Block-wise, I think it has a nice palette, however it looks a little... flat? It looks unappealing on the outside, and doesn't really stand out. Something is missing. It's essentially just a pretty wooden box. with no depth. How can I add depths to my build?
I also plan on adding windows when I get my hands on some, but I don't really know how much that will really help.
I plan on adding a few things around the house, like a farm, a path going to the farm, pig pen, and mine. A storage shed, and possibly even a little tower to overlook the land. However, while those will make the surrounding land look more appealing, it won't actually fix how bland my wooden box looks.
feel free to share your own builds here if you also want/need advice!
EDIT: I should also mention I'm using a resource pack to make my game have textures that look like older Minecraft from early release if anything looks off in my screenshots to you
Nearly all my structures have at least two block outer walls and floors, so you can have different textures on the inside and outside.
I also nearly always build my main structures out of blocks that have stair and slab variants, this allows you to be more creative and make designs less "blocky" in some respects. People often use trapdoors as shutters for windows (not that you have any!). Looking at your design, the outside looks OK, nice use of dark and light, could add a porch using two blocks each side and two block above with a stair either side of the top blocks and above the side blocks to make a kind of arch.
Stairs are great for sloping roofs too.
Below is a screenshot of a house I built that houses some witches. I'm not really good at that sort of design but it came out rather well I think ... its a bit more decorative than i'd usually use for a main base, but it wasn't for me :-)
Block-wise, I think it has a nice palette, however it looks a little... flat? It looks unappealing on the outside, and doesn't really stand out. Something is missing. It's essentially just a pretty wooden box. with no depth. How can I add depths to my build?
I also plan on adding windows when I get my hands on some, but I don't really know how much that will really help.
The spruce logs and birch planks create a nice contrast, so your block palette is well chosen.
If/when you decide to add windows, the popular choices are glass, fences or trapdoors. I would personally avoid full glass blocks since the idea is to implement more "layers" in your build. Replacing the planks directly above and below the windows with stairs will also help.
Additionally, you may consider natural decorations like bushes (leaves) and flower beds, along with more polished lighting like lanterns.
As mentioned above, a small porch and a sloping roof (if you are willing to replace the turret top) can also add variety. If you do go for a roof, extend it one block out from the edge using a different material.
Edit: When you decide you're finished designing the exterior of the house, you may wish to consider the interior as well. There's plenty of designs you can consider, using furniture (stairs/trapdoors/fences to create chairs, tables etc.), bookshelves, candles and potted plants.
My suggestion is not force things like "palettes" and "depth" just because. If you're building at a larger scale or if you like builds full of those things, have at it, but I think "less is more". In other words, if something is lacking depth, it probably needs just one or two smaller changes as opposed to some complicated redesign that changed everything about it. Beware of "block vomit" because everyone has a different point where they feel it starts to show up, and my threshold for this is probably far lower than most given that I look at many builds and see it (not saying it makes those things bad, but my overall point is not to hyper fixate on smaller things, which in the process makes you lose sight of the forest for the trees).
And it might seem like an unrelated thing, but your combination of the not just the older textures but the lack of mipmaps is giving your rendering that "pixel static noise" look, which may indirectly make sections that are the same look even worse, forcing an unconscious desire to force additional variety. Maybe not, but it's something I'd try and keep in mind. The build may be fine, but the rendering may make it look a bit worse.
Now all of that being said, yes, your example is lacking depth and I do think it needs some, but that mostly comes from three things; its box shape, its lack of windows (windows made out of panes add enough depth for smaller walls), and its lack of a roof with an overhang. Change/add those things and suddenly it's fine. And as said above, some outside decorations like plants/bushes help add all the depth you'll need.
The pictures in the second post are a perfect example because it "overlaps" two rectangles, resulting in a shape that is no longer square, and has a roof with an overhang. The result is that it looks fine, even though it doesn't have any complicated wall depth for its own sake.
Now square/rectangle houses can be fine, but they work best for smaller sizes. As yous scale up, the need for depth and variety becomes more necessary. This is why builds in creative that are larger and have these massive amounts of depth and larger block palettes sort of get away with it. You shouldn't feel like that's necessary to strive for at smaller scale in survival, though.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"'Tis foolishness! If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!"
This thread is very old (2014) and doesn't take into account modern materials. However, many of the recommendations are still applicable to modern versions.
Block-wise, I think it has a nice palette, however it looks a little... flat? It looks unappealing on the outside, and doesn't really stand out. Something is missing. It's essentially just a pretty wooden box. with no depth. How can I add depths to my build?
I also plan on adding windows when I get my hands on some, but I don't really know how much that will really help.
I plan on adding a few things around the house, like a farm, a path going to the farm, pig pen, and mine. A storage shed, and possibly even a little tower to overlook the land. However, while those will make the surrounding land look more appealing, it won't actually fix how bland my wooden box looks.
feel free to share your own builds here if you also want/need advice!
EDIT: I should also mention I'm using a resource pack to make my game have textures that look like older Minecraft from early release if anything looks off in my screenshots to you
ICBM | Gaslight | Neophyte
Nearly all my structures have at least two block outer walls and floors, so you can have different textures on the inside and outside.
I also nearly always build my main structures out of blocks that have stair and slab variants, this allows you to be more creative and make designs less "blocky" in some respects. People often use trapdoors as shutters for windows (not that you have any!). Looking at your design, the outside looks OK, nice use of dark and light, could add a porch using two blocks each side and two block above with a stair either side of the top blocks and above the side blocks to make a kind of arch.
Stairs are great for sloping roofs too.
Below is a screenshot of a house I built that houses some witches. I'm not really good at that sort of design but it came out rather well I think ... its a bit more decorative than i'd usually use for a main base, but it wasn't for me :-)
MC things to do ...
1) Update Mesa Base
2) Build a Sphinx at the Desert Base
3) Dolphin Statue
4) Build a base in The End
Mintutor now works in 1.13!
MrKite & Mc_Etlam ... I salute you!
The spruce logs and birch planks create a nice contrast, so your block palette is well chosen.
If/when you decide to add windows, the popular choices are glass, fences or trapdoors. I would personally avoid full glass blocks since the idea is to implement more "layers" in your build. Replacing the planks directly above and below the windows with stairs will also help.
Additionally, you may consider natural decorations like bushes (leaves) and flower beds, along with more polished lighting like lanterns.
As mentioned above, a small porch and a sloping roof (if you are willing to replace the turret top) can also add variety. If you do go for a roof, extend it one block out from the edge using a different material.
Edit: When you decide you're finished designing the exterior of the house, you may wish to consider the interior as well. There's plenty of designs you can consider, using furniture (stairs/trapdoors/fences to create chairs, tables etc.), bookshelves, candles and potted plants.
My suggestion is not force things like "palettes" and "depth" just because. If you're building at a larger scale or if you like builds full of those things, have at it, but I think "less is more". In other words, if something is lacking depth, it probably needs just one or two smaller changes as opposed to some complicated redesign that changed everything about it. Beware of "block vomit" because everyone has a different point where they feel it starts to show up, and my threshold for this is probably far lower than most given that I look at many builds and see it (not saying it makes those things bad, but my overall point is not to hyper fixate on smaller things, which in the process makes you lose sight of the forest for the trees).
And it might seem like an unrelated thing, but your combination of the not just the older textures but the lack of mipmaps is giving your rendering that "pixel static noise" look, which may indirectly make sections that are the same look even worse, forcing an unconscious desire to force additional variety. Maybe not, but it's something I'd try and keep in mind. The build may be fine, but the rendering may make it look a bit worse.
Now all of that being said, yes, your example is lacking depth and I do think it needs some, but that mostly comes from three things; its box shape, its lack of windows (windows made out of panes add enough depth for smaller walls), and its lack of a roof with an overhang. Change/add those things and suddenly it's fine. And as said above, some outside decorations like plants/bushes help add all the depth you'll need.
The pictures in the second post are a perfect example because it "overlaps" two rectangles, resulting in a shape that is no longer square, and has a roof with an overhang. The result is that it looks fine, even though it doesn't have any complicated wall depth for its own sake.
Now square/rectangle houses can be fine, but they work best for smaller sizes. As yous scale up, the need for depth and variety becomes more necessary. This is why builds in creative that are larger and have these massive amounts of depth and larger block palettes sort of get away with it. You shouldn't feel like that's necessary to strive for at smaller scale in survival, though.
"'Tis foolishness! If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!"
If you're having performance concerns with Minecraft, I hope this may prove useful.
A retrospective of the most important game to me (or, a try to stay awake while I never stop talking about something challenge).
This guide helped me:
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/discussion/193189-benjs-ultimate-guide-to-making-things-look-good-v2
This thread is very old (2014) and doesn't take into account modern materials. However, many of the recommendations are still applicable to modern versions.
Sorry for my English, I use Google Translate.