JBSimio Inc.

[Andreas]

Andreas:  Thanks for covering that.  Actually, I thought if you tried to put timed props into a family, you would end up with a fall elm that would simply disappear and leave you with nothing when winter came around.  Not that it helps this discussion specifically, but I wonder if you can use the RKT4 exemplars to at least get a "two for one" deal when it comes to prop families... 

Well, to be honest, I never tried that, but I always assumed that once the season changed, the game would simply pick one of the available props from the family, so the prop for a seasonal tree would change over the year. I think you are able to use those "semiseasonal" props (as Cycledogg called them) in a prop family, though. They are set up in a way that you only have to place one prop (and thus only using one ID), but the game calls a second model that is specified in the prop exemplar file once it's triggered by the date (or whatever). This would allow you to use summer/winter or summer/fall trees, creating a bit more randomness compared to the standard props. But true seasonal trees look better, of course.

[JBSimio]

Dragonshardz:  Well for that matter, the game already has a university and a bunch of other buildings that you can pretend are part of it, so this whole project could really be considered "unnecessary."    (Don't take that the wrong way... I'm not trying to be a jerk about it... I'm just saying)  But that's not really the point.  The point is to try to provide for as many playing styles as is feasible... and frankly not everyone may want to use Ped Malls (for example).  As I said, you can easily keep what you want and delete what you don't want.  I don't know how the packaging is going to be finished yet, but plenty of people can attest that I am organized almost to the point of being anal about it.  Whatever the final installer does, it will be very simple to find and delete anything you may want to get rid of.

Duane:  All three of these trigger buildings are supposed to have kind of an "Old Main" feel to them.  The original Westlake one probably fails miserably on that part, but these things happen.    I have a couple new ideas that should hopefully re-center the dome.  Right now, the building is aiming towards the same lot size as the Olson building was.  But it's still early... so we'll see!

Pat:  Thank you!  No need to feel like a dork though... unless of course you want to!  Then by all means, do what you do!   

Andreas:  I've never actually tried it either, I just based that guess on the fact the a family calls one single prop at a time.  I'm not sure if it pays attention to the display time or not.  I agree that the full seasonal trees are infinitely better.  The thought just led me to wonder about the RKT4 exemplars and whether that would work in a general kind of way.  (Imagine that... me going off on an unrelated tangent!) 

Just catching up on some replies for now.  I'll have more later today when I'm done feeding the stranded staff members here.

JB

[Diggis]

Well, to be honest, I never tried that, but I always assumed that once the season changed, the game would simply pick one of the available props from the family, so the prop for a seasonal tree would change over the year. I think you are able to use those "semiseasonal" props (as Cycledogg called them) in a prop family, though. They are set up in a way that you only have to place one prop (and thus only using one ID), but the game calls a second model that is specified in the prop exemplar file once it's triggered by the date (or whatever). This would allow you to use summer/winter or summer/fall trees, creating a bit more randomness compared to the standard props. But true seasonal trees look better, of course.

I would have thought that if you used standard seasonal tree in a prop family it would call the one tree, and then only display it for the season and then not display anything as it is still calling that tree.  It wouldn't pick another one, otherwise we could make all seasonal trees a single family, comprising of 4 trees, one for each season.

[dragonshardz]

Good point, BUT the ingame university isn't modular...

Like I said, your project, your choice. Nuthin' I can do about what gets sent out and what doesn't. 

Offset dome...*shudders*

[JBSimio]

Diggis:  That was always my understanding of things as well.

Dragonshardz:  Don't worry... I'm going to change some things so that the dome will fit properly! 

I didn't have a whole lot of free time today, so I doubt there will be an update for the Conger building (CAC) tonight.   I did tinker with a couple different "quad" areas though.  I also got the two latest buildings on their initial lots.  This doesn't look like much yet... but here's a sneak peek.





I basically just wanted to check the textures (I had to make a couple of them)... and the overall sizes.  The first one is a 7x7... the second is 7x9.  I added the buildings so you can see how the paths line up and all that fun stuff.  I could easily shave 2 tiles off each direction, but that would mean no paths going along the sides of the buildings to connect with the quad itself.  I opted for leaving room for other paths.  But maybe the other way is perfectly OK... I don't know.  I'll probably make a couple more variations... and of course there will be a lot of props added and stuff yet.

JB

[oldrogue]

My first impression is I like both sizes....like the paterns that you have created with walks.....will be eye catching to say the least.....for something like this...size don't really matter (!) because when it is implemented by a mayor it will be a "special" project.  Speaking of that...do you realize how many varieations we're going to see in the Pictures Competion .  I find when I am building a specific area with growable I tend to keep the zones fairly small....whereas when I am plopping a project......I tend to throw out my mental rules of size and go for the overall appearence of the the area.....oh well...looks real good anyhow...

Don't  forget to rest between work and batting.

[Pat]

Jon OMG that is looking so wonderful and dont worry i wont feel like a dork... Man talk about mouth watering!!!

[JBSimio]

Duane:  Thanks!  I tend to agree with the size part.  Some of these campuses can be pretty huge sprawling places.

Pat:  Thank you!

I got a little more done on the Conger AC.  I'm kind of veering off from my normal working order for some reason.  In some ways, this may not look like a whole lot, but I've done a lot of the little details that I normally would have saved for later.  Anyway... the dome is back to being centered now. 



I haven't figured out quite what I want to do with the sides yet.  I also changed the posts on the front porch... but I might go back to the greenish painted look after all.  I'm not fully decided on that one yet either.  That's about it for today...

JB

[threestooges]

Sorry I haven't been around too much lately, but finals are in progress now, so that takes some time (law school finals are interesting...in a good way though). The new academic center is looking pretty good. I like the porch in its current design and those two things at the bottom of the stair are a nice addition. The dome should bring this whole building together, but it's looking pretty good now.

[Pat]

Jon you are soo welcomed and that is looking very good...

[Jasoncw]

I think the grass texture that the diagonal roads (and marrast's embankment fillers) use would look better with your BATs then that really green one.

[dragonshardz]

I think so far the modular lots he has shown us are simply test lots

[JBSimio]

Matt:  I'm glad you like it, thanks!  I hope your finals are going and continue to go well!

Pat:  Thanks again!

Jason:  Yes, so you've mentioned.  Like I said, the textures are made to match up with the BSC park sets.  The choices for a full set of reverse overlay textures (to make the paths with) is pretty limited to begin with and this one is IMO the best of those choices.  They pay their grounds keepers very well at this school. 

Dragonshardz:  At this point, yes... they're all just for placement and sizing.  All the finishing still needs to be done.

I put a fairly decent dent into this one today.  I got the sides done... except for porches.  I finished up the gutters... added a few more details here and there... did some other stuff I don't remember doing anymore.  I also started on the dome:



Ignore the textures for now.  To use a page out of Jestarr's book... "They're just for the visual."  In all honesty, I haven't got any idea of what I'm doing for a color scheme up there yet!  Any ideas are more than welcome there.  I still have to come up with a topper for the whole thing... and the overall size strikes me as a touch small right now.  It's a start anyway... 

JB

[dragonshardz]

A flagpole perhaps?

[oldrogue]

Hi Jon,
Looks pretty good....I like the dome, but my first impression was "too small" .... hmm great minds .... flagpole or weather vane?   Oops fone call....atcha later.

[rushman5]

Looks very accurate to a Baltimore-style university house.  Very realistic, ecspecially those squares.  I think that, after you do the main buildings, a few 'modern' styles would fit as well.  Many campuses have brutalist or post-modern styles in buildings like Libraries, Auditoriums, and other buildings built in the '60s and '70s.  Keep up the fantastic work, and don't get too overwhelmed with the university idea-we're gonna be happy with any and everything we can get!

[JBSimio]

Dragonshardz:  I was thinking about that too... I'd definitely need to taper the finale a bit for that, but it could happen.

Duane:  Thanks!  The more I look at it, the more I think it's too small as well... darn!

Rushman5:  Thank you!  I'm not real fond of doing any brutalist styles... but I've been cruising around Google Earth and have tons of cool shapes for the next wave of dorms and more modern class room buildings.

I decided to let the dome sit for a few minutes.  I'm not really looking forward to redoing certain parts of it... and I still haven't come up with a good color scheme for it anyway.  So I'll come back to that tomorrow.  In the meantime, I took the Swan something or other back out for a lighting spin:



There are several issues that I need to fix.  Normally, I wouldn't even post this picture yet... but it took an hour and a half to render this preview and I was bound and determined to use it for something!     First, and most obvious, is that I forgot to move the lights for the base.  Oops!    The back lights are there... they just happen to be buried inside somewhere.  Second... I was trying to make the light spill out of the atrium and onto the roof and deck.  Instead, it looks as if I succeeded in creating a halo around the top... and that's about it.     I guess I'll fix that too.  I still have to relight the front and finish the bare corner of the roof.  That's where things are at for the moment anyway...

JB

[Shiftred]

The courthouse in my home town has a 5 foot long fish as a weather vane on it's dome, built in 1907.

[BigSlark]

Jon,

Next time I'm on campus I'll get a picture of the ugliest brutalist building I've ever seen.

Thankfully its encapped by a pair of Neoclassical early 20th century brick buildings.

Keep up the great work on the next iteration of the Swan Majestic.

Cheers,
Kevin

[GrizzlyBuilder]

You have to wonder what those people where thinking of at the time of Brutalist Architecture.  I for one would much rather have more harmonious neoclassical or neogothic campuses.

The dome looks good and I think that a white marble, or limestone, texture and color scheme would look good, contrasting to the red brick of the current campus.