• Welcome to SC4 Devotion Forum Archives.

The Iron Coast 04/04/2010 Update XV - Censing the Journalist III

Started by mightygoose, December 27, 2009, 06:37:17 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

mightygoose



Hey, well this is a new project from me, but as to what it is, I'm not sure myself. Allow me to explain, earlier on in the year I was really impressed with a city journal by Antimonycat. It was called Endora and is sinking down the archives over at SC4D, regardless it was a really impressive representation of a steampunk environment that I have never seen done before and I don't think had. This really inspired me, although I have had a lot of false starts with cities for public display. Either way I diligently started preparing a region, a story and all that associated gubbins that comes with being part of a city journal. It was at this point I hit a snag.

There just didn't seem to be the right map out there for me that hadn't already been snapped up by other journalists. This probably shouldn't have been an issue but for my ego and pride's sake it was. I took the decision to create my own. Considering I had done no terraforming whatsoever, this seemed an unnecessarily complicated way of doing things but, what the heck aye? It was at this point I procured some squared paper and started sketching out my map.

A few days later I had not one map but three.Each map consisted of a coastline, mountainous areas scribble shaded, large settlements all marked, along with major motorways and rail links. Also marked were rivers that would have to be done with ploppable water. Again something I have virtually never experimented with. Although I had high hopes for the maps, I doubted my own terraforming ability could match up to these somewhat complex design ideas.



This peninsula had all the craggy, hilly coastlines that I wanted to nestle towns in between, while still allowing for some sizeable settlement on its more planar northern flanks. A large river and small islands provided scope for bridging too. I felt this map gave me all the variety a city builder could ever want.



The second map had a more flowing coastline with a much larger river inlet. That would form some approximation to a mudflat delta with a myriad of islands and sandbars to decorate in game. Along the banks I envisaged a huge sprawling coastal metropolis. Further east in the region there are some uplands and a raised lake. A slighty simpler map to create but not as much fun.



This final map, is mountainous for the most part with mountain lakes and streams aplenty. It also boast two large bays, and a river running up what I'd like to imagine as a glacial valley. This map with its high level of ploppable rivers and mountainous terrain intimidated me a lot but on the other hand was a sizeable project to get my teeth into and really learn the techniques.

I really couldn't decide which one I liked most, so well I may have made them into one large region. Ok the three image above are actually the modified versions of the three maps, tailored to piece together in a large jigsaw puzzle, but the thematic elements are largely unchanged. This presents itself as a beautiful section of shoreline, known to me as the The Iron Coast. A combination of virtually every type of terrain possible in a swathe of land encompassing a staggering 6720km2, this presents problems in itself.



It was at this stage in April that I got a new job that took up a lot of my time, and as many before this project got pushed to the back burner. Strangely though the region just wouldn't stop nagging at me, it was something I refused not to finish... so 6 months later I dug out all the files and well started the enormous ball rolling again.And it is the story of me trying to tell this story that presents itself to you. You with me?


EDIT:- It seems that i have to post some form of evidence of results, the cj content guide i the forum says that to merely state ones intention with the first post will alienate potential clients/viewers/knaves so here is a picture from an update somewhere in the future.



Either way i hope this sparks a few interested minds....
NAM + CAM + RAM + SAM, that's how I roll....

Fabian93

Quote from: mightygoose on December 27, 2009, 06:37:17 AM
Either way i hope this sparks a few interested minds....

Oh yes, it definitvely does :)
I'm really looking forward to this :thumbsup:

Fabian

Bobbi

I think this MD will be very interesting! :thumbsup:

2010.8.4 - I get on SC4D with PSP. So cool.:D
2010.8.14 - I can get on the Internet at home.:)

WC_EEND

I must admit I'm curious about what will follow
RIP Adrian (adroman), you were a great friend

My LOT thread                                    

SCAG BAe146/Avro RJ Project

Connor

Excellent start, i am very intrigued.

Looking forward to how this develops.

Battlecat

I like what I see so far!  Looks like you've put a lot of thought into the terrain already.  Endora is an amazing MD, well worth the read!  Looking forward to your next update.

ecoba

Everything's looking good here, MG. Can't wait to see some more work...

Ethan

Tomas Neto

Wow, great plans here, in the your MD!!! Fantastic!!!  :thumbsup:

tooheys

QuoteEDIT:- It seems that i have to post some form of evidence of results, the cj content guide i the forum says that to merely state ones intention with the first post will alienate potential clients/viewers/knaves so here is a picture from an update somewhere in the future.

Well I don't think you had to worry about that, your map sketchs were ample to grab ones interest. I'm sure that plenty of peeps here will be interested in your initial planning and where it leads us.

Good to see an MG MD  ;D

One for everyone to watch with interest :thumbsup:.

Dave

wouanagaine

So the Goose is up again ?

Nice start, looks like there will be some planning  :thumbsup:

New Horizons Productions
Berethor ♦ beskhu3epnm ♦ blade2k5 ♦ dmscopio ♦ dedgren ♦ emilin ♦ Ennedi ♦ Heblem ♦ jplumbley
M4346 ♦ moganite ♦ Papab2000 ♦ Shadow Assassin ♦ Tarkus ♦ wouanagaine
Divide wouanagaine by zero and you will in fact get one...one bad-ass that is - Alek King of SC4

mightygoose



Replies


Fabian93 - Your MD is something I draw inspiration from and your work is superb, thankyou for your support.

Bobbi - Thanks for stopping by.

WC_EEND - Hopefully this helps alieviate your curiosity.

Connor - Thankyou for your support.

Battlecat - Adara is stunning, another inspiration MD, and your recent uploads to the STEX were much appreciated, you may or may not see them later.

Ecoba - Thanks for your kind words, as with all responses, if you want to criticise or provide negative feedback please do, this is a journal about making a journal, so why not help to make it better?

Tomas Neto - Thankyou very much.

Tooheys - Thanks, you know I was looking around and have decided I cannot let the likes of you and Derry and David take all the glory. Now it's my turn.

Wouanagaine - Yup, I'm stepping up to the plate again, abit more nervous now Chuck Norris is watching.

This Update wasn't planned, I just had a few hours to spare this evening, and thought I could elaborate more on my first post.


II:- Why the Story of the Story?



I want to talk to you about why I am doing this city journal, and why unlike my previous failed attempts it may in fact succeed, beyond update number ten. City Journalling is something I have always wanted to be good at, however it is always something I have as yet not been able to find the right formula for.
My first ever CJ attempt was on a large fantasy map called Macedon and was done with primarily vanilla stuff. Unfortunately no pictures still exist from this journal, unless they are buried deep in the ST archive. Following this failure I soon realised that I had a fixation with massive cities, it was just finding a project that I could commit enough focus to allow me to get to that stage.





This is a good example of my early work, I was still heavily maxis based but I was starting to add mod's to my setup. These images were uploaded in October 2006. This is post Macedon, and was my first experiments with no maxis in commercial and residential areas. It was over the next six month's that I got a taste for alternative histories and decided to get away from maxis as much as I physically could.


My next brainwave was to go mad for custom lotting and make an oriental themed city based entirely on my own produce. This incorporated my own sidewalk mod (my first release on the STEX) and was a pipe dream to the extreme. I quickly moved on. I delved into interchange theory and transit manipulation for a while, and also went through a period of 3D modelling. When beta testing for the CAM came round in August 2007 I jumped back on the bandwagon.


This is a shot of the beta, playing with only maxis structures but modified terrain, an idea I also played around with for a while. I went back to the 3D modelling and started teaching myself some of the more intermediate render techniques, for application in Simcity four. And for another long period I had Journalling aspirations.


New NAM came out along with the SAM, and then the GRV project was started by mrbisonm after the demise of Nexis of Genesis, one of the greatest CJ's of all time. I decided to take part, and got to about update 8 before I faltered, I was at university and things just kept coming up, although I honed some of my techniques during my time, and it was the first time I played with ploppable nature items, and the first time I ever attempted to deal with coastlines realistically.


I then had a series of stand alone cities that I didn't journal about but just created eye candy with. This is one such example, back on the no maxis train firmly for good, I was trying to create realistic urban gradients and reduce the steeping of the transition between skyscraper and suburb. This particular picture is from around May 2008. From here on in I felt I was now merely polishing my skills as a Simcity player and that I had mastered most of the basic and intermediate techniques.







Late in 2008 GRV II was launched and I decided to have another go at it. I lasted 5 updates, hah, but to this day that journal attempt still contains some of my best work. My nature work was improving with each passing month, and my appreciation of the subtleties of plugin selection and urban flora was greatly increased. It was at this point that wide radius curves started appearing everywhere.

I wobbled off the scene over Christmas 2008, and reappeared in March with some silly idea about a hand drawn map. Oh and again courtesy of the Journalling code of conduct, another teaser for you. I hope you agree that there is clear progression in my work and that I think there is still room for improvement.


As you were.
[/font][/size]
NAM + CAM + RAM + SAM, that's how I roll....

Connor

That was an interesting read, and some great pictures as well.

Nice teaser too.  :)

Tarkus

Goosemeister, great to see you back in the MDing business here, and an interesting couple of updates here.  I'm curious to see more of how your Iron Coast region came out--I know how much you've been working on it, and it was really quite neat to see the sketches!  It was also interesting to see how your city-building style has changed over the years, and can't wait to see what you've got planned here on that end!

I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this one. :thumbsup:

-Alex

Fabian93

QuoteYour MD is something I draw inspiration from and your work is superb, thankyou for your support.

Thank you very much - I feel quite honored about your words :).
---
Fantastic Update &apls &apls.
It was really interesting to read through this Update and to see how you developed over the years :thumbsup:.

I'm definitively watching this :)
Fabian

TheTeaCat

Hey someone said the Goose had started another MD.
Another one - surely not  $%Grinno$%

But yes it true he has :D  and what an interesting start.  :thumbsup:
I like the story of the story and yes indeed you can see the progress you made using the different mods
and tools for the game &apls

Quote from: Tarkus on December 29, 2009, 01:37:11 AM
It was also interesting to see how your city-building style has changed over the years, and can't wait to see what you've got planned here on that end!
I agree :D

Derry

Kettle's on. Milk? Sugars?    ps I don't like Earl Grey  $%Grinno$%
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - If you're not part of the solution , you're part of the problem!
"Never knock on Death's door: Ring the bell and run away! Death really hates that!"
Tales at TeaTime      Now A proper NUT      TTC plays GRV II

Yan077

How could I miss this new CJ !?
Some pictures are really fantastic, particulary the rural shots ! :thumbsup:


art128

What a surprise, a new Goose's MD !
It was really interesting to read these lines, long, but interesting. I like to see so much experiments of the game's faces, and you've done it really well, nice job.
I agree, the last shot show nicely how you managed to get the best nature shot, and IMHO, you've done it, great work !

Take care,
-Arthur. :thumbsup:
I'll take a quiet life... A handshake of carbon monoxide.

Props & Texture Catalog

sumwonyuno

I love that eye-candy Border Town picture!  The foliage and shoreline are beautiful!


The City & County of Honolulu, a Mayor Diary based on Honolulu, Hawai'i.

mark's memory address - I've created a blog!

ecoba

Coolio, John.

I've always admired your works in different competitions, and found your experimenting very fascinating. I hope to see some more work from you soon, and all of your pictures are going to keep me staring for a while.

Ethan

BuildingUp

It's cool to see the drawings and then the in game pictures. I love the downtown shot. Awesome!  &apls