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City Showcase (All games welcome) => Mayors' Diaries => Inactive Best Sellers => Topic started by: Masochist on January 01, 2008, 06:50:37 PM

Title: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Masochist on January 01, 2008, 06:50:37 PM
I found this in my attic recently while trying to get rid of incriminating evidence.  Apparently it's the lost logbook of some older relative of mine, who was an explorer.  He was the one who founded the city that I will document here.  I'll let you guys have a look at the relevent stuff.



The log of Capt. Pierce
March 2nd


We have entered into unfamiliar territory now.  Traveling east, gliding the small strip of land between tall hills and serene ocean, we find that the body of water known as Willow Bay has cut into the land ahead of us.  The grass around here is green, but not as fertile as the lands up north.  Still...it might be fit for settling.  Tonight we have set up camp at the base of a tall hill.  Tomorrow we shall round the mountain and find out what the water has done to this land.  We suspect it is a fjord.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FExploration1.jpg&hash=695991490e5801a36b906cffccc45b13489fff21)



The log of Capt. Pierce
March 3rd


The morning has produced a fine dew and fair weather.  Today we rounded the mountain...and what a wonderous sight we beheld!  The inlet of water splits the hills as a canoe splits the river.  The body is not a fjord as previously assumed, but it is instead a bay into which an old, wide river empties into.  Surrounding this water is an almost too-perfectly shaped valley framed by hills higher than even those under whose shadow we camped last night.  The team has voted to name it Pierce Valley, but I don't like the sound of it.  Besides...I already have a valley named after me.

I have no images of the entire valley yet, but I do have one of the foothills on the otherside of the large hill we camped near.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FExploration2.jpg&hash=0e89f60152ae58559369ddc6541ffad60a0b8df1)



I have finally made a composite panorama shot of the valley from the top of the hill.  I start looking towards the Northwest corner and end looking East.  Because I was able to make this shot from there, I have decided to call this particular formation Valley Vista Hill.

[Panorama Shot] (http://www.gigasize.com/get.php?d=jvkmw8y4mzf)
(Warning: 15 MB .gif!!!)

It reminds me that I still need to name this great land...but it will come to me in due time.



The log of Capt. Pierce
March 4th


Today I have left the campsite on my own to explore the other side of the river.  I am particularly interested in the tall mountains to the Northeast.  They seem to draw me to them...



I have discovered a valley in the midst of the tall mountains in the NE part of the region.  The valley seems to show signs of glacial geomorphology: the mountains surrounding it are horseshoe-shaped, and rather jagged.  It is among the most beautiful natural sights I have ever witnessed:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FExploration3.jpg&hash=fc8556602b36a86833ef9b5529d5192b4b3243b5)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FExploration6.jpg&hash=a37b90508ebff2da8b936d14cac2887f3a6be1da)

An amzing thing happend as I was exploring this mountainous region: I viewed what I believe to be the extremely rare Condor bird.  I have never seen such a thing so majestic in my life (and I have viewed many things). 

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FTheCondorthatinspiredthename.jpg&hash=d082d9c483d1841e2ed5103b8fdbd392abb9117e)

The creature inspired me so much that I have finally decided on a name for the region: Condor Valley.  The bay shall be called Condor Bay.  This small valley that I have found shall be known as Ace Valley, which is what I first said when I first spied the condor (and what I have unofficially named it).  The river and this mountain (which I believe to be the tallest in the region) shall also share this name.  I will spend the night here...I want to soak it in.



The log of Capt. Pierce
March 4th


I have climed one of the mountains that separates Ace Valley from Condor Valley.  It was a tough climb, but the view was worth it:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FExploration4.jpg&hash=9bbc888502f14d39d6fa0d30df35aba4515c4386)

I am ready to rejoin the camp to continue exploring and surveying the land.  It appears as though our prayers have finally been answered and we have at last found a land ripe for settling.



The log of Capt. Pierce
April 7th


We have finished surveying the land and have officially decided to settle.  We pondered on a name; it was suggested that it be Fjordville (as Clark still swears that it is a fjord, though he has never rounded the mountain), but we have chosen a slight alternative: Fordville.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FCondorValleyRegionOverview.jpg&hash=5ed80e71471ed93133c0df4f040952e1af66cf4f)

We have taken a rather unique approach to building this establishment: we will build a port first to help bring in goods and resources, and build the town around it.  Mrs. Sinclaire has generously offered to fund our endevour, expensive as it will surely be.  I already have a vision of it...we will dig out the low-lying coast here next to Valley Vista Hill and form the land to our needs...

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FExploration5.jpg&hash=3aed135a198d8e6766509503001c0671cfe4dc7b)

We will take this beautiful land from small port to bustling urban area.  The team has thusfar looked to me for guidance and leadership...I will not disappoint them in leading us into the future.  Fordville will be a city on the hill, a shining example for all others to follow!  This is my vision...this is my dream....

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FBlankRegionOverview800x547.jpg&hash=a6d97e02d891bd175282d1a60c024f7d58a9fd58)








And the rest is history.  No, it's not, because you haven't seen anything yet.  But hey, at least my Terraformer pictures didn't go to waste...;).  And yes...there's no sense of timing in this at all.  Oh, well %wrd.

As it was, Capt. Pierce threw down a small port...and after a while it was demolished and a huge, modern port was built in its place.  It was the new port that attracted the people...at least, that's how I tell it.  Because that's where I started to build...:P.

I'll go ahead and tell you that this MD doesn't have a real story to it other than me building the city from nothing to something.  It's actually a recreation...but I'm getting ahead of myself.  I'll give you a proper introduction and such next time...until then, consider this banner a teaser:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSmaller%2520Pictures%2FCityJournalBanner800x600.jpg&hash=b6876e3f0868dbf11e9a0192daea799a5a37285e)

Happy New Years, everyone!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: TopCliff on January 01, 2008, 06:55:13 PM
Looks great dude. The Terraformer pics are an interesting touch. Is that really an old relative of yours? If I tried to recreate my ancestry in SC4, well, it wouldn't last long since 90% of my family disappeared crossing the Missourii when it was frozen in winter. Interesting city teaser, I like the use of that building. I've never been a big fan, but you make it look good. Happy New Year to you to. Later.
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on January 02, 2008, 09:44:41 PM
Welcome to the MD game, Isaac!

And I must say that you're off to a magnificent start here! I love the concept that you're working with, and I'm definitely eager to follow along with the story you've started. And the region looks great in the Terraformer, too!

Take care!

Dustin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: warconstruct on January 03, 2008, 03:08:09 AM
splendid area! I like much how you proceeded by stage and your térraforming is excellent  &apls
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Nardo69 on January 03, 2008, 04:07:03 AM
So you DID start your MD ...  ;)

Landscaping looks nice. But I hope we will see not only some nice seddlement of all kind but also a decent traffic network with lost of railway (you should know me by now ...)

Take care and don't forget to make backups

Bernhard  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: sauron620 on January 03, 2008, 04:08:36 AM
The region is very realistic. I wait to see the development of the port  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on January 03, 2008, 05:25:33 AM
Great to see you here! ;)

And wonderful region there! Also a nice start! :thumbsup:
Looking forward to the development!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: freedo50 on January 05, 2008, 04:14:44 PM
Well would y'all look at this? [/texan drawl]
Looks like Isaac has come to see what happens when he starts an MD. If I'm going t give an impression based on that first update (and I am, its inescapable  :P) I would say this has a lot of potential. Although you say...
Quote...this MD doesn't have a real story to it...
...I can imagine, from the intro story, that we're going to see some interesting little side-stories along the way. I'm rambling now, so I'll stop, but I'll just say that it all looks pretty good to me  :thumbsup:.

Fred
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: keithsed on January 06, 2008, 01:49:25 PM
This is one that I'm looking forward to watching grow.  Map looks GREAT!    I'll put this on my "watch" list. 

Thanks.

It's always fun to start a new map and city.

Keith
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Masochist on January 08, 2008, 08:34:39 PM
My apologies for not replying earlier.  I tried to post a few days ago, but I ended up getting caught up in going back to school (which I'm still caught up in).  But I didn't want to wait any longer, so I'll take some time to give you guys an introduction.  But first!:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSmaller%2520Pictures%2FRepliesBanner800x234.jpg&hash=959f1000c289a9f1df568091728dc546fd8a6ccb)



TopCliff:
Nope!  If Capt. Pierce is an actual ancestor of mine, I definitely don't know about it $%Grinno$%!  I just made him up for the sake of a story...lol!  But thanks for your comment about my teaser...hopefully when you see where it comes from, you'll be a bit more impressed.  But that's for another day...;)



thundercrack83:
Thank you for the welcome!  I'm glad you liked the story...unfortunately, I don't have much more of a story planned for this.  That was simply a...segue, I suppose, to this introduction.  Thanks for the comment, though!



warconstruct:
Thanks!  I'm glad you liked that aspect...I kinda do to :D!



Nardo69:
Yes, I did!  And I hope you're satisfied with some of the traffic patterns I have planned.  Maybe, maybe not.  I'll try and add more rails for your sake...;).  And I'll remember to make backups.  Thanks for coming by!



sauron620:
Thank you!  Don't worry...you won't have to wait too long ;)



bat:
It's good to be here!  Thanks for the welcome...and development will come shortly, don't worry!



freedo50:
LOL, nice Texan accent...at least you spelled y'all right, unlike 95% of Texans ::).  I'm glad you see potential in this story...it will motivate me to try some new things.  I do want to throw in some side stories here and there, little snippets of city life.  To tell the truth, I don't think that simply the development of this city alone will be anything extraordinary.  Then again...I may be wrong ;).  Thanks, though, for the kind comments!



keithsed:
Heh heh...no, thank you!  For stopping by, that is.  And for your compliments...you get to see how the map came around pretty soon.  And by pretty soon, I mean RIGHT NOW ;D!




(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSmaller%2520Pictures%2FCityJournalBanner800x600.jpg&hash=b6876e3f0868dbf11e9a0192daea799a5a37285e)

FORDVILLE - A Proper Introduction
Hmmm...I may have to shrink the size of these banners...

All right!  So now I suppose I get to give you guys the inside scoop on how Condor Valley and Fordville came to be.  Well...it starts with a guy named RubnerWayne Rubner.  Wayne Rubner is the mayor who made the stunning city [Newport Bay on SC3K] (http://www.sc3000.com/images/cities/Newport_Bay.jpg).  I downloaded it from www.sc3000.com, altered it a bit (put a river up the middle and made a horseshoe of mountains, deleted all the developments), and began work on Fordville.  Here're some pictures from SC3K Fordville:

[Overhead view of Fordville (no buildings)] (http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/1157/thefordvilleprojectcropte1.jpg) (1.47 mb)

Downtown

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSC3K-DowntownFordville.jpg&hash=d799eac078ce4962a327a862bc45e1d74b2a49bd)

Ace Mountain State Park

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSC3K-AceMountainStatePark-PrivateHo.jpg&hash=4c94c487bfe27ee0a4ed5871f55a07d4b46a2cec)

The Seaport
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSC3K-FordvilleInternationalSeaport.jpg&hash=f6996dd15a60585bd8e5ccc1ef1c4d5be5ae681b)

A church on a mountain

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSC3K-SonriseBaptistChurch.jpg&hash=c98257fc299ab6d7ae584c3c2eb0fe38813605be)

The University
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSC3K-UniversityofWillowatFordvilleS.jpg&hash=348c991df340a33bb198f1c479461a6e70d2e01b)

And I'll show more as I go on...;)

Well...when I got SC4 Deluxe, I wanted to recreate my SC3K cities, since I worked so long on them.  Power City and Fordville were the most aesthetically pleasing out of all of them, so I thought I'd choose one of those (and as Power City is much larger than Fordville, I chose that one first).  Almost all of the pictures you've seen from me since I started in this community have come from Power City.  After a while, however, the city became sort of stagnate, and I tried building a new city.  Next up in line was Fordville.

I tried to terraform the region multiple times.  The first attempt was huge...and terrible.  Some might actually remember the second attempt...if not, here're a couple of pictures for you:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondorValleyFull3scaleddown.jpg&hash=094555ad00dd4614b0e0a798f7a20ea4b815733c)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FStreetsofthefoothills.jpg&hash=10f872127157290684583c6225208c651bd1cb7c)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FGreetingsfromParadisefinal1.jpg&hash=1fa1ca7da7b5a5601e11be23e8c03746aff3a083)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FHillsideOceanView.jpg&hash=07f742dd4eaf927ee968eb10f9ecff90f40df472)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FMountainsideSuburbs.jpg&hash=2d56a6f3a98ada8ee16978d6e86861d1e6b8524b)

That one was coming along nicely...until I made it around the hill.  That's when I realized that the scale of the region was much too big for what I had planned; it measured out to a standard region: 16 large cities arranged in a 4x4 grid.  For one city with about 550,000 people.  Too big for me...so I had go back to the drawing board again &mmm.

Now I'm trying with this region I have here.  I terraformed the region basically the same as the larger one...but this one's only the size of 2x2 large cities, and there's only 1 large city in the thing (the rest are medium).  So yes...it's a pretty small region.  It might even be too small, but we'll see.  Here's an overview...these pictures are kind of large because I want to show you some of the details:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FBlankRegionOverview-1.jpg&hash=545276c65b3dad2d860d12f42a842f8b36049326)

That's the region.  That's Condor Valley, Condor Bay, Ace Mountain, Ace Valley, (Valley) Vista Hill, Crystal Rock Mt., etc.  And here's an overview with those certain named topographic features on it:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FCondorValleyFeatures.jpg&hash=8153d6a8e7f99ebc0b0afee74eba240f992b4dc6)

So the city of Fordville, as it was in SC3KU, will be built around and between these features.  Here's an overview of my plan for the city itself:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FFreewayNetwork.jpg&hash=96171078a56e6c41e7a8a541786d77ed942bc108)
The planned freeway network.  Whether those will be the only freeways or not remains to be seen...although if there are any additional freeways, they'll probably be RHW's...

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FFreewayNetworkandProposedZoning.jpg&hash=6c028af55d2ad77632bcacccdcc7b19346013a14)
The planned zoning layout.  The blank spaces are blank for a reason.  The black spaces are parts of the city that I'm not quite sure what to do with yet...we'll see, though, right?

Hmmm...what else?  &idea

Ahh, yes!  Within Fordville are areas that I will take special notice and build carefully and with much planning.  These projects will be pretty heavily documented throughout their development (except for the first one), and they will have LOTS and LOTS of pictures devoted to them (judging by the one I just got done with...).  I have seven planned...there may be a couple more depending on what happens:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FCondorValleyProjects.jpg&hash=7a6d867bd998c6e1c89aff56356f167ec5361e00)

Some of them are obvious, a couple of them may not be so.  The first one is, of course, the seaport.  One more thing: be prepared in this CJ for lots of things to have either Condor, Ace, or Fordville in their names.

Okay...if you read any of the above, you might remember that I said that I had another city (Power City), and that most of pictures I posted (including all of the CBD ones) came from that city.  So maybe you're wondering why it never got a CJ...or why this one is my very first one.  Well, the reason is that I play SC4 waaaaay too sporadically to be able to update regularly.  I've also never been a frequent visitor to the City Journals forum.  I don't follow any CJ too rigorously (with the exception of any of Aleking's); in fact, it was only last week that I made my first post dedgren's great project.  Suffice it to say, City Journals and Mayor's Diaries have never really been "my thing."

I'm trying to change all of that with Condor Bay.  I'm hoping that this Mayor's Diary will motivate me to play the game to stay ahead of updates and to be able to give teasers, and that posting here will give me initiative to visit other people's Diaries and Journals and see what they have cooking.  That...and I want to see if I can use as much of the 2 GB of plugins I've downloaded as I can.  I've got a few Maxis zones blocked (thanks to Dusktrooper), so we'll see how it works...we'll see if I can do it ;). If I may be a bit self depreciative for a second, however, I wouldn't really expect too much from this Journal...there may be a few pretty pictures, but I doubt there'll be anything you haven't seen before.  Still...never know ;)

So there's your introduction.  Hopefully I don't ever post an update that straightforward again (I'd rather spice it up a bit); still, I hope you enjoyed it.  As I said earlier, the Seaport's the very first thing to be built in the city.  Most of you have probably already seen pictures of it...but I'll show 'em again ;-).  And even before that update, I'd like to thank emilin for his amazing [Seaport Tutorial] (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=749.0) (without which that seaport would've never come to fruition)!  Anyways...here's a teaser, eh?:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FOther%2520Pictures%2FSeaportatnight2800x600.jpg&hash=ea97948114569b8ab5e1f80d688aa4f8be87a788)

I'll try not to make the next update so late in coming.  Thanks for reading!  See you next time!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on January 08, 2008, 08:51:07 PM
Fantastic first update here, Isaac!

I love the contrast between the SC3K cities and your transformation of it into SC4! And don't worry about the region being too small, you can concentrate more on the details than on trying to grow the entire region this way.

Your freeway system looks like it will be set up nicely, too, so I'll be looking forward to seeing it come together, as well as the proposed development you've ironed out!

Keep up the good work here, my friend!

Dustin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Filasimo on January 08, 2008, 10:25:56 PM
wow nice start to your MD masochist!!! cant wait to see how this turns out!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Heblem on January 09, 2008, 03:14:37 AM
everything looks soo perfectly planed, looking forward for more, take care  ;)
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: dedgren on January 11, 2008, 08:32:51 AM
Isaac, whoa!  A great story, really nice terraforming, well written- and fun to boot.

I think you've got something going here.

Good luck, my friend.


David
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: warconstruct on January 11, 2008, 12:19:20 PM
very beautiful area and the charts of zones are very well made!  &apls &apls
the urbanization will not be easy on the second image  $%Grinno$%

hasten to see the continuation!  ;)
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: nova vesfalo on January 11, 2008, 01:11:20 PM
love the idea of "recreation" a SC3's city ! Can't wait to see the developement ! You had an hard work to do !
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Masochist on January 11, 2008, 10:58:26 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSmaller%2520Pictures%2FRepliesBanner800x234.jpg&hash=959f1000c289a9f1df568091728dc546fd8a6ccb)



thundercrack83 -
Thanks!  So far, if you can believe this, every new city I've done on SC4 is a recreation of one I've done on SC3KU.  Well...almost all of them.  The ones that aren't also happen to be my worst...:-[.  Still...I hope this ends up coming out as I want it.  That freeway system was ripped straight from SC3KU, as well :P!  There are a couple of add-ons, but mostly it's the same.  I do hope you enjoy what I have today!



Filasimo -
Ahh, I see you've found it!  I'm hoping it comes out all right, as well :P.  Thanks for stopping by!



dedgren -
Thanks for the compliments!  I'm hoping it turns into something worthwhile...but only time will tell (and I may play a part in it, too).  I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!



warconstruct -
Welcome back!  I'm glad you like the maps I provided...it took me a while to do the one of the zones.  When you said "second image," did you mean the second image of the entire post (the SC3K downtown picture) or the second image of the SC4 pictures (the street layout of the suburbs).  If you meant the first one, then yeah, it'll be tough!  That little peninsula is huge in this region...I don't know if I'll be able to cover the entire thing with Commerce.

If you mean the second one, well, developing that hill was pretty hard to get just right, but you can see the result in the fifth picture of that group.  Unfortunately...that trial of this region is dormant.  I'm working on this smaller one now.

I do hope you stop by again!



nova vesfalo -
LOL!  That's all I do in this game is recreate cities I made on SC3K.  None of my successful cities are original... $%Grinno$%.  Yeah...lots of hard work ahead of me.  Hopefully I can make it through.  Thanks for stopping by!




(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSmaller%2520Pictures%2FCityJournalBanner800x600.jpg&hash=b6876e3f0868dbf11e9a0192daea799a5a37285e)

PROJECT ONE (1) - Fordville International Seaport
Warning - LOTS O' PICTURES follow!

Welcome to the first official update of Condor Bay ;D!  Before I start, I'd like to reiterate what I said in the previous update. 

The first five SC4 pictures I showcased in the previous update are from a now-defunct trial of this city.  That region was much too large for me to build on...so I started this much smaller one.  I showed those pictures just to give an idea as to what I was trying to do with Fordville...but you probably won't see any more pictures from that trial again.  This one is a brand new try, and hopefully it will be much more successful.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

As promised, this one will deal with the very first of the seven-or-so proposed projects of Condor Bay: the seaport.  Here's what it looked like in SC3KU:

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...and this is how I prepared for it in SC4:

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Heh heh...nice!  I suppose this would be the spot to tell everyone that I had never ever done a stylized seaport in SC4 before this one.  Never even attempted one.  Oh, I've seen plenty of pictures before, and I had all of SOMY's stuff just in case, but it never happened.  Needless to say, I had no idea how to go about it.  "Where to even start, eh?  Well...maybe there are tutorials?  Search, search, search...'Building a Seaport (The Hard Way)'?  What's this?"  I clicked...

And then my eyes were opened :o.

emilin created what is, in my opinion, a contender for the "Most Informative Single-Subject Tutorial," right up there with phillippbo's BAT tutorial on ST.  The tutorial, if you haven't seen it, comes complete with two or three full posts of information BEFORE you actually start building in SC4; things like links to seaport-related props and lots, Google Earth pictures of real-life ports, and a lot of knowledge about the structure and layout of ports from someone who has lived around ports his entire life...basically everything that I needed to build this thing in confidence.  So yes...emilin, thank you so much ;D!

emilin's tutorial can be found [by clicking here] (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=749.0).

Armed with the info that guy provided, I realized that my current proposed seaport was unbelievably inadequate...so I reworked it a bit.  Here's what it looks like now (as seen in the SC4 Terraformer pictures, as I took those recently...there are other foreshadows in those pictures, as well ;)):

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A little better, maybe?  The arms are thinner and longer, and there's more coastline for more ports and such.  This looks like a good place to throw down a seaport...yeah!  So I got to work:

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Hmmm...look at all that abandonment!  Left the game running without a powerplant....

As you can see in the picture, I started out experimenting how I wanted to juxtapose different BAT'ers ports.  In this one picture alone you can see SOMY, Pegasus, and fukuda.  I already figured that PEG would dominate the port because his ports are the most customizable, and look the best when used over long stretches of coastline. 

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I wasn't too happy with this strange jumble of SOMY pieces...so I got rid of the blue ones right there.  I also wasn't too happy with the breakwater piece there, so I got rid of it after a while.  I did really want to use SOMY's gigantic fishing harbour, though...but where to put it?  Hmmm....:-\

One thing I tried to do during all of this was figure out my rail network...because what's a port without a rail network %wrd?  I have that huge railyard there, and I love it!  The rail network you see up there isn't the final network, though...it changes quite a bit.

Anyways...next progress report:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSeaportProgress2800x563.jpg&hash=d0d4dcb9ca68d59894c24e5495c553234330101c)
I just don't learn, do I?

Here, more of SOMY's stuff makes its debut...including that fishing harbor (dressed in "Dilapidation Black" for the occasion).  Also, jeronij pops on the scene with his seawalls and  maritime control tower...which is called the Emilin Maritime Control Tower.  Peg's ports have filled in the corner there.  I start to throw down filler: NOB's pipes provide nice looking space-wasters, as well as Peg's canals-turned-pools (as per emilin's suggestion).  Something I didn't mention above is that Newman Inc.'s industrial lots are up, and I love how the rail runs under the overhanging parts of the buildings.

So I do a bit more work, a bit more filling, and a bit more cleaning up, and...:

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This could be considered the "beta" version of the seaport, I suppose.  Not much will change after this from this part.  You can see I finally finished the westside of the port (which is on the edge of the region, so those who complain that the seaport is too small: that ain't all of it  ).  I increased the amount of Peg's canals on that arm of the port, and I filled in the rest of the space with small container stacks.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSeaportProgress4800x500.jpg&hash=3039cd9727de3ccb1a540e525b7bbc8fec145194)

This is the seaport with a better view of the rest of the town.  The big empty area in the Northwest corner there will be a nice, large industrial area, and the coastline on the Eastside with the cliffs will be a beach.

"But what about that big empty area on the opposite side of the port?"  Well...you'll find out in a moment  .  Right now, it's time for me to shut up and deliver those LOTS O' PICTURES I promised....

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The Pegasus arm

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I love how that ship can magically go through the seaport like that...

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The big red tower.  There's another picture of it further down...

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Lots of open water here...

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I think this might be my favorite arm of the port...

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I just love the way that rail goes under the silos!

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FTheRailyard800x500.jpg&hash=ba1f897f7cb217f8451f09b1c10716433f307528)
Nice railyard...with the rec harbour in view already.  Oops.

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Hmmm...no border.  And a bit of the rec harbor again...oops.


I gotta take it on the other side...

...the other side, of course, being the other side of the harbor.  It just so happened to be my luck that as I was making this seaport, PEG was releasing his reworked CSK Marina kit, and I was collecting them.  This presented me with an opportunity to use quite a number of them, as well as plenty of pieces that I've always wanted to use but never really found a place to before (such as Goldiva's Yacht Club and Marrast's seawalls).  I don't have any progressive pictures to show (lucky you), so instead, you just get the entire shebang right here and now:

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The whole recreational harbor...harbour...however it's spelled in your neck of the world

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Focusing on PEG's stuff (that's not the last you'll see of it here...)

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Goldiva's Yacht Club.  I've always wanted to use this...

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Hmm...another one with no border...

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Night mod!!!

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The teaser from the last update

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I like the trees...

The seaport after this point:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSeaportProgress5800x563.jpg&hash=1599f7687dcc6780b0e4c3861c5213316bfd0c8e)

Notice how the entrance to the seaport on the Southwest side is a bit wider than before.  Fukuda suggested I do this...so I did.  I think it looks a lot better :thumbsup:...but it also helped emphasize something else that irked me a bit.

My eyes kept getting drawn to SOMY's cranes on the water.  I lined them up all in a row, but they weren't meant to be like that because there are cranes on the side facing the shore, as well (which have no use if those land connectors get in the way.  So I fixed it a bit...:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FChangetotheseaport.jpg&hash=3d700482a1351b6cb940aaa85c0365c1c5f815a3)

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Which one do you like better: the row of cranes, or the separated ones?  Please let me know...thanks!

I've also got some edited photos of the seaport for you:


The Big Red Tower

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Emilin Tower In focus

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Sunset on the Pier (as seen in the Picture Contest)

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Whew!  That was intense!  I've got a few remaining pictures for you:

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Where the heck are these rail and street textures???  I should have all the dependencies for this lot, and yet...*sigh*

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Hmm...you guys aren't supposed to see those houses yet...%wrd

That is, obviously, a lighthouse for the inner part of the rec port. 

And for the grand finale:

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The completed seaport as it looks today, complete with SAM-textured parking lots and SOMY/Jeronij cargo ships.

And finally, you get two teasers for the next update:

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So to recap...

I used emilin's Seaport Tutorial to guide me in making my very first seaport.  I used the following people's stuff to actually build it:

-Pegaus
-SOMY
-NOB
-Jeronij
-Fukuda
-Newman Inc.
-Goldiva
(If I missed you, kindly let me know!)

...and the next update will be me building the rest of that town.  It'll come after a while...I'll let this one sink in, first.

And there you go!  This update is officially done!!!  I hope you enjoyed it!




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Just to let you guys know, most updates (hopefully) won't have this many pictures.  Only the special projects (like this one) will be as graphically heavy.  Just to let you know...

Also, I really appreciate all those who leave comments and replies in here!  I'm trying to get better at returning the favor if you have a Mayor's Diary.  Thing is, the internet in my dorm room, for some reason, cuts off five minutes after I turn my computer on.  To even post this post, I have to hurry up and get to this site, copy my update from ST, try and fix it up to work here, save the entire thing to my desktop, then restart my computer so I can fill in the missing pictures.  Obviously an ordeal right now until I can get someone to help me fix it.  Even still...I'll try and visit you guys more often.

Congratulations!  You made it to the end...stay tuned for the next update, eh?  Thanks for reading!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Nardo69 on January 11, 2008, 11:34:45 PM
Na, not too much pictures but if you put in more than 4 or 5 pictures you really should consider numbering them. Makes it way easier for us to ask, suggest or comment and for you to answer ...  ;)

I really like that comparison to SC3K even though I began SC3K rather late - I played SC2K for a really loooong time and it seems that SC4 may overtake SC2K eventually ...

I like that harbour. I am not very good at making harbour - I grew up in the blackforrest far away from the next sea and never had a relation to river harbours even though there are some really big ones along the Rhine.

For that lost textures at the intermodal station I would suggest replopping it. I had a similar glitch with some other railway stations and replopping solved it.

But I would redo the railway design shown by the teaser pic. Way to much RR crossings and those half circles at the junctions are just ugly IMHO

Take care

Bernhard  :thumbsup:





Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: warconstruct on January 12, 2008, 04:19:44 AM
wow excels port!!  &apls &apls I like much, and this effect on the sight with foreground is splendid!
yes I spoke about second image SC4, very well the development very is successful!

hasten to see the third MAJS!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Pat on January 12, 2008, 12:16:33 PM
 :thumbsup: &apls

Isaac wonderful Im soo happy you finaly kicked off a MD and seeing such wonderful pics that you have had in the compition its great to see where they come from!!!  BTW what is that Lot you showed, I wouldnt mind having it even though with the missing rail textures and road textures, which i could easly fix for ya's  ;)
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: kimcar on January 12, 2008, 12:22:54 PM
Wow ! A lot of work over here.  :thumbsup:  Very good port you have done , very complete.  &apls &apls Looking forward for sure. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on January 14, 2008, 05:11:24 AM
Two fantastic updates there, Masochist!
That's a great harbor! A lot of wonderful pictures! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: sauron620 on January 14, 2008, 09:31:21 AM
the port is amazing  &apls
the region views too.  :thumbsup:

I like also the waterfront with Peg's marina  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on January 14, 2008, 11:22:10 AM
That port is amazing, Isaac! I've always found that when I make ports like that, they take up a ton of space, and they don't look half as good as yours does! Great work, my friend! You're doing an excellent job!

Dustin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Masochist on January 15, 2008, 02:32:41 PM
Sorry, Guys!

This isn't a real update...I'm just replying to some of these comments you guys gave me, then I'll ask a few questions, then I'll give you just a couple of pictures to tide you over until a real update.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSmaller%2520Pictures%2FRepliesBanner800x234.jpg&hash=959f1000c289a9f1df568091728dc546fd8a6ccb)



Heblem -
I'm sorry for not replying to your message last time &ops!  I absolutely did not do that intentionally...it just seemed to slip my gaze :-[.  But...thank you for your comments!  I hope you enjoy the next update...whenever it will be...:P



Nardo69 -
Wow, nice comment!  At the time I discovered SC2K, I didn't have a computer of my own.  Even though I played that one first, SC3KU was the game I played the most out of all of them so far.  I did the most on that game, as well (I have at least 5 cities from that game that I consider "successful")...so it would only be natural that I tried to replicate them on SC4.  I hope this re-creation is as successful as its predecessor...

I lived 6 years near Houston, TX (which is a major port/industrial city for the US), but I was on the opposite side from the port, so I had no idea how ports were set up (before Houston, it was Las Vegas...not really a port town...$%Grinno$%).  Still, I know this city needed one (because the Ace River is an important river in the country), so I needed to throw one down...which is where emilin came in ;)

LOL...I can't help those rail crossings.  That's a habit I kept around back when I was doing U-Drive-It missions.  I need to make sure I could travel to every track in every direction to get where I needed to go...so I had to make those things.  I don't particularly like them either, though.  Don't worry...I might end up redo-ing the entire area.  We'll see...;)

Thanks for your stupendous comment ;D!  I wish I got more like yours...it would take hours to reply to them, but I'd enjoy it!  I hope you come around again!



warconstruct -
Thanks!  That effect is something you'll see quite often in here; I seem to do it more and more to different pictures as I go along.  We're going to hope my city ends up looking something like that...we'll see ;-).  I'm glad you like it so far!



Pat -
LOL, yeah, it's been a while coming I suppose, hasn't it :P?

Actually...I can't seem to find it!  And I'm not on my own computer right now, so I can't just look in the game to find out.  I'm sorry...as soon as I figure it out, I'll let you know...

Hope to see you back in here, though!



kimcar -
Thank you!  Heh heh...I tried to use all of emilin's advice when making it, which resulted in a lot of stuff in not-a-lot of room :P.  Glad you liked it, though!



bat -

Thanks!  I'm glad you like the harbor...I hope I took enough pictures of it $%Grinno$%!  Come back soon!



sauron620 -
Thank you!  I was just lucky that as I was planning this port, PEG just kept chugging out all of these puzzle pieces for his marina.  Why not use them, right ;)?  Heh heh...hope you like the next update, as well!



thundercrack83 -
Hey, Dustin!

I was really afraid that my port would be too big (because this is such a small region), but it actually came out just fine, size-wise.  I think the secret is more coastline wrapped around itself.  It reminds me of intestines, actually: they develop wrinkles to increase their total surface area so they can suck up more nutrients at one time, but not have to grow too large. 

I'm happy you stopped in, and I'm glad you're liking it so far!  I hope you come back to visit again!







All Right!

I just want to thank you guys for all the comments you've left so far.  You guys are really helping this thing grow faster than I ever thought it would.  Thank you all!

I did want to ask you a question or two, however.

Do you guys like the presentation of the pictures?  I mean, do you like the border, the captions, etc.?  I'm still rather new at this whole CJ'ing thing (in case you forgot), so any bit of advice that might help it succeed would be greatly appreciated.  Nardo69, for example, suggested that I number photographs if I have quite a few (as I did last update) to help identify a picture when someone comments, so I'll start doing that.  Any sort of advice like that would also be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

As it is...I have a bit of a problem:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FTPingsaproblemroundtheseparts.jpg&hash=5b738940057614fcd1ce2683d468b85f92599f0c)

I've heard from Mrs. Hayman around the block that there were vandals around TP'ing trees in the neighborhood.  This is the sort of thing you'd expect in, say, The Land of Darkness...not here in Fordville!  The Watch Group (the Neighborhood Watch Group, that is) is getting restless, because they can't ever seem to catch these guys in the act.  The problem is...these guys have such a large area they could spread out to.  Observe:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FWideshotofthesuburbs800x563.jpg&hash=6fea95165264990376f9e34133ce74cdd9683d00)

If you have any information on any future Toilet Paper bandits, please let us know!

(Heh heh...sorry, but these pictures don't really show anything that important... %wrd).

Until next time!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Grneyes on January 16, 2008, 11:03:18 AM
Great port! It seems to me that most ports do kind of twist back on themselves, need to make the most of the land you have. Can't wait to see the rest of your cities. I had most of my stuff in SC3K too, but lost it all, it's good you have stuff you can recreate in SC4.

MaryBeth
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on January 16, 2008, 11:20:43 AM
TP Bandits, eh? That neighborhood watch group better stay on their toes or else the whole town is in trouble! TP'ing is the gateway to harder crimes, like...throwing eggs!

Great teasers, Isaac! Keep up the fantastic work around here!

Dustin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Haljackey on January 16, 2008, 04:33:49 PM
Wow!  You have some city planning skills!

Everything looks very well placed, connected, and most important: alive!  Your city is bustling with all the good stuff, which makes a great MD!  Excellent job Masochist!

Best,
-Haljackey
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Masochist on January 19, 2008, 05:25:00 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSmaller%2520Pictures%2FRepliesBanner800x234.jpg&hash=959f1000c289a9f1df568091728dc546fd8a6ccb)



Grneyes -
Thanks for the comments!  That was the basic idea of my port: get the most land in the least amount of space.  And if I didn't have SC3K to base my cities off of, I have no idea how I would build in this game...:-[.  Come back soon!



thundercrack83 -
LOL!  TP'ing does seem to be the crime to pull in my town right now...but that may be because I don't have a statue of myself for them to throw the eggs at yet :P!  Thanks for the comments...glad you're liking it so far!



Haljackey -
Thanks!  I'm trying my best to maybe keep it realistic...don't know if I'll pull it off as I go along.  Still, we'll see, right?  Thanks for the comments!




(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSmaller%2520Pictures%2FCityJournalBanner800x600.jpg&hash=b6876e3f0868dbf11e9a0192daea799a5a37285e)

UPDATE 2 - Building the Rest of the Town
This should be interesting...hopefully...

First, I'd like to apologize.  I'm about to break a promise that I made last update...you know, that one where I said that this update wouldn't have near as many pictures?  Well...as it turned out, that was a lie.  This update has almost the exact same amount of pictures, although not so many showcase pics.  Still...it might be a lot to take in, so read slowly..."$Deal"$

Now then...to start out, I have a few SC3K photos to share:

1.)
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This is the area that I will be transposing to SC4 right now.  Mainly, it's just a strip of low-density residential that connects the seaport with a square of Mid-density commerce.  And there's a beach.  And the beach has a Mayor's Statue on it.  Why? Simple: in SC3K, I used Mayor's statues as markers to name certain places that I couldn't otherwise name.  Because of that statue, that beach is actually known as Royal Beach.  As you can see, it's the beach with the classic lighthouse at one end of it...that's something I wanted to bring out in SC4.

2.)

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This is the seaport in relation to the residential.  That...that's it.  Yeah.

In the previous version of this region, Royal Beach was one of my favorite areas (see "Greetings From Paradise" photo of Update 1).  I tried doing something like the same thing here:

3.)
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The grid was purposely left on...

That's a double-tile slope, there...didn't quite work for me.  Neither did the grass and trees at the base, there.  So I ran into the Lot Editor to try my hand in creating my own...

4.)

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5.)
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Repeat after me: Goldiva is my friend...

A little better, eh?  Maybe...but it'll actually pose a problem later.

Enough of that, for now, though.  Since the beach was set up kinda the way I wanted it, I could make the rest of the town.  We've got some progress pictures for this:

6.)
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This is almost the entire town.  It was sooo much smaller than I expected, actually...oh, well.  North of the seaport will be industry; to the east will be residential.  Also, notice how the beach goes off into the next town...

7.)
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Just threw down some streets in my wild suburban way.  Something interesting happened when I built that street going up the east side of the hill.  Usually I hate cliffs made by streets, but for some reason, that one looked all right.  You'll see close-ups of that area in a second, and you'll see me try to replicate the effect in a (not-so-distant) future update.

By the way, at the time, I didn't know how to turn off that graphical glitch with the beach without leaving and re-entering the town.  I know how to now...but by the time I learned, it was too late to re-take these pictures.

8.)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FProgress3800x600.jpg&hash=e024304e50069c01c7d0c833acfd4e40610af0f8)

...and zoning.  Light most of the places, medium along the avenues.

Don't know if you've noticed, but I'm trying to use as much custom content as possible.  Because of space restraints, I could only use the Maxis High Schools, but I ended up throwing down a few custom buildings and parks that you'll see in a second.

BUT FIRST!  Let's see what develops, eh ;)? (Wow...that's the second-worse pun I've come up with this week...::)).

9.)
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Forgot to adjust the contrast of this one...oops...

Not bad!...to me, anyways.  Closer look, eh?

10.)
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Just love that justanothersim library!

11.)
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The local pig sty...I mean, Krispy Kreme...

12.)
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Ahh!  Gascooker!

You have no idea...right before I started this CJ, I went on a MASSIVE residential BAT hunt, looking for mainly large packs of nice, somewhat-generic-looking modular homes (and by generic, I simply mean that they'd look fine in any neighborhood).  Mixed with the small Maxis homes, it's actually kind of hard to find two houses right next to each other that are exactly the same.  Let's compare, shall we?

13.)
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One of my earlier suburban communities...

14.)
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Suburbs in this town.  Can you notice any difference?

That was a trick question.  I'm actually trying to build more suburbs like (13) in Fordville.  But this is a good sign...at least there's more variety in what I have now...

Anyways, let's take a look at that hill, eh?

15.)
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Look on the right side of the hill...yeah, right there...

16.)

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The TP Bandits strike again!

So this is the Vista Hill home community.  It is from this uniquely positioned housing area that I got this picture:

17.)
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Ahh, there's my beloved border!

Might be familiar to some people... ;)

Well...I've been neglecting one area of town, but I suppose I can't any longer.  So how about we go back towards the seaport and visit that industrial area...

18.)
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This is the layout.  Nardo69 said he didn't quite like it...but that's what I've got for now.  So I'll work with it.  By the way, you like that hospital I randomly added there $%Grinno$%?

19.)
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Added a nice residential area...need to find out what to do with the undeveloped coast there.  I tell you now, that industrial area just gets worse and worse as time progresses &mmm...



BREAKING NEWS!!!

After scanning the area for any more signs of the TP Bandits, I've uncovered something much worse:

20.)
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ASSAULT!  We'll zoom into the affected area...the seaport:

21.)
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So that's where it happened.  Maybe the perpetrator is still around...let's get a closer look:

22.)
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Look!  That's gotta be him, there's no one else around!  Someone call the police, go nab that guy!  Hurry up!!!

...

...

Where are the police!  This guy could walk away at anytime, where is my police force!?

23.)
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Oh, yeah.  Oh, brother...::).

Now back to  your regularly scheduled update...



(Just so no one skins me alive, contrary to what people might believe after reading this update, I actually have the utmost respect for Police Officers.  Don't take the previous the wrong way...it was just a pretty un-funny joke... %wrd)

But while we're on that side of town...

24.)
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Just some random picture.

All right...this update's coming to a close soon (finally!!!).  I just have to show a few more things...

Here's the commercial area mentioned 3 miles ago at the beginning of the update:

25.)
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And here's how it translates to this region:

26.)
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Small area...but it falls right on the corner of four different city tiles.  Bothersome, to say the least.  Still, I can't ignore it.  This particular commercial area is home to the nationally known Market Street, where they host many parades and where many mid-level stores have started and grown from.

27.)
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Unfortunately, it won't look like that for long...()sad()

Here's the entire city as it looks at this point:

28.)
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Notice how the beach was never quite finished.  It was supposed to be lined with resorts, but I decided against it, because that job went to a certain other beach...

$%#Ninj2

...but now I don't know what to do with it.  If anyone has any suggestions as to how I can fill that space, let me know (because it's still there...).

Here's the city from the region view:

29.)
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And finally, here's a teaser picture for next update:

30.)
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Straight from Filasimo's bag-o-tricks...I'll have to consult him on how to actually do this properly ;).

Next time, I'll give you guys information I should've given at the very beginning, and figuring out what to do with this bridge.  I'll expect it to be a small update, but I'm not promising anything anymore....

Congratulations!  You made it to the end.  I can't believe it, either.  But hey...you've read this all the way through...why not try War and Peace next ;)?

I'm done typing :satisfied:.
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Godzillaman on January 19, 2008, 05:54:25 PM
That was pure good old sc4! I This is one of my favorites now! &apls
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on January 19, 2008, 10:25:51 PM
War and Peace isn't half as entertaining as that update, my friend!

I thought that the transposition from SC3K to SC4 here was my favorite part of Condor Bay, but the work you're putting into makes any picture you post outstanding! Keep up the great work, my friend! You're doing a wonderful job!

Dustin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: warconstruct on January 20, 2008, 04:04:53 AM
really splendid these sights! I like the effects of several images , and your development of the zones residential has low density . Your port is very quite carried out! Its situation on the area is quite selected . To finish your beach is without defect !

cheer  &apls


Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: sebes on January 20, 2008, 04:21:09 AM
Great new (well, for me still) MD Masochist!  You realy did a very good job on the port. I'll have to try myself as well one day copying our master Emilin on that  ;).  Also the beach you made is lovely - especially because of that cool stairs that you use (see pic 3.3) (In what package comes that?)
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on January 20, 2008, 05:32:42 AM
A fantastic new update there! A lot of great new pictures of your city! Wonderful work! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Grneyes on January 20, 2008, 01:40:42 PM
So are most of those houses growables then? What residential packs are you using? I love the beach, how did you do it? Can't wait for the next update!

MaryBet
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: BigSlark on January 20, 2008, 02:02:45 PM
Excellent update, Masochist. I like what you're doing with this city, its hard to get a balance of industrial and middle-class residential to grow AND look right in my experience.

I really like the beach, I'm terrible at them myself.

Cheers,
Kevin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: jeronij on January 26, 2008, 07:56:41 AM
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--- I cant paste the link.... I mean number 17 ;)  ---

&apls &apls &apls

One of the best pictures I have seen lately ¡¡¡. Great to see your MD healthly developing my friend  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Masochist on January 29, 2008, 11:55:03 PM
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Godzillaman -
Wow, thank you for such accolades!  I'm glad you find such pleasure in the gameplay...that says a lot to me, and it's nice to see someone who doesn't need fancy pictures to appreciate this game.  Thanks so much for your comment!



thundercrack83 -
Thank you ;D!  I really appreciate hearing that, because it makes me think that maybe I'm doing this CJ thing right.  You know...sometimes I don't know if people really "dig" what I'm doing...but then comments like that make me forget any such things, and keep going ()stsfd().  So yes...thank you!



warconstruct -
Thanks!  I'm glad you're liking the effects of my pictures...I do a lot of those quite often, so hopefully you'll like what I have coming up, as well ;)!  Do stop on by again!



sebes -
Yes, emilin's tutorial is amazing!  Don't go thinking I did that myself...that was basically all him with a different layout.  I'm glad you like the beach, though.  The stairs in that picture come in [this pack by MAS71] (http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=17875).  What you see is actually two of them stacked together.  I simply went into the Lot Editor and changed the wall texture to match the ones I was using.  It was really, really easy...took no more than five minutes (most of which went to actually loading the thing).  It's really nice, though, right?  He did a really nice job!

Anyways, thanks for the comments!



bat -
Ahh, thank you!  Glad to see you've stopped in again :thumbsup:...do come back, won't you?  Thanks for the comments!



Grneyes -
Heh heh, yeah, all of those houses are growable ;).  I can't even list all of the housing packs I'm using: JenP's stuff, c.p.'s homes, Gascooker's, all of NDEX's McMansions, SimGoober's homes, Ill Tonkso's homes...just too many to list!  I went on a scavenger hunt for all of them.

That beach...well, I used a certain beach pack that I can't seem to find anymore.  It made making custom beaches really easy...as for the walls, I just went into the Lot Editor, found a texture I liked, and made them.  It took all of 10 minutes...but they came out all right, I think.

Anyways...sorry I couldn't be of more help.  Usually I'd give links to everything, but I can't seem to find anything tonight &mmm.  If I find anything, I'll come back and give links for you.  Thanks for the comments, though!



BigSlark -
LOL...I'm glad you like it!  I don't know...that industrial area isn't too hot right now.  I'll have to go back and fix it up...

To tell the truth, I don't have too much experience in beach-making.  You'll see in a future update what happens when I try and go all out on a beach...:-[

Either way, though, I'm glad you dropped in!  Feel free to come back any time ;)!



jeronij -
Hello!  Very nice to see you in here!  I'm glad you like that picture, that might be my favorite picture of this entire thread so far...;).  Nice to see you helping it grow, too!  Thanks for stopping by!




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UPDATE 3 - Lots of Information, and Some Small Developments
And by info, I mean stuff I should've said at the beginning...

First off, I'd like to apologize again.  I really should've shared the information I'm about to give at the beginning of this Mayor's Diary.  Oh, well...better late than never, right $%Grinno$%? Anyways...where to begin?  Hmmm....

Fordville is the capital city of a state called Willow (so you'd call it Fordville, Willow).  Willow is in a country that doesn't have a name yet; I have, however, drawn plenty of maps of the nation...too bad they all end up lost somehow.  I'm planning on drawing another one for the sake of this MD, but I'm procrastinating on it...%wrd.

Anyways, the country in question has about 20 or so states (and unlike the country, all of them are named).  It's about the size of...ahh...well, I haven't really thought of a scale for it yet, but it's pretty large.  The average state is about the size of Georgia; the largest is about the size of Montana, and the smallest is about the size of South Carolina.  The country is bordered on the north and northeast by a country, and on the west and southwest by two other countries.  The northwest, eastern, and southeastern borders are formed by two large bodies of water, of which the most important is Willow Bay.  Willow Bay forms the eastern coastline of the country, and is end of almost all major rivers in the country, including the Oasis, the Wonderline, the Isaac (yes, I did name a river after myself :P!), and of course, the Ace River.  Fordville lies in the valley where the Ace River flows into Willow Bay.

This country also includes almost every single city I've ever built in a SimCity game.  In some cases, I build the city in the game, then decide where to place it in the country; other instances I'll decide which city I'm building based on it's position on the map.  Power City is an example of the former; Fordville is an example of the latter.

Fordville itself is in the southern part of the country.  As it is on the mouth of a rather important river, it is fairly large; the city proper has about 500,000 - 600,000 people, and the metro area extending beyond my region has much, much more.  It enjoys a pleasantly mild climate most of the year, but it also gets snow in the winter (strange, eh?).

Here's the layout of the region again, this time with the city tiles numbered:

3.1)
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City Names
1. Fordville International Seaport
2. Condor Beach
3. Western Fordville
4. Condor Mountains
5. Condor Bay
6. Willow Beach
7. Fordville
8. Northwestern Foothills
9. Northwestern Foothills
10. Ace River
11. Northeastern Foothills
12. Northeastern Foothills
13. Crystal Rock City
14. Crystal Rock Mt.
15. Eastern Fordville
16. Ace Mountain

To build this city, I'm using 2+ gigabytes of plugins.  I could never list them all, but the more prominent ones are NAM, SAM, Gascooker's lots, much of Jeronij's stuff, lots of NDEX BAT's (which haven't been seen too much yet in my city), Cobb's towers, PEG's things, lots of Fukuda things, SimGoober's stuff...well, let's just say that I have a lot of BAT's (and as I said in an earlier update, I'm trying my hardest to use as many of them as I can ;)).  As for mods, I'm using Cycledogg's Columbus Terrain Mod, PEG's Brigantine Water Mod and Limestone Rock mod, and the Asphalt Texture mod.  I don't use money parks, nor do I use in-game cheats much (unless there's a city that will never have enough people/meet the requirements for a reward I want to use), but I do use the Lottery Program ordinance (which basically adds $5000 to your income every month), as well as the GeoThermal Power Plant and SimGoober's Modern Waste-To-Energy Incinerator (if you count those as cheating).  I plop RCI buildings only when I need to get a certain look or feel to a city (and you'll see soon enough the trouble I get into when I do so without care :-[)...otherwise, it's all growable.  I'm really trying to make Fordville into a World Class City...whenever I get things right, I want it to be good enough to perhaps make a bid for the Simlympics.  We'll see what happens, eh :satisfied:?

Oh, and if you didn't know this, the city is much further along than this update in terms of what is built.  It's not done, though...not by a long shot (I haven't even crossed the river yet).

Enough about that, though....

Recent Developments

So, we've gone through the seaport, we've built along the mountain, and we have one unfinished beach.  Where were we, then?...

Ah yes, that small commercial district that somehow fell upon 4 different city tiles.

To refresh your memory, here's the SC3K picture of it:

3.2)
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All right...notice how that freeway goes over the water there?  We'll tackle that one in a second.  first, let's do some touching up first.

The beach from the last update goes into the next town, Condor Bay.  This town also holds part of the commercial district...obviously, I can't just ignore it.  Still, there's not much to it, so:

3.3)
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3.4)
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3.5)
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And a wide-out shot:

3.6)
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Yes, that's the entire city tile.  Check map 3.1...it's #5 on there, and it falls right at the entrance to Condor Bay (hence its name).  The other side isn't developed yet...that won't happen for a good while, but we'll get there one day ;).  For now, just the right side is important.

Now that that's out of the way, we can get to the heart of this update: Fordville.  Fordville is the name of the city tile that lies directly in the middle of the region; i. e., the only large city tile.  The tiny-yet-troublesome commercial area fall on this tile as well.  The thing about this one, however, is that before I can even begin to touch that tile, I have something else to deal with: the Condor Bay Bridge.

The Condor Bay Bridge is the stretch of freeway that spans the straight that leads into Condor Bay.  The problem with just building a straight bridge is that I needed it to be high enough to allow ships to pass underneath, but I didn't want to deal with the hills that would result (because I needed some exits pretty quick).  The inspiration for the solution came straight from Filasimo (though I'm not sure he's aware of it): have a flat bridge to an island in the water, then raise the bridge high enough for water vessels to pass under (and then lower it back down on the opposite side).  I'm sure many people have done it before, but I specifically remember thinking of his examples when deciding how I would go about making it, so I'll credit him for this bridge.

I've got a few process pictures to show for this:

3.7)
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3.8)
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As you can see, I chose the spot where I wanted the bridge and began leveling the land right all the way across.  Here's the entire span:

3.9)
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Why did I level the land right there?  Two reason: one, I wanted the islands to be the same height, and two, I needed to know just how far to make the islands from the coasts.  I figured out the latter by marking the span with road tiles:

3.10)
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3.11)
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96 tiles across.  Good to know...so I lowered the land back down into the water except the areas where I wanted my islands:

3.12)
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Next came terraforming the islands.  I had to figure out how large they needed to be, then I had to make sure that the freeway had room to transition from low-level to high-level spans.  Here's the result of that:

3.13)
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3.14)
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Here's the final bridge span, after all that:

3.15)
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Grr...looks like I put the islands a bit too close together.  Good thing I didn't decorate them...&sly

Anyways, with the bridge "done", I decided to lay out the streets, as you can see in the previous picture:

3.16)
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Hmmm...not half bad.  Except, you know, there;s nothing there.  Zones:

3.17)
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Don't worry, those windmills are only temporary...

Okay, waaaaaaay back on picture 3.2 (the SC3K picture), did anyone notice the marina sticking out of the corner?  No?  Didn't think so.  Well, that's Condor Beach Marina.  It's sort of a well-known place in the city, so I had to fit it in.  Time for PEG to give an encore (in more ways than one):

3.18)
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I had to move that roundabout out of the way to account for the wall, but it's worth it to get that look!

And now for an SC4D exclusive ;D!  I did a composite shot of that marina, seeing as how it goes into the next town.  It's a terrible collage; you can clearly see the line where the two pictures are separated :-[.  That's because those two cities are not exactly reconciled (and they won't be, because I'll lose a lot more than just that if I reconcile edges).  It's 1024 px. wide, and I refuse to shrink it any smaller than that...so this is the only place I can post it %wrd.  So here you guys are, a bonus picture and a sneak peek at what's to come:

3.19)
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Finally, here's a shot of the finished little spit of land:

3.20)
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Anyways...that's pretty much all for this update.  Just some teasers left.  A note about these, though: I have two pictures.  One of them I'm certain I'll explain next update, but the other I wasn't so sure...that, though, was supposed to be the true teaser.  So now you get both !

3.21)
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Taken on December 26th...tricked my computer, I did!

3.22)
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We'll see if I'm nice enough to spare you guys this one next time...

That's all I got.  Thanks for reading, and do stop in next time!




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I'd like to issue an apology to all those who have CJ's that I haven't visted.  I realize I haven't been doing my part in returning the favors that you have all given me.  I'm trying to get better about it...but do know that I absolutely appreciate you guys leaving me all those comments and such!  Thanks so much !
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: wouanagaine on January 30, 2008, 12:22:58 AM
Wow I've missed a couple of updates

Great & amazing job !

Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on January 30, 2008, 04:38:41 AM
Again a lot of wonderful pictures there!
Great work on the bridge and on the city!
And wonderful picture there with snow!! :thumbsup:

Looking forward to more...
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: kimcar on January 30, 2008, 04:20:23 PM
 &apls &apls Another great update that you have done. Just a question , what is the name or link of the building on the last pic please thanks. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Masochist on January 30, 2008, 04:52:15 PM
Quote from: kimcar on January 30, 2008, 04:20:23 PM
Just a question , what is the name or link of the building on the last pic please thanks. :thumbsup:

That's the [Newman Inc. Federal Courthouse] (http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=13185), by citynut.  It's on the STEX...just click that link ;)!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on January 30, 2008, 05:42:55 PM
More wonderful work, my friend! I love the step-by-step process you used to building the Condor Bay Bridge, especially. I think I'm going to stea...I mean use that technique in the future!

Can't wait to see more!

Dustin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: kimcar on January 31, 2008, 02:40:50 PM
Thanks for the links . I appreciate :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: threestooges on January 31, 2008, 03:36:17 PM
If I recall, this is my first post in this MD, and from what I've seen, I'm surprised it has taken me this long. In particular, the bridge is well done, and the overall plan you're working with is something else (I like the way you're updating your SC3k city and it's working well). If you're still taking suggestions regarding the vacant area above the beach (back near the port) I would recommend just turning it into a simple, grassy park. Something people can stroll through as they gaze out into the water. Maybe add a few facilites such as restrooms etc if you are able. Good work on everything so far, I'll look forward to more in the future.
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on February 01, 2008, 10:44:26 AM
Congrats, Isaac--

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg218.imageshack.us%2Fimg218%2F3360%2Fcondorbayie0.png&hash=112542095ba7c942f608116539debde913bd4720)

The Staff
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: rooker1 on February 01, 2008, 10:48:07 AM
Congratulations Masochist on your move to SITM.
&apls &apls &apls

Robin  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on February 02, 2008, 02:09:13 AM
Yes, Congrats for your award!! &apls
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: warconstruct on February 03, 2008, 05:39:24 AM
splendid update! all my congratulation  &apls
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: emilin on February 04, 2008, 01:11:58 AM
Congratulations on the award! &apls

It is quite an interesting project you have got going here. I never played enough SC3000 to remember just how it was - but from your pictures it looks much better than I remember it (it's probably just you doing a better job than I ever could...).
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: tooheys on February 04, 2008, 02:15:59 AM
Hi Masochist and welcome to the club  :thumbsup:

A well deserved reward.I know I haven't been a frequent visitor but your recent work looks great. Particularily like the port area and the comparisons to SC3000 brings back a memory or two.

Have a great month.

Cheers

Dave

Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Antoine on February 04, 2008, 12:24:20 PM
congratulation for this award  &apls
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Masochist on February 04, 2008, 09:46:12 PM
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Heh heh...yeah, I know these usually come at the end of the update, but I'd thought I'd put it at the beginning this time.

So imagine my surprise when I come online one day and discover that my MD isn't where it's supposed to be!  Instead, it's been moved to here...to the "Special Interest of the Month" category.  I couldn't believe it...I still can't!

Thank you guys so much for granting me the privilege ;D!  I don't know if I can live up to past MD's who have been in here (or the other ones who are in here now), but I'll try :thumbsup:!

Enough about that, though...%wrd

I went and got myself a new graphics card!  It's an Nvidia 8600 GT OverClocked with 512 MB of RAM (might've got the 8800 if I were absolutely certain that my computer could actually handle a card like that).  With that card, about have the games on my desktop became playable again...games like Civ IV, The Sims 2 (up to Seasons), Guitar Hero III, and my newest one: MS Flight Simulator X Deluxe (I didn't actually notice too much of a difference with SC4).

As it is, all of these games (and a fair few others) are now fighting for my attention.  Usually SC4 wins out, but sometimes that doesn't happen (most often when FSX is in the running).  This doesn't mean that updates will come slower, or that this MD is in any danger (because I am, as I stated last update, farther along in the city than in this MD), but it does mean that you guys might catch up to me quicker than I expected &mmm.

On the plus side...I GOT A NEW GRAPHICS CARD ;D!!!...And I also got a Photobucket Premium Account.  After seeing what happened to suplado! on ST, I checked my own bandwidth and sure enough, I was at 94% usage for the month.  So impulsively, I spent $25 to get a premium account.  All my pictures are now safe for the next year :thumbsup:!

Finally, I'd like to once more thank everyone who's been following this city, even if you've only commented once.  I really appreciate it!




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wouanagaine -
Hello!  Fancy seeing you in here again :P!  Thank you for the comments, I'm glad you like it!  I hope you come in a bit more often, but I definitely understand if you can't ;).



bat -
Thanks!  I like the way the bridge turned out, but there's something a bit off about it...I might make the islands farther apart.  Thanks for the comments about the snow picture!  I like them, too...I don't have too many of them (only two, actually).  Do come back in, eh?  I appreciate all of your kind comments ;D!



kimcar -
Thanks for the compliment!  And no problem on the link...if you see anything else that looks interesting, don't hesitate to ask where I got it :thumbsup:!



thundercrack 83 -
Thank you!  I'm glad you found the little step-by-step thing worth stealing useful.  There's another little progressive series in this update, as well...maybe you'll find those of use, too?  Don't know ;).  Thanks for all the support you've given me here!  I don't think you know just how much I appreciate it!



threestooges -
Thanks for the compliments!  I'm glad you're liking it so far.  I like the bridge, but I think I need to separate the islands a bit more...and then set it up to be decorated easier.  And yes, I'm still taking ideas...I like that idea!  I can put a grassy knoll next to it for people to gaze out from...maybe put some observation decks over the slope...cycleways!  I can make a Venice Beach-style bicycle trail along the upper lip, that might look awesome!  THANKS for the the ideas :thumbsup:!!!  I do hope you'll pop back in a bit more often ;)....



thundercrack83, rooker1, bat, warconstruct, emilin, tooheys, and Antoine -
Wow...I'm humbled &blush!  Thank you guys again for the gesture and kind words!  I really appreciate it :sunny:!



emilin -
LOL...well, I don't know.  It might just be the contrast I put in those SC3K pictures ;).  By the way, let me take this opportunity to (finally) personally thank you for writing that tutorial &apls.  The fruits of your labor are on the first page :thumbsup:.  Do come back soon!



tooheys -
:D Good to be here!  Thanks for the compliments and congratulations.  I'm glad even that you took the time to stop in this one time...though I do hope you'll come back again ;)!




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UPDATE 4 - Comin' 'Round The Mountain
Now things start getting interesting...hopefully...

4.1)
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Let's see...at this point, Condor Bay has a regional population of about 12,000 Sims.  Going back to this numbered view of the region, City #1 (Fordville Int'l Seaport) is essentially completed.  I've been trying to lay down a commercial area that falls right on the corner of cities 1, 2, 5 and 7...that will be completed in this update.  And also...wait a minute...

Oooooh...:satisfied:

You guys get your first look at what will be Project #2 in this update!  Cool!

Yes, this is where the city starts to get interesting.  Going around Vista Hill brings you right into the main valley of the metro area.  The freeway comes in full force here, and  you'll start to see some true city-building efforts from me (as well as me trying to deal with problems that come about as I let the game kick my behind for being careless).  This city tile, called Condor Beach, will be completed in four updates (hopefully).  Let's get started, shall we ;)?

Before I do anything in this city, I have to terraform one certain area:

4.2)
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This is the SC3K version of the famous (and infamous %wrd) Condor Beach and Boardwalk (with the Condor Beach Marina sticking out of the lower corner there).  Condor Beach is undeniably the most famous beach in Fordville (and there are a few beaches around here) for a multitude of reasons, most of which I'll go into in a future update.  For now, however, all you need to know is that this is the defining feature of this particular city tile...and so I need to define it.  And yes--that is a museum on that beach :P!

I have to start where I left off last time: the Condor Beach Marina.  It continues into this town, so I defined how far it went, first.

4.3)
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This is where the beach is going to be.  And, wow!, how coincidental that it falls exactly where I said Project 2 would fall in a previous update ::).  Yes, if you haven't figured it out by now (and you should've %wrd), Condor Beach is Project 2.   We're not actually making the beach in this update, we're only terraforming where the beach will go so that I can mold the rest of the town around it.  Don't know why I said "we're," but I did, and I'll stick with it.

4.4)
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The thing about Condor Beach is that it's a resort beach.  I have never made a successful, functioning resort beach in my life, but I've seen plenty of pictures (suplado! and gabry85 of Simtropolis immediately come to mind, and they are, in fact, the examples I looked to when I planned it out).  I knew that I had to have an extremely low-lying area with a gentle slope to the water that was wide enough to accommodate the resort area, a three-tile-wide avenue, and the beach itself.  So I used the tried-and-true street leveling method to mold the land as I wanted, as you can see in the above picture.  Here's the result:

4.5)
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Oooh...those are some nice cliffs and steep slopes, there ???!  Here's a wide-out shot:

4.6)
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On the right side of the hill is where the seaport industrial area connects with this city tile.  Remember that...

Ugh...horrid.  Oh, well...nothing a little God-Mode smoothing can't fix, eh?

4.7)
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Ahh, that's better!  As you can see, I left the cliff on the diagonal portion that connects the beach with the marina.  That was done purposely...but enough about that ;).

Now that the beach is  pretty much how I want it, I can finally start building in this town.  Here might be a good time to tell you that for me, the freeway is king.  It decides where I put satellite office districts, it decides where all my high density zones should go...it pretty much dictates how I build my city.  That's why I had to terraform the beach before I did anything else: so I knew where to place the freeway...

4.8 )
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There we go!  Got the freeway up and going, I've got the avenue running along the foothills...even have the avenue going down the beach (and yes, that's a split avenue and not two one-way roads).  Looks like we might finally be set to build!

In this city, what I did first was zone the last bit of the Bothersome Commercial Area (I'm thinking of making that the permanent name :P).  Then I decided, after having success the last time I did it, to try my hand at making mountainside suburbs.  Here's the result:

4.9)
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WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE BLUE THINGS!?!?!?!?

And here's the result.  Not too pretty.  Maxis seems to dominate the streets...and I, somehow, seemed to have forgotten to turn off the UDI icons :-[!  Oi, how embarrassing &ops!  Oh well.  As it is, that area gets a lot better as I let the game run.  How about we showcase some pictures, eh?

4.10)
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Up on a mountain...

4.11)
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More UDI icons...

Heh heh...I took some pictures on December 26th with my computer's clock set to the 25th so that I could take advantage of the snow Easter Egg :satisfied:.  It only appeared in the highest parts of the mountain, but I got some all right shots from it:

4.12)
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4.13)
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A white Christmas, indeed...

And finally, I offer a Deever/CarmineHilton-esque panorama shot of the suburbs on the mountain.  Two options, depending on your preference:

[2.4 MB Panorama Shot (3530x768)] (http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b99/JetWarrior/SimCity%204%20Pics/Condor%20Bay%20City%20Journal/MountainSuburbPanorama.jpg)

[1.5 MB Panorama Shot (2758x600)] (http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b99/JetWarrior/SimCity%204%20Pics/Condor%20Bay%20City%20Journal/MountainSuburbPanorama2758x600.jpg)

Just so you know, I decided to stop building along that mountain because I was getting to close to the top, and I decided that I wanted to preserve at least part of the hills as they are.  Still, I hope you like those ()stsfd()!

Ahh, but what about that industrial area I mentioned last time, eh?  Well, it's thriving, I'd say!  Take a look, why don't ya?

4.14)
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Meh...kind of repetative as it is now, but still a lot better than the one across that city connection $%Grinno$%.  Some close ups:

4.15)
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4.16)
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Mmmm...smell that fresh city smog!

All right...that just about wraps up this update.  I guess I'll see you guys...

BUT WAIT!  What about that commercial area you've been complaining about???

Ahh, yeah!  Almost forgot about that.  Well...that can be the teaser for the next update.  Observe:

4.17)
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Not so bad, eh?  Aye, but somethin' be amiss, her'.  That's because this picture was actually taken pretty recently.  In a region with only about 12,000 people, there shouldn't be so many offices...but there are.  You'll see why that is in a future update.  For now, though, did you notice I have some custom schools in there?  Those are jbsimio's elementary schools...there are two of them visible, and a Maxis one peeking out from the very top.  Why so many in one tiny area?  I'll get to that next update ;).

That's really all I have for this update.  Next update, you guys will get to see what the rest of the town will look like.  Should have lots of pictures, and maybe you'll get a good idea of how I actually go about building cities.  'Til then, thanks for reading ;D!




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Not really a notice...I should make another banner.  This is more of a question; I'll periodically ask these just to see if I can better my MD'ing skillz.  This time, the question is: do you guys think I talk too much or explain pictures too much?  I notice that people seem to respond more to the pictures than to my babbling...do you guys even read the stuff I type?  Be honest, now!  If you guys don't actually read it, then I can save a bit of time by cutting down what I type.  Thanks :satisfied:!

P. S. If you see a BAT that looks interesting to you and you want to know where I got it, feel free to ask and I will try and point you in the right direction..."try" being the key word :P.
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on February 05, 2008, 06:27:57 AM
Fantastic new pictures there of your nice city, Masochist!
Wonderful update, too!
And the panorama-pictures are looking also fantastic!!
The snow pictures as well!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: warconstruct on February 05, 2008, 09:20:40 AM
wow excellent update! still of very beautiful image of your city  &apls
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on February 05, 2008, 11:57:24 AM
I, for one, really what you post in your updates, Isaac. I like when an MD author explains their "vision" in what's going on in the picture, it gives a very important perspective--what the person who made this was thinking!

I will admit, though, I do sometimes just look at pictures in MDs, depending on time constraints, and I'm sure that most people do, it's just human nature! But I do try to enjoy everything that an author takes the time to share with us.

Now, onto the update...

The beach is coming along quite nicely! I like how you walked us through it's construction. The residential and industrial areas are looking good, too, and those panoramas are huge!  The first one is my favorite, I love the angle.

Keep up the great work, my friend!

Dustin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Antoine on February 05, 2008, 12:32:28 PM
Wow ! : it's the only word I can say  :o
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: threestooges on February 05, 2008, 07:25:56 PM
Another spiffy update and some good commentary too. I like the captions and what not. It does add to the pics, and often tends to point out something I might have otherwise overlooked. Plus your sense of humor adds a great touch. Sounds like I struck a chord with that park idea, it'll be interesting to see what you come up with for it. As for the development and design of Condor Beach, I think it is off to a good start. One trick I can suggest for further road-plop terraforming is to make one like of single plops along one edge (preferably the long one) and just draw road strips parallel to it (something that I learned from Darmok in Anduin Valley Revisited at ST: link in my sig). It makes the work go much faster. Lastly, I'll be curious to see what you use for that beachside museum. Not a bad place to spend the day I'd say. Take it easy.
-Matt
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: tooheys on February 06, 2008, 02:19:40 AM
Quote from: threestooges on February 05, 2008, 07:25:56 PM
One trick I can suggest for further road-plop terraforming is to make one like of single plops along one edge (preferably the long one) and just draw road strips parallel to it

That's the only way to go, that's how I work and it will save a little a bit of time. Might even extend the life of your mouse by a minute or two  :D

Pic's 4.10-4.13 are my faves this time round,good looking suburban areas, built nicely into the hills. Look great  :thumbsup:

There is one thing that caught my eye though, the ave running parallel to the hwy. I just think it could be a bit smoother, it can still undulate, but the slope transitions could be smoothed out a bit.

Now the big question, it depends. If its a story MD, I will read the comments if I like the tale being told otherwise I will just concerntrate on the pics.
I am more likely to read comments that explain the process behind the development, why this was done, how this was done, why you like this pic etc.
I think you fall towards the latter, with a touch of the former  :D so I do tend to read your comments.

Cheers

Dave


Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Pat on February 06, 2008, 08:16:37 PM
Isaac,

   Personally I just post pics and try to title the pic... Its a matter of personal taste and I do read everything though... Your style is yours and mine is mine along with the other MD'ers... I love your photo shopping effects and that is something I could never do... IE 4.16 is by far my favorite pic of this update...

The only suggestion I would make to you is that you can get more updates if you break up the pic amounts IE say have only 5 pics per update and that way if you haven't had time to play and take shots... So that way you have an update ready to rock and roll...

Like now I have 5 pics sitting ready to go after a few days to get my next update.... But then again that is me and its only a thought on to help you out, till my next visit Isaac take it easy and be safe - pat
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Grneyes on February 07, 2008, 10:15:56 AM
 &apls &apls &apls &apls Awesome work!!! Love the bridge!!! What marina did you use? I think I missed where you said which one it is. Love the next update too. Everything is looking great!!!

MaryBeth
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Masochist on February 10, 2008, 05:19:18 PM
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bat -
Thanks!  I'm glad you're still enjoying what I have to offer.  I'm trying some new things with this MD, things I've never done in any other city, so I hope you keep enjoying it as you are!



warconstruct -
Thanks!  I'm glad you think so!



thundercrack83 -
Hello, Dustin!  Wow, nice comment!

So you actually read the commentary?  Wow...I thought most people just kind of ignored it.  Thanks for letting me know :thumbsup:...even if only one person reads it, it's enough to keep it around.  And I understand about just looking at the pictures sometimes--sometimes I wish I didn't write so much so that it wouldn't take so much effort to get through one of my updates :P!

I'm glad you like the beach so far...hopefully you'll like it a bit more when it's developed ;)...

Don't know if I've said this before, but I really appreciate all of your in-depth comments!  I'm rather in awe of how much dedication you show for the MD section of this site :thumbsup:!  Don't be a stranger!



Antoine -
LOL, thanks!  Hopefully that's a "good" wow :D!



threestooges -
Strike a chord, you did!  We'll see how it comes out, and I'll be sure to post pictures and let you know how it turns out!

Hmmm...so you read the comments too, eh?  Heh heh...I thought I talked to much, but I suppose you can't really talk too much if there's someone willing to listen :P!  Thanks for the tip, by the way!  It save a lot of time doing it with strips after a while!  As for the museum...I'll need to think of a theme for it.  What's the museum for, you know?  Hmmm...:-\

Anyways, thanks for the comment!



tooheys -
Geez!  Maybe I should ask questions more often :P!  I hope that will help save my mouse, it's been acting like it's in its final days &mmm. 

I'm glad you like the hillside homes!  I do like how they came out (although they could definitely be better).  And that road isn't that bumpy anymore, I've flattened it out a lot.  It looks much better :thumbsup:!

LOL, thanks!  I planned on having certain stories here and there, but so far I've just been focusing on building this and that...in fact, it's something I address in this update.  Oh, well...I do have some things planned to help remedy the situation...but that's another story &sly.  For now, though, I'm glad you read what I write (though I don't know why people would subject themselves to such torture $%Grinno$%).  Thanks for the comments!

(LOL, it just dawned on me that the guy named Masochist can't figure out why people would torture themselves...:D)




Pat -
Thanks for the comment!  I'm still trying to figure out my style of MD'ing, actually...trying to figure out what works best for me, but suites everyone.  I'm glad you like what I do to my photos...I was beginning to worry about them becoming too...ahh &idea...too stale.  I was afraid the effect would become too stale :-[.  And I'm still wary of that border... &mmm

LOL, I wish I could break up my updates.  Well, I can, but unfortunately I always too much to say %wrd.  I think you're right, though...I think a lot of pictures get lost in the mix...I put up 15-20 pictures in one update, and people only really remember maybe the first and last 3.  Maybe I'll start doing that...but after I get done with Condor Beach.

Thanks again for the comment ;D!!  Do come back soon!



Grneyes -
Thanks!  I'm glad you liked the bridge...hopefully when I fix it it'll look even better.  Which marina do you mean?  If you mean the three repeating ones near the seaport, that's [Goldiva's Yacht Club] (http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=3154); if you mean the one near the freeway, that's a mix of a lot of [PEG's CDK Marina Lots] (http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?page=1&Keyword=CDKM&view=all). Thanks for the comments!




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UPDATE 5 - Down In The Valley
Reticulating splines...

Hmmm...I've noticed something slightly disturbing in this MD.  I've been chronicling what I've built and how and why I've built it...but I just go from one to the next.  I seem to, for reasons unknown,
expect you to just kind of remember everything I've said about all that stuff, and yet I never let you guys get really intimate with what I've built.  What mean is, even with all the info I've presented, you guys actually know very little about my city, and that's totally my fault ()sad().

Every now and then, you get a taste of what life is like in my city (for example, Market Street), but for the most part, I just build and move on, build and move on...at least, that's how I perceive it.  I may be wrong.  Either way, you'll see me make an effort to prevent this in this update :).

And now without further adeu...:

5.1)
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North is towards the upper right corner

This is the SC3K version of the area I'm building in SC4.  This is the area around Condor Beach...as you can see, it's full of mid-and-high density housing, and also has another commercial area at the corner of the freeway.  I'm not exactly replicating the density of the zones, but I'm trying to semi-stick with the zone types as they're laid out in SC3K.

Here's the same area, just zoomed out to include Vista Hill and the seaport:

5.2)
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There you go.  I've already got the suburbs on the hills built, so now I have to spread out into the flat-land along the freeway.  This will be the very first developments in Condor Valley (the actual valley, that is) ()stsfd().

5.3)

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Just building out the avenues and roads, and trying to figure out which ones will actually cross the freeway.

A bit of progress:

5.4)
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Griddy city...

Notice the griddy nature of the network, and the complete lack of streets.  This is a rather new thing for me...usually there will be streets having to fight the diagonal roads and avenues for space.  Also, I finally got the nameless beach avenue fully connected (using one-way roads).

So how 'bout them zones, then, eh ;)?

5.5)
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Facing west

It might be hard to tell from this shot, but the zones I added are all medium/high density.  The reason for this is because I really wanted this to be the point where my population really started to take off.  Successfully made and managed, this part of this city could be the foundation that carries the region in terms of population and growth.  So I built those higher-density zones, along the avenue, next to the freeway.

A few more interesting things about this picture: I built that hospital tower not only for my continuing effort to use more custom content, but also because that's about where I planned for my commercial area to be and I wanted it to help it look nicer.  The school...that's Washington High School, a school in jbsimio's School Pack.  More about it later, though.

Wow, I ramble a lot $%Grinno$%.  Moving on...

5.6)
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Facing south

Commercial and industrial area zoned.  I put the higher densities along avenues, and the lower ones along roads; that's a trend that will continue for a while until my style evolves.

Let's see how this part of town develops, eh?

5.7)
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Ahh!  Looks like it's growing nicely ()stsfd()!  As you can see, I added a City Hall and the Newman Inc. Courthouse with a random fountain/park behind it.  Now, for the first time, my Sims have a place to sort out their civic problems, and a place to meet me in case they want to complain about stupid things like unemployment or traffic.

Those two twin towers just kind of grew up by themselves in that position.  They've become somewhat of a landmark in that town because of their distinct shape:

5.8 )
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Diamond Dave's Car Emporium there on the side...

Here're some more showcase shots:

5.9)
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Probably the most you'll see of the industrial area all update...

5.10)
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5.11)
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High-density residences, and a mysterious parking lot up in the corner there...

5.12)
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Look familiar, eh?

Hmmm...how about we take a closer look at one particular building, eh?

5.13)
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5.14)
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As I said earlier, this is Washington High School.  This is one of my favorite BAT's, because it's one of the few schools that's not symmetric.  I've never seen a symmetric school in my life; they've all had those weird angles just like that one.  As it is, WHS is the school for all the teens in this little section of Fordville...even those in the hills.  This (predictably %wrd) causes some friction with the local neighborhood kids, and there have been a few reports of after school fighting and such.  Even still, the school is seen as fine, upstanding institute of learning for Fordville.



And Now A Short Lesson In Photography
An SC4D Exclusive!

While browsing around ST, I came across something interesting: a link to an [SC4 Flickr Group] (http://www.flickr.com/groups/384733@N20/).  While browsing that group, I uncovered the secrets of an oft-used photographing technique called Tilt-Shift.  The idea behind it is using a tilted lens to blur all but a bit of the photograph to give extreme focus to one certain part of it.  It has practical uses, but many people in that group use the technique to make shots of cities appear as if they are only models.  [Here's a perfect example] (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/114/293170126_40f68f668d_b.jpg), created by someone named windypizza.

I suddenly understood why people were blurring two different sides of SC4 pictures recently...so I decided to try my hand in it.  I followed [this very simple tutorial] (http://recedinghairline.co.uk/tutorials/fakemodel/) using Washington High School as my focal point.  Here's the result of my efforts:

5.15)
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The original

5.16)
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Fake modeled...

I had to overcome the limited perspective of SC4 by squashing the picture a bit, but the final image came out better than I thought it would...especially with those shops along the avenue there.  The reason this is an SC4D exclusive is because the shrunken down version of this picture just doesn't do it justice in my eyes.  I might show it elsewhere, but I think the effect is most noticeable in this size.  I'd love your opinion on it...

By the way...as I found out later, this is possible on The GIMP, as well.  Just follow [this tutorial] (http://www.flickr.com/groups/59319377@N00/discuss/72057594073514981/).




That's enough about that high school.  What about the younger folks, eh?  Well, they can't go to school right now.  Because my teachers are on strike ::):

5.17)
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Why are they on strike?  Because that school is waaaaay too overcrowded.  So I built two additional elementary schools nearby:

5.18)
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These two schools have picked up the extra kids, so neither of them were overcrowded anymore...but Little Red Schoolhouse is actually still barely under the line, while these two new schools only have the overflow students.  This got me thinking: what would happen if were to...:

5.19)
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Little Red Schoolhouse is gone :o!  I left it gone for about 6 months...but the other two schools didn't gain any kids.  I put it back, and almost immediately it had the same amount of students it had before.  Are you kidding ????!

Anyways...a few more things before I go.  I've figure something out that I've been wondering a long time about:

5.20)
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You finally get to see the entire town so far...

Apparently, according to this picture, Sims can travel from one city through another to get to a third city ;D.  The bus route proves it.  Here's where I queried it coming into my city (in the industrial area on the other side of the hills):

5.21)
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...and here's the same bus line leaving my city (out towards the freeway bridge):

5.22)
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So now I know.  And if you knew already, well...you coulda told me &sly!

Anyways, I do believe that's all for this update.  Next update is the actual CONDOR BEACH!

5.23)
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Don't forget your sunscreen :sunny:!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on February 10, 2008, 06:32:52 PM
Hello, Isaac!

Thank you for your nice comments above, my friend. Your words to mean a lot! I try to be as supportive as I can not only here, but with all the MDs.

Now...

The city center that you've put together is coming along mighty nicely! From the way that you've outlined it through the pictures, it looks like it's going to be fantastic!

I do have one suggestion, though: Have you thought about converting the highway going through the CBD into a sunken highway? Going through the center like that, I think it would work quite well, and with some walls, scenery, etc., it could really look good. In the interests of full disclosure, though, I'm a sucker for the sunken highway, and would probably put one through farmland!

Oh, and that photo technique you found, that's outstanding, too! I'm going to have to try that out one of these days!

Take care, my friend! And I look forward to Condor Beach!

Dustin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Pat on February 10, 2008, 06:53:11 PM
Isaac you know it I will be back, cause you have me hooked on what you are doing here with the blend of the old and new... Just over all what you are trying to accomplish here is a whole new feet!!! I do appreciate your style please dont get me wrong on that... I cant wait for the beach trip...
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: tooheys on February 10, 2008, 10:10:08 PM
QuoteLittle Red Schoolhouse is gone !  I left it gone for about 6 months...but the other two schools didn't gain any kids.

Did you ever see "The Philadelphia Experiment", maybe the kids got sucked up with the school  ??? Just hope they didn't come back imbedded in the walls  ()sad()

I only added the above so that it looked like I was reading your MD   :D

The city has come along nicely, and the twin commercial towers, fluke or not, look great.

Will have to try that photo technique, that's the first I had heard of that.

Another great update.

Cheers

Dave

Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: threestooges on February 10, 2008, 11:25:59 PM
Nice work with the new development, especially those two curved buildings (just missing a bridge/walkway connecting the two. As far as the school, you can probably take their minds off periodically fighting each other by adding some fields/sporting grounds nearby. High schools tend to have sports complexes (though given the density of the area you are developing now, I can see why they wouldn't have too much room to spread out the campus). The civic area (courthouse in particular) turned out nicely. Take it easy, and I'll look for the next update.
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on February 11, 2008, 10:41:29 AM
Another fantastic update, Masochist!! Great work on that city! Also nice pictures of it! And great use of that tutorial in picture 5.16.
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: paroch on February 17, 2008, 04:56:27 AM
Hi Masochist,

Only just discoevered your MD and wow, it's a cracker.

I love the flashbacks to SC3K.  I was thinking about it the other day and how there were some differences.  I once created a large part of a city without roads - shame that's not pissible in SC4.
And the other day I wanted to see how much of my city's power was being generated by recycled waste and wind power.  I counldn't find out but seem to recall in SC3K you could get pie charts that told you.  Or maybe I'm just imagining it?!?

The red brick apartment buildings with the green rooves in 5.1 were always one of my favourites.  Can you remember what they were called?  And is there a SC4 version BAT out there I wonder??

Anyways, great MD, I have read alot of it (but not all the words - 4 pages in one go is tooooo much).  I like your mini-tutorials where you explain what you're doing and why you're doing it.  Also seeing a city from early zoning is a nice change.

I look forward to visiting more often.

Paul
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: warconstruct on February 18, 2008, 02:45:57 AM
always also beautiful your update! your effect carried out on the photographs are splendid  &apls

cheer
Title: Welcome to Condor Bay--Update 6 - Project 2: Condor Beach (LOTS of pics!)
Post by: Masochist on February 18, 2008, 05:13:51 PM
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thundercrack83 -
Trust me, we all appreciate the work you put into this section, no doubt :thumbsup:!

Thanks for your comment!  I do think it's coming along nicely for such a young city.  About that sunken highway...I seriously considered doing it...but two things prevented it.  If you look at picture 5.4), you'll see that along the freeway, there's a downslope towards the beach.  If I did a sunken highway, it would only be sunken on one side...(it would help with a few problems, but it would defeat the purpose of having a "sunken highway", I think).  Also, a little further north, there's an avenue that crosses where the freeway turns diagonally.  I don't know how to properly make that with a sunken highway (is it possible?).

Don't worry, though...this city definitely will not go without having at least one (probably two, possibly three) sunken highways ;).

Hope you like this update, it's a BIG one!  Thanks again for the comment!



Pat -
LOL...I'm glad you're liking it so far!  I didn't take any offense to your last comment, don't worry :satisfied:...but I did take it to heart when trying to figure out how to present the pictures in this update (there's almost 40!).  Still...any suggestions are definitely welcome!  Thanks for your comment!  Hope you like this update...



tooheys -
LOL, no I haven't seen that movie, but I can definitely see the parallels...I never realized how freaky it was that hundreds of kids disappeared for six months ???!  Anyways, thanks for the comment!  That tilt-shift technique is pretty cool by itself, but I learned quite a few other things in the tutorial that I use in different ways...you'll see a few in this update ;).  Hope you like it!



threestooges -
Yeah, I know!  I was thinking the same thing...just need a skybridge to connect the two.  Do you know if there's a BAT of a skyway-type thing over an avenue?  Just wondering...anyways, on that school suggestion, you're right--I would've, but there's too much junk in the way (junk=houses %wrd).  I've got some nice sports fields I wanna use, though...oh, well.

Take it easy...well, I do in real life, but not with this update :P!  You'll see...thanks for the comment!



bat -
Thanks!  It's a great tutorial, I'd recommend anyone try it on a picture of their own :thumbsup:!  Thanks for stopping by!



paroch -
Whoa!  Nice comment!

Yeah, the SC3KU aspect is the backbone of this entire MD, I think.  In fact...I've yet to create a successful city that wasn't based on an SC3K city.  And no, you can't make a completely roadless paradise...but you can make one where roads are the least important transit option (if I'm to believe the pictures AK puts up).  And yeah, there was a pie chart that told you what percentage of your power came from the different kinds of power supplies.  In fact, there were a lot of charts and info that came with SC3K that didn't make it into SC4 (elevation, for example).

The red brick apartments are called "Sheeza Brick Haus," "Comfort Arms," "Brick Arms" and another one that I can't quite remember.  I don't think there's a BAT for any of them (there are very few SC3K BAT's, a fact I'm sad about &cry2).

Thanks for going back and catching up, I really appreciate it (I realize that with all I write and post, that can be a daunting task).  And thanks for this comment...feel free to stop by anytime :thumbsup:!



warconstruct -
Thank you!  I'm glad you liked it...hopefully you'll like this one, too.  I'm really excited about it!




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PROJECT 2 - Condor Beach
And the origin of the banners....

Finally!!!  You guys have no idea how long I've been waiting for this update to come!  I've wanted to share this part of my city ever since I built it (which, obviously, was before the MD started).

I'm going to warn you now: there are a lot of photos in this update...moreso than any prior update.  I had to actually think carefully on how to best present this update to you guys, because I didn't want any updates lost in the fray.  So here's how it will go:  first I'll show how I created the beach, then use a placeholder to show where the "showcase pictures" would go, finish the actual update with a teaser, and then show the showcase pictures.  That way, you either read the update, or skip straight to the "good stuff" (if that's what you want to call it ::)).

Now the time has come for me to formally introduce one of Fordville's most famous features and popular attractions, Condor Beach:

6.1)
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There it is!  Beautiful, ain't it ()stsfd()?  LOL...yeah, it's just flat land with a line of commerce and a museum at the end (?).  The line of commerce is supposed to represent a boardwalk (Venice Beach-style).  My job was to recreate this in SC4...but I wanted it to be more than just a boardwalk.  This was supposed to be a famous place!  It had to merit that fame...

I had already terraformed the land in a previous update...now we get to develop it.  I actually don't have too many pictures of me trying down different things, but all I was basically doing at first was trying out different resorts/hotels to see what would go together, see what would work.  Here's what I decided on in the end:

6.2)
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Nice and plopped.  Plopped, with jobs.  Remember that...keep that in your head %wrd.  That little fact comes into play in huge (and probably obvious) way later on.

From South to North (left to right), the buildings are:

-Palm Plaza
-Carlton House
-Embassy Suites
-Ocean's 27 Club
-Marina Resorts (x2)
-Swimian Plaza
-Atlantic Plaza
-Las Arenas Resort
-Miami Palm Complex
-Omni Suites
-Marriott Hotel

I'm still trying to work on the variety a bit...I think it needs more clubs and nightlife activities to really get to where I want it to (although that might end up in the commercial area across the freeway).  And it's missing the museum, which is something I have to take special note since threestooges said he'd be interested in my choices about it ;).

Anyways, here's another look (facing South):

6.3)
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Good for going on right now.

That avenue...that's a big part of the beach.  It's an actual split-avenue (as opposed to two one-way roads) except at the intersections of other roads.  In decorating a median like this, there's just no other choice but to use n74708's Palm Trees:

6.4)
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All the different colored palms, flanked by the really tall red ones.  They look really good at the ends, don't they?  Well...that's what I thought.  In the median at all the intersections, I put the big palms on either side of the intersecting street, and filled in the gaps in between with whatever pattern I could come up with (not in terms of color, but in terms of space).  Here's the result of my random ploppings:

6.5)
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The spaces between the palms will be filled with random plazas and such.

Now for the actual beach/boardwalk itself.  Wait...beach/boardwalk?  The choice was easy: gotta be PEG's CDK OWW2 Beach Dev. Kit:

6.6)
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Picture by pegasus

Hold on, there...what's this?  Transparent textures?  Most of my beach-land is green, and anyways, I wanted to integrate it with the beach set I downloaded--you know, the one I used to create Royal Beach.  *Sigh*...oh, well.  Just like with that beach, looks like I'll have to head off to the good ol' Lot Editor :satisfied:.

6.7)
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Very quick and easy to match it to my needs...just make the lot a bit smaller (5x3 as opposed to the original 7x3), move the props accordingly, and apply the beach sand texture.  I did that for all of the necessary lots.  Took a total of 30 minutes or so.

Anyways, I had what I needed...so I could now start laying out the beach.  I tried a few different layouts for the boardwalk.  Here's an earlier one:

6.8)
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I didn't like the fact that the BDK sections were uneven...so I made them all the same length of tiles.  Then I added a Baywatch-type thing at the south end (the left side), filled in the rest of the beach with beach tiles, and made good use of Goldiva's ploppable palms and rocks.

And finally, finally!, I came out with something I was proud of:

6.9)
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Oooh, that picture's sexy :satisfied:! (Get it?  No?  Ahh...well, maybe it's better that way... $%Grinno$%)

ANYWAYS...

There it is.  Condor Beach, with all the little extra spaces filled in and everything.  Notice how the back of the resorts area is just green high-wealth grass with random palm trees on it.  I honestly couldn't think of anything to put back there, but I definitely didn't want to leave it blank.  What can go behind a resort on the slope of a hill next to a freeway and look good ()what()?

Here's a look at a cartoon-y representation of it (facing South again):

6.10)
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And now for something a bit different....

Remember that diagonal cliff from a few updates ago?  The little piece of the coastline that I left a cliff?  It connects the beach to the marina.  Well...I went and decorated it a bit:

6.11)
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Eh...looks all right.  But of course, there's a few things wrong with it (ignoring the weird corner near the marina).  First off, I think, given the color of the Promenade Deck at the lower-left side of the picture as well as the fact that I've already used Marrast's walls, I think that jaystimson's similar walls might work a bit better here.  Secondly, the commercial area right next to the wall...well, I hate it.  I wish it were gone...except I don't know what to put there.  Maybe take another tip from threestooges and throw down just a nice grass area :-\?  And then I could put the commercial shops on the higher level to replace those random houses....

I could...unless you have a better idea?  Maybe? ;)

Moving on...

6.12)
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Here we have callgrafx and BarbyW's awesome seaside hotel.  I really wanted to use it for this beach, but it just didn't fit &mmm.  Rest assured, you will see this somewhere in my city.  I don't know where...but somewhere!

Showcase Pictures Would Go Here

...But they'll come later.  Instead, I'll give you your first close-up of a hotel at sunset:

6.13)
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Wait...why the heck does that look so familiar?  Hmmm...

6.14)
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AHH!  Of course!  That's where the banners come from :satisfied:.

Hmmm...what else can I throw in here?  Oh!  The first vertical mosaic of this MD (top to bottom = South to North):

6.15)
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(Ahh...a little teaser for you at the bottom of that picture, eh ;)?)

Well...actually, I think that's all I've got as far as the actual update.  The next update is sort of unique, because along with creating the area north of the freeway, I have to deal with one gigantic problem....

Remember what I told you to remember from way up there in the update?  Say it with me: Plopping, with jobs.  Well...here's where my plopping inexperience shows:

6.16)
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WHAT THE HECK!?  How did that happen, I plopped things with jobs!  How come I have unemployment?  Well...we'll deal with that next update ;).








CONDOR BEACH SHOWCASE

Well, here it is: the Condor Beach Showcase.  Very little of me talking, quite a bit of me showing my pictures off.  I realize that Condor Beach probably doesn't merit this much attention--it wasn't too hard to produce, after all--but there were soooo many good picture opportunities :satisfied:!  I had to take them.  What I would suggest you do is just go about it like a museum: just take a second to glance at all the pictures, and either pick a favorite or two, or vomit on all of them and leave me a gigantic FAIL. picture $%Grinno$%...whatever floats your boat.  Hope you brought your SPF-50 :sunny:!

6.17)
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Tilt-Shift revisited (not as good as the other one)

6.18)
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Bright, sun-shiny day

6.19)
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The colors of the beach

6.20)
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A different view of the night

6.21)
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Summer sun off of Atlantic Plaza

6.22)
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Miami Palms at dusk

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Miami Palm Plaza & Clock Tower

6.24)
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Bright night lights

6.25)
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The Marina Towers

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AMAZING night-lighting!

6.27)
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Marina Towers in the summer sun

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Same shot at night

6.29)
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Palms and Las Arenas

6.30)
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Colorful boulevard

6.31)
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Red sunset

6.32)
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Black night

6.33)
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Swimian Plaza at dusk (with my border...)

6.34)
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Marriott Hotel in focus

6.35)
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Welcome to Paradise

6.37)
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Welcome to Cartoon-y Paradise

6.38)
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Let's take a stroll...



Thanks for taking the time to look at all that!  I really appreciate it.  If you have any--and I mean any--suggestions on how to make this beach better, please let me know!  I accept all forms of comments, criticisms and cruelty...as long as it's honest :P.

Anyways...that's all from here.  Thanks again for reading ;D!

P. S. I don't know when I'll post the next update...I'll have to let this one simmer a bit.  And expect to see this pictures everywhere now that I've finally gotten this update done ;).
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: JBSimio on February 18, 2008, 07:13:45 PM
 &apls :o :o  &apls

Masochist, I've been lurking the last couple of weeks and this is quickly becoming a favorite.  I love how you actually take the time to show the process of creating what you do.  Needless to say, the end results are also stunning.  The different beach areas fit together very well to make a cohesive area... and the choice of buildings is great!  Personally, I'm not sure you need more than some nice landscaping between the hotels and the freeway.  It seems to me that it would be a great self-marketing gimick for the city to make sure people driving by can see what they're missing.

Looking forward to even more when you get that far!

JB

PS... thanks for the free plug in your previous update too!  :D
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: warconstruct on February 19, 2008, 04:10:58 AM
WOW I was into full extase in front of certain photographs  $%Grinno$% $%Grinno$%
seriously they very is successful, the sights of nights are exquisite !
The MOD for the shades of gizmos if I am not mistaken you suits has wonder!  &apls

I followed your text and it is wise to learn coming from you, you use LotEditor well  :thumbsup:

it is with great pleasure and my greater satisfaction than I congratulate you for your works  &apls

cheer

Paul
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: kimcar on February 19, 2008, 05:34:18 AM
I was outside for a while and when i came back you had already a couple great update done, and what a very nice one ... wow ! You got a lot of pics that will be good for pic contest you know ? Thanks a lot for the tutorial too about gimp and .. geez ,too much to say  ;D ;D your mosaic it`s just stunning . &apls &apls Ok now i gonna take a breathing , for tell you that i your beach and layout are very inviting so here i come  $%Grinno$%
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on February 19, 2008, 06:14:59 AM
That was another great update there, Masochist! And great 38(!) pictures and very good mosaic there! Wonderful beach you have built there, too! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: RickD on February 19, 2008, 07:16:49 AM
QuoteWHAT THE HECK!?  How did that happen, I plopped things with jobs!  How come I have unemployment?  Well...we'll deal with that next update

Hi Masochist,

I ran into exactly the same problem in two of my cities. I was not happy with the development and became impatient.  &ops I'm anxious to see how you dealt with this.
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: rooker1 on February 19, 2008, 07:28:20 AM
Very nice, huge update.  Some of the photoshopping looks very interesting.  The Bay looks very well thought out and executed.

Robin  &apls
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: mightygoose on February 19, 2008, 09:03:12 AM
the unknown hotel is the BLaM carlton house.... by OP4
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Nardo69 on February 19, 2008, 09:50:19 AM
Nice Job you did there.

One reason why I am VERY carefully with Ploppable commercials (except Co$) is that they kill your demand if you plop them against the game without a demand (which I don't use). In the big cities in my region you can find them but I plopped one after the other when I had the adequate demand in my city. Yet in quite a few cases plopping a big Co$$$ made some dozen smaller ones go black .. .  &ops

I still like the copmparison with SC3K, gives such a nice warm feeling of nostalgia ... I do have a copy around here but it is not installed ...

With the left and the right side of the motorway not even I wouldn't use the Original overpasses at all. They just don't look al right, as you can see e.g. in pic 6.10. If you don't have bussing there I would try the underpass-to-subway pieces by buddybud. Unfortunately he hasn't released them before his bid bad harddisk crash, the download link is somewhere hidden in a forum "on the other site" but in case of emergency PM me ... ;)
If you don't want to use them, I would use the new onslope pieces in the NAM or build my own overpass with the overpass puzzle pieces.

Another thing I don't like is the rather steep transition between ground and elevated highway in pic 5.5 at the left side. I would think about if you really need the overpass there instead of replacing it with the NAM transition pieces. If you REALLY want to cross the highway there I would prolong the elevated highway behind that overpass so that the transition is not placed on the sloped area of the higway.

Other than my normal nagging: Is there a room and a nice place on the beach somewhere for me? I could use some nice holidays with my family ...  :D

Take care and don't forget to make backups!

Bernhard  :thumbsup:

PS: I stopped plopping the Embassy suites years ago. As soon as I zone high density commercials in a suitable size in Urland I got at least two of them growing ...
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: paroch on February 19, 2008, 01:31:06 PM
Oh yes, very nicely put together update there.

I know that ALL MDs have bucket loads of time and effort put into them.  Your time and effort really shine through here.

Thanks for the SC3K info in your reply to me - yeach Sheeza Brick Haus!  And all the different charts and graphs.  I have found a BAT of the Copper Corp Tower from either SC3K or maybe even SC2K - if you don't have it let me know and I'll try and re-find the link.

The mosiac is to die for, truly magnificent.

I tried to create a resort / Vegas style strip in my MD, and have to say it was one of the most fun things I've created.  I was pleased with the result until I saw what you have achieved with Condor Beach.  I will certainly take some lessons from what you've done here, that's for sure.  One thing I'd like to understand more is how you created that beach and boardwalk.  The fact that the sea laps over the sand so well, even though you created your own ploppabel beach.  I'm confused!  Is there a tutorial you can point me to? 

6.9 is my favourite pic - great overview.

The only "neagtive" comment I'd make is re 6.11.  In the bottom left of the picture, I thik the short steep uphill avenue going into that big junction doesn't look quite right.  Could you imagine trying to navigate that junction from the beach upwards?  Personally I'd ditch that small bit of avenue altogether and replace it with another Commercial building, or by extending the promenade.  As for the traffic, it's not far to double back to the next intersection on the avenue.

The showcase pics are very good.  I'm not normally a photoshopping fan - but I cannot help but admire your results here.

You're making VERY good use of your time in OSITM, which is always nice to see.
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on February 19, 2008, 01:39:12 PM
Quote from: Masochist on February 18, 2008, 05:13:51 PM
thundercrack83 -
Trust me, we all appreciate the work you put into this section, no doubt :thumbsup:!

Thanks for your comment!  I do think it's coming along nicely for such a young city.  About that sunken highway...I seriously considered doing it...but two things prevented it.  If you look at picture 5.4), you'll see that along the freeway, there's a downslope towards the beach.  If I did a sunken highway, it would only be sunken on one side...(it would help with a few problems, but it would defeat the purpose of having a "sunken highway", I think).  Also, a little further north, there's an avenue that crosses where the freeway turns diagonally.  I don't know how to properly make that with a sunken highway (is it possible?).

Don't worry, though...this city definitely will not go without having at least one (probably two, possibly three) sunken highways ;).

Hope you like this update, it's a BIG one!  Thanks again for the comment!

See, this is why YOU'RE the city planner and I'm the observer, Isaac! I'll definitely be looking forward to those sunken highways in future updates, but for now...Let's go to the beach!

Condor Beach is outstanding, my friend! This update was also so massive, it was hard to take everything it. But, boy, is it a good time trying! The mosaic was definitely my favorite out of everything--the way you followed the beach was absolutely beautiful. Though I'm not a huge fan of the glowing palm trees, you've used them stunningly in the night shots...so stunningly, in fact, that I think I like them a bit more!

I'll definitely be looking forward to the next update, especially to see how you hand the "no job" problem!

Take care, Isaac!

Dustin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: threestooges on February 19, 2008, 10:42:10 PM
Great update! Venice beach it's not quite, but the result is stunning nonetheless. I've seen a skybridge out there (try this (http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=15962)) at ST but I don't know how well it works on avenues etc. It might be worth a shot though. I love that you left the slope between the buildings and the freeway open and grassy. It keeps the area from looking overcrowed, it makes it look more natural and, as Jon (jbsimio) said, it's a good way to show passerbys what they are missing. I do think a club or two, and some upscale restaurants would round out the look nicely. 6.10 is a great pic. I like the 'cartoony' effect and it works well with that pic. I also agree with Nardo about the overpass thing. The game ones don't look too bad, but the NAM ones (in my opinion) work better.

In regard to the little commercial strip you are thinking about getting rid of (6.11), I think the commercial area would look good on the upper tier with a park in the lower. It looks like you have 4-5 tiles depth to work with. That could make a nice place for a meandering trail with a playground (though I don't know how much demand there would be for a playground around all that commercial, but hey, why not?). I've never liked the way those diagonal types of commercial zones develop (but I haven't figured a good way around it either) and was wondering if you, or anyone else, knew of any diagonal buldings that would fit that bill.

The mosaic turned out great and, of the showcase pics, 6.18, 6.21 and 6.37 are the best in my opinion. 6.21 nails the sunlight effect and 6.18/6.37 are just very well done pics (contest submissions perhaps?). I still look forward to seeing what is done with the museum choice and its exhibit selection; and now I look forward to seeing what you'll do with the job/employment thing.

Again, excellent update.
-Matt
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Pat on February 20, 2008, 11:09:15 AM
Isaac so much and with great pride too, I dont know which pic was my favorite in the showcase?  I enjoyed reading the devolpment of Condor Bay and then seeing it all in action WoW..... I think the Tilt Shift turned out pretty good for a diffrent effect IMHO....
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: squidi on March 24, 2008, 08:50:03 AM
thats a very very intressting MD isaac.
i like all the different styles of effects in your pictures. thats very well done
its also intressting to see how you develope your city and i have never seen pictures from the older simcity before  :)
my favorites are the pictures from the harbour and the beach. i live them

paul
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Pytkowski on April 16, 2008, 10:52:55 PM
I like this your city climate i enjoj it :)
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Masochist on April 20, 2008, 06:46:56 PM
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Condor Bay's back online!  I'm really sorry to all of those who commented on my last update made over two months ago for making you guys wait so long for a reply.  Very, ahh, uncool of me ()sad()...especially since you guys took the time to give me what's probably the best set of comments I've gotten for this journal so far on any site that it exists (three so far...).

In the meantime, I've been trying things I've never tried before.  In some of the upcoming updates, we'll have a few parks, some nice residential towers and LOTS AND LOTS of suburbs...also a mall, and other signs of suburbia.  And a few other multi-media surprises ;).

Last thing...in the previous update, I mentioned all the buildings that were along the boulevard of Condor Beach.  There was one building, however, that I couldn't remember the name of.  Well, mightygoose has informed me that it's called Carlton House, and it was produced by onlyplace4.  I sincerely apologize to OP4 for not remembering the name of the building.  I've changed it in the original post, and I'll offer a link to it as compensation.

[Click here to download OP4's Carlton House] (http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=16000)

Anyways...that's all.  It feels good to be back again!  Time to get this thing underway again :thumbsup:!




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Look at the size of some of those comments...???



JBSimio -
Wow, very nice surprise seeing you in here :thumbsup:!  I'm really glad you liked the beach update, because I definitely liked putting it together.  Yeah...I don't know how I ended up doing it like that.  I guess I take that from Darmok...he always showed exactly what he did, and I always appreciated him for it.  I'm just glad people appreciate it here, too, even though more often than not it results in ungodly amounts of pictures to load :-[.  As for the back of the hotels, I didn't even think of that!  That's a good idea...free advertising.  Didn't think such a thing existed ;)....

By the way, no need to thank me for the plug in that update...in fact, I should be thanking you for making the school :thumbsup:!  That entire school pack is definitely high-quality work...I'm really glad you did it for us.  You'll definitely see more of them throughout this MD...in fact, you'll see hints of them in this update!

Thanks for your comment...I'm glad you stopped by! Feel free to continue lurking now that I've started back up, but don't be afraid to speak up now and then ;)!



warconstruct-
Thank you for the kind words!  I'm glad you liked the beach update, because I liked making it.  Also, I'm glad you're getting something out of what I post...I was hoping at least some people could do something with it :P.  Yeah, the night mod is Gizmo's...amazing, isn't it?  I love it!  Anyways, I hope you stop by again, I enjoy reading your comments!



kimcar -
LOL, yeah...in the past few months, a number of those pictures have found there way into the Picture Contest (though I have a poor winning percentage with them $%Grinno$%).  Thanks for the comment...have fun at the beach!  Don't forget to hit up Ocean's club ;)!



bat -
Thanks, bat!  Glad you liked it!  It was quite a bit to take in, I realize, but I hope it was worth it.  LOL...actually, this update's almost as long (and purely by accident!).  Still, I hope you enjoy it.  Thanks for the comment!



RickD -
Hi, Rick D.  Yeah, the main thing I had to do was be patient.  I really had to cut down on the res. density and...well, you'll see in this update!  Hope you get some ideas...



rooker1 -
Thanks, Robin!  I'm glad you liked it.  I didn't even realize it when I posted this, but almost all of the daytime pictures have some sort of editing done to them.  I really liked how some of them came out...in fact, some of them I consider among my best editing for any picture I've done (not that that's saying much %wrd).  I hope you enjoy this update.  Thank you for the comment!



mightygoose -
Thanks for the info :thumbsup:!  It's been changed in the previous update and noted above.



Nardo69 -
WHOA :o!  Mondo comment!

Oh, yeah.  I've definitely learned my lesson :-[.  I'm usually not a big plopper much when it comes to RCI buildings...I guess I showed my plopping ignorance with this one.  It was crazy trying to get everything back in line; in fact, my CS $$$ is still really low even today...which isn't helped at all by what I put in the next town %wrd.  Oh, well.  I'm glad you like the SC3K aspect.  It's sad, because I'm not able to play on Vista.  I can load up my cities, but I'm not able to save or import custom buildings anymore &mmm. 

The freeway...it caused me a lot of problems &sly.  I had to figure out exactly what to do with it, and not all the problems get fixed in this update...but one specific one does, and thanks to you, no less!  But you'll see what I mean.  As for that transition, I still haven't figured out exactly what to do with it even after these two months.  I do want to keep that road going past the freeway, but I don't know if I want to put that Elevated highway on that part (because to tell the truth, I'm not a fan of Elevated Highway unless it's in a flat part of the city with development right next to it, and that tiny transition is the one place in the entire city where that doesn't happen...it's frustrating!).

Of course, there's always room for you on Condor Beach!  Feel free to stay at any of the hotels...I think I can pull some strings and get you some discounted rates ;).  Speaking of those hotels, I couldn't get Embassy Suites to grow in my city yet.  Not only was my city too small at the time, but the other hotels killed the demand.  I'd've been waiting a loooong time for it :P!  And don't worry, I have a portable hard-drive that I use to back up my stuff with ;).

Anyways...thank you so much for the long and detailed comment!  It's ones like these (and the next three I have to reply to) that really made me happy to be back (sorry for such a late reply :-[).  I really hope you enjoy this next update!



paroch -
Thanks for all the compliments ;D! 

Yeah, I've been waiting for more old-skool SimCity buildings to appear in SC4.  I knew that JaWood had created a few SC2K buildings, including the one you mentioned.  He also made the Professional's tower (which you'll see in this update) and a few others from 2K.  There are less buildings from SC3K, but I know of Insurance Plaza, Federal Building, and more recently Kate Foundation.  I'm hoping more people will recreate more buildings...more specifically, Gold Tower, Justin Brown Plaza, and Corporate Ground Zero.

I'm glad you liked the mosaic and the beach!  You're right, it really is fun trying to put it together and make it fit; finding all the right pieces to go here and there.  If you're asking about the beach pictures and why they don't have the underwater bug in them...well, they do.  But it's easy to fix them so they look right again (assuming you haven't found this out in the two months since I've been here): just go into the "zones" data view and back out again.  That's all...and then it won't happen again until you save your game.  A simple trick...but it gets the job done ;).

That little avenue piece...ahh, I see what you mean.  I don't know...I haven't really looked at that part of the city or done anything to it in the past two months, so I haven't really fixed it or worried about fixing it...but I see what you mean about it.  I'll see what I can do.

I'm glad you liked this update so much, and I really appreciate the in-depth comments you left...thank you  Sorry it took so long to reply to them, though :-[!  I hope this update makes up for it.



thundercrack83 -
I promise you, I'll try my hardest to make those sunken highways to the best of my abilities!

I'm glad you liked the mosaic!  I didn't think it would come out that detailed, but it certainly did surprise me.  LOL...yeah, I love those palms!  They convey the feeling and purpose of that beach so well.  Good to see that I've helped change your mind about them :P!

Sorry for the so late reply...and thanks for the time in the "OSITM" section, I really appreciated it, as it spawned so many awesome comments from you guys :thumbsup:!  Hopefully this update will satisfy you a bit.



threestooges -
You guys are relentless with these comments...I love it, LOL!

Yeah...Venice Beach is a straight sidewalk with commerce along it and bike trails.  What my beach is really missing, however, are the random people along the walk trying to make a living: the people who make instruments out of bottles, the guy who turns soda cans into model airplanes, and of course the dozens and dozens of tattoo parlors :P.  Still, they're of the same spirit...at least, I think so ;).

Thanks for the link!  I didn't know those were on the STEX...I've got 'em now! 

I was thinking about adding some clubs to the commercial area on the other side of the freeway to turn it into more of an entertainment district, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.   I do like the grassy area behind the hotels, as well.  I think that's how it'll stay...I've gotten too used to it.  LOL...I thought the same thing.  I never figured out why, though...I think it might be the way the freeway curves into the picture and provides a sort-of "backbone" to the focus, which is the avenue...I don't know.

That little bayside commercial area/park...maybe you're right.  I think I'll try it.  I haven't actually done any experiments to that part of town yet (not even in the two months I've been AWOL), but I should someday.  A nice, meandering trail to overlook the seaside wouldn't be a bad idea at all!  We'll have to see.  I'm not too sure of how many diagonal commercial buildings would fit in a small space like that, but their might've been one or two released...although I'd expect them to be non-American, if that matters.

A lot of people liked the mosaic.  I thought it was cool, but I didn't think it'd be so popular...although I'm certainly happy people enjoy it!  LOL...all of those except 6.21 have been entered in the contest (along with about three or four others).  Funny enough, the one people called out the most (6.18) was the only one to make it all the way into the Hall of Fame...imagine that %wrd.  Still, I think a lot of these are among the best pictures I've ever produced from SimCity 4.  If you're curious (and maybe you aren't), my personal favorites were 6.27, 6.34, 6.35, and 6.38 (which is actually supposed to be 6.37).

Anyways, thank you for the awesome comment, and I apologize again for the late reply.  Hopefully you'll like this update...both the museum and the unemployment are taken care of (at least partially for the latter).  Do come back in!



Pat-
Thanks for the comments!  Yeah, this one was special to me...I got a lot out of it, so I was really happy.  I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.  I like the Tilt-Shift, as well, but mine pales in comparisons to Criquette's on ST...he's got it down!  Anyways, I hope you enjoy this update...feel free to stop on by!



squidi -
Thank you!  I did try some new Photoshopping techniques that I hadn't really tried before, so I'm glad you liked them.  You've never seen picture from the older SimCity's :o?  Wow...well, I hope you're enjoying those, too :P!  SC3K was the game I played all throughout high school.  Anyways...I hope you enjoy this next update, as well.  Do come back in!



Pytkowski -
LOL...thanks for your comments!  I really tried to get that sunshiny feel in these pictures, which I had never done before.  Glad you liked it!  Hope you enjoy this update, as well!




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UPDATE 7 - Mayoral Duties
And the frustration they cause...

Well, this update was loooong overdue, wouldn't you say?...but better late than never ::).

In the last update, somewhere in the middle of all those pictures, I left you guys a teaser of what was to come because of my careless plopping.  Well, if you've actually been reading what I write in each update, I've also been dropping hints at another side-effect of my unfortunate city-building skills.  But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself...supposing I should actually build the afflicted area first, eh?  So here's the construction of the northern part of Condor Beach:

7.1)
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7.2)
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This is the transportation area of the yet-to-be-built area north of the freeway (the top picture is facing south; the bottom one is facing east).  Take note of the blue pavilion near the beach--that'll come into play later.  For now, notice the absurd amount of avenues, and how the zones for this area so far are all mid-high density res.  The reason for this is because I'm trying to raise my population.  The regional population at this point is about 50,000.  I wanted to try and fit as many Sims as possible into this city tile.

Oh, what a fool I iz.

I wish I had remembered to take a picture of the original zoning plan for this area of town...but alas, I didn't &mmm.  So here's the entire area developed:

7.3)
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YES!  The town is finally completed, and it's looking so...whoa, what the heck ???!?

Ahh...something's not quite right here...

7.4)
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Another view.  Nice rampant unemployment Condor Beach is facing right now, eh %wrd?  Geez...allow me to explain how I landed myself into this situation.

While carelessly plopping the the resorts along the actual beach, I forgot to take into account the fact that most of what I was plopping had jobs.  Oh, I was fully aware of the fact, of course...in fact, I thought it would help me!  I thought that with me plopping these hotels with jobs, I would easily be able to fill up the rest of the town with high density residential.

Oh, what a fool I iz.

My commercial demand for services crashed faster than SC4 on Vista.  Because I needed jobs, commercial offices tried to take up the slack.  All those nice little shops were replaced with Ill Tonkso's and SG's small offices.  For example, remember Market Street back in the Seaport town?

7.5)
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Well...nowadays, it looks like this:

7.6)
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Offices abound now.  Hardly any shops are left...which means that hardly any of its original charm is left ()sad().

In fact, this whole office epidemic gets pretty bad:

7.7)
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Why yes, that is an NDEX BUILDING trying to build next to my beach &sly.  A tall one, at that...in fact, if I'd've let it stay, it probably would've been one of the tallest buildings in town even after Downtown was built.  That's how desperate they are for jobs.

So this is a side effect of my poorly planned plopping.  It's going to be something I'll deal with for a while...especially since my next large commercial area doesn't come until pretty far into the next city.  Still...it does have it's upsides:

7.8 )
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This area is finally developing as I wanted it to.  Nice mid-rise commercial buildings ()stsfd().

Anyways, back to the unemployment situation.  I noticed something in the middle of the pandemic: my residential demand didn't go down.  How did I figure this out?  Well...it became sort of obvious when they tried to build these along the freeway:

7.9)
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Nice huge towers...immediately plagued by unemployment.  Gotta love my citizens ::): even when all around it, all the high wealth apartments are being abandoned:

7.10)
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7.11)
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...they still build those things.  Unbelievable %wrd.

Time to fix this....

My plan of action for this was...contradictory, so to speak.  I needed to get rid of the unemployment, so I had to...ahh, desaturate the residential zoning while trying to alleviate the lack of jobs by building industry.  Doing so, however, would do nothing to help drive the demand for commerce back up...I'd need more residential to do that.  Which means I'd have to hurry up and move on to the next town so I could take advantage of the abundant amount of suburbs and apartments I was planning for that part of town.

Some people might ask why I didn't just make the commercial area I already had more dense.  The reason for that is simply because that's not what I wanted for that area.  I didn't want any large towers in this part of town except for the resorts on the beach (hence why I got rid of the NDEX building that tried to grow).  In fact, I didn't want to touch that commercial area at all...I thought it was perfect as it was.  My stubbornness left me in a tight pickle, I realize, but I wouldn't budge on it $%#Ninj2.

Anyways...I built up some industry and desaturated the area.  Here's some of the industry (mainly along the western edge of the region, along the avenue that connects this town with the seaport):

7.12)
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7.13)
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And here's how northern Condor Beach looked post-desaturation:

7.14)
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Yeah, I left those res towers there.  I didn't want to delete them because I was afraid of their effect on my population.  They'll be gone after a while, though...in fact, there'll be a few different things that'll take their places before I find something that I like (courtesy of Maxis, no less!).

This is where my last update on ST left off, but I think I'll go ahead and give you guys the entire update.  Lord knows you guys deserve no less.

Anyways...after getting my city on the road to recovery, I thought it was high time for me to try and fix a few things here and there...aesthetic things, mainly.  First thing's first: there's a certain road bridge over the freeway that has been irking me more than all the others ever since I built it.  You can see it clearly here in this picture of the mosaic that I posted last update:

7.15)

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See that nice jagged downslope?  What to do about it, then?  Well, Nardo69 had the answer: using the underground road pieces by buddybud to take that road out of the picture.  Because one side is higher up than the other, I figured I'd use the downsloping tunnel on the commercial side of the freeway and the level tunnel on the beach side...so I did:

7.16)

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Looks nice!  YES!  But does it work properly?  Can cars still get to the beach?  Well...:

7.17)
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I'd forgotten about that little bug :-[.  If you place a transit-enabled lot (like a bus stop or these tunnels) next to a freeway or bridge, the transit types that are allowed to use it can do so to get onto that bridge/freeway where they would otherwise not be allowed to...and that's what they're doing here.  I didn't put an offramp there because I didn't want freeway traffic on that road...so this doesn't fly with me.  So I place the tunnel on the commercial side one tile away from the freeway...and this is what happens:

7.18 )
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Give me a break!  I didn't change the other side because no one was using the other side...and now they do &sly.  Well, easily remedied:

7.19)

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Much better!  That's how it's supposed to work!  Here's a better view (with a better tower on the side):

7.20)
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Ugh...St. Ritzy's slightly ruins this

So now that's done, and it looks a thousand times better.  What's more, while I was working on that, the town was further trying to right itself.  Those two tall towers were replaced with what was really needed, and the dilapidation seemed to be on the out and out:

7.21)
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Nice!

Now it's time to tackle another little project: the beach museum.  The thing about this museum is that it's been in the city for a little while now...in fact, it's been there since the beginning of the update.  Remember the blue pavilion I told you to remember?  No?  ::)...go back up to picture 7.2.  There's a blue pavilion at the top of the picture, see it?  That's actually Havoc Art Museum, and until threestooges said something about being interested in which museum I would choose, that was the beach museum.  How lazy of me....$%Grinno$%

But thanks to threestooges, I decided to give a it a bit more love and care, and put it in its rightful spot.  Here's where it's going:

7.22)
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You can see it there at the top of the picture surrounded by houses and things like that

Let's see how it will fit, then mold the land to it.

7.23)
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Check the LBT single-road-tile parking textures...

Now to level out the land...:

7.24)
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...and fill it back in...:

7.25)
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And voila!  T. S. Museum and Pavilion is now open for business ;D!  (Actually, I was thinking of naming it the LCM museum, as well.  Which one do you think is better)?  The parking lot is connected to the road that leads down to the ferry.  Ahh...oh, yeah...I added a ferry a little while ago to compliment the one on the other end of the beach.  Heh heh...guess I could've mentioned that before :-[.  Oh, well.  Anyways, the land where the museum used to be was developed into more houses:

7.26)
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7.27)
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Diagonal grid!

That's most of what I did.  A few more random pictures, then:

7.28 )
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This is an industrial zone in the northeast part of the city tile.  I don't know why it hasn't developed (because it was made to help with jobs during the unemployment scare), but it didn't.  I'll keep it around to help alleviate potential future problems, should any arise.

7.29)
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This is just a random neighborhood I found in Condor Beach.  You see this?  In one picture, THREE TP'd TREES!  But don't worry, I think we're close to finding the mastermind behind all the vandalism.  It was reported that he goes by his underground pseudonym JJ...$%#Ninj2

7.30)
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Facing north

The significance of this picture is the direction of the avenues.  The one going off the eastern side of the map (towards the large city tile called Fordville) is the beach boulevard.  I thought I'd point that out, because the beach avenue is actually one of the most important thoroughfares in the city (running along the Ace River all the way to the northern edge of the region) and I thought you guys would want to keep up with it.

So after all of that, here's the northern part of Condor Beach:

7.31)
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Upgraded the towers that used to be next to the freeways, you see!

...and the entire city as a whole:

7.32)
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So there we are!  It took a few months, but the second city tile, Condor Beach, is finally done!  &apls   &apls   &apls

The city population right now is somewhere around 55,000, and the region population is about 67,000 sims.  Here's a transportation view so far:

7.33)
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Still a long way to go...

That's it for this update...next update, we venture into the first (and perhaps only) city tile without a significant hill, mountain, or body of water to hinder development...which means the entire thing gets developed!  Here are a couple things to look forward to:

7.34)
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Man, it feels good to be back ()stsfd()...thanks for reading :thumbsup:!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Pat on April 20, 2008, 07:12:46 PM
Issac thank you for creating this wonderful MD to read!!! Ive gotten my fixxx for a week and I expect I will need anther in a weeks time lol.... No I truelly understand it takes time to get stuff done even when RL is kicking in...  Its great to see you around and please dont forget us again or I will cry  :'(   See you soon!!!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: threestooges on April 20, 2008, 09:33:37 PM
Good to have you back. You must be feeling pretty good as it looks like you've put together a marathon post... so much to comment on. There's nothing to apologize for, everyone gets busy (I have finals coming up in a week). Great work on resolving the unemployment crisis. I think, with the exception of a few towers looming around there, the area looks better with the desaturation. Though you have developed the area, I'd still be interested to see the zoning map to see the density mix.

I think the overpass fix (7.15-7.20) turned out great. Enough speed on that old road and you could fly to the beach. The results of the remodel turned out great. I may give these lots a try myself (I have a few spots that could use some help) and it's good to know about the proximity thing. I think the extra space between the entrances and the highway looks more natural, especially considering the width of the grassy area itself. Interesting to note that the unemployment started to work itself out over the time spent on the underpass (possibly some jobs created through the construction process).

I think the museum fits its current spot perfectly. Its old spot looked a bit out of place. With the houses right up next to it, it just looked crowded in there. On the beach, it really stands out; a feature kind of like the Santa Monica pier. The vacated area looks better with houses anyway. I think that T.S. Museum and Pavilion suits it well. LCM is nice (or perhaps LCMS) but it's missing something... (and I'm not talking about a least common multiple) it's just missing that ring (probably fell off after the last knock on the head). It'll make a fine educational and recreational facility.

The last overview looks like the city turned out well. I'll be interested to see how the next tile develops. Will it be a grid or will it take on a different style? I know the flat area lends itself to it, but either way it should be interesting. Good to see you back to the MD thing, and back with a bang.
-Matt
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on April 21, 2008, 09:03:48 AM
It's wonderful to see here a new big update from you! And it is a fantastic one! Some great pictures!
Looking forward to more...
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on April 21, 2008, 12:31:42 PM
Welcome back, Isaac! I'm so glad you've brought your work back to us here, my friend, as I'm a big fan!

This is another fantastic update here in Condor Bay. I love the way you how us the trial and error of building and re-building. particularly with buddybud's tunnel pieces. Your work is both entertaining and educational!

I will definitely be looking forward to seeing more of Condor Bay, my friend!

Take care,

Dustin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Nardo69 on April 25, 2008, 04:34:10 PM
Glad I could give you the right hint for that road, even more that fixing that problem did help you to overcome your dilapation problem. But I must confess, sometimes letting a map run at slow speed while doing nothing or concentratinng on small details like that underpass does help the simulator to balance things out again. I whitnessed this effect several times, too!

BTW 1:
I used these lots mostly for railway underpasses with the effect that I almost never had the bug appear at all  :D ... You just have to be careful that you do an alternative route when using the BuddyBud's Undergropund Lots - as the simulator still regards them as Subway = Mass Transit and especially rich Sims don't like to use Mass Transit at all ;)   ()sad()

BTW 2:
The pink one of those Res towers is one of my favourite Residential Towers - the Cobb Oceanic. I am normally glad when I get this baby growing!  :satisfied: (But then again I rarely zone High Density at all  ;D)

Great to have you back anyway!

Take care my friend (and don't forget to make Backups!)

Bernhard  :thumbsup:




Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Pytkowski on April 26, 2008, 09:01:23 AM
The city has own climate
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: warconstruct on April 26, 2008, 10:03:37 AM
Ah you is back my friend, it is with my greater pleasure than I viewed your update! I must say that it is has the height of my waiting !   &apls &apls

Without context I adore your beach my also your suburbs, it are very well arranged and as you have it say with much park and of parks your inhabitants will have a very beautiful framework of life!

Your industrial parks are very quite carried out and with logic they are separated from the centre town far from the hotels from luxury  $%Grinno$% What is very well thought, I congratulate you!

The sights general that you proposed to us are very beautiful and your area advances well (compared has Trieste)en effect you developed beautiful grid systems, structured very well  ()stsfd()

I say to you has soon for your next update!

Paul
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: paroch on April 26, 2008, 11:12:51 AM
Hey, I'm glad you're back.  Condor Bay was one of my favourite "new" MDs here and then you went quiet on us ;)

I can tell how much work has gone into this update and found it veru interesting to read.  I've had massive unemployment issues in my current city, again mainly driven because I was trying to achieve a look that it "just so".  So well done for sticking with your city plan - it was well worth it.

The beach pavillion/museum fits just right there - splendid.  And the beach itself really is the jewell in this city's crown.

And thanks for the detailed response :)

I look forward to next time.

Paul
Title: Welcome to Condor Bay: Update 8 (5-05-08)
Post by: Masochist on May 05, 2008, 01:22:56 PM
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Pat -
LOL, it does feel good to be back!  Real Life sometimes does kick me in the rear, but it's nice to come back in here and see what's going on.  I'm glad you are satisfied with my product; I was afraid that that last update might be an overdose ;)!  I don't think I could ever forget about you guys here :)!  Thanks for the comment...hope this fixxx is worth your while :P!



threestooges -
Thanks!  It's good to be back, trust me :thumbsup:!  I know it was quite a bit...just about as long as the update before it :P!  Didn't mean to make it so long, actually, but it's really two updates fused into one (because I was in the process of posting the first update here when my computer sporadically shut off, and that was basically the start of my absence).  A lot to take in, I realize, but I have faith in all of you ;).

I think you're right.  The desaturated area looks much better than the original tower-dominated area.  The only problem I have with it is the abundance of TerraCotta Mews...they pop up everywhere &sly!  I'm happy with the way that underpass turned out; it looks so much better than the overpass that it replaced.  Now you can hardly notice it until you get up close, which is a good thing.  I'd recommend those lots to anyone :thumbsup:!  Heh heh...I guess I should've just let it run by itself that entire time.  I've noticed that SimCity tends to sort of work its own problems out sometimes (this being one of them).  I'll get you that

LOL...funny thing, I was thinking about plopping Peg's Oceanography Institute out there on the beach, but I wanted it to be a museum, so I decided to stick with the Pavilion...though I do have a question for you: do you think it might work better as a pier?  That seems like an interesting idea.  Hmmm...I might try it...;).  LOL, yeah...I think I'll stick with T. S. Museum - that seems like it could actually be someone's name.  I'm glad I did end up moving that museum; that revamped neighborhood looks interesting with the diagonal streets criss-crossing like that (that hardly happens).

This update won't be so long.  Most of this tile will be suburbia, so most of it won't be a strict grid.  There will be one area, though, that has to be...but you'll see why.  Thanks for really long comment, and all the ideas therein :thumbsup:!



bat -
Thanks!  It feels good posting again!  Hopefully I'll be able to keep posting updates regularly, instead of taking breaks here and there.  I'm glad you liked that huge update, and I hope you like this one as well!



thundercrack83 -
Glad to be back, trust me ;)!  I'm glad you liked the update!  Huge, wasn't it ;)?  LOL...anyways, yeah, that's my style.  If something doesn't work, I have to keep tinkering with it until it does...I just happen to take pictures while I do :satisfied:!  I wouldn't know how else to present this MD if I didn't...()stsfd().

Anyways, I really hope you enjoy this update.  It won't be anywhere near as long as the last one, but still pretty good, I think.  Thanks for the comment, Dustin!



Nardo69 -
Thank you for the advice!  It turned out well...it looks so much better than it did!  But yeah, it was just the game working itself out.  I love it when I can look like a hero without doing any work whatsoever $%Grinno$%!

I've never really needed to use the underground railroad (whoa...what an odd, unintentional pun...)...actually, there are a lot of transit pieces I've never used before that I've wanted to.  Hmmm...I never thought of that before, but it makes sense.  Oh, well...there are plenty of ways to get to the beach.  The rich sims can find a slightly longer way around :P.  The Oceanic is really cool (actually, all of cobb's buildings are amazing)...but I couldn't let it stay.  Not with the city failing as it was.  They needed other stuff (and right now as it is, the demand for R$$$ is waaaay in the negative), so I had to give it to 'em &mmm.

Thanks for the comment!  I hope you enjoy this update, as well :thumbsup:!



Pytkowski -
LOL...you mean with the way there's snow in the hills and the beach is sunshiny with palm-trees and such?  Yeah, I thought that weird, as well...:P $%Grinno$%...but no one's said anything about it yet, so I thought I could let it slide :D!



warconstruct -
Yeah, I'm back ;D!

I'm really glad you enjoyed that update!  I thought it might be too much...but I guess you guys can handle it.  That puts me at ease...:P.  The beach is really my favorite part of the city so far...it's the first (and so far only) thing that gives the city its character.  The suburbs...well, I'll get heavy into parks in this next city, trust me ;-).  I'm glad you like them, though.  LOL, yeah, I can't have those factories near the beach!  That would be pretty bad.  You'd have smoke over the beach and palm trees!  And that big hill does make a really nice natural cut-off ;)!

I can't wait to show you what goes on in this upcoming city!  If you want a hint, head off to the "Show Us Your Parks!" thread and find my latest post :D...that's coming up in a future update (not this one, though).  I do hope you like this update, though.  Thanks for all the compliments ;D!



paroch -
Heh heh...sorry about that!  Needed to take a break, but yeah, I'm back and raring to go now!  I'm glad you liked this update.  It was huge...but it was worth it, no doubt!  I was fortunate enough to actually get through it...I know some people don't.  But then again...the game just sort of worked itself out, so I didn't really have to do much at all $%Grinno$%!  I'm happy that you liked the way the museum turned out; it's really strange, but then again, it's really a nice addition to the "most famous beach in town."  You're right...it is the crown jewel (at least, so far it is).  As I told warconstruct, it's the only thing that gives the city any character (besides the seaport, I suppose).  We'll see how long that lasts, though ;)....

Heh heh...thank you for the detailed comments :thumbsup:!  It's why I like posting here at SC4D...really in-depth responses.  Anyways, I hope you enjoy this update, as well!




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UPDATE 8 - A Blank Canvas
Mas's mille-post milestone!

And now, for my 1,000th comment here on SimCity 4 Devotion (;D), I'd like to introduce you guys to the third city tile of the region Condor Bay, known as Western Fordville.

8.1)
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Outlined in red...

Western Fordville lies to the north of Condor Beach, and to the west of the big Fordville tile.  It has perhaps the largest amount of development real estate of all the tiles in the region (except for the aformentioned central city), yet ironically it has perhaps the least amount of interesting landmarks %wrd.

8.2)
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Western Fordville as it appeared in SC3KU

Most of it is just industry and residential, though there is a major satellite commercial office district here (The Rigel District) that landed there because of the traffic generated by the meeting of Continental Highway 50 (the east-west expressway) and Beltway 450 (the freeway that goes 3/4ths the way around the region).  Still...nothing really noteworthy was planned for this tile...so I had to just go with it :satisfied:.

The first thing I did was get the freeways laid out, and start with some of the avenues:

8.3)
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So many avenues...

The industrial area on the west side of the beltway is the first thing that gets developed.  It won't look so good to begin with, I'll admit to you, but it'll get better over time.

8.4)
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This is how I laid out the streets at first.  Then, after a visit to [AK's CJ "AK"] (http://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=36&threadid=95212&enterthread=y) on Simtropolis, I noticed how a lot of the warehouses and factories had their own block, and that was the look I was going after.  So I decided to try and optimize it so that certain sized buildings would grow in certain spots, while also allowing for different sizes to be zoned:

8.5)
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Only slightly different, but it will work.  Between the beltway and that first avenue I put commercial zoning to separate the industry from the residential.

The railroad bothers me, though...it's just there.  I ended up just running it off the edge of the region because I was so dissatisfied with it...but I'll see what I can do with it (and how to make up for it for Nardo69) later.  For now, though, here's a bit of what grew in that industrial area:

8.6)
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Well...I like it, at least ;).

Anyways, why not take a trip across the beltway, then?  This is a large area of relatively flat land, ideal for residential planning...which is what will go there.  It's actually a good thing that I won't get any commerce for while: my CS$$$ demand is still in the negative from the resorts on the beach.

8.7)
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Have to fill in the streets between the avenues.  As you can see, however, I left a few gigantic blocks empty; one will be a park, one will be filled with a big lot that I hadn't decided on yet, and one is perfectly fitted for one gigantic lot to come.  But that comes later ;).  Notice the gridded area where the commercial zoning will go.  That will be filled in in a future update...haven't figured out which one yet %wrd.

8.8 )
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Streets, bus stops and necessary civic services, including yet another of JBSimio's schools (and I'll use another one in this town, as well).

I think now would be a good time to show some specific examples of how exactly I zone suburban residential zones.  It's usually one tile at a time along winding streets.  I'm trying to get back to the way I used to zone inner-city suburban areas...I don't know how I managed those without thinking, but I can't seem to do them anymore and its slightly frustrating.

Here's an example of how I used to do it (from Power City):

8.9)
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I'm trying to emulate that style, but it doesn't quite come out how I want it &mmm.  Nowadays my suburbs seem too...unnecessary, actually, with all the winding streets I randomly throw in:

8.10)
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8.11)
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Meh...it's only a small gripe ::)...and with the Street-Side Mod in place, it's hardly noticeable anyways :P.

Here's what the neighborhood looks like so far:

8.12)
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Already almost half-way done with the entire tile ;D!  I started zoning just a tiny bit near that northern commercial area (by the freeway).  It looks terrible now, but just you wait - it'll end up being a high-wealth residential area with nice looking towers, you'll see.  But that's a bit later.

Did you notice that one of the three big blocks was filled in?  No?  Well, one of the three big blocks was filled in...with the in-game university.  Oh, how I despise that thing!, but it was all I had.  But since one was filled in, why not fill in another?

8.13)
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What's...what's that in the corner there?  Why, it's the LBT Mall!  That's right: you can't call it suburbia until there's a shopping mall $%Grinno$%.  And look at what that 1300-CS$$$-jobs-creating building did to my commercial service demand.  So then, why did I plop it?

Maybe I'm cra-zay?  Possiblyyyy....

Of course, it could simply be that it seemed like a good place to plop a mall, what with the freeway wrapping around it and its extreme proximity to an abundance of homes and (in the future) commercial offices.  That might be it :satisfied:.

Whatever the reason, it's there, and it killed my demand.  Doesn't matter; it didn't stop me from zoning more commercial areas anyways (they do really want offices, after all):

8.14)
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Why is that toolbar in the picture!?  Oh yeah...it's a zones picture.  Nevermind...:-[

8.15)
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Ah, ha!  There are some nice towers popping up along that freeway (just as I said) :thumbsup:!  They'll help alleviate the CS demand crisis I'm experiencing.  I also streamlined the last "big block" (which, if you use process of elimination, will become a future park) to make room for even more housing.  Here's a nice, random overview shot for the suburban area:

8.16)
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So who remembers this picture when I posted it before UPDATE 2?

(That's about the third or fourth time I've posted that picture in this CJ so far).

I do believe that's all for this update.  Next, I'll work on that park a bit, and then we'll go north of the freeway where some interesting things develop ;):

8.17)
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Oh, it's MURDER!

That's it!  Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone :party:!  Thanks for reading ;D!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on May 05, 2008, 07:20:08 PM
Another magnificent update, Isaac! I just love to follow along with you as your building these city tiles. It feels like I'm right there with you as you're doing it, while you try things, change things, and finally situate them how you want them. I love the placement of the mall, too--I can't count how many malls I've passed along highways in my travels. Very realistic!

Keep up the fabulous work, my friend! I'll be back to see what's next!

Dustin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Pat on May 05, 2008, 09:47:18 PM
Isaac just simply wonderful and yes Im happy to be getting my fixx of Condor Bay... Ive fallen in love with it as it gives back from the good ole sc3k to sc4.... I just simply admire your skills and the time you put into doing Condor Bay!!! I cant wait till the next update and till then.......
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: paroch on May 24, 2008, 11:02:24 AM
That is a really great update there.  It's so interesting how you tell us what you're thinking and what you're trying to achieve.  I can't beleive it took me so long to find this update and also that it's attracted so few comments.  Sometimes there is no justice in the world!

I'll be looking out for more (and you're almost in the best sellers now).

Paul
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on May 25, 2008, 08:23:26 AM
Great work there on update 8! A lot of very nice pictures! :thumbsup:

Looking forward to more...
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: nerdly_dood on May 25, 2008, 12:04:08 PM
I like it!  In particular, I like how your Maxis content blends well with your large amount of custom content...some people just HATE m=Maxis content, and although it makes their city more unique, it decreases variety somewhat.
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: threestooges on May 25, 2008, 01:01:13 PM
You should be careful about thanking me for the long comments, you might just get more of them. To answer your question, and sorry about taking so long to get back to you with it, I think a pier would be a great addition there. I would leave the museum on the beach and have the pier extend out from there. A nice little commercial type pier (as you would see around Santa Monica or something like that) would compliment the area nicely and give the tourists another thing to do (and to spend money too).

First, in regard to the update, congratulations on 1000th post. The suburbs look like they turned out pretty well. The density of the avenues seems a bit high, but it works in a way. Looking at the pic you posted from Power City, that seems to be the main difference I see between the street setup. It looks like you had many more streets per road/avenue than you do here, but this will certainly help with transit times and capacity. Whatever the mall did to CS demand, I think it's worth it. It's in a great place and looks good too. I noticed a stadium on the narrower end of where the park will be. Will this be tied in with the park? Moreover, will the park and stadium be tied into the college facility or will it be for a separate, city/regional team? I'll be interested to see where the last pic lead us. Have you planned out a little story, or are they just getting ready for Halloween?

At any rate, Good update, and I'll be interested to see what's going to develop next. I should also congratulate you now. As this is th 99th post, the next one will be sending you to the Best Sellers category. Movin' on up. Congratulations in advance.
-Matt
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: warszawa on May 26, 2008, 01:07:47 AM
Holy Toledo Issac! :thumbsup:

This MD is so awesome, I'm loss for words. I love how that update was planned out - with the pictures and comments on what you are going to do and that... it's really informative. And no wonder your city looks so beautiful and fully grown - you have a brilliant transportation system and civic facilities &apls.

You have proved how good you are at city planning, keep up the hard work in Best Sellers mate :).

Alex
Title: Welcome to Condor Bay - Update 9: The Northwest Territories
Post by: Masochist on June 11, 2008, 12:00:16 PM
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thundercrack83 -
Thank you!  I'm really glad you like that aspect of this MD, I was starting to wonder if perhaps people wouldn't just mind me showing what was already there :P.  And that's how I always see malls, as well...they're almost always along expressways or places that have huge amounts of traffic.  I'm hoping to show off a few more malls before too long.

Thanks for the comments!  I hope you enjoy this update, as well!



Pat -
Psst...hey, you...$%#Ninj2...I got your fixx right here...

LOL, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!  Actually, to be honest, I didn't think the whole "recreate an SC3K city" thing was an original idea, but apparently it is ;-)...or at least, not one that's been explored too much.  I don't know why...but oh, well.  I'll keep doing it anyways :P.  Thank you for the kind words!  I hope you enjoy this update :thumbsup:!



paroch -
LOL...no justice at all...at least, not until you came in and revived it for me ;-)!  Good to hear that you're enjoying all my talking and stuff--usually people try and get me to shut up all the time $%Grinno$%.  But I'm really happy that there's at least some purpose in saying all of it :thumbsup:.  Admittedly, there's not too much of it in this update (mostly just building suburbs), but I hope you enjoy it anyways!  Next update, I suspect there'll be a lot more progress pictures.  Thanks for the comment!

And what's this about almost in Best Sellers $%Grinno$% :P!



bat -
Thanks, bat!  I'm really glad you liked it!  I'm curious: did you have a favorite picture?  Just wondering...anyways, I hope you like this one, as well!



nerdly_dood -
HA, thanks!  That's actually something I never quite figured out.  I know that Maxis can be pretty useless when creating, say, a dutch- or asian-style city, but what's wrong with the small homes?  I think they just add more variety to suburbs, especially if you have a lot of custom-made ones.  I'm glad you don't mind the mix; I think it really gives the greatest potential for buildings to keep at least a few of them around ;).  Thanks for the comment!



threestooges -
Oh, yeah...wouldn't want to have too many long comments, think of all the feedback I might get...:P

Good idea; I mean, it worked for Atlantic City, didn't it?  I just have to figure out how I want to design it...should I use Peg's retaining walls again, or perhaps something more wooden?  Maybe just stick with Marrast's brown seawalls...aiya!  Decisions, decisions...$%Grinno$%

Anyways, thanks for the congrats!  It took a lot less time to do it here than it did at ST (funny, though, that it happened at the exact same time $%Grinno$%).  Heh heh...I'll go ahead and tell you: the reason that there's so much high density on the east side of the city tile is because I wanted to try and increase the population so that my commercial demand would rise.  Not only did I need it to go up to help get rid of that CS$$$ slump, but I also wanted the CO$$ and $$$ to increase so that I could get some nice offices for the Rigel District.  I needed a slightly larger population to do it, so I had to, ahh, get on with it.  I'll try and remember to decrease it whenever my population climbs a bit higher ;).  Also, you're right: there are a lot more roads and avenues in this one than in Power City.  That's actually something I'm not so happy about...it makes this city seem a lot more cramped, where as Power City seemed a lot more spread out and open.  Oh, well...'tis how 'tis %wrd.

LOL, I knew that mall would work!  It's staying there, no matter what these adviser people tell me ;-).  Yeah, that's a soccer stadium...that's the neighborhood stadium, general use.  The small university uses it the most, but the high school also uses it for special games.  It's actually owned by the city team for practices, but they're out of town at the moment ;).  The park is owned by the city, but the college students use it the most.  As for that last picture...well, you'll see what happens with it  :satisfied:.

THANK YOU FOR THE LOOONG COMMENT!!!

It's always good to get a comment from you, because you give amazing feedback, and I use your advice the most ;).  Anyways, I hope you enjoy this update!



warszawa -
Thanks for the compliments :)!  I'm glad you liked that update, it was actually one of the shortest ones in this CJ so far $%Grinno$%.  It's nice to hear that you're getting something out all that talking I keep doing...makes me feel like it's worth it!  I really hope you enjoy this update, as well!

LOL, thanks for pushing my CJ into the Best Sellers category ;D!




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UPDATE 9 - The Northwest Territories
With a side of murder...

All right!  Back again with another update for your viewing (dis)pleasure, here to put a strain on your CPU from the Best Sellers section ;D.  This time, we'll build up in the area north of the Continental Highway 50 and west of the mall; in picture 8.1 of the last update, it's the area marked in black (because I didn't know what to do with it at the time).  Let's see how it comes out, eh?

First things first: gotta lay out those avenues:

9.1)
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Notice the dilapidated mall...

Lots of room to work with, and it'll be almost all low-density res. housing. (we're getting to the far northern reaches of the city here).  Keep building and we get:

9.2)
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Added some roads.  Now for some windy, suburban streets:

9.3)
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Pretty much standard fare by now.  Ready for zoning:

9.4)
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Sort-of ignore the left side of the picture for now...$%#Ninj2

Anyways, now that's all taken care of.  The game takes it from here:

9.5)
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Oooh!  Nice and green, just as I pictured it!  I'll show close-ups of that school block, NDEX's Riverside College and the strangely placed SG W2E Incinerator on the west edge.

I also want to point out that it was about this time that I actually switched to the darker textures for the freeways...so any picture you've seen so far with those dark textures in it actually came after I built this area.  Sneaky, eh ;)?  Yeah...not really %wrd.

Anyways, let's take a closer look at the area that was just built, shall we?

9.6)
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This is the little area that was cut out of the bigger picture.  You can see the open grass start to come into play more here--that's a sign that the edge of development is near.  Not much else to this picture other than me showing off a community or two.

9.7)
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Where the Beltway ends.  I love that Riverside College there...but it's right across the street from some naughty place disguised as a simple corner mart >:D.

9.8 )
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Facing east...

Look familiar?  Well, this is on the eastern edge of what is developed so far (which actually puts it almost straight in the middle of the tile).  I've been trying to remember to add more parks in my housing communities (because real cities have parks scattered everywhere), and I've also been trying to use as many different parks as possible.  You'll see how that goal really manifests itself in the next update...but enough about that :satisfied:.

Speaking of trying to get a wide variety of some things...

9.9)
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JBSimio strikes again!

As you (should) fully well know by now, I'm also trying to use as many different schools as possible.  Here's an example.  This is actually the first school I've built that had a schoolyard attached to it, as well.

Problem is...I'm not quite happy with it &mmm.  It seems too haphazardly laid out.  Any ideas on how I could make it better?  I'm open to a lot of things...thanks :thumbsup:!

9.10)
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The biggest hill in Western Fordville

Some random lone Waste-To-Energy incinerator that overlooks the freeway up on a hill.  The thing about this picture is that it shows the fate of the railroad line that started in the Seaport and cut under the big hill.  I'm disappointed in myself because I just couldn't do anything with it ()sad()...I don't know the first thing about how railroads weave through cities and such (except for small towns; they just cut straight through with no regards to how annoying it is to have to wait 20 minutes just to go to the store :angrymore:), so I was at a loss.  I'll have to make it up to all you railroad enthusiasts who are shaking your head in disgust right now...but that might come a bit later.

Hmmm...as it turns out, I have one more picture with grey-textured freeways to show:

9.11)
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Grid on!

I forgot to post this picture in the previous update :-[.  This is the area just southeast of the cloverleaf.  That temple doesn't have a name yet, because I can't figure which deity I want people worship there.  Perhaps wouanagaineAKThe Almighty Cheese GraterMyself, who gave them land to build and provide all of their needs :satisfied:?  Or maybe...you???  Not sure...I'll figure it out one day.... ;)

9.12)
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I forgot to show this picture, as well...this is the neighborhood right next to the un-named temple.  I rather like the mix of different zones and densities on this block, it makes it...

Wait...what's that in the middle?

9.13)
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What is that?  Is that...is that a chalk outline!?  IT IS!!!  That means this is a case of...






MURDER!!!
Murder was the case...and they blamed me.

()sad() "Murder in Fordville!  Oh, where I did I go wrong with these sims?  I thought I gave them everything they could want, but apparently it just wasn't enough...." -Me being characteristically melodramatic

9.14)
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As if you didn't know this was coming...

- At approximately 6:34 a.m. last Friday, 34-year-old (supposedly) Mrs. Robinson stepped out onto her back porch to enjoy her morning coffee when she received the shock of her life: a random dead body in her yard.

:o "My first reaction was shock...it's not every day you wake up to a dead body.  Then I started to fear for my family.  What if the killer (I assumed the man was murdered) was still around?  I ran inside and told my husband to call the police." -Mrs. Robinson

- The police were notified at 6:40 a.m., and arrived at the scene at approximately 7:36 a.m.

&Thk/( "What took you guys so long!?" -the dead body

9.15)
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%wrd "Oh, brother."

- The rest of the morning went a bit smoother.  They identified the body: one Donald Xavier Mackinaw, the prominent philanthropist and wealthy do-gooder.  There were 37 gunshots and 12 knife wounds in all parts of his body; the police, with so little clues to work wtih, could only assume that it was murder.  That assumption begged the question: whodunnit?

"$Deal"$ "We've got some suspects.  There's the omnipresent Dr. Vu, the mysterious arsonist from the seaport, the noted toilet paper crime syndicate leader known only as JJ...and of course, Mrs. Robinson herself." -Police Chief George Lennon

- Mrs. Robinson, still very emotional from having found a dead guy in her back yard, almost had a nervous breakdown after hearing she herself was a top suspect in the case.  Still, her proximity to the body cannot be ignored.

:'( "I didn't do it!  I only found the man, I didn't know who he was!  I just don't see how I could be blamed for this!" -Mrs. Robinson

- The police questioned her rigorously, drilling her with question after question in hopes that she might be panicked into revealing vital information.

%plc/& "We'd like to know a little bit about yourself for our files; we'd like to help you learn to help yourself.  Look around you--all you see are sympathetic eyes; stroll around the grounds until you feel at home." -Sergeant Art Paul

- Mrs. Robinson said very little in response to that brutal, vicious assault.  Most of her responses were nonsensical gibberish.

/&HiPP/% "Koo-koo-ka-choo!" -Mrs. Robinson

-
Word up, Mrs. Robinson.  The police has assured us that they will keep their eyes and ears open; this villain will be caught at all costs.

::) "Easy for them to say, I'm the one paying for it!" - Me

- We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

9.16)
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I'd like to apologize right now to all you fans of The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Chamillionaire and the show COPS: that was slightly ridiculous $%Grinno$%!

All right, that's all for this time.  Next update is one where I finish up this tile, and really get deep into the whole "building parks" idea (which I decided not to include in this update)...in fact, I use a park set that is overlooked by city builders more often than not (and that I've never used before now):

9.17)
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Thanks for reading you guys!  I really do appreciate it ;D!




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In case you haven't heard of it yet, Devo '08 is a tournament that is being held by paroch and tooheys here at SC4 Devotion to coincide with the Euro '08 football (soccer) tourney.  The basic idea is that 16 MD's are attached to a corresponding team in the Euro league, and the results will match the real-life counterparts.  I was asked if I wanted to join in on the fun...so I did ;D.

Condor Bay was matched up with Sweden (my second choice), and I am happy to report that we won our first game!  Condor Bay came up against the United Stats of SC4D (owned/managed by thundercrack83), and after a grueling hour-long scoreless game, we were finally able to come out on top 2-0 &dance!

I'll try and keep you guys updated on the tourney as the results come in.  If you want more information on Devo '08, I'd suggest checking out paroch's MD [WEST END] (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2238.msg152031#msg152031)or tooheys' MD [Balnavia] (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=1431.msg153273#msg153273); for more information on the CB match, check out [this page of WEST END] (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2238.msg156665#msg156665).

Keep rooting for Condor Bay %BUd%!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: M4346 on June 11, 2008, 12:12:48 PM
Loved it! And can't wait for another update in "Murder She Wrote" lol  $%Grinno$%
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: thundercrack83 on June 11, 2008, 12:20:16 PM
Wonderful update, Isaac! Glad you're back with another one, my friend!

I love how you showed the step-by-step construction of the residential neighborhood at the top of the update, and the murder at the bottom was very entertaining, too (if one can say that about murder)!

The only "disappointing" news in the whole update was Condor Bay's handy defeat of the United Stats of SC4D!

Keep up the good work, my friend, and I'll be back to see what you have for us next!

Dustin
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: paroch on June 11, 2008, 12:37:46 PM
Hi there Isaac,

I've been checking regularly for an update, so was pleased to see this beauty!

Thanks for showing us how you lay our the area, with avenues then roads and zoning.  Your approach is a bit different from mine, in that I tend to do a much smaller area of zoning at a time - much more localised - so it is interesting to see how different peeps play it.  I like your "windy" suburban streets.  I try to remember to do "windy" but usually end up being more "boxy"!  Old habits die hard and all that.

9.5 shows a great result - real suburban sprawl - great stuff.

I like the college in 9.7, not sure I've seen that before - any chance of a linkie??   :thumbsup:

Really like the park in 9.8 - nicely located in that high wealth housing.

The school in 9.9 is very nice indeed.  I have to confess that laying out schools is one of my favourite parts of the game these days.  Good selection of sports there.  You say its laid out hap-hazardly, well, I think it's pretty logical, with the different sports in different parts.  You could try bunching the sports together and then leave a larger "general use" piece of field, but it's good to have variety.  Items I tend to incorporate (not syaing whether "right" or not) are paths leading to the sports pitches, a fence around the perimeter (can you imagine how many times the kids will have to run into the road to get their football?) and maybe some parking near the main school building.  And I can't help it, I like to see a fence around a tennis court (again imagine chasing the balls!)  PEG has some nice tennis courts with fences out there.

As for your question about rail - well we tend to have more rail in Europe.  In cities it is often either sunken into embankments, or raised up on arches.  Nardo69is the rail master - have a look at his MD, Urland, for some inspiration.  Or have a look at pics 40.05 and 40.07 for some of my sunken railways in West End here
http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2238.msg153060#msg153060

9.11 - the "temple" is St Paul's Cathederal.  Sir Christopher Wren's most famous building.  It sits in the city of London and somehow survived the bombing of World War 2 when all around it was destroyed.  I pass it quite often, so it is odd for me to see it in a suburban setting!!  And I think the RL name is perfect  ;)

I liked the murder story - nice touch.  And thanks for the Devo 08 plug - glad you are enjoying it.  And good luck in your next match (playing Mallorca on Saturday).

I really enjoyed this update and hope you don't mind such a long comment!

All the best,

Paul
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Masochist on June 11, 2008, 01:21:15 PM
WHOA!  Nice comment, paroch...thanks :thumbsup:!

I won't give an official reply yet, but I'll go ahead and give you the link to that college: [NDEX Riverside College] (http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?page=1&Keyword=Riverside%20College&view=all) by Superstar
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: threestooges on June 11, 2008, 01:55:38 PM
-Edit- I just posted this and realized just how long it actually is... I know you wanted feedback, so here it is.

Glad to see another update is on the books. If you want feedback, I can certainly give it to you... just give me a microphone and a speaker. The density thing makes sense when you explain it, and I hope you'll show some pictures if/when you go back and change it. From what you've said, it seems like that stadium gets quite a bit of use... more so when the home team is around. Any plans for expansion or additions?

Now then, on to the update:
I read through paroch's post and I agree with much of what he said and I hope I don't overlap/repeat his ideas too much. The streets in 9.3 have a good layout to them. They don't seem too dense, and should make for a nice suburban feel (perhaps getting back along the lines of the Power City thing), and I like the small bits of commercial you included in the zoning. It's a small thing, but very realistic, and almost necessary. The left side of the picture, well I think you know what I'll say to that...

9.5 and 9.6 are great suburb shots, and you are right about the Riverside College looking good there (and pretty much anywhere). Funny though, that there is no river near it (come to think of it, I don't recall there being one near Riverside, CA either... but that's another story).

As far as pic 9.7 goes, aren't most sinister places disguised as corner marts (or similar things)? Don't know who they're trying to fool, but they seem to have a sizable amount of customers for... whatever it is that they do.

I like the school complex in 9.9. I think you've done a fine job with the setup. After reading through paroch's post, I agree with his suggestions. Paths are a nice way to tie elements together, but then again, in a small space such as this, they may also clutter the scene too. I would suggest moving the soccer (football) field in a tile in either direction. Don't want to send the kids running into the street. One chalk outline is enough for the update (and I will get to that momentarily). I also like the idea of a fence for the area. I'm not sure if chain link would look good, or perhaps something a bit more elegant, but the open look of it now isn't too bad either. The positioning on the baseball field is good too. Want to keep those balls out of the houses. To follow up on paroch's comment about the tennis courts, I agree that some fences would be useful. I know of PEG's lot, but I think tooheys was working on some too that looked pretty good, and for some reason I think I saw them somewhere on the LEX (but don't quote me on that). More parking would be good too; perhaps a small lot over by the basketball court. Best advice I can give for the design of the school area (also one of may favorite areas to develop in game) is just to think back to when you were in that particular type of school and picture what you would do, where you would go and how you would get there. That usually produces some good ideas to start with. Google Earth helps too, but bottom line it also comes down to available space, and I think you did a fine job with this one.

In regard to 9.10, Nardo's threads (his MD and Train tutorial) are great sources for railroading information. I think American rail systems handle their approach to railroad crossings differently (they have more and the gates close individually instead of in sections) than the European systems, but it all makes good sense. In the pic in question, I would find some way to work the track so that it doesn't have so many slope changes. either use the on-slope puzzle piece to keep it level over the highway, or do a little terraforming and have it dip slowly down the hill and have the highway pass over it. As far as railroads weaving through towns, it is interesting that may rail systems (at least heavy rail) were often built before many cities developed.

I'm not sure how heavy rail best works its way through developed areas, but it would seem that they would try to pick the most level and direct path through the area to reach their intended goal. I would think that if they were to try to build through an existing city, it would likely be for the purpose of constructing a station(s). Otherwise they would likely just build around the town. Light rail on the other hand has the advantage of being able to weave with relative ease, and can most often follow existing streets. I will be interested to see what you do with the setup, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I'll see what I can come up with.

My but Mrs. Robinson was out in her backyard early that morning. I know some people are early risers, but wow... and I hope she doesn't wake up to dead bodies on a regular basis (unless she works for the coroner or something like that... in which case, she might be sleeping on the job... wow, bad joke... moving on). I don't mean to nitpick in the middle of a story (especially since I like a good mystery) but there seem to be issues with the parking lot of the donut shop of 'Hot Now' fame. I like the way the grass appears to cut across the lot though. It looks good. Perhaps the police were just in a hurry and burned enough rubber to wear down the concrete... or something like that... yeah. I think that questioning police sergeant missed his calling somewhere. Not a very good way to begin questioning, but it does have a beat to it.

It would be interested to see this develop into a bit of a story (if you haven't planned on already), but until then I'll be waiting for the next update. I'm curious to see what you will do with the parks. I haven't used the raised set myself, but it looks like you're doing a good job with what you have shown so far.

Lastly, but certainly not least, congratulations on an early, 1st round victory in Devo '08. A strong start that I hope will continue. Sorry to hear about the loss there Dustin, but there are still more rounds to come. Any information you can give on the team Isaac? I'm taking part in the Tipping Comp in the games thread and what I know about European Football teams should be evident from my current score there (just trying to lull them into a false sense of security... or something like that). At any rate, great update again. I'll be looking forward to the new one, and hopefully that won't be too long of a wait, but however long it takes, I'll be ready for it.
-Matt
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: JoeST on June 12, 2008, 02:55:37 AM
brilliant update

Joe
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: CasperVg on June 12, 2008, 11:38:58 AM
Seconded. I really like how that residential area developed, and the Deadwoods Raised Parks look really good, perhaps I should try them myself.

Greetings,
Casper
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on June 14, 2008, 05:51:10 AM
Some more beautiful shots there! Great work on that suburb! ;)
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Pat on June 14, 2008, 06:11:55 PM
Isaac,

   Hmmm I do have to say that this update by far was my best so far that is and yes Im excited to have gotten my fixx of Condor Arrested Bay lol...  I think the COP's/Beatles/Simon & Garfunkel was great break up from the normal err what is normal anyways...  I do hope its not to long to wait till the next update!!! See you then!!!
Title: Welcome to Condor Bay: UPDATE 10 - Of Towers and Trees
Post by: Masochist on July 18, 2008, 02:40:33 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSmaller%2520Pictures%2FRepliesBanner800x234.jpg&hash=959f1000c289a9f1df568091728dc546fd8a6ccb)

Look at some of these comments :o!!!  You people are slightly ridiculous...guess that means you're in the right place then ;D!



M4346 -
LOL, thanks!  I'm glad you enjoyed that little Murder Mystery I presented last post...unfortunately, there's not so much news on that quite yet, but it'll come in a way you might not suspect sometime in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future ;).  Still, I hope you enjoy this update!



thundercrack83 -
Heh heh...thanks!  Yeah, I think this method of presentation works for me (I mean the "Darmok" method of showing what I build both before and after I build it).  I really don't know any other methods, really (since I don't really have enough of a town to simply 'showcase')...this one just sort of came naturally to me.  I'm glad you found the murder drama interesting...and if "Law and Order," "CSI," and "Cold Case" are any indications, then I suppose murder can sometimes be entertaining (if, of course, it's not real).

HA!  Yeah, sorry about that...but hey, you were vindicated by Mallorca and Watersford ;)!  It's all well, though, because I had fun, even if my players do come home dejected and tired :P.

Thanks for the comment!  I hope you enjoy this update!



paroch -
I don't know what's more amazing--the length of your comment or the fact that it's not the longest one of this set $%Grinno$%!  Heh heh...doesn't matter, I really appreciate the feedback you guys give :thumbsup:!

Heh heh...yeah, I zoned a large plot of land this time.  Usually I try to keep the zoned area pretty small, but this time, since I knew the majority of it would be suburban, I decided to go for broke.  It all developed, too ()stsfd()!  The streets are actually annoying to lay down (obviously, because I have to lay them down one at a time and figure out where they will go).  Boxy can be great, too...then it takes on a more 'Chicago'-like feel.  I plan to do more of those in the inner city, but I suppose we'll have to wait a while for that  %wrd!

Glad you like that suburban sprawl!  I'm trying to keep commercial areas out of it for now, so I can just concentrate on the residential and start winding down to the mountains that are to the north (and that help 'end' the city).

Did you find that college all right?  I hope you enjoy it :thumbsup:!  And thanks for the compliment about the park!  It's just a small part of a large-scale park-using project by myself, which you'll see a lot more of in this update.  I have so many parks, park sets and plazas, and half of them end up never seeing the SC4 sun.  I'm really trying to change that, because they look so good.

Yeah...the reason I think its haphazard is because the schools I'm used to have a large area set aside as a play field, and the sports are usually bunched together.  I don't know about a fence around the grounds...I'm afraid that they'll take up too much room around the perimeter, you know?  But now that you mentioned it, the tennis courts almost certainly need fences around them, especially being so close to the road and school.  And paths to each field...that would be a good idea, as well.  Now that think about it, they would also help with those empty spaces between the tennis courts/baseball field and the BB court/soccer pitch.  Something I'll have to look into, but I'd have to find the right path textures for 'em.

We don't use rail near as much here in the states.  You see El-Rail and Monorails every now and then in the much bigger cities (and Las Vegas), but for the most part, it's all the automobile.  It felt like such a cop-out to just drag that rail off the edge of the region, but I really didn't know what else to do with it; I didn't know how I was going to connect it to the other industrial area that I'm planning (where there might actually be a railyard or two), and I didn't know how to handle the passenger/freight lines to make them look good.  Between you and me, though...I'm planning something that will make up for it.  It's just in its planning stage, and it may never get off the ground, but we'll have to see.  Still, I won't give up on the rails here yet...I might start a new line and just have it end in a different part of the city.  I need to make up for that terrible stunt I pulled &mmm.  Heh heh...yeah, I know about Nardo69; it's him I was thinking about when I made that rail.

So you don't think I should rename the cathedral, then?  Actually...looking at it now, it seems that its a really random place for a house of worship of that magnitude and grandeur.  I might move it somewhere else and use that land differently...hmmm...

Heh heh...glad you liked the murder mystery!  I plan on having more on it, but this upcoming update is too large for it, so....  And thanks again for inviting me to the Devo '08 tourney!  Even if we didn't quite make it to the end, I'm glad we had a respectable showing :thumbsup:.

Feel free to post long comments anytime!  I really have to thank you for this one!  Lots of ideas and informative feedback!  Anyways, I hope you enjoy this update; it's a rather large one.  Thanks again for the comment ;D!



threestooges -
:o

Suppose I asked for that, didn't I %wrd?  Heh heh...all right.  Here I go! $%Grinno$%

LOL, nice pun!  The density change will come, but I will go ahead and finish this side of the river before it does.  Actually, there are a lot of things that I plan on changing to this side of the river, but I'm going to wait on them and simply make it to the rivershore first.  I assure you, though, that when I do go back and change things, I'll post pictures of it all ;).  And that stadium...it does get a bit of use, and it does need an upgrade.  It's so...square ::).  I need to use a custom one, but one that doesn't overpower everything else in the vicinity (and that fits in that little plot of land).  If I do that, I'll also need to place some parking structures around.  Heh heh...yeah, the home team's back home now that they're done with Devo '08.  Doing a bit of practicing so that if they're invited to another type of tourney, they might fare a bit better :thumbsup:.

Heh heh...thanks for the compliment on the street layout; it's really appreciated that you would notice a detail like that ;D.  I can tell you, they're like that because we're getting to the edge of the city now, so I have to make the avenue density a bit more sparse.  That's why the suburbs stretch like that, as well.  You'll see more of it in this update, but it also gets a bit denser again (necessarily).  The commerce is just a reflection of what I'm used to; if you take a look at a zoning map of Las Vegas, you'll probably see a similar pattern.  Truthfully, I wouldn't know what else to do with an avenue :P!  And yeah...that left side.  I know %wrd.

Glad you like the suburbs!  And yes, I'm a huge fan of that BAT; it can make any area look a bit more...contemporary.  LOL...nope, no river there, but I might just plop a college near the river anyways ;).  Riverside, CA...I've been there.  No, I haven't, that's a complete fabrication; I've been to San Bernadino, CA, but somehow completely missed Riverside, if that's possible.  Don't recall seeing any rivers or streams...but I do remember Lake Elsinore to the south :satisfied:.

Now that you mention it...yes, they are.  I've seen those videos of cops raiding what looks to be some convenience store only to find a casino or illegal sex shop inside.  It's amazing how they can keep them hidden away for so long &mmm.

Thanks about the school!  I really think those paths would add a lot to the area, as long as they had that same grass texture.  It wouldn't seem so cluttered, then, I don't think.  LOL...the position of the sports fields was actually a main concern of mine.  I didn't they looked all that good right next to each other, but doing that would make the open field look much bigger.  Perhaps a larger lot is necessary?  Not sure.  A fence around the entire thing would take up a lot of useful (and valuable) room in the parcel...but a fence around the tennis court is necessary.  Sad that I didn't think of it before, and sadder that Maxis didn't, either $%Grinno$%.  I think I have those fenced-in tennis courts...time for a switch!  And I think if I were to add parking for the school, it'd be across the street somewhere (perhaps across from the front of the school).  That's actually not that bad of an idea, actually, and it would make for a more realistic planning.

Well...the problem with going off of what I know is that my high school was 10 miles from the nearest towns.  We were out in the country, about halfway between 4 different small towns, so everything was pretty spread out and open.  Large student parking lot, the football stadium was across that lot from the school, and there were ample open fields, surrounded only by forest.  I actually haven't been to that many urban high-schools (sad, I know :-[), so I'm not all that familiar with their layout.  Then again...I suppose, as you suggested, that's what Google Earth is for ;).  Thanks for all the comments and compliments on the school!

I've looked into Nardo's RR ideas, and I've come up with a few things that I want to do...but that's something for later ;).  That rail...that rail is a symbol of my failure to plan ahead ()sad().  I just couldn't do anything with it...didn't know what to do with it.  I definitely don't want to do that again, so I'm going to start taking railways much more seriously.  I think I'll have to take your suggestions about the railway coming down the hill, it looks sort of funky.  It would take a really strong engine with a really small train to get up there :P.  And I'll keep in mind what you said about railroads usually being there before the city is developed...I think that might help me develop my cities from now on with good rail systems.

That's the thing: I can't actually show it going around my city because the urban area takes up the entire region (and it's a small region to begin with).  I'd have to think of something else to do with it.  I do have more rail lines planned that will wind up somewhere near downtown, so I'll be able to take some of these ideas there.  If I have any questions, though, I'll be sure to ask you or Nardo :thumbsup:!

HA!  Early?  That's normal for me!  Well...not that I go out and drink coffee at 6:30 every morning, but I remember my mom used to have to get up that early.  Imagine if she got up, her coffee was the first thing, she took a shower and got ready for the day, then had a medium-to-long commute to wherever she worked (keeping in mind that she lives in the suburbs)...depending on whether she started work at 8:00 or 9:00 a.m., that wouldn't be too bad.  LOL...no, she doesn't wake up to bodies on a daily basis :P (but I can't confirm whether or not she works as an undertaker... $%Grinno$%).  That darn Krispy Kreme!  It's been that way for as long as I've had it there, which is strange, because that's a perfectly flat plot of land its on (I've checked multiple times to get rid of it).  Also...did you catch that it was a reference to the only other crime-type interlude I've had in CB?  Heh heh...and I hadn't even realized that I'd placed the Police Station right across the street from it until I took that picture :D!  Ahh, but what can I do, eh? 

Hey, now! Sgt. Paul is a master of interrogation!  Usually he'll drill you just like he did Mrs. Robinson with those tough questions, but I guess she was still too stressed out from waking up to a murdered guy.  Who knows?  $%Grinno$%  I don't know how far I'll get into this story, actually.  I do plan on adding more to it, just don't know how much more.  This update won't have much to it, but next update...well, you'll see...or hear...;)

I may be able to give more info on Condor Bay's futbol team, but I want to do a few more things before I go back to them.  As the city's only pro-sports team (so far), I want to support them as much as I can, and that means giving them a better stadium ;).  Other than that...well, I know absolutely NOTHING about European Soccer.  Heh heh...much like you, I just wanted to give the impression that I did ;).

There!  I think about 97% of all the posts I've ever done on every single site involving SC4 have been shorter even than this response to your comment (of course...that's not including any updates I've made to Condor Bay).  Heh heh...between you and paroch, it'll take people ages to get to the actual update $%Grinno$%!  Threestooges, thank you so much for your support ;D!  You only have a slim idea of how much you've helped me not only in building cities, but in making this MD.  Don't know how else I can thank you...sometimes having a museum in your name in my city just isn't enough ;).  I'm sorry this update came so late...well, actually, this wait-a-month thing is becoming more customary, isn't it :-[?  Not good...but anyways, I look forward to your feedback on this update.  I really hope you enjoy it :thumbsup:!

FIN



JoeST -
Heh heh, thanks!  I hope you enjoy this upcoming one just as much :thumbsup:!



caspervg -
Thanks to you, as well!  I've found that Deadwood's park is really overlooked in the community; it's a shame, because you can do some amazing things with them.  You'll see what I've done, but I used them very generically...I've seen them used with amazing style by Rooker1.  See if you can't scour TPP and check 'em out.  Anyways, I hope you enjoy the update as well!



bat -
Good to see you in here, as well!  Sorry this reply took so long, but thanks for your comment (a month ago...:-[).  I'm really glad you liked the suburb, and I hope you like what I have to show now.  Come back soon!



Pat -
LOL...well, so much for not waiting long for the next update :-[.  Sorry about the wait...but I'm glad you enjoyed this update so much!  Heh heh...be careful of getting your fixx...you know the police are around &sly.  :P  And no, there's no concept of "normal" in this MD, though I'm glad you caught the random musical references in there ;).  Anyways, I hope this update now is a big enough fixx for you! :P  Thanks for the comment!




(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSmaller%2520Pictures%2FNoticeBanner800x234.jpg&hash=2cea294d0976f7e5071093a57869064ddd8f4755)

Well, it's been over a month since my last update :-[...I apologize for that.  But this time I have a reason!  If you don't know yet, I was busy helping (re)launch a site called [The Planning Pages] (http://www.theplanningpages.com). Still, I apologize for the long wait.

Anyways, a few more things: if you weren't following [Devo '08] (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2238.msg156665#msg156665) closely (and shame on you if you weren't), Condor Bay was shot down by both Jeronij's Mallorca and Diggis's Watersford, and so was kicked out of the contest.  In the end, Mallorca won the whole thing, and so the entire team would like to congratulate Jeronij's team on a tournament well played :thumbsup:!

Something else: Fordville has established an embassy in [Tierra de la Oscuridad] (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=5104.0)!  As I understand it, it is currently being rebuilt, but as soon as the new premises are unveiled, I will showcase it in here, as well.  Also, us having an embassy there means they have to have on in Fordville, according to diplomatic morality ;)...so I'll have to set aside a special place for a building of BlondeTwiggy's choice whenever I get to the other side of the river (Downtown).  Thanks to her for doing that ;D!

Last thing: I finally created a signature banner for Condor Bay...but I need your help.  They're all similar, but they're slightly different.  Which one do you like better?

A)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FOther%2520Pictures%2FCondorBaySigBanner3.jpg&hash=6446268bf4948e570abde8d05db17eb6e0e58d76)

B)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FOther%2520Pictures%2FCondorBaySigBanner2.jpg&hash=a194cf21e4915b41da367e1ee15b4afc509d44c7)

C)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FOther%2520Pictures%2FCondorBaySigBanner1.jpg&hash=956a928be33eed78c784ab1c166d1d308f72f51b)

Let me know, please!  Thanks :thumbsup:!

And now, without further ado:




(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSmaller%2520Pictures%2FCityJournalBanner800x600.jpg&hash=b6876e3f0868dbf11e9a0192daea799a5a37285e)

UPDATE 10 - Of Towers and Trees
And a Kennedy memorial...

Finally!  A new update in Condor Bay, and let me tell you, it's a doozy!  I'm going to finish the city tile (for the most part); the thing about this one is I was doing multiple things at the same time, so I can't show one area that I was working on without showing the other.  And then there're things that I forgot to show last update that I should've--they're also going to be showcased.  In fact...I think I'll start off with those things :satisfied:.

10.1)
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That's right!  Maxis repetition!  I love it! :D $%Grinno$%

Actually, I don't mind this high-res complex at all, because I think it really adds to the area it's in.  Where is that area?  Why right across the street from the city's largest park (so far), o'course!

10.2)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FTravisParkfinished.jpg&hash=b8ebfb30998babe325134602e802db282602ede1)

This, my friends, is Travis Park, named after exactly who you think it's named after ;).  This park represents quite a few firsts: the first time I've successfully created a multi-set park, the first time I've ever used Peg's Stream Kit, the first time I've used ShadowAssassin's Bike Paths, etc.  Now keep in mind, this is the final version; earlier versions included more traditional things like baseball fields and children's playgrounds.  Unfortunately, I do not have any close-up pictures from when I was actually working on it to show, but you might see some of its earlier incarnations in a few of the other pictures I'll show.

Here's a nice picture of the bike trail around the lake near the memorial pool:

10.3)
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See the Maxis high-res towers there?

I'm actually really glad that I didn't include any of those ballparks or playground in this park--I think it would really upset the tranquility of the lake and the serenity of the pool.  Speaking of that memorial pool, here's a closer look at the memorial itself:

10.4)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FMarkDixon-KennedyMemorialinfocus.jpg&hash=e9a39a9e41d5da2ca1ee2e38236f2cf5de589bf0)

A little bit of history about it: when I first built it, it was simply called the Travis Park Memorial, because I didn't know who I could memorialize.

That was before May 22nd.

That night, after I read the news about OP4, I didn't really grieve because I didn't know him all that well...but I knew how much he meant to others, and I know how much he's done for the community, so I went and dedicated the memorial to him.  And now, it's called the Mark Dixon-Kennedy Memorial.  A small thing, perhaps, but it was done with respect to him, and so it shall stay.

10.5)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FTravisParkandRookUniversity800x600.jpg&hash=9c305518c1ddcb9d6d702c45bdd1705360606eb5)

An overview of the entire area: Greenview Sports Pitch (the soccer field), Travis Park/Kennedy Memorial, high-res towers, and Rook University.  Yeah, that's right.  Rook University %wrd.

I really like this area of town...the Maxis melds well with the custom content, and it makes it something special.  Unfortunately, that's about all I have of the Travis Park area.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

10.6)
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See Travis Park down there?

This is the site of the future Rigel Commercial District (see [Update 8, Picture 8.2] (http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b99/JetWarrior/SimCity%204%20Pics/Condor%20Bay%20City%20Journal/SC3KUWesternFordville.jpg) for SC3K representation).  There will mid-to-semi-tall commercial towers here, but nothing too high.  There will also be a few tall high-res towers near the freeway, so you'll get to see how those turn out, as well.  Before everything else, though, the centerpiece of the entire area will be built.

10.7)
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A close-up of the Rigel District.  Right there, in the middle, you can see four blocks that have no streets running through them.  That's where I'll put Rigel Park.  Yup, another park, and it'll be the highlight of the area...of course, there's a good reason for that ;).  How about I just start building it, eh?

10.8 )
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That's right!  Rigel Park is actually a raised park, made by using Deadwood's pieces.  The only other time I've ever dealt with these parks before was a long time ago [somewhere in Power City] (http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b99/JetWarrior/SimCity%204%20Pics/SunkenMallsandRaisedPlazas.jpg), but I didn't really do anything there.  Actually...I don't do anything really outrageous here, either, but I really get a feel for them.

In the above picture, you can see where I'm trying to figure out how the bridges will cross the streets and where the entrances/exits will be to the park.  You can also see that I'm trying to figure out what the centerpiece of each block will be.  The Amphitheatre was an immediate choice, as were the sunken (or rather, ground level) plazas (one of which is actually a market).  The fourth piece, however, was semi-difficult...but I'd figure it out in time.

10.9)
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Specific work on the Amphitheatre block.  More experimentation with different pieces, specifically the path intersections and pieces that allow the streets to go under them.  I ended up not using any of the latter anywhere in the final product.

10.10)
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About here was when I think I finally started getting the hang of all the pieces.  Started laying down the edge and filler pieces, and really working with the paths.  We'll have to do a time warp in a bit to see the finished product, but first:

10.11)
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Facing south...

This is the area north of the Rigel District (read the caption).  As you can see, I've stared zoning the residential...but you guys should pretty much know how I'll zone the rest, so instead of showing you....

TIME JUMP

We've skipped to just before the final design of Rigel Park, where I was still puzzling over what to put in the middle of that one strange park block &mmm.  This is what I was going with:

10.12)
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...but it just didn't have enough oomph, you know?  So I swapped it with a different piece.  And with that switch, Rigel Park was finished ;D!

10.13)
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Southeast section, facing west

10.14)
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Southwest section with new centerpiece, facing west

10.15)
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Northwest section, facing west

10.16)
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Northeast section, facing west

10.17)
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The whole kit-'n'-caboodle...

So that's Rigel Park, all by itself in the middle of the Rigel District.  Remember, there are supposed to be commercial offices around this park, which means I'm going to have to get a nice population going to stoke the demand.  Fortunately, during the time jump, that area to the north magically filled in:

10.18)
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There are actually a few things I want to point out about this picture.  First off, notice the gigantic hospital and blue College tower...heh heh, as if you had any choice :P!  There's also that Advanced Research Center there, known as the Rigel Center.  10 tax-deductible Fordville NetPoints to whomever correctly identifies the reference first (Hint: it sounds like something out of this world :satisfied:).

Next, if you didn't notice them waaaay back in picture 10.7, check out those nice residential towers right next to the freeway at the top of the picture.  Obviously, I zoned those on purpose so that I could boost my population enough for the mammoth amount of commercial jobs I'm about to provide; aside from that, though, they also happen to look really good, and I can just imagine going next to the freeway and driving by them...I can!  They pretty much mark the western border of heavy density in Fordville; things get much more hectic in the next city over ;).

Most important, though, is the gigantic Airport Tram Center.  It's huge, and needs re-lotting like nothing else in this game, but it does its job: cap-busting.  I didn't have room for an airport anywhere in this town, but I needed the caps gone so that I could get the look I wanted.  That's why its there.  And so, Condor Bay has an airport...sort of.  (Trust me, it'll be a glorious day when I actually start using the custom airport pieces for SC4.  I'll make it worth the wait ;)).

One more thing: that Ill Tonkso tower on the right side of the picture is significant because it tried to pop up EVERYWHERE!  I had a medium-density 2x3 parcel of commerce zoned waaaay out in the suburbs, and the next time I fly over that area, there it is, the tallest thing for miles!  So finally, to stop it from growing, I gave it its own block.  You'll see more of it later.

But first!  A close-up of the more suburban part of that area:

10.19)
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Not much to it %wrd.

Anyways, back across the freeway:

10.20)
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Here again is the park in the middle of the Rigel District.  After a little zoning magic, it all of a sudden looks something like this:

10.21)
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I was really hesitant to zone too much at a time, for fear that I'd flood the demand for commerce too much and end up with a black zone (again...::)), so this is all it is for now.  Doesn't matter much, though--I got some pretty neat pictures out of it:

10.22)

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Finally!  Rigel Park isn't so alone!

10.23)
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Everyone ought to be pretty familiar with this picture by now...%wrd

Wait...I can do something with that picture:

10.24)
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This is the larger version, obviously...

And before I finish this update, let's go back to the area near that tower and mall, eh?

10.25)
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Facing east

10.26)
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Facing north

This tower, since it has a special place in the city, is called Nottingham Tower, named after one of the most well-known English place names.  It looks spectacular at night...but that's for another update, eh?  Also, note that the fenced park in the back isn't there anymore.

And a few more random pictures of the area near the mall...

10.27)
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I don't know why, but I really like this intersection :)

10.28)
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Random suburban shot (of the suburbs from the last update)...

And with that, this tile is finished!  &apls &apls &apls

Well...not really %wrd.  Obviously there are still some open spaces in the commercial area, but that's because I don't have the workforce to complete it just yet.  That's what the adjacent tiles are for ;).  But for our purposes, this tile is finished ;D!  Here's the obligatory region shot:

10.29)
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Wow...Western Fordville looks really...square...&mmm...meh, oh well!  It's finally done!

The next tile should be interesting, because it's where the large mountains come in...but we're not getting there just yet.  I don't really have any preview pictures for next update, because if I get everything to work out the way I want it to, the next update won't have too many pictures...but you'll see ;).  Until then, thanks for reading :thumbsup:!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Alfred.Jones on July 18, 2008, 06:33:06 PM
Looking very nice Masochist.

The raised parks look great with the development around it.

Look forward to more ;D
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on July 19, 2008, 05:37:42 AM
Great new update there again! Nice to see a update after a month again!
That park in 10.2 looks really nice! Also your city looks fantastic!
And in my view banner A is the best looking one...

Looking forwardto more... ;)
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Haljackey on July 19, 2008, 10:10:09 AM
Why have I not been here in so long???   :P

Wow, Masochist, just wow.  This is an impressive showcase!  I don't even know where to begin!  Besides, I don't know what to say besides "Fantastic!"  :-[

For your signature banner, I think style A looks the best.

So once again, great job Masochist!  I look forward to more from you!

Best,
-Haljackey
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: JoeST on July 19, 2008, 12:44:25 PM
Its looking great :)

Joe
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Sciurus on July 20, 2008, 01:55:10 AM
One thing to say: SPLENDID!! &apls &apls
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: threestooges on July 28, 2008, 07:40:40 PM
Another great update you have here. First off, don't worry too much about the Devo08 loss... at least you lost to the best (Mallorca). in regard to the police busts, it's amazing how well things can hide in plain sight like that. I suppose if you aren't looking for it, you're less likely to think twice about it. I should also apologize for the scroll wheels and page down buttons that are being worn out by these posts/responses.

As far as the banner thing goes, my vote is for A. Something about the curves of the lettering really works well. The text of the other two is a bit too formal for a place with such a great beach area. Sorry I haven't been around TPP lately, and for anyone who's reading this post, go check it out, it's a great addition to the SC4 community, but I've been out of town for the past week and I'm just getting back into the swing of things. It's amazing how much things can build up while you're away. Lastly, before jumping into the update, congratulations on the success of diplomatic realtions with Tierra de la Oscuridad. I'll be curious to see what BlondeTwiggy picks for the embassy, and I should check over in Tierra to see your selection. But for now, on to the update.

I like your use of Maxis, and repetition can be good if it's used right; and it looks pretty good here. Some of those residents should have some nice views of the games. the park looks good too. For your first time using many of those features, the result is quite good. The memorial is a nice touch too. Rook University looks like quite the educational center (Mascot: The Knights? kidding of course... perhaps the Robins?) right in the center of the action. Two parks nearby and the Rigel District at its doorstep... a great location.

So it seems we're doing the time warp again (I know... bad joke, but it's what first popped into my mind when I read that). The raised park turned out quite well and the chess area seems fitting for such an area. Very intellectual, and yet a good place to de-stress during the lunch break (I must resist the urge to make another chess joke, but History of the World Pt. 1 just makes me laugh). Sorry, busy day at work today, and I'm feeling the puns flowing. Trying to stay on-topic here, and moving on to the Nottingham (IllTonkso) Tower, I'm reminded of a suggestion by Jeronij that seems to fit here: play with the game, not against it. I know I've had those times where a certain building or two will just want to spring up somewhere, but you've done a great job working with it.

10.24: Neat. You found the concept art for the park. Though I'm not a big fan of it in the pic comp (as you've probably noticed... I lke seeing the game do the work) I do like a well done edit for such an effect, and you've done it well.

My one critique, and this may just be my eyes playing tricks on me, is that the region pic makes the southern border of Western Fordville look a bit linear (or I feel like I can see the line between tiles). I'm not sure if that is the case, or even a way to suggest adjusting it, so I feel bad bringing it up, but perhaps zone for a few larger buildings to visual break up the line or something. It doesn't look bad though.

Have you considered doing a Darmok style mosaic at a closer zoom level? I know that would be quite an undertaking, but with the diversity of your zones and the overall look, I think the results would be spectacular.

Lastly, I'm glad to know you find my comments (long winded though they may be) to be helpful. There is no need for thanks (though a museum isn't a bad thing to have) as I enjoy seeing your work and I like being able to help as I can. As far as the monthly updates go, at least it's at regular intervals. There's not much you should apologize for there when the updates have so much work put into them. Glad to see the new developments and I'll keep an eye out for what comes next.
-Matt
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Simpson on July 31, 2008, 03:18:50 AM
Oh wow really good new update
I love the park and the city is looking very good
The region pic is superb  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Zane on July 31, 2008, 12:57:53 PM
Quite exemplary, Isaac. Those stone walls go particularly well with your parks. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: paroch on July 31, 2008, 01:26:51 PM
Hi Isaac,

Sorry it's taken me so long to find this update.  I'm trying to do a few things at once today, so this reply won't be so long as the last!

Thanks for the link to the college - downloaded and appreciated.

I really enjoyed this update.  I have to admit that in many MDs, I would never read that much text, just look at the pics, but you make it so interesting and easy to read.  It's great to actually get inside your thought process and understand what you're doing and WHY you're doing it.

Rigel Park is very nice indeed.  Like you I have more parks in my menu than I'll ever use and the raised parks are one set that I rarely use - but seeing your results tells me I should try.  The commercial development around it is very well done.

And as for the Nottingham Tower.  This is a RL building in the City of London (Financial District) and Ill Tonkso has done an incredible job.  I actually went past the RL building today.  It official name is Tower 42 (42 floors!) but it is still generally known as the Nat West Tower - because when the tower first opened it was home the the National Westminster Bank.  But it is now a multi-occupancy building.  Anyway, enough waffle.

The region view is pretty spectacular - very good.

Great work and I look forward to seeing more,

Paul
Title: Welcome to Condor Bay: Update 11 - Multimedia Extravaganza!
Post by: Masochist on August 15, 2008, 05:36:17 PM
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Alfred.Jones -
Hello, A.J!  Good to see you around!  Thanks for the comment, I'm glad you like it.  I think I took too many photographs of it, though :-P.  I hope you enjoy this update, it's a bit...different...;)



bat -
Thanks!  Good to see that you're still supporting Condor Bay ;).  I'm glad you enjoyed Travis Park; I was really going for something tranquil, instead of a playground-type park.  Also, thanks for your input about the banners!  As it turns out, I think I'll use a different one that was made for me $%Grinno$%.  Still, thanks for your comment!  Hope you enjoy this update!



Haljackey -
Welcome back ;D!  Although...it's funny that you should make an appearance now, as you very greatly influenced this upcoming update ;).  In that regard, I really hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for the comment!  It's good to hear that you enjoyed the last update, but I daresay you might find this one a bit more up your alley.  Also, thanks for the input on the banners; as it turns out, I think I'll end up using a different one, but I appreciate the input.  I look forward to reading your comments on this update, as well :thumbsup:!



JoeST -
Thanks, Joe!  LOL...glad you enjoy it so far.  Come back soon, eh?



sciurus54 -
Heh heh, thank you for the kind word :P!  I hope you continue to enjoy it, as well!



threestooges -
Hmmm...nice to see a short comment from you every once in a while :D $%Grinno$%.  It was a bit of a relief to watch the team I lost to go on to win the entire thing.  Makes the players feel a bit better ;).  And my mouse wheel is recovering.  Slowly, but surely ;).

What's that story?  "The Purloined Letter"?  I do believe that's it...something's written in a letter, and everyone is searching for it, and the person who has it leaves it plainly on his desk for the world to see, but they still can't find it because they check all the enclosed spots in the room (file cabinets and drawers).  Yeah...I can see how that can happen easily in real life.  Suppose that's the secret of getting away with things, eh %wrd....

Banner "A" seems to be the popular choice, though my personal favorite was "B"...but as it turns out, I've decided to go with one that was made for me by Sticksboi05.  I asked him to make a logo for me on ST (he has a CJ Logo-Making group there), and he did...so to help him advertise, I decided to go with that one.  Thanks for the input, though; you'll still see my banners in some places ;).  Don't worry about not being on TPP too often; I realize that right now it's sort of a bare-bones SC4 site until the real projects can begin.  I hope you enjoyed your vacation away from the SimWorld--Lord knows we could all use one now and then :P!  And thanks for the congrats on the embassy!  BT did a marvelous job with it; I am really happy with the way it turned out, and I'll post a picture of it in this update :thumbsup:.  About her embassy here in CB, she said that she didn't really care which building, "as long as it's prettyful."  I wonder what type of buildings BT thinks are prettyful?  Heh heh...time to go into the depths of both Oscuridad and Claridad for clues, I expect :-\.

But for now, onto the update ;)...

I'm glad you like that area of high-density res...but it's been desaturated :-[.  There are a lot less tall towers there (though the two repeating Maxis ones are still there.  I couldn't get rid of them $%Grinno$%).  Travis Park...I really like it.  I just like the tranquility of it...no playgrounds or anything.  It's a place where someone could easily have a picnic or read a book under a tree, and not have to worry about much else besides the panting of joggers and such.  I really wanted that feeling...but now, I want to do a traditional park soon :P!  LOL, the Rook University Robins...that's genius :D!  To be honest, I haven't really given much thought to their mascot.  Knights or Robins would definitely be fitting of the name (if not the slightest bit corny :P), but beyond your suggestions I haven't really done much.  Perhaps that's a problem in CB: I myself aren't involved enough in the actual city, only the projects I do.  I guess I'll have to keep that in mind for future updates (and future CJ's/MD's, should there be any   ;)...).

I want you to know that after reading that "bad joke," I went and watched "The Time Warp" on YouTube...and then went and watched the Whose Line Is It Anyways? version ("The Coffee Grinder").  You can't do things to me like that!  It's not kosher! :P  Anyways....

For the raised park, that's what I was going for: a place where the White Collars could go during lunch and relax.  It was also CB's first official performance venue; of course, it can't hold too many people, so the biggest thing they can hold there is, perhaps, a specialty play from Rook University.  Oh, well.  As for that Nottingham Tower, that's very fitting advice.  It seemed like every where I put even the smallest amount of commerce, it would pop up.  So finally, I gave it a place of its own, and sure enough, it hasn't been too much of a problem since :thumbsup:.  I'll have to keep that tidbit of Jeronij's in mind....

Thanks for the compliment on the picture!  I've recently discovered that there's been a slight lack of heavily edited photos in my CJ since the big Condor Beach update, so I tried to do a few more in that last one.  The pictures in this update also have a fair bit of editing, but they're no where near the main attraction for once ;).  As for a large multi-tile mosaic...well, I've always thought about perhaps doing something like that, but I need to figure out how to cleanly match up cities.  The only time I've ever done a cross-tile mosaic, the dividing line was clear as day.  I'd have to ask Darmok (or AK) for advice on how they do it before I ever attempted it myself.

I thought that the dividing line was way too obvious, as well (hence the comment at the end of the update).  It's definitely there, trust me.  I think the roads do something to make it more obvious, but no transportation support there for me to zone higher-density buildings; it gets into inner-city low-res housing across that border (also, I think the fact that every other medium tile gets blurred in the region view makes it more obvious, as well).  I wish it weren't like that, but I guess I'll have to live with it.  Perhaps when I develop the flat land along the river, it'll help out the situation.  We'll see... &Thk/(.

Oh, I'd daresay there was a great need for thanks, museum aside!  You give the most in depth comments of anyone who posts either here or at ST (and I get some pretty nice-length comments from the likes of paroch and BT, among others) :thumbsup:  I really look foward to what you have to say, no matter if I have to set aside a few hours to read and reply :P!  I'm really happy to know that you're enjoying the whole thing so far, and I really look forward to what you have to say about this update, as it is without a doubt the most unique update so far ;).  Anyways, thanks again for the extremely detailed comment!  See you soon!



Simpson -
Thank you!  I'm glad you like it!  I'm happy with the progress I've made so far, and I have a lot more planned ahead.  Good to know that I seem to be doing something right, eh ;)?  That park took a bit of planning (and way too many pictures :P), but I'm satisfied with the way it came out :satisfied:.  Anyways, I hope to see you around sometime...thanks for the comment!



Zane -
You realize that, save for a couple of times on ST at the very beginning of CB, this is the first time that a current admin from TPP has commented on my CJ?  What's up with that &sly???

Heh heh, I'm kidding of course :P!  I am glad you decided to stop in, though.  Thanks for the compliments!  Good to see that you enjoy some of my work.  Don't be a stranger, though...feel free to come in any time!



paroch -
Hello, paroch!  No matter how long it takes, it's always good to see a comment from you!  And no problem on the link to the college--I'm happy to spread it to whoever wants it! 

Heh heh...want to know a secret?  I don't really like reading too much in CJ's, either :D!  The only ones I really read are ones with newspapers, and ones where the author is either showing why the photographed area is special or telling how they made it (so I can take notes).  I suppose that makes me sort of a hypocrite ::), seeing as how I looooove to type so much in here, but hey, at least one person likes to read it all ;D!  I am really glad to know that you enjoy what I write, because there's a lot of writing involved in this update (though not in the actual update itself ;-) ).

I think you should definitely try the Raised Park set.  It's a really unique set, and can add a lot of character to an area.  I actually first wanted to try it because of a picture Rooker1 took, and it looked so...cosmopolitan...that I had to try it out for myself!  I'm really happy with the results, too ;D...but I think the commercial towers around have too much of a "box"-feel...like they ring around the park in straight lines.  I wish they were a bit more randomly placed...but oh, well &mmm.

Yeah, I knew it was called Tower 42 (though I didn't know about the Nat West name).  If I'm not mistaken, it's currently the second (third?) tallest building in London, isn't it? I simply wanted to rename it because I gave it a special place in the city, and Nottingham seemed to be fitting since it was an English building.  I plan on renaming a lot of things in the city if they have a particular placement ;).  And thanks for the comment on my region view!  I think its really coming along...before you know it, the city will take up the entire west side of the river ;D!

Anyways, thanks for the comment, Paul!  I hope you enjoy this update, as well...it's slightly different, to say the least ;)....



(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FOther%2520Pictures%2FCondorBayLogocropped.gif&hash=4009bcaea53f46812fa626a5af85053e042ea5fd)

UPDATE 11 - Multimedia Extravaganza!
Bewitching the mind and ensnaring the senses...

Well, already something out of the ordinary, isn't there?  This logo was created by Sticksboi05 of ST at my request.  In case you don't know, he heads a [CJ Map and Logo Service] (http://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=120&threadid=86067&enterthread=y) there (along with a handful of other users), and I'd say he does good work :thumbsup:!  As it is, I've decided to help him advertise his service, so I've truncated the logo down into a signature and will use that as my banner for a while (instead of the three that I asked you guys to vote on last update... $%Grinno$%).  You'll also probably see this logo appear in various other places.  BIG thanks to Sticksboi05 for doing this for me!

That opening banner is just a taste of the oddities to come in this update...but first, the new Condor Bay embassy in Tierra de la Oscuridad has been completed!

11.1)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FEmbassyinTdlO.jpg&hash=f7b5836261f13ebab74870ca74a698613bcba583) (http://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=36&threadid=83445&STARTPAGE=43)
Photo by BlondeTwiggy; click to see more embassies by her!

Doesn't it look great?  I chose the building; BT did everything else.  You can see some of the other embassies she created for people by clicking the above picture; trust me, they're all spectacular :thumbsup:!

And thus ends the normalcy of this update %wrd.

I've been really busy for the past few weeks/months trying a couple different things to help...enhance the experience of Condor Bay, and to make things a bit more personal for you guys.  So, I have a few things showcase that I think may achieve the desired affect ;).



"I've got pictures to prove I was there..."

I don't actually have too many pictures of new areas to show, but I do have something slightly special: a Special Picture Showcase (a la Condor Beach) of the Rigel District.  Hope you enjoy it!

11.2)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FResCondoOilified800x563.jpg&hash=ab843d2df2a1152d4ab5b47d987d603c77d8fda0)
Residential condo oilified

11.3)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FHighResTowersatmidnight2800x563-1.jpg&hash=1d6208f2e725a2545177b85a852198ca298791fa)
The dead of night...(as seen in the SC4 Picture Contest)

11.4)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FRigelMallsheeredperspective.jpg&hash=8b263896cc45a188bdbae2a900e75a0ff63292bd)
An SC4D exclusive!

11.5)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FNottinghamTowerfromadifferentper-1.jpg&hash=3ddbeca737c52209e239abcfda591ec6686d6a29)
Another odd-perspective photo

11.6)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FNottinghamToweratnight800x600.jpg&hash=d202594469bcb134e84a9a6e4257a4d48cc65d10)
Nottingham Tower at night

11.7)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FTheRigelDistrictatnight.jpg&hash=14175296e181da8c2f1a5f6c9d4bf10aaa585640)
Nighttime picture of the Rigel District

PAUSE!

Okay...for some reason, I really like this picture.  I was trying to duplicate the nighttime effect that Cockatoo210893 has in his pictures; you know, that sort of...bronzed nighttime effect that really makes the city lights come alive.  I think I almost got there with this one, but not quite.  The SoftGlow really helps this picture, though, and I'm proud of how it came out.

UNPAUSE!

11.8 )
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Shield your eyes...

11.9)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FRigelParkdesaturated800x450.jpg&hash=33c9d05ef24690d0388fe9ae684823c1c6deadc0)
Another odd-angle shot

And that would be the bulk of the pictures this time...but the update is far from over ;).



YouTube = WIN

You all can thank Haljackey for this section ;).  There's a thread on ST called [Show Us Your Videos] (http://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=23&threadid=99346&enterthread=y) where people have, predictably, been posting their SC4 videos.  When the topic was made, I wanted to try it...so I did.  I took Haljackey's advice and grabbed the Fraps video capture software to record the game footage, planned out my route, and filmed it.  I edited it with ULead Software, and hosted it on YouTube.  So now, I'd like to present to you "Visions of Fordville" (and I'm embedding it in high-definition, so ignore the little annotation unless you actually go to YouTube to view it):

"Visions of Fordville"
(6:32 at 1.5x speed)

http://www.youtube.com/v/LzoFxTMRdDY&ap=%2526fmt%3D18

[Watch the video on YouTube] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzoFxTMRdDY) if it does not embed properly above (be sure to watch it in high-definition, trust me %wrd!)

What a bundle of joy this was to make &sly.  When it was all done, the best video option was almost 900 MB!  I had to shrink it down somehow, so I had to convert it to AVI format, losing some of the quality in the process (oh, if only you could see the true video).  This is the best it gets, so this is what we'll have to go with now.  It seems I still have quite a bit to learn ::).  Anyways, the songs I used (in case you can't read the captions on the video) were "Drive," by Blind Iris and "The Streets of America," by Bad Religion.  Hopefully you guys enjoy watching this a lot more than I enjoyed making it $%Grinno$%!



"And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson..."

To continue the story of the murder case involving Mrs. Robinson, I've decided to take it to the city.  To that end...I've created a radio station called KGOP - The Bastard.  That's right...a radio station &opr.  Or, rather, a radio station MySpace Profile %wrd.  This, I think, is what has taken me the longest amount of time to work on for this update.  I had to record a radio show segment, and then put it up on MySpace and fashion a profile around it.  I'm very satisfied with how it came out!

I really hope you'll take the time to explore this profile...but I gather it'll probably take a good amount of time to check out everything there.  I've got the actual radio show (which itself is less than 4:00 long), I've got a few blogs up that should be interesting reads (including one that explains the whole reasoning behind the radio station's existence), and my Top Friends link to interesting profiles (including my own ;), and a different music profile I manage.  Please, take a bit of time and look over it.  If you have a MySpace, feel free to add KGOP as a friend :thumbsup:, and if you want your opinion heard about the situation with Mrs. Robinson, you can find out how to get on the air by reading the blogs.  Here's the logo; click on the banner to get to the profile:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FMySpace%2FKGOPMyspaceProfilePicture800x290.jpg&hash=a155f30cde9fdb7f9497d4611d48f21dcd3912aa) (http://www.myspace.com/kgop)

(And now you know why I went to Sticksboi05 to fashion a logo for me...%wrd)



Because I Don't Talk Enough Here In Condor Bay...

I'll confess up front: this really doesn't have much to do with Condor Bay specifically, but I thought I'd go ahead and throw in a shameless plug for myself nonetheless...;)

I'm going to guess most people don't know this, but I've started an SC4-centric blog on Blogger.com.  It's basically my thoughts and random drabbles on the game, the community and the genre in general.  I don't know how often I'll post in it, but I'll try and keep it afloat for as long as possible.  You guys can check it out whenever you want to, and feel free to comment on anything you see (I've allowed anonymous comments, but I hope you let me know who you are) :thumbsup:.  Also, if anyone has a blog that has to do with SC4 or urban planning in any way whatsoever, let me know and I'll link you on mine.

Oh, yeah...one more thing.  The blog was originally created as a booster for [The Planning Pages] (http://www.theplanningpages.com/community/index.php).  It actually started out on TPP as "Mas Y Mas" (Mas and more) which is the name it has now.  "Mas Y Mas" is also the name of the radio show that I put online.  They have no relation other than their name and creator.

[Mas On Blogger] (http://masofsc4.blogspot.com/)

Thanks for checking all this out!  I really appreciate it! ;D



The Beginning of the End...

Well...that about wraps up this update.  Hopefully that holds you over for the next few weeks, eh?  That's quite a bit to look at...but that was the point :P.  Anyways, before I officially go, I'd just like to reassure you guys that even with all this other stuff going around, I'm still working on Condor Bay.  Here's a teaser for the next city, which we should be getting into in the next update:

11.10)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FTheearlystreets800x500.jpg&hash=322daf1415d45aed9ab696ecbccff219d0a9e219)

Lots of interesting things happen in this city, not least of which is my experimentation with smooth curves (finally!).  Hope I've kept you busy until then!  Thanks for reading ;D!
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: deathtopumpkins on August 15, 2008, 08:18:41 PM
Well Masochist, after seeing on SimPeg what you can do with the Teraformer, I am amazed I have never been in here. I know what I'll be doing the next couple days...  :D Reading back through this thread!

About this update:

-Wonderful pictures and excellent photoshopping. The weird-angle pics make me feel a little queasy though, except for the mall one. That's cool. I've never been able to get it to grow.

-The video is excellent. It looks very professional, and I can tell you have a knack for multimedia composition.

-The myspace radio station: I'm sending it a friend request (don't be shocked by the myspace, I'm a different person with my friends). I must say you have excellent musical tastes, as many of my favorite bands are featured in there.

-I also checked out your blog, and it was an interesting read. It's nice to see one with thoughts on the SC4 community.

-Lastly, that new city looks like it has a nice layout, but I must say that there's something that bugs me about the tree placement in that forest. I just can't put my finger on exactly what though.

Anyway, you now have another dedicated reader, and I will be back for the next update once I've read the rest of the thread.
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Haljackey on August 15, 2008, 08:43:25 PM
Geesh... Big enough update?  I don't even know how to begin this reply... ???

I guess I will do a top-down approach.

Banner:  Looks good to me!  I think you made a good decision on that one!   :thumbsup:

Embassy: Looking nice!  But TWO traffic Generators?  $%Grinno$%  I guess you want double the congestion!  :P

Photos:  While the first one struck me as a bit insane and difficult to look at, you came through with other great photos later.  Some of the odd-angled and blurry shots gave me butterflies, but you did a fantastic job with the night photos, succeeding to replicate cockatoo's classics.  My favorite was 11.7.

Video: Are you trying to outdo me?  >:D  Seriously, that video was amazing!  It was very smooth and the slight fast-forward helped keep things from being boring.  I gotta get my hands on the editing program you use (I, umm... use windows movie maker :P) 
-I see you uploaded the same thing with the wrong aspect ratio.  What is the aspect ratio of your monitor?  (4:3 fullscreen, 16:10 widescreen).  Whatever aspect it is just stick with it when uploading videos... It makes them less distorted.
-Also, you mentioned your video was 900mb, and that you compressed it.  What were you thinking?  Youtube's maxiumum is 1GB, and thus you didn't need to compress it!   ::)  (Really, yours was only 900mb?  Sometimes my videos can exceed 8GB!   :P)

Radio:  Not really sure what you're doing here, but I should check it out sometime.  I don't have a myspace (Very little Canadians do, we all use Facebook!) and thus don't frequent the site very often.

Blog:  After quickly going over it, it seems like an interesting read. 
-I think you might be interested in checking out This Thread (http://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=32&threadid=100598&enterthread=y).  This would also be great place to share your thoughts more openly to the community about the issue.

Teaser:  Yep, I think that can hold me over for a bit.  You really outdid yourself more than you usually do. 
-The extensive use of curves looks great with the layout.  I can't wait to see it developed!

Anyways, I know that was a long reply, and I hope I kept it organized enough for you to read over. 

Best,
-Haljackey

Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: bat on August 16, 2008, 03:41:36 AM
An excellent new update there! With wonderful pictures and a very nice video!
Great work on this stuff! :thumbsup:

Looking forward to more... ;)
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: JoeST on August 16, 2008, 04:52:03 AM
/me likes your blog

and the city is looking great :)

Joe
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Simpson on August 16, 2008, 05:24:04 AM
This is a very good new update there, some pics are very good, my preferate is 10.4  :thumbsup:
The park is looking very good, and the vidéo is very good  &apls
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: paroch on August 30, 2008, 10:55:29 AM
Hi Isaac,

I'm obviously not keeping up with MDs like I used to - it's taken me two weeks to find this one.

I like the banner - nice to see something a bit different.  I recently got hold of Photoshop so have been experimenting myself and have been pleased to find it is relatively easy to create new things.

Your pics are looking good - but I'm obviously a bit old school as I much prefer seeing how your city is laid out than the clever effects  ;)

And speaking of which - I enjoyed your video - gives a good detailed look around the city.  I've put a few videos together using MS Movie Maker and have really enjoyed doing them.  I've not used that capture program you have, so maybe I'll check it out.  Mine are a bit different to your one though - much more stills based.  If you're interested my youtube id name is westendparoch.

I'm not a myspace person, so not sure if I'll get chance to check it out but will certainly have a look at the blog - sc4 content is always of interest to me, so I'm sure it will be interesting.

And the teaser is enough to make me hope you next update is soon and that I'll spot it more quickly this time.

All the best,

Paul
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: art128 on August 30, 2008, 01:36:37 PM
Very nice update i like it as well  &apls &apls
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: threestooges on August 30, 2008, 08:04:46 PM
Isaac,

From your response:
Though I know it may drag up some memories, I was actually thinking of the Drew Cary Show version when I wrote that. I should warn you though that it is not much better than what you have seen from the others, though in different way, so be warned. I had not actually seen the original time warp version (nor the movie as a whole for that matter), so I should thank you (and youtube) for that little excursion. As far as the mascot goes, I'm sure you'll pick something appropriate. I'm not very good at naming things or outlining the details of my cities (though certain tiles are approached with a bit of a theme or a backstory (helps me to decide what's going in there and why), so don't worry about it, and believe me, corny isn't a bad thing, it's what helps make my puns readable. Also, if you don't mind, I'd like to see a nice mosaic of the developed area around the museum (and the pier if you ended up adding one). Lastly, I'm not sure if my comments are in depth or just long winded (oh wait, they can be both!) but I certainly enjoy providing the feedback to someone who appears to find it useful. With that said, on to the update:

You chose a great building for the embassy, and BT put together a fine site for it. 11.4 is a spectacular use of that photoshopping effect and that is a great BAT to do it with. 11.5 looks good too, but 11.4 really makes the most of it. out of curiosity, in 11.6 (Nottingham Tower at night) what are the fountains used by the base? They look great at night. I think, with 11.7, that the effect might be improved if the areas with denser lights (like th building in the center) and the fountains were toned down a bit. The buildings for a continuous look, and the fountains because... well... it just seems strange to see them glowing at night. Also, If you can snag a few cars on the street, you would have an amazing pic with all the headlights etc and, perhaps, if you wanted to get fancy, you could add the effect of an open shutter and cause that 'streaked light' effect with the lights on the cars.

The Visions of Fordville video is really well done (tasteful car you chose, but I was almost expecting the Ferrari) and that overpass around 1:25/1:30 over the highway is really well done. I didn't even realize it was one until you went down the other side and I saw the highway burrow past it. The raised park looks great driving by, which leads me to ask, did you plan that route or did you just take the car for a spin? At 3:48-3:50 the car makes a bit of an odd weave, what caused that? I recall there was some work a while back regarding slip lanes, so I'm wondering if that would be a prototype of them, or am I just seeing things? I also like the turn you made at 4:16 (reminds me of GTA... right turn from the left turn lane). I'm also impressed to see that you appear to have done that whole thing with only one car (as the damage at the end seems to indicate). Good work on that... I usually take the bus (or tank if I have it) as they can take a pounding and I avoid the brake.

KGOP is a great idea and you do the DJ/announcer thing quite well. I thought it got a little off toward the end (a few um's and uh's in contrast to the very strong start) but that's better than some people I've heard to who do it for real at the radio station at my undergrad (but hey, they're just starting so I shouldn't be too hard, and they're probably better at it than me so...). I don't have the proper equipment to offer my voice, though that would be fun. Perhaps I'll look to see if someone has what I need... I can probably borrow some stuff from the film school or something like that. Either way I'll look forward to the next installment, along with the blog. Out of curiosity, what's the significance of the station ID? It's an interesting selection. I'm not a fan of myspace, but I'm glad I checked that out.

The last pic looks like it will offer some very eye catching areas with the roads winding through the hills. I'll look forward to seeing what you come up with. I think this may have been one of my shorter posts here (funny to say that and look back over it...) but this was certainly an excellent and creative update. Looking forward to the next one and to seeing what else you have in store.
-Matt
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Masochist on November 18, 2008, 09:50:41 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FSmaller%2520Pictures%2FNoticeBanner800x234.jpg&hash=2cea294d0976f7e5071093a57869064ddd8f4755)

Condor Bay is rising from the dead (again...%wrd), and will come back in full force very soon.  Until then, here's a couple of teasers:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FThecliffsideavenue800x500.jpg&hash=11367519bb23cf4eb37757932356552d0b149a0e)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FItsarepeat800x563.jpg&hash=db9cf04522780b6e50ac89101a2a4649d81f95f6)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi17.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb99%2FJetWarrior%2FSimCity%25204%2520Pics%2FCondor%2520Bay%2520City%2520Journal%2FTransportationMap-Fourcitiescomp-1.jpg&hash=85ba8b0856650b8ca76d89e7b1079c99bd7aa54e)

See you soon ;)....
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Pat on November 18, 2008, 09:53:29 PM
OOOO OOOO OOOO Issac you have some teaser and some real good ones at that!!! I like the first teaser the most with the ave by the cliff, very well excuted!!! I cant wait for more!!!!!  &apls &apls
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: Haljackey on November 18, 2008, 10:21:10 PM
Awesome!  I've missed Condor bay for so long!

Amazing teasers!  You and I share the same transport view mod :P

It was just the other day I was listening to KGOP too, werid...

Best,
-Haljackey
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: threestooges on November 19, 2008, 12:21:46 AM
All right Isaac! Glad to hear Condor Bay is back again. I'm off to bed now, but I'll try to get back later to comment on those teaser shots (or just to say hi and wait for the update). Hope all is well.
-Matt
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: art128 on November 19, 2008, 03:47:18 AM
theses pictures look good my friend,  :thumbsup: I like how you build on the mountain  &apls
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: deathtopumpkins on November 19, 2008, 12:18:32 PM
Heh, I thought my first-time post in here killed it!  :D

Nice teasers! And that transport map's really busy...
Title: Re: Welcome to Condor Bay
Post by: rooker1 on November 19, 2008, 12:37:41 PM
Very nice update, the second picture is my favourite. 
I like the mountain side residential look.

Robin  :thumbsup: