Tarkusian Cities (Update 107-08/23/2020-West Chemeketa Reconfig, Part 1)

[thundercrack83]

So THAT's how it's done! Magnificent tutorial, Alex! I'm going to have to sit down one of these days and give it a try!

Dustin

[allan_kuan1992]

Tarkus... maybe you want to care about your residents?  I see a lot of destruction with the rerouted Bob Dylan Freeway...

I propose a less disturbing reroute...



Basically, the Argentum Bvld Interchange will be relocated to Caldera Lane (or it could be removed completely). Argentum Bvld will then intersect with Caldera Lane, taking up some of the old route of the Bob Dylan Freeway. Bob Dylan Freeway itself will be rerouted to make it straighter.

Of course, I don't want to take too much from your work, but this I think is more environmentally-friendly and less disturbing for residents (if the residents were alive, of course).

- Allan Kuan

[Filasimo]

cool update there Alex!    im sure now all ya created are wannabe mapmakers  copying your updates

[EDGE4194]

thanks alex for that fantastic tutorial. I have been wanting to make maps for my cities, and now I can. 

[dragonshardz]

Hey Tarkus i'm back in the MD section. Great updates.

[Jmouse]

Wonderful tutorial, Alex!
I'm guessing this will work in Adobe Illustrator and look forward to trying out your approach to map making soon.
Please forgive the short post, but I've been away for a few days and I'm trying to catch up.

Until next time...
Joan

[BigSlark]

Great tutorial, Alex. I'll have to give a try one of these days soon.

Cheers,
Kevin

[FrankU]

Thanks for the tutorial!
Great.

[Tarkus]

Hi everyone-

I'm back with more Tarkusian Cities, and once again, we'll be returning to check on the progress of the Bob Dylan Freeway Corridor Realignment Project on the south side of Argentum, near the town of Angstrom.  But first, I'm going to change things up a little and get into replies.

mightygoose:  Thanks!  I'm glad you enjoyed the roadgeekery and the map tutorial. 

figui:  You're most certainly welcome.   

schm0:  Thanks, I'm glad you've enjoyed the MD thus far!  As far as the graphics software goes, that's an excellent question.  I originally had been doing all my maps strictly in The GIMP, but I've always found the some of the tools (particularly the Paths tool) to be a bit awkward, and I've found that working in a stricter vector environment (like Inkscape) is much less system-intensive.  It's really ultimately a matter of what tools with which one is most comfortable.

sebes:  You're most welcome for the tutorial--I really do hope it's useful.  I'm really quite stoked to hear people are putting desktop shortcuts to my maps--I never would have expected it in a million years.  You'll have a new shortcut to make after this update.

David (dedgren):  Thanks for the compliments on the tutorial--it really means quite a lot to me to hear that from someone who is far more talented at this mapping thing.

As far as Inkscape goes, I have to thank Daniel (Shadow Assassin) for recommending it to me.  I must say, it is one of the better free/open-source graphics programs out there.  I'm still learning new tricks with it every time I use it.

Dustin (thundercrack83):  Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the tutorial, and I'd be curious to see what you (or anyone else) comes up with.  I'll probably end up staring at them for hours myself.  Never can have too many maps.

Allan Kuan:  Thanks for the suggestion there!  I really do enjoy getting feedback on my layouts and whatnot, so you haven't taken anything from my work.  As far as that particular setup you have developed there, had there been some sort of significant development there, or a particularly sensitive environment there, I probably would have proposed that.  However, the area where the new Bob Dylan Freeway alignment is slated to pass through is nothing but open space and marginal farmland that was about to get plowed under anyway as the city expanded.   

This is a pic of the south end where the old alignment and the new alignment meet (just west of Angstrom City Limits):



So, before any serious development took place there, it made sense to run the freeway through there, especially since it will really be needed quite soon.  The Highway 220 proposal there (which will tie into Cubit Lane) will be a bit trickier, though, as there is some development there, as well as a lot of surface streets that will have to be taken into consideration.

Ryan (Filasimo):  Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.  The more maps the merrier, I say.

EDGE4194:  You're most welcome for the tutorial--I can't wait to see what you come up with!

dragonshardz:  Thanks, glad you enjoyed the updates!

Joan (Jmouse):  Thanks for the compliments on the tutorial, and I don't think it would be terribly difficult to replicate the method in Illustrator.  In fact, if anything, it'll probably be a bit easier.  And no worries about the short post.  I hope everything is alright down in Arkansas after the storm, and like many others here I'm sure, I'm going to miss Wildcat Junction.

Kevin (BigSlark):  Thanks, and you're most certainly welcome, and I'd definitely be interested in seeing what you come up with.

FrankU:  You're welcome!  Hope it was useful for you.

_____________________________________________________

Now onto the update.  First things first.  I promised sebes a new map.  This map is actually "jumping ahead" on things a little bit.  You'll see some features of the next update already in place here.  The main focus of the update is marked, and secondary focus (which we'll begin with) should be fairly easy to find.



(There's also a rather odd series of hidden references on some of the residential streets, too. )

Work is continuing on putting Highway 61 through, and in order to get through a rather steep hill at a reasonable grade, the blasting crews have been brought in.  (This is on the north end of the map, just to the east of Grevano Drive)





At the other end of the project, Caldera Lane (remember it?) will be re-aligned to make room for the new freeway.  The existing alignment is not particularly favorable, as it curves in the middle of what will be Highway 61, and for other reasons you'll see rather soon.





In order to make room for the overpass, the curves have had to be made a little sharper, but smoother.  In the second pic, you can also see the existing Highway 61 alignment, as well where the new one comes in in relation.





Here's another pic of where the new and old alignments meet, right at the existing interchange with the southern segment of Argentum Boulevard, which runs down to downtown Angstrom.  (A northern segment of Argentum Boulevard runs through downtown Argentum up to Gray Creek, which was formerly part of Highway 61 until it was decommissioned with the completion of the existing freeway).



Wilson Road has also been closed in anticipation of more construction.



And now for something completely different.  I've started playing around with terrain modding, and developed a new mod using c.p.'s (aka cycledogg) textures.  I'm a big fan of his terrain textures, and have been using his Grand Canyon mod for most of this MD, but I always felt it was more suited for the deserts of the Southwestern US, rather than the deserts of the Northwestern US.  I may still tweak it a little, but thus far, I'm fairly happy with it.  If anyone's interested in it, I could make the terrain controller publicly available.





That's it for this update.  More construction ahead . . .

-Alex (Tarkus)

[Jmouse]

Well, I think I'm finally starting to make some sense of your mapping techniques, Alex, along with your realignments and reasons for them.
I've put the map above on the desktop so I can follow your train of thought better. It looks so realistic -- like some published in our phone book or my dogeared 2006 Rand McNally road atlas.
I'm still a bit confused about the various approaches to city planning, though. It's makes me think of the age-old chicken/egg question - which comes first, the complex highway systems or the residents?
Now that I've been forced to start over, however, I want to adapt what I've learned here at SC4D to my own playing style and learn even more along the way. So I hope you won't mind my asking a lot of questions as development progresses. In fact, I'd like to PM a small map segment to you which you might find interesting.

Until next time...
Joan

[Filasimo]

great update alex and that terrain mod is looking great! 

[thundercrack83]

I agree with Ryan, that terrain mod looks really great, Alex. I like it a lot!

And the construction of the new highway looks very promising, too! It's always great to see what you've got going on here!

Can't wait to see more!

Dustin

[bat]

That's another wonderful update there, Tarkus!
Great work!

Also looking forward to more...

[Pat]

Alex I just don't know what to say here but YEA!!! I love the map's and the tut I could have sworn I had left a comment but I guess alas I didnt hmmmm? But anways I loved the tut on map making and I even downloaded GIMP so I know I read but i guess I never left my mark lol.....

Anyways onto the current update here I still dont know what to say that aint so normal things of saying lol.... Take that as a compliment my friend and I look forward to see what you do next in the re-alignments

[figui]

nice update here!
as usual, the constructors are really busy

about the new terrain mod, i do like it. i even prefere it than the old one. just my opinion

mauricio.

[mightygoose]

great terrain mod
please do make it available

[FrankU]

Yup! It's great.

[EDGE4194]

I love the terrain  and would love to gets my hands on it 

[Haljackey]

Wow, a lot of work is being putting into this new highway alignment. I can't wait to see what it looks like!

Best,
-Haljackey

[dragonshardz]

great terrain mod. I would like that it would go perfectly for an adjunct region next to my first.