SC4 Devotion Forum Archives

Hello and welcome to Murdock Valley. Firstly I want to offer a warm welcome to any of my old "Shaping Invermere Valley" followers, sadly I have to report that Invermere has been indefinately shelved due to a few issues with CTD's when loading some of the cities. However, from that bad new comes some good, both myself and my lovely wife (forum member Serenity086) have decided to start an MD, this time using our combined talents to not only build the cities, but also design the region to go with it.

Here is a little breakdown of our design plan.

The region:

Is 7x10 all large squares,.
Features the entire range of different environments; Coastlines, flatlands, hills, mountains and plenty of rivers.
Uses the Meadowshire terrain mod and the Brigantine water mod.
Uses the Radical Ordinances mod
Uses the latest NAM, including all available plugins
Going to be a combined build between myself and my wife.

As you can see from the above this is going to be a very different MD from my previous one, updates may come from myself, or from my wife (depending upon whose city is being displayed at that time)

Other than that, I hope that you enjoy the MD.


------------------------------

OK, so in the introduction I spoke about how the entire region was designed from a plan, well I actually have a picture of that plan to show you all so it gives you an idea of what to expect (click for a larger version)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate1%2Fpreview1_thumb.jpg&hash=3ee7046d20c60a33b244fe466f24660ebe3ffe80) (http://md.stu-mcewing.com/update1/preview1.jpg)

As you can see it is a somewhat simple plan, but it helped us (by us I mean my wife) design the region.

Below is a picture of the region so far, please bare in mind that this is a work in progress and as such not all areas have been reconciled yet. (click picture for larger version)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate1%2Fpreview2_thumb.jpg&hash=479ed59c6a526154a95f5f3b43bff8d2ad65b5f8) (http://md.stu-mcewing.com/update1/preview2.jpg)

This is a very interesting concept. I hope that this MD comes with much success. Nice region and great update  :thumbsup:

Good luck with your project.  It's always good to see new MDs start.  I suspect this is the husband/wife MD - which is a nice twist.  Those mountains look interesting, I look forward to seeing what you do with them.

cool. a two person md...from people who actually live together! well the region looks good so far (good job serenity086!). and good luck you two!

This will be a very interesting MD to say the least! That map is looking fantastic! Can't wait to see it developed. I'll be keeping an eye on this :thumbsup:

Hi everyone,
This is my first MD, but I'm glad I am not doing this alone because I would be terrible keeping up with updates. The next three pics are just views of what I've done so far in the past week. 

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.md.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate2%2Fpreview2.jpg&hash=bdec5a73e03386b8f6165bbbab05d21bcdd20836)

Here's one of lakes I added within the mountains.  I've also begun to add connecting rivers throughout the region.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.md.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate2%2Fpreview3.jpg&hash=b59b39cbf4a603e7f4b03b3c6f89ff6b9e1e536e)

My husband thought it would be a good idea to add a river cutting through a mountain canyon.  This picture shows part of that river.

The region picture below shows a big difference from our last update.  I've had to go back to a couple of squares in order to fix the reconciliation issues i keep having and to give the mountains a better flow.  Everytime I look at that pic i keep finding something new that I have to go over which can get annoying sometimes.  Anyways, hopefully in the next update I will be close to finished.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate2%2Fpreview1_thumb.jpg&hash=f0661b4fe97ac1133d4dbd8a6cd478a434d3ea0c) (http://md.stu-mcewing.com/update2/preview1.jpg)

I hope you all enjoyed this update, please go easy on me this is my first time in an MD. See you all next week for another update.

Wow your region is superb  :thumbsup:

This is looking really good! I look forward to seeing more.  &apls

nice region. and i know what you mean, when the tiles dont seem to look good next to each other. well good luck with it! and what terrain mod are you using?

rhythmandjays:  Thanks.  Working along with someone else on an MD is pretty fun. Keep on eye out for more updates soon.

paroch :  Thanks. It was mainly jimmymac's idea to do the MD together, I really like the idea too. I've never played SimCity4 with someone else so this is a nice change. Alot of great ideas can come together.

Alfred.Jones:  Thanks for the compliments  ;D Hope you enjoy the future updates.

Simpson: Thanks. Stay tuned for future updates.

girlfromverona:   ;D  Thanks. I actually can't wait to start building the cities and posting those updates.

jjune4991:  Thanks! Yea, reconciling was always the least favorite part of creating a region to me  :thumbsdown: .
                We are using the Meadowshire terrain mod and the Brigantine water mod.

Nice idea both of you and nice to see a couple playing the game at the same time :)

Those mountains are looking good there, the snow capped peaks really add to the look.  Looking forward to see how you handle the transition from mountains to sea. 

Interesting collabaration there. I love the region which you are terraforming at the moment it looks awesome
Good luck with the MD

Will

Firstly, sorry for the delay in this update, I totally forgot that it was my turn last week until I was not so subtly reminded by my wife  &ops . Plus we have got a little less work done on the region this last week as my wife has just got a new job, so she is very busy with that. I don't want to taint the region with my bad designing, so I left it well alone.   ()sad() Anyways, without further ado lets get onto the replies.


Wounanagaine: I'm glad you like the idea behind this diary, it took me a little time to convince my wife to do it as she is a little nervous about doing a diary. It will be interesting to me when we get into the city building, as we have 2 very different styles.

parach: You can get a better idea of how the transition stats to look in today's update, however we still have some flat land to work on yet. I have to say I am really happy with the way the region is turning out, I couldn't hope for a better canvas to work with.

penguin007: Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you like the design, hopefully you'll stick around for future updates

And now, onto the update.


This week we have but one picture, however it shows the almost completed region, you can really get a feel for how the area is going to look. As mentioned above in the replies the flat land area in the middle still needs some work doing on it to make it flow completely. However all the rivers are in place now and the mountains are completely finished.  Next week we should see the completed region, which I will leave for Serenity to post as it is truly her baby. We may even see, if the interest is good enough, about releasing the map to the community as a way to repay for all the custom content we use.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate3%2Fpreview1_thumb.jpg&hash=fdd018db00df83f9be2647413bb8eb4a8cad94a4) (http://md.stu-mcewing.com/update3/preview1.jpg)

Until next week, which will see an update by Serenity, take care and enjoy your July 4th weekend (to all the Americans).

waow  :o very nice region  :thumbsup: 

Heh, I thought I commented here before, seemingly not...
I really like the terraforming you did to the region, it looks really natural and realistic, and I can't wait to see it developed!

That region is looking better and better - bet you can't wait to start on it!

Some great shots of your region there! And nice start of your MD!

Looking forward to more... ;)

very nice almost finished region ;D.  Serenity, you have done a great job!

art128:  Thanks, glad you like the region!
caspervg:  Glad you like it. Hopefully you find our style interesting enough for you to stick around  ;D
paroch:  I am really looking forward to working on the cities in this region. This has been the biggest project I've worked on in SimCity. Im glad I'm gonna have help with it.
bat:  Glad you like the region. Hope you enjoy the future updates, especially now that we are going to start building cities.
jjune4991:  Thanks! I'm really happy with the way the region came out in the end even though it's taken forever to create with very little help from a certain someone  ::)


Finally, the finished region! I added more rough terrain around the rivers and fixed up a lot of areas that were really bugging me.  Although it took me ages to create, I think it was time well spent. I'm very happy with the way it turned out.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate4%2Fpreview1_thumb.jpg&hash=dd96ab990fd234f573609d959a470116cddf2f6d) (http://md.stu-mcewing.com/update4/preview1.jpg)

Now it's time to start on the cities! Next week we will have an update featuring one of jimmymac's cities.  I hope you enjoyed this update and that you tune in next week for more of the development of Murdock Valley.


Jimmymac Addition: I'm going to Hijack a spot on the bottom here just to add that if the interest is great enough we will genuinely see about releasing this map to the community, so if you fancy having a go at developing on this region alongside us then by all means say so, if the interest is good enough then we will release it. :thumbsup: Btw, I still maintain that supervising is a very important stage of the development process  :P

Beautiful rgion, serenity086!

It's the right mixture of mountains and plains--I can't wait to see how you develop it!

Keep up the great work!

Dustin

That region is looking very good indeed.  I'm stuck on a huge region that as loads to develop, so as much as I'm sure this map would be a big hit with the community, it's not for me ;)

Looking forward to the development commencing.

Paul

That is an awesome Map you have there!! I hope you consider releasing it :thumbsup:

hi serenity ,your region is superb &apls and i like the mix of the mountain and plain and the rivers and i'm impatient to look the next update !! :)

yay, the finished project! very nice! i cant wait for development to start! and jimmymac, it would be awesome for us to have that!

The complete region is looking fantastic there! Wonderful work on the mountains and rivers...

And looking forward to the first pictures of the development on it. ;)

I'm glad everyone likes it I will see about figuring out how to release it, as I currently have no idea  ()what() . I will be doing a full update tomorrow, however I figured that a small teaser may be in order. Personally I feel that this may be some of my best starting work that I have done on a city. Let me know what you think; I present to you Port Glory

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate5%2Fteaser.jpg&hash=c12f7914cfc17a532d4c1a989c33f5b3cfdd4ae9)

very nice recreation area  :thumbsup: &apls

Port Glory is looking fantastic there, jimmymac! :thumbsup:
Nice work on that area!

Welcome to this weeks update for Murdock Valley. Finally after 4 weeks of teasers we have started development on the cities. I will be starting this week with Port Glory, one of the largest cities in Murdock Valley. Please note these are shots taken during development with the game paused, so that is why the roads are clear. So without further ado, lets get to it, firstly with the replies.


Thundercrack83: I'm glad that you like the region, I've been looking forward to getting started with it so that I can see how both of us develop the region together.

parach: I know what you mean about large regions, I figured that this region wouldn't be for everyone due to the size etc, but if 5 people wanted to play it then that at least means we can give something back to the community. I hope that you like this weeks update

Alfred.Jones: Thank you for your kind words. I'm currently looking into the way I can go about releasing the region, however I am pretty stumped right now so if anyone can help me drop me a PM with some details on how I go about exporting the region.

South Park: Hopefully the wait has been worthwhile with this weeks update. I've been trying my hardest to put together an update that people will enjoy. I personally feel that this is probably some of my best starting work in any city. Hopefully people will agree &ops

jjune4991: She really did excel herself with the region. Now it's over to me to try and do the region justice with my update. I have to say I have never been more nervous about publishing an update than I am this one. As I said above, as soon as I can get the info about how to export the region then I will set about releasing it.

bat: Glad you like the finished region, also thank you for your kind words about the teaser I released.

art128: Glad you like it, hopefully you will enjoy the full update coming up.

And with those behind us, now onto the update.


The week marks the first full update for Murdock Valley, I decided to start on the coastal city of Port Glory, not only will this be one of the biggest cities in the region, but also one of the few coastal cities. Therefore I decided to start on the coastline first of all, mostly with the recreational area of Indiana Beach.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate5%2Fpic1.jpg&hash=c8f8fde2f90b6ae24c7fa4ea0ceb538631b1842f)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate5%2Fpic2.jpg&hash=aa5c89e250e17e940ef86e4df36f5a7d62d67e48)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate5%2Fpic3.jpg&hash=788d69ae52b03ac751a2964a708a106ef6ff15ff)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate5%2Fpic4.jpg&hash=474fe5e42b34857508481ad394dcaa42d0a02944)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate5%2Fpic5.jpg&hash=7aff3c93ff30f2b5326579f89c4300924b30ef7e)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate5%2Fpic6.jpg&hash=35d2af41f68bd6a719ef88184b081897c3c83a16)

Finally we have a night-time shot just because I really love gizmo's night mod.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmd.stu-mcewing.com%2Fupdate5%2Fpic7.jpg&hash=85dc1d5b9320fb37c3d7ed6197f730ef7ee3ae10)


I hope you enjoyed this update, until next week, which will see an update by Serenity, take care and have a good weekend.

(Apologies for reposting, I accidently deleted the update when i went to edit it)  :angrymore:

what's more awesome than a pier amusement park? not much in my book! great job with it! i really wish i could go and visit it!

Nice new update! And that coastline is looking fantastic! Also the night shot is looking excellent!

Looking forward to more...

Wow  :o , this map is very beautiful  ;)

Yes, then map is amazing and the fact that two people, a couple at that, are doing this at the same time so well together is so.....progressive.  I wish my girlfriend would play the game instead of punishing me for playing it.

hey very nice attraction park  &apls he is very realistic  :thumbsup:

Great work on the map. 
It's good to see someone who has enough patience to make one, I know that I don't.
The only thing I see is that in some areas you can see you need to do some touch up.  I think it's because of the border.  ;)  It's so hard to fix those sometimes.
Robin  :thumbsup:

Great work on Port Glory there.  I like the way you have mixed the PEG seafronts with the MAPP pieces, it's very effective.  And the detail you show is certainly very good and promises loads more for future updates.

One question - the food kiosks you have dotted about.  Can I ask where they are from?  I'm not sure whether they are part of MAPP or not - Thanks.

I love waterfront amusement parks! You have captured the real feeling! It all seems so real, especially the rides!

Look forwards to seeing Serenity

Alex :thumbsup:

 :o :o :o
Your amusement park is absolutely fantastic!!
I like this!!!  ;D
Beautiful colours, beautiful agencement, beautiful buildings...all is perfect!  &apls &apls &apls &apls &apls

I just dropped in and just have to say I love the amusement park and the large OWW2 area You have created.
However You might want to update the streetlights with the mod by Ripplejet to make them glow a bit stronger, however I suppose Your sims have headlights on their cars so probably it´s not a biggie...
Keep up the good work!

It's very beautiful, nothing to add &apls &apls &apls :)

Stu, good to see you up and running again. The pic's look great and I like the way you have mixed a variety of custom props  :thumbsup: The 1st pic is a great example of this.

Looking forward to seeing more.

Cheers

Dave

Thanks for all the comments so far. We've not forgotten about this project in any way, shape or form. However my wife is currently very busy completing the final semester of university, so right now she has very little time to do anything but work. I am going to try to post a little more in the coming days.

Hmmmmm.... this tastes like more of it!
Great region and nice little OWW and beaches!  &apls &apls &apls