giant_engineer

My 7th survival map. Unlike previous maps where I built a bunch of colonies and connected them via railroad I decided to do something different. This time I tried building cities instead...and connecting them via railroad. This particular map spawned me in the middle of a Taiga biome, I quickly dug a small structure (the Lil'Nook) before moving on to building cities. This world is fairly generic...Mostly Forest and varying Extreme Hills biomes with the odd roofed forest sprinkled in. I eventually found a stronghold and the end, something I have not done on a survival map for a while.

Cities/Towns

GRAVELBURG

Biome: Extreme Hills M

Slogan: "In the beginning there was gravel"

Description: The first city I created. Gravelburg is situated on a flat side of an extreme hills biome. It looks over the Taiga biome where the spawn point and first settlement is. Une Riviere is fairly close by, only at the other side of the Taiga. To the north is a large mountain range that stretches all the way to the roofed forests and eventually the capital. Gravelburg is connected by subway to Une Riviere and Woodlands Town/New Louis.

Lore: Gravelburg is small city located on a mountain. It gets it's name from the gravel-laden surface of the mountain, it's main export. Despite being fairly poor, citizens maintain a strong and positive community. Frequent masses are held at the Gravelburg temple in which the entire community gets together to celebrate the joy and discovery of lapis lazuli.

UNE RIVIERE

Biome: Forest/Taiga/River

Slogan: "The river runs shallow..."

Description: The second city I created. Une Riviere is French for "A River" or "One Rivere". The outer city to the east is located in a Taiga biome while the rest of the outer city is located on the forest river bank. The city center is on a peninsula on the other side of the river, a heavily deforested section. The Farte City Apartments complex was the tallest building on the map for a while. The city is connected to Gravelburg and Winters via subway.

Lore: Like the neighbouring Gravelburg, Une Riviere is a resource-based town, with cobblestone being it’s main export. Citizens like to think of their city as superior to their "rival" Gravelburg, however unlike the community-centric Gravelburg, the city has both a physical and social gap. On the outer side of the city mine workers live in dirt and stone slums along the river. Meanwhile on the other side, the peninsula-based inner-city includes larger birch plank cottages and the luxurious Farte City Apartments complex.

WOODLANDS TOWN

Biome: Roofed Forest

Slogan: "Nestled in the trees of wonder"

Description: A small settlement I quickly built while exploring the nearby ocean and swamp/forests. Woodlands Town was hastily built in the depths of a Roofed Forest, serving as a connecting point to the eventual capital of New Louis and to Gravelburg in the south.

Lore: Some say the explorers had Woodlands Town built in a day. However in the roofed forest it was hard to tell night from day due to the thick canopy above. Hostile monsters spawned nearby and began to encroach the tiny town. A cobblestone wall was quickly built to keep the mobs out, and it worked. The eerie tranquility of the forest and timelessness caused by the darkness makes Woodlands Town a truly enchanting pit-stop.

NEW LOUIS

Biome: Swampland

Slogan: "Playin' with the big boys!"

Description: The capital and largest city of the world, I eventually decided to build it in a swamp as a reference to a certain fictional alligator. Skyscrapers are found along Main Street, this serves as the city center. Stretching out from the center is a series of row houses making up the various suburbs. Underneath the city is a maze of catacombs, used for cobblestone mining. This particular piece of swampland is nestled into a corner bordered by a roofed forest, river, and extreme hills biome. New Louis is connected to the nearby Woodlands Town and to the Far East city of Lavafall via subway. A natural village is found in a plains biome nearby.

Lore: New Louis started out as just a small town located in a wet and humid swamp. However after the resource boom, New Louis rose up and rapidly expanded into the capital it is today. Skyscrapers such as the World Union Center and NL Radio Tower can be seen from afar, while the vibrant light from the city ensures that hostile mobs never spawn within it's limits. On weekends it is quite common to hear jazz music played throughout the city as citizens go out to enjoy the good weather, cityscape, and the famous New Louis barbeque. The nearby village over in the plains biome often complains about the noise...

WINTERS

Biome: Ice Plains Spikes

Slogan: "Warmer on the inside"

Description: When I discovered a rare Ice Plains Spikes biome in the south of the map I knew I had to build a city there. Winters is named after the town of the same name in the SNES game Earthbound. The city is built within a canyon, a bridge connects the station to the lower level where the residential area is found. Row houses tightly pack the bottom of the canyon and you can even go up into one of the giant ice spikes. Its pretty comfy when it snows. Winters is connected by a long subway trip to Une Riviere.

Lore: The weather in this particular biome is treacherous: Chilling winds, thick packed snow and ice, and numerous ice spikes decorating the landscape. Except for the few rabbits hopping around there is no sign of life. Except for that light emitting from the canyon, the light of Winters. Citizens take pride in their resilience to the elements and their dedication to their home. Isolated from the rest of the map, the small town pays little attention to those who live in the lush green biomes.

LAVAFALL

Biome: Plains

Slogan: "The frontier to adventure begins"

Description: Created as a half-way point between New Louis and the stronghold, Lavafall is a town to restock and rest. Named for the nearby lava emission from a mountain across the river, Lavafall is located on the edge of a plains biome. The Lavafall stable is the main building, it is built to look like a barn complete with the hay and horses. Lavafall is quite far from most of the map, only connected to New Louis via the longest subway line in the map.

Lore: The path to the stronghold became known as the "The End Trail", with the journey from New Louis taking at least half a day by horse. It wasn't a surprise that a town began to form as a resting point for weary travellers. The nearby voluminous lava fall gave the town it’s name. Soon the small stable grew into a barn, housing travellers and their horses for the night. Travellers could also go to the Lavafall temple to learn about greed and deception, lessons most wise when journeying to the unknown lands.

Railway Lines

Gravelburg Tram
Eastbound: Downtown Gravelburg >>> Gravelburg Temple
Westbound: Gravelburg Temple >>> Downtown Gravelburg

Green Line
Westbound: Gravelburg >>> Une Riviere
Eastbound: Une Riviere >>> Gravelburg

Blue Line
Northbound: Gravelburg >>> Woodlands Town
Southbound: Woodlands Town >>> Gravelburg

Gold Line
Eastbound: Woodlands Town >>> New Louis
Westbound: New Louis >>> Woodlands Town

Silver Line
Southbound: Une Riviere >>> Winters
Northbound: Winters >>> Une Riviere

Orange Line
Eastbound: New Louis >>> Lavafall
Westbound: Lavafall >>> New Louis