Spa's Atlantic Retreat

[kwakelaar]

These look really beautiful, great work finishing the set.

[Sciurus]

Very beautiful!!

Guillaume

[cubby420]

Amazing housing set spa! I cannot wait to get a hold of these. It strikes me that this set would look excellent when combined in a town with cp's beautiful 19th century homes, especially his $$ and $$$ versions. The colors and detail of both sets are very similar and probably would look superb together.

I'm already brainstorming a small coastal hamlet using both sets and your excellent commercials as well. You know, that kind of East Coast place that is all about the locals most of the year...until summer, when the town is flooded with tourists and beach goers. Kind of like in Jaws except without giant Sim eating sharks...or maybe...

This unreleased set has given me quite the inspiration I must say. Thank you. The sooner these make it out the happier I will be, that's for sure. Keep up the excellent work.

[Jack_wilds]

hey Spa

they are really neat, making for interesting neighborhoods, well done... like the corner lots particularly and the Halifax history also gives the neighbors hoods some depth only time creates...

Jack

[TiFlo]

Wow, those are beautiful! My low-rise residential downtown is already making room for them. 

[wes.janson]

@Spa...  I was as surprised as anyone at how well the citizens of Vancouver handled themselves this past month. I think they just wanted to show up the Calgary games.

There is a video somewhere which shows our downtown skyline change from Expo '86 onwards and it's quite a difference. Luckily our density is limited to the downtown core and our rabid bylaws keep the city green (You can't cut down any tree anywhere without whatever jurisdictions city hall approving it.

Last, but not least, those BATs look AMAZING. Keep up the excellent work.

[spa]

Kwakelaar: Thanks.
Guillaume: Thanks.
Cubby420: Yes CP's work has provided a lot of inspiration. I have checked out my houses next to CP's and they seem to work fairly well. My houses are a little big bigger than his though, but not enough to make them clash. If he and I get a commercial set of old wooden buildings going, you'll really be able to build that East Coast town (Maine/Maritimes/Newfoundland). Although in Sim City it would be a whale not a shark!
Jack: Thanks.
TiFlo: Thanks. I'm hoping to have them and the rest of my unreleased work finished by April
Wes: Thanks. Vancouver has some good planning rules. I really hope to visit there one day.

So I have a few minor tweaks to make to the Halifax Boxes, but they're essentially done at this point. I have gone back to working on Victoria Hall. The modelling is now done and I'm onto texturing. Below is how it has turned out.

I'm planning on at least one colour variation, a dark blue/purple since that should fit with the roof texture, white trim and shingles. I might try another colour or two, but I'm not looking to get too bogged down with endless variations on this one

[cubby420]

I'm hoping to have them and the rest of my unreleased work finished by April

Looks like April will be a fun month for new new toys...

The small commercial collaboration would certainly be a thing to see. Finally, Victoria Hall looks fantastic and very detailed. I especially love the window design, and it should fit perfectly with your other releases...which is part of why I love your bats so much.

[spa]

Cubby: Yes, nothing is ever definite, but as far as I can be certain April is definitely looking like the month for new toys. Thanks for your kind words.

Well I have rendered Victoria Hall and dropped it in game. Below is how it turned out.





You probably won't notice, but I scaled it down by 10%. When I looked at it in relation to my other residential bats, it became obvious that it was a few sizes too big. It'll now fit the rest of them. A few words about the lot, what a lot of work it was The lot isn't exactly like the setup for the real building, but it's some what similiar. The block that the real Victoria Hall is on is really narrow so the building actually sprawls across it and is accessible on the back from Creighton Street. Deliveries and parking is provided off of Creighton. Recently, they also installed a garden on the Creighton Street side. My lot is different, but I was inspired by the concept. There is a bit of a trade off with the garden I made though since it'll require a few dependencies (D66, Swi, Cycledogg's props, Cycledogg's textures and BSC Essentials), but I think the result is worth it. Most people around here should have them all anyway. You won't get very far with my creations without downloading Cycledogg's packs! I'm still thinking of doing a few colour varitions. I have a dark blue one ready. Check it out below.



I don't think it turned out too bad as blue. I'll make a building family out of the two. Any other colour requests? I'm not looking to get into any major rejigging of things so any colour variation has to work with the existing trim and blue steps/foundation. I'm having a tough time picturing any other colours working well given those constraints. While I tinker with that I'll probably get started on the last building in my residential set, my "new" apartment building here on South Street.



Oh and a night shot for the road.

[cubby420]

Marvelous lot spa. Very detailed and the layout is amazing. Nice prop choices. I hate to say this so late in the process though...and remember I am far from an expert...but the bat seems a tad bright or over-saturated. I don't know really what the difference is, but i prefer the dirtier colors of the Halifax Boxes. Chalk it up to preference maybe. I'll download this awesome model and lot no matter what.

[calibanX]

That is fantastic. I already have a plan for it.

Thanks for your hard work!

Geoff

[threestooges]

Victoria Hall looks great there. I actually already have an idea of what I'd like to do with it when it's ready. As for other color variations, I'm not sure how well it would look with the white trim, but some sort of light gray/eggshell might look sharp. Then again, it's possible to lose the details of the trim with that. I've seen it done before in real life though. Ultimately it's up to you though, but hey, you asked for it. Also, are the bushes on the lot borders seasonal?
-Matt

[Jack_wilds]

Hey SPA,

The Victorian looks real good and I do like the blue/slate color...  as for another I think an autumn yellow  would work -not so bright it looks like a beacon or too dark to blend with CPs autumn changes.  Aside from that its a great lot for it...

Jack 

[manchou]

Tour BATs are very plaisant ! Great job 

[spa]

Cubby420: It's almost never too late to make a suggestion. I'm never in a big rush to release things so there is usually plenty of time. In this case, I took your suggestions and desaturated things a little bit and I think you'll like the change. Check out the new version below.
Geoff: Thanks
Matt: There is now an eggshell/grey version. I wouldn't have thought to use a grey, but it turned out quite nicely and was really effortless. Thanks for the suggestion. To answer your question, the bushes are semi-seasonal. They'll be bright green for half the year.
Jack: I tried a few variations of yellow, but it's a tough colour to work with on this because of the blue hue. I'm not looking to redo a lot of textures to change the blue though because I'm itching to move onto my next project. Check out the pictures of the two yellow versions I'm considering below.
Machou: Thanks.

As indicated in the replies, I have some more progress to report on Victoria Hall. I touched up the red (desaturated it slightly). Below is the before and after.

Before

After


It's a small change, but I think it's an improvement. Little less stark in game then before. In addition to the red and blue, I have added an egg shell/grey version that I'm fairly pleased with.



I tried yellow, but had difficulty getting it to work. I have ended up with two possible yellows. Check them out below.

Yellow 1

Yellow 2


Any preference or should I just ditch the yellow altogether and stick with the red, grey and dark blue?

[Myself.or.?]

Lovely buildings. Can't wait for April to arrive (already here? Well, time flies...  )

I'ld go for Yellow 1. It's gonna make the Victorian recognizable in the neighbourhood and keeps in line with the other slighty 'different' colors.

[thingfishs]

Nice places spa

I'm never one to knock back another colour variation so I think I'd pick the 2nd one (I think the darker one looks a little muddy). At first I thought it was the baby blue that could be changed  but then I saw the RL photo of the yellow house and thought it might just be a matter of trying a few more times to get just the right shade(s). I love the blue one, great shades there.

[kwakelaar]

Great looking work, Spa. Nice to see you back batting again.

[threestooges]

Wow, that does look nice. Well done on the color tweaks. As for the yellow version, I certainly think it works. I'm more of a fan of the second rather than the first though. The first actually seems to resemble the gray a bit. My only other comment might be to add some shrubs around the front of the building at the base to break it up a bit, whether as a maintained garden or just as something naturally growing there. If not though, I think it's still sitting on a fine lot.
-Matt

[cubby420]

Wow, I'm a big fan of these. I love the subtlety of the roof textures and the detail of the windows especially. And that lot is marvelously designed as well. It is one of the most detailed and well fit lots for this size and type of building I have ever seen. In other words...the whole thing is awesome.

Regarding the yellow one...well I'm just not sure. My first instinct was number 2, but either would get the job done. Personally, I much prefer the red, blue and gray versions. Especially the red, which already has a desired plot waiting for it in my game once this beauty is released