The Land of Desera

[nedalezz]

Very busy these past 2 weeks, but Ive been playing SimCity when I get the time. This is the result so far:

[marsh]

Wow great updates. Missed alot. I havnt been on for a few weeks.  Nesera is growing very fast, and it looks amazing. Id realy love to see the town near the beach you were talking about at one point. 

,marsh

[canyonjumper]

Cedar is growing up The progress looks great!

         Your friend,
                        Jordan

[Schulmanator]

Looks awesome!!! 

[nedalezz]

So my wedding is coming up (December 3rd), and it is not the easiest thing in the world organizing a wedding in a different country than the one you live in Its taken up sooo much of my time, I havent had time to update Nesara. But I do promise, I havent given up on it. In fact, Ive been working on it bit by bit. By the time the real update comes along, the storyline will be further along. For now, I will leave you with a couple of shots of downtown Cedar. Enjoy!

[marsh]

     I was wondering what happened to you.  Hope your wedding goes great! And might I say fine development going on. 

,marsh 

[penguin007]

Wow!!!! looks like there has been some huge expansion since I last looked!!

Will

[kwakelaar]

Great shots from Nesara and like the rest I have been waiting for an update.
And it is very understandable that you are busy before your wedding day, have fun on the 3rd 

[Schulmanator]

It's looking good. I am glad to see you back

[cubby420]

Excellent development! Your cities are laid out so realistically and with great attention paid to gradual changes in height and density. I love it.

[art128]

Another fantastic update Nedal ! I love the way you designed the area around that avenue. Excellent work my friend. 

[rooker1]

 I wouldn't worry too much about your MD at a time like this.  You concentrate on your wife to be and the wedding.  Your MD and us for that matter will be waiting here when you come back.
Congrats on finding the one and I hope your wedding day turns out to be the best.

Robin 

BTW, nice update.

[nedalezz]

Teaser - Stay Tuned!

[cubby420]

Beautiful!   

[nedalezz]

So on a night flight recently, I could not get to sleep, so I began writing a story out of sheer boredom. I am no writer by any stretch, but I do consider myself to have a vivid imagination that constantly needs expression, and this story was born out of that. It starts out with Episode I: Ray Black, and it set in the distant, ficticious future on the planet of Haven, an earth-like planet somewhere far away. Please keep in mind I will be updating Nesara alot more than this, but every once in a while, I'll throw in an update of Haven. It is word intensive, and picture limited, as opposed to Nesara. I hope you do enjoy my "attempt" at creative writing.

Episode I: Chapter One

   
                Ray Black lay his pack down, and splashed warm water on his face. His horse was already drinking, no doubt enjoying the liquid as it smoothly went down its dry throat. Placing his container in the river, he pulled it out and began enjoying his own refreshing portion of the Wildbank River's fresh water, thankful for the blessing. The desert was a cruel place.
   
   It was not always like this. Back when Ray was a child, Haven was a beautiful world filled with lush forests, crystal clear lakes, dazzling oceans, and breath-taking mountains. Peace was universal, crime in the well-designed urban areas was non-existent, and prosperity seemed to come without effort. After the Great War, everything changed. Everything.
   
   Now, it was hunt or be hunted. The world was filled with outlaws, gangs, and cowboys, and you were no safer inside a town than you were out in the barrens. Haven was now one mega desert, at the center of which was the Great Barrens, of which Ray now found himself in the center of. That was why the growth of small vegetation alongside the Wildbank River, one of the last known bastions of uncontaminated fresh water, was all the more surprising to him. Flora was like the diamonds of old, rare and hard to come by, and apart from his memories of pre-Great War Haven, when he was just a child, he could not remember the last time he saw a living green organism in front of his eyes.
   
   Ray Black lived the life of a cowboy, travelling from town to town, buying from this one, selling to that, and making himself some currency in the process. There were no more huge urban centers or cities, just tiny dusty towns, usually run by a gang, scattered across the wastelands. Everything had been obliterated, and human life had become nearly extinct. It was almost 30 years now, or in the calendar of the almost primitive human race that remained, AD (After Destruction) 30. He had been travelling like this for the past 20 odd years, and as he lay by the banks of the river, he was ready to give it all up. This was no way to live. Life had become too hard, too depressing. Life was not worth it anymore.
   
   The Great Barrens was an unforgiving place, and with the sun setting, he had to prepare for the perils of the night. Usually, he would hunch up next to his horse, and hold his shotgun tight throughout the night, but tonight, he could at least be able to cozy up under one of the taller trees near the bank. The light grass under him cushioned up the ground a little bit, as well, and for the first time, he actually looked forward to putting his head down for some rest. He was days away from the last town he visited, and he had no idea where he was going next. He heard rumors in town about a river to the south, so that is exactly where he headed, with some food and water to last him about a week's time. The Wildbank River, they called it. In these times, this was as close to paradise as one could get on Haven.

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   Ray woke up to the sound of leaves swaying in the wind, a completely unfamiliar sound and feeling to him. Confused at first, his memory came back to him and remembered falling asleep on the shores of the Wildbank River next to his trusty horse. Around certain towns, you could still see a few motors running, some on two wheels, some on four, but Ray preferred the company of a live animal through his treks in the Great Barrens. Besides, there was no way a car or motor could handle the rough terrain found here, not by a long shot. Good old Rusty could, however, and he made a great head rest some nights when the ground was too hard to sleep on.
   
   After he had cleaned himself off a little bit and taken a bite of the little food he had left, Ray sat next to his trusty friend and started to think of his next move. The last town he had left behind, Frontier, was supposedly the last known human settlement north of the river, not that these settlements ever communicated with each other. For a while after the Great War, every small settlement thought themselves to be the only, before cowboys like Ray started braving the desert. Even now, however, things were not much better; news about other settlements was very scarce, and was always restricted to the closest ones to the said town. In Frontier, however, very few had been as far south as the river, and no one had been across it. When he mentioned to the folks there that he intended to see what the river looked like, most told him to he must be looking for a death wish, and for the most part, they were not far off.
   
   He had lost all his family in the Great War as a child, saved only because his school had a bunker which he was in at the time the space missiles were launched, obliterating more than 99% of life on Haven. Cities disappeared in a matter of seconds, rubble crushed beneath the surface, and human life was lost in the billions. Animals, vegetation, all was gone - almost nothing remained. In the years after the Great War, the world became a mortifying desert, and all the technology and advancement by humankind was blown away with the rest of the world. It was in this dark, lifeless world that Ray learned to fight for himself all alone, becoming a cowboy trader. All alone. Nothing to live for, nothing to die for. Every day he lived with the pain of a lost family, and every day he hoped he would join them. When he decided to head down to see the river for himself, perhaps he wanted to write himself a death wish.
   
   He did not want to go anywhere else. Every town was more depressing and lawless than the next, filled with gangsters and posers, all look to steal and collect. The gang that ran Frontier, for example, levied a tax on all visitors, not only its own citizens, and demanded additional payment for the "protection" they were offering during the night. Funnily enough, it was those same protectors that caused trouble, drunk and belligerent during the early hours of the night. Ray was sick and tired of it all, having to work and travel so he could find himself something to eat. At least here, by the banks of the river, he could get his own food, by doing what the coastal settlements called fishing. He was taught how to by an old man during his early teenage years in a town by the sea called Blessing, although there they had built floating objects called boats to head into the ocean. Here, however, Ray just had to find himself a solid branch from a nearby tree, a worm or two from the grass under his feet, and hope the river had some fish in it ready to be eaten.
   
   It did not take him long to get all the necessary ingredients for a fishing pole, and using a rope he had on him to attach the worm to, he cast it into the river and waited. About a minute in, he felt a sharp tug, and began reeling in the rope. To his amazement, at the end of the rope, which he had attached a sharp curved bark to which the worm was inserted, was a fish! It was about 2 feet long, and was going to serve as one heck of a lunch. The even better part was that old Rusty seemed to be enjoying the grass, having been munching on it since they arrived yesterday afternoon. Using a lighter he had acquired a few months back in a trade, Ray began cooking the fish, enjoying perhaps the best meal of his life.

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   Ray Black had quite enjoyed the last couple of days by the river, as he fished away his afternoons and sat by the warm fire cooking and relaxing during the hard desert nights. He even found an apple tree not far from his resting site during a morning walk with Rusty, and ran into a small herd of wild cows that had seemingly also called the river shores home. He had began constructing a small shack of his own, and as soon as he was done, he was going to gather up some fish, and head north to Frontier to sell them for a small solar powered generator that was on offer last time he was there. While he was there, he was also going to get some electrical supplies so he could have some light on during the night inside his new shack. The truth was, he had not felt this alive since coming out of the bunker that fateful day as a child. For once, he did not have to trade or sell anything to survive, with the river providing all the fish he could eat, and the apple tree providing the dessert. This was the most comfortable, and happiest, Ray had been for as long as he can remember. This was to be his new home.

Ray Black's new home - along with the solar generator he later acquires.

[rooker1]

 Very nice read. 
Unusual for myself, but I find myself wanting to read more.

Robin 

[marsh]

    I agree with rooker, I do not read many wall o' texts, but I certainly enjoyed this one. Cant wait for more Nessara and Haven. 

,marsh

[nedalezz]

The State of Nesara: Update Thirty

Population: 64,551

Over the last couple of years, the Nesara Council had transformed empty land south of Cedar into the city center, and the expansion south of Washington Avenue continues at a very high rate. All along Washington Avenue plots of land have been sold, and along Intersection Street as well. James Brooks could not help but feel proud of the accomplishments of his dear council over the last few years.

In front of him lay pictures of the new primary and secondary school south of Washington Avenue, and right next to those plans lay the blueprints of James Brooks University, which would be constructed right next to the James Brooks School - a fantastic educational development which the leader of the Nesara Council had put so close to his heart. The old school, just outside the old center of town, was overburdened and over capacity, leaving the educational system of Nesara lagging behind national averages, but the new educational complex would take care of that matter.

The direct benefits were obvious; high levels of education and a number of job opportunities related to the complex for the locals, but the indirect benefits had Brooks equally excited. The educational tourism, the mini-economy based around the university, the population influx, the number of increased real estate investors - all of these, among others, would have a big part to play in further developing the town of Cedar. However, the project was exactly what it was on Brooks desk currently; blueprints and hopes. Although plans to break ground on it where already reaching final phases, it was not happening just yet.

What did happen, however, was the introduction of the EasyTransit public transportation system. Up and running for a year now, the ET served 8 stops inside the town of Cedar, and a 9th stop at the Cedar International Airport. Almost 1,300 people used the ET system daily, and it had been a resounding success despite some issues getting it off the ground. The buses used were state of the art, equipped with TVs broadcasting satellite news and local sports events, as well as airconditioning and heating systems, depending on the weather. Bassem Safek, head of the NDT, stated to Brooks recently that he expects up to 2,000 passengers a day on the ET system by the same time next year.

Cedar's growth over the last two years had been unprecedented, even for its unusually high levels. The town hit 50,000 residents earlier this year, a personal landmark for Brooks, who did not think he would live to see that day. The population of the town now stood at 64,551, officially. Now he had set a new target - for Cedar to reach 100,000 residents before he calls in his plans for retirement.

IN THE NEWS

- Bassem Safek announced to the introduction of 2 new destinations that Nesara Airlines will start serving beginning this fall: Vancouver and Boise. Speaking at a Nesara Department of Transportation sanctioned press conference, Safek said that the new destinations would serve as important steps to further stimulating Nesara's tourism industry and commercial activity. Vancouver would serve as access into the Canadian market, and by serving Boise, the airline was hoping to serve as an important transit point for travelers heading to Idaho.

Safek also announced that the NDT was creating a sub-department within it for the sole purpose of managing and operating the airline. He stated that this new department, which would be known as the administrative branch of Nesara Airlines, was to be headed by Gary Presston, and would employ an additional 50 people to the airline's staff. The NDT, while being the final authority, would cease handling the airline all together.

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The EasyTransit public transportation system announced the acquisition of 5 new buses to handle the growing demands of the city, and said it would increase the number of trips on certain highly used routes. The EasyTransit system, or ET, has been a resounding success, greatly exceeding the number of passengers initially predicted would use it. One can either buy a daily pass, which costs $1.5, a monthly pass ($30), or a yearly pass ($300), each of which gives access to all routes.

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The James Brooks School, which serves students from grades 1-12, opened for the first time this week with a full capacity of 2,700 students, easing the burden on the old Cedar State School, which was overcrowded and overburdened. The new, bigger school expects a further 500 students at the beginning of the next school year, while Cedar State has put a hard cap on the number of students it will serve, with preference going to families who live close to the school.

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In business news, Home Depot recorded an all-time high of $1,214,000 in sales the past month, breaking its previous record of $1,010,000. A strong local economy and a high growth rate has spurred the Cedar retail sector on, with good results across the board, from smaller stores to the big ones. The Korra Ceramics showroom also recorded high sales as a result of the construction boom currently going on in Cedar, especially in its tiles department.

The manufacturing sector also recorded good numbers, although not quite as high as the retail sector due to increased caution from outside markets. With the recession still looming, there has not been the bounce that was expected, although results are still encouraging nonetheless. The Nesara Council approved 12 new manufacturing companies the past few months, and each has acquired land to begin construction of their factories.

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The real estate market in Nesara continues to impress, and the 3 largest developers (Davidson, Haiden, and Trinity) have all posted strong numbers across the board. Each have quite a few projects in the works, and rumor has it that Trinity is looking to buy land in downtown Cedar to produce a shopping center, although there has been no official comment from the company itself. Davidson is looking at developing its second residential compound on Washington Avenue to the west of Cedar, and Haiden is currently developing 2 big projects: a small hotel resort in Gateway Beach, as well a mix use building somewhere in Cedar.

An affluent neighborhood just west of downtown Cedar.


The Korra Ceramics tile factory.


Aerial of Cedar (Sorry about the whiteouts! Its not all ready yet )

[marsh]

     Theres so much happening here.  I remember when that apartment building was the biggest news in the town. Now theres too much to talk about... I know the feeling.  Those Suburbany residential areas look awesome. I really love how you've incorporated the maxis buildings in the city. They look just as great as anything else here. 

,marsh

[kwakelaar]

Cedar is taking off, together with the local airline company.