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Gotham City

Started by Eddie, July 07, 2007, 11:06:52 AM

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Eddie

Stromwell's Son















Eddie

#2


Introduction

Well now that I've got your attention, I'd like to welcome you to my first REAL MD on SC4D, Gotham City. This mayor diary will incorporate something that has never been done on the forums before. I will set up this MD in the style of a comic book (as you see above). As explained in my Planning Gotham City thread, I'll be blending Batman comic books and TV shows, then weave SC4 images into the mix to combine the elements into comic book pages—forming storylines which are based on existing Batman stories (but adapted by me for the forums).







This journal will incorporate both traditional MD elements—such as building updates and city showcasing—with my own unique twist on story-based MD's. This way, those who just want to look at pretty pictures don't have to read the story, and those who want to follow the storylines can read both comics and city updates. This way, everyone is happy! Here are how the updates will be organized:

-Before I show the comic book pages, I will showcase the settings which will be shown in the storyline, so that the reader may familiarize him/herself with the setting. To simplify this: Before the story continues, I will show SC4 images of the setting where the story will take place.

-I will also show character profiles, including pictures of the characters that are going to appear in the storyline and a brief description of who they are and what they're like.

-After I've established the setting and characters, I'll be posting the comic book pages. These storylines are based on existing Batman stories, which I've re-written and adapted for the forums. I will credit the original writers, but the stories you see here are written by me (despite some quotes that just HAD to stay in the story because they were that good).







This is a CITY journal/Mayor Diary. Though I will incorporate my own style (the comics), the true purpose of this project is to showcase the city which I've built. Gotham City is a decaying metropolis. The police are corrupt, poverty is rampant, crime is abundant, and strange costumed criminals run around causing chaos. This isn't a safe city after dark. Hopefully, that will give you an idea about the feel and atmosphere I'm trying to recreate.

This is my reference for the Gotham City map.



And here is my region. As you can see, it's somewhat accurate (down to the roads, freeways, and landmark locations). Technically, this is a city-recreation.



Based on the comics and movies, Gotham varies in style, though at heart it is Art-Deco. Imagine New York in the 30's, with the skyscraper race to the sky and the detail in the buildings (gargoyles, statues, etc.). Now imagine if that Art Deco landscape was fused with modern Chicago and Los Angeles architecture (think contemporary glass skyscrapers). Then add an asylum and a couple of delusional costumed villains, and you've got Gotham City—a crazy town in its own right.

My primary inspirations for building this in SC4 was:

-New York
-and Chicago

(though the Chicago feel will definitely stand out more due to the setting of Batman Begins—which was filmed on location in the Windy City).

I took elements from each, and I'm pretty content on how it turned out (but you'll have to form an opinion for yourself). The city is incredibly dense. A medium city tile has about 150,000 thousand people, and the only relief from crowding is a massive city park in the middle of the chaos (inspired by Central Park).







This CJ will be divided into two styles. The first style (the one we'll be seeing in the following updates) are based on the comic books. The second style is based on DVD screen-caps from Batman: The Animated Series (BTAS). We'll only be seeing the first style for a few months, and the Animated style will take over from then on out. BTAS had over 85 episodes and I'll be adapting some of them for the forums. That's dozens of short storylines. This way, we won't have a giant story that'll clutter up the CJ and discourage people from reading and following it. Yay.




Well I hope I've been clear explaining all this, but if you have a question, feel free to ask. I'm really excited to finally start this (after HALF A YEAR of preparation), and hopefully, those who followed my previous CJ's will stop by. However, I'm also eager to see some new faces!

Now that we've got all that out of the way, let's take a trip to the most Dangerous City in America.

However, the story starts here, far from the crime, poverty, and corruption of the city. Straight from Batman Begins, I'm proud to present the origin of the Dark Knight.




These next updates will take you through Batman's origins, from Bruce Wayne's tragic childhood to his decade-long world odyssey, where he trains his mind and body to understand criminals and their motives.

Glenni

Wow, eddie, this MD is just the awesomest, and has a one of a kind style! :thumbsup:
i'm really looking forward to see more updates on this! ;D

and hey, rated it 5.

serenity086

I'm also really looking foward to more updates, this is going to be great  ;D . I'm amazed by the similarity between your region pic and the map of Gotham.

Come Visit Murdock Valley

Pat

Eddie you defintly have me hooked and i soooo will be following Gotham City as im a Bat Man Fan...
BTW OMG im stunned i have nothing else to say but i want more - pat

Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie

Krio

#6
I'm not great fan of this. First of all, your Gotham looks too clean to compared to e.g Batman movie from year 1989. You have glass skyscrapers when comics and movies (Batman Begins' Gotham is "real city", so I can't complain about that) have mostly stony, brown, art deco and gothic skyscrapers. Then your Gotham looks more like Metropolis, because does Gotham really have so many skyscrapers? Yeah, in that film what had Arnold as mr. Freeze it was like Coruscant, but again, they were very dirty and could have been few stories high. And this is bright, Gotham is dark!

And if you must steal comic character, draw them yourself.

STAFF EDIT:  Bengt, there's a pretty well-defined line between constructive criticism and out-and-out attack.  The first paragraph is on one side of that line- the second is a bit over.  It doesn't strike us that Eddie is "stealing" anything.  He's chosen to enhance a comic strip (over which it is apparent he claims no authorship) with SC4 elements.  It may not be to everyone's taste, but that doesn't mean our friend's effort should be dismissed out of hand.  There's about 70 MDs here at SC4D, nobody says you have to like all of them.  And, as noted above, you make several valid critical points.  So- lets not have this thread turn into a back-and-forth about what Bengt's aristic vision is versus Eddie's, as that part of your input stands, OK?  -DE

Eddie



Today's update (Setting) will focus on the massive expanse of Wayne Manor and its inhabitants, the Wayne Family. Wayne Manor will be shown from all sides during a day-to-night cycle.

It has been the ancestral home of the Waynes for generations. Covering acres of wooden estate, Wayne Manor is Gotham's largest mansion. It's sprawling cave system was once used as part of the Underground Railroad during the Civil War--the only section of the UR that was actually underground.





Glenni: Congratulations on being the first commenter! Thank you for commenting and rating, as well.

serenity086: Thank you, and I'm glad you noticed the similarities!

patfirefghte: Thanks, pat!

Bengt: First of all, thank you for commenting. Second of all, my Gotham City is based on the Gotham from Batman Begins and the comics. I didn't take much inspiration Batman89. Frankly, I didn't like the movie as much as Begins. As for the city being too clean, I'm sorry but you haven't seen enough of the city to judge. Is this dirty enough for you?



Then we get to the point of Gotham having many too many skyscrapers as you've said. Yes, Gotham is the largest city in the DC comics world (even more than metropolis). It has about 10 million people living on those three islands so you can expect it to be pretty dense. Let's not mention Arnold as Mr. Freeze again. Batman & Robin was a terrible movie.  ;)

As for Gotham being "too bright," there are many instances in the comics where Gotham is pretty lit up. I've scanned some of those instances to show you.



Oh yes. Very dark indeed. ()what() You can't expect all of the city's lights to be blacked out. Now let's get to the point where I stole Batman. Yes--me! I stole Batman!  ()flamdev() I've been accused of "stealing views" so many times, this portion of your comment doesn't even have any impact on me anymore.

Dedgren: I wouldn't be too hard on Bengt, D. He was just trying to make constructive points. Frankly, I enjoyed his feedback. It made for a nice, long reply and it's nice to see someone with attitude on the forums. Thanks for the...er...Staff Edit.  :)












-Character Profiles:



-They're glamorous, they're wealthy—they're the Waynes, Gotham City's most influential family.

Dr. Thomas Wayne, heir to the multi-billion dollar empire Wayne Enterprises, is one of the city's wealthiest people. Though he is the heir to his family fortune, he does not run Wayne Enterprises. Dr. Wayne leaves that job to more qualified professionals, as he spends most of his time as a surgeon at Gotham City Hospital. Wayne also devotes his life to philanthropy, devoting millions into numerous charities and organizations.

Martha Wayne, born Martha Kane, was also born rich herself. She is the heiress to the Ace Chemical fortune, and having nowhere to spend so much money, she donates by the millions to charities. Though stylish and elegant, she prefers not to be in the public eye.




Alfred Pennyworth. Though not Wayne by blood, the Pennyworths have been serving the Wayne family since the Revolutionary War. A former British actor and secret agent, Alfred Pennyworth manages to maintain the massive expanse of Wayne Manor all by himself.




Next Update: Concerning Bats and Bruce Wayne

Krio

#8
The "Crime Alley" photo was more "real Batman" what I've used to. You can't really argue about is Burton's Batmans better than these news, but Burton and (was that?) Frank Miller made Batman and Gotham to dark and evil place, and you shiny skyscraper forest gives this that camp feeling from 60's series. I suggest, that you left those newer skyscarpers out from your Gotham, because I haven't seen in my comics nothing super shiny glass tower. Using BSP towers and old, 60's-70's American skyscrapers like Bank of America building from Chicago. I suggest that you replace NDEX towers with something else, their architechture isn't "Gotham".

I must admit, that they release about 4 to 6 DC comics in Finnish language, so I had to order them from America and my collection of Batman is limited to 80-90's, when Batman's own comic was popular here. Still, when creating fictional city you have your freedom to make it. And if your Gotham looks more Begins and upcoming Dark Knight movies, did the city had really so much skyscrapers? So reduce amount of skyscrapers and avoid shiny glass and your Gotham will be "nicer" or should I say "worse" like comics  ;)

Anyway, the Wayne Manor. Good choice for the building, but I remember from movies and 60's series that mansion was near ocean in the middle of forest? Your's is located middle the suburb, but of course Batts has tunnels (as you mentioned the UG Railway) for Batmobile, Batboat and other transportation thingies. Maybe more taller woods in the middle of fence and that street would make it better. Photoshopping is nice, but IMO you are making nightpictures to bright, Batman's nights are always dark.

Reason why I'm so "offensive" is that when anyone is creating something BIG from popular culture, it always bring some discussion. But making Batman's adventures is brave action, it will require more creavity than e.g making adventures of Daredevil -> make NYC and your ready to write a story.

EDIT: shouldn't this be placed to Special Interest of This Month, replacing the earlier "Planning Gotham City"?

Shadow Assassin

Gotham City looks good, but the way the pictures are done don't really suit the city as a whole. They feel a little too bright (note I'm not talking about the actual lighting of the cityscape), and a little too blue at night (SC4's fault, I know, but can easily be sorted by putting a separate grey layer on top, reducing the opacity, and change the Layer Type to Saturation [or whatever the GIMP uses]). That will get rid of most of the blue. :P

Other than that, top-notch city building! I'd love to see the rest of the city.
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dedgren

@Bengt-

QuoteEDIT: shouldn't this be placed to Special Interest of This Month, replacing the earlier "Planning Gotham City"?

I've been scratching my head about that all day.  GC kinda came in under the radar, but here it is.  On reflection, I'll think we'll just leave things this way and make Eddie work twice as hard...


David
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
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I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

Pat


LoL well you know there is allways August SIOTM LoL.... Eddie what a wonderfull update and great stuff here i will see you next time - pat

Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie

Glenni

Another nice update. I like the dirty feel of the city, i only got one question though, isn't high wealth Berlin buildings a bit wrongly placed in a ghetto?:P :D

Eddie



A young Bruce Wayne recalls a horrific childhood memory. This event would prove to be a major turning point in his life.




Bengt: Ah, you're back. Glad you like you like the Crime Alley photo. We'll be seeing more of that in a few days. But let's get to the point where you said Burton's Batman is better than the "news," which I assume is Batman Begins. I don't want to turn this into a Burton/Nolan argument. Everyone has been exposed to Batman at different points and times in their lives. You, I assume, were introduced to Batman during the late 80's or earlier. That means you probably like Burton's Batman better. I understand. But his movies weren't neccesarily better. It's just your personal preference.

I was introduced to Batman in the mid-90's, with the Animated Series and BURTON'S Batman Returns in the mid 90's. Batman Begins got me into reading comics. However, Batman was already dark in the 70's with Denny O'neil. Frank Miller and Burton just brought this dark and gritty Batman into mainstream America.

I want my Gotham City to look and feel like a realistic city. That's why I didn't like Burton's Gotham as much. It was simply too far-fetched and out-there. It was filmed in a studio, not in a real city. It didn't FEEL real. And as for my cities having too many skyscrapers, here are some screen captures from Batman Begins, which much of this CJ is based on.



Yep. Lots of super-shiny glass towers. Because that's what normal American cities have. That's what Nolan's Gotham had, and that's why I liked his better than Burton. Gotham was filmed in Chicago so it looked and FELT like a real, modern American city.

Now for Wayne Manor. I understand it's located in a suburb, but it's not very far from the sea (I didn't zoom out that far). What's wrong with not using a bit of imagination? It doesn't have to be exactly like the old 60's TV show. But why would I base my CJ on Adam West anyway?

As for the night pictures being too bright, your monitor is probably set too bright as well.

Shadow Assassin: If the pictures are a little too bright, you might want to decrease the brightness on your computer monitor. See, that's the problem. Everyone has their monitors set to their own personal preferences so there'll be variations in brightness on different PC's.

dedgren: I'll work TWICE as hard of course. I want the two to be seperate CJ's. However, I might not be updating Planning Gotham City for a long time, so I think it'll be a waste of space in the Special Interest Forum. An active CJ might do better in its spot. Thanks for commenting, dedgren!

patfirefghter: Yeah, I guess. Hehe.

Glenni: I think you asked this question before. I used the high-wealth Berlin buildings because they fit in well in the environment (even though they're R$$$).















Pat


ooooooooo gotta love alfreds final word.... Eddie yet anther faboules update... keeep them coming - pat

Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie

Krio

Does Chicago have shiny glass like e.g those new London towers? More like "old" office towers, where windows have BIG frames. Maybe NDEX towers could fit, but in other hand Montauk Gas Company (got that right  %confuso) wouldn't fit to Gotham, not for Nolan's or Burtons.

But to the Wayne Mayor, also Joel Schumacher's film shows that Wayne Manor is located near sea or massive lake. Burton's movies show that Manor is middle of forest, which fits to the bat. But otherhand, because Nolan's version is modern it's easy to think that Manor would be center of high wealth living area, but maybe more woods still?

Update: you created the gardens very nice. Looks like the comic version. Only thing (I should write to the creator of that comic) that shouldn't Alfred be younger? He looks like man in the early 60's in that and is he really 70-80 years old in the comics?

Eddie

Quote from: Bengt on July 10, 2007, 01:28:08 AM
Does Chicago have shiny glass like e.g those new London towers? More like "old" office towers, where windows have BIG frames. Maybe NDEX towers could fit, but in other hand Montauk Gas Company (got that right  %confuso) wouldn't fit to Gotham, not for Nolan's or Burtons.

But to the Wayne Mayor, also Joel Schumacher's film shows that Wayne Manor is located near sea or massive lake. Burton's movies show that Manor is middle of forest, which fits to the bat. But otherhand, because Nolan's version is modern it's easy to think that Manor would be center of high wealth living area, but maybe more woods still?

Update: you created the gardens very nice. Looks like the comic version. Only thing (I should write to the creator of that comic) that shouldn't Alfred be younger? He looks like man in the early 60's in that and is he really 70-80 years old in the comics?

One thing that bugged me is that Alfred never aged in Batman Begins.  ()what()

serenity086

Wow, ive missed quite a bit while i was away, great updates! Wayne Manor looks really nice, especially the gardens. I really like the building you chose for the mansion  :thumbsup:

Come Visit Murdock Valley

tooheys

Hi Eddie, I'll be honest, while your presentation is certainly unique, it isn't my cup of tea (or as an Aussie, schooner of beer).
Nevertheless I acknowledge the effort you have put into this and looking at the SC4 content you have done a fine job. Your version of Wayne Manor looks great :thumbsup:.

Gotham itself looks brilliant and must of taken you a lot of time to put together.

I will be keeping this in my sights and will certainly pop back now and again. You never now, I might become a Batman fan  :D

Finally, congrats on Planning Gotham City, you do have a great following and it is well deserved.

Cheers

Dave




Eddie



Once a glamorous part of town, a horrific double homicide would soon give Park Row its infamous nickname.




patfirefghtr: Thanks. I like Alfred's last line as well. Had to keep it in my script.

serenity086: Why, thank you, serenity.

tooheys: Hey, if it's not your cup of tea--I'm fine with that. That's why there are story updates and city updates so everyone can be happy--Batman fans or not. Hehe. I guess Gotham does have a following. It's nice to see that some people are following this. Stop by again!  :)















Next Update: A Night at the Theater