SC4 Devotion Forum Archives

SC4D Collaborative Region Projects => The NORO Cooperative => Topic started by: noahclem on January 30, 2013, 03:41:12 PM

Poll
Question: What type of airport should NORO's new one be?
Option 1: Passenger only
Option 2: Passenger & military
Option 3: passenger & general aviation (private & charter aircraft)
Option 4: Passenger, military & general aviation
Title: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on January 30, 2013, 03:41:12 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

Table of Contents

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[data]PG - 1 Reply#1[/data]
[data]ToC (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg448153#msg448153)[/data]
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[data]PG - 1 Reply#2[/data]
[data]Welcome to The Noro Cooperative (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg448154#msg448154)[/data]
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[data]PG - 1 Reply#18[/data]
[data]Blank Map & The Delta (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg448332#msg448332)[/data]
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[data]PG - 2 Reply#25[/data]
[data]Maarten's Transit Proposal (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg448499#msg448499)[/data]
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[data]PG - 2 Reply#29[/data]
[data]Comparing Transit Layouts and a Question (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg448574#msg448574)[/data]
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[data]PG - 2 Reply#39[/data]
[data]Creating maps in InkScape Part 1: The very beginning by MandelSoft (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg448618#msg448618)[/data]
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[data]PG - 3 Reply#41[/data]
[data]Creating maps in InkScape Part 2: Water, Infrastructure and Cities by MandelSoft (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg448681#msg448681)[/data]
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[data]PG - 3 Reply#44[/data]
[data]Creating maps in InkScape Part 3: Administrative subdivisions, route shields and area names by MandelSoft (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg448743#msg448743)[/data]
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[data]PG - 3 Reply#50[/data]
[data]Teaser by Noah (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg450071#msg450071)[/data]
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[data]PG - 3 Reply#53[/data]
[data]Our Final Map Grid by Willy (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg450209#msg450209)[/data]
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[data]PG - 4 Reply#61[/data]
[data]Noah's Transit Ideas (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg450458#msg450458)[/data]
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[data]PG - 4 Reply#65[/data]
[data]Willy's Transit Ideas (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg450582#msg450582)[/data]
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[data]PG - 4 Reply#67[/data]
[data]Robin's Transit Ideas (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg450635#msg450635)[/data]
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[data]PG - 4 Reply#70[/data]
[data]February 19th Update (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg450903#msg450903)[/data]
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[data]PG - 4 Reply#72[/data]
[data]Nomenclature? (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg451052#msg451052)[/data]
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[data]PG - 4 Reply#75[/data]
[data]March 2nd Update (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg452687#msg452687)[/data]
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[data]PG - 4 Reply#78[/data]
[data]Outside Robin's Comfort Zone (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg453459#msg453459)[/data]
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[data]PG - 5 Reply#87[/data]
[data]Caption this picture and Bonus Pics (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg454170#msg454170)[/data]
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[data]PG - 6 Reply#100[/data]
[data] (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg454319#msg454319)Reply 100 goes to metarvo watch for your reward[/data]
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[data]PG - 6 Reply#102[/data]
[data]NORO experiences more seasons than just summer and fall (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg454374#msg454374)[/data]
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[data]PG - 6 Reply#108[/data]
[data]Willy plays with Vortext's Coast Extended Tree controller (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg454607#msg454607)[/data]
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[data]PG - 6 Reply#115[/data]
[data]Still outside Robin's comfort zone (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg455045#msg455045)[/data]
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[data]PG - 7 Reply#122[/data]
[data]Robin is getting Comfortable (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg455106#msg455106)[/data]
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[data]PG - 7 Reply#126[/data]
[data]Noah's RHW Initiative (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg455192#msg455192)[/data]
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[data]PG - 7 Reply#130[/data]
[data]Robin's Cabin/Lodge Challenge (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg455443#msg455443)[/data]
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[data]PG - 7 Reply#134[/data]
[data]Robin's thoughts on a Cabin/Lodge Challenge (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg455485#msg455485)[/data]
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[data]PG - 7 Reply#139[/data]
[data]Poll Results for Nature Reserve and Caption that Picture (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg456001#msg456001)[/data]
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[data]PG - 8 Reply#141[/data]
[data]NORO's First Interchange by Noah (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg456162#msg456162)[/data]
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[data]PG - 8 Reply#153[/data]
[data]Robin Goes Camping (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg456319#msg456319)[/data]

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[data]PG - 8 Reply#158[/data]
[data]Robin's Smooth Delta Technique (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg456352#msg456352)[/data]

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[data]PG - 9 Reply#163[/data]
[data]Happy Easter from Robin (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg456443#msg456443)[/data]
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[data]PG - 9 Reply#168[/data]
[data]Tile "Is" Transport Teaser by Noah (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg457010#msg457010)[/data]
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[data]Pg - 9 Reply#175[/data]
[data] (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg457224#msg457224)Dam it Noah! A bunch of maps and "Is" revisited[/data]
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Important Links

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[data]Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky by drunkapple (http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/27821-petropavlovsk-kamchatsky-a-home-for-the-sim-navy/)[/data]
[data]The map we have choosen for the NORO Cooperative[/data]
[/row]
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[data]ARDEN Seasonal Tree Controllers by vortext (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=2959)[/data]
[data]Best Tree Controller to date 3/13/13[/data]
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[data][/data]
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Team Members

rooker1 better known as Robin
noahclem better known as Noah
swordmaster better known as Willy
wouanagaine better know as wou the Great


Special Guests and Special Thanks
MandelSoft better known as Maarten - A very special thanks to Maarten for his incredible tutorials on page 2 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg448618#msg448618) and page 3. (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg448681#msg448681)
wouanagaine better know as wou the Great - A very special thank to wouanagaine for the program that he made for us to make our lives much easier.


History of the NORO Team
to be continued.....
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on January 30, 2013, 03:42:28 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)


Welcome to the Noro Cooperative!
Here Robin and I will create a new region, building on each others' skills and trying a new form of collaborative city building. Rather than play a region together and assigning the separate tiles between us, we plan to share the play within the tiles. Specifically encouraging us to work and plan together down to the smaller scale details and even to "get in each others' way", much as the real life process plays out. We believe that keeping our plugins and regions folders synced in the cloud will make this kind of play much easier and more protected from plugin errors than it may have been in the past. While the basic plans for our building and presentation are in place, the core of our endeavor is to be dynamic and able to change as we learn what works best, what we like most, and what our readers enjoy. We plan to share as much as possible of the development process with you and your input and feedback will be highly valued.

The Noro Cooperative will combine many of the elements you may be familiar with from MindScape and Siilijoki but it is a project to go along with and not replace our individual MDs. The NAM and CAM will be highlighted and the region will take a North American style, featuring many of the amazing BATs created for such a setting.

We plan to spend the next few days fleshing out the details of our plugins folder, laying out our early city planning, and looking forward to beginning building in earnest. We certainly hope you share our enthusiasm for our new project!

Enjoy a first look at our region (click for full resolution)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F20130118%2Fnorocompositecrop.jpg&hash=fe423afdb62ccc91c701b32e16d6a4f7f7b4f4bc)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on January 30, 2013, 11:18:41 PM
Interesting project. Two great MDers together.

Do you plan to build on the delta, or make a natural area? It will be a dificult challenge if you choose to urbanize.


Thanks for our first reply Kergelen  :thumbsup:   We only confirmed the map yesterday so plans are in a very early stage at this point. If I told you my latest thoughts on that it would be news even to Robin. But difficult? I'm not afraid of a bit of water  $%Grinno$%

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kbieniu7 on January 31, 2013, 03:15:45 AM
Wow, cool initiative! I'm taking part in something similiar, but as you said - with assigning the separate tiles, or at least assignig parts of tiles. That would be interesting to observe, how you both will reconcile your (probably a bit different) ideas.   ;)

Do you take into consideration adding new players to your project? (I'm not talking about myself - I'm not keen on playing with american style cities ;)


Glad you like it! Hopefully our different approach will work well--if not it can change. We're definitely going to have some conflicting ideas and it should be interesting to see what happens then. I suppose if we can't come to an agreement we could always settle it by voting here.

At this time we plan the project to only include the two of us but being open to change is one of our core principles.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: sunv123 on January 31, 2013, 04:41:00 AM
Great job starting a cooperative MD! I have a ton of ideas for this region, but you guys come first. I hope that you take a few ideas, like kbieniu7 said.

Adding others might be a good idea, I may know a few great American -style builders.

Can't wait to see what's next!

I'm glad you like the idea of a copperative MD, hopefully as much as we do.  Everyone's ideas are more than welcome and actually we are really hoping on getting as much feed back from everyone as possible.  Everything said will definitely be taken into consideration.  As for adding others, we have decided to keep it just the two if us for now....but we are open to change in the future.

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on January 31, 2013, 04:45:15 AM
Interesting concept. I'll see how this turns out. Good luck! :thumbsup:


Good to see you in here and we hope you follow along and participate as often as you can.

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: M4346 on January 31, 2013, 06:49:54 AM
Amazing region and an even more amazing (as well as interesting, novel and ambitious) project!

I'll definitely keep an eager and keen eye on this!

M


Thanks for the kind words! We look forward to your continued interest and participation  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Girafe on January 31, 2013, 07:01:30 AM
Best projects in sc4 are born from cooperation, because 2 brains are better than 1  ::)

Seems to become awesome  ;)


Thanks Antoine! Did we forget to mention in the introduction that we'll be showcasing plenty of your beautiful flora?  ;D

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on January 31, 2013, 07:05:48 AM
Sounds interesting. A cooperative with two of my favorite MDers... I'll follow this. :)


Glad to have you following Arthur! We're looking forward to plenty of feedback and advice from you  :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on January 31, 2013, 07:13:48 AM
Two of the best MDers - this deserves a

&dance


We expect a ton of railways, you know that alright? ;D


Cheers
Willy

PS: Good idea to do the David-style replies here. Make us jealous :thumbsup:


Holy crap, we already got a dancing elephant and haven't even started development yet! This can only be an omen of good things to come ;)  Interestingly, I can confirm that my first tinkering here was a little zoom 7 play inspired by PSC while I was assembling and calibrating the terrain/water/beach/rock mods. As for railways, would you expect anything less from me and Robin? And these David-style replies are pretty handy, not gonna lie  :P

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Dantes on January 31, 2013, 08:20:26 AM
I look forward to the results of your collaboration. This is certainly great art. I'm very excited. Much success to you!

Thanks alot.  We are looking forward to our collaboration too.  ;D Although we do have a lot already planned, this is still a very young project and we are expecting many surprises along the way.  I'm sure we'll work through them, though, especially with the reader's input.

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RickD on January 31, 2013, 08:34:01 AM
Oh, cool. This can only be great. I am very excited to see two of the best MDers around combine their skills.  :thumbsup:

Let me add a  /&HiPP/% to the  &dance.


Thanks for your vote of confidence.  Not really sure if we are two of the best MDers around, but now you have raised the bar for us.  And if I know Noah well enough by now, he's going to strive for it.  Thanks for our first hippy and our second dancing elephant!!

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: mave94 on January 31, 2013, 08:54:10 AM
Sounds interesting! You already have my attention. I like collaborative projects, because with more persons you can combine your ideas. Also, the map is a nice one to play on. I can spot a volcano in the north-east.  :)

I'm looking forward to seeing some development.

-Matthijs

I hope everyone is able to find our project as interesting as we are hoping to make it.  We have some big plans in place and the plans that are not ready, we plan to make big as well!!  As for the valcono, I think it's dormant.  ;)

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: epicblunder on January 31, 2013, 09:04:38 AM
This certainly looks like an interesting project.  I look forward to seeing what you do with it, and what exactly 'showcasing the NAM' turns out to be.  Love your choice of map, and i hope to see some heavy development in that delta.

Think i'll just add a %BUd% to the existing  /&HiPP/% and the  &dance

As for "showcasing the NAM", you'll have to sit back and see what we have up our sleeves. 
We love the map as well.  I think we went through about a day of searching, narrowed it down to about ten and came up with the one you see.
Not sure what we have in store for the delta yet, but it may end up being a mix of greenery and cement.  Who will win the battle Noah or myself?

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on January 31, 2013, 09:25:23 AM
WOW!!!!just wait and see what these two guys together can do! :thumbsup:

Thanks.  But we still need to figure out what we can do together. $%Grinno$%

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MTT9 on January 31, 2013, 09:38:28 AM
What a great project, this seams like tots of fun for you and for us as well. Look foward to the first update :)

Thanks a lot!  I hope everyone finds it as much fun as we are having getting it all ready. 
The next update is right around the corner.

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on January 31, 2013, 10:41:23 AM
A cooperative project between two MDers sounds like a winner to me.  It will be interesting to see how the snow-bound style of Noah collides and combines with the industrial style of Robin.  ;D

We think we have a winning combination between the two of us and we are also very interested to see our two styles coming head to head, maybe me more so than Noah though.  ::)

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: threestooges on January 31, 2013, 10:45:31 AM
So the mists begin to clear and the project starts to come into focus. With the two of you working together I'm sure we're in for quite the experience. Interesting use of a cloud server for the game. Have you come up with a way to ensure the same tile isn't being played by both at the same time?
-Matt

Thanks Matt! Our primary technique about avoiding playing the same tile at the same time will be talking about who plays what when  ;)   Certainly we're both hoping the technical stuff will work out with the cloud server and our cities. Hopefully you like what you see with your new focus  ;D

-Noah
Title: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: noahclem on January 31, 2013, 03:19:49 PM
We have to thank you all for your enthusiastic response! We'll see what we can do about keeping things interesting around here  ;)


Blank Map & The Delta
For now we have our regional map, as seen from wouanagaine's update of terraformer and a couple images from me dialing in our terrain/water/beach/rock mods and settings.

Cick any image to enlarge

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F20130118%2Fnoro_map.jpg&hash=ea850ddd22c88a90eb325fe0cf0a663ae728db5c)

Network plans are beginning to develop and have so far been largely shaped by the terrain.


Our current settings for the delta area
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F20130118%2Fdeltasummer.jpg&hash=e26d6b367534209044004b80731beee798290279)


And our river water plan
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F20130118%2Fislandsummer.jpg&hash=ccc9a6044740080ba285042292ba38045f94ec74)


We hope it's always a pleasure
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: M4346 on January 31, 2013, 11:58:56 PM
Wow. That map is awesome, the delta looks great and the river equally beautiful!

This is promising! ;D


Yeah, dobdriver did some great work on that one, as did God or whoever you choose to believe designed that nice little corner of the world  ;)  Glad you liked the pics and thanks again for your feedback  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: wouanagaine on February 01, 2013, 12:34:07 AM
Quote from: noahclem on January 31, 2013, 03:19:49 PM
For now we have our regional map, as seen from wouanagaine's update of terraformer and a couple images from me dialing in our terrain/water/beach/rock mods and settings.
If you have a terraformer update, please give me the sources :)

Joke aside, that's a very interesting project and already nice pics !


Hehe, whoops  ?=mad)=   The new mapper is working excellent though. Thanks for your support  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: MandelSoft on February 01, 2013, 06:03:59 AM
Oh, that's a nice map! May I give you some advise on the general layout plan? I like to pre-plan my regions in large-scale, don't know if you do that too...

Also, it looks like you're going to use quite some MMPs, something I never mastered myself...


Thanks Maarten! We'd love to have your advice on the general layout plan. I'll be posting my first ideas for the road network very soon, and in addition to wanting feedback on that we'll be open to other people's plans for the region's roads. As a transport expect your thoughts would be particularly welcomed.

We'll definitely be using lots of MMPs--maybe a tutorial for our readers would be a nice idea....

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: vortext on February 01, 2013, 06:14:27 AM
Well, this ought to be an interesting project! I'm already looking forward to what you guys are going to do with that map. I have long doubted to play on it myself but in the end decided not to. Still one of my favourite maps though! And if you like some 'help' with trees (i.e. don't feel like mmping the entire map manually) let me know!  ;)


Thanks Erik! The more I look at this map the more I like it. We were just talking about needing your work last evening--it would help Noro a lot  ;D

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: Swordmaster on February 01, 2013, 07:35:50 AM
Do I spot some birds? ;D   Water looks okay from here. I think tweaking it will be a bit tougher given that you both need to be synced on all fronts, so I'd keep that to a minimum.

Thoughts on a slope mod? Quite hilly terrain, so what grades for the railways? Of course, this is your map, but if you need any input on that area, I'm happy to give some. I think the main rail corridor should run NW to SW. You'll have an interesting bit crossing that small lake in the SW corner then. I expect your main city will be north of the delta? Excellent location for a railyard (flat, orthogonal, and close to that main line) ;)


Cheers
Willy

PS: Don't forget to reply to our good friend Marius, eh?


You spotted awesome birds, perfectly modded  ;D  Glad you like the water, though I disagree on the importance of ours looking exactly the same--small differences are healthy, easily resolvable, and i think unlikely to cause problems. My thoughts on a slope mod would be pretty similar to those in Siilijoki and Robin might very well think the same about MindScape, though he tends to build on flatter areas. I think you'd be an integral part of any slope mod deciding and we'd love as much rail advice as possible. I love your rail plan!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: MTT9 on February 01, 2013, 08:26:01 AM
Nice pics! An MMP tutorial would certanly be great. I look foward for a layout plan :)


Thanks! An MMP tutorial (or at least my techniques) is confirmed for the very new future  :thumbsup:   Layout plans coming very soon!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: MandelSoft on February 01, 2013, 08:29:40 AM
OK, I came up with a main plan:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FKaarten%2Fnoro_regional_plan.png&hash=fd1a87b126e2d015dd2a4f78370bd08bef1bac62)

The orange circles are cities and down locations. They are preferably located at:
- Coastal areas
- Flatlands between the mountains
- Rivers
- Lakes
These are either locations you can build easily, beneficial for transport or idyllic. We have some good harbour spots here...

The railways go right through the cities. This is usual for rail construction. We have only a few cities here, so only a few railway lines are necessary. You may want to add a railway to the airport, though...

We also have a few motorways, but these go preferably around the city or go through the outskirts of the city (a former city edge). You can also build some access motorways leading to the center of the city, but I think that should be limited. I think making interchanges with the RHW is feasable in this region; it's resonably big and yet undeveloped.

The delta area is presumeably a swamp, so this is an excellent location for a Nature preservatory.

You don't have to completely copy this plan. I left it intentionally vague, so you can fill in the details or change the plan.

So, what do you think? Did I bring you to some ideas?

Best,
Maarten


Maarten, this is just awesome! We'll get into a much deeper discussion of your ideas soon but I need to at least say this for now  :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: kbieniu7 on February 01, 2013, 09:01:47 AM
Nice shots!
I think that, Maarten's idea with the Nature Reserve looks great for the delta area. Another reserve could be designate by the vulcano. However I wonder if the hill was the best place to build an airport :P
What is more, if I were you I would also build some minor, single-track rail lines   ;)


Agreed, agreed, and agreed--though with some small differences. Thanks for the volcano reserve idea--maybe we could say it's a non-dangerous Hawaiian style volcano instead of a quite dangerous ash-producing Kamchatkan volcano. I'd like to use the more southeastern mountain as a ski resort someday, as is my wont, but the higher one could be a great place for a park. I think the delta nature preserve is too big but I seem to be the only one ;)  And yes, a number of minor STR lines would be great.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: MTT9 on February 01, 2013, 09:34:53 AM
I would use mandelsoft plan if it was a european city. But since you said it would be american...
Personally, i would build my main city behind the delta were there is plenty of flat land for a city, suburbs, etc. Then the port would be, not on the coast but in the river like Antwerp (you can ask Willy about the details) or Philadelphia. I would place an airport pretty close to the main city as in most us cities i've seen, airports tend to be close and get surround by suburbs. And as any us city, i would use many highways, as during the 60's they were considered the best answer to traffic problems and many were built.
All this, however depend on the size of the cities you are planning. Let's see what you guys have thought when you chose this map :)


Very nice thoughts Matt! I agree on the location of the main city, though there's disagreement about how far up the river it should be. I'm still trying to figure out what the role of the river should be--it's pretty narrow and in real life not very significant--though I'd like it to be something important here. As for airport placement, they can also be placed far away in America, particularly with newer ones (Denver for example). The highway idea is a good one--I've considered in my head the possibility of building the kind of neighborhood-breaking highways they built in the 60's and then later on replacing them with regular avenues or tunnels, subject to a vote here of course. As for city size--it's not so clear. There's at least the potential of a very large one and maybe even multiple big ones. Also likely to be the subject of a vote  ;D

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: epicblunder on February 01, 2013, 09:45:24 AM
Ooh exciting.

I hope that airport has some heavy duty equipment for ash removal, because Avachinsky is one of Kamchatka's most active volcanos (http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1000-10=).  Don't know if that's true in Noro, of course. :P
Likewise those two towns NE of the airport.  If i lived there i'd be a little worried about, you know, dying painfully.   &hlp


Hehe, I think the Noro version will be a bit less dangerous, maybe more Hawaiian style--also nice link :)  I suppose volcano-related problems could make for an interesting story down the road though ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: rooker1 on February 01, 2013, 05:03:59 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

Many of you may have notice already, our reply style will be similiar to that of David's in 3RR.  Everyone will get at least some kind of reply within a day or so at the most.  This way you all will get a very fast reply and it won't take Noah or I all night to reply in our next update and we'll be able to get down to business right away.

Comparing Transit Layouts and a Question

Noah's transit layout.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F20130118%2Fnoro_map_roads.jpg&hash=8d2d855d56e02527a9a917ba61579689b68981c8)

Noah's transit layout with Willy's suggested rail lines.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FVarious%2Fnoro_map_rails.jpg&hash=ac9b6bbd03825ab27365aeb9953ac0140be935be)

Robin's transit layout.  Blue is RHW and black is rail lines.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2Fnoro_map-robinstransitlayout_zps1823c835.jpg&hash=ea93d9587cae752d49598512657ed758c5da824c)

You'll notice that we all have very similiar ideas, including Maarten's.  Thank very much Maarten for your suggestion, that was an incrdible map and great idea.  Maarten, if you wouldn't mind making a small tutorial on how you made your tranist map, I and I'm sure many others, would really appreciate it.

Noah and I have a question for everyone and we will be putting it to a vote.  We want to make at least part of the delta (tan colored area in the center of the map) a Natural Reserve, we are just unsure at thi point how much of it.
Question is....How much of this area should be claimed for the Natural Reserve?
A. 75% to 100%
B. 50% to 75%
C. 25% to 50%
D. less than 25%


Please use the voting system at the top of this post. 
You can however post your reason(s) in your post as well, that would be greatly appreciated.

Everyone's vote will be worth one point.  Noah and I will vote 7 votes each, worth 14 points in total.  This way it's possible for the final decesion to still be swayed in our favour.  The idea here is to take your opinions into account, but still have it be our creation.  Noah and I have spent hours over this past week throwing around many, many ideas.  Some of which we agree on fully and others not so much.  The not so much part is where we will be asking for your opinions to help us out.  Thanks in advance for your help.

Here are a few teaser pics from our good friend Noah to finish this update off.  Some beautiful seasonal views of the river.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F20130118%2Ffallz5.jpg&hash=dee5fd2850b670548775651500ba96a4c60a2aba)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F20130118%2Ffallz6.jpg&hash=ed996248344eda06624f215aa493e303569138ed)

I hope everyone is enjoying everything so far. 
And please remember we are open to as many questions and suggestions as you can bring forth.

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: Simcoug on February 01, 2013, 06:50:21 PM
This is a very cool project, I'm looking forward to the development of the region. 
And I second the request on Maarten's tutorial - that was an impressive looking transit map!


Thanks! I can't wait to get started with developing ;)  And Maarten did pull through with the tutorial!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: whatevermind on February 01, 2013, 07:07:47 PM
This is....amazing!  ;D  I think I'm most interested in the whole collaborative play idea. But the ideas and interest flying around here are great, not to mention the teasers we've been getting so far.

And wow, Maarten, that map! Well done.

I think that last update gets into a very interesting point, besides your very different ideas of how to layout the place, of just what exactly is an American style city. I see Baltimore in Noah's plan and San Jose in Robin's plan. And that's just the major transportation pieces! Just wait until you guys start picking building styles.  ::)

Maarten's map is incredilbe and that's why we have asked him to do his tutorial.  I spent all weekend going over it and I think I just about have something worthy to show everyone.
There is still a lot of planning to go, but we are in the middle of biulding our shared plugins.

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: MTT9 on February 01, 2013, 07:08:49 PM
Loved the 3RR reply style :) but back to layouts...

I wouldn't consider Denver as an airport example since "The airport is 25 miles (40 km) driving distance from downtown Denver, which is 19 miles (31 km) further away than Stapleton International Airport, the airport it replaced." But that's just me. Of course you can place the airports however you guys want to.

I like both layouts, the main difference i notice is how near is the central city from the delta, so maybe after deciding how big the natural reserve should be, that might turn itself out.

I'll stay tuned...

Also, it would certanly be great if Maarten could make a tutorial ;)

I have always been afraid of making a realistic airport and Noah and shared the same concerns.  We know one is needed, although out of our comfort zone, we are going to give it our best shoot.  As for where it goes, we are not entirely sure yet.
It also looks like the voting is over now for how much Natural Reserve we will have. ;)

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: sunv123 on February 01, 2013, 07:27:57 PM
Lol, there should be a Noro Team. ::)

Personally, I like Noah's layout, love the ring around what i think is the main CBD. Great job both of you. :thumbsup:

Like the flora, too. Looks great. :thumbsup:

NORO Team you say....interesting idea. ::) Not too sure about that yet, but we are open to new ideas and change.
Thanks for stopping by.

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: epicblunder on February 01, 2013, 09:08:58 PM
I like robin's transit layout: more rail.

Also, do you guys ever look at the real location of the map you're building on in google earth/maps or do you try to avoid the influence of real world examples?  I was looking at kamchatka around where your map is today for a site to make a map of, and that corner of the world strikes me as almost hauntingly empty.  (but i did find this panaramio photo (http://static.panoramio.com/photos/1920x1280/60433789.jpg), good for a 'wth?!')

The biggest difference when it comes to rail is that I did have more lines on my map becasue I tried to show the smaller lines as well.
Looking at the real world location woluld be a great idea in most cases, but I think we are just going to come up with our own plan and go from there.  We choose the map because we saw features that we really liked and thought we would be able to build on with our varying styles.

-Robin
 
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: Swordmaster on February 01, 2013, 09:58:05 PM
Just back from work but checking in here before hitting the bed ;D

I think Robin's layout is at least equally good; I get the idea it's more multi-city based whereas Noah envisions growth from a central focus. What I love about Noah's plan is the highway in between the mountains. Think National Scenic Byway (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Scenic_Byway), or something. (@epicblunder, those are just DTR mainlines in Noah's plan. Industrial branches depend on wherever development will be.) In any case, if you adopt Robin's plan I hope there will be room for that railyard ;)

Quote from: NoahGlad you like the water, though I disagree on the importance of ours looking exactly the same--small differences are healthy, easily resolvable, and i think unlikely to cause problems.

I was thinking about the terrain exemplar file rather than the actual textures. I've never thought about any of this, of course. Well at least sea level has to be equal :D


This being said, I think all the planning talk for now is distracting from the flora work already shown. Noah, it looks awesome, but I hate to say, your pictures look a bit like a ripoff from this MD (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=12162.0). Try not to simply copy someone else's work, alright?

In all seriousness, maybe a different border color/shape to differentiate from Siilijoki?


Cheers
Willy

Thanks for your thoughts Willy :)  I think regardless of what else in the plan we adopt those scenic roads are likely to make it in--they pretty much go where the geography tells them too. And National Scenic Byways are a good idea. As for the terrain settings a still think small differences are completely acceptable, though you might be right about keeping a similar sealevel. I'll see what I can do about the borders/image processing, but it's somehow difficult for me to do it differently  :'(

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: M4346 on February 02, 2013, 12:13:05 AM
I feel that the delta area should be left largely untouched by man-made developments. It is an incredible fragile eco- and water-system and it's health has far reaching impact and consequences for surrounding areas, the bay and the river system.

Save for minor developments to improve accessibility and make the area habitable (camping sites and other accommodation and sanitation facilities) for significant eco-tourism activity, I strongly feel that 75% of the delta should be preserved in a nature conservancy, even granted national park status.  :)

Hello M, thanks for your opinion.  I hope we decide to have the Detla mostly untouched as well....at least for now.  We'll just have to see what happens in the end.

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: nbvc on February 02, 2013, 01:55:22 AM
Interesting project and great start. &apls

Thanks, I hope you enjoy it.

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: Gugu3 on February 02, 2013, 02:29:18 AM
Very nice!!!this project is really promising &apls

Thanks.  We see some obstacles that still need to be figured out, but we see a lot of promise as well.

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: MandelSoft on February 02, 2013, 03:08:41 AM
Ha, great you like my map, but that was for my standards just a quickie in InkScape. I had made a dutch tutorial about that here: http://atlantisgeo.nl/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=148

I only need to translate it then, so here it goes. It's a large tutorial, so I split it in parts...


Part 1: The very beginning

The Tools
InkScape has quite a range of tools. Here's some reference to the most important tools of InkScape:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Finkscapekaarttutorial01a.png&hash=8768467817cedf69e5392db1517933bf24aa9ba1)

Importing the base map (either SimCity 4 map or hand-drawn map)
The base map can be imported with the following method:

  • Click on the main menu bar on "File" and select "Import" (CTRL+I), or you can click on the "Import" button at the main toolbar at the top.
  • Select the base map image file from your PC and click on "Open". The base map can be any common image format.
  • Rotate the map when necessary.
  • Select on the next screen "Insert" and click on "OK". This option embeds the reference image in your SVG-file.
    TIP 1: SAVE OFTEN! InkScape saves its files in SVG-format (Scale-able Vector Graphics)
  • Schale the map in such a way that it's scale is representative for the map. It's advised to to do so, because in later steps you get a better idea of the scale of certain objects and it's good for distance measuring. You can choose a scale of for instance 1km = 100 pixels or something like that.
    TIP 2: Hold the CTRL pressed when scaling to keep proportions the same. Hold ALT pressed to scale in integer steps (2x, 3x, 4x, etc.) or integer fractions (1/2x, 1/3x, 1/4x, etc.).
  • Click on the main menu "File" and select "Document Properties". (CTRL+SHIFT+D)
  • Open the drop down menu "Scale page to contents" and click on "scale page to drawing or selection". Now the page is exactly the same size as your drawing.
Here's an example of how your map could look like after these steps:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Finkscapekaarttutorial01.jpg&hash=bc35a9754eb7ffcf17d757079883b91e0243f064)

Layers
Layers are components of your drawing. These components are stacked upon each other and can be locked or turned on or off. It's useful to use layers in a SVG-map for technical organisation. In later steps you'll notice how useful this method is.

  • Click on the main menu "Layer" and select "Layers..." (CTRL+SHIFT+L)
At the right of your screen, you see a new tab appear called "Layers".

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Finkscapekaarttutorial02.jpg&hash=5c0fc24131f5f60290c48ff3a287c9be2a6fdde8)

If you hover your mouse over the buttons, you get a description of the function of the correstponding button. However, I would like to tell you the following about it.

  • Eye - Hide layer
  • Lock - Lock layer (disables the editing and selection ability of this layer)
In this tab, the topmost layer in the drawing is the topmost layer on the list.

  • Click with your right mouse button on the name of the current layer and change it to "Base Map" as a reference.
  • Add a new layer with the "+"-button (New Layer) in this tab. Call this layer "Land" and place this one above the previous layer.
Drawing land masses

  • Select your new layer
  • Select the Free Draw-tool
  • Zoom in (CTRL+mouse wheel) when necessary for precise tracing.
  • Start with drawing with your mouse.
TIP 3: Draw in steps. You can continue the line at the ends (there are anchors for it there, represented as black squares, where you can continue drawing later on). If you're drawing and you hit the other end of the line, the shape will automatically close.
TIP 4: repeat this steps with smaller and smaller shapes if you want to make a height map.

Colours, fills and strokes

  • Go to the menu "Object" and select "Fill and Stroke" (CTRL+SHIFT+F) and the Colour-tab appears at the right of your screen:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Finkscapekaarttutorial03.jpg&hash=e5818f7b50c647923534d1dd00799dcbb94f6b0d)

You see three tabs: "fill" (filling colour), "stroke" (stroke colour) and "stroke style". The first two tabs are for changing the colours of the fill and the stroke. The third tab is for changing the stroke style, like thickness, rounding and striping style:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Finkscapekaarttutorial04.jpg&hash=6b9bfce201a601641f1c806bf6ac41dd3c99ac76)


  • Pick some colours and a line thickness.
TIP 5: use matte, unsaturated colours. These are much more pleasant to look at.

The result will look like this:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Finkscapekaarttutorial05.jpg&hash=59df711b3d4911107403904a60b6bbdf47679f96)

Stay tuned for Part 2 and 3!

  • Part 2: water, infrastructure and cities.
  • Part 3: administrative subdivisions and route shields.
Best,
Maarten

All we can say is THANK YOU!  Check out our ToC. ;)

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: Flatron on February 02, 2013, 03:12:34 AM
Wow, great project! I think you should make at least 50% of the delta a natural preserve.
btw. I'd love to see some quebec-inspired city, although I guess that's not in your plans, is it?


Thanks! 50% sounds good to me, depending on what is actually considered delta (the whole light-colored area or just the places where there are lots of little waterways). Interesting that you mention a Quebec-inspired city--Robin has been the main visionary on the region's style and he wants it fairly Canadian--so maybe a bit of Quebec will sneak in but he would know better than I.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: MandelSoft on February 02, 2013, 08:58:04 AM
Creating maps in InkScape
Part 2: Water, Infrastructure and Cities

We continue at were we finished last time. Up to now, we only have a landmass. In this part, we're going to add water (seas, rivers) as wel as cities and infrastructure.

Water
First, we'll add some water. We start with the sea. Because the example map is an island, this land is surrounded by sea. You can achieve this very easily:

  • Create a new layer called "Sea". This is the second most bottom layer (the bottom layer is the base map).
  • Select the Rectangle-tool and make it as big as the entire page.
  • Color the rectangle blue, preferably a light, unsaturated colour.
  • Presto! Your sea is ready!
TIP 1:When using the rectangle tool, a task bar appears at the top of the screen where you can modify the exact size of the rectangle:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Finkscapekaarttutorial07.jpg&hash=50795819606cef3feacdc3b4f93a2f14c40be37f)
TIP 2:When using the regular selection tool, the following task bar appears at the top of the screen. With this task bar, you can move, resize objects precisely. You can also easily mirror or turn objects 90 degrees:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Finkscapekaarttutorial06.jpg&hash=8508329bff8d2dab5976e57de1a410627d10ec3b)


We continue with rivers:

  • Hide the layers "Sea" and "Land". We will keep these layers hidden for a while. Otherwise we can't see the base map.
  • Create a new layer called "Riviers". This layer is place on top of the "Land" layer.
  • Make a river with either the Free Hand or Node Draw tool.
    TIP 3:You can modify the paths later with help of Node-tool. You can move nodes, add or remove nodes or change node type to make curved lines. Because I can't explain well how to do so, I advise you to experiment with this tool. It's quite easy to control it yourself.
  • Assign a good line colour and thickness to the rivers and disable the fill colour. It looks nice when the rivers have the same colour as the sea.
  • Repeat these steps until you've drawn all rivers on the map.
Cities
It's time to add cities!

  • Create a new layer called "City Symbols". For now, this will be the top-most layer.
  • Use the Circle and/or Rectangle-tool to make the symbols and place them on the appropriate spots.
  • Give the symbols proper colours. I often use a red fill for large cities and black for smaller towns
    TIP 4:Hold the CTRL-key pressed to give the rectangle or circle an integer proportion (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, enz.). Useful for making perfect squares or circles.
    TIP 5:First create the symbols for every city class (often from small to large) and simply copy these for all cities with the corresponding class.
  • Create a new layer called "City Names". For now, this will be the top-most layer.
  • Use the Text-tool to add names. "Text Boxes" will appear, where you can write names in. You can change the contents later again with the text tool at any given moment (behold one of the many advantages of vector images!). At the top of the screen, a task bar appears where you can modify  font type, size, spacing, line distance and other properties:
    (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Finkscapekaarttutorial08.jpg&hash=8e868968c64b78cf63d85b66f7c352b78688418d)
    TIP 6: Use different font sizes and capital letter (or not) for different city classes.
    TIP 7: Copy-pasting Text Boxes is very useful to inherit its properties.
    TIP 8: Advanced users can add an extra background layer to add an extra contrast to the placenames to make them better readable.
  • Place the text boxes at their corresponding city symbols, in such a way that they are properly readable. You can move it elsewhere later when necessary.
  • Repeat these steps until you've given all cities a name.
    TIP 9: This method also works for naming rivers, lakes and seas.
    TIP 10: If you want to add developed area, do this in the same way as you created your land mass. Create a new layer called "Built-up Area" and arrange it in between the layers "Land" and "Rivers".
Infrastructure:
We're now ready to put in main infrastructure. Making infrastructure looks similar to making rivers. However, I apply an useful trick to make the lines look better really fast.:

  • Create two or three layers (depending on colour scheme and style) for the motorways. Call these layers "Motorway_0", "Motorway_1", etc. These layers are arranged just above the "Rivers"-layer. Order these layers that the highest indexed layer is on top.
  • Create two or three layers for main roads. Call these "MainRoads_0", "MainRoads_1", etc. Note that "MainRoads_0" is arranged just beneath "Motorway_0", "MainRoads_1" just below "Motorways_1", etc.
  • Repeat this for other road classes.
  • Create one or two layers Called "Railroads_#". These are arranged on top of the topmost "Motorway layer"Maak voor de Spoorwegen één of twee lagen aan (afhankelijk van het kleurenschema en stijl dat je kiest) en noem deze "Spoor_0", "Spoor_1" enzovoort.
  • Select the layer "Motorways_0" and draw all motorways. All layers indexed with 0, I'll call them base layers.
  • Repeat the steps for all other road classes.
  • Make the lines thick and .
  • Now here's the trick: select one of the base layers and select everything from that layer (CTRL+A). Then copy this layer (CTRL+C), select the corresponding layer above this layer (i.e. "Motorways_1") and paste in place (CTRL+SHIFT+V). Make this line thinner and give it another colour (and possibly another striping pattern.
  • Repeat this until you've filled every layer for every infrastructure type.
  • Presto, you have multi-layered infrastructure lines!
For inspiration, here are some colour schemes you could use for your infrastructure (text is in dutch, sorry about that):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Fkaarten_wegen_kleurenschemas.png&hash=e22036b38ec978f36ff27b5fd6c9c4fe1f70b274)

The result for now will look like this (small detail: I also added a border and area names):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Fthumb%2Fkaartardeimsolwezie2.png_thumb.jpg&hash=8d6a6efa6f5cf3c0a74344ba134bd5dfd327eef7) (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/mrtnrln/OtherStuff/kaartardeimsolwezie2.png)

Stay tuned for Part 3

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: Kitsune on February 02, 2013, 10:45:13 AM
This looks fantastic! Is that map available anywhere?


Thanks! You can pick the map up here (http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/27821-petropavlovsk-kamchatsky-a-home-for-the-sim-navy/)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: rambuckel on February 02, 2013, 11:29:18 AM
Noah, Robin, Mandelsoft, and all other participants in this project,

I'm really curious about this project! I've discovered it a few days ago and I didn't find time to respond for whatever reason :) However this was a very promising project by the time I first discovered it and the first pictures and the map indeed came up to my expectations ... actually I didn't expect anything else  ;D And the mapping - tutorial is extraordinary!!!!!!!

I'm still curious :)

Theresa

Hello Theresa, I'm really happy we have your curiousity, now we just have to find a way to keep it.

-Robin

Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: MandelSoft on February 02, 2013, 03:16:42 PM
So, I may be hijacking this thread for now, but this will be the final part of my mapping tutorial. I think it will be of great use for quite some people. After that, I'll hand the stage back again to Noah and Robin ;)



Creating maps in InkScape
Part 3: Administrative subdivisions, route shields and area names

We now going to "decorate our" map with subdivisions, route shields and area names.

Borders
Creating borders is relatively easy:

  • Create a new layer called "Borders". It's arranged on top of all infrastructure layers, but underneath all name and symbol layers.
  • Select either the Free Hand or Node Draw[/i] Tool and draw the borders, just like you did with roads and rivers.
  • Go to the Stroke style tab and give the lines a striping pattern (which one is your choice). It's advised to make the lines somewhat transparent too.
  • That's it. It's that simple.
Cutting your land into pieces
Now we going to divide the map in subdivisions. This is a bit harder, but with the pictures below, I can explain an appropriate method for this:

  • If you haven't unhidden the "Land"-layer, unhide it.
  • Create a new layer called "Provinces" (or counties, states, municipalities or whatever fits). This one is arranged just above the "Land"-layer.
  • Copy the borders from the previous step to this new layer (figure 1)
  • Start with the outer territories. Extend the border so it encloses the whole area. (figure 2)
  • Copy the land mass from the "Land" layer to the "Provinces"-layer. Select the recently extenderd border and the land mass, go to the menu "Object" and select "Combine, overlap" (CTRL+*). Give this area another colour (and disable the stroke colour. The result can be seen in figure 3
  • Repeat the previous steps for all other "free laying" territoria (figure 4).
  • With enclosed territoria, things get a little harder. Do the same when making a not enclosed territorium (figure 5 and 6), but you also copy the surrounding territoria. Select the terretorium you want to cut to size and one of the just copied surrounding territoria. Go to the menu "Object" and select "Exclude" (CTRL+"-") (figure 7).
  • Repeat the steps for all remaining territoria
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Finkscapekaarttutorial08.png&hash=5f5f2e7245171028494cfe02f691cdbb12e56365)

Area names
  • Create a new layer called "Area names". This will be the very top layer.
  • Make a text box and type in the name of the area. Make sure it's placed on a location where it's easy to read and it doesn't overlap other names or important stuff.
  • Make the name semitransparent. Black text and a white stroke give a nice effect.
  • Repeat the previous steps
Route shields
Are also relatively easy to make, although it depends on the design you choose. You can use a simple rectangle with a number on it, or you can make a complex route shield. You can design your own shields or you can pick one design from Wikimedia Commons. Below are a few examples you can find in the real world:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Frouteshields_1.png&hash=95f3ce186f369ecaee4a2f32d3df95c52aef1bc6)

Here's an overview of different routeshields used on a geofiction website I'm member of, Atlantisgeo.nl:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FBewegwijzering%2Frouteschildjes_atlantis.png&hash=0bb70bc448485d50f081b8bb0ce429159d94d967)

A route shield has two basic elements: a background (shape and colour) and a print. I will use this terminology for every type of route shield, disregarding the design (except the British ones; these don't have a background, they are text only with a distinctive font or colour).

  • Create a new layer called "Route Shields". This layer is arranged on top of all layer with the exception of city symbols and name layers. It's advised to make a separate layer for each route type.
  • Pick a shield background from your choice.
  • Type in the text. Make sure the text alignment is set to "Center".
    TIP: If you want to use a real sign font, search the internet for "Font download" and one of the following terms: "Transport", "DIN1451" (love this font!), "Tratex", "Highway Gothic", "Clearview", "Roadgeek 2005" or "SNV".
  • Center the text in the shield.
  • Group text and shield background. You can do this by selecting both objects and use the "G" key. You can ungroup objects with SHIFT+"G", but you can always open groups by triple-clicking on them.
  • Move the routeshield to the rightful spot.
  • Copy the routeshield and change the route number when necessary, and repeat this and the previous step until you're done

The result:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FOtherStuff%2Fthumb%2Fkaartardeimsolwezie.png_thumb.jpg&hash=7138046b2c559985d1b976ecd8e2a48c7166db91) (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/mrtnrln/OtherStuff/kaartardeimsolwezie.png)

Anyway, that was my map making tutorial. I hope I've teached you some of the basics of InkScape with this tutorial!

Best,
Maarten

For a tutorial of this quality...you can hijack our thread any time you want.  Great work Maarten, again a huge thank you for this.  I will most certainly be using this program and you tutorial in the very near future.

-Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: MTT9 on February 02, 2013, 09:44:11 PM
Great tutorial Maarten! Now, let's get back to Noah and Robin and see what they'll show us ;)


Always a pleasure to have you here  :thumbsup:  Hopefully more exciting stuff coming soon!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: MandelSoft on February 10, 2013, 02:15:40 PM
So... it has been over a week since the last update and I was wondering: how's progress with the project? I'm just curious ;)


Thanks Maarten! We'll try to do a better job keeping you guys up to date with what's going on  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: M4346 on February 12, 2013, 09:53:33 AM
Quote from: MandelSoft on February 10, 2013, 02:15:40 PM
So... it has been over a week since the last update and I was wondering: how's progress with the project? I'm just curious ;)

Ditto ;D


:D  -N
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: Swordmaster on February 12, 2013, 10:05:44 AM
Don't worry folks, I've simply been telling Noah what he was doing wasn't good enough. Blame me  $%Grinno$%

Update coming soon, though.


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: vortext on February 12, 2013, 10:38:07 AM
Quote from: Swordmaster on February 12, 2013, 10:05:44 AM
Don't worry folks, I've simply been telling Noah what he was doing wasn't good enough. Blame me  $%Grinno$%

Bad Willy. >:(

And I infer you had a preview?! :angrymore:

;D  :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Blank Map & the Delta
Post by: noahclem on February 12, 2013, 11:15:43 AM
Quote from: vortext on February 12, 2013, 10:38:07 AM
Quote from: Swordmaster on February 12, 2013, 10:05:44 AM
Don't worry folks, I've simply been telling Noah what he was doing wasn't good enough. Blame me  $%Grinno$%

Bad Willy. >:(

And I infer you had a preview?! :angrymore:

;D  :D

Hehe, I suppose I can show a recent shot:

click to enlarge
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fpoint.jpg&hash=091c09313b7e49068fba10e671b5b096cc206213)


Willy has been offering a lot of help in tuning the terrain/water/etc textures and settings and that picture is part of the product of that effort. We've actually moved on to some different things and there's been a lot going on behind the scenes, not least Robin's tireless efforts to build a well-fitting plugins folder. More coming very shortly and thank you all for your interest and patience  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Teasing in the Rain
Post by: M4346 on February 12, 2013, 12:37:17 PM
Looking spectacular as always!

Where are the curved SAM from though? I almost exclusively use the asphalt SAM streets but don't have curves :(


Thanks you as always! You can find those curves under the "rural roads" section of the NAM roads menu.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Teasing in the Rain
Post by: rambuckel on February 12, 2013, 01:30:52 PM
Even that single picture was worth waiting! It looks so great! The wales, the eagle, the lonesome fisher ... all composed to a harmonic scenery! Very well done!



Thanks a lot Theresa! Xannepan's new animals have been a lot of fun to play with.

-Noah
Title: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on February 13, 2013, 10:32:29 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fappregioncrop2.jpg&hash=1fbdbaaf67aa9027018d122db27baaf3db0c6613)

We've been quieter than we would like recently but things have actually been quite busy behind the scenes. As I mentioned in the previous post, Robin has been doing a lot of work getting the plugins together while Willy and I have been trying to get the terrain mods and settings perfect. The picture above is the region view of the central part of the region with our best-tuned Appalachian version. Willy, by the way, is now part of the Noro Cooperative and I hope you'll join me in welcoming him!

The most exciting recent development is in the area of our cloud sharing and syncing. Switching from Skydrive to google drive seems to have made this possible for our group without paying a subscription, and with 5GB of free space it should be more than enough for our whole plugins folder and regions folder. We're now trying to decide if it makes most sense to run the game straight from the synced folder or if that's likely to cause problems. Does anyone have any advice or light to shed on that issue?

The other news is that I've redone our region's config.bmp in a way that city borders fit the shorelines and mountains in a way that makes them more playable, and that many cities now border 6 other tiles instead of bordering 4 tiles as they previously did. Willy has also created a numbering system for the new tiles for easier reference. Here's the region as it is now, using Willy's new SC4Mapper colors:

click to enlarge
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FVarious%2Fnoro_numbers_again.jpg&hash=b3d9fbb339b0b54992f59b52cbf3799ee5b13372)


I've prepared a couple mosaics designed to show the terrain experiments we've been doing. I apologize if they're a bit repetitive, but they're primary purpose is to show the terrain work (and of course to let me have a bit of fun with Xannepan's new creatures  ;D ). The first is using our Appalachian settings, shown here with a narrow beach enabled. Willy has replaced the Maxis ocean floor texture with one of the Appalachian textures, vastly improving the look of the shorelines where there are no beaches as well as helping to reduce the jagged edge effect in those areas. Changes have also been made to the terrain mod's tiling factor. The water is Loch Lomond and the beach is Nantucket, both created by Gobias and both LK tiling versions. The rock mod is from the LK starter set, though you can't really see it here.

click to enlarge
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fshoremosaic.jpg&hash=ab9c0865f031f9608dd2402473e92a5e7e215c68)


Here's another view of the Appalachian textures:

click to enlarge
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fappshore.jpg&hash=13c276343a75800174276978b00320ed543471e3)


Since that time I decided I was unhappy with some of the textures from the Appalachian Mod, mainly the look of hills and snowy mountain tops. Applying the same techniques we worked on the Appalachian Mod to the Sudden Valley Mod I ended up with a look like this:

click to enlarge
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fsvmosaic.jpg&hash=a3a3cc6ccf77611d9666481f63aa7f258a08c404)


This is where we're at now and, outside of some minor changes, where I expect us to remain. Beach size can be adjusted as needed (it's eliminated in the previous pic). We hope you enjoyed this little update and look forward to hearing your thoughts  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Teasing in the Rain
Post by: MTT9 on February 13, 2013, 01:01:49 PM
It's nice seeing some movement here! Of course, the waiting was worth it. Really like the new pics :)

Willy will be a great addition to the project (i just hope he still updates PSC as often as he used to).


Glad you liked the pics! We'll try not to distract Willy too much from PSC--Robin and I love it too of course ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Teasing in the Rain
Post by: Shadow Assassin on February 13, 2013, 01:16:46 PM
I like what you guys have been doing here,  and it's always good to see how you're using cloud services to create a collaborative region and hopefully you succeed where others have failed.

5GB may seem like plenty but when the region gets larger and larger, and depending on the size of your plugins folder, you may find yourself sailing past that limit quite quickly. You might have no choice, in the future, but to pay for a Google Drive upgrade.

Anyway as long as you have a local copy which is synced with Drive, I don't see a problem with using the cloud based files during normal gameplay.


Holy crap, we've caught the attention of the great SA?! :D  It's a pleasure to hear from you and I'm glad you like the idea of what we're up to--hopefully things work well for the NORO Cooperative. We'll see how the limit goes, though I think you're right there could eventually be a problem. Thanks for your thoughts Daniel.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative--Teasing in the Rain
Post by: JoeST on February 13, 2013, 01:26:34 PM
Awesome project, *follows*

FYI, you used Su twice on the map (one should be Sw).

I'm thinking of hacking together some form of index/linkfest website that would let you tag/categorize/etc your updates/images/etc with things like the tile they occupy, the update they came from, and other stuff. I've already gone through that map and made a version which link to each tile tag. I've attached it: download and unzip the html file, then open it in your browser. Each tile will link to the fragment associated with it (for example, the incorrect Su tile links to #sw). This can then be made to show the page for that tile. If you want I can build and host such a website, with whatever features you wish.

Regarding the 5GB limit, you could attempt either multiple accounts, or use different services for the different parts. If you each can get 32 people to sign up for dropbox, you can get 16GB free there, or 23 if you get through the 'getting started' stuff.

Joe


Sounds like a really cool project and I really appreciate the offer. I had trouble getting your file to work for me but I'm guessing it's user error :D  That kind of presentation is definitely something to think about. We'll see about the sharing stuff. I'm thinking it may eventually make sense to separate plugins from region or do even more separations at some point. It's so early in the game now that it's hard to say what our eventual needs will be though. Thank you very much!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on February 13, 2013, 02:40:29 PM
Joe, you're talking gibberish man. Wrong tile, I can see no wrong tile. I can send you a pair of glasses if you like. ;)



Quote from: vortext on February 12, 2013, 10:38:07 AMBad Willy. >:(

And I infer you had a preview?! :angrymore:

It's good Willy this time. And you think I'm privileged? I've actually been trying to get rid of this Noah guy who's been stalking me. ;D


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rambuckel on February 14, 2013, 02:16:53 PM
Your combined skills are just admirable! And the results are really stunning! I'm really curious about what you guys will tinker next!!!!!

Haste makes waste. So just keep your time :)


Thanks Theresa :)  Plenty of tinkering to come and I'm very happy you're enjoying things over here. Speaking for myself, I'm trying not to rush into things but I can't help but be in a rush to build and tinker around here ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Tandini on February 14, 2013, 02:50:48 PM
Hi, just discovered this project. I like very much what I see so far. Indeed promising.
A suggestion for the nature preserve: North-east corner of Is, most of he blocks Jq, Lq and Mo, except the main river. Qu, Su, (Sw), Uw might also be candidates for a nature preserve...
Starting to read trough, when I first saw the map on the 1st page, I immediately thought of a skiing area in the north-east of the map, combined with some nature preserves - finding out later, that you're just planning that...
I will follow this project closely!

@Mandelsoft: Great tutorial! I'll keep that in mind...


Welcome to the NORO Cooperative! Thanks for the suggestions. I've also been thinking a nature preserve would be good to have in that southeastern area. In particular Uw seems like a nice place to me. When I was still using our Appalachian terrain mod that area had a beautiful marsh texture that I'm considering trying to import into our version of the Sudden Valley Terrain Mod. The biggest problem for all these low-lying possible nature preserves is good swampy flora, preferably seasonal....

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: j-dub on February 14, 2013, 03:22:21 PM
Darn, looking at the visuals in this MD, versus the more cartoon-tone graphics of the new one, there is no comparisson.


Hehe, no cartoonish looks here! Thanks man!

-Noah
Title: NORO Cooperative: Road plans from Noah
Post by: noahclem on February 15, 2013, 03:38:49 PM
More ideas for the basic region layout plan. I think this process will be easiest if we start with the basic things we're in agreement on and move forward from there. In this pic I've tried to include some of those basics:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fnoro_basicroadplan.jpg&hash=681d476e6ebb5a1d6b60f1f3f19503594b6e5d42)


The road layouts are imprecise but I think in general we can agree roads should go in these places, as most are determined primarily by geography.

1. Road(s) heading north from the center along the river valley. Where the valley widens/forks I figure the road will as well.
2. A road heading south from the center along the coast of the bay. The hills and water dictate pretty precisely where this will have to go. This road would be part of a large system circling the bay between the hills and water.
3. A road heading east from the center along the coast of the bay. Part of the same system as road #2.
4. Roads connecting the east shore road with areas east, probably to a city somewhere around Wr and/or Wy and surroundings. Hills leave us few options for paths here.
5. Road(s) connecting the south shore road with the border and local areas off of the main road there (tile Lw for example).
6. A main road connecting the center to the northeast. Plenty of options for routes as the terrain is not as difficult in this area.
7. A road heading west from the center along the valley ending at As.
8. A road heading southwest from the center along the valley ending at By.
9. A road through the valley between Du and Lu.
10. A road following the line of hills between Fq and Jq, joining the radial routes together.
11. One or more beltway systems around the center. Geography leaves these routes pretty flexible so I didn't include them on the map.
12. An airport somewhere along the river valley north of the city. This is essentially the only area with large areas of very flat land which makes it a fairly obvious place for the airport I think. How far away from the center to build it is a less obvious question....



Going beyond the area's of more likely agreement I made a couple other maps of some more ideas.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fnoro_roadsncitiesideas.jpg&hash=128db8209f9b896aa80be598a20aa3061b2a6b40)
Possible city areas circled in black
Possible nature preserves circled in purple
Possible seaports circled in orange
Possible airport circled in blue

One more.... I find myself fascinated by the possibility of a 5-way motorway interchange on the outskirts of the main city. Talk about something that might require outside ideas--does anyone here have ideas for a 5-way interchange in a suburban environment? (based on NAM 31 publicly planned specs of course, because this won't be built before then)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fnoro_plan3.jpg&hash=b6d90206d779572fac6d57724ce2e474411895ff)

These are just vague and very general ideas. The future is wide open  ()flamdev()

What do you guys think?



NOTE!  The Rs-Us route is cancelled as a major highway due to poor planning (guess who's  ?=mad)= ) and excessive mountains. Instead a primary route is likely to run from Su to Wy. In fact, that route has already been constructed in secrecy as a very minor road--likely (if I'm able to convince you all and my team mates) to eventually become a MHW-override network, aka a Project Symphony route ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MTT9 on February 15, 2013, 08:41:52 PM
Really like this new layouts! I can't wait to see what happens :)


Glad you like them and hopefully they work well. We're still fairly early in the process of planning and Willy has some interesting things planned that will be shared soon.... Thanks!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on February 16, 2013, 01:44:59 AM
All right! I see quite some planning up ahead :thumbsup:


Thanks Maarten! Lots of planning coming indeed. Thanks again for your planning ideas earlier, they've been very helpful.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Shroud on February 16, 2013, 04:56:42 AM
That region map is awesome. This going to be an MD to watch!


Thanks and welcome to the Noro Co-op! We hope you continue to enjoy it and participate here  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on February 16, 2013, 09:10:19 PM
So, planning eh?  ;D


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FVarious%2Fnoro_development_sketch.jpg&hash=683acfa79d73a61b040a4124af7fbe3920b8daf7)


I've always felt a plan needs to communicate feelings rather than just transit setups. Or rather, that the transit layouts will draw themselves after how the structure of the metro area is laid out. This is hardly any different from what Noah posted but it employs a different strategy.

So what we need to know first is:

     1/ an idea of scale and size;
     2/ an idea of density and development patterns;
     3/ an idea of basic economics, preferably with some historical thought as well.

You can draw lines of motorways and railways but why exactly are they there? Which one was first and has historical pre-eminence? How did transit affect development and vice versa?

Don't worry folks, we don't need to get down in the details of all of this too much. But you'll want to end up with a coherent and harmonious urban area, or at least something that makes sense in a realistic way. (Or however we perceive reality, of course.) The building will be twice as fun then.

This kind of planning also has the advantage of conjuring up mental images of how an area will look like. At the same time it forces you to think about historical development, which in turn will draw the road & rail map for you.

So this map is just a rough sketch of how I feel the geography lends itself to certain setups. If I were to build this map, I would cluster all the major economic hotspots and older parts of the city around the central river valley. Then more recent sprawl areas radiate from that along the highways. With "Secondary Cities" I mean commercial centers with medium density development (think White Plains). Inner cities are R$ mid or high density, optionally with public housing projects. Sprawl and middle class areas are low density by definition. Note: I'm not talking about architectural style or which kind of plugins here; just density and function.


This is a basic rail map I think would make sense in that environment:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FVarious%2Fnoro_rail_sketch2.jpg&hash=bc4913c9e3de02a3994764f9cc15cf5fe74b576a)



Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rambuckel on February 17, 2013, 02:15:18 AM
Wow, impressing plans that you have. And I guess we can look forward to hundreds or even thousands of brilliant pictures!

I'm very curious!

I'm glad we have you curious. There will be a lot to see soon enough. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on February 17, 2013, 10:01:57 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)


So I guess it's my turn now.  Here is my vision/thoughts.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi278.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fkk83%2Frooker1%2FMindScape%2Fnoro_RobinVision5000_zpsb9655edd.jpg&hash=c7a41bedb79fef9f0104100d556b77213dad194e)

I'm not sure why my Photobucket account keeps changing my 5000x5000 image to 1024x1024.
This also my first attempt at InkScape while using Maarten's Tutorial.  I think I still need some practise. ::)

Robin :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MTT9 on February 17, 2013, 11:51:35 AM
Seams like the three of you are getting to a unite idea for the general layout. I'll stay tuned :)

We are on the same page for sure as we have been having very indepth conversation everyday now for a few weeks.  I hope you enjoy. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Shroud on February 18, 2013, 05:26:14 AM
I love the map btw. That river delta looks amazing.

We are glad you like the map as much as we do.  If you go to the first post you see the link to the map. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on February 19, 2013, 01:53:39 PM
Some developments on the cooperative/cloud end of things recently that we think could be interesting to you.

There are a number of potential difficulties sharing a region like this. The most obvious problem is if two people are editing a tile at the same time. Additionally, the way the game's simulator works, whenever a tile is saved all surrounding tiles are saved. This is how neighbor connections and region demand are passed throughout the region. Because of this we must take care not only to not play the same tile at the same time, but to not play tiles separated by less than two other tiles at the same time.

Additionally there seems to be a risk of corrupted files when more than one person is making changes to the region at the same time. To mitigate those risks we've decided it's best to play the region not directly from the shared cloud folder but from ones within our own computers.

Our plan now is to open up a new thread in our private board (yes, there's a super-secret extra level of the noro cooperative  $%#Ninj2 ) where anyone of us wanting to play a tile will need to make a post "checking it out", along with all neighboring tiles. After playing, the user will need to upload all affected tiles back to the cloud and make another post noting the changes made to the shared region folder and the new availability of the area. Whenever an upload post is made everyone should update their region folders to reflect the changes.

We've asked Tage/Ripplejet for a bit of help, trying to confirm that things will indeed work the way we think they will. We've not heard back from him yet but will have more confidence in the plan once we have.

The main other work lately here has been sorting out the rail network style plans: diesel vs. electric and maximum slope being the primary questions. The current thinking is an all diesel freight network, operated on completely separated tracks from the passenger systems. The target maximum slope for rails is a 2% grade, which corresponds to a slope of about 1.33 in SC4 terms, taking into account vertical distortion from SC4's projection system of about 30%. Pretty realistic but not so easy--it takes the length of almost an entire large tile to rise 100 meters, and the NORO region is not so flat. The very tentative plan is for the passenger/commuter rail systems to be electrified with a bit less strict of a slope target. We've also confirmed we'll be blocking all Maxis lots.

Sorry, no pictures for today  $%Grinno$%
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: sunv123 on February 19, 2013, 02:37:52 PM
I personally love the idea of the rundown part of the inner city. :thumbsup: I have a ton of ideas for it, as i am thinking back about my recent trip to the Bronx/Manhattan island.

Can't wait to hear more about the situation. :thumbsup:

P.S. It's great to hear that it's going to be Maxis Free. :D

We would love to hear your ideas as indepth as you would like, please. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on February 21, 2013, 02:04:38 PM
What are you guys' thoughts on nomenclature? I assume we'll want to involve the SE Canada/NE America theme. In those areas there are a bunch of traditional English/Canadian/American names, as well as a number of Native American named features. One other thing I've considered is incorporating some names related to the real-life location of the NORO project in Kamchatka. More importantly, I've been thinking that all tile/city names should be prefaced by their coordinate letters/numbers. For example Whale Inlet would be titled "Uu Whale Inlet". This will make it much easier for us as we upload our changed tiles (with their surroundings) back to the cloud.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on February 21, 2013, 03:47:46 PM
I have seen this thread in the list of recent posts, but I didn't know what it was. Now that I have taken a look, I'll find time to go through it from the beginning.

This looks like it will be very interesting...
-Joan


Thanks Joan.  I hope you'll be able to find time to go through it all and keep up to date in the future. I can see us speeding along very soon as we are just about set up to start. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Badsim on February 28, 2013, 09:23:13 AM
Hey there ! What are you doing ?  ()what()

Ambitious project ...  how to be not excited ? While 3RR is  down , while a coming casual game pretends to catch our attention  , and not only our money , we really need something of that vein . Thank you !  &apls &apls &apls

Cédric.

Hey right back at you.  Good to see you in here.  We would love to hear your thoughts on our little project.  We hope you really enjoy it. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 02, 2013, 09:07:54 AM
 Some more developments that we think could be interesting to you.

The Plugins folder is now about 98% ready to go.  I have done my usual super organised folder setup, but this time they include pictures for now until we all become accustom.  The plugins folder is as of right now 4.16GB and has 8,768 files in 1,703 folders.  And this doesn't include the size of the new NAM, which we still need to collectively discuss what options we are going to go with.  With this size we may need two Google Drive accounts. ;)

We will be using CAM to promote even growth but we plan to use a money cheat when necessary.  Maybe as the cities and or towns become sizable and more stable so will the the income be in the black.  The only other cheat we may use will be to increase the radius of certain civics.  We may want a large hospital or fire station to cover more area than they do now.  Possible even schools in smaller towns may need a wider bus radius.  We will be trying to make realistic city layouts as best we can.

We have had our discusion with Tage (Ripplejet) and preformed a few tests to be sure, but only the immediate tiles next to the tile you are playing (in) are affected by game save.  So several people can play the region at the same time provided they are more than two tiles away from each other.  To make things a lot easier for us our great friend wouanagaine has made us a very nice program that will help us out with who has what tile and how close we can come to each other.  We will still use the Private Sign out and in thread to start the process so that no two people will be trying to start a tile while someone else may be doing the same thing.  At the end of game play the person will sign the tile back in and upload the affected game save files so others are always up to date before they play.

As for nomenclature we have decided to go with the prefix before the tiles official name.  This just makes more sense as it will be much easier for us all to find the tiles.

We will be going with a separate freight and passenger rail lines.  We still need to figure out their skins and whether or not the passenger rails will be electrified or not.

We are also talking about what other modds will be needed, such as train, tram, police, fire and ambulance skins.  Snow capp height, although  I think we have nailed our terrain and water modds.  I think we may work on or tweak a tree controller for our region as I think there will be a lot of trees. ::)

I believe once we have the NAM options worked out, we will be ready to start play, most likely next week.

Sorry no pictures today.

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: epicblunder on March 02, 2013, 06:26:16 PM
Quote from: rooker1 on March 02, 2013, 09:07:54 AM
I think we may work on or tweak a tree controller for our region as I think there will be a lot of trees. ::)

I don't know how much tree controller experience you guys have but if you want some pointers at any point i can offer some input, and i'm sure vortext will be glad to give you his $.02

Building separate freight and passenger rail lines (and keeping them non-intersecting) is fun, i look forward to all this rail goodness that's sure to come.

Now hurry up and get building!    :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on March 02, 2013, 09:06:52 PM
No no, hurry up and wait :D  Both Noah and I have got some RL business these days, so it's all Robin talking to himself mostly ;D   However, this project is getting a lot more exciting than what shows up at the surface -- more details soon.

In the mean time, make an exercise for yourself and think about what it would entail to play SC4 in a real "multiplayer" way, without ruining your game. Not just shoving around city tiles through a cloud server, but really building simultaneously on different tiles in the region. Think about neighbor connections, demand, save files, plugins, the whole thing.

Yes, it's really exciting because we think this may end up working perfectly. ;)


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 05, 2013, 06:14:47 PM
Outside Robin's comfort zone.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

Thanks everyone for your patience.  It may seem like not much is going on here but I can tell you that we have been very, very busy in the back ground.
First off I would like to welcome a new member to The NORO Team.  Without him we would be stuck doing a ton of work every time someone wanted to take thier turn playing.  This person is one of our best programers in the SC4 Community today.  He once counted to infinity twice.......he walked into a room one time with Mr. T and the room immediatley exploded because it couldn't hold in the awesomeness!  This person is none other than wouanagaine.  Now the Team consists of rooker1, Noahclem, swordmaster and wouanagaine.  The team will still most likely grow in the future, but for now this will be it until we have at least several game turns accomplished between us all.
Noah was the first to go ingame and do some experimenting and even showed off some pictures.  But I am the first to go in after our plugins have been about 98% completed and actually use our logging system.  Everything so far looks like it is going as we expect and we don't see any problems yet.  Hopefully we won't run into any.

So I do have a few pics to show off.  This is my interpetation of a small camping scene along side a river.  Slightly outside my comfort zone.  Please enjoy and give all the feed back you can.

Click on picture to see full size.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNoropolis-Sep1001362533598_zps5aff5b53.jpg&hash=926e50f0301f1722b1ca2495abe8bcfbeec6c8a3)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNoropolis-Sep1001362533566_zpse0dc60ed.jpg&hash=d15a2fe707b6126028c86b8a9da089d331308fdf)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNoropolis-Sep1001362533546_zps63e5f015.jpg&hash=5a334fb14fb5b194a85702caab00ac9a611e8719)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNoropolis-Sep1001362533390_zps214504ae.jpg&hash=d7dd9110a07a0a2af8c27a582982085c5a7154b0)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNoropolis-%253Cbr%2520%2F%253ESep1001362533379_zpsabcd0373.jpg&hash=81037825d05b5dc948c2ed375f1eaba38ee0dcef)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNoropolis-Sep1001362533366_zps51ccefe5.jpg&hash=ec497a9f57077746c4948be7e84bccf021e4f6a5)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNoropolis-Sep1001362533351_zps1be0d341.jpg&hash=17fdb3c9037502df3e3470ebac20f42bb17471b0)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNoropolis-Sep1001362533333_zps68ef18bb.jpg&hash=a64c5398a6a38ed6776064cb71c5f27e72422b74)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNoropolis-Sep1001362533598_zps5aff5b53.jpg&hash=926e50f0301f1722b1ca2495abe8bcfbeec6c8a3)

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on March 05, 2013, 08:24:16 PM
Robin, I hope you never return to your comfort zone. This is a good a scenery as I've seen anywhere.

Crazy thought - on the day of SimCity 2013's release we're doing multiplayer in SC4. I went into the tile Robin edited and there I was, no problems whatsoever.


Proof:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2Fnoro_mp_test.jpg&hash=1cd0caa8eda31431d0f910f84ac301b592c6024f)


Cheers
Willy

Thanks a lot Willy.  I for one have no intentions of playing the new game.  I am more than happy with the one we have now.  And just for the record, I may return to this zone again.....outside my comfort zone.  ;) - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MTT9 on March 05, 2013, 09:26:05 PM
This is amaizing guys! Hope to see more soon :)

Thanks Matt.  I think you all should start to see more progress now.  I believe we have just about everything set up for game play.  Hope to hear all your ideas and comments once we really get going. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: JoeST on March 05, 2013, 11:03:13 PM
Awww man, that's just awesome!

Thanks Joe.  BTW, great to see you around again, especially in here.  Glad you like it.  -Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 06, 2013, 01:27:25 AM
Amazing pictures Robin!!love this idea of SC4 as a multiplayer game :thumbsup:

Thanks a lot.  I have always liked the idea of multi playing SC4, I hope we can show it off well. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Badsim on March 06, 2013, 01:19:08 PM
Hi my friends ,

Quote from: Badsim on February 28, 2013, 09:23:13 AM

.....

Hey right back at you.  Good to see you in here.  We would love to hear your thoughts on our little project.  We hope you really enjoy it. - Robin

Well , I would be not good at planning with such a huge map , so , more than the project in a whole , that's  rather about ingame pictures to come that I'll comment . The latest are wonderful , nice use of MMPs ...  &apls

I personally have resized Vnaoned's trees ( 0.8 ) since their upload but , finally , they look rather good  mixed with Antoine's other flora used there . Don't plop too much of these Orange_o_' seasonal Narcissus , they're overscaled with a wrong seasonal MODing ... and Antoine is gonna upload a new set with his standard quality ( Is it enough said ?  ;D ) and a better MMP MODing ( they will be invisble during falls and winters just like in RL ) in the coming days , it would a pity to have to use the bulldozer all around ... isn't it ? ( and you couldn't do otherwise ; this is excellence that is expected and has started  here . :P )


Congratulations to both of you ; that's a dream team .  :satisfied:


Cédric.

Good to hear from you, Cedric and that you are interested.  We all look forward to hearing your views. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on March 06, 2013, 01:52:47 PM
Quote from: Swordmaster on March 05, 2013, 08:24:16 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2Fnoro_mp_test.jpg&hash=1cd0caa8eda31431d0f910f84ac301b592c6024f)

Very good campers. 6-8 months later, they place the tent in the same spot and in the same way :D


Great updates, guys.

And they wear the same clothes  ... ??? ~ Wouanagaine
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on March 06, 2013, 02:13:38 PM
Fantastic campsite and MMPing Robin. &apls

This project is really exciting.
This style of cooperative multiplayer seems very interesting and fun. Each person can contribute with their ideas, construct the region and improve his style seeing how others play.
Moreover, the region has many posiibilitats to combine different aspects of sc4.
One thing I'd like to get someday on the SC4  is a consistent region with the capital, several towns and villages along the coast and the mountains,  with natural and agricultural areas.  That's the goal in my region, but that takes a long time and not sure if it'll get someday ( RL can change its course) . I see that with your project  you can achieve this with less than 3 or 4 years $%Grinno$%
If after some months of experience with multiplayer you accept more people, I will be here. :)

We picked this map for all the potential that we saw in it and I'm sure it will take a very ong time to even come close to filling it in any way.  I'm glad to hear your interest in helping out.  Maybe sooner than later we may take you up on your offer. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on March 06, 2013, 04:45:49 PM
Great screen grabs, Robin. And I think congratulations are in order here. You guys have built a dream team, and in doing so, you've made the Cooperative get very exciting.

Happy cooperating... ;)
-Joan


Thank you very much Joan.  There are some very interesting people on board so far, but I think we may see some more in the near future.  And so far it has been very exciting. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 10, 2013, 12:34:04 PM
Caption this picture...


click for full size
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fclifftopsummer.jpg&hash=7b1b6beb472bf6d17ebb5b191404d6e3a90ea218)

Perhaps a small reward could be in order?

Taken from tile Ty


Bonus pictures....  (click to enlarge)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Feveningfirez5.jpg&hash=a7c1f84c2442e9f17ffcf39370e2d2acca67ef2b)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fclifffog.jpg&hash=40f05c1dd64bd63d2b09bb6eb7b3cf505ff53ae0)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on March 10, 2013, 12:36:46 PM
Waoh waow waoh, he's there with all those bears? Must be a courageous man! :D

I like the foggy picture, we can really see the cliff.

Also sorry, can't think of any caption.


Thanks Arthur! I think the man is unaware of the bears  :D

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Girafe on March 10, 2013, 12:40:23 PM
Is it time for sausages?  :P

Good job with flora & fauna  ;)


Sausages sound great! Thanks Antoine  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kbieniu7 on March 10, 2013, 01:07:22 PM
That foggy shot is AWSOME!   ;)


Thanks a lot!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on March 10, 2013, 02:15:35 PM
These photos are stunningly beautiful, but I would expect nothing less from any of you. Both of the cliff photos look great, but for some reason, the first one is a favorite by a slim margin. The foggy one certainly has its good points – the photo angle is quite dramatic - it's just that I tend to favor the more colorful scenes.

Now I'll try to dream up a caption. Can we submit more than one?
-Joan



Thanks a lot Joan and I'm very glad you liked the pictures! Submit all you like, though your first won't be easily topped  :D

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on March 10, 2013, 03:13:49 PM
Oh my! Those MMPs! Well done, these pics look awesome! Part of me wonders when you're going to show the first city pics...

About the caption, how about: "Camping in the Wild, a bit too wild..."


Thanks very much Maarten and nice suggestion  :thumbsup:  I'm also wondering when city pictures are coming. Developing a great plugins folder, not to mention figuring out how to best do the multiplayer stuff and planning the region have taken time and while we couldn't do the big stuff before those things were figured out we can do some of this rural work. I'm hoping to get started on building an actual town as soon as I can!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on March 10, 2013, 03:37:02 PM
I fear for the safety of whoever's doing that gliding over the cliff and water.  I'm not sure if the risky gliding's more dangerous or if camping with "da bears" might be.  Nice work on the woods, you two (and any others involved).

&apls


Hehe, yeah pretty dangerous area really! I'd rather be hang gliding but I think the bears might be safer ;)  Thanks!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kitsune on March 10, 2013, 04:46:41 PM
I dont even think I could stay in a tent that close to a cliff   :o


Oh they're still 30m/100' away, though the cliff is exceptionally high ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on March 10, 2013, 06:34:22 PM
Caption: Bear with me.



:D  -Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on March 10, 2013, 06:48:22 PM
Quote from: Jmouse on March 10, 2013, 06:34:22 PM
Caption: Bear with me.


:D

Very good.


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on March 10, 2013, 07:23:51 PM
Quote from: Jmouse on March 10, 2013, 06:34:22 PM
Caption: Bear with me.


Okay, if there was a pool to choose the caption, I have to say this one would be on top from a very large step.

Good one Joan! Made me laugh.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Shadow Assassin on March 10, 2013, 09:21:57 PM
"Look, Yogi, it's dinner time!"

That's good, too.


Nice one Daniel   :D

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on March 11, 2013, 05:26:48 AM
The third pic! :o

Though all are stunning really, great job! Joan's caption made me lol, too.


Thanks a lot Erik! #3 was a fun one to put together  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on March 11, 2013, 06:41:17 AM
Bbqlol, wow!  $%Grinno$%  The laughter I suffered over that caption was almost unbearable.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Diggis on March 11, 2013, 06:44:44 AM
Quote from: noahclem on March 10, 2013, 12:34:04 PM
Caption this picture...


click for full size
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fclifftopsummer.jpg&hash=7b1b6beb472bf6d17ebb5b191404d6e3a90ea218)


I don't have to be faster than the bears... just faster than you!


Perfect  :D   -Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 11, 2013, 02:08:41 PM
Thanks and love the ideas everyone  :thumbsup:

Bringing them together we have:


Camping in the Wild, a bit too wild...Mandelsoft
Bear with me.Jmouse
"Look, Yogi, it's dinner time!"Shadow Assassin
I don't have to be faster than the bears... just faster than you!     Diggis


We'll have to figure out a fun way to resolve the competition--which for now remains open  :thumbsup:


In the mean time I wanted to show that NORO experiences more seasons than just summer and fall  :satisfied:

click for full size
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fwinterclifftopcloud.jpg&hash=c2a2f73e69cab800432709cfc2443a51536b1685)


Thanks for your continued support  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 11, 2013, 02:20:47 PM
Very nice Noah and Robin!!! &apls amazing stuff!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Terring7 on March 11, 2013, 02:42:02 PM
With all those beautiful pictures, why I should buy the new Simcity? $%Grinno$%

As about the caption, let me use a phrase we use often here in Greece. The phrase is "cliff in front of us and stream behind us" (μπρος γκρεμός και πίσω ρέμα) and we use it to describe situations in which we are stuck in 2 equally bad situations. So we can make the caption as "cliff in front of us and bears behind us" (μπρος γκρεμός και πίσω αρκούδες) ;D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 12, 2013, 02:54:58 AM
Anyone else with some more captions? 
We'll let this run for another 12 hours and than I'll put together a voting poll.

My caption...
"Hey Booboo.....Picinic baskets or people?"

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kbieniu7 on March 12, 2013, 04:38:18 AM
"Smokey is watching you"  ;D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 12, 2013, 06:25:40 PM
The poll is now ready to vote.

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on March 12, 2013, 08:10:23 PM
You may have been wondering, is this guy involved again? Why, he's everywhere! Sorry for that; anyway don't worry - I have to behave because Robin's watching ;D

But I did do some tricks here and there, including looking over Vortext's tree controller. I love it. It's one of the best things you can download off the LEX - and there's quite a bit on there. We picked the Coast Extended controller because it gives a nice, full brush all over the place. We like trees. (Uh, right guys?)

That doesn't mean I agree with the flora selection. (You know me :D)  I tweaked it a little to get some more Girafe material on the shore, not that it's perfect now, but. . . well you be the judge. The following pics are made with the tree controller only. No MMPing whatsoever involved. Overall this took me only a couple minutes to do.


Larger version (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/swm666/NORO/01/img0000.jpg)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2F01%2Fimg0000_pr.jpg&hash=581e0fb6e567956f3e858c6ca0538cf3fce3c24c)


Larger version (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/swm666/NORO/01/img0001.jpg)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2F01%2Fimg0001_pr.jpg&hash=7672fc9482826861757380ec7d09e55ab05fa05b)


Larger version (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/swm666/NORO/01/img0002.jpg)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2F01%2Fimg0002_pr.jpg&hash=c5c70e335fff18871f47ab4acca7c09c07630bd0)


Larger version (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/swm666/NORO/01/img0003.jpg)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2F01%2Fimg0003_pr.jpg&hash=7247ed96ec121a8d1c12ba277311521430235247)


There used to be PEG weeds in place of the bushes and cattails here. Not like very much. I probably messed up the clustering, but shorelines usually need some MMP detail anyway.

Larger version (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/swm666/NORO/01/img0004.jpg)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2F01%2Fimg0004_pr.jpg&hash=7f150a9104cc7a777ff5fa4fa3c540ffeba1dc58)


Larger version (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/swm666/NORO/01/img0005.jpg)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2F01%2Fimg0005_pr.jpg&hash=a8a0723f412212a56a2cdcdd542da5934dd3961c)


Larger version (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/swm666/NORO/01/img0006.jpg)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2F01%2Fimg0006_pr.jpg&hash=307a7c2d188e6be003905568f588d3d94447ec0e)


Larger version (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/swm666/NORO/01/img0007.jpg)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2F01%2Fimg0007_pr.jpg&hash=6969d079994132ea49d1663c9b08c51f47ac4fec)


Have fun everyone.


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on March 12, 2013, 08:27:29 PM
This looks awesome, Willy. And no MMPs? Incredible!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: FrankU on March 13, 2013, 03:15:39 AM
Impressive!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 13, 2013, 04:47:07 AM
For anyone who has not already checked out vortext's new tree controller, should!  Best tree controller ever!
Great job Willy on the tweaking.  I would like to see some more dead trees in there, but maybe those can just be MMP'd afterwards.

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on March 13, 2013, 06:55:18 AM
Thanks for the kind words Willy and Robin! Glad to hear and see you guys are enjoying them! 

And Joan, that's right, no mmps! In fact, that's the very reason I made them. Seasonal flora is wonderfull but the manual labor involved to get something resembling a forest, erm yeah, not so much. Not to mention the time it takes. So instead I spend a ridiculous amount of time tweaking controllers . .  ::)  :D

Anyhow, I wonder when we get to see the first glimpses of civilization around here! Camping is fun but surely, one has to return home some time, right?!  ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rambuckel on March 13, 2013, 12:32:27 PM
Awesome!!! I should have commented earlier but I was busy with real life house building. I really adore what you're doing ... thanks for sharing!

- Theresa
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on March 13, 2013, 07:58:47 PM
Quote from: vortext on March 13, 2013, 06:55:18 AM
And Joan, that's right, no mmps! In fact, that's the very reason I made them. Seasonal flora is wonderfull but the manual labor involved to get something resembling a forest, erm yeah, not so much. Not to mention the time it takes. So instead I spend a ridiculous amount of time tweaking controllers . .  ::)  :D

I am glad we have so many talented members who can keep the rest of us supplied with awesome custom content. :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 16, 2013, 10:48:18 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

Just to prove we are still playing.  Actually we are all playing now.....all four of us in different parts of the region.  We have no major issues with Google Drive so far.  Everything is going according to plan and we are doing a lot of planning in the background.

Still outside my comfort zone but even I am please with my own work this time.

Click on the picture to view full size.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Frooker1%2FSC4%2Flq-sep._1__031363454995.jpg&hash=b01db0d1b9075f99a152c2ca7e07cddd76fb3995)

Tell me what you think, please.
Robin :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: sunv123 on March 16, 2013, 11:27:58 AM
Nice work there, Robin. :thumbsup:

It looks great, maybe a little more Pampas Grass in the Cattails and vise versa would make it look even better. ;)

Stay out of your comfort zone. :D

Thanks a lot, I'll give that a try.  I am new at this. ;) - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 16, 2013, 02:20:36 PM
Quote from: sunv123 on March 16, 2013, 11:27:58 AM
Stay out of your comfort zone. :D

I agree--great work Robin  &apls  I'd love to see the summer version.

Thanks Noah.  Ask and ye shall recieve. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on March 16, 2013, 02:34:14 PM
Great works you guys are showing.  :thumbsup:

Thanks a lot Arne.  I think I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on March 16, 2013, 03:41:21 PM
Looks good to me, Robin. Maybe you should start making scenes like this your new comfort zone.


Thanks Joan.  You think I should make this my new comfort zone?  I may try a mix of my old and new zones.  ;) - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on March 16, 2013, 03:47:24 PM
Lovely little scene, Robin. The rocks, cattails and trees all bend together really well. :)

Thank Arthur.  I'm trying my best to mix together everything.  Everyone my be surprised that today I destroyed the entire area.  I didn't like what I saw and redid it all.  I have been at it for most of the day now....about 6 hours or so.  Time flies when you are very busy. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 16, 2013, 05:12:55 PM
Well done Robin &apls

Thanks a lot! - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 16, 2013, 05:19:28 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

A few more pics of the area in different lights and seasons.

Click to view full size.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Frooker1%2FSC4%2Flq-oct._16__161363476814.jpg&hash=8fdaca27096fbae8c5e0708f0a1ccc20d74394b5)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Frooker1%2FSC4%2Flq-oct._24__031363476264.jpg&hash=f53372768982218cdb89b47f5d8abdfef76fa65a)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Frooker1%2FSC4%2Flq-dec._20__031363476299.jpg&hash=30d36c10aa5509eef332730ea2a299ca3d634f56)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Frooker1%2FSC4%2Flq-may._12__041363476343.jpg&hash=c327012aaeccee03b66ee9334ae8804253e8c721)

I am beginning to realize it's not me that is making these great scenes, it's the brushes.  A big thanks to all that have made all these MMPs lately.  It makes our lives so much easier to make scnes like these!

Robin :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: nbvc on March 16, 2013, 11:06:48 PM
Fantastic landscapes. &apls

Thanks, after seeing some of your work, it means a lot. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Terring7 on March 17, 2013, 03:12:11 AM
Beautiful and peaceful pictures :)

That was my goal.....beutiful and peaceful, thanks for stopping by. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on March 17, 2013, 04:38:18 AM
Oh my, that flora is just simply awesome! I'm speechless!

Thanks a lot.  I think I am getting better.  It definitley doesn't take me as long any more. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 17, 2013, 10:44:31 AM
Lovely pictures again Robin  &apls  I'm so happy with the way the water looks.


I've been playing the tile Iu, focusing initially on building a motorway through the tile along the route we've agreed upon. The ridge at the northern end of the tile was a bit higher than we realized (about 420m elevation at the lowest point of the top) so the building has been a bit challenging. Our slope mod for highways is set to 5, equivalent to a bit over a 6% grade taking into account the game's vertical scale distortion, but by curving the highway and making a cut for the road at the top I was able to build the road in a way I'm happy with. I've implemented it as Symphony but the layout is designed to make it possible to eventually upgrade to RHW6/8-C. Not sure if we'll ever want to do that but it's good to keep our options open.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fiuroadsummer.jpg&hash=787402ce0fc55fb013c195a5976bc4ee724bc106)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fiuroadfall.jpg&hash=fbf4e651f6cbe4e86f2342d48a0241ebb6dc00cc)


Here are the overview shots:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fiuroadoverview.jpg&hash=61a21ed66a6b4fca5f5759cb76a6e8feed534e7f)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fiuz1.jpg&hash=21bb8feee6ab7883cc402b4b3a3a00fdd1d7e56c)


These scenes are MMP-free, all trees are courtesy of Vortext's tree controllers with Willy's tweaks. Perhaps I'm beating a dead horse but I just can't say enough good things about his work. Love it.

The plan is for there to be two interchanges in Iu. I've been wobbling back and forth on the first interchange between various types of parclo, diamond, and more complicated interchanges. Your suggestions are more than welcome and you can see one of my ideas in the overview pictures. Here is another idea:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Finterchange.jpg&hash=c4e2c35f538d331d6819f76a9433d30622b19941)

If you like our slopes you're welcome to try out our slope mod, which you can get from here (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/63816881/~NORO_TunnelAndSlopeMod.dat)

Happy St. Patrick's Day  :party:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on March 17, 2013, 12:09:39 PM
Nice stuff with Symphony! It looks it has been put in good use...

Protip, on the bottom interchange, extend the tiles of the MHW one tile extra to make proper transitions...


Thanks Maarten and I appreciate the tip  :thumbsup:  Do you have a sign set you'd recommend for NORO?

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on March 17, 2013, 01:42:20 PM
Nice work, Robin. I like the first and second ones (in that order) best because they are more colorful. The other two are very attractive as well, though. I think you pretty much have the waterway-detail work down pat.

And Noah, there you go again with those amazing motorways of yours. And thanks for the slope mod. If I ever find 15 minutes I can spare, I'll open the game and try out some of these new toys.

You guys are doing a wonderful job, and each of you has an individual style that compliments the other...
-Joan
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 17, 2013, 03:02:17 PM
Nice job Noah! &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 20, 2013, 03:32:18 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

Today's challenge is for you. 
My team doesn't know what I am up to.  $%#Ninj2 I am looking for a log cabin/lodge.  Needs to be about 2x2 minimum and of very good quality.  If you can provide link and a pic or two, I would appreciate it.

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on March 20, 2013, 03:39:10 PM
Uh oh, Robin is going rogue!  :D

Quote from: rooker1 on March 20, 2013, 03:32:18 PM
I am looking for a log cabin/lodge.

Maybe a little too big but Girafe's Edelweiss Chalet (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=2817) is pretty nice.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsc4devotion.com%2Fcsxlex%2Fimages%2Fbeximg%2FImage_Chalet_Edelweiss_1.jpg&hash=ce0f08cef89d5bb2a7c4224f9d823ad4e559b5b6)
Could work. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on March 20, 2013, 03:48:34 PM
Quote from: rooker1 on March 20, 2013, 03:32:18 PM
I am looking for a log cabin/lodge.  Needs to be about 2x2 minimum and of very good quality.

Joan !?!


Noah: Forest as long as the eye can see. Feel at home ?

I definitely have hers in mind. - Robin

Yes Arne  :D  -Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: sunv123 on March 20, 2013, 04:27:35 PM
Here's one that I think could work. Pretty sure it's a 2x2.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsc4devotion.com%2Fcsxlex%2Fimages%2Fbeximg%2Fkabin-day.jpg&hash=e5522cd6e0053d668dcb33d792a2ca1ba8412a90)

http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/images/beximg/kabin-day.jpg
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 21, 2013, 04:23:38 AM
Here are a few of my thoughts.....

Fish Tale Ale Brew Pub by Simgoober (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=2063)
A little big but very nice model.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsc4devotion.com%2Fcsxlex%2Fimages%2Fbeximg%2FSG_FishTaleAle_v2_01.jpg&hash=9f05d0b729497e2b8c396718d65aa2824d8c2024)

CAL Brixham Sculling Club by callagrafx (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=2380)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsc4devotion.com%2Fcsxlex%2Fimages%2Fbeximg%2FBSC_LEXpic.jpg&hash=9ac51fcacfda535da867657c4320f651e7de9622)
May or may not be able to use this one as I need to check and see if the boat launch is BATted with the rest of the model.  This one is nice becasue it has some small boats and may fit in well with my ideas.

CAL Return to Summerton Mill BSC by callagrafx (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=735)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsc4devotion.com%2Fcsxlex%2Fimages%2Fbeximg%2Fsmii-day.jpg&hash=96228833bbf8fb7fb8943fe271689f634d814499)
Very nice model, may be a little small for what I have in mind, but still might be able to use it in the area.

CAL Summerton Mill BSC by callagrafx (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=71)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsc4devotion.com%2Fcsxlex%2Fimages%2Fbeximg%2FSummertonMill_s.jpg&hash=9fbd2f7234d2be34290bf8b1dca1bd940246c219)
Another great looking model, might be too small again but I like that water wheel.

CAL The Old Coach House BSC by callagrafx (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=32)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsc4devotion.com%2Fcsxlex%2Fimages%2Fbeximg%2Foch.jpg&hash=d605c6736b856bc393ec4f7dda5b68a7a225b296)
Awesome looking model and I like the idea that it use to be an old coach house converted into what I need it for....not a bed and breakfast. ::)  Might be too small.

CAL Murphy's Pub BSC by callagrafx (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=31)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsc4devotion.com%2Fcsxlex%2Fimages%2Fbeximg%2Fmurphsday.jpg&hash=21da03b8712994bf1c8ff43219228518506524ad)
Not exactly what I asked everyone for, but I couldn't keep my eyes off it.  I think it may work for what I want.

Any one of these will need to be reLOTted for what I need and I do like them all, including the ones suggestted by you guys. ()testing()
The search goes on.
Robin ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on March 23, 2013, 11:03:45 AM
Curious to learn what you're planning on Robin!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 23, 2013, 12:10:42 PM
Great collection of BATs you've accumulated for this project Robin! I'm very curious to see where this project will end up  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on March 23, 2013, 01:22:55 PM
I did a little cabin scouting myself, but all the cabins I found were too small.  &Thk/(  So, I regret that I wasn't able to help you there, but it looks like you've got a fairly large list of possibilities already.  I look forward to seeing which one you pick.  :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Dantes on March 24, 2013, 07:00:32 AM
Show in SG Prop pack in LE:
SG_MountainCabin01

and peg:

peg_logcabin_s1
:)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 26, 2013, 09:43:40 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

The last two polls I have forgotten to post the results when the polls were over.  So here they are now.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FResPoll_zps650768a3.jpg&hash=f09a60dae8a51b4380c409ed025bd2bab53005a8)
Here we have decided to go with closer to 50% of that area will be a Natural Reserve.
Thank you for your input everyone.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FCaptionPoll_zpsbaa029dd.gif&hash=327195e7477c488b37c2b803d6bdb3c138552ca6)
Our winner of this little Competion is Joan (Jmouse) and she should be watching for her reward in the coming updates.

Some new picutres should be coming from one us any time soon, althogth, both Willy and Noah are a little busy with real life right now.

Enjoy!
Robin  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 27, 2013, 05:41:37 PM
Hello everybody :)

Progress for me has been a bit slow of late. My new computer isn't working so I'm back to the '08 Vaio and besides that work is pretty brutal this time of year. Work is going to get worse before it gets better though, Easter being the busiest weekend of the whole year, and I've managed to get a bit of stuff done I thought could be worth showing--so better post it now before I get overwhelmed ;)

The big news is that I've finished NORO's first interchange. It's nothing mind-blowing but it's up to NORO's (and mine) high standards and I thought it unique enough to be a good note to start our intersection showcasing with.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fnoroxchange1.jpg&hash=ae41593387e30ffbcbf5e971f62810685e2e067f)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fnoroxchangem.jpg&hash=e29462694e1fd011c8a5903264c9c074ede4ba92)

Features as I see them:

-All wide-radius and FA curves
-Realistic on/off-ramp lengths
-Realistic merging lanes
-Realistic slopes, including L1 overpasses
-Potential to expand highway to RHW6C/8C (though not very easily) should future traffic require it
-Designed to fit the area's terrain and to best serve the areas that are potentially developable (ie, not the southern steep hills)
-Interesting & fun (to me) intersection in the western portion (top of 1st pic, right of 2nd pic) involving AVExAVExOWR+slip lane

The setting for this interchange is the northern portion of tile Jw - Oakhead Creek and the highway is the one extending south from the central tile (Ko - Noropolis) which I've been focusing on for some time now and showcased in my previous update.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FVarious%2Fnoro_numbers_again.jpg&hash=b3d9fbb339b0b54992f59b52cbf3799ee5b13372)

More information on that highway and my plans for it soon. In the mean time I've got a few pictures from just south of the interchange

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fnoroartery.jpg&hash=8a318447cbc15dda2f74049eb2455ec3318ee994)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fnoroartery3.jpg&hash=6e7b11266a60683eaa051b9f1f8bcc2856b53e08)


How beautiful are Vester's trains?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fartery4.jpg&hash=6c81766378d09149f74e413add132f60d89da868)


Time for the sun to set on this update. Wish me luck with the Easter chaos  ;)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fnoroartery2.jpg&hash=9d1e2c65257cb1a45b11bc15619d23eff16c95a3)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 28, 2013, 05:40:30 AM
As always Noah your work is simply amazing! &apls the interchange looks spectacular! :thumbsup:
simply amazing!
cheers
Guglielmo


Thanks Guglielmo! Glad you liked the interchange and thanks for being first to comment  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on March 28, 2013, 06:55:43 AM
Very good. This'll be an interesting tile to develop. Very nice slip lane though I wonder where that AVE-2 is going.


Cheers
Willy


Thanks Willy! I hope you approve of the rail--I should smooth some of it out with monorail but other than that I think it should be good. The AVE-2 is for local traffic, I thought I'd try to grow a handful of apartment midrises on the hill side of the motorway.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: threestooges on March 28, 2013, 10:17:18 AM
Oh the poor travelers who will see a gas station, exit there, grab a bite to eat, get gas (and perhaps fill up their car too), and then embark on the quest to find the onramp. With so many interchanges having the on and off ramps right next to each other, it makes unusual ones like this all the more interesting for someone unfamiliar with the area. Just be sure to put in some turnaround lanes for the avenues otherwise people may have a long drive ahead of them to get back on the road if they exit on the wrong side.

Nice shots with Vester's trains. Your shorelines turned out really nice.
-Matt


Thanks for the nice comment Matt  :thumbsup:  Indeed, I'll have to make sure the area is properly signed to avoid confusion and putting in some convenient traveler services sounds like a good idea. Since the area is planned to be a medium-sized beach community that's somewhat of a satellite of the main urban center, along with the tile to the north, most traffic will probably be familiar with the roads. Glad you liked the shoreline and trains!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on March 28, 2013, 12:43:52 PM
The interchange looks great and I like how is adapted to the terrain and the use of diferent kind of curves. &apls

Nice sunset pictures with Vester's train.

Edit: Good luck with the chaos ;)


Thanks a lot Kergelen! Sounds like I achieved what I was trying to with the interchange. Thanks for the good luck wishes  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Huston_N7 on March 28, 2013, 06:48:10 PM
Interesting work being done here! The natural feel of those rural shots are amazing and just have to admire that train scene with those people along the coast :P


Thanks Republic and welcome to NORO  :thumbsup:  Glad you liked the different pics!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MTT9 on March 28, 2013, 07:06:01 PM
Nice intechange! Looking foward to some urbanization ;)


Thanks! And me too  ::)  It's about time to get started on that....

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Shroud on March 29, 2013, 05:26:32 AM
I love the interchange. It's always great to see ones built where the on and off ramps aren't right next to each other.


Glad you liked it! There's nothing wrong with regular diamonds but it's so much more fun to make something more interesting  ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on March 29, 2013, 06:32:39 AM
The idea of an interchange over a curve is one I don't see used much in MDs, so it's good to see it here.  :)  So, I guess those two people down there are watching trains go by?  ;)


I suppose you don't see that too often and anyway I'm glad you liked it  :thumbsup:  And yes, it's a nice spot to walk along the coast and enjoy the passing trains ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: eclipticalstorm on March 29, 2013, 07:09:08 AM
The interchange was amazing, but the railway paralleling the highway in the later pics was absolutely breath taking!!!  Their is some degree of ambiguity in the way those two networks parallel one another...it's as if the aren't exactly parallel.  Is the highway a fractional angle (FRHW) in that stretch?


Thanks a lot and welcome to NORO! I'm glad you enjoyed the rails there and ambiguity with regard to ortho/diag/FA is exactly what I was going for. Indeed, the highway is fractional angle but it's Maxis Highway override (aka Symphony), not RHW. I like it's compactness on diagonals and it's side barriers for passing through hilly areas. Hope to see you around again  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on March 29, 2013, 07:51:31 AM
Waiting for those puzzle pieces eh?!  ;D  :D

Hang in there the next couple of days! 


Ha! I thought nobody was going to say anything  :D  -Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on March 29, 2013, 09:14:26 AM
Great train ride down the coast.

Looking forward to see some build up area.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on March 29, 2013, 02:46:11 PM
Noah, how I envy your knowledge and skill for creating transport systems. And, like Kergelen, I admire the way you have adapted the road to the terrain. I can only imagine trying to do the same kind of thing in my own region. ()what()



Thanks Joan! Just noticed I missed this one as I was going through some ToC work  :'(  I'm always very grateful to hear from you!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 29, 2013, 06:26:50 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

Hello Everyone!

Click to view full size pic.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Frooker1%2FSC4%2Flq-sep._6__061364605397.jpg&hash=940ab54d5967f1dccba1cd130baec73193248a72)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Frooker1%2FSC4%2Flq-sep._6__061364605517.jpg&hash=c5bb1ff8bdb401f51ed9a743ca7d6ee3d614f367)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Frooker1%2FSC4%2Flq-sep._6__061364605577.jpg&hash=2c51be10ab08cd9546032e6a4b1b98cc064c35a4)

Just yesterday, I booked all my camping weekends for the summer.
Enjoy,
Robin :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on March 29, 2013, 06:29:37 PM
Camping man, huh? I love it :thumbsup:


Cheers
Willy

Yes, I love camping.  I like back packing it out into the bush for a week or two and I also have a pop up trailer now with the kids. - Robin ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: M4346 on March 30, 2013, 12:00:58 AM
Love the site! Even though it's a little camp :P ;) lol

Thanks a lot M.  It's not actually that small, I only showed half of the park. -Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on March 30, 2013, 02:25:24 AM
Seems you're getting the hang of it, though you may want to watch trees protruding each other, the poplars especially. The nighshot is great, who doesn't like camp fires!  :thumbsup:

Not sure if I'm always happy with the result, but I am getting more comfortable.  And yes now I see those trees you are talking about, I'll have to fix them.  Thanks for stopping by. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: sunv123 on March 30, 2013, 04:52:42 AM
Looks like a really nice place to spend the weekend!

You have all the necessities there, like a small pond for fishing, walking trails and of course the campfire. ;)

Nice work, Robin :thumbsup:

That's feeling I was going for.....a nice place to spend the weekend.  And I did try to add everything that I have seen in a park before.  Still a few details to add to the surrounding areas, but it's alomst done.  Thanks for the really nice commment. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 30, 2013, 08:27:48 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

I just having too much fun.  Here are a few more progressive pics.   I smoothed out all the river and added a few God mode trees with our tree contoller.  No MMPs were used at all....yet.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FJq-Jan2001364653223_zps7a28787e.jpg&hash=ae3a484aa0c195fc537f278f6e9fdb4095dc2333)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FJq-Jan2001364653235_zps927f5764.jpg&hash=fa919e584fc39ff561906503795c50af9defb4f8)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FJq-Jan2001364653299_zpsddf43a24.jpg&hash=310fb7b5a7ce2bd92099d7cb1e7385779cc20e13)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FJq-Jan2001364654598_zps32421032.jpg&hash=92f12e50df462da84b08d4d314e3e062242fbdd9)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FJq-Sep7001364654801_zps606441cb.jpg&hash=8a36b2a79cbe2618aecdf4857c3a2c8a2d80d473)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FJq-Sep7001364654880_zps5bf69d67.jpg&hash=3c0844e2e61ca4689a51de4fa0bbd42525326dcd)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FJq-Sep7001364654896_zpsb3b5d87f.jpg&hash=e955a19ec19c8f0facc6fa12084d39a3d3bab8cd)

All smothed and fairly treed.  Next is the finer details, rocks, some more trees, bushes, a few animals here and there and some dirt.

Robin :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: io_bg on March 30, 2013, 02:40:24 PM
You certainly got me interested in your project guys! I'm loving the pics shown so far. Can't wait to see how the urban areas form up :thumbsup:

I'm glad we have you interested and liking the pics.  As for the urban areas, it's taking some planning in the backgraound, we want to be sure we have everything just right. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: M4346 on March 30, 2013, 02:51:47 PM
Quote from: rooker1 on March 30, 2013, 12:00:58 AM
Thanks a lot M.  It's not actually that small, I only showed half of the park. -Robin

QuoteCamp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing or humorous because of its ridiculousness to the viewer. The concept is related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy". When the usage appeared, in 1909, it denoted: ostentatious, exaggerated, affected, theatrical, and effeminate behaviour, and, by the middle of the 1970s, the definition comprised: banality, artifice, mediocrity, and ostentation so extreme as to have perversely sophisticated appeal. American writer Susan Sontag's essay Notes on "Camp" (1964) emphasised its key elements as: artifice, frivolity, naïve middle-class pretentiousness, and 'shocking' excess. Camp as an aesthetic has been popular from the 1960s to the present.

Camp aesthetics were popularised by filmmakers George and Mike Kuchar, Andy Warhol, and John Waters, including the latter's Pink Flamingos, Hairspray and Polyester. Celebrities that are associated with camp personas include drag queens and performers such as Dame Edna Everage, Divine, RuPaul, and Liberace. Camp was a part of the anti-academic defense of popular culture in the 1960s and gained popularity in the 1980s with the widespread adoption of postmodern views on art and culture.

Source: Click! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_(style))

The fact that it is a little camp is exactly why I love it! ;D

Hmmmm, not really sure what to say after reading that.  But I am glad you like the camp grounds at the size I have made it.  I have been camping at campgrounds with @1500 sites before and the one I made here only has about 30. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on March 30, 2013, 04:27:52 PM
Robin, you've done a fine job on the camp ground. The water looks terrific, and the trees are well placed. Overall, a very interesting combination of colors – a feast for the eyes.

I looked at your map-softening work with great interest. I know someone who could benefit from learning your techniques. You have some good-looking beaches there. Consider yourself lucky. &mmm


Thanks a lot Joan! I'm taking my time and trying my best and the results seem to be paying off.  Although you wouldn't beleive me if I told that I have destroyed the entire area several times  :-[  before I got to what you see here.
The softening tool is our friend.  Tell your friend to take thier time, use it close up and on a medium size, hold the button down and do nice smoothing sweeps across the areas needing smoothing/softening.  I'm sure they'll get the hang of it rather quickly. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on March 31, 2013, 05:05:24 AM
Let's face it, spring has sprung on the Northern Hemisphere calendar, and summer is right around the corner according to retailers and travel destinations.  So, I like seeing the camping scene this time of year.

Yup spring has sprung up here, or at least for this past weekend.  Apparently we are suppose to get 5 to 10cm of snow today, winter just does not want to let go.  &mmm  But I am looking forward to camping this year, I have picked out and reserved some of my favourites places and got the exact sites I was hoping for. Thanks for stopping by. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on March 31, 2013, 06:00:25 AM
Happy Easter from Team NORO  to everyone!

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdesktopop.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FHappy-Easter-Wallpaper.jpg&hash=12c6fb4e498046d1ba871b130a0bbd39029541a7)

My kids had thier two cousins over these last two days and this morning they all woke up at the crack of dawn, knowing that it was Easter Morning. :o I stayed up with them last night until about midnight, they were too excited  &hlp to sleep  /wrrd%&.  :bomb: $%Grinno$% Back to this morning though...I had to keep them all  &dance busy  %BUd% in the basement until the wife had time to completely hide all the candies in the backyard.  I can tell you all first hand there is nothing better in the entire world than the happiness and smiles of kids.  They were all so super ()meeting() happy to find that the Easter Bunny had come to our house and hid candies and small toys for them.  And my special Nico, five years old, was really impressed that the Easter Bunny knew that his cousins were at our house and remembered to leave candies here for them.  ::) ;) The kids are now eating candies for breakfast and couldn't be any happier.  ()stsfd() ;D

Again, Happy Easter!!
Robin :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gobias on March 31, 2013, 06:17:28 AM
Great work on the NORO so far - gotta be the most interesting thread on SC4D right now.  Isn't it amazing that a city simulator can be such fun just playing with terrain, trees and MMPs!  You guys are making spectacular scenes with barely a hint of "civilization" in sight.  Dare we even call it SIM-City any more?  Just shows how versatile we've all made this game to be.  Keep up the great work and I can't wait to see where this collaboration is headed.

Thanks a lot, that means very much to Team NORO.  I also find it amazing where everyone has taken this game, especially over the last two years.  Without them we/NORO wouldn't be where we are today.  I think you'll really enjoy where we will be going in the weeks to come. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 31, 2013, 01:03:31 PM
Excellent camping scene Robin  &apls  The delta smoothing and flora looks great as well and I wish you and yours a very happy Easter  &dance

Thanks Noah.  I'm glad you like it too. - Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rambuckel on March 31, 2013, 05:41:36 PM
Happy Easter to you, too!!!!

I should have visited much earlier ... you've all been pretty busy creating great scenes! Noah's work with the Highways is amazing as always. I wonder how you manage to keep track of all those pieces. Probably it becomes easier if you use the pieces more often than I do ;)

Nevertheless great work from all of you!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on March 31, 2013, 07:28:01 PM
I'll bet all that candy made the kids wild for a day, Robin.  $%Grinno$%  Happy Easter, NORO Team.  :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on April 05, 2013, 04:48:51 PM
My motorway work is ongoing--and exciting! I'd like to post a couple small teaser pics to keep you all abreast of what's going on now in NORO--today from tile "Is"


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fdeltaxchangef.jpg&hash=1fdb215ccdf2de92f08bce10be37fc28a67bf7c0)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fdeltaxchanges.jpg&hash=a8be96d36cb8063894024210cc217bde9337a00d)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Ftboneis.jpg&hash=780c0cfe00a5b4b990be98036d2f9551780a287d)


And there's rail too  ;D
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fisrail.jpg&hash=7ec6c97944dab4b384610d9bf29670f8de6be0af)


Details, the big picture, and more--coming soon :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on April 05, 2013, 04:59:51 PM
That majhost is really slow tonight.

The water looks a bit of. Way to still around the pillows.


The transport system looks good. Looks forward to see the big picture.
What is up with the shadow on the rail bridge ?


Thanks for the comment Arne  :thumbsup:  The water here is small, slow-moving channels in a forested river delta. There's very little current or wind and so no splashing around the pillars. I'll try a different tiling setting to see if it looks better though. I'll try to fix the bridge shadow too. Big picture coming by tomorrow :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MTT9 on April 05, 2013, 07:02:59 PM
Looking good :)


Thanks!  -Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kitsune on April 05, 2013, 09:04:55 PM
In the second picture - the top level MIS is not properly aligned. Otherwise.. it looks good.


Thanks and thanks for the tip  :thumbsup:  Not sure why I messed that up.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: threestooges on April 05, 2013, 11:05:46 PM
Quote from: vester on April 05, 2013, 04:59:51 PM
What is up with the shadow on the rail bridge ?
Part of the shadow, I believe, is that the bridge is actually slightly lower than the actual rail that leads up to it. It's caused as a side effect of the zero bridge height mod (which, I believe may have been integrated into the NAM at some point). Basically it can allow for bridges to be built lower than the entering track. The shadow itself is from the model which, despite having odd blocking, would be less noticeable if the bridge were raised just a wee bit.

Fun looking pictures here guys. Keep it up.
-Matt


Thanks for the tip  :thumbsup:  I tried your suggestion but have been having trouble with it--i wonder if I can improve the mod. I've also noticed the same error on other bridges. Glad you liked the pics and thank you!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on April 06, 2013, 02:36:59 AM
Well done Noah!always outstanding work! &apls


Thanks Guglielmo! Always great to hear from you here :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on April 06, 2013, 02:41:42 AM
Good work Noah, except there's a wrong direction piece next to the FlexFly ;)

That rail bridge problem can indeed be alleviated by heightening it a bit, like Matt suggested.


Cheers
Willy


Thanks Willy! Whoops  :D

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on April 08, 2013, 01:14:46 PM
Kindof a grab bag of maps, tricks, and pics today--hopefully there's something for everyone  ;D

First I want to introduce a new project. I decided to take a little break from my transport project and look into something else I've been hoping to do in NORO. You may remember xannepan's fascinating work on the Poseidon Mod, which allows game water to exist and remain above sea level.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fci_reservoir.jpg&hash=113752312319cbd097208ba3ba51927c3425e854)

I've created this reservoir in tile "Ci". I'm still fine-tuning everything but it seems to be working quite well and is stable. The reservoir is a little over 2 km long and the dam is about 800m long and a little over 100m high. I plan for the area to be developed with small rivers flowing into it and another river flowing out with a large dam and hydroelectric plant.

To my knowledge nothing like this has been done before with "real" water and I'd really appreciate advice, help, and input from you all on how to best implement and design it. Are there any BATs that would work for the dam? At this point JRJ-wall-style textured lots seem like the most viable option for it. But if someone wanted to make something....  $%Grinno$%

There's also the issue of the hydroelectic plant itself. I could use some input on how to do that as well. Perhaps from an expert on ElectriCITY?

You can pick up the latest Poseidon Mod alpha here: http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2596.0;attach=9699 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2596.0;attach=9699)



Now, as promised, the bigger picture on tile "Is" and surroundings. Here's our region with my current highway project in blue and other nearby highways with relatively confirmed plans in red. Planned interchange locations are gray. You can also see where the dam tile, "Ci", is located.

Click for full size
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fhighwayplan.jpg&hash=7362525b31162fed6591e58f2c0bc593375dde06)


The current transport map of "Is"
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fismap2.jpg&hash=4141ec697ba0ef0aeec6fcb47cbb557f30ed3a7a)


The full layout of the teaser interchange shown last--the MIS directional error has since been corrected  ::)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fisxchangedone.jpg&hash=c7cdf4b2a9e4374563924e4ac069b6cddcb5a9fb)


Not enough maps? Check out this beauty ;)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fimg_0004_gimp.jpg&hash=1284e5da75d496ff973056676355c0d8fc8dde21)
This is my rough plan for the southern interchange in "Iu". The top is east and the road coming from the bottom is the planned highway coming from the west. It'll be difficult but I should be able to implement something pretty close to this--I hope  ;)


Too many maps? It's okay I took a couple pics too  :thumbsup:

This is the same rail bridge shown last time, replaced with a different model. I also tried to fix the end shadow problem but failed--this pic fixes a quick and dirty GIMP fix ;)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fistrainb.jpg&hash=27fae054bc0b78a03d360e8a121fd643e979338a)


Right next door, this is where the highway starts out across the delta area
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fistrainb2.jpg&hash=ee5e955cca150d37a863d1be9ff50c45ffa49bf0)


Thanks for viewing and I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on April 08, 2013, 01:38:01 PM
I remember Ennedi in Shosaloza did a very well made dam. Pics are still up There (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2157.msg64336#msg64336) hopefully.


Thanks for the tip Arthur! Indeed there's some excellent ideas there (as always with Ennedi)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on April 08, 2013, 01:45:52 PM
Heblem has made a pretty neat modular dam system, which is available here (http://descargas.capitalsim.net/?sitio=csc&descarga=3446). Though it looks like a bit of hassle to use properly, judging from this accompanying tutorial (http://foro.capitalsim.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24874) he wrote as well.

Also . .

(https://dl.dropbox.com/s/4q3psukz0vmma1x/%C3%86RDEN-1365452445.png)

. . guess great mind think alike.  $%Grinno$%  :D

The lake spans four tiles and this proves to be a bit fickle with regard to a consistent water level in regionview . .  %wrd


Thanks Erik. That's a beautiful mountain lake indeed! Indeed Poseidon seems pretty fickle but at least it seems to work at a basic level--much better than nothing. Thanks for the heblem dam link--looks just about perfect. I hope to give it a try this afternoon  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on April 08, 2013, 02:15:20 PM
Good job there Noah!!! &apls Always amazing stuff by you!Looking good there Vortext! :P


Thanks Guglielmo, and yeah that's an awesome pic by vortext  &apls

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on April 08, 2013, 03:21:42 PM
Going to be interesting to follow the reservoir construction. :thumbsup:


Thanks Arne, I hope it is indeed!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on April 08, 2013, 03:24:29 PM
Noah, it seems that no matter what you set your mind to, the results are amazing. When I looked at the first photo, my brain couldn't quite articulate what my eyes were seeing. It looked like a green blanket thrown over something bumpy, and turned back on itself in the lower left corner. I had to stare at it for a few moments to give my senses a chance to figure out what you had done. And of course, your transport work is second to none, and always a pleasure to see.

I always enjoy looking at your work, and what you've done here is no exception...
-Joan


Thanks so much for the nice complement Joan! I guess that first pic is a bit odd looking, especially since no-one's really used to seeing that kind of lake ;)  And glad you liked the transport stuff!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on April 08, 2013, 06:07:04 PM
You know, I couldn't resist stepping in when I saw that electricity was being discussed.  ;)  Hydro power is a little rare around here, but it's not that different from other power sources once the wires leave the dam.  The power generated by the hydro dam will lose voltage eventually and therefore must be stepped up to transmission voltage with a step-up transformer.  This can be represented by substation BATs.  In addition, there must be transmission lines.  Without them, where is the power going? 

You'll also need some small warehouses or other buildings that can serve as offices and maintenance facilities for the plant, along with parking for those buildings.  The plant should have road access, although the ones I've researched are located on side roads rather than main highways.  You might also place a gate at the plant entrance; although this doesn't necessarily pertain to hydro exclusively, it seems to be a common practice for power plants of all types.


Thanks a lot for the tips! They will be very useful. I had you in mind when I started this project, thinking you'd be the expert on this project. One thing though, should the power plant stuff be on top or at the bottom?

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: nbvc on April 08, 2013, 09:17:15 PM
Great work with the motorway and rail. &apls


Thanks a lot!  -Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on April 09, 2013, 01:42:23 AM
I'd like some more pics of the rail line. Are you using viaducts there? Cause I'd love to avoid the two 90° curves.

Otherwise, this looks awesome. I'm curious as to how you'll tackle the dam.


Cheers
Willy


Thanks Willy! I think the best thing to do would be to check out "Is" for yourself. The two 90° curves are there because I didn't really see any other way to do it. The second of those curves is on a viaduct, as is the stretch following that across that lowland area. I'm happy with the setup but not particularly attached to it (and it wasn't too much work to make anyway) so if there's a better way you recommend I'd love to see it--let me know  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RickD on April 10, 2013, 07:26:32 AM
Great work here, love the highway and rail.  :thumbsup:

QuoteYou may remember xannepan's fascinating work on the Poseidon Mod, which allows game water to exist and remain above sea level.
Wait, what?!  :o I am so out of the loop these days.  ()sad()


Hehe, things can change very fast around here, especially when Xannepan is on a roll! Thanks Raphael and nice to hear from you  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Shadow Assassin on April 10, 2013, 07:47:47 AM
Noah, your work with highways in this region really gives me an incentive to get the new FA content done as quickly as possible so that you can really use it to great effect in this region.

Thumbs up for all your work, guys, it's really good.

Love the dam on the last page, it's awesome.


Well, that's one of the nicest things I've been told in a long time. If you haven't already figured out, I'm a huge fan of your new FARHW work--not to mention all the great FA and L1 stuff you've created in the past. Be careful though, this kind of comment risks making me put off further RHW development here until I get your new toys  ::)  Thanks a lot, it's always a pleasure to hear from you  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on April 10, 2013, 08:31:22 AM
Most of the power plant stuff should be on the bottom.  You might place some transformers on top of the dam for wires to run out of, since the dam is generating the power.  A road or street of some type running across the dam is also common.  However, the majority of the facilities, including the step-up transformers and the offices, should be on the bottom.  You'll also need turbines of some sort on the dam.  Water turns these turbines to generate power.


Thanks for the advice Metarvo! I'm now thinking the Heblem dam is the best way to implement this and his package includes some stuff for the bottom. There'll be a road running across the top and also road access to the bottom, though linking the two will be interesting given the 100m+ height difference and my insistence on a difficult slope. We certainly appreciate your help with electricity issues. Do you have any thoughts on what kind of powerlines would work well in NORO?

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: sunv123 on April 10, 2013, 02:10:36 PM
That is one heck of a map there. :D

I love the idea of the dam there, finally one with "in-game water" ::) Look forward to what it will look like with the walls and stuff.

Great job Noah! :thumbsup:

(oh, and btw, are you planning to use RFR water for the creeks? They can look really nice if you use them right)


Thanks a lot! And yes, RFR water is the plan for the creeks--good call. I'm also a big fan of it  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on April 18, 2013, 11:57:45 AM
More news from the NORO area! We've finally gotten around to the awards we owe....


First, congratulations again to Metarvo on being post #100! We'd like to offer you naming rights to any one thing in NORO you choose. We look forward to your input  :thumbsup:  Also, I'd like to thank Metarvo for letting me lean on him for advice with the new hydroelectric complex!

Second, for winning the caption this picture competition (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg454170#msg454170) Jmouse's entry of "Bear With Me" wins her access to the private board as well as naming rights to one of the tiles in NORO. Congratulations and welcome Joan!

Finally, there's been someone working behind the scenes for some weeks now developing ideas and even finished models to ensure NORO's railstock will be the finest and most fitting it can be. I'll save it for him to post about the exciting stuff he's been up to but I'm happy to welcome Vester as well!

Contests, criteria, and rewards will vary but we definitely plan to do more and they will continue to be part of our goal of involving people as much as possible in the ongoing development of the NORO Cooperative.



Besides all that I've continued to work on the dam project. Using model tweaker i've offset Heblem's dam models by 160m horizontally and 100m vertically, allowing me to place the dam lots on the reservoir side of the dam and meaning I know longer need to place them in a hole 240m below the top of the dam (120-180m below the original reservoir bottom). I've also set the "is ground model" property in reader to "no" to get rid of the shadow graphics bug that was causing and also enable me to work around the bottom without fear of accidentally bulldozing the dam if i need to get rid of a stray MMP. Some work remains to get the icons and LTEXTs working properly and if I can get permission I'd love to share what I end up with with any of you guys who's like to build this type of dam. As it is let me know if you'd like to test what I've got now and I'll send you a link.

So here's where we are:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fdam_good.jpg&hash=b78fcec88c241ff423d2387c2db04b6821896019)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fdamz4.jpg&hash=bb7009ee560cb3f59cec99811f2d3c9eed83daa5)


The bottom area where the power plant area will be has yet to be built but that's planned for next. Any thoughts on the layout for the dam itself? What are those little tower things? At first I thought they were penstock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penstock) towers, like the ones you see behind the Hoover Dam, but they don't actually reach water level on the other side of the dam. Elevators/stairways, an observation area?  %confuso

Until next time....  ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RepublicMaster on April 18, 2013, 12:22:17 PM
The Dam is looking good. I tried building one myself with that set but found it rather challenging. It would be great if you could share your modifications. :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on April 21, 2013, 05:42:08 AM
What might his be?   ::)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNORO%2Fnororail_squirrel_logo.png&hash=90b2b498c1d3a591528712b71549a6cc45747168)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on April 21, 2013, 06:51:13 AM
Is that some railway logo?   ::)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gobias on April 21, 2013, 06:55:40 AM
It's a bird?!  It's a plane?!  It's.... a squirrel?   :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on April 21, 2013, 07:47:49 AM
The dam looks great!  :thumbsup: Can't wait to see the complete picture with the surrounding area all dressed up.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on April 21, 2013, 09:39:05 AM
Like Noro Railways??? :thumbsup:
Great job on the dam!looks spectacular! &apls always great quality updates!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: epicblunder on April 21, 2013, 09:43:07 AM
Nice job on the dam.   &apls

I would guess the small towers are for air/ventillation to the turbine equipment within, and they're above the level of the dam so water doesn't enter those ports in case the of catastrophic overtopping.  With the windows i'd guess an observation deck/control room is there as well, like you said.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on April 21, 2013, 10:41:34 AM
yep,.. Noro Railways...

The tweaking and moding with Heblem modular dam seems very interesting. I'm enjoying the development. ()stsfd()
If you need more inspiration, here (http://www.simforum.de/showpost.php?p=4363948&postcount=209) a link of one of the best dam I've seen. And amazing region also.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on April 21, 2013, 03:33:54 PM
Its the logo for NORO Railways or NORO Rail.
This sneak photo was published in the NORO Herald:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi40.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fe242%2Fvester_DK%2FVDKTrains%2FSneakPreview_zps7561adae.jpg&hash=80bc4553ac6547cdce0e8cb0ca72e7fd67b1f8e1)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RickD on April 22, 2013, 01:16:08 AM
Oh wow, I am excited about the coming railway stuff. I expect to see some of the best SC4 railroading here.  ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on April 22, 2013, 02:55:06 PM
Due to the spy photo, The Noro Railway company decided to release this press photo of some of engines they just ordered:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi40.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fe242%2Fvester_DK%2FVDKTrains%2FNRLitraMY6b_zps0a6a3c23.jpg&hash=39c2c9727d0360161d80c8e9be4afc6402e1a619)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on April 22, 2013, 03:02:36 PM
Now that's nice!  What a piece of work!

Robin &apls &hlp :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on April 22, 2013, 06:22:06 PM
Absolutely superb modeling - a work of art.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on April 23, 2013, 09:30:42 AM
Very good model, seems familiar though. .  ::)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on May 01, 2013, 02:58:43 AM
This month NORO Cooperative will be in OSITM. I hope you enjoy and find NORO as much fun as we have making it.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi901.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fac213%2FBSCLEX%2FNORO5-13_zps76a5bcd3.jpg&hash=04f2ba34b71040cb539061e4c56a95cfff31a0f2)

Congrats from The SC4D Staff! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on May 01, 2013, 04:53:40 AM
Congratulations on OSITM, Team NORO!  You certainly deserve it.  :thumbsup:  I look forward to seeing what the month brings.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on May 01, 2013, 02:01:58 PM
Congrats NORO! &apls

looking forward to this exiting month.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on May 01, 2013, 02:11:43 PM
Congrats the NORO team ! ;)

Now let's see what you have in store! :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: FrankU on May 03, 2013, 01:38:25 PM
Congratulations NORO!
I wish you a lot of fun (and myself too!) and a lot of attention.

Frank
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 04, 2013, 02:35:36 AM
Well done guys!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on May 07, 2013, 02:53:08 PM
Hello and welcome to the NORO Cooperative OSITM!


We hope to fill the month of May with a lot of interesting and engaging content from our little corner of the SC4 world. Many things are planned, though I'll save a bit of suspense by not outlining where we plan to go just yet. For today I'd like to showcase the first real fruits of my efforts in tile Iu--to be henceforth known as Tomah.


There's nothing that makes a city feel more real than top-notch bats, textures, and automata in beautiful HD

Tomah Central Train Station
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Frailstationnight.jpg&hash=afa08dec424a0933de64c66c0b467e3e9f7c1c07)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Frailstationmosaic.jpg&hash=f569634e8196d9533eab3933292979f3f9cf080e)


Speaking of HD....
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fnorotrainpicz8.jpg&hash=ba0800e99e85343533d2df93a25d6d6f7dbea64b)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fnorotrainpicz7.jpg&hash=cc7b6eec70addb66d5411ef625d04ffd7d7c00b1)


Tomah features some interesting highways
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fxchangedawniu.jpg&hash=df40b6c10ab0530c49e8a52d21063c2df722f5dc)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fxchangenightiu.jpg&hash=323c7884ea8c9c29d2f94622dc80bcbecc0d0e33)


And there's lots more interesting transit besides that--especially if you count "Maxis water" canals as transit  ;D
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Ftomahcanalgimp.jpg&hash=ffab775089885fcc2e210064f61e0d0a0de08e66)


Thanks, and we very much hope you enjoy the month here  /&HiPP/%
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on May 07, 2013, 03:09:21 PM
Nice update! We finally see some urban development in NORO! I do spot some of my roadgeek stuff in good use there ;)


Hah, more than you know Maarten! I hope you know how much your work has helped to make this one :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on May 07, 2013, 03:19:25 PM
Tee-hee, where did that one come from? Awesome!


Cheers
Willy

Uh, well of course it came from you in part. Glad you liked it!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 07, 2013, 03:27:14 PM
Noah as always there's just one thing i can say...AMAZING!!!! &apls

Guglielmo, as always I am very sincerely grateful :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on May 07, 2013, 03:38:19 PM
Noah, this goes beyond awesome. The first photo is so far ahead of any in-game photo I've ever seen that second best can't even see the cloud of dust. I continue to be amazed at the things gifted players can do with this 10-year-old game. And then there's what I have come to know as your "signature tree placement" and your delightful use of bridges.

Nice little green and yellow locomotive you have there, too... ;)



Of all the nice things you've said....  Well, I guess this could be the nicest. My sincerest gratitude for your interest, contribution, and love toward the noro project Joan. I'll consider myself blessed :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gringamuyloca on May 07, 2013, 04:04:35 PM
Wow!  ()stsfd()
I finally found some free moments to be able to time to enjoy the 10 pages you share.
&apls x10
It is amazing the way this co-operative presents the game.
Each photo draws me in, wanting moar!  :thumbsup:

A well deserved OSITM... tho I'm sure you had everyone's interest from page one!

Looking forward to what's next... 


What an amazing surprise to hear from you Tamara! I'm very glad you've enjoyed our work here and I hope you've found a bit more time for SC4D--you've been missed :)

-Noah

Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: APSMS on May 07, 2013, 05:10:51 PM
Not sure how you did the rail and highway bridges, but the pics look great. Can't wait to see what else you have in store for us this month.


Well neither are technically "bridges"--I lowered the sea level and made them as viaducts, then changed the water level back and took a picture ;)  Let me know if you'd like more information on how to do that.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: spot on May 07, 2013, 05:43:10 PM
Quote from: APSMS on May 07, 2013, 05:10:51 PM
Not sure how you did the rail and highway bridges, but the pics look great. Can't wait to see what else you have in store for us this month.


Well neither are technically "bridges"--I lowered the sea level and made them as viaducts, then changed the water level back and took a picture ;)  Let me know if you'd like more information on how to do that.

-Noah


Last time I tried that, after I normalized the water level, the new "bridges" had their paths missing. Does the new NAM allows such trickery?



I think you just need to use a different way of removing the water--I've made tutorials on it but I'll do a new one shortly about how I made this junction. Awesome work on your own intersections btw  :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on May 07, 2013, 07:38:45 PM
That's a sweet RHW bridge you've got there.  I haven't attempted to build one of those yet, but seeing it here makes me want to give it a try.  Those HD train skins are looking really nice, too.  Good work!

:thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: nbvc on May 07, 2013, 09:34:11 PM
Fantastic railstation and train-highway bridge. &apls


Thanks! Glad you liked it  ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: jmdude1 on May 08, 2013, 01:28:47 AM
Quote from: APSMS on May 07, 2013, 05:10:51 PM
Not sure how you did the rail and highway bridges, but the pics look great. Can't wait to see what else you have in store for us this month.


Well neither are technically "bridges"--I lowered the sea level and made them as viaducts, then changed the water level back and took a picture ;)  Let me know if you'd like more information on how to do that.

-Noah


it looks so creative, I know I would appreciate some more info on how you did this. its very well done.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on May 08, 2013, 02:54:09 AM
Wow, great pics Noah. You even gave me a big surprise with that last pic, never seen that aera yet. I love how the train passes by under the RHWs.
Great work my friend!

Robin


Thanks buddy!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on May 08, 2013, 01:46:52 PM
Amazing HD pictures!

Nice railstation and RHW/train bridges &apls


Thanks so much! HD is where you'll find me  ::)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on May 09, 2013, 03:23:06 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

     First off.....
Let me thank everyone for thier support so far and let me apologise for our slow start. Things have been moving along very well in the background on a daily basis and we do have a lot of plans in place. So I am sure we will be off to the races.

     I am working far off in a corner, in tile "By" just doing some practicing.....at least that was my first thought. But so far, I like the way its turning out. I have not yet named the tile as I cannot think of anything suitable. What a problem to have so ealry in the game when there are so many other tiles to name.  $%Grinno$% It will be a small size farming and industrial city. Commercial along the major transit ways only, industrial along railways and farming along the mountain side. Most likely very few low rise buildings, if any at all. I plan to concentrate on medium wealth housing using mostly mattb325's houses. So far everything is grown.  ;)

A map for reference. "By" is in the South west corner.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FVarious%2Fnoro_numbers_again.jpg&hash=b3d9fbb339b0b54992f59b52cbf3799ee5b13372)

First pictures shows the recycling to energy plant.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-8-01_zpsed12223b.jpg&hash=f78a961d98669bedb13c22ad35d80fe17853d7fc)

A farm, school and the start of housing.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-8-02_zps773b4170.jpg&hash=b323828e3c354b534f278b63ac2c493aa4e706a4)

A housing community.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-8-03_zps1883be5d.jpg&hash=90c7bd2ec73b57c6a8c4e323d51c0bce5733b7db)

Last but not the least....my attempt at a RHW intersection.
My only problem is, everytime I try to complete the over pass the highway falls to the ground. What am I doing wrong?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-8-04_zps5d7ef527.jpg&hash=384d9c718296094d9aee98262db22e0262627aaa)

Enjoy....
Robin  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on May 09, 2013, 04:01:14 AM
Try to add an MIS starter on both ends, then try to drag through. See if that works ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 09, 2013, 04:18:52 AM
excellent Robin!i love RHW and smooth interchanges...that one looks really nice!i like the use of project simphony l0 to l2 curved ramps!did you use VIP ploppable garbage? :thumbsup:
cheers
Gugu3
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on May 09, 2013, 05:44:55 AM
You really can't go wrong with those houses.  I use them everywhere for medium wealth areas and for suburbs.  Normally, one doesn't think of a recycling plant as looking good, but the one there somehow does.  Nice work.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on May 09, 2013, 11:59:03 AM
Great work Robin. It's shaping up.


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on May 09, 2013, 12:25:21 PM
Great to see development has kicked off!!  :thumbsup:

Lovely suburbs Robin. The intersection is nice and compact, hope you can get it finished as intended!

As always very nice BAT selection Noah and once again you prove to be the sc4 bridge wizard. That last pic is awesome!  &apls

Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on May 10, 2013, 03:39:29 PM
Good job on this update, Robin. I especially like the second one, but everyone knows I'm a big fan of rural scenes. The neighborhood is very appealing, and the interchange is coming along nicely.

It's great to see some more of your work in NORO.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on May 11, 2013, 06:36:06 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

     We like to surprise people.... by surprising them with a new active NORO participant!
Yes, during the OSITM, I've joined this project. And what's better to introduce myself with a surprise update about my first contribution to the NORO Cooperative?

    I've started with some freeway construction in tile "Dy", at this tile, one of the main regional freeway curves off while interchanging a secondary freeway leading to the border of the region. This main freeway is called the Primary route 1 (PR-1), but this may be subject to change. We all have to agree to a final route numbering system, but I think we all seem to be OK with the classification:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2Fnoro_shield.png&hash=8232ed67199849838107ec14101821ff186726ad)

Being not used to building on such accented terrain, this was a challenge for me to get everything to work; especially the FARHW didn't seem to like this terrain. Fortunately, I seemed to have managed the problems by local leveling the terrain. The results are pretty satisfying, I must say...

There has been no RCI development for now. We are planning to do that when all main infrastructure is in place. This will save use troubles and headaches when letting the RHW and the RCI play nicely with each other...

A map for reference. "Dq" is in the South west corner.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FVarious%2Fnoro_numbers_again.jpg&hash=b3d9fbb339b0b54992f59b52cbf3799ee5b13372)

First off, let's start with a close-up picture. This is a typical RHW stretch built by me, as you can see how I've used signage and lights. Also, there's something you don't notice immediately, but there's something new about the RHW...

Can you guess what it is?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FDq%2Fdq_01.jpg&hash=fd6679bedaa75899e516d5bccde0c6ce9a1bf92b)

If we zoom out, we can get to see how massive this interchange is!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FDq%2Fdq_02.jpg&hash=f88fe16a993941c9601e214155dd6a94b56afd38)

I'm also quite fond about the seasonal tree controller. I really like these trees. Kudos to Vortext for creating this beauty and for Swordmaster to tweak this a bit :thumbsup:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FDq%2Fdq_03.jpg&hash=7ca46c9fd5d0f23ff21069a1a17fd287dba3a027)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FDq%2Fdq_04.jpg&hash=52f031c399604c030133e35ea545c90f2fe2c880)

Moving on further down the road, here's a more modest interchange, making a connection with the local infrastructure
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FDq%2Fdq_05.jpg&hash=129bc1447f3624632fea0ac099f932851b899ef1)

Well, that's it for today, I hope you enjoyed this surprise update of the NORO Cooperative. Näkemiin, tot ziens, see you later for the next update! ;)

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Aaron Graham on May 11, 2013, 08:45:18 AM
Lovely highway layout. :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on May 11, 2013, 12:35:25 PM
Welcome to NORO, Guglielmo and Maarten.  :)  Things are starting to get exciting here.

Nice job on the highway, Maarten.  :thumbsup:  I'm going to guess that the median lights are the new RHW element.  No major highway that I've seen is without them, especially near interchanges and in cities.

It makes sense to build the highways first when you think about it.  Small commercial centers tend to pop up along U.S. interstates.  They're primarily meant to serve long-distance highway traffic, but locals use them too.  These centers need workers, so houses get built around them.  Industrial facilities like to set up shop near highways for mobility, and those need workers as well.  Next thing you know, you've got a town in which the growth was mainly brought on by highway access.  Of course, cities that are already established can get a huge boost from interstates.  A college town on the interstate, even a relatively small one, tends to attract all kinds of big-city/suburban restaurants and stores that you wouldn't expect.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: krbe on May 12, 2013, 09:51:07 AM
This is starting to look rather good! Am I correct the NR train is the NoHAB? I think also a small mention of what BAT is used and where to get it would be helpful when it comes to "major" showcases, like the Tomah station. No more than "Station X (STEX)" would be a great help now that I am about to build up yet another plugins folder after many months off.

And if airports are scary, I would of course return the favour - I quite like building them!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 12, 2013, 10:39:19 AM
Well done Maarten!!!good to know you're part of the project!we can expect something amazing now :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on May 12, 2013, 10:43:28 AM
I've been working on a detail map, pasting all in-game topography maps together. We'll use it to do some more planning (who doesn't love planning :P)

Here's a blank version:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2Fnoro_detail_blank.jpg&hash=0b97665088de975de3c4842a551e8d1a9a96de11)


Behind the scenes, we've been planning the port area and I expect we'll be able to show a plan of that in the near future. Stay tuned folks.


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on May 12, 2013, 01:31:09 PM
I wouldn't say it often about a map, Willy, but this one is almost breathtaking. Mother nature, Dobdriver, and you have combined to make a truly beautiful place to play and plan. It's also a fun reminder of just how crazy the terrain Robin and I decided to work with really is :D  Knowing the behind the scenes detail of tile-by-tile map captures and layer-by-layer level of detail and flexibility it's hard to understate how exciting a project this mapping is.

Maarten, I've said it before and will say it again, those are two beautifully crafted interchanges  &apls  They're the kind of thing where you love them at first and just continue to appreciate them more as the details sink in. For example, the first one is a beautiful fit for an area not highly developed and the current capabilities of the NAM but also leaves room for any kind of changes the future could bring. The second maximizes the amount of wide-radius and fractional-angle space, does the same thing with merging lanes, and still fits into the footprint size you needed to keep it in that tile. Both have great signs, lights, and trees....and then there's that one secret thing that the most exciting of it all.....  ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on May 12, 2013, 03:15:35 PM
This is a smooth map you've got there, Willy.  I can just see the region unfolding before my very eyes when I look at the terrain.

Wait a minute.  Oh, Noah.  $%Grinno$%  Do you mean the lights weren't the secret in Maarten's interchanges after all?  Oh, too bad.  ()stsfd()
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 13, 2013, 01:53:36 AM
Should we be able to see what this "new thing" is? :)can you give us a hint???please ::)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: APSMS on May 13, 2013, 02:37:15 AM
Ooh, mind if I guess?

I thought it was rather odd that the RHW had nightlights when nothing was around. Perhaps the RHW props produce their own power? It sounds strange, but I've always had that problem with my roads. No nightlights for light poles w/o something nearby, but these seem to light up all by themselves. That would be rather subtle.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on May 13, 2013, 03:49:06 AM
No, the lights themselves are lots, being able to carry electricity (plopable LRMv5.1 lights, yeah!), but we also used a mod for that that increases the range electricity can carry itself. from 3 tiles to 512 tiles. This means that we can build this region without worrying about power lines (though, we probably going to set up an eyecandy power grid anyway).

The actual secret feature is even more subtle. I give you one clue: look at the RHW... closely...
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 13, 2013, 04:11:05 AM
Has it something to do with the texture?seems like there's more grey asphalt (like an emergency lane) on side of the RHW...
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on May 13, 2013, 09:58:19 AM
Oh, I just realized what it is with the RHW! Should I tell?!  $%Grinno$%

Two hints; colors & lines! Right?!

Nice map Willy, that must have taken quite a while to put together! And great intersections from you Maarten! Pleased to hear you enjoy the tree controller as well.  ()stsfd()
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Simcoug on May 13, 2013, 10:05:18 AM
Quote from: vortext
Nice map Willy, that must have taken quite a while to put together!

I agree... just how long did that take???  Is there a simpler way than going into each tile, taking a snapshot (rinse and repeat) and putting it together piece by piece in photoshop?

In any case, I love the map.  And great work to everybody involved in this project.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on May 13, 2013, 02:07:11 PM
Quote from: vortext on May 13, 2013, 09:58:19 AM
Oh, I just realized what it is with the RHW! Should I tell?!  $%Grinno$%

Two hints; colors & lines! Right?!
Nope, still not it...

Clue #2. Something is... missing...
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on May 13, 2013, 02:18:55 PM
Quote from: MandelSoft on May 13, 2013, 02:07:11 PM
Nope, still not it...

Well, that just goes to show I don't use RHW all that often because I really thought you had a new color scheme going.  :D

Anyhow, I'm really curious what's different. Surely someone must be able to tell?! 
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 13, 2013, 02:29:38 PM
No chevrons...
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: epicblunder on May 13, 2013, 08:26:18 PM
Quote from: MandelSoft on May 13, 2013, 02:07:11 PM
Clue #2. Something is... missing...

No T21 grass where the roadsigns are plopped?  ()what()

Then again i haven't got to play with the new RHW much yet, and maybe that's a nam 31.1 feature...   ???
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on May 13, 2013, 11:48:54 PM
And Epicblunder gets the prize! Indeed the grass is missing! We've deleted the wealth textures for the RHW and we made all networks model-based ;)  Currently, this is a NORO-only mod, since it's not that user-friendly.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 14, 2013, 01:44:58 AM
Wow!didn't notice that feature!!!that's a cool one Maarten!
always good to see some developement/new features...so who's working on what at the moment? :)
i love this project
cheers
Guglielmo
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on May 14, 2013, 02:03:17 AM
Doh! The devil is in the details!

Quote from: Gugu3 on May 14, 2013, 01:44:58 AM
so who's working on what at the moment? :)

Yeah, and who're actually involved at the moment? I lost track!  :D

Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on May 14, 2013, 11:33:44 AM
 Have a look at this !!  (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15873.msg459659#msg459659)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on May 14, 2013, 11:36:09 AM
Neat!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: epicblunder on May 15, 2013, 08:12:26 AM
 ;D

Quote from: MandelSoft on May 13, 2013, 11:48:54 PM
And Epicblunder gets the prize! Indeed the grass is missing! We've deleted the wealth textures for the RHW and we made all networks model-based...

Do you happen to have the TGI of the grass the RHW t21 uses?  I think i'm going to try to replace mine and see what happens....
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on May 15, 2013, 09:51:57 AM
It's not a T21. It's a texture (we call them Wealth Textures) that are there to prevent sidewalks from poking through. I just found another way to prevent that ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: epicblunder on May 15, 2013, 12:21:07 PM
Quote from: MandelSoft on May 15, 2013, 09:51:57 AM
It's not a T21. It's a texture (we call them Wealth Textures)

Ah.  So do you know the TGI of that texture so i can try to overwrite it?  Or can point me in the direction of where i can find it's ID if you NAMites don't have it listed near at hand?   :P
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on May 15, 2013, 12:40:12 PM
Well, it's not as easy as it sounds. The method I used is some pretty advanced modding involving removing textures and use models instead. There are also some drawbacks (like not being to able to see the preview of the tool while dragging).

Besides, why don't you just check out the files yourself with the Reader? There's nothing that stops you from doing that ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: epicblunder on May 16, 2013, 08:44:14 AM
Alrighty, thought you just might have had it close at hand.  I'll stop hijacking now.   ;D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: benedict on May 17, 2013, 08:12:53 AM
Congratulations to the cooperative on being featured as OSITM.

@ Mandelsoft - I like the simple shield for the NOROWAY.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on May 22, 2013, 04:15:41 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fgopherlogo.jpg&hash=652d71a16db4a33556480aaa57d0cd74a9acb124)


Watch out for tunnel squirrels! It's another bit of Noroway headed your way  $%#Ninj2


I've been a bit quiet and perhaps should apologize. Much like the swimming duck I've been apparently quite boring and yet paddling clownishly out of sight. Much like the noble beaver I've been industrious. And like the gopher (not golfer!) from Caddyshack I have been enjoying myself as well. I invoke the spirit of the noble squirrel to bring you a few pictures I hope you'll find interesting.


First off a couple of panoramas--click to enlarge! You've already downloaded the whole picture  ;D

My latest completed interchange, from quad Fq--this is where the outer beltway intersects highways headed west and south(west)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Ffq_xchange_pan.jpg&hash=9bfd30f164b2c1cb6e021b7864e6fe878731999a)


Another view of the last train station
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Frailstationpan.jpg&hash=542ef77779ec85b10206e83028549052871697e8)


A recent map of the central area for reference
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fmaptimetoupdate.jpg&hash=aea9c1886fc64c3a669b44aa3978cf3ec051f2d2)


Most of my recent SimCity work has been with highways--perhaps my favorite part of the game but extremely tedious because of the way I build them. Even on the more simple ones I usually build and demolish several times before coming up with something I'm really happy with, and on the big ones (like the first panorama) it takes days. And this new one for the port....well it's been may days of headaches testing the very limits of what's currently possible with the NAM in a bid to combine perfection with a desire to release the quad to Willy to continue rail and port development. Here is the series of shots I came up with to keep my team members abreast of my progress:


keep in mind when building interchanges I work with slope lessening networks parallel to highways and with lowered sea level in case I need to build "bridges"

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fxchangeprogress.jpg&hash=0c5776a9f4ed0584577b4985bfeabf7ab969f1f1)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fxchangeprogress2.jpg&hash=0e57b04bd7458e5263895d8cdb66de1e99c1e019)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fxchangeprogress3.jpg&hash=ed14804a84d0443a848edb6eaf37eee6c876806b)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fxchangeprogress4.jpg&hash=154e4d10d08560f35478e0a6d33a407acea30c06)


I've since started a major revamp of the eastern section to better work with the expressway-port road and it's local and expressway connections. The amount of networks involved and the inter-connectivity makes the project, and any small change to it, a major task. Maybe it would be better explained by:

DESIGN FEATURES:
6-way RHW interchange
Local traffic access to freeways and expressways in all directions
Local traffic access to most areas under the interchange
All central interchange elements elevated to allow for port, parking, or other use under the interchange--with all wide radius curves
East-west primary rail corridor crossing near to the interchange's center
Seaport railway crossing north-south near the interchange's center; not at grade crossing with rail corridor
Connectivity limited to directions where traffic would realistically want to go to a practical level
Interchange fits within space provided considering port development and close adjacency to the CBD quad Noropolis

The challenge is massive, at least for me. I've reached the point where finishing the junction could be done with a small bit of hard work but that's not enough. There's too much involved, too many networks, too many people, and too much of my own time. I'll be working on this project for a bit and fine-tuning it for who knows how long as future technology develops and the needs of our city become more clear. I have an idea of how the port and surrounding rails will look and I'm holding my highway to that standard.


At the southwest corner of the port tile (Mo) the expressway serving the port diverges from the motorway
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fportse.jpg&hash=642e12c9640b07b6cfd7359be747762af76b75ee)


Oh, and I made the central interchange of Iu a while ago too  ;)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fiu_xchange3.jpg&hash=367d7812666fa0c078e5c07e9f88692b5069b340)
I'm thinking about adding a half diamond to the western section of it. Any thoughts?


Something pretty for the end ;)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fxchangefalliu.jpg&hash=a43d516784617ebfcd697d0a8c2ce1ba0c9c52d1)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on May 23, 2013, 02:37:38 AM
wow, I'm impressed with the complexity of the layout &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RickD on May 23, 2013, 03:05:11 AM
Woah, those are some mighty impressive interchanges.  :o

You know, when you started this project I did not realize it would be a pre-planned region. I assumed you would do it organic growth style. But this is not a bad thing at all because it is how I usually play the game.  ;)

Is the squirrel now the official mascot for NORO? If so, we have to find a name for it.  ;D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 23, 2013, 04:32:58 AM
Well Noah...no words...i've seen this picture already but all the times i get more and more impressed &apls
Amazing!the NAM+great skills transit builders can lead to amazing results ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on May 23, 2013, 05:32:43 AM
Following you on these from the beginning has been very impressive Noah. I'm looking forward to seeing the port interchange finished. That quad will be fun ;)


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: epicblunder on May 23, 2013, 09:19:19 AM
Nice job on the interchanges  &apls  Using smooth curves only is a nice touch. 
Can't wait till you guys get to work on that port.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: samerton on May 23, 2013, 11:33:17 AM
Those interchanges are huuuge! Great work on those, I know they must have taken a very long time  &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on May 23, 2013, 01:09:03 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fgopherlogo.jpg&hash=652d71a16db4a33556480aaa57d0cd74a9acb124)

Now with 20% more ponies!

So, it may be a long time that we've put together some updates, but here is the follow-up of yesterday's update. We are still working on the basics of the region and that may take a while, but we are getting there...

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FBronyStuff%2Fbrony_sign_warningponiesatwork.png&hash=81d391709e0f9091464c68af655dc3414099f141)

And sometimes the RHW does get us into trouble too. Especially RUL2 stability remains an issue with instable overrides...

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FSimCity4-Stuff%2Fflexflybug_l2misoverride.jpg&hash=2108e49777a339da0e34a0bacad60d483671364a) (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FBronyStuff%2Fms_rul2_errors.png&hash=4fa8300ad3f2be6895473fa24b79c7d10680f369)

Yesterday we've showed the interchange on tile Fq while it was in it's bare state. Today, I present you the completed interchanges in these three huge mosaics! Click to enlarge... if you dare!  $%Grinno$%

First up is the interchange in the center of tile Fq. It's a partial cloverleaf interchange with a roundabout on one side. This will be in the middle of some suburbs in the future:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Fthumb%2Fmosaic_fq_01.jpg_thumb.jpg&hash=2332111aedb3f4ca988a7c1fdb46f438a33eea29) (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/mrtnrln/NORO/Fq/mosaic_fq_01.jpg)

The next one is the interchange at the south end of the city. We just wanted to make another access point there. Again, this is a partial cloverleaf, with a nice bridge over the creek:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Fthumb%2Fmosaic_fq_02.jpg_thumb.jpg&hash=a12a4be8226bdec31ece63692b89b417a9cf6ac4) (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/mrtnrln/NORO/Fq/mosaic_fq_02.jpg)

Finally, we have the huge interchange that's the main feature of this tile. It's a massive interchange between the PR-30, PR-39 and the PR-230 Noropolis Beltway
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Fthumb%2Fmosaic_fq_03.jpg_thumb.jpg&hash=173e75d6ed629e7b156884029fb6247236e03f62) (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/mrtnrln/NORO/Fq/mosaic_fq_03.jpg)
WARNING: HUGE MOSAIC! (4805x7496 pixels)

And to conclude, we go out with a shot in the dark:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq_nightpic01.jpg&hash=873f7f00bf9dc596ecd12ced7f5ae3cb932e28d7)

And with this bombshell I'd like to conclude this update. I wish you goodnight ;)

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on May 23, 2013, 01:16:57 PM
Excellent RHW geekery Noah & Maarten!!  &apls &apls

The map looks promising, the port especially.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: sunv123 on May 23, 2013, 01:59:13 PM
Wow. That's some of the most complex interchanges I've seen so far in SC4! Great work Noah and Maarten! :thumbsup:

And I like the idea of adding ponies in updates ^^. Makes me laugh. :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 23, 2013, 02:38:11 PM
Maarten the last interchange before the night picture is just breathtaking!think i've never seen such a complex interchange looking so realistic!it's basically like real life interchanges &apls &apls &apls
cheers
Guglielmo
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on May 23, 2013, 04:55:11 PM
Even though I have been working with the two of you in the back ground and have seen these interchanges already on several occassions while they were being built, I still cannot get over them. Great work guys and I am so happy with the Team we have put together so far.

I wonder how will update next.
Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on May 24, 2013, 04:32:20 AM
Outstanding work Maarten  &apls  Truly excellent. Love the presentation style as well  :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on May 24, 2013, 08:01:43 AM
Brony time? Pretty funny actually.

Good work Maarten. The ponds in the middle could use a little work to mask the jagged edges. Time for some MMPing I think ;)


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on May 24, 2013, 02:03:22 PM
This is some really spectacular interchange work, Noah and Maarten. And those things which take you several days to complete would take me several years to make something half that good. One little question: How can you be sure the quad needs such a complex transit system. Or are you guys just having a good time with RHW. ;)

I remain in awe... :o
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on May 24, 2013, 02:50:08 PM
The complex infrastructure is all part of the "bigger plan..." ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Haljackey on May 24, 2013, 02:52:29 PM
WHY HAVEN'T I BEEN HERE BEFORE?

Beautiful work. I'll stop by often now :P
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on May 25, 2013, 04:00:19 PM
Apparently, RUL-2 trouble shows up in RL too.  I've seen highway stubs (barricaded of course) end abruptly, presumably due to planned construction.  Sometimes they stay that way for years, possibly due to the DOT getting low on money.  The complex interchanges should be built while the building's good; if the land is taken up by buildings, it will be too late to upgrade them.

Nice work, Noah and Maarten!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on May 25, 2013, 08:30:02 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fgopherlogo.jpg&hash=652d71a16db4a33556480aaa57d0cd74a9acb124)

Now it's my turn to try my hand at some Road Geekery.....

A few weeks ago I had this and I couldn't complete it. Good thing, maybe as I think I have come up with something a little more fitting to the area. Here you can see the original and a few shots while I was making the new section.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-25-P1_zps8a1b4587.jpg&hash=19d950096ac7af0f5bd22a893d67aa8929db99da)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-25-P2_zps95057253.jpg&hash=5a48ac8c026da10a0bf9546c451a9e04b9b912ac)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-25-P3_zps12657589.jpg&hash=8c4122c086b196ffa4e5d131c6c3937cb74985f3)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-25-P4_zps9d9a4151.jpg&hash=9abf2aacd0d5e29f7d09d306a152f358108b167e)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-25-P5_zpsf974fa58.jpg&hash=5c7510f50f1b326878f1f50f43553d2f62ebb8cd)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-25-P6_zps0a6e6b1d.jpg&hash=8959651742d9a9b7312fbd0fa04f4b55f5e8e449)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-25-P7_zpse56067f9.jpg&hash=447d1d5cf94c533bb95f22172c6896d63a6335d4)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-25-P8_zpsc5eb58a3.jpg&hash=e81ec76961060b791e3b95290a247c4afd111e38)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-25-P9_zps539d9768.jpg&hash=1cc153ed7627aee75af8dcb0172cc7a31abeed27)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-25-P10_zps60cd0652.jpg&hash=51b844f7530392b30de8a9c3aba55ce5b0918fd8)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FBy-5-25-P11_zps2965299b.jpg&hash=0c2ae5e1e35f8c9c027c35cf5e0ba36f47db2f50)

What do you think?

Robin  ()stsfd()
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 26, 2013, 02:26:13 AM
Like this one either!the other one was more compact, but both of them are well made!good work Robin!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Flatron on May 26, 2013, 03:14:03 AM
A ParClo, eh?
And I spotted some semi-urban development, but let's talk aboot that overpass: Wouldn't it have been more realistic to build an earthen slope on wich the road would be lifted over the highway? Btw.: don't ya think the merging lanes are a bit short?
Nevertheless it's great what you build there &apls (almost spilled my poutine* all over the chesterfield  ;D )

*how can you eat that?
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on May 26, 2013, 05:02:20 AM
very nice parclo, Robin! You did an awesome work. :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on May 26, 2013, 05:09:05 AM
A parclo works out nicely for the edge of town.  Good work, Robin!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on May 26, 2013, 07:36:32 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fgopherlogo.jpg&hash=652d71a16db4a33556480aaa57d0cd74a9acb124)

How is this.....any better?

Click for full size.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Frooker1%2FSC4%2Fby-5-26-p1.jpg&hash=430e2f0eb1566f9793caece51b351abad8c6b273)

Robin :-\
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Flatron on May 26, 2013, 08:32:22 AM
Now that's great! I like it &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kitsune on May 26, 2013, 08:37:06 AM
wow.. captures the essence of hwy 400 in ontario perfectly.. very realistic.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on May 26, 2013, 09:55:19 AM
Frankly I liked the first version because it was compact and the Flex-Fly ramps, they're just awesome to see. Then again, the latest version fits better into a suburban environment and BuddyBuds' walls are a nice touch (though please get rid of the Maxis trees!!  ::)).
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Haljackey on May 26, 2013, 10:22:33 AM
Wow, great work!

That interchange would make a great submission to the RHW Interchange guide. If you're interested, just add some text to each step and post it in the parclo section or feel free to PM me about it. :)

Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on May 27, 2013, 02:44:56 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fgopherlogo.jpg&hash=652d71a16db4a33556480aaa57d0cd74a9acb124)


Er. . . what did I say when I first typed this message before my browser went ape? Something along the lines of port . . . planning . . . docks . . . scale . . . based of my home-town port.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2Fport_comparison.jpg&hash=b900e4fc3dcab741d1e07e530af6c871925c0c57)


Bottom two docks are 2300m x 320m, like the Churchill dock in Antwerp . . . we'll be having mostly container traffic . . . Noah's building an interchange now . . . we had a long discussion about how the highway should cross the docks eastward . . . we're going for a tunnel, like the mainline railway tracks (yellow on the map) . . . bridges are fun but the required clearance would make it look a bit off in this location . . . instead we'll be doing something nice bridge-wise at the other end of the bay.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2Fport_overview_sm.jpg&hash=a494efa6b92a9fbcfc62d96db3ec2f8143610364) (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/swm666/NORO/port_overview.jpg)


And, I also got an idea for two home-made products. (This is where I closed the browser instead of post the message :D  Jeez, I'm not used to MDing anymore.)

Prepare for a big brewery some place and a bunch of tobacco processing industry.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2Fnoahs.jpg&hash=7c7bce04554e9ca91b8c3ed3e66021a6f4b1e461)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FNORO%2Frookers2.jpg&hash=51d346ae2ea78cb6a554488000eb8f5cda30a7d6)


We'll be enlisting a BATer to make some HD billboards with this (sometime in the future).


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 28, 2013, 01:48:54 AM
I like the idea for the products Willy!!So are you trying to recreate something similar to your home town port?looking forward to seeing it! &apls
Cheers
Guglielmo
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on May 28, 2013, 03:17:20 AM
I love my Beer Billboard......come to think of it, I love my beer. lol
Great work, I really like the idea of some back ground in NORO.

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Simcoug on May 28, 2013, 06:45:15 AM
mmmmm..... beer...   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Aaron Graham on May 28, 2013, 07:31:43 AM
Lovely bill boards, I always wanted to make some sort of bill boards, I fill sim city is missing them. :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: FrankU on May 28, 2013, 07:35:27 AM
Hmmm.... beer and a new seaport! Smells like Zware Van Nelle, clove, nutmeg, vanilla and other spices....
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on May 28, 2013, 08:18:24 AM
Seaport looks promising! Plenty of space for all the necessary infrastructures!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on May 28, 2013, 08:29:14 AM
Quote from: FrankU on May 28, 2013, 07:35:27 AM
Hmmm.... beer and a new seaport! Smells like Zware Van Nelle, clove, nutmeg, vanilla and other spices....

Coffee!! How could you forget about coffee Frank?!?  ???  :D

Pretty neat seaport Willy! I like it is true to scale and judging from the various RHW intersections, I guess all Noro infrastructure projects are! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on May 28, 2013, 01:27:56 PM
Now THAT's a seaport! All of you have done outstanding work so far, but that isn't the most amazing thing about NORO. The truly unique feature is the fact that all of you have different playing styles and skills, but you're able to come together and create a harmoniously seamless region. It can't be as easy as you make it look.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on May 28, 2013, 05:03:23 PM
Outstanding work Willy  &apls

The port is one of the most exciting things in the project for me right now and I'm very happy to be able to contribute my work towards it. Love the advertisements too, thanks man--looks like there's a new brand of smokes I need to switch to  :satisfied:

Exciting work on the small town in By Robin! I think things are turning out great down there and the interchange has turned out very nice  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: FrankU on May 29, 2013, 05:16:29 AM
Quote from: vortext on May 28, 2013, 08:29:14 AM
Quote from: FrankU on May 28, 2013, 07:35:27 AM
Hmmm.... beer and a new seaport! Smells like Zware Van Nelle, clove, nutmeg, vanilla and other spices....

Coffee!! How could you forget about coffee Frank?!?  ???  :D

Pretty neat seaport Willy! I like it is true to scale and judging from the various RHW intersections, I guess all Noro infrastructure projects are! :thumbsup:

Hmmm, sorry Vortex, Yes. Coffee. And tea. And a lot of other smells. Like linseed oil, tar, diesel...
About twenty years ago I visited the at that time almost abandonded Wilhelminapier in Rotterdam. The building of the Holland Amerkia Lijn was inhabited by squatters (they actually saved the building form destruction and now it is the famous Hotel New York) and most of the warehouses were abandoned but open. Everywhere you could smell the spices that had been stored there. The area smelled like it was still active. I'll never forget this atmosphere.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on May 29, 2013, 05:43:07 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROOSITM%2Fgopherlogo.jpg&hash=652d71a16db4a33556480aaa57d0cd74a9acb124)

I have done a little more on this little town.
What do you think so far? I'm starting to have enough demand that I can now demolish certain things and try to get what I want to grow with fairly good luck. A few of these are working pics and have some functions turned....sorry, but I thought I would show them anyways.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO%2520Cooperation%2FBy-5-28-P1_zps08e4007a.jpg&hash=bb8d365d0117153c24ccf769b3ee9d4cd398242b)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO%2520Cooperation%2FBy-5-28-P2_zpsf1c43c64.jpg&hash=2bf5957904876adde48d2a2030d80fc005fc7320)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO%2520Cooperation%2FBy-5-28-P3_zpsc974614b.jpg&hash=6f014361d43bd4370be100ee7b42959f68fbd41c)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO%2520Cooperation%2FBy-5-28-P4_zps94883f0b.jpg&hash=6ec5341c78d539103dd5ba2bdad5a72e19a1eeb3)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO%2520Cooperation%2FBy-5-28-P5_zpsde409787.jpg&hash=fd66bf0df7563b2f517dc2ed2fae3aaa90322ef0)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO%2520Cooperation%2FBy-5-28-P6_zpse2f936db.jpg&hash=70ff57690f052ca02a4cd7217b836b719b54c9e4)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO%2520Cooperation%2FBy-5-28-P7_zpsd205c6e8.jpg&hash=9abc045866a10e26808e4853c11132f897968c5c)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO%2520Cooperation%2FBy-5-28-P8_zps23d36973.jpg&hash=524e480a6fdeef0cefca50ed4a27a9f8fdb34ece)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO%2520Cooperation%2FBy-5-28-P9_zps956f5671.jpg&hash=3e7ac7ab433afebf45d8f300435ce7feb398a9d1)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO%2520Cooperation%2FBy-5-28-P10_zps179ac294.jpg&hash=a9ede4edd9bdabf30d8bebc46ae9fc7ce5beee8c)

I hope you are enjoying the month so far.
Robin :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on May 29, 2013, 06:07:51 AM
Well done!! :thumbsup:the only thing i don't particularly like is the brown shade near the rail tracks...
cheers
Guglielmo
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on May 29, 2013, 12:58:33 PM
Lovely work in By Robin  &apls  I'm jealous you've gotten your little town to the point you have  ;D  Train station looks sweet. The brown Guglielmo mentioned can be easily fixed with some old-school Swamper77 material combined with something from a flying horse IIRC. I'd suggest 7,5m viaducts over the rail rather than 15m ones but in any case it's a very pretty thing to behold  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on May 29, 2013, 02:14:31 PM
I like the looks of your industrial area, Robin. I've always maintained that industry doesn't have to be an eyesore. The neighborhoods look good, too, but they might look a bit better if the houses were a little farther apart. We have a new neighborhood just south of Jonesboro. The houses are pretty, but there's not a tree in sight and people can open a window and shake hands with each other. ::)

You've done some nice-looking work here, and I'm glad you decided to give us a peek at it. :)

Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on May 30, 2013, 01:25:33 AM
A certainly nice looking town,  Robin!

I have a thought concerning the station, what seems to be the entrance would be logical to put it along the underway, so that when people enter the station they have direct access to the two platforms.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fuppix.net%2F5%2Fd%2F5%2Fbf198140a0fe598c0aeca48ac35c4.jpg&hash=45865a2cb3d3a34a9cb4b26d5b9032c36f1185f3)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on May 30, 2013, 01:41:24 AM
Nice work on the small town robin. :thumbsup:
I increasingly love this project. You are creating a great region and I love that you want to provide them with as much realism, as a large and well structured seaport, natural growth, and all these amazing interchanges. With so many talented players/modders the project is turning out exiting.
Although lately I do not have much time to comment (and to play the game :() I'm following and enjoying each update. You give me the dose of SC4 I need :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on May 30, 2013, 07:50:04 AM
For those of you that have not noticed The NORO Interview (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15246.msg460677#msg460677) that our great friend Matt (threestooges) has put together, you should check it out.

Robin :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: sim_link on May 30, 2013, 09:28:34 AM
You guys have some beautiful work here. The towns and networks are amazing. All your hard work is paying off! ;D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: whatevermind on June 07, 2013, 07:11:17 PM
I see some continuously amazing work here, a lot of interesting ideas going on! The real world scale of a lot of the infrastructure is really interesting. Funny how we get used to how much SC4 tends to shrink these things - particularly when it comes to rail/seaports/airports, and even highway interchanges.

I also have to say, that picture with the pony on the broken overpass with the line about RUL2 had me nearly falling out of my chair. Funny how that can be so true with real world infrastructure too.

:thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on June 24, 2013, 07:00:55 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

We are still very hard at work behind the scene....some much more than others....namely Willy (Swordmaster). Just have a look at what he and I have created in these pictures. Very, very exciting times!!!!! &hlp

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO-6-24-P7-Doublelinecrossover_zps4a27000e.jpg&hash=f26ce6e4c5de50b4ea47e660ff215f9efaf63d39)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO-6-24-P8-Doublelinecrossover_zps94f3c63d.jpg&hash=302edbb3108b1f8e28e002e7cbe249cf5b921e40)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FNORO-6-24-P9-Doublelinecrossover_zps88ce3705.jpg&hash=344422b833e40562892b6d0beb27805fd021146c)

Robin and Willy :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RepublicMaster on June 24, 2013, 09:02:18 PM
Epic! That railways is looking great! :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: JoeST on June 24, 2013, 11:07:04 PM
that is some cruel teasery :D <3 awesome
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on June 25, 2013, 01:28:52 AM
I remember quite some times where I need that piece so badly...
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on June 25, 2013, 02:39:01 AM
Amazing switch!!!the RRW is going to become an amazing addition to the NAM! &apls
cheers
Guglielmo
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on June 25, 2013, 02:44:21 AM
I think some of you may be missing the importance of the above pics. Not only does Willy have an Alpha of his RRW Modd well on it's way, but look at that Beautiful Double Line Crossover.....and it's draggable!  &apls It looks like only Maarten has noticed. I, for one, cannot get enough of that pic. :o
The RRW is obviously done by Willy and the pics are taken from an area I have been working on.
I hope everyone enjoys the pics.

A huge thanks to Willy.....what an Epic Project!! &apls

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RickD on June 25, 2013, 03:06:05 AM
I love the switch.  &apls The brown dirt texture works surprisingly well with the RRW. I really hated it with the Maxis rail.  ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on June 25, 2013, 04:17:29 AM
Quote from: rooker1 on June 25, 2013, 02:44:21 AM
It looks like only Maarten has noticed.

Noticed it too... Now we can make rail yards without the stupid non-realistic small crossing.

These pictures are great..... The more I see that mod, the more I want it!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on June 25, 2013, 07:07:35 AM
Fantastic pictures (and not just because of the rails :P).  I agree with Raphael that the dirt texture doesn't look as bad as it used to, but there's still going to be an optional remover for that :D

And the thanks go all your way Robin. It's great to have your support.


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Dantes on June 25, 2013, 08:38:35 AM
I have long not seen in here.  :-[ I commented on pure natural landscapes reluctantly. I like it better when a man has done something with the landscape. I am glad that you move forward with the work. I like the new pictures very much.

Great work!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on June 27, 2013, 06:47:55 PM
Stunning work here, guys. The rail textures look terrific.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on June 28, 2013, 05:51:17 AM
Great work Robin  &apls  I really like how your rail corridor is shaping up.  And it goes without saying Willy, but the RRW is looking fantastic. It's funny how that always annoying brown wealth texture actually doesn't look bad for once :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Aaron Graham on June 28, 2013, 08:46:19 AM
Lovely pictures!!!!! :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on July 27, 2013, 12:36:43 PM
A bit quiet around here...

In the background things have been progressing though at a relatively slow pace do to a number of distractions a number of us have had recently. Plugins improvements, lotting, modding, planning, and a bit of building have been quietly taking place. Me building transit networks around Noropolid(Ko) has been most of the actual building of late. The vast majority of the pictures I have on hand are progress shots but I managed to get a couple of fairly good ones depicting my idea for developing the west bank of the river.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROsummer%2Fshore.jpg&hash=2702676711f39e219353f86499c9f058c6f3737d)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROsummer%2Fshorenight.jpg&hash=b7b0097e0599d7edca79942da2e0e566abebde53)


You can see an older zoomed out view of the Noropolis tile here:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROsummer%2Fattempt6.jpg&hash=408de9e4ede0693453e927579ca7c3bd31e05512)


I've done a bit of playing around with light rail textures too (outdated texture shown ;) )
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROsummer%2Frlr1.jpg&hash=463b29777c39b33f9a6b6bd13e5260fb47871241)


If there's interest I'd be happy to post more pictures of the traffic grid work in the city's center. I'd also like to show a couple more pics before I head out for vacation home to America Monday morning :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on July 27, 2013, 12:41:32 PM
It's coming along nicely I should say! I for one think you could post some more of those progress pix. They're quite good actually.


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RepublicMaster on July 27, 2013, 03:46:41 PM
I love the riverside! It's coming along very nicely. :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Aaron Graham on July 27, 2013, 03:53:32 PM
Lovely work on the city, I wonder what the residential are looks like fro this city. :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on July 27, 2013, 05:44:33 PM
I would like to see more of your progress photos, too, Noah. I'm trying to see a pattern in your work which might...ermmm...be of help to me at a later time. And you can always post some more night shots , too, if you ever have any left over. :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on July 27, 2013, 06:47:18 PM
As I've already told you, I'm a fan of your transportation grid!

And indeed, some progress photos are welcome. :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on July 28, 2013, 10:23:17 AM
Definitely great shots Noah! I'm quite curious to see the diagonal grid develop so more progress pics won't hurt. Besides, aren't all our pictures progress pics one way or another?! ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on July 29, 2013, 03:38:08 AM
Awesome shots Noah.
I can't wait to start filling in the diagonal areas of the city.
And please post more night shots.

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: sunv123 on July 29, 2013, 05:30:56 AM
Very nice and not to mention creative city layout, just amazing. :thumbsup:

And I like that rail texture ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on July 29, 2013, 05:36:48 AM
What to say Noah??Your pictures are always amazing and a source of inspiration :thumbsup:
Would like to see some more developement pictures too!!! ::)
Great job so far!hope you'll enjoy your holiday and have a great fun!
cheers
Guglielmo
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: weixc812 on July 29, 2013, 06:55:35 AM
Wow, will I say I especially love the CBD views?  :D
Can't wait to see how the towers grow up  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on August 13, 2013, 08:27:48 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

It may still be a bit quiet around here due to the summer holidays and some of us are away and doing other stuff. This explains why developments here are slow. But for those of you that wonder, this project is still alive and kicking. Even more so: developments are on their way and we are finally seeing some sprawl.

Today we are going to take a look at Tile Fq, which has now been named to Armorsforth. It's an edge city of the central city of Noropolis, with its own small satellite-C.B.D. The city also has an industrial district, but most of all, it has a huge sprawling suburb going out for miles! Furthermore, it's right near the interchange of three major freeways in Noroway: the PR-30, PR-39 and Great Noropolis Beltway PR-230. So let's take a tour around Armorsforth



(Click on the pictures for Full Resolution)

First off the C.B.D. This is right next to the train station, a not so common sight in Noroway. This railway line goes straight to Noropolis and considering the traffic jams on the PR-30, the railway line can be the fastest route to Noropolis. Furthermore is this the only place in Armorsforth you find high-rise buildings...

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth07.jpg&hash=fed43154bcff5a38a57ab22ed320468654c85fda)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth08.jpg&hash=b11234734b3ba60fad58a96f0db3be0680a7c415)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth09.jpg&hash=a3d419c93d3fbd1ba103049321bf8d0a05237b1a)

Next up is the riverside industrial district. Lots of manufacturing is going on here, producing all sorts of goods for Norowegians, like squirrel plushies :P

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth02.jpg&hash=2e4a73a0ecfd9736e402b1c365cf4cd3fb583bf1)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth03.jpg&hash=89b64ba51811677aa5cfa8ae5d38450e5633eda5)

Armorsforth has suburbs. Lots of suburbs, spreading out for miles. In this tile alone there are 100 000 citizens all living in low-density housing. It does make the city look more open and quiet...
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth01.jpg&hash=cd7ab842194b1c2bdb087a64f8fe2ff27d156454)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth04.jpg&hash=02fa05839594ab62c7c567e8c12f31862a917f36)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth05.jpg&hash=dd7f80d4035af9c5970030301ec7a153d55af223)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth06.jpg&hash=6d52cc004e2a4e8363d66f6d9468daf12121db75)

And let's not forget, Armorsforth has some amazing infrastructure too! Here are a few pics of some nice feats of Civil Engineering in Armorsforth:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth10.jpg&hash=c1cbff5979f27e910a29f4beaa51c3d52da820df)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth11.jpg&hash=baa477c88beee201eee2c93f1f18a535805349f7)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth12.jpg&hash=e04f097b33bb22fdb12b7626f9aa85fc95937716)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FFq%2Ffq-armorsforth13.jpg&hash=0eba2b7adf7a074bd4f8e9157ac32d35d62c6fec)



That was it for today. Until next time, folks! ;)

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Haljackey on August 13, 2013, 08:31:39 AM
I think got an overdose of TuLEP there. Great work!

That interchange is looking stellar too! :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: spot on August 13, 2013, 08:51:26 AM
Nicely done. Can't wait for those 7.5 avenue overpasses to be released.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on August 13, 2013, 09:13:07 AM
Very nice job!!!Amazing pics and as Always Amazing interchanges!!!
cheers
Guglielmo
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kelis on August 13, 2013, 11:15:25 AM
Fantastic job !! I have not words to describe that interchange, It's just awesome !!

&apls &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Dantes on August 13, 2013, 11:23:20 AM
Great work. I like the index in the last picture. The city center is built fantastic.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: TheTeaCat on August 16, 2013, 06:50:45 AM
Just caught up on the first 8 pages :o :o :o
lost for words!
Amazing -- no not good enough  $%Grinno$%
Fantastic -- way too lame $%Grinno$%
I might have to invent a word :D
Need more Tea to recover!!
will be back for more

Congratulations to you all

Derry

wanders off shaking head wondering what happened while I was away
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Terring7 on August 16, 2013, 09:56:04 AM
Who's awesome?

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi3.kym-cdn.com%2Fphotos%2Fimages%2Foriginal%2F000%2F168%2F578%2F3ONqv.gif&hash=31974cfc068e449cfc64246cc5d20cf661c7e673)

&apls &apls &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on August 19, 2013, 11:07:23 AM
Excellent work! &apls

The last picture is amazing! Also, I like the TE-ed parking lots. To whoever came up with it: good idea and outstanding lotting! All in all very exciting to see Noro taking shape!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: sunv123 on August 19, 2013, 11:37:28 AM
Yes, the progress is quite amazing! &apls

The last shot with the crazy interchange is cool, though I think I need my GPS for it. :P
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MTT9 on August 19, 2013, 11:41:35 AM
Looks amazing :) Keep it up guys
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on August 19, 2013, 12:50:56 PM
Amazing work, Maarten. I'm very interested in studying transit routes at the moment, and yours is definitely right up there with the best of the best. The suburbs look great, too, and you've done a fine job on the industrial area. You're a very versatile city builder. :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RepublicMaster on August 19, 2013, 09:52:17 PM
Great work! That interchange looks amazing. :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Mr.Lin on August 20, 2013, 03:08:27 AM
 &apls
The highway is really awesome !
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on August 20, 2013, 04:31:41 AM
It's a pleasure to see pictures like these. It shows what we can achieve with SC4 nowadays. &apls &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on August 20, 2013, 05:21:40 AM
About time I heaped more praise on top of all that. These are without exception some of the best SC4 urban shots I've seen this year. Great work!


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on August 26, 2013, 01:22:07 PM
Quote from: Swordmaster on August 20, 2013, 05:21:40 AM
About time I heaped more praise on top of all that. These are without exception some of the best SC4 urban shots I've seen this year. Great work!


Cheers
Willy

Agreed! Truly outstanding work Maarten. Fun collaborating with you on Armorsforth!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Pioneer on August 29, 2013, 11:15:16 AM
The realism, it's MAGNIFICENT
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: CharlieLord on August 29, 2013, 11:57:26 AM
I've only just discovered this through some of Maarten's posts on ST, and blimey I'm impressed. This is a real feast for the eyes, and incredibly realistic.

Luckily, I have many pages of stuff to catch up on, otherwise I'd be struggling to wait for more :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Aaron Graham on August 29, 2013, 12:59:00 PM
Wonderful work, Keep it up!!! :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: zwitser on September 07, 2013, 03:52:06 AM
I like the parking garage in this picture  &apls

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/mrtnrln/NORO/Fq/fq-armorsforth08.jpg

As for the overall images, stunning!  :o
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on September 07, 2013, 04:45:39 AM
Nice job Maarten!

Incredible work on the center, suburbs and the highway network!

However, on the picture zwitser mentioned, I think I just saw two missing textures on two buildings' lots.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: zwitser on September 09, 2013, 01:47:12 AM
I looked at it again, and i also like the building at the top right corner, the one with the terrace.

Then i looked at the picture again, and like the overall! Just amazing  ;D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on September 11, 2013, 07:12:46 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

Just a small update for today, but still good enough to share...  ;)

After the well recieved development on tile Fq (Armorsforth), the suburbs are expanding further and further from this edge city. First off, I moved on down the PR-30, south to tile Es, which I named Ellismere. It's another endess suburbs, with some industry, located on the beautiful Ellis Lake.

I could show you dozens of images of the city. However, I stiched a mosaic together to show the entire city of Ellismere, so you can see the bigger picture (pun fully intended) of the city.

Click to enlarge!
WARNING: HUGE IMAGE! (3.92MB, 6800x3500px)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FEs%2Fthumb%2Fnoro_es_ellismere_mosaic.jpg_thumb.jpg&hash=ca2968045b6f1a48cfd98e54de1aaff43b4d768d) (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/mrtnrln/NORO/Es/noro_es_ellismere_mosaic.jpg)

See you next time! I'm signing out for now to listen to some good music:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FBronyStuff%2Fponyavatar_animated.gif&hash=7e9c44c14d65ef2ada031ac590122d039b131e45)

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on September 11, 2013, 07:47:24 AM
This is absolutely gorgeous!I'm speachless! &apls
Cheers
Guglielmo
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on September 11, 2013, 08:44:05 AM
Love it Maarten.
I think I spent about half an hour looking it over. It'll be interesting to see who else on our team will go in there and what changes they'll make. ;)
I really like the transit layout.....all of it. No grid there what so ever.
Great work!

Robin &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RepublicMaster on September 11, 2013, 12:10:30 PM
I could stare at that for hours! Great work, I like how the highway seamlessly snakes through. :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MTT9 on September 11, 2013, 01:53:58 PM
Great work! What an amazing overview, keep it up Noro Team ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: whatevermind on September 11, 2013, 05:24:18 PM
That is incredibly well done, inspirational even!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on September 12, 2013, 05:24:36 AM
Excellent work Maarten  &apls  I just love the winding highway!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on September 12, 2013, 09:57:08 AM
Outstanding mosaic!  &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on September 12, 2013, 10:10:19 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

So, today I've made something special: video footage from NORO! This video will explain how this works and what difficulties there are with managing such a multiplayer region. It will also show some of the construction of one of the tiles, so be sure to tune in!

http://www.youtube.com/v/aZGQXoj_jZ8

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Haljackey on September 12, 2013, 05:24:31 PM
Oh wow very nice Mandselsoft! Nice mosaic as well!

I mention you and NORO in my Building A City From Scratch series, complimenting the mosaic and your new video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz_mGV1F6jk) I can imagine SC4 co-op isn't that easy...
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on September 13, 2013, 03:36:22 AM
Great video Maarten  &apls  The first 5 minutes or so give a nice explanation of the challenges of and solutions to multi-player game play that I really hope people take the time to view. It also reminded me I should really go back to Tomah (along the bay south of the center).

Watching how you go through and build a city was also very interesting for me. We do a lot of things the same way but some things different too--and you're much quicker obviously  :D  I really liked the trick you did outlining farmland zones and then auto-filling--didn't know that trick and I like the results. I did notice a couple things about your playing style that I could offer tips for. First, I think you'll find it more convenient to use keyboard shortcuts more often--there are shortcuts for all types of zones, all the basic (non-rush hour) networks, power lines, pipes, and a few other things that I don't know how I used to live without. Secondly, and less importantly, when building slopes approaching overpasses I start the slope from where it actually starts to cross the highway or rail in question, allowing the on-slope tile to be slightly sloped and reducing the embankment approach by one tile. That's just a small thing but can be helpful in a tight spot.

Great work and way to get the ball rolling on videos! Hopefully I can get one together before too long :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on September 13, 2013, 04:32:15 AM
I just finished watching the video and also found it very, very interesting. Although it is and hour and fifteen minutes it seemed to fly by and I encourage everyone to watch.
There are a lot of things in there that I didn't know how to do, mostly about transit layout. I don't think I am very good, definatley not efficient like you.
I also didn't know about the farming tile trick. Good one indeed.

Great job on the video and I hope we can add alot more of those.
Robin &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: droric on September 13, 2013, 01:10:42 PM
I also enjoyed watching the video.  Especially the parts where you were getting the draggable FAR to line up.   I almost always have issues getting a diagonal to connect to a orthogonal road correctly and it seems if u drag from the ortho road to the diag road it works just fine ;)  Looking forward to seeing this come together.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on September 15, 2013, 01:54:48 PM
I've been quiet around here for a long time but have actually been working pretty hard the last couple weeks. Speaking of working, I've recently released my first public contribution (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3000), a mod to remove all arrows from the NWM one way roads. No progress on my tram project but I hope to get back to it before too long. Most of what I've been up to is designing highways in Ko-Noropolis, as well as planning other roads and detailing river banks. I'm almost finished with that and hope to have a bigger, polished update posted soon--but for now just one picture  ::)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROsummer%2Fsouthhwyko.jpg&hash=31257bc7c7a0d54885bc48ee049c32dbe68e6f87)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: APSMS on September 15, 2013, 02:31:51 PM
How were you able to get that cable-stayed RHW bridge? I don't recall anything like that lurking in the DBE files.

That's also quite a transportation network you have there. Very nice; looking forward to the finished product.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: sunv123 on September 15, 2013, 02:45:09 PM
Interesting road layout, especially the bridges. &apls

Oh and that Arch Bridge ::) Have you been hiding that from us?

I had really enjoyed the video Maarten, a great break from just pictures. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: guiloli on September 15, 2013, 09:30:37 PM
Wonderfull work by all of you !   &apls

Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Huston_N7 on September 16, 2013, 12:33:26 AM
That transportation network looks nuts! Looking really good so far :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RepublicMaster on September 16, 2013, 02:03:16 AM
Nice highway layout! I'm looking forward to seeing more. :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on September 16, 2013, 02:56:53 AM
That does look great Noah. I can't wait until we start getting some Sims living in there.

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: weixc812 on September 16, 2013, 05:03:24 AM
Quote from: noahclem on September 15, 2013, 01:54:48 PM
I've been quiet around here for a long time but have actually been working pretty hard the last couple weeks. Speaking of working, I've recently released my first public contribution (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3000), a mod to remove all arrows from the NWM one way roads. No progress on my tram project but I hope to get back to it before too long. Most of what I've been up to is designing highways in Ko-Noropolis, as well as planning other roads and detailing river banks. I'm almost finished with that and hope to have a bigger, polished update posted soon--but for now just one picture  ::)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROsummer%2Fsouthhwyko.jpg&hash=31257bc7c7a0d54885bc48ee049c32dbe68e6f87)
I'm quite interested in the bridges in the pic. As a non-user of NAM31, I don't know whether they are from this new NAM or part of your testing projects. Can you tell me where you got them, Noah?
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on September 16, 2013, 05:52:19 AM
Noah on the LEX! Great work my friend!

And on the project, too, of course. Excellent layouts.


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on September 16, 2013, 06:08:03 AM
As always you are doing an amzing job my friend!i've always liked,since Silijoki,pictures of work in progress areas!good stuff
Guglielmo
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on September 16, 2013, 08:46:04 AM
Quote from: weixc812 on September 16, 2013, 05:03:24 AM
I'm quite interested in the bridges in the pic. As a non-user of NAM31, I don't know whether they are from this new NAM or part of your testing projects. Can you tell me where you got them, Noah?

Both are included in the NAM 31.2 and both are made by me. You just have to use the Maxis Highway tool for it.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: APSMS on September 16, 2013, 02:56:16 PM
Very nice bridges Maarten; my question in particular was not where they came from (they sort of look like MHW based bridges), but rather if they're bridges, how he got roads to go under them. I was unaware that you could do that even with the DBE. ()what()
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: cmdp123789 on September 16, 2013, 06:35:58 PM
Hey... thats true... I hadnt noticed that...  &apls please maarten tell us how? that is something crazy and exciting :o
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on September 16, 2013, 11:26:40 PM
Well, you can ask Noah. He build those roads under the bridges and I don't know either how he managed that...
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: gn_leugim on September 17, 2013, 01:51:56 AM
how did you get those ave under the bridges?  ()what()

nice pic btw ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kelis on September 20, 2013, 09:03:11 AM
OMG! This last picture shows a lot of work, I'm pretty impressed with all those roads, highways and bridges...fantastic work you are doing here !!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on September 26, 2013, 01:12:41 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

And yet another video has been recorded for NORO! Today we continue with developing tile Dq from the NORO Co-operative. I'm also rambling about other stuff in this video and some weird things happen with the water. So tune in for the fun!

http://www.youtube.com/v/AyB6uXfVRjY

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Girafe on September 26, 2013, 03:05:37 AM
Really interesting video  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on September 26, 2013, 04:11:48 AM
Another great video Maarten.
When I first saw the time on the video I thought it was too long, but as you watch the time really flies by. I really like watching others play and how they go about it. Some things are very similiar to how I do things. But you seem to be a master at keyboard shortcuts.
Two quotes I like from the video......"SimCity 4ever" and "What the heck is going on here, they are still complaining about water?" The second made me laugh out loud, thank you.

Great stuff!
Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on September 26, 2013, 10:31:32 AM
Great video &apls

The only problem is that sometime I want to zoom out to see the general view and I can't :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on September 26, 2013, 10:42:24 AM
Great video Maarten and I'm pleased to hear the tree controller no longer borks (what happened?!  ()what()). However, you may want to keep an eye on the date when planting trees next time.  ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: APSMS on September 26, 2013, 04:12:12 PM
Quote from: vortext on September 26, 2013, 10:42:24 AM
Great video Maarten and I'm pleased to hear the tree controller no longer borks (what happened?!  ()what()). However, you may want to keep an eye on the date when planting trees next time.  ;)
The tree controller has done that to me too, I think when I play for a while in an undeveloped city, the game excludes loading the proper files to save memory (or something); reloading the city tile usually fixes it, so it's not much of a problem.

And, I too, was a little bit skeptical of the tree planting dates. I had thought you were not paying attention because you were going to do all of them on Feb 1st, but when it was summer and you were planting autumn trees... my only criticism, though.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: gn_leugim on September 30, 2013, 11:46:27 AM
Quote from: gn_leugim on September 17, 2013, 01:51:56 AM
how did you get those ave under the bridges?  ()what()

nice pic btw ;)

anyone?

nice video as well, very enjoyable :)


Sorry for the delay buddy. You can find the under-bridge lots I used here: http://klex.blog85.fc2.com/ (http://klex.blog85.fc2.com/)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on October 04, 2013, 04:11:59 PM
Things are still progressing behind the scenes--and we have a surprise on the way. For today I'd like to share a couple pics....

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROsummer%2Fyxchange.jpg&hash=daa27b07064dc8c751dc27ed86462b69c775559d)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROsummer%2Fjqbigxchange.jpg%253Cbr%2520%2F%253E%253Cbr%2520%2F%253E%255Bimg%2520width%3D1024%255Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROsummer%2Fyxchange.jpg&hash=aaa39b91de44fbc5de07f1032971a52fbd19b9f4)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: ParramattaPower on October 04, 2013, 05:34:48 PM
Fantastic Realism!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: APSMS on October 04, 2013, 06:33:16 PM
Noah, your FlexFly ramp is fine, but the end going up is in the wrong direction (towards the top of the picture). You might want to change that. ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on October 04, 2013, 07:07:14 PM
A surprise you say?  :satisfied:
Another incredible interchange!! &apls
I have been working on one as well and will post it in a day or so. I hope it's half as good as the stuff you have been putting together.

Robin :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Durfsurn on October 04, 2013, 08:32:28 PM
Excellent stuff going on here! Amazing work by all ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on October 05, 2013, 02:46:43 AM
Oh my Noah, this is Madness!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on October 05, 2013, 03:59:26 AM
Hmm, seems my after bar posting didn't quite work out correctly  :D  Thanks for the kind words guys and I'll be sure to correct the wrong way MIS problem. A couple more pictures from the area:

click for full size

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROsummer%2Fjqhd.jpg&hash=26a43bb684d458b73847a449903a25745a7f6eec)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2FNOROsummer%2Fjqbigxchange.jpg&hash=a56091f08b4ba004334770ee43d4873768fae6db)


Also, gn_leugim, I added a link to your last reply :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on October 05, 2013, 10:00:33 AM
Looks great Noah!
The interchange looks complex and simply makes perfect sense. And that city pic is drop dead gorgeous.

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on October 05, 2013, 04:27:10 PM
20 pages here - yay! Some of the best of the whole site, I think, and not because I'm somewhere in them :P

Great work folks.


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Durfsurn on October 05, 2013, 05:59:38 PM
Epic as always Noah!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on October 06, 2013, 02:03:37 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

Yet again, another NORO video has been recorded and this time doing it live! Today we continue with developing tile Dq (which we are going to call Dutch Quarter in the end of the session) from the NORO Co-operative. It's time for some "boring" city expansion, but I try to make it interesting with more interesting street layouts. Boring parts are also part of SImCity 4, and it will take time and effort to get something nice. So stay tuned!

http://www.youtube.com/v/54QH5nPZmSQ

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: nbvc on October 06, 2013, 02:54:00 AM
Great region you are building together. &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on October 06, 2013, 02:56:58 AM
Noah amazing pics!
Maarten cool video!
cheers
Guglielmo
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: NielsC007 on October 06, 2013, 03:27:21 AM
I'm so happy I came back to Simcity 4!
I love the region. Keep up the great work

- Niels
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on October 11, 2013, 01:39:15 AM
A NORO Quick Pro-tip!
Fillers DO matter!

Hello everyone! He's a quick tip from NORO for you all to use and it involves fillers. Fillers can enhance your city scenery and thus contributing to realism. It's also fun to add some detail to your city that make your city look less unrealistically crammed.

We demonstrate this with the following industrial area in tile Eo, which has no name yet. Recently, we have de-blocked the Maxis industrial buildings while applying the Industrial Revolution Mod, so the Maxis buildings will have better lots. While developing an industrial area just by zoning only gives the following result:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2Feo_industry_before.jpg&hash=ed93490251e60e2166f64e26e70ecae856c30d28)

It looks... OK... but a lot can be done here by using fillers. As you can see, the above picture looks pretty crammed, and some industrial buildings look inaccessible because other industrial buildings block their access. So, we can use fillers to visually add access to these buildings. These fillers can also be used to "store goods", for instance, barrels of chemicals for chemical plants, adding even more realism to the scene. Below is the same area after I applied fillers:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2Feo_industry_after.jpg&hash=f103c1c73043944090795476735fe08c08ad9007)

That looks better, don't you think?

Anyway, that was the NORO Quick Pro-Tip for today. Stay tuned!

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on October 11, 2013, 02:47:55 AM
Yup, it does look much better!
"Quick Pro-Tip for the day".....I love it!

Robin &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Aaron Graham on October 11, 2013, 05:26:33 AM
Fillers do matter, they look great. :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on October 11, 2013, 06:15:03 AM
Nice filling Maarten  :thumbsup:  It'd be funny to see a "before" without the IRM re-lotting  :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: gn_leugim on October 11, 2013, 06:51:25 AM
I do that with Growable lots  ::) and some occasional bulldozers and one or two 1x1 filler lots... but mostly growables  ::)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on October 11, 2013, 08:13:39 AM
Nicely done! &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: katherman111 on October 11, 2013, 01:53:13 PM
Looks awesome, the IRM + filler mods really makes your industrial areas look "alive"
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on October 14, 2013, 12:03:49 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

And yet another video has been recorded for NORO!. This time, we are building a RHW interchange for a change. See how an interchange is developed in real time from scratch to a full-blown masterpiece of engineering! Stay tuned!

WARNING: Contains frustration!

http://www.youtube.com/v/z8r4soSyM64

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on October 14, 2013, 01:16:34 PM
You need a different controller for Draggable FARR. However, I suggest you wait putting it in until the code is actually finished. Lest the region goes ape.


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on October 24, 2013, 03:02:52 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Freadyforsnow.jpg&hash=73b3c4f0c63184d03f585225b2d5c5a1b6e2ce43)



It's that time of year again...at least up here in Lapland. While Noroway motorists will most likely not have to don metal-studded winter tires or endure reduced winter speed limits as we do in northern Europe they're no strangers to the white stuff. Downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, skating, fishing on ice and open seawater, hunting, sledding, and many other activities are among the ways Norowegians enjoy the increasingly dark and cold days. Warming beverages are enjoyed by many.



Winter on Gateway Island

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Fskiing_shopped.jpg&hash=dbe45f08803bd83168eedccae5707ae47c897173)



The cold doesn't slow down the whales. Or boats for that matter

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Fwinterwhale_shopped.jpg&hash=10bfc738333240622291841bb3c34c310c8b2a78)



Wildlife is abundant around the mouth of the Noroway Bay. The local interaction of fresh water and salt water and warm and cold currents supports an abundance of marine life which is the foundation of an extremely rich ecosystem. The most exciting finds for nature watchers are moose and brown bears--though the exceptionally lucky may spot mammoths or Norowegian tigers. A great variety of birds and several marine mammal species are also present.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Fbridgesummer2.jpg&hash=53d0ba318a3a02c25647364091788f7c249a6f03)

Noroway's animal life benefits because so much of the area's terrain is too rugged for human purpose other than enjoying than visiting.



The city center contrasts sharply with mouth of the bay's wilderness though only 30km of motorway separates them

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Fkobridgeday.jpg&hash=59a0fcc62bf4ec429c729f9ea2bde386619a43e7)



While classic brick wall-to-wall architecture is the most common modern buildings are an increasingly visible part of the cityscape

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Fkobridgenight.jpg&hash=3a0c2009bbaa83166698577eba0968d19cd7063d)



BONUS ROADGEEKERY

Tunnel problems--the kind that do a good job showing what's actually going on down there. Note the traffic lights and FlUP vents.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Ftunnelerrorko.jpg&hash=4372ccfb67ad9f5beacf2706f2240d5c3c351f00)


Psychedelic Bridge--only appears properly at zooms 5 and 6. I tried to figure out what was wrong with the file and had no luck. There seemed to be RHW texture FSHs for the normal zoom levels and I didn't see anything else wrong. Can anybody help?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Fsu_northxchange.jpg&hash=8a7fc6458f5c87067398963354d0b652d4c2b304)



'Til next time friends  ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on October 24, 2013, 08:18:20 PM
Great work Noah. I love the day-time bridge shot--ain't it strange how much a city can change between day and night? $%Grinno$%

And no, I am NOT ready for snow. N-O-T !!


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: thebagleboy on October 24, 2013, 08:36:03 PM
Oh how I wish it was snowy here.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on October 25, 2013, 03:53:51 AM
Quote from: Swordmaster on October 24, 2013, 08:18:20 PM
And no, I am NOT ready for snow. N-O-T !!

Hear hear! You can keep the snow to yourself Noah!  ;D

Beautiful pictures though, hope we get to see more of the center soon!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on October 25, 2013, 04:14:51 AM
Maarten nice interchange!
Noah amazing job as always!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: rooker1 on October 25, 2013, 10:05:57 AM
I love the winter and night scene. Great work!!

Robin
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Girafe on October 25, 2013, 10:26:27 AM
I like these days where landscapes begin to wear white blanket  &apls &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: NielsC007 on October 25, 2013, 12:05:00 PM
I love the powerlines, great work!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on October 25, 2013, 01:37:28 PM
Noah, I've always been a huge fan of your winter and night scenes, and for good reason. They're consistantly stunning, from the quiet whispers of winter to the bustling neon jungle.

Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: nbvc on October 26, 2013, 12:57:33 AM
The winter scene looks fantastic. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Reform on October 26, 2013, 02:36:34 AM
That was a pleasant update. I enjoyed the winter scene a lot. That lurking moose was a nice part of it.

Quote from: Swordmaster on October 24, 2013, 08:18:20 PM
And no, I am NOT ready for snow. N-O-T !!

I am tired of looking this grey darkness all around the South Finland. %confuso Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.  :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Pioneer on November 01, 2013, 11:16:09 AM
I found your photo stash: http://www.majhost.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=276236

Thank you for padding our post count. There are several other "photo stashes" for this if you'd care to look further. Mine is here: http://www.majhost.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi (http://www.majhost.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi). If you are interested enough in what we're up to to keep up on my majhost folder then it's a nice compliment.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on November 03, 2013, 11:51:42 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

Hey everyone! We have a little treat for you: we take a U-Drive it tour on the first part of the region that's more or less completed: the Primary Route 39. Enjoy the drive!

http://www.youtube.com/v/ZLHaYsk0_Ak

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: droric on November 03, 2013, 12:22:21 PM
Looks Great! I especially liked when you rammed the white van off the overpass at the end of the video sort of like a finale.   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on November 03, 2013, 01:14:50 PM
That's a stunning video man  &apls &apls   Really great work. It was fun to see my interchange at the end too  :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: whatevermind on November 03, 2013, 07:09:07 PM
Nice video! Complete with the requisite UDI crash near the end.  ;D

I haven't commented in a while, but you guys continue to produce some interesting work here, and a whole array of presentation styles as well.  &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: mitch on November 16, 2013, 09:55:45 PM
Hi MandelSoft et al.,
It all looks amazing and I love the video updates. I spend HOURS trying to replicate some of the pictures you have, but still don't even come close. I have just one question. I noticed you used the industrial revolution mod and fillers to make some pretty nice industrial areas, have you tweaked it to be CAMpatible?

Cheers,

Mitch
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kuewr665 on November 21, 2013, 08:45:19 PM
I read this whole thread just now. Awesome work, everyone! All the pieces blend almost seamlessly. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on December 09, 2013, 03:10:03 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

And here's another U-Drive-It video for your enjoyment. This time, we are touring around Armorsforth:
http://www.youtube.com/v/krMLwVUnEWI

Progress on the project is kind of slow nowadays, but it's not dead yet ;)

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: jaredh on December 09, 2013, 11:06:47 AM
Good.  This region really rocks.  I've been contemplating starting a new one, and this region you guys made out of this map is really impressive for its variety of terrain.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on December 09, 2013, 12:19:19 PM
Cool video Maarten :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RepublicMaster on December 09, 2013, 12:57:57 PM
Great video, very enjoyable! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: timmetje on January 03, 2014, 12:03:44 PM
I can't wait to see more updates!

BTW this is my first comment in my 4 years of being active on sc4devotion!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: FrankU on January 07, 2014, 06:29:18 AM
Quote from: timmetje on January 03, 2014, 12:03:44 PM
I can't wait to see more updates!

BTW this is my first comment in my 4 years of being active on sc4devotion!

No need to be shy! Let us know what you think.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Pat on January 09, 2014, 10:00:30 AM
Maarten WOW I loved the U-Drive it tour and of course "Broken by Design" loved the music!!!  :thumbsup: &apls    I would love to have a copy of it, also a great Project you all have going here Im very happy to have found it!!!


&dance %BUd%



~Patrick
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on January 09, 2014, 10:25:32 AM
All my music is available here, Pat ;)

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8Tb6LVuRM4QMWVKRWFpQ1BlSmM&usp=sharing
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Donician on January 09, 2014, 01:20:41 PM
I'm also a long-time member making his first comment.  This project is incredible.  I'm particularly fond of Maarten's videos documenting his actual development of the city.  I wish all of the members made videos so we can see everyone in action.  As more of a novice, it is very helpful to watch more experienced players create their cities.  I can't wait to see more of the region.  Thanks again.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Donician on January 10, 2014, 07:08:54 AM
I did have a question--how much of the region is plopped vs. grown?  I'm just curious if you guys plan out your commercial districts using ploppable buildings for the most part or let things grow and develop naturally. 
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on January 10, 2014, 11:52:24 AM
Welcome to Noroway timmetje, Pat, and Donician! It's a pleasure to have you all here and a special honor to see first comments so thank you very much.

@ Donician - You wouldn't enjoy a video of me building--very, very slow and methodical and a good amount of bulldozing and redoing :D  I do hope to make videos at some point but it'd be cars traveling a route or the like, not building. I don't know exactly how the others build but I can tell you my style of commercial district building. I do use quite a bit of plopping (for diagonal areas that's a requirement) but it's necessary to have the appropriate commercial demand (type and quantity) for the buildings being plopped for them and their associated commutes to function properly (even though they won't normally dilapidate or anything if placed when there is not sufficient demand). I usually zone commercial areas and then bulldoze ones I don't think fit their area well and make historical the ones I like. I'm particularly likely to plop corner buildings and larger buildings. Remember that you can plop buildings that aren't in your landmark menu by using the extra cheats. Hope that helps  :thumbsup:

Just to let you guys know where I'm at with the NORO project: It's been some time since I've done anything and I'm not sure when I'll be getting back to it. I was busy with my own MD, Siilijoki, for it's November OSITM and the month before preparing the new region from scratch, and RL work's kept me almost completely away from that for the last month. I should have time the next month for SC4 but am not sure if that will be focused building here or in Siilijoki or working on modding stuff.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: david1865 on July 26, 2014, 04:05:46 PM
Hello guys,

Are you still working on that project? I'm interested into joining your team.

Thank you and have a nice evening!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on July 29, 2014, 10:51:03 AM
This project has been in hiatus for quite a while, but I'm planning to pick it up again. Spent a few weeks in the USA and Panama and I got quite some fresh ideas from that trip. I think it's time to revive this project again ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on July 29, 2014, 11:55:35 AM
Quote from: MandelSoft on July 29, 2014, 10:51:03 AM
This project has been in hiatus for quite a while, but I'm planning to pick it up again. Spent a few weeks in the USA and Panama and I got quite some fresh ideas from that trip. I think it's time to revive this project again ;)

Good, I'm glad your trip to the US has given you some inspiration for this project. Aside from a couple of live streams you did a month ago, there hasn't been much happening in NORO over the past six months. Hopefully things will pick up again soon...
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: david1865 on August 01, 2014, 05:31:38 PM
Ok can you tell me how i could join your co-op?
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: APSMS on August 01, 2014, 09:04:33 PM
Quote from: david1865 on August 01, 2014, 05:31:38 PM
Ok can you tell me how i could join your co-op?

Umm...perhaps you misunderstand the point of NORO. The project is by invitation only, and there are strict restrictions (logistically speaking) that must be abided by to avoid game syncing errors. Generally it is uncool to ask to join, except in cases where we know you and your work well, and you've shown yourself to be an upstanding member and good "internet friend".

I won't blame your eagerness, but you might want to rethink your approach.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on August 03, 2014, 11:11:57 PM
Quote from: APSMS on August 01, 2014, 09:04:33 PM
Quote from: david1865 on August 01, 2014, 05:31:38 PM
Ok can you tell me how i could join your co-op?

Umm...perhaps you misunderstand the point of NORO. The project is by invitation only, and there are strict restrictions (logistically speaking) that must be abided by to avoid game syncing errors. Generally it is uncool to ask to join, except in cases where we know you and your work well, and you've shown yourself to be an upstanding member and good "internet friend".

I won't blame your eagerness, but you might want to rethink your approach.

Many of the current members of NORO are seasoned SC4 players with many years' worth of experience with this game. You would have to demonstrate that you have quite a lot of experience with creating cities in SC4 and especially with the RHW. That has a big learning curve and it took me almost 5-6 months to create interchanges that would (maybe) be NORO quality.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Durfsurn on August 05, 2014, 05:47:28 AM
Will be great to see some more action on here soon. Ah, if only I could build cities like the masters here, then maybe I could join you guys  $%Grinno$%
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Sim.Rico on August 09, 2014, 11:33:03 AM
This sounds like "The United SimNations!"  cool.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: packersfan on October 08, 2014, 08:15:20 PM
Wow, so great.  Do you use a traffic generator?  Those scenes look so realistic.  I love the trees and natural feel of everything.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on November 02, 2014, 09:18:30 AM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1212.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc447%2Frooker_1%2FPetro-crop_zpsb0f7bd13-1_zps33349e73.jpg&hash=e88eace9cb776ec95576081db53260122d568959)

People are wondering lately if NORO was still alive after all this time of silence. The answer is that it has progressed slowly, but it's not dead yet. We have quite some plans in store and we are planning to give you some more treats. I won't give any details yet; it will be a surprise  ;)

Today we present something completely new in NORO: a large hub airport, Noropolis-Kerbin International Airport. The airport has 4 runways, realistically dimensioned: they are almost 4 kilometers long (a whole large city tile!) to allow heavy jets like the Airbus A380 or the Boeing 747 to take off. This does challenge the city planning a bit.

First, we had to find a large enough patch of flat landscape. We have found tile Ki to be fitting, since it's one of the flattest tiles in the region. So airport construction started there. Some additional terraforming did level out all the runways completely.

Second, we needed some terminal planning. The terminal shouldn't be too large. It may be an international airport, but it's not that huge. So we created a medium sized terminal that can serve quite a range of jets. Taxiways and parkings were constructed accordingly, as well as road access on the other side of the terminal:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FKi%2Fki01.jpg&hash=0ff7d401b1965af7e8c384f523ed5619e0a05890)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FKi%2Fki02.jpg&hash=611a6ea04b533fa4da3e982c0c5d29219e693cd9)

Next up there was some industry and distribution services. Storage facilities and distribution facilities are close to the airport itself, to get the high value goods quickly from the airplanes on the road.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FKi%2Fki03.jpg&hash=796a6c5b3b26eda8cdcd622b93f36b017e518e09)

Near the airport, there is a business and hotel district. Business travelers can stay here and some companies host an office here to shorten the trip for business travelers. Most offices in this area are closely connected to the airport. There is even a convention center near the long term parking lots.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FKi%2Fki04.jpg&hash=202001574897119fad66b428590ce76e215af508)

The airport connects to the motorway SR-73, which leads directly to the heart of Noropolis. However, that is still about 15 kilometers away from this point. Here you see the connection at the south side with an exit to the business district. SR-73 continues here on the outer roadways: the inner roadways will curve towards the airport departure and arrival terminals.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FKi%2Fki05.jpg&hash=6b108e821e41fce1dea2661d47aba6f59ecefca2)

Further north, the SR-73 has to cross the runways of the airport. With some clever planning (and clever use of Project Symphony), the motorway crosses the runways here with a tunnel.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FKi%2Fki06.jpg&hash=692f29c2fb558a11743d8020f83f54f799d1176e)

There is a little town nearby the airport, Kerbin. The airport is named after this town. It's quite near to the runways and the citizens of this town are not pleased by the noise pollution. There have been proposals to build sound walls next to the runways, but so far, these plans have not been realised. Kerbin recently decided to build a lot of roundabout crossings, something that breaks the trend in the rest of Noroway, which is still slightly reluctant towards roundabouts:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FKi%2Fki07.jpg&hash=7983d26cdbf16ec9953f6618ce9bc03d57dd9c4a)

Finally, a complete overview of the tile to get a grasp of the full scale of the airport.

--- MOSAIC - CLICK TO ENLARGE ---
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fmrtnrln%2FNORO%2FKi%2Fthumb%2Fnoromosaics_ki2.jpg_thumb.jpg&hash=8e4856e1697e5ddb227fdb024062cf90b23842a4) (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/mrtnrln/NORO/Ki/noromosaics_ki2.jpg)

See you next time!

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on November 02, 2014, 09:32:22 AM
Good to see some live in Noro.

Nice update.


PS: You might want to correct the link so it points to the mosaic.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on November 02, 2014, 10:12:09 AM
Quote from: vester on November 02, 2014, 09:32:22 AM
PS: You might want to correct the link so it points to the mosaic.
Good catch! Fixed it ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Pioneer on November 02, 2014, 10:48:06 AM
Great work, but I recommend using the 4 tile runways on BriPizza's website for more realism  ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on November 02, 2014, 09:33:39 PM
Yaaaay, a new NORO update!!!! :D Well worth the wait!!!! &apls &apls

What a nice looking airport, well thought-out and everything just looks great! I always like how you use mosaics to provide sort of a bigger picture of the area so it's easier for us to see where everything is. One suggestion, in the town of Kerbin, change that double road roundabout to a OWR roundabout; it would look a lot better.

And finally, I just want to say that I think the stuff you've shown here on NORO represents some of the best SC4 creations on this entire site. I've looked through this whole thread countless times because I just can't get enough of all the stuff shown here. The interchanges, road layouts, city designs, plugin choices, and just the terrain of this region all make for a region with awesomeness levels of over 9000. The high standards shown here are always ones that I'm trying to strive towards achieving in my region.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on November 03, 2014, 02:47:35 AM
Finally Noro is back!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Excellent update as always guys!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on November 03, 2014, 08:39:45 AM
Great to see Noro back in action. Nice airport and Kerbin is very nicely done too.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on November 03, 2014, 10:08:21 AM
I'm going to be a bit harsh but honest. I don't like the airport and I'm going to tell you why.

Firstly, you never ever put skyscrapers next to the runway. It's way too hazardous. It's like you're waiting for a plane to crash into them. I know what you're going to say, it's not in the way of the runway etc, but still. Too dangerous to be done.

Same goes for the hangars and the FUEL TANKS right next to the taxiway. It's just waiting for a 747's wings to crash into them.

The terminal shape isn't ideal. The entrance is too small compared to the number of gates. You need to make a bigger entrance to the terminal buildings and a better shape for the satellites/concourses. Don't hesitate to ask your team or even the community for insights, we're here for that. ;) I can help you a lot, I work on an international airport.

Still concerning the terminals, you don't fill all the gates. You need to have some empty and also, put some planes moving around the taxiways. It'll add lots of more realism and life into the airport.

Concerning the life in the airport, you forgot the airport roads. It's essential so that the technical vehicles can move around safely from one point to another. Being the baggage cars, bus, pushback tractors, refueling tanks, waste suction trucks, GPUs ect. Again, ask us, we can help you. :)

Also, where are the technical areas? You need to have some warehouse/hangars so you can repair the vehicles of the airport etc.

The control tower is a bit small for that kind of airport (32 gates and 4 runways.) (http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/20597-modular-atct-pack-1/ these are my favs)

Now onto the runways. I'll have to give you a good points for making a good markings concerning the 27L/R, 09L/R etc. A lot of people make mistakes here. You take an angle and add 180° to have the other side of the runway.

Though you did make mistakes on the rest of the markings. You need a touchdown zone, more spaced Fixed Distance marks.

And finally, the runway signaling isn't good. You have place the PALS great; but you forgot the ILS(Instrument landing system) glide slope antennas, localizer and PAPI.


Though I can understand the mistakes, not everyone has knowledge on airports. I was in that case before. I didn't know how to do the markins on the ground nor the signaling so I just ended up doing what I thought looked great. By posting in the show us your airports at ST, I was taught a lot of interesting things and because of it I gained some great knowledge about airports.
If you need to know something, or if you are in a dead end, don't hesitate to come and ask us the community about it. :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: cmdp123789 on November 03, 2014, 10:35:32 AM
I like the overall of the update.. but I have to agree with art.. there are some parts that need improvement, of course, Im guessing you guys are not airport experts, and you did the best you could based on the limited knowledge we all have..

On the other hand, what grass did you use to fill the runways? I noticed it is the same grass as in some of your farms..

Keep it up, and I cant wait for those surprises!!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on November 03, 2014, 11:54:30 AM
Quote from: art128 on November 03, 2014, 10:08:21 AM
<snip>

You can still see I'm a novice at building airports. Let me remind you that this is the last airport I built before this one (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/mrtnrln/SchellingenStuff/MD/Update04/brs-4.05.jpg). The realisim of this airport has improved quite a bit and I had a critical Noah watching over my shoulder. Still, I know things can be better.

Now, I had a hard time getting the access roads right, I had almost no idea how to properly set up a terminal, or taxiways and I can't understand half of what you say about PALS and ALS (this reflects how much I actually know about the subject :P).

Still the critique is appreciated. Maybe someone else more knowledgeable than me may want to refit this airport...

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: cmdp123789 on November 03, 2014, 03:29:27 PM
But the grass? ..  :(  &ops yo know.. the filler grass..  :'(
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on November 03, 2014, 03:58:37 PM
Looking at it a bit more, I do agree with a lot of Art128's suggestions, especially about all the tall buildings nearby, the small size of the terminal and the presence of buildings and fuel tanks too close to the taxiways. (yes, you don't want A380s clipping the sides of buildings! :P ) You really don't have tall buildings so close to an airport IRL. I know you want to have hotels, which is fine, but you could make them a bit more sprawling.

Another thing I should mention is that it's not a good idea to have trees so close to runways and taxiways. Trees attract birds, and having a whole flock of birds so close to jet engines means bad things will happen to the planes. Try and keep trees away from any runways and taxiways. You may even want to load up those retaining wall lots in LE, and make versions of them sans trees.

Also, airports should have a lot more parking. There's going to be a lot of Norowegians who might decide to take a vacation to other parts of the SimWorld and will need to drive to the airport, and that seems to be the only way people can get to the airport at present due to lack of a mass transit or rail line. Also, besides having a bunch of parking, many airports have another parking garage located a bit further away from the terminal that serves as a rental-car parking garage. People coming from all over the SimWorld to Noroway's airport will need a car to be able to drive on all of Noropolis' awesome freeways, (yes, I'm sure that Noropolis is the roadgeek's paradise for Sims) so you need to provide a place for companies to rent out cars to people. This will need to be connected to the terminal with a shuttle bus service or a people-mover system.

Also, I know you have distribution centers and warehouses for freight, but where's the airport's freight terminal? Cargo planes need somewhere to be unloaded, and this is often separate from the main terminal itself.

Hope this advice helps you; to be honest, I haven't ever built an airport in SC4 either, but I do have a bit of an interest in aviation, so I know some stuff about airport layouts and whatnot.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: carlfatal on November 03, 2014, 07:03:53 PM
Ouch - I think, this is my first comment here. I had to look the whole thread first, and luckily I am ready to comment, when you, Maarten, show some new pictures of the progress.

First thing is, that I am impressed alone by the idea of a multyplayer of this kind. And what you do with it is still outstanding!  &apls &apls &apls
If you need a real rail geek in your team...  $%Grinno$% nah, just a joke, but I would love to build railyards with the new textures - if possible. And most of you may have their hands on them...  $%Grinno$%

The last update: I especially like the developing of the residential area in the last picture. That is a piece of art, isnt it?  &apls

I must admit, I have no clue about airports but... I live in Frankfurt, and the airport here has a nearby quarter with a lot of higher buildings. Away from that I never tried using any of the airport puzzle pieces. When I first downloaded some of them I thought, it would be some kind of science to dive in and learn, how this works.  $%Grinno$%
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on November 03, 2014, 11:42:40 PM
Quote from: cmdp123789 on November 03, 2014, 03:29:27 PM
But the grass? ..  :(  &ops yo know.. the filler grass..  :'(
The filler grass is the standard one from the RMIP. However, the Sudden Valley Terrain mod also changes the grass textures on lots, hence why they  look different.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on November 04, 2014, 03:39:21 AM
Quote from: MandelSoft on November 03, 2014, 11:54:30 AM
Quote from: art128 on November 03, 2014, 10:08:21 AM
<snip>

You can still see I'm a novice at building airports. Let me remind you that this is the last airport I built before this one (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/mrtnrln/SchellingenStuff/MD/Update04/brs-4.05.jpg). The realisim of this airport has improved quite a bit and I had a critical Noah watching over my shoulder. Still, I know things can be better.

I wouldn't say I was watching over your shoulder although I did argue with you about making the runways longer a few times. You came to me with an already finished airport and I never had a chance to be part of the planning process which I'd really been looking forward to doing. I'd actually done quite a bit of that process already, doing a lot of studying on the various components of airports, how they work, how they have been done in RL, and how it could be possible to implement them in SC4. I have pages and pages of notes and plans but was apparently wasting my time.

The area around the airport, other than where it directly interacts with the airport looks good and in my experience it's not uncommon to see relatively tall buildings in the vicinity of an airport though obviously not near flight paths. The interchange to the airport is excellent, as I've already mentioned. I also quite like the little town, other than the double roundabout. The road tunnel doesn't seem necessary given the low density of the area, the proximity to the end of the runway and the high expense of such a tunnel. If were to build a tunnel I'd highly recommend skipping that kind of retaining walls and just gradually sloping the area around the tunnel approach, probably with a little MMP decor.

I'm going to try to post something this evening--I couldn't believe it the other day when I added it all up and realized I have more than 50km of highways I haven't yet shared :D  I've spent a lot of time trying to get shorelines to look right and think I may have made a breakthrough last night, being inspired by rediscovering the Poseidon mod.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on November 04, 2014, 11:57:26 AM
Quote from: noahclem on November 04, 2014, 03:39:21 AM
I'm going to try to post something this evening--I couldn't believe it the other day when I added it all up and realized I have more than 50km of highways I haven't yet shared :D  I've spent a lot of time trying to get shorelines to look right and think I may have made a breakthrough last night, being inspired by rediscovering the Poseidon mod.

Yes, I'd love to see more highways as well as your creative interchanges! Looking forward to seeing them! Fifty kilometers of freeway is a lot to be hiding from us... :P And I'm really curious to see what you've done with the Poseidon mod.

EDIT: I know that it may be not that big of a deal to have tall buildings so close to airports IRL, but they really don't fit here, especially because you have farms surrounding the whole airport. I also don't really like the choice of industrial buildings. You need more high-tech industry here or commercial office parks, because you'll be less likely to have factories here (aside from airplane assembly plants) and more likely to have business headquarters for companies like airlines, and other aerospace companies.

You could have a few hotels next to a convention center, but I don't know. The airport seems to be so far out of the city that it may just be a better idea to put in a rapid-transit or passenger rail line into the CBD and have a convention center there. I do think it wouldn't hurt to have your suburbs extend out to the airport, especially since a large airport would employ lots of people, including pilots, flight attendants, ground crew, terminal workers and security personnel, and other aviation-related employees.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on November 04, 2014, 05:00:15 PM
Quote from: compdude787 on November 04, 2014, 11:57:26 AMYes, I'd love to see more highways as well as your creative interchanges! Looking forward to seeing them! Fifty kilometers of freeway is a lot to be hiding from us... :P

Thanks and this should knock about 5km off the total ;)

The current state of tile Oy:
click for full 3072x888
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Fhighwaylsdecor.jpg&hash=6617a19d5247772beac48283d56b38ae724522ea)
The working plan is for forests in the hills and farms along the valley area, a larger town with a motorway exit on the southeast coast, a small village on the northwest shore, and a small amount of light residential in the northeast flowing over from the port in neighboring Qx.


Closeup near the center of the interchange:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Foyxchangez6round.jpg&hash=adbbce37554e2c887a566255fd276fd7d29986da)
Note simultaneous brown canal water and blue pond water courtesy of Poseidon (though to be fair Jeroni had created something very similar in the past)


Example shoreline showing Poseidon effects allowing multiple beach textures. The gray above the water surface is Gobias' Vancouver beach mod while gray below the surface is a version of that mod I mixed with Poseidon water textures to blend better with beach-less shorelines and look better in shallow water. The yellow sand is an effect from Poseidon, generated by a few one tile transparent lots, overlying the regular beach texture.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Foybeachexp.jpg&hash=44fd28cbc468264c9186ccae946ece8d3f43f952)


This area, where the creek draining the area north of the interchange transitions to sea level water, best shows the present state of the terrain/shore mods
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Fterrainz5grid.jpg&hash=5d3930dbffd23826c67436ec2998d0e9538bd2a8)


The same without grid lines
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Fterrainz5nogrid.jpg&hash=6a985fb1212ec75c4e18db4f449cb9691133eeac)


Same area in zoom 6 but with the terrain on the right bank slightly tweaked to force beach textures to show on the right
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Fterrainz6.jpg&hash=cc5c5f71d346140a3531bdb54fa4f3af993f5d2e)
The biggest challenge I've had with shorelines is getting diagonal shorelines to look good without having water transparent to 30m/100' or more and not suiting shallow water streams and the like well. Diagonals tend to look very jagged, often with bits of white from beach or blue from water protruding into land textures repeatedly. Here I've tried a darker beach mod that will blend with land textures, even in those annoying situations where beach textures are triggered on a tile with a steep slope. Instead of choosing between a beach or a water texture for the seafloor textures I've blended the two, though they're closer to the original beach textures. I still have a lot to learn in this area but I'm getting much closer to where I want to be.


Same area MMPed temporarily as an example. The irregular terrain makes flat-planed-MMP water very difficult. I plan on a lot-based implementation here, incorporating waterfall/rapid spray effects and either lot textures or an effect for the water itself.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Foywaterfallround.jpg&hash=13373935f075ac54fb3757427047243536a4d867)


Example of possible terrain effects in the same area. A scaled-down version of the water here could potentially be used instead of MMPs for "plop water". This kind of terrain-conforming texture effect would seem to have a lot of potential and I've been doing a little looking into modding them.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2Fterraineffects.jpg&hash=07043877c5f8981fe1d2bb1a497c42f0a2ee8acf)


Cheers :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: eggman121 on November 04, 2014, 07:09:13 PM
That is so cool Noah  :thumbsup: . I love that interchange  $%Grinno$% Also that water  :o . That would be so good for making dams for a water supply. I'm interested to see where you go with it. Keep up the good work!

-eggman121

Thanks Stephen! Interesting idea for dams. I'd used the other Poseidon technique for that but it has enough disadvantages that this might be better. Noro does have a dam and it could use some revisiting....

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on November 05, 2014, 02:34:09 AM
Nice work Noah!  &apls

Quote from: noahclem on November 04, 2014, 05:00:15 PM
Example of possible terrain effects in the same area. A scaled-down version of the water here could potentially be used instead of MMPs for "plop water". This kind of terrain-conforming texture effect would seem to have a lot of potential and I've been doing a little looking into modding them.

Yes, those terrain effects are very useful, I changed all of the textures to suit my own environments. For example the various dirts and grasses in this picture (http://i.imgur.com/UkIZ0Mk.jpg) are terrain paint lots with textures from Gobias SV terrain applied. You can make out the proper terrain texture in the upper right and lower left hand corners. Some things to keep in mind: the size differs randomly within certain boundaries with each plop and the orientation is random, too, so any kind of regular pavement is out of the question, sadly. I've not yet found a way to re-scale them as these are effects so there's no S3D or anything to work with. And as you probably noticed the terrain paint covers everything: networks, lots and ground mmps. The latter can solved by raising the models, though they have to be raised quite a bit to resurface.

At any rate, really great to see what's been going on in Noro behind the scenes! :thumbsup:

Thanks Erik and excellent picture! Interesting information about the effects. I thought it looked like they might be able to be re-scaled, maybe by changing those round FSHs with the blurred edges but it'll save me some time not trying to do that. Were the paint lots you made with SV textures additional or did they replace effects with Xannepan's textures? This is certainly a fascinating area for exploration. And of course it's always good to hear from you here :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on November 05, 2014, 03:21:41 AM
I love the squirrel logo in the mosaic picture! Great work, Noah!

Thanks Maarten! Speaking of the squirrel you'll have to show off your creation related to that sometime soon ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on November 05, 2014, 05:02:08 AM
I agree with Maarten, the squirel logo is excellent. :)

Awesome highway work, Noah. Though I have to tell the truth, I don't really like highways.

Thanks Arthur! Do you mean all highways or just motorways?

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on November 05, 2014, 09:12:21 AM
Nice touch on the squirel seal.


Here is a transport logo:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FIEchkJ6.png&hash=b28a4ac61bd587627df2d34654c94524bfa50d8f)


Outstanding work, Arne!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on November 09, 2014, 12:41:53 PM
Thought I'd give a little update. Progress has been incremental since the last post: narrowing the drainage canal, fine-tuning the interchange, and extending the highway to the region's border at the edge of the tile.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2F141109overview.jpg&hash=4fcab1fd426d855738c1d1adb66bb476e04b7d23)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Foyxchange.jpg&hash=3951ff633829e88456d30f81ab4a35bebca5205a)
Narrowing the canal where it goes under the interchange let me smooth out the slopes and allowed me to shorten the ramps heading east a bit (though I was still one or two tiles short of being able to switch the north C2 ramp to F2). I made some adjustments to the south end of the interchange facilitating a 6C highway heading south instead of the prior 6S. I'd thought about getting rid of the overpass crossing the canal (it happens to lie right around the RL watershed) but it adds a bit of character to the highway I think. I'm also pondering running a rail line to the south and west of the highways to give a connection to the region border but am at the moment leaning against it. Here's where we are in the region, for reference:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fsenoromap.jpg&hash=c1db03df9a2d0829655015205925a69763be9cd1)


and in real life (https://maps.google.fi/maps?q=Russia,+Kamchatka+Krai,+Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky&hl=en&ll=52.869751,158.574772&spn=0.045644,0.132093&sll=54.883333,69.166667&sspn=0.347984,1.056747&oq=petropavlovsk+kamchat&t=h&hnear=Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky,+gorod+Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy,+Kamchatka+Krai,+Russia&z=14)


I'm thinking of raising the hills on the south edge of the tile to give more of the real life character as you can't really tell from the SC4 tile that the flat area ends sharply with high hills there.


I'm not sure what to do with the interchange in the south of the tile. Which of these ideas do you prefer?

A)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fxchangeideas2.jpg&hash=b4ef564e4737ebd2bb489176c586ff6040f234b6)


B)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fxchangeideas3.jpg&hash=680e10ee4d33636cb8d1869655db0726d502527d)


C)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fxchangeideas.jpg&hash=faeb44014c5c91fc1c1dca84abeb61a27fee2d56)

Or something else?
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on November 09, 2014, 12:51:41 PM
I think I like idea A better. 
Nice work with the interchange and the canal. I never realized NORO used the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky region.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on November 09, 2014, 01:49:41 PM
I think it would be better for you to go with option A. I don't think it's a good idea to have more than one interchange between freeways in the same tile, unless it's the CBD. A folded diamond would be a better fit for that area anyway.

Also, how is it that Maarten uses the Ontario RHW textures in NORO as well as the single median barrier for -C networks, but you don't? I thought your plugins folder is the same for everyone, right down to the NAM installation. I'm just asking because the Ontario textures look a lot better than the default, and the single median barrier is much more realistic than two Jersey barriers, and there's actually a barrier even on FA stretches of the freeway. It looks a lot nicer!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: odrzutowiec on November 09, 2014, 01:52:08 PM
Unless this is a super-important regional avenue I would go with A too.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on November 09, 2014, 02:03:16 PM
Quote from: compdude787 on November 09, 2014, 01:49:41 PM
Also, how is it that Maarten uses the Ontario RHW textures in NORO as well as the single median barrier for -C networks, but you don't? I thought your plugins folder is the same for everyone, right down to the NAM installation.
Personal preferences. It's a purely cosmetic thing. I guess Noah hasn't installed the latest RHW version yet that does contain the option to switch between the single and double barrier option on the RHW-6C, which raises the question: do you really have the latest NAM installed, Noah?

As for the options for interchanges, unless this is a vital region connection that will expect very high flows in the turning direction to the south, I'd prefer option A. The alternatives just look expensive to build. Alternatively, you could make a compromise and build a trumpet interchange with the loop for the east-to-south direction.

Good that you show updates this way. I was holding the airport update back for too long and posted the end result too quickly. We all know how that went, so that's back to the drawing board...

Best,
Maarten
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on November 09, 2014, 02:10:28 PM
Quote from: MandelSoft on November 09, 2014, 02:03:16 PM
Quote from: compdude787 on November 09, 2014, 01:49:41 PM
Also, how is it that Maarten uses the Ontario RHW textures in NORO as well as the single median barrier for -C networks, but you don't? I thought your plugins folder is the same for everyone, right down to the NAM installation.
Personal preferences. It's a purely cosmetic thing. I guess Noah hasn't installed the latest RHW version yet that does contain the option to switch between the single and double barrier option on the RHW-6C, which raises the question: do you really have the latest NAM installed, Noah?

Huh, I thought the NORO plugins folder included a NAM installation that was common to everyone. I guess I can see how you'd cut that out of the synced plugin folder because the large size of the NAM.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on November 09, 2014, 02:42:38 PM
Would vote for option C. Sort of like the not out of the box solutions.

My favorite too ;)  Looks like we'll be going with a different plan though

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on November 09, 2014, 02:45:29 PM
We used to have truly synced plugins where any changes to one person's automatically affected all the others but it ended up being too much of a hassle and after the third or forth time getting accidentally deleted we left that system. Now we have a shared plugins folder that we sync to manually but it's in need of an overhaul that I've not gotten around to since we restarted. At the moment we effectively have the shared plugins, a folder "to add from Maarten", a folder "to add from Noah", separate NAMs (though there shouldn't be any practical differences), and some other cosmetic differences. Hopefully I'll have time to get things into better shape there shortly (I've at least fixed my C-medians).

"A" was my original choice, as you can probably guess since I've built the approach to it, but a number of factors made me reconsider that:
-In that alignment the highway would cross the border orthogonally and immediately run into a steep hillside (see Google map)
-"A" doesn't follow the slope of the hill very well, requiring a deep cut into the hillside and the highway leaving the hill at a high elevation while "B" and "C" would allow the road to follow the contour of the land fairly naturally.

If we go with a route that follows the contours of that hill I don't want a diamond as traffic will only go one way (downhill) from it and I think the slope of the hill would prohibit a trumpet. I guess a fourth option could be lengthening the diagonal stretch before the highway goes to FA and really starts climbing and thereby avoid most of the elevation-related headaches. I was kind of in a hurry to go to FA as the super-wide area taken up by diag 6C bothers me on slopes sometimes.

As for how major of an interchange it would be I'm not really sure. In some sense it would be nice to have it high traffic as I want to transition to RHW-4 and the 4-6 transition makes more sense if there's lots of traffic getting on there. Probably though it will just serve a small-ish town and local farms etc. My working idea is to build up the hills in the southeast I mentioned earlier (thoughts on that?) and make a town where the hills, valley, and coast meet and have the interchange serve that. Alternately would could make a town more like a square km in that location, spanning the width of the valley.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: memo on November 09, 2014, 03:14:44 PM
I would have voted for A, too, specifically because of the slope. I think it will be very hard to build such complex interchanges such as B or C on the slope (while A is located on almost plain terrain), but if you think you can handle that, I'd be more than interested to see that. ;D

Heh, would have been fun to try, or perhaps just really frustrating :D  I'm sure I'll have more chances to build overly complex interchanges in unfavorable geography though...

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: romualdillo on November 10, 2014, 08:00:17 AM
The Region shoot looks very good!!  :thumbsup: I'm sorry I can't help you with your highways, but I have very little experience with them. Keep the good work!!

Thank you very much! It's great to hear from you here  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on November 10, 2014, 08:58:06 AM
That's some amazing stuff going on!I love the way you build your highways/interchanges Noah!they blend so well with the surrounding areas! &apls &apls &apls &apls

Excellent updates!

Glad to see Noro back!! :P :P :P :P
Cheers
Guglielmo

Thanks Guglielmo! Glad to be back  :bnn:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: isii94 on November 10, 2014, 09:57:39 AM
I'd probably go with a roundabout interchange there. I don't think that would fit in your region, though, so A might be the best choice.

Great to hear from you! A roundabout interchange sounds really nice actually but I don't think would be possible in this spot due to slope if located where A was or diagonal if relocated to my most recent plan. Noroway's style isn't heavy on roundabouts but there are some.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on November 10, 2014, 01:27:46 PM
Well I have no insights whatsoever regarding the interchange so I'll just say the canals are superbly terraformed!  &apls

As for terrain paints: from what I gathered their size is controlled in the effect dir. In other words: texture size doesn't matter except for the definition, 128 px would look atrocious. And yes, I've basically made a set of texture overrides as Xannepan is the only one I know capable of adding additional effects.

Glad you liked the canals and thanks for the terrain paint insight again  :thumbsup:  I guess he made enough of those that not being able to make truly new ones isn't a big problem. Hopefully I'll get a chance to dink around with them soonish. And speaking of those, as a Poseidon connoisseur do you recommend painted water or "flooded" water for dam projects?

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Durfsurn on November 10, 2014, 01:32:35 PM
Unless the avenue is a freeway (which by the looks of it, it isn't) then why bother with a fancy interchange? Folded diamond looks good there, and if you really wanted to, you could add some "slip" ramps on the top right and bottom right from the avenue to the freeway for more capacity.

Just my two cents
-Billy

Not a freeway, no, but since it'd only be a 3-way intersection and the slope precludes a trumpet I ended up with something fancier. Slip ramps would be tricky since the highway is already descending at the max slope I want it to so ramps there would need to make up that 15m elevation difference (~14 tiles at this slope) somewhere in their approach to the highway. I don't mind making ramps a little more sloped than main sections of highway at times but even then it would be tricky. Thanks for the feedback.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on November 14, 2014, 03:49:45 AM
There seems to be a fairly clear consensus for a simpler interchange which I'll defer to. I don't think I'm going to go with proposal A though. I just couldn't get it to look as nice as I wanted with the available pieces and in that space, not to mention issue of there being a very steep hill just across the border that the highway would head straight toward.

I drew this up as a new plan:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2Fnorofall%2F20141113xchangeplan.jpg&hash=bb15684bc768387c482c7d543d5876f93bdeb513)

By following the curvature of the hill more and locating the interchange above the floodplain I'm able to keep smooth slopes with less terraforming plus there's more room for the interchange and it fits the geography of the neighboring RL geography. On the right side of the image I think the orange lines will be better to follow than moving the section of highway a little higher up the hill as marked in red.

Thoughts? Can I proceed with construction?  :bnn:

EDIT: Don't forget to leave you thoughts in the new plugins discussion thread (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16727.0)  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Durfsurn on November 14, 2014, 04:09:50 AM
Cheers for the feedback Noah and I have some back to you again :). Maybe (depending on your plans for the tile) have the highway alignment now as a Rd-2 'Old Highway' road leading to a strip of shops and houses before the freeway was upgraded and bypassed the town? Connecting this road to the freeway may be tricky but maybe it connects way down to the canals and then back to that avenue from the preview update?

Just a few more thoughts to dwell on :)
-Billy

Very interesting idea if I understand you correctly. I had been planning on just getting rid of the old alignment and hand terraforming it back to a state approximating it's original (which would have been a pain) but leaving a relic of the old alignment could be really cool. I wouldn't connect it directly to the freeway but have it intersect with the road proposed to have an interchange with the freeway on its new alignment. At the other end it could be drawn to connect with the other roads in the valley or just left "orphaned" and leading nowhere. Of course it wouldn't be as wide as it appears now. If we went the "orphaned" route we could make a dilapidated scene in the area with old businesses that used to thrive off of the highway's traffic now in a poor state...
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on November 14, 2014, 12:33:58 PM
Construction is underway

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fconstruction.jpg&hash=d5bacf4f3e1472c50b1c1f4e11461807259c0189)

I really wish I could send the highway across the border diagonally but just doesn't seem possible. Symphony can do it--you have to create a neighbor connection orthogonally, cross it with L-rail, bulldoze the highway beyond the L-rail, draw new diagonal symphony in an alignment that would cross the border at the point where the neighbor connection is, and then place a FLUP piece with the appropriate orientation of symphony on top. But symphony can't do diagonal ramps and even if it did they wouldn't be D/E/F type. 6S diagonal ramps exist but diagonal 6S can't really cross a border....
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on November 14, 2014, 12:50:42 PM
McDuell did some interchanges a while back using the DBE and diagonal filler pieces to make diagonal onslope transitions (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=252.msg480974#msg480974). He made a tutorial here (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16525.0). You could consider trying that.

Hopefully you'll have enough room to curve the RHW back to orthogonal before the edge of the city tile. It would work best if it was a folded diamond, but then again, I don't really know what the slopes are like.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on November 14, 2014, 01:53:50 PM
Quote from: compdude787 on November 14, 2014, 12:50:42 PM
McDuell did some interchanges a while back using the DBE and diagonal filler pieces to make diagonal onslope transitions (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=252.msg480974#msg480974). He made a tutorial here (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16525.0). You could consider trying that.

Hopefully you'll have enough room to curve the RHW back to orthogonal before the edge of the city tile.

God bless McDuell--if you haven't already you can do a little digging to see an 8-way limited access interchange he's made. The technique you mentioned was a watershed moment for me--and I happened to have applied it in the next door tile, Qx:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fl3diag.jpg&hash=ed41489af0c1716e4b4a1ed0c70b0f22d8e6db2e)

So I guess that subtracts about one more km from the 50+ I claimed at the start of the month  ;D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: memo on November 14, 2014, 02:57:14 PM
Quote from: noahclem on November 14, 2014, 12:33:58 PM
I really wish I could send the highway across the border diagonally but just doesn't seem possible. Symphony can do it--you have to create a neighbor connection orthogonally, cross it with L-rail, bulldoze the highway beyond the L-rail, draw new diagonal symphony in an alignment that would cross the border at the point where the neighbor connection is, and then place a FLUP piece with the appropriate orientation of symphony on top. But symphony can't do diagonal ramps and even if it did they wouldn't be D/E/F type. 6S diagonal ramps exist but diagonal 6S can't really cross a border....

You could try to use FA3 6C for the neighbourhood connection. Not sure if it's possible though. The puzzle piece is three tiles wide, but only the center tile needs to be connected to establish a functional connection.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on November 14, 2014, 04:13:28 PM
Nice intersection and winding road.
Love the harbour.

Oh do turn off the UDI Icons!!!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on November 14, 2014, 06:01:17 PM
Wow, that little town just looks awesome! I'm sure that you'd get quite a scenic view of that town from the freeway.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on November 15, 2014, 01:44:49 AM
Great looking town indeed, Noah. I'm sure you'll come up with another fantastic interchange for the highway.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on November 22, 2014, 10:15:14 AM
Wow, can't believe it's been a week since the last post! Work continues in spurts over here, more on than off recently. Internet is cutting in and out, so it's hard to post or be around or download much but I'll see if I can fire a quick update off.

It's normally a pretty crappy time of year here due to excessive darkness (http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/taivalkoski.html) but we've got a bird feeder set up and the squirrels in the forest outside my window are just going nuts (or seeds, as the case may be) :squirrel:   I think they've been inspiring me a bit as I've been somewhat busy ;)

I'm rather excited to say I've made a set of water mods designed for use with the Poseidon Mod. For now there are 5 flavors tentatively named azure, light blue, emerald, gray, and muddy. I'll probably expand the set at least to the point of having a (relatively closely) matched mod for the major plop water colors. Callgrafx's latest canals, RFR translucent, and I think jrj brown are already covered, while standard RFR, peg's, and moonlingt's would be at the top of my list for additions (and hopefully colors are similar enough to not need that many separate mods. The water textures have zero detail to them so they are extremely easy to make (I'm actually not sure why Xannepan didn't use single pixel images but I went the same route as him for safety) however all the copy and pasting and entering IIDs in reader plus making gradients is enough hassle to make me not want to make more of these than I need to. So anyway, how about a couple pics?  ;D

All can be clicked for full 1600x900 resolution

Emerald -- Taken from tile Rs, the highway is part of the motorway surrounding the bay so tick off another 0.1km from the 50 mentioned before....
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Femeraldcoast.jpg&hash=acbccab3ef86810b333f5a384f2286c6bb5d57a7)


Muddy
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fmuddywaterbridge.jpg&hash=96656273857c648ef0f871f447a582cdd9ea258f)
Taken from My yes that was the end of my sentence


Light blue
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Foldharborteaser.jpg&hash=86ddad7eb78c296c2d816a5d1769020934478cc1)
Taken from the town in Qx, where I've spent the most time since the project restarted. Can't say enough good things about Vortext's, Krashspeed's, and Blunder's Simcoug's work on that--this is a once in a long while level of mod. Oh, and this is the color that matches the semi-transparent RFR plop water.

edit from Noah--sorry Simcoug  &mmm

Azure
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fazurebeach.jpg&hash=710e2abd6f73d4462e2335b236e79d1447b00f23)
Taken from my on-hiatus Selous project. The beach utilizes Poseidon white beach effects from lots but the regular Selous beach texture appears on the margins. I'm second-guessing the exact color as it seems a somewhat surreal blue, but those of us lucky enough have seen some surreal-colored seas on vacation :)  In any case it prefers a fairly white beach and fairly high water transparency.



Gray
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fgraymammoth.jpg&hash=a766c7e067c2c3af4d2d434a8eb51e8a13a7bb61)
This is the one I designed with Noro's rocky ocean coast in mind--a bit dark and bleak and harsh reflecting the coast's Kamchatka origins and spectacular relief.



And what's that brown thing you ask? Finally took up an old project--and need some tusks ;)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fmammothhill.jpg&hash=1820eb238db9adf24c1236477c69f3d4f4b3a006)



Let's just hope this will send  :squirrel:

edit: fixed image tag & added Simcoug's name  ;) - Erik GM

Thanks Erik! edited to add apology to Simcoug ;)  -Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: c.p. on November 22, 2014, 12:23:52 PM
The water mod colors look great, as do your nature scenes.  :thumbsup: The krashspeed/vortext/SimCoug mod looks outstanding. :o
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: TheTeaCat on November 22, 2014, 12:50:41 PM
Nice work!! the water mods look awesome !
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kelis on November 22, 2014, 01:15:48 PM
Fantastic work as always. I like so much those water mods, are you thinking to share all of them ? because I think that would be really good for us, so please...

Share with us those water mods  $%Grinno$% $%Grinno$%
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on November 22, 2014, 01:33:14 PM
Nice water mods Noah. I like both the Muddy and the Emerald.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: cmdp123789 on November 22, 2014, 02:23:07 PM
So not only water mods, but also make canal water replacements too? Cause I would love to see callagafx's canals with that muddy water.. London calls for it  ()stsfd()
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on November 22, 2014, 02:49:54 PM
Hmmmm... that's some nice trickery you've shown there. Great work, Noah! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on November 22, 2014, 03:11:04 PM
Looks pretty neat! It will be cool, especially for rivers, to have different colors of water. If I'm understanding this right, they can all exist simultaneously, correct? In that case, it'll be cool to have one river that has pretty clear water and another with muddy water, and then when they come together, then the resulting river will be half-muddy, half-clear! This is just like some rivers IRL, so it'll be cool to do this in SC4.

And since I have a place where two rivers converge in my region, and I'm already thinking of making one have muddy brown water and another have cleaner blue water, and downstream from their confluence, half of the river will be brown, and half of it will just be blue. Would I be able to achieve this with publicly-available files, or are there other things that you'll need to release?
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on November 23, 2014, 08:44:12 AM
Nice pictures which do a great job demonstrating the new water textures!   &apls

I'm curious as well to see how they mix together. And the idea of making another set to blend with plop water is great.  :thumbsup:

Also nice to hear you're enjoying the Historic Harbor!  :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on November 24, 2014, 06:12:55 AM
Wonderful pictures and as always good quality stuff Noah!like that interchange with the diagonal on slope transition ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Swordmaster on November 25, 2014, 11:25:01 AM
Amazing work my dear friend! I truly regret not being a part of it (currently), but you're certainly doing a great job  :thumbsup:


Cheers
Willy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on December 16, 2014, 05:29:17 AM
Thanks for all the kind feedback everyone  :thumbsup: I'll try to get responses up soon.

Lately I've been working on the central areas of Noroway, including the central tile Ko-Noropolis and the one immediately west of there, Io. In Noropolis I began with trying to make some progress on the core itself, which was as close to a diagonal grid as I could make with a tram system and the area's geography. The biggest task there is adapting content to fit the grid. Darknono and reddonquixote have between them released a substantial collection of top-quality diagonal skyscrapers, without which we would never have even tried this project, but in many cases the lotting doesn't fit for our purposes--often either the building overhangs the lot in a way that the lot isn't adjacent to the road network or the building is situated such that there's essentially no place for pedestrians to pass between the building and the adjacent roadways. Fortunately these are fairly easy to resolve with model tweaker and LE but it's a bit tedious, not hard (for me) to make mistakes with, and there's a lot of buildings to do. I probably got through about half of what I wanted to before getting too bored and annoyed to continue. In addition to the selection of diagonal skyscrapers available there are a number of irregularly-shaped CBD-appropriate buildings normally situated on square lots but suitable for diagonal or irregular placement if they are re-lotted/modded as overhanging. I've barely even begun on that and the whole center diagonal project reminded me how much I could use some help.

There's also, of course, a reasonable number of W2W and smaller diagonal buildings as well, but even with all that it just seemed like the diagonal area was too big, especially since there are a number of diagonal routes radiating from the center to points more distant that will also need to be dealt with. After discussion with Maarten on the diagonal problems I went ahead with some changes to the grid:

Before:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fkonoropolis_mapbefore_changes.jpg&hash=5c9c452ddf765d27679d61d96732e4ab4a4deac2)

After:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fko_mapafter.jpg&hash=0e20bf2dcedaf753edc43c8a05a0727653c8ee20)

I don't have much from Ko today but thought I'd throw in this little stretch of river that's been redone. I spent forever figuring out how to get GLR across the river in a way that would look good and wouldn't seem obvious that it was done that way because TIA can't cross water yet.
The result:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fglrbridgewithwater.jpg&hash=8f437fcba653df83714152e94be64932c2d1aeed)

The how:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fglrbridge.jpg&hash=d9cec28e039454b8c9b5e17b27bb08ca24d63bba)
I loved that bridge but it was el-rail when I thought I needed GLR. Then I realized that could be an advantage that would allow me to slope the bridge a bit for more boat clearance without having to slope the bridge approaches on each side. Yay  :bnn:

After I got sick of getting plugins prepared for building the diagonal center I made a number of other tweaks there and wanted to build a but part of building a commercial core means people to work there, preferably commuting from elsewhere. So I went next door (just to the west) and started with the transit network.

I was fortunately enough to hear from Willy, who's been the chief designer of the region's railroad plan, and get an update from him (the draft rail plans I had available before only covered a portion of the tile)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fswm666%2FVarious%2Fnoro_rail_sketch2.jpg&hash=bc4913c9e3de02a3994764f9cc15cf5fe74b576a)
I did some rail-building to the plan and am looking for input on how to cross the river with the main heading west from the central station into Io. Basically how many tracks and real bridges or viaducts. The current alignment of the tracks and river has the crossing occur over the tile border which adds an interesting twist. The last two pictures show the area I'm referring to.

The center of the 4-way interchange in Io is just under 3km from the very center of the city so space is more of a factor than it is in the more distant areas. The east-west highway is the main way out from the center to points west while the north-south road is one of the region's major routes, running from the northern border to the southeast where I'd been building just prior to this, roughly 33km away. Therefore, a high-capacity solution is necessary. Finally, local access ramps were desired, due to the area's planned significant density and the relative scarcity of local access interchanges in the area due to the number of freeway crossings (there's roughly a grid of highways in this part of the region spaced about 4km/1 tile from each other).

I began with some sketches and decided to try building based off this design:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdrive.google.com%2Fuc%3Fexport%3Dview%26amp%3Bid%3D0By6RG2miktERQUlRRU8wZTlYbDQ&hash=11eaa82e18fb2a283d88b0ecc74bcfd7659ec5d5)
The arrows are different possible options for connectivity to the highway going right. North is left.
Did you know you can trick Google Drive into embedding pictures?

After that I started building. In all images up is west.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fio_attempt.jpg&hash=0e10ce0cc287ee58a63e5e463d7fdb1e3d9e1613)
The seemingly pointless roads are there to check which crossings are possible or exactly how much space a given piece takes up. I was really surprised that diagonal L3/L4 MIS/4S wouldn't cross any highway except for Symphony.

I spent way too much time on the other two interchanges in the tile but ended up really happy with them (even though the one at top isn't really unique)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fioz1.jpg&hash=170bc7b23eb4988aec2d95197336d9d9e3f3f898)

That stadium is just an example of what could go there--great, and huge, bat but I'm not even sure if Norowegians play American football. My thought is to use almost all the space under the interchange for parking, as it's not much good for anything else, and something like a stadium or convention center area could take advantage of the excellent transport connections and parking in the area.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fiomosaic.jpg&hash=c491c53bdeed21a98d0b4026e476c04d68cba83e)

So there you have it. 5 levels (I would have liked to have done 6 but it didn't want to work with the aforementioned L3/L4 crossing difficulties) and something like 18 ramps with lots of local access. It's not completely a "finished product" yet (those FLUPs are eyecandy only and some curves are too sharp) but something designed to be perfect once the technology catches up to it ;)

Also in that last picture you can see the rail I mentioned earlier. What do you think I should do with it?

Thanks for reading :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on December 16, 2014, 07:10:23 AM
Excellent Noah!that last interchange is huge!! :o :o
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: odrzutowiec on December 16, 2014, 10:13:19 AM
This diagonal grid is interesting, can't wait to see buildings there. And the interchange... I'm speechless  &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: epicblunder on December 16, 2014, 10:19:46 AM
always good to see more action from Noro.   &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on December 16, 2014, 10:51:44 AM
Although I prefer the previous intechanges which were less regular, this one is amazingly complex. &apls

The new downtown grid looks good and, as you said, better adapted to availables BATs
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on December 16, 2014, 11:04:02 AM
The el-rail bridge is really neat!  &apls

Are the suspension cables a default feature? Can't recall I've ever seen it before and it adds a lot of character to it!

Also curious about the diagonal grid, can't wait to see it filled in!  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on December 16, 2014, 11:54:44 AM
I agree about the el-rail bridge used as tram bridge, quite ingenious.
As always, splendid work. I'm eager to see the work you'll do on the downtown.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: APSMS on December 16, 2014, 07:30:37 PM
Lots of wonderful work here, and certainly more time spent than I'd care to think about. Often SC4 gets to be such a chore for me that as much as I enjoy it, I have to stop and take breaks from the game or risk pulling my hair out.

The obvious solution for the rail line is to drain the water (use viaducts) or use a DBE technique to cross the water (not sure exactly how that works.

A creative solution? I'm not too sure. I usually try to avoid these situations (neighbor connections over water) in the first place.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on December 16, 2014, 10:21:56 PM
Quote from: APSMS on December 16, 2014, 07:30:37 PM
I usually try to avoid these situations (neighbor connections over water) in the first place.

Yeah, me too. Personally, I'd just move the rail line a bit north so that you can build an actual bridge. Or, do some terraforming! :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on December 17, 2014, 02:02:41 AM
I'm still baffled how you came up with such a monster interchange :o. I did build a cloverleaf there previously, but this interchange is much more appropriate. Most excellent work, Noah!  :thumbsup:

It's also nice to have a stadium there. I was looking for an appropriate spot to place such a thing.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: romualdillo on December 17, 2014, 04:07:07 PM
How many hours did you spend doing such an interchange? You're doing an amazing work here!!!  &apls

The tram bridge looks great, too!! How could we suspect what hides into the water??  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on December 18, 2014, 09:04:42 AM
Thanks for all the kind words everyone :)  I should have mentioned last update that part of the feedback I was looking for about the rail crossing was how many tracks should go there. According to Willy's map the main line and commuter lines heading to the south and west have already split off, as well as a commuter line heading north but there are three major stations, including the airport, and a classification yard that way, as well as the main traffic heading north.

I made a little mod (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By6RG2miktERV0ZaNi01bjNPUE0/view?usp=sharing) for NORO to replace pedmalls with Gobias' modern cobble sidewalks, as we've been using. Feel free to try it out if you like. Seems to small to put on the LEX but maybe I can make a set--pretty straightforward work and I might even have another one laying around already I made for Arthur a while back. I also have the Brooklyn brick one made by Willy for Siilijoki.

I've also, finally, gotten back to a little texture modding. The article I mentioned first in the urban planning in current events (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16723.0) reminded me how much current lane widths bother me and made me realize how much larger some are than they need to be. The immediate impetuses (why can't it be "impeti"?) were noticing the RHW4-to-avenue transition widens substantially toward the avenue direction and the sudden prospect of an old tram station coming to fruition.

This pic shows the ped mall mod and the latest TIA textures:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Ftramaincrop.jpg&hash=250bd16afe6514537f8005b7aae2d62b03ab1c3f)


A look at experimental TIA & avenue textures near other networks with original TIA & avenue textures visible at intersections for comparison:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fexample.jpg&hash=4af6b1e41f0033a800cb952f417d51cf50072bd8)


Note that in this alignment/width scheme avenue, RHW4, TIA, and OWR all line up with each other (they are intentionally a pixel or two off where one network would ideally be aligned a bit differently than the other)

TIA texture:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2F20141218_tia_256.png&hash=32b27914d0bc003a4ba018ec9a99d658532b8ae5)


Avenue texture:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Favenue_fromtia_20141218_svgrass.png&hash=d2045de36b89791f0a27f783297782056ce1c2e3)


Given the scale of the effort that would be needed to do a project like that I don't know if it makes any sense to try. I like the way it looks though  ;D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: memo on December 18, 2014, 09:53:04 AM
Quote from: noahclem on December 18, 2014, 09:04:42 AM
(why can't it be "impeti"?)

U-declination, my friend. ;) Meaning the Latin plural would be "impetūs" (long u), wheras "impeti" would suggest an o-declination origin which isn't the case. In German, it doesn't even seem to have a plural at all. Now, I just need to look up the actual meaning... ::)

Anyways, I am looking forward to your new Avenue textures!

Thanks Markus :D  I would probably never have ended up understanding that if you hadn't posted. Glad you liked the textures :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on December 19, 2014, 02:35:10 AM
Very nice Noah! &apls

Thanks!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Themistokles on December 19, 2014, 09:27:50 AM
Narrowing lanes seems a really good incentive for SimCity sustainability ;D, and I also like how an off-topic article makes its mark in the Simuverse. But seriously, it looks absolutely wonderful the way all of it seemlessly merges together. Though do I notice that the tram gauge has been - how do you say? - somewhat narrowed? Is it in order to keep on scale with the narrower RRW rails?

Thanks! I wonder if the guy who wrote the article would be happy he's been listened to here, even if he's had less luck persuading people in the real world so far :D  Glad you like the textures and please let me know if you have any ideas on how to align things better. And nice observation on the tram guage, it's indeed equal to RRW and the distance between the two sets of tracks is lessened by a pixel per side (@128px/tile).

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on December 22, 2014, 08:38:21 AM
Proposed new Tram-on-road textures:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Ftor_example.jpg&hash=6de597759d51a7d01d4f24222471a8a968a08410)

Features:

-RRW-guage rails with distance between sets of tracks 25cm less than RRW has, conserving precious space and removing any reason to redo paths. Design is based off of RRW but textures are HD (256px)
-Concrete paving between tram rails
-Slightly widened paved area (75cm/37.5cm per side/~19cm per lane). Lane width is ~30px/3.75m.
-Sidewalks are no longer "baked in" but can vary in the same manner as el-rail-over-avenue (all credit to memo, though Vortext did help explain it to me)

If combined with a narrowing of the widest networks (avenue and the triple-tilers) these textures should not look out of place at all next to the other networks.

Texture:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2F20141222_tor.png&hash=e7501536cbf861065cc030feb4d90163e4c14f62)


And the newest TIA texture with variable sidewalks and updated rails:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2F20141218_tia_transparent_20141222.png&hash=6f8bb36fd35566e5e2afedee1f53c949c09eadf6)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Dantes on December 22, 2014, 08:58:32 AM
No words, only this: (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ld-host.de%2Fuploads%2Fimages%2Fe03820ca109c4c698e0ec09bd238a35e.gif&hash=efaf62d8571d582729d35e4b4b2a85754f3e7279)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: c.p. on December 22, 2014, 10:49:11 AM
The textures look great. :thumbsup:  Looks like it would be a bit uncomfortable for pedestrians to walk along the edges of the first texture.  Luckily, the sims are good at walking very straight lines. ?=mad)=
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Earwhyckque on December 22, 2014, 11:17:51 AM
Great work! Although I would suggest to add concrete paving in between the two spurs, too.

For reference, have a look at the Rozengracht in Amsterdam:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Ksv3bujc0zI%2FUNW_r7Ja5gI%2FAAAAAAAAF2w%2Fe2gxTAWT4DY%2Fs640%2FRozengrachtWoningkl.jpg&hash=29f48edaa48b9b27efa1fcc7fb725b1839e2c099)

Good luck with the Cooperative!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on December 22, 2014, 03:48:12 PM
Oh, that Tram-in-road texture looks really nice! The new tram textures you're coming up with looks pretty neat.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on December 22, 2014, 04:53:44 PM
That looks great Noah.

Like your choice of trains/light rails trains.


Can see I have devolved in my texture making (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15529.msg489339#msg489339).




Maybe the tram textures (the area around the rails) can be overlay textures ?

so people can pick if they want concrete textures as Earwhyckque or
asphalt as you did, grass as you see in some place in Paris or.......
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: romualdillo on December 23, 2014, 01:06:37 PM
I like the new texture a lot!! Great work!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on December 26, 2014, 02:08:05 PM
Thanks for the opinions everyone :)

I probably wouldn't do "overlays" though from my understanding another layer of S3Ds with transparency wouldn't be a problem but I'm not sure if it'd be worth the effort. I'd definitely make the original files with separate layers publicly available for others to make variations from and consider doing variations myself.

I tried Earwhyckque's suggestion with the pavement, extending it like the picture to both sides of the tracks. The concrete is something I found from opengameart.org (http://opengameart.org) a while back, then darkened and added cracks to. I couldn't be much happier with how the tram-on-road turned out but something's not quite right with the tram-in-avenue. I tried adding raised medians between where the trams run and where cars run, as it tends to be in Helsinki where trams and cars don't share space. That kind of implementation for TIAs would mean smoother/easier transitions to stations and that paths wouldn't need to be altered but TIA wouldn't line up with RHW and avenue like the earlier design would. I might try grass or baked-in pavement for the medians as how nice this style looks will vary a lot depending on the sidewalk mod installed.

Feedback is very much welcomed, particularly:
-Yes or No to the medians for TIA
-If Yes, custom sidewalks, baked in pavement, or grass for the medians?
-Yes or No to different pavement for the tram paths


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2F20141226.jpg&hash=6704990c0060eb50f767a057bd1c43770d0a1843)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2F20141226_z5.jpg&hash=2e0da03720121448fdac622ffd3fb53ebc97a23d)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2F20141226_tia_256_median.png&hash=7422d8555409383c93c0b47da7542ef7fba58a16)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2F20141226_tor_concrete.png&hash=1ea7bc0e0dfaef29a364a4f89ab6a7dd64c667a9)


Oh, and a belated:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.majhost.com%2Fgallery%2Fnoahclem%2F1411%2Fsnowsign.jpg&hash=e20983e9a4ff1526d8dbbf1e8bbdf51aa538578c)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kbieniu7 on December 26, 2014, 02:47:16 PM
Oh, what can I see? Rails in concrete slabs! I'm not sure what do you mean with "medians" right there - the small strip between rails and asphalt, or whole space between carriageways (including rails)?
Anyway, for me, I would choose the concrete slabs - the ones, which you have shown. It's very common in Poland, we call them "Hungarian plate". Last years we had many funny situation with them...

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fd.polskatimes.pl%2Fk%2Fr%2F4%2F0a%2F5b%2F4d98ca467eb0e_k1.jpg%3F1353381778&hash=b6939809d8ef5b1dbf433dd4f38fb644cb1842dd)

It's better to keep them well-maintained. Especialy during hot days... :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Shadow Assassin on December 26, 2014, 08:18:55 PM
Not bad, Noah, though I would suggest you use the standard width for the double yellow lines (as on other networks) - they seem too close together.

Why not try a RD6-style implementation for TIA as well? That would look good too.

Though I do agree - something's a bit off with the TIA, perhaps tone down the drop shadow effect to about half and see how that looks. The best option would be just to continue the concrete treatment across the median. I actually would like that concrete texture as a sidewalk mod as well, to be honest...
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on January 11, 2015, 06:59:22 PM
Welcome to NORO 2015  ;D  I'm quite busy with work around the Holidays but will be having a lot more time until the second half of February. I have high hopes for the new year, as one is wont to, and in particular I'm hoping for a return to more collaboration here. Planning, custom content modification & creation, plugins maintenance, and real-time discussion are all things I hope to see the better side of this year. For now though I just want to share a few files, including a significantly altered region plan, the sidewalk mod Daniel requested, and easily editable gimp files of my most recent texture attempts. Please feel free to edit in your suggestions to the region map and tweak the various textures.

Noro concrete sidewalks (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By6RG2miktERR0l1QUltZGFrcWc&authuser=0)
Noro concrete sidewalks model (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By6RG2miktERaEVFSV8wdkJGVlk&authuser=0)

Noah's current region plan (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By6RG2miktERSWg0R3docmFVcU0&authuser=0)

TOR4 (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By6RG2miktERUmpRTkg0bWFubWM&authuser=0)
TIA_no_median (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By6RG2miktERNWx0MF9JbTQ0ZkU&authuser=0)
TIA_median (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By6RG2miktERSEVZZEV4OWZsR1k&authuser=0)
TOR6 (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By6RG2miktERNWx0MF9JbTQ0ZkU/view?usp=sharing)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi779.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fyy77%2Fnoahclem%2FTIAmedianless_zps7ef7f3a0.jpg&hash=c759dec005318b3c60aa0df10c9383a62e6f2a6d)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Shadow Assassin on January 12, 2015, 03:37:31 AM
Much appreciate your work on that, Noah, so K-point you get! Might add that the new TIA looks much better, none of that median funkiness going on :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on January 12, 2015, 07:41:23 AM
Like the new textures Noah!unfortunately cannot open the images in your old posts...seems like the link is broken :'(
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on February 19, 2015, 04:31:07 PM
A belated but sincere thanks Daniel!!

Thanks to you as well Guglielmo. I was aware of the majhost outage, but expected it to be relatively short-lived as it's been in the past. Unfortunately it's still out and I'm not really sure what to do about it. Almost all NORO images were hosted there and while I have local copies of all of my stuff, re-uploading and re-linking would be a huge task  %wrd  I'd been putting off updating until majhost returned but I don't think it makes sense to wait on it any longer.

So, teaser time  ;D

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi779.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fyy77%2Fnoahclem%2FKg_xchange_zpsg6ltvbly.jpg&hash=2aa6aaa92097635d39f90563a7cd63f78fe7543f)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: juliok102013 on February 19, 2015, 06:53:57 PM
Wow, this intersection is fantastic! It seems that the airport will be very good too!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on February 19, 2015, 10:58:24 PM
The interchange is impressive. But I'm more looking forward to that massive airport.... :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on February 20, 2015, 02:33:42 AM
Outstanding interchange!can't wait to see more :bnn: :bnn:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: romualdillo on February 20, 2015, 07:57:00 AM
Great interchange!!! But that airport...  :o I really want to see it finished!!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on February 22, 2015, 01:32:23 PM
Thanks everyone! I'm glad there's a bit of excitement for the airport. I think it's a biggest single project I've ever tried in SC4, even though only a small part of it has been done. The vast majority of the time I've spent has been researching though, not actually building in SC4. Every time I planned an area I looked up how it functions in real life and how examples in RL have been done, from runways (length, width, markings, number, layout) to terminals (number of gates, overall size, width, intermodal transport access) and everything in between. Airports are fascinatingly complicated and the possibilities for them in SC4 are enormous. It reminds me more of the NAM then any other aspect of SC4 and in a way shows what the NAM might be like without controller files necessitating centralized distribution and planning: a rich patchwork that doesn't necessarily integrate well and offers users a pretty steep learning curve--figuring out what's available to download and fits the user's needs is no small task itself.

Anyway, I can ramble on all the details later. For now I wanted to show an overview of the airport so far.

(https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=0By6RG2miktERRll6eHY3MXZaNHM&authuser=0)


(https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=0By6RG2miktERUlMzSjlhN2RUalE&authuser=0)


(https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=0By6RG2miktERbnVjeDZnZ1dLQ0k&authuser=0)


Obviously there's a lot yet to be done and I expect many of the things that are done will be changed. I'm hoping though, that this will be the foundation for an outstanding airport. What do you guys think? Is there anyone with an interest in airports that might be interested in collaborating?


Bonus pic--the next tile east (right):

(https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=0By6RG2miktERTnVkNE5laFBsbWs&authuser=0)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: carlfatal on February 22, 2015, 04:09:40 PM
It´s a airport, and I have no clue, how an airport should look. But it´s also some awesome roadgeekery here.  $%Grinno$%

In particular I love that picture in the last update with the tram and the blocks aside. It looks like a snapshot out of a real town.  &apls

Keep up your cool teamwork!  :thumbsup:


Thanks Carl! Much appreciate the compliments and it's nice to see you here again :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Dantes on February 22, 2015, 05:11:42 PM
The airport is huge. I'm curious how the airport looks right layout. Will you sow grass at the end or make a bush landscape for the environment? (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ld-host.de%2Fuploads%2Fimages%2F9a92c2791da82a2e5a9d29200fc5639e.gif&hash=1fcd757cba2476a95bba866d4185af3ec40004e9)
I got a little scared by the intersecting runway. (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ld-host.de%2Fuploads%2Fimages%2F79ccce133069194749348c326ef974c8.gif&hash=186ea0bc17c86535305c57a58cee2fa0dc2b14d5)


Thanks Dantes :)  I haven't finalized plans for decorating the surrounding area but I'm thinking trees and brush further away from the runways but grass closer. A lot of the empty space will be filled with stuff like a cargo terminal, airplane hangars, de-icing areas, and possibly civil and military aviation. Don't worry about the crossing runways, only parallel runways are active at the same time (depending on the direction of winds I think).

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Haljackey on February 22, 2015, 06:12:06 PM
What in the heck?  :o


Thanks I think  ;D  I've been meaning to ask your advice lately as I'm planning a collector-express system and you're the acknowledged Ontario 401 expert. I've been studying Toronto highways a lot but am still not confident about knowing where to have access to the express section...

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on February 23, 2015, 09:58:13 AM
Not a fan of the last runway piece with the high elevation next to it. I'm sure you're going to work on it though.

Nice work with the over layout. Seems quite realistic to me.

If you need any help, I'm always available. :)


Thanks Arthur! Glad you like it and thanks for the help you've already been giving toward it. That area is just a place holder for now. Only the center 2 (out of 4 total) runway tiles are placed and the only the most basic terraforming has been done. I'll definitely be taking you up on your offer to help--and my invitation to join me building it stands :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kelis on February 23, 2015, 10:40:14 AM
That's huuuuuuge !! ' can't wait for see the entire airport  :bnn:


Thanks!! It won't be finished for a long time but I'm excited for it :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on February 23, 2015, 03:30:58 PM
Looking forward to see how this airport develops.....


Thanks Arne
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on February 24, 2015, 04:23:06 AM
The airport is insane &apls &apls
Amazing stuff


Thanks for the support Guglielmo!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on February 24, 2015, 08:31:05 AM
Thanks for all the support guys  :thumbsup:

I started on a simple composite of the interchange shown earlier and ended up expanding and embellishing the picture a bit more than I'd planned  ;D  ...which should explain the mix of polish and rough edges. The map at top left is a screen grab from the updated inkscape region plan and bottom right is the current region view. The section of express-collector highway shown is about two thirds of what's been built so far.

Click for full 3300x3884 image

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FW9uanO5l.jpg&hash=b0aae0d2651b27fcb707674fe3fc92bef503d8c3) (http://i.imgur.com/W9uanO5.jpg)



Updated inkscape region plan (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By6RG2miktERSzM0blVCSHdrRUU&authuser=0)
Dotted red section of highway in inkscape maps is the initial area planned for express/collector construction



I've assembled here a table of the most important influences on my recent construction. I returned time and again to reference these areas to determine various details of my own construction. Click on each label for wikipedia article and on each map for google maps link. I'm really hoping we can get the site upgraded to handle embedded google maps eventually ;)












Ontario 401 Interchange with express & collector ramps (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Highway_401)
XYZ Toronto Pearson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Pearson_International_Airport)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fi584BiX.jpg&hash=12d4f581e25f681349266adfc1be9ce5c199d5a7) (https://maps.google.fi/maps?q=Toronto,+ON,+Canada&ll=43.767778,-79.337919&spn=0.013652,0.033023&cid=3617891678464296055&hnear=Toronto,+Toronto+Division,+Ontario,+Canada&t=h&z=16) (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F6wAIeKR.jpg&hash=ba12f3f3b6d067f7bb495f64f8b930a46e230be2) (https://maps.google.fi/maps?q=Toronto,+ON,+Canada&ll=43.681343,-79.617147&spn=0.054685,0.132093&cid=3617891678464296055&hnear=Toronto,+Toronto+Division,+Ontario,+Canada&t=h&z=14)
MSP Minneapolis/St Paul Int'l (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis%E2%80%93Saint_Paul_International_Airport)
ORD Chicago O'Hare (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Hare_International_Airport)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F8rkVXpG.jpg&hash=460ee427661459f70bdee8f5a6d23038900c6be7) (https://maps.google.fi/maps?q=Minneapolis%E2%88%92Saint+Paul+International+Airport,+Saint+Paul,+MN,+United+States&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=44.879107,-93.215475&spn=0.053582,0.132093&sll=43.767778,-79.337919&sspn=0.013652,0.033023&oq=minneapo&t=h&z=14) (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F67O42rh.jpg&hash=a8d1b51b77e25d17462957b7604d5b2253596a46) (https://maps.google.fi/maps?q=Chicago+O%27Hare+International+Airport,+Chicago,+IL,+United+States&hl=en&ll=41.978124,-87.892342&spn=0.056214,0.132093&sll=44.879107,-93.215475&sspn=0.053582,0.132093&oq=chica&t=h&z=14)
DEN Denver Int'l (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_International_Airport)
SEA Seattle Tacoma Int'l (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle%E2%80%93Tacoma_International_Airport)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FFXhEK0O.jpg&hash=d15b33a60fec03541bed75b61cca169cabd0a2e0) (https://maps.google.fi/maps?q=Denver+International+Airport,+Denver,+CO,+United+States&hl=en&ll=39.855992,-104.673615&spn=0.116096,0.264187&sll=41.978124,-87.892342&sspn=0.056214,0.132093&oq=Denver&t=h&z=13) (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fc04wFgp.jpg&hash=12940b0aa39a9bc34263a6699d7e9b523c54c8da) (https://maps.google.fi/maps?q=Seattle-Tacoma+International+Airport,+International+Boulevard,+Seattle,+WA,+United+States&hl=en&ll=47.449277,-122.309589&spn=0.051135,0.132093&sll=39.855992,-104.673615&sspn=0.116096,0.264187&oq=seat&t=h&z=14)
AMS Amsterdam Schiphol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_Airport_Schiphol)
ATL Atlanta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartsfield%E2%80%93Jackson_Atlanta_International_Airport)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FeBubBNn.jpg&hash=e53463d2223594aa19a0a47cf738b721cbfc3225) (https://maps.google.fi/maps?q=Amsterdam+Airport+Schiphol,+Netherlands&hl=en&ll=52.312991,4.768066&spn=0.092456,0.264187&sll=47.449277,-122.309589&sspn=0.051135,0.132093&oq=amsterdam+sc&t=h&z=13) (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FPSsj13e.jpg&hash=24c753169330415aa92646a81eb0b2578ef4e061) (https://maps.google.fi/maps?q=Hartsfield-Jackson+Atlanta+International+Airport,+North+Terminal+Parkway,+Atlanta,+GA,+United+States&hl=en&ll=33.639204,-84.423151&spn=0.062954,0.132093&sll=52.312991,4.768066&sspn=0.092456,0.264187&oq=harts&t=h&hq=Hartsfield-Jackson+Atlanta+International+Airport,+North+Terminal+Parkway,+Atlanta,+GA,+United+States&z=14)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: timmetje on February 24, 2015, 09:01:13 AM
Pictures don't work, all I could see was the teaser :'(


Sorry if things aren't appearing correctly. Are you referring to this update or earlier pictures? Unfortunately most pictures are now missing due to our image hosting website going down, apparently permanently. I plan to replace them but don't have a time frame. The most recent pictures are hosted by Google and so should be visible to almost anybody--unless the trick I used to make them show as images instead of links is causing errors, in which case I would like to solve the problem as soon as possible.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on February 24, 2015, 11:12:39 AM
Same here, I can't see the most recent pictures either. No intersection, nor airports and I know what is supposed to show because strangely, I could see it earlier today at work.  &mmm

edit: turns out filtering in HTTP Switchboard (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/http-switchboard/mghdpehejfekicfjcdbfofhcmnjhgaag) was too strict and I needed to enable cookies from googleusercontent.com on SC4D. Maybe you have a similar, cookies related, issue timmetje?

On a sidenote, if you use chrome (or a chromium based browser like SRWare Iron (https://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_chrome_vs_iron.php)) I highly recommend getting HTTP Switchboard. It'll probably break your internet at first, however, it's really versatile since it's basically AdBlock, NoScript, Ghostery et al. wrapped into one and highly customizable, too - for instance allowing specific kind of cookies on a specific domain only. 




At any rate, on topic: very nice developments Noah, the airport is one heck of a project! Not to mention all the intersection casually draped around it!  :o

Also nice RL examples, clearly shows the inspirations! Looking forward to see things progress!  :thumbsup:


Thanks a lot Erik! I appreciate you shedding light on the likely technical problem and am glad you popped in so quickly. Now I just need to figure out the scale of the problem and an optimal solution.... Nice looking tools you mention too, I plan to give them a try. And the SC4 feedback itself is of course much appreciated as well :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on February 24, 2015, 11:59:12 AM
Excellent progerss, Noah! That's some nice synergy between land and air transport you've shown there and I love it! :thumbsup:


Thanks a lot Maarten!!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Kergelen on February 24, 2015, 01:12:32 PM
Outstanding interchanges! I have been quite some minutes looking at them. &apls &apls 
Incredible work with the huge airport. An adequate airport for a huge region. :thumbsup:


Thanks Arnau! Glad you found the interchanges interesting--I always enjoy them more when they are unique designs or particularly specialized for their location. And yeah, the airport's a bit on the larger side  :D

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Haljackey on February 24, 2015, 08:13:57 PM
Quote from: Haljackey on February 22, 2015, 06:12:06 PM

I've been meaning to ask your advice lately as I'm planning a collector-express system and you're the acknowledged Ontario 401 expert. I've been studying Toronto highways a lot but am still not confident about knowing where to have access to the express section...

-Noah


Acknowledged? Well ok then...

What I can advise is that the express lanes should have access to the collectors (and vice-versa) between two major interchanges or every 3 interchanges or so. The express lanes should also have dedicated on/off ramps at major interchanges when possible, but this will significantly increase the complexity of the junction. I've only seen a handful of examples where this is done well in SC4 (mostly by McDuell).

Not sure if it's helpful but I did film the 401's entire collector-express system last year. Here is the video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMtusG5tuC8

If you need anything else or more info I'll try to help you out.

----

Back to your entry,

I have given up all my attempts at building a large custom airport. The amount of difficulty of getting it to look realistic is insanely hard, at least in my mind. Getting the surrounding area to look right is a challenge too. It looks like you're pulling it off quite nicely, but I'm no aviation expert :P.

All I gotta say is keep at it, and as long as you're having fun doing what you're doing then you're doing it right!  :thumbsup:


Thanks Hal  :thumbsup:  The video is quite useful. Around every 3 exits plus connections at major interchanges is about what I was planning, 'spose because of what I've seen in Toronto. I'm a bit confused about when to do a basketweave versus conventional connections and where all those ought to be placed in relation to exits (with local access). As for the complexity required for those interchanges, I consider it a benefit--we may be kindred spirits in that way. I may be no McDuell but I know my way around an interchange ;) I've got more to say but will save it for the next post....

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: packersfan on February 24, 2015, 08:38:50 PM
#1: That is a great looking start to a realistically set up modern airport with a great RHW approach.  I've only had one great airport and that was a recreation of Cincinnati's airport in my Sessquenna region, but it didn't really have great transportation infrastructure (highway, rail, road connections).  Great work!

#2: Love the "Noroway" shield.  Cool name.  I regret my highways not having a catchier name than "Interdistrict" instead of "Interstate"..."National Highway" instead of "U.S. Highway"..."District Highway" instead of "State Highway".  Nice!

#3: I find you SC4 tile naming system interesting.  My new region has a naming scheme sort of like that where basically a small tile would be named "Row - Column" with Letters representing rows and numbers representing columns.  A medium tile would have a name like A-B-01-02 since it covers two rows and columns.  However, even this has become slightly confusing (though very simple to implement when making my map.  I'm now doing it based on Township names and sections (1-36)...but even this will prove complicated...argh!

Anyway.  Great work.  Look forward to more, so I can weep at my incompetence.


First, don't weep, as the District of Wenzel has achieved things that haven't been done here and done things better then they've been done here, despite this place having many extremely talented people contribute :P  What you achieve on the macro scale with SC4 is probably peerless.

#1 Thank you! This is the first real airport I've done, precisely because it is so difficult. I've yet to even get rail incorporated besides that light rail intended to serve as intra-airport transit. In any case, it's almost embarrassing how much time I actually spent on this area  :D

#2 I love it too but must give Maarten credit for the highway shield. It's vector-based, so scalable, and I made the one for the picture just by zooming super-far into the inkscape map after putting it over a background I could easily make transparent. "Noroway" refers to the country/region though, rather than a name for the type of highway (although that would have been extremely clever in hindsight).

#3 Again, I love it but in this case must assign credit to Willy. I can certainly understand the difficulty in creating such a system though as it's been really difficult and less successful when trying myself.

Thanks again and the thorough feedback is much appreciated  :thumbsup:

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Shadow Assassin on February 25, 2015, 01:23:51 AM
Nice work Noah!

A quick critique about the airport, what are you going to do about the east side of the runways being in a cutting? Have you leveled it out? Also I have a minor concern about the interchange directly beneath the western approach to the runway, perhaps the freeway should be a little lower? Also the tunnel passing under the taxiway, the approaches should be further away from the taxiway itself, perhaps leave a 1-tile gap. Love the map though I can't open it properly.


Also - haljackey... at about 3.50 in your video here (http://youtu.be/GMtusG5tuC8?t=3m43s)... is it just me or is that red people mover awfully close to the Winnebago?



Thanks Daniel! I plan to level out the area around the east end of that runway but I think I'll also move it a little bit west, so there will be about half as much area on the eastern tile. I've also moved the western end west (12 tiles IIRC) and am thinking 4000m should be a good length. I wanted one particularly long runway but unless they're testing experimental aircraft there shouldn't be a reason for anything longer then 4km near sea level. As for the highway/runway/taxiway crossings...I had actually made the tunnel under the western runway higher and shorter between my last post and yours  :D   I was basing the "tunnel" depth and separation from taxiways and runways off of the ones I'm familiar with from Chicago O'Hare (taxiway only) and Atlanta (taxiway & runway) where they appear to be airport bridges rather than highway tunnels. I'm not really familiar with real tunnels in the same situation though I'd not be surprised if they're as common as the "bridges". The layout of the highways makes it fairly trivial to follow your suggestion, so it's certainly a possibility ;)  Another option to make it look better might be to make the areas look cosmetically more like bridges, including paving over the top of the tunnels between runways and taxiways, using overhanging taxiways like xannepan's but offset differently, and adding cosmetic tunnel/bridge portals. Were you having trouble with the large image map or the inkscape one?

Cheers,
-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Haljackey on February 25, 2015, 07:17:25 AM
Quote from: Shadow Assassin on February 25, 2015, 01:23:51 AM

Also - haljackey... at about 3.50 in your video here (http://youtu.be/GMtusG5tuC8?t=3m43s)... is it just me or is that red people mover awfully close to the Winnebago?

I believe that it was being towed by the Winnebago. Most people use a vehicle to tow a trailer, but it's the reverse in this case as the Caravan likely does not have enough power to tow it.

Off topic I know but I thought I may as well respond.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kbieniu7 on February 25, 2015, 09:27:50 AM
Wow! Massive! I've never made such a big intesection and you've managed to make a huge junction around the airport on two tiles! Good planning :thumbsup:


Thanks buddy! Sometimes bigger can be better ;) Glad you liked it.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Yan077 on February 25, 2015, 10:35:13 AM
I never seen such a massive interchange, that's really impressive Noah !   :o.

&apls &apls


Thank you very much! It's always great to hear from you and I wish you a warm welcome to Noroway  :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: romualdillo on February 25, 2015, 12:26:33 PM
Great work Noah!!! I'm speechless!!  &apls


Thanks a ton!!!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on February 27, 2015, 02:31:35 PM
Nice airport so far, and I really like the collector-express lanes!That's something I'd like to do in SC4 someday. And I hope to see a UDI video of this freeway once it's complete. And it's too bad that Majhost is down, because now I won't be able to look at any of your older interchanges. :( Sometimes, when I'm really bored, I love to go back to page one of this thread, and just go all the way through this thread and look at all the interchanges. They never get old!


Thanks very much and nice to hear from you again! The collector-express lanes have been pretty fun to work with actually, so far not as difficult as I might have guessed and it's a refreshingly different way to build and think. UDI is a great idea, not sure why I don't do it more. I did just dust off my Fraps to make sure it still works.... We do plan to fix the images so don't worry that it's lost forever. In fact, if you're interested in fixing the broken links I could give you access to the picture files Maarten and I have gathered. Out of curiosity, does the plane in your avatar mean your particularly interested in airports?

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on February 28, 2015, 12:53:14 PM
I've continued to chip away at the work the airport needs though I think it looks like more progress has been made then really has. I've been avoiding the tarmac around the gates for the most part as that will require me to learn how those areas function and are designed as well as figure out how to get the SC4 plugins to accomplish those things. Taxiways are going nicely though as I get more comfortable navigating the SC4 plugins to make them and I'm understanding better and better the reasons RL airports are laid out the way they are. Here's a picture of the current status of the airport's primary tile, Kg, with points and projects of interest added and a description of the projects to be done.

Click for full 2100x1532
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FrZzgv5Ah.jpg&hash=a99e901158287e87c5e56aa7f5c1a2ca17a56a9c) (http://imgur.com/rZzgv5A)



For good measure, here's the next segment of the multi-highway, continuing south from the previous picture. The next junction to the south is the Noropolis beltway, highway 230, which I forgot to mention in the last update is also being considered for an express/collector implementation. The interchange should, at the least, give 4-way access between the two sets of collector lanes and between express lanes north of the junction and express lanes east and west. Local access is also intended to the extent possible in such a complex interchange. Those characteristics mean that, besides my general procrastination of the amount of work such a project requires, I think it's best to wait until the next NAM to tackle it. I'll leave it to you to guess what unannounced features I'm waiting on  :evilgrin:

click for slightly larger
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fg64P54D.jpg&hash=98e896515137d871f587d667e023916bffb81986)

The other project I'm hoping to do soon is a proposal for how the express-collector section of highway 85 should be constructed, exit by exit, hopefully preventing me from wasting a lot of time building a system that doesn't make sense ;)

Until next time....  :squirrel:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on February 28, 2015, 01:03:25 PM
This is seriously going to be the best airport ever made in any Simcity.


Thank you Arthur--that's one of the nicest compliments I've ever had here :)  It would be better if you joined me in building it though  :P

-N
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Haljackey on February 28, 2015, 03:03:45 PM
Fantastic stuff here.

Very creative express/collector transfer!


Thanks Ryan :)  Does the basket-weave make sense in that place, given the layout that's already been shown and the location of the major interchange about a mile south?

-N
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on February 28, 2015, 03:11:00 PM
Could someone get Noah a needle? He really needs to weave his C/D-motorway system :D

I've voted for Passenger and General Aviation. Putting military here too is a bit overkill; they better can have their own landing strip and base somewhere else.


Thanks Maarten  :thumbsup:  I think Passenger and General Aviation will be the way to go--makes sense and now has a crushing majority in the poll. That raises the question though of where to locate an airbase given NORO's difficult terrain. Can runways be near mountains or does that create too dangerous of wind patterns? We could have underground hangars built into the mountainside if we located the base in a place like that....

-N
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: isii94 on March 01, 2015, 06:57:43 AM
That airport looks amazing! I'm wondering, though, if that many runways are really necessary since they can't be operated independently. I'd probably have gone with fewer of them and spaced them further apart.

QuoteI'll leave it to you to guess what unannounced features I'm waiting on

I could think of two... (not going to say them, though)  ;D


Thanks very much and a warm welcome! I saw you looking around earlier and was hoping you would post :)  Why would you suggest spacing further apart? The closest separation, between 9R/27L and 9C/27C, is based on the distance between the newest runway at Seattle-Tacoma and the closest runway to it which was designed so that both could be used simultaneously in poor visibility conditions. The number of runways is admittedly rather high, probably in part because I enjoy over-engineering things like highways and airports, but I don't think it's excessive. For example, Denver has 6 runways running in two perpendicular directions and serves only a ~3M metro area. You're certainly right that 2-4 runways would be a more common layout though. I'm planning on making major changes to the layout here so if you have a proposal for where the runways could be located I'd love to see it.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 02, 2015, 01:44:43 AM
Noah cannot say anything really. This project is incredible! &apls &apls
Is there a main train line planned to get to the airport or near it?

Cheers
Guglielmo
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: isii94 on March 02, 2015, 05:10:32 AM
I'm not an airport expert, but from some observations most runways are spaced 1.5 to 2.5 kilometres apart for independent operation.

Here is a quick drawing of what I would probably have gone with:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FM1Fxkv7.png&hash=451e3e306bee3659aaec5e5992d511e8aecbe646)

18C/36C is for takeoff only, 09R/27L is for landing only, and 09L/27R is for both takeoff and landing. To me this seems to be the most efficient solution  %confuso
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on March 02, 2015, 07:12:52 AM
QuoteI'm not an airport expert, but from some observations most runways are spaced 1.5 to 2.5 kilometers apart for independent operation.

I've worked at Orly airport in the maintenance department. The facilities were really close to the runways. The runway in the pic is used for both landing and take-offs.
Nice spaghetti, btw. :D

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Feybend.PNG&hash=006b9213a2348cea19ba628b0a55ea80a68aca0e)

My only remark concerning the plans of the airport is the use of civil and commercial at the same airport. I've already talked to you about it on skype but I'm going to say it again. I believe for private aircraft and small planes it's better to have a smaller single runway airport closer to the city center (like London's City) and keep the big international one to larger airplanes and freight traffic.

Also a separate AFB (Air Force Base) is a good idea as well.

On the plan, instead of civil aviation on the n°9, I'd put aircraft parking areas, hangars....
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 02, 2015, 08:51:00 AM
I liked the spaghetti too--thought it was a pizza 'til I clicked though :D   Anyway, thanks for writing that up and nice work. I'm not sure if there's a difference between "independent operation" and the ability to use both for landing simultaneously in times of low visibility, however I've noticed newer very large airports where space is essentially no object, such as Denver and Dubai World, using runways 1km or less apart. As for the takeoff, landing, and directional configuration you suggest, wouldn't direction depend on which way the wind was blowing? I think that more capacity for landing is required than for taking off, though I'm only basing that off of reading that a common configuration at Chicago O'Hare is to use three parallel runways for landing and another for taking off. In any case the plan offers nice ideas.

Arthur, do you think the maintenance areas I proposed are too far away? Notice there are three areas noted. They tore out the small, private airport in central Chicago while I lived there so I had they impression they were more of a high-value-real-estate-wasting, city-center-polluting, elite-serving, thing on their way out of fashion. Having another, smaller airport focusing on smaller craft sounds kind of nice but it probably won't be much closer to the center and small craft will probably be served at this airport as well.

Guglielmo, the main train line running north from the center was planned to run on the west side of the main airport tile or possibly the east side of the next tile to the west but my goals for rail are to have the main line run as close to the passenger terminals as is feasible. Not sure how numbers 13 and 14 went missing from the picture....

Here's where I'm at with the "runway bridge":
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F0V5Y5ZV.jpg&hash=4ad1295d8a86b9c6e58cd6f5b294c1e9858d3493)
Is based on Atlanta's airport (https://maps.google.fi/maps?q=Hartsfield-Jackson+Atlanta+International+Airport,+North+Terminal+Parkway,+Atlanta,+GA,+United+States&hl=en&ll=33.620711,-84.429288&spn=0.00063,0.002064&sll=52.312991,4.768066&sspn=0.092456,0.264187&oq=harts&t=h&hq=Hartsfield-Jackson+Atlanta+International+Airport,+North+Terminal+Parkway,+Atlanta,+GA,+United+States&z=20&layer=c&cbll=33.620711,-84.429288&panoid=242v_YzJJGNR0sDxlsfdDQ&cbp=11,45.66,,0,0) but with significant differences: the "bridge" is perpendicular rather than diagonal, doesn't have separate crossings for the taxiway and runway, and has X markings to make it clearer it's not to be used as a taxiway. I hope to eventually use overhanging models for the tunnel portals, taxiway, and some pavement, as well as possibly the runway. That mainly because the 6S-OWR3 transition bothers me though I don't much like the mixed tunnel portals, especially where they cause weird elevation changes. McDuell's Terraformer trick could smooth out the wrinkles but would also expose more "holes". I raised the runway & taxiway 2m where they cross the highway and there is now a very gradual slope heading east to accomodate that. It seems to be fairly common for runways to have a small slope to them though I've not seen anything more than ~10m.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on March 02, 2015, 10:17:07 AM
I think the way the maintenance area is planned is fine, really. Though if you could find a place where it's not separated from the terminals by a runway. When i was working we had to cross several taxiway in order to get to the self at lunch, same thing morning and evening before and after work.
I'd scrap n°7. There's no need yet for a sixth runway.

One thing I'd do if I were to build this airport: I'd use the other style taxiways which are only in the LE as far as I know. In my opinion they'd look much better with the wide runways and such a big airport.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 02, 2015, 12:09:23 PM
The maintenance workers should have easy access to the terminals via a system of roads that go under and around runways when they are obstacles. I don't plan any "at grade" runway crossings for roads.

no7 was just an idea and not a probable one. Making the airport even larger could be a fun project down the road but doesn't really make sense now, not least because the more complex things are the more difficult it is to understand how the airport would actually work. I like that there's been more discussion lately about runway usage plans. I keep trying to read more but finding information on it is fairly difficult. I guess it would be good for me to go through how the runways would operate under various wind conditions to check on the sensibility of the layout and take holding patterns into account.

Which taxiways? Are they included in another download? There are some things I like quite a bit about the ones I've been using but also a number of things I wish were different and missing features. I quite like the way Xannepan implemented his, as overhanging models, but they have almost no options and done line up well with the other mainstream ones. 30-degree high-speed exits would be great to have too though I've been spacing my taxiways too close to the runways for those in some areas.

This was a kind of fun bit of info on taxiways: http://www.slideshare.net/pedrohectorcarreonazcue/geometric-design-taxiways (http://www.slideshare.net/pedrohectorcarreonazcue/geometric-design-taxiways)

I experimented with the Japanese terminals and while they have some very nice qualities I don't think they make sense to use for this airport. The degree of customization available with them is less than with others and they appear harder to integrate with the other bats. L2 OWR3 in a weird LHD setup makes the drop-off/pick-up part of them less appealing as well.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 03, 2015, 02:27:02 AM
Really curious to see some more development! That was exactly my question Noah!the closest the rail is to the airport the better it is...was thinking about airports such as Gatwick in London where the rail goes literally next to the airport.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 03, 2015, 05:51:01 PM
I took a break from the runway and taxiway layout stuff to work on parking and railways. For the most part things went really well. I found a route for the rails that I'm quite happy with and a train shed that, after a quick visit to PIM-X and LE, fit the location exactly how I'd hoped. I also think the parking is mostly complete. I used Xannepan's airport set for the first time and while it doesn't have as many options as some it looks fantastic and it tolerates a gentle slope pretty well.

The inside of the terminal area is built in 7.5m steps:

L1 - 295m: Terminal 2 departures, (roughly) top level of southwest interchange
L0 - 287.5m: T1 & T3 departures, T2 arrivals, all gates, runways, etc
L-1 - 280m: T1 & T3 arrivals, T2 pedestrian and people-mover/tram access, highest point of sloped parking garages
L-2 - 272.5m: T1 & T3 pedestrian and people-mover/tram access, lowest point of sloped parking garages, main entrance/exit highway level, approximate level of rail station
L-3 - 265m: Transportation needing to pass under highway including railway and road, planned green space
L-4/-5 250-257.5: Area surrounding planned pond in green space, possible networks passing under L-3 transit routes

The transit besides the new rail has been in place for a while with the layout pretty firmly restricted by my choice of terminal bats and the limits of the NAM. I would have liked to finally use a monorail (or even elevated rail stations) but don't know how it could fit with with those arrival/departure area bats from xannepan. The tram/light rail will at least connect with economy parking, rental car places, and other airport services on the other side of the motorway with a possibility of also having a tram route going further.

I'm confused about when puzzle pieces can be placed adjacent to tunnels but I tested it with the 6S-F ramp (see picture) and it worked but when I tried it for real it wouldn't work, I guess because it was flipped 180 degrees. Still working out how to connect the ramps leaving the area....

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FqGnLo9Vh.jpg&hash=02503522075b16721780a55e0a3917faa018cc47)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fn36XdWXh.jpg&hash=e723b03b9d0bf2fd593ff01eff5d105eb342cba8)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: RustyXL on March 03, 2015, 08:53:37 PM
The airport and transport networks in the area look really good so far. I've got some input about runway usage. I've flown multiple times from DFW airport and it has two pairs of parallel runways (https://www.google.com/maps/@32.9081191,-97.039008,2980m/data=!3m1!1e3) that are only about 350 meters apart that are in use simultaneously. Usually the runways closest to the terminals (17R/35L and 18L/36R) are used for take offs, while the other two (17C/35C and 18R/36L) are used for landings. This leaves about 2 km between the closest runways used in the same direction (inbound or outbound) which is close to the distances that isii94 observed. This is my recommendation for runway usage at NIA:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi181.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fx91%2FRusty_XL%2FNoroAirport.jpg&hash=bf73b236e8dc33df90e48bd570798c6552dbad19)

BTW, which runways are you using? I don't think I've seen them before.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Earwhyckque on March 04, 2015, 04:26:10 AM
This airport is becoming really nice! :thumbsup: Most airport sets in SC4 tend to look best in simple, small designs (parking lot + bus station + small terminal building) but I am confident this complex setup will turn out fine! Personally, I find it quite difficult to design those transport areas surrounding terminal buildings, as they tend to be a spaghetti of roads, parking lots and tram/train lines but it seems you will succeed in cramming everything into you land side area. I can see why you are happy with your train shed (I use the HSPR hub myself which works quite okay as well) which becomes a nice part of your multi level design approach.

I would refrain from using too many highway roads inside your terminal complex, though. At some points they tend to look too 'speedy' for such an area. Although I never use RHW as those are not my taste, I prefer roundabouts and avenues at an airport, which sometimes leads to interesting road layouts as well. You might want to have a look into this option, which works quite well at my own little amateur airport ;)

Keep up the good work! I will follow the progress closely! :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on March 04, 2015, 07:54:18 AM
This is looking really promising. :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: feyss on March 04, 2015, 11:53:54 AM
Woooh. It looks like an ambitious project.

Usually, when i see an airport in this game, I never like the road or the rail that lead to it. But here, you seem to have made a special effort on this matter. I can't wait to see the final result.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Dantes on March 04, 2015, 03:34:53 PM
I do not know much about airports. However, I know the airport Leipzig-Halle. There is a great design. Look this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.airportzentrale.de%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F04%2FBoeing-737-Air-Berlin-auf-zweiter-Rollbruecke-Ost-Flughafen-Leipzig-Halle-Foto-Uwe-Schossig-Kopie.jpg&hash=88e1f4a76ef5d5cc983c617fe043ecba6388b2f7)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.ebayimg.com%2Ft%2FAnsichtskarte-Flughafen-Leipzig-Halle-Bruecke-Autobahn-%2F14%2F%21Bl7ibFgBWk%7E%24%28KGrHqIH-CoEtqR-ZfQGBLdti2I7Qw%7E%7E_35.JPG&hash=9bd8454b307c62f978bb46a9b78042e542d8f3e0)

Maybe someone you build such a "runway bridge". The airport operator in SimCity may like to use this attraction all.  :P
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: mrsmartman on March 05, 2015, 05:35:06 AM
This is definitely one of the most ambitious attempt in building a mega-airport.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 06, 2015, 02:52:28 PM
I just wanted to pop in to thank everyone who's posted lately, especially the most recent ones but also especially everyone who's been contributed in the last few weeks. It's great to see there's enthusiasm for this project and the multi-player spirit and I hope this place will continue in the spirit of 3RR and offer the best chance for tackling the greatest projects that are too much for one person or can be done so much better with a little help from a friend. And the hope isthat also going to spin off to and be more widely available.

I'd hoped to release something nice for my birthday, and while I can assure there is some great stuff in the works I wasn't able to get anything into releasable shape. I'm dealing with the busiest season for work and severe back pain but can also assure you I'm minimizing how much that slows me down. More details and real replies to come. For now I'd love it if anyone that's enjoying this project would take a minute to have their voice heard. Kippis!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on March 09, 2015, 10:41:17 AM
A belated happy birthday Noah!   :party: :bnn:

Hope work will calm down shortly, which should probably also relieve your back I guess. Anyway, it's a bit crazy here, too, I'll get around to feedback and PM later in the week (I hope) though the latter can be short: yes please!  ;)


Thanks a lot Erik!!! I'm extremely excited to hear your answer :)

Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 10, 2015, 05:12:12 AM
Happy birthday Noah! ;)
Can't wait to see something new from you! ::)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kelis on March 14, 2015, 07:38:00 AM
Happy birthday Noah !!! ( too late, I know  :crytissue: )

I have no words for this airport...I can't wait to see more updates about it.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 16, 2015, 04:42:36 PM
Thanks a lot for the birthday wishes kelis and Gugu3! Much appreciated.

I've been playing a bit lately but keep getting stuck back on this stupid interchange I've been building. I realized just how much I've been spinning my wheels on it today when I came across a picture/plan I made almost a week ago that I hadn't got around to publishing :D  Anyway here's the plan:

click for full size
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FhIpM1Kn.jpg&hash=04d8c231fa182a49a5062d9b7499602fad4be70a)


And here's the current state of the big interchange:
click for full size
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FCmt9Th4.jpg&hash=648e28d93b339c163243c6f57fb168d03a593973)


Oh, and I almost forgot I'd been doing a lot of texturing work and have settled on a design for avenues, tram/light rails, and a few other things. I've been meaning to get back to that but keep getting distracted by that interchange  :facepalm:

-I've rebuilt the pavement from scratch such that they should now have slightly lowered difference between bright and dark areas, slightly darker overall look, higher resolution/detail, and a bit less noticeable repeating textures every tile.

-Lane width is set to ~32px/4m/13' but Roads, OWRs, streets and RHW won't be messed with while the differences in others will try to make path changes unnecessary. New paths will be needed for TIAs and Avenues but hopefully not much else. The most obvious benefit of the lane width change is different networks looking better next to each other (Ave6 or Ave4 and NRD4 or TIR for example). Adjusted lane widths will also allow much greater options for turning lanes and more space for tram stops, sidewalks, and even bicycle lanes/parking areas/shoulders. A particularly interesting thing viewable from my pictures here is that diagonal avenues could fit a turning lane without needing a wider tile geometry.

-TIA, TIR, and TOR compatible with custom sidewalks thanks to memo.

-I've developed a solution to the old problem of curb stones looking fine with some terrain mods but not with others. I've created a narrow outline for curbstones at the side of my networks but made their center transparent and the outlines ~40% opaque. Besides these pics I did some testing with other sidewalk mods (the maxis sidewalk shown here is with an older version of the curb) and was pretty happy with it. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to show up right on the TIAs yet.

Good view for comparison of old widths to new widths, alignment of rails has since been modified to move them 2px further apart on each side (at their current 256x256px size).
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fhd3GNMd.jpg&hash=b7bf7f13c7715a5bd29262bf873e288b2eeee6cc)


Avenues with high-density sidewalks configured to allow easy comparison of old widths to modified widths.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FJaZi80k.jpg&hash=743ecbe14bd4543097a92c957cfe39b0139033d3)


Lower density sidewalks. Wealthification is Sudden Valley park textures scaled for details to appear smaller.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FDyOoR9Q.jpg&hash=874eb0df9141f950b7e1ca4150b7cedde290f64f)


Outdated texture version that shows look with different sidewalks (the width and opacity of the curb outline is different here)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FFxtgSo2.jpg&hash=95f268ada6626dd09b28cee9d5f0694882c0ba2c)


There's more exciting news regarding the tram situation coming soon--big news  :evilgrin: :squirrel:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 17, 2015, 03:12:35 AM
Can't wait to hear/watch the news Noah!!!!!!
I love trams!
Great work with the textures....and that interchange is almost insane!!!can't wait to see the final look of it...especially now we have 45 degrees flexy fly... ::) ::)
&apls &apls &apls

Thanks a lot! Indeed, the smoother elevated curves will make everything look a ton better once I switch over to them for this. Interchange has been an interesting and ridiculously difficult project-which has made me understand really well the exact abilities and limitations of the different RHW networks ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kelis on March 17, 2015, 10:56:05 AM
Good job Noah !! It's impressive the size of that region...now I understand the size of the airport  $%Grinno$%

Thanks Jonathan! Yeah, region's pretty huge--much too big for one person. Good place to try big city infrastructure projects though ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Simcoug on March 17, 2015, 11:05:55 AM
Exciting texture work - can't wait to hear about the tram news  :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: romualdillo on March 17, 2015, 01:46:09 PM
The interchange is just... impossible...  :shocked2:  In that region of yours everything is gigantic... And the new textures look fantastic!!  &apls


Hehe, thanks buddy :D  Yeah, it's bigger and more complicated than anything I've tried before but there are significantly bigger ones in Toronto and other places. Fun to try to push the limits ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: figui on March 17, 2015, 04:19:37 PM
woow.

really nice project you have here! love the region and the plans for it.

the airport is looking awesome. really liked the overall layout. i'm curious about the runways you are using, as them seem to be wider than the ones i have in my plugins; that's something my larger airports really need.

i'm willing to be able to follow your work here as much as i can, as it really inspirates me, and maybe i can give some suggestions too (i had a job at the expansion of Carrasco Intl -MVD- in Uruguay, a few years ago)


Thanks very much and a warm welcome to this area! I remembered you from all the years we've been around together and your distinctive custom text, not to mention you always being a kind and substantive contributor. I'd certainly value whatever feedback you'd be willing to give based off your experience. Please let us know what you think here and let me know if you'd like to join the conversation on Skype or elsewhere behind the scenes :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 18, 2015, 12:08:04 PM
Thanks guys! I've been working on the tram project but seem to have come up against a wall. How does one get overlay textures to work properly in game? I'm using my assigned texture range and started with my typical NAM or terrain mod texture technique of creating the textures in GIMP, exporting them as .png and then using batch png-fsh converter to do what the name of the last program says. If they have transparency they get assigned to be overlay textures with the right IID and appear correctly in the menu but when I try to place them in LE they show up as pure white and I can't tell which way to rotate them. They appear correctly in the LE menu when selecting them and then again in game. After it didn't work that way I tried manually assigning the alphas (and mipmaps) with SC4Tool but ended up with the same result. I've used 128px textures the whole time to avoid problems making the lots (all the textures are made 256px HD and that'll be the primary release format though 128px versions should also be made available).

So if anyone knows how to properly create overlay textures I'd very much appreciate their advice :)

So while I'm begging for help, here's a bit of progress:

Full tile transition from regular TIA to platform width TIA
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FVCvI7Vg.png&hash=58a52c2e38003fbde39bf5358e47e145eff7d518)


Station layout for tram stop with shortened transitions on 3x2 footprint
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FHAWDgef.jpg&hash=5a37514557f0b246a3f118c6e37b8fcf5262b1b5)


The real exciting thing: 1 of the 3 tram stop models for these stops, as seen at night on (modified) plaza base textures:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fu265cFU.jpg&hash=cbce85af307a11fff559a3b8d765a7f4dbb97a7d)


Who knows, maybe the guy that made these beauties will pop his head in ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Simcoug on March 18, 2015, 01:32:58 PM
I love it!  I wish I could help with the texture problem, but I've barely dipped my toe in when it comes to custom textures.  Hopefully vortext can tackle your problem... he's always been my go-to texture guy  :D
Can't wait to see these in Noro!


Glad to hear you're enjoying the tram project simcoug--I've been really happy to hear from you here. Vortext sounds indeed like the one best able to sort this out. This problem once again reminds us of the need for and respect due to good lotters. If your historic city interests and knowledge can inform these tram works your continuing input will be especially appreciated.

Cheers,
Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on March 18, 2015, 01:36:08 PM
Excellent work on the textures.

The tramstop looks great too, good work to the creator. :)


Thanks Arthur! Bless you for your patience in listening to me while I slowly and boringly go through the process of making them :D  Fun to have someone with whom to share a secret or two with as well ;)

-N
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Jmouse on March 18, 2015, 05:20:17 PM
Hi Noah. This year, I've watched NORO slow to a crawl then pick up a bit, but you've brought it back with a bang. That interchange of yours is a stunning tactical monster, but I guess you already know that, especially since dozens of folks have already told you. ;) I admire your work in game and with textures so much, but do it from afar. When it comes to my own limited skills, give me a nice simple dirt road anytime. :D



Great to see you here again Joan!!!!!! It's been an interesting new year here. The bigger a project like this get the greater its inertia which can make it awfully difficult to get rolling again and working collaboratively adds a whole additional dimension of complication to it. I'm glad things are back on a fairly regular basis and doing some nice dirt roads actually sounds quite nice :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Themistokles on March 19, 2015, 12:03:57 AM
Now those tramstops and avenue textures look very, very good - much better than those short platforms and sharp-edged road curves we have now. I just can't wait to see them put to city use!

I would suggest, though, some pedestrian zebra crossings so that people can get from the sidewalks to the platforms, and maybe something similar between the platforms themselves? (But as far as I'm concerned, zebra stripes for some reason aren't usually used for crossings over tram right-of-way. In my home town they're mostly painted with a continuous block of yellow colour.)

And, speaking of yellow, (I feel a little bad about asking this, but, well, anyway $%Grinno$%) will there be a European version with a white line or without line between tram and road?


Thanks a lot! I'm in a hurry with these too, although doing everything right will mean taking quite some time for it. I'll be happy to share early versions for testing if you're interested but even that's not going to happen in the immediate future. European versions will definitely be made (I like the way they look better and recently found out yellow is only ~50 years old for lane stripes in America :D ).

Crosswalks are a more complicated question. You're right that they should be added. But it would really be nice to solve the old problem of tram stations with crosswalks adjacent to intersections with their own crosswalks. I got an idea about that today and I like it :D  More on that to come

-Noah

edit: today's post addresses my proposed solution to the crosswalk situation ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: reddonquixote on March 19, 2015, 12:54:04 AM
Quote from: noahclem on March 18, 2015, 12:08:04 PM
Who knows, maybe the guy that made these beauties will pop his head in ;)

Ha! Guilty as charged :)

Apologies, I haven't spent a lot of time on this site, I'm still trying to navigate my way around... I spotted this almost by accident.

I am really looking forward to these being released, I can't tell you how much.. As some folk will know I've been making BATs for my Melbourne recreation for some time and, well, what's a Melbourne recreation without a Tram network? This is going to be an amazing addition.

Now.. I'm just going to go back to the start of this thread and follow it properly, then hopefully I can participate more intelligently in the discussion :)

Thanks Noah, I feel very honoured to have been included :)


Awesome to see you here!! A very warm welcome to SC4D and NORO :)  I think we've got huge potential on this project that could transform cities using trams/light rail. My apologies for missing images in the thread due to majhost shutting down but hopefully the issue will get sorted out before too long. Thanks again for these phenomenal models!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: eggman121 on March 19, 2015, 07:18:14 AM
Too add to the conversation. I will be making catenaries for the tram network when all standardized and settled.  ;D

Great to see you on this site reddonquixote  :thumbsup: Melbourne is a place I visit regular so, Noah if you ever want info on the Melbourne Tram network (Photos, Documents ect) Please don't hesitate to ask  :)

-eggman121


Thanks a lot Stephen! Can't wait to see how these will look with catenaries and I'll be happy to pick your brain for details on the Melbourne Tram network. We truly have a great crew at work on this project!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 19, 2015, 10:50:07 AM
Great stuff there Noah!the station looks really nice &apls


Many thanks Guglielmo!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on March 19, 2015, 11:31:57 AM
Since the overlays appear correctly ingame and in the menu I'd say the issue is more with the LE than the texture itself. Are you using Maxis LE or PIM btw?

Few things to try out: mode and channels should be RGB and 8 bit iirc, found in gimp under image->mode and image->precision respectively. If that doesn't do anything it could be the export settings, there're quite a number of options. I've never exported pngs from gimp to use in LE though, so I can't offer precise settings but in general I found interlacing, anti-aliasing and compression are main suspects when it comes to graphical glitches.

Textures themselves look great.  :thumbsup:


Thanks Erik, glad to hear your ideas on the overlays. Didn't have a chance to try correcting it this weekend but will give it a go tomorrow. Glad you liked the textures :)

EDIT: Sorry, using regular LE. How do I even find the LE in PIM? Not sure why it's been so difficult for me but I just never get what you're talking about with that.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Haljackey on March 19, 2015, 06:04:59 PM
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FCmt9Th4.jpg&hash=648e28d93b339c163243c6f57fb168d03a593973)

What in the :o

You're crazy man, and I like it! :thumbsup:

Plan seems like a solid... well plan ;). Excited to see what we will be seeing in the future along these routes.

Keep up the good work!


Thanks buddy! I can look up and down the 401 in google maps over and over but it's a fairly poor substitute for first-hand information about how it works and why it works that way, so I really appreciate your input on the matter :)  If you have any more thoughts about how interchanges and express/collector connectivity should be implemented please feel free to tell us. I had a chance to see you C:S thread today and was quite impressed! I'll be over to leave a nice comment soon, hopefully after having a chance to view the videos in addition to the pictures.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on March 20, 2015, 11:05:50 AM
Boy, that is quite the interchange!!! I'm looking forward to seeing this whole freeway in a UDI video once it's finished! Also, the work you're doing with the TIA stations is pretty neat. Great work so far!


Thank you very much! I could probably hire a UDI guy if someone was interested.... I've been talking about it forever but just never get around to doing it ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: mgb204 on March 21, 2015, 05:41:20 AM
"Sorry, using regular LE. How do I even find the LE in PIM? Not sure why it's been so difficult for me but I just never get what you're talking about with that"

I think what Vortext is asking is if you are using the Lot Editor provided by Maxis or one for Wouanagaine's SC4 PluginManager (also called PIM-X) which has it's own lot editor. If you haven't tried it, I would highly recommend it as it has a number of features that improve the work flow of creating lots with many neat the features that improve upon both the Maxis PIM and LE applications.

As for your texture problem, I suspect you can't see it in the Lot Editor because it doesn't support 256x256 textures. You can overcome this problem by creating a second dat with a 128x128 version of the textures you need with the same IDs in addition to the 256x256 version. When you want to work on them in the LE, use the 128 version, when you want to see them in game in all their glory, switch to the 256 version.

Thank you much :)  As Eric mentioned I don't think it's the 256px size that's the problem though it'd be a surprise to me as well if LE can indeed handle that size texture. I'm very much looking forward to trying out the newer LE (it seems often forgotten now but Wou was one of the first four Noroites, invited along with Willy (swordmaster) just after Robin and I began and actually wrote some software for the project).

Cheers,
Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vortext on March 21, 2015, 07:45:15 AM
Quote from: mgb204 on March 21, 2015, 05:41:20 AM
As for your texture problem, I suspect you can't see it in the Lot Editor because it doesn't support 256x256 textures.
Quote from: noahclem on March 18, 2015, 12:08:04 PM
I've used 128px textures the whole time to avoid problems making the lots [...].

Appears not to be a size issue.  "$Deal"$

Besides, unless my sources are mistaken Maxis LE does support 256px textures. When I started working on a proper texture pack I asked some people to specifically check this and they experienced no problem.

What is true on the other hand is it probably won't support proper 32/24 bit HD textures, which the PIM doesn't support either. I suspect the latter can be alleviated simply by setting some kind of frame width to 256px, since the issue appears to be with the preview image and the ensuing error prevents it from being selected in the LE. This can be remedied in the way you described by making two sets of textures, however, I found the difference between compression is negligible and thus doesn't warrant the effort (though I did do this with my meadows). So my textures are actually faux-HD in that they're 256px yet use DTX compression, which also means file size remains within reasonable bounds.

As for accessing the LE in PIM: select the lot exemplar, right-click and select 'Lot Editor' from the menu. Two new windows will open: the Lot Preview and LE Tools, in the latter you'll find all the textures and props.

Thanks Erik! I feel fairly confident I can finally find the PIM(-X?) LE. I've since resolved the white square problem in LE, apparently due to avoiding overcompressing when gimp exports to .png as per your advice. Continuing to have annoyances with LE that should be unrelated but the possibility of never having to deal with that idiot program again now seems within sight :D  I'm thinking "faux HD" in the same sense you mention for these textures though a 128px version should be made available if there's demand (would the 256px faux HD require hardware rendering?).

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 21, 2015, 11:00:15 AM
Problem: Tram stops in the center of roads need crosswalks for pedestrians to reach them but are often placed next to intersections which have their own crosswalks--which results in multiple adjacent crosswalks often of different widths and styles that are visually disappointing.

Problem: Tram stops are TE'd lots which limit the possibilities for buildings surrounding them and cause nearby zones to align with them rather than align with TIA/TIR/TOR/TOS. Tram networks are perhaps most at home in W2W neighborhoods with numerous different buildings and those are the types of areas most inconvenienced by this problem. The longer and station and width transition, the greater the problem.

"Problem": TIA pieces shouldn't have the same dimensions as TIA stops. Converting to such dimensions would break TIA's alignment with Avenues and RHW4, look substantially different than what users have become used to over all the years of T-RAM development in SC4, and dramatically reduce sidewalk space.

Solution: A new network I'm tentatively calling D(evided)TIA but am desperately in need of a better name for  ::)  At it's simplest it would consist only of a single puzzle-piece transition from conventional TIA to TIA with medians aligned with the new stations which would alleviate the TE lot problems mentioned above and allow 2x2 station lots that could borrow all of the extremely-thoroughly-tested technical innards of the current RTMT TIA stations (paths, textures, and props would of course be different). The next step up in complexity, which would be an added bonus if it came about and not a necessary component of the project, would be a basic orthogonal DTIA piece, basic "T" and "+" intersections with RD, OWR, Ave, and a (D)TIA plus crosswalk puzzle piece. A transition to diagonal TIA* would be another useful component. If the time, interest, and motivation were available further expansion things like TuLEP intersections and NWM intersections could be made. One could imagine a massive number of different intersection possibilities based on the different networks, different tram rail connectivity including multiple tram tracks that don't connect to each other and even turning lanes (there's enough space in the basic TIA textures to squeeze in an extra turning lane with only slightly compromised lane width) if one were crazy and motivated enough. In reality the network will probably pretty limited and based on existing tried-and-true puzzle pieces rather than a more elegant solution such as has been contemplated for TuLEPs for some time now but not yet materialized.

*All talk so far has been about orthogonal changes. Diagonal TIA is something of a strange beast, puzzle-piece-based but featuring draggable connectivity and apparently directly based on OWR(2)s. As my texture changing scheme doesn't affect OWR2s (or RD2, streets, OWR1, RHW, etc) those would remain the same and they even already have "traditional" sidewalks. The middle tiles would get switched to new tram rail textures, get new sidewalk texture S3Ds, and have a median added to them similar to what I talk about in this post with DTIA to avoid having a swathe of purposeless pavement between where the inner traffic lanes and tram tracks are. All paths would remain the same as they are now and the whole diagonal area should be much easier than the ortho areas.


I'm sure a lot of people are sick as heck of hearing about mundane texture and technical details :D  Fair enough, I probably would be too if I hadn't become obsessed enough with this area of SC4 to want to undertake this project. But if you like trams in SC4 this will probably be a game changer:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FKEkjDMr.jpg&hash=8e370955655406f0417fa2abaad7e23cbb08948e)


Please direct any enthusiasm for model and concept toward the great reddonquixote ;)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fe4wfypim.jpg&hash=2595702906b8d7871addbe7dab63ba4c8028198a)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on March 21, 2015, 02:39:22 PM
Reddonquixote really did a good job with the tram stops, they look wonderful.

I've bee, invited to join the development of NORO by Noah. I accepted the invitation after months of thinking about it. :)

Been toying around the airport a lot recently. Tried a new design for the runways with 4 parallel runways. But I ended up not liking it so I went back to Noah's design which I liked a lot.
I've worked on the terminals and mainly the gate placement. It shows that there is a LOT of lotting to be done, but we'll get there eventually.
I'm probably going to replace the 747 gates of the main terminal ( Dulles building) with only A380s. Those big planes need a fantastic building to show their beauty.


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fwikgux.jpg&hash=5408a763ebdffa62844dd8de029e856ef98ec3df)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Flcknon.jpg&hash=bcbde35d97100eb3764ae0d0ad966cc1af772f08)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fdzzmxk.jpg&hash=4fc452121efb2043c991887f281cb385dc465caa)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fqdmlhq.jpg&hash=146bbe0f1a2e754c1bf59b6a4c89324fb1b5982b)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fzxgcpb.jpg&hash=7298fb04cc22f53f692e367a73f00abcf4c97a41)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fxtwdvu.jpg&hash=8e73fe45a9efc9c741c392bd365a48ef648706ae)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kelis on March 22, 2015, 03:06:21 AM
That's a huuuuuuge airport !! I really like all those transport system and see how all of them are connected with the airport !! Fantastic job guys, Can't wait to see more.

&apls &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 22, 2015, 10:01:40 AM
Absolutely fantastic work -- +1! All the details are fantastic and the diagonal Japanese terminal relots stand out as particularly unique and innovative. Looks like we've got a laundry list of texture/lotting work ahead of us but it shouldn't be anything too difficult ;)

I'm also very happy to officially and publicly welcome you to the NORO team! From the time we've been working together so far the fit seems excellent--the team is lucky to have you :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 23, 2015, 03:08:04 AM
Great work there Art!!! &apls &apls &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 25, 2015, 03:58:49 PM
Been trying to dig into the meat of the work of the texture changes to TIA. Super-happy that my width-alignment scheme has made tons of stuff copy-paste but increasingly aware of the actual scale of work that's needed to do to see this through appropriately. Without changes to paths it'd be a pain-in-the-* enough but...  Who cares, here's the latest:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fxc1lXPe.jpg&hash=36e4b1dbb317d703999e21ad4761e4280db37695)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 26, 2015, 04:34:21 AM
Good stuff Noah! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Simcoug on March 26, 2015, 05:47:26 AM
Wow!  Excellent progress  &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: reddonquixote on March 27, 2015, 03:11:18 PM
Fantastic work Noah, the variations are quite amazing.

May I point out a couple of things that I have picked up on. Given how advanced you are this might be a bit late, but thought I'd raise it just in case...

1) The first thing is the colour/tonal variations between the roadway and the tramway. The older section of Collins street has stronger tonal variations, so I think that's fine, but the colour of the tramway seems to have a brownish hue, whereas its just concrete, like the pavement. It should probably be the same colour as the pavements down the sides of the roadways.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fv2%2F640x480q90%2F908%2FquyamR.jpg&hash=2d5c3794d68d84bfc11e337aa4995d169450d8e8)

Newer sections, like down at Docklands, the tramway seems to be made out of the same surface as the roadway, and has almost no tonal variation, but at the same time, both are a lot lighter in colour as well. They are closer to concrete colour than black-tar colour.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fv2%2F640x480q90%2F540%2Fsa43xI.jpg&hash=08fbf039a05565c8a7953ab3b76a1b0b3efedb4b)

2) The concrete the tramlines sit on only go as wide as the tracks, i.e. the outer track is the outermost part of the tramway. Then typically, there's a bit of a gap, then barriers down the sides of the tramlines preventing traffic from crossing the tracks. On the main inner-CBD roads these are small yellow barriers that you can actually drive over (but I think is illegal...) while in more outer parts of the CBD and Docklands they are more larger concrete barriers.
(Refer images above)

3) Only for interest, I saw you had one section of tramway that terminated. It got me thinking about termination points... I can't think of many places that does this, but there's one at the end of Collins Street in Docklands (soon to be extended I believe) and there's one out at Brunswick, but this is very much suburban.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fv2%2F640x480q90%2F661%2FJVNPhL.jpg&hash=d922d1b4518060185e2adf3f8440259d5e74b1ae)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fv2%2F640x480q90%2F910%2FsKYWvh.jpg&hash=34bf02dd0b2b849364aed8d18a335381211c8524)

Not sure whether any of this is very helpful (maybe just annoying now!) but thought it might be food for thought if nothing else :)

Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: metarvo on March 27, 2015, 04:10:09 PM
Nice work on the TIA, Noah!  :thumbsup:  These textures blend in much better with dark sidewalk mods.  Oh, and that airport looks impressive, Art.  It can be easy to forget how much space a realistic airport can take up, but it looks like you're filling every tile of airport space effectively.

It's great to see NORO back up and running.  I'm looking forward to seeing what's next!

&apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 27, 2015, 08:29:13 PM
I've made some more progress with the texturing--lately I've been focusing on perfecting the textures I find most difficult. It's been taking forever to do not too much but I've actually been enjoying it about as much as the fun and easy (technically) part of establishing the basic textures and their dimensions. Using GIMP for this has been kind of like SimCity in that sometimes you think you're pretty competent at something and then are surprised at how quickly you can improve on stuff you didn't know you would. Here's the latest:

Click, you've already spent the bandwidth ;)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FwdU8y3X.jpg&hash=4eadfb84382d5670e2f79bbbbd7a426905e05929)


The TOR>TIA transition has been smoothed out as much as possible, including having the curves start a few pixels to across the edges of the tile borders since the beginnings of curves look essentially straight anyway. I've added shading from traffic to the inside concrete lanes intended to line up with the shading of the asphalt that we're all used to, faded the lane markings where they cross tram rails, and blurred teh boundaries between the two types of payments using layer masks. I'm trying diagonal yellow dashed lines to make for easy navigation and aesthetics (Euro version would also be available of course).

The TIA>Avenue+GLR(diag) transition is most noticeably different from the existing one by it's alignment: TIA & avenue are only a couple pixels apart under my scheme. Grassy median designed to appear raised, GLR crossing curb at right is at grade with little transitions on the curb I'm trying. Yellow stripe where the GLR enters the median seems appropriate.

The final intersection was the most difficult. Actual changes to the puzzle piece will be needed for it to work in game but textures should be good. In order to maximize turning radii while keeping the different rails far enough apart to trams to run parallel to each other I ended up with 4 different radii for the tram turns.

Be back to explain more and respond to comments tomorrow :)

Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Simcoug on March 28, 2015, 11:32:42 AM
phenomenal work!   &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: MandelSoft on March 28, 2015, 11:57:48 AM
Bloody hell! What kind of whichcraft is this?  $%Grinno$%

I really love the new textures, Noah!
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 28, 2015, 08:20:47 PM
Quote from: MandelSoft on March 28, 2015, 11:57:48 AM
Bloody hell! What kind of whichcraft is this?  $%Grinno$%

I really love the new textures, Noah!

Thanks a ton old buddy!! If I keep up with the texturing work perhaps I'll be able to keep the flame of all your efforts for different locales' textures alive :)


Quote from: Simcoug on March 28, 2015, 11:32:42 AM
phenomenal work!   &apls
Quote from: Simcoug on March 26, 2015, 05:47:26 AM
Wow!  Excellent progress  &apls
Thank you very much! I'm very grateful for the support :)

Quote from: metarvo on March 27, 2015, 04:10:09 PM
Nice work on the TIA, Noah!  :thumbsup:  These textures blend in much better with dark sidewalk mods.  Oh, and that airport looks impressive, Art.  It can be easy to forget how much space a realistic airport can take up, but it looks like you're filling every tile of airport space effectively.

It's great to see NORO back up and running.  I'm looking forward to seeing what's next!

&apls
Thanks a lot as always for your support of NORO! Let us know if there's anyway you'd like to add to what we're doing now with the restart  :bnn:

Quote from: Gugu3 on March 26, 2015, 04:34:21 AM
Good stuff Noah! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Thanks Guglielmo!

Quote from: reddonquixote on March 27, 2015, 03:11:18 PM
Fantastic work Noah, the variations are quite amazing.

May I point out a couple of things that I have picked up on. Given how advanced you are this might be a bit late, but thought I'd raise it just in case...

Thank you very much! I'm getting to the point where I'm pretty averse to major changes such as to the basic geometry of the network but there's quite a bit of room for alterations and improvements still. I haven't been as good as I should be at keeping layered copies of every piece so it's easy to swap parts of the textures in and out but I have enough that it usually just takes a few steps (for example I might have only a good, un-layer-merged file of a certain "T" intersection but it's pretty easy to put in new textures and convert that to a "+" intersection). Anyway, your ideas and pictures are very much appreciated, I think will be quite useful, and more will certainly be welcome :)

Quote1) The first thing is the colour/tonal variations between the roadway and the tramway. The older section of Collins street has stronger tonal variations, so I think that's fine, but the colour of the tramway seems to have a brownish hue, whereas its just concrete, like the pavement. It should probably be the same colour as the pavements down the sides of the roadways.

(image)

Newer sections, like down at Docklands, the tramway seems to be made out of the same surface as the roadway, and has almost no tonal variation, but at the same time, both are a lot lighter in colour as well. They are closer to concrete colour than black-tar colour.

(image)

The pavement variation is indeed based on Melbourne but I've taken liberties for the sake of continuity with existing NAM and Maxis conventions. Since all networks besides streets & SAM streets use a similar dark tar color I've planned to use a similar color for this projects main traffic lanes. Note that a cobblestone version version based off of Vortext's brilliant HD textures has been a planned part of the mod from the beginning and a concrete version more closely fitting Melbourne would certainly be a possibility if me or someone else had the motivation to do it after the main mod is done. At this time I think a mod changing the textures would be the best way to go about it but it could potentially be done SAM style where the different styles could coexist at the same time. As I side note, I am fairly pleased with the concrete texture I've made for the tram areas and certainly enjoy it more then the bland Maxis street concrete ;)

Quote2) The concrete the tramlines sit on only go as wide as the tracks, i.e. the outer track is the outermost part of the tramway. Then typically, there's a bit of a gap, then barriers down the sides of the tramlines preventing traffic from crossing the tracks. On the main inner-CBD roads these are small yellow barriers that you can actually drive over (but I think is illegal...) while in more outer parts of the CBD and Docklands they are more larger concrete barriers.
(Refer images above)

I'd noticed that, and had made trial textures with concrete in the same places but decided to have them cover both sides of the tram tracks. From a practical road-marking perspective I think it makes it clearer to drivers they're in an area where trams can be encountered but the most important reason was that the look remained familiar to users of the existing SC4 trams and that I thought they were a bit better looking in general. Someone could always make a more accurate Melbourne version of the concrete following the tracks later on.

As for the yellow markings, I made a big mistake not noticing how much wider they are then normal road markings. My guess at their function was to tell traffic not to cross them but for the areas inside them to be accessible by emergency vehicles, buses, etc. Those markings are almost as wide as the narrow concrete medians so TIAs based on them could have essentially the same geometry in either case. See below for my efforts in that area...

Quote3) Only for interest, I saw you had one section of tramway that terminated. It got me thinking about termination points... I can't think of many places that does this, but there's one at the end of Collins Street in Docklands (soon to be extended I believe) and there's one out at Brunswick, but this is very much suburban.

(2 images)

Good point and example on the terminus stations. I could make textures like those and the existing stops could work well for them the if you get the itch to do some more modeling there are a handful of specialized station alignments like that we could consider ;)  Do suburban stops tend to be islands like that or is that because it's a terminus?

QuoteNot sure whether any of this is very helpful (maybe just annoying now!) but thought it might be food for thought if nothing else :)

Very helpful :P  There's lots of work and possibilities ahead so be sure that your thoughts are welcome. I just ask you understand the things I won't be able to fulfill at this point ;)




I've been rolling around reddonquixote's suggestions in my head since he posted earlier and I think they can actually be done quite well without making major changes to the existing stuff. My plan since getting active on this project again has been to have the basic TIAs have Melbourne-style lines instead of a physical barrier and to have TIAs with physical barriers share geometry with the stations (much wider than standard) and to exist as an additional network or conceivably as a replacement to the existing grassy-medianed TIAs if I lacked the technical skills or motivation. I think I can keep that plan and add pieces with narrow dividers like from the pictures as well.

click

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F9ew9ErR.jpg&hash=1fb4a9a3997ade7b923fe93f1b799b49e507615b)

I think the new versions fit all but perfectly. The tram pavement is slightly narrowed (automata seem to have no trouble with the change) and the version with the physical barrier has the outside curb moved a couple px further out and miniscule changes to lane width and lane marking placement (if you're a lane-width purist, remember these are still substantially wider than the one-tile tram networks ;) ). The transition, without using a puzzle piece, to avenues looks slightly worse (not a great view in the pic) but the transition to RHW4 actually looks a bit better. It looks like the two versions can share intersection pieces which means having both available at once, rather than based on a cosmetic mod, should be pretty painless. I think these are the new plan unless someone convinces me otherwise.

click

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FCa0hf8N.jpg&hash=9e8d2ea177e588e723440928ec984bfdec9a7a69)

Taking ideas from Melbourne pics a bit further I got these. The amount of sidewalk room is about as small as TIR/TOR/NRD4 but the TIA footprint does seem to fit dual tramways, two traffic lanes in each direction, bike lanes in each direction, and parking on both sides. I'm not a fan of these uniform textures but perhaps in concrete they'd be better  ;D ?  With a reasonably good fit with standard intersection pieces a style similar to this is something worth pondering.


click

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FsxOioM3.jpg&hash=a3038e1894d9e3ea7a93834e057d1ff0adbef88d)

Less lanes for traffic but this concept makes a compelling case for looks and realism. Note station-width-median textures to the left of the station and that there's no sidewalk mod installed. These textures also fit the existing intersection ones excellently and so could probably exist as a single orthogonal puzzle piece at minimum.


Ever thought one of these would be handy? Thought I'd include a full screenshot in case there's interest--note the excessive number of layers in the image  ::)

click
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F3bs3HWe.jpg&hash=f426b22ae43a2557116b21e8a64d20449b62cddb)


I've marked 32px wide boxes for lane width to see where things are aligned. I almost could widen the middle lane by a couple px....  I haven't really played around with TuLEP options yet but creating this texture made me notice something: for 2x left turn lane TuLEPs  lanes wouldn't even necessarily have to shift position and it would be easily possible for there to be 2 left turn lanes, 2 regular lanes heading straight, and a right turn lane--would be kinda cool I think!

Sincerest thanks for reading and supporting and I've really got to break the habit of drawn-out, late-night posting  :facepalm:  Cheers

edited to correct typo, style
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: reddonquixote on March 28, 2015, 11:15:09 PM
Oh my goodness... these are all amazing, I can't believe how much work you've done since I posted those pictures up. I'm glad they came in handy, you certainly made great use of them. These are all fantastic but I love LOVE LOVE the middle one with the dark grey tramway. It really gives that Melbourne wide-street feel. If I was clever enough to make these that's exactly how I would have done it. It's just what I envisaged I need for my Collins Street recreation.  I love the car lanes, the bike lanes, the barriers, those yellow markings you made.. LOVE it all...!!

Regarding suburban tram stops (well all stops in fact), it very much varies. Where streets are wide enough they tend to use island stops because its safer, but where the streets are very narrow its more like a standard roadside bus-stop arrangement with a pole, sometimes a shelter, on the pavement.

Nicholson Street Fitzroy just north outside the CBD
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fv2%2F800x600q90%2F538%2FVsmF9V.jpg&hash=409cd89d9e0796436507442be0318fbaebeee576)

Eastern Road, South Melbourne, inner suburbs
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fv2%2F800x600q90%2F673%2F4HTFUW.jpg&hash=2d2088185e4d21dc21e4fc9d54bae0c4a9b3cc60)

Dorcas Street, South Melbourne.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fv2%2F800x600q90%2F538%2F9i5Nwj.jpg&hash=b4afc9d52d7374bc1c8171b2d74e9e7146d63d80)

One thing I'm glad you have omitted is the wire spaghetti in the sky... urban blight!!
Coburg, northern suburbs
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fv2%2F800x600q90%2F537%2F1Kf0NQ.jpg&hash=40f9b231dbb368531b693f1cb60140c0aedcbeb6)

I'm up for making more models, just give me a nudge with whatever you need. My machine seems to struggle with rendering really small models for some reason, but if I persevere I can usually get it to work eventually.


Wow, really happy you liked the latest work so much! These variations of straight textures are actually really easy to make since it's just copying and pasting different things I already have made--the lanes with their shadowing, the tram pavement and rails, the white lines, the yellow lines, etc....  It's taken me a while to really get comfortable with all the different bending and shading and layering and masking but the difficult job is making all the different intersections and curves and even that's really nothing compared to making the kind of models you're able to construct  :o

I'm surprised you liked those textures without the concrete so much as I thought there was something funny about the way the asphalt under the tram paths looked--but it sounds like I'm not going to be able to sell you on the half-concrete solution I've chosen so I'll try to keep maintaining textures without that part baked in to I can generate a texture set with only asphalt for you ;)

I'll have to get back to you later on more ideas for models, tram stops, and other plans. Thanks again.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Fasan on March 29, 2015, 01:34:21 AM
Very good work!
The airport is huge. So I'm glad to be out and leave me inspired by your work.  :popcorn:

Your pictures with the tram shows that you have a very good eye for the details. Just super!
&apls
On March 28 it was but a momentous accident. Two cars there and a tram.  :o

many greetings Fasan  ;)


Many thanks Fasan! Glad you like the airport and trams :)  Always terrible to hear about an accident with cars and trains--trains always win  &mmm

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Themistokles on March 29, 2015, 01:37:18 AM
This is indeed Christmas all over again! &apls I almost can't believe that trams finally get the attention they deserve. At last someone has made those vague dreams of Real Light-rail into reality, and (I'm not sure I can do this, though) if that isn't enough to earn you a +1, I really don't know what could be.

Now, in my opinion, if less means one lane for traffic and more space for bikes and trams, then less is indeed very much more. (But I do consider those Melbourne stops a dangerous affair indeed -- you seem to literally have to cross two lanes or more of traffic all in a hurry when the tram arrives!)


Wow, thank you so much!! Really glad you're enjoying the project and I really appreciate the K-point! It looks to me like I can indeed make that kind of network happen--and those stops seem sketchy indeed  &hlp

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: eggman121 on March 29, 2015, 03:41:04 AM
Quote from: reddonquixote on March 28, 2015, 11:15:09 PM
Nicholson Street Fitzroy just north outside the CBD
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fv2%2F800x600q90%2F538%2FVsmF9V.jpg&hash=409cd89d9e0796436507442be0318fbaebeee576)

Ahhh!  :angrymore: I got stuck at this intersection on Saturday going to a comedy festival traveling on the exact piece of road on Nicholson Street in Fitzroy! Traffic Chaos

Quote from: reddonquixote on March 28, 2015, 11:15:09 PM
One thing I'm glad you have omitted is the wire spaghetti in the sky... urban blight!!
Coburg, northern suburbs
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fv2%2F800x600q90%2F537%2F1Kf0NQ.jpg&hash=40f9b231dbb368531b693f1cb60140c0aedcbeb6)

My friends use to live near this intersection at Sydney road and Moreland road! Oh the nostalgia! There is a nice Kebab shop at this intersection also. Yes for all the different movements there is the spaghetti catenaries in the sky!





I love the attention to detail you have given this Noah  :thumbsup:

Can't wait to see how this all evolves!



Quote from: Themistokles on March 29, 2015, 01:37:18 AM
if that isn't enough to earn you a +1, I really don't know what could be.

I concur. Being a semi Melbournite I love your attention to detail! +1 for you Noah  :thumbsup:  ()stsfd()

-eggman121


Heh, I think I can see the kebab place :D  Thanks for the compliment and taking care of the karma :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: romualdillo on March 29, 2015, 04:58:39 AM
Outstanding work!!!  &apls The bike paths are a great addition!! Both versions look good (I prefer constraining private traffic, but both are great anyway). Have you considered making your bike paths merge with Cataylst's ones? It would be great to have the same bike system in the whole city.  :)


Thanks! I think tram-in-avenues with bike paths, in whatever form they end up implemented, should at least look fairly good cosmetically alongside those SAM bike paths. Since my plans for them are very limited, presently at minimum to make available a cosmetic mod to override orthogonal TIA pieces to include them but ideally to add one or two orthogonal TIA variations including them as discrete puzzle pieces, it would be very trivial to make a texture variation with the same bike path color as those have. I'm also trying to design these textures to blend well with a variety of other ones intersecting them, whether SAM variations or cosmetic mods to other networks (I think just having zebra crosswalks at the edge of the tile where textures intersect helps substantially).

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Earwhyckque on March 29, 2015, 06:21:32 AM
Hard work is being done here! Great job!

This remark of yours made me wonder:
Quote from: noahclem on March 28, 2015, 08:20:47 PM
As for the yellow markings, I made a big mistake not noticing how much wider they are then normal road markings. My guess at their function was to tell traffic not to cross them but for the areas inside them to be accessible by emergency vehicles, buses, etc. Those markings are almost as wide as the narrow concrete medians so TIAs based on them could have essentially the same geometry in either case. See below for my efforts in that area...
Are you planning to send buses over the areas reserved for trams, too? Or would that either be impossible to implement, or too complex to code, for instance in transition pieces? From what I understand, 'buses only' lanes consist of traffic blockers at the start and end of a road so I would expect it involves a lot of extra work... It would be a great feature, though!

Otherwise: good luck with this project and the Cooperative! I'm particularly looking forward to the development of the airport and railways :)

Thank you very much! I hadn't thought of the bus idea at all but it's potentially brilliant. From what I understand you're right about it needing to be implemented using lots to block non-bus traffic and/or provide paths to access those lanes that wouldn't normally be accessible to traffic. Maybe a set of bus stop/tram stop lots that generated the proper automata, provided appropriate access, and blocked the undesired traffic types combined with plain blocker lots? I don't have any experience with using those types of lots and do have some concern that this wouldn't be possible because traffic on the main lanes and the tram lanes are on the same tile. I wouldn't mind adding car paths to the same place where tram paths (and for some reason also rail paths) now run if this kind of scheme would be workable but someone else would need to take the lead on actually making the lots as there are other things with this project that are higher priority for me (and there's plenty of work to do ;) ).

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: mgb204 on March 29, 2015, 07:28:27 AM
Quote from: romualdillo on March 29, 2015, 04:58:39 AM
Outstanding work!!!  &apls The bike paths are a great addition!! Both versions look good (I prefer constraining private traffic, but both are great anyway). Have you considered making your bike paths merge with Cataylst's ones? It would be great to have the same bike system in the whole city.  :)

Not sure how easy that would be actually, since for starters the bikepaths are a SAM override and SAM does not currently interact with GLR in any way. You could adapt the street connections so they all transitioned to SAM7 instead of regular streets, like the Cobblestone Street connections used for Tram in Street, but this would bring drawbacks of it's own into the equation. I plan to look into a lot-based solution, or maybe to adapt some PedMall pieces to transition some networks, but this may be some time off.

---

Seeing the last few GLR-related posts has me really excited, it's pretty much transformational in terms of looks and I feel the overall it would suit most European styles very well too. This is a huge effort just on the textures, before you look at pathing and the rest  :thumbsup:, I will be following the developments here with much interest.


I mentioned my thoughts on the bike paths to romualdillo--and of course I'm looking forward to all the rest of your plans with the bikes and will work to make these play as nicely as possible with them ;)  I'm really encouraged by your kind words on the project! The size of it is indeed intimidating but I'm trying to break it down into small, manageable pieces and I'm also making it a point to work on it when I'm excited about it and not just when I feel like I should--trying to be very careful not to burn out  ;D  If things go worse than I hope for than at the very least I'd be able to release altered textures and variable sidewalks without the changed paths, etc, but that's preparing for the worst, I'm planning for the best :D

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Haljackey on March 29, 2015, 10:34:13 AM
Huh. This is neat stuff! Looks great!


Thanks Hal, great to see you around again!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on March 29, 2015, 10:55:23 AM
It's great to see al the progress you have made Noah!can't wait to see more!


Thanks Guglielmo, much appreciated :)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: belfastsocrates on March 30, 2015, 05:09:34 AM
Oh those new textures are lovely! I'm a fan of the texture incorporating a wide pavement with one lane of traffic and the inclusion of parking bays or bike lanes. Looking forward to seeing these progress.


@reddonquixote: Loving those new tram stops as well. Nice and modern!


Thanks a lot! I had a scare that it would be too difficult but I think I've figured out a perfect way to implement the version with parking bays, bike lanes, trams, and one lane of traffic--see update ;)  And I can't say enough good things about reddonquixote's models either.

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Dantes on March 30, 2015, 06:07:29 AM
Very impressive! I like to combine the idea on the Avenue parking and bike paths with tram. Very great work! (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ld-host.de%2Fuploads%2Fimages%2Fec5f2347c641efcb7e30adfc88c7e5d4.gif&hash=2b64c5b16b75a7325c389d8433be6d51c4770c55)


Thanks very much, glad you liked them!

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kelis on March 30, 2015, 09:23:20 AM
WOW Noah, you are in the next level right now !! I like so much those textures, I hope some day those mods are available. A Melbourne recreation always could be something interesting to do... $%Grinno$%


Thanks Jonathan! I'll do my best to share them as soon as I can :)  They're roughly based on Melbourne but it seems every tram network is different and I also feel these should be at home in European-style cities or anywhere really. Texture variations are always a possibility later too  ;)

-Noah
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on March 31, 2015, 03:43:30 PM
I would never have expected such an enthusiastic response--thank you all so much!

Since the last post I've tried tackling perhaps the toughest piece I haven't messed with yet but plan to: OrthoxDiagonal TIA. Staying with the same footprint and connectivity of the original piece I got this:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FA85E63A.png&hash=940a1af522706c6d7710a2e9fa4e39014f7fb5d9)

Arranging all the 45 degree crossings to allow trams to flow opposite directions and never cross paths while leaving room for car traffic on the edges was a bit of a challenge--the fractional angled straightaway and two curved section worked nice but wasn't the simplest. The bigger problem though was the 135 degree curves. Part of my plan for this project has always been establishing some kind of minimum turning radius, not unlike what RRW did, and the best I can do with these piece just falls too far short. I don't know if any tram could realistically navigate it, even if it's a bit of an improvement over the original piece's turning radius. My original thought was to use overhanging textures to attain a suitable turning radius without need a whole new (huge) puzzle piece.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FDv9UtmR.png&hash=d3a9fe31da592be0035f8e6b6d92887a29a035e0)

I built the textures (I only need to do half and then rotate it even with OxD pieces) but then realized there wasn't a way to handle paths that would need to overhang. I don't have any desire to create the larger puzzle piece that would be needed to make the appropriate radius textures work, mainly because the 45 degree connectivity, or none, would make a whole lot more sense then the 135 degree curves which would also make it an incredibly difficult piece to make as a first one.

I do have some more positive news though. I've been thinking hard about the best way to offer as many variations of tram/road arteries as possible while minimizing the amount of effort needed per network and think I may have figured out a nice way to use the textures I showed earlier with, per side, 1 lane of parking, one bike lane, one general traffic lane, and one tram lane. If I arranged the paths like this could I stick with the same intersection piece that exists now for TIA with two lanes of traffic per side?

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FZtVwJZu.jpg&hash=db915e69a58b09509c867ef2daaf1943a30a8682)

The thick, turquoise paths represent my planned additions while the white "X"s hover over paths to be removed.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: memo on April 01, 2015, 01:01:39 AM
Quote from: noahclem on March 31, 2015, 03:43:30 PM
If I arranged the paths like this could I stick with the same intersection piece that exists now for TIA with two lanes of traffic per side?

I imagine the intersections would work even if you removed the turquoise paths from the straights (this would have to be tested). The turquoise paths would make the automata move in a weird way on straights – if you left them out, automata would move weirdly on intersections only. I'm not sure which option should be preferred.

That said, your textures are beautiful. Truly impressive! :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on April 01, 2015, 01:33:43 AM
That DxO intersection looks impressive Noah!looking forward to seeing what you come up with &apls &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on April 06, 2015, 05:58:55 AM
That looks fantastic, Noah!

I've done another bunch of work on the airport. It's almost ready, just needs an interchange and some more little details. On this subject, how do you guys think we should make the grass between the taxiways/runways/apron? What would be the best looking solution?
(click the pictures for full size)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fvzfgrc.jpg&hash=1d423a2c1eabc18cca557adcec191b75d240fc80)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fwxvzgp.jpg&hash=3e57183e624afadc8044ca6b9a6a02f6f0001f64)
The general aviation terminal. It is still lacking some parking garages. The ATCT can be seen.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fvkzjcg.jpg&hash=32723ca9c235211553982aef6bd3027f5afd3d3a)
The airport can also welcome VIP planes such as Iron Maiden here. But also presidential planes.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fkfeghz.jpg&hash=b81710fc0c9c889b9d0be52f0b73402a9fb08d35)
The maintenance area. I'm looking for a building that can be used as an auto repair garage (for the Loaders, stairs, push-back tractors and general cars) any idea?

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fwkpcjn.jpg&hash=f1335f6047d5545e856178c8fdaff018edad7e4a)
The freight area. Still lacking some parking garages too. On the top right you can see the special gate which is specifically made to support very heavy cargo planes such like the Dreamlifter (pictured), Airbus Beluga or the AN-225. (the central runway was made extra long for this last one)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fyovthu.jpg&hash=7ce58e92b087d16aa2fd40d7fc64ede77e050651)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fvphehy.jpg&hash=c81541afa09a33d8052b63c3b5eb169c5060edd9)
Refueling station. I've also used JENX airport fences which look quite badass in this airport.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fkqdkmy.jpg&hash=0eba5fed730f0bbbffe8e4d21896a322211ec92d)
I've also changed the service road style when on grass. I'm using the rural road plugin and I have to say I quite like the result!

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fxytuvl.jpg&hash=a1dc47bc7d90757ed23b644a757e85e2efc11b84)
And finally a view of the end of runway 27C/09C, the longest of the airport with one of the four de-icing areas.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: compdude787 on April 06, 2015, 11:31:31 AM
The airport is looking nice so far! I like how you even have a special spot for DreamLifters! :D

You mentioned you needed to put in more parking garages over by the cargo area. Is there really going to be so many people parking there that you need several parking garages for all of them? All you need is just a parking lot for the employees and pilots to park at.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: romualdillo on April 06, 2015, 12:37:27 PM
The airport looks fantastic!! As I don't know much about airports I only can say: It's HUGE!!  :D
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: gn_leugim on April 06, 2015, 01:34:21 PM
great work, all of you!   :thumbsup:  &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: vester on April 06, 2015, 03:19:29 PM
That is one huge and good looking airport.


Good to see people joining the project.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Durfsurn on April 06, 2015, 06:38:24 PM
I'm no airport connoisseur but shouldn't there be a small town/suburb filled with hotels, fast food chains etc? Maybe some hotels close to the main terminal? 99% of my airport knowledge is based of Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, which includes such things pretty much within the airport.

Otherwise one of the best airports I have ever seen!

-Billy
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on April 06, 2015, 06:41:05 PM
Beyond outstanding  &apls &apls &apls

The Dreamlifter is such an excellent touch! Would be great if we can twist someone's arm into making the other oversized planes or even the Buran- or shuttle-carrying planes with their cargo.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: reddonquixote on April 07, 2015, 05:11:23 AM
Yes, truly the most amazing airports I've ever seen. Such attention to detail!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Simcoug on April 07, 2015, 05:42:06 AM
Can't wait for the Iron Maiden concert  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on April 08, 2015, 02:01:21 AM
Nice looking airport!like all the details! &apls &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on April 14, 2015, 03:05:25 AM
I took a break from other projects to develop one of my favorite areas in NORO a few km south of the center. There's a nice mix of plains and hills (small ones by NORO's standards but still never less than a couple hundred meters above sea level) as well as coast, lakes, rivers, and streams. I did extensive terraforming in provocatively-named Fu, trying to best reconcile the real altitude of the flood plains and the watercourses draining them, as well as add the stream that drains one of the lakes westward. The areas with and without beach textures vary by a fraction of a meter and can change appearance with simple terrain mod settings. I'm really looking forward to further development as the hand terraforming allowed me to intentionally get a lot of my favorite features of the terrain mod to show up and there's a lot of potential for scenic areas.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FRVpakcC.jpg&hash=e6242aa8865100488e1b3069174dc84e0ed96e9d)


As part of the same project I finished construction of highway 385 including subtle alterations to it's eastern terminus which remains among my favorite interchanges in the region. More succinct than some of my monsters it still manages to combine a nice mix of local and highway-to-highway connectivity in a unique layout. I was particularly tickled when I finally got the idea to force that OWR2 FA piece up against the TIA on the right side. I'm considering a slightly more compact alignment for the top (northwest) ramp and plan to add a number of cosmetic additions to the area, including ponds, trees, lights, signage, and perhaps sound barriers, especially on the viaducts just off screen to the left here.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FBCssog6.jpg&hash=67c97b521e286557d1cbd279e51d3c05a09fe1e7)
The coast at right is intended to be a nice beach area eventually but I'm not sure how best to do that or what should become of the lagoons when we get to that point....


I've been continuing to do a lot of work retexturing. It's easy to make little mistakes in alignment since it's not always clear whether part of a texture is a Road, OWR, half of an Avenue, or even a street and therefore where re-alignment is needed. Making diagonals line up seamlessly further muddies the picture but using the "sizeof (I used the number 9)" cheat helps get a grip on how many pixels a curb needs to slide down.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FcOTrXlN.jpg&hash=31c42d31203c23ca20fdce350ed72cf5dd96b49c)
Funny how good those street lights and the sidewalk look so zoomed in :D  My Road texture there has since had it's stripes widened and brightened to better match Maxis Roads.


I haven't been working on the airport since I turned it over to Arthur for his developments but I did make a quick temporary scene featuring one of my favorite areas of his, the over-sized cargo area:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F7KsnDAV.jpg&hash=a3abb0c69a82de750dd2a6455f7925d774d5c0da)
It's hard to even imagine the scale of a plane like those!


Here's (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By6RG2miktERSUQ3OWprbU41MkU/view?usp=sharing) the latest build of my texture project if anyone cares to play around with it ;)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on April 16, 2015, 01:30:57 AM
Noah I like that interchange too :thumbsup: Looking forward to seeing some new development
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: gn_leugim on April 18, 2015, 12:48:22 AM
Quote from: noahclem on April 14, 2015, 03:05:25 AM

It's hard to even imagine the scale of a plane like those!


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.airbus.com%2Ftypo3temp%2Fpics%2F46358710d2.jpg&hash=d8b7cbaa17498b79384d6c5ad149da99eb708466)

I guess this can give you an idea  :D  :D  :D

And good work so far, keep it going :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: reddonquixote on April 18, 2015, 01:18:04 AM
Hey Noah, I was just doing some research for street props and came across these safety barrier things they have around tram stops.. what do you think, should we make some of these? Would you find it useful/ useable for your tram lines?

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg673%2F5224%2FD7sWkY.jpg&hash=3a8e77190ddf3e5679e65fb02d4e6c603936314b)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on April 18, 2015, 09:18:06 AM
That looks really useful--really, really useful if I understand you right. Is that a stop where people wait on the sidewalk to the left and then cross the barrier to enter the tram? If so than it could be the basis for all stops where the road doesn't widen to accommodate a median: any stops for tram-in-road and tram-on-road at the least. Do they ever use those for stops on roads with two lanes of traffic in each direction? If so then it could be used for stops on the regular tram-in-avenue textures without needing to wait for new NAM puzzle pieces or complex transit stop modding. Certainly seems promising  :thumbsup:


Speaking of the tram project I've continued on texturing, focusing lately on difficult transitions as well as diagonals. The current build of the project, counting the avenues, is up to 347 textures--1,735 counting all zooms but more like 200 if you don't count each avenue texture once for every wealth level. In any case, progress is being made  :thumbsup:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FJtGgTys.jpg&hash=90eee0dd6be52bbac3c40d0bad252194bdc7b9ec)


How do you guys feel about the grass?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F4dyIe7R.jpg&hash=bdaab53406ecb98d1a524c4d6c8e46661d56fca0)


I had a tough time deciding how to do the markings with these. Which areas should be yellow or white (in non-Euro configuration) and where there should be curbs. After looking into several examples from Paris Arthur provided as well as investigating Minneapolis and Melbourne in streetview I decided to do them like this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F2DlH6x7.jpg&hash=b829491013c56d9d4038e0c65d5cd10b2b48ae78)


(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FRf0IGSC.png&hash=307e5bdf088a31ba37ffaa0bc1ee8e9cbd0ff28f)




Slightly outdated textures combined in game
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FdqvXAHH.jpg&hash=fc03e23de70617b63e4159270eee96cce8e633a1)


I couldn't find the RRW crossings for some reason so I made these ones on my own:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FKOuJLeS.jpg&hash=5280798f17c71719f3b6f3af3c8b898f7229a32a)


Current state of the 1-tile networks which I've not done much to yet: In the one on the left, tram-in-road, the gray area will be filled by whatever sidewalk mod is installed but I'm not real happy with the way the sidewalk interacts with the rails, which seems to be a limitation of these "sidewalks" and also caused me to drop the curbstone patterns from all the model-based networks. What would you guys think of the TIR being colored the same way as the TIA is now? Would it look too much like the one on the right? Or we could really get crazy and make it grassy instead of pavement.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F9Byo1kj.jpg&hash=83dbbede4a1703c7374fca7f57025cf736d12487)


Another problem I'm wrestling with is the difference between maxis yellow stripes and the ones I've used for these smaller networks. I like my size/scale and look better but definitely don't have the motivation/time to change every other yellow line texture to my style. So can they coexist peacefully or do I need to make mine look more like theirs?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FTz8OHx7.jpg&hash=b9f026022bdecb4b38c756c7abace547bda51ba7)


Finally, here's something a little different: A plan I drew up for the tile on the east side of the bridge crossing the opening of the bay
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FD6xypS0.jpg&hash=da498696b6c7d9debf85fa0066193e78bfe59e50)


Looking forward to hearing what you guys think  :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Vlasky on April 18, 2015, 10:15:41 AM
Looks lovely! However I would suggest aligning the blocks of the tram path to the curves of the road on the the str8 to diagonal curve. Like what you did in the S curve. Somehow looks more realistic. ALso on the rail crossing the Ave in the second example! I love the shade of the concrete on the tram paths.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: reddonquixote on April 18, 2015, 04:06:31 PM
Wow what a huge update and amazing amount of work... where do I start!  :P

Regarding the safety barrier - the tramstop itself is a normal one in the middle of the road. Its the same configuration as the other ones we've made except this one doesn't have a shelter or platform. These are very common. You would cross at the lights (some have pedestrian zebra crossing access) then wait against that railing thing until the tram comes. The yellow safety barrier thing is to direct cars away from the tracks/ place where people are standing. So I guess if we were going to make this style we'd need the railings as well as the tram sign. Actually, I just made one instead.. a picture tells a thousand words:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg540%2F444%2F6QE8zN.jpg&hash=77c06bef8f3de593576e0688ebd62874ce4f67b3)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg912%2F7020%2FX6h8rV.jpg&hash=ac604d9706258bcaeefcf12ca67b7bece5cadd5b)

What do you think?

Regarding the grass... I think it would be a good alternate/variation, but personally (selfishly?  :P ) I wouldn't want them all to have grass. (I can only think of a couple of places where there would be grass in Melbourne, all suburban areas)

I got some more pictures, maybe these will be inspiration for you..

Here's the Light Rail outside the Swimming Centre in Albert Park
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg673%2F7742%2FAgszzV.jpg&hash=558209ac870b0e39fe245224ae4a2e51b6f7c787)

Here's where the Tram-In-Road transitions to the Light Rail in Albert Park
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg537%2F9577%2F7OPdLD.jpg&hash=a7ff75c4753217bd6baa399efe0688e08b60bf37)

Closer view:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg537%2F4839%2FYglZ9B.jpg&hash=88ca3490eabd7a3d0d5528d908913575298d3ef1)

Where your tramlines are crossing through the roads made me think of another potential challenge for you  ;D

A notorious intersection, I think its the start of Royal Parade (or around there)... A major road intersects at a T-junction, there's a tramline in the major road intersecting with a light rail transitioning into a tram-in-road... looks out for trams!!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg537%2F535%2FNGulkL.jpg&hash=9ccf6ab21e93afc94c69bbba0c8e765703ee73e3)

And these are quite common, trams passing through roundabouts (do you have these already?)
This one is just outside Queen Vic Market/ Flagstaff Gardens
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg540%2F8135%2FhEZ7Ce.jpg&hash=b980b594c9df30e29e59d294cef02cf9cf34c7ff)

With the boom-gates, I can't think of many examples, there's some in Port Melbourne, but where I can see them, they always sit on the side of the road rather than on the median strip. Not sure if that's a common thing or not, just thought I'd mention it.

(Now I'm going to press post, I hope I got the right images to go with the captions  :D )

Edit:
Here's another view of the intersection at Royal Parade. I didn't realise before, but the tram line splits off just before it intersects with the other tramline. I've tried to draw where the three tram lines go:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg661%2F7932%2FrQrsHa.jpg&hash=4d3d924e272d87ce5bd9b2ecf2133ee5930b3361)

Edit again:
Here's a simplified diagram I made of it. (Light grey is the road and dark grey is the tramline) (please excuse my rudimentary photo shopping skills)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.com%2Fa%2Fimg908%2F5707%2FjEbqXF.jpg&hash=88c0ca1f1bcfba85c0353f794332d5970ff697e6)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: kelis on April 19, 2015, 02:11:54 AM
You are doing and amazing job with those tram textures and models. I can't wait to see the models and textures together.

Keep up the good work here  &apls &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: art128 on April 19, 2015, 05:41:14 AM
There is this area in Oslo where the tram does a 90° turn from on road to grass:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fgsllwq.png&hash=6aecb44ecad22c0373b201ba8a00acf61834ac18)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa.pomf.se%2Fqyglfm.png&hash=2fd0aa71853a0018eb134c4655f9a457ee888d86)

Maybe it'll give you some ideas for the transitions.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: romualdillo on April 19, 2015, 07:49:52 AM
OMG!! This is looking better and better!!!  &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on April 20, 2015, 01:45:46 AM
Beautiful stuff as always Noah!!! &apls &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: pezzajn on April 20, 2015, 01:58:51 PM
I really like your GLR texture, and am grateful that you are planning a US (yellow median lines) version.

Will continue to watch your developments.  And cannot wait until you release it.
:popcorn:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: APSMS on April 20, 2015, 07:46:11 PM
Hi Noah,

Glad to see the development you've been making. I know I've been lurking, but I've been following the progress closely.

To answer your question, keep the yellow lines as they are. I really like the fineness in your tram lines, and TBH it irks me a little, but not as much as seeing absolutely perfect roadways everywhere in SC4, which is also something I can't change. IMO the difference is only visible in Z6, and even then only when you put the two next to each other. I would much rather have the better textures in the hopes that it will be possible to revamp the old ones to the new spec, than turn the lovely new pieces you've made and "dumb them down" to the older, lower quality ones (lovingly made, I'm sure, but still lower quality).

Re: Tram Grass; I'm not sure your questions regarding the grass are all that relevant. Unless you are unwilling to redo the existing pieces that already have grass on them....Despite the move away from puzzle pieces, it seems like certain things benefit from this implementation, and tram variations (I mean, come on, there's only 1) seem like no exception. Starters hardly seem practical, but I'm not familiar with the underpinnings, so....

As for the pavement differences between TIR and TOR, I'd say whichever is fine, but I kinda like how they differ from each other. It may also allow for the creative to adjust the appearance using purely in-game methods (and maybe Photoshop) rather than resorting to things like LOT-based cities (which are always an "option" regardless), since TIR is sidewalk dependent, and the TOR is set in stone. I should also say that personally, I like the asphalt appearance (I see it a lot around SD), but your work is so well done that I'm more than willing to support the change.

As a final note, I wasn't aware that Willy actually made RRW crossings, hence the need for the RRW Upgrade mod by Rivit, so you probably didn't miss anything.
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on April 22, 2015, 04:26:34 PM
~Thanks for the great feedback!~


Quote from: Vlasky on April 18, 2015, 10:15:41 AM
Looks lovely! However I would suggest aligning the blocks of the tram path to the curves of the road on the the str8 to diagonal curve. Like what you did in the S curve. Somehow looks more realistic. ALso on the rail crossing the Ave in the second example! I love the shade of the concrete on the tram paths.

Thanks and welcome!! I like the aesthetics of the tramways with the concrete bent with the curve as well but there are some drawbacks to it. Most obviously, it gets more difficult and time-consuming with complex intersections but there's a geometric component. When trams go around turns the middle of the cars will be in a different position relative to the rails then the front and back, requiring a wider clearance as you can see in the pic Arthur posted:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FTfRWGCq.jpg&hash=248b6ecf54d55c7f7d6365a8de3b75e2efcf72ea)

Choosing one of those two options makes the other virtually impossible. I've been a bit inconsistent in which technique I've gone with so far. As part of what I've been working on most recently (roundabouts) I revamped the pavement around the 2x2 tile intersection pieces trying to pay special attention to pavement:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FOhA1grm.png&hash=817e1c0748b079f0a246fb7cefa0589675c85b77)

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FOJmllyS.png&hash=5403bf571dad70e0038ef94864c5a431a15fc065)

Not perfect but about as close as I can get to the best of both worlds without sinking so much time into them that it wouldn't be practical to do a whole set that way ;)


Quote from: reddonquixote on April 18, 2015, 04:06:31 PM
Wow what a huge update and amazing amount of work... where do I start!  :P

Regarding the safety barrier - the tramstop itself is a normal one in the middle of the road. Its the same configuration as the other ones we've made except this one doesn't have a shelter or platform. These are very common. You would cross at the lights (some have pedestrian zebra crossing access) then wait against that railing thing until the tram comes. The yellow safety barrier thing is to direct cars away from the tracks/ place where people are standing. So I guess if we were going to make this style we'd need the railings as well as the tram sign. Actually, I just made one instead.. a picture tells a thousand words:

[img

[img

Regarding the grass... I think it would be a good alternate/variation, but personally (selfishly?  :P ) I wouldn't want them all to have grass. (I can only think of a couple of places where there would be grass in Melbourne, all suburban areas)

I got some more pictures, maybe these will be inspiration for you..

Here's the Light Rail outside the Swimming Centre in Albert Park
[img

Here's where the Tram-In-Road transitions to the Light Rail in Albert Park
[img

Closer view:
[img

Where your tramlines are crossing through the roads made me think of another potential challenge for you  ;D

A notorious intersection, I think its the start of Royal Parade (or around there)... A major road intersects at a T-junction, there's a tramline in the major road intersecting with a light rail transitioning into a tram-in-road... looks out for trams!!
[img

And these are quite common, trams passing through roundabouts (do you have these already?)
This one is just outside Queen Vic Market/ Flagstaff Gardens
[img

With the boom-gates, I can't think of many examples, there's some in Port Melbourne, but where I can see them, they always sit on the side of the road rather than on the median strip. Not sure if that's a common thing or not, just thought I'd mention it.

(Now I'm going to press post, I hope I got the right images to go with the captions  :D )

Edit:
Here's another view of the intersection at Royal Parade. I didn't realise before, but the tram line splits off just before it intersects with the other tramline. I've tried to draw where the three tram lines go:
[img

Edit again:
Here's a simplified diagram I made of it. (Light grey is the road and dark grey is the tramline) (please excuse my rudimentary photo shopping skills)
[img
http://Thanks a lot--I'm really excited for these new stops! The mockup models already look great  :thumbsup:

Seeing all the examples of the tram in Melbourne is really helpful to me, for figuring out how best to redo the existing pieces, for figuring out how to implement our upcoming tram stops, and for planning the future features I hope to make for the tram system. Having exceptionally little first-hand experience, being pointed in the right direction on these things is invaluable ;)

Your comment on the roundabouts got me interested in those and I've almost finished redoing the existing pieces. I hope to make more options available with them, including more complex layouts, but I'm making myself stick to finishing remaking the existing stuff before moving on to new stuff. I'm easily distracted so I'm not letting myself get too excited about the future before I finish what's in front of me for fear I'll abandon this project before completion :D  In general though I am planning to have at least some options for complex and unique setups, though the almost limitless variations of tram intersections mean there will always be limits.

Looks like grass will be an option, not default anywhere :)


Quote from: kelis on April 19, 2015, 02:11:54 AM
You are doing and amazing job with those tram textures and models. I can't wait to see the models and textures together.

Keep up the good work here  &apls &apls

Thanks!!! Will try to get some stations put together in the near future ;)


Quote from: art128 on April 19, 2015, 05:41:14 AM
There is this area in Oslo where the tram does a 90° turn from on road to grass:

[img

[img

Maybe it'll give you some ideas for the transitions.

Thanks Arthur! Helpful indeed. I don't know where I'd be without all the examples you helped me with :)


Quote from: romualdillo on April 19, 2015, 07:49:52 AM
OMG!! This is looking better and better!!!  &apls

Thank you very much!


Quote from: Gugu3 on April 20, 2015, 01:45:46 AM
Beautiful stuff as always Noah!!! &apls &apls

Thanks Guglielmo!

Quote from: pezzajn on April 20, 2015, 01:58:51 PM
I really like your GLR texture, and am grateful that you are planning a US (yellow median lines) version.

Will continue to watch your developments.  And cannot wait until you release it.
:popcorn:

Thanks and welcome! At first I wasn't sure whether to have US as default (like the rest of the NAM) or Euro as default (like the existing tramways) but fortunately there's so few center lines with these that it doesn't much matter :D  I plan to make Euro and US versions of everything, not least because I enjoy using both.


Quote from: APSMS on April 20, 2015, 07:46:11 PM
Hi Noah,

Glad to see the development you've been making. I know I've been lurking, but I've been following the progress closely.

To answer your question, keep the yellow lines as they are. I really like the fineness in your tram lines, and TBH it irks me a little, but not as much as seeing absolutely perfect roadways everywhere in SC4, which is also something I can't change. IMO the difference is only visible in Z6, and even then only when you put the two next to each other. I would much rather have the better textures in the hopes that it will be possible to revamp the old ones to the new spec, than turn the lovely new pieces you've made and "dumb them down" to the older, lower quality ones (lovingly made, I'm sure, but still lower quality).

Re: Tram Grass; I'm not sure your questions regarding the grass are all that relevant. Unless you are unwilling to redo the existing pieces that already have grass on them....Despite the move away from puzzle pieces, it seems like certain things benefit from this implementation, and tram variations (I mean, come on, there's only 1) seem like no exception. Starters hardly seem practical, but I'm not familiar with the underpinnings, so....

As for the pavement differences between TIR and TOR, I'd say whichever is fine, but I kinda like how they differ from each other. It may also allow for the creative to adjust the appearance using purely in-game methods (and maybe Photoshop) rather than resorting to things like LOT-based cities (which are always an "option" regardless), since TIR is sidewalk dependent, and the TOR is set in stone. I should also say that personally, I like the asphalt appearance (I see it a lot around SD), but your work is so well done that I'm more than willing to support the change.

As a final note, I wasn't aware that Willy actually made RRW crossings, hence the need for the RRW Upgrade mod by Rivit, so you probably didn't miss anything.

Thanks very much for the thoughtful reply and kind words :)  I'm glad you like the finer yellow lines and think I'll take your comment as justification to continue with them (not that I needed any I guess  ;D ). It's certainly within the realm of possibility that I'd rework the road (and OWR) textures later on and I've already had to make basic versions of them just for use in pieces that intersect with them or use curves based on them. The yellow lines on them are about 25% wider than on the TOR but still closer in size to those pieces than to the original roads.

My plan has been to redo the existing pieces with grass in the tram right-of-ways though I've been tempted to commandeer those TiA pieces for the station-width pieces I've planned. I was just throwing out the grass idea here as I hadn't found anything I'd been happy with yet. Here's what I'm thinking now for the two one-tile networks:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FSmLenng.png&hash=0b7d1c7f67d4788d79063662d9b12dce93060894)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FvsWnF3A.png&hash=d98434da8c0248901f1056fa6e85c2275d35b570)
I'm thinking the bold yellow lines separating car and trams on the TiR and the traffic shading and center lines on the ToR may be enough to differentiate them. And in any case the conflict between the sidewalks and the tram rails is fixed.

I know Willy made crossings because he asked what I thought of them over skype while he did it--still no idea where he hid them though :D


As I mentioned earlier, I've been working on roundabouts after reddonquixote brought them up in the last post. I'm staying away from extravagant future hopes for now but am really happy with the difference I was able to make just by switching to the new texture specs and maximizing the smoothness of all curves. It's been a pretty neat project as 1) it's really small and 2) it seems really cleverly designed. I had some confusion about which things were supposed to use model colors and which ones texture colors as some things were behaving in a way I didn't understand. I was further confused and the process took a little longer than it should have for less than 30 textures (without counting wealthification) but everything's done now except for a sidewalk error and the under-highway texture and with no paths needed to be changed the whole thing is on the verge of releasable--not that it's of any real use without the rest of the package  ::)  Anyway here's a bit of that:

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F2D9rfXP.jpg&hash=8f891fca1c80b4c1014e1ce3f7320b36e8eb795b)


An intersection I made for a transition to the super-stop alignment:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FKf2RwX5.png&hash=6c47f4f98e3223cae8c0c425c12af2acc6bf926b)


And today's project:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FynaVgDK.jpg&hash=28f1644bed8a752104e35c23a41051c48057e21b)


After the roundabouts are finished I might work on the TiR  if the new texture survives public scrutiny. Thanks and I look forward to hearing your thoughts :)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Gugu3 on April 23, 2015, 01:33:52 AM
Lovely stuff Noah!I like it &apls &apls
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Simcoug on April 24, 2015, 06:40:45 AM
amazing texture work - you will get no complaints from me  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: Terring7 on May 06, 2015, 03:52:28 AM
Oh boy, those textures are so badass!

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi0.kym-cdn.com%2Fphotos%2Fimages%2Foriginal%2F000%2F539%2F302%2Fa33.gif&hash=2965bb932db0301c41bd4950f18d4228de816b26)
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: gn_leugim on May 15, 2015, 01:16:00 AM
 :thumbsup:

good work. I'll just keep...  :popcorn:  :P
Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: reddonquixote on May 29, 2015, 05:53:54 PM
Yes! The roundabouts look fantastic  :thumbsup: (Sorry for the distractions, these are just too exciting  :bnn:)

Noah, can you give me some lot-size preferences for the Tram Stops, I'll export these and send across to you (now I have some time again !!) - I assume 1x32 but please confirm?





Title: Re: The Noro Cooperative
Post by: noahclem on May 30, 2015, 04:04:59 PM
Hi Jay, great to hear from you!! Thanks for the kind words on the roundabouts. I've actually moved the tram and texture development over to a new NORO Trams and Textures (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16937.0) thread to avoid having this one get clogged with both type of development (once city-building developments resume again, of course).

1x32 sounds perfect I think. Looking forward to seeing what you end up with :)