Ecrivaillon's Guide to the Perfect Settlement Application~

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Ecrivaillon
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Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:09 pm
MC name: Ecrivaillon

Ecrivaillon's Guide to the Perfect Settlement Application~

Post: # 1680Post Ecrivaillon »

Hi, everybody~ Ecri here. Now, Marie and I were kinda hoping someone would bring a really incredible settlement idea to the table by now. However, we know that it's really hard to come up with a great idea for such a difficult concept. Therefore, I decided to make this guide to formulating the perfect settlement!

Try going through each step as I list them. This way, you'll minimize any superfluous, unrealistic ideas~

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So, the first thing you're going to want to do is put yourself into super-RP mode. I believe that many of us have moved from one home to another, and you should try to remember what that was like. The idea behind moving, which is what you're asking people to do when you construct a new settlement, is that there has to be something better. Every place has their pro's and con's, right? For example, let's look at Aurelia: it is very pretty and it is well-established. It is fast-growing and prosperous; there are a lot of jobs near Aurelia. Right? These are all things that make people want to go to Aurelia. Because moving is annoying. No one wants to move. However, they like nice things. And if you can offer them lots of nice things in your settlement, they'll move! They'll leave their home and come to your place.

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Now, we have to get specific. What makes people want to leave? Well, one of the first things is location. I'm going to type it again: location. Location means a lot. Think of all the differences between living in the desert and living in the jungle.

1) The jungle has lots of wood, whereas the desert has lots of sand.
2) The jungle has lots of Grass-type Pixelmon, whereas the desert has lots of Ground and Rock-type Pixelmon.
3) The jungle is much farther from Aurelia than the desert is.
4) The jungle is by the water, whereas the desert is not.

Lots of differences, right? Right. Where your settlement is located has a lot of specific impacts on your town's economy, landscape, architecture, flora and fauna... Tons of things. This is very important for your application. If a settlement has a superfluous location, it will definitely be marked down. Try to pick a location first, before anything.

Moreover, your location has to be accessible. You can't want a town on a mountain until there is a way that you can easily climb up the mountain with all of your suppplies. If you have 12 stacks of cobble in your inventory, that is enough to build entire communities! Obviously, you aren't carrying it in your bag. You must have a cart or something, right? So, you have to be very careful about how to reach your location and how to bring things there from other towns.

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The next thing is opportunities. Aurelia and Cobalt each have unique opportunities that draw people to each place. This is almost a by-product of location. For example, if a settlement were built in the jungle, there would be more loggers than miners, right? However, in the desert, you would have a lot of people mining sand, correct? And then whatever is underneath the sand. That makes your job opportunities a lot different. Think about what different jobs your settlement will offer, unlike Aurelia and Cobalt or anywhere else~

And then even more than that, you're going to want to think about what people need, and how you can offer that—or, more importantly, how you can get businesses to come to your town. The easy way is to have a lot of people. However, there are other ways to attract businesses to a settlement. Think about what businesses people need in a town, and how you can get them to come there. What opportunities can you give to entrepreneurs, like Marie or Sonel? Why would Sonel set up a second trading post near your settlement?

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After opportunities, let's think about architecture. Now, this also factors into location and opportunities. Say you made your settlement in the jungle. The cheapest material around is... Wood? Right? The wood from all the trees in the jungle. That means that you can build easily and cheaply with it. Now, if I wanted to build a reasonable settlement in the desert, say, I should use sandstone! That's because there's so much around. Get the picture?

However, a sure-fire way to miss an application is by building out of material that is not widely available. If you're building a settlement in the jungle, and you're going to build everything out of sandstone, that's not smart. You'll have to go to the desert to get supplies every time you want to build something! So, when you're making builds, or looking at others' builds, have a good idea of the natural resources around you. If this means going onto a wiki and seeing what blocks are available in a biome, do so! By all means!

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One of the last things you have to think about, is the RP. Despite it being last, it might be the most vital. Why does /your character/ want this town? Why does /your character/ want to move to the jungle? Personally, I love the desert. However, could you see Marie in a desert? She'd get her heels stuck in the sand, she would hate the heat and the dryness, her hair would get all wonky—she would never live in the desert. If you have a well-developed, round character, this should be an easy step. "Does my character like this idea? How can my character help to create this place?" If your character is a businessman, and they want to set up a resort on the volcanic island in the west, they should start raising money. They should start finding investors. However, if your character is a miner, and they want to go live in the desert, they should start researching ways to live in the desert. They should start mining material, or finding friends and co-workers who want to come with them. This step is all about bringing the in-game aspect into the idea of your settlement.

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Now, to conclude this little guide, let's go back over all the things you need to think about, and in what order:

1. Where is your settlement going to be located, and why? Is this a place that people can reach without having to god-mod? (Say, climbing a mountain in ten minutes.)
2. What opportunities does this settlement offer that other settlements do not? What makes it different, and special?
3. What kinds of materials will you use in building your settlement? How easily can you get these things? Do they fit in with the environment you're building in?
4. Does your settlement idea fit in your RP? By this, you should ask yourself, "Does my character want to live here? Can my character help?"

Think about the pain and aggravation of moving homes, like I mentioned earlier, before you stop formulating your idea!

Wrap this all up with an appropriate color-name, and you have a realistic settlement! If you're having some trouble with this—I go to an university for art, so my color knowledge is probably a little more advanced than most—check out this list: http://people.csail.mit.edu/jaffer/Color/M.htm. This list was actually pulled from a famous book on color from the 1930's, and a lot of the names are really interesting and theatrical~

One last tip, though. Don't mention a Gym. At all. It's one of the worst things you could do, because it takes a lot away from the legitimacy of your idea. You shouldn't build a settlement just because you want a Gym. If that's why you want a settlement, you don't really want a settlement. Gyms come from the natural progression of a town; once your town is established, and it has a real life to it, then the Staff or the community at large can assess an appropriate Gym and type for your settlement~

Here is a link to the application: The app~ Go forth, with your new idea in mind, and apply! :D
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