The Importance of Wall Design

When designed correctly, walls can tell fascinating stories about the people who built them.
They give us an idea of the technological advancements used in their construction, as well as clues to some of the events that may have shaped them.

When looking at a mud hut, one might think they were built by hunter-gatherer tribes using rudimental tools and techniques, whereas a fort made of large stone blocks might suggest its builders had a high degree of skill, technology, and also military prowess.

This article lists some of the stonework research I did to help find the right look for the first dungeon in Valham.

To keep things simple, we will only look at the exteriors of 3 structures I found most useful (else this article will have no end). I'm pretty set on the castle ruins theme, so that helps narrow things down a bit.

An Iron Age Broch

Our first example is a 1st century AD Broch built in Carloway, Scotland.

The most noticeable observation is how the weathered structure and foliage covered surfaces shows off its age. Its dry stone walls use sandstone slabs which have an infinite range of form variations and shades of colour.

Any woodwork used for the roofing and upper floors would have perished, leaving behind the building's oddly shaped remains.

It's really quite moving to think how each stone slab was carefully placed by hand centuries ago.

Dun Carloway Broch - Public Domain

Machu Picchu

These huge stone blocks surgically cut to slot together are found in Machu Picchu. They really give off the impression they were laid using some kind of alien technology. Though in reality, they were build by incredibly skilled people using highly advanced tools.

As with the Dun Carloway Broch, I love how plant life can be seen growing between the cracks of each block. However, what I love most of all is how big the blocks are. These large surfaces will certainly help our character pop.

Machu Picchu - Google Maps

Château de Vincennes Keep

This 14th century keep could have been pulled straight out of a Disney movie.

What drew me to this example was the building's form and diverse brickwork. It has cones, cylinders, cubes and all sorts happening. Château de Vincennes was built and developed over several hundred years and it clearly shows.

Each wall protrusion creates interesting detail. Rather than being completely flat (remember the Friendly Arm Inn from Baldur's Gate?), they break up large surfaces which is something I definitely want to carry over.

Château de Vincennes Keep - Edal Anton Lefterov - CC BY-SA 3.0

Valham

Design direction

I want the people who built our first dungeon to have been skilled at masonry, kept an ordered society and worked decorative embellishments into everything they produced. A civilisation that closely resembles the Romans and possessed weapon technology dating back pre-gunpowder ages (I always find that guns tend to spoil fantasy themes).

This leaves me with the following direction for our walls:

1. Large stone blocks to suggest the civilisation had technology capable of moving, cutting and stacking megalithic blocks.
2. Decorative embellishments in the stonework to show they cared about presentation of their dwellings.
3. Weathering to show the castle's age.

Large stone blocks will also create less detail and noise on screen, which will help our player and enemies stand out from the scene.

First attempt

The image below shows the exterior of the dungeon using large blocks (relative to the player). Their modular design allows organic foliage to break any uniform patterns and really stand out.

I really like this design; however, I feel they could get repetitive quite quickly.

Second attempt

So I tried larger blocks with flatter surfaces.
They certainly create the impression of something grand that's been built.

What I like about this design is that not only does it beg to question how the building was constructed, but it also questions how the building was damaged. Was there a battle that made its way into the castle? If so who was it against, those slime creatures? Are those skeletons the remains of people who once occupied the castle?

For the reasons above, I will go forward with this design. They serve their purpose and above all are ridiculously fun to make!

A Little Bit Extra

Just before you reach the castle, you'll also come across a Stonehenge. This is to create the impression that the people who once occupied this land were no strangers to building megalithic monuments. I might find a different arrangement for them though...

I think the next step here will be to focus on prop design for the castle. Pots, tables and other breakables that could help strengthen environmental storytelling, but also be fun for the player destroy :).

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