Greenacre

[Battlecat]

Congratulations Matt!

I really enjoyed the previous update as well, that was an imaginative solution to the local problem!  The river looks amazing as well!

[Jmouse]

Greenacre will be celebrating its second birthday the day before Christmas, and there's no doubt that you've created some excellent updates. And you've stuck with it through law school, the bar exam, your volunteer work at a railroad museum and a variety of other activities.

So congratulations on a well-deserved honor, Matt. Maybe I can follow in your footsteps one of these days.

Joan

[threestooges]

Replies:
RickD: Thanks Rick. The drawing was fun to put together, though I generally use edited photos sparingly here, it seemed fitting to illustrate the idea behind planning the underpass. Glad you enjoyed.


Bernhard (Nardo69): I would have been disappointed if you hadn't appeared. Since the train route is commuter, few trains, if any, bypass the station, so pretty much all are doing under 30 by that point. Given the surrounding terrain, a bypass road would be impractical, and would likely mean the death of the town. I'll show it again somewhere down the road, but for now, there's a new location for this update. Hope you enjoy it as well.


Joan (Jmouse) x2:
Experience had nothing to do with it. Part of it was a desire to want to fiddle with the FLUPs, and the other part was needing to find a working solution that wouldn't hold up the roads every 20-30 minutes when a train would roll through. There are a few out around this way that can run up near what seems to be a mile in length, but you don't see them too often. Usually it's a 3-6 car passenger train here. Glad you enjoyed the update Joan, and it's always good to see you here.

As for Greenacre's second birthday, I still have to make it there. For now though, there's plenty planned for the week here in honor of the site's 4th. (wow... Greenacre's half as old as the site. Seems like it's been so much longer than that. The site, not Greenacre. But the journey with both has been fun)


kalvar: Welcome to Greenacre, and thanks!


Jordan (canyonjumper) x2: Glad you liked the way it turned out, and indeed, I like the landslide as well. Now I just have to figure out what I did to get it to look like that.


kodlovag: Welcome to Greenacre! Indeed, the village itself doesn't need the underpass, but given the intercity traffic, there are enough cars passing through the area that made the elimination of the level crossing necessary. Glad you like the way it turned out though.


Robin (rooker1) x2 (technically): I always enjoy your stops by here, and I would be hurt if you were anything less than honest. I'll try to catch up with you on MSN or something to flesh out fully what your thoughts are, but yeah, I have a feeling there are still things that could be done with it. Part of the challenge of the design was the tight quarters in which the construction occurred. Upgrades weren't considered when the area developed, and losses due to construction were hopefully minimized. However, nothing is set in stone around here (part of the fun), but yeah, ideally the solution wouldn't require the redesign of the town. Hope all is well.


Battlecat: Glad you enjoyed. Given the tight spaces, and the desire to keep the soft curves of the rail line provided some very interesting challenges. Glad you like the river too. There's more to be done with it too in the future I think.


Sorry for the delay in getting this update posted (nice way to start the week, eh?) but work ran a bit longer than expected today. However, there's some stuff in store for this week (hopefully enough to keep up with the standard Bernhard set last week) so let's get to it.

Four years.

Plenty of history there. Plenty of history overall with the game too. That history has grown through the pursuit of creating and developing. It's a short week, but hopefully there will be many things to see here during that time. Some reflecting history, and some showing what may be coming down the road.

On that note, let's start with some new things in honor of the spirit of creation. For that, we'll need to head just west of the government center.

26.1


You'll notice there's nothing in the marked area. Well, it's not by accident. For many years this area existing without "existing." It was plain to see for anyone who was around, but it was never officially noted. Now however, it's been officially declassified and acknowledged. It had to be, for reasons you'll see. Yes. It's an airport.

26.2


Military to be precise, with a style that dates back a few years.

26.3


The contents of some of these hangars is still debated, but the area is much more open these days.

26.4


But overall, it's only a small part of what's yet to come. You'll notice yet that we haven't seen the runway. That's going to be a topic for tomorrow.

26.5


Speaking of tomorrow's topic, here's a hint:

26.6


-Matt

[rooker1]

 You have my interest.  And I like the chioce of planes.

Robin 

[Battlecat]

Nice mix of planes there!  It looks great already.  Is that military base crossing the border?

[Girafe]

Nice military airport 

I will add more life (people, trucks or whatever) and it will pe perfect 

[Jmouse]

The airfield is looking good so far, Matt. I agree that it needs more details that will bring it to life, but I'm sure you've already included those in your master plan.

Joan

[threestooges]

Replies:
Robin (rooker1): Glad you liked it. Now that I have your attention, I hope you like what's coming. The area was a while in the works. Hope to hear a nice critique of it.


Battlecat: Indeed, the base does cross borders. Actually, the idea for the cross-border aspect came from Adara. I needed more room, and running it across the border seemed like a workable solution. Takes a bit of time to stitch pictures together sometimes, but it's worth it. So thanks for the inspiration there.


Girafe: Thanks. Indeed, a few people might have helped the scene. I may add some at a later point, but for reasons you'll see, there's a reason it's a bit quiet there. Thanks for stopping by.


Joan (Jmouse): In a sense it is already included in the master plan, though a few people probably wouldn't hurt. I'll let you be the judge.


So the military base has been publicly acknowledged. The question is why.

27.01


The answer, in part, has to do with the relocation of the government center several updates back, and all of the development that went along with it. The influx of development in the area led the Greenacre government to provide land for an international airport. They wanted it to be close to the major financial and governmental areas to facilitate the arrival of new business travelers.

27.02


The western point of the valley had excellent prevailing winds which the air force base had already taken advantage of. Since there were no major tensions to be concerned with, the decision was made to incorporate the facility with the new airport (proper security still be considered).

27.03


In fact, the area has filled in so well, sometimes it's hard to tell where the base stops and the airport starts. The barbed wire on top of the heavy duty fences gives people a good idea though. Let's just say, even though there are gaps in the fences, the guards still have guns. People haven't been too keen to test out that part of things yet.

27.04


The airport itself serves many different groups:

The small, private plane owners:

27.05


Regional airlines which serve other points around Greenacre, and some further beyond:

27.06


The main terminal itself serves a variety of large scale commercial airlines. Each of the major lines has a section for itself at Greenacre International (KGAX). For those of you who are familiar with airport abbreviation conventions, no, Greenacre is not part of the US, but for proximity purposes the K was used.

Of the several airlines serving the airport there are:

Southwest:

27.07


Alaska (I believe one of these flights here is bound for Pineshore in the Three Rivers Region):

27.08


Westjet (Primary Airline of url=http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2238.msg213980#msg213980]West End[/url]:

27.09


Greenacre Air:

27.10


This tiny airline was started by a group of entrepreneurs shortly after the airport was built and has since been building a steady clientele. Making daily trips to places like Wildcat Junction, Clontarf, and Adara, this airline is quickly becoming a powerhouse, and a great form of advertising for Greenacre. They were able to obtain old planes from the former Reno Air airline. The paint scheme was kept as a nod to the former airline, as well as to symbolize the green of Greenacre.

27.11


One thing that generally surprises most people, given the number of planes this airport serves, is the fact that it technically only has one runway. The second, unmarked, runway is generally for military use only.

27.12


In exceptionally busy times, it may be used for non-military traffic, but the ground controllers are top notch at their job. Delays are uncommon, and the second runway is hardly ever needed.

27.13


There is ample long-term parking for the main terminal:

27.14


as well as a private lot for those who store their private planes here:

27.15


A park was integrated into the design to make sure the green of Greenacre was one of the first things to greet arriving passengers. It also brightens up the area a bit, giving people a place to wait for the rental car shuttle or taxi to arrive.

27.16


Car travel is not the only way to reach the airport. In addition to a subway station in the park, the Capitol Corridor Railway has a terminus less than a block away, making it easy to roll your bags off the train, down the sidewalk, and into the terminal. Despite only being a short distance away, there is a shuttle which can provide assistance to those traveling with more bags than people.

27.17


Last, but not least, an overview of the whole area. Yes, in retrospect, it may not be a good idea to park military planes at the end of the runway, but the pilots are skilled enough to miss them, and the odds of a crash are low. (click the picture to be linked to the full size version)

27.18


Hope you enjoyed. More to come tomorrow.
-Matt

[rooker1]

 Hello Matt,
When it comes to airports my opinion should be taken lightly as I have little experience with making/laying them out myself.  I don't think I have ever seen a very impressive airport before by anyone.  And don't get me wrong, the availiable props and buildings are better than ever before.  But it's the over all layout compared to what I know from real life.  Now is it possilbe to make an airport layout similiar or the same as a real life airport, I have no idea.  Something always seems to be missing or lacking from the layout.....can I pin point what it is every time or any time for that matter....not really.  With all that mumble jumble I have just poured out of my mouth, I do like your layout generally.  But I don't love it.  All  the airports that I have ever seen don't have that much green space or parks.  If you can find some time have a look at "Pearson International Airport, Mississauga, Ontario" in Google Maps, it's my airport.   Here you will find lots of road, rail, warehouses and very little green, except for the empty fields on the back side.

Here you can see the over view of the entire aiport.  Those buildings in the center are FEDEX, UPS and other exporting/importing warehouses.

Here you can see the two terminals.

Here you can see that the airport is surrounded by a lot of highways.  Off to the left you can see the Hotel Sheraton.  In the center of the three terminals is a huge 5 or 6 level parking garage and more parking can be found on the other side of the highway, in the industrial area.


Sorry for high jacking your MD wih these pics as I am sure you have already done your homework and gone looking at airports before doing your own.  But I thought it was important you understood where I was coming from.  Anyways, I'm just trying to make the month more special.

I look forward to a MSN convo soon about the last two updates.
Robin 

[RickD]

I am not an airport expert either. But still I don't fully agree with Robin on this. There are airports with undeveloped land around. Frankfurt am Main, Germany's most important airport is completely surrounded by forest for example:

http://maps.google.de/?ie=UTF8&ll=50.027373,8.576202&spn=0.153729,0.32959&t=h&z=12

I do like your airport, especially the military part. One thing that I noticed is that those two large blue planes are parked very close to the end of the runway. I could imagine that this is dangerous. And maybe some more parking lots are needed?

Anyway, I am looking forward to the next update.

[Battlecat]

Nice airport! It's fairly well stocked as far as airports go!

[Jmouse]

Yes indeed, this looks a lot better, Matt. It's amazing how a few  crates, some work vehicles and a handful of employees can breathe so much life into a scene. The airport appears to be well planned and functional, but I'm certainly no expert on air travel.

I like the idea of alternative means of reaching the airport. A subway or train ride could be far less expensive than long-term parking, and certainly easier on the nerves! The only thing I might have added would be a parking garage, and I say that only because both the Houston and Dallas airports have them. I don't mean for it to sound like it's an omission on your part, it's a minor detail and the airport is just as complete with or without it.

I guess my turn to build an airport will come eventually, but I can't say I'm looking forward to the day.

I'm looking forward to another Greenacre update, though...
Joan

[Nardo69]

Hi Matt.

Nice airport (guess you know what this mean from me ... )

Well, according to the discussion of green and no green: Istanbul has two international airports:

Istanbul Atatürk Havalimani (IST) on the European side is the bigger, more important one and surrounded by buildings as in Robin's maps, the end of the runway however isn't far away from the Marmara Sea.

Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen Havalimani (SAW) (my  airport) on the Asian side is situated in the hills on the Asian Side. However if these area stay free of building or will be covered with buildings soon - ho knows? City and Region planning and developing is one of the many high arts of engineering Turks don't know at all ...

Take care!

Bernhard 

[canyonjumper]

Great airport Matt! Great mix of planes!

                           Your friend,
                                          Jordan

[threestooges]

Replies:

Robin (rooker1): Now that's what I like to see. There is a method to my madness, and I will respond to your post (as well as the posts of a few others here, in greater depth this Friday. Short answer is that airports come in a variety of shapes and sizes and fit themselves into some interesting spaces depending on where and when they were built. Always good to read your thoughts here.


RickD: Glad you enjoyed the airport and, like I told Robin, I'll go into greater depth into what brought about this design on Friday. I will say your work in Santa Barbara County helped out a bit and was part of what helped refine parts of it too.


Battlecat: Glad you liked it. Any sign of an airport in Adara's future?


Joan (Jmouse): I'll look forward toward seeing your version when the time comes. As for the railroad, I'll get into that aspect on Friday, but long story short, it was prompted by LAX and the light rail that passes nearby. I think I'm going to have some work to compile the needed bits for Friday given the reactions I've seen in these recent posts.


Bernhard (Nardo69): Interesting comparison between the two airports. I'll have to look at them more in depth over the next day or so here. It's interesting to see the ways areas develop over time. I think that's part of what keeps this game as fun as it does: seeing how everyone interprets life. Everyone draws from different sources of inspiration and reasoning, as they do in real life as well. Always good to see you here.


Jordan (canyonjumper): Thanks Jordan. Glad you enjoyed. Airports really have come a long way thanks to the efforts of many folks. Glad the result looked good.


So today's update is a bit of a different one. It's a mix of an oddity and a teaser.

First, the oddity:

28.01


Caught two diesel engines testing the rails of tomorrow's update.

Now then, the teaser. The following two shots are related in some way, and by that, I mean more than both of them just being pictures of rail. Feel free to guess at what they two of them could mean. The answer will be revealed tomorrow.

28.02


28.03


-Matt

[Jmouse]

Mmmm, they both have pink flowers in the picture? Well, maybe not. Could it have something to do with the double rail merging into a single rail?

Those are some good-looking screenies, BTW. I've not seen that tunnel before, and I suspect you created it yourself.

What could be in store for us tomorrow...
Joan

[rooker1]

 WOW Matt!!!
That tunnel looks awesome, you have to tell us how you did that. 
Is it functional?  or eyecandy?
Is it a modd? or a plop?
Can there be several versions in the game at the same time?
So many questions and so little time.

Great surprise!!
Robin 

[Tomas Neto]

Fantastic airport, really awesome!!! And that tunnel, in the last update is great!!! 

[Battlecat]

Well that tunnel entrance just looks great!  Very odd to see two diesel engines like that with nothing connecting them!  I'm afraid I'm totally stumped at the relationship between the two images.  Except I would suspect they're probably part of the same railway network.  But that's a pretty safe bet with railways!   

There is an airport in Adara's distant future I think, just like so many other things such as a major urban center and a port, even a military base or two . . .  Unfortunately, even a small regional airport won't fit on the next two tiles I plan on developing!

[threestooges]

Replies:

Joan (Jmouse): Good call on the flowers, but you're closer with the STR. You're also right that I made that tunnel myself. It will hopefully be out soon once I figure out the optimal way to work things.


Robin (rooker1): Indeed it is functional. The tunnel itself is a plop, but the mod is what removes the default game tunnel. The tunnel itself is an offset prop. Using that system, there can certainly be more than one version in the game, as you will soon see.


Tomas Neto: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.


Battlecat:As it turned out, the two lone diesels were a glitch where they appeared essentially on top of each other. Once they hit a crossing, the cars appeared and they spread out to a decent distance from each other. As for the relationship between the other two images, think about what happens when you combine custom tunnels with STR. Glad to hear there's an airport in the future of Adara too, even if it is a few updates down the road. I'll be interested to see your take on things.


There's a new company in Greenacre, the Scenic Trains company. In the past they had operated excursions along some of Greenacre's other lines, paying the railroads for the right-of-way use. However, tired of paying the extra premium, they decided to branch out with some track of their own. They formed the Scenic Trains Railroad, or STR for short (now that's creative).

29.01


The route originates in Fergus Coast at the station near the harbor. From there, it branches off the mainline of the coast and heads back up into the hills, cutting, quite literally through them.

29.02


With glimpses of the town of Fergus Coast flitting by through the trees on one side and the wooded hills sloping up on the other, the train rolls along as the car stewards pass through the car with a local selection of wines.

29.03


Leaving the hills briefly, the train sprints out across the meadows before climbing back into the hills.

29.04


Passing through yet another tunnel, the train reaches a segment of dual track rail. This was originally the intended route for the Surfline Route, but terrain challenges made it necessary to hug the coast longer before attempting to run up the mountain to Greenacre's higher elevations. The track that had already been laid was left there until the STR company came in to claim it.

29.05


Here you can see just how significant the slopes are around here that made scaling these hills infeasible. For a tourist train however, that doesn't intend to scale the full height of the hills, this route works wonderfully.

29.06


The tunnel in the previous picture is the signal to the train crew to begin dinner preparations. As the train begins the descent down to the coast again, passengers place their orders so that their meals will be ready for the ride back along the coast.

29.07


Once back to the coast, passengers enjoy their dinner with ocean views, returning to Fergus Coast to perhaps head down to the marina for some of the nightlife, or off to a local hotel or bed and breakfast to digest.

29.08


Hope you enjoyed.

As for the tunnels, they haven't been released yet. There are still a few things yet to be worked out, but yes, STR tunnels are in the works, and multiple varieties (including the original Maxis DTR model) should be possible. I figured this would be a good place to show them off and perhaps get some thoughts on them. They're offset plops at present with a tunnel removal mod, which removes the standard tunnel model for these to replace.
-Matt