Three Rivers Region

[rhizome21]

Please, please, count me in for the non-euro set

cheers

jf

[sithlrd98]

Jayson brings up a good point here, even though this was not what I was thinking about posting about when I logged in here this evening.

I think I have been saying all along that while roads and streets are cool at non-game defualt values, what about avenues and highways and monorails and subways and BRIDGES and all the other transportation infrastructure?  And...how do we get zones, sidewalks, bus stops, train stations, etc., to work with these non-game additions?  If we make everything ploppable, what does that do to our game menus and how do we manage same?  It's just one big can of worms after another, which is why I suspect Maxis gave us the development tools and let us figure this whole can of beans out for ourselves.  Brilliant marketing...but the fact remains that every time any one creates a non-standard transportation tile of any kind, the implications of that ripple all the way through the game. 

Don't get me wrong, please.  I LOVE all the stuff that has been done and will use it in my game with deep gratitude.  My menus are nearly indeciferable and it takes me 20 minutes to find that just one tree I want or that just right road...but that's ok.  But what happens when we have the transport options nailed?  Will we be able to build seaports at any angle, like they are built in RL?  Bridges from one city tile to another and at odd angles?  And how do we match up zoning tiles...or do we just plop every single tile in out cities?

I am a deeply anal person, way OCD, but the direction all this micro-tinkering seems to be going in boggles my brain.  Are we losing track of the ultimate goal of the game as entertainment and liesure activity?  I don't know but given the way I dream about my regions, I sometimes wonder. 

Lora/LD

Its funny your touching on this as I had kinda the same thoughts when I posted this:

As the puzzle pieces do not generally have sidewalks, they need to be created, and of course since not everyone plays urban cities, sidewalks look odd in the rural settings , which means either new pieces need to be made or a mod needs to be created to display the same pieces with or without sidewalks.Of course the way I understand it , not only are there a limited amount of IIDs , but the Rul file is also limited, so the multiple versions is just a waste of IIDs that could be used for something else...(like some One way road curves ) So, in many ways, the game will never be finished especially if folks like yourself and the NAM team keep turning out such awesome content and we can continue to enjoy the fruits of your labor , regardless of the direction you take! Thank you!

The main thing is that as long as there is still interest in this game , and people still want to create things for it , the sky is the limit...well , getting into the .exe is the limit I also have so much content that sometimes I forget what I have , and that's cool because it reminds me of how much this game means to so many! I , like many started to modify things out of my own needs, and noticed that others were also wanting some of the same.While I can not seem to wrap my head around modeling , and only understand a small percentage of how the game actually works, I truly enjoy driving myself to try and give back to the community that has given so much. The fact that we have moved more towards plopping transportation was done out of necessity since what we were given was not much. The one thing I've learned by messing with content is that there is almost always a way to add the aesthetics to the functionality!So, with all these pieces , the ability is there to make them seamlessly coexist with the original content and create a much more fulfilling experience with this game.At some point , the discovery may be made to allow the things mentioned without cracking open the .exe , doubtful , but possible as there are many people in the community that have as much if not more knowledge than those who actually created the game!

Jayson

[Pat]

Hey Jayson are those default Maxis stop lights?

[sithlrd98]

If you are talking about these then no....



They are Heblems HD version of his stoplight
http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=21728

Jayson

[allan_kuan1992]

Anybody notice the odd intersection in the middle with the diagonal road intersecting the corner road?

I wonder if it's possible to realign it like the pic in the attachment. Thanks.

- Allan Kuan

[dragonshardz]

It's possible, alright, but the blue path line wouldn't work. DOTs generally prefer to keep intersections as straight-shot areas. Also, it'd be unsafe and there'd be constant accidents along the lines of rear-ends and t-bones.

[just_a_guy]

Actually, no matter how you would make the paths, that interchange is already really dangerous. The best work-around there would be a roundabout in my opinion.

[sithlrd98]

In all honesty , when I was dragging and taking pictures , I did not pay that intersection much mind. I think the best option would be to either not create that intersection  , or try and comment it out.

Jayson

[deathtopumpkins]

You couldn't put a roundabout there... not one of our roundabouts in SC4 anyway. I just think that there should be no reason to intersect those roads to begin with though

[JBSimio]

I can think of at least two intersections exactly like that one from my home town in Michigan.  I don't recall either of them being any more dangerous than other "normal" intersections.  Properly timed traffic signals and left turn arrows probably have a lot to do with that though...

JB

[Andreas]

You couldn't put a roundabout there... not one of our roundabouts in SC4 anyway.

Actually, you can - it just needs a bit more space (the tiles with the lamp posts):

[z]

I think I have been saying all along that while roads and streets are cool at non-game defualt values, what about avenues and highways and monorails and subways and BRIDGES and all the other transportation infrastructure?  And...how do we get zones, sidewalks, bus stops, train stations, etc., to work with these non-game additions?

I can't answer most of these questions, but as far as bus stops, subway stops, and perhaps some others, RTMT is planning on supporting the full range of FAR options.

If we make everything ploppable, what does that do to our game menus and how do we manage same?

Hierarchical DAMN menus.  It's the only way that the major expansion of RTMT that's underway could happen successfully.

[sithlrd98]

Hey Z...totally off topic, but is there a way to implement the technique that you and Coego are using over at the RTMT to  add a prop for schools , etc? Or does that require actually changing individual lots?

Jayson

[ldvger]

Hierarchical DAMN menus.  It's the only way that the major expansion of RTMT that's underway could happen successfully.

What are DAMN, precious?  We wants to know!

I get so lost in all the acronyms...could you refresh me on RTMT, also? 

And no one has yet suggested a game water mod that might work well with the plop water mod, guess I'll just have to experiment.

Lora/LD

[Ryan B.]

What are DAMN, precious?  We wants to know!

I get so lost in all the acronyms...could you refresh me on RTMT, also? 

And no one has yet suggested a game water mod that might work well with the plop water mod, guess I'll just have to experiment.

Lora/LD

DAMN = Something to do with expanded and custom menus for SC4.

RTMT = Road Top Mass Transit.

[deathtopumpkins]

Daeley's Advanced Menu Navigator

NOTE: Hover your cursor over the letters "DAMN" in Z's post. 

[z]

Hey Z...totally off topic, but is there a way to implement the technique that you and Coego are using over at the RTMT to  add a prop for schools , etc? Or does that require actually changing individual lots?

We're doing a lot of things over at RTMT that might apply here - which in particular are you referring to?  Everything requires changes to individual exemplars, but in many cases, the changes are minimal.

[sithlrd98]

Basically,the  Station Highlighting  but for civic stuff. I understand the basics on how it was implemented to show Sub/Bus stations, just thought it would be kinda cool when looking at the traffic view , police/fire/hospitals/schools could be seen , kinda like a real city map. Of course I also understand why the mod was created since stations kinda get buried when looking for them the old way.

Jayson

[girlfromverona]

I'd love to beta test the new road textures (Maxis version), if it's not too late? I've been travelling the last couple of weeks, so have only just seen the progress you've made, David. You're changing the game... again! 

Also, JBSimio... WOW! Those FAR buildings look fantastic! 

[z]

Basically,the  Station Highlighting  but for civic stuff. I understand the basics on how it was implemented to show Sub/Bus stations, just thought it would be kinda cool when looking at the traffic view , police/fire/hospitals/schools could be seen , kinda like a real city map. Of course I also understand why the mod was created since stations kinda get buried when looking for them the old way.

I've thought about this a bit myself.  I've often come across the problem where a school or police station may be highlighted in its data view, but you'll still never find it because of the tall buildings that surround it.  There are two ways that the RTMT highlighting technique could be applied to these situations, but both would require a bit of work, and both would require at least some modification to each building for which you wanted the new highlighting.

The first way, which is probably the simplest, involves first taking the building in question and making it another prop on the lot.  I believe that this can always be done, although this is at the edge of my current knowledge.  The slot in the building exemplar that was formerly used to specify the building would then contain an RKT3 property that would point to the sign.  The advantage of this method is that the civic building would then show up in the new Zones view, which is available in the latest NAM.

The second way would involve grafting the highlight onto the existing building.  Again, I think this should be possible (although my brief attempts to do so failed), but it requires more knowledge than I currently have.  This method would have the advantage that you would get the main building lighting up as it currently does, plus you would get the sign that was visible from any orientation.

I believe the first method would be simpler to implement, and that the advantages of being able to see the civic buildings in the Zones view would make it preferable.  But some work would need to be done for every building where you wanted this highlighting.

I recently finished the RTMT highlighting, and was about to make a long post in the RTMT Station Highlighting thread, when I discovered a design error that resulted in signs that were more difficult to read.    So it's back to the drawing board for now (literally, where in this case the drawing board is Paint Shop Pro).  But the main structure of this feature remains unchanged, and I expect to have everything fixed in the next couple of days or so.  At that point, I will make my long post on the RTMT board, showing a number of surprising and unexpected features and benefits that result from this scheme.  It really changes the way transit stations (or for now at least, RTMT stations) are built and used.  If people like, I could make a brief mention here when that post is ready, along with a pointer to it, since it has potential applicability well beyond RTMT.