Siilijoki

[Dantes]

My favorite is the last pictures with the footbrige and the awesome high buildings  Great work again 

[Jmouse]

I always enjoy studying your transit network and the various interchanges. There is much to learn here. I do wonder about the interchange in the first photo, though. If that avenue is a main artery, crossing it would be almost impossible unless there are traffic signals. Also, the feeder road closest to the water is awfully close to the mouth of the tunnel which could pose a danger to motorists.

Of course, the last two photos are a lot prettier to look at, and I can certainly understand why the last one is a favorite part of Madison.

Wow! 900 posts...
-Joan

[noahclem]

Welcome to my final 4-in-1 special   


Today's update features the new municipality of Madison in all its gritty, detailed, and diverse beauty. The area surrounds an old core but much of the area consists of very similar block housing. Most people commute to neighboring tiles but employment can be found in local industry (manufacturing and high-tech), stores and offices in the wall-to-wall center, and retail work at "big box" stores near the highway.

The town's dominating feature is the newly christened Wilhelm Highway Ring Road, the 4- to 8-lane highway that winds its way through Madison and around the inner part of the Siilijoki conurbation. The namesake is Gugu3, a long time and loyal contributor to the discussion around here. I plan to extend more naming rights in the near future as there are a number of people here who I am very grateful to and would like to honor.




Government buildings, modern apartments, offices, industry, and older buildings can all be seen in this unique location near the center
33.1 --



Next let's look at the Wilhelm Highway in more detail

33.2 -- Near the center of it's route through Madison



33.3 -- The junction at the north end



33.4 -- The west interchange just after sunrise



33.5 -- Traffic continues after dark



33.6 -- Back near the middle in the evening



33.7 -- Besides the Wilhelm Highway there is a major railway presence in Madison, both passenger and freight



33.8 -- Tracks used to continue on other alignments across town but are now abandoned. In this part of town the cost of removing derelict rail cars wasn't worth the rock bottom land values of the time and the cars and tracks were simply left behind.



33.9 -- There is an old core to the area that retains historic character. The Church of St. Vincent features prominently.



33.10 -- The old city is the night life core of the area too



33.11 -- A mosaic from north to south



33.12 -- From the interchange and big box store across the center and beyond




I hope you enjoyed this update and feel more than free to let me know what you think! It's been a fun week for me here and it's been great to get all you're support. Thank you all once again for everything. Until next time.....

The 6C is such a nice one to work with, and you're proving that again. The last two pictures are real gems, too. I'm wondering what kind of building is next to the ped overpass - not a hotel I hope 'cause everyone's looking inside

That reminds me, by the way, of a building next to the railroad here in Antwerp where folks don't understand they can be watched by people in the trains. If you know what I mean .

Cheers
Willy

Thanks Willy! Indeed, the 6C is a beautiful network and I'm having a lot of fun playing around with it. It doesn't have the flexibility of the "S" networks but it more than makes up for it in aesthetics. That building is a German office so I imagine there's nothing too exciting to peak at   The apartments across the street on the other hand....

Very nice Noah!!!!love the half diamond combined with hybrid parclo!
Great development!!and as always nice to see how you layout your cities before adding buildings and diffferent zones
Very nice ring road!curious about the name
cheers
Gugu3

Thanks a lot! Sorry I forgot to mention the new name, it's fixed now   Glad you liked the preview of the areas--I actually have some older ones I'll show a little later. We do seem to have a similar style of interchanges 

Interchanges are the thing I love most about this game and yours are very graceful indeed! I focus more on the functionality as opposed to the aesthetics so mine tend to lack smooth curves, but seeing yours in action makes me think that maybe looking good might help them too.
Also congrats on the Hall of Fame. Well deserved indeed.

Interchanges really are the best part of SC4, even though I often get distracted by MMPing and other styles of play. I love being able to construct a realistic, functional, and nice-looking junction. I would definitely recommend trying out the smooth curves in your cities. Thanks again for your support and the HoF congrats!

Some fantastic pics! I'm loving the seaside trail! Also, congrats on the OSITM

Thanks and great to see you hear again Ioan!

Very nice pictures Noah! These new ares are interesting, and I like a lot your interchanges which are well made.

Can't wait to see more of Madison near the Soviet monumental building.

Thanks Arthur! Glad you liked it and more on that beautiful new building we talked about today 

My favorite is the last pictures with the footbrige and the awesome high buildings  Great work again 

Thanks a lot Dantes! Nice to see you back here 

I always enjoy studying your transit network and the various interchanges. There is much to learn here. I do wonder about the interchange in the first photo, though. If that avenue is a main artery, crossing it would be almost impossible unless there are traffic signals. Also, the feeder road closest to the water is awfully close to the mouth of the tunnel which could pose a danger to motorists.

Of course, the last two photos are a lot prettier to look at, and I can certainly understand why the last one is a favorite part of Madison.

Wow! 900 posts...
-Joan

Thanks Joan    The first picture does feature a major artery but the intersections do have traffic signals. The just look quite small. I've recently installed Mandelsoft's stoplight mod and it's extremely finicky with tram-in-avenue, mainly because that network just has all kinds of weird properties with T21s. I don't worry about the tunnel mouth being close to the offramp because it is signaled, though I would be much happier to have more noticeable stoplights appear in the game there. Glad you liked the more polished pics and thanks for the congrats on 900--crazy!!

[woodb3kmaster]

There's a little problem with some of your [ img ] tags in this update - it appears that the slashes are missing from the ones after the URLs for 33.1 and 33.4, which is keeping them from showing (as well as hiding 33.2, 33.5 and the text between them). Notwithstanding, this has been another fantastic update from you, Noah. Madison looks terrific and very alive, like every city you've shown us in Siilijoki. Great work!

[Jmouse]

]I fixed them for you, Noah. I hope that was OK.


Yes, thank you very much!! I posted in a hurry but I did "preview" first so I don't know how I missed that.

[threestooges]

Always love the mosaics and transit networks Noah. Is that fractional angle tram-in-road something new? Also, with your last mosaic, at the bottom, it looks like one of the rail spurs into the yard at the very bottom might not have connected properly all the way through.
-Matt

[art128]

The abandoned rail portion is a good idea, Noah.

Loved this update, a good mix between industry, commie and more classical W2W. I like the N-S mosaic.

[vinlabsc3k]

Good updates Noah!! I love the 33.10 picture.
.

[RickD]

I love the night images and the industrial scene. And what a mosaic, wow. Interesting, how you place the freeway and rails along the shoreline. I see that a lot in real cities on google earth.

[Swordmaster]

Oh boy, you never stop, do you? We wouldn't want you to!

Everyone of these pics is a marvel, but as you know I'm always drawn to the rails. Those abandoned cars are very realistic, although judging by the density there it looks like land values should logically have risen above the point of inviting a removal. What would be an even more realistic proposition is that they're owned by a fanatic like me, who wants to restore them and turn them into a museum/monument/whatever.

The little yard in the last picture looks very good, and well integrated in the landscape. Functionality-wise, it isn't perfect, though: a missing connection in the middle, and overall a bit too haphazard location of the engines. I would sort the cars onto one part and the engines on another, as is often the case. Usually, engines are parked near a driver's depot, to give you an idea. If you're going for an abandoned scene, I'd remove the engines altogether - they're quite valuable.

Cheers
Willy

[bat]

Some wonderful updates there! And great last 4-in-1 special!!
Looking forward to more...

[Gugu3]

Excellent update Noah!!!Don't know why but I like that highway so much....
Don't worry for not mentioning the highway name...as I told you it was an honour for me just to know you gave me a naming right!By the way thank you for the fantastic mentioning in this update!
Nice district too...I like how you are able to create different styles of districts fitting them perfectly into the municipality!
Well done with the railyard and of course with the highway interchanges
Gugu3

[Terring7]

AWESOME

[benedict]

Congratulations on another spell on OSITM, and even bigger congratulations on entering the Hall of Fame!

[Jmouse]

The intro photo is just gorgeous, Noah. I think I like Madison at night more than in the daytime. You've done a great job on the highway placement in 33.2, and the mosaic (33.7) is a nice touch of seediness near the RR. Of course, 33.10 is worth staring at for a while. That's a beautiful BAT, and it's well placed.

I really like the mosaic (33.11) because it shows the subtle differences between the living conditions and wealth levels. I hate to see this stunning – and sometimes surprising – week end. Like any artist, you tend to have a fertile imagination, then you have the expertise and patience to re-create your visions in SC4.

Now don't think you can get into the HoF and get lazy about doing updates. Trust me, you don't want to find out how loud this mouse can roar...

-Joan

[rambuckel]

Wow, great pictures again! I love the idea of those left rail cars in between the housing blocks ...

[noahclem]

Thanks so much to everyone that's supported me during my 4-in-1 OSITM week and especially on Siilioki's journey to its greatest honor, the venerable SC4Devotion MD Hall of Fame. Keep your eyes out for interviews on that subject 

I've been wandering around the region lately deciding what to do next and have now settled, for the moment, on Ranua. Ranua is the newest of the area's municipalities, located furthest away (south and a bit west) from Central Siilijoki. It was featured earlier for it's parclo/half diamond interchange. In developing Ranua's center I thought I'd see how far I could take HD and I have a couple teaser shots for today.

I feel like my cities feel most "alive" at zoom 6, though only a very few things besides MMPs and terrain/water/beach/rock mods look good at that zoom. Here there are both buildings and MMPs



Click to enlarge

There's a little problem with some of your [ img ] tags in this update - it appears that the slashes are missing from the ones after the URLs for 33.1 and 33.4, which is keeping them from showing (as well as hiding 33.2, 33.5 and the text between them). Notwithstanding, this has been another fantastic update from you, Noah. Madison looks terrific and very alive, like every city you've shown us in Siilijoki. Great work!

Thanks a lot Zach! Glad you liked the views and thanks for pointing out the problem code. Not sure how I missed it but I'm sure it has to do with staying up late to get a last update in for my 4-in-1.

Always love the mosaics and transit networks Noah. Is that fractional angle tram-in-road something new? Also, with your last mosaic, at the bottom, it looks like one of the rail spurs into the yard at the very bottom might not have connected properly all the way through.
-Matt

Thanks Matt! The FA TiR is just an illusion created by the TiR "S"-curve but that is a fractional angle building next to it. I remember that rail link problem now, guess I forgot to fix it. I'll have to carefully (since it's surrounded by TE lots) go over there with a rail filler piece 

The abandoned rail portion is a good idea, Noah.

Loved this update, a good mix between industry, commie and more classical W2W. I like the N-S mosaic.

Thanks a lot Arthur! My commie blocks are always inspired by your old work and most of the rest of what makes those pics look good are Todd's excellent BATs 

Good updates Noah!! I love the 33.10 picture.
.

Thanks a lot buddy! Speaking of 33.10, did you notice anything interesting about the church's name? 

I love the night images and the industrial scene. And what a mosaic, wow. Interesting, how you place the freeway and rails along the shoreline. I see that a lot in real cities on google earth.

Thanks Raphael! I often avoid putting freeways and rails along the shoreline because it stops sims from being able to use them for recreation or high-value homes and offices--but in real life it is very common, especially where building a freeway through the city would require lots of destruction or where there aren't other flat routes for rails away from the river. Glad you liked the mosaic, industry, and night stuff 

Oh boy, you never stop, do you? We wouldn't want you to!

Everyone of these pics is a marvel, but as you know I'm always drawn to the rails. Those abandoned cars are very realistic, although judging by the density there it looks like land values should logically have risen above the point of inviting a removal. What would be an even more realistic proposition is that they're owned by a fanatic like me, who wants to restore them and turn them into a museum/monument/whatever.

The little yard in the last picture looks very good, and well integrated in the landscape. Functionality-wise, it isn't perfect, though: a missing connection in the middle, and overall a bit too haphazard location of the engines. I would sort the cars onto one part and the engines on another, as is often the case. Usually, engines are parked near a driver's depot, to give you an idea. If you're going for an abandoned scene, I'd remove the engines altogether - they're quite valuable.

Cheers
Willy

Wow, thanks a lot Willy!

"The circumstances of a different time led to the section of track being orphaned and the cars abandoned. As the area's character changed and property values began to justify removal the property's eccentric owner considered his options. In the end he chose to convert the area into a place to preserve Siilijoki's rail heritage by devoting cars to a museum and others to areas for children to play, not even suspecting they were learning a bit as well..."

At some point I'll have to try a real rail depot, with heavy consultation from you, that will accurately reflect real functionality 

Some wonderful updates there! And great last 4-in-1 special!!
Looking forward to more...

Thanks bat! Really glad you liked it 

Excellent update Noah!!!Don't know why but I like that highway so much....
Don't worry for not mentioning the highway name...as I told you it was an honour for me just to know you gave me a naming right!By the way thank you for the fantastic mentioning in this update!
Nice district too...I like how you are able to create different styles of districts fitting them perfectly into the municipality!
Well done with the railyard and of course with the highway interchanges
Gugu3

Thanks Guglielmo! Glad you like your highway. Sometime I'd like to do a feature on it, explaining it's path through the region and showing pictures, videos, and plans. That's something I'm hoping to do for all the region's major highways but the Wilhelm Inner Ring is one of the two main ones I'm working on right now. Glad you liked the rest, it can sometimes be very challenging to make different types of places fit together but it happens in real cities so it must be able to happen in SC4 

AWESOME

Thanks Elias   

Congratulations on another spell on OSITM, and even bigger congratulations on entering the Hall of Fame!

Thank you very much! Both are a real honor!

The intro photo is just gorgeous, Noah. I think I like Madison at night more than in the daytime. You've done a great job on the highway placement in 33.2, and the mosaic (33.7) is a nice touch of seediness near the RR. Of course, 33.10 is worth staring at for a while. That's a beautiful BAT, and it's well placed.

I really like the mosaic (33.11) because it shows the subtle differences between the living conditions and wealth levels. I hate to see this stunning – and sometimes surprising – week end. Like any artist, you tend to have a fertile imagination, then you have the expertise and patience to re-create your visions in SC4.

Now don't think you can get into the HoF and get lazy about doing updates. Trust me, you don't want to find out how loud this mouse can roar...

-Joan

Thanks a lot Joan and I'm really glad you've enjoyed last week and the city of Madison so much! I've had fun blending the different types of neighborhoods and incorporating a little more seediness and low wealth elements than usual. The core isn't perhaps shockingly different than what I've done in other parts of Siilijoki, particularly Igelstadt, but I'm quite happy with the result and am pleased you liked it as well.

And no laziness around here anytime too soon--I'm too scared 

Wow, great pictures again! I love the idea of those left rail cars in between the housing blocks ...

Thanks Theresa! Check Swordmaster's reply for a revised explanation of their current use    Great to hear from you as always 

[art128]

Two damn fine shots, Noah! The first one is splendid. Though, it woudln't have hurt to photoshop add some people on that pedestrian bridge!

[apeguy]

A great choice of HD buildings, all you need now is for someone to make some HD median props. The previous update was excellent, you made very good use of prefab blocks, and I like how the highway winds around the city, and I like the abandoned rail cars between the apartment blocks, a nice touch.


Keep up the good work!

[Gugu3]

Nice HD teaser!looking forward to see Rauma in the next update
cheers
Gugu3 (Guglielmo )