I'm sorry if I said bland, that's not the exact message I'm trying to convey.
Here's a statement that better describes my view of this build:
(If you aren't Sleven and you don't feel like reading all of this, then skip down to the section titled "Concerning everyone else")
The style and flow
It's not terribly complex, but that is not a bad thing in itself. The thing that gets me is that the tower look very awkward. There isn't a definite 'flow'. The lack of complexity coupled with this is a problem, because there is nothing to draw the eye away from the tower except generic terrain. I love the grey stone part of the structure, for its clean lines and simple design. It looks much more impressive than it should, given the amount of effort (that is a compliment, don't take the previous sentence the wrong way). However, the part on top is a confusing jumble of brown, beige and dark blue. It makes a mess of brown on the beige. The colors alone of brown and beige already somewhat conflict with the grey (yes there is such a thing as too many neutral colors). Then cap it with a roof of dark blue (which does go with the grey), but have it's slope change? This messes with the viewer's interpretation of the style of the build. Immediately the style that comes to mind is Pacific Asian inspired (Japanese dojo-esque). However, from the bottom up, the build has been reinforcing simplified feudal medieval. In the middle of the build (brown and beige), you would seem to think that it is medieval peasant's dwelling, and a sloppy one at that. All three distinctive styles conflict in a way not pleasing to the eye. One last consistency of style is the two different types of terrain. Let me start by saying that it is a minor problem. Obviously, the terrain right next to the tower is based on 1x1 plates, and the terrain outside of that is based on 4x4 cubes. This isn't that big of a deal, cubes are wonderful for terrain if you don't have the patience to build an entire landscape out of ultra-detailed terrain. This is not one of the factors that contributed to the overall mismatch of style in this build, I just thought I would mention it.
The shape
Now, on to the shape of the build. As I stated before, the build has clean lines from the bottom to the midsection. It tapers out slightly, about a stud or so. This part is perfect, there is something innately 'right' about this piece. It guides the eye along it's length, and the ratios are perfect. By ratios, I mean the amount of length (height) along the tower where the width of it is constant and where the width increases. The latter has occurence only in the top third or so of the height, where those 72 degree bricks push out slightly. This part is very well done indeed. Moving on to the middle, we encounter some problems. The height of this section is too low. The innate pattern established by the grey section is not followed. I would expect this section to be at least twice it's current height. Otherwise, it appears that the tower grows in width much too quickly. Aside from the confusion of the colors, this section has a nice enough shape on the length and width dimensions, with small one-stud alcove features. Now the section that in my opinion has the most detrimental shape of all, the roof. As I stated previously, it confuses the style. But in relation to the innate ratio discussed in this paragraph, the one in regard to dimension, it is even more conflicting. The viewer would expect to see a roof with a uniform 45 degree incline or higher, because this same ratio would call for a height that is at least the width or length. Using both 45 and 25 degree bricks makes the roof look like it was pressed down from it's full height and crumpled. The small flange on top of the roof also changes the slope of the roof. This small addition can add a positive feeling to the build, but only if everything underneath it flows together.
In closing
I believe that you decided to make a simple build, but ended up making it look much more complicated. This may be simply because of your nature. However, if that were so, I would recommend not making simple builds. Your finished product may look much better if it were more complicated. In my opinion, you should destroy everything above the grey section and start again, with my comments in mind. If you are confused about anything I said, or want to clarify something, go right ahead.
The reason I didn't say all this before is because I didn't feel like typing out this whole mess. But now I have. There is a small chance you will agree with me on everything I said in my above paragraphs. But you should be able to see that most of what I am saying is correct, and not that hard to fix. Please don't reply and tell me how I'm completely incorrect on the way colors compliment each other, or just how roofs with changing inclines are better than those without. In fact, I will completely ignore all comments made about this post, unless they are legitimate questions posed directly to me.
I carefully thought out every word I said above. I did not use any inflammatory language whatsoever, so there is no reason for you to use any to address me in such a manner if you have an inclination to do so. With this post, I do not mean to start an argument with you or anyone else. If your views contradict mine, then so be it, they are your views. You could read this whole giant wall of text and not have your opinion changed in the slightest. That is fine.
Concerning everyone else
Your views may also differ from mine. That is fine also. Don't call me out on a single issue because you want to act like you know what you are talking about. The majority of this post was directed at Sleven, in an attempt to give him some constructive criticism. If you have your heart set on addressing something in this post, then there are two things you should know: 1) Don't expect me to respond, and 2) Don't try to ask about something if you haven't read the whole thing. I tried to answer all of the questions I might have raised by the end of this page.
TL;DR There is no tl;dr, if you are too lazy to read you wouldn't care what I have to say anyway
