BAT Showcase

[Glenni]

I love how this turned out!

[belfastsocrates]

That's a superb station and love the glass addition. Quite a classy addition

It's a shame that some people seek to criticise but please don't let that stop you creating. You're very very good at it and it'd be a loss if you packed it in.

[Glenni]

I decided at first to just comment on the building ,rather than current events. But while I see why you're probably not terribly enthusiastic about the community given the recent toxic cauldrons we've witnessed ( the file sharing discussion, and the ratings topic) I try to just brush it off, and focus on the positives of the community as a whole.

Coming from a fellow BATter, I know your feelings on this (especially the mega file one particularely makes me feel like BATters will be even more faceless, and just unceremoniously stuffed into a megapack with no credit or virtues).

And trust me, I've been there myself plenty times. Still at the end I find building, playing, modeling, releasing and pretty much anything else related to Simcity 4 a very worthwhile hobby.
Exchange ratings might be a bit more one-sided, and often negatively fueled.
That is why I largely don't pay much attention to them.

Instead what has kept me going as far as BATs go is to hang out in the chat rooms at either here, ST, skype groups and lately the new discord groups (They're new to meeeeeeee), it gives me more direct feedback for BATs from people who are usually far more well rounded, and will offer ideas as you go.

Sometimes it dissolves into spicy meme hell, but hey, we can't be perfect.     

Me Rambling aside, I hope you'll stick around, I for one really appreciate your work, and have downloaded just about every single BAT you've provided so far, you're an absolute asset for down to earth city buildings!

[Getron]

Please, do not let some criticise stop you. I love your work. 

[matias93]

I was trying to say something, but Glenni was so eloquent... You are such an authentic and talented creator, and anonymous people is so unfair on the internet, that you simply cannot afford to give thoughts to their uninformed whines. If you still feel like wanting to BAT, do it for the sake of your art, regardless of what we or anyone else has to say about.

[Kitsune]

Its lovely...

Tacking a modern glass structure onto a traditional/heritage building.. how very Melbourne 

Its better then Toronto where our train shed is declared hertiage because its one of only a couple left in the world. The others were destroyed because it was a very bad design  . These stations look excellent , and cant wait till I can get my hands on all of them (my poor menus  )

[Tyberius06]

Oh... please don't do this again... It would be such a loss... Glenni indeed was so eloquent about this...

But thank you for sharing these nice modells and the 7.5m ERRW rail station.

I hope you change your mind eventually... I personaly would miss your creations...

- Tyberius

[mattb325]

Thanks guys

A very quick word about this to avoid further discussion and potential misunderstandings for my actions. I didn't make some big ruckus or fight on the forums on the other site, so I certainly don't want it here.

While some of the comments about repackaging content creators files have been questionable, that hasn't influenced my decision.

Despite seldom being victim to the ratings system myself, I have made my thoughts very clear on it for a long time; it is an iniquitous system that has driven countless content creators away in the past.

In this case, watching a very small (but sadly influential) group of people - who ought, and are entrusted, to know better - take two diametrically opposed actions on two 1 star, malicious ratings on two different content creators, with the nett effect that a new batter was thrown under a bus simply to prove a point of policy, curdles such abject disgust that I question why I should be part of such a community that seeks to punish those who provide it with content for free.

It used to be that with larger numbers of active people there was sufficient distinction between the two sites to make this a haven, but with a greatly diminished base, even here I cannot avoid crossing paths, hence my reluctance to continue.

As the 18th Century saying goes: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" (or for those too young, in the modern era think Taylor Swift vs. Apple music) so at the very least - out of principle alone - I have withdrawn myself from participating at that site and will review my participation here.

As I said, I didn't make a fight of it there, and I certainly don't want it here. I've only listed it to avoid further conjecture, and, I respectfully ask to avoid further comment on it.

********************************************************************************

Now back to Batting and topic, don't worry, there are twelve stations in the pack that I have released, and at the very least the 30 lots that depend on them will also be released giving countless options for rail users. 

[Jack_wilds]

all I know is I like the work and talent and skill you share with your projects... you work and the work of many others have made this a good place to be to celebrate playing an "old game"... as I also miss a batter in paticular due to unfinished project long anticiapted... namely the University of Clayhurst by JBSIMIO... as he was working on teh sports, campus grounds with bell towers and package of pedestrian bridges... which brings me to request IF its okay with JB, that you could take finish out that current work such as the fieldhouse, the arena, stadium, the belltowers and the pedstrian bridges and whatever else their maybe to finish outthe U of C campus... I would like a building cafeteria/eatry/ resurant named in JBs honor since he is a cook... would appreciate that this could happen... I pray this site chills out calms down and simply enjoys a good old game civially once again and stop fretting about stuff... so, posing this respectfully for real considerations... as I know your work is very good and is similar to JBs style so it al works good together... then in wrapping up LOVE the stations pack! off teh rails good... give character to any sc4 town

[Akallan]

Wonderful job, you are an amazing BATer mattb325. Thank you for all these contributions, they are great!

[mattb325]

As I write the read-mes and collate the stats/do final testing, the next station is done



here: http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3580



Sometimes in life, funny co-incidences happen and can be a great source of inspiration.

An article doing the rounds of world's press at the moment is about Russia's 'Troll Factory' which is implicated in all sorts of covert, behind-closed-doors stuff, from fake news to hacking.

I've located the building in St Petersburg; we have so few Russian Buildings anyway, and it turns out that it is a newish low/mid-rise office building which I can do in my sleep.

This will be my next Bat:




Then, as if this weren't co-incidence timing enough, Callagrafx returns and it reminds me of his fantastic nursing home bat (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=703) modded with very special humor by barbyw (oh how I miss her at times like this)  and it makes me smile whenever I see it in game, so it means I can give my Troll factory a very special, old-school, BSC twist and dedicate it to a very special person 

Seriously wonderful timing, indeed...I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried

[mattb325]

Thanks for all the likes 

Another read me is done, and another 7.5m station is released.



Here: http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3583

Also, made a very quick start on the Simtropolis Troll Factory building.

For those of you familiar with Callagrafx and Barbyw's nursing home bat (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=703), you'll be aware that it was satirical and lampooned a few SC4 characters at the time.

If you have any suggestions for some of the satire, please send me a PM for consideration only (DO NOT PUT YOUR SUGGESTIONS IN THIS THREAD...I'LL ASK THE MODERATORS TO DELETE ANY SUCH ENTRIES) ...and also, please note that it is fine to satirize public figures...and I'll be taking a stab at my own views as well....there is a none-too-subtle difference between satire and slander.

[Kitsune]

 wow that station reminds of Toronto's union station... except it doesn't have 7.5m rail lines going through it. 

[fantozzi]

Man, on whatever subject of the game you lay your hands upon - it turns into gold. Now elevated stations ... and suddenly the whole thing unfolds new building/planning ideas.

(Sorry, right now I discovered, I missed a whole page on this thread - your batting was faster than a bullet train and I didn't realize the true amount of creations -  - feeling like I'm the old man, sitting at the platform, reading his newspaper, it makes "ssshummmm" and wind tugs the newspaper and he puts it down, looks around, sees nothing anymore and asks the man next to him:" did something happen?" And the man responds: "no, no - it was only matt coming by, dropping a new bat." )

[feyss]

The troll factory even looks better than the actual building 

[belfastsocrates]

^^

Agree. It's actually a great looking BAT. A lot of potential for so many uses!

[mattb325]

feeling like I'm the old man, sitting at the platform, reading his newspaper, it makes "ssshummmm" and wind tugs the newspaper and he puts it down, looks around, sees nothing anymore and asks the man next to him:" did something happen?" And the man responds: "no, no - it was only matt coming by, dropping a new bat." )

Thanks Fantozzi (and other commentators  ) Couldn't resist a slight off-topic with this one though...these days at the train station most people have their eyes glued to their phones and their ears blocked with headphones. The mattb325 Bat train could derail in front of them and they'd be completely oblivious until it appeared on their twitter feed 

[reddonquixote]

The troll factory looks amazing, the texturing is really nice so far 

[brick_mortimer]

Another beautiful trainstation: check 
Downloaded into plugins folder: check 

[mattb325]

Thanks all. @ Kitsune, I did reference Toronto with that station, but then thought, hmmm, it needs a little something, and one thing led to another 

Finished off the troll factory this afternoon....grimed up that nice texturing (apologies reddonquixote, but this is a dirty building indeed!  ) Here's an in-game day shot:



Given the events, it's going to be a non-conditional courthouse. Nothing like, judge, jury and executioner all in one. So, started a bit of the modding....I wonder what the other hover queries will be like?