Qumma - From Desert to Rose (June 3rd - The CocoWalk)

[nedalezz]

UPDATE FOUR
TWO YEARS AND COUNTING

             Rapid growth continues to be the name of the game for Fursan, with the population quickly approaching 3,000.  A continuous stream of new residents have made their way to the town, seeking jobs, security, and education for their children.  The new developments to house them has expanded the town northwards, towards the new Fursan Power Plant, and around the Tareeq Greenery Park area, next to the Fursan Health Clinic.

   The QEC has established and is running a route into the south of Morocco that will help the local fishermen export their catches and profit from them.  Having bought 4 trucks with freeze capabilities, the trip starts at 7 AM, reaching southern Morocco in the afternoon/evening time.  The Fursani fishermen report by 6:30 AM with their catches, and depending on the type of fish they catch, are given a certain amount of cash in return.  The QEC then takes the fish to a market in southern Morocco, selling it directly to customers and Moroccan wholesalers, who then ship them north to the more populated areas.  The fishermen benefit because they earn cash for their catches, and the QEC benefits because it also profits from its sales, and circulates cash in the local economy, which is a necessity to build a strong consumer base.

              Speaking of the QEC, Dawa has constructed a building which has become known as the QEC Administrative Building, the headquarters for the local acting government of Qumma.

              The QEC has also managed to put together a financial report of Fursan for the previous year, the first time they do such a thing.  Here is some of the information they managed to gather. Continued growth is expected to be sustained, with estimates suggesting Fursan to have a population atleast 5,000 by the end of the 3rd year since Dawa took over.:

-   GDP per Person / Total GDP: $3,600 / $10,700,000
-   Total Import / Export: $8,880,000 / $95,000
-   Population / Population Growth: 2940 / 123%
-   Male-Female Ratio: 48% - 52%
-   Primary Imports: Food, Drinking Water, Cement, Steel
-   Primary Exports: Fish, Arts & Crafts


            Meanwhile, Berber Dawa has continued to put money into researching a suitable location for his new oil refinery.  A road has already been constructed leading in land, and power lines have lined up next to the road in order to connect any potential refinery with electricity.  While Dawa has stated the construction of the refinery is still a long way off, there has already been interest from powerful world bodies ready and willing to do business.  He is reluctant to do any business concerning the export of Qumman oil, however, before the establishment of the discussed and proposed Qumma Oil Ministry (QOM).

             Not every has been rosy for Qumma and Fursan, however. For one, private investors have not exactly flocked to the land; in fact, they haven't come at all. Dawa has had a very tough time trying to sell Qumma to any type of private investors, who currently see no future in the place.  Fursan, despite its developments, is still very underdeveloped and behind world averages in every category.  Despite encouraging cash circulation, there is almost no commercial activity in Fursan itself between the people.  The only commercial activity occurs almost exclusively between the residents and the QEC.  The QEC itself is young and maintaining, but it is not even close to supporting itself and Qumma, something which Dawa has been aiming for.

I will leave you today with a few more shots from around Fursan. I do hope you enjoyed the update!!


Barida Park.


The coastline to the North (West at the angle of SC) of Fursan.


A shot of the town.


Another, closer shot of Fursan.


The coastline of Fursan.

[rooker1]

Very nice update.  The town has a very quaint and quiet feeling.  I love it, great work.

Robin   

[Jmouse]

Don't worry, it takes time and money to develop anything worthwhile, so be patient
I can't help with the time element, but my check for $5 million Cedis is in the mail. I trust you will invest it wisely in this up-and-coming commercial development.
And kudos for the nice update.

Until next time...
Joan

[bat]

Wonderful update! That city is looking very great!

[nedalezz]

REPLIES

patfirefghtr: I had a look at your MD, and I can say with full confidence you definitely got a new fan. Also good to know you're a fan of this one!

bat: Thank you. As the city develops, I hope you enjoy the direction it takes.

rooker1: Indeed, the town is on the very quiet, relaxed side. It seems the world had completely forgotten about this piece of itself, but for how long....

Jmouse: Hehe, you know they redenominated the currency now! Now, 10,000 old Ghana Cedis equal 1 new Ghana Cedi! It works much better this way, as I dont have to have bulging pockets everytime I need carry the equivalent of $100 in my pocker, lol. Your donation towards the development of Fursan has been well noted by the QEC and they have personally asked me to thank you for your kind actions.

So I've been working a bit on the storyline and the town itself, and while the update will have to wait for tomorrow or the day after, here is a shot of what Fursan looks like now.

[Pat]

Hey nedalezz thank you I'm proud to be a fan of your MD as well.... I really loved the last full update and this new update of Fursan defiantly gives off the Mediterranean feel... cant wait to see more - pat

[rooker1]

nedalezz,
Super work.  If you don't mind could I suggest the High Tention Poles by Fukuda which can be found here .  I hate those red power lines.

Robin   

[bat]

Great new overview of that beautiful looking city!

[nedalezz]

I decided that the terrain I was using, while incredible, wasn't what I was looking for. The Painted Desert terrain by Cycledogg is, in its own right, a whole lot more detailed and alive than THL's Sandy Desert terrain, but the latter was exactly what I was looking for for this particular map and MD.

I wanted a pure desert terrain, with no greenery whatsoever, so that I could make my own where I wanted it. I know that MBEAR's fantastic MED set might have fit nicer with the Painted Desert terrain, but I also think that it goes well with the new one. While you wouldn't find these types of buildings in the Gulf region, they would not be uncommon or out of place in and around the sand dunes of North Africa, where Qumma is based.

So without further ado, he is a preview of the new mod, taken from almost the exact location of a previous picture I had taken. Comments, both critical and positive, are welcome! The top picture is what it was; the bottom picture is what it has become! Please note that the first picture, I used the beach plops to make the sand white the way it appears, while in the second picture, the beach is untouched (no plops).

[Jmouse]

You are so right to go after exactly the effect you want. Accepting anything less is a bumpy road to failure. Good luck with your new approach.

Until next time...
Joan

[rooker1]

It will be very interesting to see what you do now.  And I did notice the new power lines.   


Robin   

[bat]

That new terrain mod looks better at this region!

[S_imon]

I think that it's the most realistic city in this forum  Did You model on any real city?

[Schulmanator]

Nice stuff! You have continued to do a fine job in keeping true to your theme. 

[nedalezz]

UPDATE FIVE
RESOURCES GALORE!

           


          It is now the 3rd year of the Berber Dawa era in Qumma, and Fursan has grown to over 7,000. The official census has not yet been reported, but it will only say what is already known; for the 300,000+ that live in Western Sahara, and the 5,000,000+ that live in northern Mauritania, southern Morocco, and southwestern Algeria, the town has proven to be a popular destination for them. Almost 95% of all new residents come from these areas and rural Qumma, and Fursan has its basic facilities to thank for that.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

           Recently, during a research trip for prime locations for oil drilling, the team assigned discovered an abundance of diamonds in a rocky area to the southeast of Fursan.  While diamonds are usually found in less arid areas to the south, there have been instances where they were discovered in desert/semi-desert areas (Angola).  At this time, there has been no further investigation of the new discovery, and the team that discovered the resource have turned the task over to a new one assembled by Dawa. 

Under Dawa's instruction, the QEC has immediately banned any digging until further notice, as no laws have been drawn up for the export/import of diamonds yet.  The area which they were discovered has also been sealed off from the public until further notice, not that the area sees many visitors, anyway. 

If it is an isolated area and the discovery turns out to be for a small amount, the QEC will have to decide whether to dig itself and sell them on the market for its own profits or whether to let the people loose on the land and let them benefit themselves directly.  However, if there proves to be an abundance of the pricey mineral, enough to rely on it as a national resource and source of income, the QEC will have to develop a whole new set of rules and laws, and there will be tough decisions to make, including whether to let in private investors, or whether to make it a government-owned resource.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

           As for Fursan itself, there have recently been some requests for the construction of a high school, so that children may continue to further their education.  The QEC has formally presented the request Dawa, and although no solid plans have been drawn up yet, a location has been selected.  With the construction of the yet unnamed high school, Istral Dawa Elementary School will have a continuation, and education levels in Qumma will continue to rise.  As of right now, the very underdeveloped land continues to be bottom of the list when it comes to world averages in education levels.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I will leave you now with some shots of Fursan! Hope you enjoyed the update.


Nightshot of Fursan.



Another nightshot.



A 3rd nightshot.



An old historic entrance to a neighborhood next to Barida Park.



An overview shot of Fursan.



A shot of Fursan facing north.

[Jmouse]

Nice job of using rocks and sparse foliage to enhance the desert quality of the region. And all the photos look great, but I've always been a sucker for night shots!

Until next time...
Joan

[Pat]

WoW i missed a little bit here while away but Nedalezz you are doing a fantastic job here and defintly having the desert town feeling... I do love those power lines where did you find them?  The last pic is by far my favorite one from this last update - pat

[bat]

Again wonderful pictures of that city! Also great overviews!

[rooker1]

Grea update.  You know, you could show me the same pictures over and over again, and I would still be amazed.  Awesome work.



Robin   

[Nisha]

Great start and I am so glad to be here for it, Nedalezz. I love the Mediterranean housing in the desert environment.

~Nisha