Province of Clontarf - Update 10 - Elsmere

[Russell]

Mercy General, so named because the first thing any patient admitted to the hospital
asks for is "mercy"

What an ominous remark, I would almost like to use it in my MD - but as always, you have created an impressive update, and it is so fascinating to study Balnavia - so idyllic and full of details. Bravo! 

[Jmouse]

Oh dear, I thought you knew all this stuff is scheduled to appear in the November issue of "Wisecrack," a tabloid especially for folks who would otherwise take themselves much too seriously.
And thanks for the guard-shack link.
I don't know how you do it, but each of your cities has a distinct personality of its own which reflects its reason for being in the larger scheme of things. Lion Island "reeks of fish" as you put it while Ramsgate is clearly decorated to attract wealth. In Sans Souci, I guess it's the condos that make it look like a retirement community, but all three are very different even though they contain some of the same elements.
And in Newcastle, I like the idea of a park beside Food Lion. The little monsters can go play in the traffic whilst their parents blow their budget of fruit loops and hot dogs. Also proud to see the transport system is doing so well.

Until next time...
Joan

[Khiyana]

Wow, I love the look of your cities! I Never thought, that such a straight street layout can look so beautiful! 

[tooheys]

Replies

jimmymac: Thanks Stu, will be interested to see how you use them.

thundercrack83: Dustin, didn't you know, I have ESP  Thank's for the comments.

Russell: Well life isn't always bliss in Balnavia, nasty things do happen now and again. Appreciate the comments.

Jmouse: Hi Joan, maybe I could put a park in the middle of the road. Appreciate the comments as always.

Khiyana: Thanks Khiyana, welcome to Balnavia.

Newcastle




Newcastle Regional Airport (does anybody know where I can find a control tower? And don't say at an airport))







Two nearby hotels for use by overnight visitors and tired flight crews.

Note the plain looking roundabout. Debate is ongoing as to how to beautify the centre,
although the mayor will probably win out with another statue of himself. In the meantime,
maintenance crews believe the need to continually mow the grass a dangerous pastime.
Not for the man on the mower but for the other six workers leaning on their shovels
watching him go round and round and round. It's enough to make anyone dizzy.



The growing industrial area and small freightyard.





And finally, the University of Balnavia, it's surrounding sports fields and theatre. The uni has a strong
drama department and is well known for it's live plays such as Tinky Winky Comes Out.

Until next time

Cheers

Dave

[bat]

Great pictures of the airport! Also wonderful industrial area!

btw, my 1950th post!

[Jmouse]

I agree. Very impressive airport and a nice-looking industrial area, but with a bit more I-D than I'd have expected at this stage of development. The EQ levels provided by a university should be attracting a lot more I-HT jobs.
Anyway, the photos and update are great as always. Could we see a zoomed-out shot next time and get a head count?

Until next time...
Joan

[tooheys]

Replies

bat: Almost there Bat, less than 50 posts to go. Who will get the lucky 2000? Appreciate the comments, hopefully I'll
still be around when you hit 3000.


Jmouse: Hi Joan, your request for more stats will be met with the next update . As for the I-D, you have to remember that the demand is regional, so while the inhabitants of Newcastle should all be members of Mensa, the rest of the region is not, so you will always find a demand for I-D. Having said that, Newcastle has a high density residential area and will eventually set the tune for the region. But again, with high density, if you have a number of towers appear at once, you have 10k uneducated sims which immediately have an impact on demand. So until the city is fully developed to maximum potential, EQ levels will continue to fluctuate. Hope that makes some sense.


Balnavia

At the moment Newcastle is giving me a world of heartache, and given my method of play I will need to develop a few more surrounding tiles to really make Newcastle's high density commercial area to take off. I have been playing around with the surrounding region and decided to leave behind to some extent the comfort of the flat coastal plains and move into a more hilly or mountainous terrain. Given that I have never really played on terrain of this type, the outcome should be interesting, and sure to create more heartache  Lucky for you all, we will travel this journey together

Here is a shot of the the region, showing the new hilly areas which will appear gradually over the following updates.



Will be looking to provide an update on Newcastle in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, as always

Cheers

Dave

[thundercrack83]

Hey, Dave!

I know what you mean about trying to get the tiles surrounding a city to cooperate so you can build another one up, it can be quite tedious. But I'll be looking forward to seeing how Newcastle turns out! I think, from the region view, I can see the Sears Tower...

Take care,

Dustin

[Pat]

LoL dave you are the crafty one you are LoL... you know that sounds so familiar to me but i cant place it at this time cause ive been busy these last few days with the fire department duty thingie's...  Oh you will see Bat hit 3k guarentee it LoL...  As allways wonderfull work here dave keep up the hard work = pat

[Jmouse]

Oh boy, sounds like things are heating up! I'm pleased to see you incorporate some hilly terrain because it can be so very scenic and inviting. There are a lot of slope-friendly elements available including mountain cabins, houses and Pine Trails (I think that's what they're called).
Of course, the EQ thing makes perfect sense. And as far as HD commercial, I don't think I've ever made it that far with a city, so it will be interesting to see how you deal with the issue.

Until next time...
Joan

[pipishere]

Great update! Newcastle looks as though it will be interesting!

[tooheys]

Replies

thundercrack83: You got the tower right Dustin , sort of stands out doesn't it. Had had a bit of demand spike for some
unexplained reason, and the city has temporarily taken off again.

patfirefghtr: Thanks for the comments Pat. Cheers, from the resident "Looney Tune" 

Jmouse: Hi Joan, well I though I'd better shake things up a bit to keep my regulars interested (and
myself). Hope you like this overview of Newcastle.

pipishere: Thanks pipishere, good to see you back.

Newcastle

Newcastle's population has grown to 168k made up of R$ 67k R$$ 83k R$$$ 18k







Well the traffic network is standing up OK but I need to relieve a few bottlenecks. Time to get the
subway working effectively and we will see how this works next visit.



Still a bit of room left for the industry to expand.





The CBD is still very much a work in progress, but these pic's show the growth achieved since
our initial visit. And finally...



...... an ingame quirk I came across. I bulldozed a building and was left with this. All attempts to bulldoze, burn, dezone
raise or lower land level, exit and restart have had no effect. And I'm not going to destroy Newcastle and start again.
So, will just incorporate into the city. Makes a change from statues and fountains.

Next update, a visit to Kurnell (no it's not "far" away  .)

Until then

cheers

Dave

[Russell]

For me, who is obsessed by cramming so many buildings together as possible, it is inspirational to see someone who is not afraid of open surfaces. Great work, as always,  with quite an interesting quirk at the end - and these quirks are always so annoying.

[Jmouse]

Looks to me like you've made an excellent start on what will be a very nice-looking CBD. Hope you'll keep some of those open areas open.
About those traffic jams, are those roads, one-ways or what? And what do you think caused the congestion? Sometimes I can identify problems with the route-query tool, but at other times, it just boils down to the Sims' irrational driving habits. I've seen them drive several miles to catch a bus when there's a bus stop right next door to them.
And I'm so glad you couldn't get rid of the little structure in the roundabout. It's so delightfully Simish! 

Until next time...
Joan

[thundercrack83]

Newcastle is growing up quite nicely here, Dave! Glad to see it! And your airport looks great, too! As for your little quirk--maybe it can be used as a historical monument, maybe Balnavia's first TV satellite or something! Great work, my friend! Keep it up!

[Pat]

Dave that was great LoL i didnt even think you would catch that about being our local "Looney Tune" LoL
you wanna know what sad is i dont remeber at this moment where i posted that... That btw is a great way
incorprirating  the new statue LoL... see you next update - pat

[pipishere]

Ohh a lovely update! It looks like it will be such an eye pleasing city.....will there be many open spaces such as plazas in the CBD?! 

[bat]

Great pictures of Newcastle, tooheys! Wonderful work! looking forward to the next update!

[tooheys]

Replies

Russell: Hi Russell, believe me, the open spaces won't be left untouched but there will be plenty of parks to provide some
place for the sims to relax.

Jmouse: Thanks Joan. As for the traffic jams, they are mostly normal roads and avenues, although the route that zig zags thru the middle is a rail line. The subway is making a difference and I will give you some more info in a couple of updates.

I know what you mean by the bus stops. If you're not already, make sure you place a bustop on either side of the road as sims don't like to jaywalk  (serious, I believe they will only cross at intersections). It may be quicker to drive to a bus stop some distance away rather to catch a bus heading the opposite direction, even though it will get them to their destination sooner or later. I am only speaking on my own observations here and others may have other ideas.

thundercrack83: mmm, the first reciever for the Thundercrack Telecommunications Satellite, sounds good to me 

patfirefghtr: Pat, I see everything 

pipishere: Pip, there will be a few parks, a large one in particular. You might be able to see the start of it in the little preview below.

bat: Thanks bat. Hows that post count going, I forgot to check before writing this. Pleased that you like the progress to date.

The promised Kurnell update and probably one more will be posted over the weekend. In the meantime a couple of pic's showing a further expansion of Newcastle's CBD and a shot from the new area of Penrith





See you in a couple of days

Cheers

Dave

[threeswept]

Hey, hey, tooheys...what a great place to visit. Besides the storyline, history and the great pics of your cities the comedy is hilarious. My favourite lines: "a couple of 10 yr olds with loud pants" and "tablets of condensed alcohol which produced the common result of brewer's droop". But, of course, there were too many to list, really. Great job, mate!