How I decided on a tram for my 3d model
I already have ideas for what the different cities (levels) in my game will look like and the themes around them. Therefore I wanted to make something that would fit into one of them.
One of the cities will be modeled after 1920's America. Mainly New York but it will also draw inspiration from New Orleans and San Fransisco. As the game is a fantasy / sci-fi set in the future, and this city is just borrowing architecture, themes and colour schemes from that era, it doesn't have to be accurate to the time and it is ok to have a mixture of the different cities and have modernisations in there as well.
As the model is going to be a 8000 poly model and it needs to be a key part of that level (not something that would be part of a standard mod pack) I had a think about what would be important in my levels and fit aesthetically. A mode of transport within a level would be one of the key features of that level. The tram system in San Fransisco is one of the defining features of the city and both San Fransisco and New York had an extensive tram network during the 1920s so it would fit well with the city in the game - and it is also complicated enough for it to hit the poly requirement.