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Themistokles City Gallery: A Tropical Idea

Started by Themistokles, December 26, 2015, 02:01:22 AM

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Themistokles

   Be bold, be brave...       And thus, in a transient moment of foolhardiness, I
               plunge myself into the world of MD's.


Let me begin where I maybe ought to have begun long ago, by presenting myself. My acquaintance with the SimCity series began with SC2000, many years ago, when personal computers – like me – were young. That was in the age of Windows 98.
   Windows NT and XP came and passed. I think it was on Vista that I first installed SC4. Like so many others, I played it vanilla. I kept playing SC4 until Simcity Societies came. I tried it, but of course got bored immediately and almost lost interest in the whole Simcity series. However, soon after I discovered mods and my interest in SC4 was re-awaken. Since then I have been playing Simcity on and off, to the point that I think now I might be ready to show my work properly. But you be the judge. $%Grinno$%

Lastly you shall be forewarned, that progress will be slow; updates might come irregularly and, in the worst case, this MD might terminate prematurely, but if you bear with me, I think that we can have a lot of fun :)


   I: Visiting the Old Hydro-Clinic
We enter the small municipality of St Edmea walking on foot, following the centuries-old hiking path from the village of Kirch-am-Hasselbach as it snakes its way along the turbulent Hasselbach. Since a while we have been seeing an oddly-shaped, colourful roof towering above the trees. Now we will finally see it more closely.

1.
The roof turns out to be the top of an old hydrotherapy clinic, called the Hasselbachere Wasserheilanstalt (yes, the one we recieved on the 9th day of the wonderful advent calendar) after the stream from which the wter was taken. The Heilanstalt was founded in the 1838 by the young and ambitious doctor Walter Wassersinn, in keeping with the then widely-held belief that different kinds of cold water could cure many, by odrinary medicine yet incurable, conditions. The Heilanstalt attracted many rich and prominent guests, who reached the grounds in carriages from the railway station in St Edmea.

2.
When, after six ludicrously successful decades, interest in hydrotherapy began to decline, the now very old Dr Wassersinn thought that the building and its beautiful surroundings could still be used to improve the health of its many visitors. That was why he decided to turn the formerly sparse English park-lands into a cornucopia of flowers.

3.
The park, at its best in spring, is renowned for its many daffodils, which are a pleasure for human visitors...

4.
... and deers alike ::)

5.
Indeed, the daffodils thrive so well, that they have spread to the opposite river-bank and surrounding meadows.

But of course, the parks are beautiful in all seasons, and a large part of the visitors nowadays come as we did, hiking their way through the small picturesque villages that lie like beads on a string along the Hasselbach valley.

6.
So, now we have seen the Heilanstalt and its surrounding parks. Next time we'll continue downstream, following the path as it crosses the railway to St Edmea.

7.

I hope you have liked this little excursion, and I look forward to hearing your opinions and suggestions! What is good and what could or should I have done differently? Your feedback is what helps me improve.
Until next time :bye:
Come join me on a hike to St Edmea!

Latest update: 7

"In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy." - John Sawhill

Vizoria

I can't think of anything to suggest to improve your MMP work, you have your own great style and it's just as good as the best MMP users: Vortext, Fasan, Framly, to name a few. It's a great start and I look forward to a lot more, even if it is small scenes like these.

kelis

Great start ! I like your scenes. Keep working and I will keep my eyes on this  &apls &apls
.                                                                                                                      

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romualdillo


compdude787

Nice start to your MD! Looking forward to more!
Check out my MD, United States of Simerica!
Last updated: March 5, 2017

My YouTube Channel

Girafe

MMPS work is fabulous  :thumbsup:

Good luck with your MD  ;)
The Floraler

This is the end, hold your breath and count to ten, feel the earth move, and then...

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

TheTeaCat

What a great start &apls

Well thought out use of MMPs, love the little ruined building among the trees, all in all looks very natural.

Nice background story too and a great way to showcase an Advent gift too. Well done :thumbsup:
Kettle's on. Milk? Sugars?    ps I don't like Earl Grey  $%Grinno$%
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - If you're not part of the solution , you're part of the problem!
"Never knock on Death's door: Ring the bell and run away! Death really hates that!"
Tales at TeaTime      Now A proper NUT      TTC plays GRV II

kbieniu7

Hello, Themistokles! Nice to see you starting a diary!

At the beginning I would like to say, don't be afraid of irregularity. It's natural :) It's nice to see even a couple of new images!

And the ones, you've presented us, are great! Good work with the rivers and its bank filed with boulders and bushes (by the way, could you link those rocks?). I see, you're a type of player, who pay more attention to the quality, instead of quantity. Good. Even better, that you prepared a historical background of that place. You asked for feedback, but for the moment, that's all, what I could say, it's high level already ;) Hope to see more!

Thank you for visiting Kolbrów, and for being for last ten years!

Jmouse

Your skill and attention to detail is amazing, and the scenes you have shared with us are stunning. I keep coming back again and again to admire your playing style and the lovely scenery you have created. I'll be watching every update, and I hope the next one will be published soon. :)


noahclem

Really lovely start  &apls  I've been hoping you'd begin an MD for quite some time and look forward to seeing how this develops  :popcorn:

Kergelen

#10
Great pictures! Nice MMP work. &apls

The abandoned building fits really good.

Nice to see you starting MDing and don't worry about irregularity. Some of us are quite irregular, despite would like to update more often  ::) :)


                                    Links to SC4 websites

manga rivotra

Your use of MMP is really impressive ! I love the pic 5 with these well balanced autumn colors. Great work !  &apls &apls &apls

Nanami

Lovely MMP work.. The details you have on those pictures really eye catching! keep up the nice work and will wait for the next showcase!

belfastsocrates

Great first update! The MMP work, as others have mentioned, it very well done and looks great.

Looking forward to more scenes :D
A unique nation fusing technological prowess and unparalleled grandeur

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination" - Oscar Wilde

Unconstantean


Themistokles

Wow, thank you all for the wonderful response! Today we are going to continue our hike down along the Hasselbach valley, cross the railway twice and then reach the camping-grounds on the outskirts of town. But first things first:

Kelis, romuadillo, compdude787, Jmouse, noahclem, manga rivotra, Nanami, belfastsocrates, Unconstantean
Thank you all really much for your comments!

Quote from: Vizoria on December 26, 2015, 05:03:30 AM
I can't think of anything to suggest to improve your MMP work, you have your own great style and it's just as good as the best MMP users: Vortext, Fasan, Framly, to name a few. It's a great start and I look forward to a lot more, even if it is small scenes like these.
Thank you! But I cannot to compare to the masters $%Grinno$% I like small scenes, because they are more manageable and I can build a cohesive story around it without the story taking gigantic proportions (hopefully!)

Quote from: Girafe on December 26, 2015, 01:11:05 PM
MMPS work is fabulous  :thumbsup:

Good luck with your MD  ;)
To hear that from you is an especially great honour! Without your flora there would be not a single green leaf, needle or flower on any of these pictures.

Quote from: TheTeaCat on December 26, 2015, 03:28:11 PM
What a great start &apls

Well thought out use of MMPs, love the little ruined building among the trees, all in all looks very natural.

Nice background story too and a great way to showcase an Advent gift too. Well done :thumbsup:
Thank you! Glad you liked the story as well... To be honest I had quite some fun putting it together :)

Quote from: kbieniu7 on December 27, 2015, 01:29:01 PM
Hello, Themistokles! Nice to see you starting a diary!

At the beginning I would like to say, don't be afraid of irregularity. It's natural :) It's nice to see even a couple of new images!

And the ones, you've presented us, are great! Good work with the rivers and its bank filed with boulders and bushes (by the way, could you link those rocks?). I see, you're a type of player, who pay more attention to the quality, instead of quantity. Good. Even better, that you prepared a historical background of that place. You asked for feedback, but for the moment, that's all, what I could say, it's high level already ;) Hope to see more!
Thank you! Apart from the ones under the SAM bridge, which are from nvbc, all the rocks come from Murimk's MMP rocks pack 1 and 2. Glad you liked it and also the background! :)

Quote from: Kergelen on December 30, 2015, 01:58:08 PM
Great pictures! Nice MMP work. &apls

The abandoned building fits really good.

Nice to see you starting MDing and don't worry about irregularity. Some of us are quite irregular, despite would like to update more often  ::)
Thank you! I actually just ran across the abandoned building searching for something else on the STEX and kind of fell in love with it :D And be assured, irregularity will come as soon as the semesters start again! ::)

Now for today's update:

   II: Farming Along the Railway
Downstream of the park-lands surrounding the hydro-clinic we follow the sandy path. Soon, the sand turns to asphalt before the path crosses the railway.

1.
On the other side of the tracks begin the property of an old farm. It is still known among the locals as the Kupfer farm – or nowadays as the Kupfer cooperative – despite the fact that the old Kupfers are no longer alive.

2.
After many years of neglect, the farm was taken over by a local team of enthusiasts, who have reclaimed the three small fields and are now working on the former fruit-garden behind the house. On warm and sunny day, the Kupfer farm sees fervent activity with volunteering enthusiasts, while a new generation of hens are busy cackling their way around the property.

One thing has changed, though, since the time of the Kupfers: the Motorway. Already in their time, it was generally accepted that the old road, snaking its way up the valley as it is, was both too small and too winding for its purpose. A modern city with growing ambitions and the astounding population of 5,000 people (i.e. St Edmea) cannot be connected to the outer world by merely a two centuries-old two-lane road with a maximum speed of 50 km/h – it just wouldn't seem proper. The only problem was that the old Kupfers, who owned most of the flat land in the valley, were against the idea. They didn't like the modern expansion of St Edmea, fancifully named 'Neue Esplanade', 'The New Esplanade', and, well, they needed all farmland they had just to survive.

3.
But of course, as soon as the last Kupfer was dead and buried, the roads' authorities jumped on the project and, five years later, there the shining new motorway was. They even plan to expand it further, beyond St Edmea. But why? No one knows, even though the construction has already begun. Conspiratorially oriented citizens rumour that they are planning a new motorway connection across the Alps, but that's surely just rumours, right?

4.
Having crossed the farmyard the path continues downstream, with a wheat-field on one side and the railway on the other, and as we walk the shrieking of the rails begin signalling the approach of the 13:49 regional service from Munich.

5.
While we wait for the train to pass, we can always look up at the valley side and admire the old tower, whose origins go back deeper into the mists of time than any historian of the Hasselbach valley has yet dared to peer...

6.

7.
Then, finally, we reach the camping-ground where we are going to set up our tents. We're still early in the day and the season is yet young, so despite its small size, there are still some places left. Tents up, we walk into town. From here we can also take the bus, or just walk down and take the tram. But that is for next time.

I hope you have liked this little excursion, and I look forward to hearing your opinions and suggestions! What is good and what could or should I have done differently? Your feedback is what helps me improve.
... And, not to forget, this is going to be my 200th post on this site as well :satisfied: So, until next time, take care :bye:
Come join me on a hike to St Edmea!

Latest update: 7

"In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy." - John Sawhill

compdude787

Looks nice! I like those MMP farms and trails, as well as the freeway, of course! :D
Check out my MD, United States of Simerica!
Last updated: March 5, 2017

My YouTube Channel

Vizoria

Lovely rivers and cliff work. The forests look really great to, very diverse but you also let the terrain breathe as well. Another suburb entry.

Which terrain mod are you using by the way?

compdude787

Quote from: Vizoria on January 05, 2016, 10:46:15 AM
Which terrain mod are you using by the way?

Looks like the Sudden Valley Terrain mod.
Check out my MD, United States of Simerica!
Last updated: March 5, 2017

My YouTube Channel

Catalyst

Fantastic MMP work, if someone would see your images without ever having played SC4, they would probably be surprised to hear that there exists such a thing as a grid!