High-Tech Oasis

But outside the wall, not everything is so high-tech. In fact, there are the ruins of an ancient civilisation, juxtaposed with this closed-off metallic city. “I added them in last,” PlasmaticStatic explains. “The remnants of this lost city became the larger city that rests behind the wall, and the ruins left to rot in the desert are no longer habitable. It finished off the dystopian feel of the desert side.”

“I’ve always liked, in a strange way, building places that have turned into abandoned ruins and lost all remnants of order and life,” he adds. “Unlike proper buildings, ruins can be as twisted and misshapen as you like, which allows you to go more wild.”

Ah, so there’s more creative freedom in building something broken! But PlasmaticStatic still made sure to keep a consistent look of structural decay throughout this part of the build, creating a strong atmosphere of a place gone to ruin.

“The ruins’ structures bear some resemblance of what they used to be, but the walls are barely holding together and the roofs [have] collapsed and they’ve been exposed to the elements over many years,” he says, “Using cobblestone walls and iron bars gives the impression of a block once there that has decayed down to its supporting structure, and a lot of buildings have been filled with sand.”

All these details meant that PlasmaticStatic was working for a long time. “It took me a few months. I’m not a particularly fast builder, and motivation for building was on and off a couple times,” he explains. “I started by building the things I had the strongest inspiration for. The wall for example, is the main focus of the build, and I had a good image in my head of how I wanted it to look and had the most motivation to build.”

“I don’t know if I ever planned the project to be this big,” PlasmaticStatic admitted. “I definitely had never done anything this big before!” But he credits experimentation for leading him forward. “I never had a completely solid plan to use. Having just become a member on the Builder’s Refuge server, I was also eager to build something impressive and try to prove myself.”

It also meant that he learned a lot during the process. “For one, to pace myself. Although having an idea of how the build will turn out in your head is good, don’t plan it down to every detail, as it really does suck some fun out of the building. All in all, I enjoyed the build and I’m proud of the finished product. I love how I can turn my imagination into reality with Minecraft and this is a great example.”

I agree! There’s so much variety in this one build, from the sleek grey hospital to the blue glass of the houses, from the ancient ruins to the threatening new wall; and from the dry desert outside to the lush park within. It feels like there’s something new around every corner, just waiting to be discovered – if you can get inside at all.

Renders by Angel and Lycqn.