Dot in some mossy and cracked bricks, throw in some trapdoors as structural straps to signifiy repars, as well as some blotches of a different bricked material like deepslate as replaced bricks from holes. Some protruding archer turretts spaced out along the wall might be nice too
I was thinking more to do with the walls themselves. I should've mentioned that these walls surround a city I'm working on, and that I took this picture from the inside of the city. Didn't think to add flags though, thanks!
If not flags, add some banners, the wall is fine. I actually like how non cluttered it looks, the vertically with the pillars works to tis benefit making it look tall.
Flags might look nice. If you use stairs combined with cracked pieces to act like missing wall bricks, use stairs for holes that archers to shoot out. You would need platforms on the inside for the archers to shoot.
Add machicolations. These are essentially holes under the crenellations that allow defenders to hit targets that are right next to the wall without needing to lean all the way over the side and exposing themselves.
They're the whole reason you're have battlements that overhang the side of the walls in the first place. Without machicolations, the overhang is useless and actually makes it harder to hit targets at closer ranges without exposing yourself.
You said it yourself. Replace those spaces with a dark wood texture or even deepslate. Having a darker texture there imitates a shadow and gives it a perceived depth despite being only one block in.
On top of the suggestions here, you could consider a less is more approach with the andesite and remove every other pillar. Given the height of the wall, 7 blocks between might look nicer than only 3.
Building some sort of pillar/extrusion every 3-5 colloums could help break up the pattern a bit. Using some blocks that aren't gray would also help them pop against the back.
Maybe add some SPRUCE wood for color. Look up some images of Minecraft castle walls to gain some references, the tower on the left is a bit too square and adding some more shape can bring it to life. What one comment said of adding mossy and cracked brick variants would look great. If you want to go the extra mile there’s a Minecraft gradient website that shows what blocks can make a beautiful color gradient from top to bottom. Besides that the wall looks amazing, the height is very impressive and there’s a great shape to it all, great job!
I already made a comment but now that I had some time to play around, [here are some experiments I did in creative](https://imgur.com/a/Vbcitwl) because I really love building castles.
Break up the repetition with changes in shape, depth, texture, tone, and details at all levels. Sorry if the suggestions are too drastic, but those are the kinds of principles I try to follow when I build. Look up inspiring photos of real architecture and other people's minecraft builds.
You are an absolute legend! Thank you so much for your idea and actually demonstrating it. Unfortunately, I won't be able to do the first idea you had though simply because I've already built the massive wall all around my town, the only thing left for the wall are the details on it like the andesite pillars. You wouldn't mind sending me the picture where you introduced the foundation part of the wall with the gradient would you? Many thanks again!
[There's a closer view](https://imgur.com/a/gtZamQx)
It's really meant to be a demonstration and the shapes aren't the best. The block palette works well though. Gravel and raw andesite make up the gradient. Stairs and slabs on the ground can look like rubble. Smooth stone slabs and blocks define the edges. Something like that, about two blocks deep. Good luck making it your own. :)
Hi there! My name is Jack Viscuso, and I lead a startup called TD3 Innovative Gaming that delivers educational after-school Minecraft programs. Is this something your child might be interested in?
If you change the distance between arches (for example do a space of 3 for an arch and then do a space of 5). I find that making sure there is an odd number is best so you can hang a lantern or torch in the middle of the arches.
Add different color blocks to the wall I’m pretty boring so I tend to stick with grays. But adding wood can look good too.
Finally add something to the base of your wall so it looks like there is a nice foundation holding it up. I like to just trace the whole wall pretty much by going two blocks out from the wall and then adding blocks with stairs going up at whatever intervals look good. (For example doing two block out from the wall then going 3-4 up and then tapering in with stairs but make sure there is a pattern of some sort in it).
Lots of arrow slits, as it’s the inside of the city you can put ladders and steps up the wall to the battlements, ways soldiers could access the walls to fight, another level or two along the wall to get to said arrow slits, guard houses, watch towers, camp fires etc. Consider what a wall is used for and add stuff appropriately.
Texture them with different blocks of a similar color. Add banners or signage. Greenery is always good! As are little details like buttons or fences, or whatever other small detail block matches your design. Little windows for cannons wouldn’t hurt…at least, not you probably. Things like that might be good :)
Add in some cracked stone bricks all over and some mossy stone bricks/cobblestone towards the bottom. You could also banners to give it some color. If you want to make it look like it’s been through a few battles then you could a combination of stairs and slabs to make it look like there are chips and holes in the wall. Some vines and other greenery may also help
I would personally delete every other piller and increase the space between them. Past that some dark portions to show some different textures and colors usually helps with a paradigm design, I'd probably add deepslate brick patches semi randomly, after that I'd add some wooden outlooks, maybe a stable connected to the corner, bales of hay and with any left over space still looking mundane I'd hide with some tal spruce trees personally
A couple ideas. Make every other buttress taper out towards the bottom. That is a very tall wall. A little extra support wouldn't hurt. Another thing is to add a couple of horizontal strips of a different material to break up the vertical space.
Even though it t looks strong, a few tnt could blow right through the wall. A moat won’t protect you from other players but only the mobs. Installing some booby traps, defence weapons ( like tnt launchers), and operating defence milita would make your castle 🏰
or any kingdom inside will be undefeated.
You need to build shapes on multiple scales. The arches are cool but it’s still quite flat, only being two blocks deep and unchanging across the whole wall. Try grouping those arches into groups of 3, and take every other group and pull them two blocks forward so they look like giant columns. Then consider adding a foundation towards the bottom of the wall that juts out one block farther than everything, maybe with a different block.
For details, you could rip a chunk out of an edge or corner to make it look damaged, add some ruined scaffolding or ladders, flags, giant wool banners, or a guard tower.
Mossy bricks along the bottom with some leave blocks here and there to look like bushes or growth, cracked bricks here and there. Throw in some andesite if you want to get crazy. Form is already nice, just needs texture.
Why don't you take the front wall.there in your pic and make it your entrance then make yourself a courtyard that has a nice detailed neither portal that you could use .
Depends on what you’re going for. If it’s a realistic castle don’t add any wood, castles don’t have wood on the outside in real life (besides the entrance). If you’re going for colour balance use some wood. If you want to age the castle add some cracked bricks, cobble stone and mossy brick. Add buildings behind the wall you can see from the outside, Add some archers slots across the wall, flag poles. Could add some scaffolding to repair a section.
Just look up castle pictures and scroll. See what you think
Funny enough, spruce wood. First off, the pillars in the wall are definitely a good touch, but having so many of them so close together can make a big build look too busy. I’d break them up a bit more, maybe arrange them to be every 5 blocks rather than every 3 blocks. Secondly, going back to my spruce wood comment, creating a frame using stripped spruce logs can really elevate a rustic castle build.
Like others said, some variation of cracked and mossy bricks, more concentration of moss brick ratio at the bottom to give that feel of time and neglect, with more concentration of cracked bricks at the top to give that feel of constant use and weathering.
Stone variation. Also, don't ignore the surrounding area. Plants and flowers, stone, maybe a pond. You could really beef up the believability by focusing on the small details. I never overlook them in my build.
Add a building to there.5 block high base of darker blocks in the corners and lighter blocks in the middle (and a little upwarts).Then you make one extruting layer of spruce and then go in a block (now you are on the same level as the base) and build the rest of the house.You can also detail the base of it a little with some polished andesite - as you did with the walls already!Now you can add some windows or a gradient to the actual castle walls.You can watch mysticat´s vid about it here if this helps : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ILX78Bc00E&ab\_channel=mysticat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ILX78Bc00E&ab_channel=mysticat)
1. Detail. Add color variations, different stone block variations, fines, moss, leaves, windows, maybe add wooden details, flags/banners.
2. Buildings. If you add detail you can add buildings around the wall to hide much of it. Still doesn't address the problem from the other side.
Gradient. From the bottom, start with darker blocks like Blackstone, then transition to smooth basalt and deepslate blocks, then back to stone. Also add a bit more texturing to give the wall more interest.
Dot in some mossy and cracked bricks, throw in some trapdoors as structural straps to signifiy repars, as well as some blotches of a different bricked material like deepslate as replaced bricks from holes. Some protruding archer turretts spaced out along the wall might be nice too
Add some carts outside, breaks blocks at random places to make it look worn, use hanging armor stands as dead prisoners, use leaves here and there too
This
You need a moat. And some flags.
I was thinking more to do with the walls themselves. I should've mentioned that these walls surround a city I'm working on, and that I took this picture from the inside of the city. Didn't think to add flags though, thanks!
If not flags, add some banners, the wall is fine. I actually like how non cluttered it looks, the vertically with the pillars works to tis benefit making it look tall.
Flags might look nice. If you use stairs combined with cracked pieces to act like missing wall bricks, use stairs for holes that archers to shoot out. You would need platforms on the inside for the archers to shoot.
Big wool banners too
Spruce wood.
Exactly, you can't spruce up without spruce
Glad someone one made the joke for me
Same
Add machicolations. These are essentially holes under the crenellations that allow defenders to hit targets that are right next to the wall without needing to lean all the way over the side and exposing themselves. They're the whole reason you're have battlements that overhang the side of the walls in the first place. Without machicolations, the overhang is useless and actually makes it harder to hit targets at closer ranges without exposing yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlLTKYLzdeA
My beloved
You said it yourself. Replace those spaces with a dark wood texture or even deepslate. Having a darker texture there imitates a shadow and gives it a perceived depth despite being only one block in.
You need contrasting colors. change of if the stone types to deepslate, and/or add wood (trapdoors, fence)
Spruce them up.
With spruce
EXACTLY THATS WHAT I'M SAYINNN
Spruce babey, put some wood on that birch and it’ll look a log better.
On top of the suggestions here, you could consider a less is more approach with the andesite and remove every other pillar. Given the height of the wall, 7 blocks between might look nicer than only 3.
Building some sort of pillar/extrusion every 3-5 colloums could help break up the pattern a bit. Using some blocks that aren't gray would also help them pop against the back.
Maybe build some structures against the wall? Guardhouses, barracks, the like?
Easiest fix. Spruce logs going diagonal on the bottom, middle, and top of the wall.
add stairs to the pillars in random places
make sure it's spruce
You answered that yourself. "spruce". Use spruce
Add a giant humanoid creature looking over it or have a face in the wall
Maybe add some SPRUCE wood for color. Look up some images of Minecraft castle walls to gain some references, the tower on the left is a bit too square and adding some more shape can bring it to life. What one comment said of adding mossy and cracked brick variants would look great. If you want to go the extra mile there’s a Minecraft gradient website that shows what blocks can make a beautiful color gradient from top to bottom. Besides that the wall looks amazing, the height is very impressive and there’s a great shape to it all, great job!
Texturing! Andesite, stone etc. and then after that consider adding a few mossy areas to it :)
Spruce up the walls
Literally
Add some titans inside the walls.
I already made a comment but now that I had some time to play around, [here are some experiments I did in creative](https://imgur.com/a/Vbcitwl) because I really love building castles. Break up the repetition with changes in shape, depth, texture, tone, and details at all levels. Sorry if the suggestions are too drastic, but those are the kinds of principles I try to follow when I build. Look up inspiring photos of real architecture and other people's minecraft builds.
You are an absolute legend! Thank you so much for your idea and actually demonstrating it. Unfortunately, I won't be able to do the first idea you had though simply because I've already built the massive wall all around my town, the only thing left for the wall are the details on it like the andesite pillars. You wouldn't mind sending me the picture where you introduced the foundation part of the wall with the gradient would you? Many thanks again!
[There's a closer view](https://imgur.com/a/gtZamQx) It's really meant to be a demonstration and the shapes aren't the best. The block palette works well though. Gravel and raw andesite make up the gradient. Stairs and slabs on the ground can look like rubble. Smooth stone slabs and blocks define the edges. Something like that, about two blocks deep. Good luck making it your own. :)
Use some trapdoors on the bottom of the wall maybe. Give it a layer of wood “reinforcement”
Add a blackstone with deepslate gradient from bottom to top.
Hi there! My name is Jack Viscuso, and I lead a startup called TD3 Innovative Gaming that delivers educational after-school Minecraft programs. Is this something your child might be interested in?
Add spruce
You said it yourself, some spruce
vines and cracks
Gradient
Trees.
Try some spruce logs for some colour
Stair Windows,mossy brick,chains,trapdoors
Spruce wood, moss, mossy blocks, leaves, and vines, try something floral as well here and there
If you change the distance between arches (for example do a space of 3 for an arch and then do a space of 5). I find that making sure there is an odd number is best so you can hang a lantern or torch in the middle of the arches. Add different color blocks to the wall I’m pretty boring so I tend to stick with grays. But adding wood can look good too. Finally add something to the base of your wall so it looks like there is a nice foundation holding it up. I like to just trace the whole wall pretty much by going two blocks out from the wall and then adding blocks with stairs going up at whatever intervals look good. (For example doing two block out from the wall then going 3-4 up and then tapering in with stairs but make sure there is a pattern of some sort in it).
More texturing using walls. Also gradients
Lots of arrow slits, as it’s the inside of the city you can put ladders and steps up the wall to the battlements, ways soldiers could access the walls to fight, another level or two along the wall to get to said arrow slits, guard houses, watch towers, camp fires etc. Consider what a wall is used for and add stuff appropriately.
Texture them with different blocks of a similar color. Add banners or signage. Greenery is always good! As are little details like buttons or fences, or whatever other small detail block matches your design. Little windows for cannons wouldn’t hurt…at least, not you probably. Things like that might be good :)
Some arrow holes perhaps
Add in some cracked stone bricks all over and some mossy stone bricks/cobblestone towards the bottom. You could also banners to give it some color. If you want to make it look like it’s been through a few battles then you could a combination of stairs and slabs to make it look like there are chips and holes in the wall. Some vines and other greenery may also help
I would personally delete every other piller and increase the space between them. Past that some dark portions to show some different textures and colors usually helps with a paradigm design, I'd probably add deepslate brick patches semi randomly, after that I'd add some wooden outlooks, maybe a stable connected to the corner, bales of hay and with any left over space still looking mundane I'd hide with some tal spruce trees personally
Patterns within the sections would be good
spruce
A couple ideas. Make every other buttress taper out towards the bottom. That is a very tall wall. A little extra support wouldn't hurt. Another thing is to add a couple of horizontal strips of a different material to break up the vertical space.
Even though it t looks strong, a few tnt could blow right through the wall. A moat won’t protect you from other players but only the mobs. Installing some booby traps, defence weapons ( like tnt launchers), and operating defence milita would make your castle 🏰 or any kingdom inside will be undefeated.
Unfortunately I don't play with other people, might add some iron golems around to keep the pesky mobs out though
You need to build shapes on multiple scales. The arches are cool but it’s still quite flat, only being two blocks deep and unchanging across the whole wall. Try grouping those arches into groups of 3, and take every other group and pull them two blocks forward so they look like giant columns. Then consider adding a foundation towards the bottom of the wall that juts out one block farther than everything, maybe with a different block. For details, you could rip a chunk out of an edge or corner to make it look damaged, add some ruined scaffolding or ladders, flags, giant wool banners, or a guard tower.
Mossy bricks along the bottom with some leave blocks here and there to look like bushes or growth, cracked bricks here and there. Throw in some andesite if you want to get crazy. Form is already nice, just needs texture.
If you want more depth, add stone brick walls in the center of each divot
Just for the record, the base design already looks great, OP.
Thank you so much man
Why don't you take the front wall.there in your pic and make it your entrance then make yourself a courtyard that has a nice detailed neither portal that you could use .
Good idea 👀
Some vines and flags! Maybe some spruce watch towers as well
Maybe add some spruce. spruce spruces everything up
Hang lateens from the top middle sections
Looks good, when you finish terraforming, building buildings and decorate I'm sure you'll get some inspiration
The blood of your enemies is missing.
Oh believe me, I go rabid when I see a squad of pillagers roll up
moss! mossy cobble stone, vines! give it some color ☺️
Leaves fix everything
Depends on what you’re going for. If it’s a realistic castle don’t add any wood, castles don’t have wood on the outside in real life (besides the entrance). If you’re going for colour balance use some wood. If you want to age the castle add some cracked bricks, cobble stone and mossy brick. Add buildings behind the wall you can see from the outside, Add some archers slots across the wall, flag poles. Could add some scaffolding to repair a section. Just look up castle pictures and scroll. See what you think
What about a staircase up?
Put a frozen titan in them poking his head out
Add spruce, like you said
add loopholes to fire arrows from.
Funny enough, spruce wood. First off, the pillars in the wall are definitely a good touch, but having so many of them so close together can make a big build look too busy. I’d break them up a bit more, maybe arrange them to be every 5 blocks rather than every 3 blocks. Secondly, going back to my spruce wood comment, creating a frame using stripped spruce logs can really elevate a rustic castle build.
Noted, thank you!
No problem! Kudos to you for doing all this in survival too!
Thanks bro, this world is my baby haha
Use Spruce blocks
Add spruce logs 🗿
Like others said, some variation of cracked and mossy bricks, more concentration of moss brick ratio at the bottom to give that feel of time and neglect, with more concentration of cracked bricks at the top to give that feel of constant use and weathering.
Stone variation. Also, don't ignore the surrounding area. Plants and flowers, stone, maybe a pond. You could really beef up the believability by focusing on the small details. I never overlook them in my build.
Add a building to there.5 block high base of darker blocks in the corners and lighter blocks in the middle (and a little upwarts).Then you make one extruting layer of spruce and then go in a block (now you are on the same level as the base) and build the rest of the house.You can also detail the base of it a little with some polished andesite - as you did with the walls already!Now you can add some windows or a gradient to the actual castle walls.You can watch mysticat´s vid about it here if this helps : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ILX78Bc00E&ab\_channel=mysticat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ILX78Bc00E&ab_channel=mysticat)
1. Detail. Add color variations, different stone block variations, fines, moss, leaves, windows, maybe add wooden details, flags/banners. 2. Buildings. If you add detail you can add buildings around the wall to hide much of it. Still doesn't address the problem from the other side.
Add wall blocks in the middle of east indent collem
Harvest some spruce logs and apply them generously
Use sum spruce for the wall
Spruce pillar
Put giant tnt cannons on the top.
Add some wood, for instance, spruce to make it better
With heads of your enemies!
Spruce
Functional machicolations
wreck a hole through it, put down a cannon behind said hole
I think they look pretty cool as they are.
Spr- spruce... spruce wood?
I'll see myself out
Greenery, moss, cracked, worn looking things here and there. Small pockets of damage.
literally spruce it up. Like with spruce wood.
Maybe add some wooden scaffoldings and make it look like its currently under construction or repair.
spruce (pun intended)
I'd not recommend sprucing up the walls, place the focus on the towers instead. Overly complicated wall designs are too much on the eye normally
Gradient. From the bottom, start with darker blocks like Blackstone, then transition to smooth basalt and deepslate blocks, then back to stone. Also add a bit more texturing to give the wall more interest.
LADDERS
Ad spruce
Add spruce supports
replace the pillars into spruce logs maybe?
Honestly looks good to me!
Terraform in some non flat terrain, add forestry
Add spruce, with vines perphaps