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From Schmotenton to New Portland - the rise (and possible fall) of Bran Castle

Started by siemanthepieman, August 05, 2016, 10:21:29 PM

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Seaman


PaPa-J

Great update, I also like your network layout.  Outstanding work.  Congratulations on the move to "Best Sellers" Category, well deserved.   &apls &apls
Lighten up, just enjoy life,
smile more, laugh more,
and don't get so worked up
about things.

siemanthepieman

UPDATE 34.2 - THE END OF FOREST'S END

The part of Forest's End which runs along the bank of the Simoleon River can thank its existence to its most notable and distinguished feature - it is home to the region's first brewery, now mostly a museum although it still produces a small batch saison twice a year (one dark winters brew and a spring/summer edition). To start, the brewery was all alone on the banks of the river. Of course, people wanted to live closer and closer and eventually the long arm of Forest's End came to be!

34.14 - Whilst not the biggest, nor the fanciest, homes in New Portland, the four houses overlooking the river and closest to were coveted by many as the best four houses in the realm.


34.15 - Of course, the outlook and general ambiance for most of the places along the banks wasn't too bad!


34.16 - Even the little commercial strip was quite nice, although regarded by many as wasted on shops and parking (at least wasted on such a drab little strip).


34.17 - An overview of 'the arm'


FOREST'S END BY FACTS AND FIGURES (circa 1986):

Mayor: Lyndon Schneiders
Deputy Mayor: Penny Sharpe
Number of Councillors: 24
Population: 3,978
Average Age: 37.6
Average Household Income: $72,500
Mode Education Level: Bachelor Degree
Jobs: 1,640
Council Jobs: 400
Primary Industry/Tax Division: Educational sevices
Notable Features: The Old Saison (the brewery), tunnel/shopping connection to Bansia Flat, riverside housing and walks, access to picturesque Crown land

Motto: Formae autem in flumen implete

siemanthepieman

UPDATE 35 - PICKET WEST

Ground wasn't broken in Picket West until 1969, it was always destined for great things.

35.1 - From humble beginnings ...


35.2 - its proximity to North Adelaide and the Adelaide CBD assured the suburb of its popularity.


35.3 - As the usage of the regional highway crossing the river picked up, a large roundabout came to dominate the entrance to the suburb and construction took off.


35.4 - And construction carried on.


35.5 - And on.


35.6 - And on.


35.7 - Picket West was regarded by many as the perfect mix of high rise development and impressive low density stately homes, complemented by some of the best walking trails in the region. The Mayor's house - to the far left - was also regarded as one of the region's best.


siemanthepieman

UPDATE 36 - AMBLESIDE

Ambleside, aptly named for its long ambling arms stretching out from the heart of the suburb, didn't start to develop until sometime after 1968. Word leaked from the Castle that the King was going to order the construction of a highway and an additional railway to cross the river and head east and the suburb had burst onto the map by 1970.

The suburb had taken on its basic current day footprint by 1976, even though neither the train line nor the highway had been built.

36.1 - An overview circa 1981. The highway actually terminated at Ambleside when first built. On the other hand, the train line ran straight through - with not stop!


36.2 - Being across the river and initially very isolated as it was, a substantial school was built to ensure access to quality education for those on the south side of the river.


36.3 - The King insisted a that there be a small group of shops which covered most necessities (groceries, post, banking, minor hardware and small furnishings, etc) nearby to the school to ensure a thriving but also very close-knit school-centric community.


36.4 - And it worked. Before long a high capacity station was built. The station did two things. It ensured those young, knowledge thirsty Ambledians could continue their education to tertiary level with a quick commute across the river the (soon to established) University in the CBD (and of course study is not the only reason to travel across the river to the CBD and beyond). It also gave a boost to the local economy.


36.5 - Building ...


36.6 - ... building ...


36.7 - ... built!


36.8 - What a result.


36.9 - And so Ambleside went from a truly suburban suburb to a suburb of transitions. From low density residential to mid rise commercials.


36.10 - And mid rise commercials to mid rise residentials


36.11 - And more mid rise residentials.


36.12 - And then beck to low density residentials and boys in between.


36.13 - And then in some parts of the suburb you'd be forgiven for forgetting what a school and a commercial hub even were, let alone that both are within a kilometre of your front door!


36.14 - We finish with an overview circa 1984, with the highway now running through the suburb and making road travel to the east of the region a possibility.

siemanthepieman

AMBLESIDE BY FACTS AND FIGURES (circa 1986):

Mayor: Paul Franklin
Deputy Mayor: Frances Beacon
Number of Councillors: 16
Population: 5,287
Average Age: 34.5
Average Household Income: $62,500
Mode Education Level: Bachelor Degree
Jobs: 2,180
Council Jobs: 180
Primary Industry/Tax Division: Residential
Notable Features: Nameko Station,  16th century church house

Motto: non solum transitum discere posses

fantozzi

Hm. My latin got really weak.

Learning doesn't mean always to overcome?


art128

Looks like there is a bit of an unemployment problem in Ambelside. They live so close to the center and train stop, yet are too lazy to go.. Great updates again. Always a nice read.
I'll take a quiet life... A handshake of carbon monoxide.

Props & Texture Catalog

siemanthepieman

REPLIES

fantozzi-
All the Latin l know (apart from a few of the legal phrases still in use) comes from Google. According to whatever translator l used, it says "Don't just pass through". l like your translation too though.

Scott- Thanks.

art128- I was hoping no one would notice - although the King & the Mayor certainly have. That is the problem with the slow speeds and unpleasant travel conditions on old, poorly thoughtout, narrow, dirt roads. The King and Mayor are still "umming and ahhing" over whether they will tinker with the road rules and the bus timetables and trip times (ie: l am thinking of tweaking my NAM settings and/or learning how to make my own changes to the traffic simulator to encourage longer commutes) or just bite the bullet like they know they should and start improving the road network by creating better more efficient routes from the outskirts of suburbs to their centres and by upgrading many of these dirt streets to sealed roads. Of course, the Mayor says he has no money. And the King is often reluctant to part with all of his!

UPDATE 37 - EAST CROSSINGTON

East Cossington is to many just another 'arm' of Ambleside. If you look back at image 36.1 and imagine that the line pointing from the train station through the school to the river points to 12 o'clock, East Cossington can be seen as the arm that runs away from Ambleside at about 9 o'clock. Of course, it's a brave man or woman who tells anyone from East Crossington that - there was a small band of fiercely local locals who fought long and hard to establish East Crossington as a suburb in its own right.

37.1 - Here you can see the original East Crossington. No one is quite sure exactly when this photo was taken but presumably some time in the seventies.


37.2 - The locals really put some effort into the area immediately surrounding the train station - some commercial services, Some swanky shopping options and some warehousing and distribution capacity. Not to mention the walking trails by the river and throughout the woods.


37.3 - By the eighties, East Crossington was really filling in. The area pictured was (once built) arguably better serviced by Ambleside than East Crossington itself, but hey, the Mayor didn't really care where the shopping dollars and the school fees went. As long as the rates still came into his coffers.


37.4 - This brief update concludes with an overview taking in three suburbs -  parts of Ambleside at the top, our pfeature suburb East Crossington in the middle and Campbeltown at the bottom. Pleasingly, for those concerned with the current update at least, the lack of jobs only starts in Campbeltown. We might get to see what the Mayor of Campbeltown is doing about that in the next update.


EAST CROSSINGTON BY FACTS AND FIGURES (circa 1986):

Mayor: Richard Duke
Deputy Mayor: Kate Exeter
Number of Councillors: 16
Population: 3,846
Average Age: 28
Average Household Income: $59,000.00
Mode Education Level: High School Certificate
Jobs: 1,956
Council Jobs: 56
Primary Industry/Tax Division: Office/Warehousing
Notable Features: The 'U' (an interesting 'U' shaped residential street), Jon Tomes' celebrity mansion, the East Crossington Nature Reserve and Walking Trails

Motto: Nice quod vias magna mora agebantur, et veniet, et faciam parcos

huzman

siemanthepieman: This is the best! Lots of ideas and tips! Hats off to you...
« Essayez d'apprendre quelque chose sur tout et tout sur quelque chose. »
             « Try to learn something about everything and everything about something »
                          « Trata de aprender algo sobre todo y todo sobre algo »
                                                                                                    — Thomas Henry Huxley

siemanthepieman

REPLIES

huzman -
Thank you. I am glad if my MD is enjoyed by a few. If it actually helps someone with their own region, all the better. And the best part (to the extent I should be the one to judge) is that my BAT, Lot Editor and other modding skills are extremely limited - so anything you see you should be able to copy, if not 'straight out the box', then with nothing more than about half an hour of 'Google-ing' and a bit of fun mucking around with the game and its add ons.


UPDATE 38 - HAKONE PLATEAU

I thought I'd better not completely abuse my new found 180 day freedom from becoming an 'Inactive MD'er', albeit with just a small update.

Those of you paying very close attention (and with exceptional memories to boot!) might be able to work out from where this quaint suburb derived its name. Of course, it derives from the name of the ship (the Hakone Maru) which was captained by the father of the young Japanese woman who alighted from the ship in 1957 whilst it was docked up the Port Schmo Shipping Co docks and who married the King in 1959.

In the early days of the King's romance with his bride-to-be, it was a favoured location by the two for day-trips and camping ('glamping' really) stays. Their union was cemented on many a long walk around the untouched and unspoiled beauty of the large island in the middle of the river and the small tributaries running off the river in and around this area.

Eventually the King' camping days dried up and the area succumbed to some development. The suburb is now filled, almost entirely, by retirees who want to see the area remain as untouched as possible and whose needs are simple. A few

Cement was first poured in the region in 1971. It was designated a suburb and named in 1973 and was developed, pretty much, to its present day state by 1976. It has remained in that state ever since and unless the Councillors are prepared to seriously upset the King (and who would be?) it is unlikely to change significantly in the future. It has what its residents need to avoid having to travel back to Ambleside for their essentials, but little more. And that is how everyone hopes it will stay (thus the one picture update - it popped up quickly and, hopefully, will forever remain pretty much the same).

38.1

HAKONE PLATEAU BY FACTS AND FIGURES (circa 1988):

Mayor: Richard Duke
Deputy Mayor: Kate Exeter
Number of Councillors: 16
Population: 3,846
Average Age: 28
Average Household Income: $59,000.00
Mode Education Level: High School Certificate
Jobs: 1,956
Council Jobs: 56
Primary Industry/Tax Division: Office/Warehousing
Notable Features: The 'U' (an interesting 'U' shaped residential street), Jon Tomes' celebrity mansion, the East Crossington Nature Reserve and Walking Trails

Motto: Nice quod vias magna mora agebantur, et veniet, et faciam parcos


pressus

I am glad that you are not afraid of varied terrain, you are planning interesting arrangement of the area  :thumbsup:
In my opinion, the smooth road arches SAM (Rural) would look good here ...  ;)
Sorry guys, I'll be here next week, so good luck!

siemanthepieman

REPLIES

pressuus -
Thank you. Some of these streets have been around for many years, SAM smooth curves are coming!

UPDATE 39 - CAMBELTOWN

We saw a little bit of Cambeltown when were looking at East Crossington in update 37.4. And as appearances would suggest, Cambeltown really just came about when people started moseying down past East Crossington to see what was there and a few decided to stay. It was favoured by the Italian residents of Bran Castle and, while you wouldn't know it to look at it, it did start to take on its own unique Italian flavour as it developed.

39.1 - When it first popped up in the late 70's, it was a pretty boring suburb with not much to commend it - apart from its residents!


39.2 - The town centre underwent a small renaissance in 1983 and a relatively fantastic park was built smack bang in the middle. The small pizzeria to the right of shot was hands down the best in town, obvious not just from the late night queues out the front but the mountains of pizza boxes always out the back.


39.3 - Feng Shui got big at some stage, and later on scented candles became all the rage...


39.4 - ... to the suburb's great detriment!


39.5 - Luckily, the coffers in Cambeltown were pretty full. All it took was a new fire station ... 


39.6 - ... and a shiny new school ...


39.7 - ... and they rebuilt.


39.8 - In the end, it was a nice part of the suburbs to live in.


39.9 - And there we have it. Cambeltown. Just a simple little suburb, full of lovely people, living peacefully in a place that stretched off into yet another part of the region's beautiful wilderness. There is nothing that strikes you to look at it from above. It's down on the ground and in the details that this suburb's charm is to be found. Hopefully, one day, we'll get a chance to return.


CABELTOWN BY FACTS AND FIGURES (circa 1988):

Mayor: Anthony Vallelonga
Deputy Mayor: Ada M. La Vista
Number of Councillors: 8
Population: 1,898
Average Age: 47
Average Household Income: $67,000.00
Mode Education Level: High School Certificate
Jobs: 687
Council Jobs: 42
Primary Industry/Tax Division: Retiree
Notable Features: Bobby' Pizzas

Motto: segmentum italia paulum bran

Seaman


PaPa-J

I think they all look great.  I really like the dilapidated houses.
Lighten up, just enjoy life,
smile more, laugh more,
and don't get so worked up
about things.

pressus

We can see a lot of potential  ;), I hope that the end result did not turn out to be schematic  &Thk/(
Sorry guys, I'll be here next week, so good luck!

dedgren

Nice work.  To the extent I have any critiscism, it is to compare the sharp angled bends in your dirt roads with your beautifully sinuous rail line seen a few pics back.  I've never been the biggest fan of the dirt road textures, but softening the turns a bit would certainly help.

David
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

siemanthepieman

REPLIES

Seaman -
Thanks. I was pretty pleasedu with that park too. Quite simple to make with a couple of nice SFBT downloads. Credit to the SFBT more so than myself.

Papa-J - At least someone likes them. They are the bane of my life! I am slowly bringing a decent portion back to life following a bit of searching on the forums which suggested a better bus and mass transit system might help. I wouldn't mind a few to stay delapidated except they are so dark. Easy to spot in game, but very unrealistic.

pressus - I'm making it all up as I go along. So if it ends up too schematic, it's only by chance.

dedgren - I think I have mentioned before that some of these uodates include pictures from some time ago - both before I discovered the SAM smooth curves (care of you, no?) and before the Draggable curves now available in the NAM itself. Bear with me and you should notice things start to get much smoother.

UPDATE 41 - DOWNTOWN

We saw the start of Bran Castle's Downtown in Update 12. Back then, 1962 and thereabouts, it more of a commercial centre than anything like a downtown. But it was popular and the King was determined to make it a success. Good amenities, a focus on plazas, fences and surrounds and targeted tax breaks helped significantly.

41.1 - The RBCH (Royal Bran Castle Hospital) was a big draw and a boon for the local economy, and largely paid for from the King's own coffers! It had the best of everything - even the hospital food was renowned for its high quality. If you had more than a mild cough, you wanted to be carted off to the RBCH for treatment and all of your nearest and dearest would come to visit. The RBCH, perhaps more than any other single building, ensure a steady train of visitors to Downtown.


41.2 - The domineering Police Headquarters building was valued by the local businesses for the security they provided, but other than with respect to the region's aspiring police cadets (who came to see the views across the river and town they could enjoy if they ever made it into the brass) it was the people it deterred from Downtown rather than anyone it attracted that gave it its value to the area. For those who made it in to the brass, it sure did offer nice views across the town and the river. Much better than the vile those on the beat got to deal with out on the streets on a daily basis.


41.3 - Downtown High and the region's main library drew hordes of people, especially younger people into the city on a daily basis. The King was known the hand out generous Christmas bonuses to the staff and handsome scholarships to students at the school. As a result, the school drew the best and brightest teaching and learning brains in the region and developed quite some renown for the fervour for education that existed within the school. The library became not just an extension of the school environment (ie; full enough of text books that any thirst for knowledge, no matter how large, could be quenched) but a hub for further education and self betterment in and of itself (ie; full of exhibitions, artworks, books and displays of general intellectual interest).


41.4 - As you'd expect, Downtown started off as a fairly modest affair. Beautiful and, certainly in parts, impressive - check out that magnificent Town Hall with a plaza leading down the water's edge - but modest by many standards ...


41.5 - But it grew ...


41.6 - And grew, filling in in what the King considered to be a nicely balanced manner - creating a hub for business and development and a centre for the region, without compromising too much the residential offerings that surrounded Downtown and which wanted their own access and proximity to the river.


41.7 - And it continued to fill in ...


41.8 - And fill in.


41.9 - Eventually, whilst it could always go up higher or fill in more densely, it became pretty much full. Thankfully careful planning by the local council and the King meant that the river and its banks remained largely untouched by the development, which gave Downtown a softness and touch of serentiy not often found in other highly built up areas. The area was well serviced by trains coming in from the rest of the region, and enjoyed a well developed bus and subway system to save commuters too much walking once they got off at their station.


41.10 - Whilst everyone though Downtown had pretty much established its footprint, there was always someone talking about that empty island, well serviced by RHW and rail that could be spied from many a boardroom across the skyline. It was Crown Land, but the rumours and wondering just wouldn't quit.


DOWNTOWN BY FACTS AND FIGURES (circa 1990):

Mayor: Adolph Heinrich Friedrich Bartels
Deputy Mayor:  Arthur Wellington Ware
Number of Councillors: 24
Population: 700
Average Age: 29
Average Household Income: $48,000
Mode Education Level: Year 11 or VET equivalent
Jobs: 15,000
Council Jobs: 890
Primary Industry/Tax Division: Commercial services
Notable Features: C'mon, it's the CBD! What more do you want - services, shops, great schools, great libraries, great public transport around the CBD and to the rest of the regions, a beautiful setting, great views, amazing bridges crossing the river, cobblestones, cobblestones, huuuge hospital, more cobblestone! And a million other little hidden gems.

Motto: Ut Prosint Omnibus Conjuncti


siemanthepieman

UPDATE 41.5 - NORTH ADELAIDE

Originally, North Adelaide was going to be a suburb that would deserve an update all of its own.

41.5.1 - It was established as a separate suburb next to Down Town - sharing the island upon which a large part of Down Town was built but separated completely by rail lines, in some places by up to four lines, from Down Town itself.


41.5.2 At its most humble beginnings, it really wasn't more than a place for power to come in from New Port and be transferred to underground lines across the business district. You can still see the transformer station to this day.


As North Adelaide grew, it got, as did all suburbs, its own mayor and small council with 8 councillors. At the same time, Down Town had a Mayor and a council of 16 councillors.

41.5.3 - Sometime in the 80's - and no is quite sure when, it was just one of those cases where before anyone actually realised it had happened it had happened - the two suburbs basically developed themselves into one. Economics, if nothing else, dictated that the councils merge and the rest, as they say, is history.


NORTH ADELAIDE BY FACTS AND FIGURES (circa 1990):

For census purposes, North Adelaide and Down Town are treated as a single suburb.

The council is now merged with the Down Town Council, albeit the Council's constitution and by-law require the Deputy Mayor and at least 8 councillors to be elected by it North Adelaide constituents.