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The Greater Terran Region

Started by Haljackey, December 28, 2007, 01:38:46 PM

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Fresh Prince of SC4D

Returning from Call of Duty . Must rebuilt what I destroyed....

deathtopumpkins

The Delmarva Peninsula? Nope. I'm not feeling it. The GTR just wouldn't fit in there IMO. For one thing, it's a little too flat. Doesn't the GTR have some rather hilly areas? Second, those pine trees you love using so much wouldn't grow there in a million years... $%Grinno$%

I'd still stick with the shore of Lake Erie in Ontario or possibly the coast of Argentina.
NAM Team Member | 3RR Collaborater | Virgin Shores

Haljackey

Replies:

io_bg:  Hey, thanks a lot!  I'll consider that location.

nerdly_dood:  lol, thanks!  Well, check the criteria I listed and make a decision based on that.

deathtopumpkins:  Hey, thanks a lot!  I really hope so!  Thanks!

Tarkus:  Hehe, thanks!  Yes, the new functionality of the MIS is really a blessing.

metarvo:  Yep!  Thanks for the comments!

just_a_guy:  Thank you very much!  I hope so too!

LE0:  It can, if it wants :P.
-It could be a snowy climate, or it could be a climate like Vancouver, Seattle or London where the temp remains pretty stable all year long.

Fresh Prince of SC4D:  Thanks!  Where exactly is that?

deathtopumpkins (2):  Yes the GTR gets more rugged as you head away from the waterfront. 




Update time!

This will be my last OSITM update.  Thanks for the great run! 

Aside from the developments I sated were going to be in this update, I have a few more pics of interest as a special treat!  A big thanks for putting the GTR in the spotlight!




Picture Information:

NOTICE:  Please Read!

    Before I post some pictures of my cities, please know that I strive for the best quality of my images possible.  Every picture from here on-in is not photoshopped in any way, and is taken directly from the game to show you exactly what I see in the game.  The only editing done is converting the .PNG file to .JPEG.

***IMPORTANT***    Also, please know that my pictures are COMPRESSED, and are NOT RESIZED! When you resize a picture, a ton of the image's quality is lost, and is shrunk to comply with SC4D's picture size limits (800x600 STRONGLY recommended for MD's).  Compressing the image retains the quality, but looks terrible when squeezed to comply with site limits.

But, I have found a loophole in this problem.  Each compressed picture displayed will be linked to the actual uncompressed, true image.  All you have to do to view the image in its FULL RESOLUTION (1920x1200) is to simply click on the compressed image displayed in this Mayor's Diary (800x500).  The reason that the images are not 800x600 is because I present my pictures in widescreen (16:10 aspect ratio), making the image much more appealing for the human eye's stereoscopic vision.

If you have any questions or comments about how I display my images, feel free to post a reply.




Pictures
Click on the images for full resolution!  (1920x1200)

I am beginning to construct rail lines throughout the city.  Unlike other GTR cities, the emphasis on rails here will be on freight traffic.  Something has to take/bring goods to the port! 


A rail line spurs out as it ends near the port area.
-Note the highway setup too.


The main port side railroad runs parallel to the RHW-6C.  I have constructed proper underpasses while the space is still available.


Here's another underpass near the large Parclo interchange.


I really like what you can do with the raised rail viaducts.  Its too bad raised road networks don't have this ability yet.


The tracks end on the north side of the port.  The main freight station will be constructed here.





Okay, now its time for a few pics from across the GTR!

The main highway in Downtown has just been widened to a multi-RHW-12. 


The widening ends here where the highway swells at a major interchange.
-This was the first main interchange I reconstructed with RHW 2.0.  It was made with the first RHW version!


Traffic is moving on a large multi-highway interchange.


Some big, rich residential buildings are being constructed in a awkward area.





Mosaic

Here's a fun little mosaic I made.  It shows the "Super-avenue" in Downtown's east side.

On-site its a modest 800x1311
But when you click for full resolution, its a massive 2548x2212!








As for the GTR's location, once I get a few more areas, I may open it up to a vote.

I hope you enjoyed this update!

Best,
-Haljackey

rooker1

Very nice run in the OSITM.
You had some very good updates and this last one is no exception.
And thank you for the tip in my MD.  I have made the suggested change.

Robin  :thumbsup:
Call me Robin, please.

JoeST

awesome, gona have to study that mosaic

one request (I think I have asked before) is a rail texture mod... those under-rail's are particularly vulgar looking, especially next to the puzzle pieces and things

Joe
Copperminds and Cuddleswarms

deathtopumpkins

Whoa! RHW-12!  :o That looks very impressive, and I love the smoothness of the transition back to RHW-4, though I think it might be a wee bit abrupt!  :D

And nice rail setup in the port city, I like the yards and underpasses, and that super avenue is an interesting concept too...
NAM Team Member | 3RR Collaborater | Virgin Shores

Fresh Prince of SC4D

#526
It's a little south of the spot you pointed out in delware, that narrow neck of land the jets over Va Beach, between the Chesapeake Bay and Altantic. Anyways nice update I love how your networks are seperated. :satisfied:
Returning from Call of Duty . Must rebuilt what I destroyed....

nerdly_dood

I'd like to see how the rail lines shape up - and you've done a marvelous job of redoing that interchange with RHW v3.0! (I'd actually like to see it with v2.0 and v13b for comparison's sake, if that's not too much trouble)

Quote from: Fresh Prince of SC4D on January 29, 2009, 03:29:34 PM
It's a little south of the spot you pointed out in delware, that narrow neck of land the jets over Va Beach, between the Chesapeake Bay and Altantic. Anyways nice update I love how your networks are seperated. :satisfied:

So it would be in Virginia's Eastern Shore? (or is that part too narrow?)
My days here are numbered. It's been great and I've had a lot of fun, but I've moved on to bigger and better things.
—   EGO  VOBIS  VADELICO   —
Glory be unto the modder and unto the fun and unto the city game!

Tarkus

#528
Lots of transport goodness here--it looks like you've got a good start to your port area there.  And some of those interchanges are great--that Parclo in the 4th pic is a beauty.  Not to mention that 12-lane Multi RHW setup.  The RHW-6C and 6S really work great together in tandem there.

As far as locales go, I'm not really sure where I'd place GTR either.  Dare I say it could be an alternate NYC? 

And congrats on the excellent OSITM run, too! :thumbsup: 

-Alex (Tarkus)

metarvo

It's always sad to see the last OSITM update for any MD, but I'm sure you'll get OSITM again very soon, Hal.  :thumbsup:  This is a great way to close out an exciting month in GTR, and the new interchanges look very good.  One of my favorite pics is multi RHW-12.
Find my power line BAT thread here.
Check out the Noro Cooperative.  What are you waiting for?  It even has electricity.
Want more? Try here.  For even more electrical goodies, look here.
Here are some rural power lines.

bat

Wonderful last update there in your OSITM-time! Great work on the city and all these pictures!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Haljackey

#531
Replies:

rooker1:  Thank you very much!  Glad you enjoyed the updates, and I hope that advice helps you out!

JoeST:  Hehe shouldn't take you long, its one of my smaller ones :P
-I think I have changed my rail texture 3 or 4 times and it still hasn't pleased you.  Do you have one in mind?  I'm all ears!

deathtopumpkins:  Thanks!  Like all things GTR, its a work in progress.  Glad you like that super avenue!

Fresh Prince of SC4D:  Hmm... I'll give it some thought.  Thanks for the comment!

nerdly_dood:  Hey, thanks a lot!  You'll see something like that in this update, but I'll have to do some digging to get the stuff you requested.

Tarkus:  Of course!  Thanks a lot for all your comments!
-Its possible.  However I'd prefer it to be in a place that is not already developed.  Any thoughts?

metarvo:  Hey, thanks a lot!  I hope so too!  Glad you liked it!

bat:  Thank you!  Its always appreciated!




Update time!

I have more of a small update in store for you, as well as some new news regarding the GTR. 

Recently, someone asked me if I do all my planning before I actually build a city.  This includes all transit networks, infrastructure, city services, etc.  The answer is a no, but I will build what's needed at the start and protect areas I will need as the city grows.  This update will show a prime example of that.

I do a fair bit of planning, but in sections. When I start a new city, I will build what's needed and make corridors to protect what will be needed in the future. When I zone a new area, I place most of the infrastructure when I am doing the zoning.




Pictures
Click the images for full resolution! (1920x1200.) See my picture information section on the first update of this page for more info.

Protecting a corridor:


RHW and bullet train line protected.


As volumes increase, these corridors are upgraded.




Widened to 6 lanes thanks to protection.


Widened to 8 lanes and added a GLR line as the city expands.


Anyways I hope that helps.  I don't build everything at once, but plan and build as I go along.




News

Recently, the Simtropolis Trixie award winners were announced, and the award-winning GTR added a pair to its collection!

The GTR has already won:
-City Showcase Spotlight Award (from the SC4 Wiki)
-Best Urban MD (during SC4D's birthday bash)
-OSITM (just last month!)

...And the GTR recently won:
-Best City Journal (possibly the hardest award to win and the category with the most members nominated and most nominations cast)
-Best City Sprawl (in this case, not suburban sprawl :P)

On top of that, I also won the "Slogan of the year" Trixie, which is "Click for full resolution!"
-Tarkus was also nominated for his "Imminent" slogan :P

But that's not it.  The GTR was also the runner-up in:
-Awe Inspiring City
-Best City Planner
-Chaotic City


As well as being nominated for:
-Most Aesthetically Pleasing City
-Best Use of Custom Content in a City Journal
-Best Roadgeek City Journal





Anyways, that's it for now.  If you haven't yet checked out the Trixie Awards, just head to the Simtropolis homepage... you can't miss it!

This is also the GTR's first post in Classics! :)

All the best,
-Haljackey

deathtopumpkins

Very interesting update, Hal! Really interesting to see that corridor go from an RHW-2 to an RHW-8 with light rail over the years... very realistic upgrading.
NAM Team Member | 3RR Collaborater | Virgin Shores

Tarkus

Haljackey, congrats on all the (well-deserved) accolades!  This is an interesting update here--I find myself doing very similar things myself, being someone who believes infrastructure/roads is of the utmost importance.  If only more RL planners did what we do . . .

-Alex (Tarkus)

JoeST

Hal: any mod without the base texture, ;)

nice update :)

Joe
Copperminds and Cuddleswarms

MandelSoft

Congratulations! These awards are well deserved  :thumbsup:  I have looked over at ST and I'd see that the GTR was nominated in various categories. Well done, and also congratulations for being in the Classics Section.  &apls

So lets hope on many updates to come!

Best,
Maarten
Lurk mode: ACTIVE

metarvo

Congratulations on moving to Classics, and on winning a Trixie, Hal.  I just knew you had it in you.  :thumbsup:  It seems like you're getting quite a collection of awards and nominations, and this is representative of the high quality work that you allow us to see each time you update GTR.  For example, you have planned your networks wisely by leaving space for expansion.  At least the businesses surrounding the corridor don't have to worry about losing their land or relocating.
Find my power line BAT thread here.
Check out the Noro Cooperative.  What are you waiting for?  It even has electricity.
Want more? Try here.  For even more electrical goodies, look here.
Here are some rural power lines.

Haljackey

Replies:

deathtopumpkins:  Thanks a lot!  That's proper planning for ya!  :P

Tarkus:  Thank you very much!  I know you do ;).
-Well, at least in this area, RL planners take it into consideration most of the time.

JoeST:  All right, all right!  That's what I had at the start of this MD!  :P
-I swear it!  Go take a look at page 1!
-You have a link where I can find that mod?  I'm having trouble locating it.  Thanks in advance!

mrtnrln:  Hey thanks a lot!  Indeed it was!

metarvo:  Thank you!  Its a pleasure to finally be among SC4D's classics, and I was shocked about the Trixie stuff too to tell you the truth.  Thanks for the kind words.




Update time!

This will be my first (full) update in the Classics section.  Its an honour to be here among some of SC4D's best MDs. 

The update will mainly consist of more developments in "The Landing", as preparations are underway to not only expand the GTR, but build a port as well.




Picture Information:

NOTICE:  Please Read!

    Before I post some pictures of my cities, please know that I strive for the best quality of my images possible.  Every picture from here on-in is not photoshopped in any way, and is taken directly from the game to show you exactly what I see in the game.  The only editing done is converting the .PNG file to .JPEG.

***IMPORTANT***    Also, please know that my pictures are COMPRESSED, and are NOT RESIZED! When you resize a picture, a ton of the image's quality is lost, and is shrunk to comply with SC4D's picture size limits (800x600 STRONGLY recommended for MD's).  Compressing the image retains the quality, but looks terrible when squeezed to comply with site limits.

But, I have found a loophole in this problem.  Each compressed picture displayed will be linked to the actual uncompressed, true image.  All you have to do to view the image in its FULL RESOLUTION (1920x1200) is to simply click on the compressed image displayed in this Mayor's Diary (800x500).  The reason that the images are not 800x600 is because I present my pictures in widescreen (16:10 aspect ratio), making the image much more appealing for the human eye's stereoscopic vision.

If you have any questions or comments about how I display my images, feel free to post a reply.




Pictures
Click on the images for full resolution!  (1920x1200)

Here we see more work being done on the rail lines.  This web of junctions is still being worked on before it opens.


The first interchange along the east/west elevated highway has been completed.


A closeup of the interchange, with signs added.


Further inland, a bullet train line has been built.  It will provide a quick connection with Terran Settlement, the city to the south.


Heavy signage has been used at the new partial-y highway interchange to notify motorists of the split and advanced information about merging.


More signage along the RHW-4 to RHW-6C transition.


On the RHW-6C itself, large blue signs are used to direct shipping traffic.  This is the main interchange that leads to the port.


In this photo you can see how intricate the networks are.  From sunken to elevated, highway to rail, the portside connection has it all.


More work has been done on the rail viaducts that lead the rail lines into the port.


This last pic should hold you over until the next update, showing a new freight station, some of the port and seawalls.





More port action is to come!  I'm downloading seaport content like mad right now!  I'm kind of new with building ports, so is there any content that you could recommend for me?

I also reconstructed, updated and expanded the GTR's article on the SC4 Wiki.  Click here if you want to check it out!

All the best,
-Haljackey

deathtopumpkins

Very nice!

I love the details like the signage, and the networks overall look very nice together. They look very well-prepared to handle port traffic.

And a nice port shot too...

As for port stuff, I'd recommend Peg's CDK3-SP series, and maybe the WIMPs and BSC Functional Seaports. I have every waterfront anything that I can find though, and I use them all. Oh, and SOMY's stuff's good as well.
NAM Team Member | 3RR Collaborater | Virgin Shores

MandelSoft

I would suggest SoulStealer's Port Realism Pack I & II. I'm using them myself, and although it has an awfull lot of dependencies, it looks darn good.

Best,
Maarten
Lurk mode: ACTIVE