Spa's Atlantic Retreat

[magee_b]

congrats on the potential news piece!  hope it works out and looking forward to reading it 

[spa]

Thanks Magee. There as a minor delay but it made it into today's Metro http://halifax.metronews.ca/index.cfm?sid=118557&sc=95 I scanned the story with my printer because the online version doesn't show the inside spread. Check it out below

Front:

Inside page:


Kind of fun The only thing they failed to do was identify Devotion as one of the two sites I upload at. They unfortunately gave Simtropolis all the credit. Oh well, such is the press.

[simdad1957]

Not a bad write-up in the paper SPA. I really like your analogy re: Simcity and the hobby of model railroading. That makes a lot of sense to me. I did some model railroading as a kid but I also enjoyed drawing maps (both imaginary and real) when I was about 10-12 years old. These were constructive hobbies where I was able to create a virtual world and I found that to be quite engrossing. That's what I like about SimCity; you're actually building (virtual) things. It just seems a lot more creative and relaxing than yet another first person shooter or blow-'em-up computer war game. I'll take creativity over destruction any time.

It'll be interesting to see if there is a sudden spike in the sales figures for SimCity in the Halifax Regional Municipality after your media exposure.

BTW, how did the paper find out about your BATting hobby?

[ky72x]

Simdad's comment really sums it all up for me.  Although I'm not a young kid anymore (I'm 15), I still enjoy drawing maps and collecting (and definitely playing) with toy cars in my spare time.  I've always liked to create things, and Sim City really pushed my liking of it further. 

Congrats on the article!  I would've never thought that anyone would be featured in a form of media like this.  I guess when most or all of one's creations are based on RL buildings, their chances of getting attention are probably much higher than one who doesn't.  Too bad this site wasn't mentioned, though.  I first saw the article here, so I figured that I might as well comment here instead.   

Did you choose the buildings that were mentioned and pictured in the article?  I noticed that three of them were some of your latest releases.   

I also have to ask: How did they find out?

- Kyle

[Krio]

Well after that you're indeed regonized batter around Canada 

[spa]

Simdad1957: I couldn't agree more. I have zero interest in shoot em up video games. The only games I have ever really liked are the ones that involve building and creating. Civilization and Sim City are really where my time has gone. As for how the paper found the story, well the entertainment reporter for Metro is a Sim City fan. He was on Simtropolis and came across my creations and sent me a pm asking if he could interview me and it went from there. I don't know how far read Metro is, but it is well enough known that when I went to school and the office people had picked up on it, but I wouldn't expect a bump in Sim City sales in Halifax
Kyle: Most of my reply to Simdad applies to your post too. Sim City, to me, is really a contructive hobby and not a game. I agree it is a shame that Devotion wasn't metioned. The reporter contacted me at Simtropolis and didn't ask me about the site in the interview so I guess he just assumed that Simtropolis was the only place I uploaded. It's a pity since my Devotion thread and uploads have become just as important to my batting. I didn't directly choose the buildings that ended up in the paper. The reporter asked me to send him some photos so I just sent a photo of each Halifax building (just over 20) from my library of photos that I keep on hand. In the interview he did ask me which bat was my best and I had to say the Lexington so I guess I did kind of pick the front page. I also cited Video Difference as an iconic local building so I think that's how that one was picked. How the Five Fishermen and Province House Credit Union got picked though, well, honestly, my guess is it was at least in part because it was easy for them to get photos of those two; they're very close to one and other and just 3 or 4 blocks away from Metro's office.
Krio: Thanks but let's not get carried away. Metro is a free 5 day a week paper in Halifax. It'll be quite a while before I break into the other Canadian markets

[zero7]

Congratulations on the write-up.  Very well deserved recognition of your dedication to reproducing the buildings of Halifax.

No letting all the fame and fortune go to your head 

[Pat]

Spa congrats on the special edition in your local paper!!! That was a wonderful insight into what happens in your Batting, also I do love the comparision from model Rail Road as Ive done that as well!!! You know by far SC4 is the cheaper of the 2 lol....  One time investment and your set for ever... Well almost forever if you get invovled and if you dont then well lol... BTW my wife supports me to as her obsevie compulsion is her writing, i do admit i support her writing but I hog the computer too much...   Thats kinda funnie how the news hound found you on ST and wanted to interview you, Again congrats with the write up!!!

[projectadam]

Excellent recognition Spa and that is really neat that you were published in a newspaper no matter what the market of it is.

BTW, can the reporter please turn off the grid in his pictures of the buildings 

[spa]

Zero7: Thanks and no worries about that. The paper is free after all
Pat: Thanks.
Projectadam: Thanks. Alas I'm afraid I tend to keep the grid on so it snuck into the photos.

So school sucks right now. It's that last real push and my time is in short supply. Those kind of conditions, for me, aren't the ones to take on anything too substantial so the Imperial is kind of on the backburner right now. I'll definitely come back to it. For now though I have been slowly picking away at a Toronto building, the Pier 1 Imports on Yonge Street. Below is a photo of the real building:

And my version:

As you can see my version isn't a corner building. The real thing is but it's such an after thought that it seemed silly to replicate. There is still lots to do. Obviously the roof and windows aren't textured and the night lighting isn't done (looking forward to putting some tips from JB to good use there!). There is more detail on the window frames then is showing through that should show up when the glass is done. I also need to adjust the stone texture at the very top. It simply doesn't work especially on the side that faces up. I'm thinking I might bat a metal cover for the top stones since it's something that is frequently done in real life to protect vulnerable surfaces from weathering and encase drainage. I might also darken the garage door just a shade or two as well. Anyway, this one shouldn't take a lot more, but it'll no doubt be a while since my time is in such short supply until May.

[Pat]

Hey Spa we will take them as they come and looking rather good there so far for the pier 1...

[rooker1]

Great work Spa.  The building looks alittle squashed to me, from side to side that is.  But maybe not, something might be fouling my eyes.  So far so good my friend.

Robin 

[JBSimio]

I like this one a lot Spa.     It's a shame the detailing inside the "wainscoating" gets mostly lost at game size, but I think all the mullions make up for it.  My only thought is that the fire escape on the back looks a bit bulky... but that's so nitpicky I almost feel like a jerk saying it!   

JB

EDIT: (quite a few days later...)  I just wanted to let you know that, in preparation for my upcoming hotel life, I went on a downloading spree today.  I'm frankly a bit ashamed of how far behind I was.  I add 27 of your fine buildings to my folder today!  Thank you for all the great things you have offered all of us.  I'm really looking forward (now that I finally have them all) to mixing your fine series of smaller buildings with mine for the ultimate in small town life.  Thanks so much!   

[spa]

Hey everyone. Just popping in this evening for a few replies and such.

Pat: Thanks. I have been tinkering a little bit with the glass but I haven't had much time to do anything major so it's essentially pretty much unchanged.
Rooker1: Maybe a little bit squished up. Unfortunately the 16 metre wide marker is the only way a 1 wide w2w fits into maxis world. To go up to the next size would mean no more w2w. This one would probably have been perfect at 18.
JB: Indeed. On this though I was actually surprised at how much showed up, especially when it's just a texture I took from the photo and touched up.

I tend to go overboard and model everything, but sometimes I cheat a bit Don't worry about the fire escape, I always appreciate the feedback. It's how things get better. The Lexington only ended up the way it did because of all the people who were looking over my shoulder! So I took a second look at the fire escape and slid it into the building just a little bit more. Unfortunately it really can't go too much because there needs to be room to go down the stairs and then around them to the ladder. All I have to say about the 27 buildings is wow. You must spend way more of your time making buildings then actually playing the game. I'm glad mine have found a home on your laptop. If you want to see a great mix of our buildings in action check out what Kyle has posted in the show us your w2w buildings http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=3617.80


So school still sucks. I haven't had much of a chance for anything Sim City related in weeks, although I have played the game a little bit lately to destress at the end of my long days. The end is in sight though, my group and I presented our final project this week. It was transportation project for the Halifax Regional Municipality that proposed some new connections to the Seaport in the city's south end (the Seaport is abandoned piers and sheds that are being redeveloped by the port authority into something similar to the Distillery District in Toronto or Granville Island in Vancouver). Anyway, one of the things we had to get into was connectivity testing which is basically a fancied up way for planners to test how direct a route is. We wanted to explain the concept of route directness (ratio of the route distance to actual distance between two points) before babbling on about it which is where I got to sneak Sim City into our report.

The parents won't be able to say its useless anymore

Anyway, I can't wait until May when I'm free from academia. I'll no doubt have new bats this summer, possibly from a far off place that I have never been to before. It's just some warm American city on a bay. San something or other. You've probably never heard of it I'm going to be there at the end of April on holiday for 5 days so if anyone who lives there or has been before has any suggestions of what I should see do tell.

[ky72x]

Hey Spa,

Thanks for the comments about my W2W downtown.  It really wasn't too hard to make it, after all, I did plop a good portion of it. 

Pier 1 looks pretty good so far.  Looking forward to see more progress once the schoolwork starts to ease up.  Interesting use of SC4 with your project, I knew it could be used in an educational way! 

As for your vacation, that sounds nice.  I get the feeling that you're coming down to California, hence the 'San' name.  Since I'm a Californian myself, I'll probably know the place where you're going.  But all that is only true if you are indeed spending your holiday here. 

- Kyle

[spa]

Would it help Kyle if I said it has a big orangish bridge

[skyliner]

WOOHOOOOOOOO! I look forward to those BATs and enjoy our fair city, it can get chilly when the fog creeps in
I live in the city, and well if you have never been here, definately take a ride on the cable cars! Visit Chinatown, I'm sure you'd never seen anything like it. Fisherman's Wharf is always good, taste some yummy seafood. Hmm theres historic streetcars on Market St. if your into those things. I you have time, walk across the Orangish bridge and take lots of pictures. The weather has been good the past few days but a bit windy. It's not supposed to be LA warm so do bring a jacket. Umm I can't think of much but by the cable car turnabout is an information center and take one of those guide books and explore! Also they recently put forth a double decker with no top tourist bus thing so you can try that as well! Hope you have a nice vacation, and look forward to that secret BAT!

[spa]

Thanks for the advice Skyliner! One things we had though about doing that wasn't on your list was renting a car on one of the five days we're there and heading out to Sausalito. I want to go up to Telegraph Hill myself. Michelle really wants to go out to Alcatraz so we'll also definitely do that. I'm looking forward to just walking the neighbourhoods.
Marczar: Oh I'm not moving there! I'm just stopping in for five days to check it out. I'll be in Calgary defending my political science MA thesis and since I'll already be half way across the continent it seemed like a good idea for the girl friend and I take some time and go somewhere fun. I definitely agree with you, the book of great North American cities is a short one. Right up there with "Making Friends and Winning Allies" by George W. Bush  Although the list is short, San Francisco and Portland are definitely on it! Building livable cities is one area where being a Canadian really rocks because Canadian cities didn't get trashed nearly as much in the post-War insanity. This was because (1) Canadian governments were slow to embrace urban renewal and expressway projects and by the time they started to consider them, the disasterous results were apparent allowing Canadian cities to avoid the worst of it (2) Canadian banks are more regulated and didn't get into 'redlining' whole neighbourhoods (3) Canada wasn't burdened by a legacy of slavery and has a tendency to more generous social programs so there was no 'white flight' to the suburbs. Of all the major Canadian cities, only Winnipeg has really been hollowed out. I'm really looking forward to seeing a unique and sadly not common example of  great American city building.

[skyliner]

Oh Sausalito? I'd say the best way to get there is by ferry. It would only take about 20 minutes and you can reach Sausalito after having cruised on the bay. There is really no need to rent a car unless you plan to drive out of the city to go down Pacific Coast Highway 1, and I'd recommend, you will be awed, I guarantee. SInce your gonna be here for 5 days, a car would be good that way you can perhaps drive up to Napa, if your into wine. Maybe even a day trip to Yosemite, I would definately recommend this time of the year is great to go, but the falls may be dry due to the lack of rain recently. If you want to experience the steriotypical California then in about 2 hours you can visit the city of Santa Cruz home to the beach boardwalk where you have your amusement park on the beach. 5 days is a lot of days and if you plan, you can do a lot of the typical tourist stuff in SF first 2 or 3 days then use the remaining days to see California! Well Northern California that is!

[threestooges]

It's been a while since I've posted here, and it's been far too long. Congratulations on making the local news. Such skill deserves such recognition. Also, the Pier 1 store looks pretty darn good. Your attention to detail in the modelling is inspiring. I'm often tempted to try to get away with textures in some places (to help with rendering times... I don't know about most BATters, but I'm running at 256mb) but when I see work like yours and Jon's (JBSimio) I'm always willing to wait that extra minute or so that makes the end product that much better.

Also, I had the fortune to take a road trip this summer along the US West Coast (LA-Seattle) and SF and Portland were certainly great cities. SF mass transit is pretty good and the cable cars, as much as they are tourist attractions, are actually (I've found) to be a good means of travel. At $10 (if I recall) a day pass can get you around the city on streetcars, busses etc. If you do have a car, I've noticed that parking is scarce, but one thing you should do is drive Lombard St. (the really curvy one) and Golden Gate park is nice to drive through too. I would also like to back up skyliner's thoughts. Yosemite is a bit of a drive (about 2-3 hours to the valley), but it is very scenic along the way, and the park itself is one of the most pictuesque I have seen.  Enjoy your trip and good luck with the thesis presentation.