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The Republic of Tianech

Started by DFire870, April 10, 2007, 02:18:42 PM

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DFire870

Hello everyone, and welcome to my newest CJ/MD, the Republic of Tianech. I decided that I would do my CJ both on ST and here, so the content both here and on ST will be the same, although I'll try my best to get both on the same page of updates./MD

Now, this MD will mostly be a plot-driven one; however, it will not be a "conventional" plot-driven one where there is a massive overall plot. There are going to be several smaller plots where we delve into the lives of families, from a rural family on a farm to a typical suburban home. These first few updates will be showing the history of the region, and then we can get into the good stuff.

I use quite a few mods, and since I don't want to bore you with a list, the main ones I'm using are the NAM and cycledogg's wonderful Meadowshire Terrain Mod and Tree Controller. Of course, if you see something in one of the images that looks like a mod or a BAT you might want to download, feel free to ask.

Also, I'm using a map of the Buffalo, NY area from the STEX (although Tianech is a fictional place), and I do use the SC4 Extra Cheats.dll, mainly because I'm not trying to "beat" the simulator, I'm going for realism.

And with that done, onto update 1!



In 1886, a group of settlers left their old country, which had been ravaged by years of war, poverty, and disease. These settlers had no idea when or where they would land, they just knew that they needed to leave their old lives behind. After months and months of sailing, they finally found a lush new land, ripe for settling.



They decided to land and create their first settlement just west of where a river emptied out into a large bay. The river would later be named the Itorona River, and the bay named Cooper's Bay, after the explorer who found this new land.



This new settlement was named Sutter's Landing, after Captain James Sutter, the man who led the settlers across the sea. The settlers wasted no time in colonizing this land, and this is what Sutter's Landing looked like after 10 years:





As you can see, a downtown at the intersection of Main Street and Sutter's Avenue has appeared, as well as a city hall. While small, it's the perfect size for this settlement.

This shot shows the farms near the settlement. Agriculture is the backbone of this early economy, with ships leaving the small port regularly, filled with grain and other products. The trucks also use that two-lane road to ship things outside the region by road, although rarely (I'll explain why later).



Within 60 years, the city had grown even more, to about 50,000 people. By this time, the city had outgrown the city hall so a new one was built just across Main Street. Citizens were so happy, because now not only was there a large park (around the historic city hall), but a square around the new city hall for various events. They didn't even mind that some existing buildings had to be torn down!



Around this same time, the people spread out and established settlements elsewhere in the region. The biggest of these is Farmer's Branch, and it's also the most eastern settlement at this time.



There was one problem, however: The two-lane road connecting these towns to each other was not laid down well, and had so many potholes. Luckily, someone by the name of David Armado came along to combat this. He was an enterprising young businessman, and he established Armado Railways, the first railroad in the region. It connected all of the towns together, and it was a hit. In the upper right-hand corner, you can see a car accident that was the result of someone speeding to try and catch their train.



This new railroad led to a spike in population, to about 75,000. During this spike, the first university of the area was founded, just west of Sutter's Landing. It was simply called Sutter College (later the University of Tianech), and while small at the time, it served the needs of the growing region. A small rail station was also established next to the university, as Armado knew that many students could not afford cars and thus would use the train.



Then, several mayors from the various towns in the region met at the college, and knew that they needed a higher government. This new government would not only protect the area from foreign interests, but would establish a higher order between the towns, as well as improve the quality of life. So, they debated on what kind of government it should be, and decided on a republic. They also worked out the details, and then wrote a constitution. At this time, all of the settlers lived within the city limits of the towns, and it was decided each town would have its own representative in Parliament.

After all that, they began building the Tianech Great Hall, where Parliament would convene. People were a bit skeptical, because the hall was awfully large for such a small republic, but it was designed with future expansion in mind. Plus, since there was so much room the executive offices could be moved in there too. In order to minimize the amount of demolition, they chose a spot along the waterfront, at the intersections of Main Street and Fielder Road.



The new Republic of Tianech had many ideas at the start, most of which they deployed right away. The first was to rename Sutter's Landing as Lyster (after the first mayor), and make the original landing spot a historic landmark. To this day, one of the five original ships that made the voyage to Tianech serves as a floating museum.

The second idea that was immediately deployed was the construction of a trans-republic road. See, the new government did not want Armado to have a sort of monopoly on transit between the towns, since almost no one drove on the shabby and windy two-lane road. So, they constructed a new four-lane road that was a bit straighter than the old one. This one was also very well maintained. And as you can see, it runs parallel to the railroad in many areas.



All this new construction propelled Armado Railways even further, so Armado constructed a new grand station in Lyster to ease the overcrowding.

After a long absence, I'm back! And I will be starting a new MD soon.

Tarkus

DFire870, this is a nice start.  That Buffalo map you're using looks like it has a lot of variety, and you've managed to make it quite verdant.  And you've gone into quite a bit of detail on the transit networks, so this will be one I'll follow.  Sounds like you have an interesting plan for this MD and I'm looking forward to seeing where you go with it.

-Alex


threestooges

A good variety for the map's topography. That should allow a nice variety of city/rural features. Combine that with the sense of detail and realism in your pics have, as well as the tasteful photo editing, and you have what is shaping up to be a very nice MD. Good work.

thundercrack83

Great start, DFire870! I love the feel of Tianech, especially how you put the names of the streets on the pictures. Youur farms look fantastic, too! I can't wait to see how things unfold further.

Pat


&apls
DFire great job here i love the texture of the map and it is sooooo green.  I look forward to the next update - pat

Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie

DFire870

Replies

Tarkus: Thank you.

threestooges: Thanks, and I'm glad I found this map, because it took me forever to find a decent map that was big enough for my plans, had a nice variety of terrain features, had some coastal areas, but wasn't too big that it would kill my computer.

thundercrack83: Thank you so much.

patfirefghtr: Yep, I love cycledogg's Meadowshire Terrain mod, it was perfect for what I needed.

Now, time for update 2!



Remember in my last update how the federal government made Sutter's Landing (the actual landing) a historic landmark and thus closed the small port there? Well, they knew that the nation needed a new and relatively big port, so before they closed it they started construction on one. The spot they picked out was southeast of Lyster, and south of Riley Creek. While it was in the middle of nowhere at the time, the government felt that sprawl would eventually reach it. So, they started construction on the port, and soon it was done.



The port quickly brought in all sorts of industry. The biggest export by far is general cargo. It takes up much of the shoreline of the port, including this middle section.



However, the port specializes in pretty much any type of product being exported or imported. One of the bigger imports are cars for the populace to drive around in.



Grain is a huge export, because of all the farming. The Port Authority is considering adding more bays to export grain.



The biggest import, by far, is petroleum and natural gas. Again, the Port Authority is considering adding more berths for the tankers. However, if they do they will have to be offshore, in order to keep the port safe.



Because of the imported oil, some refineries were built at the port. Tianech Oil operates the largest refinery in the port. Also in this image, you can see the port's control tower, which manages all the ship traffic.



Freight trucks leaving or entering the port have to stop at a security checkpoint. The rail lines don't have the check point because that freight is checked at the rail warehouse and in the railyard. The Port Authority is considering appealing to the federal government to make Industrial Boulevard (the four-lane road) a highway, with a larger checkpoint area. Traffic is horrendous here during rush hour, because of all the people either going into or leaving the port for work along with the freight trucks.



Now, this port brought in a huge amount of business, and to-date brought the biggest spike in population in the republic's history. The federal government was prepared for this, however. They expanded the trans-republic road into a highway; appropriately named Highway 1 (citizens call it the Trans-Republic Highway). They gave extra funding to the city of Lyster to make the highway elevated within the downtown area of the city.



Lyster was grateful for this, because the extra money they had meant they could improve transit within the city. They established the Lyster Transportation Authority (LTA), and in turn they established the Lyster Area Metro (LAM).

LAM is a combination subway and elevated train network. The general rule of thumb is that the network is subway south of Highway 1 and el-train north of it (this is only within the downtown area). The first line to be built was the Old Town Line, which runs through the Old Town portion of Lyster. After the first line was done, the rest of the system was constructed quickly.



We can't forget about the University of Tianech though. It has recently opened up two new lecture halls just east of the original campus. The new halls are done in an ultra-modern style that has a sharp contrast with the Gothic style of the original campus. Twin residence halls were also built, as the university wants international students to attend the university, and they don't only want to be a commuter school.



Those parking lots you see will soon be replaced by either parking garages or more residence halls. The university needs to have a lot of parking because it is still primarily a commuter school.

Here is the west side of the university. You can see the soccer stadium, more parking, and the medical center. The university is exploring the possibility of adding in a baseball diamond.



The strip mall and the Starbucks look out of place in the downtown area, but they are extremely busy. In those last two images, you can also see two subway stops, which are on the University Line.

With the completion of that port, Armado Railways has been raking in a big profit. A second set of train tracks was extended from the station to outside the city to help the rail traffic. However, the city is considering forcing the company to make its rail lines sunken in the city, because the rail traffic makes traffic a nightmare during rush hour.



The Old Town district of town has also seen change. A new city hall was built to replace the old one, which was overcrowded. Some citizens were angry that the plaza around the old city hall was demolished, so to compensate a new square was built on Sutter Avenue, called Founder's Square, to honor the founders of the city.





The new city hall and courthouse were built in a colonial style, which took the city back to its roots. The style also fits the district.

Because of the tremendous growth the republic has gone through, Parliament needed all the space in the Great Hall, so a building to house the executive offices was built across the street on Fielder Road.

After a long absence, I'm back! And I will be starting a new MD soon.

Thornton

Very nice MD you have here DFire, I'll be watching it to see what becomes of the rest of the region.

Heinz

wow!!! a start and an update in two days! $%Grinno$% should we expect DAILY updates??  :P &apls lovely start to a region, my friend. lush history and story  :thumbsup: and with the update, the port is amazing! you gave me ideas for my own port. thank you! and the development, interesting and intriguing. keep it up my friend. 

M4346

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thundercrack83

Another great update, my friend! Your port looks fantastic, and I love the university in your downtown area. Keep up the good work!

Pat

#10
Wow super awsome update DFire im totaly impressed here, keep up that hard work and we
will see you next update - pat

BTW where do you find cycledogg's Meadowshire Terrain mod i've tried to find it and i cant.

Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie

DFire870

Replies

Thornton: Thank you so much.

Heinz: Hehe, nah, I just did that because I want to have the MD here to be caught up with the CJ at Simtropolis. And thank you!

M346: Thanks!

thundercrack83: Thank you.

patfirefghtr: Thanks, and you can find the Meadowshire Terrain Mod (along with both Meadowshire tree mods) on the LEX. Search for c.p. in the creator search box, and go to page 3. The three mods should be on the first row.



Laura Petty's alarm went off at 6 am sharp. She slammed the off button on the alarm and almost went back to sleep, when she realized she had a lot to do today and had to get started soon. She reluctantly got up and started getting ready for her day ahead.

Laura, a junior at the University of Tianech at Cooperstown, has a very busy day. She was first going to do her morning jog around the city, and then she has to go to the university. Even though it's a Saturday, she needed to get this paper done, and get some ideas for her art project. After that she had a few errands to run.

After she got dressed, Laura began her morning jog. She left her condo and went down one of the many winding roads in the hilly city.



She's lived in Cooperstown all 21 years of her life, but she wouldn't have it any other way. And in the past 12 years, the city had changed drastically. When she was 10 the federal government announced the construction of a second highway, a sort of bypass so that those people who were traveling across the nation didn't have to sit in the gridlock on Highway 1 in Lyster. This bypass also formed a loop, and as fate would have it the freeway went through Cooperstown.



This new freeway meant that people now had a fast way of going from Lyster to Cooperstown, or vice versa, so the city exploded with new growth. Mid-rise residential and commercial development gobbled up the land downtown.



At the same time, suburban sprawl was beginning to take shape around it.



This growth had several side effects, however. The construction made the hillsides unstable, so walls were put up to stabilize them. But, the walls weren't supposed to look ugly. The city council wanted to put down a layer of concrete, then bricks or natural stone over it, so it wouldn't look so industrialized. However, they were more concerned with getting big business so it was ignored.



As Laura jogged down one of the many streets she saw two cars pulled over, and both were damaged from an accident. She also saw that one of the cars' license plates were from Lyster. She muttered something to herself as she passed by them. The windy roads were another side effect; the city was not designed for large numbers of cars in the roadways, which is why there are so many windy, two-way roads. She was mad at the tourist, however, because they're advised to stay one the main roads, and there wasn't anything of interest in this part of town.



After about 30 minutes she returned to her condo and got ready. Before she would spend about an hour in the city, as she would go downtown and look in the windows of all the shops. However, big businesses pushed those shops out of business, and there are no historic buildings left.



After she was done getting ready, Laura went down to her car and drove to the university. The only road that went directly to it was Lakeside Drive, and she loved it. While commercial development took up one side, the other side was a gorgeous view of the waters of Lake Arlington. It was, however, a winding road, and she had to go slow to avoid any accidents.



Finally she arrived at the university. She parked near the library, and went inside, enjoying the breeze. The university was founded about 25 years after the main campus in Lyster, and is the second oldest university in the system. Because of this, the campus buildings resemble the original ones in Lyster.



Another interesting thing about UT Cooperstown is that the campus is larger than the main campus, but there is more greenspace. When the bypass was built, the university bought land cheap downtown and built residence halls. This may sound bizarre, but it works out quite well. A university shuttle and the city bus go between the university and the halls most of the day.



A few hours later, Laura was done with her paper, but still didn't have an idea for her art project. However, she had to go, so she got back in her car and drove back. She didn't go back to her condo; instead she parked in a parking garage and walked a short distance to the Davis Street Power Plant. A bunch of protestors were already walking around the plant, so she quickly joined in.



The power plant is a coal plant that has been operating in the city for well over 30 years. However, lately the environmentalists have been protesting the plant, because it has been spewing air pollution and water pollution. The city council had already mandated that it had to run below maximum capacity, but the environmentalists want it shut down completely. Even though Laura wasn't an environmentalist, she agreed completely with them. The plant is a relic of the industrial days, and should be shut down to make the city a better place.

She was surprised when she saw Sally, one of her friends, at the protest.

"Sally? What are you doing here?" Laura asked.

"I'm here doing the same thing you're doing, protesting!"

"Wow, I didn't know you wanted the coal plant shut down too. Of course, I think everyone wants that! Say, you want to go get dinner once this is over?"

"Sure, I'll meet you at the pizza place across from Lakeside Park."

They said goodbye once the protest ended at 5 pm, and they met up at the pizzeria. They then went across the street to Lakeside Park.

"Hey, Sally, I have an art project I need to do, but I have no clue what to do it on. Any ideas?" Laura asked as they sat on a bench, looking out at the lake.

"How about using the coal plant? You could do something like where it's shut down, then with a bunch of plants running through it, and a sunset in the background?"

Laura really liked that idea. "Ooh, that's a great one! Thanks, I think I'll use that... Oh, it's getting late, I better go. See you in class!"



Pleased, she got back in her car and drove back to her condo. At 10 pm the news came on, and as she watched it she was stunned. On the eastern side of the city, a mall was planned to be built, along with a master-planned community.



She knew that it was a sign of the times, and in the next 10-20 years, suburban sprawl would continue, and Lyster and Cooperstown would be connected, with no transitioning between them.

Meanwhile, the city council was in a late-night meeting, discussing the energy needs of the city, and a CEO was being driven to Cooperstown from Lyster to take part in an event the next day...

Here's a shot of the downtown area:



And here's a close-up at night:

After a long absence, I'm back! And I will be starting a new MD soon.

thundercrack83

Beautiful update, my friend! I love the way you toured the city with the girl jogging in the morning. Very creative! Your city looks fantastic! I love the suburban sprawl around the university, and the university itself looks great, too! Keep up the good work!

DFire870

thundercrack83: Thanks.

Alright, this update was going to be long, so I'm breaking it up into two different ones (that's partially why a lot of the images here aren't really areas of new development). And I know I haven't showed a region picture yet of all the development, but that's because the region view right now looks very disjointed.



Timothy Walters woke up from a short nap he was taking on a plane. He was flying back to Tianech after a long overseas trip for a story he was covering. Tim was a reporter for TNN, and he was glad to be back in Tianech. As his plane touched down on one of the runways at Lyster International Airport, he thought about his next story assignment.



He soon was able to get off the plane, and as he walked from the gate to the baggage claim he was a bit mad that he had to go straight to the hotel where he would be staying to cover the story. He wanted to go back to his apartment and at least get back into the swing of things, but that was the life of a reporter.



Instead of calling a cab, Tim took the Airport Line, the newest addition to the LAM. The whole line is not brand new, however; most of it existed as the Far West Loop, until 8 years ago when the city decided to build an extension of the line to the airport, and they renamed it the Airport Line. Tim decided to take the Airport Line to the West Lyster Train Station because he was going to Cooperstown instead of Lyster.





After two hours, Tim arrived in Cooperstown. He caught a cab at the Cooperstown Train Station, which took him to the Doubletree Hotel downtown.





There he freshened up and got ready, as he was supposed to be at the Cooperstown Convention Center in an hour or so to do a report on the last-minute preparations. He left about an hour later. Luckily the convention center was just down the street, because many of the streets downtown were already closed off for the days ahead.



It was finally time for his report, which he started at the cue.

"Good evening everyone, I'm Nancy Cuoro, and this is TNN. Our first story tonight takes us to Cooperstown, where preparations are still underway for the Tianech Bicentennial Celebration. Timothy Walters is reporting to us from there. Timothy?"

"Yes Nancy, hello. As you can see behind me, the Cooperstown Convention Center is still very busy at this hour, as last-minute preparations for tomorrow are finished. Now, let me give you some background on the celebration. The Tianech Bicentennial Celebration is a 3-day event, being held here in Cooperstown. Now, normally these types of events would be held in Lyster, the capital, but the planning committee decided to hold it in Cooperstown. This was due in part to the event falling on a weekend, and a convention being held at the center in Lyster, not to mention many of the hotels are booked."

"Tomorrow, the celebration will start with a parade. It will begin at the Center Street Overpass at Loop 110, and then will continue north on Center Street until it reaches Lakeside Drive. Then, the procession will turn right on Lakeside and follow it until it ends at the University of Tianech at Cooperstown. Shortly thereafter, President Darren Jacobs will speak at the stadium at the university. The rest of the day will be filled with various activities here at the convention center as well as the university and Lakeside Park."


(Above image is a link, click to get full size)

"Now, I have just received word on an unrelated but important story. The Cooperstown City Council has announced that to help relieve the energy demands of the city, they will be buying power from the West Lyster Nuclear Power Plant, starting next month. They will then close and decommission the Davis Street Power Plant, which is to my right."





"The council had the best interests of the city in mind, and said that having the coal power plant be closed down will help improve air quality in the city and attract more businesses, not to mention after the plant is torn down, the vacant lot could be used to build more businesses."

"Reporting live from the Cooperstown Convention Center, Timothy Walters, TNN."

After he finished reporting, Tim left the convention center and got a bite to eat at Chili's, then he went back to his hotel room to sleep. He had to wake up early tomorrow to work on the story some more.

After a long absence, I'm back! And I will be starting a new MD soon.

DFire870

No replies? &mmm Oh well, on to update 5! (And now this MD will be in line with the CJ at ST.)



It had been a long 3 days, but the Tianech Bicentennial Celebration had come to a close, and Tim was glad. He had been so busy the weekend, from interviewing people to doing voiceovers to doing live reports for the TNN coverage of the event. Of course, he still had time to do what he wanted, but he wished he had more time.

One of his favorite events in the celebration was the exhibit at the Cooperstown Art Museum. The museum had some empty space, which they donated towards the celebration. The exhibit showcased art whose subject was the nation itself.



The end of the celebration was marked with a brilliant fireworks display off the coast of the city. Tim was lucky, because even though he wasn't down on Lakeside Drive to see it, he didn't need to be because his room in the hotel looked out towards the sea, and offered a magnificent view of the fireworks.

The next day, Tim packed up his belongings for the drive back. They were driving back in the news van, which he liked a lot because he hadn't been out here in a while, and wanted to see all the new growth. Finally, Tim and the news crew checked out and headed up Center Street, and turned left on Loop 110. Apparently it was quicker to take Loop 110 to Route 350 than to go around the long way through West Lyster. This got him excited even more because he had never been this way.



He was amazed at all of the suburban sprawl. Sure, he had seen it plenty of times, but it had been 5 years since he was last in the Cooperstown area.

As the van crossed the bridge over the Itonora River, they were out of the Cooperstown city limits and were now in the town of Brady. There was some more suburban sprawl, although it wasn't as concentrated. The highway also went down from six to four lanes, and Time could see some small industrial parks to the south.





They took the Route 350 exit and went over a branch of the Itonora River, and he immediately noticed a change in scenery. The four-lane road was surrounded by tall trees and had old-fashioned lights along both sides. He looked through the trees and thought he saw some rather large mansions.



As they traveled further south on Route 350, Tim realized that they had left Brady and were now in Victoria Island, a town that was made up of nothing but multi-million simoleon mansions. Many of the CEOs, politicians, and other wealthy business owners in Lyster made Victoria Island their homes.



He didn't know much about the history of the island, but knew that it was a town separate from Lyster, and was made a town so Lyster could not annex the island. Because of this, they have resisted any sort of growth. There are no mass transit stops on the island, and there were strict regulations on what kind of homes and business could be built here. In fact, most of the employees for the few businesses on the island come from Lyster.



Once they crossed the second Route 350 Bridge over the Itonora, traffic started getting heavy. After 30 minutes the van finally dropped Tim off at his apartment, and went towards the news studio. He had to be at the studio today, but he wanted to drop off his luggage, check to make sure everything was alright, and freshen up.



While his apartment was in West Lyster, the poorest part of the city, it was better than some in the area. He didn't care that much, however, because it was in a safe area and he was close to many things, including a LAM station, which meant getting around the city was so much easier, especially since the lack of highways backed up cars downtown.



After Tim freshened up, he took the LAM to the TNN Headquarters, where he was supposed to finish up his report and get a new assignment. He hoped the assignment was somewhere in Lyster because he was tired of traveling around.



He spent about an hour at the studio, getting all the information he needed, and then he left with a grin. His assignment was in fact in Lyster, more specifically in the northern and western areas of the city. Satisfied, he left the office and decided to get a bite to eat at one of the many small sub shops in the city. He got it to go and went to the city park on the north side, and ate his sandwich.



When he was finished, he left the park and went back to his apartment, to get a good night's sleep. He needed to be up early tomorrow to go cover the groundbreaking for the city's new project.

Mosaic time!






After a long absence, I'm back! And I will be starting a new MD soon.

thundercrack83

Hey, sorry I missed an update, there, my friend! Your airport looks fantastic up there in Update 4, and Update 5 is just as great! The Park in Image 5.11 is beautiful! Keep up the good work!

guurgkud

wow, those are some tremendous updates. i like your airport, and those rich neighborhoods are just too beautiful  :thumbsup:
]http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=7083.0]

Come discover its mysteries...
Tristania // Revisited

BigSlark

You update faster than any MD'er I've ever seen! I like the story and quick development. Is there any chance of a Region Census shot?

Cheers,
Kevin

Thornton

#18
Excellent updates! Missed a few, the quality of the content is great, I love how your characters fit into the story and flavor of the region :thumbsup:

Pat


Dfire awsome last 2 updates im sorry that i missed update 4. 
Excelent work and we will see u next update - pat

Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie