Gransimtenango

[mattb325]

I absolutely love it!
So much intricate detail. The mind boggles at the amount of time you have spent lot editing (not just props and textures but slope properties and foundations) to get a seamless look is incredible and the results are stunning! 

[art128]

That is an excellent overview. Splendid terrace work as always. 

I quite like the overhand concrete on the industrial areas to connect the lots to the roads. Very ingenious.

Also seeing my building in the middle reminds me I have to get around to fix it...

[Badsim]

Finally, someone is reading what I'm writing...   (sometimes I doubt  )

About your last update;



...well, they said it all... giving me time to search for an incongruity... so far, no luck.

@Badsim : ... About the tuning of the photos, I always use the same mix of desaturation of whites, yellows and greens and the slight accentuation of blue while decreasing the overall contrast, to best match the Gobbias Sunden Valley terrain ground that I am using . However, I've caught myself modifying dozens of building FSHs in recent years to desaturate their colors (thanks to Rivit's GoFsh) and that's become a habit as well.

So far, the only artifice I've allowed to myself is to give to my pictures a light spotlight effect with PaintShopPro... I like the idea of people seeing exactly what I see in game... so have had to renounce to many appealing BATs but over-satured and/or strangely textured (to add to the list of all those with BATed base textures, LODs making LotEditing impossible, etc). Looking at your stunning work makes me wonder if I'm not just incredibly obtuse (and stupid  , « all things considered », needless to say  )... well, I may change my code of conduct: tests ongoing.

C.

[Barroco Hispano]

This was done in photoshop or is it a "BAT"?



If it's "BAT", I think I've now found a use for my cliffs.

[manga rivotra]

@ Girafe and Mattb325 :
Thank you both for your comments and of course a big thank you for your beautiful trees or buildings without which nothing would be possible. 

@ Tyberius :
I am happy to see that you have become one of the best Lots makers, especially with your tram stations. 

art128 :
Thank you for your comment.  PROP overhangs are either those made by MGB from the different textures of Maxis ( https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/29797-mgb-diagonal-filler-set/ ), or a modified version of the PROP from the BLAM Team which uses the specific colors of my roads with light gray asphalt.
I really like your blue building from your Tokyo Buildings Volume 1 visible in photo 432 (I guess you're talking about this one, near the Maxis soccer stadium). I'm sorry for the tree in the middle, but since I'm playing 95% Growable, I tend to click on the God Mod's forest tool a lot to get the buildings to grow, and in this case I have click a little too long. 

@ Badsim :

I like the idea of people seeing exactly what I see in game

I like this idea too, which is all the more honest as you offer a lot of custom content in your MD and with VIP Team also. Choosing the right buildings or tree and placing them in the most realistic and harmonious way possible without even editing their color is one of your usual prowess. 
But sometimes a simple modification of the colors can completely modify the perception which one has of a building. I could see this by editing a few buildings from Maxis and removing some cumbersome BATed base textures just by playing with the FSH Alphas.
This is probably why I got hooked on handling FSH for a whole bunch of buildings that wandered in my Plugins folder and begged to be "harmonized" with the rest. 

@ alejogc13 :
This is a Bat made by Korver a few years ago: no photoshoping here (except the overhall desaturation of the pic). Indeed having more cliffs of different sizes and colors would be a great addition. 

[manga rivotra]

Hello Everybodies

A new small update of the MD with this time a small Tile seen from 2 different directions (zoom 5 if you open them in a new tab).
It is a very flat Tile which is located just below the Tile of the previous photo.
In fact, the river that passed through a deep gorge previously calms down here and even splits into 2 before joining the main river in Gransimtenango.
This Tile is in fact originally a small rural village which has experienced 2 major upheavals in the last 200 years.
The village was built on the edge of the western meander of the river (left of the 1st photo) around a tiny chapel and a water mill now disused (WolfZe).
The eastern part was occupied by an important wine estate with a chateau and its outbuildings. However, about 170 years ago, following a fire, the castle was completely destroyed and the city of Gransimtenango starting to expand more and more, it was decided to build a military base instead of the estate; the immediate environment was still quite far from the city center.
The military base was remodeled several times during a century, with a small airstrip and a river port even being present in the last years of its existence. But 70 years ago, we had to face the facts: the land occupied by the military base was now too close to the central districts which were gaining more and more ground on the surrounding countryside. Moreover, in addition to its relative flatness, this land had the definite advantage of being geographically located between 2 new commercial districts whose development had been planned for a long time and also opposite one of the most touristic places of Gransimtenango: namely an island inhabited in the middle of the river, very picturesque (pic 372). The military base was therefore moved further, while a new district, the construction of which was planned for about thirty years, took place on these ruins.
Part of the airstrip became a park around which revolves the main facilities of this new town such as the Town Hall, the modern-inspired church, the main school and a more recent museum (all from Mattb).
Later, with the arrival of even more imposing construction at the end of the last century, the old river port was transformed into a luxurious marina (NBVC) and an aquarium (Reddonquixote) was even opened.
The city therefore accentuated its gentrification, which was already well under way, to become one of the most affluent in the metropolis of Gransimtenango and the modern and sometimes ostantatious constructions compete for luxury in particular around the marina, from where the view of the island and the central districts of Granimtenago is the most beautiful.

***

For those who may not have survived this long introduction, here is a summary. 
This Tile is above all an old old center to the West (left of the 1st photo) with the buildings of the usual designers and a large block of tall buildings, much more recent to the East near the marina and to the north along the main river of Gransimtenango. (Aaron Graham buildings near the park and town hall (Mattb's triangular orange building), KellyDalle2003, Simmer2, on001222 and Mattb near the river, Reddonquixote and Diego del Llano near the marina and aquarium, plus a few ones from Maxis here and there.
The Tile also includes a small lighthouse with a tiny integrated museum to protect the marina (Simmer2), as well as a university built entirely along the southern banks of the eastern meander with buildings from Mattb in particular, as well as an industrial area in limit of Tile to the south.
I hope that this justifies a little more the presence of country lodge within 300 meters of skyscrapers........

433.


434.


I hope you'll like it.

[Girafe]

Amazing work 
Spent quite some time to see all the details you put  a kind of where is Wally game  what did happen to this shark 
I was wondering if you edit my flora, in terms of sizing or coloring?
The more I see this road texture, the more I like it
Keep us looking for this Wally 

[manga rivotra]

@ Girafe :
Thank you very much for the compliment! 
I did not change the colors of your flora, the colors are different because I edit the saturation and the brightness on the whole picture.
However I use 2 sets of your feathers and cattails: the original and one that I duplicated with the Reader and rezised it down to get even more variety in my swamps.
In addition, I have created a few MMPs that use the green version of your wheat and the flowerless versions of your daisies and sparaxis, to feature small bushes and tall grass on certain occasions. So feel free to make more flora, it's always a great pleasure to play with ! 
The only flora whose colors I have changed are those of Xannepan (only the Willow tree is visible here), as well as Cupressus, pinus, broom and ferns of Orange_o_.
Finally, still with the reader, I duplicated Chrisaadams3997's grass, change its color (accentuating blue to better match the Gobias' Ground Texture Mod i use), lower its height and severely rezise down its width, in order to cover the Ground Texture Mod especially on the banks on kind of meadows.

About the shark, alejogc13 may know more, but I believe that the big fish should not stay too close to the aquarium .....

And thank you about the road : it's an endless work, but I haven't given up yet.

[Tyberius06]

Really nice little city tile. I join to Girafe, the details are amazing and the new custom road/ave surface is pretty nice too. I needed to got used to at first, but by now I start liking even more. The marina scene is beautiful. Those elevators (are those models from the NAM pedmalls or what is their source?) I always getting ideas and learning new stuffs after checking a bit deeper your images. Those modern looking custom lot foundations (I think the player with the bunch of numbers - 112xxxx something - in his account name was experimenting with those and released some custom foundations and also a wall set which was using one of those) as embankment walls are really nice touch. Would you mind sharing those (if it's not available anywhere else)? Pretty amazing what you can achive with these stuffs.

Thanks for sharing these nice images! Keep up the good work!

- Tyberius

[Badsim]

Hi,

It's going from bad to worse; I spent more than an hour with these two pictures and now I'm back, worn out, lost, and with so much questions that I even don't know where to start.
Forget the questions, whatever the replies, I'm absolutely sure to never achieve something like this and that's why it's so important ( and so good) to know that someone is able to.

Since SAC's Olympia,16 years ago, I felt in love with a few MDs/CJs ( Corsica, True Earth, Krokanien, Rondnoir - to quote only these ones ... ) but never like this. If I had my way (I mean; whithout looking like being hysterical...   ) , I would give you a K+ per update.

You said that you learned a lot by reading my MD, well in that case, it clearly appears than the teacher is surpassed...


C.

[manga rivotra]

@Tyberius06 :
About elevators and foundations, you're right: the elevator is a PROP derived from the NAM elevator (created very simply via PIM-X) and the foundations and retaining wall come from the pack of 11241036 (https: // community.simtropolis.com/files/file/31346-various-lot-foundations-and-retaining-walls/ ) which I modified the textures. For exemple, the concrete texture which appears to be in relief was created via images found on the Internet.
About of the "embrankment wall", if you talk about the staggered concrete walls that "border" Mattb's FAR parks raised from the wooden decks near the aquarium, this is Neko's PROP found in one of its packs under the name " Teibou ". They are available in straight, diagonal, and corner versions.
On the other hand, the wooden decks are from Vortext (from History Harbor https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/29880-historic-harbor/ ) but were recolored (I wanted dark decks).

@ Badsim :
I really think that I am only a kind of loterpsycho who knew how to use the right tools thanks to the invaluable advice found everywhere on this site and to the fabulous work in particular of the VIP team. If I manage to get a decent result by putting side by side a typical American Midwestern house (for example cp's ones) and a Polish rural building (RaV, Wallibuk, etc), it is above all thanks to the VIP flora.
For me and probably for many of the players who follow Antigone or the Triumphal Way for a while, you are The Undisputed Master. The artists here are numerous (yan077, fasan, korver, Framly; undoubtedly Kelis, 000, OI.S / benoit .... and many others), but only 1 who has constantly exceeded his limits and succeeded in the same time to dramatically advance the game: it's you. 
And believe me each of the hundreds of photos you've posted over the past few weeks proves it again. There is nothing more successful than your freight trains or your TGV in their natural environment made of VIP or your UHD Flora: it is grandiose and of a surgical precision. And, obviously all the rural or urban scenes that you did remains an inexhaustible source of inspiration, even years later

[manga rivotra]

Hello Everybodies

Edit 05/01 >Due to loading times, the largest mosaics are now only accessible via external links, but the others remain visible on the page, in miniaturized mode.

Another whole year has passed without my doing any updating.  So it's time to fix it with these 6 mosaics. 
The most assiduous will recognize some places already presented in recent years, but with however many changes.
These 6 photographs present 3 tiles seen from two different directions each time. Each mosaic is composed of views at zoom 5, visible in real size by opening the picture in a new tab.
The general idea is to partially follow a valley and its river whose source is located on the first 2 photographs, on the edge of an altitude lake.
This part of Gransimtenango has the particularity of being built of imposing mountainous piedmont, very popular with hikers. The tourist refuge "Vandamm house" (Mattb325 of course) is the privileged access to the mountains, accessible by a long and difficult track.
The view from this refuge, the highest in Gransimtenango, is one of the most striking and allows you to appreciate the extent of the valley from its wooded heights to its partly flat and more urban loop.
The photographs from the third onwards allow you to observe the plain formed by the valley, which in good weather can be seen from the refuge.
The small pond located on the last 2 photographs, is in fact located just in line with the loop of the river, only 300 meters from the latter present on the 2 previous photographs.
The plugins used here are the same as usual and the work of road reskins now extends to part of the SAM (W.I.P).

435.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51934616130_e3e818c81f_o.jpg
436.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51934326134_6a06583c91_o.jpg
437.
Downstream from the large waterfall, the river crosses a tile not shown here. However, the river then makes a wide loop on a flat part, so that the districts presented in the 2 following photographs are in fact contiguous to the industrial zone at the bottom left of the first photograph. 3 of the 9 holes of the golf resort are also on this tile, just across the road.

438.

439.
On these last 2 photographs, the industrial zone is contiguous to that present on the 2 preceding ones. Just follow the tracks again to find your way.

440.


I hope you'll like it 

[Ulisse Wolf]

The images are great. Excellent work

[Badsim]

Sorry for the delay, I viewed this update the day it was posted... better late than never!

That's always the same renewed pleasure to stroll through your pictures; the format and the zoom level chosen to show your work is perfect for measuring it in its full extend; it requires long "walks" to spot and study (really the right word) all the details in every nook and cranny ... everything there is admirable and inspiring, and I have a particular crush on your plazas which are the most beautiful and realistic I've seen to date, a fine LotEditing combined with a superb irregular cobblestone texture - also used here and there as sidewalk - (never saw it anywhere else, so I guess this is one of yours? It looks like made of a BaseTexture + Overlays to randomize it?) The work behind the scenes to achieve this is impressive and such tenacity commands admiration. LoterPsycho would be indeed a perfect CML for you, but your skill in building on  slopes with such a natural result and your landscaping taste and skill are also top notch ...     

I hope that  you'll update this CJ more often  this year.

[manga rivotra]

Hello Everybodies

Edit 05/01 > Due to loading times, the largest mosaic is now only accessible via external link, but the others remain visible on the page, in miniaturized mode.

@ ulisse99 and Badsim :
Thanks you both for you very nice words ! 
About the textures @ Badsim :
I most often use 2 cobblestone textures.
The first one is blue-gray and has a circular pattern : it's this one
https://www.toutsimcities.com/downloads/view/1064 by Sauron, rezised.
The second is above all the sidewalk mod i've choose (white-gray color, with shades from one rectangle to the other staggered a bit like parquet). I've downloaded it 16 years ago but now i can't find the link. I'm pretty sure this texture is from SAP, but the only content I find on simtropolis from him (sap23) don't match and I can't find it on Simcitykurier.com.
This texture is also changed so that the pattern is mirrored perpendicularly on some parts. Overlays are indeed used on parks and squares, but also on lots (grow or plop) in order to extend the sidewalk onto the private space. I use FSH alphas from CP's awesome SCILT mod (on LEX) to randomizes it indeed.
I also use a third one in the central square around the mosque on peaks 440 and 441. It's includes purple rectangles of various sizes and more or less dark.
I believe this one is from the NDEX pack :
 https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/11617-ndex-texture-set-volume-1/.

***

I hesitated quite a bit before showing this update and in particular pics 441 to 443 because of the relief, specifically the river, which is not the most realistic. 
Actually, this new update is mosaics of parts of the city already shown years ago via Update 7 Slopy friendly part one (pics 121 to 129), and then subsequently during several updates.
The difference is that the medieval fortified part now has more period buildings thanks to reskins from Xannepan posted a few years ago via a prop pack by Vortext on the LEX.
NAM's SAM 8 is also modified to show a bluish cobblestone texture with circular patterns (already visible in the previous update), taken from a texture found on tousimcities.com a few years ago (resized and modified ). Another gray-yellow cobblestone texture replaces SAM 9 and can be seen especially in the fortified part. It's comes from a texture recently found on the STEX, but greatly modified (https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/33759-cobble-stoned-base-texture/ by 11241036).
Finally, the SAM 2 is replaced by a texture also recently found on the STEX here : https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/31502-base-textures-vol-1-elements-for-sc4/
by SecretMbr_735754, also greatly modified and rezised.
This one appears in some more modern areas, especially on the last pic on the left where houses are predominant.
The GLR is also reskin, but still W.I.P
Custom content is the usual (Mattb-Andis Art- for modern buildings, especially residential, Odd from Swenden- Haarlemmergold- Rav - Wallibuk - JMyers - CP - Mattb and Xannepan (JENX) for older ones).
This city is very hilly and therefore has a medieval fortified part with its castle (Xannepan on LEX), its funicular (from paeng on STEX) and its ramparts (Xannepan on LEX). Gransimtenango is a city built in a volcanic environment, as evidenced by the deep lake which turns out to be an old volcano crater. The Town Hall, which is opposite, is from Mattb. This lake is fed by a source not very far away in the mountains, near a museum acclaimed by the population (Frank Llyod Fallingwater house from Mattb). The river borders the ramparts and delimits a more recent suburb of the city which has become over the centuries the new city center with in particular a superb church facing the lake (Xannepan, on LEX).
The tramway line that runs along the lake allows you to leave the city centre, before crossing the underground railway and highway, to reach the terminus of the line in an old suburb dating from the same period as the city centre. This suburb grew so quickly that it quickly became more populated than the city center to which it is now connected by the industrial zone which replaces former horticultural land of which nothing remains. The highway and the railway were created recently, which explains why they are underground on large parts. Near the tramway loop terminus is the large church (Vnaoned), which like the rest of the suburb, faces a lower lake, which the is visible on pic 444.

441.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51919779501_c1a775a41b_o.jpg

442.

After this overview, here is the opposite view from the fortified castle towards the city center through the crater lake. Every square meter is to make the most of it, and the views of the lake and the fortified district are attracting the interest of property developers.

443.

The population of the city is sufficient to accommodate a few university buildings grouped together on a plateau south of the ramparts (here below the ramparts).
Their recent construction took place in the site of an old demolished residence of which only the age-old trees remain, preserved during the construction.(bats from Jasoncw and Mattb on STEX).
One of the city's train stations and a tramway station allow students to reach the area. The inhabitants have also
mobilized so that the trams bypass the old park of the residence so as not to sacrifice the centenarians trees.

444.

Just west of the suburb where the large church of Vnaoned is located (the bottom of pic 441 is just above the top of this pic),the gentle slope continues towards a large lake at the edge of which a small mostly residential town around a small hill with the ancient water tower and an orthodox church (Barroco Hispano on STEX). Here we are getting closer to the countryside and the first fields are not very far, even if a certain densification is beginning to appear. A train station is nevertheless present.

I modified the textures of the church from Xannepan and of the one from Barroco Hispano, so that they look less renovated, in order to blend more in the pics where most of the buildings are very old.
I actually edit a lot of content to make the textures match.

Hopes you'll like it 

[Ulisse Wolf]

Interesting update. Great pictures. Good job

[manga rivotra]

Hello Everybodies

Some news from Gransimtenango after this long absence.
First, I partially redid picture 430 (still located on the previous MD page) in the Maxis University area, which is now replaced by buildings that fit better with the natural slope of the terrain: creations from Mattb325, Orange and Jasoncw, accompanied by a lot of work with the slope.

About this update, once again, mosaics, always visible in real size when opened in a new tab.

The Tiles presented are not new and some parts were already visible years ago on close-up views pics 73-74, 250 to 259, 269-270 and 361 and 364. But, these 2 mosaics allow here to see the whole of these 2 small tiles which are on my map joined (the first to the left of the second), with updated buildings, in particular the 2 town halls (WannGLondon and its Haunted Mansion transformed for the first city and Mattb325 with its Union Club Clinic transformed for the second city).
As always, the landscape is hilly (but only on the first photo), and these small towns of average size have in common to be very green, without looking like villages, and the buildings set are the same as usual.

445.



446.


Hope you like it.