The Land of Desera

[Utvaw]

This is just a fantastic MD.  Cedar always feels so natural in it progression, like watching a real town grow.  Keep up the good work and it will be great to see you in the classics!

[canyonjumper]

Nooo! I wanted to push him over Ah well, Congrats Nedal on making it to the Classics! It's well deserved

Interesting story, I'm curious, like Robin, to know the origins of the Bivan.

               Your friend,
                              Jordan

[wwecruz]

Those developement pictures are fantastic! Very cool update.

[rooker1]

 Well, well, well.  I did want to be the one that made the 500th post but it seems that I have missed that chance.
It really does give me great pleasuret o move one of my favourite MDs to the next level....The Classic section.  Congrats my friend.   Here's to another 500 posts.

Robin 

[marsh]

Welcome to the classics section nedalezz! You definitely deserve it here! 500 comments already. I can't wait to see what awaits in Nesara as well as Haven in the times to come.


,marsh

[nedalezz]

I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all that have supported and commented on my MD since its inception. I know Ive had some bad luck with my previous ones, but I can honestly say the desire to continue to update and grow Cedar and Haven is just as strong as ever

Again, a huge THANK YOU, and as Robin said, here's to another 500!

[Tomas Neto]

Welcome to the Classics, my friend!!!   

[io_bg]

Congrats on making it to the Classics section and fantastic set of pictures in the last update

[noahclem]

Wow, just a fascinating update! Beautiful overview shots and the city's growth over time seems so realistic. I think this is my favorite update of yours!

[bat]

Fantastic updates there! All the areas are beautiful!
The desert looks really nice. And congrats on making it to the Classics!

Looking forward to more great pictures...

[nedalezz]

Episode One: Chapter Eight

War had come. Just when things were starting to get better, and hope was starting to revive in the human spirit all around Haven. Just when the planet itself had begun to show signs of healing from the atrocities committed on it by the Great War. And just when a shattered world was beginning to revitalize its economy and inventive spirit, war had come.


Perhaps the last point was the most crucial – power hungry throwbacks from a prosperous era now seeing an opportunity to regain the wealth they had lost. As Ray sat listening intently to the refugees, his mind drifted back to when he first saw the live feed of Hans Drake, "President" of the Haven Republic, in Boulder and how he hoped it would not come to this. He knew sooner or later he would roll his armies out of Janneh City and into the wilds of Haven to reclaim what he believed was rightfully he his. Sure, he did it in the name of the Haven Republic, but he knew the truth. It was for him, for his greed, and perhaps most importantly, for his sons.


He had 2 of them, Hans Drake the Second, and William Drake, the younger of the two. Hans Drake II was the next in line for the Presidency while William was known more to handle the financial aspect of things. Janneh City was under their tight control – nothing entered or left Haven's largest city without their knowledge, and from what Ray had heard, you could not so much as earn a single currency with a cut of it going to the Drakes. Obviously, their greed was not being satisfied in the capital city, where financial institutes used to be plenty but resources are scarce, and these days, currency was in the raw resources, the basics.


Ray's mind continued to drift until he heard something from the man speaking on behalf of the refugees that immediately caught his attention. He spoke up.




Ray Black: What did you say?

Brent Jinso (Man speaking on behalf of the refugees): We were caught in the crossfire between Drake's forces...and the Eartheners.

Ray Black: You have to be mistaken. The Eartheners decimated this planet and left.

Brent Jinso (shaking his head): Ain't no mistaken them, sir. They flew in with their jets and bombed the living hell out of Drake's forces...and we were caught in the middle.

Tiberius Driver (intrigued and shocked): Where did you say you folks came from again?

Brent Jinso: A city called Port Serene, on the coast about four days ride northwest of here. Drake's forces rolled up from the south just a few hours before the Eartheners attacked from the north.

Ray Black: What were they after? Why Port Serene?

Brent Jinso: A few months ago, a man claiming to be a scientist uncovered large reserves of Tilkan gas all around the city, and even on the islands just of the coast. He had come in with a team from Janneh City, and they left just a few days before the Haven Republic troops came in.

Tiberius Driver (confused): I thought it was announced that all traces of Tilkan gas was evaporated during the Great War. This is incredible.

Brent Jinso (sighing): Not for us. Port Serene was relatively large city...I'd say we numbered about hundred, maybe two hundred thousand people. After we were caught in the crossfire, everyone evacuated, but most didn't make it. We've been on the road for a few days now, carrying our injured. About half of our wounded have perished, and none of the towns we passed through would receive. The last town we were in, Boulder I believe, there was an old innkeeper who told me that there was a settlement to the southeast that was a sanctuary to all refugees. And that's how we've ended up here.

Tiberius (looking at Ray, nodding back as Ray nods at him): You and your people are welcome here. We'll attend to the injured and help who we can.




It was happening all over again. The Great War, at its core, was fought over resources; the Haven Republic, led by Mercen Stormwind, father of the rebellion, fighting for its freedom while the Eartheners fighting to keep hold of the incredibly valuable resources. The end result was nothing for neither – no freedom and no resources. This time, however, the two sides were fighting to reclaim land they believe was rightfully theirs. It was like they were both waiting for the planet to heal before planning their next move, and they both struck at the same time. It was obvious the Haven Republic was capturing land, and it was also obvious that the Eartheners had their eyes fixed on Haven the entire time, and the two were set for a head on collision of epic proportions.

Notes

Bivan: The bivan is an indigenous animal of Haven, featuring two front legs and four powerful back legs. It is about thirty percent larger than a horse, and is utilized in much of the same way – for transport and heavy duty labor. It is a plan eater and a generally calm animal, even wild bivans, which made them ideal for early human colonists. They can travel at speeds of about sixty kilometers per hour for reasonably long distances. They mate once a year, and the female bivan is typically pregnant for about six months, commonly birthing one child per pregnancy. They tend to live for about twenty to thirty years, although they become very weak in the last few years of their lives. The bivan is not genetically modified in any way, and cannot breed with horses or other similar earthen animals.

Tilkan Gas: Tilkan gas was discovered by scientists on Haven roughly twenty years before the actual colonization by humans of the planet. It is a light gas that packs a very heavy punch, and it is used the same way that oil and natural gas are used on Earth. Although it is called a gas, its natural form is a very light, cream colored, liquid that still holds all its strength when evaporated to a certain level, although it loses all form of itself if it surpasses that said level. A barrel of Tilkan gas is equal to the same consumption of roughly 14 barrels of earthen oil, and omits almost untraceable amounts of pollution upon use. It is the primary reason Haven was colonized, and also the primary reason the Eartheners would not give the Haven Republic control over the planet.


This rounds up Episode One! From the next update on, it will be Episode Two – it will be based roughly three years after the latest update. After Marsh's recommendation (Thanks!) took me to the BATs I was looking for, I decided to change up the look of Wildbank. I also worked a little bit on the river and the surrounding desert. I will leave you with a few pictures of the new Wildbank River, and when the next update comes around, you will see the new Wildbank town! Enjoy and thanks!

[Tomas Neto]

Very nice update again!!! Good work!!!

[rooker1]

Fan-freakin-tastic.

Robin 

[canyonjumper]

That looks amazing! I can't wait for Episode II!

                       Your friend,
                                      Jordan

[io_bg]

Great use of mayor mode ploppables!

[nedalezz]

io_bg: Those trees are great! They immediately became my favorite trees of preference
canyonjumper: Episode II is right around the corner, and below is a teaser pic to show you what I'm working on!
rooker1: Thank you
Tomas Neto: Thanks!


Im still not finished with the new Wildbank, but I wanted you guys' opinion on the direction I'm taking, so below is a teaser pic. Still to be included are farms and a pier. Please tell me why you think!

[Tomas Neto]

Nice work, my friend!!! 

[kwakelaar]

It looks fantastic with the strong blue colour of the sea and the greens and reds of the flora, great work.

[Reikhardt]

Thats certainly some vivid colour choices there!

[nedalezz]

The State of Nesara: Update Thirty-Four

Population: 144,600

Cedar's rapid expansion has not been without its problems; during certain times of the morning and late afternoon, roads become clogged and traffic pour over into neighboring residential areas. Intersection Street is infamous for its bumper to bumper rush hour traffic, even after the opening of Beltam Road, which has done little to ease the volume of cars used by the former every day.

Bassem Safek, head of the Nesara Department of Transportation and key figure in the creation of the EasyTransit public transport system, has been criticized for the NDT's slowness to respond to the problem, despite being praised just a couple years ago for helping keep traffic a non-issue in the city. With the recent population boom which has seen Cedar's official count grow by almost 100,000 residents, the NDT and Safed have been criticized of coming up with "eye-candy" developments that do not address the core of the problem, such as Washington Avenue. While Cedar's largest and widest road has certainly become a hub for the city's financial and retail markets, its east to west direction makes it relatively unused by those wanting to get home as most residential neighborhoods are situated north of the avenue.

Intersection Street remains the only crossing into the industrial part of Cedar, where many of its residents work, and the rush hour commute home through the old part of the city becomes unbearable. Country Road also sees its share of traffic, but shares the same problem as Washington Avenue in that most of the residential neighborhoods of the city are situated on one side (south) of the road.

Safek continuously states that Cedar's road network has been set up to deal with future growth, but citizens are complaining that nothing is being done to address the issue now. Beltam Road was opened a few months ago, but its development was also done with the future in mind. The once popular Safek has lost considerable popularity due to what his opponents are calling an unwillingness to admit that he had made mistakes with the planning of the road network.

The EasyTransit system was much hyped when it first became operational, and for a while, lived up to its hype. But with the introduction of only two bus stops and four busses recently, it simply has not kept up with the growth of the city, and what was once Safek's prime example of success is now being pointed out as his biggest failure. The NDT continues to turn a nice profit from the operations of the ET system, but not enough of it is being put back into it to expand the network of bus stops and acquisitions of new vehicles to meet the demand of the people.

The NDT claims that is doing all it can considering its limited budget and staff. Safek points to the recent development of the new freight station north of Cedar, the opening of Beltam Road, and the planned passenger rail connection between Cedar and Gateway Beach as examples of the NDT's ongoing activities, but it obviously is not doing enough in the public's eyes. Until basic issues like flow of traffic into and out of northern Cedar and the expansion of the popular but overwhelmed ET system get addressed, the NDT will continue to be viewed as too much glamour, not enough substance.

This shot was taken late in the evening – despite the late hour, traffic volume remains high.

Gary Presston, head of Nesara Airlines, recently announced that the airline, which had turned a profit of $12 million the previous year, was to begin daily flights to Chicago and New York City from Cedar International Airport next month. The airline will utilize a leased Airbus 330-200, complete with 36 business class seats and 210 economy class seats.

To celebrate the airline's expansion into the east coast, Presston also announced the inception of the SkyHigh entertainment system, which will feature on all flights to Chicago and NY, and gradually be added to the other destinations the airline serves. SkyHigh will feature many of the latest movie releases, as well as TV shows and series. Additionally, it will show live sport games, and will be one of the first in the world to allow free wi-fi access on its planes.

The expansion represents Nesara Airlines' commitment to deliver easy access to the rest of the country for the people of Nesara, stated Presston. He also went on to say that plans to upgrade its Premier Lounge for its business class passengers and Gold members in the Cedar International Airport.

Healthcare used to be a major issue in Cedar, with an overcrowded and overwhelmed hospital in the Southbrush neighborhood of the city barely able to handle a town of 20,000, let alone a city of almost 150,000. With the opening of Sacred Hope Hospital on Beltam Road across from the Cedar Mall, however, healthcare has become one of the shining beacons of the city.

The state of the art facility, which is headed by Dr. Brian Thom, is served by highly trained and educated doctors and nurses, and has the capacity to serve a city of 150,000 with comfort. While its location in the Treelane neighborhood means it is on the outskirts of the city, its radius stretches all across Nesara, as it has quickly become the health center of choice of all those living in the state, especially those in Gateway Beach.

Sacred Hope Hospital was developed and is currently funded by the Nesara Council, although it does have several private investors that have contributed to the capital of the hospital and currently serve as shareholders in the facility. When asked about the hospital's most specialized department, Dr. Thom replied that he believed that the surgery department in the hospital to be one of the best in the region.

Davidson Construction recently unveiled their latest project, the Cedar Heights, to the general public. Overlooking the Cedar Mall, the Cedar Heights complex features 3 buildings, each 10 stories high, and a total of 132 apartments (44 in each building). The complex also includes a small lake and park, and features underground parking for all residents and their guests. It also overlooks Hemway Park and its fountain, which can be quite a sight to behold during the night. Each apartment is going for approximately $300,000 and the penthouses for $500,000. The cost of the project was $12 million upon completion.

Not to be outdone, Haiden Construction Co. also unveiled their own, albeit smaller, project. Situated just across the street from Cedar Heights, and overlooking Hemway Park, the Park Residence caters to a more exclusive clientele. Each apartment is a duplex featuring 5 bedrooms, with glass windows from the bottom of the first floor of the duplex to the top of the second. It features 18 duplexes in all, with 6 on each floor. The building is actually 10 stories tall as well, but is higher than the Cedar Heights buildings. The top 3 floors include a banquet hall, a state of the art gym, indoor swimming pool, and 8 furnished 1 bedroom apartments available for lease on a monthly basis. Each duplex is priced at $700,000, and the total cost of the building was $4 million. 

To finish off the update, here are some shots from around Cedar. Enjoy and thanks!

Downtown Cedar looking west towards the Cedar Mall.

Looking south, construction just off of Washington Avenue to the immediate west of downtown Cedar.

The Old Town neighborhood and Northern Cedar, the industrial heart of the city.

A small commercial district on Edge Road near the Cedar Mall.

An artist's impression of a typical neighborhood in Cedar.