The Bus DLC – London South: DevDiary #1 – Marble Arch

The Bus DLC – London South: Developer Diary #1 – Marble Arch

With our Developer Diary, we will be following the development of The Bus DLC – London South. At irregular intervals, we will show you the latest progress on the map.

We will also introduce selected locations and landmarks along the planned bus routes.

We begin with one of London's best-known landmarks: Marble Arch.

The monumental triumphal arch was designed in 1827 by British architect John Nash. It was originally intended as a prestigious entrance to the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.

At the time, King George IV commissioned the extensive expansion of the existing Buckingham House, transforming it into a royal palace.

Marble Arch was inspired by classical triumphal arches and clad in white marble. Its original location was on the eastern side of Buckingham Palace, where it formed the ceremonial entrance to the forecourt of the royal residence.

However, Buckingham Palace underwent further alterations and extensions over the following decades. Among these changes was the construction of a new east wing, which enclosed the previously open forecourt. As a result, Marble Arch lost its original position in front of the palace.

In 1851, the structure was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt at its present location at Cumberland Gate. There, it formed a prestigious entrance to Hyde Park. Today, Marble Arch stands at the western end of Oxford Street and remains one of the distinctive landmarks of the British capital.

You will also encounter Marble Arch regularly in The Bus DLC – London South.

Several of the planned bus routes pass this famous landmark.
These include routes 2, 148 and N2.

Our latest images provide a first look at the creation of the landmark.

The first images show Marble Arch in the 3D editor. At this early stage of development, the textures that will be added later are still missing.

Further images show the model already placed at its intended location within the London map. Although development is still ongoing, the intended level of detail is already clearly visible.

Numerous elements of the real landmark have been recreated. These include the surrounds, stepped architectural details and decorative features of the façade, as well as the various sculptures found on the structure. Many of these details can already be seen in the still untextured 3D model.

Of course, all images show a work-in-progress version. Details and visuals may therefore change before the DLC is released.

With the Developer Diary for The Bus DLC – London South, we will continue to give you insights into the development of the map. We will introduce more landmarks, locations and distinctive features along the routes. We will also take a closer look at some of the specific development work required for the London DLC.