Welcome to my Mayor Diary!
Intro:
A few days ago Ennedi asked me in his wonderful MD (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2157.0) (<--linkie) to show him how I created my rugged shorelines from the picture contest. After a few days of struggling with new files and dependencies, finally everything is working as it should again and I can fulfill his request. I'm someone who terraforms and builds as he goes, so please don't expect big region or city views yet. In general a city zone takes me 2 weeks to create if I have plenty of spare time, so please be patient. I will post a list of vital mods/bats with every update so if you see something you like, it's going to be quite easy for you to recreate it. The purpose of this MD is not only to showcase work, in future updates I would also like to teach you readers a bit about my home country: The Netherlands.
The Netherlands is like SimCity in real life. Almost every tree you see here is put there for a reason, we have very little original nature, the green parts of The Netherlands are mostly man-made. Reason for this is that a big part of the Netherlands (the northern part where I live) used to be sea. This new developed land is very flat and doesn't have much variety, we actually have zero mountains in the Netherlands..we do have some hills though, way in the southern tip. This may look very dull (in RL or SC), but this is the view I look at each day, so please do not expect great mountain work or crazy hills..for me that just wouldn't be realistic.... This is my first MD so any advice, feedback or criticism is welcome!
I don't want to overkill the first time so in this first post I would just like to include this small 'tutorial' about my shorelines as requested by Ennedi, in future updates you will learn the history of the city, region and country, it's landmarks, it's scenic views, you name it, everything.
Part 1: creating lake shorelines for the city of Evergem.
Important mods / props for terraforming:
* Watermod: PEG's Brigantine (http://simpeg.com/forum/index.php?action=tpmod;dl=item74)
* CP's Terrainmod: Meadowshire (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=58)
* CP's ploppable rocks Brown (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=677) ; Grey (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=678) ; White (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=679)
* JRJ's Slope and Tunnel Mod (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=33)
* JRJ's Tree proppacks : number 2 (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=167) ; number 3 (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=132) ; number 4 (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=921)
Allright here we go!
Step1:
I always create a border when terraforming. Usually I drag a road or railway so I know when to stop when creating my lake. This may seem silly for some of you, but it's actually quite usefull especially when you are in God-mode. After I'm done terraforming, I usually raze this road or railline.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg522.imageshack.us%2Fimg522%2F2535%2F68090522wn2.jpg&hash=1c2e6dc73aaa8f4d042ebd0f84c2d128ef3a727a)
Step 2:
Simple, use the valley creating tool in mayor god mode to create a basic lake of your likings.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg157.imageshack.us%2Fimg157%2F4128%2F77714249oi4.jpg&hash=c936bb660c61c584d754338c4b8fd207a579274f)
Step 3:
Until now it has been easy, this is where you will really start working. Use the create hill tool (in the NORMAL mayor menu, not the God-mode one) to raise the terrain before the shorelines. Not on the shorelines but a few tiles away from it IN the water. Just experiment with it, remember this is not what it will look like in the end so not everything has to be picture perfect. Also use the hill-tool to create random depths of your lake. A realistic shoreline usually doesn't plummet 30 meters down once you have taken 2 steps into the water, it's better to gradually let it slide...
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg522.imageshack.us%2Fimg522%2F4237%2F93603028qt3.jpg&hash=4f7b66edaa242db4c3a6da32537d7ac6844bb9e8)
Step 4:
Now using the create valley tool (again the normal menu, not the god-mode) and lower your shores until you see very little green on the edges. I usually start quite a few tiles away from the lake, moving the mouse at a reasonable pace towards the lake. The closer you get to the lake, the slower you move your mouse. This will create some more realistic slopes towards the lake.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg402.imageshack.us%2Fimg402%2F9172%2F42719466uc5.jpg&hash=6e75d2424c0fd617ab2438c7b23395f89f8461a0)
Step 5:
Now it's time to use CP's grey rocks on the shores, don't place too many..but just enough for some nice realistic details. I always keep in mind how the water flows (or has flown), these rocks didnt fall out of the sky but were washed ashore. I start with the smallest ones, placing them on any place that seems right around your lake shore..try to place these grey rocks in the water or just on the shoreline (I try to avoid the green spots) so it will look like they washed onto shore a long time ago (last Ice Age?). When I concentrate more small rocks at one spot, I usually throw in a big one or 2 as well. This looks very realistic in my humble opinion. It will now look something like this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg157.imageshack.us%2Fimg157%2F3441%2F44185708vp6.jpg&hash=e2334e60f2be1f059fdbec71b68ad226ef79e2d0)
Step 6:
Now let's start working on some small details. Did you ever see a forest where every tree was completely alive and green? No, there are sick trees, dead trees, fallen down trees, yellow-ish trees..you name it. Let's start with the dead ones first: for this I use JRJ seasonal trees: winter and CP's logs. It's also a nice effect to place some logs on the shores for some nice washed on wood. I've also placed a few different colour rocks around the shores, like the white ones you see here. One rule I keep in mind to keep it realistic: on the grey/purple-ish parts of the shoreline you will see almost no trees, except for a few dead ones. The most important rule of all is: less is more! That's right, having 3 well placed rocks in one area will always look better then massive amounts of randomly plopped rocks.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg157.imageshack.us%2Fimg157%2F651%2F60488200sm4.jpg&hash=f097b6c750483817174dbeb97d68599233714e4f)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg513.imageshack.us%2Fimg513%2F1235%2F43268146lt0.jpg&hash=2516b1f941d71a263ce58c105aaf4c2da6e6c646)
Step 7:
Time to place the trees! Everybody has their own favourite set of trees. In this city I use JRJ's Aescul trees as my basic trees, while I use the seasonal summer trees and wildbushes for the shadow-sides and the Ulmus ones for the lighter parts. Here's the lake with the basic trees placed (Aescul)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg402.imageshack.us%2Fimg402%2F3324%2F48871739xl9.jpg&hash=92ea34b4fa48a20a61f60bce9a3ce13534eb7706)
Doesn't look that great eh? Well every forest has it's darker and it's lighter parts, so let's add some variation with the seasonal summer trees and Ulmus.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg152.imageshack.us%2Fimg152%2F6523%2F20170293uh1.jpg&hash=1441b5643f9c6bb565223fcfc59ed4b415fb839a)
That sure looks a bit better but we are not there yet.
Step 8:
And the final step. Use the Winter wildbushes from JRJ on the shores, fill your forest with all colours of rock (again not too much) and wildbushes, create small open spaces and please don't forget to place an occasional JRJ autumn seasonal tree every now and then. Click a few times to get a yellow/orange one, you know the drill :) The only limitation is your imagination..
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg402.imageshack.us%2Fimg402%2F7144%2F10tm6.jpg&hash=c9f6e947a6139e106389c3fe275bca86ec52252c)
I hope this will be usefull for some people, if not..I had a fun time creating this small 'tutorial'. Thanks to Ennedi for the inspiration!
Until the next update,
take care :)
Thanks for showing us this Capo! I will sure try to do this myself as well now that I learned the tricks here :thumbsup:
Very good explanation how to make these very nice shorelines. I usually make the 30 meter plummets :D but will try to make something more like this next time.
Of course I am extra interested to see how this MD will develope because I am also a flat builder and also Dutch.
I think it will be a very interesting MD!
You made a great characteristic of the Netherlands landscape in very simple words. And your tutorial is really excellent done! It is also very simple and clear, so everybody can easy repeat your steps and look at results :thumbsup:
Everything you do is well thought and well-grounded, I am sure you make a lot of experiments to come to the point in wchich you are now. ;)
And here is my short analysis (I added some my ideas in a few points, I hope you have nothing against it :))
1. Making orientation points and lines is a very good practice. In addition, you can raise the road (using a Ground Lifter from the Hole Digging Lots set) and you will see it in SC4 Terraformer if you use it.
2. Your explanation how to terraform a shoreline is really great. Dear Readers, please note the method of starting a few tiles away from the place you want to terraform - it is very important (in mountains even more ;D) I didn't see a better explanation of such theme.
3.
QuoteI usually start quite a few tiles away from the lake, moving the mouse at a reasonable pace towards the lake. The closer you get to the lake, the slower you move your mouse. This will create some more realistic slopes towards the lake.
These mouse movements are not mechanical at all! It is rather like painting by brush. You must practice some time to accustom your hand to these movements;)
4.
QuoteNow it's time to use CP's grey rocks on the shores, don't place too many..but just enough for some nice realistic details. I always keep in mind how the water flows (or has flown), these rocks didnt fall out of the sky but were washed ashore. I start with the smallest ones, placing them on any place that seems right around your lake shore..try to place these grey rocks in the water or just on the shoreline (I try to avoid the green spots) so it will look like they washed onto shore a long time ago (last Ice Age?). When I concentrate more small rocks at one spot, I usually throw in a big one or 2 as well. This looks very realistic in my humble opinion. It will now look something like this:
I always try to make the same :thumbsup:
5.
QuoteNow let's start working on some small details. Did you ever see a forest where every tree was completely alive and green? No, there are sick trees, dead trees, fallen down trees, yellow-ish trees..you name it.
I agree, this is the best method of making a forest also in my opinion. If you want to have some dead/seasonal trees, rocks, or for example small areas covered by trees different from your main kind of forest, do it first. Then you can fill the rest of the space by your main kind of flora you use (of course it is good to leave some free space to do what capo explained in steps 7 and 8 (about seasonal trees - capo put it at the end, I do it sometimes at the beginning, you can choose the method :), the amount of seasoneal trees will be an important factor)
6.
QuoteThe most important rule of all is: less is more!
Yes!!!
QuoteThe only limitation is your imagination..
...And your MD is an excellent example of it! :thumbsup:
I fell in love with that picture in the Sc4D picture competition. So its just natural that I would love this MD :)
I do however have one suggestion that someone might have mentioned before. (two acctually)
1. Minimize the tool bars by hitting numlock and press Crtl-Shift-S to take a picture.
2. Either unpause the game or install Mijg-Dudy's no yellow bar mod from ST to get rid of the ulgy yellow pause bar.
Otherwise I really can't wait for your next update. You've constructed one of the best shorelines Ive ever seen.
A wonderful start there! Looking forward to more...
Capo, your terraforming is up there with the best of them. &apls
Great work, have you had a look a Jeronij's ploppable water yet, would be interested to see what you can do with that.
Will certainly be watching this.
Cheers
Dave
Nicely done! Thanks for the step-by-step! :thumbsup:
Capo bravo!!! &apls &apls what a great start to your MD and i cant wait for more of it - pat
Replies:
sebes: Thanks for dropping by! (Bedankt voor het langskomen) I'd be curious to see the results when you are done.
Serkanner: Aaah the blessings of being Dutch. No problems with slope-unfriendly buildings or whatever, we can just keep our land fairly flat and still consider it to be realistic. Thanks for visiting my MD!
Ennedi: Thanks for your analysis and your kind words friend, everything you wrote down I completely agree with. You are right about all the experiments, there are many old cities in the dustbin. You know what they say: practice makes perfect! (oh oh, that's the school teacher talking inside of me :D )
Yoman: Don't worry, all of the pics will be without frames from now on. I only kept them here in this case because this was a tutorial. I didn't know about that num-lock option though, that will save me quite some time since I always prefer a big view when zoning/building. Thanks for the compliment about my shorelines, you make me shy ;)
bat: Thanks for your vist, I hope my next update (within a few days) will also be of your likings.
tooheys: I've downloaded the latest transparent water and I must say it looks great. There will be a small surprise coming with this latest masterpiece of jeronij, propably in an update or two. I won't give away the secret but all I can say it will be something I doubt you've seen before, but it will take you back to the first SimCity ever created... Now how's that for a teaser? :D
Schulmanator: Thanks for your visit! You're welcome about the step-by-step, with all this fine content and tutorials out here it's the least I could do
patfirefightr: Thanks my friend, prepare yourself for an update soon. I've been experimenting with creating my own lots lately, unfortunately it takes a lot more time then I'd thought. Next to that I promised Barby to sort out a new mega-cleanitol file, so please be patient for more. I promise an update of this MD this week though!
I also wondered how you achieved that amazing result in the photo submitted to the picture competition and showcased elsewhere, and now I know and can see the work in progress! ;D As others have stated, the result is incredibly realistic and aesthetically pleasing (I almost said
atheistically pleasing :D) and I have to whole-heartedly agree with them. :thumbsup:
Quote from: capo on October 16, 2007, 12:01:44 PM
Serkanner: Aaah the blessings of being Dutch. No problems with slope-unfriendly buildings or whatever, we can just keep our land fairly flat and still consider it to be realistic.
My boyfriend, being of Dutch descent (
like me) and having had the opportunity and fortune (
some say misfortune :P) of visiting the Netherlands will agree with you completely about the flatness of the lay of the land. ;D He would, however, view it as a curse more than anything else. $%Grinno$%
Groete uit Suid-Afrika! (Afrikaans: Regards / Greetings from South Africa) ;D
Hey Capo,
I'm glad you've started an MD and I found your tutorial very interesting. So far I've only played on pre-formed maps, but I will be giving some of your methods a try anyway.
As you know from my MD, I use quite a few Dutch buildings so will be looking forward to seeing how a Dutchman puts them to use. And hopefully there will be a few places where your sims can drink their Grolsch ;)
Well done capo. Also, for those who don't know, as an alternative to just using the mayor mode terrain options you can just use Shift + 1-9 to change the brush size and Ctrl + 1-9 for the effect of it, and you can sneak back into the God Mode menu by clicking it while holding Ctrl + Alt + Shift. This should be a very interesting MD, and this would also make a nice addition to the tutorial section. Consider putting it there too. Glad you posted this.
Thanks for the great tutorial already used some of it in my city. Excellent!!!
Nice tutorial. I do not have the patience to take the time to make a shore line like you. That is why I appreciate the amount of time it took you to create the scene that you entered into the picture competition. Others apparently agreed as it did make the 'hall of fame'
Well done on this first installment of your journal. I look forward to seeing more updates.
Replies:
M4346: Dankie! I consider the flatness a curse sometimes as well, The Netherlands isn't one of the prettiest countries in the world :) Thanks for your kind words about my picture, much appreciated!
paroch: I can only hope that my Dutch buildings will grow into something looking as good as your MD, I wouldn't mind living in that Amstel corner you created. I hope that (in the modern version of this City) you will also find a good spot to reside!
threestooges: Those are some handy tips! I wasn't aware of the ctrl option to change brush size actually so big thanks to you! That tutorial section is a good idea, I'll have a look there first to see if there's such a tutorial already there
tkirch Thanks for dropping by, I hope the answers I posted to your questions helped you out some.
jmyers2043: Thanks for your visit, expect some familiar material for you in future updates of this region, as I mentioned earlier..I'm a big fan of your work :)
Part 2: The (fictional)city of Biroud, the Evergem Region:
Important mods / props:
* Watermod: PEG's Brigantine (http://simpeg.com/forum/index.php?action=tpmod;dl=item74)
* CP's Terrainmod: Meadowshire (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=58)
* CP's ploppable rocks Brown (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=677) ; Grey (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=678) ; White (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=679)
* JRJ's Slope and Tunnel Mod (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=33)
* JRJ's Tree proppacks : number 2 (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=167) ; number 3 (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=132) ; number 4 (http://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=921)
* PEG's: Mountain Theme Pack + Addons (http://simpeg.com/forum/index.php?action=tpmod;dl=cat10)
* SFBT's: Rural Power supply (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=777)
* Deadwoods': BSC Forest Trail Lots (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=474)
note: Even though the city is fictional, much of the history is not. I wouldn't recommend this MD for a school project or history presentation though, some stuff is completely made up ;) This update is also a dedication to a great movie, guess the movie for some extra points..
I would like to take you all back, way back into time. I would like to take you to the year 3000 B.C., the period where pictographic writing was created in Sumer, the time the Maya civilization started in South America and their invention of growing corn on designated fields to feed bigger cities. In Egypt the people and their faraos are starting to build Pyramids and more early civilization is on it's way for a few hundreds of years in Greece. Many great inventions are happening all around the world, but not in the part we are looking at today, right in the northern part of the Netherlands: Biroud
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg152.imageshack.us%2Fimg152%2F2774%2F83396392ar9.jpg&hash=e802b241bab87f3c9e66c1af37fb826138080f6c)
Here you see a landscape that is complety influenced by the Noordzee (North Sea). The tides control this rugged lands, the human nomad tribes that do live here can only walk from one 'island' to the other when it's ebb. This is the exact reason many tribes are still nomadic, only on a few selected places high above sea-level will have small settlements and even there you aren't safe.. Every now and then a superstorm sweeps away most things around the shoreline, it's a hard life living these days... Why do people want to live in this kind of area you might ask, well land that gets flooded every decade or two is extremely fertile. There's a lot of food available here if you know where to look for it or know how to grow it
Let's have a look at the central island. It seems that a nomad tribe called 'the Bir' has found a sweet water spring on a high piece of land, something quite rare close to shore in these salty regions. Are they here to fill their feedbags and then move on? or...let's have a look!
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(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg152.imageshack.us%2Fimg152%2F3515%2F27381559ow9.jpg&hash=7c7fbb17ffde2ac5fddc6fb5fe51018e18b395e8)
Aren't they a smart bunch! It looks like the Bir have finally found a place to call home. The Bir leader, the elder one (in Dutch: 'de oude') has blessed this settlement with his own name, from now on this village will be called Biroud! (Originally Bir-oude, wich with the sands of time turned into Biroud)
Right in the village's centre you can see the sweet water pool and the sacred mushroom shaped big rock. That rock is really a big deal for the Bir, it was sent by their gods a few days after they settled here and it's shape reminds the villagers of the fruits of nature, the rock must be worshipped if the tribe wants to have plenty of food. Four times a day the people of Biroud come to pray to the Gods at the altar at the left of the holy rock, hoping for sunny weather and the blessings of a good harvest. You can also see some small homes made of wood,straw, clay and...animal droppings. In each home a set of families and their livestock would live together, that with a fire burning in each home..must have smelled great!. There's even a small farm with some cows to feed the villagers and a 'bridge' leading towards a forest for some basic foraging. Wow they have come far in such a short period of time! Let's jump forward about 2500 years to the year of 500 B.C, I'm curious if this settlement is here to stay!
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(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg514.imageshack.us%2Fimg514%2F3753%2F65532997sc8.jpg&hash=498fbbb80a0db1912945f67b7c22e2a600c2d01d)
Oh my, this is starting to look like a serious village!
Please have a look at the wooden towers if you will. In times of big storm, all the people of the lower parts of the village can take refuge in several towers that are placed in Biroud. These towers are strengthened and have deep foundations to keep them at the same place, they are...by far not undestructable though. But now when there does come a big wave, usually all it will take is your home and no longer your life! However, the people of Biroud have found a new way to fight these storms, but more about that later.
The homes are now made of stone, clay, wood and...animal droppings and look a lot more cosey (in Real life the homes didn't look at all like on the pic, but I couldnt find any better ones).
Did you notice the holy rock is now shattered to pieces? Well some long periods of famine, big storms and disease made the villagers curse their gods and now they have taken on a new set of gods. These days they only pray twice a day, the people of Biroud are hardworking and friendly people and their gods are a reflection of their characters. Without fear of the supernatural and Biroud's natural protection against enemy settlements, the people of Biroud are very happy and peaceful. Because of this Biroud is actually quite ahead of it's surrounding settlements. Take a look at the next pic for an example:
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(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg89.imageshack.us%2Fimg89%2F4249%2F27729079ol8.jpg&hash=99e0c5fdc6834722b4b6d1176fb70c35d44c9e85)
As you can see, some more cow farms are created at the edge of town and close to the small fishing port at the bottom you will see the village woodcutters working on 3 more homes, it looks like Biroud is really starting to blossom. Good for them!
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(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg514.imageshack.us%2Fimg514%2F6840%2F36791411xt1.jpg&hash=5e2c2ba26e7ad55f17bb6bccff5ade438949c742)
This is Biroud's latest invention against storms I was talking about earlier. With a great collective effort the people of Biroud have made a big piece of elevated land, a manmade hill to live on and to be safe from the sea! For now all they built on it is the gathering place and lookout tower but Im sure that the rest of the homes will follow once this method of building has proven itself..
We can't say that the people of Biroud are the ones who should take full credit for this invention, many early settlements started to create manmade hills around 500 BC, in general they are called a terp but are also known as wierde, veenberg (in Dutch) or warft (in German). This is a major breakthrough for these parts of North-Western Europe, now they will not have to rebuild their homes and towns after every storm or flood! Unfortunately it's still impossible to create dry land everywhere so the people would have more land to farm and live on..for this they will have to wait for another 1500 years. Thankfully it's possible for us to jump into time, so in my next update you will learn how Biroud developes into a farming metropole in the period of 500 BC - 1500 AD.
I hope you enjoyed.
This landscape is really a great challenge for a city builder - and what you did here is a fantastic example of creativity!
I was very interested in your story - I didn't know anything about Netherlands prehistory ::)
Poland and all Eastern Europe was covered by large forests at that time, people travelled through them and settled in some places - mainly at the riverside or another good place to live. Their life was hard, but I think it was not as challenging as you showed in your story.
I am very curious what forced these people to come to the North Sea shore and live there, trying to protect themselves against storms and other hard conditions?
Your work is really great, I like it a lot! Some time ago I was thinking about showing some ancient tracks in my region ( I have a story about it too, it is also realistic but maybe in another meaning ;)) and my main problem was to find any objects to create such place :D
Your use of PEG Trails tunnel entrance is fantastic! &apls
And PEG trails don't look as well ordered as usual
I like your story about gods and the holy rock :thumbsup:, and what you say about first attempts to make artificial hills is extremely interesting for me!
It seems I was right asking you for showing something from your showcase :D
Very creative MD. Love the Dutch prehistory, but of course I'm biased as I was born on the terp of the village 1 km from the Waddensea ( a shallow sand-barred section of the North Sea), but grew up largely among the hills of the Canadian Shield in Quebec and Ontario. When do you get to the part about the Frisians and Batavians coming into Holland that mem (my Mother now 97) always quotes as her introduction to history in grade school.
keep up the fantastic work.
Douwe.
Mate, that is a some great work putting that area together. &apls
I like that you are not over-developing it. Nice use of PEG props and what I guess are modified PEG trails :thumbsup:
This MD is heading for big things.
Cheers
Dave
Great part 2 there, capo! Wonderful new pictures of Evergem! :thumbsup:
Great use of landscape! That village looks like it has been picked straight out of a history book ... many kudo's for representing the "Batavieren" for the very first time in SC4 :thumbsup:
Allemaggies Capo - that is a very nice history of The Low Lands! :thumbsup:
And your very well made pictures give the story just that touch that makes sure I will come back again to check the development of that godforsaken corner of the ancient world :thumbsup:
Replies:Quote from: Ennedi on October 17, 2007, 04:30:31 PM
I am very curious what forced these people to come to the North Sea shore and live there, trying to protect themselves against storms and other hard conditions?
Ennedi: Thanks again for your kind words! The reason that people wanted to live at such a horrible place is the same reason your Polish ancestors built settlements near rivers: the abundance of food....and probably the Dutch stubbornness has something to do with it as well :D
douwe: I don't think there's a more typical Frisian name as Douwe :) Thanks for your visit, I'm really happy to be able to please people abroad with small parts of Dutch history..especially when they have Dutch roots like you! The village you are seeing is actually a Frisian village!
tooheys: Thanks for your kind words. The tracks you are seeing are actually Deadwoods his forest lots without bases. Some lots have indeed been edited in the LE, a keen eye you have!
bat: Thanks for your visit and compliment. It's much appreciated.
Serkanner: Thanks for that big compliment! We have a confusing history as a country, if I make any mistakes...please don't hesitate to let me know! :)
sebes: Thanks for the compliments and your visit. You I would like to ask the same, if I screw up..please let me know! You are always welcome at the MD of this 'godforsaken' part of the world :D
Small update: Part 2.5The list of mods will be added with the next full update.
The year is 500 A.D. The Roman empire has fallen apart. About 25 years ago the Germanic leader Odoacer defeated Romulus Augustus, the last (west) Roman emporer...this is the end of an era ...and the starting of a new one. Even though the absence of Roman influence will mean a long period of stand-still for this area, big landscape-changing ideas to gain new land are already starting to arise in the mind of Biroud's only scientist: Jan-Hielke. You can see the earliest developments in this small update.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg85.imageshack.us%2Fimg85%2F8191%2F37141928th3.jpg&hash=1421e904c3f9a6adeab05d3edbf96883516fab58)
Even though Biroud has never actually been conquered by the Romans, still some influences of the Roman society leaked into this Germanic village as you can see above. We see some important buildings that are completely made of stone and some roads are no longer dirt but paved, also the first streetlights (lit each night) are found in this village. Most homes still are made of wood though and look pretty much the same. Also most of the roads remained dirt, unlike Roman cities, I think the people of Biroud really wanted to preserve some of their own culture so they denied many great (Roman) inventions. The (now ended) war between the Frisians and Romans did drop a mark on this settlement's looks. You can still see a lot of observation towers and the only road heading into Biroud is well guarded with ranger stations, this way the farms outside this village are also semi-protected and the town can see danger coming from a long way.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg85.imageshack.us%2Fimg85%2F7996%2F49802038ql1.jpg&hash=81986f0bb7af71234c0f27957546ad9ade0924cd)
The most defining thing is the presence of this small Christian church. Biroud is the only Frisian settlement that allowed the christians to build a church in that time. Another fine example of the peacefulness and tolerance of this small community! (note: I just noticed 2 cars in the picture, I thought I removed them all...sorry, please ignore them if you can)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg85.imageshack.us%2Fimg85%2F4076%2F66706144gw5.jpg&hash=1a94836740a78ac5f4326a5c90a4d59916278425)
Here you see raised reinforced land at the shoreline, this was Jan-Hielke's idea and is generally considered to be the first dike (or levee before some of you Americans start to laugh :) ). Even though the first serious dikes are dated 6 to 700 years later, this is where sea management really started! Right here in Biroud history is being written! In the centre you can still see the old terp where Biroud is rebuilt on.
The dike offers a good protection against attacks from boats and also protects the village against their eternal natural enemy: the sea. The farms (wich you can see in the pic above at the back) must be abandoned during big storms and the farmers will flee towards higher ground, so every now and then a harvest does get lost...fortunately the fishing community has developed well so periods of famine are very scarce these days.
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The path from the fishing port towards the village is the village it's soft spot for an attack, so many big battles have been fought there..it's a place thought to be haunted and no man is seen there walking after dark...
A view of the village and the farms. As you can see, the shape of the island changed dramaticly. This is because of natural erosion and the digging up with lots of sand/dirt to elevate their village with:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg88.imageshack.us%2Fimg88%2F7080%2F97580786wh9.jpg&hash=d6470844278d5d1aab97a933212a27ae095bdbe6)
until the next update!
thanks for your time, I hope you enjoyed
Wonderful developed island there! Looks really great! :thumbsup:
Very interesting idea and update. The pictures were very fitting to your little story.
&apls
Robin :thumbsup:
I agree with Robin's comments above. The pictures fit very well, and you have designed your villages in a wonderful way.
Very well done, and interesting take on a MD.
Capo wow wonderful updates here.... I love the island/cove shot that is sweet the coloring on it...
Hello Capo.
The last picture, and aerial view, with the islands, village, and farms is very good. Creative to say the least. I learn so much by looking at the various MD's and it helps my game play.
Capo, I like this a lot :thumbsup: A difficult area to develop and you have done really well, something different, something that catches the eye.
Nice work, looking forward to more.
Cheers Dave
O man Capo, the picture of the village-island and surrounding fields is gorgeous. I wish now that they never invented the polder: the country would have so much more gezellig without them! But on the other hand, imagine the traffic jams on the on the connecting bridges...
Looking forward to your next update and some more Frisian-Dutch history.
I love it! $%Grinno$%
Your terraforming is excellent.
Capo,
I love that small village. Excellent. I like the way it just fits so perfectly in there. This is what I love about SimCity the small towns and villages. The skyscraper cities just don't have that little something extra that you get in a small village. It is so neat to see th edetail in these small custom bats. I have all of pegs stuff too and just finding the right spot for a mtp village like this can be a challenge but you made it perfect. Great job!!
Wow, this is an amazing MD:
You teach us a very interesting history and show us great pictures!
I hope you'll nevr get tired ;)
A great update and a pleasure to read. :thumbsup:
History wise I am not sure I should correct you, but you perhaps me ;) ... I assumed the story would be about the Batavieren, but of course it can also be the Friezen.
I am looking forward to the next instalment of this very interesting diary.
I'm sorry I haven't been around much, some big RL issues are ruining my gameplay-time and my time here at SC4D. I hope that I can bring you a new update, and replies to all great comments posted here, this weekend!
(or early next week)
Wow-nice and rural,LOL :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Splendid update. I'm surprised this is my first time reading this. The history is well done, and you have a great control of the slopes (I can only imagine how long it must have taken to get them just right). I've seen a number of attempts to make old towns, and yours is one of the best examples I have seen. Even more impressive is that you chose to do it on islands. Well done, take care of whatever rl issues you may have, I certainly will be willing to wait.
Hi Capo,
Wow - Two fantastic updates. Your MD is certainly original, I am amazed at what you've acieved in terms of ancient history. Really great pics, I love the last one with the overview of the island.
I'm looking forward to seeing this one develop.
Take care,
Paul
You have some outstanding spaces developing here! :satisfied:
Beautiful historical representation in a modern game!
Congratulations, capo-
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg263.imageshack.us%2Fimg263%2F2439%2Fevergemhl8.png&hash=5d69c2d774cfa86baff94338267022634d511c53)
History comes to life...
The Staff
Congrats to this award, capo!
Looking forward to more...
Frankly , I missed this MD (like others Recently published ...lack of time . &mmm )
Great tutorial as opening . The unusual landscape ( a true challenge and so far your developments are convincing ) and the historical story make this MD as unique :thumbsup: than interesting .
I'll follow it ... ;) &apls &apls
Congratulations capo! &apls
As you see, your work was awarded and it is very well deserved award. You show something unique here (and difficult to show - there are not many lots wchich can be useful to present a historical story). I am very curious of the further development of this region, what you will show when you will come closer to the present time?
Some hard work is waiting for you, so good luck! :thumbsup:
Congratulations receiving the award Capo, I fully agree with this decision and I hope it will be just the first of many to come. :thumbsup:
A very deserving move, congrats on the award.
Robin :thumbsup:
Wow-i realy like this CJ :D Brilliant rural areas and i love your use of trees
Amazing MD, capo! I love that you started at the beginning of North West European civilization, I really enjoy MD's such as yours.
I'm looking forward to more history and more development.
Keep up the great work!
Cheers,
Kevin
Quote...you started at the beginning of North West European civilization...
LOL, that'll keep the old game clock busy for a while.
I never got around to it, capo, but good luck!
You've got one fine MD going here.
David
Congrats, capo! I can't wait to see what November has in store for Evergem!
Wow this is a big surprise! Thanks for the award and all the people who left a message! As I posted earlier I had some big issues in RL that needed taken care of, I had very little time to play SC or even check the community here the last 2 weeks. Good news is that most things are taken care of and I can finally do what I enjoy doing: working on the city and to read up on other people's progress in their MDs!
I have some big catching up to do, to keep you all entertained in the mean time I have a small teaser hopefully to your likings. I experimented a bit with jeronij's ploppable water and flaura in a test city. Once I've mastered these fine tools I will be using them in Evergem as well. I hope you like it..
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg232.imageshack.us%2Fimg232%2F244%2Fruraleam8.jpg&hash=c695dd68f405edc500cc0a2d07ad928ed4013204)
Once again, thanks all! I could use a little good news after last 2 weeks. You made me smile today :)
Quote from: capo on November 02, 2007, 10:03:53 AM
Wow this is a big surprise!
No Capo - it was n't: one thing was sure: Evergem would be in this section this month.
The small teaser is wonderful, I realy love the farm on the top of the picture. Just take all time you need to catch up with RL and enjoy being here ! (like I am right here in Evergem :satisfied: )
Hey capo,
Well done and congratulations on your Special Award.
Your MD is truly unique and as Sebes says it's no surprise to us that you have the award this month. I like the teaser (love great farmland and that is GREAT farmland). I hope RL is kind to you and allows you time to show us more of Evergem in November.
Love that farm picture. Hopefully it wins over in the picture competition too. It looks like a great place to be. I love farms and that is great and the water around it was done to perfection.
A really great picture there, capo! Great river and farms! :thumbsup:
Capo this is sooo cool you made it to OSITM and congratulations as well..... You are doing some great stuff here man and what a wonderful detail to rivers...
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: &apls &apls
If that's the experiment, can't wait to see the good stuff :thumbsup:
Dave
Congrats on your award &apls
i hope RL dosen't get in the way of updateing this CJ too much :)
Nice to see that you are recognized for your work on this MD, congratulations.
Like the rest I very much like the teaser picture.
Whoa! That creek looks fabulous, capo! And your farms look great, too, my friend! I'll definitely be looking forward to seeing more!
REPLIES:
Bat: Thanks for your many visits and all your kind words!
Rooker1: I'm happy the updates were to your likings. Congratulations on beating me in the Picture competition, that waterfront was really amazing and it deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Nedalezz: Thanks for the compliment, I'm going to visit your MD soon. I'm curious what an African city will look like in SC4
Kwakelaar: I'm honored with your visit. Why? Well for the last 2 days I've been creating many new lots for this MD which include so many of your bats. Thanks to you I can take my city to medieval ages, I owe you big time :)
Patfirefghtr: Thanks for all your kind words and visits friend! Every post you leave behind is a smile on my face :D
Jmyers: I'm glad with your visits and the compliments you give, I already downloaded your BAT pack and anxiously awaiting the new farm lots!
Tooheys: It's no fun making it easy for yourself I agree, I also like how the islands turned out to be. In Ennedi's MD I learned about the Italian version of CP's terrain mod, I think on the pictures soon to be posted you will agree it will look even better now.
Sebes: Thanks for your kind words, I'm humbled with your enthousiasm about this MD :) More Dutch-Frisian history coming up soon!
Mulefisk: Thanks for your compliment and your visit!
Tkirch: I completely agree with you, nothing beats the charm of a nice urban setting. Cities are nice to create, but I get really excited when I have some nature scenes ahead of me. Unfortunately the pic didn't win in the competition, but losing to that excellent waterfront I challenged was no shame.
Khiyana: Don't worry, I'll never get tired of this game. I've been playing it since the first ever SimCity, for me it will never get old.
Serkanner: Good to see 2 Dutch MDs going on now, I hope we can inspire each other into great things.
Jayo: thanks for your visit!
Threestoges: I'm glad you found the way to my little MD and I'm real thankful for your kind words. It indeed took a lot of work and with pain in my heart I have to delete a lot of it with every update. Hopefully future updates will be to your likings as well!
Paroch: Welcome back, Im glad you liked the previous update. Hopefully I can offer you some pictures of early medieval times very soon!
Schulmanator: Thanks for the compliment!
Rushman5: Thanks for your visit!
Dedgren: I'm honored with the award and I will do my best to give you all as many updates as possible this month
Badsim: I'm glad you found it in the end and I thank you for the compliment.
Ennedi: My friend, welcome back, your MD truly inspires me. Some hard work is indeed ahead of me, the last 2 days I've been creating medieval lots for Biroud. Hard work wich will hopefully soon pay off! I hope to find these asphaltwege which you mentioned in your MD soon, Im getting curious where you found those.
Jayo: thanks for dropping by, Im glad you like what you see
Bigslark: Thanks for your kind words. As I mentioned earlier we are heading towards medieval times, in the next update you will see how big portions of land were gained in so called 'polders'. I hope you will enjoy!
Thundercrack83: It will be a busy month for me I'm sure, with this great award comes the responsibility of frequent updates so I will have plenty of work ahead of me :) Im glad you like it.
Alright, I've been working hard the last few days. Hopefuly tomorrow I will post the next update, we are heading in the early medieval ages...
teaser1:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg62.imageshack.us%2Fimg62%2F3086%2Fconstructionsc4.jpg&hash=bdf59d69fd0bd7f0de2200eb5200bd7a45aad81d)
with more Dutch history, this time you will see the construction of the famous dykes (levees) and the 'polder' concept..
teaser2:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg137.imageshack.us%2Fimg137%2F7782%2Fdykekq1.jpg&hash=5d45ec7ee6d4af510983d16dc195f657422d9daf)
Again, thanks for the award and all the fantastic comments I read here!
Hello capo,
I see you are preparing something unique :thumbsup:
Here are links for you:
Asphaltwege (http://kurier.simcityplaza.de/details.php?file=465)
Feldwege (http://kurier.simcityplaza.de/details.php?file=464) (the same path texture, but with low stone walls, designed for the ryural landscape - can be useful for you. Read the description (it's in German), you must choose the version, MTP or Cycledogg, I think it will be Cycledogg in your case)
You need the actual version of SFBT Essentials to work these paths properly
Cheers
Adam
Replies:
Ennedi: Thanks for the linkie, these feldwege and asphaltwege are simply awesome!
The city of Biroud, Evergem, The Netherlands
Update 3.0
It's been a while since we visited the people of Biroud. I'd like to welcome you all back, this time we are somewhere in the 13th century, in medieval times. The wealthy people of Biroud now live in houses made of bricks. Not every peasant can afford such a brick house, it's still considered to be something very luxorious. The average person is happy to have a fine house made of wood in Biroud. There's a saying in Dutch, it's "steenrijk" (stone-rich), it's an excellent example of how important brick was as a social status these days.
It's also the time for Biroud where the construction of the brick city walls were completed. In the previous updates you have seen that the city walls were made of clay and dirt, these new brick walls are so much stronger that it was well worth the effort (and expenses) to build them. The people of Biroud can finally feel somewhat safer again after many centuries of violence. Many great battles have been fought with all the crusades in lands far away, however close to home an occasional Viking party or an unfriendly neighbour were never to bothered to drop in for a looting visit. The best way to keep unfriendly folk out are the city walls. Some parts of these walls can still be found in several Dutch cities in this date, including in my hometown Groningen.
Here are some basic pictures I found today on a website of my hometown, I think they perfectly show the development of a typical northern Dutch city:
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Groningen, 800 AD
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Groningen, 1200 AD
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg136.imageshack.us%2Fimg136%2F2845%2Fgroningen203st2.jpg&hash=cbe2250458ace7055e9934e9d1dbfa1c58a53c6c)
Groningen, 13th-14th century
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Groningen, 1600 AD
Now let's have a first few looks at Biroud in medieval times! At first an overview:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg139.imageshack.us%2Fimg139%2F9093%2Foverviewfl7.jpg&hash=fb13d0c376d33cf9198a3aa44224f24c01668680)
You can see that Biroud is fully in development, the safety of the city walls attract many people from outside the village. I don't think it will take long before all the space inside these walls will be filled with housing. I've heard that perhaps Biroud will be granted stadsrechten, a permit to call yourself a city. With this stadsrecht Biroud will atract a lot of merchants and it would be just the thing to make this settlement really develop. Already the scenic natural part nortwest of the church is being disturbed with early homes, well you can't stop progress...
In the southwest you see Biroud's small fishing harbour, not many great buildings are to be found here since it lacks protection of the city walls. It is a vital part of Biroud since most of the food is gathered through fishing the sea. Voices in the council have spoken out to better defend this lifeline of Biroud, but unfortunately for now...Biroud's walls have drained every goldcoin there was. Perhaps it's time that Biroud would turn to agriculture, unfortunately it's surrounded by sea..they will have to find a solution for that problem.
In the city centre there's the main church, admire it while you can...because there are plans to build a bigger and (most important) higher church or cathedral. Let's zoom in to the place a bit:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg232.imageshack.us%2Fimg232%2F9692%2Foutskirtsvh9.jpg&hash=0d738cbc2c876c57d2a6218316ec0ed9ba5165e5)
Here you see a nice example of the wooden and brick housing I was talking about earlier. Important is also the small canal you see in this picture, it's the city's earliest sewage system. Biroud may look pretty, but it smells really bad!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg139.imageshack.us%2Fimg139%2F5711%2Fcabinswallfo8.jpg&hash=7f304f98f2a0f74fcef20ee57b78968384282ade)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg139.imageshack.us%2Fimg139%2F2623%2Fvillagewallks5.jpg&hash=e355a42a835de52100d7f277b1ca13b96d155325)
The trees, bushes, wildlife and plants in the northern part of town are being replaced by homes, walls, landmarks and shops :(
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg136.imageshack.us%2Fimg136%2F3973%2Fwinkelstraateq5.jpg&hash=45caba6ec2abfbdc3127afbfe2a4e017d85b7124)
Shopping street "de muurloop" and some random homes
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The village centre "de hoofdstraat" with the main church.
Ok that's it for now, in a few days the promised "polders" will be introduced and you will learn how Biroud claims new land with the building of new and improved dykes (levees). I hope you enjoyed
That village is looking very great! Wonderful pictures and work on that! Great update and teasers to it! :thumbsup:
Hey Capo,
Very nice work there. You've put this together so very well. The historic description and explanations set the scene very well. The pictures of Groningen developing followed by the first overview of Biroud is extra special, as though you are saying "this is how it happened and here is my interpretation of it".
I have to say that as I was looking at the pictures I had two main thoughts:
1-I bet that when Maxis developed SC4 they NEVER anticipated that someone could build such a city!
and
2-How did you get the houses to develop so crammed in together? SC4 loves giving you the green no-car zot unless they have a road connection - how did you do it?????
I'm really enjoying your MD and look forward to seeing the new church and the development of the agriculture (surely it must come in Nederland).
And where do the citizens kick that pigs head about???
All the best,
Paul
Sapperdeflap %$payas)(
I am in shock and awe about this update and especially the 3rd and 2nd last pictures (the north part of town and muurloop). I agree with Paroch: maxis would never have guessed that this was eventually possible in SC4!!!
I can hardly say anything else then WOW! A real gripping storyline about the history of the "common" Dutch city. I guess I can close 's-Gravenveen now :P after seeing this. You have done an outstanding job creating the villages first and then make them grow into the medieval town/city ... three rounds of applause and may I have a ticket for the next show please?
:thumbsup:
Excellent update, capo. I haven't visited The Netherlands in nearly ten years and would love to go again now that I have a better understanding of history and art. Your MD feels like I'm in a History Museum! And as big fan of museums, I mean that in the very best manner possible.
I'm looking forward to what comes up next.
Cheers,
Kevin
This is developing very nicely. You must be one of the first MD authors who actually manage to make something looking truly medieval. Also no coincidence that my bats can be used for this project. You are making the kind of MD that I have been planning for a long time. These bats are all part of that idea. I get sidetracked often so I never get started with a MD, but it is very inspiring to see what you are doing here.
I especially like the overview picture of the town. The city has a rather organic form, very common for these kind of places that has been growing over a longer period of time. You have also left a lot of space inside the citywalls which is quite realistic this early in the medieval period.
I very much look forward to your polder update.
Replies:
bat: Welcome back bat! It's always nice to see you here at Evergem! Thanks for your kind words
paroch: You are too kind, thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment. About your two thoughts:
1. I think when Maxis staff have a look at all the pictures posted here on SC4D (and other fan sites), they'd be quite surprised indeed. Especially the batters and modders who appearantly have skills the Maxis team lacks,it must be a real downer for Maxis :D
2. Even though I'm very much against plopping (pretty much all of my cities I grow buildings), unfortunately in this historic time I had to recreate lots and plop them. I tried editing lots and making them grow, however the cars that turn up with them really ruin the medieval landscape. So I took Kwakelaar's, D66 and a few other Megapacks and used the props (thanks for making the buildings as props guys) to recreate new lots with. You don't want to see my park menu at this point, Im afraid I will get a 'scroll-finger' if I keep playing for a few more days :D
sebes: Thanks for your very kind words, I appreciate everybody's opinions and comments but considering this is a Dutch town..a compliment from a Dutchman counts for two in this MD :)
Serkanner: Here's your ticket friend, but you have to promise me not to close 's-Gravenveen! :D I'm glad this village is liked by all and especially by the dutchies. I mean you all had the same boring history lessons I did in school, so I doubt if I'm telling you anything new about Dutch history :)
Bigslark: If you ever decide to revisit The Netherlands, please drop me a msg. I would be honored to give you a (historic) tour! Thanks for your kind words, they are much appreciated.
Kwakelaar: I was having big doubts if I could actually get to medieval times with this MD, but then I found your megaprops and schiffenberg monestary (and some of your German farms wich names I forgot)..and then all was possible. I would like to give you a lot of credits for this last update, if it wasn't for your megaprop packs..I could have never created a town like this. Indeed when I looked at your houses, it seemed they were made for this MD. Now I understand why :) With the polder update you will also see some familiar buildings, I hope you will like it and Im pleased that you like what I did with your buildings and props! I owe you
Thanks to everybody for leaving such friendly comments, I must admit that I'm a bit shy when it comes to showing others what I create (I've been composing music and writing poetry for years, but nobody is allowed to hear or read) and it's good to see such friendly people here, enjoying this MD. I thank thee...
Hi capo ,
Fabulous work ... everything looks perfect , convincing and beautiful but , most of all , I can't believe that you pushed the vice untill to create these such conforming walls along the overlays stone by stone ... ()what() . So my question ; did you do that or are they unknown (for me) modular props ?
Whatever the answer , my hat off too ... ::)
&apls &apls &apls
The Village Center with the church is great. And the way it looked in Medievel times the over view all of the pictures just excellent. Its the little things that are really good like the stones around the edges of the road add that little bit extra of realism. Thanks for sharing your MD with us.
The interesting thing is, up close, the city looks much bigger than it does further away. It seems you've created that illusion of scale that so suits a medieval city (looks large on the ground, but really is quite small when you move a ways out).
I like how you've used the props to build up the city. I especially like the little laneways, paths, that run throughout the city. Let's see if you can apply that to a future urban context (ie. cobblestone streets) in the future, eh? :P
This is a nice group of pictures. I think that you've successfully created an old world walled city. The stone walls along the road, the rocks strewn about, the canal, and the church in the center of town. I am impressed with the selection of custom content you've collected. All these elements work well together and make for an entertaining experience for us readers.
This looks great!! I love the medieval feel!! The footpaths look great, and I love the stone bridge you've got there... do you remember where you got it?
Replies:
Badsim: Thanks for your kind words! I think you were talking about the small stone walls next to the roads? Well that's an amazing pack of eye-candy roads, thanks to Ennedi you can now see them in this MD because he was kind enough to provide the link: 6459978's feldwege (http://kurier.simcityplaza.de/details.php?file=464). I was planning to add a list of dependencies again soon, so everything you see in this MD can be quickly found.
tkirch: I agree: it's the little things in a city that makes it nice to look at, in RL..and in SC. Thanks for your kind words and good luck on the photo contest, I think it will be a great competition.
Shadow Assassin: Don't worry, Im planning to use these cobbled roads in many landscapes to come. They are perfect for any rural scene, I posted the link in the reply to Badsim..perhaps you would like to play with them as well? Thanks for your kind words!
jmyers2043: I'm glad this MD provides entertainment and I'm happy that you like what you see. Thanks for visiting Evergem again and your kind words, you're always welcome here! :)
CabraBuitre: The footpaths are the feldwege wich linkie I posted in Badsim's reply. The stone bridge is from Maxis actually, it's in the Castle proppack in the downloadable landmarks section on ea's simcity site. Thanks for your visit and your kind words!
It's almost 1 AM, time for me to get some sleep..
This is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO awesome!!
It's beyond cool....
it's INCREDICOOL!!!!
This is what I love!! I want more more more!!!
&dance
WoW capo this is wonderful creations here wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! im just soo stunned at the rural feeling here...
&apls &apls &apls &apls
I have to admit that this is my first time around here, but it most certainly won't be my last. This is... wow... I don't really know how to put it... it's hard to believe that this is actually SC4 - that's how good it is. It looks more like some sort of miniature modell than a game. I really wish that I some day might be able to achive something that comes close to this.
Evergem is now officially on my top 10 of all time MD:s/CJ:s.
nice old looking city you've got there &apls
great use of BATs :thumbsup:
E
It's a real pleasure to visit your MD, capo!
Your story is very interesting and it is written really good - history can be boring for many people, and you described it in a fascinating way. You use simple words and the sense of this story is clearly visible, also for non-English speakers as me - and it's a real feat, all the greater as you are non-English speaker too! :thumbsup:
Of course, the most important part of your story are pictures.
Drawings you present at the beginning make an excellent introduction, and your SC4 pictures are fantastic!
All buildings are placed very carefully, and - I suppose - properly from the historical poin of view ;). Anyway, they look very picturesquely.
These low stone walls look perfect. I like also two other elements:
- the drain canal - I know it smelled really bad :D, but on your pictures it is another beautiful element! :thumbsup: Especially with these little bridges &apls
- your use of trees and grass - they not only look very natural and harmonize with houses, but you also use them (in a very clever way) to hide almost all edges of various textures, and it's one of main reasons everything look so natural.
And these pictures are a great illustration of your story.
If every teacher would be able to present his knowledge in such an interesting way, going to school would be a great pleasure and playing time for everybody :thumbsup: (unfortunately it isn't true in many cases... :D)
good stuff :P Love the rural feel :)
Hello Capo,
it's wodefull MD, I like your stories. Old town is great, feeling ghost of past years it's possible :)
EDIT: and congrats for Awards &apls
REPLIES:
Schulmanator: Well if it's more you want, more thou shall have..Thanks for your enthousiasm for this MD
patfirefghtr: My friend welcome back, I'm glad you like what you see...and I hope you will like this update as well.
emilin: I'm humbled with your kind words. Trust me, it is SC4..however I must admit that everything you see is plopped. The game makes it impossible to grow buildings without the appearing of cars unfortunately. Sometimes it's frustrating to spend many hours plopping and then have to destroy it all again because I jumped forward 500 years
ejc: Thanks for your visit, I'm glad you like what you see
Ennedi: Thanks my friend! Looks like you uncovered my secret ;) Yes I feel the grass (and the rest of plopable flora) is an excellent way to cover up the edges of textures, it also works great with jrj's plopable water. You can't believe how much a compliment your comment is, you are making me smile. I'm actually considering to start teaching history at an high school, I've been educated to be a primary school teacher so first it's back to school for me! But your comment is a confirmation of my plans, I thank you!
jayo: Thanks for your visit, I'm glad you like it.
Danthe: Some parts of the village are considered to be haunted and when it's a bit foggy, the residents claim to see witte wieven floating. As you might have guessed these are concentrated pieces of fog but back in those days, people thought it to be ghosts. Thanks for your kind words!
UPDATE 3.5: De Polder
Dependencies:
The list of mods/bats has become too large to post. Any question of where to find something specific will be answered with a link, don't worry. With that said....
Welcome back to Biroud and I bring you good news! Biroud has officially received stadsrechten* and can now officially call itself a city. With this title, merchants from all over the region have found their way to Biroud, making the city grow very fast. Unfortunately, as you know, Biroud is located on an island so it's getting harder and harder to feed the growing population. Let's have a look at Biroud and the few farms it has now:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg410.imageshack.us%2Fimg410%2F5663%2Fvoorallesif8.jpg&hash=8fc15be3b9b3c4cececfad5da04fae94db4713cf)
With the booming population the demand for a bigger church has now become to big to ignore, work has started on the design on Biroud's new church! But first.....
At one day, one of Biroud's scientists (De Wijzen**) had an idea that would change the Dutch landscape for good. Biroud legend is that this scientist, named Jannes, was wandering the streets of Biroud when a old wooden house collapsed. He watched the rubble falling in a water pool and he noticed something. The rocks, wood and clay put together with some pressure created a wall where water could not penetrate through. A miniature dyke (levee) you might say, if this can be done on a small scale..why not on a bigger scale? This way they could connect all the small islands surrounding Biroud, if they can pump out the water in between somehow...Biroud can gain huge parts of new fertile land, the soil here is clay...indeed very fertile. Immediately Jannes rushed to his fellow scientists, they have a lot of work ahead of them. Let's jump forward a few decades and let's see what they come up with:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg410.imageshack.us%2Fimg410%2F4805%2Fvoorpolderaz4.jpg&hash=894da9f7735d731192d2e2c377898843491d4a38)
This landscape is really changing, here you see the region's first dykes. It looks that they are almost done with creating the dykes to enclose the land.I'm sorry everybody, I didn't expect them to work this hard, let's quickly zoom in, I'm hoping we get to see how they actually built these dykes:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg80.imageshack.us%2Fimg80%2F4779%2Fdijksteensb2.jpg&hash=1bada03efac200479c88525d55d2b31a2de64ddf)
The labourers collected pieces of rock from everywhere they could find. They threw all these rocks together in one big pile to create a dyke foundation. Unfortunately if you would leave it like this, the sea would wash away the rocks in time. To enforce the dyke they created mats made of willow branches, they are flexible and strong..and most important: they keep the rocks where they are. To fill the gaps they used a lot of sand and clay. These early dykes with a mixture of wood, stone and clay were pretty strong and they protected everybody from their eternal enemy: the sea. Well this was stage one, they enclosed a portion of land. However it's still filled with water. You can wait until it has dried out however Biroud really can't wait that long. And besides you can compare this polder*** with a giant bath-tub, any big rain shower will fill the tub..destroying the harvest. Let's see what they come up with:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg143.imageshack.us%2Fimg143%2F1876%2Fpompeneg3.jpg&hash=dcb7bdb54df2310066dc69c3e43c871cbdc6292b)
Have a look at the edge of this polder, it's hard to miss the four windmills since I put giant circles around them. Sorry for that, but it's the easiest way to explain this. The windmills with the red circles around them are responsible for pumping away the water in the polder. The people of Biroud created ditches from these windmills towards the sea, however with this you encounter your next problem: how do you get the water over the dykes? The polder is below sea-level (not possible in SC4 so you'll just have to imagine that), so they have to find a way to pump this water up. That's where the windmills in the white circles come in, they are responsible for pumping the water up a level, all of this was done with wind-power alone and judging the size of the white circled windmills, it took quite a lot of power to do this.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg143.imageshack.us%2Fimg143%2F2348%2Fmoredevelopmentql6.jpg&hash=dcf3f9e2c4b44b1ce84dbc8e4317c0dcf63b33c4)
Here you see all the water from the polder being transported into the sea, a nice detail is that already farms and a new small community are forming. It seems the agricultural demand was even bigger than anticipated in Biroud.
Wit this new invention, Biroud is developing like it never developed before:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg444.imageshack.us%2Fimg444%2F2649%2Fmodernie4.jpg&hash=ab07e4c71f147f1149dd28796970dcaa27c7a0d1)
You can see that one polder is already filled with farms with the other one filling up fast, more small communities outside the city walls have been founded, I guess they trust on Biroud's city guard to protect them. Also five extra windmills have been built with long straight ditches to the sea to get rid of excess (ground)water. But please also have a look at the centre of Biroud, I'll zoom in so you can see:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg444.imageshack.us%2Fimg444%2F6154%2Fideapt7.jpg&hash=77a3a0ccd3d02a5c265aa6a12e873a1fe5ca831c)
Two new buildings have been added to Biroud's skyline. Ofcourse the new "Vrouwe Maria kerk****" wich stands strong rising above the city walls. It attracts churchgoers from far outside of Biroud. Next to the Vrouwe Maria Kerk you can see "Het Gedachtenhuis*****", it's a gift to Biroud's scientists for giving Biroud fertile farm polders.
* stadsrechten: please check previous update
** De Wijzen: The wise ones
*** polder: A polder is a low-lying tract of land .... ......, enclosed by embankments known as dikes (source: wikipedia)
**** Vrouwe Maria Kerk: Lady Mary Church
***** Het Gedachtenhuis: The Thoughthouse
Thanks for your time, I hope you like it.
QuoteI hope you like it.
How could we not, capo, how could we not....
Amazing, how you are able to recreate the creation of our nation ;) And you do it so realistic and natural! It's absolutely phenomenous how you teach us all how dykes were built centuries ago. A applaud for that, big !
&apls &apls &apls &apls
'T begynt hwat frysk te lyken en ja, hwat hollansk ek. 'Och, Dy mooie moolen'*
you have done an amazing job here The details are astounding. Keep up the good work. Pity there is no "Fryske buorkerij"** for SC4.
*It's starting to look somewhat Frisian, and yes, somewhat Dutch too. 'Oh Those beautiful windmills.'
** Frisian Farm -
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg218.imageshack.us%2Fimg218%2F5648%2Fbuorkerijxz0.jpg&hash=93361b4e7493b00f2720c23749a2933c81c4c5bf) (http://imageshack.us)
Traditional Frisian Farms have the house at the front connected to the barn behind with the haymow under the roof.
Also kudos for the Award. &apls &apls
Douwe.
Fabulous work! Bring on more more more! :thumbsup:
For me it's the most interesting cj ever! You combine beatiful pictures with great lessons of (dutch) history! &apls &apls
The amount of detail you put into each update is outstanding, my friend! I missed a few of them, but I'm now caught up and I'm ready to continue following along here! Keep up the great work!
A really great update, very well presented and I enjoyed reading your story about the origins of the Dutch dykes. I love the pictures with the overview over the island before and after the creation of the polder.
I like the history behind the dykes.
The city is indeed developing well. And I wonder how Biroud will look in 500 or so years... I suppose we better wait, hmm? :P
Capo,
Amazing update you've given us here. I've been checking all week and when I saw you change your signature pic I knew something special was on its way!
I have to say that as well as
(a) being VERY good to look at,
(b) being amazed by your technical skills, and
(c) wondering where this can go next
I am just finding this so very very interesting. I used to work for a Dutch company, love Amsterdam and admire Dutch football, so I've always had a soft spot for Holland. You giving us a free history lesson on the creation of the Netherlands is just adding to the overall experience. Your MD should go on display in the Groningen town museum!
All the pics are great, with number 6 the city overview being my favourite, just because it gives the sense of what has been achieved for a piece of the North Sea.
Thank you Capo for publishing this MD.
Paul
Wonderful work on that island! It looks very nice! :thumbsup:
Excellent update yet again. Great pictures, fantastic story ... it seems real history stories are perhaps even more interesting then made up stories? :P ... for this history buff, it is indeed.
:D Great update!More development is gd
Thanks for all the wonderfull comments everybody, a full list of personal replies will be added with the next update!
I have one more picture to place, it has Biroud's very first footballpitch in it. The name of the stadium is 'De Stal' (the stable), I guess it's no surprise where this field got it's name from. Even though the modern version of the football game wasn't played in medieval times, I just had to participate in paroch his football tournament in his wonderfull MD (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2238.120) <- linkie. However it is known that already in the Middle Ages football was played, many rules were the same however the game was a lot rougher back in those days. Good agreements have been made with the West End Tournament director and we trust all games will be played without spilling too much blood ;)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg339.imageshack.us%2Fimg339%2F843%2Ftorenmg6.jpg&hash=68f6a653e274634c38844f3616b7f4cf1260989c)
As you can see the city of Biroud is really growing thanks to the excess of food now available by the polders. Already the city walls cover an area that is too small to protect everybody inside, but with all this extra income selling the excess agricultural products and fish from the small harbour..I'm sure Biroud can expand very soon. In my previous update I already introduced the Vrouwe Maria Kerk and Het Gedachtenhuis. In this picture you see some new important buildings that have been built with Biroud's latest economic boost.
In the centre you see De Handelstoren (the trade tower) standing proud with the Red, White and Blue...the Dutch flag. Originally the Dutch flag was orange-white-blue..but for some reason still unknown the orange changed to red. Biroud legend tells us that the reason of this colour-change lies in Biroud. Legend is that with every football game played at De Stal the people of Biroud would all dress in orange, creating the most insane hats and shirts to support their team. This was considered to be an insult to Biroud's status and Biroud's Noblemen grew ashamed of their hometown. To prevent future orange madness they changed the team colours to green and white and changed the national flag to red, white and blue. Ha! That will prevent future orange madness for sure!!!
In the bottom you find Het Handelshuis (the trade house, the vanderaap building). Inside and in front of this building a market takes place each day. Space is also a problem here, when Biroud expands they should consider placing a real big market place.
Het Gedachtenhuis, de Vrouwe Mara Kerk, De Handelstoren and Het Handelshuis are all important landmarks contributing to Biroud's commercial demand. These buildings are built so strong that I'm sure they will still be around in hundreds of years (hint, hint).
I have no idea yet where the next update will bring us, thanks again everybody for your supporting comments!
Looking great that picture (of the "stadium").
Man, your city is the best!!! So this is where the oranjegekte (orange-madness) finds its roots. Nice :thumbsup:
You lay the base of a very strong community here, and I am looking forward to read about the comming centuries. I'll stay tuned for the next 400 years or so ;)
Aargh I have missed soo much!
These past updates are terrific! your story combined with your choice of buildings is truly phenomenal! &apls
BTW how much does a skybox on the stable cost per season? :D
Strechnitz.
Capo,
100 posts - well done :thumbsup:
That trade tower is pretty special. What a great place, to sit in the top of the tower and watch all that orange madness!
Most updates that only have one picture can leave you feeling a bit, well, short changed I guess. But wow, how much you fit into one picture!!!!!! Great narrative as well, love the story you are telling us. And of course, De Stal is VERY nice.
Thanks for the compliment to my MD - you're too kind.
Here's to the next 100 posts.... $%Grinno$% $%Grinno$% $%Grinno$%
Capo,
Just found your out about Biroud. Great!
I love the way you reconstruct the history of this wet country.
I do not agree though on your remark in the first post about the ugliness of The Netherlands.
Yes, the country is flat, but if you take a close look, you see that there are sooo many details: small raisings, rivers, dunes, lakes, ponds, meadows with cows.... It can be stunningly beautiful.
Indeed, everything is made by man, so we can conclude that your (and also some of mine) ancestors did a great job. Manmade also means: nothing is coincidental, everything has a purpose. This makes the Dutch country and landscape very interesting. And so challenging to recreate in SC4.
Take a look at the attachment. It's Zwartsluis. See all the different directions of farmfields. And the sizes of them. The reasons for these differences lie in the heigths according to sealevel, the historic area that they were developed and the available technology, remains of the original landscape.....
I find it fascinating.
And now I stop. It's the teacher in me that wants to run away with me.....
I really enjoy your MD and look forward to the future expansions.
&apls &apls &apls
Capo wow i loved how you transitioned from canal to stream!!! great job on that and also fine updates and i so do really enjoy coming here - pat
I realy enjoy the way we can see the evolution of the area. :)
Lovelly-Love your use of d66's props :)
Capo such beautiful pictures. I love the dykes, they are simply amazing. It looks so realistic that is what I love with your pictures.
Capo, there is not much I can say that hasn't already been said, this is beautiful work &apls
It's been a pleasure looking through you latest updates, love the theme and your use of props. :thumbsup:
hi capo as i told you before i am really impressed by your work here
i love all the small houses they fit very good together
your landscape is awsom too
and the evolution of this region is a great idea
so everything looks beautifull &apls &apls &apls
Hello capo,
Your lesson about making first polders was very interesting for me! I didn't know that windmills were used to remove water from the separated area (but of course it's logical :D)
But I have a stupid question: farmers need freshwater, without salt, for plants and animals (and of course all people need it to drink). Maybe there was one or two little spring on these islands, but when people made much more ground, they needed much more freshwater. Did they look for other springs, or maybe tried to remove salt from the sea water?
You last update with all these carefully plopped buildings, church and trade tower is fantastic!
It's a pity there are no sailships in SC4, I think if you would have some of them, you would be able to make a beautiful small seaport ;)
It's a pleasure for me to see how quickly grows my favourite region :thumbsup:
Hello Capo - this MD is indeed spectacular. The way you deal with the landscape; the way show the reclamation of the sea and the building of the polders; the selection of flora and the placement of custom content is amazing. It is an absolute pleasure to pour over these images. Thanks for sharing :)
That story Biroud's development is one of the best I've read, and the pictures are too. I like the way you didn't over-do the expansion also, but kept it very realistic. I will be waiting to see how Biroud handles it's new prosperity.
I can answer the question about the freshwater in an uncomplete way.
Freshwater can be obtained from:
1. the rivers that are flowing through the country
2. rain that drops onto the grond
3. ground water: not too deep undeground which is not salty and can be pumped up.
The ground water though, in new polders, can be quite salty and is not always useable. The salt is only slowly going away by help of rain and irrigation. A lot of the needed fresh water is brought from somewhere else. At least these days. How they did it in Biroud.... I don't know.
In fact the salt has always been a problem, because the seawater tends to flow into the country underground, because waterlevel in polders is lower than sealevel. So there is a difference in pressure, which makes the salty seawater take the place of fresh groundwater.
Maybe there is some dutch water engineer who knows more about this?
Wow-Where did you get that road going threw the town??????
@FrankU, thank you for your detailed answer! :thumbsup:
But the problem is even more interesting after reading it :D
And this
QuoteIn fact the salt has always been a problem, because the seawater tends to flow into the country underground, because waterlevel in polders is lower than sealevel. So there is a difference in pressure, which makes the salty seawater take the place of fresh groundwater.
is the most interesting aspect of it, not only because of the level difference, but also because of an osmosis.
And how they did it in Biroud? ;)
That's an excellent question Ennedi and FrankU thanks for answering it (and for raising a new question :) ). You know more about the subject then I do I think..
I do know that there isn't any water gained from the western part of the Netherlands because the groundwater is too salty, why it's different in the Northern part is unknown to me. Maybe only water can be gained on "De Hondsrug" (the dog's back), a natural elevated piece of land throughout the Netherlands, it's above sea level so perhaps the salt is too deep there, but that would be guessing.
Even on a small island called 'Schiermonnikoog' wich is in the middle of the Wadden Sea fresh water is gained through the ground water..but I don't have a clue how they do it, it is something I should pay attention to in Biroud it seems, so I guess I have some studying ahead of me :)
It's really nice to see such a lively discussion in this MD. Again thanks to all for visiting, I hope to post an update (with more specific replies) soon!
The sweet water (from rain) is falling on the land and sinks through the soil. It reaches clay layers, that it cannot penetrate, so it stays there, in a kind of bubble. The clay layers also protect the salt water from mixing with the sweet water. People can get the water through a well, with a bucket or so. Luckily, it rains enough in this land to make sure that there is always plenty of sweet water. Occasionally it happened that the clay layer bursted, and that sweet and salt water mixed. In that case the people on the island died :( or had to escape.
On the mainland enough rivers enter the country to make sure that always plenty of fresh sweet water is flowing into the low lands, and ofcourse, canals and dykes are used to guide it to places where we want it ;) But, to make sure that also in dry times Amsterdam has enough water, it's pumped into the dunes, where the sand filters the water, and the claylayers protect it from being mixed with the saltwater. In the Rotterdam area water is stored in the Biesbosch Reservoir.
capo i will be waiting for that update - pat
It is a very interesting country we have here in the river delta of the Rhine and the Maas. Isn't it?
Let's see what Capo is coming up with.... &opr
Wow thanks sebes for that reply, yes that makes a lot of sense....hmm I'm already wondering how I can intergrate that with Biroud :)
@Pat & FrankU: I'll get to work asap! I've been working on the cleanitol files for quite some time and after that I was feeling a bit under the weather. Now I'm feeling better I feel like booting up the SC4 again for a nice building spree (after first many hrs of reorganising plug-ins I'm afraid :'( )
Hi Capo,
I have to admit, I can't wait for your next update. There are many great MDs I love visiting but you are keeping us in suspense! I keep checking because I don't want to miss it.
Hope you're feeling better. Cleaning out the plug-ins is something I keep saying I must do, but can't build up the courage! Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Paul
sebes: Thanks for your many visits here at Evergem, I'm glad both our supporter groups were in their best behavior at the West End tournament.
Douwe: Welcome back, yes that farm looks familiar. I'm from Groningen, Friesland's evil neighbor ;) Thanks for your kind words and I hope to find a Friesian farm somewhere!
Schulmanator: Thanks, more is coming right up..sorry for the delay!
Khiyana: You are too kind, I put a lot of work in placing every building, tree, path so it's always good to read that it's well liked.
Thundercrack83: Welcome back my friend, don't worry about it..there are so many great MD's out there that I always miss updates as well, there are just too many talented people here on SC4D :)
Kwakelaar: Thanks for the compliments and I thank you for your megapacks and other works!
Shadow Assassin: Thanks for your visit, yes sometimes I wonder what Biroud will look like in 500 years as well...but we still have a long journey ahead of us. In many European cities there are still buildings of over 500 years old..and when Biroud reaches modern days, it will be no different here.
Paroch: Congratulations to you for posting the 100th post in this MD, I'm glad it's you who passed this milestone . Thanks my friend, as soon as this MD is done I will perhaps send it to the Groninger museum :) .. Speaking of that museum, here check it out if you will:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg151.imageshack.us%2Fimg151%2F5084%2Fmuseumlh5.jpg&hash=5cba8f70730c742cf6ed6f8d57507ec82da58ded)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg151.imageshack.us%2Fimg151%2F5127%2F055af6.jpg&hash=298b55184866f55f8c53be2323d189ea069b9ef0)
Even though it's a very strange building, I still like it a lot. It's so different from things you normally see. I think it would be one of the biggest challenges ever for a Batter, does anybody feel challenged perhaps? :)
Bat: thanks for your many visits in Biroud!
Serkanner: Real history may perhaps be more interesting but I also have a vivid imagination that needs feeding :)
Jayo: thanks for your visits, more development is on it's way! You asked about where you could find a road going into town. Which one did you mean exactly so I can give you the linkie?
Strechnitz: A skybox can be purchased for the price of 50 goldcoins. 2 Maidens or 7 donkeys will also be accepted as payment :) Thanks for your kind words!
FrankU: Welcome to Biroud and thanks for your many contributions about Dutch history. It's really great to see such a discussion about our nation's history develop here. I guess we both do look different at our country, don't get me wrong...there are some parts in The Netherlands I really like..but we aren't blessed with great natural beauty.
Pat: I'm glad you enjoy Biroud, the wait is over...the update is here!
Pikatchoum: Welcome to Biroud and thanks for your kind words!
Tkirch: thanks, yes I always try to keep it as real as I can get.
Tooheys: thanks my friend and welcome back, more new props by KWK (and others) to be seen in this update!
Squidi: thanks for the compliments, yes many small houses to be seen..however with the passing of time, the saying 'bigger is better' has also found it's way to Biroud. That means more bigger housing to come...
Ennedi: Thanks for finding the time to visit Biroud, I know you are a busy man so this means a lot to me. As you can read, the question was no stupid one at all..but an excellent one. We all learn from eachother, that's one of the great things of SC4D I feel. Yes you are right, if only some really nice medieval sailships would exist. I've already taken a look at the Maxis boat, but that's one ugly looking boat I don't want to be seen in Biroud..if you find something nice on your path, please let me know!
Mattb325: Thanks for the compliments, it's really great to entertain others with building and developing Biroud and it's landscape. To me the landscape is equally (or more) important then the city itself, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist..sometimes it's helpful with SC4, sometimes it's a pain in the hiney ;)
Amapper: Thanks for your visit! Yes I completely believe in the saying "Less is more" so that is what I try to do with my cities as well. It's better to place 3 buildings with good thought, then to randomly plop 20 buildings.
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First of all, I'm real sorry for the long wait for a next update everybody. I've been real busy with other things lately and the last week I was suffering from the flu, now I'm all better again I've been working hard on Biroud going through a small agricultural revolution. I'm still not done with all the work, that will probably take another 3 weeks before Biroud will be completely ready for the next historic update (please remember that I have to plop every tile). I really don't want you all to wait that long for the next update (you've waited long enough already) so in this small in-between-teaser-update I would like to show you all what I've been working on the last days...I hope you will like it and it will be a teaser for the next big historic update.
The Agricultural Revolution:
With the invention of poldering new farm land, Biroud is really starting to develop. There is so much food available now that starvation has become very rare, the abundance of food also means a huge economic boost since all the excess food can be sold. Already there is no more room inside the city walls of Biroud for new homes...so the only place for new construction was just right outside the walls. Of course you miss the cover of the walls when you choose to live there...however living close to the town does offer you protection from the city guard and is preferred by many over living in the fields. Still some small villages are starting to arise not so far from Biroud, I guess these folks know how to defend themselves...
Here you can see the 'explosion' of new homes and shops right outside the city walls:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg265.imageshack.us%2Fimg265%2F806%2Fcons1zq8.jpg&hash=bdca55b9b4948ba84a208c2a97162bb6136bb449)
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New types of homes are being constructed by the now more weathy Birouders. Homes are now part of your social status, the more beautiful and big the house is..the richer you are:
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The fertile clay soil makes sure of great harvests, here are some examples of the many farms developing outside Biroud:
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Thanks for your patience and I hope you will like it!
Great update Capo!
For a teaser update you spoil us with so many beautiful pics.
And it is good to see Biroud developing so nicely.
Strech.
Biroud is a nice looking town! Wonderful "teaser" update! Great farms, too! :thumbsup:
Hi capo,
That's really beautiful update! &apls
The most amazing thing for me is your patience and excellent intuition with collecting these buildings and other details. I know you plop a lot, but to achieve your goal it is the only way. These city views are most consistent I have seen from a very long time.
I like very much that you not only made fields using farmfields textures, but also the ordinary grass from the terrain mod. It adds mauch realism to these scenes.
I don't know if everything in these medieval cities was such well ordered (maybe more in Netherlands and Germany than in such countries as Poland :D), but the impression is fantastic!
One question: I'm interested in two textures visible on the third picture, between houses: the street texture and the stone tile one (in fact these are two stone tile textures). Where did you get them from?
Edit: Thank you very much FrankU and Sebes for very interesting answers for my question about the freshwater! :thumbsup:
Oh, I've been waiting for this one!!!!
You've got something very special here in Evergem. You say in your post "thanks for your patience" but seriously it is YOUR patience that shines through here. We all play SC4, so we can all appreciate how long this must have taken you to produce.
The pictures are brilliant (as we knew they would be). I found myself looking for things that are out of place..... where is the water tower?..... where is the power plant?..... where are the power cables?..... there must be a car he missed!! But no. The only slight, small, tiny thing I can see are the two "food court" umbrellas in picture 3 - but this is where you give us a beautiful story about how the garden umbrella was invented in the Netherlands in the 17th century ;)
Seriously they are all great. As a football fan I like pic one. You can see the Trade Tower and De Stal and I even spot a new pitch outside the city wall. Is this an early football rivalry?? And is that a monestary next to the football pitch at the top of the pic??
In pics 2 and 3 I love the stone bridges over the river and the roads with the stone walls.
And the farm fields...... are they ploppable?? If so, I NEED those ploppable fields :thumbsup:
The flatness of it all is so very Nederland (certainly from an Englishman's viewpoint any way). And in the last picture the stables are a very nice touch.
Bravo Capo - 11 out of 10!!!
(Do we really have to wait 3 weeks for the next update???? just one picture at a time will keep us going!!!)
Oh, and that museum in Groningen is a bit different!!! Was the designed taking some illegal substances!!! Great RL pics btw, a very Dutch sky line - flat with gables, church spires and water!
All the best,
Paul
That is a wonderful teaser, and doing just what is says, I want to see more! &cry2
But this is already very interesting to see, the new parts growing up outside the walls is looking quite realistic, and your farming areas are very diverse with all the different types of farmfields.
And it is funny to see you have even dug up my first ever release on the STEX. ::)
Capo this is awesome update. Your first picture, about the expansion of Biroud-outside-the-Walls (Biroud-Buiten?) is amazing: it's like a Google Earth shot back in time &apls
In the second one, the stone bridge and the little square in the top right corner catch my eyes. I hope you can zoom in on that square in your real update (consider me teased ;) .) The third picture is great, especially after reading Paroch's comment :thumbsup:
And about the last 3 with the farm fiels and country drives: how Dutch can the game get??? Well, I am sure you will have more surprises for us in the next updates... so will just leave it here and enjoy the pics once again... :satisfied:
Capo, man! This is beautiful....
Your pictures are really great.
So, you plop everything. I already asked myself how you got the people walking and the game functioning without streets and roads.... It must indeed be a lot of work.
This is maybe the moment to complain about one or two things that we all miss when making a dutch landscape:
1. Knotted willowtrees (knotwilgen) and Poplars (?) (Populieren)
2. Canals with grass borders with (or without) reed growing along them. PEGs streamkit is nice, but it misses the typical dutch character where the grass more or less directly meets the water on almost the same level.
In your pictures I see a lot of non dutch trees like redwoods etc. I won't blame you though.
But I am happy that you showed us more. And wait for your next moves.
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REPLIES:
Strechnitz: Thanks and welcome back! After plopping for many hours I sometimes get a little SC tired, but when I read all these friendly comments in the MD, I know it was all worth it. I'm happy to entertain you all with my work :)
bat: Thanks bat, you are always quick as a......bat when it comes to replying :) I'm glad you like the farms, I do so as well.
Ennedi: Thanks my friend and welcome back, yes it does take a lot of time plopping and in the Lot Editor but it's well worth the effort I feel. I do hope to be manage to grow buildings, but I guess we will have to wait for a few centuries for the invention of railway and later cars...oh what a revolution that is gonna be for Biroud :) I have the CSX fields and SG Revised fields installed and the options they give you when it comes to fields is purely amazing. Thanks guys for all the fun things to play with!
It's real easy to create those farmfields in the Lot Editor, all you need to do is edit the Maxis 1x1 park with farming textures and props. And with the awesome-o props that SimGoober uploaded with his revised farm fields, you can now make ploppable farms that take time to grow and be harvested. That man deserves a statue in my town, together with Kwakelaar :)
paroch: Welcome back my friend, I'm glad you liked the last update. lol no story of the invention of the food court umbrella's this time, but it does make me wonder where and when this thing was invented ...Next stop for me will be wikipedia I guess :) That idea of an early football rivalry is actually a good one, I just felt that the people a bit out of town deserved a team as well, but thanks to your suggestion I already see a whole new plot ahead, thanks! Those are monastary pieces yes but it's not quite finished, I haven't given the building a destination yet...and there are still empty tiles around for me to fill..so more suggestions would be more then welcome. Perhaps a West End Tournament museum where VV Biroud performed so well??? Perhaps not with the rival team playing their matches right beside it.
I created the farm fields in Lot Editor and LEProp, It's real easy to make and I'd be glad to show you and others how if you want to? I could create a small tuturial if needed, I'd be glad to help. I'll try to update more as I work along, so you don't have to wait for another 3 weeks don't worry ;D
kwakelaar: Aaah yes, the old church. I read on the STEX that it was your 'first one', but it really looks great and it's perfect for this medieval settings (like many of your buildings and props). I guess this MD is actually a showcase of your work ;D Thanks for dropping by and your kind words
sebes: Yes that area in the top right corner is a new shopping area for Biroud in the making. I'm not real sure what it will look like when it's completely done, but I promise some zoom-ins for you in a future update. I'm happy you liked the update! Biroud-Buiten sounds like a nice name for the area and perhaps the name of a future railway station ("over enkele ogenblikken arriveren wij op station Biroud-Buiten, denkt u bij het verlaten van de trein aan uw bagage"). I noticed that you also saw my picture in the picture competition with the windmill at the lock, I figure it's one of the most Dutch pictures I ever made of my town. I'm curious if you as a fellow Dutchman agrees. I'll upload it in this MD as well :)
FrankU: Thanks and welcome back to Biroud, yes I admit...I am a plopper and ashamed of it ;) it's something I normally dislike doing in my towns but the only way to really dig into Biroud's history. It's no fun seeing a population of 0 now Biroud has really grown, ah well..perhaps some day someone will create a horse mod to change the cars with, that would truly give the game a new dimension. But like most big changes, it would probably be very hard...
Well to keep it look real, I have to use other trees that normally don't grow here just for eye-candy purposes. The knotted willowtrees would be an awesome addition, perhaps if all us Dutchies ask jeronij real nice, he will put one in his (hopefully) future tree pack :) Yes I miss those canals you described as well, even though there are many great canal sets out there, none really look like 'home'.
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Ok as promised, the pic from the picture competition. I think it's such a typical Dutch scene having a windmill next to lock with the small housing right next to it, it was real fun to make this area:
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That's a really nice rural area there! Great picture! :thumbsup:
Hi Capo,
I am sure you will find something suitable for the empty spaces!
As for the farm field tutorial - well if you get the time I would definitely be interested. Your coast line tutorial inspired me to try some different things, so who knows what could happen.
And the pics you posted of the cottages and the windmill farms are brilliant.
All the best,
Paul
wonderfullll!! &apls &apls &apls
but it's just plop?
capo, I love working with farmland and these are some of the best rural pics I have seen. Great detail and
I'm sure a lot of work went into getting it just right.
Brilliant &apls
Dave
Simply delightful pix! You have a variety of buildings which work together in perfect harmony.
Prachtig werk. &apls
My own Dutch city has been on hold for ages, but seeing this makes me want to start again. Great explanation of polder creation by the way. Keep it up!
Those pictures are so life-like! You really do a fantastic job at putting in detail. I like all the foliage and especially those stone lined paths. &apls Are they TE and where did you get them?
Very nice, the town's definitely growing.
Have you thought about going into the Lot Editor and making a [asphaltwege] lot with one stone wall removed, another with no stone wall that matches the existing pack you've already got? This might allow for some more flexibility.
Looks great, I love how the area looks so planed but yet not. I really can't explain it but it looks great. I love the city and the outer areas. Its great! post more please.
I'm gone for a week and two great updates.
I just love the stone around the streets just adds so much more to the views. Its incredible.
You can see the painstaking patience you must take to place everything just right. I love the windmill, it is just so perfect for the spot.
EXCELLENT!!!!
Awesome development. I wish I had more time to go into detail about all the wonderful stuff you are doing here, but today I will settle for a big round of &apls
REPLIES:
bat: Thanks for your visit bat!
paroch: I'm going to get working on that tutorial very soon. I'm happy that the tutorial for the coastal lines was of use and when I look at the results in your MD, I must say that I'm impressed. Thanks again for your many visits and compliments!
XoX: Thanks! Yes it's all plop unfortunately, until Evergem has reached the days of the invention of cars and trains, I will have to continue to plop every tile :(
tooheys: Thank you my friend, yes it was quite some work but when I look at the result and all those friendly comments here, I know it was well worth it :)
Schulmanator: Thanks, I'm real grateful for your kind words. Strange enough it means a lot :)
JanYpe: Welcome JanYpe! With a name like that I'm guessing you are from Friesland, much of the history of Biroud must be well known to you as well. I'm glad that you like what you see, I'm curious about your Dutch city. Please share your pics with us!
amapper: I believe that pedestrians can walk on these paths (still have to test that to be sure), but not cars so they are not completely TE. I got them from http://kurier.simcityplaza.de/ Here's the link to the file itself: SFBT Feldwege (http://kurier.simcityplaza.de/details.php?file=464). Thanks for your kind words and your visit!
Shadow Assassin: Welcome back. Yes Biroud has grown a lot. Yes I might edit these wege in LE, that's a great idea. It would add some real variaty to the road network..
cjwalter78: Welcome to Evergem and thanks for your kind words. More is on it's way!
tkirch: Thanks my friend and welcome back, I hope it has been a good week you had. The stone roads linkie is posted in ampapper's answer and I just got news from Andreas that they will be uploaded to the LEX as well as soon as the read me is translated. I'm guessing that will become a very popular download :)
emilin: Thanks for the &apls. I'm glad that you, despite the lack of time, left me a comment. Much appreciated!
't Veen:
Before Biroud's next update, I would like to introduce the birth of a small village about 20km south of Biroud, 't Veen. Reason I'm introducing 't Veen now is that I really needed a Biroud break :) 't Veen is also the birthplace of a character that will play a role in Biroud's next update so I figure I can use that as an excuse for introducing this small village to you :)
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Here you see the road from Biroud to Akenberg. Many merchants and other people of the Evergem region use this main road, it's a vital road for the region's economy. Unfortunately the travellers have no place to sleep at night, forcing them to camp just beside the road. You can imagine that many merchants woke up the next morning finding all of their merchandise stolen or their limbs eaten by wildlife. Entrepreneurs should see a business opportunity here, what a perfect place for an inn. Fresh water from the lake is available, together with plenty of wood and stone to build with and fertile ground to farm on.
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Welcome to Herberg tussen de Bruggen (Inn between the bridges) The place where the ale is plentiful, the beds and pillows soft and safe and that for a lousy goldcoin per night..what a bargain! Every bed is filled every night and the Inn's owner Hendrik is slowly becoming a very wealthy man. To protect his wealth and to keep his inn safe, Hendrik has hired a few mercenaries from Biroud to guard the place. You can see their quarters right beside the inn. I guess these guys are the world's first bouncers :) So if you would like to stay for a night at the Herberg tussen de bruggen, please send your mail pigeon to Hendrik to reserve a bed!!
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Well...that's just....typical. Whenever someone comes up with a great idea, others will follow. It seems that Hendrik his new found wealth has attracted other fortuneseekers. 't Veen now has a smitty, to prepare of your horses for your long journey or to take care of them after your journey. A shop has opened, offering food and camping attributes. But most important: another inn has opened right across the road from Hendrik's inn, it's offering rooms for only one silvercoin per night!!! Of course this outprices Hendrik his beds...so he decided that with your bed, you will be offered a free wooden 'splatter' to kill the bugs with during the night. He can now advertise having the most luxorious beds in town, I guess that's true...
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A better overview of 't Veen after a year or two. A small farm has developed and a few other homes have been built. Also a new road has been built to the small town of Koeman, I will introduce Koeman and other small villages in future updates.
Thanks for your time, I hope you enjoyed 't Veen...remember prices are fair, recources are plentiful and the atmosphere is priceless!
Another great update there! And great little area there!! Looks very beautiful, capo! :thumbsup:
Capo: that is once again an amazing update from your hand. I thought we have seen the best of medieval villages already, and now you come with this "elfenbos" and the great story about rivaling inns. How do you do that ()what().
Great work my friend, great work &apls
Talk about a promotional campaign. :D
I love it, I can see some elements of 20th century life coming out of this. We can say that fierce competition began here in this small village.
LOL
Great update capo.
What would a sophisticated traveler be without a luxurious wooden splatter to kill the bedbugs? :D
Strech.
I promised paroch on how to create the plopable farms in this MD, so for him (and others who are interested) here is how to get them yourself. It's so easy, everyone can do it. This is a tutorial for people just starting out with Lot Editor, LEProp and the reader so if you know how to use these tools...this tutorial is not for you :)
All you need is:
The Lot Editor (http://simcity.ea.com/coolstuff/loteditor/loteditortool_01.php)
ILives LEProp (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=657)
and the farm of your likings you would like to plop, you can use the maxis ones but I prefer:
BSC Farm Fields - SG Revised (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=955)
First you need to find a lot to edit. I choose the in-game plopable gardens/fields to keep my menu nice and tidy. So after you boot the Lot Editor enter: pz1x1_parkvictorygarden1 and hit OK to confirm
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I'm giving this plopable farm the same properties as SG's growable farm, so under Foundation Treshold (highlited below) you enter 90.00.
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Under Elevation change you can enter what elevation the lot can handle, I recommend not putting this number too high, many of the SG farm props really come out wrong when the angle is too steep. So usually I keep SG's setting of 12.00. Why mess with the legend his settings? :)
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Now it's time to change the base texture of the lot to something of your likings. Click the Base Texture tab to get there. FIrst remove the texture that is already there, click once on the pic of the garden in the blue screen to select the texture and then hit the "delete" button on your keyboard to delete the texture. Your lot will now look like this:
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Every lot in the Lot Editor needs a base texture so let's pick one through clicking on the "add item" button. When you have the BSC textures installed, be ready for a long scroll to find the one you like. For this tutorial I will use the basic maxis grass 1x1 park texture, the ID is: 0x25f40000 but you can add any base texture you want :)
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Looks kind of empty, well let's put in some of the awesome-o SimGoober farm props. Hit the props tab to get there and click "add item". There will be a huge list of props ready for your use, but now all I'm interested in are Simgoober his farmfields. In the Find box type sg_farmfields and you will find the list of different farmfields by simgoober. Pick the one you like, some farmfields come in different forms (example SG_FarmFields_Potato01; SG_FarmFields_Potato02;SG_FarmFields_Potato03), I believe these are all different growth stages..yes the good things about SG's farmfields is that they will actually have to grow for a year to develop, even when you plop it :) I'm not sure which number is which, so experimenting with this is something I still do. In this tutorial I will use the potatoes as an example, simply because I am boiling some as I'm typing this :)
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Place the SG Farmfield props on the lot like this
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and click the save as button, I'm saving it as Plopgarden. This is not the name that will come up in your menu, to change this you need the LEProp. The file will be saved in your plugins folder, easy as that :)
Now to change more lot properties you need LEProp. Hit the Open Dat button and select the plopgarden file.
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Here you can change the lot name that will appear in your menu and the description if you select it. Also the plop and demolition cost, well the program is that easy to use that it all speaks for itself basicly. Except from the plop cost I wouldn't change that much to the lot, the fields produce a little water pollution (pesticides), consumes some water (sprinkling the fields), has a small park effect (who wouldn't want to live next to fields of delicious potatoes?)
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Now hit the apply button and the save dat button and you are done. I told you it was easy right? The next time you play SC, the new potatoe field will be waiting for you between the maxis plopable fields. But why stop here? How about creating the same farm field but with a fence on one side and one with a corner. Now you can fence your farms to make them look even more realistic. The plopable farms do not supply jobs, but are a great addition to a rural community! Have fun
Super work on the tutorial my friend. That will definatley help some people.
Robin :thumbsup:
Yes, a really great tutorial! And it is useful! :thumbsup:
Very nice lesson here and I will be practicing.
On the same subject of farm fields, I often use the various fields to enhance certain areas of my city by using the lot plop device. I really like the olive trees as rows along neighborhoods and the red roses in garden walk areas and also us the fields to add to an already grown farm to add to its area.
I notice they seem to work will and the game has no problem with them. But I don't understand just how the game engine catagorizes these plopped grow only items.
I have learned so much be reading articles like this one that I am slowly understanding the inner works of this crazy game that I can't stop playing. Thank you. :thumbsup:
Lovely looking village in the small there, and a great tutorial, thanks.
Such an asweome update. I love the beautiful setting of the old town. &apls
As for the lot editing, I need to quit being lazy and learn! &idea
Thanks for the tutorial. I will look into it! :thumbsup:
Speaking of ploppable farms, maybe this would be more convenient, seeing as someone else already has done the hard work a while ago? :P
Ploppable farm fields by uroncha (http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=17233)
I dug out and fired up my copy of ploppable farms fields and now I remember why I took them out. They take up too much valuable menue self space. For the 5 items that I use alot, capo's tutorial solved that issue for me plus I now get park effect with them. ()stsfd()
Thanks for the replies everybody!
@Shadow Assasin: I wasn't aware of the plopable fields on the STEX, however I noticed that uroncha made 4 dat files out of them..meaning it will be hard to remove the farms you never use and your menu folder will be filled with unwanted stuff (like High5tower mentioned also). But thanks for the linkie!
And besides...I always like to make my own lots :)
Indeed,
Having read about the plopable fields I immediately thought about the plopable farm fields by Uroncha. It took me quite a while to find the dependencies, because some of them are not there anymore. Probably replaced by new megapacks. But I think I have them all now. I have so mayn dependencies installed that everything should be there now. At least they seem to work fine.....
I don't use them often, but they are nice and there are very many lots!
Capo:
One point of criticism: If 't Veen has been built in a... well...veen, there should have been no stones at all to build your house with! That's the reason why our ancestors invented the plaggenhut and later the wooden house and then the brick house. Sorry about my perfectionism.
But, considering there are no plaggenhutten on the Lex or the Stex or any ?ex... I think it's perfectly legal to twist real history a bit.
Anyway, your villages are beautiful and very nicely detailed. A splendour for the eye. &apls
Hi Capo,
An update and a tutorial - Hmmmmmmm, nice.
The pics of 't Veen are really good. Hendrik's story is pretty cool too. I'm guessing Hendrik is going to pop up eslewhere in Evergem in future. The rope bridge over the stream is a really nice touch - well done.
And that Tutorial is excellent - even I will be able to follow that. I'll need to download LE Prop and then I'll be away! Thanks so much for producing this capo. Your MD is firmly in my favourites. :thumbsup:
Paul
Great tutorial.
But I love the areas around the water. It looks like the perfect place you would want to go to and relax. Just beautiful pictures. You should put one of those in the Picture Competition.
Hey Capo wonderful tut and wonderful Update you have done :thumbsup: &apls cant wait to see more and learn more ;)
Thanks for the comments everybody, I will add personal replies with my next full update as always. I just wanted to introduce (tease you with) "Het Paroch Plein" (The Paroch Square) to you all. It's part of a high wealth diplomatic and commercial area:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg139.imageshack.us%2Fimg139%2F1651%2Fooxp2.jpg&hash=9cda7ab568da870e4e6102d8eee996e663547282)
And "Het West End Huis" (The West End Home)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg204.imageshack.us%2Fimg204%2F6444%2Fzzvx2.jpg&hash=017c0f6753217010ea101aba727b10788da07713)
More about this area in Biroud's next update!!
Wow, I think a speak for everyone that this Mayor Journal is quickly heading ot the classics.
Keep up the good work.
Very nice! You left me smiling...again! ;D
Capo that square is wonderful, I love your stone lined streets... See you next update - pat
Interesting teaser Capo.
And I love the name Paroch Plein. hoe kom je erop? ;D
And what gentile lives in the West Eind Huis? a noble lord or a tyrant?
Strechnitz.
Hey Capo,
Well, what can I say? Het Paroch Plein looks fantastic. It suggests to me that Biroud has jumped on a few years. It's looking like a place where merchants meet, trade and make ££'s $$'s EUR's and of course, good old NLG's!!!
I'm honoured to have such a sqaure named after me $%Grinno$% $%Grinno$% $%Grinno$%
And as for West End Huis, is that the grey building in the bottom left? Looks suspiciously like the Tower of London - whatever you do, don't sleep in the tower when your evil uncle is around ;)
Great teasing update there Capo.
Oh, and by the way I used your tutorial which was very easy to follow and I now have farm fields that I can plop :)
All the best,
Paul
Great place Capo :thumbsup: And so well deserved for Paul! Looking forward to that update. I guess there will be a secret door to the Intornet room in the West End Huis :P
Nice teaser!
Maybe you should reLOT the Tower of London lot so that it fits in better with its surroundings. After all, that asphalt and pavement looks a little out of place...
Nice looking two teasers there! Looking forward to that update...
Amazing MD, capo. My apologies for not commenting again earlier, I've been keeping up but often forget to comment. $%Grinno$%
Thank you for your ploppable farm tutorial, I'm sure many people will find it very useful.
I imagine the Industrial Revolution in Evergem will be amazing to see in a couple of week's time!
Cheers,
Kevin
I love the West End Home. That is a great picture. I can't wait for Biroud, it looks great.
Just had a closer look at the 't Veen update, you really do exceptional work with those small islands. Love the houses and the walled roads,wonderful touch. :thumbsup:
Paul's Square is looking good and can't wait for the full update.
Cheers
Dave
With a name like "Paroch Plein" I halfway expected to see a new church in Evergem. Interesting teaser, it looks like Evergem is becoming wealthier. :)
amazing pics...really cool houses and the walkway looks nice with some centre plaza...!!
I don't comment enough what is one of the best MD here ... but I'm following your work eagerly capo , as each time I've the feeling to watch at a totally new SC4 world for me . Can't find anything to criticise , everything is elaborately thought and realised ! That's perfect and your subject is a first interest one... :thumbsup:
&apls &apls &apls
Hello everybody,
Thanks all for the wonderful replies and please do not worry: this MD is not dead. Some possible life-changing events are going on right now that are taking all my available time so I hope to update this MD as soon as possible in the new year.
However I do have some (bad) news for you I'm afraid. Evergem is going to head to modern times right away next update. Plopping every tile to recreate history has been real fun to do, but also very time-consuming. As I said before I'm real busy at the moment and the time I do have I prefer to spend on lotting and scrutineering files for BSC, a modern city is better for me to test new buildings in so because of this...Evergem is heading towards 2008. I'm not sure yet if I'm keeping Biroud and 't Veen or to start a whole new Evergem region.
I hope you understand and I wish all you readers a merry christmas and a very happy 2008! Thanks for your support and great replies for this MD, I hope to again entertain you all with this time a modern Evergem (with historical flashbacks!) in the new year. "Tales of a typical modern Dutch town with plenty of history to back up the story."
Although it's a pity (and I am sure others will agree with me (nietwaar Gjermund ;) ) it is fully understandable and believable: since the Intornet became available at the West End Huis modern times ran into this forgotten corner of the world to :P
It will be great to see how Evergem developped to that new modern BSC-compatible nation, and I am looking forward to your new updates.
Prettig kerstfeest en een heel gelukkig Nieuw Jaar!
Sebes
Keep Biroud and t'Veen, just build around it, updating the streets with cobblestone streets from the SAM, and having modern town centres. :P
Quote from: Shadow Assassin on December 25, 2007, 04:40:30 PM
Keep Biroud and t'Veen, just build around it, updating the streets with cobblestone streets from the SAM, and having modern town centres. :P
Yes!
And don't worry, all of us have more than one thing to do, if you will not be able to make an update for some time, we will wait for it!
Your idea of going through centuries in the same place was very hard, I knew about it from the beginning, you should destroy some parts of city, leaving others and do it a few times ;) Now you have only the last such operation to do
Capo, I hope you will keep the old centre of Biroud unchanged! If not I will apply to the Rijksdienst voor Acheologie, Cultuurlandschap en Monumenten (the former Rijksdienst Monumentenzorg) and ask them to protect the area as a "Beschermd Stadsgezicht"! If this is appointed you need to apply for a building permit for every action you will take!
Don't tell me that I did not warn you!
Ha ha. You get the point: I like your Biroud and 't Veen as they were. And of course modern times also arrive in these townships. But I am sure you will be able to contain the quality of your work.
I can't wait to see the results.
This is my 100th post. Hurray!
Sorry I haven't been around in awhile. Got sidetracked by Civ4. This journal is been awsome and I can understand that it has been a lot of nitpicking detailed work and the difficulty of adapting lots etc to all the intervening ages to the present. But please keep as much of the old world for flavour as is reasonable in modern dutch cities.
whatever you do I know it will be entertaining and beautiful.
Oan Sjens
Douwe.
I can understand your problem with testing and playing Evergem at the same time, still you will have to be careful about using your MD region for testing( one bad lot and :'(), probably need a new region to do your testing in.
I am of course saying this so we could continue following the development of Evergem through all the ages until modern time. I know I have been enjoying your work here but I am sure a modern day Evergem will be just as interesting.
Quote from: kwakelaar on January 08, 2008, 08:08:19 AM
I can understand your problem with testing and playing Evergem at the same time, still you will have to be careful about using your MD region for testing( one bad lot and :'(), probably need a new region to do your testing in.
I am of course saying this so we could continue following the development of Evergem through all the ages until modern time. I know I have been enjoying your work here but I am sure a modern day Evergem will be just as interesting.
This is very true. I'd be careful testing new things in your region, you wouldn't want to have something happen and lose everything! I know I don't want that to happen to you either!
Anyway, I'll be looking forward to seeing what the modern Evergem looks like! If the history is any indication, it's going to be great!
Perhaps it would be best to have a test city next to my MD, thanks for the warning guys. With all the hours I put in the modern Evergem already, I would probably explode if the city would no longer load after a corrupt file &hlp
Thanks for all the positive replies everybody and I'm glad you all understand. I'm really enjoying the zoning again and seeing what has developed.
For the last days I've been working hard on Biroud but still only 10% of the town is done..Thusfar most of the main-railway and main-roads have been drawn and I've been working hard on the rural and industrial parts of Biroud. Most of the zoned regions haven't developed to the stage I want them to be so here's only a teasers of the rural Biroud, I hope you like!
cows, a bicycle path and greenhouses...how Dutch can you get?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg522.imageshack.us%2Fimg522%2F840%2Fgreenhousestk3.jpg&hash=6533396c0cfa9cc99ce0a2c7b940bb14806466a2)
Hey Capo,
That indeed looks very Dutch! :thumbsup:
Lekker hollands hoor die kassen & koeien. ;D
Strech.
That's great you started to build again, capo :thumbsup:
Don't hurry, you should enjoy it, not to get nervous :D
More time and some relax = better ideas
Good luck!
Adam
Hi Capo,
Well, those greenhouses are just brilliant. I've thought about BIG greenhouses and you have produced what I was thinking about. I assume you've custom lotted them. What a brainwave - I'm impressed.
Great teaser shot, I'm sure more special stuff will follow in time.
All the best
Paul
Mooi Capo - a great teaser that is. Looking forward to see more of these gorgeous greenhouses.... And definately can't wait to see a night shot of this area ;)
Quote from: capo on January 09, 2008, 08:28:44 AM
cows, a bicycle path and greenhouses...how Dutch can you get?
Picture (http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/840/greenhousestk3.jpg)
There are definatly some caravans lacking... $%Grinno$%
J/k. What a wonderful picture! :thumbsup:
This could be De Kwakel. Good luck with the new growing Biroud.
REPLIES:
Strechnitz: Koeien&Kassen :D If I ever throw in a pic in the picture competition of this rural scene, that will be the title!
Ennedi: Thanks my friend, well you have waited long enough I feel and there is so much to do and so little time! :D Don't worry, I'm really enjoying the zoning and the surprise of what will grow next. After having to plop every tile it's now a bless to zone a 6x6 residential area. That just saved me 36 clicks! :D
paroch: Tag-One is the creator of those very nice greenhouses. I msged you the link, but here's the link to them for others who are interested: http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=15729&v=1 . Thanks for your kind words, 3 more teasers as a result of last night's insomnia are here.
sebes: Yes those greenhouses look excellent by night as well, come to think of it I will include a night shot in this next teaser update. Thanks for the compliments, much appreciated!
praiodan: lol. Yes defenitely cars with caravans who are continuously driving on the left lane on the highway are missing. I should have taken a pic of the moving cars when the residentials started to develop for even more realism. ;) Thanks, I hope you will like the next teasers as well.
Kwakelaar: It looks like where I live as well, not much variety in Dutch landscape sometimes :)
Ok please bear in mind that I'm still not done. Many of the buildings haven't developed into the stage I want them to be and more eye-candy will come. This is just a first view...
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg512.imageshack.us%2Fimg512%2F6500%2Fachterbuurtyz0.jpg&hash=2a7f781e4452a30618e9f2f6bd5b64c50920cfb8)
A very low wealth area right next to the small industry zone of Biroud. This place is really a mess...I'm a bit afraid for riots and the organisation of gang-activity so I will probably have to give them some education, parks and police coverage soon. Got to do something about that garbage too..
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg512.imageshack.us%2Fimg512%2F6915%2Findustryfp6.jpg&hash=da584b026161018426b9ce6959319b0901e9344d)
Industry demand is huge at this moment and so the industry is developing quite rapidly. Unfortunately because of poor education for the workers (previous pic) no big real high-tech industry is to be seen. Well nothing wrong with good and honest manual work now is it?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg512.imageshack.us%2Fimg512%2F5502%2Fruralyf5.jpg&hash=c6fe116ec69c4ef46db84408fbc2f10786fab512)
Important lesson learned: Peg's no railroad dirt mod should be loaded after JR's streetside mod. Well everything is packed so nice together now that I will change that later. This is already my favorite part of Biroud.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg149.imageshack.us%2Fimg149%2F5770%2Fnachtev1.jpg&hash=9294ea1cd8a00bfeb9aba461ccd6e5767ba1673b)
Greenhouses at dawn.
I like the rail interchange there, it fits very well. :P
I wonder what the town centre's gonna look like now. But I quite liked the look of the old town...
I don't really know where to start. Your greenhouse area looks really very realistic. And I should know, have lived in the Westland for some years.
But also teh industrial area.... I'd enlarge it a bit, so it starts to look like the Hoogovens.
The Ghetto-area is not really Dutch, I'm afraid. In respect to your work of course. In RL it's just very good we don't have them. What comes closest is maybe the Bijlmermeer?
And I agree with Shadow Assasin: the railroad interchange is a very realistic touch, the wide curves and all.
You make me very curious about your town centre. But as I stated before: you should keep the best part as a monumental area (Beschermd Stadsgezicht). :D
Stunning update, capo!
I love your greenhouses and the railroads and industries. The modern Evergem is certainly coming together nicely! I can't wait to see more!
Dustin
Oh yes, even the small glimpses of Biroud you're showing us are looking great.
That rail junction is good and the greenhouses, well, just downloading them now! :thumbsup:
Quote from: FrankU on January 10, 2008, 05:33:18 AM
The Ghetto-area is not really Dutch, I'm afraid. In respect to your work of course. In RL it's just very good we don't have them.
Funny - I justed want to say that I recognized my stadsdeel - Slotervaart - in that picture - except the many roundabouts are missing (and the riots and burning cars....)
Great pictures Capo! :thumbsup:
Wonderful update there! And great pictures of that industrial area!! :thumbsup:
very beautiful! I like much your spaces agricultural! and your "cité -zup- in French " is very quite carried out! &apls
capo wonderful last few updates since i last poked my nose in here WOW and i loved the greenhouses!!! cant wait to see more........
Great update, I love the first pic and how dirty it is. Very low wealth there I assume. Great over all layout of this city, could I see A higher view? please.
Robin :thumbsup:
Aaargh Slotervaart! :o beware, beware!
nah, great update my friend!
Strech.
I haven't been around in awhile and had to catch up. I really missed everything around these parts and one of them was your journal. It was nice to look through everything and see what you have doone. Great as I remembered it. I love the 3rd pic in that last update and even with the dirt around the tracks that picture I really like. I love pictures like that one.