WEST END

[rooker1]

I love the update, the use of the GLR, your custom lots, the cannals and that church all fit together perfectly.  I don't recognise anything but I would love to visit your city.
Great work my friend, I'll be back.
Robin 

[paroch]

REPLIES

Jmouse:  Joan, it's detailed comments like those that make publishing an MD worthwhile  .  Yes, it is a London Red Bus, no the city hall is not a re-lot, it's the original by Haarlemergold.  I try to make sure I get a tram in the pic if possible, during rush hours there are plenty of them!  Glad you liked the flower market, and yes, I kinda figured you liked night shots  .

Sebes:  Comments like these from an Amsterdammer mean a heck of a lot - Thank you.  And the info re the theatre was very interesting.  Hope you approve of Leidseplein - it was difficult to find the "right" things to use.  And I look forward to the "surprise".

TeaCat:  A visit from the man bearing tea is always a pleasure!  Thanks for the tastyzots tip, I've used it for some pics. 

Pat:  Glad you like it.

Bat:  Thanks for your rock solid support  .

Simpson:  Welcome to West End - thanks for your first comment, feel free to pop by any time.

MattB:  Matt, you're too modest not to mention your own W2W buildings appearing.  I think they fit in perfectly.  In this update they were VERY important on the Leidseplein to give me the mix I wanted.  Thanks for the pigeons tip.  I created a Dam Square v2 with pigeons, for some reason though, they don't show up in game, hmmmmmmm, must play around with that some more.

AMapper:  Welcome, your first comment in West End I believe.  I loved Lexington and have visited Halifax.  And yes, the canals took hours to lay out.  This quad is taking me longer than normal, purely because I know what BATs I want where, I am being VERY fussy!

Callbat:  Another first time visitor to West End, thanks for stopping by.

Rooker1:  Thanks Robin.  Good to see you here again. 

UPDATE 31 - 19th April 2008

Three weeks is the longest gap ever between updates in West End, and I've really missed the place!  I was away in Egypt, and in the hotel we stayed, there was a fountain in the entrance courtyard.  Each day I walked past it, and it reminded me of Kingly's Dam Square, so West End was still in my thoughts!

31.01  Egypt's Dam Square:


31.02  Amsterdam's Dam Square:


31.03  Kingly's Dam Square:


Maybe they're all on slightly different scales!

Anyways...... Normal update time.  I thought we'd carry on with our tour of some of the main tourist sights in Kingly.  Last time I left you with a night shot of Leidseplein, well, I created a custom lot to make the square a bit more lively:


31.04  Kingly Leidseplein - looking West:

You can see a Mariachi band performing to a crowd.


31.05  Kingly Leidseplein - looking South:

There are plenty of places to eat and drink on the square, and it's usually a busy place.


31.06  Amsterdam Leidseplein:

The thing I most remember on my visits to the Leidseplein were the street entertainers and the sheer number of people just standing around watching and enjoying themselves.  This little montage of pics gives you some idea of what I tried to capture.  If anyone knows of props that would help me improve the square, just let me know and I'll create a v2.


31.07  Kingly Rembrandt Square:

A small park close to the city centre.  Some pavement bars and cafes line the outside of the square.


31.08  Amsterdam Rembrandtplein:

This was my favourite "people watching" spot in all of Amsterdam.  You could sit there with a beer and watch the world go by, and believe me, in Amsterdam you get all sorts of people just wandering by.


31.09  Friendship Plaza:

This square was built to celebrate the links between Kingly and Amsterdam.  The two flags are the West End national flag and the Amsterdam city flag.  A big thank you goes to Geoffhaw who created both of the flags.  Note the city flag and Sebes avatar - spot the connection??


31.10  Vondell's Park entrance and Rijksmuseum:

The Vondell's Park is the largest park in Kingly and is named after a Dutch immigrant Frank Van Vondell who was the city planner who laid out the canal system.
The Rijksmuseum is home to some of the most important West End art.


31.11  Amsterdam Rijksmuseum:

An impressive building with an impressive art collection!


31.12  Vondell Park, southwest corner:

The only football pitch in the inner-city.


31.13  Vondell Park, northern edge:




31.14  Vondell Park overview:



31.15  Amsterdam Vondelpark:

The Vondelpark in Amsterdam was designed by a garden architect called Jan David Zocher.  It opened to the public in 1865 and was originally called the New Park.  The public soon started calling it Vondelpark after a statue of the 17th century writer, Joost van den Vondel was placed in the park.  The name was eventually adopted officially.
On my one visit to the Vondelpark I was with a group of friends and we took a football to have a kick around.  Soon, we had a Dutchman, an American, a Bulgarian and an Ivorian and a Ghanian joining in with us.  Football truly was the only common language!


31.16  Sebeseplein:

Sebes has been a fantastic help in putting Kingly together, giving me plenty of help and ideas, so this sqaure is named for you.  It is home to some upmarket boutiques and bars and has the magnificent church of Sint Sebes in its centre.  Isn't that bat just fantastic?  I'm sure it's one of Haarlemergold's (if not then Vanderaap).


31.17  Bell Tower and Clock Tower:

The bell tower (top) and clock tower (bottom) are both popular with tourists and sit either side of the main north/south boulevard out from the city centre.


31.18  Canal Church of Sint Johan:

Another of Kingly's small canal churches.  This one is named after the greatest Dutch footballer - ever.


31.19  Amsterdam Montelbaanstoren:

What a fantastic building.  It looks so proud sitting there next to the canal, photographed as toursit go past in the tour boats.


31.20  Kingly Montell's Tower:

Montell's Tower sits guard over the main entrance to the city canal system from the Oosterdock. 


Well, that's the tour of the city's main sights complete.  I hope you enjoyed it and I'll be trying to get back to more regular updates.

'til next time..............

[Pat]

Paul wonderful simply wonderful update here and Im glad that both you and Dave have taken a time to update!!! btw is it not Saint Sebes church and not Sint Sebes lol....  Im glad you have had a great time on your vacation and also what a wonderful pics you brought back!!!

[Jmouse]

Hey Paul, glad to see both you and Dave have made time to create fantastic updates!

The square looks great. It makes me think of old-word charm mixed with a touch of 21st century technology thrown in, and surprisingly, it works quite well. Just one question: is it safe (and/or legal?) to cross the tracks on foot? You know me, I've never seen a tram in my life so I wondered how that works. Kingly Rembrandt Square looks really good, too - very inviting - and there's Friendship Plaza with the flags unfurled. Vondell's Park just goes to further illustrate the many lovely elements we have available, and the overview is stunning - what a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. 

I just love the BATs you use, and the towers were unexpected but work in very well. Like the way you curved the avenue in 31.17 to make room for the bell tower, and I agree, the church is magnificent. You are really mastering the art of including RL photos in your updates, too.

You have done an excellent job of getting right back in the game after a longer-than-usual absence, and I notice you don't have far to go to reach a new milestone!

Until next time...
Joan

[thundercrack83]

Welcome back, Paul!

I'm so glad so see things up and running here in WEST END again, my friend! Another fantastic update, I'll be looking forward to seeing more of your work!

Dustin

[panthersimcity4]

Wow, I can't believe I haven't been here! I've been missing alot!

I love the Amsterdam look, and I especially love that cute little church on the canal. 

[callbat]

wow, everything is splendid.
I especially like how you went beyond vanderaap's BATs and put some more content in there!.

[Fatsuhono]

Wow I love it nice work!

[Simpson]

Very beautiful continue
But I don't like the lake 

[tooheys]

Looking brilliant Paul. Love the plaza's, especially 31.04. The tram line thru the middle and I'm guessing custom lots, great effect 

The canal church will always be one of my favourite WEST END places and that final pic, great work with the canals and the tower looks right at home.

If there is one complaint, it's sooo flat  (Private joke people, don't be alarmed)

[bat]

Great use with the GLR there! The parks are also very great!

Looking forward to the next fantastic update...

[sebes]

And what a joyful sunny day this is... The sun shining, the window open, a nice cup of fresh coffee and than see a West End  update.  And WHAT an update you made my friend.... 

You know me by now, I don't only awe, but also comment on what I see.

So, starting at the Egypt thing in the middle of the fountain: ROFL. Seeing that picture I just KNEW what you were thinking when taking it, and apparently every day when passing it...

The Leidseplein: it's great. It's very Kingly and no so much Amsterdammed maybe. When I saw the picture, before reading your comments, I noticed at a glance what you were trying to recreate with the people props arround the performer! But if you consider a vs2: I miss trees. There is one tree on your square.. I'd suggest to drop some in the middle of the square too, say between every two of the little yellow things that make the square so Kingly, especially arround the gazebo.
@ Joan, not only do you have to cross tram tracks as a pedestrian ( Leidsetraat is a pedestrian zone with tram through it), also by bike and car you will also have to follow the tracks without getting your tyre stuck in the rail...  like in Raadhuisstraat that directs from Dam toward the western parts of town.

The Rembrandt Square is great - it looks just as pleasant as the real one! Indeed, sitting there and watching the crowds is also one of my favorite activitities in Summer!

Than Friendship Plaza : the flag parade that you managed to get in there is making my heart go faster... Great picture!!!!! (and once again: Thanks Geoffhaw indeed).

The Vondel Park entrance has a big WOW-factor. It's so cool to have that bus turning there (like they always seem to need to do right there where traffic is caught in a bottle neck..) There is just one thing missing: tourists crossing the road and tracks to the park entrance...
Also the rest of the park you created very nicely. (Zocher, if still alive, would be very pleased with the recreation of his park in West End!!!)

Than Sebeseplein and Saint Sebes  (you'd know me better by know I'd say... WHAT did you smoke in Egypt man?): the church is great, a real gem, and very nicely made. I feel honoured to have this great square named after me. Every time when I am in a city with a Sava Savas or St Sebastian church we take a picture with me before the church... So, I will definately have to book a trip to West End now to take one there as well....

Picture 3.18 could easily be my favourite picture so far of Kingly, but it isn't... I tell you why. The top tower, the Bell tower, does not fit. Not only the tower does not fit, also the avenue  curve with the grass spoils the effect of a densely populated city with high ground prices. This is caused by the two parallel streets, that you used to connect the canals. My tip: place the street to connect both canals a bit back from the avenue, so that you build some high houses on both sides of the avenue.  If you do that on both sides of the avenue, it will create a perfect picture I guess. And if the avenue if then also filled with cars I guess that picture could be in the fast lane to HoF 

The Canal Church of St Johan: you sure know who to pick for naming churches! When I was a boy I always dreamt that one day my mother would say : "Son, I have to tell you that Dad is not your dad but Johan Cruyff is". Well, obviously that never happened... But, in this case, it makes sense to name a place of worship after this man.  But, talking about Mr 14 we get diverted from this picture, and we should not. The street lay out, the canal  layout, the idea of bridges that you create here, and the way you have placed the houses in this part of town is EXCELLENT! The trees and cars in the picture makes it even PERFECT. I like it a lot... and will try to copy this atmosphere in my city if you don't mind.. (probably without succeeding anyhow).

The last pic, Montell's Tower and Oosterdock, is a bit familair, as it was posted before as 28.04, but now the entire area is build up. I still love the many barges and the open bridge, and the tram crossing the canal as well, and of course the flag blowing from the tower.  With all houses grown now, it turned out to be HoF material as well. I get a feeling that if all last three pictures are entered in the competition, they will all go to HoF, and in the final round we will have to choose between two of these three to become the best picture ever.... !

Cheers, and thanks for a pleasant stay in Kingly again this week...

[paroch]

REPLIES

Pat:  Thanks for dropping by.  I think "Sint" is Dutch for Saint, but I am sure Sebes will let us know.

Jmouse:  Cheers Joan.  Sebes has given you an explanation of the trams, so I won't repeat it.  The Leidseplein square is a mix of new and old buildings, so I'm glad you like the mix here.  It's funny because I've got so used to using only a limited number of Bats here in Kingly that it'll be strange when I finally move onto another quad and have a bigger range to use.  And thanks for the compliment re RL pics - unfortunately none in this update L

Thundercrack83:  Hi Dustin, thanks again for your visit here.

Panthersimcity:  Hey don't worry, I know there are so many MDs/CJs to keep up with  .  I'm glad you're enjoying the Amsterdam look.

Callbat:  thanks for your comment - and yes, I did tweak some of the lots.

Fatsuhono:  Welcome to West End - feel free to pop in any time!

Simpson:  Aha, the "lake" is not really a lake at all  .  It is part of the Oosterdock - see below for more.

Tooheys:  Yes Dave, the square relied on custom lots - some of which I've re-worked below.  And it's funny how popular the canal church is.  And as for the tower pic - it made the Hall of Fame with a lot of help from the NUTs and West End visitors - thank you all  .

Bat:  Thanks, the GLR does add something to a city, I think.

Sebes:  Hey, what a great post - thank you.  Riding a tram down the Leidsestraat is something I enjoyed in Amsterdam.  I'll try to include the Kingly version in a future update.  And of course, I knew you'd pick up on the Cruyf reference!  And if ever I'm in Amsterdam again, I'll buy you a beer on the Rembrandtplein!
I've taken your advice and reworked the bell tower and the Leidseplein pics.

UPDATE 32:  27th APRIL 2008

I'll start today with some "re-worked" pictures.  Just to prove I do listen to what you say, here are some areas where you made suggestions on how to improve:

32.01  Leidseplein (before)


32.02  Leidsplein (after)

As you can see, I've added trees to make the Kingly version a bit more like the Amsterdam RL version.  Interestingly, I used Porkie's trees -but I think they must be timed props to appear in line with the seasons - they only appear some of the time.


32.03  Bell Tower and Clock Tower (before)


32.04  Bell Tower and Clock Tower (after)

Following Sebes' suggestion, I re-worked the area around the bell tower to give some larger buildings along the avenue and pushed the streets back on either side.  I'm quite pleased with the results.


32.05  Outer Oosterdok (before)

Squidi suggested that I should work on the shoreline to make it smoother.....

32.06  Outer Oosterdock (after)

And here you can see it looks much "smoother".  You can see I still have plenty of room to build on the other side of the river.

So if ever you have a suggestion on how I can improve an area please let me know - I listen to what you say (most of the time)


The last two updates looked at the main tourist sights.  Well today I'm going to show you a couple of parts of the city that the locals like to visit that the tourists don't really know about.  The first one is the Outer Oosterdok shown in picture 32.06 above.

The Outer Oosterdok is home to much of Kingly's industrial businesses.  There used to be a bad pollution problem here, but much has been done to improve the situation.  And in amongst the industry there are some nice quiet riverside walks and parks.  Let's take a look.....


32.07  Overview of the Outer Oosterdok:

Here is the main dock.  Many ships and barges pass through the locks each day to deliver raw materials and collect finished goods.  Even with all of the activity, the water-side is still a relaxing and calming place.  It's also a great place to sit and watch the activity on the water and docks.


32.08  Locks in action:

Here are two barges passing through one of the sets of locks next to the railway bridge.  The water treatment plant really helped with the pollution.


32.09  Ooster Park:

This park is at the end of one of the tram lines.  It's a popular place to have a picnic.


32.10  Craft Village:

The small huts are home to the city's arts and crafts shops.  At the weekend, many Kinglish can be found here, buying pictures, candles, wooden items and all sorts of interesting knick-knacks.  A couple of snack bars makes sure that there are ice creams and hot dogs for all!


32.11  Oostermarkt:

On the western edge of the Oosterdok is this marketplace.  It sells all sorts of fresh food, from bread and cakes to meat and dairy produce. 


32.12:  Dinnium Walk:

An overview of the riverside walkway.


32.13  Gaillard Park:

All sorts of impromptu street performers gather here and give shows in the four "stages" facing the canals.  For some reason the most popular are the poetry recitals.


32.14  Nuclear Power Plant:

The Kinglish are a well educated lot and visits to the Nuclear Power Plant visitors centre are very popular.  Here you can find out exactly what goes on inside and how nuclear energy works.


I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the "locals" sights in Kingly.  There is still so much of the city to show you, but that will have to wait for another day.  In the meantime, I'll leave you with an overview of how the main part of the city is looking now.

32.15  Kingly Overview:

As you can see, there are still areas that require development, but it's over halfway there now.

'til next time.............

[bat]

That city overview is looking very good! And also your work on it is superb!
Great work on Kingly!

Looking forward to more progress on it! 

[nedalezz]

Massive update, one that oozes quality from the first pic to the last! Magnificent work with the Amsterdam re-creation, your canal system looks wonderful.

The second batch of pictures feature even more detail the first, and the improvements are well noticed.

The West End companies are doing really well in Qumma, and right now, excluding the neighboring African countries, West End had the largest expat number in Qumma!

[Pat]

Paul simply wonderful here WOW!!! Ahh when I saw the word sint i thought it was a typo my bad there M8...  I do have to say I love the changes you have made in Leidseplein...  I cant wait to see update 33!!!!!

[Jmouse]

You've really made some striking improvements, Paul, although I thought the original was pretty darn good!

Love the trees in Leidsplein - what a difference that little touch made! I'd like the bell and clock towers no matter what you did with them, and you've done a fine job on the diagonal seawalls in Outer Oosterdok.

The parks are a good idea, too. I'd never have thought of putting them near an industrial area, but ship watching was always fun when we used to spend a day or do down by the Gulf of Mexico. Gaillard Park is especially attractive, and the overview is stunning. I just had to look back at the beginning for comparison:

Then...

And now...

You've come a long way, my friend! And I know there are a lot more exciting things on the way!

Until next time...
Joan

[sebes]

Paul, it's always great to see a new update of Westend. And today is no exception to that rule...

The Leidseplein make over is very successfull - the trees give an additional flair to the square. It has a very Kingly atmosphere still, and that is what I like so much about this MD: you rebuild Amsterdam in a different way - but in such an unique style that is remains Kingly in every corner !

The Belltower area is indeed much more dense now - and fits an old town like Kingly. Like yourself, I am very pleased with the result.

The Outer Oosterdock metamorphosis worked out very well - the diagonal embankment pieces give the entire area a new fresh and more appealing look, and show proof of your building skills!

The Locks are another example of that.. Man, they are awesome. Especially the picture with the barges in the locks is gorgeous. 

The Oosterpark, the Craft Village and the Oostermarkt are also very nice places. I can believe that Kingly's inhabitants will spent some great Summer weekends in these places. And, this week being Queensday, I bet millions from the entire Westend will join them and party.....

And the last overview over Kingly is just splendid (thank you Joan for posting the "nude" city as well - keeps us all from scrolling back some pages to check the progress). It indeed shows where you're comming from and how well you managed.

So - it's always a pleasure reading a West-End update, and am already looking forward to the next one.

[bokrif]

Nice. I got lot to say about the recent great and quality updates, but I got no more time. 
Good job, my friend!

[zero7]

I'm really enjoying the Kingly updates.  I particularly like way you've done the various squares and your use of market areas - makes the city feel much more alive.

One thing I have noticed is that quite a few props you have used have no shadows - that's easily fixed in PIM; just set IsGroundModel to 'Y'.