Continuous Forest between Cities?

[BigSlark]

I'm not sure if this in the right place or not, but I've got a problem that is driving me crazy.


As you can see, the forest between these two cities isn't the same. I'd like them to match in the Region View, for MD purposes. In my current region, I'm attempting to make it look as though the city grid doesn't exist by having towns grow organically across city boundaries (thus driving the commute engine crazy) and I think I'm doing an okay job at it and would like the forests to follow the same general logic.

I've tried (in other locations) matching the forest density using the God Mode tool, however, the results never come out as I like them.

Does anyone have any good solutions? Do you do your best and live with it? I'm anxious to hear from the experts...

Cheers,
Kevin

[praiodan]

I'd try to plant the forest along the borders with the mayor mode trees, should make it easier to have it look continuos - although it takes some more effort.

[flame1396]

I like plains cities. Precisely for this reason (and I like flat land...)

However. The tree controller can make god-modeing it very hard.

[BigSlark]

I'd try to plant the forest along the borders with the mayor mode trees, should make it easier to have it look continuos - although it takes some more effort.

I've tried that, unfortunately, c.p's tree controllers do a better job at planting forests than I do...

I've just thought of using a stopwatch to see how long I plant trees along the border of one city and then replicating that amount of time in the next. Watch this space for an experiment!

Cheers,
Kevin

[Ennedi]

Which tree controller do you use?

Meadowshire Tree controller (and maybe some others, I don't remember exactly) give an irregular forest density. For example, on flat surfaces you achieve only a few trees and dense groups at the foot of every hill. It is very nice in many cases, such groups of trees look very natural. But it seems you have a small hill along the city edge. Probably it isn't symmetrical on both border sides. In this case the tree controller will work in a different way in both cities (it calculates a terrain shape in a larger area, not only in the particular place you want to put trees).
Complicated, isn't it?  But the conclusion is simple:
- Try another tree controller.
Personally I wouldn't suggest the Olympic one. It gives a dense forest in almost every case, looking at your terrain you have a big chance to unify the forest look on both border sides.
Don't afraid, trees planted earlier will not disappear, and you will be able to return to the previous controller after completing your task.
No guarantee, only advice 

Adam

[BigSlark]

Adam,

I use the Meadowshire Tree Controller.

What would you suggest?

Cheers,
Kevin

[Ennedi]

- Try another tree controller.
Personally I wouldn't suggest the Olympic one. It gives a dense forest in almost every case, looking at your terrain you have a big chance to unify the forest look on both border sides.
Adam

Edit: It is possible you will need to merge these two kinds of forest at some distance from the border, to make a nice transition. You can bulldoze some Meadowshire forest in an irregular way and then put the Olympic one.

[flame1396]

Hard to notice seams with dense forest though... If you're lazy go with Olympic.

[Ennedi]

Hard to notice seams with dense forest though... If you're lazy go with Olympic.

It is not only a question of being lazy  Olympic is not only dense, but it has an uniform look from bigger distance (and of course in the region view too). Another tree controllers are dense too, but they consist trees having different colors and shapes (depending on terrain shape, an elevation is not important in this case because it is equal on both border sides)
But of course if you are not lazy, you can use another one - there are two Meadowshire tree controllers too, you can try the second one).

[dedgren]

Patience, and the willingness to go back and forth between quads (cities) a lot until it looks right.  That's no matter what tree controller you use.


David

[BigSlark]

Well, it seems DE has spoken and thus I must accept the gospel truth! 

I was afraid that this was the only solution. Back to the salt mines forest planting for me...

Thanks for your help, everyone.

Cheers,
Kevin

[CarmineHilton]

*Mhh* Is the Olympic Tree Controller still on the LEX? I can't seem to find it anywhere

[wouanagaine]

I think it is on PLEX