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[TheStanman]

Bump again for Minas Tirith site. I. Must. Have. It.

[Tallefred]

That site didn't work out. I was so excited about finding a 10 z-level cliff facing east over a perfectly level field that I neglected to check whether it had any white rock....

The search continues. My apologies for getting your hopes up.

[TheStanman]

Bullocks...

My search will continue as well. I'll let you know if I find a suitable site.

[Overspeculated]

Isn't Minas Tirith just on a plane?

[Hungry]

Minas Tirith is carved from a cliff over looking a sparse tree plains either that or a steep marble mountain side...

[shadowclasper]

Isn't Minas Tirith just on a plane?

One of the many things they got right in the LorR movies was Minas Tirith. Minas Tirith WAS built on a plain yes. But It was backed up against a mountain and watched over one of the major crossing sites on a river that prevented the forces of Mordor and the Easterlings from easily crossing. One of the reasons Minas Tirith was so damn powerful was it's advantageous positioning and the fact it HAD to be.

It's a 7 tiered city, cut right into the mountain side. Made it nearly indestructible, gave it a huge advantage in sieges, and generally made it bad ass. It was built to have passes through the back for escape and supplies if necessary, and generally making it impossible to simply "wait out" even if that was something the orcs never would have considered anyway.

Anyway. For a minas Tirith city, you need 7 tiers I believe (or was it 9), access to each tier should be a bunch of ramps and gates and alternating on which side. Finally. Catapults. Lots of catapults all along the walls on the edge of each tier.

Finally, I'm about to post my current project, is to have a fortress with only one access point, a massive bridge which has entire areas that can only be accessed by bridge... Currently going pretty well with a few accidents, but I'll have those sorted out soon. The amazing thing is the two simulated water falls on either side of it! One is supposed to be a fishing pond (but that's not going so well >.<) and the other is actual water. I'll post another picture for next winter when they both freeze up solid. It's incredibly cool looking.

Both waterfalls drop into a chasm, so no flooding problems either :3

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

edit: By the way, while I'm here. Any ideas on getting the fishing reservoir/fall to work? I have tunnels there's a channeled out hole that should drop water directly there (without the filtering effects of stairs) is that not enough? Is there anyway to get fish to come down from the brook above and stay?

[Tallefred]

Actually Minas Tirith is one of the many things they fucked up in the movies. The outside wall is supposed to be black.

I'll agree though, that the movies were for the most part true to the books, and most importantly, fun to watch. I was a little bit annoyed by some of the more arbitrary changes (such as the scene with Aragorn going off the cliff- what the hell was that for?), but overall I loved the movies.

[shadowclasper]

Actually Minas Tirith is one of the many things they fucked up in the movies. The outside wall is supposed to be black.

I'll agree though, that the movies were for the most part true to the books, and most importantly, fun to watch. I was a little bit annoyed by some of the more arbitrary changes (such as the scene with Aragorn going off the cliff- what the hell was that for?), but overall I loved the movies.

Well it was called the white city, and I'd say that falls into the realm of "minor" change... seriously, it's a single color, and was mentioned how many times in the books? I'd forgotten it until you mentioned it.

As for the cliff thing... as a film major, I can say with absolute certainty there was only one reason: Dramatic Causality. Kinda like Narative Causality, but instead of being required by the story, it was required by the necessity of drama.

[BatCountry]

I'm working on building dwarven project housing... A high-occupancy-residential highrise made of chalk... Next to a 30 z-level cliff... Next to a river infested with hippos... With a 30 z-level waterfall into another river infested with tigerfish.

Housing codes, shmousing codes.

[Tallefred]

Actually Minas Tirith is one of the many things they fucked up in the movies. The outside wall is supposed to be black.

I'll agree though, that the movies were for the most part true to the books, and most importantly, fun to watch. I was a little bit annoyed by some of the more arbitrary changes (such as the scene with Aragorn going off the cliff- what the hell was that for?), but overall I loved the movies.

Well it was called the white city, and I'd say that falls into the realm of "minor" change... seriously, it's a single color, and was mentioned how many times in the books? I'd forgotten it until you mentioned it.

As for the cliff thing... as a film major, I can say with absolute certainty there was only one reason: Dramatic Causality. Kinda like Narative Causality, but instead of being required by the story, it was required by the necessity of drama.

The bottom wall was made of the same indestructible substance as Orthanc. Meaning no Helm's Deep style explosions tearing it apart. It's not really such a minor change, but I can see why PJ would want the White City to be pure white.

I disagree that the cliff scene was necessary, but ok. Like I said, overall I was happy with the adaptation, and it was definitely a great set of movies by any standard. Way too many fantasy worlds get cheesy/crappy movies (see: Dnd, Harry Potter). Hopefully The Hobbit will come out just as good.

[shadowclasper]

I disagree that the cliff scene was necessary, but ok. Like I said, overall I was happy with the adaptation, and it was definitely a great set of movies by any standard. Way too many fantasy worlds get cheesy/crappy movies (see: Dnd, Harry Potter). Hopefully The Hobbit will come out just as good.

I don't mean necessary as in "the movie couldn't have done with out it" but necessary in the sense that in ANY action movie series. Somebody is going to fall off of something tall. Not because the story requires it to maintain the themes of the genre, but because the level of drama must be maintained and it allows for some angst on the part of the side characters (and more focus on them) as they worry over the disappearance of the Hero. See, when the Hero is on screen, the scene usually focuses around him, and you can lose connection to the side characters. So sometimes it is necessary to remove him in a temporary, yet dramatic, manner. This permits you to spend more time on the side characters while he's journeying back and not on him because nothing is really happening too him after he wakes up and begins walkin'.

Disappearance due to being flung over a cliff in pitched battle is one of the easiest ways to do this. Thus, Dramatic Causality calls for any suitably dramatic action-adventure movie to have a "thrown over the cliff" moment, possibly coupled with "disappears/presumed dead after falling". It's a dramatic convention of this particular genre within cinema.

[TheStanman]

So.... anyone found a Minas Tirith or Helm's Deep site yet?

I just discovered my site only has access to... Dwarven Civilization -_-

Sigh.

[hitto]

Just Dtil the useless stone to marble if the embark site looks like minas tirith... It's *never* cheating when it's for a megaproject :p

EDIT: ooh, lotr movie bashing! I wuv it!

I disagree that the cliff scene was necessary, but ok. Like I said, overall I was happy with the adaptation, and it was definitely a great set of movies by any standard. Way too many fantasy worlds get cheesy/crappy movies (see: Dnd, Harry Potter). Hopefully The Hobbit will come out just as good.

I don't mean necessary as in "the movie couldn't have done with out it" but necessary in the sense that in ANY action movie series. Somebody is going to fall off of something tall. Not because the story requires it to maintain the themes of the genre, but because the level of drama must be maintained and it allows for some angst on the part of the side characters (and more focus on them) as they worry over the disappearance of the Hero. See, when the Hero is on screen, the scene usually focuses around him, and you can lose connection to the side characters. So sometimes it is necessary to remove him in a temporary, yet dramatic, manner. This permits you to spend more time on the side characters while he's journeying back and not on him because nothing is really happening too him after he wakes up and begins walkin'.

Disappearance due to being flung over a cliff in pitched battle is one of the easiest ways to do this. Thus, Dramatic Causality calls for any suitably dramatic action-adventure movie to have a "thrown over the cliff" moment, possibly coupled with "disappears/presumed dead after falling". It's a dramatic convention of this particular genre within cinema.

Now I absolutely agree with you on the scholar level (tropes can't be avoided!), but I also HATED how PJ said "well you can't compress a 1000-page book into just three movies" after having added the useless 45-minute warg attack/elrond behaving out of character scene. (and the needlessly extreeeeeeme elephant trunk/shield on stairs surfing stunts by Legolas. and the evil, hobbit-torturing ents. GRRR!)

[shadowclasper]

...... o_O if ya take those parts out ya lose the awesomeness of the battle scenes... but point taken.


And no. No helms deep yet. I've been working on it -_-; but not a thing so far.

[Quantum Toast]

Bear in mind that if anyone does make Minas Tirith, they'd better find a way of making troublesome nobles do a Denethor.