Greenacre

[bat]

Congrats on 4 years!!
Also nice christmas photo. And Merry Christmas to you.

[dedgren]

A year longer than law school, Matt.  No student loans to pay back, though.

Greenacre is my first planned "start to finish" read for the new year.  I'll be back.


David

[threestooges]

Noah (noahclem): Well, for one thing, in Southern CA, snow is something that comes with a 2 hour drive to find. It's nice to see the palm trees festooned with lights though. What's it look like in your neck of the woods?


Willy (Swordmaster): Thanks for the thoughts Willy. Next time I'm around the Santa Monica area I'll try to remember to snag a picture of some of those lots. Much as we make fun of the original slope of SC4 roads and lot sloping, I think they drew their inspiration from some places around there. There are parking lots that do the rollercoaster thing, and yes, it is a bit of a hassle sometimes.


art128: Thanks art, it's been good to see you around here for the past few years. Glad you enjoyed the picture, and hopefully I'll see you around for the years to come.


Joan (Jmouse): The Christmas pictures have always been a fun thing for me, especially considering that one of them was the first picture of Greenacre. Thanks for being around for the journey.


bat: Thanks bat! I hope your Christmas was a good one and that the new year is treating you well.


David (dedgren): Student loans... yes.... Certainly Greenacre has been more fun than those by a long shot. Always good to see you here David. Hope you enjoyed the trip into the past. Now to start work on the future.


So Greenacre is not dead. Not by a long shot. I've just been in one of those building periods where there's not even enough to compile an update. Usually it's trying something small, deleting it, and trying again later. Perhaps that in itself could make for an update, but it's more of concept testing. If I go over a month without an update again though, I may just do that, if for no other reason than that it would be good to have an extra set of eyes.

So with that here's where the next area of focus will be (shown on an updated region view). For your viewing pleasure, clicking the picture will link you to the full scale one:



For a closer up view of the area, here's my attempt at a cross-border mosaic, crude though it may be. You can tell where the map edge is, but by the time I'm done, it'll blend right in. This one links to a larger one if you click it too.



So yes, still here, still alive, and planning to fill in a rather large open area... with arguably a different kind of large open area.

-Matt

[rooker1]

I knew you were alive, but good to hear GreenAcre is as well.

Robin

[Swordmaster]

Nice cup of Greenacre in the morning, delicious. And with a promise to see large open areas filled with other large open areas in the future, twice as delicious!


I'll take you up on those pictures. Flicking around google street view doesn't get me anything interesting. (Well, in that regard at least.)


Cheers
Willy

[noahclem]

Great to see a bit more from Greenacre Matt! It's nice to see an update on the regional map and I'm very excited to see more of the area in the cross-border mosaic--it's title makes it particularly interesting    And how high are those northern cliffs?! They're huge but not too huge and really look nice from what you can see at this angle.

Looking forward to what's next!

-Noah

[Jmouse]

I like the cliffs, too. It looks like you're using the same rock mod as I am. Now you've aroused my curiosity about the tree-lined shapes. Farm fields maybe?

And I'll chime in with everyone else by saying that it's great to finally see a Greenacre update. I think I've mentioned before that, if you wait until you have the time (or money, etc.) to do something, it will never get done.

I hope to see another update soon – or sooner...
-Joan

[Schulmanator]

I'll be looking forward to seeing your new work.

[threestooges]

Replies:
Robin (rooker1): Greenacre, as long as I'm around, will never die. It may update sporadically, but rest assured, I still enjoy it.


Willy (Swordmaster): It's the best part of waking up... or something like that. I think you'll get a decent idea of what's on the way with this progress update. Haven't found a decent picture of the area I was thinking of, and can't seem to find it on Google either. Perhaps it was smoother than I recall it, or perhaps I just haven't found it yet. I don't get out that way often, but next time I do, I'll give it a look.


Noah (noahclem): You found the secret of the last update Noah, so I think you know what's coming. I accidentally flooded the lower areas when I was putting in a land-bridge this session, so I'll have to check the actual altitude of the slope next time around. I was pleased with the slope I carved out for them. I've done several that were sheer drops over a single tile, but these do seem to have a realistic slope. Always good to see you here.


Joan (Jmouse): If I read my plugins right, the one I have is Ennedi's sandstone1 mod. That could be partially tweaked by other mods I have installed that tweak other parameters of it, but by and large, it should be Ennedi's. The tree-lined shapes were originally intended for farm fields. I was thinking about something more rural and hobby-farm styled than the argi-business stuff that was down in the valley. However, this area is destined for a bit more urbanization and something other than farms. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts.


Schulmanator: Wait no longer. I have a few other projects going too as you know, but enjoy this one here first.


So I was hoping to post with a grand showing of progress, but this project has been proving a bit more nit-picky than I had expected. That being said, here are some progress pictures. Perhaps you'll have an idea of what's being planned now.

So I picked this up from the local planning commission regarding development in the area. Green seems to be proposed residential, yellow for proposed industrial. The grey is a parking facility and the brown... well, that's a private venture.

49.01


This is the area as it existed before:

49.02


There's a road that was extended into, and across, the creek.

49.03


True to the plans, the grey was indeed slated for a parking facility, complete with a few shuttle stops, presumably for what's up the road.

49.04


This picture here came from across the creek. It's still highly in development, but perhaps it'll give you an idea of what's coming.

49.05


That being said, and shown, I'm looking for good suggestions for convincing natural barriers (like rock walls) and would welcome any suggestions for ways to create walls that don't look quite like walls.
-Matt

[Jmouse]

Brown...mmm...let's see. Oh, I know. You're going to re-create Area 51. This does look like an interesting plan, and I'll be watching to see how it turns out. I'm not sure about putting a parking lot next to the creek, though. Such property usually fetches a premium price, and it seems like a waste of resources. But I've seen you pull a rabbit out of the hat before, so I'll just wait and see.

Of course, 49.05 is a favorite, even though it's still under development. I'm not sure why you're searching for walls that don't look like wlls, but try these: here

Interesting start on an area that looks like it's going to contain some interesting elements...
-Joan

[rooker1]

Very nice work so far.  I think I have figured out what you are up to. 
I do like Joan's suggestion on a wall that doesn't really look like a wall.  Although I think on the outer perimeter I would put a double fence lined with a thick row of trees on the inside and outside.  Just my thought though. 
Good luck with the project and I can't wait to see the next update.

Robin

[Schulmanator]

Lions? Hmmmmm, perhaps a safari park?

[Swordmaster]

Okay, forget about it, I'm not visiting. Bears on the parking lot? Lions too? I don't mind some wildlife but this is getting dangerous. I hear bears will try to enter cars if they set their mind to it. On the other hand, haven't heard of any trying to climb on a train so maybe I'm safer than I think. Let's see what happens.

Joan, I think those premium creekside prices are tempered a bit by the railroad track. Especially freight produces quite some noise at night.


Cheers
Willy

[Jmouse]

Congratulations my friend. Your work in Greenacre is an excellent example of dedication to the art and craft of MDing.

[Swordmaster]

Ha! Five times? You must be on to something    Congrats Matt, 't will be a great month.


Cheers
Willy

[rambuckel]

Five times OSITM ... WOW!      That's probably the best proof for a persistent character

I have to admit that I've never read the whole MD from the start although I'm sure it's worth it! With all your experiments and explanations I actually should read it ...  Well we'll see ... I might do it sometime.

I'm looking forward to a great month!

[rooker1]

That's probably the best proof for a persistent character

That's the Matt I know...

Congrats my good friend, a very well deserved move indeed.  This MD is one of my favourites and from time to time I come for a visit several times to take in your latest updates while sipping on a hot coffee early in the morning.  Now I can look forward to a month with at least more than one update.   This is sure to be a great month and I can't wait.

Robin

[metarvo]

Congratulations on OSITM, Matt.  Five times is quite an achievement.  I look forward to seeing the reward that the rest of us will get in the form of great Greenacre updates. 

[art128]

Welcome to the five time awarded club, Matt! 

[MTT9]

Congratulations! This is a huge achievement

Can't believe i've never read the whole MD