The Leyspring Theater

Here's the actual topic for Leyspring Theater discussion, ideas, and reference. Note this is for the physical theater itself. I started a separate topic for theater and production logistics in the Ideas and Discussion forum.

Cool will check it the other thread as well. I had started gathering references earlier, but I fizzled out when we decided to wait on closed beta, but I will start looking again. I am also waiting anxiously for DG's post about further wipes. He tweeted me that he would be posting about it "soon"(tm) I have a feeling we are not done with them yet. I will set up a spot on my Google Drive that we can all access. I will link it here when I am done.

Pookie if you don't mind can you bullet point a list of all the "main sections" you want to see be included... i.e. back stage, dressing room, ticket booths etc etc.

OK set up permissions on my Google Drive for theater reference. Anyone using this link should be able to add stuff to the folder. First time setting up permissions on Google Drive so let me know if there are any issues.

If you have any photo's, videos, documents etc that you feel will be of benefit to the project just dump them all in this folder.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxyNiigmN5rYcm16SEdFY2NKTnM&usp=sharing

Okiedokie... here's a list of what the theater should probably have. This is by no means complete and may be open to contradiction by even myself after more thought.

Front of House

You only really need one thing for front of house: the ticket booth.

Otherwise, there should probably be a lobby which then opens to a grand hallway with stairs running to the upper floors for box/booth/balcony access. Each floor should have a concession/bar area and one or two lounges for people to mingle and relax. If we really want to be realistic, we put restrooms on every floor.

The House

Here's where the action is. I think Voidlust has the right idea with those photos. I won't really suggest anything for the house itself, but I feel that a good sized stage should be about 120 voxels wide by 50 voxels deep, at least, and maybe 80-100 voxels high (the viewable area, not the stage itself). That would give a really nice sized area for creative staging. The stage also should have some sort of cue voxels so template application is easier.

Backstage

I thought about the wings and immediate backstage, and I"m not sure how much space we actually need since we don't have to store any sets or props. We really only need some areas hidden from view so actors can get set for their entrances. But we do need:

A workshop - I envision this as the pre-loading area in the Matrix. Just a simple nice-sized room for set designers to experiment in so if they "wreck" anything they don't have a complex cleanup like they might on the actual stage area. This should have maybe a diagram of the stage on the floor so they can see how much room they have to work with.

Rehearsal space - Basically a second stage without the backstage area. This second stage may not be as fancy as the actual stage (and probably shouldn't be), but we'd need a replica so any effects and scene changes can be practiced without wrecking the actual stage. It's not quite as important for actor rehearsal since someone can grab a template of the practice stage and plop it down on another claim to do rehearsing. But we should at least have a rehearsal space for all the voxel manipulation that might need to happen. I think that's going to be a harder and more complicated skill than what the actual actors might need to do.

Green room - This isn't strictly necessary for a Landmark theater, but it's the lounge where the actors hang out while they're not needed on stage, so they don't crowd the wings and backstage area.

Dressing rooms - Probably less necessary than the green room, but maybe two group dressing rooms and a few private dressing rooms would be nice and add ambiance to the theater.

Store room - My thought was that the workshop would be immaculate, as to give the builders the most space, so the store room would hold all the chests full of materials, props, and costumes.

I think that's it. I can't think of any other areas right now that the theater should have. Maybe a catwalk above the stage out of sight to help out with vantage points, but I guess that sort of thing will have to be worked out as the house is built. Whomever's doing the set/prop manipulation will need a good view of the stage.

I have two suggestions.

One, the House in my mind should be like an amphitheater is with tiered seating " standing for now ". That way each tiered area would not be looking through to the stage. I noticed in the workshop the other day I had to move around to get a view of the platform. Now that was down below, which was part of it, but even level it would make for some manipulation of the camera to be able to see. If we tiered stepped it up, with the stage down below, it would help.

Two, I do think you would want a room big enough for a backstage set up. I envision that we could create walls that would have different colors and 2D images / sets that we could copy and paste. A room, could even be below the stage, could have wall after wall set up in lines:

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You could place backstage after backstage in a set up like this in a smaller room with back drops.

Tiered seating is defiantly in the cards. My hopes is that we can eventually have fully functional seating as soon as interactive props, /sit are in.

OK my current plan is to officially start this in the pre-produciton phases this week.

What does that mean?

*Gathering resources
*Gathering references
*Designing a rough layout (usually done in my head but will try to sketch, god help you all if the theater looks like a stick figure)
* Setting up my workshop
* Beginning technical tests
* Location scouting (I plan on using a beta key to claim land for the theater, this will most likely be done today.)
* Potentially starting some modular pieces to be used later.

I don't plan to officially green lighting the build until we have four claims, I am hoping this week's patch or next.

If you are interested in getting on board on either gathering or planning let me know here, or preferably in game. So far I am only aware of Pookie who has a desire to help with it so far.

Here is what I am looking for and what is currently filled. None of these spots are mandatory to be filled to being the project, right now I am under the assumption it will just be Pookie & myself and will roll with that, so if you would like to fill a position please let me know ASAP. All I ask is if you commit to a roll please make sure you are committed for the full duration of the project (of course emergency rl situations pending) If there is not much interest shown I may consider opening up these positions to the public as a sort of mini recruiting / awareness campaign for Leyspring.

Project Lead:
Project leader is not a position of power, it is simply for organizational purposes. The project leader will fulfill whatever specific roles they are signed on for, as well and organizing and coordinating the efforts of everyone on the project, and ensuring an open line of communication exists.
Voidlust

Builders:
1.) Voidlust: Main Structure Layout, Interior, (Exterior if needed)
2.) 1 spot open for an extremely talented exterior / architectural artist to create the exterior of the theater. I am not going to sugar coat this, This is going to be a very important building for both Leyspring & the community. I am holding everyone involved (including myself) to a very high standard on how this project will turn out. This is the only position you will need to officially apply for with a portfolio (screenshots / video) of previous work. All are welcome to submit portfolios but keep in mind there is one position and there is a level of not only skill but grasp of design that we are looking for. DO NOT take it personally if you are not accepted for the position. Also I will not be the only judge, I am looking at putting together a small panel of people to participate in the hiring of this position. Full details, and submission procedures on the application process forthcoming once I finish creating the panel.
3.) 1 spot open for a talented Landscaper, Landamark does not like flat land, and we will need a talented terraformer to make us some while making it seamlessly blend into the natural environment.  
4.) 1-2 set dressers, Once again, I'm not going to sugar coat it, this is a "grunt work" position. You would be responsible for things like putting down the 300+ chair props, creating basic building shapes, i.e. smoothed tubes etc for the builders. No skill level required, a great position for newer players and players that feel they do not have the skill to build elaborate sets on their own but would like to be part of a much larger project.

Planners:
* Pookiemonster
* Voidlust
* 1-2 Planners: Planers will not be involved in building, but will be involved with gathering reference materials, and helping design not only the layout of the theater but also help in steering us towards an overall look / mood.

Gatherers
* There are those of us who are not builders nor creators but love going out there an harvesting their bums off. All I can say is god bless, and hats off to you! We want you :DObliviously there will be no restriction on the number of gathers we are looking for. It is also the only position available that does not require a long term commitment. There are no expectations, no quotas or anything like that, but if you are a gatherer and would like to be part of a large project and donate resources just contact me. All gathers will also be included in the project credits regardless of donation amounts.


F.A.Q.

Q: Why a theater?
A: This idea was part of the Leyspring city-state plan from almost the beginning. We feel a theater is a great venue for community events, and Leyspring is very involved with community.

Q: What type of events will the theater be used for?
A: There is no restriction on events that can be held there. We anticipate plays, comedy acts, talent shows, and just simple party gatherings etc. The only limit to the events welcome at the theater is you imagination. Our goal is to have the theater be a "hotspot" in the community for event activity not only for members of Leyspring but also for community at large.

Q: Since the building of the Leyspring city is "on hold" until we have the supported features for claim attachment, why are we building the theater now?
A: 2 reasons, the first and most obvious is we can always move it to the city eventually. The second the value to the community to have a venue of this nature is something we can take full advantage of now.

Q: Why so may / few builders?
A: To use a simple cliche, "Too many cooks in the kitchen, spoils the broth" I am looking for building positions that do not "but heads" with one another. Having more than 1 person working on the same part of the project will be extremely difficult to coordinate, and create a lot of problems you may not realize. With that in mind the benefit gained from trying to do so is not great enough to warrant this in my opinion.

Q: Why is the exterior artist position so strict? Portfolios really? Why not just do it yourself if you are going to be so demanding about it?
A: I know this is going to be a controversial issue for a lot of folk. But you know what? Tough, life isn't fair, and people are not equal, welcome to the real world outside of MMO's. This is a very important project for Leyspring and the community, and I think we need to respect that and reflect it in our execution of the project. This could potentially be a true, Landmark, Landmark. (LL's hrm ) To that end, the reason a portfolio is required is simple. We are not going to simply take your word that your work is good enough to handle the project. To avoid bias, I am setting up a panel, probably 5 judges and the majority vote will determine if a submission meets the requirements. From those we will chose the best of the best to be the exterior designer.  Why not build the exterior myself then, instead of going through all this trouble? Simple, I am not qualified to build the exterior and I openly admit this. There are builder out there that can do a FAR better job on the exterior than I could ever hope to achieve myself, this is not where my talents lie. To that end, I will try my best on the exterior, ONLY if we have no interest in the position / can't find someone to fill it. The theater needs an outside, we aren't creating an amphitheater

Q: Is there a deadline for the project?
A: No, but once we have four claim support I would like to set up a "soft" deadline for construction, there is no need to drag our feet on it, but there is also no hard set date we need to hit.

Q: I want to donate resources how should I go about it.
A: Full details will come in the first project meeting, but the short answer is you will be emailing them to a designated person. This will serve 2 key purposes. 1.) Easy transfer of goods. 2.) a record of all those donating to the project for the credits.

Wow.

You've got this well in hand, VL. (And I'm already creating an ampitheater.    )

I'm actually going to be trying my hand at a little terraforming, and I think that's something I might actually be good at, so we'll see. Regardless, I think I can do a pretty good job with the grunt work of placing props, so you can count me in there. I won't even pretend I'm a good enough builder to work on the exterior.

I've already started harvesting and stocking outfits for costumes. I can do the same with props and get that ball rolling. If we want to start stocking early, I'll be happy to have some chests available on my claim for theater stores.

That said, I'd be happy to donate my claims to the theater. Plus, I think we can still get around the max claim cap like that megaclaim did and pop 6!!! claims together. I don't believe the devs fixed that "exploit" yet because they thought it was cool (which it was).

I'd be happy to also coordinate the gathering/crafting effort doing the clerical labor of keeping track of inventory and what we need and so on.

Now I'm getting quite excited about this. It's gonna be great!

-Pook

Update.

We officially have a claim for the theater, and I think it will prove to be a dam good spot too both in location and geographical landscape.

Location: Courage Spring, 2 plots south of Tsagh just south of Xedman. I only reserved one claim at no point in paying upkeep for space we are not ready to use. I also managed to get the claim with a nice high ceiling giving us plenty of room above ground to build an impressive structure while having enough room underground to make a sort of basement for the theater.

I will post a screenshot of the actual plot and directions once I get this really rolling during the week.

_________________________________________________
Pook,

Quote :

I'm actually going to be trying my hand at a little terraforming, and I think that's something I might actually be good at, so we'll see. Regardless, I think I can do a pretty good job with the grunt work of placing props, so you can count me in there. I won't even pretend I'm a good enough builder to work on the exterior.

Terraforming - the land i got is pretty sweet it is about as flat as you could hope for in Landmark. That said it will still need some work. You are already doing a ton of stuff for us, I would like to leave this position open to allow more people to help out if they like. If no one else is interested then have at it The prop thing we can discuss later in the week. There doesn't need to be a hard cap on that just don't want too many people where we are tripping all over each other.

Quote :

I've already started harvesting and stocking outfits for costumes. I can do the same with props and get that ball rolling. If we want to start stocking early, I'll be happy to have some chests available on my claim for theater stores.

Don't go crazy building anything yet, we are still too early for that. However if you want to start stockpiling mats you know we will need for props, copper / iron / silver, go for it, certainly not going to stop anyone there

Quote :

That said, I'd be happy to donate my claims to the theater. Plus, I think we can still get around the max claim cap like that megaclaim did and pop 6!!! claims together. I don't believe the devs fixed that "exploit" yet because they thought it was cool (which it was).

That is a kind offer, and maybe we can look into maybe making part of your claim something akin to our office, a place to gather the resources too etc. As for building the theater i am not sure what you are referring to with the 6 claim thing but if it is an exploit, I don't want to go anywhere near it tbh. We have a nice plot that will extend easily to 4 once we are allowed so I think we are good there.

Quote :

I'd be happy to also coordinate the gathering/crafting effort doing the clerical labor of keeping track of inventory and what we need and so on.

I actually over looked this position, congrats your hired   Once again we will hammer out the details moving forward. Once I see who is interested and fill positions, I will look at setting up official meetings to hammer out all the details.

Void and Pookie, I would be glad to help in the gathering aspect. Send me a message in game of the materials you guys will need gathered.

Nan

Also would like to help with the gathering. Once you have a list of supplies and who to send them to we will start to stock the shelves.

also in on gathering.

Thank you Nan Moonz and Vix.

It it will be a little bit before we will be able to determine exactly what we will need for the theater. In the meantime, you could always go for the fail safe prop mats which we will need tons of I am sure. Iron, Silver, Copper in order of importance.

Gathering is purely a voluntary no obligation kinda gig so if you have mats that you want to donate for now you can email them to me with Theater Mats somewhere in the subject, until we get a more official method of collecting mats figured out. I will keep all donated mats in a specific chest on my claim as to not get them mixed up with other stuff.

Thanks again

Great plans VL. I'd like to help gather, when the shopping lists are made. I can also fill one of the unsweetened Set Builder roles. Really looking forward to a team build!

I'm not a great builder or designer but I'd be happy to donate materials or whatever else use I could be.

Count me in for harvesting mats, just update a list and give a place/person where we can do drops.

They just announced they raised the attached claims cap to three, so we can start on the theater.

Guess it's time for a meeting.

Not quite yet. Since they also announced that they will be holding the official contest, which is a big deal, I am postponing the start of this project until the submission deadline as passed.

This is too important of a project for peoples attention to be divided. I would rather see 2 excellent projects done over a longer period, rather than 2 half assed projects done in a shorter time.

This does not mean that stuff can't be worked on in the meantime. I still intend to gather references and conduct / build small assets. But officially breaking ground and the real construction is on hold until SoE announces the deadline.

Remember if you are a planner you should be looking for references as well, we have a good supply of house references, what we really need is references for other parts of the theater, exterior, backstage, below stage, lobby etc.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxyNiigmN5rYcm16SEdFY2NKTnM&usp=sharing

You should all have access to the Google Drive Folder I set up if you can not access it please let me know.

As far as resources nothing has changed there, Copper / Iron / Silver, Jute, Cotton other than I am adding Marble / Ruby to the list as well as I know we will need those. The theater resource chests still exist and email is still the best way to donate materials. If you have access to a Legendary smelter, ingots would be preferred for the ores, marble we need raw not worked, I have access to all top tier refining stations so if you do not just send the raws and I will refine them. 30% bonus adds up very fast!

I understand this may be upsetting news to some and a relief to others. By all means if someone wants to pick up the ball and run with it, be my guest, but if I am heading up this project this is what i feel is best for the project.

Happy to help gather. Also count me in if you need any other assistance with any parts. Might be a little challenging with the time-zone differences but meh i'm sure we can work around.  
Dahoof

Dahoof wrote:

Happy to help gather. Also count me in if you need any other assistance with any parts. Might be a little challenging with the time-zone differences but meh i'm sure we can work around.  
Dahoof

Sure thing I also just replied to your email before i caught this with a few more suggestions so I'll let you just check that

Saw this today...
https://imgur.com/a/J1iad
pretty awesome

Yup saw that also

He did a nice job, was good to see how he did some things like the chairs / curtain. The Leyspring theater will be a completely different style though. More of a classical opera house type feel.

So Void are you thinking of having a mezzanine floor for seating  and side box seats as well? So a much grander scale?

Dahoof wrote:

So Void are you thinking of having a mezzanine floor for seating  and side box seats as well? So a much grander scale?

You got it

Yes, there is a lot of "innovation" in the Landmark Theater build, but the actual theater space does look a bit "multiplex" with a curtain.
Our "shop" would be more than a few stored props too (if you use it to place sets for delivery to the stage during performances like mentioned)

Just thought I would share what I saw, and see what you all thought.