Country Brewery work begins

[Dave]

I've been working on this new model since yesterday, still working out the geometry, but it's looking good so far. I've had this one in the back of my mind for a while, and it's going to be a fairly imposing structure on the tabletop with lots of nice details and interesting bits. Maybe it's too early to say, but I'm getting the feeling of "destiny" about this one like I had about the West Gate and the Inventor's House -- there's something fun and iconic and weird and colorful about it that might make it one of my more popular model kits. Sometimes you just know, you know? And if you keep that energy running through the whole project, it shows.

I'll post pics of my test model when it's ready. I'm excited to see it myself! Right now it's just 2D linework and high hopes...

[emergencyoverride]

Bring it on! I'm almost done with the Inventors house. I like to take my time on big models like this and really make them look nice. I tend to look at these as model kits and not just terrain that has to be slapped together to fill a table.

You're right, a model like that is imposing on the tabletop and because of that, they deserve the extra time to make them just right! ;D

So what are we looking at for the brewery, big vats, miles of pipes, casks everywhere?

[Dave]

Oh, nothing that extreme. (A steampunk or Dwarven brewery could be coming along some day, though, and I would more inclined to add obvious and exaggerated external features for that.) For this one, there will be big barrels, for sure! But one of my goals with this sort of model is that it doesn't have to be a brewery -- by omitting a few details it could be nearly any kind of workshop, store or house, if you like.

I think what's going to make this one interesting is just the overall shape, which is a bit different from anything I've done before. I tend to think of my models as a collection that work best when you've got a few of them sitting near each other, and no two are quite alike in proportion.

[theauldgrump]

Maybe a cider press as well - country folk are fond of their scrumpy -

n eighteen hundred and forty-nine, in a little cider mill,
A poor old dog lay down to rest, for he was feeling ill;
He chose a most precarious perch, above the apple press,
And in his sleep he tumbled in and perished in distress.

This caused his master for to grieve, likewise his mistress too,
And so their sorrows to relieve, they sampled of the brew;
"Gadzooks," cried Farmer Afwater, "the likes I ne'er did sup;
Let's summon all the neighbors in, and bid them take a cup."

Now, here's to Dead Dog Cider, the best there is by far;
Here's to Dead Dog Cider, no moaning at the bar;
You can search this wide world over, find many a beer or ale;
But, when you've tried Dead Dog Cider – your search will be curtailed!

Now everyone that drank that night got drunk as drunk could be,
And wondered how the scrumpy had acquired such potency;
The farmer kept his council, as he took another drop,
When all at once that poor old dog came floating to the top.

A silence fell around the room, and everyone did frown,
For they recognized old Bendigo, though he was upside down;
The parson lost his color and collapsed upon the floor,
And the squire split his britches in the rush to reach the door.

Now, here's to Dead Dog Cider, the best there is by far;
Here's to Dead Dog Cider, no moaning at the bar;
You can search this wide world over, find many a beer or ale;
But, when you've tried Dead Dog Cider – your search will be curtailed!

"Oh, halt!" cried Farmer Afwater, "For in his life I vow,
He never bit man nor beast, nor will he bite ye now;
And this shall be his epitaph, 'Here lies old faithful Ben
Who perished in the cider vat, only to rise again.'"

So if you're down in Devon, and you stops off at a bar,
Just call for Dead Dog Cider, it's the best there is by far;
Refuse all imitations; you'll sleep just like a log,
You can always recognize it by – the hair of the dog.

True story, and the place is still around. (Scariest part for me? They remembered the name of the dog....)

The Auld Grump, it was either that or Johnny Jump Up....

[Dave]

Ooh, cider is dangerous, delicious stuff.

A cider press might be a tricky thing to build out of paper, but I'll think about it as a free add-on later. I try to keep all of my paid-for models very easy to build, and save the more complex stuff as freebies, like the Observatory Tommygun designed that works so well with the Inventor's House.

I've finished the 2D linework for the Country Brewery and printed out all the sheets for the test model. Hope everything goes together well! I'll be taking photos at each step of the process, which I'll use later on when creating the instructions booklet.

The kit comes out to 18 pages (so far), not including the optional foamcore templates and interior reinforcers. Quite a big kit for me!

[Dave]

I've finished my white-paper test model of the Country Brewery.

Here's the cleaned-up, polished, colorized version that I'll use when writing up the assembly instructions. I'll be able to highlight specific parts using this graphic.



And an actual photo of the test model, with a couple of 28mm-30mm scale miniatures to give you an idea of the size. You'll notice that the footprint (the ground piece) is a little different on the upper image. I decided to move the whole model back 1" from the front gate, giving a little room for a walkway in front of the fence. No big deal, but that's why I use cleaned-up graphics rather than photos: it lets me make even more revisions to the model kit.



With the test model finished, I can start working on the textures. I've been gathering a lot of new texture sources for grounds, walls, roofs, wood piles and other stuff. One of my goals this year is to create a bunch of new textures, and while I haven't exactly retired all of my old stuff, I'm trying to avoid using textures that have been used over and over.

[oldschooldm]

Amazing!

Please say yes to this question:

Will it have an interior?

It is clearly large enough to represent a significant encounter area. it needs an interior/floor plan.


If you don't plan one, please offer a PSD version with the white-glue-boxes as a layer so we can make on of our our own. Floor textures under the white would be great...

If I build this, it WILL have an interior, by hook or by crook.

[Dave]

There won't be a full interior on this one, but I might release a separate 2D ground floor plan. Not everyone will be interested in buying the full 3D model just to get the floor plan, and vice versa, so I think that's the best way to go. That way I can price the separate pieces accordingly.

And unfortunately, a PSD version of this kit will probably be way too big (megabytes, gigabytes) to release. I don't have high-speed internet access here in rural Oregon, and my upload capacity/time is limited. But the PDF versions will give you the option to turn off all of the textured layers and work with just the lines/grid or whatever, so you should be able to kitbash relatively easily from there.

[oldschooldm]

Thanks! I'll buy that floor.

[Dave]

Good to hear that!

Textures are going on. Basic bricks, plaster, crumbling plaster, and half-timbered beams are in place. Up next: wooden walls.

Lots of work still left to do on this, but it's starting to come together nicely. Getting some textures on the walls gets rid of a lot of white space and makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something!

[emergencyoverride]

Very nice! Just finished the frontier barn and starting on the village church. Gotta post the pics. Cant wait to get my hands on this monster!! My dwarven adventurer clan needs a place to hang their helms. ;D

[Dave]

Texture work in progress.

[golem101]

Looks like it's a big model, around the size of the Village Chapel. Or is it more akin to the Willow Brook Inn?

[Dave]

Similar in size to the Village Chapel, I'd say.

[Dave]

A peek at the roof texture options for the Country Brewery. I might adjust the colors before finalizing the PDFs, but this gives you the idea of where things are headed.

[emergencyoverride]

I like them all, but I really like the colors on the bottom one! Great job. ;D

[Dave]

Thanks! I punched up the color saturation on those blue slate tiles. Wasn't sure if I'd gone too far.

Here are some of the wall options (not quite finished) for the Country Brewery.

[aleks73]

fishbone Red Bricks are nice. It's a "first time" for you, or have you use it for other models?

[Dave]

I don't believe I've used herringbone bricks anywhere before. I actually prepared them a long time ago, just never got around to using them.

[Dave]

In the final stretch now. 12 pages are complete in layered PDF form. I've still got to put textures on the big barrels and the ground pieces before finishing up the rest. After that, the instruction booklet and advert graphics will need to be put together. I was hoping to release this before the weekend, but because of my internet access situation (rural livin') I won't be able to get into town to upload this model kit until Monday at the soonest.

I should be able to post pictures of the full-color 3D mockup this weekend. I don't even know what it's going to look like, so I'm excited for that.

[Dave]

14 pages now complete and PDFed. All that's left to do is the ground piece (not counting the interior floor plan -- that's another project) and the final 3D mockup graphics. Can't wait to see it myself! I think I'll use herringbone bricks on the lower levels and half-timbers on the upper levels for the advert. Maybe I'll show it from two angles, with the optional form-fitting ground piece too.

[bigbadbull]

Looking forwards to it ;D

[oldschooldm]

Hey Dave - now that the Brewery model is out - you mentioned you would consider doing an interior floor add-on - is that still in the works (if so, do you have an ETA?) or did you include it in the model?

Congratulations on an amazing looking model...

[Dave]

Yeah, still thinking about an interior floor plan -- and no, it isn't included with this kit.

The way my brain works (at least the creative half of it) is that ideas stew and stew, and the process works itself out mentally until I wake up one day with a very clear plan for realizing it. Then, I just do the work pretty quickly. Floor plans aren't something I do on a regular basis, so I'm still stewing on how to make them work, how to market them, what sort of options there should be, etc. I'll figure it out eventually, but it may not be my next project. (It might be the next release, though, depending on how much momentum I can generate for my next new model... which is looking like it's going to be the South Gate to complete my gate set.)

[emergencyoverride]

That looks awesome! I cant wait to build it, but I'll have too as I am out of toner. No worries.

[Dave]

This set is now available!

Catalog Page: davesgames.net/catalog-country-brewery.htm