Basic Layout

this is a design for the layout of the track showing basic idea for what it might look like and where i might add key features of the level such as the water fall jump and another idea of a mine elevator leading to a faster route. 

this images shows the possible alternative route up the mountain that I could possibly add.

I still need to decide where I am going to place the water sources around the map and design key features of the map. 

Mine idea

To make the level a bit more exciting have had the idea of adding a mine that runs underneath the mountain the player is racing up as an alternative Route.

this is the type of look for the mine i want to achieve, with this idea many different routes may be possible 

this is a rough charcoal drawing of what parts of the mine might look like, i like the mood this picture give quite dark, low light area.

going back to my idea of adding a waterfall to the level, could use it as an entrance to the mine possibly with the use of a jump.   

Looking at Snowy Forests.

Buildings are going to be important with this idea as without them the level is going to look very plain and boring. 

Racing up a mountain could be a good idea would make the back ground pleasing to look at. 

I,m Liking the Snow- covered forest idea but going to need to do research more research into other aspects to the level or it is going to become very tedious to look at and play.  

Forest ideas

I,v started thinking about doing some sort of forest level it could be an good addition to the game.

I really like the idea of having a water fall in the level possibly leading into some caves to add another aspect to it. 

This is so Steam-punk! good idea for a crowd paddock.

Adding Snow to the level could be a really nice touch, adds possibles changing track surfaces.    

looking at Port Talbot

Looking at old industrial buildings

looking at these old industrial building i can,t help but think about Port Talbot, and being as it is so close it could be quite useful.

Looking at steampunk building

after reading up a bit on steampunk i wanted to see what other people thought steam punk buildings would look like, there are alot of different interpretation of it but so to me they all seem quite industrial and old fashioned. 

what is steampunk

This is a good question that is difficult to answer.

To me, Steampunk has always been first and foremost a literary genre, or least a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy that includes social or technological aspects of the 19th century (the steam) usually with some deconstruction of, reimagining of, or rebellion against parts of it (the punk). Unfortunately, it is a poorly defined subgenre, with plenty of disagreement about what is and is not included. For example, steampunk stories may:

• Take place in the Victorian era but include advanced machines based on 19th century technology (e.g. The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling);
• Include the supernatural as well (e.g. The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger);
• Include the supernatural and forego the technology (e.g. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, one of the works that inspired the term ‘steampunk’);
• Include the advanced machines, but take place later than the Victorian period, thereby assuming that the predomination by electricity and petroleum never happens (e.g. The Peshawar Lancers by S. M. Stirling); or
• Take place in an another world altogether, but featuring Victorian-like technology (e.g. Mainspring by Jay Lake).

And it isn’t just written fiction anymore. There are steampunk games (e.g. Bioshock II), steampunk graphic novels (e.g. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), and even steampunk movies (e.g. Sherlock Holmes) and TV shows (e.g. Warehouse 13). There is even steampunk music and steampunk performance art.There are probably plenty of other combinations I’ve forgotten, but that’s steampunk as a genre in a nutshell. Steampunk has also cross-pollinated its way into other genres, so there is steampunk romance, steampunk erotica, and steampunk young adult fiction. I haven’t spotten any steampunk picture books yet, but I won’t be surprise when I do.

But steampunk has become a lot more. What with all the cool contraptions in the stories, it was only natural that some people would decide to make some of them (or at least things like them). Thus, steampunk gadgets came into the real world. People has “steampunk’d” everything from computers, desks, telephone, watches and guitars to cars, motorcycles, and whole houses. These objects can vary from a grungy look of a forgotten antique to the shiny overwrought newness of a Victorian gentleman’s club. Think brass and copper, glass and polished wood, engraving and etching, and details for the sake of details. So, steampunk is also a design aesthetic.

So, steampunk is a genre and a design aesthetic.This aesthetic carries over into personal style with both clothing and jewelry being made in a “steampunk” style. The clothes are not exactly Victorian, adding in technological bits or hints of a more adventurous life than a typical Victorian citizen likely enjoyed.

But wait, there’s more! Steampunk has a philosophical angle as well, which is somewhat of a combination between the maker ideals of creativity and self-reliance and the Victorian optimistic view of the future. This last bit has led to accusations that steampunk includes a fair amount of empire worship, which is a reasonable concern. Another criticism has been that steampunk focuses on the best of the past and quietly sweeps the bad (i.e. slavery, child labor, widespread disease, etc.). Again, this may be a valid criticism and it is somethat that steampunk will have to address. Paul Jessup’s piece “The Future of Steam-punk” offers a good discussion of these issues.

Final answer: steampunk is a genre AND a design aesthetic AND a philosophy.