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The SC4Devotion Mayors' Diary Hall of Fame

Started by thundercrack83, June 01, 2008, 09:34:50 AM

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thundercrack83




Hello, and welcome to the SC4Devotion Mayors' Diary Hall of Fame! Here you will find the best of the best--those Mayor Diaries that have been chosen by the SC4D community to be of such exemplary quality that they have been inducted into this esteemed institution. Below you'll find plaques dedicated to the MDs and their authors, as well as a detailed account written by each author, and some pictures from the MDs to whet your appetite before following the provided links and diving in. If you're looking for the best that the SC4D MDs have to offer, you've come to the best place to start! Enjoy!



The SC4Devotion Mayors' Diary Hall of Fame ToC
[tabular]
[row]
[head]
____________________MD____________________[/head]
[head]
_MD Induction_Date_[/head]
[head]
_MD Interview_[/head]
[/row]
[row]
[data]AntigOne (Badsim)[/data]
[data]
June. 2008[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]Ennedi plays Shosaloza (Ennedi)[/data]
[data]
June. 2008[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]Whitefall, Iridar (Shadow Assassin)[/data]
[data]
June. 2008[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]Blackwater (emilin)[/data]
[data]
Dec. 2008[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]Mind Scape (rooker1)[/data]
[data]
Dec. 2008[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]Commonwealth of Marathon (thundercrack83)[/data]
[data]
June. 2009[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]Tales at Tea Time (TheTeaCat)[/data]
[data]
June. 2009[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]Covington (JBSimio)[/data]
[data]
Dec. 2009[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]Tarkusian Cities (Tarkus)[/data]
[data]
Dec. 2009[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]Corsica (Yan077)[/data]
[data]
Dec. 2010[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]Adara (Battlecat)[/data]
[data]
Dec. 2010[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]The region of Pirgos (Io_bg)[/data]
[data]
Dec. 2011[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]RONDNOIR (Framly)[/data]
[data]
Dec. 2012[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]Siilijoki (noahclem)[/data]
[data]
Dec. 2012[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]Med Inspirations (Ol.S / Benoit)[/data]
[data]
Dec. 2013[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]True Earth (Korver)[/data]
[data]
Dec. 2018[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[row]
[data]The Greater Terran Region (Haljackey)[/data]
[data]
Dec. 2018[/data]
[data]
Here[/data]
[/row]
[/tabular]




thundercrack83

#1


AntigOne by Badsim

I can't remember precisely my first contact with SimCity's world. It must have been in 1995 with a free demo version of SC2000 in a computing magazine. I remember being bored with it quickly.

I gave SimCity a second chance when I bought SC3000 a few years later, but I disliked immediately its "fake plastic" look, although I've changed my point of view since. Then SC4 came out. I played a lot more with it before getting bored again after starting dozens of similar cities and achieving success with none of them.

I could have forgotten SC4 just like I've forgotten so many others games if I hadn't had the curiosity one day to visit Simcity.com. It was a great day when, browsing the links there, I discovered at the same time Simtropolis and most of all Gothia, SAC's website about Olympia! It was in the middle of 2005 and I will never forget the excitement I felt - like a divine revelation!

Olympia inspired me immediately to buy Rush Hour and install Lot Editor. While I was downloading tons of custom content from Simtropolis, I felt like a child in a candy shop who has been told, "Take all you want!"

I already knew I would build AntigOne - my Olympia - and show it to the world. It was my first CJ/MD, and it will be the last. But I would never have started it if I'd know how much work would be involved. Learning to use the Lot Editor and iLive Reader was such a pain, mainly because English isn't my native language, but also because there is just fragmented information here and there – no complete tutorials. But I never asked for anything, I just searched doggedly and taught myself - I'm proud of that.

I worked privately on AntigOne for six months to have pictures to start this MD and clearly show its purpose. My very first intention was an exclusively European-looking city - if not Parisian. But talented BATters never cease to create gorgeous buildings from everywhere, so they let me go where inspiration led me.

It is an idyllic world replying to a real world which is far from being idyllic – I'm a dreamer about a better world. Antigone is the myth by Sophocles about a woman doomed to death by her own stepfather for breaking the patriarchal rules. There are also freemason symbols. Gustave Eiffel and Frederic Bartholdi (Statue of Liberty , NYC) were freemasons.

I have no idea anymore when AntigOne will be finished. Last year I estimated it would be 2010 when I would fill up the large main city tile. Now I'm sure it will be later. It is now a giant jigsaw puzzle approaching 900 pieces (custom lots) which have taken an average time of four hours per lot. And as everybody knows, there's an inescapable real life outside.

Am I satisfied with it? How can you be satisfied with your region after seeing a region view from ejc? That's my greatest frustration with AntigOne. My weakest point is my transport system – I will work on that subject in the suburbs.

The thing that keeps me going is the egotistical urge and pleasure of creating lots and listening to music at the same time. And I'm proud when someone tells me I've influenced their work and I can see it in their own MD. Inspiration, this mysterious alchemy, is at the heart of everything.

The number of views is the only thing that truly means something from my point of vies, and I simply thank all of you for the success of AntigOne – for these numbers.

-- Badsim (edited by Jmouse)
June 3, 2008


thundercrack83

#2

I installed my first SimCity version on a computer with a 10MB hard drive. I remember the black and green DOS screen and the black dots that were cars moving along the streets.

In SC2000 I saw great improvement, but I didn't play it very much.  Later when I played SC3000, I wasn't satisfied with the visual aspects, but observing the simulation was fascinating. The game was too simple and schematic, though.

Then everything changed when I bought SC4. I visited the EA site, got to know about the custom stuff and the SC4 community, and then I found Simtropolis. What I saw there opened completely new possibilities.

I registered there early in 2005 but never have been an active member. I just collected stuff, used it in my region based on the Maxis San Francisco map and looked at various city journals. I didn't feel ready to show any of my creations and didn't feel any need to do so.

After some time, I started playing with rock mods, new kinds of plopable flora and the Columbus Terrain mod which was a revolution for me. Also I learned more about terraforming – maybe it was the beginning of my SC4 passion!

I love mountains, seas and forests - in fact with years of observation, the whole world is more and more fascinating for me. I like natural landscapes, but I was always interested in creating engineering structures on difficult terrain without damaging the natural environment. I don't try to re-create any existing places in SC4, but I want to build realistic looking cities and villages in realistic surroundings.

What is realistic in SC4 is a theme for another - and maybe endless - discussion. From my personal point of view, if my pictures are able to move somebody's imagination, then there is something real in them. Maybe these pictures are not very realistic, but if they can awaken some real feelings or memories, it is enough.

Looking at City Journals on ST, I found a few that were especially interesting and inspiring for me - AK's Eye Pop, Anduin Valley, Brastoval Bay, Digby, Edmonton, SCR, Simtropia and 3RR.

It was by reading this last one I got to know about SC4Devotion, and it was very pleasant to know that it is Jeronij's site. His pictures and the way he presented the creation process were my favorites.

So I came to SC4D in April 2007. During the first few months here I collected much more knowledge than I did in the last few years before. I met good people here and I started to think about giving something of myself to them. So I looked at some other MDs, but I knew it's a difficult and time-consuming task and I was afraid about it.

My first idea was to create my own map, a 9x9 with a seashore, an island similar to Hong Kong, large beaches with some fiords in another place, flat areas for airfields, seaports and refineries along with some lakes, hills and mountains - all in one. I started to draw this map, but after some time I understood that preparing it would take several months. So I started to think about something smaller and less complicated. I have read all the Shosaloza MDs and I decided this was something for me.

In fact, Shosaloza is my Area 51. It is my second SC4 region except for a few test regions, and my first MD/CJ. It's my place to learn, to experiment and to enjoy. Maybe that's a strong point of this MD – the various different places that are test areas for my ideas. But I still have that old map and I suppose I will make use of it one day.

Not everything is planned in Shosaloza. I have some ideas of what I want to do in particular places. Then I think what I need to do to keep everything consistent. It is rather a feedback process - the shape and function of the developed areas have an influence on the next ones even if earlier plans were different. There is also a constant interaction between the terrain and urbanized areas.

Not everything is good in Shosaloza. I know about it, but most of the things I make here are new for me, so I hope you will forgive my mistakes and bad ideas.

I have received many benefits from my work in SC4D. I met fantastic people here, I learned some computer graphics and I found interesting software. My computer knowledge is better now, and it is valuable in other areas of my life. I also learned to observe the real world even better, both landscapes and people.  Maybe this is the most important thing of all in this SC4 activity.

Being a member of this community is a fantastic adventure. Thank you for it!

-- Ennedi (edited by Jmouse)
June 3, 2008


thundercrack83


I started playing SC4 in 2003, about six months after it came out. My first MD, or CJ as they were known back then, was Dynasty, and it was hosted on SimCityCentral.net. I launched it in 2004 and it went on for about a year if I remember correctly.

Then came The Savannah Way in 2005. IMO it was the most successful CJ I've ever had and it went through two regions. Unfortunately, both regions had to be terminated, one by one, due to computer issues and the permanent demise of the image host I was using.

Then there was Ensenada, released in October, 2006, and it was quite successful. I only finished Brackenfell before the region started getting too unwieldy for me, but I still have it on my computer.

Savannah Way really did have a story behind it – it was supposed to be about the road rather than the city that developed at one end. Ensenada was a sequel of some sort since it was located at the opposite end of the Way.

Then after a few false starts, I finally launched Whitefall. At the time, my inspiration was boredom! I fired up SC4 one day and voila, a new region! I expected it to be active for at least a year which it was, at least in terms of topic. Unfortunately, real life showed its ugly head, though and here I am without an MD.

I'm thinking of getting back into the MD game, though. Creating an MD has always been fun for me first – I consider showing it to be an incidental bonus.

I don't do much pre-planning, but originally I was going to create five major city centers in Ensenada. I got sidetracked, though, but hey, most of the fun's in choosing a nice place and wham, there's a city. It did have a personality of it's own but it wasn't perfect, that's for sure.

Realism within the SC4 scale has always been a goal of mine, and my strongest points definitely are city design and transport systems. But there were a lot of things I wasn't satisfied with in the construction of the city. And I had to be careful that I didn't back myself in a corner with some decisions I made.

There were even times when I felt like giving up on it, but a break for a few weeks or so gave me enough motivation to get back and do it. Besides, I did get a lot of experience in creating a "realistic" city, and I'm one of the "old breed" who made do without stuff like the FAR and whatnot. I think the fans got a lot of inspiration out of it, too. Imitation is, after all, the sincerest form of flattery.

So maybe – just maybe – I'll make a big comeback one of these days!

-- Shadow Assassin (edited by Jmouse)
June 3, 2008


thundercrack83

#4

There was quite a lot of pre-planning for both "stages" of the journal –I consider Blackwater a different project than Islas Gemas.

I had a rather specific visual theme in mind for Islas Gemas. To a very large degree, the region is a fantasy version of the Islas Canarias which I have visited many times. But also I wanted each place - be it a city, town or island - to be different from the other places. That was the big challenge I think - making it fit together without having all the towns look the same. I think the choice of theme was based on originality. When I started the region there weren't many regions with that kind of a theme.

For Blackwater I used the layout of Stockholm as a blueprint, but I decided from the start that it would not be an exact re-creation of the city. The visual theme is more Northern European in general rather than Swedish specifically.

The theme for Blackwater was chosen to maximize the flexibility. For such a big city I wanted to have a large number of BATs to choose from, and the Northern European style is probably the most popular among BATters.

The pre-planning for both regions was extensive. I went through everything I could find at different SC4 sites and downloaded about 1 GB of BATs and plugins before even opening the game the first time. In retrospect I think that was a bad choice. It would have been better to start off with a smaller plugin folder and add to it when needed.

I had decided on a basic background story for the regions and I knew roughly where all the towns would be and how big I wanted them. That doesn't mean I followed the plan in the end, but I had one to start off with.

I pre-ordered both of the maps from Heblem. Actually, the first journal I published at Simtropolis was created on a map if his that I found on the STEX. So I humbly requested two more maps from him based on Stockholm and the Islas Canarias. He was kind enough to deliver them to me.

In the end, I completely reworked and resized the Blackwater map, so I think it's fair to call that my own work. Islas Gemas is all Heblem's work, though. It isn't as challenging to build as it might appear at first glance. He put a lot of flat stress among the hills and mountains to make places for towns. It's a great map - it looks dramatic, but it is reasonably easy to develop.

At first, new custom content didn't change (my playing style) much – I just added more as it came out. But in the end, it was one of the reasons to abandon Islas Gemas for Blackwater. I really wanted to make use of all the new NAM stuff, but that would have meant rebuilding the whole road network. And there were no railways on Islas Gemas, which was a question of realism. There would have been no point in having trains on islands that size, and I really wanted to build rails when the new long curves came out.

It's hard to know what kind of popularity a journal has, simply because the SC4 community is so kind and welcoming. It's a very encouraging atmosphere. From the start I think one of the reasons I had so many comments was simply that I was one of the first to start a journal exclusively on SC4Devotion. But I guess to some degree the readers must have liked what they saw since they kept coming back.

I think the comments have had a lot of impact on the development of the journal. Perhaps not in so many direct ways – I tend to know what I want to do and not change my mind easily – but very much in a more long-term sense. I often use suggestions, tips and ideas months after they were given to me rather than right away.

I wouldn't say that readers are more demanding these days, but they have certainly made me demand more of myself. Of course reading other journals has had a large impact in this sense too. AntigOne, Mind Scape, Terraforming Teton, all of Owen's (Yoman) projects, and of course Three Rivers Region among others, have completely changed the way I look at the game.

More than anything, I would say that the comments have been a big reason to keep going. It isn't the principle reason to play this game - that is the fun of playing, pure and simple - but it adds a whole other dimension to it. If I didn't publish pictures of my work I probably would have settled for a lesser result when building, and that would have been a lesser enjoyment too.

The Province of Lazarus at Simtropolis was more of a city planning journal. It looked pretty nice in the region view, but up close it was often terrible. Halfway through it I started to use the Lot Editor to build a big port, and I was very happy with the result. I wanted to build a good-looking port, and once I started reading up on the facts, I just couldn't stop.

Unfortunately it made me realize how bad the rest of the urban landscapes looked. I decided I wanted to spend more time on the details - building at a slower pace and on a smaller scale - which was the direct reason to start Islas Gemas.

The single most enjoyable experience was overcoming my fear of modding. When I finally managed to understand the basics of the Reader and successfully turned automata trains into props, I felt like I really had accomplished something that I wouldn't have thought I could do. It might not be much compared to all the expert modders out there, but to me it was hard!

The least enjoyable, definitely, was foresting 256 large city tiles, then realizing I would have to do it all over again each time I developed a square because I wasn't happy with the tree controller I had used.

Both Islas Gemas and Blackwater are real (places) to a degree. They have a history, odd myths and urban legends. The people read daily papers that have names, and go to football games where teams with real players play.

It isn't that I have thought out everything before hand, though. I tend to make up the background stories as I develop a new town, lake, building or whatever. To me, it feels like I am discovering it rather than making it up.

I want to thank all of you so much! That goes for all the people reading the journal, offering advice and leaving kind remarks. But also to all of those who make the custom content. You have taken a decent game with major built-in flaws and turned it into a multipurpose gaming machine that can do pretty much anything you ask of it.

As for advice to others I think David (dedgren) once posted, "Never publish anything you wouldn't want to read yourself," and I think that sums it up nicely.

-- emilin (edited by Jmouse)
November 30, 2008












thundercrack83

#5


Mind Scape by rooker1

When I read that jeronij had started a new SC4 website, I came over and joined the same day - February 7, 2007.  I realized very quickly that this was the place to be, and I started my MD, Mind Scape, on February 27.

I'd had two different MDs in the past that didn't do well, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened mine here. I figured all the nice and helpful members were here now, though, so I should have a different audience. To this day I still believe that is true.

When I first started Mind Scape, I had no ideas or plans. All I knew was this was going to be the one where I gave it my all, and I hoped everyone else enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed preparing it. 

I already had my playing style - dirty industrial cities - which is different from how I used to play. I found that rural areas were a little boring for me and I had less freedom with what I wanted to put into certain areas. With a busy downtown core, I could easily have skyscrapers and dirty industrial sectors side by side, and others would still find it realistic.  At the same time I can add parks and canals, and make other parts of the city beautiful. It would all still make sense to the viewers, as well as keeping me happy. If the general viewers didn't like what they saw I might have changed directions, but I am unsure about that really because as it turns out, the viewers did like it and I think they still do.

One member, Cedric (Badsim), definitely changed the way I play the game. After following Cedric's incredible MD, AntigOne, I saw the benefits of using the LE (Lot Editor). I started trying my hand in this field, and with his help through a few PMs and his great tutorials, I found myself creating my own LOTs. 

At that time my plugin folder was huge - just over 5GB—and  very messy.  I had no idea how to keep folders organized, or how they affect everything from playing the game, to load times to conflicts with out-dated files. This is where I started getting some helpful advice from Tage (RippleJet) and Barby (BarbyW). I realized I needed to clean out all the plugins and keep them organized from then on out, especially if I ever wanted to share my creations with the public.

With all these changes going on I started to have higher expectations of myself, and most likely so did everyone else. My cities became more detailed and I always tried to fill every single square with useful, realistic ideas. Suddenly it became very time consuming to make an update.  I found myself in LE a lot and because I was just learning, hours would go by in a few blinks. 

Actually I still have the same problem to this day, but not because I don't know what I'm doing. It's because I have so many ideas while I'm creating the new LOTs.
This is about the same time I was asked to become a scrutineer for the BSC Team - an opportunity I gladly accepted - but with this came more responsibility. I found myself consuming all the new information I had access to now. All my time was used up very quickly, and I updated less and less often. It wasn't for lack of trying because I found myself doing things which I found more enjoyable at the time. Now I needed a plan - some way to make better use of my time - and I still have a lot of trouble with this. 

My start up in April was a little different because I had some ideas I thought I could get away with. I already had a loyal audience which makes testing certain ideas a little easier.  If they don't like it they tell you, and if they do like it, they keep coming back for more. As it turns out, I think they liked it.

Anyway, my ideas fit the title of my MD very well and I thought it would be a great way to let people be more interactive with it. Now, in addition to the new set up, I was refreshed by the change of pace. I had just spent the last few months learning how to use LE and had made several LOTs for the Seaport Collection on the LEX.

The first post in Mind Scape has been changed a few times. I thought what I originally wrote was a little lame. The post that's there now was written after I had done work in LE and presented one of my contests.

I had always wanted to donate to SC4D, so I thought I would involve the members in something I thought would be fun.  I know there are a lot of members who wish they could donate but can't for some reason. Anyway, I have always enjoyed helping with fundraisers in real life, so I thought it would be a lot of fun here.

-- rooker1 (edited by Jmouse)
November 30, 2008


thundercrack83



Commonwealth of Marathon by thundercrack83

Although the Commonwealth of Marathon officially opened in November 2008, the ideas and foundations that would become Marathon were implanted in my head after my first visit with our friend David (dedgren) and Three Rivers Region over at Simtropolis in the fall of 2006.

3RR single-handedly inspired me to re-install SC4, which I had un-installed after playing it semi-regularly for a few years. Having played SimCity since the Super Nintendo version - I still haven't built a megalopolis! - I felt I had achieved all that I could within the franchise realm. 3RR, however, enabled me to start thinking about the game not merely as private enjoyment for myself, but as a medium for creativity that can be shared with an entire community.

Thanks to jeronij, I, along with countless others, followed David and 3RR from Simtropolis to its new home, SC4Devotion. Soon thereafter became my new home, too. By 2007, I had become a regular at SC4D, and it was such an exciting time for me. There were so many great places from which to gain inspiration. Two of my favorites were Developing Islas Gemas (later Blackwater), by Emil (emilin), and AntigOne, by Cédric (Badsim). Now, to even think of my work being mentioned anywhere near the same sentence as the other Hall of Fame MDs is an incredible honor.

Still, it would be almost two years until I threw my hat into the ring. Why? Well, I just could not figure out exactly what it was that I wanted to do. I had so many ideas - probably too many. The Commonwealth of Marathon as we know it now and the Marathon of 2006-2007 would be like chocolate and vanilla! As time passed, one Marathon would give way to another as I thought of new and different ideas, or became disenchanted with the ideas I had at the time.

The only thing that stayed the same was the name "Marathon," and to this day I could not tell you its significance for me. In fact, the current Marathon probably would have suffered the same fate except for one important variable. Enter my very good friend Robin (rooker1), who first breached the subject of my starting an MD. Then after the initial discussion, proceeded to beg, plead, cajole, and threaten me into submission (Just kidding, Robin!). It was then that I committed myself to the "Marathon-at-hand" and decided that it was time to take the step.

Prior to actually opening Marathon on November 5, 2008 - the date was chosen specifically to coincide with SC4D's Second Anniversary - I did as much planning and organizing as I possibly could. I wanted to make the actual updating and maintenance of Marathon easier. I toiled for hours in Photoshop, learning how to make banners and maps, and trying to get everything as close as possible to the visions I was having in my head. Then finally, the doors opened and we haven't looked back!

Two fundamental principles I thought were important when I started Marathon were friendship, above all, and a free exchange of knowledge. I wanted to make sure that those who were coming by to check things out felt like they were welcome there, and that they're input was welcome. Not only did I want to promote camaraderie and ideas, there were many times that I wanted input from others because I didn't know what in the world I was doing!

For example, the first lot I ever made in the LE was the focus of Marathon's second update. I was wanted to learn from all those people out there whose work I had admired and aspired to for so long. I also wanted to be able to give back as much as I possibly could, so I decided to show a lot of the processes on how I do things. It was not as much as "tutorials," but more as "here's how I do it, I hope you can get something out of it."

I remember saying in one of my original posts in Marathon that, by reading it, you will not only get a glimpse at how I play the game, but also a glimpse of who I am as a person (hence those pesky Springsteen videos that I apologize for again!). One of my favorite parts of making Marathon is turning off the outside world for a bit and trying to create this fictional place down to the finest detail.

I could spend hours and hours just naming things - streets, bridges, buildings, sports teams - or developing the history and governmental structures. I'm just trying to give Marathon as much depth as possible, not for the sake of realism, but because I just enjoy doing it. I also spend hours on Google maps, or sifting through the collection of road maps I have looking for inspiration.

Growing up in the northeastern United States and spending a large amount of time in Philadelphia and New York, Marathon has certainly taken on a decidedly northeastern feel to it. But I have always had a great affinity to Canada and Europe as well, so I have tried to meld these concepts into one place without creating something that would be realistically inconceivable.

No matter where I go or what map I'm looking at, though, I can always find something that makes me say, "Perhaps I could do something like that in Marathon?" Case in point is the currently-under-construction cathedral complex, which got its inspiration from Portland, Oregon.

Of course, everything that Marathon is, and will be in the future, is thanks to this great community. Even before Marathon, I was blessed with such great friends here at SC4D, and that bond has only gotten stronger since I started making an MD. I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of support I have gotten in such a short time. It is something that means more to me than anything else about Marathon.

If there were a dollar for every time I said, "Thanks!" or "Thanks so much!" when replying, we'd all be billionaires, but I do so simply because I cannot thank you all enough for what you have given me.

All the work I have done and will do is dedicated to the SC4D community. This is the community that took in an unknown college kid from Pennsylvania who couldn't do much more than make a few stat tables. This is the community that molded him and carried him to this place through the two most important things anyone could give – knowledge and friendship.

-- thundercrack83 (edited by Jmouse)
May 27, 2009












thundercrack83

#7


Tales at TeaTime by TheTeaCat

When I started my MD, the site was still in its infancy and there were not many MDs about. I thought starting one on another site a bit too daunting for a novice MDer like myself - this is my first MD anywhere - so thought I'd test the waters by starting here on SC4D.

There was a plan at the beginning, but as those who have read from the start will know, it has changed many times now from the first post. When I saw the map I now play on I knew it was the region for me, and all the previous plans got shelved. Even today I still have no real plan. I take each tile and let it grow in whatever shape it wants. I get a great idea for something and by the time I get to play, I've forgotten what it was, or I see something I want to change, then I go and do something completely different. 

I've been playing SimCity for about 10 years now, and for the last four it has been the only game on my PC. I've tried others but keep coming back to SimCity as it was the only one that stretched my mind in a linear fashion, and because it has no ending I can never complete it.

Chaotic is probably the best way to describe my playing style, and over time it's the detail work that has changed. I used to wonder and gawp at what other people were able to create. Then following the threads, etc., I started to learn more and more, and now I can do those things, too. It makes playing the game much more satisfying. If I started a new region now it would be influenced a lot by TatTT I think.

Eventually I would have started an MD, but I'm glad I started one when I did. I think now would have been even more daunting, seeing the quality in quite a lot of the MDs on here. I had no idea an MD was going to consume so much of my life, but I am so glad I started it. Now it is a part of my life.

Hardly a day passes when, at some point, I don't play in some way, either with the game or something related to it. It is very much a real place to me, and I often try to recreate a part of my surroundings.

Many times I've been out on my bike - my main transport - which gives me the chance to observe at a more leisurely pace. It has made me more aware of my surroundings in a way most will find funny.

SimCity is too clean but RL isn't, and now I try to do my bit for the environment. I hate to see litter and waste. It's the inconsiderate people who litter and fly-tip. They mess up the place and don't care - that grates on me. Now if only there was a mod for RL that would sort the problems as easy as in SimCity.

TatTT is my way to create something that somebody likes. While it's easy for a fan of the game to appreciate the screen grabs shown on the various sites, when I show a friend a picture of what I've done, the look on their faces is worth it alone.

"You did that?" and "Wow that's amazing," often exclaimed, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. This is my artistic form of expression I suppose. I can't play musical instruments, sing - well, I can, but others don't seem to think so – paint, etc., but I can make nice scenes in SC4. As to my favorite type of scene, well that would be rural - I just love the countryside. What I like least with TatTT is the lag I get in game, but that's because I have too many plugins.

I don't know what keeps the excitement alive really. Sometimes I find a custom bat or lot on an exchange that gives me an idea. A bit like that time I found the elevated line by ATEX. I'd never seen it used so there was one update alone.

Other times it's from something I saw in RL, or I read something funny or weird, and it fires my imagination. So many of the MD's I read try to re-create RL so accurately, whereas I try to escape a bit from it and SimCity gives me the chance.

Sometimes I get stuck in a corner. I've been playing and then come to an odd few grids where it's difficult to plop something. Before, I used to just plop a tree or two there and often still do, but now I try to find or make a lot to fit.

There have been many high points and a few lows, like when RL took over and I stopped playing it for a while. I had many problems to sort out, and at that time did not see a light at the end of the tunnel. I had to start it up again just so I could escape from that for a while, and actually found it helped. Of course all the encouraging comments from my friends helped me through, and it's due to you all that it has ended up today with this great honor being given to me.

I really want to say thanks to everyone involved - my readers, the committee for nominating me and all who voted for me.

-- TheTeaCat (edited by Jmouse)
May 30, 2009


Ennedi

#8

Covington by JBSimio

I started playing SimCity when the original version came out - I was still in high school.  Scary to think it was that long ago or that I'm that old!  I've always loved architecture and city planning, so the game appealed to me immediately in many ways.  I would anxiously await each updated version of the game from that point on, buying it as soon as possible and getting sucked in by the newly-added features.  It was a game which I never got bored with, despite the limitations.

SimCity 4 finally started to fix those limitations which frustrated me so much.  Until SC4, I had always felt that, despite claiming to be an open ended game, the simulation was geared towards building large cities as densely-populated as possible.  My feelings were, "grow your skyscraper forest" was the real goal even if Maxis wouldn't admit it. 

The introduction of true region play finally started to change that and make the game truly open ended the way it was supposed to be.  Other things which had started in previous versions were finally tweaked enough to realize their true potential as well.  Different transportation options, the ability to use angles, better control over zoning densities, and of course the graphic improvements all made this the version that I could finally use the way I wanted to.  And then came custom content!  We don't even really need to discuss the changes which that brought about, do we?  It is simply amazing how much an already great game has been changed and improved over the years.

As much as I played, I rarely even considered starting a mayor's diary with any of the regions I'd made.  I had followed city journals and mayor diaries for a long time and knew that I couldn't live up to the things I had seen.  The story lines of some of the oldest journals I remember were so creative and well presented.  As time went on, finite detailing and custom lotting became more prevalent.  One more thing I couldn't even hope to "compete" with.  By this time, I had actually started BATting myself, and got so wrapped up in it, I hadn't truly played the game for a year or more.  It wasn't until people like Pat and a few others started cajoling me into the idea that I finally decided to give it a try.  Even then, I expected the effort to be a short-lived disappointment to everyone.

Covington was inspired by Greensboro, North Carolina, where I had previously lived for several years.  Having grown up in Michigan, I was accustomed to seeing nothing but square grids. I remember being impressed and very intrigued by a city like Greensboro.  It was the first time I had seen a larger city which followed no real discernable pattern.  I wanted to see if I could mimic that in SC4 and find out how well it would work. 

Covington, as we know it now, is actually my second attempt at the same region. The first version was abandoned mainly because the community had added so much to the game that I couldn't keep up anymore and literally had to start over.  The MD began several weeks after I started the second version and I've enjoyed making it a work in progress and showing the development in real time.  The initial building of the region still isn't finished.  Everything I've shown so far has been a historical account bringing Covington up to the present day.  Once that happens is when I think things will really start to get interesting.

I've often wondered how Covington came to be so well received and popular.  I don't really write intricate or fascinating story lines.  I don't spend my time on the finite detailing that so often amazes me when I see in other MDs. I haven't even made many custom lots or buildings to set Covington apart.  In fact, nearly everything in Covington can be downloaded in exactly the same form seen in the diary.  I merely use what is available and work with what the creators have given us.  So what makes Covington stand out? I still don't really know, but I'll try to guess.

I think the region shots were the first thing to get some attention.  It was honestly a mistake.  I never intended Covington to be a study on rural areas, I was merely trying to fill the map before the urban areas killed off the demand for farming.  What I really intended for Covington was to be a look into the typical growth of American cities with heavy influences from the southeast in particular. 

It has also become a bit of a sounding board for me to air my views, or just vent about things I wish we did differently.  I'm not a big fan of suburban sprawl, but I include it in Covington because that's the way cities work here.  I don't like seeing historic buildings torn down and replaced by boring boxes, but it happens, and I do it here as well.  I also take these opportunities to make some subtle jokes about the stupidity of it all.  I can't speak for anyone else, but I think that finding those realistic reasons for what I'm doing in Covington makes it interesting to me. 

Covington has become a living and breathing city with features and areas that I like very much.  It is also a city with some rough and ugly neighborhoods which I would rather not visit after dark.  It is a city that doesn't always do what I would like to see done.  Throughout all of this, it is a city that reflects reality to the best of my abilities and I think that's what keeps it interesting.

Thank you for this honor!  Thank you, more times than I can say, to everyone who has followed Covington this far.  Thank you in advance to everyone who will keep following along in the future.  There's still a lot more to see in Covington!

-- JBSimio (edited by Jmouse)
December 01, 2009










New Horizons Productions
Berethor - beskhu3epnm - blade2k5 - dmscopio - dedgren - Emilin - Ennedi
jplumbley - moganite - M4346 - nichter85 - papab2000 - Shadow Assassin - Tarkus - wouanagaine

Ennedi

#9


My SimCity playing days started  in 1991 when I received a Super Nintendo (SNES), along with Super Mario World and SimCity for Christmas.  My dad stayed up all night playing it that first night, and I was hooked for awhile as well.

I was bitten by the SimCity bug again when I received Streets of SimCity a few years later from my aunt.  It was bundled with the old SimCity Urban Renewal Kit (SCURK) program, which was basically a "sandbox" version of SC2K, and I spent countless hours trying to build a large "region" with it.  Needless to say, there was a lot of construction going on. I even attempted mapping parts of the road system out, much like the Tarkusian Cities of today.

I happened across SC4 Deluxe entirely by accident when browsing the software section at a local retailer in 2004. I was overjoyed to find out the whole "region thing" I was trying in SCURK was built in, along with quite a few new transport options.  I wound up purchasing it on kind of a whim, and played it "vanilla" regularly for a couple years.  Then I happened upon Simtropolis by accident in late 2005, and discovered the NAM, the RHW (which had just seen an initial public alpha release), as well as all the custom content, and the various CJs.  It completely blew the barn doors off for me, and I haven't put the game down since!

There were a lot of CJs/MDs around the time I showed up that really stuck with me. David (dedgren) was just getting started with 3RR, chocolatemax285 had Green and Gold Depra going, and Alek King was at his peak.   There were a few more now-forgotten CJers that I rather liked, such as 1dera3, whose approach to showing "planning in progress" had a lasting impact on how I've approached things myself. 

I was actually pretty nervous about entering the world of MDing, as the bar had been raised countless times in the months before I started.  I finally took the plunge in April 2007 with Argentum, which was definitely a learning experience.  It started out with a bang, but it seemed like it was actually going a little too quickly to start.  It kind of came at a bad time, too. I had just unexpectedly ended up taking over the RHW project, and I think I bit off a little more than I could chew with it. It was a bit over-dependent on my modding activities in terms of moving forward.  So, I took a month off from MDing, regrouped, and came back with Tarkusian Cities.  I decided to go with a multi-region plan as it seemed to provide the most flexibility, as well as a stable base on which to build, and I started thinking longer term. 

I've always been a bit of a "road geek" my entire life.  I'm like a moth to a flame whenever I see a map (and often find errors with them), and I've always eagerly followed any sort of road construction project in my vicinity.  It surprises a lot of people who have seen my work here with the MD and my transit modding work when they find out I'm actually a doctoral student in music instead of a highway engineer.  I suppose the whole "engineering" thing runs in my blood to a degree, though - my dad is an electrical engineer for a municipal power company.

I'm absolutely elated and still completely shocked that I made it into the Hall of Fame here, with all these other legends of the craft, and that I've been able to keep Tarkusian Cities going for two and a half years.  Sometimes I feel  I haven't really been able to spend as much time with it as I would like because it competes with RL and my modding activities here. So I want to thank everyone who's continued to support it even during those "lean times". 

As far as what the future holds for Tarkusian Cities, my recent hard drive crash has actually afforded me an opportunity to start fresh with new regions and a rebuilt set of plugins.  I have been able to recover all my old regions in case I ever decide to revisit them, but to an extent, I feel like I've learned a lot since then and believe I can do better now.

I've also wanted to play around with the whole "alternate history" sort of thing. David has done a remarkable job with it in 3RR, so there's a good likelihood you'll see more "back story" leaking into Tarkusian Cities with the new regions.  And of course, it really wouldn't be a Tarkusian Cities without construction, so you'll certainly see the bulldozers remain a prominent fixture throughout.  I've kind of slowly "dialed back" my reliance on new transit content over a period of time, because I didn't want it to end up like my first attempt.  But I can guarantee there will be some interesting stuff on that end over the coming months.

Once again, thanks to everyone who has supported me and Tarkusian Cities over the past two-and-a-half years. And thanks to all the custom-content creators, too. Without their work, my work wouldn't have been possible. And thanks to Jeroni for creating this great site which I've been thrilled to call home for almost 3 years.

-- Tarkus (edited by Jmouse)
December 01, 2009


New Horizons Productions
Berethor - beskhu3epnm - blade2k5 - dmscopio - dedgren - Emilin - Ennedi
jplumbley - moganite - M4346 - nichter85 - papab2000 - Shadow Assassin - Tarkus - wouanagaine

Jmouse

#10


Corsica by Yan077

I started playing SC4 at the beginning of 2008 and I joined SC4 Devotion in April 2009.

Corsica is my fourth MD after Vlieland (a Netherlands- style city), Alaska (a North American style MD) and Rozan le Lac (an  alpine- style MD). All of them were presented at Toutsimcities, the SC4 French fan site.

Realism has always been a goal, but Corsica is not a recreation. SimCity is not only a city builder game for me. My Corsica is a fictitious one which allows me to imagine some good landscapes. Corsica has become an artistic form of expression, using the game as a design-work tool.

If SC4 is a hobby, it's also a way to escape from real life which is sometimes so sad.

When I first started this MD, AntigOne by Badsim and Koumhog from Air6, only visible at Toutsimcities, are without doubt the city journals which have had the greatest influence on Corsica. Really, those are two of the most amazing SimCity's works I've ever seen.

Air6's Mediterranean cities have enlightened my days for a while. I was an avid reader of his CJ. That's certainly not the only good Mediteranean journal, but for me the most beautiful combination of Mediterranean content. It's a must to read for sure!

Badsim's creations have inspired so many people to give the Lot Editor a shot, but regarding his first rural works using custom content by MBear, I personally found a new way to play SimCity the first time I saw such quiet nature. It's inimitable and simply gorgeous.

Tales at Tea Times by TheTeaCat is another marvelous inspiration for me.

But, as time goes by, I finally found my way thanks to an incredible amount of new plopable content. My landscapes have become more and more detailed while I took care to fill every single case. There are so many creators I would like to thank: MBear, Heblem, Simfox, Chrisadams, Pegasus, dedgren, Orange_o_, Girafe, Air6, manchou, vnaoned and so many others.

Corsica is my favorite real place in the world, that's why I decided to pay tribute to it. I have spent so many good holidays there on the "Isle of Beauty" as we also call it. Nowhere in the Mediterranean countries will you find finer beaches than its perfect half-moon bays of white sand and transparent water, or seascapes more inspiring than the red porphyry "calanches" of the west coast.

You could think I'm a bit chauvinistic , but I don't think so. I'm not Corsican and the lucky guys who visited Corsica will understand me.

Sometimes I think about giving up on Corsica. Inspiration has never been a problem as the real beauty of Corsica is an inexhaustible one. The limited Mediterranean custom content rather was and still is the problem. When I post updates , there are always a lot of things I'm not satisfied with and I'm afraid of making repetitive updates.  Fortunately, the enthusiastic comments I continuously receive are the main reason to keep going.

Thanks you all so much. I hope to offer you still a lot more of Corsica!

-- Yan007 (edited by Jmouse)
February 11, 2011














Jmouse

#11

Adara by Battlecat

I've been playing SC4 off and on since the launch of the game. I played it for about 2 weeks right after it launched and then gave up because I just couldn't figure out how to build a functioning city. I'd pull it out every few months and give up again pretty quickly. Simtropolis changed that pretty fast though. Mods and tutorials made the difference and I finally figured out how the game could be played.

Eventually I got inspired enough to run a pair of City Journals on Simtropolis called Terra and Isthmuthi. Terra was a regional growth game where I gradually grew expanding cities slowly crawling over farmland. Isthmuthi was intended to be a constructed city project with the intent of building a mega city. Despite my best efforts, real life, other games and several major hard drive failures resulted in me giving up on the game again. 

Two years ago, I stumbled on to the SC4 Devotion community. It didn't take me long to realize that I missed the game, but it was the discovery of the wide radius curves and Fraction angle networks that really got my brain buzzing. I registered for the forums and started installing the game that evening. I began putting together the initial map for Adara almost immediately.

I'll admit I didn't have a plan in the slightest when I started Adara. 

Since then, Adara has been driven by inspiration and the wonderful suggestions of the community. Just for example, an off handed comment by one person way back in my MD led to the creation of the Dam on the Vavenby Tile and the subsequent lakeshore that is still incomplete! The idea of concealing map tile borders developed around that time as well.

I would say that Adara has a plan now which is certainly a change from the start. I want to develop a region that has realistic growth patterns but that also looks aesthetically appealing. I also want to develop as wide a variety of cityscapes as possibly. Yes, that does mean a large city (much larger than Winfield) lies somewhere in the distant future of Adara.

I've had some good months and bad months for the regularity of updates with the game, but I've never considered actually abandoning it. I'm actually quite proud of how the region is turning out.  The enthusiastic feedback of my readers and the constant improvements to the game by the modders both give me inspiration to keep this project on the go!

A big influence on the style Adara is developing is my own employment and educational background. I'm working as a GIS mapping technician and was trained in cartography and air photo interpretation at University. As such, I'm quite accustomed to looking at the world from above and at a larger scale than SC4 ordinarily encourages. That's one of the main reasons why I spend so much time on making sure my tile borders are consistent; I like the idea of creating a world that is complete, ignoring the artificial boundaries imposed by the game. 

Of course, without all the mods, tutorials and inspiring MD's of this community, it would be very hard to accomplish what I have done.  The NAM certainly comes to mind as the biggest influence on the style of my region. As for MD's, I try to read as many as possible and I love seeing new and unexpected uses for a tool, building or detailing technique.

I worked on Adara for about a month before posting the first update. I was about a third of the way done the tile before the first post went up. My initial goal was just to see if I could put together a reasonable buffer of pictures so I could update regularly and whether I had the patience and sufficient inspiration to play the game and stick with it. I also have some serious confidence issues and it took me nearly a month to work up the nerve to post. 

I pretty much let the buffer dwindle down, partially due to limited gaming time and partly due to wanting to be able to implement reader suggestions quickly rather than having to wait several updates.

I'm building the map myself using SC4 Terraformer. It's not even completed very far beyond the tiles that are finished at this point.  It leaves me room to add new ideas to the map.  The map is quite large, 7x7 large tiles on the side for a total of 49 large city tiles across the region. 

I doubt very much that Adara would have lasted nearly this long without the strong community of SC4D to back it up. Thanks very much to everyone for making this such a fantastic place and for your support over these past 2 years. 

I'm not sure what else to say except that there's a still lot to come for Adara!

-- Battlecat (edited by Jmouse)
February 11, 2011





threestooges

#12


My SC4 story started 6 years ago, when a friend of mine gave me SC4 as a present for my birthday. I found the game interesting, even if I didn't know English at the time and couldn't understand what the advisers were telling me to do; my cities always went bankrupt. That was the reason that made me stop playing the game for a while. Fortunately, a couple of years later, I decided to give the game another go. The Rush Hour expansion pack was released shortly after the vanilla SC4 (which is what I had at the time) so I bought it. By that time I had learned some English at school so, with the help of the new tutorials, I understood how to make a successful city. In the spring of 2008 I discovered the SC4 communities such as SC4Devotion and Simtropolis and I was amazed that, after so many years since the game was released, there were people who still played and modded it. I've been playing the game quite often since then.

At first I shared only single pictures in the "Show us your..." threads, later on (after seeing a lot of amazing MDs) I thought about making my own but I was put off by the amount of work that was needed for it. My good friend Arthur (Art128) motivated me to start my own. At first I was hesitant, but in August 2009 I finally decided to give MDing a go. I started showing pictures from the region I worked on for more than a year. I was quite fond of it because it combined all my playing styles - from farms and small towns to big cities.

In the first couple of months I was slightly disappointed by the low number of visitors and comments but then again it was Arthur who helped me and told me not to worry about it. I've never thought of closing my MD and I don't have any plans for that to happen in the future either, even though there have been periods where I lacked inspiration or time to play the game. Fortunately, MDing doesn't require as much time as I first thought, and reading positive comments about my work keeps me motivated to play the game. There's no story behind Pirgos because I'm not really good at coming up with stories though there was a period when I wanted to invent one. I have never had long-term plans for my MD.

As Pirgos progressed, things were going quite well - especially when I was chosen for OSITM in March 2010. I have many playing styles and change them all the time - I've built American, European and communist cities, rural areas and towns. Some were inspired by real cities - others, pure imagination. I have always tried to build as realistically as possible. This includes the type of transport networks and their layout, choice of buildings, etc. I think these are my strongest points.
If it was possible to turn back time, I would have started my MD as soon as I discovered the SC4 communities.

Various things have motivated me - for example, my latest city, as of writing, has been inspired by L.A. Noire, a game taking place in 1940's Los Angeles. The only time when I had no motivation at all to keep Pirgos going was in October 2010 when my HDD failed - I lost the region I had worked on for so much time, plus all the plugins I had. It took me a while to start building up my plugins folder and a new region from scratch. Fortunately it wasn't all bad - the terrain of the new region I started developing was more realistic than the previous (which was entirely terraformed by me and I'm not that good in this).

For anyone thinking about starting a Mayor's Diary: don't worry about not receiving much feedback in the beginning. Hard-working MDers always get spotted soon enough.

-- io_bg (edited by threestooges)
November 30, 2011




Levski City



Paradise Island | Algonquin



Tsarigrad



Levski City



Sliven | Riverside

Jmouse

#13

Siilijoki by noahclem
My first experience with SimCity happened when I came across the Super Nintendo version at a video rental store in 1990 and I've been hooked ever since. Siilijoki's real origins go further back still when, by age 4, I was making cities on paper. When in preschool we had a project to make houses out of milk cartons the teacher put me in charge of making a city on paper where we could place our "houses" and then drive our little toy cars on it. The other kids drove me crazy because they wouldn't drive on the right side of the road or stop at stop signs. :D   

By the days of SC2000 and its SCURK addon elements of what would eventually become Siilijoki were becoming apparent. My first extra-wide highways and my first custom-content creation, copy-pasting medium-sized buildings into super-tall buildings, date to the SC2K era. I finally got into SimCity 4 at the beginning of 2008 after buying a computer that could run it and was quickly fascinated by the possibilities offered by custom content, particularly the NAM. In the spring of 2010, after a couple years of learning, drawing inspiration from those who went before me, and a lot of planning, I started my 4th region, Siilijoki.

Since the beginning, I've intended this region to be something very special, but I think that's how most of us feel about most of the regions we start. I had it in the back of my mind from the start that Siilijoki might end up becoming an MD. It was my first region that drew heavy inspiration from the good works of others I'd observed on SC4D, or observed anywhere for that matter. I did plenty of planning on paper in the beginning and the general layout of the region's motorway's was in place before I started playing my first tile. With numerous relatively minor revisions the same plan remains in place today. This was certainly not the first time I made SimCity plans on paper though, and I've continued to use paper planning throughout the area's development, whether general outlines for the region or tile-by-tile planning for multi-modal interchanges and street grid layouts.

Categorizing Siilijoki would be hard for me. RHW was the most important element to me when I began, but I wouldn't say that's the case anymore. I also wouldn't describe it as an MMP playground, a European-themed region, a skyscraper forest, a model railroad in SC4, or any of the other things that I like to do with it sometimes. What I do with Siilijoki is look at all of the great ideas players have shared and all of the awesome content people have created and try to weave them together in a coherent way that produces something better than the sum of the individual themes and creations. A unique interchange, a nice rail/tram mass transit system, great BATs and lots placed and grown into a nice neighborhood, quality terrain/water/beach/rock mods and good MMP decoration are all excellent things individually, but they can be still better when assembled together with care, planning, and patience. Working hard on composition and presentation can present a still better experience to someone reading, which is the most important thing I'm trying to accomplish with this MD.

Without categorizing my MD there are some things I think of as part of the special character of Siilijoki. Besides what I mentioned above, I like to think that Siilijoki is special for my night and twilight pictures; extensive use of Maxis (i.e. non-plopable) water, especially in urban centers; and attempts at grid-breaking networks and neighborhoods. All have been a part of making Siilijoki a more realistic, interesting, attractive, and unique region.

The thing above all else that makes Siilijoki the greatest region or city I've ever created is sharing. Sharing my work made me try harder and try things I would not have otherwise; readers sharing feedback gave me more ideas and motivation, and other MDers sharing their cities did the same. The custom-content creators sharing the myriad excellent mods, BATs, and lots I use made Siilijoki as you see it possible, increased my love of the game and dedication to Siilijoki and truly brought my cities to life. The techniques and links I've shared with others get used in ways I wouldn't have thought of, and in turn bring new ideas back to me in Siilijoki.

Receiving this honor is the crowning achievement of my 25 years of city building. I'm deeply grateful to everyone who's been part of the process of me getting here and I'd like to offer a special thanks to my friends and collaborators at SC4D (you know who you are :) ), all the content creators who've shared their work with me, Jeroni for sharing this place with us, and most of all, my dedicated readers over the years. I very much hope you've all enjoyed my little contribution here in Siilijoki.

                                                                                                                                                   noahclem (edited by Jmouse)
                                                                                                                                                                         November 2012












Jmouse

#14

Rondnoir by Framly

I cannot tell exactly how old I was when I played SimCity the very first time. I guess I was about 10 or 12 years old. My cousin installed SC2000 on my first computer (166MHz). Back then SimCity was just building, heading for as much inhabitants as possible. I can still remember those giant Arcos. In the years after SC3000 and SC4 followed. In just played by myself without being a member of any sort of community. One plays quite a lot during adolescence, and so I lost interest in SimCity and the CDs as well.

In the spring of 2009, I accidentally saw SC4 for 10 € in an online shop,  so I decided to order it. I quickly discovered the possibilities of the internet. Thousands of Downloads and a strong national and international community were just waiting for me.

In the summer of 2009, I published my first MD on simforum: "Erzfürstentum Marien – Arcachon". That MD is not a masterpiece but one has to check ones strengths and weaknesses first.
In these times, I got inspiration from Nardo 69 and Voltaic. I liked their rural way of building and so I decided to start a new MD.

It was important to me to follow some sort of thread with that MD. I wanted to have one map and one story, so I started "Rondnoir" in 2010 after I had carefully thought about a concept. I found the name accidentally, thought it sounds nice and that it would fit my plans.

Over the years, I discovered more and more possibilities and I developed some skills using all the different tools. I was surprised about the really good feedback my pictures got in the different communities, and this was what increased my interest in the game even more and motivated me to improve. Inspiration comes from daily life and from places where I've been. All my pictures are supposed to tell little stories. My creations follow a certain scheme. I pay attention to details, even the very little ones, which 9 out of 10 people don't even notice.

SimCity still inspires me every single day. It's different than with other games. You have to work on the game as you just have an empty green map. The rest is patience, endurance, talent and fantasy. It's my little world of miniatures.

SC4 does not have any restrictions anymore and it is more fascinating than ever before. Unfortunately I do not have any talent for BATing, but thanks to the cooperation with rambuckel and the RFR-Team we were able to realize many brilliant Ideas and dreams in SC4. I really grew fond of the whole SC4-Community and I do not really worry about the future of the community. There will not be as many active members as it used to be, but the hard-core members will remain.

To conclude I'd like to say thanks to some important people:
Theresa (rambuckel): I owe you quite a lot and I'm just happy to have met you over SC4. Thanks!
RFR Team (IGC, Carlfatal, derGammler): You're great! Thank you guys!
SFBT & SimForum: Thanks for the great support from the home country.
Franzi: My girlfriend! Thanks for all the many hours I was allowed to spend for my hobby!
SC4D Team: Thanks for the opportunity to be part of this great community!
Let's go forward to have many more great years together!

                                                                                                                                                                Framly (edited by Jmouse)
                                                                                                                                                                         November 2012












art128


Med Inspirations by Ol.S / Benoit

I do remember quite well my first Sim City experience, it was at school about 15 years ago in CM2 (5th Grade). Our teacher made us play SimCity2000 during the class - quite unusual ! I guess it was to teach us the basics of management, and to get used to computers for those who did not have one at home at that time.
Anyway, I really got into Sim City in 2003 when SimCity4 came out, and played it for a year or so.

Early in 2011, I was looking for some old school games I enjoyed playing. In need for some tips and tricks concerning SimCity4, I first found TSC (ToutSimCities), the French community) and I was amazed by the large modding community around this game. When I saw what Yann was doing with Alaska and Corsica at that time, it inspired me to share my own pictures and to start an MD, first on TSC, then on SC4 Devotion and Simtropolis.
I discovered a new way to play that game, which doesn't fit the standards of city builders, but just relies on creativity. It makes you feel like a painter even though you can't paint !

After a few and brief MD experiences on TSC, named "Old Creek," "Palm Springs" and "Sharp Island", I started "Spain Inspirations" in May 2011, both on TSC and SC4 Devotion. The idea was to create a fictional region that you could find in Spain along the Costa Brava and the Costa Blanca.

This was the first time I had a clear idea about what my MD should look like, and what style should be used. Very often, it involves a small isolated town surrounded by detailed landscapes. At some point, as I wanted to diversify a little bit more, and also because the "Spain Inspirations" region was almost done, I renamed my MD as "Med Inspirations."

I tried many different styles from what you could find around the Mediterranean Sea, whether it is a city or a landscape, from Moroccan to Spanish, French and Italian inspirations. Now "Med Inspirations" doesn't really make any sense since I went back to some North American inspirations, but I decided to keep that name anyway !

With Med Inspirations, I stopped working on a region as a whole. Now the way I play SC4 is quite simple, each project is an update. I like the idea of working on a "scene", then again, probably because it makes me feel like a painter !

I am always looking for the latest creation on the exchange zone, looking for inspiration and feedback on the forums. Being a member of this community is really beneficial because there is some sort of emulation around creativity and skills that I think is very healthy, not something that you see all the time !

It also gave me the desire to get involved differently, doing tutorials for the French forums and sharing my Lot Editor creations. Basically, the community made me play that game much longer than I expected !

I don't see an end to Med Inspirations as each update is a different project, a different inspiration. There are no rules regarding this MD which allows me to try many different styles. Well actually there is one rule : details !

Thanks a lot for the feedback since 2011. It is an honor for me to be part of this community, and now to be in the HoF ! This game is a passion.

                                                                                                                                                                Ol.S / Benoit (edited by Jmouse)
                                                                                                                                                                         November 2013










I'll take a quiet life... A handshake of carbon monoxide.

Props & Texture Catalog

art128



True Earth by Korver

I've been playing SimCity for as long as I can remember. My first experience with the series came sometime back in 2000-2001 after trying out the newly released SimCity 3000 Unlimited - and from then on I became hooked. I've always been extremely interested in geography and cities/landmarks in general from an early age - so it was a perfect fit.

I spent many hours on the old SC3KU Exchange downloading countless buildings and creating the perfect city - and it was around this time that I started some of my first ever real world city recreations. Despite the limited tools at my disposal, it was still loads of fun and I have lots of fond memories from some of my earliest days on SimCity 3000 Unlimited.

Once SimCity 4 was released, I immediately wanted to try it out - but unfortunately my computer didn't meet the specs so I still played SC3KU off and on until 2009. Finally in 2009, I got a laptop that could play the game sufficiently, so one of the first things I did was get SC4 and give it a go. My time with SC3KU reminded me how vital custom content was - so it didn't take long for me to discover the old SC4 Maxis exchange and soon afterwards, the LEX and the STEX. I was blown away with some of the incredible content being produced, and SC4 quickly became my go-to game.

It was around this time as well that I first discovered some of the amazing MDs and CJs being published by the community. SimHoTToDDy's Soviet Black Sea Union on ST in particular really stood out to me and served as my biggest inspiration early on.

Although I had possibly thought about starting up an MD as early as 2010 - I was still a bit intimidated and never could push myself to take that next step. But perhaps the biggest issue was that my perfectionism always seemed to get the best of me - and I could never seem to complete much without completely starting over time and again.

After playing SC4 off and on for a number of years, I finally was able to take that next step in early 2016 with the start of True Earth. Given my love of geography and prior experience with recreations, it was the perfect match for me. Initially, I started small - and focused on just publishing one update and seeing how it went. I've always loved Africa, so I decided to begin on ST with my "Lake Bogoria" entry, and after a positive reaction from the community I decided to take things further. In May 2016, I decided to bring True Earth to SC4D - and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I immediately felt right at home, and got a great reaction here as well - it's definitely played a role in True Earth's success to this day.

For my first couple of updates, I tried out a wide variety of scenes - incorporating MMPing, custom lotting, custom rock mods, custom road textures, and much more. Over the years, I've tried to push the game even futher - which included learning 3dsmax and importing custom models (and creating countless models of my own), creating entire terrain mods, entire texture sets, and so much more. It's been challenging and fun at the same time - and the results are always worth it in the end. The variety of building styles, techniques, and methods have always played an important role in my work.

Since the beginning of True Earth, my interests have constantly changed and evolved. Some times I'll want to do a big city recreation - other times maybe a huge mountain range, a small village, or even a historical scene or two. It all depends on my interests at the time - and what part of the globe I'm currently inspired by. One of my main goals for True Earth is for it to be a truly global MD - so the wide variety of scenes is quite important as well.

It's hard to believe that it's been over two and a half years now since the beginning of True Earth. I've had so many great moments over the years and it's a been truly special experience. I still try to take things one update at a time - so who knows what will inspire me next. No matter where I travel with True Earth though, one thing is for certain - the future still looks as bright as ever.

Once more, I'd like to give a big thanks to all of my readers - your kind words and support over the years have played a vital role in the success of True Earth! I'd also like to thank the staff as well for putting together this election and to everyone who voted for True Earth. It's such a big honor to get elected to the HoF, so thanks again everyone for helping to make this happen :)

Korver, November 2018
                                                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                                       








I'll take a quiet life... A handshake of carbon monoxide.

Props & Texture Catalog

art128


Hi there! My name is Haljackey and this is my first, and so far only SimCity 4 Mayor's Diary / City Journal.

I have been playing the SimCity series since SimCity SNES and I have been hooked ever since!

I acquired SimCity 4 on launch day, and ditto with Rush Hour expansion.

In 2004, I became a lurker in the online community. By 2005, I registered for an account on Simtropolis and by 2006 I had started work on the Greater Terran Region (GTR).

In Early 2007. a lot of people seemed to appreciate my work / creations showed online and some asked if I had a spot where I showed all my creations. I didn't have one, and that gave birth to the Greater Terran Region (GTR) in late 2007. The showcase was displayed on both Simtropolis and SC4Devotion, but after a site hack in 2008 on Simtropolis, SC4Devotion became the home of the GTR. Regular updates continued into 2009 and dropped off past 2010.

So what is the "Too Long, Didn't Read" (TLDR) version of The Greater Terran Region? It is a large region that is mostly packed with skyscrapers, supported by an incredible transportation system. I often show my work when making new areas and transportation networks, so that anyone inspired can follow along and create something similar for themselves if desired.

I pioneered a lot of city and transport design in this region that I have greatly expanded upon it in further creations. A lot of content was experimental or simply not attempted, an example being the Multi-RHW system before the network was stabilized in future releases. Back then the RHW was known as Rural Highway, not Real Highway :P. We have come so far!

While a lot of images have ultimately been lost due to the death of sites like Majhost or site changes like Imageshack & Photobucket, the GTR lives on from archived images (I still have ALL my SC4 screenshots saved since 2003) re-uploaded to stable sites like Imgur and Flickr (the later going to change for the worse in January 2019). I also did a lot of SC4 pioneering in terms of videos, and ALL of my videos live on the Youtube platform.

I've won many awards for this region, but being inducted into the hall of fame is icing on the cake, even after a few years of being dormant! Awards won include:
    2008 Best City Journal (Simtropolis)
    2008 Best City Sprawl in the City Journal (Simtropolis)
    2008 Slogan of the Year (Simtropolis)
    2008 Best Urban Mayor's Diary (SC4Devotion)
    2009 'Of Special Interest This Month' Showcase (SC4Devotion)
    2009 Mayor's Diary Hall of Fame Nominee (SC4Devotion)
    2009 City Showcase Spotlight (SimCity 4 Wiki)
    2010 Urban Walrus Award (CSG Design)
    2012 Best "Show Us Your" Contributions (Simtropolis)
    2018 Mayor's Diary Hall of Fame Inductee (SC4Devotion)

So what is the future of this Mayor's Diary? Well I plan to do a major revisit of my cities to see how things are still working after so many years have passed. I have incorporated this region, along with other regions I have worked on, into my "Ring of Fire" mega-region. It's been a fun, yet challenging effort connecting these regions up to one-another through terranforming and transportation networks. The core of the region remains relatively untouched, but the outskirts / edges are being retooled to better connect to the surrounding mega-region.

To long-time fans of my work, thanks for recognizing the Greater Terran Region as a worthy entrant into the Hall of Fame! To new viewers, welcome and I hope you enjoy your stay and stick around for future updates! :)

Last but not least, thanks to everyone involved in the Hall of Fame process for all your hard work!

Haljackey, November 2018
                                                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                                       
Office Towers - Downtown


Stack Interchange - Terran Settlement


The first Multi RHW - Crossings


Witburg Station - Witburg


Original extent of the Greater Terran Region (now part of my Ring of Fire mega-region)
I'll take a quiet life... A handshake of carbon monoxide.

Props & Texture Catalog