Talk:Returning Home/@comment-27114708-20170817003813/@comment-16533050-20170817052454

'''WARNING: This reply is massive, even for me. Read only if you have a good 10-20 minutes to waste on my ramblings. Also, it should be noted that the following is merely my opinion, nothing more.'''

I'm sorry, but what? You're bringing up a concern about unrealistic construction ability on a grand scale within the dynamics of a Dishonored game and you chose the harbor built over a fifteen year period in the Tower District as your point of contention?

-slowly shows an evil grin, then pops neck and cracks knuckles-

Oh ho ho... this is gonna be fun...

Anyway, concerning the Logistics of it all, I truly don't see why the construction of this new dock could not happen, especially given the rather ridiculous amount of massive construction and reconstruction efforts, as well as the existence of certain Technological Terrors we are forced to swallow during the series.

For a real-world example of grand-scale construction, Tower Bridge of London was built between 1886 and 1894. That's just 8 years. As the Thames River is easily comparable to the Wrenhaven, it stands to reason that if such an expansion in London like that could be made in half the time, then the dock area could also be added in fictional Dunwall. Now, it is true that the time period of Tower Bridge's construction is a full 35 to 50 years ahead of the same time period of Dishonored. However, given whale oil, the fact that magic exists, and various Sokolov tech just about everywhere, I think the level of technology would be in Dishonored's favor.

Not only that, there would be no shortage of workers, as Laborers were eager at the time of the Lord Regent to find any work. There were also massive amounts of Dead Counters and City Watch who would not be needed once the Rat Plague was under control. Given that Dunwall's economy is obviously Naval based, there would be no shortage of ships, dock workers and the like to aid in this construction.

As can be seen in the first picture, the remains of columns (or piers) from a previous bridge are already in place. It would not be hard to imagine a cofferdam being built using them as a support basis. With the multitudes of metal plates on buildings and streets seen during various missions of the first game, a quick series of temporary sheet piles could be placed along those stone columns and the area shut off from the river. Reconstruction could then begin.

The buildings that were removed may be old, or emptied due to the plague. Once those were gone, the main task would be lowering the abutment from a fifty foot floodwall to a lower level used as quick river access. The plague being gone, and the blockades of the other Isles removed, I see Dunwall as having grown rather quickly into a trade epicenter once again during the interim between D1 and D2. Once the dock and new, much lowered abutment were complete, the sheet piles could be removed and the river would allow access. The newer map even shows the expansion of the Rail Car tracks, so having new docks built along the river, especially one that close to Dunwall Tower and the elite of the city, would be an enviable destination.

Apartments would also probably be smaller in this newly reconstructed dock area, as seen by the size of Dr. Galvani's new residence in Dishonored 2 compared to his previous dwelling in Dishonored 1. Obviously there may have been additional living space of his not visited in the second game, but it did seem as if the good doctor downsized for a better location.

In Conclusion: The entire reconstruction project of the dock-area is highly feasible given the area's location (by the river) and the timespan (fifteen years).

Comparatively, if you wish to see some rather ridiculous head-scratching instances of unbelievable construction within the franchise, then I offer the following:
 * The additions to Dunwall Tower: after Hiram Burrows takes over as the newly-minted Lord Regent, he adds heavy metal plates to the outside of the upper half of the massive building. Not only that but he has an entire new wing, including a safe-room/tower built as well as installing previously unseen high-level technology such as real-time viewing monitors. He manages this not-so-small feat in a mere six to eight months after Jessamine's death.
 * Wherever the giant leviathan skeleton was stored at the Boyle Mansion: I'm not really a fan of The Corroded Man novel, but that aside, there is some large underground vault constructed beneath Boyle Mansion housing a huge skeleton of a leviathan. The details of how this was done, including how they managed to get all the huge ribs, parts of the skull, etc. down there, may indeed be better explained than what I can recall from the novel, but still this heretofore unknown location on the already MASSIVE Boyle grounds (or beneath it apparently) seems rather ludicrous.
 * The Lighthouse on Kingsparrow Island: According to this note, it seems to suggest that while the fort and dock areas (or at least older versions of them) were already present on the island, the Lighthouse itself was only built after Hiram took over as Lord Regent. I'm sorry, but what? That HUGE ENGINEERING MARVEL was constructed somehow in a mere 6 to 8 months? HOW? We can't even do something on that scale that quickly with today's technology. It would be one thing if it were just a skeletal framework, but the towering edifice seemed mostly finished, having beautiful dining areas, grand winding staircases, libraries, and of course golden statues of the Lord Regent placed on pedestals within. Yeah, no...

And of course, finally, my all-time fave construction site within the franchise to complain about, this little thing here:
 * The Friggin' Clockwork Mansion of Dishonored 2: Despite the awesome level design, logically and logistically there is NO WAY something that massive in such a remote area could be constructed and work as flawlessly as it does, from the movement of all of its pieces to how does nothing shatter whenever you throw a switch (dishes, glassware, etc). NO, JUST NO. I have debated (read: argued) the existence of this thing for over a year+ now and I'm certain those who frequent this site are tired of my rhetoric regarding it. You can read some of my rants and tirades regarding this in the Comments sections on the Clockwork Mansion page, The Clockwork Mansion page, Kirin Jindosh's page and probably another half-dozen other articles as well as various blogs and other locations. The Clockwork Mansion is just that ridiculous of a thing in my opinion.

Anyway, this reply is waaaaaaaaaaaaay TL/DR, so I think I'll stop here. ;) As I mentioned all the way up that at the beginning of this mess, the entirety of my reply is merely my opinion, nothing more.