Tutorial Terraining - Winter City

[WastedSavior]

I. Introduction​

The objective of this tutorial is to introduce you to one method of creating a realistic human city. This is by no means the only method, and is only a learning tool. As always I encourage all readers to experiment and discover new and exciting terraining styles.

II. Shaping​

Tileset: Icecrown Glacier
Starting Tile: Snow
-Start by outlining the streets of your city, in the example I will use Runed Bricks.
*Note* Don’t worry too much about this, just get a rough shape, you will want to adjust the roads later anyways.

III. Texturing​

In the example I have used the following doodads and destructible;
Buildings (Village Fall Tileset) – Modified to remove Pathing Texture
I started by placing the first row along the edge of the road. After I smoothed out the front row to be flush using the angle features, I filled the empty space behind with further buildings, to give an “over populated” feeling.

Post Lantern (Dalaran Runes) – Modified to Remove Pathing Texture
I placed the post lanterns every few buildings, during the night time this will give the city heart and make the environment feel warm. You can put as much, or as little light depending on your goals. Fewer lights will give a harsher colder feeling, while more lights will make it brighter and friendlier.

Snowy Tree Wall (Lordaeron Winter) – Modified to 1.5 Maximum/Minimum Scale
The Snow Tree Wall is a divider, it cuts the empty space between the city and the outside world.

IV. Additional​

-Time of Day Preferences Set to Fixed Midnight
-Global Weather Set to Northern Snow Light
-Sky Set to Lordaeron Winter Sky
-Using the raise tool, raise the little lips of snow nearest to the buildings, it will start to look like mounds of snow.

Authors Notes​

You are of coarse, not limited to what i have used in this example. I used very few doodads in the process. Below is a list of additional doodads and Possible Uses.

Igloo - Little kids + snow = Adventure!

Snow Man - Seriously? im not describing this one..

Fire pit trashed + Smudge - You can dot a few smudges on the fire pit trashed to make it look like it was recently put out.

Crystal - I like to freeze the animation of a unit and put him under a crystal, makes him look like hes been frozen solid.

If anyone has any suggestions, comments, or criticism. Please comment!

 

[Draphoelix]

The houses is too messed up. You doesn't even seem to be able to get out of door before you get knocked on a wall of another house.

Edit: Of course this would be a nice playable terrain. But for a cinematic I think this looks too unrealistic.

 

[Romek]

I like the houses. I find making houses like that makes it look 'Warcraftish'.

Although, the tutorial seems to be very short on detail. Maybe different terrain? Hills?
Ponds maybe?

Oh, and a final screenshot with the weather and stuff would be nice

 

[Psiblade94122]

i like the houses, how their placed right next to each other.

The back portion (where the bulk of the houses are) could be raised up to add variation (and to add space for some trees and or oter doodads)
for a city thats really small, it looks more like a compressed village to me lol, also some street lights would be nice, even in warcraft times they have streetlights, itll make it feel more like a city

once again, more variation on the doodads, itll make it feel more city like, as much as i love the whole winter aspect, it just feels boreing seeing only houses and what..5 trees? cmon dude, a city isnt just a glop of houses
wheres my inn, my bar, my gunshop, markets? this place has got to eat right? dont tell me they live off of snow and bark now

 

[Ghostwind]

Ehh... I don't like the final result. It just looks like building spam with a crappy brick tile that doesn't look like something you would see in a human city. Even if it is icecrown tileset, people don't re-pave their roads and put down runes in their street during winter.

Also, it could use a bit of environment. Even cities have trees and plants (especially ones like that).

 

[demotry241]

if it is a city, it will look exactly like that..if not then it won't

 

[Matrix]

mb add some doodads? However gj. I like it =)