Unusual terrain and architectural features you'd like to see?

[rjshae]

Besides the normal gamut of terrain and medieval structures found in many a RPG, what novelties would you like to see? Here's a few thoughts of my own:

• Crannog -- an artificial island historically built in the lakes and rivers of Ireland and Scotland.
  
• Laager -- merchant wagons arranged to form a small fortification.
  
• Tower house -- a combination tower-keep and home.
  
• Jettying -- in which the upper floors project out above the lower levels.
  
• Moors -- I don't think I've seen a well-done representation of a scottish moor in a game; cold, wind-swept, rolling rocky scrubland.
  
• Hoodoos -- row upon row of them, as in Bryce Canyon, Utah.
  
• Sinking island -- This is an ocean island that rises above the waves then later submerges; not as a result of tides, but because of magic.
  
• River island -- reachable only by bridge or boat; a nice location for a fortified frontier settlement in a dangerous region.
  
• Tidal flats -- muddy, marshy, and bisected by channels, with tidal inflows and outflows.
  

[jezz555]

I think it's all pretty much been done before, but I wouldn't mind a Moorish area, because like you said, it's pretty rare that you see one. For some reason I image it would be full of werewolves though.

[Dream]

Some alien geometry at the bottom of the endless paths dungeon and/or in hidden places throughout the world.

[obsidiansquid]

Giant, monolithic statues rising out of the mist and/or blizzard... as best can be represented, anyways.

Edited December 5, 2012 by obsidiansquid

[Hormalakh]

Honestly, if it fits, I'd really like to see some sort of non-euclidean, Escherian dream/soul-state where things are just all over the place. The world is all flipped inside-out. Show us what the new "Unity+OEI" engine can do!

 

For some odd reason the only example that I can come up with right now is this:

 

 

A very awesome game.

[JFSOCC]

Ooh, time to get creative

I'd enjoy a fair bit of otherworldy things to give PE a unique flavour. Floating castles. (still hoping for the endless paths to be a floating dominant landscape feature)

Mushroom forests. (though, that can easily be done wrong)

craters with unique ecosystems.

Underground rivers in the desert (with the occasional surface breaking)

A labyrinth within a city, hidden in the slums

Floating islands (maybe not original, but I still like em) over the city.

A open bar (like you'd find on the beach in tropical tourist places) in the middle of a savannah (because of the uncanny)

waterslide highways

Rooftop gardens

really there is so much that could be done, to give the world a unique and otherworldy flavour.

[Solviulnir the Soulbinder]

Rooftop gardens sound nice.

 

Maybe not that unusual, but still:

Castle Lichtenstein

Mehrangarh Keep

Angkor Wat ruins

 

also: bogs, marshes, swamps etc.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Solviulnir the Soulbinder

[rjshae]

craters with unique ecosystems.

 

Something that might be interesting to see is a terrain configuration caused by a powerful magical battle. A huge, scorched impact crater with chaotic magic loose on the interior might be one such example.

Edited December 5, 2012 by rjshae

[TMTVL]

A real tower. Not one of those standard RPG towers where you've got enough room to battle two balrogs at the same time, but a tower that's really cramped, where your characters have to walk single file. It'll also give you a reason to keep your fighters supplied with bows and arrows.

[Kurumi Morishita]

Yes.. a real well-done spooky moor-area would be really awesome.. layered in fog.. ~ and speaking of fog.. I'd also love to see an old fishing village covered in fog (along with a creepy quest a la carpenters "The Fog" [1980] or H.P. Lovecraft's "Dagon").