Hentan, A built is built vanilla rush hour journal
Right this is my new concept on city building and what is going to be my last short and failed journal/diary. While building on Herran, I was thinking about the concept of built is built. It's probably already been done many times but I've never actually seen it on any of the Sim City 4 sites I've visited.
Basically the idea is taken from the concpet of dead is dead in other games. Basically anything I do I have to save. If I accidently bulldoze half my city then I have to save it. If I zone a huge area residential by accident I have to deal with it, no reverting to a earlier save to fix it. If the city suddenly loses tonnes of money then I'll have to fix it rather than trying to rework it from a earlier save.
The journal/diary will be my usual no mods with just Rush Hour and the official updates. I may in the far future add some mods but for now I'm staying vanilla.
I'm also playing each city on hard so will have to make each one profitable to actually work and further the building of city tile .
Also as I like seeing jounral/diaries built from the ground up so that's what I'm doing, working at Rhino speed so I can see stuff building and work on gradual growth updates rather than huge jumps.
As for the whole storyline approach, I will probably add a few in character updates at times but for the most part they'll be OOC as
Right anyway let's begin.
Part 1: Newtarn, a small town in the middle of nowhere
Newtarn is going to be the first town we develop in the Hentan region. I haven't done any terraforming in the region other than this tile. Speaking of which the region itself is a blank canvas, 24 by 24, all large tiles. This one is one in from the east edge of the region.
As for what I want the region to be like (a small coastline, a inland region or a island for example), this will be decided as we expand, we are literallly starting from the ground up in all ways.
Anyway Newtarn is the first town to be developed, our intrepid sims srtting up shop alongside a winding river with several rolling hills on either side, just upriver from a fork (and in all probability, the mouth).
Here's the initial overview of the area.
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Choosing the spur in the river by the west side of the tile to found their fledgling community I go ahead and zone areas for the sims to move into. To avoid boring squares, I've let the zones look haphazard and all over the place. The ferry terminal there is also a bit pointless but I like having an area or feature that looks like it might link my little communities to the outside world (or Smearth in this case, as I like to call the world where my journals take place) and the small ferry terminal looked right for the part.
Initial zoning to get he ball rolling
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I'm also taking the approach of just zoning what the sims demand without any particular areas for them. The only one that is separated from the rest is the farmland, mainly due to the fact that having huge farms in the centre of town (initially anyway, once we grow it'll be different) would look a bit silly. Anyway as you can see, growth continued with this mish mash zoning, slowly as more people moved into the small town.
More growth
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As we expanded eastwards we suddenly got a large spike in demand for industrial dirty so this small industrial estate was set up next to this farm.
Industrial growth backing onto farmland.
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This in turn led to a spike in residential and me setting up some small housing areas on the otherside of the town, though thinking about it, why I did this on the otherside of the town at the time I've no idea. As you can see community allotments and parks aren't neglected in Newtarn, just fire services, health, public safety and education.
Houses for everyone.
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That's all I've got for now though, with just this overview of where were currently at to finish up. As you can see the town is developing into a pretty linear settlement and is slowly being surrounded by the highly demanded farmland. For now we can continue to develop without effecting the farmland but I'm not sure this will last.
Overview
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That's all for another update though, so for now I'll leave it here. Hope all this typing hasn't put you off completely and I promise to stick with this one.
Till next time
James
Part 2: Expanding Newtarn
Well today we'll continue to develop Newtarn a little bit. We left off last time with the town expanding along the coast with the farmland continuing to grow inland. Today we'll continue to look at the growth of the small town starting with power issues.
As we've continued to expand so too has the need for power. Up until now we've been powered by random wind turbines on the farms surrounding the town.
Wind turbines on the farmland.
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While this works, we had the income to get a actual large scale power plant. Not wanting to pollute the town though I decided to make a central wind farm, rather than spreading them out. It doesn't make any difference too if they were spread out but I like it. This I placed in the centre of the farmland a little way outside of the town. Six will do for now.
Wind farm on the outside of town.
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As you can probably guess the wind farm is more than substantial for the town at the moment but it doesn't matter as the income is more than enough to cover it. Below I've included a shot of the town accounts and budgets which shows that we are definitely in the black and can easily afford the wind farm.
Town accounts (taken after the wind farms construction)
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Now that we'd dealt with the whole power issue it was time to actually expand the town a bit. Not wanting to build over any of the existing farmland as we expanded but also trying to balance the need for farmland as we expanded, we ended up with a shallow horseshoe shaped town as we expanded along the coast.
Below are some photos as the town grew outwards along the coast and the farmland inland towards the steep hills far behind. While building the farms I also wanted to try and avoid completely deforesting the area. As you'll see we've worked around several large woods as well as leaving several copses in-between farms. Has no affect on the actually improving the city, I just like the look of working around woods. Anyway here are the pictures.
Firstly the right hand side of the town stopping just short of the edge of the map.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud2developmentontherightsideoftown.jpg&hash=723b0ba297d7e7e96f69d2f5334e11dd8bbf22e3) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud2developmentontherightsideoftown.jpg.html)
As you can see a combination of edging onto the farmland, the map edge and the wood behind it has effectively halted expansion on this side of town for now.
On the other side of the town however expansion can continue and has done around the farmland as residential demand outweighed agricultural demand for a bit.
growing around farmland.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud2expandingaroundfarmland.jpg&hash=4fa4f80b63270a99c49ca1469163fb9d44bedbad) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud2expandingaroundfarmland.jpg.html)
Finally this random image of the farms growing between two of the woods that I didn't want to build over.
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This is where we've got too now. As you'll see from the overview I'm about to show you the town has nearly ran out of room to grow in without overtaking farmland. There are several options as to what we could do next but I'll leave you to think of before the next update.
overview
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Till then
James
Part 3: Newtarn village growth
I've got a fairly large update for you all today detailing the further growth of the town and area around it and the first issues that have sprung up detailing them as they happened starting with the continued growth.
With the right side of the town stunted due to the woods and the map edge, this growth continued to happen along the left hand side of the town, with both residential and farmland being the most asked for zones. This however couldn't last forever and as you can see by the below image, it was eventually shut off by a forest and the ever wanted farmland. For the time being this now acts as the boundary of the town, with expansion now halted inwards and along the coast.
Final developments on the left side of town.
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However during this the need for industrial expansion had arisen so we'd have to come up with a solution to that soon. For now though we had bigger problems in the form of trash.
Without any way of disposing of the trash it'd slowly been building up outside the sims homes and businesses and they weren't very happy. The solution for this was to zone a dump, inland from the town on the other side of where the farmland had reached. As we also had more than enough income and recycling centre was also installed so that the small dump woudln't become overwhelmed. Below are some images of the cause of this new dump and also where it is in relation to the town itself (very north if you can't find it)
Rubbish piling up on the streets.
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The position in regards to the town. There will be a band of trees between it and any farmland eventually.
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With that solved and the sims happy again we could get back to discussing industry. Or so we thought. Fate had other ideas though as we got our first fire that couldn't be handled by locals with buckets. A hastily converted van for a Fire Engine and a bunch of volunteers and we managed to stop the fire from destroying any houses. The same can't be said for the industry that used to be here but at least we now have a fire service.
The aftermath of the blaze
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Right now we can definitely get back to expansion. Having decided that we had several choices of expansion the easiest and least costly for now would be to expand behind the growing band of farmland. The first of the small villages to spring up was Horton. Situated just beside the same wood that limited the growth of the left side of the town, the small village which started off as a industrial site and a few houses has quickly expanded to the size of a very small town. Below are some images of the intial site and expansion.
Initial site
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Growth of every type.
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Where we are today. As you can see the whole boundary usually left between the farmland and the residential areas has been a bit lax here with residential areas backing right up on farmland. As you can see expansion has been halted a bit due to surrounding farmland.
Growth restricted by farmland.
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Other than Horton we did also have another small village spring up inbetween the two woods shown at the end of the last update. This tiny village of Lipton hasn't really had any growth and has stayed the same size since its initial development.
Lipton village.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud3Liptonvillage.jpg&hash=41d3d370572b65376ecc66d22bddc50b5f4cc17d) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud3Liptonvillage.jpg.html)
Anyway that's all for now. Next time I think we may be exploring the whole expansion across the river idea but until then, I hope you enjoy the growing town and surrounding area and as always, heres the overview of the current state of the town.
Overview
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Till then
James
Very Nice little town you have there , I look forward to more.
Replies
Nexis4Jersey: Thanks and I hope you continue to enjoy the updates.
Part 4: Cross River Growth
Well toady we'll take a further look at the expanding tile of Newtarn and how its coming along. Starting off we'll look at one of the several new settlements that have sprung up since last update. Now if you look at the overview from the last update you might be able to see that on the far left side where expansion was halted, there appears to be a small clearing just along the coast. This was sited as a area to build a small riverside village deemed Shoreside.
If not this should make things clearer:
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As you can see form the below image this small village was a immediate success with new people moving in and setting up home. Interestingly enough, due to the fact that its in the middle of a wood and has no zone connections, its the first settlement to be fed by overhead powerlines. Not the best looking things but they'll have to do for now.
Shoreside village.
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The next big settlement to spring up was Ferrin. Built on the otherside of the river, this small town is probably set to become bigger than Newtarn town itself. As to why we built it on the otherside of the river, it was down to wanting to keep the population rather central around Newtarn so expanding further down the same coastline as Newtarn might produce traffic problems on the long roads (or streets rather as we still don't have a sibngle road on the tile), plus I wanted to expand over the river. Built as a self sustainable community this small town has its own windfarm and industry and is connected to the rest of the tile by a passenger ferry (not that anyone uses it though).
Initial look at Ferrin.
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As you would probably assume this small town then boomed and industry was greatly in demand as the small settlement expanded. This facilitated the building of this industrial estate along the road towards the Wind Farm. At the moment this is the highest concentration of industry on the tile.
Ferrin industrial estate.
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Meanwhile on the otherside of the river back in Newtarn we'd continued to expand the farms and had received several awards.
The first was this church and graveyard, both located rather centrally to the town, with the graveyard in a wood. As you can see I've also replanted the tree rows between the town and the farms. They won't have any impact on the actual game, but, given that there's a lot of tile (and region if need be) to still develop befpore Newtarn has to grow, it'll help to improve the look of Newtarn until that time.
Church and graveyard
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud4Churchesandgraves.jpg&hash=9167ede9b6d1388dadc6abab93ff480f01383d08) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud4Churchesandgraves.jpg.html)
The other was this farmers market which, built on the edge of the town provides a nice little piece of commerce for the large community of farms on the tile.
Farmers market
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud4Farmersmarketandtreereplantingprogram.jpg&hash=9058c5589eef30e639e01dd05c042e19af0a8168) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud4Farmersmarketandtreereplantingprogram.jpg.html)
We then finish this update with expanding the farmland around the steep hill behind Newtarn in the corner of the map. We did have a problem though with the farms not developing, due, I think, to the fact that they were to far away from any area of residential workers. A image below shows the area and problem.
No growth of farmland.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud4Lotsofdemandbutnobuilding.jpg&hash=09ed3cd9e756c6a65e2004d7082b188d9b8c6080) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud4Lotsofdemandbutnobuilding.jpg.html)
To solve this we zoned for the small agricultural village of Fielding. This small settlement would have no factories or industrial zoning of any sort , to hopefully push the surrounding farmland to develop. The results were very positive with the farmland expanding around the village. It's not completely developed but it's a lot better than it was. Also I've added some trees around the edge of the map here as well.
Village of Fielding
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud4Fieldingvillagehelpstheproblemofnongrowingfarms.jpg&hash=8e2bec7a0202b2f8167592bed351037dcc395c82) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud4Fieldingvillagehelpstheproblemofnongrowingfarms.jpg.html)
Finally as usual I've got a overview. This on is a bit different from the usual ones as it has the settlements labeled onto it so you can see where everywhere I've talked about is. The colours are an attempt at a code of sort, the red being a small town, the green villages and then the large town of Newtarn in white.
Overview
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As for next time, I plan on expanding the farmland, Ferrin and maybe seeing if the budget could facilitate some services for the citizens of Newtarn.
Hope you enjoyed the update.
James
Part 5: Investing in the future
Well as I stated at the end of the last update our budget looked very healthy so it was probably time to give our sims some services. To have a full picture of everything though I'll show you my budget as it stood at the end of the last update and then the budget again at the end with the services installed.
Budget before services.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud5MonthlyBudget.jpg&hash=74d06154aef424ce0751fb4fbc66b16c3d44e3de) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud5MonthlyBudget.jpg.html)
As you can see, with the monthly budget being around 3k profit, we easily have enough income to provide our sims with services. We start however by expanding Ferrin. We have a large amount of demand for all zones and if were going to give the sims services we may as well make sure their zone of influence is completely full. As such here is the large scale expansion and zoning for Ferrin almost doubling it in size in preparation.
Ferrin large scale expansion.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud5LargescaleFerrinExpansion.jpg&hash=fc6a2047e567424d9c0ee70546ce9d21714cdbf6) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud5LargescaleFerrinExpansion.jpg.html)
With that expanding I continued working on the farms on the otherside of the river trying to finish filling out all the open space with them. This large amount of farm growth led to another new village springing up along with a state fair award. This new village of Tinby is pretty far from Newtarn but it has the State Fair next to it so is still a popular place to live.
As you can also see it has its own wind farm seeing as the other one didn't have any room to expand and more power was needed.
The village of Tinby and the as yet un-named State Fair.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud5Tinbyvillahgeandstatefair.jpg&hash=08d06e861c8f38dd13840e3f56216e17fc2fee80) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud5Tinbyvillahgeandstatefair.jpg.html)
Now with Ferrin bulked out it was time to add some services in. Starting in Newtarn I added a Elementary school, a clinic and a Police station. Unfortunately due to the shape of the settlement these centrally placed services didn't cover a whole lot fo the town but oh well, such is the failing of poor town planning.
Civic services in Newtarn.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud5NewtarnSchoolandClinic.jpg&hash=a18285259e413fc3ff3793f2329b2a2411038fc5) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud5NewtarnSchoolandClinic.jpg.html)
Meanwhile in Ferrin its a different story. Due to how the town was more nucleated it was easier to have the civics serve most of the town. As such it was decided that the areas High School would be built here as well as a town Elementary school, Clinic and Police station. It does feel kind of weird that the High School isn't in the town that is meant to be the captial of the tile but hey, this way is much more functional.
Ferrin High School and sport fields here in the centre of Ferrin.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud5FerrinEducationcentre.jpg&hash=f937b9148fe5b4ee3dca3656a93a65ddabe60413) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud5FerrinEducationcentre.jpg.html)
After this Ferrin went through another state of growth leaving it looking like this. I've also added another dump south of Ferrin to service this side of the river.
Ferrin as it currently stands.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud5Ferrinasitstandsattheendoftheupdate.jpg&hash=2859c7c63842590dd905602abb3751782e191518) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud5Ferrinasitstandsattheendoftheupdate.jpg.html)
This is all I'm going to add services wise at the moment. I know a lot of the tile isn't covered but if I added a school and clinic to every village it'd eat into my budget to much. I'm thinking of dotting a few libraries around though so we'll have to see. Speaking of budget though, here's how we stand at the end of adding all the services. The incomes dropped by a lot but its still making money so that's good.
Current budget.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud5endofupdatebudget.jpg&hash=9ad0420d3117bc99f067c1f080b8728f156c8969) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud5endofupdatebudget.jpg.html)
As for next update, it'll probably revolve around fixing some growing traffic issues that my sims seem to be having. Looks like 14,000 sims is finally too much for no roads in the tile. Till then though here's a overview showing everything but Fielding. You can also see the new village Tinby and the State fair up in the north east of the map.
Overview
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud5randomoverviewwithFieldingmissing.jpg&hash=ddab5703a8342d5c1222086d78d5e136f023a07c) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud5randomoverviewwithFieldingmissing.jpg.html)
Till next time.
James
I like it, keep it going :)
Replies:
gn_leugim: Thanks and don't worry I don't plan on stopping any time soon, I'm really enjoying myself with this.
Part 6: Not doing what I said I would
Well as the title says I kind off didn't even look at traffic today. Instead I decided that I should try and finish of adding farmland to the Newtarn side of the river. This came in the form of a bunch more farms and another small village, this time Ancombe rounding off the area. Now all that's left over here is to add in a whole bucket load of trees (may start creating tree lines to split up the farms as I do plan on moving to another tile when I've filled this one and sorted out some traffic issues and tree lines will definitely improve the look of the farmland. Not sure if its very useful in a natural growth game but screw it lets do it anyway) and then this sides done.
Here's a image of Ancombe and the State Fair so you can get your bearings.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud6Ancombevillage.jpg&hash=1bad0d286cba27951763fd5e5a0a862cd906ce4b) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud6Ancombevillage.jpg.html)
With this area all laid out it was time to move across the river, however not before I had to add this little guy to Tinby. Apparently the farms over here are too far away from Newtarn for the fire engines to reach them in time to stop the fires, (as one unlucky farmer discovered) so adding this fire station to TInby seemed like a good idea.
Fire station in Tinby.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud6newfirestationinTinby.jpg&hash=14b7423f2a194e57ad6e05404d23a2869ac34fea) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud6newfirestationinTinby.jpg.html)
Anyway with that done this side of the map was complete for now accept the trees (what I don't understand is why are the mayor mode trees all different to the god mode ones?) so I jumped over to the other side and begun expanding industry over there. Below is the general idea of what I had going. As Ferrin had grown to a larger size than Newtarn it needed more power so I decided to add a new power plant in the form of a Natural Gas power plant. Below is the plan for the industrial expansion for Ferrin.
Industrial expansion plan.
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As you can see this will add the first dedicated singular zoning area to the map (not including the farmland covering it already). I thought that an industrial site close to the dump would be a good way to fill in the space and would look nice so hey lets get on with it. Several months later and Ferrin town council has beavered away to created this for its citizens. I'm not sure the power plant looks brilliant there but hey it works for now. As you can see I've also tried to beautify the area a little bit along the way. I also like the fact that there's a high proportion of manufacturing there so hopefully that will help combat some of the joblessness for the medium wealth citizens.
Ferrin Industrial Estate.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud6industrialestateandpowerplantforthetile.jpg&hash=3ff7cafc4ed3bb31b45fd43aff742fe371bae191) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud6industrialestateandpowerplantforthetile.jpg.html)
This left the Wind Farm that did power the town obsolete so the town council quickly dismantled them and replaced it with housing to fill the jobs created by the business park.
Housing replacing the Wind Farm.
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With that done I discovered how leaving the game running in the background while watching videos on youtube is a stupid idea as when I returned, this was what greeted me. Devastation in Ferrin's southern industrial district (the one in the actual town next to the old Wind Farm). Fires are evil.
Industrial carnage!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud6Dontleavethesimrunningandwatchyoutube.jpg&hash=072fc979e8f1116fa67babe39a2b593b8f22d763) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud6Dontleavethesimrunningandwatchyoutube.jpg.html)
On the plus side though, once I'd bulldozed the rubble nicer buildings built up there so it was all good in the end.
After that I expanded the farms around Ferrin. Now there wont be as many farms as there was on Newtarn's side of the river as I want to preserve a large part of the trees, now known as Ferrin Forest. As such I'm thinking that this area will probably only have a couple of small settlements to help fill the jobs on the farms. As you can see I've filled in the area to the right of the dump complete with a small village to service it. Welcome to Kanton (yes at this rate I'll run out of names before we've left the first tile but oh well), a tiny little village surrounded by trees and farms.
Kanton village
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud6Kantonvillage.jpg&hash=7eea3ba782236fa399a66fd5fe88ec3027aa45d4) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud6Kantonvillage.jpg.html)
Right that's where were at with the whole filling out thing. As you can see from the overview I'll show in below I'm starting on the rest of the farmland so hopefully next time we can get that finished and then we can either add some tree rows around the farms or actually get on with fixing traffic issues.
Overview
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud6overview.jpg&hash=9bbfde1a1cc891b76fb0fafed283b8c80ba541d2) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud6overview.jpg.html)
Till then
James
Wow. I haven't played vanilla in so long I'd forgotten what it looks like. You make it look good! I'm really liking this journal, your region has a very organic feel and look and I really appreciate the look of the agricultural zones. Can't wait to see more.
good you are enjoying it on your own, that's the most important thing above all.
I guess you won't be viewing more youtube while the game runs in the back $%Grinno$%
Replies:
Wodong: Thanks and I'm glad the organic look is coming through that's what I wanted to achieve. I've not planned everything, just grown it as the sims demanded in most parts and its great fun watching it expand. Vanilla is also fun as it stops over complication which I'm pretty sure I'd suffer from if I downloaded a load of mods, plus I hope it shows that deep down, the game can look nice and not too broken.
gn_leugim: Yep, if I wasn't enjoying it then it would soon run out of steam and fall by the wayside which I don't want to happen and no, viewing you-tube videos for periods while leaving the game running is definitely stupid when you can't reload a earlier save. Poor sims.
Part 7: More housing for the people.
A smaller update today based on expansion to the suburbs around Ferrin. Although Ferrin Forest is penning the large town in, there are still areas around Ferrin that are clear enough to only warrant the removal of a few trees and therefore, the council happily give the go ahead on them. Below is the biggest of these, around the size of Shoreside (maybe a bit larger) and we have a couple of images of the zoning and construction process below.
Firstly the council agreed on the piece of land. A nicely sized lightly vegetated area between the bottom of the town and the industrial estate.
Planned area for expansion.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud7plannedexpansionforFerrin.jpg&hash=16fcace7a371c6177cddb6f05bbdbf639ad5093b) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud7plannedexpansionforFerrin.jpg.html)
With the plan given the go ahead the builders began clearing the area and paving streets for the new houses. We also put in a link to the nearby industrial estate for sims working there, instead of them having to drive right the way around. Also you can see a rather poorly planned Baseball field there. High nets were later installed around the edge to prevent car windows being smashed by balls hit out of the field.
Areas zoned, ready for sims to move in.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud7theareazonedandreadytobebuilton.jpg&hash=b737b8008fa8bfbf3875f2b044048bea7277cde1) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud7theareazonedandreadytobebuilton.jpg.html)
Finally for this little time lapse, construction has begun on the expansion.
Construction begins on zoned areas
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Other than that more zoning was given the go ahead on the other side of the town below Shoreside. Not as large as the bottom one but still a nice new place to settle in.
Construction in North-West Ferrin
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Finally for this small development update, the new Baseball field in Ferrin sparked a petition to have one built in Newtarn as well. It was successfully acted upon and soon we had the first two rival teams in the area regularly battling it out on the field most weekends. Currently the Ferrin Ferrets have the higher percentage of wins but the Newtarn Nightingales aren't that far behind.
Newtarn Baseball Field, an altogether better planned field.
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Other than this farms have spread throughout most of the Ferrin side of the river so next time we'll probably take a look at that.
Till then
James
nice update, I like how you try to preserve the nature :)
Replies:
gn_leugim: Thanks and yes, preserving the nature gives the story more flavour and helps to shape the cities more realistically in my opinion. I'm glad your also enjoying the updates. I do hope you continue to as we progress.
Part 8: The tile is full!
yes as the title says we've finally managed to fill int he entire area around Newtarn. Growth really has taken off from that small riverside development that was the beginnings of Newtarn. Now there a total of 13 different areas of population on the tile (yes I'm going to run out of place names by the time I've started the second tile) and Newtarn has been overtaken by Ferrin as the largest continuous areas of population. Anyway I've got some more pictures for you regarding developments in the area (yes I'm still avoiding the traffic issues but I promise that's what the next update will be about).
Recently we've had our first big issue raised by our farming community in regards to land ownership. Basically a bunch of farmers were straying into land that others claimed was theirs due to the lack of actual farm boundaries across the area. As a solution to this, Newtarn Council of rural planning decreed that every farm would have its boundaries clearly marked out by way of a treeline around the fields. The farmers complained a bit about the cost of planting a row of trees, but it was better than the constant bickering and local court cases so they carried out the new mandate and soon tree rows lined the areas rural landscape. As a bonus they also ate into some of the pollution caused by the pockets of industry (and Ferrin Industrial Estate) so it was a smart move on the councils behalf.
A picture to show the treeline's now surrounding the farmland, taken from outside Newtarn.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud8Treerowsduetoborderdisputes.jpg&hash=e16b0c4d9ca4b7dbd5e9e28df36eb12bf151880c) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud8Treerowsduetoborderdisputes.jpg.html)
As for the existing settlements, planners have paid the large prices to buy up small pockets of sparsely vegetated areas on the edge of a couple of settlements, what with the land price, whilst still high due to deforestation laws, being a lot cheaper than the heavily vegetated areas further inwards. We'll have to see though if these small scale, yet expensive expansions catch on throughout the area.
These small scale expansions have taken place in Shoreside, Tinby and Ancombe as shown below.
Firstly Shoreside has expanded a bit to the east, towards the edge of Newtarn.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud8MoreShoresideexpansion.jpg&hash=6735fb40ee5dc2a1c5c82c2b462ccd5c7cf347e6) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud8MoreShoresideexpansion.jpg.html)
In Tinby the expansion is southwards towards Shoreside. What with the fire station and continued expansion, Tinby is quickly growing.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud8Tinbycontinuestoexpandsomehowdespitedeforestationlaws.jpg&hash=f43b1019e295f698eb0094157b2fdbe8daa1f888) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud8Tinbycontinuestoexpandsomehowdespitedeforestationlaws.jpg.html)
Finally Ancombe has also expanded into the small woods behind the village. Due to it not being part of the forests around Newtarn town, the development costs were a bit lower here. Also you can see the developers forked out for the cost of planting trees in the area to the left of the village.
Ancombe expansion
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud8MorehousingandsomeforrestryworkaroundAncombevillage.jpg&hash=01e3d89a91e5ebda431127b13d80a395fcd92415) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud8MorehousingandsomeforrestryworkaroundAncombevillage.jpg.html)
As for the filling out of the area, several new settlements sprang up, some of which I've got some photos of. The biggest of the three settlements to develop around Ferrin was Stencombe. Sitting on the North East edge of the map, the small town has both a fire station and the areas first dedicated library. It also has a small industrial estate on the outskirts of the town where they process the farm produce that comes in from the nearby farms, especially Joe's big old place opposite the site.
Another rather strange development was the truck stop on the outside of town. Despite the fact that as of yet this is the first area explored of the unknown region someone has planned ahead and got a truck stop in outside the town. Hopefully his gamble will pay off in the long run.
Stencombe complete with industrial estate (right side of town) and the truck stop (left side of town)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud8Stencombetownwithitssmallindustrialestateontheoutskirts.jpg&hash=98612c4f75ee3ecc76fbace03e3b194dc2635cf0) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud8Stencombetownwithitssmallindustrialestateontheoutskirts.jpg.html)
Of the other three settlements, Hetton, Geron and Upton, I've only managed to get a image of Geron but the other two are much the same anyway. Just small pockets of housing amongst the vast sea of trees and farms. Of note though is that it perfectly shows the newest trend in Newtarn of building cul-de-sacs instead of straight streets.
Geron village.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud8Geronvillage.jpg&hash=5e84db97dd53788faf3cffaa1d9d600b5682a720) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud8Geronvillage.jpg.html)
Finally for now here's the updated overview of the entire tile, also showing all the settlements names. As with last time. White is a large town, red a small town, green and village and blue a large industrial estate.
Tile overview
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi763.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx277%2FJamesG_1989%2FSim%2520City%25204%2FCity%2520Journals%2FHentan%2FNewtarn%2FUpdates%25201-10%2Fud8NewtarnTileoverviewupdate8.jpg&hash=e4079bb4129e8545dc71db3c66879d508aeea878) (http://s763.photobucket.com/user/JamesG_1989/media/Sim%20City%204/City%20Journals/Hentan/Newtarn/Updates%201-10/ud8NewtarnTileoverviewupdate8.jpg.html)
That's all for now. Next time we'll definitely be taking a look at the traffic issues in the area. With everything filled in and no roads in the entire tile, traffic is definitely becoming a issue.
Till then
James
Hey, that's a pretty nice MD! :thumbsup: What's next for this Mayor Diary??? &idea
Replies:
SimCity V6: Thanks. Read on below to find out whats next.
Part 9: Density Experiment
Well once again I may have got a bit carried away with other things than the traffic problems. Mainly due tot he fact that there weren't that many in all honesty (just a few intersections and a road in Tinby). Instead I decided to try and see what building upwards would bring rather than outwards. Here follows the accounts of the first medium density buildings in the area.
With growing pressure to provide more homes for the residents of Feriin but with no where to zone new land due to deforestation laws it was decided that they would try going upwards. This would require controlled water access to carry out so the first job was to build this water tower on the edge of the town.
Water tower just inside Ferrin Forest on the edge of town.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg521.imageshack.us%2Fimg521%2F6032%2Fud9watertoweroutsidefer.jpg&hash=273f871855e9a5413e803e75699a9f4fcc3df130)
Next step was to decide where to allow the buildings to be built. Deciding on the centre of Ferrin a small swathe of buildings were demolished and the building contractors moved in with their plans and got to work. (NOTE: In hindsight this was a very unrealistic way of doing it. I should have just over zoned the exsisting buildings rather than demolished them. Will have to keep it in mind for the future),
Heres the area that was demolished and re-zoned.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg405.imageshack.us%2Fimg405%2F6382%2Fud9areazonedfordevelopm.jpg&hash=5a0971ceaaf7d88fda121dc95157d5aeb5f5c025) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/405/ud9areazonedfordevelopm.jpg/)
New buildings started taking shape in the area that had been allowed. Most of these were still rather small but a few small high rises sprang up, mostly for the higher wealth residents.
High wealth housing
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg96.imageshack.us%2Fimg96%2F2314%2Fud9mediumhighrisessprin.jpg&hash=d9b597f345992a4a6629413780580fc02aa87535) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/96/ud9mediumhighrisessprin.jpg/)
Unfortunately, this didn't go as well as we'd hope and soon the buildings became abandoned due to commute times and the lack of high wealth jobs in the area.
Abandonment due to no jobs.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg607.imageshack.us%2Fimg607%2F5783%2Fud9devauationfromcommut.jpg&hash=39fc8b92258560d2bcb850934fe768f23907c1bc) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/607/ud9devauationfromcommut.jpg/)
To try and counter this the unsuccessful buildings were torn down and the area was re-zoned for commercial and residential in the hope that commercial shops could provide jobs for the sims moving in. This is what the area now looks like. There's still a small high rise there but its smaller than the last few that came in and the added commercial means that this area is now alive with life. The small high rise is also being used for the Ferrrin council officers.
Current look at the area.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg818.imageshack.us%2Fimg818%2F6678%2Fud9endofupdatelook.jpg&hash=8ed5c0863d193d5d035403faa6c040fdf1425a31) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/818/ud9endofupdatelook.jpg/)
In other news we decided that upgrading the ferry would be a good idea to try and create more of a link between Ferrin and Newtarn. These new ferries can take cars as well as passengers and definitely seem to have helped the situation with usage going up by a lot.
A look at the Ferrin Ferry Terminal.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg248.imageshack.us%2Fimg248%2F1060%2Fud9newcarferry.jpg&hash=ab62317b1b8da92bc0cf648146677a242d6023b6) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/248/ud9newcarferry.jpg/)
As for the entire experiment, its been decided that the trouble we had with it and the cost (we had to replace the water tower with a water pump in the end) has limited its usefulness for the minute and that people would rather expand outwards. Not to mention that the power plant for Ferrin is becoming a bit strained, limiting growth while we decided how to alleviate the problem and the stress on the farms to produce enough food. With this in mind join us next time join us as we move further up the river into brand new lands for us to explore.
Till then
James
Not what I expected, but still GREAT! &apls Hope you get to upgrading roads and showing us your traffic stats next. &hlp
And also, what time period is Hentan set in???
Replies:[/u]
SimCity V6: Thanks. This one will definitely not be what you expected but I hope you still enjoy it. As for Hentan we might not be seeing it for a little while, as I'm trying to think of a natural way to progress it. Got something new and much more manageable for you though.
Principality of Tintaco
Well this is completely different to what I'd said would happen but hey that's me. Basically Hentan is huge (well ok it's only 6x6 large tiles but that's pretty big for me) and I started in stupid place so while I try an figure out how to progress it in a sensible and realistic manner I've made this small region (6x8 medium tiles) to play around on.
This will be the Principality Of Tintaco. It will also be a natural growth journal but will be more story focused than the Hentan region which had a lot of out of character posting. As usual it'll be no mods or downloads, just Sim City 4 and the Rush Hour expansion.
Anyway lets get on with things.
Entry 1: Founding Tintaco
His Royal Highness Prince Henrik Kerin
Situated on a tiny sliver of land south of the much larger region of Hentan, the Principality Of Tintaco is the land that Prince Henrick Kerin has recently laid claim to after exploration in the name of his father, the great Gregory Kerin brought him here.
His father, always a kind and fair man, allowed the young prince to claim the small piece of land for himself to rule over as he saw fit. So came about the Principality Of Tintaco (Tintaco being his late mothers maiden name and the former royal name of the lands ruled now by his father).
The Topography of Tintaco
A small sliver of land, Tintaco is a area high in water and therefore, fertile and well suited to support human settlers. The coastline is pock marked with inlets and natural harbours which also help in the suitability for settlement.
Other than that there's a small but steep mountain range in the rear of the area and several rives run through to spill out into the ocean at a single point. All in all a rather promising place to settle. Below is a satellite image of the area as well as the area best suited to found the city at.
The region of Tantico
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/ud1endof.jpg/
The founding of Tantico CIty
Decided on due to the natural harbour for getting goods in and out of the region, as well as the plentiful wood along the shores, Tantico City Harbour quickly took off as it strives to become self sufficient in the growing world of Smearth.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg594.imageshack.us%2Fimg594%2F254%2Fud1tanticoharbourfirstl.jpg&hash=53fc513d6a55a4e67a21a1d6aa31438772fa2b68) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/594/ud1tanticoharbourfirstl.jpg/)
The initial settlement was just a small dock and a couple of houses but soon more and more people flocked to the area, looking for new opportunities as the small fishing village became a small town. Below are soon pictures taken as the settlement grew in size, along with some annotations about the growth.
Initially just this tiny fishing village powered by the wind, the tiny community was set to grow massively in the following few years.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg19.imageshack.us%2Fimg19%2F9523%2Fud1tanticoharbourinitia.jpg&hash=f3899bf7f01366684d56560a6deda36825be61a6) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/ud1tanticoharbourinitia.jpg/)
Several years in and you can see that dedicated farms have sprung up around the now large village to help support it. Meanwhile many of the population work in the large factories that provide the region with most of its trade and income.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg811.imageshack.us%2Fimg811%2F44%2Fud1tanticoharboursevera.jpg&hash=9e1e74623f94138d0277ba32beae1330e85218c8) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/811/ud1tanticoharboursevera.jpg/)
After about 7 years you can see that the agriculture has grown immensely in the area. Along with the goods not consumed by the growing population, logging in the fertile woods around the coast provide the town with increasing amounts of income.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg560.imageshack.us%2Fimg560%2F6725%2Fud1tanticoharbourthridl.jpg&hash=873344832e608a593b67435a82527089a300e1df) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/560/ud1tanticoharbourthridl.jpg/)
Where we currently are with the town celebrating its 10th birthday. As you can see the income has shifted heavily towards factories with a large industrial presence on the spur sticking out into the harbour. Not the nicest places but they provide income and jobs.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg42.imageshack.us%2Fimg42%2F3831%2Fud1tanticoharbouryear10.jpg&hash=a696f11619c3e731160fdc249e001679e3051cf6) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42/ud1tanticoharbouryear10.jpg/)
Finally the region update for the tenth year of habitation in Tantico. As of yet the population of around 3.5k have yet to leave the small town of Tantico despite the large swathes of land available to them.
[IMG=http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8909/ud1endof.jpg][/IMG] (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/ud1endof.jpg/)
That's all for now in this breif history and look back at Tantico. Join me next time when we'll take a more detailed look at the settlement and its growth.
Till then
Jay Goodrick
NOTE: Sorry about the links. I wanted to retain the large image sizes but not induce the scroll bar of doom.
Entry 2: Tantico Harbour growth
Well this entry follows the continued growth of the harbour and its surrounding areas with a detailed look at the harbour itself. Starting off with this photo below showing some new developments for the harbour in the form of several Lanterns.
Tantico Harbour Lanterns
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg585.imageshack.us%2Fimg585%2F4830%2Fud2tanticoharbourlanter.jpg&hash=60a6f16cf016b6409f53386866b1dc6847ad5d34) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/585/ud2tanticoharbourlanter.jpg/)
Built to help the increased shipping traffic using Tantico Harbour navigate the natural harbour, these three Lanterns are smaller versions of full blown lighthouses usually providing light over a fixed area of the channel (rather than continually turning like lighthouses). Sticking to these lighted areas means that ships can be guided in safely and quickly and has helped increase Tantico's wealth through exports and imports.
As you can see from the above image whilst two of these lanterns share the same immediate body of land around Tantico Harbour (if we travel far enough there all connected by land just not immediately), the third is situated on a spur that recently became a much sought after place to live (initially colonized due to the lantern). This new village quickly drew the attention of Prince Henrik, with its secluded and quiet atmosphere and soon he had a permanent large residence built there. This attracted a large amount of people, all wanting to live near the Prince and as the picture below shows, despite the ferry being there, led to unemployment as people struggled to get jobs.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg21.imageshack.us%2Fimg21%2F7255%2Fud2henrikpointunemploym.jpg&hash=3a4132ad4752f0e5bac78df71248e87279685d70) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/21/ud2henrikpointunemploym.jpg/)
Seeing this issue as a big downside to living in what has now been named Henrik Point, the Prince orders the planning council to construct some industrial jobs in the growing village. Naturally the citizens of henrik Point opposed this but it had to be done and, to prove that he wasn't above anyone else the Prince had these small factories built along the coast opposite his estate.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg571.imageshack.us%2Fimg571%2F5377%2Fud2henrikhouseandsomewa.jpg&hash=eaf3b06d98a3b0f42b67d0d55f518a15e76c66d4) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/571/ud2henrikhouseandsomewa.jpg/)
Although originally opposed the move has been greatly praised since the first factory went up and Henrik Point has continued to grow as you'll see from the overview at the end of this entry.
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On the otherside of the harbour however, the population were getting a bit restless for public services. For the last 13 years the population had been without proper education, with home schooling and several small school houses providing what they could to help the young sims. Eventually something had to give though and the town council passed a planning proposal for a proper education facility and school big enough for the whole towns youth. Although we now have Tantico Harbour Elementary (as shown in the centre of the image below) and a small library in Henrik Point, the town has still to provide anything for further education past the age of 12. A issue that is currently being looked into.
Tantico Harbour at 12 years with the new Elementary School in the centre of town.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg96.imageshack.us%2Fimg96%2F5710%2Fud2tanticosfirstseatofl.jpg&hash=12155861ad67ff17065eafa45d8c5f69b2260a64) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/96/ud2tanticosfirstseatofl.jpg/)
With the growing settlement needing more food to keep import costs down, a new settlement was aslo started on the other spur of land in the harbour. Mainly set up to be a agricultural strip of land, the village of Tepin point was settled in the 14th year of the towns growth and quickly made use of the large swathe of land behind it to farm extensively, providing more home grown produce for the growing town. As you can see from the photo below (shot just yesterday) its still growing.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg405.imageshack.us%2Fimg405%2F908%2Fud2tepinpointyear15.jpg&hash=1a60ead4a4e9234422d24f2b77c933e3d02af134) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/405/ud2tepinpointyear15.jpg/)
Finally for this update is this Ariel of the Harbour in its 15th year. As you can see were beginning to really run out of room and planning proposals are already being passed to zone over some of the farms around the edge of the town, whilst rebuilding the displaced farms further inland behind the town.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg14.imageshack.us%2Fimg14%2F228%2Fud2tanticoharbouryear15.jpg&hash=4cfc9519cc33d73a54e3f8a9f14e018b41d3853a) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/14/ud2tanticoharbouryear15.jpg/)
Till next time.
Jay Goodrick
wow great update rate eheh I went off a couple of days and bang eheh :D
lovely ones btw :)
Replies:[/u]
gn_leugim: Thanks and yes there has been several large updates this week. Mainly due to me being on holiday so this might slow down a bit next week.
Entry 3: More Growth and Royal Weddings
Well I've got some very good news for the Principality of Tantico coming up but first, lets continue where we left off.
Firstly we've had a number of areas change land usage during the last 10 years. Firstly was the expansion of the industrial zone in the harbour, replacing some of the housing that was in the middle of the industry already there. Luckily displacing the residents wasn't too hard as it was never the most desirable place to live, in the centre of a industrial estate, so the relocation's went relatively smoothly.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg855.imageshack.us%2Fimg855%2F5333%2Fud3redevelopmentfromres.jpg&hash=e546500102b5f062d87422199f716abc46d02db5) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/855/ud3redevelopmentfromres.jpg/)
As you can also see, the new school seems to be paying off (even though we've managed to skirt the whole further education up until our current year), as more and more manufacturing businesses are moving into the area rather than the usual dirty industries.
Anyway with the residents displaced they needed new homes so we had to start eating into the farmland surronding the town. This wen't smoothly as well as the farmers had had plenty of warning that this was going to happen and were all being moved to the new outskirts of town (or across the harbour) as we expanded. As you'll see though as we go through the update, a small number of farm buildings remain standing, even without their farmland.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg809.imageshack.us%2Fimg809%2F4624%2Fud3residentialreclamati.jpg&hash=10ec2e9f9dda5ade4f3999d1118003d8da300b4a) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/809/ud3residentialreclamati.jpg/)
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As this growth continued over the next few years, a couple of service based issues arose. Firstly was the issue of the building amount of rubbish and the fact that he small local tips were beginning to spill over. What with there only being a limited amount that we could ship out of the town, we needed a long term solution to the problem.
The solution was this, a large tip and several recycling centres outside the small village of Ketin.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg834.imageshack.us%2Fimg834%2F2093%2Fud3newdumpdownbyketin.jpg&hash=e6959c309879309aceb9e9a8ce17aefd665680fa) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/ud3newdumpdownbyketin.jpg/)
With that solved the next issue was rudely thrown at us. Initially a small blaze, a farm fire which engulfed a large hay barn on the outskirts of town showed us the need to maintain a proper fire service instead of the private ones that we used. With this in mind a small plot was developed in each of the four settlements to provide coverage for most of the area. These four stations are circled in the image below (year 17 in case anyone was wondering when this was taken)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg13.imageshack.us%2Fimg13%2F6366%2Fud3tanticoharbourfireho.jpg&hash=fc409c6ea713cdafe79da96645f45eb4118a8b10) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/13/ud3tanticoharbourfireho.jpg/)
The third and final issue was power. As the city grew and consumed the farmland, so to did it's power needs grow, far outpacing what the wind turbines could provide. It was decided then, that the town get its first proper power plant. Running on natural gas and built in the centre of the industrial district the new Tensea Power Plant should hopefully provide power to the area for years to come.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg585.imageshack.us%2Fimg585%2F4279%2Fud3tenseapowerplantyear.jpg&hash=b16fa5c53c85dd86a4ff78dcbb2571446343bb64) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/585/ud3tenseapowerplantyear.jpg/)
----------------------------
Now we've got them depressing issues out of the way it was time to rejoice as Tantico opened its first church. The Church of Saint Alex was built outside the town next to the orchard in response to several issues. Firstly was the need for a proper place to worship for the majority of the population, who were of the Gendantian faith and secondly, the royal marriage of our beloved Prince Henrik to the lovely Lady Josephine.
The royal wedding was the largest event in the small countries history, as thier prince, at the age of 35 had finally married (since this was 3 years ago, the couple have been blessed with a boy by the name of Gregory II after Henriks father). The prince himself, a keen gardener had a lovely garden commissioned for the royal wedding from his own treasury to be built around the church and has also since decreed that the orchard, where several wedding photo's were taken after the ceremony, is royally sealed land, preventing any alteration to it in the years to come.
Here's a ariel photo from the princes wedding day showing the church, gardens and the orchard behind it.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg835.imageshack.us%2Fimg835%2F782%2Fud3churchofsaintalexyea.jpg&hash=3029a83803fba6a66a2e0e03480d66cf46b46251) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/ud3churchofsaintalexyea.jpg/)
Speaking of buildings or areas bearing the Royal Seal, there are now three in the city, The first is the Royal Manor at Henrik Point, the second the Church of Saint Alex and the thrid the Orchard. There are several other buildings that are being looked into for the honour as well but I'll bring you more news on them as it comes.
---------------------------
Finally for this update I have another series of ariels tracking the growth of the town up until the curretn year 25.
Firstly year 20. If you look closely you can see that the Tensea Power Plant has yet to be built here (it was finished late in year 21)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg51.imageshack.us%2Fimg51%2F2905%2Fud3tanticoharbouryear20.jpg&hash=4e61a2539ae7f7056cdb2bc633d2033fbee847a8) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/ud3tanticoharbouryear20.jpg/)
Year 23. The town is growing outwards quickly and you can see the Royal Orchard and Church becoming surronded by housing.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg19.imageshack.us%2Fimg19%2F7886%2Fud3tanticoharbouryear23.jpg&hash=7512a9e35ed6d4b85a1b47ebe380eb041342df8c) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/ud3tanticoharbouryear23.jpg/)
Year 25. Not a whole lot more housing but the farmland in Tepin and Henrik point has finally reached the edge of the area.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg404.imageshack.us%2Fimg404%2F8392%2Fud3tanticoharbouryear25.jpg&hash=a8e21803f2c5ea45e4bd058dca02c1d8190e5085) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/404/ud3tanticoharbouryear25.jpg/)
That's all for this update. Sorry for the large amount of text and feel free just to look at the images as they're the main part after all. As for what the future holds, plans have finally been passed for actual growth to begin outside of this area (much to the relief of the farming community) so hopefully we'll have a bit of that for you all next time.
Till then
Jay Goodrick
Nice! This is possibly one of the best MDs ever! Keep up Tantico! %confuso &hlp :angrymore: :-\ "$Deal"$
congratulations for the newly married ;)
Replies:
SimCity V6: Wow thanks high praise indeed. I'm not sure its one of the best but I'll make sure to try and keep up with your expectations.
gn_leugim: Thankyou, your congratulations are well received. A cask of finest Royal Orchard cider will be sent your way as thanks.
Entry 4: Continued spread into the surrounding areas
This will just be a quick update today with not much to narrate as its just growth (OOC: still that's my favourite part watching the growth of city journals). This has mainly taken place north of the Harbour, moving further inland as the now large town (approaching 13,000 citizens at the end of this update) grows.
The first image is this one of the new Tantico Farmers Market in Tantico Harbour. A small place requested by the farming community so they could sell their produce directly to customers rather than having to sell it the shop keepers at a reduced cost and then them to the customer. The market is held every Tuesday and Saturday and then every other Thursday. It's been a great success since its inception as seen by the large amount of parking set aside for it.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg7.imageshack.us%2Fimg7%2F9400%2Fud4tanticoharbourfarmer.jpg&hash=7d3693eec1c0b94bf105bbe5a870f300021c05c8) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/7/ud4tanticoharbourfarmer.jpg/)
The next image shows the huge growth that the residential area of Tantico Harbour has seen. As you can see the only patch of true farmland left is the Royal Orchard with all the other farms that once stood here gone or just sheds or chicken barns. You can also see that a lot of the odd pockets of land that was left after zoning for new housing has been turned into neighbourhood allotment, the farm soil perfect for the job.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg835.imageshack.us%2Fimg835%2F2853%2Fud4tanticoharbourreside.jpg&hash=1d4483a9600f99a2faf847258373622a69175c94) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/ud4tanticoharbourreside.jpg/)
The next image shows an empty space outside the city where the new expansion took place. Unlike the Harbour this area can hold a lot more people due to the reduced amount of water. The photos below that show the growth of the town here.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg24.imageshack.us%2Fimg24%2F513%2Fud4tanticocityemptyover.jpg&hash=e2b0986012a79e092eef691576fdf2fa3cecd009) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/ud4tanticocityemptyover.jpg/)
As you can see initially it was mainly housing spilling over from the industrial expansion. A ferry terminal helps people to reach Henrik and Tepin point without overloading the Harbour ferries. At this point Tantico Harbour still had some of its farms left (the ones now covered by housing).
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg716.imageshack.us%2Fimg716%2F4838%2Fud4tanticocityinitialde.jpg&hash=8d035bf2c34db4a3ce767079ff8f028c7430d465) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/716/ud4tanticocityinitialde.jpg/)
Several years in and this is what the area looks like. Growth has been fast over here as industry both provides more jobs and pushes them out of the Harbour.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg825.imageshack.us%2Fimg825%2F8181%2Fud4tanticocity10yearsin.jpg&hash=4a74c294bdf403985574c1110ff5d58a34e585c9) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/825/ud4tanticocity10yearsin.jpg/)
This is a random image of the Gregory Square. Named after Prince Gregory II, this area is another Royally Protected place (the flower garden in the centre anyway, not the commercial buildings around it) and the hub of commerce in the growing town. The Church of Saint Peter is also here and the area also has its own Elementary School (whilst plans are being drawn up for a Secondary School in the Harbour) but I didn't get a picture of that.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg692.imageshack.us%2Fimg692%2F4962%2Fud4tanticocitycommercia.jpg&hash=dd7f031376638281a216b373ab81c0a9150ce297) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/692/ud4tanticocitycommercia.jpg/)
the other expansion that the town saw was this small area expanding east from Ketin along the shore. Mainly just agriculture but its also provided Ketin with a ferry link.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg14.imageshack.us%2Fimg14%2F205%2Fud4tanticocitysoutherns.jpg&hash=728ed794417fce9c6102b5904db0cbe31ce77c81) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/14/ud4tanticocitysoutherns.jpg/)
Finally another regional overview (again I'm going to leave it as a link rather than a image int he thread so sorry about that).
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/715/ud4principalityoftantic.jpg/
Till next time
Jay Goodrick
given the limitations of the vanilla version, your cities look very realistic, inspiring! :)
Replies:[/u]
gn_leugim: Thanks and I'm its looking realistic despite, as you said, the limitations. Let's hope I can continue to keep it realistic and show that Maxis can be beautiful (or at least not horrible to look at lol).
Entry 5: Growing a High School
Centered around looking at some of the issues and growth in Tantico Harbour today's update begins by examining some data requested by a viewer of this blog. These are the Tantico Harbours pollution surveys. First up is air pollution. As you can see its not all that bad, just the expected concentration around the industrial band around Tensea Power Plant. Hopefully this will be reduced over the years as more and more cleaner businesses replace the old ones.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg6.imageshack.us%2Fimg6%2F1503%2Fud5tanticoharbourairpol.jpg&hash=d20716b8764aa09cb98c617edd8e735a81d49d72) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/6/ud5tanticoharbourairpol.jpg/)
Next is water pollution and as you can see the dependency on farming in the Harbours early years has really taken a toll on the ground water. Hopefully as residential development pushes outwards, over time the pollution levels will reduce but we'll have to see.
[water pollution]
As to reducing this pollution, the Tantico Government are looking at city ordinances that could be passed that would have a impact on the levels of pollution but as of yet no decisions have been made.
---------------------------------
Now with that slightly depressing issue out of the way, onto better news. Firstly Tantico Harbour and surrounding areas, have now grown large enough that the Principalities government has erected a proper seat of council. Previously using a small office building, the new seat can easily accommodate the entire government, even as it grows over the coming years. This Tantico Houses Of Government (shown below) is also another Royally Protected building, situated in Tantico Harbour just behind the Church of St Alex.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg543.imageshack.us%2Fimg543%2F8131%2Fud5tanticoharbourtantic.jpg&hash=b41ee9a72de885ecffed4ae719d61281c0d6aefd) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/ud5tanticoharbourtantic.jpg/)
With the new Government building came the official governmental departments, of which the educational one was not happy at the continued lack of further education in Tantico. As such one of the new governments first acts was to have Tantico Harbour High School constructed. A much larger building than the Tantico Harbour Elementary, the high school also sported several sports fields , the football one surrounded by still maintained apple trees, as well as a greenhouse study area converted from one of the old farms across the road.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg854.imageshack.us%2Fimg854%2F3715%2Fud5tanticoharbourharbou.jpg&hash=880bc7e2a4e6ee289f29be35a93a9fef11803b0e) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/ud5tanticoharbourharbou.jpg/)
On another note. The cattle farm in the above picture is owned by a farmer who's determined not to move away from his land. This has led to the compromise of the land being used for cattle markets every Thursday and then hes free to farm for the rest of the week. A compromise that seems to suit both parties well enough, though how long the farmer can hold onto the real estate in the middle of a growing town who knows.
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Next we have some overhead progress iamges.
Firstly year 33. As you can see, the high school and city hall are both present and the residential growth has slowed down a bit.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg837.imageshack.us%2Fimg837%2F8131%2Fud5tanticoharbourtantic.jpg&hash=d819da2f38d74d468f68ff6ea7aa76b1d47fff84) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/837/ud5tanticoharbourtantic.jpg/)
This all changed in the next few years. This is the current day one in year 36. As you can see major housing developments have occurred both in the harbour and one both Tepin and Henrick points. Also of note is that Ketin has now been consumed by Tantico Harbour growth and will soon become a district of the town rather than a town itself.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg221.imageshack.us%2Fimg221%2F8131%2Fud5tanticoharbourtantic.jpg&hash=66d8310fb12bc9f9115f7c2222b08147eed08483) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/221/ud5tanticoharbourtantic.jpg/)
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Finally with the growth of Henrick Point spreading outwards, the area below it has started to become populated. Named Henrick Bay after the large swathes of extremely shallow water present. This area is one of lovely sandy beaches and plentiful wild life.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg715.imageshack.us%2Fimg715%2F1513%2Fud5henrickbayinitialloo.jpg&hash=13dfc252c7b6b28a6fd41f46702d206f3861ac06) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/715/ud5henrickbayinitialloo.jpg/)
As you can see the small town took off incredibly quickly (the image below was taken in the second year). Although the Environment Board has decreed that no large scale buildings should be built in Henrick Bay, small family homes were fine and as such, the richest families from around the Harbour flooded into the area to take advantage of the lovely beaches, seafront shopping and quieter life. I think its safe to say that this growth is set to continue down here for a long time yet.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg826.imageshack.us%2Fimg826%2F6454%2Fud5henrickbayafewyearsl.jpg&hash=eb9d4e8bbb36bb28c58a574d422efad079c07a8c) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/826/ud5henrickbayafewyearsl.jpg/)
End of update population count: 21,890
And that's all from Tantico for now.
Till next time
Jay Goodrick
as you can show us here it can look good, not ugly as many use to think ;)
great updates again :)
Replies:
gn_leugim: Well thanks. I'm glad its not looking ugly and your enjoy the updates :)
Part 6: Ellington
Well in this update I introduce you to the new settlements of Chilton and Ellington. Firstly however with Tantico Harbour continuing to grow the Tensea Power Plant was beginning to feel the strain. As such its been doubled in size, mostly in preparation for the continued growth of the area. As such here's a image of the enlarged power plant.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg4.imageshack.us%2Fimg4%2F8639%2Fud6tenseapowerplantexpa.jpg&hash=cd2a5767ef8357b330983d77dfcf4fc0f09857d3) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/ud6tenseapowerplantexpa.jpg/)
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With that out of the way though its time to take a look at the two new settlements. Firstly we've got the smaller of the two. Originally built to provide a lot of non agricultural jobs for the growing town of Tnatico, the industrial estate plans also included this small village to fill some of the jobs the site would provide. Although tiny in comparison to Tantico, this small settlement will probably grow over the years but for now remains little more than a housing estate.
The village of Chilton
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg713.imageshack.us%2Fimg713%2F875%2Fud6tanticocitychiltonvi.jpg&hash=acb25e16930ba04b53621ff26049e29fce732143) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/713/ud6tanticocitychiltonvi.jpg/)
Chilton Industrial Estate
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg855.imageshack.us%2Fimg855%2F1727%2Fud6tanticocitychiltonin.jpg&hash=c5dc02f2a1757f1fa2c412dd83b138ffa56cb8e1) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/855/ud6tanticocitychiltonin.jpg/)
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Oringial site of Ellington
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg22.imageshack.us%2Fimg22%2F2962%2Fud6ellingtonfirstlook.jpg&hash=b55db500af6cb8222004afce4f9e83bcfcfe0af5) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/22/ud6ellingtonfirstlook.jpg/)
The other settlement of Ellington is all together a lot bigger. Originally sited to provide homes for farm workers on the farms that had spread directly north of Chilton, this settlement has grown at a huge pace, easily outpacing any other settlement in Tantico in terms of growth per year. Now the second largest continuous settlement in the Principality (the first is Tantico town including the amalgamated town of Ketin), this settlement is also set to grow in the future, though more interest has been shown in new settlements in the area of Ellington than the growth of Ellington itself.
As with most of the settlements in Tantico, its mainly focused on agriculture, though the quick influx of new residents has meant that the town commercial centre grew quickly and has continued to grow as the settlement grew around it making it one of the largest commercial centres in the region (Tantico Town Centre where the Gregory Square is still holds that title).
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg442.imageshack.us%2Fimg442%2F9694%2Fud6ellingtoncommercialc.jpg&hash=e7ffb1cbd45b294559b92e62b14f6bfe3adf5d00) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/442/ud6ellingtoncommercialc.jpg/)
As you can see in the several years the town was growing before I took the following picture it's definitely the fastest growing settlement in (end of year 2 in the pciture).
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg825.imageshack.us%2Fimg825%2F6215%2Fud6ellingtonyear2.jpg&hash=d78a728b3a56b97dda08ead12362037b0fa25dab) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/825/ud6ellingtonyear2.jpg/)
Since then we've had nearly double the growth and with it came industrial factory interest. As such Ellington Industrial Estate was given the go ahead and formed outside the growing town, providing even more growth.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg545.imageshack.us%2Fimg545%2F4964%2Fud6ellingtonindustriale.jpg&hash=ca868df8f3e276a43e195dbf965b60ec8eb44931) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/545/ud6ellingtonindustriale.jpg/)
That's all in regards to pictures of the town. At the moment there are concerns regarding powering of the gorwing area so hopefully next time we can see how that pans out.
For now though here's a population table of the region (OOC: I've done it as tiles rather than settlements for ease) ordered by size, including the total population at the bottom. As you can see although not detailed, each settlement has grown slightly since last update leaving us with a large amount of net growth across the region.
Settlement size by population:
Tantico Harbour area (including Henrick Point, Tepin Point and West Ketin): 15,924
Tantico (including Chilton): 5,821
Ellington:4,239
Ketin (not including West Ketin): 2,621
Henrick Bay:2,048
Total Population: 30,653
Finally I've also got this image of the region as it stands, showing only the populated areas.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg849.imageshack.us%2Fimg849%2F7144%2Fud6zoomedinregionovervi.jpg&hash=29767843fdd1b7ce96c08477df71b6c6e99d56f7) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/849/ud6zoomedinregionovervi.jpg/)
Anyway that's all for now. There's talk of Tantico Harbour growing upwards or something along them lines so that might be interesting but until then.
Jay Goodrick
Part 7: Let the people drink (well some of them)
Right today's update focuses around vertical construction in Tantico Harbour. Having filled Harbour area to bursting point there was no where for construction to go but up. This required water (before now the town had been watered by a small series of neighbourhood towers but these were at breaking point). After a lengthy discussion with the Utilities officials the government decided to have the water pumped cleaned and pumped in from a inlet west of Tepin Point.
Named Clearwater due to the small traces of salt in the pooled water (interestingly enough given that its fed mostly by the sea), this small settlement was constructed around he water pump sat on the shore.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg27.imageshack.us%2Fimg27%2F8103%2Fud7clearwaterlakeclearw.jpg&hash=496d329236ed370131789e72ac370eb33ae7f703) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/27/ud7clearwaterlakeclearw.jpg/)
This water would then follow the roads network out of Clearwater itself and through the surrounding farmland until it reached Tantico Harbour itself.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg96.imageshack.us%2Fimg96%2F8103%2Fud7clearwaterlakeclearw.jpg&hash=ee53127616c46ca8bf1578f6d1edfd2deb0c5e5b) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/96/ud7clearwaterlakeclearw.jpg/)
Plans went well until we reached the river between Tepin Point and Tantico Harbour. Plans were brought forward including the building of the pipes elevated but that was quickly ignored due to the fact that ferries used the river. Eventually it was decided to just lay the reinforced pipes along the bottom of the river and keep a close eye on the maintenance of them.
Several long years later and the Tantico River pipe system was finished.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg29.imageshack.us%2Fimg29%2F144%2Fud7tanticoharbourpipesy.jpg&hash=ef633794c251a9bf93f1150027363944a6ed4d3c) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/29/ud7tanticoharbourpipesy.jpg/)
This meant that the project could continue full swing and soon most of the road network under the Tantico Harbour Industrial sector and around the initial ferry port were watered.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg405.imageshack.us%2Fimg405%2F9640%2Fud7tanticoharbourpipene.jpg&hash=2584d674a5896b4b658e851b3111498a165fa83f) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/405/ud7tanticoharbourpipene.jpg/)
This led to larger factories being viable and larger residential and commercial buildings being viable, not to mention the whole increase in land value due to running water. As such construction ran rampant as large parts of the west side of the Harbour grew upwards.
Industrial construction
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg593.imageshack.us%2Fimg593%2F1700%2Fud7tanticoharbourindust.jpg&hash=d5ee6a6c78feb7e129628a6791415483074b6da8) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/593/ud7tanticoharbourindust.jpg/)
Residential/Commercial construction
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg90.imageshack.us%2Fimg90%2F7780%2Fud7tanticoharbourreside.jpg&hash=32b2cccb7fd54ee6a5ee1d05c5f455566dafc0a0) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/90/ud7tanticoharbourreside.jpg/)
Below is a image of a developed section of the town. As you can see increased growth has also led to the opening of the Lady Francis Hospital. Named after a citizen that had recently been made a Lady by Prince Henrick, after helping Tantico's poor and needy since the days of initial growth. Initially by feeding and clothing the poor from her own possessions and later by setting up the first charity Francis's Food Kitchen, after a vote on the name of the Hospital, a landslide vote ended up in The Lady Francis Hospital and the hospital was built, made viable by the introduction of the running water.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg62.imageshack.us%2Fimg62%2F6826%2Fud7tanticoharbourrandom.jpg&hash=0a7a7d84f109731fccb936c355245bf6f9507e01) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/ud7tanticoharbourrandom.jpg/)
That's all for this update, I will leave you with a overview of Tantico Harbour as it celebrates year 45, having increased in population by about 7k or so.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg28.imageshack.us%2Fimg28%2F4671%2Fud7tanticoharbouryear45.jpg&hash=40c9707720ae467b493b48a1d8fd02df73e959cf) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/ud7tanticoharbouryear45.jpg/)
As for next time, with the increased population traffic issues are becoming a real headache. With the new Tantico Transport Department headed by Kyle Longton coming into full effect next year, hopefully these traffic issues can be addressed.
Till then
Jay Goodrick
some multi-stories buildings eheh :)
Ha you ever tried to make defined zones in the industrial areas? if you don't know what I am talking about, when you lay a zone with ind zone, hold down the ctrl key ;)
Replies:
gn_leugim: Yep, lots of redevelopment going on in Tantico Town. There's no highrises and I doubt there will be for a while yet but there's still some nice medium sized buildings there (as you'll see in this entry).
As for the Industrial zones no, I've never thought of using the controlled method for zoning them. Still, demolishing everything and rezoning i definitely wouldn't be a very 'natural growth' thing to do, so I'm going to have to try and get it to redevelop under its own steam. I've enacted a few ordinances already though to try and clean it up a bit. Could probably do without anymore pollution lol.
Entry 8: Paving the way
Different from usual, its Kyle Lonton here instead of Jay. Been asked to update you all on the problems that Tantico was having with congestion and traffic accident's and how we've tried our best to combat that. The entry itself will concentrate around Tantico Harbour mostly but rest assured, other network improvements have been or are being implemented in the other parts of the region.
A good place to start would be a congestion map for the worst place, Tantico Harbour and town centre.
(OOC: This is also my first attempt at a cross border image as it shows both Tantico Harbour and Tantico Town).
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg266.imageshack.us%2Fimg266%2F2829%2Fud8tanticotowntrafficis.jpg&hash=cc73c94e702d956eed2b4c61f0b8a790dca1de21) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/266/ud8tanticotowntrafficis.jpg/)
As you can see its pretty backed up in places around here. Unfortunately the town still relied solely on the old streets and the lack of traffic lights and the bad general condition of the more traveled streets were causing issues. Below you can see the proposed plan.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg856.imageshack.us%2Fimg856%2F9388%2Fud8tanticotownpropsedtr.jpg&hash=dd9230b97cd48a42568f7246cd812419c3086369) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/856/ud8tanticotownpropsedtr.jpg/)
As you can see the plan incorporates the major areas of issue as well as providing a road that will eventually stretch from the ferry terminal all the way up to the centre of Ellington (the primary road closest to the graveyard at the top of the image). The other primary roads will each lead to busy places (in this case, Tantico Town's busy commercial district and the Ketin area of Tantico Town). These will then be supported by the secondary roads, generally helping to relieve the worst traffic issues rather than leading anywhere in specific.
Fast forward a year or so, and all these plans have been approved and implemented. Here's the updated traffic map I want to show you to highlight the affect these have had on the congestion of the area. As you can see its a hell of a lot better.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg832.imageshack.us%2Fimg832%2F4318%2Fud8tanticotowncongestio.jpg&hash=8bbbdee9d86e6e6cbc7ab4d30007c1d07463824d) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/832/ud8tanticotowncongestio.jpg/)
After the roads were finished other area were looked at for improvement. Given the heavy increase in population over the recent years, the ferry route between Tantico Harbour and Henrick Point, popular with recreation seekers looking to spend the day at Henrick Bay's beaches, had become overloaded with pedestrians. Add to this the rising complaints for having to have to walk from the Henrick Point terminal to the beaches, a new car ferry link has been implemented alongside the passenger one. All in all the improvement was rather cost effective given the huge use its seen in the few years since its opening.
Tantico Harbour Ferry Terminal. You can also see continued redevelopment along the coastline, in this case high wealth apartments.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg22.imageshack.us%2Fimg22%2F7256%2Fud8tanticoharbourferryi.jpg&hash=ec183907967ea4a90d2e4b368c3f259a379ac572) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/22/ud8tanticoharbourferryi.jpg/)
The Henirck Point Ferry Terminal. No apartments here but the ever growing classy shopping district, with its well kept walk ways and the Royal Mansion are also big draws for Henrick Point.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg811.imageshack.us%2Fimg811%2F1421%2Fud8tanticoharbourhenric.jpg&hash=3b6e7e5a51e1b27446066de256dd505a258e6e32) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/811/ud8tanticoharbourhenric.jpg/)
With this done that was it for the time being for improvements in Tantico Town. With the new roads though, my department has been testing some new road maps for the area. Here's one that was made for the area around the Tantico Harbour Ferry Terminal.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg221.imageshack.us%2Fimg221%2F5712%2Fud8tanticoharbourarearo.jpg&hash=f9b333ecce57cd023d39952aa96e098561ec264c) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/221/ud8tanticoharbourarearo.jpg/)
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Finally for this update is a look at some of Tantico Harbour, showing how wealth, building size and different zoning tupes are all thrown in together.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg268.imageshack.us%2Fimg268%2F1416%2Fud8tanticoharbourrandom.jpg&hash=27ddc79a5b69b5a57d1f71039410fcc237918728) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/268/ud8tanticoharbourrandom.jpg/)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg546.imageshack.us%2Fimg546%2F1416%2Fud8tanticoharbourrandom.jpg&hash=99d63b469a908c5c9182b0d5603efcde6931f976) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/546/ud8tanticoharbourrandom.jpg/)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg404.imageshack.us%2Fimg404%2F1416%2Fud8tanticoharbourrandom.jpg&hash=15a402321b58eea20bf694e69bf57517221b4ce5) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/404/ud8tanticoharbourrandom.jpg/)
Anyway, join me again next time when we take a look at the road as it leaves Tantico Town and heads towards Ellington and what improvements and growth its brought with it.
Till then
Kyle Longton
Entry 9: Road Trip
Kyle Longton back again for this entry. Today ladies and gentlemen were going ona road trip. Not a hell of a lot of talking from me this time but first a bit of background as to why your son to find a road seemingly driving into the middle.
A little while back, while we were discussing the the road from Tantico to Ellington a group of Geologists that had been surveying the areas surrounding Tantico had discovered that vast deposits of coal could be found in the hills behind the town. Seeing the potential in vast profit from mining the coal it was decided that an, initially small, operation would be set up in the hills closest to the town. As such it was quickly decided that the proposed main road through the existing regional development would terminate at the time being at the newly proposed mines. This update follows a road trip along the road through to Salen Mines.
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Well first off we start at the ferry in Tantico Harbour. On a slightly different note, the observant among you may realise that Tantico Elementary used to be where those new commercial buildings are.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg825.imageshack.us%2Fimg825%2F4978%2Fud9tanticoharbouroldele.jpg&hash=dd68a89c0314cd019c07bfcb568e8610bd8bf76d) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/825/ud9tanticoharbouroldele.jpg/)
Well fear not, were not neglecting our kids (unlike some of the buildings int he picture below). A new much larger St Alex's Elementary School has been built in a more central position.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg515.imageshack.us%2Fimg515%2F5003%2Fud9tanticoharbournewele.jpg&hash=54f9102f70cb0315eee4b1df8a0763133b8b27f6) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/515/ud9tanticoharbournewele.jpg/)
Anyway back to the road trip. This is the image as we leave the harbour area and move into what could classed as the suburbs of Tantico Town.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg42.imageshack.us%2Fimg42%2F5999%2Fud9tanticotownroadtrip.jpg&hash=ca7fdcefa757eb440d40340b3c4222a80893a196) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42/ud9tanticotownroadtrip.jpg/)
Another picture as we leave the suburbs, as you can see the area is continously growing as expansion develops into farmland.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg59.imageshack.us%2Fimg59%2F7307%2Fud9leavingtanticotownro.jpg&hash=01c72919fe37038bb05cedebd05a2cfc37992577) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/59/ud9leavingtanticotownro.jpg/)
After driving through farmland for a little while, the road takes us through, what could be classed as the CBD of Ellington.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg6.imageshack.us%2Fimg6%2F9094%2Fud9ellingtontowncentrer.jpg&hash=f4bbb1ba78233c2a8b47d75a50794d58216a149f) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/6/ud9ellingtontowncentrer.jpg/)
Next we move back into farmland as we head west from Ellington and away from what this journal has shown before. This is Heltan Village, a tiny settlement between Ellington and new town of Riverbend. Heltan itself is little more than a small farming community though it does have a small truck stop outside the village itself.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg213.imageshack.us%2Fimg213%2F7786%2Fud9heltanvillageandtruc.jpg&hash=24b24574eb1ebfdb887084a0a390487ae9679665) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/213/ud9heltanvillageandtruc.jpg/)
Now before Heltan VIllage developed the farmers took to building their dwellings on their land. Old Man Ken's farm is one such farm shown here as we leave Heltan.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg41.imageshack.us%2Fimg41%2F9691%2Fud9heltanvillagefarmroa.jpg&hash=07a00ed27fe9db82fd082d3dee409dc33476618b) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/41/ud9heltanvillagefarmroa.jpg/)
Next up on the trip is Riverbend. A fast growing settlement built for the sole purpose of providing a small dock to transport the coal mined from the nearby hills to Tantico Harbour. Shown here is the single pier for the small ships to load up. Interestingly Riverbend is also one of three towns to have a car ferry in it.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg809.imageshack.us%2Fimg809%2F3488%2Fud9riverbendharbourroad.jpg&hash=1a25637a7e3b40a7041dc045ffed674b3ff3bd2c) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/809/ud9riverbendharbourroad.jpg/)
Leaving Riverbend we find ourselves at the end of the road. Terminating at the small recently settled village of Salen, built for the mine workers. You will also notice that as this settlement is new, not much farming has had a chance to develop along the normally farm lined roads.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg12.imageshack.us%2Fimg12%2F9731%2Fud9drivinguptosalenmine.jpg&hash=bd8c26efb1f0d136daca050dd52df167bdde146f) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/12/ud9drivinguptosalenmine.jpg/)
Finally just a small picture of the entrances to the still small mines. Over the coming years both these mines and Riverbend are expected to see a large amount of development as the coal mining takes off.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg23.imageshack.us%2Fimg23%2F57%2Fud9salenminesroadtrip.jpg&hash=09d880fec9141d7c7cf77b09127fb5f24d803fb9) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/23/ud9salenminesroadtrip.jpg/)
That's all for this entry. Hope you liked the trip along Tantico's principal road.
Till next time
Kyle Longton
I'm not a fan of the game w/o mods, but you're doing a very good job of developing your city so that the cities actually look pretty good. I'd prefer a water mod with this CJ, and probably the NAM (as a bare minimum if you want to shy away from custom content in general), but so far it looks rather nice considering the limitations.
I played the game for about 3 years before I discovered mods and the NAM, and when it solved my congestion and desirability problems I knew I could never go without at least having the NAM in my cities (I think it makes the roads & intersections look more realistic, too, but that is just my opinion.)
Not too many comments here, and I've been lurking for a while, so I thought a little encouragement would help.
Replies:
APSMS: Please don't take this as a dismissal of your comment but I'm really looking to develop this as a vanilla cj. I'm hoping this wont mean that you'll stop viewing this as I do really appreciate your input.
As for the lack of comments, its ok. I'm developing this for myself really as I enjoy the slow natural growth and documenting it. Although I enjoy and appreciate the input of others and all the views, I'm still planning on continuing it with or without them.
Entry 10: A lazy Sunday afternoon
Well Jay Goodrick back again. Just thought I'd post a small entry today. Just some random pictures of the region to break up all the development entries.
As their annotated I'll just show the pictures.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg51.imageshack.us%2Fimg51%2F3388%2Fud10tanticoharbourhighs.jpg&hash=9b1075d4a31bff2787ff1dc95d19f18a49d26ed9) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/ud10tanticoharbourhighs.jpg/)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg209.imageshack.us%2Fimg209%2F7995%2Fud10tanticoharbourhight.jpg&hash=0e78a60887b4e9104d2ae5eef5cc063d6955cfbe) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/209/ud10tanticoharbourhight.jpg/)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg21.imageshack.us%2Fimg21%2F9958%2Fud10tanticotowncbd.jpg&hash=77b3b6604d3a3cb44ed95c0e00d3e6637246de33) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/21/ud10tanticotowncbd.jpg/)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg841.imageshack.us%2Fimg841%2F1794%2Fud10tanticoharbourketin.jpg&hash=bae9985d7f2ac4cf015021f697e2e9836731eb36) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/841/ud10tanticoharbourketin.jpg/)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg208.imageshack.us%2Fimg208%2F1084%2Fud10henrickbaybeach.jpg&hash=0847e50680b50b089cf8ac53eb11c5939705b30e) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/208/ud10henrickbaybeach.jpg/)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg19.imageshack.us%2Fimg19%2F2509%2Fud10ellingtonwestcommer.jpg&hash=dfba5dfdeb8e0263ec4454eb3bede7359b7b8d74) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/ud10ellingtonwestcommer.jpg/)
Well that's all for now. Sorry this entry doesn't have much talking in it, were pretty busy here in the office, talk about providing more water to area or the regions and increasing the size of the mines and Riverbend as well as smaller issues.
Anyway until then
Jay Goodrick
Entry 11: Is that track I see?
Jay Goodrick here with a update regarding the mines over at Salen. Recently a lot of expansion has been made by the Salen Mining Company (SMC) regarding their coal mines. This new company has recently bought out the previous owner of the mines with a big eye towards expanding them.
With the Prince's son Gregory II as a major shareholder in the company, he was able to get the government to review the companies plans. Below are a summarized copy of them.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg706.imageshack.us%2Fimg706%2F7533%2Fud11salenminesplannedex.jpg&hash=5d866d7600493c6ef90003740d68cac90a936f1a) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/706/ud11salenminesplannedex.jpg/)
As you can see the plan would be for several more mining shafts as well as a large coal plant to power the surrounding areas, as well as the mines themselves. Although this would have a rather large impact on the surrounding area, it was eventually agreed that the power plant would be partly state owned, and in return the plans could go ahead. This would allow the state to have access to cheap power for the surrounding areas, and the SMC to expand its operations.
Several years later this huge power plant was finished and started producing power from a portion of the mined coal, now in plentiful supply with the two new shafts.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg24.imageshack.us%2Fimg24%2F8536%2Fud11salenminessalenpowe.jpg&hash=fb7e3e15373c2d2f1f5bc757940052fb5a4e5af1) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/ud11salenminessalenpowe.jpg/)
Slowly however, it became apparent that the manual method of drawing the coal to the surface and then transporting it by truck to the power plant or Riverbend harbour, was rather less than adequate. With this in mind the company returned with another planning proposal, this time for a small railroad, which small coal trains could travel along and down into the shafts, providing a much quicker way of getting the coal around.
Seeing how this would benefit the area in the long run, the council approved the plans and soon new rails were laid around the mines in Salen.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg826.imageshack.us%2Fimg826%2F3956%2Fud11salenminessalenmine.jpg&hash=ee16bc06aa626c0e8b26c90a45024e35c7b3366e) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/826/ud11salenminessalenmine.jpg/)
Around the power plant itself a small dumping yard was built, where the carts could dump the coal to either be picked up by lorries and taken to Riverbend, or used by the power plant itself.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg560.imageshack.us%2Fimg560%2F3956%2Fud11salenminessalenmine.jpg&hash=e853cee975f3b99496896587ba1c7fd11a9ac0b2) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/560/ud11salenminessalenmine.jpg/)
This is where were at now. The power plant is only being used to a small part of its capacity, but with plans to run power lines through to Riverbend to power the growing town there, its probably set to be used more in the future.
Also on the proposal block is a main freight line running from the power plant/coal storage area to Riverbend Harbour for faster freight transport but we'll have to see about that next time.
For now though here's a final image of Salen, with the growing worker housing estates provided by the SMC.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg19.imageshack.us%2Fimg19%2F8275%2Fud11salenminesworkerhou.jpg&hash=469c0bad0e5ac804778f0a22c3856bd0cf525e8c) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/ud11salenminesworkerhou.jpg/)
That's all for now though. Join me next time for more news of the growing region.
Till then
Jay Goodrick
great as usual ;)
Replies:
gn_leugim: Thanks, I'm glad your enjoying the progress and hope you continue to do so.
Entry 12: SMC Expansion
This entry carries on pretty much from where we left off last time but first some very important and not so brilliant news.
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Unfortunately Prince Henrick has fallen ill. Also hampered by his old age the Prince has handed down his royal position to his son, Gregory. Now Gregory had never really been that interested in being a Head Of State, himself more interested in business and commercial enterprises (hence the fact that hes the majority shareholder of the Salen Mining Company) so has announced his abdication of the throne to his younger brother Prince Oliver Henrick Kerin.
As such, although Prince Henrick is still technically Head Of State his youngest son is acting Head Of State for him.
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Meanwhile, moving back to the where we left off last time, the SMC went ahead with their proposal to introduce the rail road from Salen through to the port in Riverbend. A meeting was arranged between Tantico Transportation Department (TTD) and the SMC where this proposal was shown.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg835.imageshack.us%2Fimg835%2F3013%2Fud12riverbendplannedsmc.jpg&hash=845334dfb4c6e29aa77d6ce1983661f5351720ff) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/ud12riverbendplannedsmc.jpg/)
After reviewing the proposal and several compromises between SMC and TTD regarding a few changes that would need to be made, the plan was approved and construction started in Riverbend to level out the land for the Harbour expansion. Around a year later this is what the site looked like, the housing previously inhabiting the space, having been relocated to the otherside of the town.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg841.imageshack.us%2Fimg841%2F7016%2Fud12riverbendinitialwor.jpg&hash=882a9ddeeafba580f309bf9110e90ad9365ebd4b) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/841/ud12riverbendinitialwor.jpg/)
Moving on a bit and this is what came of the plans and the construction. As you can see the jetties were moved about a bit and a smaller pier was also added next to the car ferry. Other than that the plans seemed to have gone ahead as, well, planned without much of a hitch. Also, as the harbour expansion took place before the Coal Line (as the railway has been labeled) was installed the SMC took it upon themselves to pay for road paving in Riverbend and Salen, meaning that both these small settlements have the best transit network in the entire region (much to the annoyance of the TTD, though in all fairness they didn't have to pay for the roads and SMC is also responsible for the upkeep of the railway line). Below is a overview of the completed project in Riverbend.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg163.imageshack.us%2Fimg163%2F6108%2Fud12riverbendoverview.jpg&hash=bac5562b7a12f8c50dfd5ebff684a1302a6f08fb) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/163/ud12riverbendoverview.jpg/)
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Now regarding the Coal Line itself, the railway has a total of foru stations on it. Salen Freight station (unchanged from the above entry as the railway joins the mine railroads just before the sidings and freight station). The Salen Passenger Station at the end of Station Street shown here.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg824.imageshack.us%2Fimg824%2F9929%2Fud12salenminessmcpassen.jpg&hash=8777b23d498789ff3eece5d119e62820b4e4e835) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/824/ud12salenminessmcpassen.jpg/)
Then moving onto Riverside, we have the Riverside Passenger Station and the Riverside Harbour Freight Station, where the track terminates at some sidings for storage and offloading.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg705.imageshack.us%2Fimg705%2F3254%2Fud12riverbendstationsan.jpg&hash=5a2fefe2d99833b2bd527c0af3b9aea8a9e1da47) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/705/ud12riverbendstationsan.jpg/)
Now as for the running of the track its a simple shuttle service with a engine at either end of the train. Also the trains are both freight and passenger ones with the last two carriages being the passenger ones meaning that there's no worries about not being able to pass a train at a station anywhere along the track.
All in all the system itself seems to be working fine and is being looked at closely by the TTD who are monitoring it as to how usable it is. Seems like they may be considering more railways in the future then.
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Unfortunately they've got bigger problems at the moment. With the increase in freight out of Riverbend and into Tantico Harbour, the harbour itself has become too crowded to function properly without a proper harbour present. As such the TTD are currently drawing up plans for a multi million simoleon project to revamp it. Still in the development stage at the moment though, it may not be long before we see something happening.
Then on top of that they have the growing traffic issues around the Ketin district of Tantico Harbour, what with its lack of roads and all. Buses have been mentioned but I think it may take a little bit more than that.
With these points in mind I think its safe to say that we'll probably be hearing from the TTD in the coming entries but for now, here's a Regional Transit Map that they've just released showing all the major roads and other transport links in the region.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg854.imageshack.us%2Fimg854%2F3281%2Fud12principalityoftanti.jpg&hash=3fcf07b2f603f262b3ac386929ddd9d1d68a9df2) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/ud12principalityoftanti.jpg/)
Anyway until next time
Jay Goodrick
I see a lot of water pollution needing to be cared off :P also, neat idea for the piers :)
Replies:
gn_leugim: Thanks though I'm sure I wasn't the first to build piers like that. As for the water pollution we are trying to think of ways to combat the pollution but with the amount of old dirty industry that we can't afford to redevelop (speaking IC, if it wasn't natural growth I would just demolish it and let it rebuild but tat doesn't seem to natural to me lol) around there its a bit hard.
Entry 13: Letting More People Drink!
Well as the title says, this update will be about the introduction of water to Tantico Town, in a effort to house all the sims coming into the region. First though we've got some more royal news. With Prince Henrick still ill and not getting any younger, he has finally passed the mantle over to his youngest son Oliver.
Oliver, at the age of 38 will be the first successor to the throne in Tantico and as his father before him, has chosen to bear the title of Prince rather than King, in keeping with the title his father retained throughout his reign. In recognition of these two events (the stepping down of Henrick and the coronation of Oliver) as well as the planned growth of Tantico Town, several buildings were constructed to mark the event's.
First we have Prince Henrick Hospital. Built in Tantico Town to provide health care to the fast growing population, this building was named after the former Prince Henrick won by a landslide in a vote as to who should give their name to the new hospital. Although this is fourth area/building in the region to be named after him (Henrick Point, Henrick Bay, Statue of his majesty Prince Henrick and now Prince Henrick Hospital), all agree that with what hes done for the region, there isn't anyone more deserving.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg96.imageshack.us%2Fimg96%2F1508%2Fud13tanticotownprincehe.jpg&hash=fd9c161a1db05d7a479d65e0d8004e851f422a18) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/96/ud13tanticotownprincehe.jpg/)
With the coronation of Prince Oliver though, it was decided that the planned College would be named Prince Oliver College in commemoration of the first coronation to occur in the Principality Of Tantico. The largest educational building in the entire country, this College is sure to help get the Tanticoan's schooled in many areas and given it central location in the growing city, will probably see a lot of use.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg341.imageshack.us%2Fimg341%2F5678%2Fud13tanticotowncoronati.jpg&hash=1dfd6d61e45772741d98c4937e60e854fec90328) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/341/ud13tanticotowncoronati.jpg/)
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These two buildings opening up led to large amounts of sims wanting to move into Tantico Town, wanting to benefit from the health care and education. Unfortunately there wasn't anywhere for them to actually move into so plans were made for some large scale expansion, mainly vertically.
To allow for this though water was needed so a small pump facility was constructed at the end of the bay.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg9.imageshack.us%2Fimg9%2F6380%2Fud13tanticotownpumpings.jpg&hash=ea4c655b522ce771521045c89065c0710702b893) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/9/ud13tanticotownpumpings.jpg/)
With the pump up and running the pipe system was laid under the roads to provide water to the busiest and more important parts of Tantico Town. These included the new Hosptial and College as well as the Gregory Square Commercial District. This is a image of the initially planned piping system for Tantico Town.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg849.imageshack.us%2Fimg849%2F4484%2Fud13tanticotowninitialp.jpg&hash=9c575428445b65f394e97addf64681ba8516a9b6) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/849/ud13tanticotowninitialp.jpg/)
With the water flowing in more vertical and higher wealth sims moved out of the Harbour area and into the cleaner area in Tantico Town. Many developments occurred around the watered areas with row houses and apartment blocks seen previously in Tantico Harbour being built around the important buildings. This led to the expansion of the pipe layout as more development spread outwards.
Below you can see one of the redeveloped areas around the upgraded car and passenger Ferry Port. This area used to be a mix of industrial and commercial with a bit of residential, but the developers and the Tantico Commerce Board worked together to create a small riverside shopping district, taking full advantage of the traffic network present (this road leading from the Ferry Port to Gregory Square is one of several new short road upgrades that the TTD has carried out recently across the city) and making this one of the most expensive commercial development areas in the region (Gregory Square just north holds that claim).
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg202.imageshack.us%2Fimg202%2F5060%2Fud13tanticotownferrrysi.jpg&hash=4d49081c4fa3f0eb20b8f51891f7b0e0d61c796c) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/202/ud13tanticotownferrrysi.jpg/)
With the huge amount of growth (Tantico Towns population has doubled since the redevelopment went ahead), the existing wind farms weren't able to keep up with the demand. In stepped the same company that owned the Tensea Power Station in Tantico Harbour and a short while later, Fields Power Station was commissioned and built in between Tantico Town and Ellington, with a mind to future expansion and providing power to both settlements.
For now though the single power plant of the same design as the ones in Tantico Harbour provided the perfect place to build up a industrial estate to help with growing unemployment in Tantico. As such this is the current state of the Fields Industrial Estate and Power Plant, though growth is definitely set to happen in the near future.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg203.imageshack.us%2Fimg203%2F1043%2Fud13tanticotownfieldsin.jpg&hash=7c9a6598d7da9ddbc4e8e436826b10ec7bc3e06b) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/203/ud13tanticotownfieldsin.jpg/)
With all the pieces in place the growth as mentioned above has been both fast and big, showing no signs of stopping any time soon. Below is a image of what the area currently looks like, 38 years since the its founding, around Coronation College and Prince Henrick Hospital, as apartment blocks and towers meet suburban neighbuorhood sprawl.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg259.imageshack.us%2Fimg259%2F1645%2Fud13tanticotowntanticot.jpg&hash=7f10f60806c4661aa3859c5133836536aad69798) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/259/ud13tanticotowntanticot.jpg/)
Finally for this growth update here's a regional overview of the area and a population and job breakdown for the region, both provided by the newly formed Tantico Census Department (TCD).
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg560.imageshack.us%2Fimg560%2F6853%2Fud13principalityoftanti.jpg&hash=748904c15c788023dcfbe308dee65f11f7b19b74) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/560/ud13principalityoftanti.jpg/)
Settlement size by population:
Tantico Harbour area
(including Henrick Point, Tepin Point and West Ketin):
Pop: 32,206, Com: 4,685, Ind: 7,703
Tantico Town
(including Chilton):
Pop: 19,794, Com: 2,745, Ind: 3,456
Ellington:
Pop: 8,347, Com: 2,182, Ind: 1,622
Ketin
(not including West Ketin):
Pop: 5.504, Com: 1,253, Ind: 1,734
Riverside:
Pop: 3,036, Com: 760, Ind: 1,320
Henrick Bay:
Pop: 2,892, Com: 751, Ind:454
Salen Mines:
Pop: 2,122, Com: 234, Ind: 1,263
Clearwater:
Pop: 523, Com: 59, Ind: 216
Heltan Corridor:
Pop: 329, Com: 74, Ind: 499
Tantico City Bay:
Pop: 0, Com: 0, Ind: 291
Totals
Pop: 74,753, Com: 11,743, Ind: 18,567
As you can see from the Census, there's a large amount of growth int he population but he available jobs are lagging behind badly. Also of worry is the slow growth of the farmland as its the regions main source of food so that will have to be addressed at some point.
Anyway, we'll have to see what happens next time as I have to sit in on a TTD meeting in several hours so need to finish this entry here.
Till then
Jay Goodrick.
It's been a while, ()what() but I have lots to say, particularly a BIG suggestion for Update 14 (or 15):
How about build a village in the mountains, which is not connected to Salen Mines, and it is connected by a lone road spanning various landscapes. "$Deal"$ &idea
It would start in Tantico, and go all the way there! A good name suggestion would be "Sentaria Village". You should even do a road trip to the mountains, just like Update 9!
Until then,
BM
Replies
SimCity V6: Well, the whole long spanning road with no actual real reason wouldn't be very practical at the moment. They also have yet to cross any of the rivers and given how motivated the TTD seem to be, that may not happen for a while. Thanks for the suggestion though and don't worry I'll try and get some more road trips of stuff in soon.
Entry 14: Yon Wurzel Tree!
Well its Jay back again to give you an update on whats happening her in Tantico. To put it briefly a lot of things. Basically when Prince Henrick left the throne the Principality wasn't in the best of state. True he was loved by the populace (well mostly), but in the later years of his rule a number of issues had been slowly creeping up.
This entry will focus on the issue of rising unemployment as the newly crowned, Prince Oliver tries to short it out.
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First off is a bit of a fill in as to what has been happening employment wise over the last few years. Basically, whilst the Principality was in the midst of a residential boom, with people moving in in droves (thanks mainly to the vertical growth in Tantico City), the industrial economy hadn't grown at all really. In fact that last real growth of industry in Tantico was the development of Salen MInes and Riverbend.
Due to this increase in population and stagnation of jobs, a large amount of buildings were being built and then abandoned as jobs were too hard to come buy (not that the traffic helped this but more on that later). This was also leading to population divides with the gap between the employed population and unemployed population rising constantly whilst the food production was quickly outpaced by the growth and imports were needed, causing the economy to crash slowly as more and more of the countries income was spent on food.
All in all, not a situation any monarch wanted.
As such a state of emergency was called, stopping nearly all residential growth until the economy could be sorted out. Recent population censuses showed that there was about 70% of the population at working age, and only employment for two thirds of these. Something that the Prince wanted to quickly sort out.
Offering subsidiaries for industrial growth (mainly centred around the growth of agriculture) meant that over the last few years, industrial growth has really taken off and although it still isn't fully solved the deficit has nearly been halved. More importantly though a lot less money is being spent on importing food now thanks to the huge growth in farms. This means that more money can be pumped into other areas that need it (such as transit infrastructure).
Anyway below are some photo's I've got of the newly developed areas that are growing up here in Tantico.
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Lets start off in Tantico Harbour, where all the areas of commercial that didn't have access to mains water were given the access and were quickly redeveloped into larger buildings. During this time several of the abandoned mid rise residential towers were also torn down and redeveloped as commercial buildings. Shown here is a image of some redevelopment down in the borough of Ketin, namely around Beacon Square, as larger shops move in.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg824.imageshack.us%2Fimg824%2F5776%2Fud14tanticoharbourketin.jpg&hash=1b058b41e5be3fccc0f8bcab3f6879feb25d5d4c) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/824/ud14tanticoharbourketin.jpg/)
Moving further out we get to the, still purely industry with a tiny amount of commercial, area east of Tantico Town. Mainly farmland this area contains a small inlet which has recently been developed into a small harbour to help provide jobs and easier transport links (what with the growing congestion into Tantico City) to Tantico Harbour.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg812.imageshack.us%2Fimg812%2F6532%2Fud14tanticocitybaysmall.jpg&hash=098c7b318d89b393c10eb1b04156ee796d56dd50) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/ud14tanticocitybaysmall.jpg/)
Next two photos are from the Heltan Corridor. This strip of lightly developed land has since been expanded agriculturally with a large number of farms developing via feeder streets from the Pr1 road (the road that connects most of Tantico's settlements, Pr standing for Primary). With this growth and not to mention growth around Riverbend and (as you'll see in a minute) Salen Mines, the Truck Stop also got an expansion with several more shops and cafes added.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg545.imageshack.us%2Fimg545%2F62%2Fud14heltancorridorhelta.jpg&hash=f627a8d2c3a0ac5e60a6df09fba8fa9ab5cb3da2) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/545/ud14heltancorridorhelta.jpg/)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg834.imageshack.us%2Fimg834%2F62%2Fud14heltancorridorhelta.jpg&hash=0259217f44fa63220eec2f42d9990ccfa4e8fd76) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/ud14heltancorridorhelta.jpg/)
Finally for this part of the update I've got a photo from a industrially developing Salen Mines. Already an annoyance to the TTD due to the fact that they seem to be able to actually provide the small town with a better infrastructure (the rail and already existing road upgrades), they gone and got citizens in other parts of the Principality even more annoyed at the TTD by once again, upgrading the busy roads in town. I'm hoping that it'll finally make the TTD step it up a notch but I'm not going to hold my breath.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg836.imageshack.us%2Fimg836%2F4972%2Fud14salenminesnetworjka.jpg&hash=5feb0da9d3c6c74f95e65accfd24928c96db465b) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/836/ud14salenminesnetworjka.jpg/)
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As to highlight all the problems with the traffic this is a copy of a report that just hit my desk. TTD definitely have their work cut out (though quite why these motorists are choosing to go east, north then west when they could just go north I've got no idea.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg23.imageshack.us%2Fimg23%2F917%2Fud14tanticoharbourtraff.jpg&hash=4995ba353d47c48ba7bdcc35f5cb4a0c970081db) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/23/ud14tanticoharbourtraff.jpg/)
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Anyway, apparently, with the economy slowly getting back on track the Prince has turned his attention towards the traffic issues, meaning we should definitely see some improvements to that soon.
Lastly though here's a updated overview of the region, showing all the agricultural growth.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg267.imageshack.us%2Fimg267%2F2985%2Fud14principalityoftanti.jpg&hash=8659af248351743fad3764cb826b599d848f9c06) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/267/ud14principalityoftanti.jpg/)
Till next time.
Jay Goodrick
this is an interesting concept. its been so long since ive seen the game played vanilla. you've taken the game back to its roots where it was more of a 'fun' game rather than now where it can get very technical, detailed, relotted, and modded so much that sometimes players forget to have fun and play the game, myself included. but i will admit, i couldnt play the game without all the mods. haha. playing the game on hard difficulty must be challenging as well.
anyways, it looks really good in region view. very realistic considering the limitations.
Replies:
jmdude1: Thanks and yes, playing it as a fun game rather than a ultra realistically detailed one was the main idea behind it and I'm glad your enjoying it. You should really give it a go though, you never know.
As for the difficulty. I don't really notice it in all honesty. Everywhere is making money so I must be doing something right and as it all develops slowly I can come down on problems before they develop budget wise.
Entry 15: Road to success!
Well today we have a entry from our newly appointed Head of Transport Charles Heywood. After the whole debacle regarding the lax running of the department previously, a new official was appointed to take charge of the apartment and, working closely with both the Department of Finance and the Prince himself has already made a dent in Tantico's growing traffic issues.
Anyway other than the coming transport news I have some quick news first of all. Just a quick look at some expansion around the region. First of all is the redevelopment of Chilton Industrial Estate (ironically now fully surrounded by Tantico City suburbs). Initially unconnected to the main water supply, the continued needed growth of industry has meant that it was quickly decided to incorporate it into the pipe system.
As such the growth was instantaneous, as more advanced companies bought out the older factories. Below is an image of the redevelopment of the industrial estate. Note also the planting of trees to separate it from the growing suburbs.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg17.imageshack.us%2Fimg17%2F2932%2Fud15tanticotownchiltoni.jpg&hash=a656669a6a8a224b3c953999fa857fd3c0283eff) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/17/ud15tanticotownchiltoni.jpg/)
The other photo that I have shows an Ariel view of the developments that have happened in the Heltan Corridor. With the relaxing of the ban on residential development a small number of rural villages have sprung up around Heltan.
This image just shows the placement of the viallges and there respective names.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg809.imageshack.us%2Fimg809%2F3391%2Fud15heltancorridorrural.jpg&hash=e9aed0aa7be947ff143b6b816a613bc42d4b3ab0) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/809/ud15heltancorridorrural.jpg/)
Anyway with them two images out of the way it's time to hand you over to our new Head of Transport.
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Charles Heywood here,bringing you up to date on the long overdue improvements to several of Tantico's road systems.
Now when I took over there were areas of the region where the traffic was terrible. Sure the small road upgrade a while back had sorted out a few of the issues but no where near enough in the urban areas. Sure the rural roads were fine but in Tantico City and Ellington the traffic on all the streets was a nightmare. As such road network upgrades were first on the list for these two areas.
Below is a series of traffic data images showing the before and after congestion as the road improvements take affect.
Starting off int he Harbour area we can see that, whilst the old road system took care of traffic int he centre of the Harbour there were still a number of issues around the previous improvements.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg546.imageshack.us%2Fimg546%2F4881%2Fud15tanticoharbourconge.jpg&hash=0e62b16daa749c47e52b48af46cde007c2fc898c) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/546/ud15tanticoharbourconge.jpg/)
As such, we spent a lot of money upgrading a number of key roads and junctions. It's not perfect but as you can see its a big improvement.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg818.imageshack.us%2Fimg818%2F5374%2Fud15tanticoharbourafter.jpg&hash=7ee0e05a237dcd9f2984204a270cda62637247cb) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/818/ud15tanticoharbourafter.jpg/)
Now moving onto the Town, were made aware that the previous improvements appeared to have ran out of steam here and that the only roads really present led to Gregory Square and the main roadway for the region, out towards Ellington.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg24.imageshack.us%2Fimg24%2F238%2Fud15tanticotowncongesti.jpg&hash=ea630f5b6c7faf0cfcbf74bb36379629eaa3c8d6) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/ud15tanticotowncongesti.jpg/)
As you can see afterwards its a hell of a lot better. Again not perfect but we didn't have a unlimited budget and still needed to do some work in Ellington after here so it has to do for now. Still a big improvement.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg18.imageshack.us%2Fimg18%2F5858%2Fud15tanticotownafterroa.jpg&hash=433618e915e928588602155c7d32dd71cfca7d83) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/18/ud15tanticotownafterroa.jpg/)
Finally we moved onto Ellington where there was the least amount of issues to deal with. What with it still growing though, issues were likely to crop up in the future. Also of note which I don't think has been mentioned before was that before I took the office, my predecessor had seen fit to incorporate Ellington into the Principalities, Ferry network. You can see the dock on the north shore line just before the inlet starts.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg24.imageshack.us%2Fimg24%2F6797%2Fud15ellingtoncongestion.jpg&hash=45d38a42e61f801e32238a423c59b924dc685fd8) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/ud15ellingtoncongestion.jpg/)
Still improvements were made which the town council were very happy about and most of the traffic issues were sorted out for the growing town.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg38.imageshack.us%2Fimg38%2F3429%2Fud15ellingtonafterroadu.jpg&hash=0899c76658541cbfa50954a66eafd99147951600) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/ud15ellingtonafterroadu.jpg/)
Anyway that's all I've got for you for now, Were still in talks about adding another mass transit system to Tantico, with buses taking most of the votes at the moment. Then on top of this we have the improvements to the Harbour area that we've been intending to do for the last few years and I've had proposals for a couple of bridges to link the harbour with Tepin Point and Henrick Point.
All in all a lot to come from us here in the TTD.
Till next time.
Charles Heywood
Hey, aren't the towns in the pictures a nod to Hentan? :P
Replies:[/u]
SimCity V6: Shhhh lol, I ran out of place names lol and I like small rural villages in swathes of farmland :P (aka yes they are stolen from Hentan.)
Entry 16: A Mosiac for all!
Just a small update for you all today. A intrepid photographer has sent us in this tall Panoramic of Tantico City from coast to coast, showing several of the cities key buildings.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg546.imageshack.us%2Fimg546%2F4341%2Fud16tanticocitymosiac.jpg&hash=d97c4c4baf4dbdc507ecc3ad0276c9227383510b) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/546/ud16tanticocitymosiac.jpg/)
Other than that the plans for the bus routes are being finalised so that should be ready to show you soon.
Till then
Jay Goodrick
(OOC: I hope the image isn't too long as its my first go at a Mosaic. Also hope that I hid the cross tile border well enough)
QuoteOther than that the plans for the bus routes are being finalised so that should be ready to show you soon.
it's a shame that we cant realy plan them thou =\
What about the time period for Tantico? It has modern stuff, but has grown like a city from the 1800s. Still, nice mosaic! &hlp
(Fixed something)
Replies:
gn_leugim: Yer I know, but dosen't mean I can't pretend lol. Will still do up bus routes though.
SimCity V6: Thanks and I don't really have a set time frame but I always thought of it as being like mid to late 1900's.
Entry 17: Natural Marshes
Just another small update while the now finalised bus routes are implemented and installed around the region. This will just concentrate on several more areas of growth that Tantico has experienced over the last few years.
Starting off in Salem Mines we can see that they've had a lot of housing growth since the zoning ban was lifted, expanding west across the tracks and expanding the shopping area of the town. Mainly due to the continued growth of the mines and the agriculture around the small town.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg9.imageshack.us%2Fimg9%2F8473%2Fud17salemminestowngrowt.jpg&hash=2ec2ee1ead301d9c7b23f4774b1233a61b29a85a) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/9/ud17salemminestowngrowt.jpg/)
With this growth and continued tree clearances across the region, a new, environmentally conscious compnay moved into the region. Named Sustainable Forestry Inc, this company does exactly what it says it does. Planting several forests throughout the region on bought out farmland, this company aims to help Tanitco's environment as well as providing continued lumber for buildings and material. As you can see from the photo below of the companies first plantations, there using a tree non native to Tantico. This is the Blue Fir (which contrary to its name isn't actually blue), Native to the former country of the initial settlers, these trees grow to harvest-able height at a lot faster rate than Tantico's native flora, so, while others tree are soon set to be trialed at the moment te plantations are all Blue Firs.
Here's the photo of the first plantations, situated around Salem Mines to see if they can help combat the increased industrial growth.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg705.imageshack.us%2Fimg705%2F5292%2Fud17salemminessustainab.jpg&hash=ae905cf378511d84265da16000a1410f0be3a820) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/705/ud17salemminessustainab.jpg/)
Keeping with the environmental theme, we now move onto Tantico's first recognised nature reserve. Having been found to contain a small number of bird species native to this salt water marshland (including the Giant Crested Woodparrot and the Flamincock) as well as many other species of wildlife and strangely enough, home to the rare Marshland Llama's, we give you the Tantico Marshland Nature Reserve.
Situated just west of Tantico Town, the immediate marshland and surrounding area were all designated part of the Nature Reserve. Below you can see a overview of the area with the small road dictating where the nature reserve stretches too. As you an see, development and farming has begun in the area with two small towns trying to capitalise on the tourism in the area. The one bottom left is Jenkins and the other one which we'll see in a minute, is Marshton.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg35.imageshack.us%2Fimg35%2F9625%2Fud17tanticomarshlandsna.jpg&hash=22509e2d61b650a754b1f86eab7349facdb5dbfa) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/35/ud17tanticomarshlandsna.jpg/)
As said above this is Marshton. Considered the better of the two small torusit villages, this small community are mostly employed by the nature reserve or the Marshland Llama rest stop (can be seen at the entrance to the village. As you an see there's plenty of places here to enjoy a pick-nick while visiting the marshes and several educational facilities for school trips and visitors alike, as well as the much loved Marshland Hovercraft Tours [the small jetty to the north of the town].
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg534.imageshack.us%2Fimg534%2F9625%2Fud17tanticomarshlandsna.jpg&hash=180bb202dd1c4b4c96d85237cce61bf3593ed3ef) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/ud17tanticomarshlandsna.jpg/)
Now from marshland to urban sprawl as we move back into Tantico Town. FIrstly we have the new stadium for the Tantico United Football Club. The main team here in Tantico, having represented the country in a small number of the less recognised Smearth footballing events, it was decided to give the team their own proper stadium (instead of having to train and play at Coronation College). Situated on the edge of the town this is already becoming a weekend favourite of a large number of city living sims. Eager to support their team or just yell at the ref.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg6.imageshack.us%2Fimg6%2F1686%2Fud17tanticotowntanticou.jpg&hash=2a9dc63d80c3604ed114c3468d438cadb2835d6b) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/6/ud17tanticotowntanticou.jpg/)
Still in Tantico Town, we move onto what is quickly becoming the best place for shopping in Tantico. Due to increased prices and space issues that Gregory Square and the other larger, more centralised commercial districts were suffering from, this small commercial strip, on the edge of town took advantage of the nearby Coronation College and the new and growing football stadium and saw a whole lot of vertical development in a small amount of time, even seeing Tantico's first large hotel (the building that looks slightly like a palace). Still set to increase in size over the next few years College Road Shooping Cnetre is one to watch.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg853.imageshack.us%2Fimg853%2F8972%2Fud17tanticotowncolleger.jpg&hash=92056b613cd800f068de1a6591ca47a4c5d3aec8) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/ud17tanticotowncolleger.jpg/)
(OOC: Also happens to be one of my favourite shots so far in the journal)
Other than this I leave you with a current overview so you can get your bearings and see all the growth that we haven't looked at yet.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg827.imageshack.us%2Fimg827%2F4466%2Fud17principalityoftanti.jpg&hash=ef70d09c49bbe67e1d9f59bd8ac0bfdba31dfda5) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/ud17principalityoftanti.jpg/)
Until next time
Jay Goodrick
Woah, what a funny misspelling! :P By the way, keep the MD up and hopefully you'll blast into the "Best-Sellers" category and possibly the Ben's Top 10 :-\! Also, I think this is more or less set in the very beginning of the 20th century to the 60s. &apls
Replies:[/u]
SimCity V6: Lol I'm not even sure what I misspelled lol? As for blasting into the Best Sellers I hope so. Need a bit of work until then though so we'll have to see. As for the Ben's Top 10, I was at number 6 this week, so lets hope I can continue to climb up the ladder.
Regarding the timeline I honestly have no idea when its really set just that its probably relatively modern (so probably what you said).
Entry 18: Bus Trip (Part One)
Jay here with some good news. TTD seems to have truely got their act together under the new minister as the long promised and overdue bus routes have finally been added to our growing settlements. Having recieved this route map of the Tantico National Express Bus Route, I decided that the best way to show you the new buses was to take a trip on one of them, photographing each stop along the way.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg832.imageshack.us%2Fimg832%2F5856%2Fud18tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=5f16be48d4573f93b073bb6ef1a313b4c8015cb0) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/832/ud18tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Now although there's a few different bus routes around the region, given that we've got the route map for it and its the main route, traveling on the national route makes sense to me. With this in mind I made my way to the Ketin Bus Depot and waited for my bus to begin it's journey.
Here's a image of the Depot. As you can see its pretty small at the moment and generally only acts as a large terminal for the National Express and the Tantico City Link. There's also a small area to park several coaches and a garage for maintenance.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg692.imageshack.us%2Fimg692%2F5856%2Fud18tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=15e72e1f868f129482e83c1de293ab1ede5c873d) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/692/ud18tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Now lets head through the stops, first one is Ketin's Primary School.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg811.imageshack.us%2Fimg811%2F5856%2Fud18tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=fa1b24db41e788823634b8d65f61e956c947934f) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/811/ud18tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Then onto the first commercial area that the coach stops at.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg402.imageshack.us%2Fimg402%2F5856%2Fud18tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=42b5498d2a00aa321348c7fd60c4bb071bf78188) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/402/ud18tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Next is Sandy Way where development gets higher as move towards the waterfront commercial area.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg23.imageshack.us%2Fimg23%2F5856%2Fud18tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=915154857c56bbb4972d2232007bc364c3bbab8e) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/23/ud18tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
First however is this high tech industrial estate at the end of Sandy Way. The dilapidated building in the background is a bit of an annoyance for the city council but, given that it houses nearly 800 citizens despite its looks, they're not prepared to do anything about it yet
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg89.imageshack.us%2Fimg89%2F8840%2Fud18tanticonationalbusrw.jpg&hash=0d34bcfe29d99129a0fd7ce416d5a2fe22d9e1a9) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/89/ud18tanticonationalbusrw.jpg/)
Finally for this first leg of the bus journey we reach Tantico Harbour Ferry Terminal. One of the growing transport hubs for the region.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg203.imageshack.us%2Fimg203%2F5856%2Fud18tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=375855026be89734a80ec3333eb389134626ca14) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/203/ud18tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Finally though we've got this image of some commercial development growing ever higher. This tall building is currently the largest in the whole region and, together with its smaller neighbours provides about 1.5k of the 7k commercial jobs in the Harbour area. The commercial minister states that he hopes to see more business invest like this in the near future.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg4.imageshack.us%2Fimg4%2F5939%2Fud18tanticoharbourgrowi.jpg&hash=f18253ceef8019be8ee4578aa2e8b8c690c55f73) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/ud18tanticoharbourgrowi.jpg/)
That's all for the first part of our journey. Join me next time as we continue to move inland.
Till then
Jay Goodrick
Entry 19: Bus Trip (Part 2)
Hey guys, back again for part two of our bus journey through the region, next stop the Lady Francis Hospital. Not the busiest station in the city but still a rather useful one.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg703.imageshack.us%2Fimg703%2F7840%2Fud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=935abce3f2408121ada7e74bca944841f3999898) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/703/ud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
The next stop takes us out of the harbour area and into the town area. Pulling up at the Wytun Road stop which backs on to a small low rise neighbourhood in a sea of mid rise buildings. Interestingly it's also one of the busiest stations on route due to its positioning on a busy T-junction.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg812.imageshack.us%2Fimg812%2F7840%2Fud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=6a964f2a3732cd14ff90e474c66df56318a99394) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/ud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Then we reach the third of our main stops on the route, College Road Com. District. As previosuly stated this is the largest concentration of commercial in the region, the small bus stop hidden in amongst the offices and stores.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg153.imageshack.us%2Fimg153%2F7840%2Fud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=f5274a2e37630ed0eab3b6ad92d65f0a1a854552) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/153/ud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Next up we reach the end of the development with the second of our College road stops. As you can see the development hasn't gone as vertical as the college end of district.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg18.imageshack.us%2Fimg18%2F7840%2Fud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=82a3d03f8f527201f2cc537956ae3d1ae15a3d41) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/18/ud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Then we move out of the town out of the town but before we leave there's the Chilton Industrial Park Road stop. Placed just outside the redeveloped industrial estate this image shows how the town has grown around the estate which once sat away from residential development.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg850.imageshack.us%2Fimg850%2F7840%2Fud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=bf17b195f52eba9e03cb2b938e645d50ce527aeb) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/850/ud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Ellington Road is the next stop. Situated on the edge of the growing town, this isn't the busiest stop mainly due to the fact that its pretty close to the next stop which is the main one for Ellington and therefore, more central.
(Please also note that there's a error on the Bus Route image which says that this stop connects to the TCL which is wrong as it obviously connects to the ECL being in Ellington and all)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg195.imageshack.us%2Fimg195%2F7840%2Fud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=09757251de3cde59b91aab180a2475ea3d9d9dbe) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/195/ud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Finally our last stop for this update is Ellington Central. This area has just received water after being connected to the Tantico Town pumps and as such, looks a lot different to when we last looked at it.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg24.imageshack.us%2Fimg24%2F7840%2Fud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=56d277df32a7401717807d8a2dcbe6f4e2a2c67a) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/ud19tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
That's all for the second leg of the bus journey. Join me next time when we finish up the route to Salen, but till then, I'll leave you with this image of some mostly low wealth row housing with the mast for the Tantico FM broadcasting building in the foreground.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg94.imageshack.us%2Fimg94%2F935%2Fud19tanticotownrowhousi.jpg&hash=04e77ce36a7cffdefa30653413f52ea045b80861) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/94/ud19tanticotownrowhousi.jpg/)
Till next time
Jay Goodrick
Awesome stuff you have going here! It's nice to see the game back to its roots... I haven't played vanilla since 2008. Nice work!
Yeah, it's fun to watch, I can't recall some of Maxis' buildings at all. The pictures are also well taken, each area has a distinct neighborhood feel to it which I always found hard to achieve with vanilla. Keep it up! :thumbsup:
Replies:[/u]
sim_link: Thanks and I'm glad your enjoying the back to the roots look of it. Let's hope I can continue to keep that interest.
vortext: Thanks and I agree with you, a lot of the buildings that are growing I've never seen and I'm finding new ones all the time. I'm also glad your enjoying the pictures and that they give off the feel their meant too as I was worried that my picture taking wasn't that good.
Entry 20: Bus Trip (Part 3)
Right today we complete our leg of the National Express bus journey, concentrating on the rural side of the trip. First off today we leave Ellington via the Market Road where another two stops are located. The first as you pass the farmers market.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg716.imageshack.us%2Fimg716%2F9827%2Fud20tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=5e6ff77c7887d0ced1439779c07725e725b9a1ae) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/716/ud20tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
The second at the end of the road where houses meet farmland.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg266.imageshack.us%2Fimg266%2F9827%2Fud20tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=678e443f29181a57c5458064bbac7ced42992939) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/266/ud20tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
For the next stop we leave Ellington behind and head off to the sleepy village of Heltan which, despite its size, actually contains two stops. The first is this one just outside the village.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg802.imageshack.us%2Fimg802%2F9827%2Fud20tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=5ac3850b3823afaa9ca1f8277c889db6cd711275) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/802/ud20tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
The other one is this truck stop outside the village on the road to Riverbend. As you can see the motel business seems to be rather profitable going by the look of the motel rooms.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg811.imageshack.us%2Fimg811%2F9827%2Fud20tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=859c67e21cb9ff29b048c1b149f70b02523d60f0) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/811/ud20tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Travelling through the countryside we reach our penultimate stop in the form of Riverbend Ferry Terminal. This is also the first stub on the route, with the bus having to turn around and go back on itslef for the first time int he journey, however it was necssacary to provide a practical stop.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg822.imageshack.us%2Fimg822%2F9827%2Fud20tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=6e7bb2de6b20b0ab63b163add6f96c6ba9a5f780) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/822/ud20tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Finally the last stop of the journey, Salen Road. Here the bus drops off the last of its passengers and then uses the circle road (just off the top left of the picture) to turn around and start the whole journey in reverse.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg402.imageshack.us%2Fimg402%2F9827%2Fud20tanticonationalbusr.jpg&hash=33b283e306ab5830bfe81853c90ecdbaa7f9decf) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/402/ud20tanticonationalbusr.jpg/)
Well that's it for the National Express. Obviously thats not all the bus stops in the region, next time we'll take a look at some of the city links, probably in the form of labelled overviews but for now, as its entry 20, here's a look at the regional view so far.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg526.imageshack.us%2Fimg526%2F4766%2Fud20principalityoftanti.jpg&hash=f26432e78aab5eb2855d23a89ba1eb622484e127) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/526/ud20principalityoftanti.jpg/)
Till next time
Jay Goodrick
wow. nice cities. They remind me of my ultimate inspiration (CSG's Natural Growth). Your journal is so prolific! I had alot of fun reading through it. I love your region view. It is inspiring me to pick back up with my region. Keep up the great journal!
Highways, subways maps are usual to be found, now bus maps are a new to me :D was missing here for some time, but just ot find out that it keeps getting better and better ;)
Replies:
eldaldo: Thanks. CSG is a big inspiration to me too so thanks (and as it turns Eskima was as well just didn't realise you were the author, and I'm very glad to have inspired you to post another update). Region views are always nice to look at to see development so I'm glad your enjoying them.
If by prolific you mean lots of updates thanks, I tend to get a bit carried away at the beginning then slow down a bit hence why the latest updates haven't been so regular. Doesn't mean I'm not loving Tantico though so I'm definitely not planning on stopping any time soon.
gn_leugim: Thanks and this update contains a couple of bus maps so I hope they don't disappoint you. I'm glad you think it's still getting better and better, lets hope I can keep it up and don't worry about not posting for a while. Just glad your still popping back in now and then.
Entry 21: This and that
Right Jay back with several bits and pieces for you all from Tantico. Firstly as I stated last time here's some of the bus stop maps and a little bit about how the bus system works in Tantico.
Basically you can alight at any of the designated stops but can get off anywhere. Just ring the bell you'll find all over the buses and the driver will stop at the nearest and safest place. This provides a handy stop to door service that the Tanticoans seem to enjoy and due to the way the system works, it has very little impact on the congestion so its a win all around.
The other bit of news that I have regarding the buses is these two photo's of several areas of the large fold out bus stop map that cna be picked up almost anywhere in the region (mainly at bus stops, tourist information centres and hotels)
First one show the industrial harbour area. As you can see the rings mark all the bus stops where you can baord a bus.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg703.imageshack.us%2Fimg703%2F8495%2Fud21tanticoharbourharbo.jpg&hash=b8353a76ba96e3922e21b250aae6345985538b70) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/703/ud21tanticoharbourharbo.jpg/)
This image shows the area around the Tantico Harbour Ferry Terminal.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg211.imageshack.us%2Fimg211%2F5784%2Fud21tanticoharbourferry.jpg&hash=ea6a1360e2fb23b16a7accf20b272a3dba41cf1d) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/211/ud21tanticoharbourferry.jpg/)
That was it for the images I took from the fold out map. The rest are pretty much all the same just coded as thier colours dictate.
--------------------
The other bit of news is regarding the redevelopment of the old cattle market in Tantico Harbour area.
With the market sat in the middle of the band of mid rise residential and commercial buildings (the stretch from the Ferry Terminal to College Road) this real estate prices had gone through the roof and with the decrease in cattle being brought to market each week it was sold off to make room for further commercial development. Below are the images taken of the redevelopment of the area.
First showing the area in question for redevelopment. As you can see surrounded by mid rise buildings.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg547.imageshack.us%2Fimg547%2F8371%2Fud21tanticoharbourplans.jpg&hash=cfe0d68001be2d8d85e1089d599c4292612a3314) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/547/ud21tanticoharbourplans.jpg/)
The area after the cattle market was cleared and new roads and zoning laid down.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg17.imageshack.us%2Fimg17%2F7215%2Fud21tanticoharbourlaido.jpg&hash=6090269bd18ad8c42a8d9a848b81c1eebdcb1ae2) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/17/ud21tanticoharbourlaido.jpg/)
Finally the area as it stands now, as you can see four news businesses have taken the opportunity to make the nice piece of land their own. Hopefully though higher buildings will develop soon.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg7.imageshack.us%2Fimg7%2F1252%2Fud21tanticoharboursmall.jpg&hash=453ef4fda1fe8c92f4a5e83bca57199365df2546) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/7/ud21tanticoharboursmall.jpg/)
Thats all for now though. Next time I think we'll take a closer look at some of the suburbs around the region.
Till then
Jay Goodrick
Entry 22: Housing Time!
Hello people, Jay Goodrick here. Thought we'd take a look at some of the different sort of housing and residential areas that you can expect to find here in Tantico. These range from the small single family dwellings all the way up to mid rise buildings with hundreds of people in them. Now although you've probably seen most of these in the previous entries we've yet to do a entry dedicated tot hem. Also seeing as we've just reached a region population of 100,000 I thought it'd be rather fitting.
------------------
Right, starting from the smallest type of housing in the smallest settlements we have our villages. This one in particular is Ilting outside of Salen Mines. Usually a cluster of farm workers around a couple of shops, these scattered communities are springing up all over the growing region. Housing here is fairly cheap due to lack of services but you can still find cheaper.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg407.imageshack.us%2Fimg407%2F5960%2Fud22salenminesvillageof.jpg&hash=9d1eb13ae1e2020e4925e6c51988eeed301a65e3) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/407/ud22salenminesvillageof.jpg/)
Another example of the growing villages here in Tantico is Shoreside. Although large by normal village standards, this coastal village situated to the east of Ellington is a definite place of continued growth as rich city dwellers move out of enjoy the peace and quiet and seaside living. Prices here are rather high due to the demand and quality of living and quickly rising.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg197.imageshack.us%2Fimg197%2F6678%2Fud22shoresideshoresidec.jpg&hash=bc32cd1d179d6698262fb4f4dc94b686ee8c32af) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/197/ud22shoresideshoresidec.jpg/)
Moving back inland we come across our first look at suburbs in Tantico. This picture came from the Ketin district of Tantico City and show the usual cul de sac approach to planning and growth that our developers and council have taken all over the region. As you can see, there's a mixed level of wealth in the suburbs, mainly due to people rebuilding and expanding their homes as they earn more and can afford to. These suburbs probably have the highest variation of prices in the region.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg89.imageshack.us%2Fimg89%2F2968%2Fud22tanticocityketindisk.jpg&hash=13f790110b260f9e5ae212669d526c53a8af63ed) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/89/ud22tanticocityketindisk.jpg/)
Another look at a suburb in the region, this time the former village of Chilton, which, due to continued growth has now become a suburb rather than its own village. Also note the graveyard. When the graveyard was originally sited it was on the edge of the town. Since then it has been surrounded by growth.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg21.imageshack.us%2Fimg21%2F9353%2Fud22tanticotownchiltons.jpg&hash=eaebf3fb068945816990780a2c7cae3adde57f5c) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/21/ud22tanticotownchiltons.jpg/)
More housing, this time in Salen Mines. This housing was different to that in other places in the region due to it being built by a company rather than any government led council planner. As such the housing was row housing and crammed in as tight as possible. Although a number of these homes are llarger than many in the suburbs of the other towns, due tot he lack of space and the pollution from the nearby coal mine and plant, the house prices here are some of the lowest in the region.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg402.imageshack.us%2Fimg402%2F6343%2Fud22salenminesrowhosuin.jpg&hash=1d937fc5c5d6a010ffcf5d4008d924223b150b3e) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/402/ud22salenminesrowhosuin.jpg/)
Now we'll move into urban living and the some row houses common to what you can find in the low rise areas of town. Lots of the same designed row houses next to eachother to provide cheap and affordable housing. Not the nicest places to live in the region but its not the worst either.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg40.imageshack.us%2Fimg40%2F4145%2Fud22tanticotowncentralr.jpg&hash=ca85bec484630bebe22a6c9c6b043f6353c7f30d) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/40/ud22tanticotowncentralr.jpg/)
The next step up in housing was more dense living in the form of apartments. Seen here surrounding the statue of Lord Admiral Holt (the Admiral of the fleet that discovered Tantico who was chosen from a list of important Tanticoan's to be immortalised after he passed away several years ago.) these apartments come in all shape and sizes as well wealth level as this image shows. The prices will depend on what sort of condition you want to live in but rest assured, the nice ones are somne of the most expensive in the region.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg198.imageshack.us%2Fimg198%2F839%2Fud22tanticotownadmiralh.jpg&hash=512d1b21921d7f05b968c22dca037315e9584aee) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/198/ud22tanticotownadmiralh.jpg/)
Unfortunately things aren't all rosey here in Tantico in regards to housing. With a lot of growth early on in Tantico Harbour as Tanticoans made more and more money, a number of high wealth mid rises were built to accommodate them. However rising pollution levels and the previous congestion problems meant that a lot of them moved further into Tantico Town itself leaving their mid rises behind. These were then occupied in greater numbers by lower wealth residents. As such a number of buildings have become slightly run down as the residents can't afford the upkeep. However due to how many people the buildings house, the government have yet to come up with a suitable solution to re-housing them so they've left them there, at least until they start the Harbourside Redevelopment Project.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg341.imageshack.us%2Fimg341%2F2691%2Fud22tanticoharbourhousi.jpg&hash=847fda533f67f5512b926c71a231d7812026558f) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/341/ud22tanticoharbourhousi.jpg/)
Finally, so we don't end on a bad note, here are the Terrace Towers. The housing of the rich and famous here in Tantico, these two towers have the most expensive property prices in the entire region. Situated near the football Stadium and College Road Commercial District, together with their rooftop pools these two buildings are currently the place to live.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg703.imageshack.us%2Fimg703%2F3880%2Fud22tanticotownhighweal.jpg&hash=6295e1edc38c8ba28d2b29df4ea131f1bb24c088) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/703/ud22tanticotownhighweal.jpg/)
With that however, this update on housing comes to an end. Hopefully you've enjoyed this little trip through Tanticp' housing options and maybe even some of the properties have piqued your interest in considering a residency in Tantico. Next time we'll move onto the commercial areas of Tantico and take a closer look at some shopping.
Till then however.
Jay Goodrick
Entry 23: Retail Therapy
Right lets see, last time was all about the housing so this time lets get some shopping done. As you'll see from this entry there's no shortage of places in Tantico to spend your cash and get a little retail therapy done.
Starting off as ever, with the smallest stores we take a look at the village shops. Here in Tantico its very rare to find a village or group of houses without at least a small corner shop to provide for the residents. One such place is the village of Elmston outside of Riverbend with its licensed cafe and a corner store, perfect for a quiet drink after tending the fields all day long or getting the weekly groceries.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg708.imageshack.us%2Fimg708%2F1338%2Fud23rivebendelmstonvill.jpg&hash=2c6d0b1111addbd4963fbf87b2cfa02a56a2cf95) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/708/ud23rivebendelmstonvill.jpg/)
Moving on we take a look at some of the retail you'll find in the smaller towns around the region. This one in particular is Henrick Bay beach and as such, contains some of the nicest boutiques and restaurants in the region.. However due to zoning laws in Henrick Bay and Henrick Point, they are set to be kept this way as vertical construction is restricted. Still that doesn't mean you can't come and enjoy a nice day at the beach with some delicious local ice cream.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg837.imageshack.us%2Fimg837%2F8789%2Fud23henrickbaybeachside.jpg&hash=202192ce247de3b62968689d60c3a7ffc669459e) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/837/ud23henrickbaybeachside.jpg/)
The towns that don't have such restrictions however are slowly growing upwards. This can be clearly seen in Ellington where the recent connection to Tantico City water board has meant that denser buildings are starting to grow. Also note that Ellington is well known for its strip malls lining the main roads through it. This is in common with many of the seaside towns and villages but not in common with the larger more nucleated settlements in the region. This area is probably set to grow the most over the coming years as more and more of Ellington gains access to mains water.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg94.imageshack.us%2Fimg94%2F2811%2Fud23ellingtonbaystripma.jpg&hash=eed716f98225134687c2117651865ebfd468b77b) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/94/ud23ellingtonbaystripma.jpg/)
Now to what is probably the best known and definitely oldest concentration of commerce in the region, Gregory Square. With its many shops and cafes this area held the title of CBD of Tantico City right up until the soaring land prices and limited space pushed further development into College Road and what is now the CBD for the city and region. With the new CBD developing across the city and some work being done to the Ferryside area,land prices dropped enough for new business to move into the area and homes were gradually replaced with shop until Gregory Square and Ferryside met creating one single commerce district that you can see below.
Why not come and enjoy a days shopping around the square and quay side before booking a expensive table at the top of the newly opened Raymnar Building (named after the architect, Charles Raymnar and the tall building in the centre of the mosiac) where you can enjoy the views from the regions tallest building. You can even book a stay in several small hotels and b&b's in the area if one day isn't enough
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg812.imageshack.us%2Fimg812%2F9887%2Fud23tanticotowngregorys.jpg&hash=d5df988e058b5404acf64c9155fba4c028bcdcf6) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/ud23tanticotowngregorys.jpg/)
Now we move onto the CBD of Tantico City, College Road. Stretching from the newly unveiled statue of Princess Andrea (Olivers wife) all the way down to Tantico Cities (and indeed the region) premier and oldest entertainment establishment, Stout Cinemas (the cinema at the very bottom of the mosaic facing away from us), this nearly unbroken stretch of commerce includes all you'll need for a day or two spent shopping and caters for everyone, no matter the size of your wallet or purse.
Definitely the centre of attention here however is the Harring Department store. This building (the tall one just above the high school towards the bottom) is Tantico's premier shopping experience. Bought a little while ago by Tantico's richest businessman, this former office block had it's lowest seven levels converted into a large department store for Tantico's rich and famous (OOC: think Harrods on a slightly smaller scale). Here you can find a personal shopper to help you with your retail therapy and many high class cafes as well as a restaurant or two to take a break in while exploring the huge store, maybe before heading out to Stout Cinema for the latest shows and films.
If films aren't your cup of tea or you can't afford to shop in Harring there are still plenty of shops in the main part of the CBD to do some shopping so no matter your style or needs there's something for everyone here.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg838.imageshack.us%2Fimg838%2F2182%2Fud23tanticocitycolleger.jpg&hash=d493c6e41b31f06fb4c52ddf14593990a1898908) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/838/ud23tanticocitycolleger.jpg/)
Well that's it for this update. I'll leave you planning your days of retail therapy here in Tantico and if your undecided maybe this complimentary fudge from Harrings famous food hall will help?
Anyway from the glamour of shopping to the grind of the industrial engine. Next time we take a look at the heart of the country and its financial backbone, industry. Love it or hate it you can't run a country without it and that's where were heading next.
Till then let me know if you would like any complimentary fudge and I'll see you next time.
Till next time
Jay Goodrick
A couple of very nice updates. Keep it up.
Retail therapy is always therapeutic, except on the wallet!!!
Replies:
Benedict: Thanks, I hope you continue to check in and enjoy the updates.
Schulmanator: True, though there are some cheaper alternatives in the CBD that are still of a nice quality.
Entry 24: Industrial Heart
Well this will be the final one of our focus on Tantico mini series. We've had residential and commercial so that leaves us with the industrial heart of the small nation to explore.
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Now it should be no small suprise that industrial jobs make up most of the jobs on Tantico, what with its heavy emphasis on farming and exporting. True, more and more people have begun seeking employment in the many businesses and offices around the towns and Tantico City as they continue to grow but at the moment its mostly industry that employs the Tanticoans.
As for the actual employers nearly all of them are small scale factories and farms owners with only three major employers in the region. These are the Tensea Power Distribution Company who own the large natural gas power plants that provide power to Tantico City as well as a small number of the wind turbines dotted around the region. Then there's the Salem Mining Company. Headed by Prince Gregory, Prince Olivers brother, this company owns nearly all the factories and mines in both Salem and Riverbend (as well as Salem Coal Power Plant) and is the biggest employer in the region. Finally of the big three we have the quickly emerging Sustainable Forestry Inc who are quickly purchasing land to enlarge their plantations. All of the three will be seen in the update along with the rest of the industrial might of Tantico so lets begin.
Starting small as ever we take a look at some of the smaller holdings and one of the trial plantation, not of the usual Blue Fir but instead a small Oak with favourable properties, around the recently settled village of Jepin (probably the smallest village in the region) and Farwill . As you can see in the previous updates many small farms like these dot the countryside around the region, usually owned by small families.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg819.imageshack.us%2Fimg819%2F115%2Fud24clearwatersmallfarm.jpg&hash=c1e3cbc06ba1f202f46d3cca8cd3223209e8ce44) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/819/ud24clearwatersmallfarm.jpg/)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg832.imageshack.us%2Fimg832%2F115%2Fud24clearwatersmallfarm.jpg&hash=b2c3fdb063409058dee386a76f99e6f71f804854) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/832/ud24clearwatersmallfarm.jpg/)
Moving on we can see farming on the other end of the spectrum with these huge farms around the Heltan Cross junction. These large farms aren't as prolific as the smaller ones at the moment but are slowly increasing in number as the rural spread develops. Another note for the agriculture in that we mainly produce food stuffs for ourselves, relying a lot on home grown produce rather than imports. Favoured among the farmers is corn and cattle along with the usual wheat and apples. Unusually though is the few native llama farms where the llama's native to Tantico are reared to provide the Tantico delicacies of Llama pate and llama pizuers (basically a Llama steak in a folded pizza) without hurting the native population.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg41.imageshack.us%2Fimg41%2F9440%2Fud24heltancorridorhelta.jpg&hash=be56414d93a7d658da836d26e432b9826482977d) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/41/ud24heltancorridorhelta.jpg/)
Moving on from agriculture we take a look at Salen Mines and the SMC's holdings. Currently the mines are still gorwing and now have seven open shafts rather than the original three. Unseen in the image below is also the continued growth of the compnaies processing area and power plant both of which are also set to grow int he comin years.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg19.imageshack.us%2Fimg19%2F2939%2Fud24salemminesalookatth.jpg&hash=6df46361db6403598d680017248623aa58fce7d5) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/ud24salemminesalookatth.jpg/)
the other side of the company can be found here in Riverbend. Consisting of one of the three harbours in Tantico (here, the city harbour and a small harbour to the east of hte city) as well as the only freight line in the region. This port is a fairly busy one, shipping the coal not being used to Tantico Harbour to be exported.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg153.imageshack.us%2Fimg153%2F7808%2Fud24riverbendriverbendh.jpg&hash=747eb8be35cd50bf26a8e42281545b2a6b7b8c13) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/153/ud24riverbendriverbendh.jpg/)
Now we take a look at the one of the regions many industrial estate. This one in particular is the Chilton Industrial Estate. Originally situated on some farmland outside of Tantico City, this former manufacturing estate has seen growth both around it and in it over the last few years as more and more advanced indutries have redeveloped the previous plots to become Tantico's leading High Tech Industrial Estate. Beside this one most of the others concetrate on manufacturing .
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg163.imageshack.us%2Fimg163%2F363%2Fud24tanticotownchillton.jpg&hash=48a0298d80a111e6b0cedb45304bb6355caece4a) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/163/ud24tanticotownchillton.jpg/)
Finally no update regarding Tantico's Industry would be complete without a look at the regions major eyesore and governmental headache, Tantico Harbour. A huge mess of individual docks, factories, pollution and the Tensea Power Distributions largest power plant, this area has been the biggest industrial concentration since the regions settlement. However plans are being finalised too clean this area up and add proper docks for ships to use and maybe even government owned freight lines. All this is at the top of the governments priorities list so will probably be addressed very soon. For now though it'll continue to provide the headache it is.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg197.imageshack.us%2Fimg197%2F623%2Fud24tanticoharbourtanti.jpg&hash=4abe30aa033948bb63af90eada848ee1c81e76f4) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/197/ud24tanticoharbourtanti.jpg/)
That however is all for now. Join me next time for a slightly different type of update.
Till then
Jay Goodrick
Good couple of updates and nice mosaics, too! Curious what the next update will bring!
Replies:[/u]
votrext: Thanks I'm glad you like the mosaic's. They take a while but are worth it and here's the next update so wonder no more!
Entry 25: 25th Special
Welcome everyone to what will be Tantico's most eccentric and diverse update yet. To celebrate the journal reaching 25 entries (OOC: Quite good considering I've only ever got about 5 updates in till now) I've got a number of different things for you so without further ado let's begin.
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Having reached both entry 25 and 100k in population, Prince Oliver has announced decreed that the nation needed a flag to proudly fly. As such a number of Tantico's finest art students and artists contributed a number of flag designs for the nation and although all were appreciated, it was this design by Jose Heltin that was chosen, what with Oliver and his ministers feeling it reflected Tantico best, the blue of the important coastline and brown for the important agriculture. The star was also important to the Kerin family line so it fitted perfectly.
As such were proud to present the flag of Tantico.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg835.imageshack.us%2Fimg835%2F3097%2Fflagdesign5.jpg&hash=eb289aa3c3ffb28864988661b6847f8626d18dae) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/flagdesign5.jpg/)
Also, on the subject of flags, a variant was designed for Tantico CIty, bearing a ships wheel rather than a star represented here.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg541.imageshack.us%2Fimg541%2F5844%2Ftanticocityflag.jpg&hash=73dff51803abc0341eab3818121e6eaeee9fcb4b) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/541/tanticocityflag.jpg/)
Also apparently in the pipe line is the redesign of the Kerin family crest to be used by the royalty of Tantico but apparently no design has been agreed on yet.
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Now for the second and smallest part of the update.
Having realised that I hadn't mentioned much about Oliver and his family since his succession, I'm pleased to be able to present the Kerin's family tree (since they settled Tantico). As you can see there's been births that I haven't actually mentioned but this will bring you up to date.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg189.imageshack.us%2Fimg189%2F5900%2Ffamilytreeg.jpg&hash=26766f5230b6adb7e13bfaa55f7233b375656ec8) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/189/familytreeg.jpg/)
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And now the biggest and most exciting part of the update. What with it being update 25 and all we've decided to do something a bit different and have a animated image of the growth of Tantico since entry six via a animated image.
As you can see the region has grown quite a bit since then and this we decided was the best way to show it. Underneath will then be another population list with all the new settlements and areas on it.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg13.imageshack.us%2Fimg13%2F544%2Fud25principalityoftanti.gif&hash=188c5b3d709c4c106fc890bc259aef3709ab524b) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/13/ud25principalityoftanti.gif/)
Settlement size by population:
Tantico Town
(including Chilton Suburb):
Pop: 32,381 Com: 7,674 Ind: 4,419
Tantico Harbour area
(including Henrick Point, Tepin Point and West Ketin):
Pop: 28,831 Com: 8,454 Ind: 8,661
Ellington:
Pop: 13,105 Com: 3,904 Ind: 2,310
Tantico Southern Seafront (Ketin)
(not including West Ketin):
Pop: 7,204 Com: 2,512 Ind: 1,583
Salen Mines:
(including Ilting, Linham)
Pop: 4,756 Com: 1,021 Ind: 2,971
Clearwater
(including Tepin West, Jepin and Farwill):
Pop: 4,366 Com: 804 Ind: 2,172
Riverbend
(including Gidon)
Pop: 3,999 Com: 1,208 Ind: 1,812
Henrick Bay
(including Olham Hamlet):
Pop: 3,161 Com: 970 Ind: 664
Tantico City Bay:
(including Cty Bay Suburbs and Stredan-on-Sea):
Pop: 2,286 Com: 1,245 Ind: 905
Shoreside
(including Blackrock and Garton):
Pop: 1,878 Com:270 Ind: 303
Heltan Corridor
(including Tinby, Stran, Chelm and Dowling):
Pop: 1,733 Com: 233 Ind: 1,095
Tantico's Marshland's Nature Reserve
(including Marshton and Jenkin):
Pop: 1,319 Com: 482 Ind: 863
Wellridge:
Pop: 221 Com: 40 Ind: 441
Oldwood:
Pop: 187 Com: 9 Ind: 996
Arlingbury Wood's
Pop: 16 Com: 0 Ind:246
Totals
Pop: 105,443 Com: 28,816 Ind: 29,111
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Now, with the update out of the way its time to announce my retirement. I've enjoyed documenting our small nations growth over the last updates but its now time for me to let someone younger take over the role. As such from the next update onwards your journal author will be my nephew Jamie Felding while I move out to my nice retirement house in Shoreside.
Apparently he's managed to get his hands on he plans for the harbour redevelopment so that should be good to look at.
For the last time
Goodbye from me
Jay Goodrick
I like that gif alot. and the flags are nice. It's always good to see people develop stories and roleplay their regions because that's mostly why I play sim city. Keep up the great updates!
This MD shows great creativity, I think it shows that you don't need mods to make your cities look good :thumbsup:
Replies:[/u]
eldaldo: Thanks I like adding some character and depth to the nation as well, makes it more realistic and tangible in my opinion and don't worry updates are set to come thick and fast.
samerton: Thanks and I'm glad your enjoying the cities vanilla-ness.
Entry 26: Plans and ExplorationHi Jamie here for my pleasure of my first blog entry and boy is it a important one. As my predecessor mentioned last time I'd managed to finally get my hands on the long awaited and much needed Harbour Regeneration Plan which I'll show you in a moment. Other than this I've got some images from the activity surrounding the release and announcement of the plans and also of a entirely new and fast growing town.
Most importantly though and the part of the update that we'll look at first though is that the Principality has increased in size. What with the population slowly spreading outwards from Tantico City and filling up the initial island our small nation called home we would need more land soon. As such Prince Oliver had several exploration teams head southwards, with a stance towards increasing our coastline . As you can see below they came back reporting several more islands, one of which is probably nearly the same size as our existing nation.
As such Prince Oliver had the lands claimed for the Principality and is at this moment organising trips to several of the islands that were discovered.
I'll have to link you to the governmental website for the image as I don't have a copy myself (OOC: its to large so I'll have to link it). Also as it doesn't mention it the white line marks the national boundary. Now as of yet none of the islands have a name but I sure that is currently being looked into and I'll reveal more information as and when I get it for you.
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/1808/zhv5.jpg
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The second part of the entry will focus on the actual plans for the harbour area.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg855.imageshack.us%2Fimg855%2F5906%2Fxwq.jpg&hash=211b10e67ea79d7a6d45a87f12286c0887f29af4) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/855/xwq.jpg/)
There's not that much to say regarding it seeing as the image is annotated but I know that most of the business owners are fairly happy that they're carrying out the redevelopment in stages as this will hopefully help drive down the spikes in unemployment as various areas are worked on. Also of note is that the land reclamation, being the most expensive part of the redevelopment, will add around 75% more available space to the rather cramped harbour.
Other than that the most prominent features are the transit ones. Mostly the development of the regions first bridge to link Tepin Point and its suburbs to the rest of the city, alleviating long waiting times for the ferries. Another prominent feature is the lack of a railroad. Having no clear direction as to where the railroad should travel out from the harbour area it was cut from the final product with hopes that increased road networks will help alleviate any problems the increased amount of room will bring.
With phase one set to begin almost immediately and then then sequentially the others over a several year period, it'll be an interesting and hopefully exciting project to follow.
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Now this part will concentrate on the fallout of the plans initiation. With a number of the businesses needed to be moved out of the city due to the construction and destruction work soon to commence, new factories and in some cases whole new industrial parks ahve been sited and constructed around the region. Shown below are some of the areas currently being built on in light of this.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg24.imageshack.us%2Fimg24%2F1279%2Fud26tanticoislandfactor.jpg&hash=82d5c3f2b2f07ee5d7b4fe0bb2f51f332fd058ac) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/ud26tanticoislandfactor.jpg/)
Interestingly though regarding the factories, is that a lot of them are government owned (by the Tantico Department of Trade (TDT)) and built as multi-purpose buildings to accommodate the displaced businesses in turns, with the building being refitted once the old displaced business has moved back into the harbour to prepare it for the next wave of displaced businesses.
Also shown here is an increase in the size of Riverbend Harbour. Funded by the TDT this will help with some of the displaced shipping from the redevelopment (along with the much smaller Stredan Harbour).
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The final peice of this update is a look at the new town of Alringbury.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg189.imageshack.us%2Fimg189%2F8117%2Feowv.jpg&hash=80823ec717530b8ef93672978e561bc314879568) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/189/eowv.jpg/)
Situated in the area known as Alringbury Wood's. What was originally several farmsteads (owned by the Arling and Bury families, hence the woods name), is now one of the fastest growing towns in Tantico. Careful not to ruin feel od the woods around them the town and its agriculture follows the paths of the tree-lines for the most part with as minimal forest clearing as possible. As such if it continues to grow as it is, it may soon be seeing vertical growth rather than ground level spread.
Also of note is that the Sustainable Forestry Inc company have also based themselves here. With the perfect condition to grow trees, the company has set up its sawmill and nurseries here and is set to increase plantations across the nation very soon, with new species trailing in the nurseries. Unlike Salem Mines where the company own most of the town though, here the company was built after the town rather than for it. There';s also currently talks as to joining the sawmill and nurseries to the Salem Mines railroad to make use of the expanding Riverbend Harbour.
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And that all for this update. As you can see plenty of things have been happening around here lately and they don't look like there about to stop up with several things on the horizon including:
- Tantico Harbour Redevelopment
National Exploration and settlement
Continued growth all over the nation
As such join me next time as I document things here as they happen.
See you then
Jamie Felding
Entry 27: Plan's underway
Jamie here with a small update to show you that the plans for the harbour are being acted upon and finally something is being done about it and not just on paper. Luckily I managed to get some pictures of it as it developed to the stage its at now. Stage one is all but finished with the land finally going up for sale and the factory owners displaced looking to move back into the area. Below are the several pictures that I managed to get.
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(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg221.imageshack.us%2Fimg221%2F6922%2Fdyyz.jpg&hash=f3e9af246a4ffd43c8201fdaaf381f5ad1de8c85) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/221/dyyz.jpg/)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg195.imageshack.us%2Fimg195%2F9630%2Fh35i.jpg&hash=d9e3af4ac69726181e3c1942ba41e9bdef9bfa64) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/195/h35i.jpg/)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg826.imageshack.us%2Fimg826%2F2949%2F4rtm.jpg&hash=12f308b0b111639607ec7c61a53d4f92d23af089) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/826/4rtm.jpg/)
As you can see from these images the plan was changed a little bit, what with the lack of the pier at the end of the land reclamation. Apparently their currently in talks about this but for now there happy to leave it as it is.
Another feature they were quick to install and set up was the seaport. Although the area was yet to actually be built on the port has been active since the roads were installed and has meant that the Harbour now has a dedicated port to ship out of rather than a series of separated docks, which greatly pleases the factory managers.
Other than that the area has developed as they said it would and is now surrounded and shored up by a natural looking seawall. Will be interesting to see it with development on it so will have to get some pictures of that for you next time.
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Other than that the region has seen some growth around Tantico City mainly in the East Ketin area as coastal farmland is redeveloped into more and more suburbs (along witht he occasional shopping area). Here's and image of the designated areas being bought and built upon including in the middle, the seaside commercial strip. Interestingly enough there has been talk of some docks and factories being put into this area but being open to the elements nothing has been acted on as of yet.
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In keeping with the residential theme of the last picture, my final input for today is this random image of some low and mid wealth apartment blocks along Entan Road. Although not necessarily the ghetto this is probably one of the cheapest places to live in the city. I should know I live in one of the rooms in that large building in the middle. Want somewhere bigger but at the moment housing prices are rising too quickly in light of the development going on.
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That's all I have for now though. Apparently the cartographers have found a number of sites for new settlements on the newest islands claimed by our small nation and there currently readying materials to start settling towns so I'll be sure ot keep on top of that, along with the continued harbour work.
All in all quite a lot to come.
Cheers
Jamie Felding
That's a great project you ahve there ;)
You should also take care of water pollution, it looks like it's huge :)
Replies:
gn_leugim: Thanks and yes the water pollution will hopefully be taken care of by the redevelopment plan. If not then I don't know what we'll do.
Entry 28: Stage one done!
Just a small update today looking at the completion of stage one of the redevelopment and a some recent Royal development.
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Starting with the harbour here's how it looks now.
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As you can revitalisation was can be considered a success for this part of the project at least given that this stage is now predominantly manufacturing businesses rather than the old dirty ones that were here, and there's even a significant amount of high tech developing towards the end of the land reclamation.
The seaport was a very welcome addition and is now used centrally by most of the factories in the harbour area to ship there freight out from one place. Now lets take a closer look at several key points in the stage.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg585.imageshack.us%2Fimg585%2F4866%2F2tue.jpg&hash=575739162c4cbb20036f497cf7ca529e24323d46) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/585/2tue.jpg/)
Firstly the lighthouse at the end of the reclaimed land. Built to help guide ships past the new reclaimed land, this is the first actual lighthouse to be built in Tantico, with the other points still using their old beacons. This point is also the site of several high tech factories that
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg515.imageshack.us%2Fimg515%2F4585%2Flf70.jpg&hash=9fc934a4a5151818d5c603a073176c4feee94f22) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/515/lf70.jpg/)
The other picture I have shows the large factories that have been built around the Tensea Power-plant TH. Several of the ones beside the actual power-plants are also owned by the company but a number the majority are privately owned factories eager to take advantage of the new seaport.
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Now for the next part of the update which takes a look at the new royal residency of Oldwood. Formerly named Oldwood Royal Castle, this beautiful castle has all the charm of a old building and all the trappings of a modern one.
Oldwood itself is a idyllic location and due to the age of the trees in the wood has become the second of Tantico's Nature Reserves along with the Marshes, thereby preventing any removal of trees from within the woods boundaries and presenting the perfect location for Prince Oliver and his family to build a retreat away from the hustle and bustle of Tantico CIty life.
Also being the single biggest home in the entire nation and also having the largest gardens, parts of this castle and its grounds can be rented for a steep price for weddings or parties, and also during select days you can take a guided tour of the royal families extensive art collection, containing pieces from Tantico as well as other nations on here on Smearth. This is also the planned residency for any state or royal guests, with half of the east wing as dedicated luxurious suites.
Below are several images of the castle during Princess Abigail's 25th birthday.
An aerial of the building from the front.
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Looking at the gardens behind the castle, apparently a favourite place of the Princess Emille.
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That's all for now. Apparently there nearly ready to begin on stage two of the redevelopment and cartography and geology reports are being brought in regarding the other bodies of land in the nation.
Till then
Jamie Felding
Entry 29: Ellingtons Alive!
Welcome back to the our favourite principality. Today, contrary to last entries insinuations we take a break from looking at the Tantico Habour while they get final preparations going for stage two of the project. Today we instead take a trip to Ellington.
What with all the focus on Tantico Harbour you'd have been forgiven for forgetting about Ellington but its still here, plodding along slowly as Tantico City took most of the limelight with all its redevelopment.
Well no longer.
Apparently while they appear to have settled down with its population of 14,000 still making it the second largest settlement in the nation they were really saving. Saving for large amounts of developments it turns out and as phase one of the harbour redevelopment plan was finished Ellington Town Council announced its intention to build homes for 4,000 new residents bought in by continued immigration to the small nation.
Interested I set of to find out what they had planned.
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Fast forward to the end of the development and boy did they finish this fast. The type of housing may have had something to do with at your about to see though.
Firstly we'll take a look at this collage of suburban development, one of the two areas that the council had chosen for residential development. Situated on a strip of farmland on the east side of town this area was mainly cookie cutter housing for low wealth families with a few mid wealth homes mixed in. Also you can see several corner shops and small strip malls were also given the go-ahead to help serve the suburb and provide some more jobs for the growing population.
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Now we move into town where most of the residential development has happened. Apparently time was of the essence when these were commissioned and so virtually the same building was chosen to replace most of the town centres two story family homes, you can see in the picture below construction crews hard at work on multiple apartment blocks at once.
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This is what the area looks like at the moment. As you can see the same low wealth design was chosen due to its capacity for residents given its footprint. The council has admitted that this may not have been the best approach but it did get the job done. Apparently though talking to some of the residents things aren't all rosy in the packed neighbourhoods but overall residents are happy.
Also in this picture you can see the newly finished Ellington Central Hospital. With a growth of 4,000 citizens, the old clinic was way to overcrowded and plan were made to construct the hospital you see here. You can also see the north side of the town centre and commercial district including the Royal Ellington Theartre which we'll take a closer look at later.
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Before we do take a look at the theartre though I want to show you that development wasn't all residential. In what appears to be a imitation (though on a smaller scale) of Ferryside, Ellington Town Council had some of the money accumulated for the project put into redeveloping a small block of commercial on the edge of the bay into a larger waterside area with hopes of creating a place with an atmosphere similar to Ferryside.
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Obviously as you can see in this collage it didn't work perfectly, as a number of less wealthy buildings opened up shop in he newly named Crossbay Point. Still, there are a couple of nice cafes here for a nice light dinner in the evening and a drink and apparently there is a number of more wealthy businesses looking into buying out the ones already there, though whether or not this is true has yet to be announced.
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The final image I've got for you today is the earlier mentioned one of the Royal Ellington Theatre. Owned by the royal family and run by the Ellington Dramatic Society this theartre is the premier place to see shows in the nation.
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Renovated and expanded, the older Ellington Drama House that had been showing productions since Ellingtons early day and had recently unfortunately fallen into disrepair due to the rising costs needed to retain the top theartre status in Tantico, what with new ones opening up in the centre of Tantico City. A favourite place of Prince Oliver when he was younger, he purchased the building upon finding out that it was scheduled for demolition.
Providing funds to enlarge and renovate the theatre as well as purchasing the plot of land across the road and developing it into a space for open air performances, the Prince assured that they continued producing the best shows in Tantico, personally attending every new show they put on and recently awarding it a Royal Seal (this only extends to the actual theatre, not the open air performance area, and means that the building is protected).
As such (and along with the growth in the town and nation) the theatre has flourished and is sure to continue to entertain for generations to come.
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That's all for now though. Next time we will (probably) return to the harbour to see is any work has been done on stage two but till then enjoy these pictures of Ellington.
Jamies Felding
I love how frequently you update your region. I love how you did the royal castle and ellington has a nice vibe.
Replies:
eldaldo: Thanks I hope I can keep up the frequent updates as I enjoy the playing the game lots. Some updates obviously take longer than others though. I'm glad you liked the castle too. I was worried it wouldn't work as well as I hoped but I think it came out nicely and although Ellington is cookie cutter heaven it doesn't look to bad.
Entry 30: This and that.
Welcome back guys and girls and today I have a bit of a random update for you all covering several things across the nation. As such lets dive right in with a response to a reader who was curious as to what shows were on at the Royal Ellington Theatre.
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This is a copy of the poster that I've scanned and uploaded for you all showing whats on at the moment at the Royal Ellington Theatre. Apparently its a show called The Wolves Of Ellington. It's received pretty good reviews though I haven't seen it yet.
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Now we move onto looking at a data image showing the pollution surrounding the Tantico Harbour. This was taken at the end of stage one and as you can see shows that there is still a lot of work to be done in the area. The good news however is that the area around stage is a lot less polluted than the rest of the harbour so hopefully, continued redevelopment will mean that the pollution levels slowly decline.
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Now we'll take a look at the next stage in our attempt to reduce the pollution. The as of now complete stage two. As with stage one we've got several in progress shots of the harbour starting with this one of showing the area in question to be developed.
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As with stage one, the area was then terraformed and land reclamation commenced enlarging the area that existed by a substantial amount.
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After this the area had the roads paved and in this case, Harbour Park was also landscaped over several older factories and can be seen as the large square in the middle of the picture. The hope is that this will provide a nice area to eat lunch or just hang out as well as increasing the surrounding land values. You can also see the orange a blue building that marks the headquarters for the Tantico Shipping Company. Another fast growing corporation here in Tantico, based unsurprisingly on shipping out of the new seaport.
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Finally after a large amount of hard work businesses moved back into the area.
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As you can see its not got rid of all the dirty industry as hoped, but there's definitely an improvement and a greater mix of industrial uses on the land. Now all we need to do is finish the remaining five phases and we'll be set. For now though we move to Arlinbury.
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Now some of you may remember that Arlinbury was a rather landlocked but fast growing town situated in the south of the island. Given all the forests surrounding it and the reluctance of the town council to remove it all in the name of expansion, the town has become a bit short on space as you can see in the photo below.
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It does have some nice landscaping though, landscaped and maintained by the locals, the most notable area is the old village green. Now a town though, the area is set to grow in the near future. Add to that the fact that Sustainable Forestry Inc has agreed to allow the town to buy water off it at a cheaper rate than normal, and they themselves have had plans for a railroad extension of Salems Mines line approved means the town is set to be Tanticos smallest settlement to grow upwards (at around 1,500 people before the pipes were laid).
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As for what it looks like now we'll take a look in the next update or two for now though we'll finish our 30th entry with a look at a national overview. As you can see the main island is continuing to spread outwards though this is still the only body of land claimed by the small nation to be settled. Hopefully though by the next time we show a overview the other bodies of land will start to show habitation.
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Hope you enjoyed our 30th and rather random look at our small nation.
Till next time
Jamie Felding
great informative update, and above all, what a lovely region shot!
Replies:
gn_legium: Thanks I'm glad you found it informative and liked the overview. There one of my favourite parts watching that grow.
Entry 31: Politics and Arlinbury
Well toady were taking a look at Arlinbury as mentioned last time to see how its grown but first we have a special announcement.
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Bureau of Feline Affairs
Link to Schulmania CJ on SimTropolis:
http://community.simtropolis.com/topic/24185-schulmania-awards-ceremony-484-prizes-given-out/ (http://community.simtropolis.com/topic/24185-schulmania-awards-ceremony-484-prizes-given-out/)
Recently we've been receiving diplomatic missions from Schulmania after a small inter dimensional portal was discovered several hundred miles off of the east coast of the island (OOC: rather far fetched granted but hey were on different planets). Under control of the Smearth National Alliance, the leading multi national organisation here on Smearth, this new portal has facilitated cross dimensional relations.
One such diplomatic mission was from the feline ruled nation of Schulmania. A curious nation indeed with their fascination with cats but still a friendly one and as such, a Bureau Of Feline Affairs was set up here in Tantico City to maintain and improve relations.
Below are some images of the actual building and grounds including the Feline Diplomatic Residence for traveling diplomats. As you can see it includes a nice gold fish pond and cat nip bush for the felines as well as a gazebo to sun themselves.
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The we have another image below to give you an idea of where the residence and Bureau is located in terms of the rest of the city. Pretty central but not overly busy.
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Now for the second part of this small update, this time regarding Arlinbury. As you can see from the following photo's the area has indeed gone upwards, here we'll take a closer look starting with the centre of the town.
As you can see its got a few large retail stores, with the most obvious being the large office block that houses the town council on its top floors and several small stores along the ground floor. As you can see from this image though its definitely one of the greener towns here in Tantico.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg41.imageshack.us%2Fimg41%2F3050%2Fn7wt.jpg&hash=b9ef6646e37e80fd4bf95748079271ae39a7e898) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/41/n7wt.jpg/)
Moving southwards we come to one of the largest urban parks in the nation, Arlinbury Green. Built to provide a large place of relaxation for the growing population, in keeping with the green feel the rest of the tree lined town gives. As you can see its a fairly popular place and slowly several of the residences around the green are being bought out by commercial business eager to take advantage of the daily crowds.
As for the large apartments though, this is the what the majority of Arlinbury's 4,300 residences live in. Not exactly the nicest looking buildings but they get the job done cheaply so were favoured by the council, reasoning that the large amount of green in the town would balance the not so nice buildings out.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg96.imageshack.us%2Fimg96%2F8649%2Fgo8w.jpg&hash=eb24e17fc4af23be98faaec58f0631f0c286c32e) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/96/go8w.jpg/)
Final image for now is this one of the growing industrial park outside Arlinbury. What with the large emphasis on green spaces here in Arlinbury, it provides a attractive place for hih tech businesses to set up shop and as such, the road into Arlinbury is lined by a number of high tech factories.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg607.imageshack.us%2Fimg607%2F5677%2Fjgnh.jpg&hash=29c900b476da20b2f1c0399349831b4834f5c8fe) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/607/jgnh.jpg/)
That's all for the images, though apparently the proposed rail-line from Arlinbury to Riverbend via Salem is in the final stages of planning and construction is set to start soon, which we'll be all to eager to cover next time.
Till then
Jamie Felding
what a great news! two of my favourite CJ/MD have come together in peace &apls &apls &apls
nice work. even without plugins, I really enjoy this MD. i've missed a few updates, so I should also mention that I like the redevelopments you've made and how they are showcased.
well done!
Replies:
gn_leugim: Indeed it is great news and there appears to be more diplomatic relations on the horizon.
jmdude1:Thanks I'm glad you like the improvements and how I've showcased them. The harbour is coming along nicely just need to wait until we have the funds for the next stage.
Entry 32: More Politics and Arlinbury
Welcome back and today we'll take a look at the completed rail expansion and the effects its had on both Arlinbury and Salem Mines. First however we have another nation join us in diplomatic endeavors. Please welcome the Kingdom Of Teddyland to our diplomatic folds.
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http://simmania.icyboards.net/showthread.php?tid=506 (http://simmania.icyboards.net/showthread.php?tid=506)
Located on the planet Earth, this nation is another that we've chanced upon via the wormhole here on Smearth. Warm and friendly to our exploration party good relations sparked up in much the same way as they had with the nation of Schulmania and ended up with another new embassy here in Tantico Town.
Located on what is now known as Embassy Estate, this building may not be as big as the Bureau Of Feline Affairs but its no less important in the good relations it helps maintain between our two nations.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg62.imageshack.us%2Fimg62%2F2179%2Fsl0n.jpg&hash=80190c0cfcbbbc73358282496fc39a51e7ce6516) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/sl0n.jpg/)
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Moving on we head back to look at the construction of the rail between Arlinbury and Salem Mines starting with the plans.
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This rail would be the first rail in Tantico to be majority owned and maintained by the TTD with a small part (namely the freight terminal by its headquarters) being paid for and maintained by the Sustainable Forestry Inc. Designed to help with freight shipping to the port of Riverbend, this rail extension is also a tester to see if it could have wide spread viability for the rest of the nation.
Anyway were focusing on this rail line at the moment not what implications it has for the future so lets move to Arlinbury and see what happened there starting with the detailed plans for the town.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg209.imageshack.us%2Fimg209%2F2492%2Fwrfv.jpg&hash=098a104097bee8d34d8bd774fb331bf209751b61) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/209/wrfv.jpg/)
As you can see these plans resolve around redeveloping the farmland next to the industrial park, replacing it with stations for both freight and passengers and then using the enclosed land to develop more residential areas for the growing population. Meanwhile, another freigth station and the train sidings would be located next to the headquarters of Sustainable Forestry Inc.
Fast forward a little bit and the area has been cleared and infrastructure laid out.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg209.imageshack.us%2Fimg209%2F556%2F9uaz.jpg&hash=bf696642d2b19ddce59ec624ef0c109a2d442936) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/209/9uaz.jpg/)
Even further along and we have this.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg441.imageshack.us%2Fimg441%2F7987%2Fk48l.jpg&hash=7f952b07c4ccf8a42a8c1753ca6938251f7620cf) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/441/k48l.jpg/)
As you can see the line has been finished and people have moved into the area. True its still full of the same apartments that are rife in Arlinbury but its increased the population by over 1k so they do the job.
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Whilst all this was happening on Arlinbury's end, Salem Mines was having to do the same on its end. Below you can see the image of the area before the line was extended.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg835.imageshack.us%2Fimg835%2F7905%2Fkhpt.jpg&hash=8dd4799dca83208663e1b0bac90109819942bee9) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/khpt.jpg/)
Now unfortunately, I was unable to get a hold of the plans for the expansion on this side of the line so we'll take a look at the finished work and then talk about it a little bit.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg853.imageshack.us%2Fimg853%2F5807%2F8ieq.jpg&hash=67a4fe48408bb4d722df1e31175c54e32eb48703) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/8ieq.jpg/)
As you can see the line has been expanded through the industrial site and out the other side to continue into the neighbouring area of Wellridge. The rail sidings that did originally exsisted when the line terminated here, have been moved to a branch off line on the far side of the now enlarged industrial area and the old sidings turned into a small green area and another factory. The other affect of this was that the industrial area was expanded southwards creating more much needed jobs.
With the two ends of the lines finished the teams met in the middle of the Wellridge area to complete the track.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg27.imageshack.us%2Fimg27%2F1236%2F9rbw.jpg&hash=02dcb60ca8dd6a6f863725dbe3ba5ff7bf7eef5e) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/27/9rbw.jpg/)
As you can see the area has undergone some terrain leveling to allow the trains to travel quickly without derailment risks. In light of this the land that was cut into by the tracks, has been shored up with trees and some surface lattice work to prevent the embankments from sliding onto the tracks.
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Well its been a little while since the line was finished and unfortunately, apart from the odd freight train taking wood up to Riverbend, the rail isn't used all that much. Maybe this will change as the area develop but for now the TTD have grown rather wary of further rail additions in the nation so all in all not the best addition.
Anyway, that was the coverage of the rail expansion for you. Not the best results but hey. next time we'll probably be looking at stage three of the redevelopment plan.
Till then I hope you enjoyed the rail update despite the results.
Jamie Felding
great update as usual. keep them coming and welcome Teddyland :)
Replies:
gn_leugim: Thanks and yes indeed welcome Teddyland.
Entry 33: The Rubic Incident: Part 1
Breaking news!
Well guys I'm back again with some coverage of a nation wide incident that occurred several hours ago.
In the most bizarre series of events we've ever seen here in Tantico and probably here on Smearth it appears that our small nation has been transported to another world.........
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To make any sense of this we need to go back a bit an introduce you to a small black cube we found near the portal. Unsure of what this small cube was, it was handed over to our lead scientific mind Walter Rubic to study.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg39.imageshack.us%2Fimg39%2F9518%2F4h6c.jpg&hash=fbd8cbe84571b7d8793771b79354f55951eaaef3) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/39/4h6c.jpg/)
Unfortunately we soon found out at least one of the abilities of the strange black cube. Apparently one of his assistants reported that Rubic had been rotating the sides of the cube when a loud bang issued form it and the world turned black for a instance.
When his vision had returned he'd said that Rubic was no where to be seen and the former cube was now a smoking lump of black metal on the lab floor. Rubic's disappearance had startled his assistant but was nothing compared to what half of Tantico was feeling.
From what we can work out, it would appear that the black cube was made of the same substance as the portal was and upon finding some sort of key as such, it unlocked the abilities of the cube. Whether it was meant to happen this way no one can say but it appeared to rip the top half of Tantico out of existence and replace it in the same spot it would occupy in another world.
Luckily for us this happened to be a two way affair and the land previously occupying the space we now occupy also switched with us. it would seem however that the device was slightly faulty as instead of a clean switch in the south, it, in a sense tore at the edges and the land had been forced into existence on top of land already existing causing a large ridge to form.
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Amazingly enough though it would appear that there was no fatalities in this incident. A lot of minor injuries and several pile ups but other than that no one was seriously hurt either. It would appear, that nothing had really happened had the view form our windows not changed.
We are a bit worried about one of our coal tankers though, which had been caught in the middle of what appeared to have been the limit of the switch. This casued half of the tanker to be left behind and half brought with us. The crew has apparently managed to get to one of a larger number of small islands that have appeared in our new surroundings and are safe enough. (Luckily no one was half transported during the switch).
It would also appear that we were lucky to switch to the planet known as Earth. With our Teddyland Ambassador assuring us that were on the same planet that hes from, he has been instrumental in assuring that the slightly surprised governments of Earth haven't as of yet, thought to destroy us.
We have however been quarantined. No one in or out of the island until further notice. Not that that bothers us as were just as confused and worried as the governments themselves and are happy to keep ourselves on this small island chain for the time being.
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Speaking of which I should probably show you the island chain, or as much as we've explored so far.
(OOC: Linked due to image size (over 5mb)).
http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/8458/udsl.jpg (http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/8458/udsl.jpg)
From this satellite image you can see that our main island has almost doubled in size. You can also clearly see the ridge that was formed from the switch.
As for our actual place in the world it would appear that we are now situated west of a country called France and there town by the name of Brest. Apparently, if the dormant volcano islands to the north west are anything to go by, were also on a fault line, though small by the looks of it.
The climate is also much like the one we had on Smearth although its a bit warmer here and looking at the local flora much more suited to agriculture which is a bonus. With our lock-down situation and no surrounding trade partners we need to produce even more food for our citizens.
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All this brings you up to current times. At the moment were still in heated talks with the UN regarding our sudden appearance and the strange events surrounding it.
We have been allowed to contact the Kingdom Of Harnat, the original home of Prince Henrick, in regards to the missing half of the coal tanker and a expeditionary party that had been exploring inland of Tantico when the incident occurred.
All this I'll keep you up to date on and informed on as the news come in but until then.
Jamie Felding
(OOC: Bit of a far fetched and obscure update but I wanted to make Tantico and island and then decided while I was at it I may as well move it to Earth too as it'll be easier to incorporate other embassies and such.)
Scary stuff!!! :o ()lurker()
Good plot twist though and the island looks great! :thumbsup:
Replies:
vortext: Yes, scary stuff indeed. I'm glad you like the twist though. Hopefully it'll make further CJ/MD interaction possible and I'm glad you like the islands given how long it took to hand terraform them.
Entry 34: The Rubic Incident Part 2
Pedriana Plague
Well I'm back with the second part to our Rubic Incident. Currently talks have been ongoing regarding the state of welcome were too receive. So far no verdict has been reached but were relieved to know that we probably won't be 'terminated' (for lack of a better word).
Whilst they continue talks though the lock down on us is still in effect and as such we've been expanding our agriculture more and more to keep up with food demands, which, seeing as this lock-down doesn't seem to be likely to end in the next year, as Tanticoans are screened for viruses and any substances we may have brought with us that would adversely affect this new world.
Early on as the expansion to agriculture was decided on however we encountered a vast problem acorss the nation.
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Looking at this picture it appears another problem has arose from the Rubic Incident.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg7.imageshack.us%2Fimg7%2F6946%2F86b1.jpg&hash=e0381c53fed1e02f3b686ce372735347f665584e) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/7/86b1.jpg/)
As you wont be able to tell from looking at the image but what I can tell you for sure is that a lot of these farms were smaller than the huge silos they appear to be now.
this seemed to have been brought about by another tiny pocket of the warp that tore, just as the land did below Oldwood. This seemed to have caused a number of farm buildings to be replaced by these large silos in the style of Pedriana's Plants farming company.
Now you would be forgiven for thinking that this was a good thing but no. The duplications seem to be rather unstable and as a number of them across the region proceeded to collapse it was decided that most of them would be torn down and the material used to replace them with the old farm buildings.
As such several months later this is what the area shown above looked like.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg690.imageshack.us%2Fimg690%2F2774%2Fvmrt.jpg&hash=004d5e68470933b7b65a85fb03baca0ae68b050c) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/690/vmrt.jpg/)
Now with the silos removed farming resumed on Tantico. unfortunately one of the side effects of the whole 'nation needing more food' issue was that the existing farms were pressured into using all of the land available to them to continue farming. This had then led to disputes over land borders and was beginning to cause real issues in some farming communities. As such the newly formed Tantico Agricultural Department (TAD) advised that treelines be planted along farm boundaries effectively creating a easily identifiable border.
Eager to end the disputes a number of farmers took to this idea and planted trees around their land. These two images below shows this happening in another part of the Oldwood area
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg6.imageshack.us%2Fimg6%2F7420%2Fe6ik.jpg&hash=9dccad0f22f5ebad4206296d6c32ab55e14e2692) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/6/e6ik.jpg/)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg543.imageshack.us%2Fimg543%2F175%2Fg9kg.jpg&hash=577861d1a6a44af2c3d27c7ace4419e5b88814f6) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/g9kg.jpg/)
As you can see, the affects of the Rubic Incident seems to have been more wide spread than we initially thought. Hopefully we've got no more surprises to come though, especially with the whole screening still going on.
Anyway that's all for this small update. I'll make sure to keep you posted on our political situation but till then.
Jamie Felding.
(OOC: Again a slightly strange update but I wanted a reason to have replaced a number of the Pedriana Plant's in the region and also add some beautification in the form of the treelines. It's going to take a while until I've finished the process with all the tiles but I think the effort is worth it.
Entry 35: Rubic Incident: Intermission.
Well guys apparently were not far off a conclusion to the conferences being held between our nation and the ones of this new world, Earth. However I thought I'd just bring you a couple of random images to break up the wait for the final verdict, each showing a different style in the nation.
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A more recent look at the football ground of Tantico United. Last time we were here this ground stood on the edge of the city and was surrounded by houses and several small shops.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg51.imageshack.us%2Fimg51%2F2169%2Fuc3a.jpg&hash=ccee543de3786be0d9c0241f569e9aff26becd45) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/uc3a.jpg/)
Now however its a different story. With the games being popular the area around the grounds was eagerly snapped up by store owners and residential developers, redeveloping the area into what you can see today. A busy and lively area to spend time before and after the games.
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Getting a bit more quieter now we take a look at Chilton Cemetery as the suns setting.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg855.imageshack.us%2Fimg855%2F9884%2Fk5o6.jpg&hash=6d7b6ae9ebdca15a7aa68b1467869127e452b77e) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/855/k5o6.jpg/)
A lovely suburban image, this shows what the ever enlarging suburbs of the city look like as redevelopment spreads outwards.
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Finally a coastline mosaic of the newest area of Tantico, Detnin Bay. Entirely rural with the exception of the small seaside village of Detnin, these farms were built in response to the growing food needs of the nation.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg94.imageshack.us%2Fimg94%2F5457%2Fltp8.jpg&hash=ccfc6b88d3086c14bc4d116ee71e4086ea66063c) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/94/ltp8.jpg/)
As you can see the village itself is rather small but has a large number of shops there. This is due to the new village becoming somewhat of a retreat for the urban dwellers with the quiet rural setting and the new view of islands off in the distance providing relaxation and intrigue for the Tanticoans (despite them not being able to sail or swim very far from the shore thanks to the quarantine).
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And that's all for this small update. Hope you enjoyed it and as ever I'll make sure to keep you posted as things develop.
Till then
Jamie Felding
haha nice updates. I hate those silos. I downloaded a mod so that they don't grow in my region. but you are doing the vanilla challenge which I applaud you for. I like your new region. I have a question though. . . .
How did you enlarge it? I did this in the past with my region but it was a huge pain in the ass. I had to make a new bmp and then individually import each city because if I tried to just enlarge the config bmp it would either glitch or only increase in size in two directions. is that what you did?
The shot on the beach is stunning. Achieving this level of realism with the vanilla Sim City is difficult at best and James, you accomplished this admirably. Inspiring work! Keep it up!
great updates &apls , I think I won't look at a rubic cube the same way again ()sad()
Fantastic mosaic! :thumbsup:
Replies:
eldaldo: Thanks and yer they can be annoying but I don't mind the odd couple and find uses for them elsewhere so its all good.
As for expanding the map I edited the config file by way of paint. As you said though that only allows you to go east and south, hence why Tantico has never grown westwards or Northwards It's kind of limiting and was one of the main reasons that Tantico became a island chain instead of the river delta it was but hey, terraforming a island chain is fun.
ParramattaPower: Thanks and I'm glad the images are coming across as realistic and your enjoying my vanilla adventures. I'm also happy you find it inspiring as I never thought my work would inspire others.
Thanks again and I hope you continue to pop in and say hi as we progress.
gn_leugim: Thanks, I'm glad your enjoying the farfetched Rubic Incident lol. As for the Rubic Cube my bad :D. At least all black ones are easy to solve :P
vortext: Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed it. Mosaics are fun to make and great ways to show areas.
Entry 36: Rubic Incident: Nearing A Verdict
Well its with great relief that I can say that Earth has accepted us rudely barging into existence like this and the quarantine is soon to be removed. Apparently they're just finishing off final issues regarding our rights as a independent country and the question of whether we own any land as a nation, but other than that, its all good. In light of this, an emphasis has returned to continuing the Tantico Harbour Redevelopment Program.
As such this is what this entry focuses on. What is probably the largest reclamation so far in the redevelopment this area has given the cramped harbour some more breathing space and brought more larger but cleaner factories into the harbour.
As with stage two I'm showing a four stage time lapse of the redevelopment starting with showing the area to be redeveloped.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg203.imageshack.us%2Fimg203%2F8800%2F99r6.jpg&hash=990314ad3d4d58d250b030e8a9d2d57993f0181b) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/203/99r6.jpg/)
Moving the old grungy businesses out we began filling in the water around the old shoreline, ending up with this, much larger area to work with.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg28.imageshack.us%2Fimg28%2F2671%2Fny20.jpg&hash=9b994ad1b809320fe245174e1ea89bc9d545d352) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/ny20.jpg/)
Next up was the roads and parks. Funded by the Tensea Power Distribution company the small Tensea Green, can be seen here just before construction started on the surrounding factories.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg18.imageshack.us%2Fimg18%2F1667%2Foxc8.jpg&hash=59a1aebde682c4f6a100dd89f68bf14686266055) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/18/oxc8.jpg/)
Finally after a while the area was complete, larger cleaner factories having replaced the old dirty ones and empty spaces filled in with more parks in the hope of reducing the air and water pollution, the old industry created.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg534.imageshack.us%2Fimg534%2F3000%2Fucle.jpg&hash=8c99cc4390010c51ffa572f17eadc294cfa61ced) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/ucle.jpg/)
Finally for this update, here's a look at the redevelopment of the harbour so far, with the first three stages complete.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg708.imageshack.us%2Fimg708%2F2856%2Fo3aw.jpg&hash=ee0c3350e378ebfefbeac78d1b3a1dfe3cadaf6d) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/708/o3aw.jpg/)
That's all for now though. Hopefully next time I'll be able to bring the update from a free and independent island nation, preparing its first steps into a new world.
Till then
Jamie Felding
What is the congestion like in Tantico Harbor James? I'm thinking that a subway may relieve some of the tightness in the streets, or the even cheaper more suitable transport to the environment, a bus route. I've constructed Industrial districts on the waterfront before and they can clog up faster than you can say 'cheese'.
Other than that, awesome to see some quick development of clean industry... ordinance changes maybe?
that water pollution, it hurts my eyes just by seeing it! :'( hopefuly I guess with these improvements air pollution has decreased :)
Is this MD ever returning? Nothing is going on.