The Derelict

I haven't had too much time to myself today but I have spent what I had wisely. One of the things I have managed to get hold of was coffee stirrers. Thank you Cafe Nero. So I have put them to use and put in some floorboard and window frames. Amongst that I have added a little bit more rubble and ruin.

One of the problems with doing you own buildings is getting the proportions right. These are not architectural models so there is no need to make them too accurate. I find a problem with doorways. I would like the door to be able to fit a figure base through it. In order to get doors to look in proportion, the bases one have to be about the size of a penny which is not good for the figures. So instead of making the walls 50cm high I settled on a doorway too narrow for figures to pass through

I had another think about how the buildings should look. I am moving towards the idea of derelict buildings and communities rather than ruins. I want overgrown and crumbling rather than blow up and devastated. So I go back to what I know. I search the internet for ideas as you would be surprised how few derelict buildings there are in leafy suburbia.

Although I am a Brit, a lot of the games I have been involved in are set in America. This is not always down to American cultural imperialism but because there are many great stories to be told in America. It is also home to many ghost towns which look exactly like what I am after in this game.
I am also looking at overgrowth. Waist high grass and head high shrubs are what I am looking for. Whilst the plants have taken over the long grass is home to many dangerous creatures. I keep thinking about Jurassic Park 2 and 3.

What is the everyday today, will still be there in the world overgrown. The old world is still there but often it is just hidden away behind trees and under ivy. Trees may also be a  place to find the things you need to live. There have to be reasons to venture out into the wilds or the games will be very short and very dull.