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The City & County of Honolulu

Started by sumwonyuno, July 31, 2009, 01:29:49 PM

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sumwonyuno

#20
The Nu'uanu Valley sits overlooking Downtown Capitalis and the harbor.  In the lower half, apartments, high-rises and commerical buildings are present.  Deeper in the valley are historical estates and low-density housing that encroach into the mountain watersheds.  To the west is Ririta.  It is contiguous of and is similar to the Nu'uanu area.  Ririta Street is the area's "Main Street".  Although it is close to Downtown, Ririta keeps the small town feel of Capitalis' past.





The Jari Highway runs through the valley.  It is the oldest of the 3 roadways that cuts through the Ko'orau Mountains to connect Capitalis with the Windward City.



About half a mile from the shore is Juovaina, a volcanic crater, also known as Juicebowl.  Today, the National Cemetary of the SimPacific in the crater holds the remains of soldiers and veterans of the Simerican military.




East of Juicebowl Crater is Pakiki.  This neighborhood is the most diverse of Capitalis and has the densest residential population in Paradise.  Sims from all backgrounds, all ages and all three wealth levels live side by side here.




The Bill Desallean Center is a City complex of multi-purpose buildings.  It is comprised of an arena, an exhibition hall and a concert hall.  After recent renovations, the Center is a boon, hosting numerous local and world-famous attractions.




The New Beginnings Apartment is a rental high-rise on Britannia Street.  This humble residence has become a recent tourist attraction.  The current President of the United States of Simerica was born in Capitalis, and was raised by his grandparents that lived in this building.



To the east of Capitalis Harbor is Kaka'ako.  This area in early Capitalis history was comprised of dirty industry (I-D).  The City also had a landfill and an incinerator by the waterfront.  Today, warehouses and commercial service (CS) shops dominate the area.  High-tech (I-HT) buildings and educational facilities are being built.  Parks replaced the landfill, and incinerator site was redeveloped.



A few relatively-new highrises inhabit the area.  Kaka'ako is one of the areas left in in-town with both potential and significant area.  Government planners and private landowners have been wanting to redevelop Kaka'ako for several decades.  The current vision is to create mixed-used developments, focusing on transit and pedestrian scale.



The Ara Poana area is the retail capital of Capitalis.  The Ara Poana Shopping Center, the Draw Retail Complex and Sim-Mart are all located here.



The Ara Poana Shopping Center was the biggest shopping center in the SimWorld when it opened in 1959.  Today, it is among the largest shopping centers in Simerica, and is still the largest in the islands.  It also holds the "green" distinction of being the largest of the few open-air shopping centers in Simerica.

Across Ara Poana Blvd. is Capitalis' most popular public spaces, the Ara Poana Beach Park and the Enchanted Island peninsula.




The City & County of Honolulu, a Mayor Diary based on Honolulu, Hawai'i.

mark's memory address - I've created a blog!

soulchaser

I think, it's a bit bold, to build a graveyard upon an old volcano, but nevertheless, this looks great!

I love the mix of buildings of different heights. looks quite natural.

Recently Iced

You might also visit my participitation in GRVII - Bordertown!

KoV Liberty

#22
The "Graveyard" is actually there in RL. Also have you considered having a new terrain mod like the Coloumbus mod? It is much better than the vanilla textures. I love the fact it is in Oahu. I LOVE it there!!!!!

My new MD. Check it out if you wish.

Adrian, I miss you man.

sumwonyuno

***Replies***

soulchaser:  Thanks!  Driftmaster07 already addressed the cemetary.  I'm happy you like the look in the game, but in real life, there are strict and relatively low height limits, with different limits around the city.  I've tried my best to get the overall visual look right, and finding buildings that look like their real life counterparts.

Here's one, somewhat outdated, picture (but still a good reference shot of how Honolulu looks like):

[2364px × 1638px, 3.5MB]

Driftmaster07 :  Heh, I'm glad you love O'ahu.  As for the terrain, I do have the THL Tropical spread terrain plugin installed.  I admit, it's only a mild change from vanilla.  I really couldn't find a terrain and rock mod that looked good enough for overall look.  The island has such a diversity in landscapes and color.

To everyone:  What's your opinion on the length and frequency of chapters?  Are the chapters too long?  Is one week too long of a wait?  Or is everything just right?  I've actually finished the chapters for the Island Tour, and I'm working on the main plot.  For the main story, I'm planning to have shorter chapters, twice a week.  I could do the same for the Island Tour, but I'm curious to what people prefer.


The City & County of Honolulu, a Mayor Diary based on Honolulu, Hawai'i.

mark's memory address - I've created a blog!

Scarton

Very good, I like that mall. :thumbsup: Overall, your cities are great, and the landscape you're developing on is really nice! &apls (I take it it's an Oahu region?). About chapters and all that, you could try to do the same size of chapters every 3 to 4 days. (if you can)

emgmod

#25
I'm okay with the chapters being once a week for the tour. Once the main story kicks in, I would like twice a week chapters.
We need short parking garages for Ala Moana (Ara Poana) instead of that blank space. Would it look better with some Photoshop?

Edit: Would this work?

KoV Liberty

Oh ok! Also I think the updates are perfectly spaced! Also I play TDU and your version of Oahu is VERY VERY VERY accurate to the real one!

My new MD. Check it out if you wish.

Adrian, I miss you man.

Battlecat

Nice job on the ongoing updates!  It's looking great! 

danielcote


sumwonyuno

#29
Well, three responses isn't a representative sample for this site.  Anyways, I guess I'll continue with once a week for the Island Tour.  The main story has the potential to be quite long, so it's possible to keep chapter length and double the frequency.  The University of Hawai'i is back in session, and I'll have to balance my fall semester + this mayor diary.

citycapitalizer:  Thanks.  I terraformed all 119 large city tiles by hand (in game and with SC4Terraformer).  O'ahu is very anti-compass-grid.  I oriented areas to fit better on the game grid, so the island looks very skewed at the region level.

emgmod:   I tried several configurations for Ala Moana (Ara Poana), but nothing really looked as good as the ACB-VLT Terminals.  &mmm I wish there were modular parking garage lots.  It's just easier to say that parking's not allowed up there. ;)

Driftmaster07:  Heh, I wish I could say the same about TDU.  I have to give Atari credit for trying.  Hawai'i roads are definitely nowhere near racing quality (design and traffic!).

Battlecat:  Thank you!

danielcote:  Thanks.  It's actually pegasus' memorial park set.


The City & County of Honolulu, a Mayor Diary based on Honolulu, Hawai'i.

mark's memory address - I've created a blog!

KoV Liberty

Yeah but they said there will be a sequal... So lets hope that works out better!

My new MD. Check it out if you wish.

Adrian, I miss you man.

sumwonyuno

#31
The Panoa Valley is a well-established R$$ neighborhood.  The local Sims comment that it is always raining somewhere in the valley.  Because of this, rainbows are a common occurance.  It is no surprise that the rainbow is a common icon for Paradise.




At the eastern mouth of the Panoa Valley is the University of Paradise campus.  This accredited public institution has enrollment of over 20,000 students a semester.  19 schools and colleges provide a wide range of degrees and research fields.



Po'iri'iri is a neighborhood that marks the eastern end of the old Capitalis town.




At the entrance of Vaikiki is the Paradise Convention Center.  It is a State facility that hosts many yearly events and conferences.



Vaikiki Beach is arguably the most famous shoreline in the SimWorld.



Before 1920, the tourist mecca known as Vaikiki was radically different.  The area was primarily coastal wetlands.  In the 1920's, private interests heavily lobbied for the Ara Vai Canal project.  The canal would drain the wetlands, and new developable land would be available.  The ambition was to create Vaikiki as an island paradise of Paradise.  However, due to the Great Depression of the 1930's, the full canal buildout was never completed, and no plans exist to do complete it today, or in the future.




The first hotel in Vaikiki is the famous pink Royal Paradisian Hotel.  It was built at the turn of the 20th century.  Its location on Vaikiki Beach is still arguably the best available.



During the building boom, hotel chains battled over lots within the golden square mile of Vaikiki.  Today, tourism is the largest sector of the Paradise economy.  Vaikiki has over 30,000 hotel rooms available each night.  Though, it is a common misconception that since Capitalis is a tourist city, hotels dominate its skyline.  The majority of hotels on Community Island are located in Vaikiki.  However, Vaikiki only contains a third of Capitalis' high-rise inventory.  R$$ apartments and R$$$ condominiums also contribute to the area's skyline, and are the homes for 20,000 Sims.



Kaji'orani Park anchors the east end of Vaikiki.  It was built during the Kingdom of Tavai'i, and was the first public park in Paradise.  Today, it still holds the distinction of being Capitalis' largest park.  The Capitalis Zoo is right next to the park, across the street.



The most recognizable landform in Capitalis is the iconic volcanic crater, Re'ati, more commonly known as Pearl Head.  A hike to the top gives the most popular city view of Capitalis.



The City & County of Honolulu, a Mayor Diary based on Honolulu, Hawai'i.

mark's memory address - I've created a blog!

danielcote

Is that an old inactive volcano!?  ???

Battlecat

Beautiful work!  That's more familiar territory to me (spent a week in that part of Hawaii in real life).  You've done a great job of creating your own take on the area, while still keeping it very familiar!  Keep up the great work! 

@danielcote: Yup, that's an old volcanic caldera.

peter007

Great It's something that me interests pretty cool  &apls

BuildingUp

Oh my! I absolutely love what you've done here, and that old caldera is very dramatic! Brilliant!

sumwonyuno

danielcoteBattlecat's answered your question.  Don't worry, it won't erupt and destroy the city.  $%Grinno$%

Battlecat:  Thanks for the comment.  I take it you were on vacation in Waikiki (Vaikiki) for that week?

peter007:  Thanks and glad this interests you!

BuildingUp:  Thank you, and yes it reall provides a beautiful backdrop to the city in real life.


The City & County of Honolulu, a Mayor Diary based on Honolulu, Hawai'i.

mark's memory address - I've created a blog!

emgmod

Great job on this update. I didn't know about the canal project.

sumwonyuno

emgmod:  Thanks and, yup, there's tons of things I learned too while writing for the project.


The City & County of Honolulu, a Mayor Diary based on Honolulu, Hawai'i.

mark's memory address - I've created a blog!

sumwonyuno

#39
The stretch of the southern shore to the east of in-town Capitalis is naturally called East Capitalis.  The high quality of life here is reflected in East Capitalis having some of the most expensive neighborhoods of Community Island.



Jaroro Valley is one of the four major valleys to the north of Capitalis.  Although it does not garner as much attention as the other 3 major valleys, it is the only one left with an unobstructed viewplane from the mountains to the ocean.




Kaipuki is the first major subdivision outside of the old Capitalis port town.  It extends from Pearl Head and into the Jaroro Valley.  Vaiarae Avenue is the area's "Main Street" and was a major commercial district in the early 20th century.



Katara is a predominantely R$$$ neighborhood to the east of Kaipuki and Pearl Head.  It was comprised of R$ and R$$ in its early years.  During Capitalis' boom period, R$$$ moved in, redeveloped the area, and property values skyrocketed.  Today, Katara is Paradise's most expensive neighborhood.  To the north of Katara is the Katara Mall and Vaiarae area.





The string of neighborhoods along the Prince Highway are the result of rapid urbanization of wetlands during the Capitalis boom years.  The R$$ and R$$$ homes were targeted at Sims moving from the Simerican mainland wanting to live in Paradise.



The Karani Valley and the Vairuje Peninsula.



'Aina Taina was one of the original neighborhoods in East Capitalis.  It was a village built after the second SimWorld War.  The neighborhood was expanded significantly since then.



Niu Valley and Kuriouou.



The largest of the East Capitalis neighborhoods is Paradise Sea.  The Simerican industrialist Kerry Seahin had the vision and the simoleons to transform a remote fishpond village into the premiere Paradisian suburb for Capitalis' affluent.




North of Paradise Sea is the Karapa Valley.



Tanaupa Bay in is the remains of Koko Head, an ancient volcanic crater that eroded into the ocean.



Koko Crater, to the north, is the largest of the secondary volcanic craters on Community Island.



Sandy Beach is a popular beach for advanced swimmers.



Pakaju'u Point is part of the Ka Ivi shoreline.  This area is one of the few undeveloped shorelines on this part of Community Island.  City policy and the East Capitalis Development Plan are specifically against any development here.  However, the Ka Ivi shoreline is still zoned under State law as urban.  Local Sims have been lobbying the State's Land Use Commission to rezone the area to preservation.



The City & County of Honolulu, a Mayor Diary based on Honolulu, Hawai'i.

mark's memory address - I've created a blog!