Three Rivers Region

[JBSimio]

Excellent, Z!     I had been hoping for something similar to this from the first time I used FAR... I just couldn't determine what the best angle might be to use.  Like many others, I'm already very excited to see this idea and I second (or third or whichever) the request for rural use if possible.

JB

*Edit:  And by the way...

Welcome to page 400!!!

[nerdly_dood]

well now this is just abit epic

I completely agree. 

[FrankU]

Somehow I always thought 30 degrees would be the best solution: 30 and 60 and 90 (orthogonal) would give us a good set of directions. But apparently that does not work?
Every fraction would be an addition. Only somehow a universal crossroad would come in handy by now.....
Otherwise the tab rings will become endless!

But hey, did someone notice we're on page 400? Congratulations David! A feat we have never seen before!

[Splime]

Somehow I always thought 30 degrees would be the best solution: 30 and 60 and 90 (orthogonal) would give us a good set of directions. But apparently that does not work?
Every fraction would be an addition. Only somehow a universal crossroad would come in handy by now.....
Otherwise the tab rings will become endless!

But hey, did someone notice we're on page 400? Congratulations David! A feat we have never seen before!

30, 60, and 90 degrees would have been nice, but there's the problem that you can't make a puzzle piece with those angles (well, besides 90). Sadly, we're still constrained by the grid.

I am excited about a new angle for roads though. And congratulations to David for 400 pages!

[z]

Somehow I always thought 30 degrees would be the best solution: 30 and 60 and 90 (orthogonal) would give us a good set of directions. But apparently that does not work?
Every fraction would be an addition. Only somehow a universal crossroad would come in handy by now.....
Otherwise the tab rings will become endless!

I'm not finished yet.    More coming very soon... 

[ldvger]

A jumble of thoughts to share.

1.)  I, too, was reminded of how far this game has progressed when I dug out that old screen capture of my SC2000 game.  Like many folks here, I began this game back in 1993 with SimCity Classic and was blown away by the then mind-boggling upgrade SC2000 brought.  It's hard to believe that was so long ago and how far the game has come since then. 

2.)  With all the add-ons and puzzle pieces being made for roads and rail, urban and rural and euro, I can't be the only person playing this game who's game menus are getting very crowded, complex, and tedious to wade through to find that "just right" piece of whatever that I want to use.  Has anyone given any thought to developing a flyout submenu thingamabobbie that would allow folks to find stuff quickly and easily?  Not only that but could we all somehow agree as to where newly developed custom content goes in the menus?  I mean I have plants in the landscape menu and in the rewards menu, I have plop water all over the place in the menus...you get the idea.  I'm a Taurus afflicted with a semi-mild case of OCD, so this random organization drives me bananas. 

Some time ago David posted a screen shot of a submenu flyout that allows him to access God Mode tools from the Mayor Mode menu...it's a third tier of menu organization that someone created, I have no idea how.  Think maybe someone could do this for all the bizzilions of road and rail puzzles pieces being conjoured up these days?  Seems to me that if a third tier can be made, then what's to stop us from creating and entire new menu bar for the various transportation systems in general?  Or for ANY of the main menu items, for that matter.

I'm going from memory here, don't have my game running to refer to, but I seem to recall that ALL transportation falls under a single button on the main Mayor Mode toolbar.  We click on that button and get the first tier divided into general modes of transportation like surface auto, rail (above and below ground), air, and water.  From there we get the second (and final) tier which now contains the bizillion of various custom pieces that have been made over the past 5 years or so. 

I would have to think this through a little more carefully before making a definite recommendation, but IF we can create new tiers of menu organization (and it seems we can), then what about something like this:

A.  Auto
     i.  Rural
         a. roads
             I. 90/45 degree (game defaults)
             II. 30/60/15 degree (including attendant curves and intersections)
             III.  22.5 degree (including attendant curves and intersections)
         b. streets
             I. 90/45 degree (game defaults)
             II. 30/60/15 degree (including attendant curves and intersections)
             III.  22.5 degree (including attendant curves and intersections)
         c. highways
             I. 90/45 degree (game defaults)
             II. 30/60/15 degree (including attendant curves, over/underpasses and intersections)
             III.  22.5 degree (including attendant curves, over/under passes and intersections)
     ii. Urban
         a. roads
             I. 90/45 degree (game defaults)
             II. 30/60/15 degree (including attendant curves and intersections)
             III.  22.5 degree (including attendant curves and intersections)
         b. streets
             I. 90/45 degree (game defaults)
             II. 30/60/15 degree (including attendant curves and intersections)
             III.  22.5 degree (including attendant curves and intersections)
         c. avenues
             I. 90/45 degree (game defaults)
             II. 30/60/15 degree (including attendant curves and intersections)
             III.  22.5 degree (including attendant curves and intersections)
         d. highways
             I. 90/45 degree (game defaults)
             II. 30/60/15 degree (including attendant curves, over/underpasses and intersections)
             III.  22.5 degree (including attendant curves, over/under passes and intersections)

You see where I'm going with this?  How much easier would it be to utilize all this fantastic custom content all these folks are working/playing so hard to create for us if we could access it without searching through hundreds of poorly organized second tier menu items? 

3.)  I'm an architect and use AutoCAD in my work, when I am fortunate enough to have work to do, which I have not had in almost a year now (sorry, a momentary session of self-pity, over now).  CAD is incredibly powerful software, also very expensive, but I can't possibly be the only architect in the SC community that plays this game...it's just not statistically possible.  And I can't help but think there has got to be some way to use CAD and all of it's attendant power to create custom content for this game so much more quickly and easily than using whatever programs folks are using now (I have no idea).  CAD would be useless (as far as I know) for issues of coding, but anything having to do with creating graphics of any kind it could be very useful for.  CAD is not simple or even intuitive software, it has a very steep learning curve (I know, I am self taught in it's use), but once you get the hang of the basic tools, you can almost literally fly with with.  I have looked at trying to use CAD to create custom content myself but stumble over file translation, as CAD files are unique extensions that can only be opened by a few proprietary programs.  However, there is one extension, I think it's .dwx, that is designed to be more accessible.  Has anyone (like you architects out there, or even you CAD jockeys) looked into using CAD for creating custom content?

Ok, that's my rant for the day.  Off to see if anyone visited my CJ over on ST and commented on my latest uplaod of pics.

Lora/LD

[frdrcklim]

z, incredible stuff you got there .

400 pages of stuff we'd never imagine would be possible in SC4... and counting...

I'm an architect and use AutoCAD in my work, when I am fortunate enough to have work to do, which I have not had in almost a year now (sorry, a momentary session of self-pity, over now).  CAD is incredibly powerful software, also very expensive, but I can't possibly be the only architect in the SC community that plays this game...it's just not statistically possible.  And I can't help but think there has got to be some way to use CAD and all of it's attendant power to create custom content for this game so much more quickly and easily than using whatever programs folks are using now (I have no idea).  CAD would be useless (as far as I know) for issues of coding, but anything having to do with creating graphics of any kind it could be very useful for.  CAD is not simple or even intuitive software, it has a very steep learning curve (I know, I am self taught in it's use), but once you get the hang of the basic tools, you can almost literally fly with with.  I have looked at trying to use CAD to create custom content myself but stumble over file translation, as CAD files are unique extensions that can only be opened by a few proprietary programs.  However, there is one extension, I think it's .dwx, that is designed to be more accessible.  Has anyone (like you architects out there, or even you CAD jockeys) looked into using CAD for creating custom content?

I'm a civil engineer undergrad. Anyway, we used AUTOCAD in our first year. Using its 3-D aspect was part of our curriculum but we never really got there . Anyway, I had fun using it. And it's convenient too. I hope I still remember some of the commands though .

[dragonshardz]

With all the add-ons and puzzle pieces being made for roads and rail, urban and rural and euro, I can't be the only person playing this game who's game menus are getting very crowded, complex, and tedious to wade through to find that "just right" piece of whatever that I want to use.  Has anyone given any thought to developing a flyout submenu thingamabobbie that would allow folks to find stuff quickly and easily? 
<snip'd>
Some time ago David posted a screen shot of a submenu flyout that allows him to access God Mode tools from the Mayor Mode menu...it's a third tier of menu organization that someone created, I have no idea how.  Think maybe someone could do this for all the bizzilions of road and rail puzzles pieces being conjoured up these days? 

The first half of this has been started, sort of. It's called the DAMN, and is made by daeley. It uses the news scroller to enable faster access to lots, specifically. More info is available here [linkie] and the tool can be downloaded here [linkie].

Your second half is the GTM mod by Warrior (AKA Jonathan.) It is available here [linkie].

And onward: Z, I really like your idea. May I suggest though, that when introducing new acronyms you use this code:

Code Select Expand

[acronym=(The full name of your acronym (Three Rivers Region, for example.)](This is where the actual acronym goes, i.e. 3RR[/acronym]

In use the acronym code looks like this (mouse over the acronym to get a little flyout explaining it.):

3RR.

It makes things a little easier.

Hmm, perhaps I should make an acronym list?

[ldvger]

Please do make a list of acronyms and thier meanings.  I, for one, have never been involved with the military and so this vast array of acronyms leaves me lost in the dust everyone else creates as they move along. 

Lora/LD

[JoeST]

dragonshards: a list of acronyms (etc) is available here [linky] please continue adding to that list (I will give you editor status if you dont already have it.

And David. Congratulations on 400 pages of ideas and creations that people never thought possible before. It has been an honor just reading .

Joe

[Jonathan]

Lora, the only reason the GTM(God Terraforming in Mayor Mode) works is because it copies existing menus from the God UI to the Mayor UI. So it hasn't actually added any menus.
Though I'm having an idea on how to speed somethings up, hopefully it will work

Yes and congratulations David on the 400 pages, like Joe says it's been an honor reading Without the 3RR this game would be soo dull.

Jonathan

[mike3775]

I like the DAMN stuff, and the stuff that hides lots until they are plopped, then disappear again when bulldozed, but for some reason, even with those installed, I still get every single lot showing in my menu's.  The military, airport, HSR all show in my menu's, even if I do not plop those lots that are supposed to show them

EDIT: Congrats on 400 pages as well 


I have found a lot of useful stuff in this area

[just_a_guy]

Wow, page 400. It must be an honor to have such an amazing thread. Congratualtions David!

Without the 3RR this game would be soo dull.

Absolutly true!

[dedgren]

Sorry I haven't been around this past week.  I'm finally getting around to a project that's four years old, and I'm trying to finish it before Heather and her mom get here the first week of June (they are driving up the Alaska Highway next week).



I built the bay windows to the right from scratch in 2004- I'll be putting the oak trim around them this coming week after I get done painting.



About that same time I knocked out a side wall of the house and added a sunroom.  I'll be putting in some nice Italian ceramic tile on the floor and more oak around the windows.



I drew the line at trying to install the skylights- these were put in by a local contractor and they haven't leaked yet.  Oak here, too.

This is where the computer and DSL box ordinarily goes- I connected back up to the web today to do some posting.



Back later today with some new stuff.  We'll probably hit page 400 8,000 posts (thanks, Joe!) during the next 24 as well- thanks, friends!


David

312810

[JoeST]

hey David... we are on page 400 for all I can see

good luck with your painting

Joe

EDIT:  Fixed, Joe.  A 3RR Fact Checker you now are.  Thank you, my friend. -DE

[threestooges]

David Edgren: Lawyer, SC4 Genius, Friend, Future host of This Old House... Looks like you're making good progress. Hope whatever work that's left goes smoothly. I'll try to get those things to you later today/night.
-Matt

[JBSimio]

...Future host of This Old House...

Well he obviously knows a lot more than Bob Villa ever did! 

Looks nice, David.  I'm sure the end result will be more than worth the hassle that had to go before.  In the meantime, I guess we'll just talk amongst ourselves some more...

JB

[nerdly_dood]

Is there anything on this earth that you can't do?

[mike3775]

Is there anything on this earth that you can't do?

Sure there is

Unless I missed it, he still has not walked on water   

EDIT:  Heh!  Skated on it, though... -DE

[Ryan B.]

Sure there is

Unless I missed it, he still has not walked on water  

That's easy.  Wait until it's frozen, then skate on it. 

That's what I would do.