The Greater Terran Region

[JoeST]

excellent update Hal, great use of the new tools you forced my hand

joe

[Nexis4Jersey]

Interesting , idea i like 

[bat]

Interesting city overviews there! Looking forward to more...

[Haljackey]

Replies:

JoeST:  Hey, thanks a lot!

Nexis4Jersey :  Cool!  Thanks!

bat :  Indeed they are.  Glad you liked them!



Update time!

So I haven't played SC4 in about 3 weeks now, but the GTR is still flowing with content.  How is this possible you ask?  Its because I got bored in my stats lab today and decided to make some stats for the GTR.  You'll also see a couple more city models in this update too.



A bit of background, the GTR is currently located in 4 areas believe it or not.  They include:
-Simtropolis
-Simcity 4 Devotion
-Skyscrapercity (not regularly updated like the others)
-Simtropolis' new City Journal section (Called GTR 2.0 for easy reference)

So for my stats, I compiled a list of views and comments and made some charts out of them.  Yay graphs!    Anyways I hope you enjoy it!

Views:

Total views: 75,679

Comments:

Total comments: 2,871

Proportional views:


Proportional comments:


So what do these stats point out?  Well just take a look at the pie charts and compare the percentages.  It seems as though ST typically gets more comments and SC4D gets more views on an analysis that puts the total numbers aside.  There is a also a noticeable difference between those who comment and those who don't at SSC.  GTR 2.0 is relatively new (created on March 21/09 when ST 6.0 went public) but is already taking a good slice of the pie.  I expect GTR 2.0 to grow the most over the next little bit, but only time will tell.



And here are a few more city models.  I got them when I was playing around with the new SC4save program.

Downtown:
-You can tell that this tile is mostly land eh?


City of Crossings:
-The Crossings River is clearly visible to the south.




Anyways, that will do it for now.  See you later!

Best,
-Haljackey

[bat]

Nice graphs there! And looking forward to more!

[Sciurus]

Your stats are impressive, what a work

Guillaume

[Haljackey]

Replies:

bat:  Hey, thanks a lot!

Sciurus:  Thanks!  Glad you like the stats!



Update time!

As you may or may not have known, the Bullet Train Mod (BTM) has been released on the STEX.  Dirk and the STEX staff were nice enough to allow me to upload the files (which Jonathan has updated) for all to enjoy.  To celebrate, I have decided to do a BTM showcase throughout the GTR.

Since the beginning, the Bullet Trains have been a key component contributing to the GTR's success as a large, dense region.  They connect everything together in an organized, efficient manner, and gives the public another choice rather than sitting in traffic or taking the slow mass transit system.  They handle high volumes of traffic very well which is essential in the GTR.

One of the oldest bullet train lines in the GTR.  Notice how one way roads are built around it.



The Bullet Trains in the GTR tend to be overlooked for other things (such as highways, skyscrapers, etc) but this update will give them the recognition they deserve.

This showcase is in random order, and will consist 10 photos.  This is part 1.



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

One of the newer bullet train interchanges near Witburg University.


Passing over a protected corridor on the West Side of Downtown.


This popular line was built after th RHW interchange was made, and barely passes through it.


Going diagonal over a busy highway.


A large, complicated junction in southwest Terran Settlement.


Curving with the roads.


A full bullet train interchange.


Witburg Station, the hub of the region's network.


Along the main line, shown in comparison with other networks.


A zoom out of Witburg Station.




Anyways, that will do it for now!  Stay tuned for part 2!

[Sciurus]

Awesome, but so beautiful

Guillaume

[metarvo]

I've never used bullet train lines before, but if I do one day use them, I will undoubtedly be inspired by GTR as I build them.  When an interchange is thought of, the first word that comes to mind for me is highway.  Even so, this fine update illustrates that other networks can have interchanges as well.  Nice work, Hal!

[bat]

That are some nice train interchanges there! Great work on it!!

[Haljackey]

Replies:

Sciurus:  As always, thanks a lot!

metarvo:  You'd better now that they're on the STEX!  No excuse now! 

bat:  Interchanges?  For trains? You bet!   




Update time!

Let's continue this bullet train showcase with part 2!



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

The west line:


New development with dedicated stations for each set of tracks.


One of the more compact junctions:


Track split.


RHW interchanges are not a problem!  The BTM just flies over em!


Nor are rivers:
-Can't wait to use the new BTM bridges!


Closeup of the overpassing train.


A new station under construction!


1+1=2!  Two tracks!  Muhaha!


The iconic 800in train overview.




Anyways, that will do it for now!  Part 3 is coming up!

[bat]

Some great pictures there of these railways!!

[mightygoose]

great part 2 update, lurking profusely as always.

[metarvo]

Well, I decided to stop putting it off and I downloaded a small library of bullet train plugins.  One of them happens to be that huge station that appears in the eighth pic, which I'm truly looking forward to using. 

Anyway, this is some more great work, Hal, especially that interchange with all of those different types of networks crossing over and under each other.  How do you manage to keep up with all of that?  It sure does look complicated.  Then again, that's one of the things that makes GTR the spectacular MD it is.  Nice work!

[Sciurus]

It's still impressive and beauitful of course

Guillaume

[Haljackey]

Replies:

bat:  Hey, thanks a lot!  Glad you like the BTM!

mightygoose:  Great to see you back!  I'm happy you've been enjoying it!

metarvo:  lol, good for you!  Thanks a lot for all the comments!  Its a slow process, but it pays off!  Thanks again!

Sciurus:  Of course!  Thanks a lot!



Update Time!

Finally I have a new video to show you all!  It's been a while since I've made one (back in Feb I think) so I thought I will bring it back.

Don't worry, I still have part 3 of the BTM series in the works, but we'll take a break from that for a little bit before I get back to it.

This video showcases the most overlooked form of transportation in the GTR:  Rail.  You'll be pleased to know that there's a strong network of standard rails throughout the GTR, and is a useful mode of commuters and freight.  This video will focus on a portion of Terran Settlement's network.

It has also been sped up 50% to keep it interesting.  I don't want to bore you lol!



Video

Two Youtube video boxes should appear below.  If you can't see them or are having problems, follow the link below them.  Oh, and make sure you turn up your speakers!

Watch in Standard-Definition.  (Recommended for slower connections.)
http://www.youtube.com/v/vjHbeDuPdcU

Watch in High-Definition.  (Recommended for faster connections.)
http://www.youtube.com/v/vjHbeDuPdcU&fmt=22&ap=%2526fmt%3D22

An even larger video box can be found by clicking the link below and selecting "Watch in HD".

Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjHbeDuPdcU

HD troubleshooting:
-Make sure you have the latest version of Java and an up-to date flash player.  HD videos can also be choppy on slower connections, so you might need to wait for a bit to buffer.



I hope you enjoy the new video, whatever definition you view it in .

Best,
-Haljackey

[deathtopumpkins]

Nice video, Hal! Very interesting... I can't recall you doing a rail one before.

[j-dub]

I envy you! You can safely do UDI and zoom out more than once, and real fast, and your game stays stable! Then again though, I would suggest a more realistic water mod, one that has waves, like the Ocean River Water Mod, or Pegasus water mods for example when looking at the part where the train crosses the bridge. Not that I ask for a redo, but that is my only criticism, awesome hip, and clean music too, thats a plus.

[MandelSoft]

Cool video! Nice to see the city from a rail-line perspective. And I see that you use a lot of my new GTR signage    One question: how did you speed up your video? I might make my video's more interresting when I know that.

Best,
Maarten

[metarvo]

Yes, another great GTR video!    It turns out that bullet trains aren't the only kind of trains in the region.  A regular rail line has its advantages versus a high-speed bullet train line, as it does give the passengers a chance to relax and watch the scenery.  The viaducts help to add even more variety to the line.  Good job, Hal!