Map?

[Iceman]

Hey, I may be wierd and alone in thinking this, but I think it'd be nice if we had a map of the school that we all agreed on, so we could all be picturing the same thing rather than having people suddenly putting the rooms by the kitchen when someone else thought they were on the other side of the building, etc...

Like I said. Anyone else agree? I could make it, once we all figure out where stuff is. Then it could be there as a reference--I mean, if something someone posts doesn't go with it, it wouldn't be like they'd have to change it. I'd just like to get a mental picture, cause all I remember from the movie is the entryway and stairs.

[conduit]

I definitely agree. Of course it would be best to likely keep it as simple as we can, and it doesn't have to be fancy, but right now I'm particularly lost and all I can really do is piece together the parts of the school featured in the movie- and even they weren't cohesively put together.

Would help for the multiple threads going on at the school at any given moment, definitely. Great suggestion.

[Iceman]

We need to decide if we're using the old or new mansion deal. The new one was made to be much more functional as a school, with a cafeteria and dormitories and stuff. In the rp, I don't think we have a cafeteria, but we have dorms. Heres a pic of the new mansion:

www.uncannyxmen.net/db/atlas/showquestion.asp?faq=9&fldAuto=71&page=3

And obviously this is different from the one in the movie. We could use what we know from the movie and create our own layout, so we can fit it to our liking--like having dorm rooms.

[Animaux]

Good call mate, I was totally confused about that too.

Here's what I've been playing: entryway and front hall and stairs as in the movie, and then a living room through one of those doors, and further in the back downstairs there's also a kitchen and large dining room and a den with a TV and stuff.

Then the next level up I was thinking were the dorms, and then the level above that would be offices, and Storm has her office at the top of the mansion. But was someone thinking the offices were underground?

Underground, obviously, we have the Danger Room and Cerebro and stuff. And there's an elevator through the whole mansion.

Am I missing anything important in the movie?


*looks at the picture you linked* We have a STABLEHOUSE? OMG.

[Storm]

By the way, I didn't think the school was that big. I'm thinking - 100 students? Is that too few?

[Nightcrawler]

Honestly, I think that any more than that and we'll have trouble keeping them all in line.

[Storm]

I agree.

You kids! *waves a rifle and hobbles down the hallways with a cane*

[Iceman]

I'm rping the offices being on the first floor. But I'm going to look for movie pics that help out with the layout. I'll make a tentative layout and you guys tell me what you think.

[Iceman]

EXTERIOR

Okay, here's the outer layout I could tell from the picture above the map:



Everything on here is very well thought out, and I could probably argue with any argument one has. I inspected lots of pictures as I made the layout.

Except the round driveway--I made it a circular drive because:
1. I couldn't find anything about the driveway
2. It's not that important anyway and
3. I like fancy schmancy round driveways

I also made the front interior (entryway and stairs) based on what I just saw when I watched X2 again. I'll put that up next.

[Iceman]

***BY THE WAY, let me just say that this is all completely up for discussion. And when we do come to a decision, I'll put together a final map. I don't expect everyone to wade through all my random thoughts and pictures and figure it all out. And just because something's how it is in the movie doesn't mean we can't change it to be to our likings.***

LOWER LEVELS



So, on the level under the hangar, this is the layout as far as I can tell from X2 and X3 pictures:



I dont' think it's important to exactly place each room, as long as we know they're on the same floor.

Like it says on there, is there more than one hallway down there?

[Admin]

The labs are in the cerebro level, as well as a "war room" type thing for the X-men (something to plan out their missions, ect).

I like offices being on the first floor, as well as the classrooms. Upstairs would be the rooms.

Danger room? Perhaps opposite the hanger?

[Nightcrawler]

judging from the first movie, the elevator should be situated somewhere in the middle of the back wall on the first floor.

[Animaux]

I think there probably is more than one hallway underneath; I've been imagining, like, a t-shape for underground, and the suits can be hanging at the cul-de-sac of one side of the cross part. And we definitely need the labs to be down there, like Rogue said.

As far as offices being on the first floor, I guess that makes sense, and I'll change my RPing accordingly; I was imagining Storm's office to be on the top floor but I can just make her private room on the top floor instead. Looks like part of the mansion has three floors above ground so that shouldn't be a problem.

Good-looking maps, Iceman, I particularly like the snarky comments in the corners.

The grounds definitely need room for gardens, too. Uh... I can't think of anything else.

[Iceman]

I found really good clips from X2 of when Stryker's guys are attacking the building--there's tons of running around and I get a good look at a lot of how the building pieces together. It's slow work but it's also kind of fun (cause I'm kind of lame ).

I was wondering where to put offices and classrooms, so I'm glad you specified.

Hopefully I can explain this simply (that's not an insult to your intelligence--it's an insult to my communication skills lol) :
From outside pictures, I can tell that the school is a box in the middle which is five (or four with an attic, up to you) floors high. To the left and right of that box are wings, which are two stories with attics. It makes sense that the second story be: girl's dorms on the right, boy's dorms on the left.
Which leaves us with the first floor and floors 3, 4, and 5 of the box. It makes sense that the den, kitchen, and dining room would be on the first floor; and besides, thats how it is in the films. And those rooms take up most of the left wing. I agree that the classrooms and offices ought to be on the first floor, but I think the classrooms will take up the whole wing. Maybe the offices could go on the third and fourth levels of the box?

[Iceman]

This is a map of the second floor of Xavier's--where the student's rooms are. All students need to reply here and choose a room. You will be added to the list. Thank you!



Also, I was thinking, to solve the classroom and office space problem, why not make a staff member's classroom their office as well. I'm pretty sure Xavier's office was also a classroom, wasn't it?

[Storm]

That's an interesting idea, about offices. I'd think actually that the offices are split up a bit. For instance, Xavier's was where he taught, I think you're right. But there are lecture halls and stuff too (like the scene where Storm is lecturing - there's more of it in deleted scenes in X1), which are too big to be offices.

So maybe Xavier's was on the first floor, and Storm... she might have taken over his room. But some of the other teachers might want to be out of the way of the hustle and bustle, so they could have third/fourth floor classrooms?

Your latest map for the dorms looks great. Stamped ; ). Want to divide it into age groups too?

[Iceman]

Modified the pic and started off the room assignments--Unless you want to make an official announcement somewhere else.

Also, when the entire layout is finished, could we delete this thread and start one that shows the finished layout without the planning? It'd be easier to read.

[Animaux]

Wow, very fancy! Colors 2 and 3 are hard to distinguish between, though.

We should definitely start a new thread once the layout's done, and I can also put room assignments in an editable post there so it won't muck up the image. : )

What's next to plan?

[Nightingale]

Where the X-men sleep - I'm just remembering in the first film how Rogue went into Wolvie's room when he had that nightmare, and Jean's statement that she and Scott were down the hall from Logan's room - seems like everyone sleeps on the same floor.
I'd love to see the location of the secret passages marked in But I'm a secret passage loving dork.

Also, are the rooms shared by the same numbers of people? Or are the younger kids sharing with more people? Should stick X2 in while I type, and check out the scenes where the mansion is invaded again... In fact... *goes to do so*

Couldn't get X1 working in the DVD player yesterday, so I can't make any observations on that film that don't come straight out of my memory banks. Which can get kinda fuzzy.

Speaking of which - in X3, I got the impression that Kitty and Rogue had rooms of their own. Not to mention Colossus, in X2. Maybe the older kids, the ones who were in the Danger Room scene, don't have to share rooms.

I'll clarify once I've rewatched a couple of scenes.

[Nightingale]

Observations from X2:
During the scene with Stryker, Kelly and the President, there's a couple of shots of the mansion that could be useful, including a shot of the grounds (showing where the basketball court is, and some other features) - I'm trying to find stills at the moment, but I might have to take stills myself on the computer.

... Looks like it's two to a room, though it's possible Colossus was actually in a room with four total?!? It's hard to tell, though, because they show people waking up when Siryn screams, and it could just be that because the configuration of the beds is different in different rooms - some of them have beds next to each other on the same wall, and some across the room on opposite walls - and they show two rooms very closely together, it looks like one single room with three or four occupants instead of just two. Either way, seems like everyone is in shared rooms except the X-Men (well, the ones who don't want to share a room, anyway ).

Also:
The locations changed over the films. X1 had the scheool's exterior at Parkwood www.parkwoodestate.com/
On the other hand, the school in both X2 and X3 is Hatley Castle www.hatleycastle.com/ - which is bigger and more impressive

Edited for spelling. Bah!