Welcome to Condor Bay

[warszawa]

Holy Toledo Issac!

This MD is so awesome, I'm loss for words. I love how that update was planned out - with the pictures and comments on what you are going to do and that... it's really informative. And no wonder your city looks so beautiful and fully grown - you have a brilliant transportation system and civic facilities .

You have proved how good you are at city planning, keep up the hard work in Best Sellers mate .

Alex

[Masochist]

thundercrack83 -
Thank you!  I'm really glad you like that aspect of this MD, I was starting to wonder if perhaps people wouldn't just mind me showing what was already there .  And that's how I always see malls, as well...they're almost always along expressways or places that have huge amounts of traffic.  I'm hoping to show off a few more malls before too long.

Thanks for the comments!  I hope you enjoy this update, as well!


Pat -
Psst...hey, you......I got your fixx right here...

LOL, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!  Actually, to be honest, I didn't think the whole "recreate an SC3K city" thing was an original idea, but apparently it is ;-)...or at least, not one that's been explored too much.  I don't know why...but oh, well.  I'll keep doing it anyways .  Thank you for the kind words!  I hope you enjoy this update !


paroch -
LOL...no justice at all...at least, not until you came in and revived it for me ;-)!  Good to hear that you're enjoying all my talking and stuff--usually people try and get me to shut up all the time .  But I'm really happy that there's at least some purpose in saying all of it .  Admittedly, there's not too much of it in this update (mostly just building suburbs), but I hope you enjoy it anyways!  Next update, I suspect there'll be a lot more progress pictures.  Thanks for the comment!

And what's this about almost in Best Sellers !


bat -
Thanks, bat!  I'm really glad you liked it!  I'm curious: did you have a favorite picture?  Just wondering...anyways, I hope you like this one, as well!


nerdly_dood -
HA, thanks!  That's actually something I never quite figured out.  I know that Maxis can be pretty useless when creating, say, a dutch- or asian-style city, but what's wrong with the small homes?  I think they just add more variety to suburbs, especially if you have a lot of custom-made ones.  I'm glad you don't mind the mix; I think it really gives the greatest potential for buildings to keep at least a few of them around .  Thanks for the comment!


threestooges -
Oh, yeah...wouldn't want to have too many long comments, think of all the feedback I might get...

Good idea; I mean, it worked for Atlantic City, didn't it?  I just have to figure out how I want to design it...should I use Peg's retaining walls again, or perhaps something more wooden?  Maybe just stick with Marrast's brown seawalls...aiya!  Decisions, decisions...

Anyways, thanks for the congrats!  It took a lot less time to do it here than it did at ST (funny, though, that it happened at the exact same time ).  Heh heh...I'll go ahead and tell you: the reason that there's so much high density on the east side of the city tile is because I wanted to try and increase the population so that my commercial demand would rise.  Not only did I need it to go up to help get rid of that CS$$$ slump, but I also wanted the CO$$ and $$$ to increase so that I could get some nice offices for the Rigel District.  I needed a slightly larger population to do it, so I had to, ahh, get on with it.  I'll try and remember to decrease it whenever my population climbs a bit higher .  Also, you're right: there are a lot more roads and avenues in this one than in Power City.  That's actually something I'm not so happy about...it makes this city seem a lot more cramped, where as Power City seemed a lot more spread out and open.  Oh, well...'tis how 'tis .

LOL, I knew that mall would work!  It's staying there, no matter what these adviser people tell me ;-).  Yeah, that's a soccer stadium...that's the neighborhood stadium, general use.  The small university uses it the most, but the high school also uses it for special games.  It's actually owned by the city team for practices, but they're out of town at the moment .  The park is owned by the city, but the college students use it the most.  As for that last picture...well, you'll see what happens with it  .

THANK YOU FOR THE LOOONG COMMENT!!!

It's always good to get a comment from you, because you give amazing feedback, and I use your advice the most .  Anyways, I hope you enjoy this update!


warszawa -
Thanks for the compliments !  I'm glad you liked that update, it was actually one of the shortest ones in this CJ so far .  It's nice to hear that you're getting something out all that talking I keep doing...makes me feel like it's worth it!  I really hope you enjoy this update, as well!

LOL, thanks for pushing my CJ into the Best Sellers category !

UPDATE 9 - The Northwest Territories
With a side of murder...

All right!  Back again with another update for your viewing (dis)pleasure, here to put a strain on your CPU from the Best Sellers section .  This time, we'll build up in the area north of the Continental Highway 50 and west of the mall; in picture 8.1 of the last update, it's the area marked in black (because I didn't know what to do with it at the time).  Let's see how it comes out, eh?

First things first: gotta lay out those avenues:

9.1)

Notice the dilapidated mall...

Lots of room to work with, and it'll be almost all low-density res. housing. (we're getting to the far northern reaches of the city here).  Keep building and we get:

9.2)


Added some roads.  Now for some windy, suburban streets:

9.3)


Pretty much standard fare by now.  Ready for zoning:

9.4)


Sort-of ignore the left side of the picture for now...

Anyways, now that's all taken care of.  The game takes it from here:

9.5)


Oooh!  Nice and green, just as I pictured it!  I'll show close-ups of that school block, NDEX's Riverside College and the strangely placed SG W2E Incinerator on the west edge.

I also want to point out that it was about this time that I actually switched to the darker textures for the freeways...so any picture you've seen so far with those dark textures in it actually came after I built this area.  Sneaky, eh ?  Yeah...not really .

Anyways, let's take a closer look at the area that was just built, shall we?

9.6)


This is the little area that was cut out of the bigger picture.  You can see the open grass start to come into play more here--that's a sign that the edge of development is near.  Not much else to this picture other than me showing off a community or two.

9.7)


Where the Beltway ends.  I love that Riverside College there...but it's right across the street from some naughty place disguised as a simple corner mart .

9.8 )

Facing east...

Look familiar?  Well, this is on the eastern edge of what is developed so far (which actually puts it almost straight in the middle of the tile).  I've been trying to remember to add more parks in my housing communities (because real cities have parks scattered everywhere), and I've also been trying to use as many different parks as possible.  You'll see how that goal really manifests itself in the next update...but enough about that .

Speaking of trying to get a wide variety of some things...

9.9)

JBSimio strikes again!

As you (should) fully well know by now, I'm also trying to use as many different schools as possible.  Here's an example.  This is actually the first school I've built that had a schoolyard attached to it, as well.

Problem is...I'm not quite happy with it .  It seems too haphazardly laid out.  Any ideas on how I could make it better?  I'm open to a lot of things...thanks !

9.10)

The biggest hill in Western Fordville

Some random lone Waste-To-Energy incinerator that overlooks the freeway up on a hill.  The thing about this picture is that it shows the fate of the railroad line that started in the Seaport and cut under the big hill.  I'm disappointed in myself because I just couldn't do anything with it ...I don't know the first thing about how railroads weave through cities and such (except for small towns; they just cut straight through with no regards to how annoying it is to have to wait 20 minutes just to go to the store ), so I was at a loss.  I'll have to make it up to all you railroad enthusiasts who are shaking your head in disgust right now...but that might come a bit later.

Hmmm...as it turns out, I have one more picture with grey-textured freeways to show:

9.11)

Grid on!

I forgot to post this picture in the previous update .  This is the area just southeast of the cloverleaf.  That temple doesn't have a name yet, because I can't figure which deity I want people worship there.  Perhaps wouanagaine?  AK?  The Almighty Cheese Grater?  Myself, who gave them land to build and provide all of their needs ?  Or maybe...you  Not sure...I'll figure it out one day....

9.12)


I forgot to show this picture, as well...this is the neighborhood right next to the un-named temple.  I rather like the mix of different zones and densities on this block, it makes it...

Wait...what's that in the middle?

9.13)


What is that?  Is that...is that a chalk outline!?  IT IS!!!  That means this is a case of...

MURDER!!!
Murder was the case...and they blamed me.

"Murder in Fordville!  Oh, where I did I go wrong with these sims?  I thought I gave them everything they could want, but apparently it just wasn't enough...." -Me being characteristically melodramatic

9.14)

As if you didn't know this was coming...

- At approximately 6:34 a.m. last Friday, 34-year-old (supposedly) Mrs. Robinson stepped out onto her back porch to enjoy her morning coffee when she received the shock of her life: a random dead body in her yard.

"My first reaction was shock...it's not every day you wake up to a dead body.  Then I started to fear for my family.  What if the killer (I assumed the man was murdered) was still around?  I ran inside and told my husband to call the police." -Mrs. Robinson

- The police were notified at 6:40 a.m., and arrived at the scene at approximately 7:36 a.m.

"What took you guys so long!?" -the dead body

9.15)


"Oh, brother."

- The rest of the morning went a bit smoother.  They identified the body: one Donald Xavier Mackinaw, the prominent philanthropist and wealthy do-gooder.  There were 37 gunshots and 12 knife wounds in all parts of his body; the police, with so little clues to work wtih, could only assume that it was murder.  That assumption begged the question: whodunnit?

"We've got some suspects.  There's the omnipresent Dr. Vu, the mysterious arsonist from the seaport, the noted toilet paper crime syndicate leader known only as JJ...and of course, Mrs. Robinson herself." -Police Chief George Lennon

- Mrs. Robinson, still very emotional from having found a dead guy in her back yard, almost had a nervous breakdown after hearing she herself was a top suspect in the case.  Still, her proximity to the body cannot be ignored.

"I didn't do it!  I only found the man, I didn't know who he was!  I just don't see how I could be blamed for this!" -Mrs. Robinson

- The police questioned her rigorously, drilling her with question after question in hopes that she might be panicked into revealing vital information.

"We'd like to know a little bit about yourself for our files; we'd like to help you learn to help yourself.  Look around you--all you see are sympathetic eyes; stroll around the grounds until you feel at home." -Sergeant Art Paul

- Mrs. Robinson said very little in response to that brutal, vicious assault.  Most of her responses were nonsensical gibberish.

"Koo-koo-ka-choo!" -Mrs. Robinson

- Word up, Mrs. Robinson.  The police has assured us that they will keep their eyes and ears open; this villain will be caught at all costs.

"Easy for them to say, I'm the one paying for it!" - Me

- We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

9.16)




I'd like to apologize right now to all you fans of The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Chamillionaire and the show COPS: that was slightly ridiculous !

All right, that's all for this time.  Next update is one where I finish up this tile, and really get deep into the whole "building parks" idea (which I decided not to include in this update)...in fact, I use a park set that is overlooked by city builders more often than not (and that I've never used before now):

9.17)


Thanks for reading you guys!  I really do appreciate it !

In case you haven't heard of it yet, Devo '08 is a tournament that is being held by paroch and tooheys here at SC4 Devotion to coincide with the Euro '08 football (soccer) tourney.  The basic idea is that 16 MD's are attached to a corresponding team in the Euro league, and the results will match the real-life counterparts.  I was asked if I wanted to join in on the fun...so I did .

Condor Bay was matched up with Sweden (my second choice), and I am happy to report that we won our first game!  Condor Bay came up against the United Stats of SC4D (owned/managed by thundercrack83), and after a grueling hour-long scoreless game, we were finally able to come out on top 2-0 !

I'll try and keep you guys updated on the tourney as the results come in.  If you want more information on Devo '08, I'd suggest checking out paroch's MD [WEST END] or tooheys' MD [Balnavia]; for more information on the CB match, check out [this page of WEST END].

Keep rooting for Condor Bay !

[M4346]

Loved it! And can't wait for another update in "Murder She Wrote" lol 

[thundercrack83]

Wonderful update, Isaac! Glad you're back with another one, my friend!

I love how you showed the step-by-step construction of the residential neighborhood at the top of the update, and the murder at the bottom was very entertaining, too (if one can say that about murder)!

The only "disappointing" news in the whole update was Condor Bay's handy defeat of the United Stats of SC4D!

Keep up the good work, my friend, and I'll be back to see what you have for us next!

Dustin

[paroch]

Hi there Isaac,

I've been checking regularly for an update, so was pleased to see this beauty!

Thanks for showing us how you lay our the area, with avenues then roads and zoning.  Your approach is a bit different from mine, in that I tend to do a much smaller area of zoning at a time - much more localised - so it is interesting to see how different peeps play it.  I like your "windy" suburban streets.  I try to remember to do "windy" but usually end up being more "boxy"!  Old habits die hard and all that.

9.5 shows a great result - real suburban sprawl - great stuff.

I like the college in 9.7, not sure I've seen that before - any chance of a linkie??   

Really like the park in 9.8 - nicely located in that high wealth housing.

The school in 9.9 is very nice indeed.  I have to confess that laying out schools is one of my favourite parts of the game these days.  Good selection of sports there.  You say its laid out hap-hazardly, well, I think it's pretty logical, with the different sports in different parts.  You could try bunching the sports together and then leave a larger "general use" piece of field, but it's good to have variety.  Items I tend to incorporate (not syaing whether "right" or not) are paths leading to the sports pitches, a fence around the perimeter (can you imagine how many times the kids will have to run into the road to get their football?) and maybe some parking near the main school building.  And I can't help it, I like to see a fence around a tennis court (again imagine chasing the balls!)  PEG has some nice tennis courts with fences out there.

As for your question about rail - well we tend to have more rail in Europe.  In cities it is often either sunken into embankments, or raised up on arches.  Nardo69is the rail master - have a look at his MD, Urland, for some inspiration.  Or have a look at pics 40.05 and 40.07 for some of my sunken railways in West End here
http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2238.msg153060#msg153060

9.11 - the "temple" is St Paul's Cathederal.  Sir Christopher Wren's most famous building.  It sits in the city of London and somehow survived the bombing of World War 2 when all around it was destroyed.  I pass it quite often, so it is odd for me to see it in a suburban setting!!  And I think the RL name is perfect 

I liked the murder story - nice touch.  And thanks for the Devo 08 plug - glad you are enjoying it.  And good luck in your next match (playing Mallorca on Saturday).

I really enjoyed this update and hope you don't mind such a long comment!

All the best,

Paul

[Masochist]

WHOA!  Nice comment, paroch...thanks !

I won't give an official reply yet, but I'll go ahead and give you the link to that college: [NDEX Riverside College] by Superstar

[threestooges]

-Edit- I just posted this and realized just how long it actually is... I know you wanted feedback, so here it is.

Glad to see another update is on the books. If you want feedback, I can certainly give it to you... just give me a microphone and a speaker. The density thing makes sense when you explain it, and I hope you'll show some pictures if/when you go back and change it. From what you've said, it seems like that stadium gets quite a bit of use... more so when the home team is around. Any plans for expansion or additions?

Now then, on to the update:
I read through paroch's post and I agree with much of what he said and I hope I don't overlap/repeat his ideas too much. The streets in 9.3 have a good layout to them. They don't seem too dense, and should make for a nice suburban feel (perhaps getting back along the lines of the Power City thing), and I like the small bits of commercial you included in the zoning. It's a small thing, but very realistic, and almost necessary. The left side of the picture, well I think you know what I'll say to that...

9.5 and 9.6 are great suburb shots, and you are right about the Riverside College looking good there (and pretty much anywhere). Funny though, that there is no river near it (come to think of it, I don't recall there being one near Riverside, CA either... but that's another story).

As far as pic 9.7 goes, aren't most sinister places disguised as corner marts (or similar things)? Don't know who they're trying to fool, but they seem to have a sizable amount of customers for... whatever it is that they do.

I like the school complex in 9.9. I think you've done a fine job with the setup. After reading through paroch's post, I agree with his suggestions. Paths are a nice way to tie elements together, but then again, in a small space such as this, they may also clutter the scene too. I would suggest moving the soccer (football) field in a tile in either direction. Don't want to send the kids running into the street. One chalk outline is enough for the update (and I will get to that momentarily). I also like the idea of a fence for the area. I'm not sure if chain link would look good, or perhaps something a bit more elegant, but the open look of it now isn't too bad either. The positioning on the baseball field is good too. Want to keep those balls out of the houses. To follow up on paroch's comment about the tennis courts, I agree that some fences would be useful. I know of PEG's lot, but I think tooheys was working on some too that looked pretty good, and for some reason I think I saw them somewhere on the LEX (but don't quote me on that). More parking would be good too; perhaps a small lot over by the basketball court. Best advice I can give for the design of the school area (also one of may favorite areas to develop in game) is just to think back to when you were in that particular type of school and picture what you would do, where you would go and how you would get there. That usually produces some good ideas to start with. Google Earth helps too, but bottom line it also comes down to available space, and I think you did a fine job with this one.

In regard to 9.10, Nardo's threads (his MD and Train tutorial) are great sources for railroading information. I think American rail systems handle their approach to railroad crossings differently (they have more and the gates close individually instead of in sections) than the European systems, but it all makes good sense. In the pic in question, I would find some way to work the track so that it doesn't have so many slope changes. either use the on-slope puzzle piece to keep it level over the highway, or do a little terraforming and have it dip slowly down the hill and have the highway pass over it. As far as railroads weaving through towns, it is interesting that may rail systems (at least heavy rail) were often built before many cities developed.

I'm not sure how heavy rail best works its way through developed areas, but it would seem that they would try to pick the most level and direct path through the area to reach their intended goal. I would think that if they were to try to build through an existing city, it would likely be for the purpose of constructing a station(s). Otherwise they would likely just build around the town. Light rail on the other hand has the advantage of being able to weave with relative ease, and can most often follow existing streets. I will be interested to see what you do with the setup, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I'll see what I can come up with.

My but Mrs. Robinson was out in her backyard early that morning. I know some people are early risers, but wow... and I hope she doesn't wake up to dead bodies on a regular basis (unless she works for the coroner or something like that... in which case, she might be sleeping on the job... wow, bad joke... moving on). I don't mean to nitpick in the middle of a story (especially since I like a good mystery) but there seem to be issues with the parking lot of the donut shop of 'Hot Now' fame. I like the way the grass appears to cut across the lot though. It looks good. Perhaps the police were just in a hurry and burned enough rubber to wear down the concrete... or something like that... yeah. I think that questioning police sergeant missed his calling somewhere. Not a very good way to begin questioning, but it does have a beat to it.

It would be interested to see this develop into a bit of a story (if you haven't planned on already), but until then I'll be waiting for the next update. I'm curious to see what you will do with the parks. I haven't used the raised set myself, but it looks like you're doing a good job with what you have shown so far.

Lastly, but certainly not least, congratulations on an early, 1st round victory in Devo '08. A strong start that I hope will continue. Sorry to hear about the loss there Dustin, but there are still more rounds to come. Any information you can give on the team Isaac? I'm taking part in the Tipping Comp in the games thread and what I know about European Football teams should be evident from my current score there (just trying to lull them into a false sense of security... or something like that). At any rate, great update again. I'll be looking forward to the new one, and hopefully that won't be too long of a wait, but however long it takes, I'll be ready for it.
-Matt

[JoeST]

brilliant update

Joe

[CasperVg]

Seconded. I really like how that residential area developed, and the Deadwoods Raised Parks look really good, perhaps I should try them myself.

Greetings,
Casper

[bat]

Some more beautiful shots there! Great work on that suburb!

[Pat]

Isaac,

   Hmmm I do have to say that this update by far was my best so far that is and yes Im excited to have gotten my fixx of Condor Arrested Bay lol...  I think the COP's/Beatles/Simon & Garfunkel was great break up from the normal err what is normal anyways...  I do hope its not to long to wait till the next update!!! See you then!!!

[Masochist]

Look at some of these comments !!!  You people are slightly ridiculous...guess that means you're in the right place then !


M4346 -
LOL, thanks!  I'm glad you enjoyed that little Murder Mystery I presented last post...unfortunately, there's not so much news on that quite yet, but it'll come in a way you might not suspect sometime in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future .  Still, I hope you enjoy this update!


thundercrack83 -
Heh heh...thanks!  Yeah, I think this method of presentation works for me (I mean the "Darmok" method of showing what I build both before and after I build it).  I really don't know any other methods, really (since I don't really have enough of a town to simply 'showcase')...this one just sort of came naturally to me.  I'm glad you found the murder drama interesting...and if "Law and Order," "CSI," and "Cold Case" are any indications, then I suppose murder can sometimes be entertaining (if, of course, it's not real).

HA!  Yeah, sorry about that...but hey, you were vindicated by Mallorca and Watersford !  It's all well, though, because I had fun, even if my players do come home dejected and tired .

Thanks for the comment!  I hope you enjoy this update!


paroch -
I don't know what's more amazing--the length of your comment or the fact that it's not the longest one of this set !  Heh heh...doesn't matter, I really appreciate the feedback you guys give !

Heh heh...yeah, I zoned a large plot of land this time.  Usually I try to keep the zoned area pretty small, but this time, since I knew the majority of it would be suburban, I decided to go for broke.  It all developed, too !  The streets are actually annoying to lay down (obviously, because I have to lay them down one at a time and figure out where they will go).  Boxy can be great, too...then it takes on a more 'Chicago'-like feel.  I plan to do more of those in the inner city, but I suppose we'll have to wait a while for that  !

Glad you like that suburban sprawl!  I'm trying to keep commercial areas out of it for now, so I can just concentrate on the residential and start winding down to the mountains that are to the north (and that help 'end' the city).

Did you find that college all right?  I hope you enjoy it !  And thanks for the compliment about the park!  It's just a small part of a large-scale park-using project by myself, which you'll see a lot more of in this update.  I have so many parks, park sets and plazas, and half of them end up never seeing the SC4 sun.  I'm really trying to change that, because they look so good.

Yeah...the reason I think its haphazard is because the schools I'm used to have a large area set aside as a play field, and the sports are usually bunched together.  I don't know about a fence around the grounds...I'm afraid that they'll take up too much room around the perimeter, you know?  But now that you mentioned it, the tennis courts almost certainly need fences around them, especially being so close to the road and school.  And paths to each field...that would be a good idea, as well.  Now that think about it, they would also help with those empty spaces between the tennis courts/baseball field and the BB court/soccer pitch.  Something I'll have to look into, but I'd have to find the right path textures for 'em.

We don't use rail near as much here in the states.  You see El-Rail and Monorails every now and then in the much bigger cities (and Las Vegas), but for the most part, it's all the automobile.  It felt like such a cop-out to just drag that rail off the edge of the region, but I really didn't know what else to do with it; I didn't know how I was going to connect it to the other industrial area that I'm planning (where there might actually be a railyard or two), and I didn't know how to handle the passenger/freight lines to make them look good.  Between you and me, though...I'm planning something that will make up for it.  It's just in its planning stage, and it may never get off the ground, but we'll have to see.  Still, I won't give up on the rails here yet...I might start a new line and just have it end in a different part of the city.  I need to make up for that terrible stunt I pulled .  Heh heh...yeah, I know about Nardo69; it's him I was thinking about when I made that rail.

So you don't think I should rename the cathedral, then?  Actually...looking at it now, it seems that its a really random place for a house of worship of that magnitude and grandeur.  I might move it somewhere else and use that land differently...hmmm...

Heh heh...glad you liked the murder mystery!  I plan on having more on it, but this upcoming update is too large for it, so....  And thanks again for inviting me to the Devo '08 tourney!  Even if we didn't quite make it to the end, I'm glad we had a respectable showing .

Feel free to post long comments anytime!  I really have to thank you for this one!  Lots of ideas and informative feedback!  Anyways, I hope you enjoy this update; it's a rather large one.  Thanks again for the comment !


threestooges -


Suppose I asked for that, didn't I ?  Heh heh...all right.  Here I go!

LOL, nice pun!  The density change will come, but I will go ahead and finish this side of the river before it does.  Actually, there are a lot of things that I plan on changing to this side of the river, but I'm going to wait on them and simply make it to the rivershore first.  I assure you, though, that when I do go back and change things, I'll post pictures of it all .  And that stadium...it does get a bit of use, and it does need an upgrade.  It's so...square .  I need to use a custom one, but one that doesn't overpower everything else in the vicinity (and that fits in that little plot of land).  If I do that, I'll also need to place some parking structures around.  Heh heh...yeah, the home team's back home now that they're done with Devo '08.  Doing a bit of practicing so that if they're invited to another type of tourney, they might fare a bit better .

Heh heh...thanks for the compliment on the street layout; it's really appreciated that you would notice a detail like that .  I can tell you, they're like that because we're getting to the edge of the city now, so I have to make the avenue density a bit more sparse.  That's why the suburbs stretch like that, as well.  You'll see more of it in this update, but it also gets a bit denser again (necessarily).  The commerce is just a reflection of what I'm used to; if you take a look at a zoning map of Las Vegas, you'll probably see a similar pattern.  Truthfully, I wouldn't know what else to do with an avenue !  And yeah...that left side.  I know .

Glad you like the suburbs!  And yes, I'm a huge fan of that BAT; it can make any area look a bit more...contemporary.  LOL...nope, no river there, but I might just plop a college near the river anyways .  Riverside, CA...I've been there.  No, I haven't, that's a complete fabrication; I've been to San Bernadino, CA, but somehow completely missed Riverside, if that's possible.  Don't recall seeing any rivers or streams...but I do remember Lake Elsinore to the south .

Now that you mention it...yes, they are.  I've seen those videos of cops raiding what looks to be some convenience store only to find a casino or illegal sex shop inside.  It's amazing how they can keep them hidden away for so long .

Thanks about the school!  I really think those paths would add a lot to the area, as long as they had that same grass texture.  It wouldn't seem so cluttered, then, I don't think.  LOL...the position of the sports fields was actually a main concern of mine.  I didn't they looked all that good right next to each other, but doing that would make the open field look much bigger.  Perhaps a larger lot is necessary?  Not sure.  A fence around the entire thing would take up a lot of useful (and valuable) room in the parcel...but a fence around the tennis court is necessary.  Sad that I didn't think of it before, and sadder that Maxis didn't, either .  I think I have those fenced-in tennis courts...time for a switch!  And I think if I were to add parking for the school, it'd be across the street somewhere (perhaps across from the front of the school).  That's actually not that bad of an idea, actually, and it would make for a more realistic planning.

Well...the problem with going off of what I know is that my high school was 10 miles from the nearest towns.  We were out in the country, about halfway between 4 different small towns, so everything was pretty spread out and open.  Large student parking lot, the football stadium was across that lot from the school, and there were ample open fields, surrounded only by forest.  I actually haven't been to that many urban high-schools (sad, I know ), so I'm not all that familiar with their layout.  Then again...I suppose, as you suggested, that's what Google Earth is for .  Thanks for all the comments and compliments on the school!

I've looked into Nardo's RR ideas, and I've come up with a few things that I want to do...but that's something for later .  That rail...that rail is a symbol of my failure to plan ahead .  I just couldn't do anything with it...didn't know what to do with it.  I definitely don't want to do that again, so I'm going to start taking railways much more seriously.  I think I'll have to take your suggestions about the railway coming down the hill, it looks sort of funky.  It would take a really strong engine with a really small train to get up there .  And I'll keep in mind what you said about railroads usually being there before the city is developed...I think that might help me develop my cities from now on with good rail systems.

That's the thing: I can't actually show it going around my city because the urban area takes up the entire region (and it's a small region to begin with).  I'd have to think of something else to do with it.  I do have more rail lines planned that will wind up somewhere near downtown, so I'll be able to take some of these ideas there.  If I have any questions, though, I'll be sure to ask you or Nardo !

HA!  Early?  That's normal for me!  Well...not that I go out and drink coffee at 6:30 every morning, but I remember my mom used to have to get up that early.  Imagine if she got up, her coffee was the first thing, she took a shower and got ready for the day, then had a medium-to-long commute to wherever she worked (keeping in mind that she lives in the suburbs)...depending on whether she started work at 8:00 or 9:00 a.m., that wouldn't be too bad.  LOL...no, she doesn't wake up to bodies on a daily basis (but I can't confirm whether or not she works as an undertaker... ).  That darn Krispy Kreme!  It's been that way for as long as I've had it there, which is strange, because that's a perfectly flat plot of land its on (I've checked multiple times to get rid of it).  Also...did you catch that it was a reference to the only other crime-type interlude I've had in CB?  Heh heh...and I hadn't even realized that I'd placed the Police Station right across the street from it until I took that picture !  Ahh, but what can I do, eh? 

Hey, now! Sgt. Paul is a master of interrogation!  Usually he'll drill you just like he did Mrs. Robinson with those tough questions, but I guess she was still too stressed out from waking up to a murdered guy.  Who knows?    I don't know how far I'll get into this story, actually.  I do plan on adding more to it, just don't know how much more.  This update won't have much to it, but next update...well, you'll see...or hear...

I may be able to give more info on Condor Bay's futbol team, but I want to do a few more things before I go back to them.  As the city's only pro-sports team (so far), I want to support them as much as I can, and that means giving them a better stadium .  Other than that...well, I know absolutely NOTHING about European Soccer.  Heh heh...much like you, I just wanted to give the impression that I did .

There!  I think about 97% of all the posts I've ever done on every single site involving SC4 have been shorter even than this response to your comment (of course...that's not including any updates I've made to Condor Bay).  Heh heh...between you and paroch, it'll take people ages to get to the actual update !  Threestooges, thank you so much for your support !  You only have a slim idea of how much you've helped me not only in building cities, but in making this MD.  Don't know how else I can thank you...sometimes having a museum in your name in my city just isn't enough .  I'm sorry this update came so late...well, actually, this wait-a-month thing is becoming more customary, isn't it ?  Not good...but anyways, I look forward to your feedback on this update.  I really hope you enjoy it !

FIN


JoeST -
Heh heh, thanks!  I hope you enjoy this upcoming one just as much !


caspervg -
Thanks to you, as well!  I've found that Deadwood's park is really overlooked in the community; it's a shame, because you can do some amazing things with them.  You'll see what I've done, but I used them very generically...I've seen them used with amazing style by Rooker1.  See if you can't scour TPP and check 'em out.  Anyways, I hope you enjoy the update as well!


bat -
Good to see you in here, as well!  Sorry this reply took so long, but thanks for your comment (a month ago...).  I'm really glad you liked the suburb, and I hope you like what I have to show now.  Come back soon!


Pat -
LOL...well, so much for not waiting long for the next update .  Sorry about the wait...but I'm glad you enjoyed this update so much!  Heh heh...be careful of getting your fixx...you know the police are around .    And no, there's no concept of "normal" in this MD, though I'm glad you caught the random musical references in there .  Anyways, I hope this update now is a big enough fixx for you!   Thanks for the comment!

Well, it's been over a month since my last update ...I apologize for that.  But this time I have a reason!  If you don't know yet, I was busy helping (re)launch a site called [The Planning Pages]. Still, I apologize for the long wait.

Anyways, a few more things: if you weren't following [Devo '08] closely (and shame on you if you weren't), Condor Bay was shot down by both Jeronij's Mallorca and Diggis's Watersford, and so was kicked out of the contest.  In the end, Mallorca won the whole thing, and so the entire team would like to congratulate Jeronij's team on a tournament well played !

Something else: Fordville has established an embassy in [Tierra de la Oscuridad]!  As I understand it, it is currently being rebuilt, but as soon as the new premises are unveiled, I will showcase it in here, as well.  Also, us having an embassy there means they have to have on in Fordville, according to diplomatic morality ...so I'll have to set aside a special place for a building of BlondeTwiggy's choice whenever I get to the other side of the river (Downtown).  Thanks to her for doing that !

Last thing: I finally created a signature banner for Condor Bay...but I need your help.  They're all similar, but they're slightly different.  Which one do you like better?

A)


B)


C)


Let me know, please!  Thanks !

And now, without further ado:

UPDATE 10 - Of Towers and Trees
And a Kennedy memorial...

Finally!  A new update in Condor Bay, and let me tell you, it's a doozy!  I'm going to finish the city tile (for the most part); the thing about this one is I was doing multiple things at the same time, so I can't show one area that I was working on without showing the other.  And then there're things that I forgot to show last update that I should've--they're also going to be showcased.  In fact...I think I'll start off with those things .

10.1)


That's right!  Maxis repetition!  I love it!

Actually, I don't mind this high-res complex at all, because I think it really adds to the area it's in.  Where is that area?  Why right across the street from the city's largest park (so far), o'course!

10.2)


This, my friends, is Travis Park, named after exactly who you think it's named after .  This park represents quite a few firsts: the first time I've successfully created a multi-set park, the first time I've ever used Peg's Stream Kit, the first time I've used ShadowAssassin's Bike Paths, etc.  Now keep in mind, this is the final version; earlier versions included more traditional things like baseball fields and children's playgrounds.  Unfortunately, I do not have any close-up pictures from when I was actually working on it to show, but you might see some of its earlier incarnations in a few of the other pictures I'll show.

Here's a nice picture of the bike trail around the lake near the memorial pool:

10.3)

See the Maxis high-res towers there?

I'm actually really glad that I didn't include any of those ballparks or playground in this park--I think it would really upset the tranquility of the lake and the serenity of the pool.  Speaking of that memorial pool, here's a closer look at the memorial itself:

10.4)


A little bit of history about it: when I first built it, it was simply called the Travis Park Memorial, because I didn't know who I could memorialize.

That was before May 22nd.

That night, after I read the news about OP4, I didn't really grieve because I didn't know him all that well...but I knew how much he meant to others, and I know how much he's done for the community, so I went and dedicated the memorial to him.  And now, it's called the Mark Dixon-Kennedy Memorial.  A small thing, perhaps, but it was done with respect to him, and so it shall stay.

10.5)


An overview of the entire area: Greenview Sports Pitch (the soccer field), Travis Park/Kennedy Memorial, high-res towers, and Rook University.  Yeah, that's right.  Rook University .

I really like this area of town...the Maxis melds well with the custom content, and it makes it something special.  Unfortunately, that's about all I have of the Travis Park area.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

10.6)

See Travis Park down there?

This is the site of the future Rigel Commercial District (see [Update 8, Picture 8.2] for SC3K representation).  There will mid-to-semi-tall commercial towers here, but nothing too high.  There will also be a few tall high-res towers near the freeway, so you'll get to see how those turn out, as well.  Before everything else, though, the centerpiece of the entire area will be built.

10.7)


A close-up of the Rigel District.  Right there, in the middle, you can see four blocks that have no streets running through them.  That's where I'll put Rigel Park.  Yup, another park, and it'll be the highlight of the area...of course, there's a good reason for that .  How about I just start building it, eh?

10.8 )


That's right!  Rigel Park is actually a raised park, made by using Deadwood's pieces.  The only other time I've ever dealt with these parks before was a long time ago [somewhere in Power City], but I didn't really do anything there.  Actually...I don't do anything really outrageous here, either, but I really get a feel for them.

In the above picture, you can see where I'm trying to figure out how the bridges will cross the streets and where the entrances/exits will be to the park.  You can also see that I'm trying to figure out what the centerpiece of each block will be.  The Amphitheatre was an immediate choice, as were the sunken (or rather, ground level) plazas (one of which is actually a market).  The fourth piece, however, was semi-difficult...but I'd figure it out in time.

10.9)


Specific work on the Amphitheatre block.  More experimentation with different pieces, specifically the path intersections and pieces that allow the streets to go under them.  I ended up not using any of the latter anywhere in the final product.

10.10)


About here was when I think I finally started getting the hang of all the pieces.  Started laying down the edge and filler pieces, and really working with the paths.  We'll have to do a time warp in a bit to see the finished product, but first:

10.11)

Facing south...

This is the area north of the Rigel District (read the caption).  As you can see, I've stared zoning the residential...but you guys should pretty much know how I'll zone the rest, so instead of showing you....

TIME JUMP

We've skipped to just before the final design of Rigel Park, where I was still puzzling over what to put in the middle of that one strange park block .  This is what I was going with:

10.12)


...but it just didn't have enough oomph, you know?  So I swapped it with a different piece.  And with that switch, Rigel Park was finished !

10.13)

Southeast section, facing west

10.14)

Southwest section with new centerpiece, facing west

10.15)

Northwest section, facing west

10.16)

Northeast section, facing west

10.17)

The whole kit-'n'-caboodle...

So that's Rigel Park, all by itself in the middle of the Rigel District.  Remember, there are supposed to be commercial offices around this park, which means I'm going to have to get a nice population going to stoke the demand.  Fortunately, during the time jump, that area to the north magically filled in:

10.18)


There are actually a few things I want to point out about this picture.  First off, notice the gigantic hospital and blue College tower...heh heh, as if you had any choice !  There's also that Advanced Research Center there, known as the Rigel Center.  10 tax-deductible Fordville NetPoints to whomever correctly identifies the reference first (Hint: it sounds like something out of this world ).

Next, if you didn't notice them waaaay back in picture 10.7, check out those nice residential towers right next to the freeway at the top of the picture.  Obviously, I zoned those on purpose so that I could boost my population enough for the mammoth amount of commercial jobs I'm about to provide; aside from that, though, they also happen to look really good, and I can just imagine going next to the freeway and driving by them...I can!  They pretty much mark the western border of heavy density in Fordville; things get much more hectic in the next city over .

Most important, though, is the gigantic Airport Tram Center.  It's huge, and needs re-lotting like nothing else in this game, but it does its job: cap-busting.  I didn't have room for an airport anywhere in this town, but I needed the caps gone so that I could get the look I wanted.  That's why its there.  And so, Condor Bay has an airport...sort of.  (Trust me, it'll be a glorious day when I actually start using the custom airport pieces for SC4.  I'll make it worth the wait ).

One more thing: that Ill Tonkso tower on the right side of the picture is significant because it tried to pop up EVERYWHERE!  I had a medium-density 2x3 parcel of commerce zoned waaaay out in the suburbs, and the next time I fly over that area, there it is, the tallest thing for miles!  So finally, to stop it from growing, I gave it its own block.  You'll see more of it later.

But first!  A close-up of the more suburban part of that area:

10.19)


Not much to it .

Anyways, back across the freeway:

10.20)


Here again is the park in the middle of the Rigel District.  After a little zoning magic, it all of a sudden looks something like this:

10.21)


I was really hesitant to zone too much at a time, for fear that I'd flood the demand for commerce too much and end up with a black zone (again...), so this is all it is for now.  Doesn't matter much, though--I got some pretty neat pictures out of it:

10.22)

Finally!  Rigel Park isn't so alone!

10.23)

Everyone ought to be pretty familiar with this picture by now...

Wait...I can do something with that picture:

10.24)

This is the larger version, obviously...

And before I finish this update, let's go back to the area near that tower and mall, eh?

10.25)

Facing east

10.26)

Facing north

This tower, since it has a special place in the city, is called Nottingham Tower, named after one of the most well-known English place names.  It looks spectacular at night...but that's for another update, eh?  Also, note that the fenced park in the back isn't there anymore.

And a few more random pictures of the area near the mall...

10.27)

I don't know why, but I really like this intersection

10.28)

Random suburban shot (of the suburbs from the last update)...

And with that, this tile is finished! 

Well...not really .  Obviously there are still some open spaces in the commercial area, but that's because I don't have the workforce to complete it just yet.  That's what the adjacent tiles are for .  But for our purposes, this tile is finished !  Here's the obligatory region shot:

10.29)


Wow...Western Fordville looks really...square......meh, oh well!  It's finally done!

The next tile should be interesting, because it's where the large mountains come in...but we're not getting there just yet.  I don't really have any preview pictures for next update, because if I get everything to work out the way I want it to, the next update won't have too many pictures...but you'll see .  Until then, thanks for reading !

[Alfred.Jones]

Looking very nice Masochist.

The raised parks look great with the development around it.

Look forward to more

[bat]

Great new update there again! Nice to see a update after a month again!
That park in 10.2 looks really nice! Also your city looks fantastic!
And in my view banner A is the best looking one...

Looking forwardto more...

[Haljackey]

Why have I not been here in so long???   

Wow, Masochist, just wow.  This is an impressive showcase!  I don't even know where to begin!  Besides, I don't know what to say besides "Fantastic!" 

For your signature banner, I think style A looks the best.

So once again, great job Masochist!  I look forward to more from you!

Best,
-Haljackey

[JoeST]

Its looking great

Joe

[Sciurus]

One thing to say: SPLENDID!!

[threestooges]

Another great update you have here. First off, don't worry too much about the Devo08 loss... at least you lost to the best (Mallorca). in regard to the police busts, it's amazing how well things can hide in plain sight like that. I suppose if you aren't looking for it, you're less likely to think twice about it. I should also apologize for the scroll wheels and page down buttons that are being worn out by these posts/responses.

As far as the banner thing goes, my vote is for A. Something about the curves of the lettering really works well. The text of the other two is a bit too formal for a place with such a great beach area. Sorry I haven't been around TPP lately, and for anyone who's reading this post, go check it out, it's a great addition to the SC4 community, but I've been out of town for the past week and I'm just getting back into the swing of things. It's amazing how much things can build up while you're away. Lastly, before jumping into the update, congratulations on the success of diplomatic realtions with Tierra de la Oscuridad. I'll be curious to see what BlondeTwiggy picks for the embassy, and I should check over in Tierra to see your selection. But for now, on to the update.

I like your use of Maxis, and repetition can be good if it's used right; and it looks pretty good here. Some of those residents should have some nice views of the games. the park looks good too. For your first time using many of those features, the result is quite good. The memorial is a nice touch too. Rook University looks like quite the educational center (Mascot: The Knights? kidding of course... perhaps the Robins?) right in the center of the action. Two parks nearby and the Rigel District at its doorstep... a great location.

So it seems we're doing the time warp again (I know... bad joke, but it's what first popped into my mind when I read that). The raised park turned out quite well and the chess area seems fitting for such an area. Very intellectual, and yet a good place to de-stress during the lunch break (I must resist the urge to make another chess joke, but History of the World Pt. 1 just makes me laugh). Sorry, busy day at work today, and I'm feeling the puns flowing. Trying to stay on-topic here, and moving on to the Nottingham (IllTonkso) Tower, I'm reminded of a suggestion by Jeronij that seems to fit here: play with the game, not against it. I know I've had those times where a certain building or two will just want to spring up somewhere, but you've done a great job working with it.

10.24: Neat. You found the concept art for the park. Though I'm not a big fan of it in the pic comp (as you've probably noticed... I lke seeing the game do the work) I do like a well done edit for such an effect, and you've done it well.

My one critique, and this may just be my eyes playing tricks on me, is that the region pic makes the southern border of Western Fordville look a bit linear (or I feel like I can see the line between tiles). I'm not sure if that is the case, or even a way to suggest adjusting it, so I feel bad bringing it up, but perhaps zone for a few larger buildings to visual break up the line or something. It doesn't look bad though.

Have you considered doing a Darmok style mosaic at a closer zoom level? I know that would be quite an undertaking, but with the diversity of your zones and the overall look, I think the results would be spectacular.

Lastly, I'm glad to know you find my comments (long winded though they may be) to be helpful. There is no need for thanks (though a museum isn't a bad thing to have) as I enjoy seeing your work and I like being able to help as I can. As far as the monthly updates go, at least it's at regular intervals. There's not much you should apologize for there when the updates have so much work put into them. Glad to see the new developments and I'll keep an eye out for what comes next.
-Matt

[Simpson]

Oh wow really good new update
I love the park and the city is looking very good
The region pic is superb 

[Zane]

Quite exemplary, Isaac. Those stone walls go particularly well with your parks.