FrankU's Lottery - Space Center update

[FrankU]

Ah, I remember I always thought it did upgrade automatically. That was probably (it's long ago, so I am not sure) my mistake. Is there a warning while playing that the next stage is available? There probably is..... 

[mike3775]

I never recalled the city halls upgrading, only the next one was available. 

I love the tourist trap and new city hall Frank.  If you upload them, bet your behind I will grab them, especially if they replace the bland looking things Maxis put into the game(which I only plop to keep the cities thriving).

Is it possible to give a Dutch equivalent of the stock exchange?  I always think the one Maxis gives is to plain looking considering the importance that the building is supposed to represent.

[WC_EEND]

^^ you mean something like this? http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/11298-vda-amsterdam-weesperplein-24-diamond-exchange/

[mike3775]

^^ you mean something like this? http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/11298-vda-amsterdam-weesperplein-24-diamond-exchange/

Exactly.  See that looks more like a stock exchange.  In fact, alot of Maxis rewards are bland looking, considering they are supposed to be rewards which help a city continue to grow, yet they all look so plain.

[mave94]

I think the building has no nightlights, because none of Haarlemmergold's buildings has nightlights as far as I know. You have made a nice lot and I think nightlights are not needed with this building. I think some spotlights or brighter lights would have been nice, though.
You can find the VVV props in the Dropbox, but I bet you have already noticed that.

[RickD]

Ah, I remember I always thought it did upgrade automatically. That was probably (it's long ago, so I am not sure) my mistake. Is there a warning while playing that the next stage is available? There probably is..... 

I just checked my plugins and can confirm that I use the "CityHall Mod von MrTruesage und Andreas". And yes, I am pretty sure, there is a note in the newsticker when a new city hall becomes available.

[Jack_wilds]

I like the tourist trap and the city hall...   

the city of Little Chute is in the process of building there own tourist trap of a genuine flour-mill windmill direct from 'Holland'... it'll feature its dutch roots and Wisconsin-ness such as our better cheese, as well as city kotch-kies... 

[FrankU]

Update without images

After RickD's reply I decided to do things right and make a three-stages version of the City Hall Lot.
I have no pictures yet, but it's going to be a very special set of lots. They take quite some time though, so they are not yet ready to be shown.
Maybe end of the week?

In the meantime MrMAvE94's VVV signs need to be placed on the Tourist Trap Lot. I will do that this week too. And then you all expect a Landmark Version, a Readme and a dedicated Icon, so please be patient.

[FrankU]

I revised the Tourist Trap as predicted.

My previous model lacked the VVV images and signs. So MrMAvE94 made them for me.

This is the result.


You can see the VVV sign on the facade in this image: just to the right of the right red/white parasol






And a night shot




Dutch treat
As stated before, the market stalls offer you several Dutch treats: products from different regions in the Netherlands.
I could not refrain from telling you what they have in store so, here I go.

Amsterdam Onions
The Amsterdam onion is a small but otherwise regular onion that is pickled in acid with certain spices. Especially saffron is important: it gives the yellow colour.


Bossche Bollen
This is a pastry specialty from Den Bosch. It is essentially a large amount of whipped cream surrounded by a thin layer of pastry, covered with molten chocolate. The diameter is about 12 centimeters.


Clogs
Clogs are made of poplar or willow wood: cheap and easy to handle. Clogs are a practical shoe for farmers: if the rake falls on your foot the foot is not punctuated, the clog keeps you dry on wet or marshy ground and it keeps your feet warm.
The image shows 5 stages of production.


Deventer Cake
The Deventer cake is made according to old municipal laws. This made the cake a reliable product, in contrast with other cakes. Deventer is proud of the cake and in the centre of the town is a picturesque shop where the cake is sold in many varieties.

The famous Dutch singer-songwriter Drs. P made a song on Deventer and its cake. The text is untranslatable, so this is for you readers who understand Dutch.

Onlangs zat ik in een spoortrein te reizen
En de stad Deventer lag in 't verschiet
Om mijn bekendheid daarmee te bewijzen
Schreef ik gezwind een gelegenheidslied

Deventer koek, Deventer koek
Iedere stad zucht wel onder een vloek
Deventer koek, Deventer koek
Voor het onwelkom familiebezoek

Andere plaatsen creëren jenever
Balletje, gloeilampen, kaarsen of kant
Hier evenwel als goedwillende gever
Staat men met Deventer koek in de hand

Deventer koek, Deventer koek
Is weer wat anders dan zuurstang of snoek
Deventer koek, Deventer koek
Past in de zak van geen enkele broek

Deventer koek, dat is een van de dingen
Die mij als jongetje hebben geschokt
Deventer koek zal ik blijven bezingen
Deventer koek, tot de adem mij stokt

Deventer koek, Deventer koek
Staat al sinds eeuwen als eetbaar te boek
Deventer koek, Deventer koek
Gooi hem daarom niet meteen in een hoek...



Edam Cheese
The Edam cheese is a small round cheese, usually covered with red paraffine. It is famous for its traditional Dutch taste.
A cheese may only bear the name Edam when it is produced in the Netherlands.


Fries Suikerbrood
This is a kind of sweet loaf especially made in Friesland. It contains 40% sugar and the taste is also affected by the presence of cinnamon.


Goudse stroopwafel
The syrup waffle is a thin waffle that is split in two halves directly after baking. The two thin parts are glued together with syrup made out of sugar with a caramel like taste. It is invented in Gouda.


Haagse Hopjes
A Haags Hopje is a small candy with caramel and coffee taste. It is probably named after baron Hendrik Hop (1723-1808) who apparently invented the thing by letting a cup of coffee with sugar boil down through the night on his stove. The water disappeared, the sugar became caramel and the coffee taste was kept in it.


Jodenkoek
A Jodenkoek is a large flat cookie of about 10cm diameter. It is a simple kind of pastry produced by Davelaar in Alkmaar since 1883.
It is not clear whether the name has a relation with jews.


Karnemelksepap
This porridge is awful, I presume. I have never eaten it and I like to keep it that way. But it was a treat to the poor people in our history. It is a combination of buttermilk and groats. Before consumption it is sweetened with brown sugar or syrup.


Liquorice
Liquorice is called Drop in Dutch, therefore the letters on the image.
Drop is based on the taste of Arab gum and the juice of the liquorice plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra). This base is used to make an enormous amount of varieties of drop. Sweet drop, salty drop, double salty, weak or solid, dark or light... You won't believe it before you have seen it. Most foreigners dislike it though.


Muisjes
A biscuit with muisjes is served when a new baby is born. We have three colours: white, pink and light blue. The white is mixed with pink when it is a baby girl and with blue if it is a baby boy. The muisjes are produced by giving aniseeds a sugarcovering. You can see the tail of the aniseed come out.
We also have mashed muisjes: it looks like powdered sugar, but of course has this aniseed taste.


Nagelkaas
This is cheese from Friesland. The specialty is the addition of cloves and cumin. The cheese is usually stored quite long before it is sold. Therefore the cheese is firm and has a strong taste. It's for the gourmet.


Oliebollen
These things are baked on new year's eve. They consist of batter, if desired enriched with raisins, and then boiled in oil. You put powdered sugar on them and eat them warm.


Pepernoten
A peppernut does contain pepper nor nuts. Don't ask me where the name came from. It is made from rye-flour with a bit of aniseed. Sinterklaas, the Dutch version of Santa Claus (sounds familiar doesn't it?), scatters them around the room when he enters on December 5th.


Rotterdammertjes
We have many varieties of sausages. This one is invented in Rotterdam. The specialty of the Rotterdam sausage is the addition of cloves.


Speculaas
These cookies are made of flour, brown sugar, butter and special spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, ginger, cardamom and white pepper.
Usually available around Sinterklaas (December 5th).


Twentse Krentenwegge
This country is filled with regional or local raisin bread. Every second town or rural area has its own variety. If you cut the nostalgic or nationalistic crap the cake comes down to: sweet white bread with a lot of raisins, currants and candied peel. This variety originates from Twente, a region in the eastern part of the Netherlands.
It tastes good with butter.


Urker Mannenkoor
Urk was an island in the Zuiderzee. This Zuiderzee was closed by the Afsluitdijk in 1932 and since the Noord-Oost polder Urk is a part of the mainland.
Still the Urker population feels itself different and acts like it is still an island.
The people are very religious and this male choir is famous for its religious songs.
You can by many CD's.
The men wear the traditional fisherman's costume during their performances.


Vanillevla
This looks maybe as bad as the Karnemelksepap on the image, but it actually is very nice. It is a product of milk, made a bit firmer by adding an egg. Some added sugar and vanilla finishes it off. Simple but good!


Weesper Mop
This cookie is made by mixing almond paste with the yellow of eggs and sugar. Divided in small round cookies this is baked for 10 minutes. That's it.


Y-wit
The only real brewery in Amsterdam is the IJ-brouwerij. It makes several special kinds of beer. Everyone who likes beer should try these.
The IJ-wit it a white beer, especially tasteful on warm summer days, because of the addition of a bit of coriander and lemon.
About the IJ: This is considered as one letter, only available in the Dutch language. Sometimes written as Y, which is a letter that every language in Europe has.
IJ is also the name of the large water that lays on the northern edge of the city and that links Amsterdam to the sea.


Zeeuws Spek
The base of this dish is a piece of bacon. Usually this bacon is marinated in a mixture of mustard, oil, onion, garlic and pepper. Then it is grilled.


Well, you get the hang of it?

[peter007]

Yay Haagse Hopjes.
The result looks great. Nothing to add. It's a shame that the brick texture on the mill isn't made correct.

-Ernst

[mike3775]

I can't wait to grab this Frank.  Looks great

[Jack_wilds]

excellent  ... now its just a little too tidy  ...

the dutch treats are just too  much, if I could reach in and grab a few things ['cept the licorice drops, WI has a native 'anise' and its also an acquired taste  ]... ['shopping' while hungry isn't such a good thing]

I hope some of those things wind up in Little Chutes Windmill when its all done

[bat]

Great windmill there and congrats on the OSITM-award!!

[FrankU]

Hi friends,

I finished the Tourist Trap today and uploaded it to the STEX just this minute.
Take a look and tell me what you think.

@ peter007
Yes, the scale of the bricks is bad, but the coloring of it is very good and otherwise the model is great.

@ mike3775
Your wait is over!

@ Jack_wilds
Hi Jack, It's pity I cannot send you some Amsterdam Onions and a bottle of Y-wit by mail. You got to visit this side of the ocean for them. Please be welcome!

@ bat
Thank you!

[Silur]

Thank You ...
From STEX now are here:
"Den Haage and KLM are in my heart from 1993 ..."
Thank You once more 

[noahclem]

Looks great (as it did before  )   I look forward to trying it out when I find a nice spot 

[mike3775]

Awesome Frank, great job 

[Shark7]

FrankU,

Firstly, the Tourist Trap lot is very well done.  Looking forward to more of your work in my cities.   

Now about all this food...you are making me hungry!   

It is amazing to see how foods have spread across the world.  And while the names are different, they are the sames foods.  For instance the Oliebollen, this is something I see quite a bit, though we just call them 'cake donuts'.  Also the Vanillevla is what we call simply a vanilla pudding.  It just shows me that we are all not so different after all.

[FrankU]

Thanks for the nice comments!

At the moment I suffer from a laryngitis, so I could not talk and while my job is mainly talking I couldn't go to work. I was otherwise feeling quite well, so yesterday and today I sat down behind my SC4 computer and produced this:

A Dutch City hall in three stages.

As most of you probably know the original City Hall was meant to upgrade at two certain points. In game this never functioned, but MrTruesage and Andreas made a modd that revived this function. With this modd in mind I decided to rigourously remake the City Hall I showed before.
I have now three stages, althoug the third is not completely OK to my taste.

What are your opinions? Please speak out loud.

Stage 1
The 16th century City Hall with a lush garden and a monument for the founder of the city.




Stage 2
In the 1930's a new office was needed for all the new bureaucratic procedures that had to bring us out of the financial crisis.
The labyrinth was removed and the monument was replaced.




Stage 3
In the 1980's another economic crisis and again the office space became cramped. A second addition was needed.
The city council found themselves a famous architect from a neighbouring city and gave him the opportunity to make is finest work.
The garden was given up and the monument moved to the small plaza in the front.




Please comment!

And another thing: at the moment the stats are the same as the original Maxis City hall, but because this lot is much larger (6x8 tiles) and contains far larger buildings I feel a bit awkward about these stats. Should I edit these and how do I find realistic values? I am not very familiar with this kind of modding. And also I don't know what will happen to the game when I edit these. I am not at the point that I want to make these rewards as additional ones. I'd like them to replace the Maxis ones. One reason is that I want to get rid of the ugly non European rewards and the second reason is that I don't feel like modding these.

Yours truly,
FrankU

[mave94]

I am sorry to hear about your illness.
Those three buildings match well with each other surprisingly. If it is possible, I would ask someone who can edit the stats for the reward.
Nice lot(s) as always!

-Matthijs