Siilijoki

[metarvo]

Maybe I just haven't been looking hard enough, but I haven't been able to find enough Halloween-themed SC4 content or updates this year.  I'm certainly glad I found yours, though, even if I'm a day late to the party.  The last shot of the wolves howling at the moon looks just about like a full moon night in RL.  My favorite pic, though, is the fog over the cemetery.  Nice job, Noah!

[Simcoug]

Spooky cemetery 

I really like the full moon effect in the last pic, great work!

[vinlabsc3k]

 

It's a frightful place to pass trough by night!!

I agree with wallasey, it's more effective a rural chapel.

[benedict]

Great Halloween special - and congratulations on being the final number one on BTT for the 6th year of SC4Devotion's existence!

I'm sure we'll see a lot of you in the 7th year, too

Edit: and more (belated) congratulations - Siilijoki was number one on the 10 November 2011 BTT.

[Dantes]

Scary  I think I see Zombies 

[mave94]

That sounds and looks  ... spooky. That's an interesting update. I don't remember seeing somewhere something alike here around, so it's very original. Those wolves make a nice addition. Thanks to Willy for pointing to them. It seems like you don't have to be OSITM to be popular, because OSITM or not, you always have good updates. Cheers,

-Matthijs

[noahclem]

Thanks to everyone for the great turnout to my Halloween party


Personal replies follow the pictures.


Many of you have noticed that I switch terrain mods very frequently depending on what type of scene I'm trying to capture, the time of year, or the terrain in the area. If you're interested in doing the same I recommend that you make a folder for each terrain mod you plan on using (put a "~" in front of the name so it loads last) and include all necessary files for it: textures, controller, etc; LowKey's seasonal flora tuning parameters; and whatever water mod, beach mod, and rock mods you think work best with that terrain mod. With all the files ready to go in one folder all you need to do is take the old folder out of your plugins and put the new one in and you're ready to go. Hope that helps somebody 



We've been having a lot of snow lately and after a beautiful evening walk with my fiance I wanted to try to catch the mood of our outing in SimCity. With that plan in mind I grabbed the Antarctic Terrain Mod, some girafe coniferous seasonal trees, the GIMP, and a couple other quality ingredients and set off to make a new winter/seasonal riverwalk. It is adjacent to a new area I've been working on that'll make it's first appearance in a week or so and is located close to the northeast corner of the Pohjanmaa tile.


Here's an overview of the new riverwalk



Heavy snow has been falling recently



Just after sunset--Click to enlarge



When the conditions are right and Auroras light up the sky the best view is next to open water!

Nice update Noah!!!! I'm looking forward to the next update!!!!love the fog effect!

Thanks! Fog is fun to play with and I'd be happy to explain how I do it if you or others are interested. Hope you like this one 

2spooky4me!

Really frightening update, Noah! Love the details put into the scenes. I can already hear the werewolf here... \（　ﾟ Дﾟ）/

Thanks Arthur! Glad you liked it and look out for werewolves 

Yeah, should have seen this coming. . . great special!

Are those Simcoug's MMP graveyards? In that case, I quickly need to get my hands on them, too. And the trees, the lighting, the wolves (). . . as we are wont, only the best here in Siilijoki!

Cheers
Willy

Thanks Willy! Yes, those are Simcoug's MMP graveyards and I'm very happy with how they worked for me--check 'em out! Really glad you enjoyed this one and thanks again for the "wolves" 

What a transformation! Serene lake to scary swamp!

I think you chose the right chapel for the setting...imposing but not colossal! Might have played around with Frogface's Gothic Tower but I doubt it would have made the same impact as this.

Reminded me of a church by mine, it's been derelict for at least a decade which is sad.

Thanks! I was actually surprised that church fit in that well--I believe it's an old fancy chapel for French kings in Paris but it works equally well in an evil swamp. It's always sad to see nice buildings fall into disrepair, hopefully the local historical society steps up their efforts in your area!

Nicely done Noah. I was pondering a Halloween update, but couldn't quite figure something out to fit the bill. That said, this gave me an idea. Perhaps I can have something up tonight. I like the visual effects on the pictures here.
-Matt

Thanks Matt! I pondered last year but couldn't get it together--hopefully this year made up for it. Glad you liked the effects and I still wouldn't mind seeing a belated Halloween party from Greenacre 

You should make a video for this update, with spooky music and sounds. And yes, the texts themselves are already creepy

Good idea and thanks Elias! I'll have to try that for lucky Halloween 2013!

My, my, my, Noah, you certainly know how to celebrate "fright night!" These are truly haunting photos you've posted – photos of a place I'm glad I'm nowhere near at the moment.

I'm not sure what I admire the most about your work. You seemingly have the ability to reach up and grab great ideas out of thin air, then you have the talent and expertise to carry them out to perfection. I'm quite sure it isn't as easy as you make it look, but I'm glad you have the patience and talent to do it.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with Siilijoki in the near future...
-Joan

Thanks Joan! With the holiday over Siilijoki can return to it's normal, friendly self 

That is a very high compliment and I always appreciate it when I'm able to get that kind of feedback from my work. Rest assured, very little of what I do is easy (at least not for me), but I find doing something special very rewarding when I can pull it off. Thanks for your continued support and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of what I have planned for the celebration month around Siilijoki!

Great work with fantastic spooky atmosphere.

Thanks a lot!

Being busy I nearly missed this brilliant update .... That's a really spooky and mystik story ... As Joan I'm glad not to be around there. Otherwise I'd be stared stiff ...

Thanks for sharing Noah!

Thanks Theresa! Yes, best not to go around there but scary season in Siilijoki is over now 

Spook-tacular!

Awesome stuff!

Thank you!

I had seen this update on my cell phone yesterday, but I knew it deserved being seen on my computer, full size and I was completely right.  This might be one of my favourite updates from you.  Great work indeed, I loved it, both the story and the pics.

Robin

Thank you very much Robin! It was fun adding a little more story than I often do to Siilijoki and I'm glad you liked this one so much 

Maybe I just haven't been looking hard enough, but I haven't been able to find enough Halloween-themed SC4 content or updates this year.  I'm certainly glad I found yours, though, even if I'm a day late to the party.  The last shot of the wolves howling at the moon looks just about like a full moon night in RL.  My favorite pic, though, is the fog over the cemetery.  Nice job, Noah!

Thanks a lot and glad you found it! It does seem to be a quiet Halloween around here and if I could do it over I would've posted this a little earlier. Those pics were both favorites of mine as well--and I had a bit more use of GIMP than usual for Halloween 

Spooky cemetery 

I really like the full moon effect in the last pic, great work!

Thanks, both for those awesome cemetery MMPs and for the comment! Glad you liked the full moon 

It's a frightful place to pass trough by night!!

I agree with wallasey, it's more effective a rural chapel.

Indeed, I wouldn't want to be around there after dark--or any other time really    Glad you liked the chapel and thanks for commenting!

Great Halloween special - and congratulations on being the final number one on BTT for the 6th year of SC4Devotion's existence!

I'm sure we'll see a lot of you in the 7th year, too

Edit: and more (belated) congratulations - Siilijoki was number one on the 10 November 2011 BTT.

Thanks Ben! Last of the year and first of the Time Machine--its an honor    Glad you liked the Halloween special and I hope to be around plenty in the next year

Scary  I think I see Zombies 

Zombie MMPs would be awesome! Thanks 

That sounds and looks  ... spooky. That's an interesting update. I don't remember seeing somewhere something alike here around, so it's very original. Those wolves make a nice addition. Thanks to Willy for pointing to them. It seems like you don't have to be OSITM to be popular, because OSITM or not, you always have good updates. Cheers,

-Matthijs

Thanks so much for the kind words. I was doing my best to be unique so I'm glad if I pulled it off! And Willy can be a very helpful guy to have around here--besides the wolves my fishermen and people walking in parks will have a friend to join them. Thanks again and welcome back any time 

[Gugu3]

Very nice Noah!!!simple scenery, but impressive at thhe same time!!good job

[wallasey]

It was cold on Merseyside this morning...but I feel even colder without my winter coat looking at this update!

The area looks so quiet...a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of city life! You have pieced all your ingredients together superbly.

If there was one criticism (sorry!) , I would have used different streetlights...the arm's seem to come out too far! I think there is a short bracket version of what you have used. Streetlighting is a little side-line of mine, there's quite a sizable enthusiasts group in the UK.

Conservation is a moot point in my neck of the woods, demolition is normally the end result once things are unused. Especially when it comes to housing!

I look forward to seeing more of this new area!

[RickD]

Very nice winter scenes. 

I would love to take a walk through a nice winter landscape but around here it is just raining.

[rambuckel]

Fascinating Although you can count the number of used props on the fingers of one hand (well not really but nearly ) you managed to create an incredible atmosphere with theses pics.

Actually we had some snow as well but that's gone by now and it wasn't the kind of snow I associate with the snow on your pics. It was that kind of wet snow with which you can form snowballs which are hard enough to go through a window quite easily =)

[art128]

A very nice update once again Noah! Love the work you have done with this path along the river. Though I am not sure if those big light-poles fits really. Maybe some smaller would have been better.

[Swordmaster]

Wow, Mr. Lighting! I haven't seen anyone work so well with lighting effects, or have their scenes so depend on it/thrive in it/whatever.

Like Arthur, I also felt weird about those light poles. But as I sometimes say, that's not a bad thing. Looking at the real world from above sometimes gives very weird impressions; things that don't look like you thought they would look.

Cheers
Willy

[apeguy]

A great couple of updates, the Halloween special was very nice.


Looking forward to what you have next.

[feyss]

Beautiful winter landscapes. Good job 

[Framly]

I really enjoyed the last pages of your MD! Impressive pictures full of details! The winter shots looks fantastic! Nice PS-effects!

Keep it up

[Jmouse]

Once again, you have created some beautiful scenes for us to ponder, and possibly learn something from. Unlike someone such as you who lives in a country that's perilously close to the Arctic Circle, I'm utterly fascinated by snow. By the time I was 40, I had seen it less than a dozen times. So when I moved from Houston to points farther north, a snowstorm was a treat, and I remain enthralled by the loveliness of a snow-covered landscape.

I love the idea of interchangeable terrain mods – it's simple, logical and could be very effective with a bit of practice. Last night, I finally made it through all 311 pages of custom content on the LEX. I should have most of it installed in my new plugin  folder by week's end, so when that's done, I'll go back and grab a few more terrain mods.

Thanks for sharing these lovely photos with us...
-Joan

[Schulmanator]

A true winter wonderland. I like it. Nicely done. Makes me want to get some hot chocolate!

[sunv123]

Wow

Those winter pics are wonderful!

[rooker1]

Here is an amazing MD always full of surprises and this is why this MD has been choosen for the second week of 4in1 in OSITM!  Also help me congratulate Noah on his third time appearance!!   This should be a fun week, so sit back and enjoy!!




Congrats from The SC4D Staff!!