Parks Dragon's Keep

[MattDownes]

I've been playing Planet Coaster for a while now and lurking on the boards but finally I have something I wanted to share.

Originally I was building a 'Studios' park and although I was enjoying it the sheer scale was slowing my computer down so I decided to try something smaller. After being inspired by Qadira by Dwarrenice I decided I wanted to build a multi-launch coaster in a smaller space that dived in and out of scenery and buildings and so work began on 'Dragon Hunter'. Whilst building this ride I was also hugely inspired by Wowman's work on the Renee Feu Adventure Park and wanted to attempt a similar level of detail and realism around the ride and so the 'Dragon's Keep' area was born.

I see 'Dragon's Keep' as a new land that has been added to an existing park and so as well as the multi-launch coaster there exists a family coaster 'Little Dragon', a station for the park's railways and other amenities such as food, drink, souvenirs, toilets etc. The whole area looks like this:

To give a little better explanation as to what's in the park I have highlighted (very roughly) some areas:

Yellow = Dragon Hunter (Multi-Launch Rollercoaster)
Blue = Little Dragon (Family Rollercoaster)
Red = Train Depot and Train Station
Orange = Maintenance Shed for Dragon Hunter
Green = The Two Food/Drink Locations
Purple/Pink = Toilets/First Aid/Staff Buildings

I will provide a more detailed look at each area as this thread progresses but to start I am going to focus on the original coaster in Dragon's Keep - 'Dragon Hunter'. Walking in to the main area of Dragon's Keep you see the main ride sign for Dragon Hunter:

Which is also illuminated at night (as is the whole area!):

As you round the corner by the lake you get your first proper glimpse of Dragon Hunter:

The first element of the ride is a huge over-banked turn and also in view is the inversion directly following the second launch. From the other side of the lake you get a better view of these elements (this is outside of the park boundaries for guests):

Also clearly visible here is the sweeping turn on the rocks at the waters edge early on in the ride:

As you reach the end of the run a huge corkscrew leads in to another over-banked turn/dive:

Part of what I was trying to achieve with this ride was to have interactions with the buildings so the track goes through many walls, ceilings and floors at various points. I tried to include theming around these areas as well although the ride is generally travelling too fast to see any of this and also the layout of the castle would make no sense in reality, like the banquet hall:

After the initial over-bank turn the ride does a short hop over the launch track and down in to a tunnel underneath the station:

To be continued in the next post!

 

[MattDownes]

As with all good rides we exit through the gift shop where you can pick up on ride photos and gifts:

To give an idea of how tightly this ride darts in and out of the buildings, here's what the centre of the ride looks like including second launch and beginning of the large corkscrew:

I also wanted to try and include backstage areas, such as the maintenance shed for Dragon Hunter:

Which also has it's own yard area:

And from a different angle:

I will probably do a separate update just on the backstage areas as there are several located behind different areas of Dragon's Keep. Dragon Hunter can be seen from the train as it comes out of a tunnel in to the new land:

And finally an overview of the ride:

One element that can't be seen is the barrel roll above the station, I will try and get a good image of this for a future update.

I'm still relatively new to all of this so any comments and suggestions are appreciated and I hope you've enjoyed looking at my little project. I tried to achieve a degree of realism and this wouldn't be possible without the huge quantity of workshop/thememakers items I've used - I will attempt to list all of these in another post, please do let me know if you see something you've created and I have listed it!

More updates to follow on other areas of Dragon's Keep!

 

[MattDownes]

Last thing for today; I've tried to list all of the items I have used from the Workshop and their creators, their incredible work has made such a huge difference to the level of detail I've been able to add to this project. In no particular order here are all (hopefully) the items I've used in Dragon's Keep:

Narrow Guage Boxcar - mrtree
Narrow Guage Caboose - mrtree
Railroad Water Tower - Wings & Strings
Railroad Switch (From Railroad Accessory Pack 1) - Wings & Strings
2-6-0 Steam Locomotive - Kudo
Steam Locomotive DSP&P 191 - Wings & Strings
Keep Off Grass Sign - iDro
Lamp Arms & Covers - iDro
Street Ashtray - iDro
Toilet Sign - iDro
Smoking Sign - iDro
Gulpee Snacks & Display - x-::R3DMyst::-x
Chainlinks - ArtificialArtist
Various Party Fridges - iDro
Window AC Unit - iDro
Snow Globes - xDaddyPoe.TTV
Various T-Shirts - x-::R3DMyst::-x
Postcard Rack - iDro
Bollard A - Ztitus
Catwalk Electrical Boxes - cebism
Safety Signs - Geekism
Spiral Staircase - Cheif (Star)
Planet Coaster Boardgame - Geekism
Shirt Wallhanger - x-::R3DMyst::-x
Books - vampiro_lod
Poster Rack - x-::R3DMyst::-x
Railway Bridge - jorg2
Pressure Washer - Hendrik
Gulpee Plushee - Woody
Camel Plushee - Woody
Backpack - Woody
Shopping Bag - Woody
Lawn Mower - Woody
King Coaster Plush - leafscott80
Drinks Bottle Display - JayReplay
Coaster Souvenir - Crowdpleaser
Souvenir Cup - JayReplay
Toy Bunny - leafscott80
Knitted Teddy - leafscott80
Gothvania Font - lilibat
Infrastructure Props - Mirraks
Ducts - Zigfreed107
Rusty Aircon Unit - KartPlayRide
Souvenir Mugs - [FUN]WishingOnAWendy
Ride Height Sign - Jareen2
Generic Trash Bin - aladdinsboy
AED - Hendrik
Garbage Can - Hendrik
Shade Covers - xRBz
Drinking Fountain - iDro
Electrical Cabinet - Ozo
Fire House Reel - cebism
Anemometers - cebism
Electrical Boxes - cebism
Staff Member Brandon - leafscott80
Dark Wood Retail Shelves - leafscott80
Emergency Exit Sign - monjo44
Kids Stroller - RudiRennkamel
Iron Fence - iDro
Wheelchair - RudiRennkamel
Hoodies - x-::R3DMyst::-x
T-Shirts - x-::R3DMyst::-x
Shirt Rack - x-::R3DMyst::-x
Large Flat Rock - Mstankow
Touch Screen Cash Register - iDro
Rubble - iDro
Custom Trees - n7
Ornate Chest - willibix
Medieval Mug - lilibat
Medieval Goblet - lilibat
Medieval Serving Bowl - lilibat
Colourable Large Vase - willibix
Coin Pile - willibix
Golden Vase - ArtificialArtist
Treasure - Erftner
Wooden Crate Speaker 2 - Kimattacks
Rustic Coaster Lockers - Kimattacks
Stack Of Barrels - Kimattacks
Fancy Wooden Table and Chairs - Kimattacks
Letters - SirMaverick34
Utility Vehicle and Add Ons - Hendrik
Barriers - blackmanshadow
Warning Sign - Woutbelt
Pallet - DasMatze
Wheelie Bin - dew of the sea
Cage Light - ArtificialArtist
Emergency Exit Signs - Oli414
Pipshot Water Cooler - JayReplay
Cherry Picker - Fisherman
CCTV Cameras - cebism
Traffic Lights/Tram/Railroad Signals - cebism
Flourescent Lamp - cebism
Other Electrical Boxes Etc - cebism
Utility Truck - Air7even
Peterbilt Truck and Flatbed - Wings & Strings

A huge thank you to all the creators listed above, please do let me know if you see anything else I've missed as I want to give credit where it is due for the wonderful items that have found their way in to this park.

Thanks Friends,

Matt

 

[wowman]

nice layout for this section of the park and very realistic.

 

[MattDownes]

Thanks wowman, your Renee Feu park definitely inspired me to try and include more detail and realism in this park!

 

[MattDownes]

Time to take a look at the other rollercoaster in this section of the park 'Little Dragon'. This is a family ride inspired in part by themed roller skaters like Flight Of The Hippogriff but also built below ground level which was inspired by the first turn on Seven Dwarves Mine Train. I loved the fact Disney didn't have a massive fence around this particular turn and it allowed guests to easily look down and watch the ride go past so I tried to emulate this on this ride.

Riders start in a fairly basic but light and open station, having queued off to the left under the big sun shades:

As you exit the station you're propelled by drive tires around a big sweeping curve to the lift hill, passing the rocky tunnel you dive through later in the ride, this image also gives a sense of the viewing angle for guests walking around the ride area looking down over the fence:

Having gone down the first and largest drop you duck under the end of the ride before hopping up and over a rocky out crop and sweeping past the station:

You then dive in to the rocky tunnel/half tunnel shown in the second image, you can see here on the left the access walkway around the first curve of the ride:

After the tunnel you hop back over the rocks, this image shows how the ride twists and turns around itself as well as the trees and rocks:

After a little hop over the bottom of the first drop the train makes a tight turnaround in to the station. This may not be the most realistic turn as it is super tight but this ride was a bit of an after thought so I was working in a tight space!

The ride then completes a second lap. This causes a few issues with queues as the queue area is quite short but I felt with a ride this short two laps was necessary, although using Flight Of The Hippogriff as an example again, I guess I could have had this run just one lap of the course to reduce queue times. You can see most of the twists and turns here:

As with the rest of the park this ride is lit up at night, here we see roughly what you would see walking in to the area at night:

I have lights all around the 'pit' the ride sits in but they are mostly pointed downwards, I like that this illuminated the area overall but the ride still darted in and out of light and dark along it's course as you see here:

And here is the overview of the whole ride at night:

I hope you enjoyed this brief look at Little Dragon, next up will either be the Train or the Park Amenities/General Facilities - I haven't decided yet!

Thanks for looking,

Matt

 

[RyRy2312]

Looks great Matt

 

[wowman]

nice layout. I especially like the part where the track helix back next to the first part of the track

 

[Biondani Studios]

nice work

 

[MattDownes]

Thanks everyone!

This ride was never part of the original plan but I decided it would be fun to try and build something in this small space, I think having that restriction actually helped the layout as it resulted in elements like the helix wowman mentioned and the little hops over and dips under itself!

 

[MattDownes]

I've decided to get the rides/attractions done first so we're moving on to the Park Railway. I built this with the idea of it continuing on to other areas of the park but in reality it dives in to a deep tunnel and loops back underground so I could have trains run on it and give the impression of them travelling to other areas of the park.

If you're travelling out of Dragon's Keep the first thing you see is the entrance to the station building:

The station itself is under a large pitched wooden roof, you can see on the right the signalling (an item by cebism) which I have connected to track triggers so it changes colour as trains pass through sections:

A closer look inside the station, including Stroller and Wheelchair parking to the left:

It's only after I started writing this that I noticed there is no floor below the tracks in here - something to remember for my next build! As you exit the station you pass a good siding to the right as well as signals on the left, these are triggered to change colour around the entire railway:

You then cross the first of my scratch built bridges, this one crosses an access road to the backstage areas so has high sides to block the view of the guests, unfortunately this also makes it more difficult to get pictures of!

Another view looking back towards the station gives you a better impression of this section and also shows how the whole railway is built on an embankment that snakes through the front of this section of the park:

The train then dives in to a tunnel (and on to other areas of the park!) Once it has looped around the park it returns to the Dragon's Keep area from this tunnel next to the main locomotive sheds (rolling stock is kept elsewhere in the park):

One of the parks other locos is on shed getting ready to pull trains around the park. At night this area is a bit more dimly lit but I felt this was perhaps more realistic of the area I am trying to represent:

After crossing the points to the yard (and past more of cubism's signals) the train crosses the second of my scratch built bridges, this time it's a more open girder construction with views down to the yard behind Dragon Hunter's maintenance shed. I wanted to include different types of bridge to make things more interesting and test my building skills:

Finally the train curves along a brick viaduct and on to the last bridge (a workshop item by jorg2) over the entrance to this area and back in to the station:

I was pleased with how the park railway turned out, I think it added an extra level to my concept of this being just a section of the park as you can imagine it carrying guests off to other areas of the park with the last bridge before the station also acting as a nice divide between this and another land.

I will continue in the next post with a couple of overviews of the railway.

 

[MattDownes]

Here's the overview of exiting the station, past the goods siding (rolling stock by mrtree) and across my first bridge:

Then we have the return in to this section of the park and the locomotive sheds and yard. This yard and shed ended up being right on the edge of the map (I'll plan things a bit better next time!) but I like how the restricted space forced me to tuck this in to a corner here, I think it actually feels more realistic squashed in like this. Again, signals by cebism and I believe the Water Tower, Point Levers and Steam Engine are all Wings & Strings:

Lastly the track crosses my girder bridge over an access road, curls around the yard behind Dragon Hunter on a brick viaduct and crosses jorg2's bridge back in to the station:

I had a lot of fun building the railway and triggering signals etc. I actually grew up building and playing with model railways so it is was enjoyable to recreate this experience in a digital way, I hope you all enjoy looking at this as much as I enjoyed building it!

Thanks,

Matt

 

[MattDownes]

Update Time and I know what you're thinking; what if I wanted to get something to eat, drink or remember my trip to Dragon's Keep by? Luckily we have got it covered!

Let's start with a look around the Food Court which is found within the walls of the Castle area:

The Food Court features food and drink from all your favourite vendors, I tried to build the vendors to the left hand side to look like those you'd find in Disney and other parks where you pay first and then move to the counter to collect your food, doesn't really work in the game but looked better to me!

There is also some tables and chairs within the food court area:

But on a sunny day I'd recommend the outdoor seating, which is conveniently located next to the main gift shop:

Let's have a closer look at that gift shop and find ourselves some nice souvenirs:

This was an area where TMTK items really helped me so a massive thanks to the many creators involved, I was really pleased with how this area came out and also really happy with my little addition - the cooler at the back for the Gulpee drinks!

Of course after all that food and drink you may need to visit the Restrooms, thankfully they are a short walk from the Food Court! Within this building there is also a water fountain, first aid and staff facilities:

And just to the left of this you can find a stroller rental area - I realise these are normally at the front of the park but you also see parking areas etc. dotted around larger parks so that was my thinking behind including this area:

Walking around a large park can be exhausting so let's head over to the train station where there's a Street Fox Coffee stand to get our caffeine fix:

Again I built this with the cash registers on barrels before you reach the counter as this just felt more 'real' to me. In reality this would probably be three counters of the same coffee shop with three separate queues but I included different vendors in the building for a bit of variety. As with the rest of the park these areas all light up at night:

Thanks for having a look around the facilities Dragon's Keep has to offer, next update we'll look at the backstage/staff areas of the park and see what is going on out of sight of the park guests!

Matt

 

[MattDownes]

Something I really enjoyed was creating backstage areas to add an extra level of detail to Dragon's Keep, there's yards and loading bays behind most of the main areas of the park, let's have a look and see what is going on out of site of the guests!

Getting to the backstage areas takes you along this leafy road and under the park railway:

After you've passed under the railway bridge you are backstage behind the food court and toilets/first aid/staff facilities building. The cabin to the right is offices and rest areas for staff and is a scratch build.

The big wooden doors allow access from the yard in to the park for maintenance vehicles and the landscaping team's lawnmower.

Also in this area is the loading bay for the food court.

And here's an overview of the area showing how it all connects to the park on the other side of the wall - the food court is on the left, the toilets etc. are in the building on the right, then there's the smaller staff offices bottom right.

There's also a smaller area behind the train station for storage and staff access to the station and Street Fox Coffee.

There's also a staff smoking area hidden back here and it looks like the landscaping team are getting ready to move some plants around the park.

To the other side of the Dragon's Keep area is the maintenance shed for Dragon Hunter, the maintenance team are currently parked up in this area and are using it to store their cherry picker.

An overview of this area shows how it is tucked in to a curve in the railway and the connecting track to Dragon Hunter can be seen to the left.

And lastly there's the small yard behind the loco sheds. One of the park's locomotives has just come back from a rebuild and will soon be winched back up in to the sheds to resume service on the park railway.

I hope you enjoyed the backstage tour around Dragon's Keep!

Matt

 

[wowman]

these are about the best and most realistic backstage ares I have seen built yet.

 

[MattDownes]

Thanks wowman, I really enjoyed adding these backstage areas in to Dragon's Keep as it made it feel more like a real park to me, also keeping the area relatively small was definitely an advantage as I could add in more areas like this and focus on the details, I have already started my next project and I'm hoping to include similar backstage areas in that too!

 

[MattDownes]

Before I move on to new projects let's take one last walk around Dragon's Keep in an update I like to call; Day & Night!

Walking in to the area there's important decisions to make; rides or train?

Let's go ride!

Another look at the family ride Little Dragon;

Dragon Hunter looking good across the lake; (when I said we were taking a walk around the park I think we may have also hired a boat...)

I personally really like looking at Dragon Hunter from this angle, sadly it's something guests in the park will never see!

As the sun sets let's have a look around at night too, these guys protect the entrance; (there's also a series of lightening flashes and steam coming from there mouths every 30mins at night to really set the mood!)

The train station and Street Fox Coffee lit up at night;

And the food court looks pretty inviting at night too;

Let's head back out on the lake for another couple of views of the main attraction at night;

One last look before we go;

Goodnight Dragon's Keep, it's been a lot of fun, looking forward to the next project (which is already underway!)

Thanks for the kind words and feedback, any questions or anything else you'd like to see from this park let me know!

Matt

 

[MattDownes]

For those who are interested in taking a look around the park is now up on the Workshop: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2050572974

Remember there is a lot of TMTK, Blueprints and pretty much all of the DLC in this park so you will need this to see everything properly, also might take a little while to load!

If you do get a chance to look around please let me know what you think!

Thanks,

Matt