, adding more grass layers as rubbles should fix it. The ruins in Tharbad should look like grass mounds in the middle of a swamp. Stone should be barely visible in most places.
There is too many rushes compared to reeds, the percentage should be something like 35% of rushes against 65% of summer reeds.
I only see one type of bush (oak leaves) you should replace some of them with birch, bright apple leaves or even dark broad leaves for the bushes closest to water.
I failed to find any kingsfoil although this is a very important plant lore-wise.
Overall not too shabby for a first try at Tharbad ruins but the general shape of the walls and of the terrain is bothering me, it doesn’t look smooth enough.
After reviewing your builds, you still have some things to learn, but I feel I can safely promote you to Apprentice!
Being an Apprentice means you are a part of the project, but not a full Builder yet. You have this rank so you can learn and understand how we build. We have high standards and a focus on realism which means that there are things for you to learn. Your duties as an Apprentice should give you good grounding to become a Builder, and, as such, you will begin your first lot of on-server building work assisting current Builders on their builds. This will hopefully allow you to obtain the experience needed to build on your own when you feel you can start on building something on your own. When building as an Apprentice, you are only permitted to build on one building at a time. This not only provides you with good practice for your time as a Builder, but also allows project leaders and Overseers to get a good and clear idea of what your building abilities are. This will allow us to give you better and more bespoke feedback, and prevent any unnecessary problems. Keep in mind that you are only allowed to work on something if you have permission from a project leader via an open plot or confirmation if it’s something else. Finally, as an Apprentice you must always listen to project leaders when they give you feedback, criticisms, and tasks. Ask them if you are unsure of what to build, or how to build it. You have this rank to learn.
In order to eventually obtain Builder, please read the guidelines below:
When you build a house in a project and think it is finished, you should post a comment on this application thread with the closest warp and coordinates of your house. Then Builders or Overseers will comment on this thread and give you fair feedback. When you have achieved a standard of building that matches the basic standard of the server, you will be promoted to Builder. This could be on your first build or one further down the line. ArdaCraft is a friendly community that explores the freedom to create and build together. However, when we are dealing with an enormous project like this there are some guidelines we need to follow to make it work. Firstly, always name and date the stuff you build. We have a set of project blocks that we use - you can read about those in the new player guide at ‘/warp spawn’. Secondly, if you are looking for something to help out with, you can type ‘/warp jobs’. This is where you can find all open jobs like building houses or something similar. You will be provided with instructions on how to get to these projects, and what to build once you get there. Thirdly, do not be afraid to ask members for help and get to know us. This is a community project and it’s important to be part of the community! Stay active on Discord and the forums. Make sure to let an Overseer know who you are on Discord so that he can give you the appropriate rank on there.
On a final note, please remember that Apprentice is not a permanent rank, so we require a certain level of activity during your progression. Being active fewer than once a month will result in your application being rejected.
