JBSimio Inc.

[figui]

I apologize for missing your response earlier...

there's no problem about that

And I'm glad you like the roof... it was kind of a new thing for me.

and it's getting better with those chimneys..



i like how's getting the back, and the steps on the entrance fit very well imo.

[threestooges]

I like the back. Good detail for the service area. I have two questions though: what era is the building supposed to be from, and how many tiles will it sit on (both building and lot)? The reason I ask is that it seems a bit thin. The garages seem like they would occupy 1/2 the length of the building perhaps interfering with the grander areas that the arched windows are (theoretically) showcasing inside the building. Also, if I may offer additional signage input, I can see it being placed over the doorway, in a somewhat similar way to the Waldorf-Astoria in New York: just the letters themselves (just placed right on the bulding) though that seems tricky to pull off (knowing what I've done with the BAT). Or perhaps a small(ish) brass plate to one side of the entryway. My, but seem to get wordy with these posts, hope you don't mind. Take it easy and I'll be looking forward to the next update.

[Shadow Assassin]

Looks good. The Swan Majestic looks good... would've thought Majestic Swan would've worked, because you could've had Majestic Seagull, Majestic Kiwi, etc

Just wondering: is there any chance of a Civic set to go along with your schools?

(such as hospitals, police stations and fire stations...)

Just a suggestion.

As for your grain elevator, there are some excellent free fonts on the Internet that maybe you could use. Try the Scripts section here: http://www.dafont.com/

[Strechnitz]

Oh wow,

This really looks good! The Majestic really looks swell. I like the swans. that is such a nice deco feature. I like the entrance you have made for the hotel as well as the roof

I am not being a very harsch critic now am I? the truth is that I simply love every detail on the building. I do have one suggestion however. the parts with oficewindows look quite bare and a bit out of place in the front facade of a hotel. you use expensive floorspace for offices which are usualy on the side or the back of the building. The front desk needs little extra officespace. May I suggest that you convert for instance 2 out of three parts of expensive floorspace with office windows into profitable reatailspace? for luxury boutiques and or perhaps a barbershop, all with direct street access. what do you think of that? you could give the boutiques the same height in glass accept not with rounded tops but with square ones. perhaps a nice variation. well that's my suggestion

I agree on the steps for the front entrance. they do fit the building/period perfectly. I'm not sure on a canopy, but it might look good. I look forward to the textures you are going to use on this one.

I myself am already constructing the park on which the Swan Majestic in Strechnitz will offer her views


oooh a chain of hotels. that would be nice may I suggest a corner variety called the Swan Apostolic? that would be ideal for my holy city of Simeonopole

Strech.

[JBSimio]

Bluebeard:  It is a nice view, isn't it?  I only have to turn my head to see it... so I don't miss too much.

Fibui:  Thank you!

Matt:  What era?  Normally I have an answer for that question, but not so much this time.  Maybe late 30's to early 40's... ish?  Old enough that the details still mattered, but recent enough for some "newer" practices to exsist.  (I'm honestly just winging this one)  As for size... the footprint is currently 80x27 (exactly believe it or not) which is just a hair over 5 tiles wide and not quite 2 deep.  The finished lot will be 6x3 or 4 I'm guessing.  I was thinking about the base last night (no wonder I'm so tired today) and I may change it somewhat... I don't want to say much yet, but I'll try some things when I get home and show a comparrison tonight.  That may or may not change a couple things.  The lettering sounds like a decent option... the brass plate is the direction in which I was leaning already... so we shall see.  Thank you again!  (And don't worry about wordy... look at me after all!) 

SA:  Majestic Seagull?    I'm glad you like it!  For other civic buildings, I have a couple ideas kicking around, but nothing that would make a full set the way the schools were.  I have a Smalltown police station... maybe a rail depot... possibly a couple SHUR stations of various types.  They're all just ideas right now though.  I'll check out the fonts.  Thanks for the link!

Strech:  Thank you!  I'm still toying with the front.  I may try your alternate large window idea though... thanks for that.  I want to keep the symmetry broken, and I'm afraid of reintroducing it by mistake.  I'm honored that you are already making a site for this!  Plan for 6x4... I think that will be pretty close to the finished version.  Again with the chain, huh?  *sighs and wonders what I got myself into... again*

Thanks for all the feedback as always.  I'm going to go pretend to work for a while
JB

[zero7]

Very nice work on the back of the hotel.  As far as the front is concerned, I'm undecided.  In my nearest city, Leeds, there's a hotel called The Queen's Hotel which is from a similar era to yours and fronts straight onto the street (it also has a covered side entrance for cars to pull up to) and has a fairly plain facade, but then those arches look like a very good location for the hotel to have a restaurant or cafe-bar that opens onto the street.  So either would be appropriate for the building and would work equally well in-game.

You could always toss a coin!   

[nofunk]

 

[JBSimio]

Zero:  Thank you!  While I do consider the arched windows to be a restaraunt for the hotel, I'm not sure if I want to open it to the street.  I don't have a real good reason for that, but it just doesn't feel right to me.  The covered entrance idea may still come into play... time will tell.

Nofunk:  It really is a nice sunset, huh?   Or did you mean the other pictures? 

OK... couple things to show tonight.  First is a very small update on the front.  I tried the idea Strech mentioned... I think it will stick in some form, although the details aren't necessarily final yet.  The windows are still open to suggestion or change, but I like the overall look.



That's all for that so far... I still have to finish up the details and trim things out more.  On to the back...

I changed the overall size of the base.  My first thought was to add one column's width to the front and back...  but I hated the way that looked.  So I doubled up on the back alone instead, which I'm pretty happy with.  I don't want to change the overall width at all unless I absolutely have to.  Here's a look:



The extra space in back does a couple things (in my admittedly over-active mind)  First off, it makes it look as if the building were modified at some point in its life.  Say it changed hands or got saved and the base was redone at that time.  That allows for any style differences and also justifies the underground parking structure (which also now has enough room to be semi realistic).  Second, it gives me some more space to play with because this just isn't complex enough yet!    I'm thinking maybe a patio and pool area up there... which every hotel should have, but where do you put it in a tight urban setting?  Anyway... the change definitely puts us in the 6x4 category now.

Critique and suggest away my friends!
JB

[threestooges]

Well that looks great. I like the new design for the windows, the larger square ones look good. The pool wouldn't be a bad idea. From the texture you've shown I was thinking a fair bit of roof junk would be present (though, since there is a subterranian structure all of that kind of stuff can be kept down there and just have a few vents sticking out) but now I can see a good pool/patio parhaps a restaruant/bar if the weather of the area permitted it. This'll be a great addition when it's done, and it's amazing to see how it's developed from what it started as.

-edit- allow me, on the basis of your post just below, to see if I may give you some comparative thoughts. I liked the original base as it made the building feel as one whole unit (perhaps because that's the way I've seen it from the start) and the new base makes the structure seem a wee bit off balance. Unless there is a plan in the works to use the whole area (for a pool etc), I would suggest that you take in the overhang by about half of its current length.

[Sim Shady]

  i kinda liked the old base better 

o well, idk what the roof of your extension should look like, gl

[JBSimio]

Sorry... I should have mentioned that both bases still exist right now, so by all means feel free to cast your vote for the original or newer size.  I resaved this newer version separately so I can easily go back if need be.  I meant that post to be more of a compare and choose type of thing, but failed (quite miserably) to say that part...

I blame my father for my forgetfulness when I speak.  He, in turn, blames the same habit on his mother... who became very forgetful towards the end.  It's kind of a running joke between the both of us now.   I'm only telling you this because I know he'll read it at some point and probably laugh.  Then I'll call later in the week and get yelled at for it... which is just part of the fun.   

I'll shut up now... but seriously, if you have a preference, please let me know.
JB

[Jasoncw]

I like the more narrow base better.  Also, the building looks like it was built in the 20s, and during that time underground parking garages were not uncommon.  I'm also trying to see how the massing of the building would fit into an urban environment, and I can't really see it.  But to be honest, I don't think there should be an alley side, I think it should take up the entire block.  You'd still have some utility stuff (not as much as there is now), but it would be more finished.

[Pat]

Jon why dont you do both of them and have 2 releases???

[Andreas]

Jon why dont you do both of them and have 2 releases???

I knew that someone would suggest that. Although it looks nice, the parking garage entrance probably wouldn't work for the small base, as it would take up a large space in the area where a restaurant or similar might be located. On the other hand, it looks great on the large base, and quite a few hotels have a larger base to accommodate all the stuff that usually is located in the ground floor (lobby, offices, restaurant, kitchen, bar, rooms for the staff). For a building with a "historic" touch in a downtown setting, the smaller base works better, though.

[M4346]

Great work JB! I especially like the revised and updated version as it looks a lot more realistic! Great job here!   

[figui]

i'd go with pat's suggestion

personally, i prefer the thin one, as it looks more "historic", as andreas said.

[JBSimio]

Matt:  Thank you!  I'm glad the newer windows worked out.  I agree with the off balance observation... in a lot of ways I still like the original base better overall myself.

Sim Shady:  Thank you for you input!

JBSimio:  You have a real tendency to ramble on about nothing, you know that?  

Jason:  They had underground parking in the 20's already?  Such a progressive era!  Thanks for the suggestions!

Pat:  Yep... I saw that one coming

Andreas:  It really was just a matter of time, wasn't it?    Thanks for the thoughts!

M:  Thank you!

Figui:  Thanks for your opinion.  I tend to agree... 

Chances are good that I will end up keeping both versions.  A few very minor changes, and the smaller base could fit on a 5 tile wide lot... it would actually be a W2W building that way!  (Not that I'd expect anyone to use it that way, but who knows?)  I'll just keep tinkering in the meantime.

JB

[baconrocky]

Hmmm...if you are adding a pool or whatnot, Are you thinking it being outdoors or in a class atrium-kinda-thing?

[nofunk]

I think you might be looking at two releases here, JB! Personally, I prefer the narrow base, which will really add to that old urban feel, and I agree with Jason that it would look great filling out an entire block. At the same time, I think the extended base looks good and makes sense as well. If you released both, I would end up using both.

In any event, I can't wait to see more!

[Zaphod]

I just realized how much this looks like a tower in houston, which is grimly enough a gigantic nursing home....

anyways great job, can't wait for it to be out