Urland - a (mostly) rural Coastline

[canyonjumper]

lol Robin

Awesome Bernhard! All the hard work pays off in the end though, it always does \

            Your friend,
                           Jordan

[Nexis4Jersey]

Very Nice Bernard , always detailed

~Corey

[TheTeaCat]

Ah planting trees one by one. Time consuming but oh so worth it in the end

What with all the dust and rust on your finger you still manage to do a superb job.
These forests show all the time and effort you put in to the very best.
I must admit I do plant trees one by one ( all your fault  ) and have picked up many tips
that I regularly use in creating my rural scenes.

Please don't stop doing what you do best so I can learn more 

Btw - Any chance of some of those famous Urland bannana's so I can cook one of my favourite dishes

Till the next time
Take care and don't forget to make a backups

Derry

[Nardo69]

Hello to All!

During the weekend I found the reason for all my hardware problems: My 7600GS died - more than VGA results in flickering screens and artefacts.  So I have to find a "new" AGP nVidia - wish me luck, the prices of new ones are beyond good and evil here and a 2nd hand card is always a risk ...

Anyway since I couldn't play the game I prepared a Mini Update for you. Robin will like it as I zoomed in one of the last Construction site reports pictures ...   

But as always before we start:

@Battlecat: Yes, they really do.
Before the mayor mode trees I always tended to use forest lots as the tree controller just ... didn't fit my taste.
Thanks for the compliment my friend!

@TiFlo Oh, yes, it is time consuming. Even more than TPW ... Thanks for the compliment!

@kwakelaar If you love something poetry will always follow somehow if you have some basic skills in reading and writing I think... besides what's poetry without love and dedication, what's love without poetry? 

@rooker1 I hope I can satisfy your wish at least a little bit. If not I'll have to do another ... 

@canyonjumper: Well, untill now it keeps me from finishing one single medium map. This way you really learn to appreciate small maps ... 

@Nexis4Jersey: Thanks for the compliment!

@TheTeaCat:: Unfortunately I didn't pass one single banana farms recently but next time I do I'll make them send some tons of them to you! 
And btw don't check in one of the next update as I do have the feeling it will really slow you down quite a bit ... Don't tell me later you haven't received a warning! 

Ok, that's it - let's go now in medias res:

Mini-Update: Even more trees

But before I start I quote the first of the three pictures of last times' construction site report. A failure on the Sc4D comp it became my 6th HoF entry at the Simforum picture comp. And as Robin (rooker1) wished this time I have some closeups for you!



We'll have a look at that road climbing up the hill on the top left part and the farm with the grain silo at the bottom right part of the picture.



Sorry for the Water Texture Bug on the right edge ... 
Not too bad I presume... I could not use the NAM curves - not even the small 90 degree one - without becoming severe slope problems here. And in connection with the retaining walls it turned out rather acceptable.
However ... there's a way to make such walls look better - more to come in a future update!
Derry, you're warned! 



Another angle.
Actually this is not natural wood but forestry. Such pine woods don't grow naturally at these low heights in middle Europe - they are planted as they grow fast. However in such woods the tree assortments may change and may changed sharply as you can see in this picture.



A lot of people said they don't like that grain silo too much. Why? It is - well - a little bit more American than European but I like to see it - even a bit dilapated!



And a bit far from it we see this trail almost disappearing under vegetation.



And if we take the entry picture and look the other direction we see this scenery - the outskirts of a small town with some industry within the mountains. But behind the edges of the picture tons of work waiting for me ... 

OK, that's it for today. I'll have some more for next update - even though my graphics card died.

Have fun!

Bernhard 

[kwakelaar]

Nice update again there Bernhard, and some great looking close-ups.

[threestooges]

Interesting analysis of the picture Bernhard. I'm always amazed at the detail that hides in your pictures. From the overview they look fairly straight forward, but tucked away in them is so much to see. M01.04 is an example. Looking over the overview I'm not sure I would have even noticed that path, but after seeing it highlighted, it sticks right out now. I like the way you had the path grown over, and it give me a few ideas to try next time I'm working in the hills. Sorry to hear about your graphics card. I hope things get back up and running quickly for you. I always enjoy seeing what you come up with.
-Matt

[Battlecat]

I love the details you hide in your pictures.  Makes everything look amazing! 

[rooker1]

 The Rural Master at work again.
I do think in certain spots going down that hill there are too many stone walls, a little less might be more realistic, but that's just my opinion.  Other than that....I love it all.

Robin 

[TheTeaCat]

Ah Bernhard does it again 

Wonderful detailing and the almost hidden track is masterfully done
Picked up a hint or two there . 
I agree with Robin in there being maybe too many walls along that road so am really looking forward to seeing what you do with them. Warning noted 

Btw the only thing I think you could do to make your woods look even better is to have the odd dead tree.
Every wooded area I've been through usually have a number of deadfalls in them. Other that that I can find no fault with yours 

Till the next time

Don't forget your backups

Derry

[nbvc]

Nice update.

[canyonjumper]

Great work Bernhard! The details are amazing, and great work on that path!

                  Your friend,
                                 Jordan

[Girafe]

Where is Nardo 2CV 

Anyway pictures are amazing, finally I don't like my pines there are small white points not so beautiful  

[penguin007]

Awesome update as always and soo detailed!!

Will

[bat]

Really great mini-update.
Looking forward to more...

[Tomas Neto]

Beautiful forests, perfect topography and rural zone realistic!!! Phenomenal work!!!

[Nardo69]

Hello Everone!

Today no Mini Update and no Construction site report but a full blown up Update!  Okay, the map is still halway empty but two corners (I showed the other in the previous Mini-Update) isn't too bad for me, either! And 14 Pictures are too much for a Mini Update! 

But as always befor we start:

@kwakelaar: Glad you like them, there are some more to come! 

@threestooges: Actually one of the most time consuming parts of updating is too choose the picture, what to show and not to show. An overview is easy but detail crazy as I am I usually makes tons of pictures and have to sort them out. Most probably due to this I might have not shown some nice pics to you ... 

@Battlecat: Thanks for the compliment my friend!

@rooker1: The old retaining wall dilemma - and I was one of the first to name it in my thoughts ... 
Partially you are right - concerning their lenght it's too much, partially it's just the problem that all retaining walls in Sc4 are 16m long with various slope. IRL the slope is fix and the height variies ...
Haven't found a solution for all situations yet, don't know if there is one.

@TheTeaCat: Hi Derry! Regarding the stone walls see my answer tor Robin! 
Dead trees ... hmm. In mono culture forestry they aren't welcome as they attract too much "parasites" that would do too much financial damage to the trees. But then again, yes, there are some. Let's see what I can do when I have a new graphics card ...
BTW: I warned you before - that's the first of the dangerous updates! 

@nbvc: Glad you liked it!

@canyonjumper: Thanks for the compliment, Jordan!

@Girafe: 
You know, my car broke down (if I had one), my wife shouted at me, the child was ill, my mother-in-law was mad at me, there was so much sun I got sunburnt, there are heavy interferences due to sun storms, WWII broke out, WWII finished, the Vesuv broke out, Pompeji disappeared ...
... so I couldn't lot it in there 

@penguin007: Thanks for the compliment, Will!

@bat: Thanks for the compliment!

@Tomas Neto: Thanks for the compliment!

And without any further A-dos:

Update Nr 21: TTT
or: Trees, Trails and dry stone reTaining walls

I warned you last time: Even retaining walls can be improved - with the RRP and Simfox Trees. I saw quite some old retaining walls that were erected as dry stone walls that were almost re-conquered by nature. And this I tried in Sc4!



Today we'll move around that small hamlet and the small street that connects it with the Big World.



The streets starts here, in a wide valley / a small plain in front of a ridge. The village is eventually going to be the theme of a future update. And as you can see at the road the map isn't halfway finished yet ...



The transition field to forest. And JeronoJ's rural wall with and without RP painting. The texture is a tad bright but still one of the most beautiful rural retaining wall texture at all IMHO.
To the right of the street I started to "improve" the wall - Green Rye, Weed A und B together with  Simfox' Small Maple Tree. I like it!
A thing to improve is that small S-curve at the HV pole, I think I'll have to finde a better soltion there ...



Some way into the forrest there's a change from diagonal to orthogonal.
If you're going to  paint your walls  paint them before you plant trees otherwise you might not see what you are doing! The slope shouldn't be too step, too, because otherwise you don't get a consistent spreading of the textures!



The street has disappeard between trees and the dry stone wall.
I planted weed in the trace of the HV line ...



... that sometimes doesn't look too good with my terrain mod all the time!



The trace seen from above. Please note that to the left and right of the trace theres a forest edge!



This is one of the few places where I am just satisfied with the terrain texture without RRP!



Before we go to the hamlet another overview so that you don't loose yours!



The hamlets entrance and the edge of the retaining walls. Such transition tend not too look good but if you have a grown over dry stone wall you can elegantly hide it under some bushes! 



The hamlets consists mainly of that street and some cul-de-sac branching off. If you live here and don't work on the farms you commute ...



A meadows ...



... and a lot of bananas for Derry - hope you don't become bananas, though! 



And with a last view back I close today's update!

Have fun!

Bernhard 

[travismking]

your a master of the rural landscape, Bernard. Love it

[marsh]

     Looks great! I love the etailing you did in the fields and the randomeness of the trees. It makes it look very natural and realistic. 

,marsh

[kwakelaar]

There were some real gems in this update, I especially liked 21.08 with the small path through the forest.
The combination of retaining walls and RRP is working well.

[Yan077]

Fantatic rural landscapes Bernhard, I love how you manage that challenging terrain !
That's juicy