Vianden Castle (1485)

[RiverBL0X]

Over the past three years @cyberpiper, @LightningLion58 and myself have been working on our most ambitious project to date: Vianden Castle (An authentic and historically accurate reconstruction of a real medieval castle, located in northern Luxembourg.) We have based our model on a recreation of the castle as it would have appeared in the year 1485.

Game Link: Vianden 1485 - Roblox

It is fair to say that this has been our most challenging project to date and, hence, the three year timeline in its construction. Although we have plans to extend and develop this game further, it is now at a stage where it is open to other gamers for feedback and criticism. All three members of our team have wanted to make the game as historically accurate as possible and so we have taken advice from local historians, as well as the staff at the Vianden castle complex. Although we have plans to include some minor fantasy elements to the game in the future, our primary goal is to educate gamers within a stimulating and authentic gaming environment.

The Vianden game has been public for a few weeks now, as we have continued to develop the build and extend the game play. Just recently we have added a jousting area to the rear exterior of the castle and there are further plans in the pipeline: to add authentic medieval chores that our visitors can do, as they explore the castle’s layout. We are also working on an avatar ranking system, so that players may arrive in the role of a serf and then, by accumulating time within the game, they can opt to upgrade their rank to one of a selection of other available options.

You are very welcome to visit and wander around the castle, if only to appreciate the complexity and size of the build. If anything, you will soon discover how, once inside the castle’s interior, how disorientating it must have been for any intruder! Please do feel free to provide any feedback and criticism if you wish.

Also, we would love it if you were to return in the future too as new additions are being completed each month.

(Please be aware that the game is asset heavy and so small portable devices or older devices may struggle with the display of the game.)

Thank you very much in anticipation.

[Cymatii]

It gives me Skyrim-Vibes, and I absolutely love it! I will play it as soon as I can. You guys have to make a RPG-Game. I hope we will get to know about the updates, as they are published. Stay tuned!

[RiverBL0X]

Thank you for your comment Cymatii. You would be very welcome to visit at any time.

If you like role-playing games you might like to know that the three of us have made two RPG games now: this 1485 castle and also a reconstruction of 1867 Victorian Luxembourg.

(Don’t forget to claim your ‘1867’ horse, to take you around the castle as, I am sure that you may appreciate, the castle is very large. )

Horse Project

[TattyDogeGaming (BNC_Bob)]

Your work is a wow! I am quite shocked, You should send this to Roblox because I think it should get a a well good community attention from all of that amazing progresses you made! After all you might learn a community badge as a good modeler/scripter and be able to flex it off to the Roblox Community!

[ParkCityUSA (CityofPark)]

Looks really cool, and I love the attention to detail. I started making a rough build of Marienburg’s High Castle a while back and seeing this has inspired me to resume work!

[RiverBL0X]

Thank you for your kind words. It is our intention to submit this to the Roblox ‘Learn and Explore’ category soon, as we would like to see it being developed in an educational capacity. For example, it’s one thing to learn what life was like in medieval times but a completely different thing to role-play it and learn by gaming. Many of the mini-games that we have planned will centre around the life of those men, women and youngsters who once lived and worked within these great buildings.

[RiverBL0X]

Your castle project sounds really exciting. I love castles so, when it is completed, please remember to shot me an invitation so that I can explore it too. Thank you.

[sparkling_cola]

Are these banners historically accurate? I don’t think I have ever seen a Flemish banner with a red vertical stripe.

[ProClanRules (NEVERGONNA GIVEYOUUP)]

I walked through a wall

[RiverBL0X]

As far as I know, these banners are historically accurate. Don’t forget though, this castle is not Flemish - it is Luxembourgish. The town of Vianden is a real place and it is located in northern Luxembourg.

However, on the point of historical accuracy, we haven’t got everything perfectly right in the past and so I will double check with our historian, just to be on the safe side. Thank you for your feedback.

EDIT (11/03/2023): I have just received feedback from my historical colleague that, yes, the banners are historically accurate and were researched from sources held at Vianden. Even still, thank you very much for your question. I do hope that you enjoy wandering around the castle.

[RiverBL0X]

Thank you for your bug report NEVERGONNA.

Are you able to give a location where the physics issue occurred please? I know that the castle is extensive but if you are able to return to the spot and do a screenshot please or alternatively if you can give some clue as to which room you were exploring please. That would be a great help. Thank you.

[ProClanRules (NEVERGONNA GIVEYOUUP)]

[RiverBL0X]

Thank you. That will help us to locate the physics issue. That is very helpful of you.

[agentphilip07 (Philip)]

This game looks INSANELY GOOD! IT’S EXCELLENT! It looks great and very realistic. Nice job on it!

[RiverBL0X]

Thank you very much Philip for your positive words. We hope that you might enjoy looking around the construction and, perhaps, we may see you again in the future when we add our next update.

[LightningLion58]

Here are two more videos of the game, featuring the jousting minigame and the sword fighting.

Horse Jousting minigame in 1485 Vianden (Roblox)

Sword-fighting in 1485 Vianden (Roblox)

[Aerophagia]

You don’t have any SurfaceAppearances on your plants, which is causing the load time to be much longer than it should with only 14k parts

All your plants are quite small which makes them look sprinkled in instead of grown in

Right at the entrance you should definitely have taller plants along the cobblestone wall as there’s grass growing out from in front of it and then on the right wall have smaller plants sprinkled along

This entire dirt path is one material, I know its meshed but you can easily make it smooth terrain and then add in bits of cobblestone. Because it’s all one material on the ground it makes the whole place look even more gray than it is. Making it dreary

Try to avoid having large bushy plants growing out of worn down dirt, add grass under these plants or remove them as it looks odd

I do like the build and the materials you picked out, however, most of the castle just looks like a white wall
Add a dirt texture overtop or find a new material. As it is, it looks brand new and thats not really a vibe for a 1485 castle

I see why you opted for meshes instead of smooth terrain in this area, but the area before reallyyy would look better in smooth terrain and doesnt have any difficult shapes or thin lines

This entire wall is very bland compared to the rest of the build, add the wooden beams on the walls or an overlay texture of exposed bricks. Also make the trees outside the castle LARGER. trees arent small!

Things like this are to be avoided as it looks really strange

Inside the first stables there’s an open space under the road, add stairs or just a slab of concrete

This texture is VERY low res compared to everything else

I know its supposed to be realistic but can you not just do this? If not then put potted plants on top of it or beside it so its not such a wall

please just make all your plants bigger, it wont hurt or look ugly

I would comment on the interior but I actually really like them, of course future lighting would make it look better but the build alone is nice!

make all your pants bigger including the trees, crops are at a good size imo

[RiverBL0X]

Thank you very much for your detailed feedback. I appreciate that. I’ll share your feedback with the others in the team and see if we can act upon them. Thank you very much.

[cyberpiper]

@Aerophagia

I do like the build and the materials you picked out, however, most of the castle just looks like a white wall
Add a dirt texture overtop or find a new material. As it is, it looks brand new and thats not really a vibe for a 1485 castle

Hello,
Thanks we are planning on using dirt textures, I have nit finished adding the surface materials everywere

[cyberpiper]

@Aerophagia

Things like this are to be avoided as it looks really strange

I kinda agree on that one lol we ll delete it:)