(edited by Imperios.2543)
Kryta in GW1
As for architecture, here are some GW1 pictures.
Maybe someone else caught something, but I really didn’t think they were based on anything culturally. Skin tone wise, the term I’ve usually heard is “Mediterranean”, but members of the ruling cult were more varied. As to why the aesthetic has changed, it’s likely attributable to Kryta basically being a melting pot now, with significant populations from four very different nationalities. That, and their fortresses in GW1 were very ridiculous.
I do miss the tattoos, though.
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
Divinty’s Reach is a boring medieval castle because it’s literally the last major city humanity has left to call its own. It’s built like Minas Tirith because it is capable of basically hauling in the citizens of Kryta to survive a siege outside the walls if need be.
As for Kryta before the flood? It was “Mediterranean” in some ways but really tended to straw-and-brick houses for most villages and Lion’s Arch still had more stalls and temporary structures than complete ones. Kryta, thus, was not as well off as it is now with a major city and some large towns out there.
It also had problems with: undead, tengu, skale, ettins, a few outlaws, a cult around a crazy necromancer, and the occasional demonic incursion.
Seeking assistants for the Asuran Catapult Project. Applicants will be tested for aerodynamics.
Polynesian, definitely Polynesian. The Maori-style tattoos, their seafaring lifestyle, their rich copper skin tone and their wood and rattan villages.
As to why the aesthetic has changed, it’s likely attributable to Kryta basically being a melting pot now, with significant populations from four very different nationalities.
Doesn’t look like a melting pot to me, more like a classica Medieval/Rennaissance city. There WAS a combination of Asian, Middle Eastern and European architecture styles in history, called orientalism and chinioiserie , not to mention the Moorish Spain which was a very organic mix of Western and Eastern cultures – and extremely advanced for its age, too. That’s what DR should have looked like it if was supposed to be a “melting pot”.
As to why the aesthetic has changed, it’s likely attributable to Kryta basically being a melting pot now, with significant populations from four very different nationalities.
Doesn’t look like a melting pot to me, more like a classica Medieval/Rennaissance city. There WAS a combination of Asian, Middle Eastern and European architecture styles in history, called orientalism and chinioiserie , not to mention the Moorish Spain which was a very organic mix of Western and Eastern cultures – and extremely advanced for its age, too. That’s what DR should have looked like it if was supposed to be a “melting pot”.
Go to the Ossan Quarter in DR. You gotta admit that’s a very elonian looking district (north african inspired). The developers also originally intended the area in DR now known as the Crown Pavillion to be a Canthan (asian inspired) district, but, if I remember correctly, due to the feedback they got from asians (“You can’t mix our very distinct architectures like that!”), the developers decided to remove it entirely and replace it with a big hole called The Great Collapse. Other than that, I’d say DR is mostly a melting pot between Krytans (mediterranean-ish) and Ascalonians (europeans).
Actually, from my understanding, it was a distinct dislike of the image of a asian inspired city completely enclosed by very european walls. Mainly, the statement was that it gave a very strong image of western dominating eastern.
Funny thing how Cyrodiil in the Elder Scrolls series also went from having a distinct character to being Generic Medieval Fantasy Land when it got the big budget treatment. Apparently too much creativity scares the investors. But that said, DR does have an appealing design, if vanilla, and there are touches of diversity here and there.
Actually, from my understanding, it was a distinct dislike of the image of a asian inspired city completely enclosed by very european walls. Mainly, the statement was that it gave a very strong image of western dominating eastern.
This sounds rather dubious. Someone could have just explained to them that it’s an immigrant enclave of the kind that have existed for centuries all over the world.
(edited by Velijan.9061)
This sounds rather dubious. Someone could have just explained to them that it’s an immigrant enclave of the kind that have existed for centuries all over the world.
. . . this doesn’t sound like an easier sell.
Seeking assistants for the Asuran Catapult Project. Applicants will be tested for aerodynamics.
As to why the aesthetic has changed, it’s likely attributable to Kryta basically being a melting pot now, with significant populations from four very different nationalities.
Doesn’t look like a melting pot to me, more like a classica Medieval/Rennaissance city. There WAS a combination of Asian, Middle Eastern and European architecture styles in history, called orientalism and chinioiserie , not to mention the Moorish Spain which was a very organic mix of Western and Eastern cultures – and extremely advanced for its age, too. That’s what DR should have looked like it if was supposed to be a “melting pot”.
I didn’t mean “melting pot” as in “a compelling mix of bits of the component culture”- I meant it as “a bland homogenous slop which has removed the characteristics that distinguish one culture from another”.
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
I agree that GW1 Kryta was inspired by Polynesian and perhaps Mesoamerican cultures. (The Mesoamerican style of the Sovereign weapons lends strength to this theory.)