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Three Forks Log: Day 1

Why Another Project?
Now that life is beginning to settle down just a little bit, I have some time for Minecraft again. The thing is, I've forgotten most of what I wanted to do with the Twilight's Refuge location, so while my mind brainstorms on that I've decided to take on a new project...a rustic campsite! Unlike most of what I do in Minecraft, I plan for things to be pretty simple: small buildings, a lot of trees and nature, and paths to and from camping sorta things.

I'm also going to document my progress on here along with my thoughts so I don't forget what I want to do again.

The Walk
Today's plan was just to find the right site, which involved a lot of walking. I had some basic idea of what I wanted: a site by water, in a forest, and with some kind of nice view of something (a mountain, river, etc.). I knew I wanted to start out going south, since north is a lot of frozen tundra. A winter campsite might be a challenging project for the future, but it's not what I had in mind for this project. So I started south and took a winding path along the forests.

The Long and Winding Path

Finding the Right Site
Eventually, I came across the perfect site...a curved land overlooking a river that juts out into a lake right in front of it, all of which is surrounded on two sides by steep hills giving it a cozy, secluded look. On the other two sides, endless forests...one side eventually reaching a tall hill which will eventually become a hiking destination, and the other side reaching the coast. Because the site is at a point where the water forks in three directions, I decided to name this site Three Forks.

Getting a Plan Together
I had planned on just leaving it there for the day, but once I discovered the site I couldn't resist clearing some land so I could start getting a plan in my head. I found out with Twilight's Refuge that it's really hard to make a plan when the area is covered in forest...you can't get a feel for how the land is laid out, so it's best to clear the land, build, and then replant forest where you want it.

The more I cleared, the more excited I got. The highest level of the site follows the river in both directions, which will be perfect for lodges (already designed by @Leesbra) that face the water. There's a piece of land that juts out right at the fork level with the water, making it a great place for a small dock with rowboats. On the other side going away from the water, there's a small elevation drop and then another flat piece of land, which is where the path to each lodge will go. Since the path won't be on the top level, that'll make for more space for lodges and trees. Right now I think I can place four or five lodges and still give them all a private, secluded feel. Further back looks to be another elevation dip and then a flat circular area, which is where the central campfire and perhaps some common buildings will go. Then if I want to expand further later down the road, there's a long piece of flat land on the northern side of the river where I think more lodges could go.

There's also potential projects to build a hiking trail between Twilight's Refuge and Three Forks, and to construct two canals to allow for boats to travel between the two locations as well.

What's left to do at this point is to finish clearing land and then start building

Pictures

Site Overview

In this picture, you can see the top level where lodges and trees will go, and then the second level to the left where the path to each lodge will go. You can also see the fork in the river for which the site is named for.

Future Dock Area

Another view of the fork, with the area for the future rowboat dock at the center.

Three Forks Log: Day 2

The Lodges
Now that we have the top layer of the campsite cleared, the next step is to begin building the lodges. As I mentioned in the last post, the base lodge was designed by @Leesbra, and I'm grateful for him coming up with the design and giving me advice tonight as I made changes to make it work with my vision. He saved me a lot of time, and I guarantee his design is nicer than anything I would've came up with. I love the upside-down stairs at the bottom.

Leesbra's Base Design: Outside Front

Leesbra's Base Design: Outside Back

Leesbra's Base Design: Closeup Front

Leesbra's Base Design: Inside Right

Leesbra's Base Design: Inside Left

Making the Lodge My Own
I started the first lodge right at the fork of the river, the space with the best view that I feel like campers would most want. And while Leesbra's design was awesome, I suspected I'd want to put my own touches on it, so I only anticipated getting the one done tonight.

The biggest change I made was to make it 4 tiles wide instead of 2. This gave me room to put in a double bed (for a couple or one person who likes a lot of bed space) as well as a double chest, a craft table, and a smoker on the opposite wall. I actually had a furnace instead of a smoker to start with...I didn't know smokers were a thing and thought that was a furnace in Leesbra's screenshot. He pointed that out, and mentioned how he didn't think a furnace made sense for a camp lodge...ultimately I agreed with him and swapped it out. I also was more generous with windows, because I wanted people to be able to take in the views.

I considered but ultimately decided not to go for a taller roof or a sky window, because I felt like that'd make it more into a cabin than a small lodge.

Afterwards, I started a small path from the door outward (that will eventually lead to somewhere), put some lights in place, and replanted the trees around it. Since the campsite straddles the border between spruce and oak forests, I decided to plant both types of trees to blend it all in and provide for some variety. Finally, I thought to put a picnic table beside the lodge...I have to admit, the design is not mine, but is a smaller version of this one without the side boards. The last thing I did was to create more of the materials I'd used in the build. I imagine I'll try to create little variations in each lodge so they're not all the same, but they'll mostly use the same materials so it makes sense to have them in bulk.

And Now for Some Pictures!

Welcome!

At the Door

I thought it would be neat to add a way for people to show that they're using a lodge, so other people would know not to enter it. If someone wanted to use one, they could just put their name in place of the Vacant message in the sign. I'm also not using the hanging sign that's in Leesbra's design because Twilight's Refuge is kinda going through an iron shortage at the moment...but this might change when we get more iron.

Inside Right

The smoke stack on the left is fake, for aesthetic purposes.

Inside Left

After some experimenting, grey beat out both light grey and white to become the bed colour of choice for Three Forks.

The View from the Window

Sitting at the Picnic Table

From Across the River

I remember you were having some challenges coming up with good tent designs... were you still interested in that?

Three Forks Log: Day 3

Another Lodge
Tonight I plopped down another lodge while I was on a DnD call with Ara and our mutual host friend. It's exactly the same as the first on the inside, so nothing new there. Since there wasn't as much space around this lodge though, I went with a small campfire setting rather than a picnic table.

The Front of Lodge #2

What I really wanted to show off was the ambiance that's starting to take place now that I'm beginning to replant trees in the area. It reminds me of this plot of land between one of my work locations and a library beside it...forested just enough to be shaded, but you can easily walk through it, and the grass is cut and stuff too...always thought it'd be a nice place to have a picnic. This was exactly what I had in mind when I started, and I'm glad to see it take shape.

The Area Between Lodges

Three Forks Receives Guests!
Only three days in, and we're already getting merchants!

The First Merchant

And Some Less Welcome Guests...

Why do they show up everywhere I go? ;-;

I remember you were having some challenges coming up with good tent designs... were you still interested in that?

If I remember correctly, Ara thought it'd be impossible to do a tent that wasn't as big as a house, and I hadn't had a chance to look into it. If you can prove him wrong though, I wouldn't mind seeing some...for variety in the camp, of course.

I remember you were having some challenges coming up with good tent designs... were you still interested in that?

If I remember correctly, Ara thought it'd be impossible to do a tent that wasn't as big as a house, and I hadn't had a chance to look into it. If you can prove him wrong though, I wouldn't mind seeing some...for variety in the camp, of course.

Well, what would be needed inside of the tent? If all that's needed is a bed and some storage, there's probably a way to do it. Granted, still a bit big, but it isn't exactly like it'd be the size of a house.

Well, what would be needed inside of the tent? If all that's needed is a bed and some storage, there's probably a way to do it. Granted, still a bit big, but it isn't exactly like it'd be the size of a house.

I suppose so...I'm not a tent kinda guy, but I imagine all people do in them is sleep

It doesn't necessarily have to be the most functional... tents might be nice for the campsite aesthetic though.

Three Forks Log: Day 4

The Dire Dire Docks
Ok, maybe not so dire...I didn't even intend to build anything today. I woke up feeling drained and wore out from yesterday, and Minecraft helps me relax and recover...maybe it's just doing simple, repetitive stuff or focusing on being creative and building. I was only going to make a path from the last lodge to where the docks were going to be, but one thing led to another and, well...

But let's start from the beginning!

The Short and Winding Path

From The Server Map

The path to the dock dips south from the lodges (the start of the main path that will connect all lodges), swings north around the hills, and then swings again east over to where the docks are. If you'll notice the top-left of the path, you'll see that the map updated while I was making a change. Originally, the map took a hard right, but I though it looked a bit jarring on the minimap, so I gently slopped it to the right instead. It looks like it updated before grass started growing on most of the old path, so you see both.

In the process, I removed two patches of sand and gravel by the river on the way to the dock and replaced them with dirt. The patches looked out of place, and those materials can be put to better use elsewhere. And I'm always glad to have a chance to reduce my massive stockpile of dirt.

The Docks
For a few things, I took inspiration from this Youtube tutorial, especially the use of barrels, spruce trap doors, and extinguished campfires. I also continued the design that Leesbra created for the lodges, especially the roof and walls of the building. Anything else is my own flair based on the terrain.

I imagine this would be one of the places where there's a lot of people...coming and going from boats, fishing, and just hanging out and taking in the scene so I made it a bit bigger than the other areas of the campsite so far. Since the dock is on a corner with water on two sides, I made three small docks of various lengths connected to the greater structure, so there's plenty of parking for boats. On the two sides facing the hill I just did bare walls, but on the outside I worked with the hill so people could walk to the roof of the building to take in the views. The building itself matches the design for the lodges in most aspects, but I added a few skylights so it'd look as open as possible from the inside for the day. Currently the inside is bare, but I imagine there will be storage here for river related things, as well as maybe smokers for people to cook their fish with. Maybe some seating or something if there's enough room for it.

I experimented with adding some light blue terracotta to the roof, which mirrors some of the structures on Twilight's Refuge and I thought would be a good way to link the two places together, but it ended up looking too ornate for the look I was going for...the simpler wooden roof looks much better with its surroundings.

Finally, I created some spruce, oak, and birch rowboats to populate the dock with. I like the variety...makes it look like people brought their own different kinds of boats. And now I can just hop in a boat and explore some of the areas on the other side of the river! And it looks like there's a lot to explore there...but that's for another time.

And now, some pictures!

The View From My Construction Equipment

I think the spot in the center would be a nice place for another picnic table, a bench, or a more private fishing spot. The hill behind it is so steep it's also a wall, so the idea to make some sort of cave basement for Lodge #1 and have it come out there also came to mind.

The Path to the Dock

Inside the Dock

And From the Other Direction

The View of the Lodges from the Roof

The View of the River from the Roof

The View from the Hill

It doesn't necessarily have to be the most functional... tents might be nice for the campsite aesthetic though.

That is true...I'll keep that in mind. I plan for the top level to be lodges, but I'm thinking about doing other kinds of camping in other areas...a space for tents would be neat.

Three Forks Log: Day 5

A Short Canal Update
Three Forks was supposed to be at the fork of a river, but turns it it was really just a large river-like lake...until now. Thanks to a little bit of digging, two small canals connected the lake to the river just above it, allowing boat travel almost all the way to Twilight's Refuge!

Map of Canal Work

East Area Canal

West Area Canal

Nice! Now you could build a bridge from Twilight's Refuge right across the river, a little path west down to that lake just south of your strip mine, and a dock at the bottom so that you could just boat there. Or you could even build a canal through it if it's low enough.

But yeah should make the trip much quicker and easier to navigate by boat!

I have a soft spot for canals like this. One of my first projects on my personal server was something like this, they make navigation much nicer before elytra.

Nice! Now you could build a bridge from Twilight's Refuge right across the river, a little path west down to that lake just south of your strip mine, and a dock at the bottom so that you could just boat there. Or you could even build a canal through it if it's low enough.

But yeah should make the trip much quicker and easier to navigate by boat!

I ended up having to take the trip just yesterday! I was giving Leesbra some wood, so I teleported from Three Forks to my home in Twilight's Refugue, then to him. And then...oh crap, going back took me back to Twilight's Refuge. So I got a boat and took the journey. Overall it was about five minutes...maybe two minutes to walk to where the river was, and another three to boat back to Three Forks. So it already came in handy.

It would take some doing to build a canal through the area west of Twilight's Refuge...it's got a bit of a hill to it. But it's doable...or maybe a water tunnel would be a bit less effort.

I have a soft spot for canals like this. One of my first projects on my personal server was something like this, they make navigation much nicer before elytra.

I don't think I've ever used an elytra.

Besides being stuck in Minecraft past, I actually do like using roads and boats, especially on a server as beautiful as ours. I've walked the road between spawn and Twilight's Refuge a few times. I think long-term it'd be nice to enhance the beauty along the roads...I have an idea for a little tower between the village and Twilight's Refuge for example, and maybe a logging mill on the way to Three Forks. That'd come in handy since I've found tree farming to be enjoyable since giving Leesbra the wood.