The Imperial Republic of Elytheria (Updated: 14/04/2007)

[praiodan]

Nice background story! But even better pictures 

[M4346]

Thanks for your amazing responses people, I really appreciate it and will get back to them individually a.s.a.p.

But, for now I have sad news...

My Laptop, the PC that I have SC4, all my plugins and a great number of other things (personal things) on, has packed up. 

Yeah... I lost everything, just as I was starting this MD and I'm really p-ed off right now. I'll see if the data can be recovered, if not, it implies YET another re-render, reinstall and recover. 

Sorry...

[Yoman]

Oh no!!! Thats awful!!! I really hope you can sort it out, if not look at the bright side, you can start a fresh and make everything better!

[thundercrack83]

Sorry to hear that, M4346! Hopefully you'll be able to straighten it out! Good luck and I hope we'll be seeing more of your work!

[emilin]

I LOVE those art deco cottages!

Infact, I'm using them a whole lot myself these days.

[NikNik]

Thanks for your amazing responses people, I really appreciate it and will get back to them individually a.s.a.p.

But, for now I have sad news...

My Laptop, the PC that I have SC4, all my plugins and a great number of other things (personal things) on, has packed up. 

Yeah... I lost everything, just as I was starting this MD and I'm really p-ed off right now. I'll see if the data can be recovered, if not, it implies YET another re-render, reinstall and recover. 
Sorry...

Don't be sorry for something you cannot help. Already this situation is bad. I hope you will recover your stuff. Take time and take care.

Nik-Nik

[M4346]

After a rather long day I thought that I'd pop in over here and post an update. Yes, an update that includes pics!  Apparently my HDD never packed up, it was just severely over-heated and needed to cool down and take a break for 12 or so hours. I am relieved, as one would expect, and have learned a valuable lesson from the entire experience - Laptops weren't meant to be on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the soaring heat we have here in Pretoria's summers. How was I supposed to know? My argument is that it was made to be on, not to sit on the desk and look pretty. 

Anyway, I am relieved as I said and will treat it better now. Are there worker's unions for laptops? I think mine would be a very active member. 

So... let me get to your posts. But first thank you all for your kind replies and words. I'll get to them each individually now. 

Hi, Marius...

Please call me David (responding to your gracious post over at 3RR), I wouldn't have it any other way with a friend.

As someone whose dabbled with ploppable water, Thabazimbi Creek looks excellent, IMHO.

That's the great thing about that particular niche- It is possible to learn a new and useful technique every time you see someone's take on it.  PW isn't perfect, but I think it's well nigh on indispensible.

Great to see some pics.  Every time I see a friend from the great land that is South Africa, I think of my daughter Liz, who is serving there in the U.S. Peace Corps as a teacher-mentor in a rural school system.  I'd love to visit her and your country.

So sorry about the death of a relative.  Our family has suffered from loss and violence over the past year or so, and my thoughts are with you.


David

Thank you very much for settling the matter once and for all, i.e. me being allowed to call you David. Like I said it's a product of my upbringing and, well, I like things sorted and out and made clear.

I am thankful for your opinion on my experiments with ploppable water because you are a master in plobbable flora and other nifty things. Thanks for the compliment, it is truly appreciated.  I rather like ploppable water, as you'll see in this update too, and agree with you that it is indispensable!

A huge kudos to your daughter too for contributing to South Africa. I trust that she is happy here and has not been too negatively affected by our horrendous crime rate and all that. I hope this beautiful country is treating her well, and I also hope that it will soon see you too. I think South Africa is a must-visit for any non-South African, but then again, that is my personal and biased opinion.

I am sorry to hear about your loss and wish you all the best in future. It's not the first time that we've suffered a loss, it's actually the third year in a row and it usually centres around February. So it is clearly not only the month of love, but also the month of loss for our family. But, as Nietzsche said and you so beautifully quoted: "What does not kill us makes us stronger." I am rather a huge fan of Nietzsche (myself being Existentialist).

Very nice start on Elytheria. The town's quiet and sleepy, and I do quite like that.

Probably because they do it [skinny dipping].

Thanks! I was sort of going for the "quiet and sleepy" look and am glad that I got that across. I'm also pleased that you like it.

And by the way, I can assure you that almost everyone in Thabazimbi skinny dips occasionally... the Emperor himself has been spotted (although not photographed) splashing in the Creek with his high-profile friends.

Thanks for stopping by and please do so again. It's always nice to see you here.

Very beautiful work! The small town looks excellent, as someone above pointed out, looks like a very quiet place. While not making this about a typical Mozambican city, the African names cohabitating with the European names give it a colonial feeling (much like "Leopoldville" in pre-Mobutu Congo). Anyway, great update and I can't wait to see more!

Thank you very much! I will be trying, however, to blend as much Africa and Europe as possible and always appreciate any feedback! 

Looking good *grin*

The housing areas looks very interesting... and I like it!

Cheers!

Thank you too! I'm also glad that you like the housing!

Excellent!  I love it, keep up the great work

Thank you too. Great to see you here!  #stsfd· Stop by again sometime soon.

Nice background story! But even better pictures 

Danke schön! Natürlich noch nicht das beste, aber es geht. Habe noch viel zu tun, und so wenig Zeit dafür!

Oh no!!! Thats awful!!! I really hope you can sort it out, if not look at the bright side, you can start a fresh and make everything better!

It seems that it won't be necessary anymore!  And thank God for that! Nice to see you here too Yoman! 

Sorry to hear that, M4346! Hopefully you'll be able to straighten it out! Good luck and I hope we'll be seeing more of your work!

Please call me "M" or "Marius," (that goes for everyone else here. ) Sorry for the confusion with the username, but it wouldn't let me register as -M- and I didn't want to use my first name. 

Well I did manage to straighten it out and am quite happy about that. More of my work coming up shortly!  Thanks for stopping by!

I LOVE those art deco cottages!

Infact, I'm using them a whole lot myself these days.

I LOVE those cottages too, well, I LOVE Art Deco in general. Ironically I never really liked those specific cottages, but en masse they look great, in my opinion. They just tie in together really well and that's what I like - one continuous network of houses!

Don't be sorry for something you cannot help. Already this situation is bad. I hope you will recover your stuff. Take time and take care.

Nik-Nik

As it turns out I could've helped it by giving the poor laptop the odd break. Thanks for your well-wishes!  #stsfd·

So after a long and strenious day of class (08:30 - 17:30 / 5:30 pm), and after having finished my weekly washing a short while ago, I was able to pop in at SC4 quickly and play around with some more flora and other ploppables! I give to you...

Bloomsbury has an interesting origin and has become known as the artist's haven because of it's natural beauty and unspoilt landscapes, beaches and forests. Despite the main road running through the area, a GSM tower and a few other developments the area and its serene beaches and forests have remained largely untouched and undeveloped by the Elytherians.

Bloomsbury boasts with a beautiful main beach which is a favourite spot among locals and tourists alike for their weekend getaways. Palm trees and other indigenous shrubs line the coast, which due to its shallow waters is unsuitable for the construction of harbour facilities and too shallow for larger marine predators, thus making it a safe spot for swimmers and an excellent spot for sunbathers.

Unfortunately non-indigenous Eucalyptus trees have taken a huge liking in the climate of Elytheria as a whole and have intruded upon vast areas of the nation, including Bloomsbury, resulting in "Eucalyptus forests" that line waterways and disturbed areas, (either by human development or natural disasters).

But what has given the area its immense popularity and reputation as the Artist's Haven is the local Jacky's Cabin where artists in various fields gather. The name Bloomsbury was also given to the area because of the Emperor and local artists affinity for the work of the "Bloomsbury Group / Set" (-> Click!) which included famous artists, dancers and writers such as Virginia Woolf and E M Forster set in the London Suburb of Bloomsbury in the beginning of the 20th Century. The writers, being famous for their iconoclasm and labeled as essentially Modernist writers are highly favoured among Elytherian artists.

The Elytherian Bloomsbury Group meets in Jacky's Cabin regularly and take inspiration from the nearby Bloomsbury Pond, the beaches and natural life of the area.

The Emperor has declared Bloomsbury "off-limits" for further development and the area has fallen under the jurisdiction of the Elytherian National Parksboard as an Imperial Nature Reserve.

^{-> Click! to enlarge.}

That's all for today then, I hope you've enjoyed the update. Stay tuned and thanks for the interest. 

Regards,

-M-

[6underground]

looking very nice M!

[M4346]

Woo-hoo! Welcome to SC4Devotion Mr. SCJU President Sir!

Congratulations also on your first ever post here, and here in my MD! I hope to see more posts of yours here at SC4D too and I trust that you'll feel at home here too.  #stsfd·

Thanks for stopping by and honouring me with your first ever post. 

[Gaston]

M,
    I am sorry about your Mother's cousin.   I suppose I take my safety here in America for granted sometimes.   Then I hear about people in other places and WOW I worry about them.   Glad to see you got your laptop back up and running again.   That is why I still have my clunky old desktop PC.    Great update my friend.    Some of the houses in Die Henwel are "Norwegian" aren't they?   Those are some of my favorite houses.   Loved the beaches and the ave. that travelled along them in Bloomsbury.     Can't wait to see more soon.     



Stay Safe and Stay Strong my friend,
---Gaston

[thundercrack83]

Wow, Bloomsbury looks very beautiful! The forests and the beaches are well done. Keep up the good work!

[Slann]

Hey mate!

Really glad that your computer only went on strike... *grin*
Looking really good - especially the rocks and the flora on the sea side - can't remember what plugin are those - brown rocks with flowers? Care to enlighten me *grin*?

[M4346]

As I mentioned over at David's "The Three Rivers Region," affectionately 3RR (-> click!) I was playing around in SC4 earlier and am working on my next update.

Unfortunately I only have one images thus far, or at least, one that I deem fit for release, and will be posting that without commentary below.

It's shortly after 20:00 / 8 pm (SAST) and I have some reading to do, and will hopefully be able to get back to SC4 later too.

I'll respond to your comments later too, but wish to thank you for them so long.  Thanks for taking the time to stop by and spending a minute commenting, it is always appreciated. 

So, here's the "teaser pic." Description and explanation to follow with next the "proper" update.  #stsfd·

^{Click to enlarge.}

EDIT: LOL! Sorry, I forgot to add the picture!

[praiodan]

Puh, gut das die Festplatte nicht kaputt gegangen ist, wäre zu schade drum gewesen!

Sehr schöne Bilder

/

Huh, good to hear your HD didn't crash and just needed a break, it would have been a pity!

Very nice pictures 

[emilin]

Wow! Those walkways look really amazing! Are those jeronijs paths or something else? I never thought it possible to bend them in such ways.

[M4346]

I thought I'd quickly give some information and answer questions, because I believe it is polite and good to answer questions as soon as possible.

I will get to personal replies at a later stage though.

Looking really good - especially the rocks and the flora on the sea side - can't remember what plugin are those - brown rocks with flowers? Care to enlighten me *grin*?

Thank you very much!  #stsfd· They are Sorchin's "Flora Set" and are available here: (ST) -> Click!

Wow! Those walkways look really amazing! Are those jeronijs paths or something else? I never thought it possible to bend them in such ways.

Thanks! They are actually SFBT's High Wealth Park Set and are available here: (ST) -> Click!

Some of the houses in Die Heuwel are "Norwegian" aren't they?   Those are some of my favorite houses.

They are actually not Norwegian, as far as I know, they are in fact South African and were created by CSX / Colyn. 

I don't know if you want the links, but they can be found here: (ST) -> Click!

More soon! And thanks for the support! 

Regards,

-M-

[Yoman]

  you've really made a nice looking natural area there. I like the beach area in the north as its quiet yet nice. Good thing there isnt much traffic on that lone highway either!

[bat]

Wonderful update and "teaser picture"!

[pipishere]

FABULOUS!.....don't need to say anything more 

[Adriano57]

Very nice pictures