This thread is now CLOSED. There will be no more updates. Please do not post any further comments.
Last Updated: 17/7/2010 - The Megacity Part 3 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg335684#msg335684)
This is, as the title suggests, 17 regions of wonder, terror and craziness. In this journal are documented some of the greatest successes and crushing failures that I have experienced during my time as an SC4 player.
The 17 regions, in a nutshell are:
The Challenge Regions - 7 regions created through STEX-downloaded configs and played to complete challenges set by the uploader (sorry, can't remember who they are...)
Fairview - My random take on the Maxis-created region.
Lego City - No, it's not made out of Lego, but instead is inspired by a Lego town I created a few years back.
Milton Keynes - An attempt to produce a to-scale (1:1) replication of my hometown.
Quicksilver City - The new, less random version of my earlier CJ city. Trust me, it's better this time, but there's still a little craziness in there...
The Silver Hills Regions - The 3 regions that formed the Silver Hills City Building Contest; here's how I went about them.
Skaledale - A pre-planned region that awaits the Great Construction Project...
Test Region - The place where I go to check out new stuff, or stuff I've created. If I do this one then I'll show you some of my latest mods.
The Megacity - The capital of Sim Nation - follow the story of how this city becomes great.
There you go. 17 regions. I wasn't lying. Links to the updates are provided below.
As for updates, they will take place every Friday. If I don't update then please feel free to give me the roasting I deserve...
I will work on 1 region per week (to give it time to significantly progress), and the most significant developments will be shown in the update. At each update I will tell you what region I'm going to work on for the upcoming week. Does that make sense?
The first update, for the record, will be on the region of Skaledale.
Anyway, here's a little taster of what's to come:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ftaster.jpg&hash=366564e3af26d83e071deda54ed3b263d0cdc937)
(Sorry, this is in 800x600 because it was supposed to be on ST... all future image posts here will be in 1024x768 (full res.) so don't worry.)
New (as of 13/7/2010) - Links to Updates
I'm sure none of you want to have to scroll through 4 pages to find the post you want, so here's some links to all of my updates so far, in the order in which they were posted.
Skaledale Part 1 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg294747#msg294747)
Challenge Medium 3 Part 1 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg296385#msg296385)
Challenge Medium 1 Part 1 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg298437#msg298437)
Fairview Part 1 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg300147#msg300147)
Challenge Large 2 Part 1 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg301388#msg301388) (Plus Double Roundabout Tutorial)
Lego City Part 1 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg302716#msg302716)
Quicksilver City Part 1 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg304736#msg304736)
Lego City Part 2 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg305886#msg305886)
Milton Keynes Part 1 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg307181#msg307181)
Lego City Part 3 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg308969#msg308969)
Challenge Medium 3 Part 2 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg311277#msg311277) (Plus Double Magic Roundabout Feature)
Milton Keynes Part 2 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg312083#msg312083)
Silver Lake Part 1 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg313338#msg313338)
Silver Lake Part 2 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg314585#msg314585)
Milton Keynes Part 3 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg316032#msg316032)
Skaledale Part 2 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg317076#msg317076) (Plus Multiple SAM Tutorial)
The Megacity Part 1 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg318226#msg318226)
Fairview Part 2 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg319479#msg319479) (Plus link to my Free Grass Park Mod)
Challenge Small 1 Part 1 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg320808#msg320808)
The Megacity Part 2 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg321794#msg321794)
Challenge Large 2 Part 2 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg322970#msg322970)
Skaledale Part 3 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg324191#msg324191)
Challenge Medium 2 Part 1 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg325600#msg325600)
NAM Special (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg327568#msg327568)
Challenge Large 2 Part 3 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg328213#msg328213)
Silver Lake Part 3 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg329186#msg329186)
Challenge Large 2 Part 4 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg330252#msg330252)
Challenge Large 2 Part 5 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg331437#msg331437)
Lego City Part 4 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg332551#msg332551)
Challenge Medium 1 Part 2 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg333620#msg333620)
Challenge Small 1 Part 2 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg334678#msg334678)
The Megacity Part 3 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=9620.msg335684#msg335684)
Oh, and feel free to comment! I promise that serious comments WILL be taken seriously.
Until Friday,
SmileyMK
Looks like we will be shown various playstyle in the same MD :thumbsup:
This is a great way to introduce yourself to the community. Welcome, and I wish I kept my old regions.
Interesting MD - its always nice to see something a little different. Looking forward to seeing how it will progress.
And you said your hometown was Milton Keynes - I live in Aylesbury about half an hour drive away, and I've been to MK many times so it'll be interesting to see a simcity version of it.
I, for one, am interesting in seeing those 17 regions. ;)
Part 1 - Skaledale
It would seem that this has got quite a bit of interest going for it! Very pleased. Much better than Simtropolis!
Replies
I'd be failing you guys if I failed to reply to the wonderful comments I've received. Seriously, I do appreciate it. Keep 'em coming!
@ wouanagaine - Absolutely right. There's my usual style, my random style, and my realistic style. And like I said on Wednesday, there will be various degrees of how well this works out!
@ emgmod - Thanks, do appreciate the kind welcome. Although I must admit I have been lurking for a while... mostly raiding the LEX...lol
And these regions are new, I do change things quite often (usually when they fail.)
@ Connor - Should be good. When I get to Milton Keynes, if you know of any discrepancies (i.e. where I've got it wrong), do let me know! They'll be fixed ASAP.
@ simwonyuno - Good things come to those who wait. You won't see all of them at once, and probably won't see all of them for a while... but good things come to those who wait.
And, without further ado, let's get on with the update!
Skaledale Part 1
This was meant to be a pre-planned region that I planned on squared paper (tile-by-tile instead of city-by-city) after documenting all the lots I had (one heck of a lot...) and then built according to the plan, as with Lego City and Quicksilver City. But I miscalculated how much lowering the terrain by just one click would lower the terrain! This terraforming map says it all:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fterraformingmap.jpg&hash=cd7de86e54188077d2b3618b6a52067c3653ad64)
See the NW corner city? That's the one I'd planned, without realising that the bit I had planned would be submerged, and thus redundant. This forced me to change tactics to 'plan-as-you-go' - i.e. constant building.
As for the rest of it, well, let that be a lesson for all of you to NEVER let a dice decide your terraforming!
However, in this city (known as Trevellyn Bridge - all cities here are named after model railway layouts appearing in magazines), it has worked out quite well:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Foverview.jpg&hash=e01a015a34fac92acdfb380578e7c6012e4c673e)
In a blind gesture of going out of one's way to save the environment, the city got solar power a little early:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpowerplant.jpg&hash=02a7915efd9fb93a21de95b75cd3f3f7ba16c060)
This has proved popular with residents, who have come in and populated the town to a level of about 1,100, mostly with this nice little suburb:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fresidential.jpg&hash=9f206c8024ce0fe36cded002674a9f1b36303149)
Notice my failed attempt to create a canal culvert on sloping terrain to the north, the bridge to nowhere (yet) and my successful attempt to use PEG's locks! That's better.
The power plant, along with the good transport links, has attracted businessmen too:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Findustrial.jpg&hash=08710d3219c1b27d43adc5e17c127c77535e66fc)
See the highway? We'll get to why that's there in a minute. But first I want to share with you another way of naming cities: pluck 'em out of a street index. In this case it was London's that got used for estates and roads, resulting in some interesting names:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsigns.jpg&hash=65908269a30edc2b8d9f1e9554b6675f929ab6ac)
Crazy, eh? And now for that highway. With Trevellyn Bridge accidentally isolated from the outside world (in regional terms), the town planners approved a one-off highway link to the north using an artificial island. A regional law was then passed saying that this could only be done with highways, only in edge cities isolated from their regional boundaries, and only once per relevant direction, for cost-cutting and realism purposes.
Now, you'd think that such important links would be worthy of a spectacular bridge, wouldn't you? Not here. They wimped out on cost-cutting grounds with this link:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fbridgeday.jpg&hash=6c83fd12daf933a3317df8241fe77060568b2cc3)
Not awesome, but I actually quite like the look of it! Especially with the lorries. Here's a night shot (expect at least one per update!):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fbridgenight.jpg&hash=bd1dbd8499eae93ce02468173bc5421c3f289c5b)
Very nice. And a fitting way to conclude this update.
Next week, you will see Medium Challenge Region 3 (I know, imaginatively named...). And as a little hint, you might want to pay attention to that image I showed you on Wednesday...
Ok, gotta go now. See you next Friday!
smileymk
Quite the scary looking little town there! Those terraces your industrial parks are on are quite intimidating!
Some of the landforms in the region shot look random. ;)
Part 2 - Challenge Medium 3
Massive contrast this week. We're going from suburbs to urban mania, and from 1,100 people to 322,000 people. You have been warned.
Replies
As promised.
@ Battlecat: OK...interesting interpretation...suppose you won't want to be living there then! (lol)
@ sumwonyuno:That would be because they are random. They were decided by, of all things, a dice (one of my most useful tools in life.) As I said, never let it do your terraforming!
Again, thanks for the comments, keep it up.
Challenge Medium 3 - Part 1
And here we step into a world of urban hell... ruralists look away now.
Before I show you my stuff let me tell the story of how the Challenge Regions came to be.
A few weeks ago a file appeared on the STEX. It was 7 config files, of 3 sizes, small (8x8km), medium (16x16km) and large (32x32km). Downloaders were asked to use these to create metropolises and meet certain targets, whilst keeping the mods down to an essential minimum.
The target for the Medium regions (as depicted here) is to reach a residential population of 30 million.
Currently I stand at 1% towards that, but it will go up as time goes on...
This means that the one developed city here, known simply as The City, is by far and away the biggest and most successful city I have ever made.
Not all of it is skyscrapers, but those areas that do possess these beasts are the pride of the city:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwesttowersday.jpg&hash=c7560b9e06294147b19e5e1c47de155c19637693)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnorthtowersday.jpg&hash=f3329ca3739f6f23213a95837c59746a86812644)
They look even better at night:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwesttowersnight.jpg&hash=e4cd0845cffc1bfd74fc1ab682ffa86e1ce134a5)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnorthtowersnight.jpg&hash=f127c391c54632128ccc55b318d396e1411556d0)
With a residential population of 322,000, a need for services is great. This leads to some interesting situations, such as this baseball club who have been sued many times over broken windows:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstadium-1.jpg&hash=a37dc5d1ba408ecda8b030d491179c405e9c5ad4)
It also creates problems. Certain rewards don't go down well with The City folk. The solution is to surround them with grass parks. The cost is met by my little mod which makes them absolutely free to use. It's one of my simplest yet my most vital mod. This little helper is exploited enormously in The City:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcountryclub.jpg&hash=1598fc98d2326af882590d173a40593624dedcbf)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fresearchcentre.jpg&hash=394415ca1b15641d54bebbeb544c8ccef4e5355f)
A transport system is also vital. The railways are key to the continued functioning of this urban conglomeration:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Frail-1.jpg&hash=d51137e54fa56ef825adc3cffde71059320cbc77)
But they're nowhere near as important as the subway, which, thanks to its strict grid system, has over 5 times the usage:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsubway.jpg&hash=cda5b249fef4d6a19fb5d1e6a647905efef726c7)
The City, like Trevellyn Bridge, wants to show off its environmental capabilities and attract the bankers. They do this with a hydrogen plant:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fhydrogen.jpg&hash=0942d499e6a99986453ff8f62b745c97ec174ba8)
And finally, I decided to show off the growth of the city by showing the RCI figures both before and after the work done this week:
Before:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Frcibefore.jpg&hash=35afa8465415c1e900aace57eb472f5c1091e761)
After:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Frciafter.jpg&hash=e2373b40233d8569702d7ecef6c18ae07479f904)
Massive growth. And that concludes this update.
Now, there will be an update next week, and it will be on the 1st Medium Challenge Region, but it won't be on Friday (do you seriously expect me to do this on Christmas Day?). It will be as close to that day as possible, probably Boxing Day.
A Merry Christmas to you all, and see you next week,
smileymk
Wow, this is really a hell of a job you have planned here. I am really curious.
What you showed until now is interesting enough. Go for it!
Those first two pairs of pictures show a contrast between the rich and the poor areas of The City.
Heh, free parks are awesome! :thumbsup:
Anyone can make free parks!
Just use the LotEditor to make some parks (or just "save as" the game parks) and then use LEProp to edit the plopcost and maintenance cost to 0.
On the other hand: it is even easier to use the parks, pay for them, but donate yourself a lot of money with the extracheats.dll (the Moolah cheat).
Part 3 - Challenge Medium 1
Hope you all had a good Christmas. I'm sure you're all busy enjoying your presents (or exploiting the Boxing Day sales!) so I'll try to keep this short.
Replies
@ FrankU (part 1): It's not that hard. It'll take a long time, yes, but it's not gonna be hard. Keep showing your support and it will get me through this job. It's never finished though!
@ sumwonyuno They do! I didn't realise that until you pointed it out. Well spotted. And about the FGPM (free grass park mod), it's not that special, but it does help one heck of a lot!
@ Frank U (part 2): If you're interested, I used iLive's Reader program to do it... but there's no point in telling me how to make a mod I've already made, so please refrain from that kind of thing in the future. Thanks in advance.
And now without undue delay, let's get on with the update
Challenge Medium 1 - Part 1
Basically, this is just another Challenge Region - i.e. develop a region to certain standards to meet a goal. Like the 3rd medium region (which was showcased last week) the objective this time is to get 30M Sims by developing from the centre outwards.
This centre city is now pretty much finished; say hello to Eastminster, population 257,000:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Foverviewday.jpg&hash=3de01be59e5ba2d48fe3cd776504159432190c89)
The same city by night:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Foverviewnight.jpg&hash=eb86c3169900204d267fd54aff08588a4d2e5126)
The city is a great contrast of rich and poor, tall and small, all in one medium tile. Here is the more developed part:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ftowers.jpg&hash=7536d81e9656f83d4a2cd2e7c52bf5c6af2685aa)
The slightly less developed part:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmid-road.jpg&hash=60bf999b874b3cc65a3d0fdd2897379f1dc5b9d7)
And the not-so-developed part:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsuburbs.jpg&hash=f564998fdb5be710a918749af4cc05c0c487a28c)
Once again, free grass parks have been used to offset the bad effects of NIMBY lots:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2FNIMBY.jpg&hash=c0cf898fc808107e10c64e670a985a91ee5cea8d)
Keeping such a complex city going requires an imaginative transport system, especially where roads have to be converted into avenues and dumped at either end back onto roads. The need to distribute traffic resulted in this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Froundabout.jpg&hash=72d55059edd6a62d6dca38427d642720250d3b6d)
Like The City, the rail system is important:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Frail-2.jpg&hash=b79d1d940d852c4a78f21f32b6583470fad4d1f8)
But the subway rules the roost:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsubway-1.jpg&hash=ee6ef9577a435fca6ec8ab5536b3cd357e840369)
And no wonder. The city's full of blinkin' poor people!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwealth.jpg&hash=e9fc49e84da8c9636cc9fff8c9c53a3b17a6b74f)
And that's it for this week.
Next update will be on New Year's Day (or at least it should) and will be on the region of Fairview. Time for something a little different methinks.
As this is my last update of the decade, I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year and New Decade.
See you on New Year's Day!
smileymk
Hi Smileymk,
We both hope that other players also read this forum and my remark about making free parks could be useful to someone who reads this and does notyet know how to do it. So my remarks are not only meant for you in person but also to anyone else. You wouldn't know how much I picked up about this game just by reading discussions on sometimes very off topic seeming subjects.
Part 4 - Fairview
Very sorry this is late, haven't had much chance to get on the Web lately... shouldn't happen again.
Replies
@ FrankU: Look, sorry for the misunderstanding, I have a nasty tendency to take things the wrong way and sometimes need someone to stop me implementing the consequences! Thanks for making your point clear and I'll stop moaning in future.
And now, I'm sure you're sick of waiting, so here's Update 4:
Fairview - Part 1
You will remember from Skaledale that I said you shouldn't randomly decide your terraforming. In this update, you'll learn why you shouldn't randomly decide your city-building either.
Fairview, one of the Maxis regions, had already been terraformed (thank God!) and it was decided to make use of a random number generator to completely control the region (within reason.)
This means that it is more interested in playing with the Building Style control (which I usually never bother with) than actually developing and expanding. This makes the region not too big or populous (just 3,500):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fregion-2.jpg&hash=298ea53120c2d5b9df4fc6de38d869f8d9a702b9)
It has produced 7 cities, with names chosen by me and keeping to the theme of UK television programs.
The first of these is Simpson Rocks (after The Simpsons) (duh!), and it likes farms, factories, and not a lot else:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsimpsonrocks.jpg&hash=6d430d3b51b42be4313518151eb35b70b5d4097e)
To the south is Future Ridge (after Futurama), which seems to reflect its name in trying to build for the future, but doesn't manage to do it very well (note the motorway junctions that would quite easily get on CBRD's list of cruddy interchanges):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffutureridge.jpg&hash=a63c8b905e894a3c65a18848cf69508800f8aade)
Next we head east to News Summit (I'm not going to tell you what that's after...) which seems to get in the news a lot for car crashes caused by drunk drivers falling down the hills:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnewssummit.jpg&hash=45f54d1103a033487c5049fee1a00a7d08b33fc6)
Heading back north we enter town number 4, Golden Village (after UK game show Golden Balls), which has hit the jackpot through a glitch putting 2,500 people into an area the size of the Golden Balls studio:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fgoldenvillageday.jpg&hash=48cd6a4e75df9545a6df1a9462e3787795aac597)
If it looked good by day, it's something else at night:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fgoldenvillagenight.jpg&hash=5ff64b88983bdce7c8a9d97ce90136fa36227cc4)
Continuing north we enter Copmouth (after all those police chase shows), which likes its confluence so much it lays impressive bridges over it, but doesn't dare develop beyond it:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcopmouth.jpg&hash=8be88355958729c706e0ce92c48a82c76c56bf0e)
We can't go further north because we then run out of Fairview. So we go east again and enter Weaklink (after The Weakest Link), which has a clear agenda to remove its stigma as the weakest link and establish itself as the strongest:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fweaklink.jpg&hash=5d1e988f2fc7b31e6fa48e2c50d3db6949809f3f)
Lastly we head south into the affectionately-named town of Bitchington (after The Jeremy Kyle Show (because that's all they do on that show)), a town which proves the world can be nice after all:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fbitchington.jpg&hash=4c70efa879ad9ad6d5b434a0ab2d67814daca263)
That's it.
Update 5 will be on Friday (if it isn't then give me that good roasting!) and will be documenting the 2nd Large Challenge Region.
See you then!
smileymk
Interesting town names you got there.
I'm interested in that road roundabout in the update before this one. How does it work?
Futurama and the Simpsons are available on UK televisions? I never knew that.
Golden Village looks nice!
Part 5 - Challenge Large 2
Craziness over, now we're going back to something a little more mundane.
Replies
@ emgmod: Glad you're interested. As for the double roundabout, it essentially works like 2 separate roundabouts, with one coming after the other. Traffic travelling between them has to cede priority to traffic on the roundabouts, just as if they were individual.
As for making one in SC4, I've made a little tutorial about it which is in this update.
And we will be going to that tutorial now.
Double Roundabout Tutorial
As requested by emgmod, this will teach you how to combine 2 roundabouts into 1 junction, to satisfy more advanced or complex requirements than an ordinary single roundabout.
I found out about this through the readme on a roundabout texture mod I downloaded - just another reason why you should pay attention to those files!
You will need the NAM, which can be found at these two places:
http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=851 (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=851) (Windows version)
http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=852 (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=852) (Mac version)
Once you've got everything sorted, it's time to make the junction.
Step 1: To start, create a road roundabout by drawing out a 2x2 circle of road:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstep1.jpg&hash=1b9aca670ceaf0de6b9de15be8e79e710508a1c7)
Step 2: Now drag out another 2x2 circle of road, starting in one corner of the first roundabout. Drag so that the 2nd roundabout goes away diagonally from the first:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstep2.jpg&hash=97cdc4b7a13b03fd8d6ff2c65d7d2a33f94dea93)
You should end up with this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstep3.jpg&hash=1d8eccf0995d7ca2baed590c9f71310c1430ddc8)
As I said, you have to go diagonally. If you ignore this and go orthogonally, it doesn't work:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstep3dont.jpg&hash=d3c19eca9666eeec9bcf30e9e13c2d987a50d1d1)
Step 3: Once you've completed your roundabout, add the links. You can do this just like an ordinary roundabout, except you can now have up to 6 roads instead of 4:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstep4.jpg&hash=987cf0ef53303a73df6849967d6fc767a1138a74)
This only works for road. Nothing else will produce the right results:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcantdos.jpg&hash=f41af887895dcbf561f6ecdf59422d56c8ffaeac)
But done correctly, it has the potential to create solutions for odd or complex junctions, as well as more interesting junctions like this 'magic roundabout':
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmagicroundabout.jpg&hash=ef3524f793e96053d035e459b8010eb192178dee)
And that's it for the tutorial. Now it's time to see my latest update.
Challenge Large 2 - Part 1
Essentially this follows the same idea of all the Challenge regions. But unlike the 2 medium ones I've shown you already, this one is 20x20mi in size (that's 400 square miles!) and has a different strategy, as well as a different target.
The strategy is the complete opposite of the medium regions. For this one, I'll be doing the outside tiles first, going in, and eventually using the massive demand to build an enormous metropolis in the centre.
The goal is to use each tile for a good purpose (Zoning, Utilities or Transport) and get a population of 500M Sims. It's a big target, but anything's possible...
This means that this region uses specialised cities - residential for zoning, commercial for transport and industrial for utilities. Currently there isn't a commercial city yet due to lack of demand, but there is a residential and an industrial city.
This is the residential city by day - Friends, population 31,000:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffriendsday.jpg&hash=f5e769bb995d0521bb4579a8bd4e1319cfa1d4b1)
And by night:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffriendsnight.jpg&hash=505569a693cb0f09b430c6d546747253373e8996)
You will notice that the city is medium density. Even though the threshold is 26,000, I won't go high-density until 40,000 Sims is reached - this is to ensure that it passes the appropriate CAM growth stages (which I have) and also so that the demand is there for the skyscrapers.
My medium density threshold is 5,000, for the record.
Now, these 31,000 Sims need somewhere to work. That place is School:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fschoolday.jpg&hash=10ca03374701e4ba8b0cbcb330903006416efc55)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fschoolnight.jpg&hash=f768c2a9886d2046d335cf7b41189a40afa17f92)
This city supplies the utilities for its allocated area, and so makes quite a sum from neighbour deals. It has to supply a big area, so it has a huge area for its power:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpower.jpg&hash=19b4b675327b1b15c6ffb51a45d2a16cd482b965)
It also has a big area for its garbage:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fgarbage.jpg&hash=aacf093a4b290a86442cbd4698ee632ea6a053ac)
Because of the pollution caused by all of those stinky factories, the water has to be all on its own surrounded by a forest:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwater.jpg&hash=b671daf468086e4d6291574577622f4a76b851f3)
It also needs fire protection. I've failed to do this realistically. I found a Lego fire station on the STEX and just had to use it:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Flegofirestation.jpg&hash=983ea23a056d09cb6c07c9139388d31efd019830)
Sorry to all the purists (or whatever the SC4D term is) about that.
The plan is to connect the transport hubs with motorways and rail links.
It quickly became clear during planning that an orbital motorway was required. A decision was taken to use RHW-4 for all motorways - mostly because it allows me to create interesting junctions.
Being from Milton Keynes, the spiritual home of the roundabout, these versatile tools play a big part in my junction design. But pure roundabout interchanges are reserved for the commercial cities.
Other places that the motorways run through have to make do with dumbbell interchanges:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fdumbell.jpg&hash=6da74b30bcd097337a9d3395899dca6e24bc9b4d)
If they're lucky, they might also get a parclo. You can see the Milton Keynes influence in this one:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fparclo.jpg&hash=3865060a8e12b248a7a2e6099358f0142081ad7c)
As for rail, the commercial cities get big mainline stations. Other cities get local stations on the side of the mainline - but they're well placed and well set up:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstation.jpg&hash=74df33f1da36a131b2ece4dfa8596fd4567de771)
And that will do for this week.
Next week it's Lego City, and no, there isn't a Lego fire station there yet.
See you then!
smileymk
Heh, nice to see what you can do (and can't do) with the roundabouts.
Now, that is a lot of dump-into-the-abyss garbage chutes! :o
Part 6 - Lego City
OK, I'll keep this quick...
Replies
@ sumwonyuno: It is, but given the large area it needs to serve, it's kind of essential they're so abundant...
Time for the update.
Lego City Part 1
Another pre-planned region, with 4 large tiles. Only one city is developed, Border Hill. This name comes from the fact that it has a big hill on its border... still, works.
Here's your overview:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Foverviewday-1.jpg&hash=9bb4e70e453f905e3db87fb425744a31ab312a3c)
And at night:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Foverviewnight-1.jpg&hash=82a4bc11fe83ea7f8c2fb7a4f156f09bec0f4c19)
Now, this district is very centred around an army base built very early on to provide jobs:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Farmybase.jpg&hash=a4521d53fdf1647fd805b1763e5c6628bf941924)
To the north of this, barracks exist for 300 people for the soldiers to live in:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fbarracks.jpg&hash=1ed592ac55b9aedfa1fb4f40ea916cffa2f82826)
To the west, munitions factories:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmunitions.jpg&hash=632a5c6481b012cb35f11521a5f4644a8b40da2d)
Note the tanks and army vehicles. Their presence scares the people into obeying the law, making this police station seem all lonely:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpolice.jpg&hash=969549ddcd3db802b11155a343ea4b185418210e)
But, as a combined force, the police and army work so well together that nobody dares do crime in Border Hill. And no wonder. This is where those dumb enough not to get the message end up:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fprison.jpg&hash=ae271969dcd5f76d68543e2b4d4187b3b55fc8a4)
The base is well served transport-wise, with an MT station near it:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpublictransport.jpg&hash=f01da0453dad34220f3a8d3eef4b8f0b5e6cd26b)
And an as-yet-unfinished motorway:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmotorway-1.jpg&hash=9ccb227016405dae8d1d618842fe5837f3449b6b)
Finally, a blank strip of land exists to the west - the future site of a 'commercial landing strip' (or really, an air base in disguise):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffutureairport.jpg&hash=e5eb4b2e6dfe370c1547b98076f08019a563c84b)
The army looks after its workers when they're not fighting for their country in Afghanistan or Iraq. They get this rollercoaster for their enjoyment, and it's a due reward for their courage and bravery:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Frollercoaster.jpg&hash=8cb4b26aa86bfa787c648e739e4309e5b72dc5d9)
And that concludes this update.
Next week we're paying a visit to an old friend, Quicksilver City. Should be interesting!
Until then,
smileymk
Part 7 - Quicksilver City
We're on page 2! Furthest I've even managed to get... Thanks for your support, please keep it up and we might get on page 3!
But I must have a moan...there weren't any comments for Lego City. It's your support that keeps things going here. There's no obligation to comment but it is nice to get some appreciation. Let's try to get page 2 full this week. Thanks.
Anyway, here's update 7:
Quicksilver City - Part 1
Now then, what we have here is a planned one-tile region. It's a large tile, and it's my most developed planned region at the moment. Part of the reason for this is that ALL taxes are set at 0. That's right, 0. What Quicksilver City is is a tax-free city, a haven for residents and businesses alike. (Because of this, the Mayor Name is 'The Swiss Federal Government')
Don't believe me? See this 3,000-resident-stronghold for yourself:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcityday.jpg&hash=d225d60cfba4fa1a13beb26075dd2a69cdb57b7e)
Here's your weekly nightshot:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcitynight.jpg&hash=f683b155da539658288370bbd8ab418b1d58bab2)
Within this city, the good and the bad of planning is shown. We'll start with the M1, the Western Bypass through the heart of the city as is. It has 3 junctions of various quality. There's the good:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2FM1junction2.jpg&hash=ea3b50ebb13abe8c72509b529bb073ee24954497)
The bad:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2FM1junction1.jpg&hash=39fc880286251e6fc0fa901360fc545a70f708e2)
And the crazy:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2FM1junction3.jpg&hash=60c1f1c63292fe595a8dbe42d6ae09ec7223efdb)
Next comes the rail system, or rather, the TWO rail systems! Quicksilver City is home to 2 completely independent systems: the east rail and the central rail. This is the northern end of the eastern system:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Feastrailnorthend.jpg&hash=9a538a77bcfbcc48a27726e5c70584d72d18d9f2)
And the other end:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Feastrailsouthend.jpg&hash=2ae1a75712bed230b9bc723bfd618bbec2ee791b)
Yep, conflicting interest there. Here's the central system, so bad it has to burrow underground for most of its (short) length:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcentralrail.jpg&hash=3de41b1e4e3117aeee74b1289fd07bc6b9f41eb0)
That's not the same pic as the one of M1 J2 (the good junction).
On top of this, the planner likes sewage plants. A lot. There's at least 5 in Quicksilver City. Here's 2 of them:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsewage.jpg&hash=997f309f5e297d42d12bd34755f5e6274a18337b)
But planning has its good sides. For one, it's managed to produce this beautiful overpass:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Foverpass.jpg&hash=b6beb56caca5c24ed0a86b601ee253ceba75518e)
And this nice water pump facility:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fculvert.jpg&hash=882fd2edb2f51623c69cae613523a2e6dc865e72)
And this tunnel, providing a useful way out to the west. Who needs sunken walls when you've got industry?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ftunnel.jpg&hash=da97456f3ac3918a9b15f461eeb2ac01ce8a9908)
And with that, we now leave Quicksilver City.
Next week, we will return to Lego City. Hopefully it will have calmed down by then.
Until then,
smileymk
Crazy interchanges! It looks confusing to me right now.
I'm still messing around with the road roundabouts. I wonder if a double magic roundabout is possible.
Hmm, I was going to say that you are missing dependencies, but it may be dependencies aren't loading first before everything else. %confuso
Heh, I have to agree, the roadway network in Quicksilver City sure is complicated!
Part 8 - Lego City
I'm afraid this is short, at just 6 pictures, but it's quality that counts!
And I'm happy to see that interest in this has resumed. Keep it going!
Replies
@ emgmod: It looks mental to me too. The residents must be in meltdown! And as for the double magic roundabout, it would probably be a bit daft, given that a magic roundabout is a collection of roundabouts stuck together - but go for it! I'll have a go too and show everyone what can be done.
@ sumwonyuno: I know what's going on with the dependencies (at least with the HSR) and have sorted that issue out. It will be better next time. And I take it you wouldn't want to drive around Quicksilver City... neither would I!
Now let us resume our grand tour of Sim City with Part 2 of Lego City.
Lego City - Part 2
Border Hill, the current town in development, is still very much centred around the army base, but the town planners want to expand. They've done it to the east so far, with developments like this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Feasternexpansion.jpg&hash=cd250c0d8b644910c70c019f59b1b39464f183b1)
The population is now about 625, mostly served by the army. Continuing their commitment to look after their workers is a big part of Border Hill development. This new police station sprung up, further hammering home the message that crime doesn't pay:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpolice-1.jpg&hash=2cdae7e9b85e668f957fd9468c427475507fc6dd)
They've also been nice enough to provide water for their workers:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpump.jpg&hash=f246c233545198c4ebd1a9230079bc625cedb02b)
But taking care of their workers isn't all good news. When it was found out that the army were planning to use the future landing strip to the west as an air base, the citizens demanded a proper commuter airport to be built in the north - right in the path of the motorway the army built! It lead to this rather pathetic terminus:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmotorwaystub.jpg&hash=8bf5d034273b4758236c3417fd5494170918af5d)
They've also run into trouble with the animal rights extremists. The army's low helicopter flying drills have been accused of killing the fish in the crater where these drills take place. Acts like this are the ones being targeted:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcopter.jpg&hash=98e59419ff1a2b79e446f3856ad8cd36b18fbcc4)
And pre-planning has its problems too. A connection to the west mixing with a GLR system produced this rather bad anomaly that cannot be fixed:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwedgestreet.jpg&hash=f39f75b1a02810b996639109387b2ec040124fdf)
I call it Wedge Street (for obvious reasons). And that's that for this week. I did warn you it was short.
Next week we'll pay a visit to Milton Keynes. SimCity's coming home. Metaphorically, at least.
See you there!
smileymk
Part 9 - Milton Keynes
Much interest for Lego City...not! What's going on? And you did so well for Quicksilver City as well... oh well, rant over, here's a chance for you to redeem yourselves.
Milton Keynes - Part 1
This region is an attempt to recreate my home town, Milton Keynes, England, in SimCity, in true scale and as accurately as possible. Obviously there are limitations, with the grid, lots and whatnot, but what's produced will be pretty close.
There will be BATs but only of the most significant buildings. I'd rather be city-building!
For those of you who don't know where the hell this place is (which will be most of you), it is a town of 200,000 situated about 50 miles north of London and 65 miles south-east of Birmingham (M1 junction 14). It is famous for having more trees than residents, its 300 or so roundabouts and, of course, the internationally-renowned concrete cows.
Yet, the development of the SimCity version so far has focused on the western outskirts. Here's overviews of what's been done:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcity1day.jpg&hash=db9777731590ed319bef34111eb470c90357d950)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcity1night.jpg&hash=864ce2ce1640f816c3a4f52919a1017865296f43)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcity2day.jpg&hash=7e27da9fd4195720a246188fe0090f2a94235dd9)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcity2night.jpg&hash=e990974c25172e9e36f6bc7b33c7135f07482a72)
The area of development is the Wealds and Calverton. They're all hamlets - I haven't got to any MK estates yet (but I'm close).
This is Lower Weald (strangely enough this is the highest of the Wealds):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Flowerweald.jpg&hash=fd8d5246f55496c90e933bee3028d40733f83ef8)
Moving down to Middle Weald:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmiddleweald.jpg&hash=bb373d357e70f81b3a066279f80b8e89436543dd)
And finally Upper Weald:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fupperweald.jpg&hash=3b508c3ff33c7a8558fb5bd3256c51f916d5c39e)
And Calverton, to the north of Lower Weald:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcalverton.jpg&hash=1bbd1ccbf48d8c074faa4bd3302cca4259bd81ca)
In case you're wondering, that's it. They're only hamlets!
However, some of MK proper has been built, like Galley Hill Roundabout (V4 - H1), the first of many:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fgalleyhillroundabout.jpg&hash=da24d92e95df9b480d41f7fbefc6694c49607877)
Pavement Ped Mall was used for the redway.
The rural area is very scenic, full of trees, and also has a network of paths. Here's where they cross:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpathstream.jpg&hash=b9c01df00c4a03cba0f5f4dd588f433f95221f6a)
When paths must cross streams, bridges have been built. The ramps for these are the Ped Mall on-slope puzzle pieces. I don't think they look too bad, but judge for yourself:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fbridge.jpg&hash=c3140ca4bee537caafefd348f7b39fe9853c237d)
To finish, attention to detail is very important to me in Milton Keynes, which is why I'm making proper road signs for the town. Here's some of the first: speed limit signs:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsigns-1.jpg&hash=6bac796911e04af89490a4a50c4b8367915bc6f2)
And now it's time to leave MK.
Next week, we will see if Lego City can start to be liked.
Until then,
smileymk
This will be interesting living 15 minutes from MK, its the nearest town so I know the layout quite well(well the "city" anyway).
The speed signs are bit big though, they could do with a bit of downsizing.
Nice job! There certainly are more trees than people. :P
Part 10 - Lego City
Now in double figures! This has lasted well. Thanks for keeping it all alive. Hopefully Lego City will get some interest this week - I feel it deserves it.
Replies
@ Johnathan: Yeah, I guess they are a little big, that will be sorted out. It'll be worth having your input, I can tell.
@ sumwonyuno: There certainly are, and that's just the start...
Now, time to return once more to Lego City.
Lego City - Part 3
The town of Border Hill has grown enormously since it was last showcased - it is now a thriving community of 5,600 residents. With the city being so much bigger, I felt an updated overview was necessary:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Foverviewday-2.jpg&hash=fc4385ccaf331eb4cdb1e0de73fe4d1bfd087539)
Here's the city at night:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Foverviewnight-2.jpg&hash=5858de5770b8b4153e2356ae7e893842399bf110)
You will have noticed the commercial district to the south has turned from a wasteland into something much better. Here's a closer look:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsouthernexpansion.jpg&hash=548cdfe8e8ccf32ed587944166099f1f9dec4bbb)
A link from south of the army base (and the new motorway junction) has been built to support the incoming trade:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstreetlink.jpg&hash=1bbd65c8ae2ec6e6334b9914925f4472335ecf60)
In light of this growth the transport links have been beefed up as well, in one case leading to a rather interesting motorway journey. Coming south on the M1, it starts off alright, then you pass through Junction 2, and from there it starts to go downhill...literally.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fdownhillmotorway.jpg&hash=f382304b9f51a48ef7b85cbb564b5fc29098e0ef)
A nasty Parclo AB (to use the jargon) awaits at the bottom. Those who want to use it (which will be a few given the development inside the loops), beware:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fparcloab.jpg&hash=1de7c89d76d6369a977effb6fbfbd6dc7690eefa)
For those going straight on, you get this ski jump to look forward to! (Try not to smash into the overpass.)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmotorwayskijump.jpg&hash=2bb297c5f3c41def4ad5fd7b2ee0e33ec468635f)
Scary? You won't want to be on the B2 then, the road this junction serves:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2F1wrskijump.jpg&hash=3ee91964fdf0b2455c906bb1e8020b8f69135a23)
You'd have to be nuts to go down THAT. And yet it's oneway, so you don't have a choice! Ha ha!
A new canal system has also opened - the citizens, tired of fires, insisted a fire station be built on it. That went OK - but the canal didn't:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffailedcanal.jpg&hash=63c087a76d1938473e22666c9e8477244034afe2)
I'm showing you that so you don't repeat this epic fail. I'll conclude with something a little more successful: a ped mall bridge over a spur of the M1, made with the on slope pieces:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpmbridge.jpg&hash=4c6ae0d6c92a11341c14c20e2d63dbea82c8e081)
Which brings us to the end of this update.
Next week I shall show you the 3rd Medium Challenge Region once more. (You know, the one with 350,000 Sims in one city.)
See you there!
smileymk
Heh, uphill is another story! :D
Part 11 - Challenge Medium 3
Lego City has interest! Makes the last 5 weeks worthwhile.
And I do apologise for being so impeccably late - fate has conspired against me for the last week or so...
I'll pay my dues by giving you a three-part update.
Replies
Yes, this is Part 1.
@ sumwonyuno: Don't even go there. The current world record is 45 minutes...
Now we move on to Part 2 of this update. That was quick.
The Double Magic Roundabout
I did promise emgmod, who asked if a double magic roundabout was possible, that I would try this ridiculous idea for myself, despite my concerns that it was daft, given that a magic roundabout is just a lot of roundabouts stuck together.
My creative side led to 2 potential designs. This is the first, known as the 'clone' design (owing to the fact that one magic roundabout is 'cloned'):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2FcloneDMR.jpg&hash=9d0974bd56796543498adf80d66f263938c22155)
The second one is the 'layer' design (because there are two distinct rings, one on top of the other lake a layer), which I prefer, because it is more efficient and more aesthetic, despite the fact that it uses twice as many roundabouts and is four times as mad. Traffic light lovers, look away now:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2FlayerDMR.jpg&hash=f8a19fe4f1b11edbfd4cbc0b5dc7e4a56fd2395d)
OK, crazy projects that won't ever get used over, let's move on to Part 3 - the actual update, which you've all been waiting so patiently for.
Challenge Medium 3 - Part 2
In the ultimate quest to reach a total regional population of 30M Sims, The City has undergone some slow expansion, seeing its population rise to a respectable 372,000 Sims. This new industrial park is one of the reasons why:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Findustrialparkday.jpg&hash=85faf53b502ca1f78bff7d313d8d8806a105df6d)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Findustrialparknight.jpg&hash=f5a3194c09813aca7c43609540a3650f35060c30)
Even more recently, a new area has developed to the east of the new industry metropolis:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnewdevelopmentday.jpg&hash=c2b1f83991e9bbe1db92ff9ee5a251481f45d05b)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnewdevelopmentnight.jpg&hash=9ad94b0251b3ad0672401f8766937b1c20bf86df)
But that alone has not been responsible for the population rise. Those of you who were paying attention to the first instalment of Challenge Medium 3 will remember that there were 2 distinct areas of high-density development.
Well, a bunch of plots in the south decided that they were going to get in on the act and form their own rival district of density. It doesn't compete, but it's there:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Frebellioustowers.jpg&hash=8cc964c2db7cebfa4ae63565ebbf9f8827e8e090)
This has caused the development of these gleaming high-tech factories in the east:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fhitechindustry.jpg&hash=6dc33f3cd938a0602c3fc33d58f330a5e95015d7)
Which in turn has seen the city's monthly income rise to a whopping $108K - without cheats! Alright, I do have a $50K cheat in there, but it is listed in the expenses column, so it doesn't count. Here's the proof of the $108K:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fincome.jpg&hash=b3cb394e88dd524224fefcea940960e6185f0475)
To finish, I'll show you a couple of the techniques I've used to make this city work.
The first is an infinitely useful method to combat congestion on roads. Because the density of the city prevents road widening, roads, when congested, are turned into one-way circuits that act as relief roads for a large area:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2F1wrcircuit.jpg&hash=08db7c4d2784a5edf23fa3e95456b96ef1fcad37)
Notice the area it covers. That's why it's so effective.
The second technique is a way for me to know when to expand The City. Because I only build new estates when one fully develops, it's important to know which areas have already developed completely and have had new areas built as a result, in order to avoid incorrectly developing The City. My way of doing this is to put signs in the developed estates like this one:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffullsign.jpg&hash=d338b391434d51c6c7fe719a418b540202b14e59)
See how it says 'Full'? This makes it very easy to identify completed areas and thus makes expansion very easy.
And that's it for this week.
Next week (alright then, later this week), we'll return to Milton Keynes. Much has gone on, I assure you.
Until then,
smileymk
Quote from: smileymk on February 24, 2010, 08:31:29 AM
The Double Magic Roundabout
Why don't you post it in [urlhttp://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=252.1240]Show Us Your Intersections[/url]? Those industrial goods look like they clog up the roads a lot. Why don't you build some freight trains?
Part 12 - Milton Keynes
Had a look at the views count - 1158 views! That's pretty big. Keep that support going! And thanks for paying attention.
Replies
@ emgmod: I have posted the D.M.R. there, and you can check it out for yourself. As for the freight trains, there is an extensive network - did you not see the stations? I think that your observation occurred because freight trains just don't appear that often compared to lorries - both in the game and in real life.
OK, time for the update.
Milton Keynes - Part 2
When it came to expanding Milton Keynes, it was simply a case of following the map and deciding which part to do next.
In this case, it was 3 estates that ended up getting built. The first was the southern half of Stony Stratford, a semi-town on the north-west edge of MK:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstonystratfordsouth.jpg&hash=da4d1ec9f6ffb25d1c10a2d18c70272248f4d0bf)
Next was Calverton End, just south of Stony:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcalvertonend.jpg&hash=93e4555598198f4c5af02e36a36de851e85922b0)
Finally was the Northamptonshire hamlet of Passenham, just outside to the west:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpassenham.jpg&hash=16e5f29619edb56077280e94df8fd1ca3471ea27)
If you're wondering where all of the development is, a lack of demand means there isn't any yet. Wait until I get to Galley Hill and put in the schools there.
And yes, Passenham is in Northamptonshire, not Buckinghamshire where MK is. The boundary is formed by the River Great Ouse, which I've faithfully represented. It would have been wrong not to carry on beyond it:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fgreatouse.jpg&hash=40273c103214265e893179d428f1645a9574e8b1)
(It's where the thick blue line is.)
Power and water are, of course, very important. But on my map I saw a building on a rural path that had 'Wind Pump' next to it. I thought 'what the hell is that?'! I doubt any of us have heard of such a thing - well, here's my interpretation:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwindpump.jpg&hash=cb73a457550c9a1027cb5fcb7f52b277055dabca)
The power lines are underground here.
Now, going back to Calverton End, you'd think that the H1, being a grid road, would end in gracious MK style with a roundabout when it reached its western terminus at that estate. Wrong. It unduly crashes into Tudor Gardens at a T-junction - a truly pathetic ending for MK's most pathetic grid road:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fh1westend.jpg&hash=38a523e9ba811b0eb71854db5bb68a33004fef5e)
On the subject of road endings, I thought I might show you this nice dirt road ending. It's rather odd, but quite scenic:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Froad-streamjunction.jpg&hash=8f46335e95e56d8d05b5d2c2dab16721991b3097)
I tend to play around with UDI a lot here, particularly on Free Drive. Whilst doing so I noticed a couple of strange things.
The first is what happens when you use your horn. I found out that it makes people go crazy! Look at the screaming woman in this picture, which happened after use of the horn:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fhornscreamer.jpg&hash=c30c0b42f0efcefbd5de1bc04b960ef03d3b21e5)
If you can't see her, I think she's just underneath the bus. She might be hiding in fright.
Also, whilst in the country, I noticed animals. Fair enough, except these weren't the animals you'd expect in rural Britain. Since when did brown bears and antelopes live in Britain?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fanimals.jpg&hash=d8a5763c7eb03cc0052556e09afbc3341fd3b183)
To finish, I'll show you how to make a street neighbour connection.
Alright, it's not doable, but you can make it look like it goes on by making use of the SAM, and its starter pieces, as I've done with this wood yard in Lower Weald:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwoodyard.jpg&hash=69fe738a7de2125003d749a8226dabe1bba2157f)
A nice way to conclude the update.
Next week we go to Silver Lake (the 3rd Silver Hills region) for the first time.
See you there!
smileymk
Did you know you could delete the tiles on the SAM starter pieces which have white backgrounds? And it won't delete the other tile.
Like it all very much so far :thumbsup:
The MK grid system although weird at the edges is just great, a couple of weeks ago I had to go into Aylesbury everyday for a week and it was so infuriating, and quite confusing to MK :)
Jonathan
That street layout sure is wavy! The development is going to look interesting once the Sims start building.
Nice work here, I've missed more than a couple updates it seems! I like the way your suburbs are coming together there!
Part 13 - Silver Lake
Wow! Milton Keynes will clearly be a winner here.
Replies
@ Jonathan: I do know now! Thanks for the tip. As for the grid system, it is a brilliant piece of city design and one of the reasons I like living there, and I'm not slating it - but it could be more complete at the edges. That's the only improvement I'd make to it.
@ sumwonyuno: It sure is. That's what happens when you build on a strange alignment (blame the A5, M1 and West Coast Main Line). But development will be good. When it happens.
@ Battlecat: I update every week, so you need to pay attention or you miss out on the fun. And glad you like the suburbs.
OK, show's over, let's crack on.
Silver Lake - Part 1
I felt you might like something a little different this week.
The 3rd Silver Hills region was a by-product of my Silver Hills City Building Contest, which took place on Simtropolis last summer, and lasted for, well, not very long. (In fairness, there were only two contestants).
This map was just about outvoted in favour of Map A (which took the name 'Silver Hills' for use in the contest, but rather than let the other 2 maps go to waste I decided to develop them in the future.
The result for Map C is Silver Lake, so called because of the big round lake that exists in the centre.
The region is one large tile, with development too big to fit into one shot, so you're getting two.
Here's the western half:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwestoverviewday.jpg&hash=cf43ef3b7d98ed2821cfd6fcde5e6e80f5c4d5ab)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwestoverviewnight.jpg&hash=c66ee6af95d4f7a1017ea915da344466740390a5)
And the eastern half:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Feastoverviewday.jpg&hash=da8e422479c5c9ebd94bc1675b10e7b60d4beb26)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Feastoverviewnight.jpg&hash=7025980f9202864f7ea245c961ceaf34c75b1a59)
The area is mostly agricultural for the moment, with workers living in suburbs - medium density is planned only for the inner circle around the lake, whilst high density isn't planned at all.
Here I'm not following a map, so my suburbs tend to be less crazy. Here's the western suburb - notice how well the SAM works here:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwestsuburb.jpg&hash=9133a7c6636a368b686fb562b721439db4d7e530)
The eastern suburb is much bigger, but only carries about 35-40% of the total population (which currently stands at 298):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Feastsuburb.jpg&hash=4009e8fa0e86f7a58a5921fa755c0f36ff82700a)
Rail is used to great effect here, but unlike in my other regions, it is comprised of an as-yet-unbuilt main line of 2 tracks, with single-track branches elsewhere.
Here passenger and freight traffic is kept separate. But the desire for connectivity leads to interesting STR junctions, like this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2FSTR.jpg&hash=249681708e3fa6ab07a5401e772507b67a8eba2f)
The main road, the A10, has been built though, as a high-speed dual carriageway. Entering Silver Lake, the road takes a Border Hill-style climb in the middle of a roundabout interchange:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fa10junction2.jpg&hash=08faa2667b873b543a86ec3b8d4f76526b1d4eb4)
Once it has passed this it climbs to the top of the hill, before beginning a sweeping yet gentle and dead straight descent towards the centre, where it stops a few tiles short of the lake at this roundabout:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fa10junction3.jpg&hash=a1c45280c965c4f21bf8b7546f162916e7c66738)
Tunnels are critical to the functionality of the city, with it being so mountainous. Here's one of the shorter ones:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ftunnel-1.jpg&hash=3175e29a0dcb4cf37599ad0be546b7ead65e1af6)
But there is also a place for land bridges, where appropriate. The ring road contains this one, called the Deep Gorge Bridge. Well, it crosses a gorge, which is deep (ish), so...
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fdeepgorgebridge.jpg&hash=7f162ff0e0cd539227cfd8c4bc5ba42c6d5da0cd)
That bridge, with Silver Lake's tallest mountain (1,048m) in the foreground, is a fitting way to conclude the update.
Next week we're going to... well, actually, we're not going anywhere. We'll stay right here at Silver Lake.
Enjoy your stay.
smileymk
Part 14 - Silver Lake (again)
Hey, what happened? Silver Lake is better this week, I assure you!
Silver Lake - Part 2
You'll be pleased to know that I finally found out why the suburbs wouldn't develop - they were in 2x1 plots. Once they were split up into 1x1 lots, growth shot up and the city is now home to over 8,000 people.
Alright then, it wasn't just that. There was some expansion in the east:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Feasterndevelopment.jpg&hash=0cccac8d557c8ab1be3dc0cb7895e31da4839cc1)
And the west:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnewshops.jpg&hash=eecae69b1d6716e0722ebdbff817aa911a91ddaa)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnewsuburb.jpg&hash=3d9dc00b11521cda3caeb5687a28ecf514ef62c7)
I thought that suburb would look better at night. In addition, development continued along the ring road. Notice the road tunnel:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwesternshops.jpg&hash=2516c297e74d83cda05f4fba49776c317daf787f)
Of course, you can't just expand like that without putting in the infrastructure to cope.
First we'll start with an interesting rail junction in the west. The problem: a freight branch to the south needs to connect to the main freight line (remember freight and passenger rail are separated in this city), but a Y can't be used because the passenger line is in the way. The solution - a railway trumpet interchange:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Frailtrumpet.jpg&hash=8eb8924496582aa5c9feab17be924c51f96f4540)
Naturally, I don't do waste in cities, so the loop is filled with a suburb.
In the east, extension of the rail line meant the construction of the Deep Gorge Rail Bridge. This was thought to be easier and cheaper than slicing it through the mountain on the right. It looks a hell of a lot prettier too, especially with its road cousin:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fdeepgorgerailbridge.jpg&hash=d51153465540f2e33905f98edde8f74bcb5bc10b)
Planning for the future, a commercial powerhouse is planned between the A10 and the road to the western suburbs in the central bowl of the city.
A CBD like this needs a nice train station to go with it. The brief here was that it had to serve 2 lines (4 tracks), be small, and look impressive. The one chosen from my extensive list (obtained through a typical raid of the STEX) was this one:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsilverlakestation.jpg&hash=dfdd9612e0511a8cde98afe48fae230af69363ea)
The station is connected to the western suburbs both by rail and by road.
To finish, the Mayor, being tired from all of this generosity, the likes of which will never be seen by any real politicians (barring a revolution), decided to choose a rather secluded place to spend his free time: on the southern edge, at the end of a street, next to the trains:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmayorshouse.jpg&hash=d9c749d113dd55155488960f531880cb7c84c23a)
That's it for this week.
No doubt you're getting bored of Silver Lake now, so we'll go back to Milton Keynes next week.
I'll be there with my roundabouts,
smileymk
Building winding roads through valleys is fun, especially when there's development around it. I like that rail junction you have there.
Part 15 - Milton Keynes
Phew...Silver Lake wasn't in vain...
Replies
@ emgmod: It sure is, and it also adds depth, realism and challenge to boot! And glad you like the rail trumpet. It probably would be bigger in RL, but the idea is there...
Cracking on...
Milton Keynes - Part 3
You'll remember from last time how Stony Stratford wasn't developing (or anywhere else for that matter). It's developed now, and now holds 5,000 people. This is partially down to the completion of the central commercial area of Stony Stratford - like the real thing it's a good old English high street that went a bit beyond its bounds:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstonystratfordcentreday.jpg&hash=1328d4ac51b3e09fe39b2b9ab2cf8f0fb9731c16)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstonystratfordcentrenight.jpg&hash=ab27dee0b4ed8b2ae5b6842fcca068132c82847c)
That, and the fact that a little bit of the industrial part of Wolverton Mill decided to butt in:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwolvertonmillbutt-in.jpg&hash=6bc27254f7ce631937ee3fddbf17a60fb5ec4493)
And the wind pump was modified to make it work:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fworkingwindpump.jpg&hash=86a78dabd7764307fe93c05a4c316d54e1e40c1e)
And finally, that garbage disposal facilities were provided (I know, not at all accurate, but it will have to do until we get to New Bradwell or Bleak Hall):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fgarbagechute.jpg&hash=9ee3fc905f6a40f2a8dca2d3067c6c82a5bb4263)
Of course, Stony Stratford wasn't the only estate that wanted a piece of the action. Galley Hill, to the southeast, was completed and is now a thriving suburb:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fgalleyhill.jpg&hash=3e3fb5de05c426c9579faec60809e9cb20f3a37f)
I've used the large primary school to represent middle schools here as a) there aren't any decent British middle schools available to download (as far as I'm aware - if anyone would like to link me to one it would be appreciated), and b) it actually looks like the real thing (to an extent).
Milton Keynes is well-known for its trees, but there are some areas that don't have any. Like this field with a lake in the middle:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwolvertongreenspace.jpg&hash=70c4ccfdc237b58f7168a46b57fce05d80092c16)
One thing that has been added this week is connections. This shows where this part of the A5, the main road north-south through Milton Keynes, running as a grade-separated dual carriageway throughout, comes into line with Queen Eleanor Street, the Stony Stratford bypass. Notice the Euro Road Textures mod that was installed to make it look more British, the overpass and 2 of my latest 3 UK road signs - the roundabout signs and the destination signs (there to give greater detail):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fa5-queeneleanor.jpg&hash=ef51360a1d8f8eae44f5d72b22254b97c0aff438)
I'll conclude by showing you the last of my new road signs. Queen Eleanor Street has a speed limit of 40mph, unusually for MK (it's usually 30, 60 or 70.) This is faithfully replicated with my new 40mph maximum speed limit sign:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2F40mph.jpg&hash=828e5a49125247fd408f4f1885978dd9c328d75a)
(Hopefully you can see it.) And that's a wrap for this week.
I think that we haven't been to Skaledale in a while, so we'll go there next week.
I'll be waiting,
smileymk
I'm now wondering how you managed to get multiple SAM sets working at the same time. Even if it would look a bit messy, I want to learn how to do it.
Part 16 - Skaledale
Hello for the 16th time... starting to get into the old ages, this is.
Keep tuning in. Something special is coming on Update 20, I assure you.
EDIT: Page 3! Thanks for your support, and keep it up!
Replies
@ emgmod: It's not always messy - it only gets that way when you make it really complicated (as with Milton Keynes). And your curiosity astounds me... so much so that I've made a special tutorial on multiple SAMs just for you. Ain't I nice?
So, by special request from emgmod, here is your Multiple SAM Tutorial!
Multiple SAM Tutorial
This tutorial will teach you how to use multiple SAM textures together, without ending up with a very horrible mess.
This tutorial assumes that you want to have a main road with one texture and a side road with another, but the same techniques can be applied to anywhere they're needed.
So, first we need a main road. I'm using the asphalt streets for this purpose - but you don't have to, use what you need, it still works.
To create this main road, first drag it out, then plop the SAM starter piece to obtain your texture:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstep1-1.jpg&hash=1ce0180baea2426723a969fe42eb018c3ce29aa8)
Now delete that ugly starter piece and drag downwards to complete the main road, and at the same time drag a side road out:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstep2-1.jpg&hash=a6dbd6f25a55ee208635d2e657dccf2dbb1b1bae)
Now, on the side road, plop the starter piece for your second texture on the first full tile of the side road. I've used the brick streets but again, you can use any texture you want. Once that's done, delete the starter piece and connect the side street to the main street. You should get this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstep3-1.jpg&hash=6f3e9786175ba39094de6b6ceced567aededb10a)
You've just got a multiple SAM going. Very well done.
Now, for crossroads, drag the side road through onto the other side of the main road.
The new road will have the main road texture, so you'll need to plop the starter piece onto this new road, delete it and connect it, just like you did in the last step. If all goes well you'll get this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstep4-1.jpg&hash=09bbfa2e3f6083dfbeeee8a0924f25a6c4a11b48)
What a result.
This works best for simple junctions with long stretches of straight roads radiating from it. Start to up the complexity, and it'll get messy - and you may have to accept a compromise for the textures.
That completes this tutorial. Let's show Skaledale, shall we?
Skaledale - Part 2
The next stage in the development of Skaledale was very much concerned with improving the infrastructure for proper expansion. New industrial developments had gone up in mainland Trevellyn Bridge (well, part of it):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcoastalindustry.jpg&hash=c11154ad4f6a04cab46b3a75b836300b26ef4e90)
Transport had to be built to service the expansion. We'll start with an airfield strategically built on the middle of the island. The positioning might be good, but I'm showing you this because of the interesting approach for planes - coming from the west you go through (yes, through) the Trevellyn Arch, and coming from the east there's a nice hill for you to dodge. See for yourself:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ftrevellynairfield.jpg&hash=7bc4663fdfd7ef05321fb36878dbb7e3a4ca3dd9)
A nice coastal road was also planned, and it was nice, until tunnels ruined it!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcoastalroad.jpg&hash=8bbaa6e3d6a813ee6139035b7e6418f5337f75e2)
But bigger things were required to get to that industry in the south.
Ever wondered why the town's called Trevellyn Bridge? It's because of this old bridge built by medieval settlers to get to the island, such was the nicety there. (Alright, it's the name of a model railway layout - you have to admit it was a good story!) Here's the bridge:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Foldtrevellynbridge.jpg&hash=837b0e5c3284cc275da1dc2d6d3ef08b87ee2f61)
Town planners decided a new, more impressive bridge was needed to attract fame and tourism. And with the need to extend the H1 southwards, they had the perfect excuse.
But unfortunately, that meant knocking down some homes and shops to make way for the extension. With me in charge, there's no public consultation - we just plow the highway right through the middle of the development, and if you object, we plow the buildings in the way with you in it. That way the building's not in the way - and neither are you:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fh1extension.jpg&hash=6878086e2927c3b7befdf5210f3cbf056d927aff)
At least it was kept fairly minimal. With homes out of the way, the big project could be built, allowing the H1 to get out of Trevellyn Bridge to the south. The water in the way was leaped over with the spectacular New Trevellyn Bridge:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnewtrevellynbridge.jpg&hash=8e89c2d8a2c2346a503e3a374dcc6ce29276ddf4)
Not only was this built, but a garbage port was also added to deal with all of that waste that the expansion was producing:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fgarbageport.jpg&hash=b3820d4dcd4389748a6c4c2b7ab41f0a72ab9a75)
Very chic. You may be wondering if all these routes south actually go anywhere. The answer is yes. Please give a warm welcome to the latest city to debut in this MD, Fellton Park:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffelltonparkday.jpg&hash=ef08e40229771c91d2eefa0cbbe88600edcff457)
Here's the place at night:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffelltonparknight.jpg&hash=51185aa16632f74046828450755ccf6d19edeb9b)
Fellton Park is, at the moment, a glorified business park. It's just commercial and industrial. The one thing I want to show you is what happens when expansion gets a little too carried away:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffactoryintheroad.jpg&hash=72d1dfd1049a9f65295d975c5d31e62cfc517ecc)
Why the hell would someone build a factory on top of a road? Especially a road that leads directly to the H1 north to Trevellyn Bridge and the world beyond it! My god...
That's enough excitement for this week.
Next week we go to the capital city of all of this mess, fittingly named The Megacity.
See you there.
smileymk
Overhanging growable lots... always a problem.
Have you considered making a new city with a slope mod installed? I would say it would greatly improve the MD
Wonder, terror and craziness- I thought I was logging on to 3RR...
...I stuck around to take a look at the interesting content. You are obviously working real hard at this, my friend. Let me take a longer took and I'll come back by and give you my two cents worth (for whatever that's worth). I do agree, for starters, about the need for a slope mod. On the other hand, I can also see a lot of enthusiasm here for MDing- that will take you a very long way.
Good luck!
David
^^^I agree with the others about a slope mod.
Nice tutorial by the way, I've always had problems with the 'multiple SAM' situation when that arises.
Part 17 - The Megacity
Now I must warn you, this update is, at 16 images, the longest so far. They're good pictures, though, and there won't be too much reading (hopefully). You've been warned.
Replies
@ emgmod: I guess I'll just have to put up with that dratted factory. And as for the slope mod, I don't personally like them, as I find them too restrictive - especially as I like to play with hilly cities. That said, it wouldn't be right to ignore people's comments, so I've installed a slope mod for The Megacity.
@ dedgren: It's an honour to receive interest from the pioneer of 3RR. Seriously. Your "two cents worth" (as you put it) would be worth everything to me. It's gonna be one hell of a wild ride here, so bring it on!
@ Connor: Ok, I get the point about the slope mod. And glad you like the tutorial!
Let's move out.
The Megacity - Part 1
The Megacity is, as the name suggests, is the big one. The capital. The centre of all my regions and work. It's the biggest and the best.
Currently, 3 cities are developed. The first is Menlo, an industrial haven on the north-eastern edge of the city:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmenloday.jpg&hash=6cd8f9fd1aa462843cc67b5217a792d315ee3f92)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmenlonight.jpg&hash=66fb6f90e4ed0db6d28ca58f8b63ab351cbc2688)
Being an industrial paradise, the district is well served by the intricate transport network The Megacity possesses. Menlo is the terminus of a railway branch line, with my very own passenger station and a STEX freight terminal to boot:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fbranchterminus.jpg&hash=25e0f8ecf7c10df6499501318113ca2c234bddbc)
As well as this, one of the city's express bus lines terminates in Menlo, with the RHW-2 route terminating on a roundabout, with my very own bus stop with it:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fbusterminal.jpg&hash=fd0f63694d9f9064aaaae9bf345d9b7a4f44ffbc)
The very observant of you will have seen how the rail station is yellow, whilst the bus station is blue. That's because I made my Megacity stations have different colours for different networks. Pretty neat eh?
Regrettably, there's nothing much more to talk about with Menlo, so we'll move west to the residential city, Yatton:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fyattonday.jpg&hash=0e3996144931efe29777eaf07f2cba09dd5439e7)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fyattonnight.jpg&hash=ec0d8af17446a896eac6dc69f025303c896d06cf)
But Yatton isn't just residential. A central commercial district also exists:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fyattoncommercial.jpg&hash=e5ae8e57b415324510051c6cad24cbf6eb7be161)
Yatton can also claim to be the source of the city's water:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwatersystem.jpg&hash=e437ca9862f3b2fa47e52f62007febfe5fa89aab)
To the southwest of that lies the M2, The Megacity's answer to the M25 around London. It's important to say that the basic infrastructure of The Megacity is based loosely on that of London's.
As well as an outer ring road, there's one other thing that The Megacity shares with London: congestion.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcongestion.jpg&hash=b4ab2aacb259cbddf5c2c339a2702440e57455df)
In Yatton at least, that might be because there's no access to the M2. Maybe I should build a junction with the central avenue...but look what would have to go to make way for it!
But at least Yatton manages to see the M2 go over the Yatton branch railway:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmotorway-railbridge.jpg&hash=077fdd3d85ab4aa1634cf5e2556addb3f230c3d7)
Notice how it's the motorway that changes grade, and not the railway. Remember that the railways came first and were quite deliberately built paper flat.
The Yatton branch is sunken and is single track. I thought I'd show you a bit of it to show just how beautiful it can be with Buddybud's sunken highway walls:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsunkenstr.jpg&hash=fe2358f061305631e93d64404d27e6c25a615bb2)
We've talked about Yatton enough now, so we'll move west once more to visit the last developed district, Cosheete. It certainly looks the best from zoom 1:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcosheeteday.jpg&hash=54805331bb2e5422592e5163333ed60638888b6a)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcosheetenight.jpg&hash=e6f17394b07ea243e8436c985544b4f48f5539c1)
Cosheete gets to be the home of two big junctions. The first is a rail junction, where the main line to the north meets the Yatton branch line, which terminates there, as well as part of the city's monorail system (with my pink station):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcosheetejunction.jpg&hash=a2396b96f72b828d27f17e0608013eadc34c3572)
The second is on the roads and consists of a 3-level stacked roundabout between the M2 and the A3 (M2 exit 11, A3 exit 3), a major arterial route from the centre of the city to Lego City. For functionality, a few local roads also butted in:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2F3-levelstackedroundabout.jpg&hash=a4f311f107a6377e462224e501a921740f00dce4)
This interchange really shows what can be done with walls and my free grass park mod. It's beautiful! Notice as well how priority has been given to left turns between the two main through routes - this will serve to give more efficient movements through the junction.
Finally for this week, we already saw the 6-track main line through Cosheete. As it is a main line, I thought it was a good idea to electrify it. This was done with SFBT's rail catenaries, which I think look a lot better than those from the Rail Catenary Mod. SFBT's set might allow for catenaries for varying track widths, but it doesn't have a transit-enabled version for 3 lines. This caused a problem for me here, which was inventively solved by using the catenaries for 5 tracks and using the sunken walls to support them. I think it worked well, but let's see what you think:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcatenaries.jpg&hash=2286eb46b46d7aaeb27da3803471efa845f3f70b)
Well, that's it for this week.
Next week we go back to Fairview, one of my more interesting regions.
See you there!
smileymk
Love the transit networks, it's obvious you take real care when you make them. Usually, I just shove mine down and let my sims work around them (They're an inventive bunch, I'm sure it must help their problem solving abilities.) but perhaps I should spend some more time on them, seeing how good they can look!
Part 18 - Fairview
(Finally loaded!)
Good news!
I'm proud to announce that my Free Grass Park mod that I've been going on about a bit is now available on the STEX for you to download and enjoy, absolutely free, and you can get it right here:
http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=23661 (http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=23661).
This mod is more versatile and useful than you might realise, and I'd strongly recommend downloading it. (Then again, I would, given that it's my upload...)
Replies
@ TheBlueJay: You'll be surprised at what you can do. I hope I've inspired you. Transport is my big interest and I like to think that that comes through in my city-building and this MD.
Fairview - Part 2
Right, let's go.
You'll remember from the last time we visited Fairview that it was built randomly, with 7 city tiles developed out of 49. None of these are finished and development continues. This week's development has produced stories in 6 cities.
The first is in Simpson Rocks, the first city. It decided to get rid of its helipad to reduce costs, but the council there was under severe pressure to connect the rail stubs from Copmouth and Future Ridge from the massive industry present in the town. This produced this lavish and badly planned station:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsimpsonrocksstation.jpg&hash=b779f9037b80111572c01319011c4c7e75205841)
The rail link had to be built along the edge of a cliff on very steep terrain. It's not too bad for the most part - until that is that the link crosses the R1 road with this over-cambered overpass:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcrazyoverpass.jpg&hash=c63425a7c59d4565d388e8ad2c0a4908fb566d0e)
In Future Ridge, Exit 1 1/2 on the H1 motorway was modified to sort out the shambolic situation in which the exit slip road had an at-grade junction with a local access road to a factory in the middle. This road was cut short, ending at the road, and the flyover was converted to road, providing a useful bypass:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Frevampedexit15.jpg&hash=4c890e59c401dc82f24fd0e04bd844416f08f237)
New residents took full advantage by building new homes on the H1 corridor between exit 1 1/2 and exit 2:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcorridordevelopment.jpg&hash=cdb839414bdef1e4b88551e2f334b75abe26385e)
In News Summit, the residents were complaining that the town only took up a small part of the hilly part of Fairview and thus wasn't enough of a 'summit' for their liking. Rather than just taking it like men or renaming the town, the local council decided to take nature into their own hands:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnewssummitmountain.jpg&hash=1665ddb80a5db9448db697b9a3696b8b4f731144)
Nothing happened in Golden Village, but Copmouth saw a lot this week, including an earthquake that actually helped them by cutting their costs. That and this new estate along the eastern edge of the city:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Feastedgedevelopment.jpg&hash=8b96a921f2c697d2329cdf8afc9800842db7605e)
They also decided to link the rail in the west with the subway in the east, allowing trains to be run through from Future Ridge all the way to Weaklink:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcopmouthraillink.jpg&hash=523d2e8a0fb366f5c644ff41fa3fd30d84632429)
Speaking of Weaklink, most of the action there was rationalising the town and reducing costs. This meant the demolition of the town's recycling centre - and in a true display of anti-environmentalism this caused the zones to start developing!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fweaklinkgrown.jpg&hash=15c1f84bee5e79d3a7eb202d540a8d610626f6e2)
Nothing happened in Bitchington either. So that's 5 cities. Where's the 6th developed tile? It's the newest city in Fairview, the 8th tile to be developed. Keeping to the theme here of naming cities after TV shows, I named this one 'Deal', after Deal or No Deal (yeah, wow...), nad it lies south of Future Ridge. Here it is:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fdealday.jpg&hash=03a2f19de836d34c40267d5709ea13969cbb9ec9)
And here it is at night:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fdealnight.jpg&hash=45711e43fd57e5e0c294d3c49d847e68fc275693)
A fitting way to end the update.
Next week it's the as-yet-unseen 1st Small Challenge Region.
Enjoy.
smileymk
Ouch, if I were a train driver, I wouldn't want to drive on that overpass $%Grinno$%
What would that last interchange be? A roundabout?
Part 19 - Challenge Small 1
Hi guys, here we go again...
Replies
@ io_bg: I wouldn't recommend signing up for the job!
@ emgmod: It's a variation of the 3-level stacked roundabout. With this variation, the interchange is actually 2 levels and is made compact. It's good for urban areas, as it can be packed into tight spots, and it's not too expensive either.
Challenge Small 1 - Part 1
This is similar to my medium challenge regions, but this time, the map is only 8x8km (5x5 miles) and the target population is only 6 million (I use 'only' liberally!)
This particular region uses medium tiles for the most part. Two of these have been developed so far, and one of them is the central tile, Middletown (because it's in the middle... such is my lack of ability when it comes to naming stuff):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmiddletownday.jpg&hash=688c2e891fca3812b23702509489d0797663b5da)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmiddletownnight.jpg&hash=09c891ba8f31ee07fb9cc74f2075b32889270fe6)
At first, Middletown was small and didn't have the size it warranted. Until this urban park was constructed, that is, which resulted in the affluence level of the surrounding areas going through the roof:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwealthgain.jpg&hash=c743aa2379b8fc53b86cc7f128ead863fb8f2bcf)
Part of this might be because of the more scenic part of the city's rail system which was inadvertently created in the process. Who could resist seeing this outside of the carriage window?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ftree-linedrail.jpg&hash=23cf953d2b92629f07bc740bacde4bfbd1d34973)
Just to prove that these civic tools really have an impact on the city's growth, take a look at this commercial district, which has plenty of services and as a result forms the posh part of town:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Frichcommercial.jpg&hash=8becbd5c63dcd1e0ea3fcc3bb1c27e2dc218d80f)
Now compare that to another commercial district, which has less of these services and is decidedly less attractive as a result:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpoorcommercial.jpg&hash=6e750fc510372632c5d1a9970e3565cf04fcc54e)
I also thought that I'd show you Middletown's airport, which is critical to its success. Notice the industrial zones on either side of the airport - this ensures that there are no tall buildings in the flightpath and that there is space for the planes to come in:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fairport.jpg&hash=c842519b0f5e8740b7c7a11fd61736818f66e9e5)
With Middletown complete, it was time to move north. The second town is known as Town o' the North. In part, this is down to the same shoddy imagination that produced Middletown. But this is mostly because it is a rip-off of the English village called 'Cock o' the North', which sits in the north of England, somewhere near Manchester I believe.
The town is still work in progress, but here's what's in existence so far:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ftownothenorthday.jpg&hash=477aa4463acaff46bfbb2f58705a00b858dc9ae0)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ftownothenorthnight.jpg&hash=e6a05a0998e21b5a93fe89c5ce43b987ddf76c17)
Regrettably there isn't much to say about this town, at least not much worth showing. But it wouldn't be right to ignore it. The main point of interest would be this hi-rise area:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnorthernhi-rise.jpg&hash=ee15e76c31611846164a90679aef1942a60d5765)
And we'll call that an update.
Next week we return to The Megacity. There's a lot to do over in my flagship city.
Tune in for some more wonder, terror and craziness!
smileymk
Another nice batch of updates here. That trick with the SAM streets is particularly interesting, thanks for sharing!
Part 20 - The Megacity
It's getting a little chunky now, this thing... I'll see if I can make the intro into a proper contents post, so you can access your favourite bits from the first page.
Replies
@ Battlecat: Thanks, and it's good to hear you like that tutorial. Seems like it was a good idea.
The Megacity - Part 2
With the rapid completion of districts, and the need to satisfy changing demand, 3 new districts quickly sprang up in The Megacity in the course of a week.
The first is Zetland - a mostly agricultural area with some factories thrown in for good measure:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fzetlandday.jpg&hash=76e5bbd9dc0954d1fb1bea85e07bad62ad3a1526)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fzetlandnight.jpg&hash=ebca1acd4bf8281019d6bc5d4361d64c2fa86f85)
Somehow, this agricultural paradise isn't particularly exciting for the most part. The only bit worthy of recognition is this bit with nice trees and transport routes:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fzetlandagriculture.jpg&hash=28b2449a3d0ea79b05371fadcfe8ef073da4b5de)
At this point, industrial demand was massively in the red, so, by simple logic, you'd think that there is no way that hi-tech industry could grow in Zetland. And yet, that area's nearly full. How? Let's see:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fparklandhi-tech.jpg&hash=a7d68ee03fa520b8092005edda0010998b183f31)
Yeah, that's right - free grass parks in all of the gaps. They simply couldn't resist.
With the negative industrial demand, residential demand went through the roof, allowing the residential district of Cosheete to become considerably taller:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcosheetehi-rise.jpg&hash=a029ae74b893db377ca1e24dc8d31a5337aa49ec)
The need to expand drove the development of the new district of Yeats - but this meant filling a gap known to most as Belfast first:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fbelfastday.jpg&hash=8914f87cc2b13e144ac8f12062618cc9990dea68)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fbelfastnight.jpg&hash=d6c427d9f3153ef0b70032c408d0d7fefaa31a17)
As you can see, most of Belfast is empty (you wait until Yeats develops), but there are areas where the commercial simply had to grow. One of those was around this parkland, using the same principle as that for the industrial in Zetland:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fparklandcommercial.jpg&hash=c0bb57e6a0b6e454dffe980467ff4e9133224bd9)
Another was around the M2 orbital, which is surprising as there is no access to the M2 in Belfast:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmotorwaycommercial.jpg&hash=0ef1b0028f64e876a88861438f7191288c4cb3f5)
And in the vicinity of this branch line terminus:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fbranchlinecommercial.jpg&hash=6d877b049f5c84d2d1d089052720f0b599bc6e43)
That's it for Belfast. Now, I mentioned Yeats, to the west of Belfast. This hasn't been developed into the residential/commercial area which is planned for it yet, but the transit networks have been completed, and are noteworthy enough.
Possibly the most important feature is Exit 10 of the M2, the 3rd junction of the Outer Ring Road to be built:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fm2exit10.jpg&hash=854588c328a7849378ddc9a4f366c86a01d2548f)
The road this interchanges with is the B1, which will eventually run to the city centre and become the M1 to the Challenge Regions. As the B1, it is an at-grade avenue - but that doesn't mean I just plop it down and hope it works. Where the B1 crosses main roads, these filter lanes have been added to increase capacity and make for a more efficient junction:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffilterlanes.jpg&hash=f49e9cbfa6cb19c1a484667f3e4415a538f8a445)
Walls are used on all of my sunken networks in The Megacity to improve their appearance and for added realism. But when the motorway crosses the railway, it gets a little awkward. Buddybud's walls (the ones I use) don't work here:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fdecoratedoverpass.jpg&hash=334d2cb30c293c6f5b3f08506fcdf6b455f0a9a7)
For this situation I use jeronij's residential walls - they have exactly the same texture so they look perfect with Buddybud's walls, and can also be used in odd places.
All together, this is Yeats:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fyeatsoverview.jpg&hash=601fcc61e6680afdede8ae87534ffd0b22b29cbd)
And that's that for this week.
Next week I'll show you the 2nd Large Challenge Region for the 2nd time.
Bring it on!
smileymk
Part 21 - Challenge Large 2
Did that last instalment of The Megacity not interest you? I'm sorry... :(
At least now I don't have to faff around... so let's get on with it.
Challenge Large 2 - Part 2
Last time we were here, there were 2 tiles developed, School and Friends, and the goal was to use every tile in the 20x20mi region for a constructive purpose, and to get 500M Sims overall.
Now, there are 4 tiles developed, and a current population of 129,000 (just over 0.25% of the target). It's getting there, albeit slowly.
Tile number 3 is commercial, and is called Enemies - it had to be done, considering I named a tile Friends - oh well, this is it:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fenemiesday.jpg&hash=46805b6fb64ac9d988481e81016aca7440366f68)
And at night:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fenemiesnight.jpg&hash=47c4f26731411a387e1f20a1ce69b99cef60f4ee)
You might be able to see the unusual layout to the city - it is based around a one-way ring, which is supposed to act as a collector/distributor to other roads - but its success is somewhat debatable. It is however quite interesting, especially here:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2F1-wayringroad.jpg&hash=3259d2352eca14c01bb55f1ece3297bc78f53fdc)
One of the main features of my city building tactics in all of my regions is that I like to keep all of the services for a district together in one place. This makes them easier to manage and also increases their effect. Nowhere is this epitomised more than in Enemies, which has the police station (that silver building), the fire station (the Lego one) and the airport together like this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fservices.jpg&hash=09d679d84c43205f3e761df61e921c5904f12330)
This tile created plenty of residential demand, which allowed Friends to become less of a suburb and more of the concrete jungle I had originally envisaged:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffriendshi-rise.jpg&hash=6b4c2d7fe343fd80283fe5d38e93ff409df435bd)
It also allowed the creation of the 4th city tile, another residential district known as Life. Named because you live there. More shoddy imagination from this MD!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Flifeday.jpg&hash=80ef52cfea955344b823db158ee1dcaf1f37acbc)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Flifenight.jpg&hash=53112702321f42657407b3f50bd98be2f5411ff6)
I think Life is what my grandfather would refer to euphemistically as an utter dump. This is the main reason why:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fthedump.jpg&hash=5ddce3f347e1b35d69da8e2099e6afaa3ca8546c)
The only thing good about it is this compacted parclo on the motorway - but this just leaves space for more deprived housing estates...
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcompactparclo.jpg&hash=ad09d734b267bf2f9d498d4f97ef4d0656cec33a)
That could have been made even smaller if I hadn't let my lust for roundabouts get the better of me... somehow I don't feel that this town is worthy of an interchange any better.
We will leave it for this week on that.
Next up it's the third instalment of Skaledale, which you seem to like.
Have a nice week. (I now get to enjoy my 3-day May Day weekend! Woo-hoo!)
smileymk
One way ring road? You built a city in a roundabout! At east it explains the staggered interchange.
Part 22 - Skaledale
It's a short one this time, but at least then you get to spend more time enjoying your weekend...
Replies
@ emgmod: Sort of. There is some development outside of the roundabout, though. It was one of my more weird ideas!
Now let's crack on.
Skaledale - Part 3
It's fair to say that most of the action this week has taken place in Fellton Park. Tired of their 'glorified business park' image, they decided it was time to add some housing estates:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffelltonparkresidential.jpg&hash=995314ea148cb06fbe3cf2266f1366eab7213b4a)
They also extended the R1 to create this nice little bridge-tunnel that flies over the lake before disappearing under the H1 highway:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fr1bridgetunnel.jpg&hash=b95b1cf6f0cda5f259c0d8c2299b40ba246b4094)
Expansion went west as well as east - we don't let mini-mountains stand in our way here:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmountaindevelopment.jpg&hash=42cd506971475afb57f2ffb3118a895a6f790521)
Of course, industry wasn't ignored, and the construction of this freightyard improved the job count and economy greatly:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Frailyard.jpg&hash=c9a466db6e95606fd2130f29493dea48b663ed91)
Exit 3 of the H1, with the brand-new A2 avenue, was built to serve this freightyard. The fact that there was a huge mountain to the south, plus the A2's parallel running to the H1, meant that the final junction ended up as a cross between a directional T and a diamond:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fh1exit3.jpg&hash=4dee89b5704e03fb41c4180abe3d6f076b991aac)
Trevellyn Bridge wasn't ignored, though. It got to be the home for this semi-failed culvert - blasted hills!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffailedculvert.jpg&hash=0f145dfca8a718e7d434d85b17bfb35c6c4b530f)
It also became the starting point for the region's light rail network:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsubwaystation.jpg&hash=62609310aa7f8eb04679467a2f9d3c73c37751d5)
And expansion along the north coast of the island gave rise to this shoddy excuse for an avenue - starts off well, before crashing into a street!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpatheticavenue.jpg&hash=0873b06d1d887d08a745f655ef7f3899e848dc06)
At least you get to see the coast. A scenic way to finish off for this week.
In 7 days we will be visiting the 13th region to be showcased here: the 2nd Medium Challenge Region.
I'll be there.
smileymk
What amazing work and thank you for sharing! You have inspired me to get more creative with my cities/regions! &apls
Wow....definately some crazy stuff in here.
Thank you for that little SAM tutorial at the top of this page. I don't use SAM very often, but in the last few weeks I have and I was wondering how that was done....so thanks again.
Robin :thumbsup:
Part 23 - Challenge Medium 2
Here we go again for Number 23! (OK, worst intro ever...)
Replies
@ Panda_Power: Glad you're enjoying the ride. It's not finished yet, though. In fact we've only just started. Having inspired someone does make this more worthwhile, so thanks.
@ rooker1: This MD certainly lives up to its name! And I do thank you for the support for that SAM tutorial.
Now off we go into the world of SimCity...
Challenge Medium 2 - Part 1
This is the last of the medium challenge regions to be shown on here - same 10mi x 10mi size, same 30M Sim target population, but a different city arrangement.
Admittedly this didn't get as far as I wanted it to, for reasons that will be explained in due course, but one tile was completed. That was Palm Heights, a variation on Palm Harbour from NFS Undercover (I know, what a sad life...):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpalmheightsday.jpg&hash=38b9de9536c26f9130d465da650738481814352d)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpalmheightsnight.jpg&hash=19f1942ad103dfa8031c916b20dcf03193872dc4)
These Challenge Regions have allowed me to make many comparisons within cities. Palm Heights is no exception. The thing that I pick up on this week is pollution. Here's the very first district to be developed, and my god, you wouldn't want to breathe here:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fdirtyindustry.jpg&hash=ff216c24aab7bd171764fedbc27a0b9e344c5fc0)
Look at how that's kept hi-rises in the surrounding area to a minimum:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Flowdevelopment.jpg&hash=ec07d3c0380fdb17c9af8f47d8ab7ca41e4644fc)
I bet you're thinking "Coincidence." Oh yeah? Well check out this cleaner part of town:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcleanindustry.jpg&hash=2db13230795188194a7f7fdd31fc39f0dc551a88)
Now look at what's around it:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fhighdevelopment.jpg&hash=9c4fe842b8b765f29fdb16607173f7f5076db2f8)
See? That's much more of a sight. And all through cutting down pollution. It does make a real difference.
Unusually for the Challenge Regions, my regional water supply is contained in a grass area to reduce the water pollution coming from the 2 neighbouring industrial districts to the commercial area that this is in. The tactic failed, but the area is nice:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwaterpark.jpg&hash=5c2dc7fb0004597af61d1e359cdfa2abf58a9e0d)
Now we move north into a city named after another town off NFS Undercover, Sunset Flats:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsunsetflatsday.jpg&hash=60d51cb42d7f8faa0e19dc9245baf48fb3e55e38)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsunsetflatsnight.jpg&hash=04ff52b7794981a404848118dc5a10ff605193b5)
This is a city which I would have done a lot more with, had there not been the release of the latest versions of a certain Network Addon Mod and a certain Real Highway Mod to get in the way. As a result, the city is quite boring. This commercial district epitomises the city:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmediumepitomy.jpg&hash=23f710614b786cb904e67bd8c7ef2c1f2b493da8)
And that is that for this week.
Following the release of the May 2010 NAM, as well as RHW 4.0 and the new NWM, I've decided that next week's update will be a NAM Special, in which I will show you what can be done with the newest versions of these great mods.
Until then,
smileymk
NAM Special? Can't wait to see what the new NAM and your creativity makes. Also, thanks for uploading the free grass park on the STEX.
Part 24 - NAM Special
It's finally here! In a moment you will get to see some of the amazing creations that are possible with the new NAM, RHW and NWM. But first...
Replies
@ emgmod: You won't have to wait much longer... and have fun with those grass parks!
Right, that's out of the way, so let's go!
NAM Special
Now that the new NAM, RHW and NWM are out, I thought I'd show you what can be done with the latest editions of these great mods.
We'll start with RHW, and these vital MIS - RHW-2 lateral ramps, as well as the wide RHW-2 curves, which together are invaluable for making parclos like this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Flateralramps.jpg&hash=a5d1c4e86875569c99585b51307121bba9241339)
Next on the list of fundamentals is the ability to drag curves with the RHW-6C, making it a much more useful type of RHW and enabling the construction of motorways on the cheap:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fdiagonal6C.jpg&hash=9cb63ce46e78deb69fb62cf60a9b6504f38619a5)
Now we move on to the more fancy stuff - for instance, the FARHW, vital for making long, realistic curves or kinks, as well as properly angled slip roads, as can be seen here:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffarhw.jpg&hash=09224ab4809847e6e7afb9ccccfe501198696ed8)
As good as this looks, however, the space it takes up (1/4 mile at least!) is ridiculous. I'd therefore recommend not using it for stuff like this (unless you elevate the RHW instead and don't use roundabouts...)
Qualifying for the gimmick category is the asymmetrical RHW-8C/6C. Yes, this occurs in real life sometimes, but it can't go diagonal, so the only real use for it is making high-capacity motorways on the cheap:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fasymmetrical8C-6C.jpg&hash=5b72f7f8164172d9dd5162ff8f2ecf1cbd5df46c)
But by far and away the most vital and impressive addition is the FlexFly. It's quite simply astonishing, and is perfect for forks like this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fflexfly.jpg&hash=ab62e708b1a28745da2af97fc24d62eddd65ac5f)
The observant will also have spotted two more new features in that picture - cosmetic exit lane markings and wide MIS curves.
I'm now going to show two much-talked-about pieces, the SPUI and the Diverging Diamond. I'm going to tell you now that I think both of these are, shall we say, overrated. Let me show you why, starting with the SPUI:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fspui.jpg&hash=0a2f9d706ef9a862727dc9726fc50dbc4bbdc16f)
It's HUGE! That's the kind of space you'd use for junctions between motorways! Completely inappropriate for an interchange with a surface street. You Americans must really hate roundabouts...
Now let me show you how it should be done - a rounadbout interchange:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Froundaboutic.jpg&hash=e3a6d2badfcc8c4c6843ae4d8208262797519d3c)
Look at that. Compact, easy to use, far more appropriate than that monster. The TuLEP pieces work perfectly with it as well!
It's just a shame that the NAM Team hasn't yet quite grasped the concept that you might want to use the centre lane to go straight on...
Continuing with my rant, let me rip into the Diverging Diamond. This is what you call a good idea in theory:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fdivergingdiamond.jpg&hash=7e81a4e8025367ccb3998611e67afb7a5849505e)
And indeed it is a good concept, but in practice, the fact that you have to go onto the wrong side of the road is likely to confuse the living hell out of people (well, at least me). Although it does look good (especially like that), this is another excuse to avoid that dreaded roundabout - you wouldn't get away with this in England... and let's not go to that SPUI...
We'll leave RHW alone (for now), so we can concentrate on what's available with the regular NAM. We'll start with a couple of useful puzzle pieces for mass transit - the GLR terminal loop and the wide elevated rail curve:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmasstransitpuzzlepieces.jpg&hash=17db0482c804fa5bacb3a671eaaec2b68936dd6d)
I don't think I need to tell you how useful these things potentially are. Neither do I need to tell you the usefulness of the greatly expanded FLUP range - this even includes pieces for the RHW!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fflups.jpg&hash=f9252039b1de108a73cc3b574447ea0df1980254)
But the best addition to the FLUPS is this street-FLUP transition designed for placement on a 10m slope (that's the Deeper Rail Digger on smoncrie's set):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffluponslope.jpg&hash=bd4325c52aa1330f8cda24a09bd873e10857a8b6)
I wonder if they'll do this for other networks in the future... they should!
Last up for the regular NAM is this vital puzzle piece. I'll let you work this one out for yourselves...
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcurvedelevatedroad.jpg&hash=5f40a5862e44bb466880ac2e143ac4eaa294f3cd)
OK, for our penultimate picture, let's see the NWM, a vital tool allowing variable-width surface roads to be created. I decided to show all of the networks in a nice, city-like arrangement:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnwm.jpg&hash=a4f7c2b80215e9dbb9b088a7df3c75f51a795b1e)
Finally, with all of this stuff at my disposal, I just had to make a big RHW interchange showing as much of the new stuff as possible. See if you can spot all of the new features (there are 13 in total):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fbiginterchange.jpg&hash=2243cb0cf751e592c945f9adffef7df8efe3bf96)
And that brings this NAM Special to a close. (Mainly so that big junction's fresh on your mind so you can argue about what it contains.)
Next week we'll pay our 3rd visit to the 2nd Large Challenge Region. Yay.
I shall see you there...
smileymk
It's possible to make the SPUI more compact by not making the slip lanes go diagonally from the highway. Also, we Americans get amazingly confused at roundabouts.
Part 25 - Challenge Large 2
I do believe this is now a quarter-century of updates, and that we've grown a 4th page! Thanks for your continued support.
Replies
@ emgmod: I thought that after I made the SPUI it could be smaller... but it would still be bigger than the roundabout, and I still hate it! And as for roundabouts, well, it's time you Americans learnt how to use them. Maybe I should do a tutorial on how to drive round roundabouts...
(This is gonna become an "our road system's better than yours" thing, isn't it?)
Challenge Large 2 - Part 3
OK, let's focus now...
This time around we focus on the newest 2 cities to come into existence in this region - Liberty, a residential city, and Authority, a commercial city. The names do make sense - at home you have Liberty to do whatever you like, and at work Authority tells you what to do!
Let's see Liberty first, as that was first to be built. Here it is:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Flibertyday.jpg&hash=557c64ddc1ce9034f75ace5595f783ffd8529e6e)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Flibertynight.jpg&hash=97cebfe273a48bce04c03917552d5fc9af403ff1)
Yeah, I know, it's pretty boring - although not as bad as Life. You might have noticed that interchange in the centre however - let's take a look:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fdiagonaldiamond.jpg&hash=9f4a3135b468aff2fca90d6466d91ad3b62b313d)
I think I'd call it a diagonal diamond - an interchange on a bend. As you can see from the picture, two diagonal overpasses provide a means to cross the motorway, and two bypass roads provide a method to avoid the junction, which make the interchange more functional.
But in truth, this whole tile was rushed to get Authority built to provide jobs for these workers, so let's check out Authority:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fauthorityday.jpg&hash=3257483745d310fd743b9033a6528aacea9af720)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fauthoritynight.jpg&hash=2b88d3d658cef35622157bc5c221067ac30a83f8)
Whilst we're on the subject of interchanges, Authority connects to the motorway with a roundabout:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fauthorityroundabout.jpg&hash=989d9ec3cfc7c7f343fe6dff251fb20f7054cacb)
Note the roads on either side of the roundabout, which give access to 2 more roads whilst keeping the junction compact. Being a commercial city, it is important that transportation like this is provided.
That happens to give rise to a local commuter airport served both by road and an impressive station:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstation-airportcomplex.jpg&hash=970ef5f8aa4a897d9621bf55a9a45695d9290bcd)
This happens a lot in real life, especially at the bigger airports - often roads just aren't enough to serve them, and rails are required.
To conclude, I want to show you a street. Not just any street, mind. The one I'm showing you has to be the world's most pointless and futile street ever built. Here's why:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmostpointlessstreet.jpg&hash=145bbd12fdd227c046ece58767d36b57c3114332)
Face the facts, street. Buildings facing it: 0. Cars using it for commuting: 0. I guess the only real purpose it has is being demonstrated by that green pickup truck - as a rest stop for lorries and goods vehicles that is conveniently close to the motorway.
And that, my friends, is that for this time.
Next week we'll go back to one of my favourite regions - Silver Lake.
I shall see you there,
smileymk
I really like the non-grid nature of your roadways!
Americans really need to use roundabouts more. And yes, those are some absolutely useless roads.
Part 26 - Silver Lake
Big update this time... I guess if you have a whole uninterrupted week to work on a city then you get more done...
Replies
@ sumwonyuno: Great to have you back, but I thought that Challenge Large 2 was pretty griddy... or are you referring to some other region? Anyway, you'll see plenty of non-grid action this week.
@ emgmod: Ha! Victory is mine! Long live the roundabout! La la la la la... (OK, serious mode now) Glad you've finally seen sense. Thanks for agreeing with me on those two points.
OK, without further ado, let's see the third instalment of Silver Lake.
Silver Lake - Part 3
Much of the new development this week has taken place around the outer edges of the city, in the flatter bits of the mountains. Several new estates have sprung up - we'll start with this one in the east:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpeninsulasuburb.jpg&hash=28a80506b02ed622aa709dd506b39e9327bed92a)
This I call the Peninsula Suburb, owing to that street that sticks out at the edge, like a peninsula.
Going slightly north, we hit a valley, which is home to another residential - commercial area, called Pass Valley (the reason for which you will soon find out):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpassvalley.jpg&hash=156079b3b13090897177f9097ee7a5e8c8cf50b7)
Somehow, this estate manages to be served by a station on the top of a hill, connected to the valley by a gravel street. The station is particularly interesting, as it is built on a rail loop:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Frailloopterminus.jpg&hash=9aca90d34468e94edf8182fc30dbb2667b916155)
The rail network in Silver Lake might be taking pains and ridiculous routes to access as many districts as possible, but, to the north of Pass Valley, there is an area that can only be reached by road:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnortheastpocket.jpg&hash=4ecb47c457240664041a6c77f9c73c1c5afffdf9)
This is known as the Pocket. In fairness, why should I connect this to the rail network? It would be very difficult, and I quite like that 'tucked away' nature that this part of town possesses.
Going there by train would also spoil the fun of getting there, at least from the west. Who could resist the adventure of driving down this road?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcliffroad.jpg&hash=cc53427aa7681ab0eb5dfe2d94cafc08968891f8)
And if the risk of driving next to a huge cliff that could send earth tumbling down on you without warning for half a mile isn't enough of a thrill to you, try driving down this next road. Remember Pass Valley? The reason for the name is that to the west lies the North Bowl Pass, a mountain road forming a vital way in from the east to the central bowl:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Feastbowlpass.jpg&hash=f5995088618063fec3f900da5270047d9cf178d3)
Good luck not crashing!
Talking of hills, two estates sprung up in the west and the east that are on hilltops that give a great view of the central bowl. The western one is a residential suburb, which as a result of its location has very high property prices:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwestpeak.jpg&hash=d7e1aeac68bf4a52380b808e446b1f1368ce04c5)
In the east, however, it's a little more mundane. It's farmland:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Feastpeak.jpg&hash=75288d9a0bfcfc4ea3468999f36c23d6e4d08aaa)
Lastly for the outer areas, I decided to connect two commercial areas that were close together but separated by a steep hill with a funicular railway using rural GLR, partly to free up the ring road (in theory) but mainly as something to make the city more interesting. A lack of slope-tolerant and appropriate GLR stations, however, coupled with my new-found ability to texture BATs, meant that I made my own stations for the job. As you're about to see, it's fair to say that this failed:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ffunicularrailway.jpg&hash=a0582258d53dba11fdb82eeae7e637153733c01d)
Yeah, I must confess that BATs and lot-making are not my fortes. There is a Mark 2 version planned, though, so don't concern yourselves too much.
On a brighter note, let's move into the central bowl, where some medium density zoning has been laid down and the area near the main station has developed:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcentraldevelopment.jpg&hash=df2e977c4d4c134e05670df6f8a4b1a23c1b89ff)
Some eyecandy has also been added for fun, and, believe it or not, one of the buildings in that picture is rather special.
Upon looking at my Regional Population Report this morning (available with the Regional Tracking Mod), I saw, at the bottom, the text 'hi-tech: 55 jobs'. Eh? Hi-tech industry in a city of only 14,000 and a tiny little patch of medium-density industrial? An investigation was conducted with the Query tool, and, sure enough, there it was:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Funexpectedhi-tech.jpg&hash=a51dc8dcf766230dae8c671102c7c7a1e50c4198)
This will probably change the way I play my game - I always thought you needed high density for hi-tech - that's what my experience taught me - but obviously not!
That was just one of many discoveries I made this week. Another was the Snow cheat, which makes it snow in your city during the winter months. As in real life, higher elevations get snow for more of the year, so this cheat is an accurate way to turn boring and ugly cliff faces into realistic peaks (unlike snow mods which permanently put snow everywhere, which is stupid):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsnow-cappedpeak.jpg&hash=2803c904005d0f1ddf5b74fcbbe4013910d78b6b)
In winter, lower elevations are covered as well (up to a point). This creates an interesting effect in Silver Lake, where most of the city is about 500m above sea level, in that most suburbs get completely covered in snow:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsnow-cappedestate.jpg&hash=98c9d03c6957cd9b8edd1eb7b38fe2c086e09d57)
And that's that for this week.
Next week we're returning to Challenge Large 2. Again.
Until then, all the best.
smileymk
Snow cheat? What is it? I only use snow during one day of the year, and it snows everywhere.
Part 27 - Challenge Large 2
As the World Cup is kicking off in one and a half hours (!) (at the time of writing), I'll do my best to ensure this is short so you can spend more time watching the games. So...
Replies
@ emgmod: OK, I'll try to explain. Press CTRL + X, type in "Snow", and press Enter. Providing your terrain is high enough, a certain amount of your city will become covered in snow. The height at which the snow starts depends on the time of the Sim year (i.e. your system time is irrelevant) - in winter, snow will appear at lower altitudes (up to a point), whereas in summer, only the very highest peaks will see snow. Although this is very realistic, it disappears when you leave the city, so I'd only use it for pictures. Hope that helps.
Challenge Large 2 - Part 4
2 weeks ago, you saw two rather underdeveloped cities - Liberty and Authority. Given another week, though, they have been focused on and regionally played to the max. As a result, they've grown quite a bit:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Flibertygrown.jpg&hash=248fad039cf6909e3559d084dc73ea1f8d4f2158)
That's Liberty, population 152,000 - not bad for a small city. Let's see Authority:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fauthoritygrown.jpg&hash=03b432b9feff56e6826133b28532901d1035a2cd)
The growth in Authority has much to do with landmarks as well as Liberty. Landmarks like this brilliant shopping centre by Tonkso:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmetropolitanmall.jpg&hash=161f39c8d15f0738f83cd30d1a4badc868af7a3e)
Transport also plays a part, for a high-capacity (total 90,000) rail station is provided for commuters:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fhi-capacitystation.jpg&hash=689d5bbb0690f61b2146411b843cc7b5c30f3981)
The result is this fantastic scene at night:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Flit-upskyline.jpg&hash=98369615d7269114856c851a8b8395145669f1b7)
Unfortunately, I don't think these cities will get too much bigger, as the demand caps in Liberty have maxed out. That's what happens when you squeeze over 150,000 citizens into an area of just under 0.4 square miles.
How beautiful. The next city is down south, and it's known as Work (because it's a commercial city, and therefore you work there). Let's see it:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fworkday.jpg&hash=6381d9001cec5677f88733d97e55ad5323860d89)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fworknight.jpg&hash=6300812758911eb7c5e6e848cdf9e4db16ebd042)
At the centre of this lies, predictably, the city's motorway junction, and, true to form, it's a roundabout interchange. But this one is considerably more compact, and has a very nice 'squeezed-in' appearance as a result:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcompactroundaboutinterchange.jpg&hash=60cd04d977a0f5f49a1a837ec69bd6d729cc3dcb)
I'm thinking about putting ploppable commercial in the centre of that roundabout to emphasise that squeezed-in feeling to it. Might look interesting.
Also, I'd like you to pay attention to the slip roads. They're made from RHW-4, and thus have two lanes. This is far more realistic, as most motorway slip roads here in the UK are two lanes, and this also improves the capacity of the junction as you now have separate lanes for left and right turns.
The capacity is also improved by the use of a bypass, created using the FLUP pieces, that allows all-purpose traffic to cross the motorway without using the junction:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fflupbypass.jpg&hash=bece86a0344187e1032f7e6120645b6065034d6c)
Again it looks pretty squeezed-in with those buildings.
Next to be shown is the next city, also commercial, also to the south, and known as Pay, owing to what you get from your work:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpayday.jpg&hash=a5574f1a8df3f114a3cbb4258ca4d2d19942cd0d)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fpaynight.jpg&hash=8d8a05032e4c35dbc2ee9b2201b08799be718d58)
Admittedly this is underdeveloped, but that's because it's new. Most of the development is concentrated around the important places - like the motorway, which here continues the theme of compact interchanges, this time with a diamond:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcompactdiamondinterchange.jpg&hash=c999b1bfeb0a9ce985b05d1cf1b0034282deca2d)
And that concludes this update.
I know that you just love this region, so next week we'll stay with Challenge Large 2 - because I'm nice.
Oh, and, as for tomorrow night (England v USA), hmm, how to be patriotic to my country but respectful to the vast American community here...
I'm sure you'll give us a good game (you Americans are actually pretty good at football), but come on England!
Enjoy the match and the update.
smileymk
Part 28 - Challenge Large 2
My god, you Americans were lucky on Saturday... completely outplayed and only got a result because our keeper can't catch a football...maybe I should try out for England goalkeeper...
At this point I'd normally do the replies, but there aren't any to do this week (too busy watching the footy?), so we can jump straight in with the update.
Challenge Large 2 - Part 5
The 'Commercial Column' (as the column of Authority, Work and Pay has become known) was completed this week with Commerce, again appropriately named. Here it is:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcommerceday.jpg&hash=44c0e38b2b2fb5b24cef342791e349c367590dd0)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcommercenight.jpg&hash=ec1799a8a5b67dd9b01c6a9090a906fef795a65e)
This is vastly underdeveloped as well, mainly because the residential city below it, Suburbia Junction, hasn't got going yet, and hasn't yet developed on that side. I'll show you the central interchange - this has something different about it and links to the image afterwards:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcommerceinterchange.jpg&hash=a2fa8f1eb7593ab012b79632d7a0645400590f50)
Part of the interesting bit comes from the approach roads - grade separated semi-derectional T's feeding off parallel alternate one-way roads. Certainly unusual, but it seems to work.
The other is that security camera in the centre of the roundabout. You might be wondering why I'd put this in a city designed deliberately to be as big as possible. This is the reason:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fwrongwayroundtheroundabout.jpg&hash=4cb534dd62ec3580e7906915d21b144f13d75695)
Yes, that car is going around the roundabout the wrong way. That's not the only vehicle to have committed this act of dangerous driving - the security camera is there to crack down on frequent incidences of this madness. There have even been cases of cars leaving the motorway from the north, turning right to go round the wrong way, and then turn right onto the northbound entry slip road! Well, they're all getting automatic fines through the post now, so that's alright.
I did mention Suburbia Junction, so I'll talk about that city now. This pre-development shot shows the origins of the name:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsuburbiajunctionpre-development.jpg&hash=32a2ac26a2cc86c7f8a66452f96c29e7309320f3)
Yep, a trumpet combined with surface-street access from all three sides, and a railway Y-junction. Impressed?
This unfortunately is not quite as developed as I hoped, mainly due to a CTD getting in the way. I did manage to re-do this bit in time though:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsuburbiajunctiondeveloped.jpg&hash=ec7f82ab8607d993d0fcde61ec27c0177596bd84)
Most of the people here work in the industrial city to the south, duly named Industria. Well, here it is:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Findustriaday.jpg&hash=411fe9d4592229c459b72695245b68f3e80a3563)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Findustrianight.jpg&hash=5e29c2f5fa414e0502dc71b3b520c22f7dce98ba)
Being in a separate utility zone (with Suburbia Junction), the city has to provide utilities for the 7 square km zone. It elected to put them all in one place:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Futilities-1.jpg&hash=0fed83fd839502f7c11298b08eb3de0212e40a2a)
The city also needs connections for its industry. It made no sense to not extend the new highway to the region's end, but there was no space in Suburbia Junction for a 4-way interchange. So a staggered design was decided upon - one half of that being the Suburbia Junction trumpet, the other being this Triangle interchange in Industria:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ftriangleinterchange.jpg&hash=0920b049dc63cdfddd5f6de760199f3de004085f)
A parclo was also constructed in the south to give the industry access to the orbital motorway. Because space was at a premium (you can see the end of the acceleration lane from the Triangle in the upcoming image), it was built in a very tight manner:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ftightparclo.jpg&hash=831f3e7f40422477de81a793bbd7d019208e9704)
Railway facilities were also required - and, like the utilities, the city planners followed an 'all in one place' strategy:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Frailfacilities.jpg&hash=7bfe014a075c5caed2e589347ab510db0dfe2141)
That'll have to do for this week.
Now I've had enough of this region for now, so next week we'll return to somewhere we haven't been to for a very long time - Lego City.
See you there,
smileymk
(PS - Good luck to the US, who kick off against Slovenia in 8 minutes (at the time of writing), and, of course, for tonight, come on England. You guys have gotta beat Algeria, for god sake!)
Heh, I stand corrected. Suburbia Junction is much more non-grid! :thumbsup:
Part 29 - Lego City
Well, it's that time again. I'll make this short - there happens to be a game on...
Replies
@ sumwonyuno: It is at the moment - but you wait until the city is full of zoning... it should still be quite non-griddy though, to fit with your love of random street patterns.
Lego City - Part 4
A residential drive has taken place in Lego City this week, and that has gained the city about 4,000 residents.
Three suburbs came into existence, each with their own benefits - this one being remote, with only one road in:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fremotesuburb.jpg&hash=f7b36b28cf3303a3166575176d82e8129590d16c)
This one is a prospective buyer's dream - close by schools and jobs, with very good rail and motorway access - what more could anyone want?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Famenity-litteredsuburb.jpg&hash=929bf429435e09aea87c2dc818df3e1126ebe1b7)
And this one is well-served by the city's light rail system, being near two of its stations:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fblockofblocksofflats.jpg&hash=d8aa348b5f19037c042144e57ba64626d7d0b2ca)
The 'Block of Blocks of Flats', as it has come to be known, has given profitable service to an otherwise neglected GLR system that previously wasn't utilised - but this train indicates things are now very different!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2FfunctioningGLR.jpg&hash=d10923c22e379e635307c4659ee68d94f83f81f6)
Light rail expansion has also caused some problems, however. Problems like this, where a rail line is to be converted to el-rail, on a curve, and on a steep hill for good measure:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Funfillablegap.jpg&hash=e84d42895f3df13700e38a8bac738d096da2d78b)
As you can see, a straight transition was attempted, but it just won't work here.
Fortunately a specially-designed lot to make the connection is in the works - it's not ready for implementation yet, unfortunately. But the model is there.
Would anyone like to see a sneak preview?
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcurvedtransitionsneakpreview.jpg&hash=b017e183a67f71f9e783f80a8fd131a0afd3ba87)
It might not be the most spectacular BAT ever, but it should do the job. I expect this to be ready for next time (barring unforeseen issues that will probably throw themselves up), so watch this space.
Also one to watch is my elevated bus stops, designed to work with the NAM road viaducts, which have been re-modelled upon my discovery of the art of texturing BATs - well, here is Version 2:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fremodelledelevatedbusstop.jpg&hash=4f74ab276707220069212e850a53b1f0c861807f)
Size was adjusted, textures were added, and so was a lift to give access to surface transport.
Amenities for the influx of residents aren't just limited to transport, however. The city has also demonstrated its commitment to sport by building this baseball stadium:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fhillystadium.jpg&hash=3cbc46456f394ad10c80c56e38540df95c3d4dd0)
You won't be surprised to know that the team that plays here has the highest rate of balls, beanballs, and balls hit into swimming pools, as well as the lowest home run rate, in the league. I wonder if it has something to do with that hill...
The city has also demonstrated its commitment to science by building its own particle accelerator for all to see. Inspired by the Large Hadron Collider, but limited by the city budget, they came up with an unusual landmark - the Small Hadron Collider:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsmallhadroncollider.jpg&hash=540930d91f9e17717ffda1f985aa86962a4ec72d)
Lol... and that concludes this week's update.
Next up it's back to the Challenge Regions, but before you groan, it's not that one. It's Challenge Medium 1.
Best wishes for this week, both in life and in South Africa,
smileymk
Very funky cities :thumbsup:
With so many... irregular roads and rails, you don't need the airport. Just have a car or a train overspeeding and it will be an airplane in no time ;D
Part 30 - Challenge Medium 1
Welcome to July!
Replies
@ Terring7: Thanks. And the airport will be necessary eventually, when the place starts developing.
Challenge Medium 1 - Part 2
Yes, this is Part 2. We covered Part 1 27 weeks ago, so that might be why some of you won't remember.
With Eastminster completed in Part 1, it was time to move on and complete some other cities in the region, in the crusade to get a total of 30M Sims in the region.
One of these cities has been finished, and, following the regional practice of ripping off London suburb names for naming these cities, is known as Camdon:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcamdonday.jpg&hash=be0f76eeec89c99279735d0e0594dbae682f80e1)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcamdonnight.jpg&hash=451fadec534984660d4565095aa26ee68918b618)
Camdon is an unusual city, as the residential districts are home to taller buildings than the commercial buildings - it's normally the other way round. To prove it, this is one of Camdon's 3 residential districts, home to over 130,000 Sims out of the city total of 275,000 (in a medium city I might add):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fhugeresidential.jpg&hash=f6184ef006c4f8903c9a19c1a7608ea57e963b11)
Compare this to the biggest commercial district in the city, which somehow doesn't seem to have 130,000 commercial jobs:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fsmallercommercial.jpg&hash=c7f3d9e73d78cd75d34d06cd0423292069f4daf5)
Rewards are a big part of this megalopolis - all of them are used when they're unlocked. Not only that but they are placed strategically, which lead, in this case, partly by chance, partly by inspiration from 2 schools in my estate sited right next to each other, to the 2 Maxis stadiums being placed next to each other, separated only by a road. Unspectacular - until you turn on the lights and give the 2 stadiums games, at which point these lots suddenly look a lot better:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fstadiums.jpg&hash=85d1bb2c3fc62c58475693f1e7c704e60ba6fcb1)
I have to say that's one of my favourite images. Hard to say why, really - it's probably down to the enclosed atmosphere and the sheer impressiveness of the image. You can't say it doesn't look good.
Camdon was finished in 2 days - I do have a lot of time on my hands - and that meant that the next city, Oslington, could be started:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Foslingtonday.jpg&hash=2a47391f1cb6dbc476329908191f8efc4c3758ef)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Foslingtonnight.jpg&hash=b2947aeff720122a7269ff6e606bfe2a6ba22c59)
Admittedly it's unfinished, but it already has 130,000 Sims, giving a total regional population of just over 668,000 - now by far my most populous region ever (beating Challenge Medium 3, population about 357,000).
Already established as well is the city's manufacturing industry, which takes up most of the space and is the main focus of the city:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmanufacturingcomplex.jpg&hash=efe46613986c77a2d891ee4b938f0fe7a2182bb7)
Space for the workers and retailers is therefore limited, and the city planners were forced to build up rather than across (for now):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Foslingtontowers.jpg&hash=5d9a5eac90fa2eea0d65779265291554c31ace2a)
And with that bombshell, it's time to end.
Next up it's Challenge Small 1 (aka Middletown).
Have a nice week.
smileymk
Part 31 - Challenge Small 1
It's all quiet on the MD front... so let's get on with the update.
Challenge Small 1 - Part 2
Somehow I managed to finish the 3rd city in this small region, which, following the convention of naming towns geographically (hence Middletown and Town o' the North), was named North Eastown (there will be a South Eastown, but next time):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnortheastownday.jpg&hash=2562675d9f418558eeb85e38d3d6696a725c98bc)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnortheastownnight.jpg&hash=a6b6bc30b6955169a35b2b3e20b3b84f7dda504e)
This city, as you might have seen, is about 85% industrial, as that was what the city demand demanded (zone types for new estates are decided by the strongest demand). This means that only 54,000 live here - but about double that work in the smoggy, seemingly unregulated factories that sprawl across town like this:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ftypicalindustry.jpg&hash=1ef1591ffcf9832bbd48363defb87852b5fc0ed1)
With all of this industry dominating the city, ancillary areas like the town's retail outlet for all of these factories have no chance:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fnochancecommercial.jpg&hash=456b85aa0514e7990ee5f64239d32cc4076a0b5f)
If this doesn't look too small to you, take a look at the southeast corner of the now-finished Town o' the North:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fmorelikeittowers.jpg&hash=a467e074e0e98f21ccce058b797aeac6ac1ccb0c)
Now that's more like it. Now North Eastown looks small. And now I'll show you the finished Town o' the North to complete this week's update, as it came before any factories in North Eastown were even considered:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcompletedtownothenorthday.jpg&hash=9e4988d6326546ef285a5f9a573c0475988d191c)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcompletedtownothenorthnight.jpg&hash=a80d823ef4d5630cd833d6db5f4c2e3083fb0f25)
And that's it. Yes, it's short this week, but, oh well...
Next week we'll go back to a proper region rather than an urban sprawl - The Megacity. (Alright, The Megacity's pretty urban, but it's done properly!)
See you there.
smileymk
Part 32 - The Megacity
Hey, I'm still here! This MD's not dying yet!
I've even put links to all of my updates in the first post for you guys (finally found out how to do that), so you don't have to trawl through 4 pages of this to find the post you want. I do care.
The Megacity - Part 3
Quite a bit of work this week has gone into re-working the city's road system to the standards of the new NAM and RHW, as well as to beef up interchange capacity (and to make them work as my MIS is screwed up), for reasons you will see later.
Let's start with one of the makeover projects - the addition of cosmetic lane drop markers to the A3 in Cosheete at its junction with the M2:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcosheetelanemarkings.jpg&hash=bb611a766c01e3d90702bebfa801a074d0cc27bf)
In addition to this, RHW 4.0 has allowed the main rail line through Cosheete to stay at 6 tracks when it passes under the M2 (previously a bug meant that I had to switch briefly to 4 tracks through the underpass):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2F3-trackoverpass.jpg&hash=61a64017180d4b05e3a8dadd4b59a2c51f598d1e)
These might not sound like much, but when creating a high-quality, realistic city, small details like that make all the difference.
Now I told you that the M2 interchanges were re-worked. This is due to the development of Yeats, a district 2km west of Cosheete:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcompleteyeatsday.jpg&hash=972449dbf49b65b40602adf18c29dca8be6b6742)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fcompleteyeatsnight.jpg&hash=7be15354dcc01e3f4f0924424a448dfe3b47a05d)
First and foremost, let's look at that residential district - population 363,000 (making it my most populous medium city ever by some distance):
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fyeatsresidential.jpg&hash=6c730c527ca4823b39a9b44c5271923fdf5d5444)
This helped the expansion of the commercial district of Belfast to the east of Yeats - but it expanded upwards, not outwards:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Ftallerbelfast.jpg&hash=9dc7da70a8e0310db9e16e9697e1053cd898a8bb)
The regional population has now been pushed up to 708,000 - this is now my most populous region ever, by just 40,000 Sims. But look more closely at Yeats and you spot a lot of roads where streets would normally be. This is evidence of Yeats' big congestion problems.
Part of the problem is the rail line that runs through Yeats, through the residential and commercial areas, and into the commercial bit of Belfast where it ends. You'd think that because of where it leads, it would get a huge amount of usage, especially with the NAM simulator. It doesn't quite work like that:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Funusedrailway.jpg&hash=618f2c15af2bb67369262f47d2f4b3efd28c3cc9)
That's right - one of the most useful lines in The Megacity is getting completely ignored. Everyone's using their cars and it's clogging up the roads like you wouldn't believe.
To deal with this, the council attempted to coax people into using the M2 motorway, thus freeing up the roads, by beefing up capacity at the Yeats interchange:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Freworkedyeatsinterchange.jpg&hash=e71e8b24541ff641ee8712323dd2d4a652a403ad)
The Cosheete interchange:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Freworkedcosheeteinterchange.jpg&hash=e4abf77a523b7ca62db18abce1c3f0ac619151e1)
and even the Menlo interchange:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Freworkedmenlointerchange.jpg&hash=f3842a53a8ea7c9b4a3003eea7f2c7e732de1758)
The retaining wall transitions on the motorway were also changed from Buddybud's set to Jeronij's set - there is no difference in looks of the walls but Buddybud's transitions had an overhanging wall that ate into the motorway and looked ridiculous. Now I just have to convert the slip road walls for the same reason!
Also, you might have noticed that the one-way slip lanes on the B1 avenue in Yeats where it meets a C-road, which previously weren't great, have been replaced by the TuLEP system, vastly improving their appearance.
But these re-worked interchanges weren't enough for anyone, and so the 'Exit 10 1/2 For A 10 1/2 Out Of 10 Commute' formed, which has vehemently campaigned for an interchange to be built in Belfast, which would, if built, massively relieve congestion in both Yeats and Cosheete:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fproposedbelfastinterchange.jpg&hash=0142b03055ecac0c05b778786f8be31d43ae742a)
The 'Exit 10 1/2', if you're interested, comes from the Yeats interchange being Exit 10, and the Cosheete interchange being Exit 11. As the Belfast interchange would be in the middle, the number needs to be in the middle, hence Exit 10 1/2. It makes sense, doesn't it?
Some have even campaigned for an Exit 9 1/2, to be built in the west of Yeats:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi397.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp56%2Fsmileymk%2Fproposedwestyeatsinterchange.jpg&hash=7d9bf5b683b0ae772f4e0f897f9cedbeb1fdc637)
This would be less beneficial than a Belfast interchange, but it is certainly more likely and more feasible than a Belfast junction, which is currently being put off by the council due to the number of buildings that would have to be demolished to make way for it.
Now to quote Jeremy Clarkson - "And with that bombshell, it's time to end."
Next week it's Silver Lake, a favourite region of yours, so make sure you're there!
See you in a week,
smileymk
Closure of MD
I regret to announce that this thread is being closed due to it effectively dying - the interest is no longer here (this is pretty old I guess) and I'd rather see that server space used for new, interesting ideas, instead of an old MD nobody wants.
There will therefore be no more updates.
I shall shortly be asking a moderator to move this to the Inactive MDs section, in accordance with standard procedure.
I would like to finally thank you for your support over the last 7 months. This is my most successful MD to date, and it's all been down to you guys. I have to say that the MD experience here is vastly superior to the CJ experience at Simtropolis (though I stress that this is only my personal opinion.)
Look out for the following projects from me in the future:
The Silver Hills City Building Contest - Mark 2 (To start later today!) - A contest involving the whole SC4D community (or at least those who join in) to play a common one-tile region in their style and to a set of rules and challenges. Inspired by GRV, but nothing like it.
How You Can Build a Realistic City (Maybe December, probably January of next year.) - A step-by-step documentation of how even a beginner can make a cracking city, using a city I make with only basic mods - but it's tailored a bit above beginner level to encourage beginners to stretch their skills. (It might not be called this, but it should be something similar.)
Please do not comment or post below this.