FOSS gamedev and creative worlds

I find the use of what people call a city disturbing. A city is more than just a couple of structures built by one person.

I would classify a 'city' as multiplayer with an area of over 1000 sq. blocks with roadways, walkways, defined lots and define borders. Borders as in you know where the city starts and ends. Any open space defined as for development wirh defined borders or park land with define borders. 'Borders' as in fencing or roadway to define area.

What you think? What other distinctions would you give for 'village', 'town' 'hamlet', etc.

In the end, what you call a city may be up to you. A real city may well cover the entire map. Most of the buildings would not be especially intresting so no one wants to build them. Also, a city needs a lot of people that live there.

Multiplayer is not necessary for a city. Some people build amazing amounts of houses. But yes, roadways, walkways, houses grouped together, a general structure and similarity of material/style might be indications of a city. A fence would be rather strange. A group of houses randomly placed on a map usually do not form a city.

Guess I'd distinguish cities and villages by style and purpose of houses. Houses used exclusively for living, with no farming/animal keeping around, combined with houses *not* used for living (administrative, infrastructure, business, entertainment, ...) are indication of a city. Size and amount of houses count less. After all, this is a block world. Many things have to be left to your imagination.

What you call a city, town or village may vary largely by country and region.

To that end, I'd like to think that what's on my server constitutes a small city, though hardly a metropolis. :-)

VanessaE wrote:To that end, I'd like to think that what's on my server constitutes a small city, though hardly a metropolis. :-)

Yes, it does

I just find throwing out the term 'city' a little cheap. Someone had a picture of two blocked buildings and called it a city.

For myself, defined road and pathways which gets filled in with buildings. I was building up such a structure where I'd put a cafe on the corner intersections then let people build from there. (That is until some super cruel griefers came in and start burning things down.)

The first buildings set the standard for the area. I was bringing newer players up to speed. How to grow gardens. How to make shingled roofs. (Recipe of the week.)

I've seen some great colaborations like underground city where they used wool to minic the sky.

Cities are planned developments. Towns and villages are haphazard collection of structures. Maybe that's the best definition right there.

Great discussion. I recall years ago reading a similar discussion in a guide to playing SimCity. An important part of the definition between village, towns, cities, etc revolves around why the community exists. An important distinction between a town and village is that a town usually has at least one core industry-- mining towns, college towns, factory towns, inn towns (ie tourism), even prison towns -- attract people who want to work for that core industry or those who support them.

When playing minetest I so far haven't built a lot of houses. I think more about what industry would be attracted to the current map/terrain I'm looking at. Once I've built some of that up (or at least "broken ground") do I start considering where the people will live.

VanessaE wrote:To that end, I'd like to think that what's on my server constitutes a small city, though hardly a metropolis. :-)

Yep :)

@Michael does this constitute a city to you? http://sites.google.com/site/lkaezadl3/minetest-city/

@kaeza
Looking good though the block size needs to be up'ed IMHO. Still you got the infrastructure down pat. I'm more a fan of using the natural terrian rather than paving over terrian.

@gnagy42
I think you nail the sentiment of the dicussion. Are we just building a mish-mash of buildings or community that eventually grows into a city?

My original intent for NewSpawnLand was have a secondary spawn point on Gameboom. The idea was build a central support for players with roadways throughout the area to allow players to explore and build. At cross roads, I _HAD_ planned a cafe or core structures which were clues for players to build around and expand. At least, that was the plan.

First players built on the core spot .. too timid to explore. Then a cyberbully by the name of Landmine made land grab building to wall off the area for himself.

After a failed restart Gameboom was reset to old map. What happen was everyone else built in every direction BUT where I have setup roadways for my vision of NSL. I took the opportunity to restart what I started. I took down the barrier to land and restored the roadways built over. I finally setup two cafes and had modest success in drawing players to the area. Teching them how to grow stuff, one player setup her own vineyard.

Sadly once again cyberbullies came, burnt down alot of area and structures and brutally bullied players and myself. It's garrish wasteland with constant harrassment of the new overlords. Not a happy place.

Still I would say that before this current troubles, it had potential for a city because I was laying new roadwork for development. I would never envision a vineyard. Potential for cafes to actually serve coffee with hydro mod but vending and monitary mods are broken.

Getting to status of 'city' isn't easy. Villages, towns cities are living things which grow or die over time. Like a mining town dying once the ore is gone. Minetest is no different.

However, cities don't rely on resources but imports resources like food and materials. Spawnlands usually end up being these hubs of commerce where players trade goods and thus become cities themselves.