Spa's Atlantic Retreat

[Jack_wilds]

Hey Spa,

I also like the second yellow...  perhaps a bit 'brighter' like daffodil yellow or canary yellow... 

I also had some issues with yellows and with "blues-hues" makes for tricky mixing...    if proves too frustrating -then deep six the thought...

Its just that I saw some spring yellow peeking through when I asked about it as well as it being a staple Victorian color...

Spring has sprung here...   how about, perhaps some of shade of green with all the green popping up of late...

Jack 

[simdad1957]

Greetings SPA, long time no communicate! 

Just a quick comment re: your Halifax boxes.........

I appreciate your problem with the side fences between the properties because of the inconsistent depths of the houses and their appendages (decks etc.) but personally, I am not a big fan of the idea of large communal backyards. Have you looked into the possibility of having a standard length side fence that would extend most (but not all) of the way to the back end of the house?

I realize that in some cases, there would be a gap between the back of the house and the adjacent fence but I don't think that effect would be as disturbing as seeing that single large communal back lot. These small gaps also might not be very noticeable on lesser magnifications.

Just a thought..........have a good Easter. Looking forward to this release. See you back on SSP.

[spa]

Myself: Indeed! I can't believe we're now 1/3 into April. I'm going on vacation at the end of this week too so I don't know if I'll be able to meet my earlier plan of an April finish. It could be close though. I did start the 7th building of the lot this past week. I'll try to keep picking at it over the next little while.
Thingfishes: I think you're right, it was just a matter of tweaking the yellow a little bit more. I altered it to be a little brighter, but the main thing I have done with the new version (see below) is I adjusted the roof texture for the yellow version to be more brown.
Kwakelaar: Thanks. Batting time comes and goes. I'm hoping to have this set of residentials finished soon. I move a lot more slowly now that I have a full-time job.
Cubby: Thanks. I went and tweaked some more colours on the yellow version, but I'm with you, the red and dark blue are my favourites.
Jack: The yellow has been tweaked to be a bit brighter now (see below). The main thing I did though was alter the roof texture to a stronger brown colour. I like where it sits now. I'm drawing the line though at the 4 versions I have. I want to get on with my next project!
Simdad: Ahh no worries. I have seen you commenting now and then in the Halifax stadium thread so I knew you were still around I'm not as good at updating in here as I use to be. Getting a career and trying to build some fitness time into the weekdays really eats into the hobby time! I took your comment to heart though. Check out my post below and tell me if you like the partially fenced version of the lots.


So first off I finalized the yellow version of Victoria Hall. I tweaked the yellow just a little bit more, even if it's not that noticeable , and altered the roof shingles to brown. I think it now pasts muster. I'll include it with the other three to give Victoria Hall 4 colour variations. Check it out below.



I also have some news regarding the Halifax Boxes. Simdad indicated he wasn't a fan of the communal backyards so I revisted the lots to see what could be done. I tried fencing in each house's yard earlier, but because all the Boxes have different widths, using fence props created some visual screw ups where the fence and house overlap. Check it out below.



I don't think completely fencing the yard looks very good, so I went back and tried fencing them to the farthest point of all the houses. Basically I ran the fences in only as far as the Box with the greatest width so the fencing didn't end up inside any of the houses. The cost of taking this approach is, however, that there will be gaps between the end of the fence and the house.




Not perfect, but not bad. I think the fully fenced version, because of Sim City's limitations, are duds. I may include the partial fenced lots as an option for people. Of course there is always the communal backyard approach which was my first instinct when I encountered the issue.



Any preferences?

My other bit of news in relation to the Halifax Boxes is since I found them so darn cute and fun to make, I decided to go buy one! It's my wife's and my first house. We weren't expecting to be in the real estate market, but a house became available in a neighbourhood over on the Dartmouth side that we really like and we just couldn't resist. The house is beautiful. It is 137 years old and has all the old Victorian features (floors, doors, mouldings and banister) and they are in great condition. It has a working fireplace, clawfoot tub, 3 bedrooms, two decks, a patio and traditional Halifax storm porch. The lot is also really big for a city lot and the house is well situated on it, so we could even add onto it in future if we run out of space and don't want to move. The place is also well located so that we can easily walk to the ferry terminal to get to Halifax (we both work on the waterfront and there is no rush hour on the ferry). It's also only a short distance to a park and lake you can swim in. We're very pleased. It's basically everything we wanted in a house Now we just have to meet all the conditions (financing etc).

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?propertyId=9334596

[cubby420]

Spa...first and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS! The house looks awesome and indeed the choice of design is hilarious given your work here. Looks like the lot is roomy too...very fun! Good luck through the process and the move. 

But your real house (specifically its foundation) got me thinking. How do the Halifax boxes handle slopes? I imagine they could look very good on moderate slopes if designed for it.

EDIT: Oh and I undoubtedly fall on the side of communal backyards. No fences fits the character of these style houses. Middle class families own these houses I'm guessing, but mostly working middle class and not necessarily upwardly mobile. So, families stay in the area for a long time and a small town atmosphere promotes open interaction in the community. Hence, not a lot of fences. There...I made my case for no fences. Whatever makes you happy though spa.

[thingfishs]

Congrats on the house, I look forward to a highly accurate BAT of it. 

As for the fences, that's a hard one.... I don't really like any of the options, but my least favourite is the fences with gaps - I'd sooner have the long fences than that.

[simdad1957]

Congratulations on the house SPA, it looks like it would be a winner. That's a nice area of town.........You wouldn't need a car for anything, except for trips to Micmac Mall, Dartmouth Crossing or Sobeys/Superstore. Being close to Lake Banook is a plus. I must admit though, I'm not sure where the nearest school would be.

re: the Halifax boxes, seeing this image



makes me agree with thingfishs; the full fencing is not a bad option. I really don't notice it impinging on the back of the houses at all. It's a better option than the half fencing.

Also:
- Are you planning any 1x1 versions of the boxes or just 1x2's.
- What building style are you planning to place these in (European, Houston etc.).
- To create neighbourhoods, are you planning any lots that are 5-6 tiles wide? This might be useful to differentiate from other housing sets already available on the LEX.

Great work 

[Jack_wilds]

Hello SPA,

I like the 'new & improved yellow' with the brown roofing much better  as the it makes the yellow pop more and -yes, I could tell a difference in the yellow -even if it was minor tweaking... a note -its more noticeable on the ST-SPA place -go figure

Concerning the back yards; to fence or not to fence...   

I suggest a possible game plan...

Set one: community yards
set two: out of the first set some would be pulled for fencing (part)
set three: would take a few of set 2 or the balance from set 1 not used in 2 to fenced (whole)

The strategy being all the lots are plain to begin with (Basic set) and the player gets to decide how to mix and match (add-ons) 

so there it is... whatever gets your fancy for game plans 

You guys sure 'lucked-out' on a good find with awesome locale and space with green to boot and all the charm as well... I think I might be 'jealous'... best of love and peace keep you and your household as new life breathes in an 'ole Halifax box'

Jack

[wes.janson]

Congrats on the new house. I love anything with that Victorian touch. That price isn't too shabby either. You can't even buy a 600sq/ft condo in Vancouver for that much.

[spa]

Cubby: Yeah my wife had a good laugh at it since she knows I was making a whole buch of these houses for the game. She also found it amusing when I was walking around San Francisco with her and pointed out a few buildings that were in Sim City. Unfortunately, the in game Halifax Boxes don't handle slopes well at all. It's one of SC4s limitations. I could do custom foundations, but they would never match since the house that appears on the lot is random. It's just one of those things that you can't do much about. After tinkering around last night, I will be including a fenced and an open yard version of the Halifax Boxes.
Thingsfish: Thanks. I was actually planning on eventually doing an addon to the Halifax Box set with some that have Halifax storm porches (enclosed porch perpendicular to the street). My new house would fit perfectly in that addon The fences with gaps are dead. I have found a solution. See below.
Simdad: Ahh it gets even better. The nearest school is Hawthorne which is one of the two best elementary schools in the city (one of the ones that real estate ads usually boast about if the property is within it). Bicenntenial Junior High and Dartmouth High are also in the neighbourhood and are just up the hill at the corner of Thistle and Victoria Road. About the only thing that isn't great location wise is that the nearest grocery store is a little ways off. Will just have to become a little creative about grocery shopping during my lunch break and when my Mom is in town since she has a car. You'll be pleased to know that if you check out the update below, full fencing is now in. I found a brown fence that works well. There won't be any 1x1 lots since the Boxes are just a little too big with the backyards and to keep the streetscape consistent, even the smaller ones had to be rendered off centre. They just won't fit on a 1x1. I have already made several 3x2 and 4x2 lots and some 2x2s for corners so that you can have that dense city feel (check back a page or two and you'll see them). I divide the tilesets into old and new so these will grow on the Chicago and New York tile sets.
Jack: Thanks! I love my new house and I haven't even moved in yet. I'm glad you like the yellow Victoria Hall. It needed some tweaking but it was worth it. I have some updates on the yards, see below. I'll probably upload with a fenced and a communal yard option. I have already made the lots so might as well so that people can choose what they want to do.
Wes: It's true, the Halifax market is still quite affordable and you don't have to sacrifice location, at least not much. I'm a 10 minute walk and 12 minute ferry ride from Downtown. Not a bad way to get to work! I'm feeling pretty lucky this week

So I have an update on the Halifax Boxes. After all the advice on here, at Devotion and the BSC board, I went back and changed the fences. They're still from Cycledogg's prop pack, but they're the brown version, which seems to blend in much better. Check it out below:



I think we have a winner. The brown fecning is almost the same colour as many of my wooden decks! There is still one thing to resolve. SC4 has its limitations and one of them is shadowing and props. Cycledogg, cleverly, made a work around with several of his props by rendering one side in the shade. I have used his shaded props on my revised lots, but there is still one question, what do I do with the fences on the right side of each lot. I could use the shaded brown fence prop, but then it would look odd at corners like so:



The alternative is to use the unshaded prop, but then when two lots grow next to each other, the unshaded will be somewhat visible from behind the shaded fence on the neighbouring lot like so:



So which graphics limitation would you rather live with? I'm thinking seeing some brighter coloured wood showing through is less distracting then having the really dark fences show up on the corner where there is nothing visibly to shade it. Thoughts?

[threestooges]

It's almost 6 to one half dozen to the other for me. It took me a while to notice the darkened fence at the bottom with the shaded version, but then that could be explained away by just having an off-color stain to the wood there (sort of like someone made some do-it-yourself repairs) or some story like that. I don't really mind the overlapping of the other though either. What does show through is rather minimal. From the point of view of wanting to show off pictures, I think the shaded fences provide for a cleaner shot, but for where there may be multiplle "corners" then the second method. If anything, I'd lean slightly toward the second and have things overlap a bit.
-Matt

[Jack_wilds]

Hello SPA,

I like the brown fencing a whole lot better...  they appear better grounded, less flashy, and blend better with the whole look... as for providing a choice of yardage -seems the best route to go... 

as for the shading issue the second lots appear less an issue... but then some else will say the other -which then means you'll have to decide what to deal with, but either look appears good and shouldn't be that bad an eye sore...    

enjoy the house...

Jack 

[simdad1957]

I agree, the brown fencing looks really good. Don't worry about the shading issue, I don't think anyone will really notice! 

[thingfishs]

yep, the brown fences look so much better. As for the shading issue, my vote is for the shaded version, at least based upon those shots. (although either is more than fine)

[Jack_wilds]

Hey SPA, Jack wilds here...

Suppose between RL and moving you've been quit busy... building up an even bigger anticipated release of your Halifax boxes, the Victorian apartments, and the Victorian Hall...

Just popping to say Hi and see how your doing... if I was closer to Halifax I'd extend a helping hand with the moving... but WI and way Canada east is a journey... trust all is well and no major headaches has made more of the ordeal than normal...

'til  hear from you...    have fun

Jack 

[spa]

Matt: Thanks for the input. I have the Halifax Boxes packed up now. I went with the shaded fences. There will be that little distortion at the corners, but nothings perfect in SC4.
Simdad: Thanks. And Thanks also for getting the ball rolling. These were heading out with communal yards and white picket fences before you spoke up. They work even better now
Thingfishs: Shaded pretty much won out unanimously
Jack: Thanks for the feedback and you've guessed it right of course, real life does eat into my time. These days, by the time I have worked, been to the gym, made dinner and spent some time with the wife, I only have 2 hours left for the computer. I have actually been playing SC4 a fair bit lately for a change so that has meant slow progress. I was way more prolific a batter when I was a student

So I'm finally getting around to updating my thread. I have been picking away at a bat of the Elmwood Apartments, my current Halifax address. Since it has been so long since I have posted, here's the real life picture of the building to refresh everyone's memory:


Beautiful old place isn’t she? The Elmwood sits at the corner of Barrington and South Street overlooking Cornwallis Park. It was built in 1890 and actually started out as the Elmwood Hotel. I even found an old photograph from that era showing how it looked back then.



The grounds were certainly better kept and at some point over the years the porch was rebuilt and the main entrance moved to the Barrington Street side. Other than that though, it’s pretty much the same as it was back in 1890. The Elmwood, along with Victoria Hall and a tenement on South Street are pretty much the only large wooden buildings left in Halifax. Halifax has a lot of old wooden buildings, but most of them are houses. Large multi-unit wooden buildings like the Elmwood have actually become quite rare. The Elmwood may look a little ratty on the outside, but it still has really good bones. Hopefully developers won’t be tempted into knocking it down to get its prime location.

Anyway, enough rambling, this is what I have.



I did take a little liberty with the side chimney. It looked silly ending before the roofline so I extended it all the way up. Not quite like the real thing, but probably closer to how it was back in the day. At this point the modelling is pretty much done. The only thing I have left to add is the junk on the balcony (chairs, some potted plants, a bbq). Obviously textures are still to come as well. Besides the yellow, I’m planning on including a few other colour variations. I’m leaving for Italy for 5 weeks on Saturday so my set of wooden buildings will probably have to wait until August.

[Jack_wilds]

Hey Spa,

Dude, good to hear from ya and that everything is OK-good...

that new project is really interesting; it looks to be a mash of Victorian sensibility and utility with the add-on... and that pre-viz color scheme isn't half bad and smacks of the arts-n-craft movement, it seems to 'conflict' in a neat way withe the 'empire Victorian' (I think that what  that form is)

I get the Victorian development movements mixed up and sometimes structures will mash and mix period design too... and then how it developed in Canada-east coast also differs with the Victorian movement development in the rest of the US with craftsman, prairie, and cottage... residential architectural history boring and interesting... 

At any rate, I am looking forward toward the releases of some of your projects for further study... 

Have fun in Italy... are you guys still going to get the Halifax box of your own? or a change of plan...

Jack 

[spa]

Jack: Yeah I'm pretty fuzzy on the architectural specifics too, but what you say sounds reasonable and this one certainly is a mismash of styles what with the mismatched towers and the mansard roof on the rear addition. I find it interesting that they didn't match the left and right sides. I would have expected them to be symetrical.

Well after 30 days away I'm back from Italy. I'll post some pictures when I get them sorted, but for now suffice it to say we had a good time. Saw Florence, Rome, Venice, the Cinque Terre, Lucca and San Gimignano. While I was away, my house also closed (a Halifax Box of my own) so I'll be moving shortly. A bit of a hectic summer! I did take this weekend though just to relax and shake off the jet lag so I spent some time finalizing the Elmwood Apartments. Below is how it turned out.





Not a whole lot to say about it. I'm generally pleased with how it turned out. Elmwood will grow on a corner and provide housing for R$$. Like with all my corner bats, I'll mirror the whole thing so that there will be a version for both left and right corners. I'll probably also try out a few other colour variations for the sake of variety.

Anyway, with Elmwood nearing the finish I'm finally almost done my batch of residentials.

[threestooges]

Welcome back! Sounds like you had quite a trip. It also looks like you're getting right back into the swing of things. How exactly do you mirror your BATs? Is there an easy trick to it, or is it just a matter of rotating things piece by piece?

Congratulations on closing on your house. Hopefully things will settle down shortly.
-Matt

[TiFlo]

Bumpity bump.

Any news from the Maritimes? I just got back from visiting some family out East. We took the ferry to St John NB on our way back home, and saw the city for the first time ever. Beautiful downtown there, although sadly pretty dead... Anyway, that trip reminded me how much I crave for you to release those box houses. 

Hoping everything is well on your side

TiFlo

[Jack_wilds]

Bumpity bump.

Any news from the Maritimes?... Anyway, that trip reminded me how much I crave for you to release those box houses. 

Hoping everything is well on your side

TiFlo

...here-hear,   

trust that the move is being relatively painless and that you might even have a few pictures to show it off... 

from the sweaty Fox Valley 
Jack