Siilijoki

[Swordmaster]

Merry Christmas! Beautiful pictures there. . . is that a photoshopped reindeer cart or is that a real prop somewhere?


Cheers
Willy

[Jmouse]

Beautiful Christmas-time photos, Noah. Not surprisingly, the first one warmed my heart, then stole it! You have created some beautiful snow scenes in Siilijoki, perhaps because the inspiration for them is no farther away than your back door.

Well, here in northeast Arkansas, we have an excellent chance of enjoying a white Christmas this year. So, it is in that festive and hopeful spirit that I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday.

...and to all, a good night...
-Joan

[kbieniu7]

Merry Christmas,for you and Hugo! Keep warm! 

[threestooges]

Merry Christmas to you too Noah! Lovely pictures there. They really convey the chill of a winter's night. Stay warm and celebrate as well, though I'm sure I don't need to tell you that. Looking forward to what the new year brings.
-Matt

[Flatron]

I like it, because it reminds me of the lovely winter scenes we had here in eastern bavaria  until last week Luckily there's still snow on the ground on our elevation of 600m, but in munich for example they had 20°C... This is already the warmest christmas in bavaria since they started to record weather data. I fear/hope that if the warm, moist airmasses from the atlantic meet the ice-cold airmasses from russia, we'll get massive amounts of snow here. This could be positive on the one hand because snow makes everything nicer and I could go cross country skiing, but on the other hand, some roofs may not be able to stand the pressure from 2m of snow.

[MandelSoft]

Vrolijk kerstfeest en een gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

Nice photoshopping effects and snowy tree props! 'Tis the season to be jolly

[vinlabsc3k]

Merry Christmas
and
Happy New Year!!

Nice winter shots Noah!!

[art128]

Ooh! Three very nice pictures Noah! Loved the santa one. Also good use of Moscou's St Basil Cathedral !
Merry Christmas!

[sunv123]

I hope that you had a great Christmas this year. I hope that you'll have a very happy new year too.

Never knew that the reindeer was named Hugo. The winter pics looked wonderful, so white and snowy. It also looks terrible. I hate looking at it. It makes me mad, I never get that much snow.

[metarvo]

While I was typing a response to this good update earlier, I had a power outage due to the heavy snow.  Yes, that's right, it snowed on Christmas where I'm at! 

This is a beautiful update, Noah!    The snow pics are nicely done, and my favorite is the one with Santa's sleigh.  Merry Christmas, Noah.

Willy (Swordmaster), the sleigh is available here [linkie].

[noahclem]

I hope everyone had an excellent Christmas 


Today I wanted to get back to all the people that have left comments here recently and as always I figured I should throw in a couple pictures and explain how things are going around here at the moment.

Northern Finland is blanketed in snow and my work in Siilijoki is reflecting that now. There isn't a whole lot of snowy stuff in SC4, especially outside of ski resort stuff, but there's definitely enough to have a little fun. Everything I'm showing and working on is from my ski resort town Tunturikyla (translated as Fell Village, a fell being a hill high enough that the top rises above the tree line). The ski resort itself is undergoing substantial development but that will be a subject for another day.



First off, Hugo needed a home in Siilijoki so I've tried to make him a nice little reindeer farm. Hopefully he gets along with a couple horse friends because I couldn't resist trying out Rambuckel's new horses   




Trains and cars have to manage despite the snow and cold.

As a real life sidenote, winter driving in Finland is actually quite manageable. Metal spiked winter tires are required by law and I'm actually able to drive a bit faster on snow-covered gravel roads now than I am in the summer. Also Hugo and his friends are mostly put away there's also less to watch out for. Probably the biggest annoyance is the seasonally lower speed limits in many places. Trains are another matter however, as Willy could tell you. Winter service is less than reliable.



Around ski resorts like where I live the reindeer are mostly back on their farms but that's not the case in more isolated areas. Drive safe and look out for our ruminant friends 




Because of the winter theme I'm working on I wanted to share the actual inspiration I'm getting and the type of scenes, colors, and moods I'm trying to represent. I'm no expert photographer and I have only an old crappy camera and no tripod so I had to rely completely on the natural beauty of this area and perhaps a bit of a knack for composition.

I saw the sun for the first time in a couple weeks and had to stop for pictures (I'm south of the Arctic Circle here but the geography of the local hills, roads, and paths combined with my work schedule prevents me from seeing the sun near the solstice). This is taken at noon a few kilometers south of my southern residence.




A few meters and seconds away. This is as bright as it gets here this time of year without actually looking at the sun. You may have noticed me trying to replicate those beautiful blue and purple colors in my Siilijoki winter pictures.



This is about half an hour further south and after noon. The lake is one of my favorite driving views around here but there wasn't a place to stop for a picture where there was a better lake view. Hope you enjoy it anyway 




Sorry, no winter picture of Hugo at the moment

Amazing picture!!!I like the layout of the river park :thumbsup:and the use of diagonal buildings too
just a question...apart from paeng's beautiful park set (I got it too ) which set did you use just near the river?(I mean the grey pavement)it seems to interact perfectly with paeng's one...I like it!
cheers
Guglielmo

Thanks and Merry Christmas! The area right by the river was actually created entirely with MMPs and the paths I used are from the Rural Renewal Project on the LEX. I'd love to see what you could create with the same stuff 

Wonderful panorama Noah! That park along the river is nicely done. One thing though, I'm not a fan of the large school you've made out of two same buildings. However, I really like what you did with the diagonal buildings along the avenue, where behind them are houses.

Thanks Arthur! I thought one large school area would be nice there but I agree that the buildings don't fit perfectly. Perhaps if I'd taken a bit of time with it in LE it would have looked a little better. In any case I always appreciate your input and I'm glad you liked the diagonals etc 

I've benn waiting for your next update quite impatiently ... this is increadibly beautiful! That was worth waiting!!!!! 

Thank you so much for your kind words!! Very much appreciated and I'm glad you thought it so beautiful 

I need three widescreens for this   Of course, this is a magnificent picture. I just have one gripe: you plopped those parks without seawater, then brought it back. Nice trick, but the downside is the grass grows into the river, even underwater. I think you need some rocks there, or cattails or whatever.

Cheers
Willy

Thanks buddy! Very good point on my underwater grass trick     It was a fun experiment in any case and maybe it even has a future provided it is properly decorated 

I like the way the avenue divides the suburban-style homes from the tenement buildings.  Keep up the good work, Noah. 

Thanks metarvo! Glad you liked the way that turned out 

Great panorama.

Thanks a lot!

The large park looks really nice

Thanks and glad you liked the park!

Looks nice, are those ducks on the waterfront?





Do I see another hot air balloon?

edit: Seems like you have 2999 posts right now.

Ducks!! I wish, sounds like a nice thing to put on a request list to a talented batter. The hot air balloons are back and I'm glad you liked the update!

Your panorama is amazing, Noah. So much to see. I like the park just to the right of the avenue. The only thing I would question is the CS structures near the roundabout. In RL it would pose a hopelessly-dangerous situation for motorists, but in the game, the area would look bare without the buildings there. I guess this is one of many cases in which we have to remember, "this is just a game."

Now I'm left to wonder how many in-game hours it took to create an area suitable to show in this context...
-Joan

Thanks Joan! Really glad you liked the parks and panorama--a lot of fun to make though I admit that a lot of game hours went into the production. I need a bit of clarification on why the CS structures would cause a problem there. There are sidewalks and cars can park down the road to visit those shops. Many thanks for the feedback and support as always!

This might just be the best waterfront park I've seen yet! 

Really well put together Noah, especially the mmp paths right at the shoreline. I'm gonna nick that for sure. 

Thanks for such a nice compliment Erik! Obviously you're more than welcome to nick the concept and I'd love to see what you do with it 

Great panorama (and thanks for leaving it down near the scroll bar - much appreciated!).

Nice to see your MD in its new home, and I really enjoyed reading your HoF interview.

Edit: congratulations, Siilijoki was number one on BTT for the week ending November 29!

Thanks Ben! I'm particularly glad you enjoyed the HoF interview--I've been hoping it turned out okay. Thanks for the kind words on the panorama and for all your support around here

A belated well done for attaining Number 1 with Bens Top 100! Hands down a deserved winner, the panorama is a testament to your great work.

I get issues with corrupt saves, normally a quick jiggle about in the Terraformer program helps solve a few issues...although not always.

Thanks for the kind words and support wallasey! I'll give your Terraformer tip a try as soon as I get it up and running on the new laptop 

Merry Christmas! Beautiful pictures there. . . is that a photoshopped reindeer cart or is that a real prop somewhere?


Cheers
Willy

Thanks Willy! As I mentioned the reindeer sleigh is a real SC4 item and a link is posted below by Metarvo. Merry Christmas 

Beautiful Christmas-time photos, Noah. Not surprisingly, the first one warmed my heart, then stole it! You have created some beautiful snow scenes in Siilijoki, perhaps because the inspiration for them is no farther away than your back door.

Well, here in northeast Arkansas, we have an excellent chance of enjoying a white Christmas this year. So, it is in that festive and hopeful spirit that I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday.

...and to all, a good night...
-Joan

Glad to hear you liked the pics Joan and I hope your white Christmas went great! Must be quite a bit of luck around there. Indeed I'm treated to a bit of snowy inspiration in these parts    Thanks again!

Merry Christmas,for you and Hugo! Keep warm! 

Merry Christmas to you as well, and thank you!

Merry Christmas to you too Noah! Lovely pictures there. They really convey the chill of a winter's night. Stay warm and celebrate as well, though I'm sure I don't need to tell you that. Looking forward to what the new year brings.
-Matt

Thanks Matt and Merry Christmas! Glad you liked my chilly pics and my sauna is getting plenty of use keeping me warm

I like it, because it reminds me of the lovely winter scenes we had here in eastern bavaria  until last week Luckily there's still snow on the ground on our elevation of 600m, but in munich for example they had 20°C... This is already the warmest christmas in bavaria since they started to record weather data. I fear/hope that if the warm, moist airmasses from the atlantic meet the ice-cold airmasses from russia, we'll get massive amounts of snow here. This could be positive on the one hand because snow makes everything nicer and I could go cross country skiing, but on the other hand, some roofs may not be able to stand the pressure from 2m of snow.

Thanks and Merry Christmas Flatron! I hope you're able to enjoy some good snow this winter. Our weather here is much less variable then yours but the same major forces, the Gulf Stream from the Atlantic and Russian super-cold high pressure areas. The most snow I've seen here is around 2 meters which is great for skiing but quite annoying if you like to look out of your windows (or have a bad roof  )

Vrolijk kerstfeest en een gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

Nice photoshopping effects and snowy tree props! 'Tis the season to be jolly

Merry Christmas Maarten! Thanks for the greetings and it's always great to hear from you

Merry Christmas
and
Happy New Year!!

Nice winter shots Noah!!

Thank you and a very Merry Christmas to you 

Ooh! Three very nice pictures Noah! Loved the santa one. Also good use of Moscou's St Basil Cathedral !
Merry Christmas!

Thanks and Merry Christmas Arthur! Glad you liked the pictures. St Basil's is a good BAT though I had to add some lights in GIMP and one of the roof sections is missing snow. I'm just glad someone released another snowy BAT and am dearly hoping for more soon

I hope that you had a great Christmas this year. I hope that you'll have a very happy new year too.

Never knew that the reindeer was named Hugo. The winter pics looked wonderful, so white and snowy. It also looks terrible. I hate looking at it. It makes me mad, I never get that much snow.

I hope you have an outstanding Christmas and New Years as well! I'm glad you and Hugo are now acquainted, and of course glad you liked the pictures, and I wish you the best of luck catching some nice snow soon 

While I was typing a response to this good update earlier, I had a power outage due to the heavy snow.  Yes, that's right, it snowed on Christmas where I'm at! 

This is a beautiful update, Noah!    The snow pics are nicely done, and my favorite is the one with Santa's sleigh.  Merry Christmas, Noah.

Willy (Swordmaster), the sleigh is available here [linkie].

Somehow you suffering a power outage seems a bit ironic    Glad you got a bit of snow and thanks for your comments on the pictures. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you 

[Swordmaster]

It would be helpful if you denoted which pictures are from Siilijoki, and which from the real world.




Hope you had a great Christmas as well!

I wonder if you do anything special to compensate the lack of sunlight. I heard some folks do light therapy or something. I ask because when I do night time work in winter, I may not see much of the sun for a week or maybe two - go to bed before it rises, and get up when it's setting. (In summer I usually catch sunrise.)  I do get grumpy after a while.

Wonderful pictures and scenes, Noah.

While I was typing a response to this good update earlier, I had a power outage due to the heavy snow.  Yes, that's right, it snowed on Christmas where I'm at! 

This is a beautiful update, Noah!    The snow pics are nicely done, and my favorite is the one with Santa's sleigh.  Merry Christmas, Noah.

Willy (Swordmaster), the sleigh is available here [linkie].

Thanks! Btw, I was thinking the same thing as Noah - very ironic!


Cheers
Willy

[metarvo]

Well, the song says "a one horse open sleigh."  It was a horse pulling that sleigh, and not a reindeer.  So, it can be concluded that horses fit the wintry theme as well.  I hope Hugo's not too jealous.  Good job, Noah!    A power outage for me probably makes as much sense as no snow in the winter would for you. 

[Kergelen]

Nice pictures, both the real and the SC4. Seems that Hugo have a good place to live with many colleagues

No sun during some weeks...mmm....it must be difficult for mood. Even the magnificent snowy landscapes and nature maybe compensate the lack of sun.

Waiting for the sky resort. I like them

[nbvc]

Fantastic winter images.

[Dantes]

I love the third picture. A very great atmosphere.   

I like it a lot. 

[Jmouse]

I need a bit of clarification on why the CS structures would cause a problem there. There are sidewalks and cars can park down the road to visit those shops.

I was thinking that slowing down in order to turn could cause a rear-end collision.

[Gugu3]

Missed your last update!!!beautiful as always!!!Winter scenes are always welcome this time of the year!!!especially if they're from Siilijoki and Finland
cheers
Gugu3

[art128]

Three nice images Noah. I love the train going through the snowy areas.

[weixc812]

Who said the virtuality can not be compared to reality? 
These pics give me a better understanding of Siilijoki