Hi guys, Gray Remnant here!  Today, I've got some really bizarre stuff to show you.  I hope you enjoy.  ;)

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So early on in the week, there was this build made by MancoMtz.  I was so confident that it was going to win gold that I actually said so in the comment section.  But, of course, Cephyr (a WIR veteran of the ages) swooped down at the last moment and dropped one of the most amazing structures I’ve seen in a long time (my apologies, Manco).  It’s called Stalingrad - Blood on the Volga, and it is just plain epic.



Ready for a history lesson?  So, back in the second World War the Nazis invaded and subsequently destroyed the city of Stalingrad in Russia.  You might ask how someone could capture all the chaotic destruction with Minecraft.  Well, I don’t know the answer to that question.  Ask Cephyr.



First of all, let’s just take a moment to admire the fact that Cephyr took a great deal of time building a replica of some of the most well known sites in Stalingrad, only to go through the painstaking after-task of blowing it all to smithereens.  That’s called effort, ladies and gentlemen.



This map features glorious structural damage to all of the architecture, including caved-in roofing, tanks blown asunder, and crumbling monuments.  Not only this, but it also includes bombers, tanks, missiles, and explosions laying waste to everything, and I mean everything.



The level of detail is so immense and well thought out, that this probably captures the nightmarish circumstances Stalingrad actually went through in about as much detail as Minecraft can possibly allow.  This is maximally ruinous, and the flaming detritus and smoldering buildings are absolutely fantastic.



The scenery is so calamitous, that it actually looks like a scene that’s unfolding, rather than just a model.  There’s a sort of fluid nature to this that gives the map an eerie and unsettling reality.  It’s seemingly interactive, even though none of the structures actually move in their own right.



I don’t know where Cephyr gets the time to poor their attention into projects like this, but I’d say the effort shows.  Let this be the standard for everyone to shoot for in the future.  I’d love to see more projects like this.

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The best terraforming of the week was a glorious island called Temple of Champions, created by Qubion.  This is a project that incorporates structural, environmental, and organic elements to create a lively and well-developed landscape.  It’s definitely an environment with a lot of character and intriguing elements.



Temple of Champions is like something out of a Greek odyssey.  The temple itself sits atop a glorious, crumbling landscape.  Ravines, cliffs, and swirling earth make up the majority of the island, with a few bridges and staircases to make the different areas more accessible.



Clouds, trees, and a particularly elegant statue also litter the map, and there’s a very impressive golden trident sticking out of the water, with ripples emanating behind it.  When you look at this in its totality, it does bear a resemblance to something out of a big-budget Hollywood movie starring Liam Neeson.  Somebody release the Kraken!



What I really like about this map is the fact that it uses structures and organic work to enhance what is otherwise a fairly straightforward landscape.  Simplicity can be effective when it’s combined with other, more diverse, elements.  All in all, this is a very impressive nugget of terraforming goodness, with some nice goodies sprinkled over it.

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I would like to point out that the following project definitely won the organic category this week.  There was nothing even close, and in hindsight I don’t think there was any possibility this map wasn’t going to be the stand-out organic project this week.  This masterpiece is called Transmarine Treasure Map, created by Jimjabway.



This is an utterly mind-blowing map, and for once I use the word ‘map’ because it literally is a map.  It’s a gigantic treasure map that outlines some epic journey through the seas in search of treasure.  And, yes, all of the elements are three-dimensional islands, boats, hot-air balloons, fortresses, and a gigantic, terrifying mutant eel monster.  All of this sits atop a conventional backdrop of a large pirate map, complete with dotted lines, a compass, and a big red X.



The structures in and of themselves are fantastic.  The boats have amazing arrays of sails, the land structures are towering and full of detail, and the balloons are a nice touch as well.  Oh, and the terraforming is nice also.



The star of the map is obviously the giant eel monster, which looks like the results of hideous mutations caused by exposure to nuclear waste.  Hell, after Fukushima, maybe there actually is one of these things swimming in the Pacific.



The thing I really like about this map is the fact that some of the elements are 2-dimensional, and some of them are 3-dimensional.  It kind of gives the appearance that the map is coming to life before our eyes; like something out of a pop-up book.



More and more, I’m seeing a lot more maps like this on PMC; maps that are driven thematically and creatively.  It’s always nice to see a brilliant idea developed into a successful project through good technique and effort.

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Thanks very much for your time!  If you liked this blog, please don't forget to spread the diamonds, both to me and to the awesome map creators, as well.  I'll see you guys next week!