Three Rivers Region

[jmyers2043]

Hi David...The new road looks very nice. I like the narrow gravel shoulder, the little specks that represent stones, and how it meets up with the grass in an irregular manner. Definitely much better than the original Maxis offerings.

All the best, Jim

EDIT:  Welcome to the Double-0 Club, Jim.  Always great to see your posts at 3RR- thanks, my friend! -DE

[BigSlark]

Hi David,

I hope Josh is doing well in his new environment, I know that moving is hard on kids and I imagine that for him its even worse.

As for the RealRoads, they look so good I almost fell out of my chair. Bloody amazing!

Cheers,
Kevin

[metarvo]

It seems like these trips almost always bring out new 3RR creations, and this one is no exception.  The RealRoads get away from curbs on every road, which is good, since most rural areas don't have them.  The addition of edgelines is also quite realistic.  Keep up the good work, David!

[debutterfly]

Those RealRoads look exellent David. You seem to find time anywhere you go to modd Hope Josh the best and keep up the good work.

Larry (debutterfly)

[Scarton]

This new road texture Is identical to the real thing! 

[KoV Liberty]

This new road texture Is identical to the real thing! 

Looks good!

[MandelSoft]

It looks like a lot of people (myself included) like your new textures, David. Bravo! 

Let's hope there's going to be an euro version for this excellent mod! 

[io_bg]

This new road texture Is identical to the real thing! 

I think it's even better than it

[art128]

I agree with my friend Ioan ! You've done an amazing work on the new textures road David thanks ! 

[JoeST]

My mind is BLOWN!!!!!

Joe

[dedgren]

Based on some info our great friend Andreas provided me with...



Here's a comparison to existing default texture- I think you get the idea.



These really, imho, merit the monicker "eye-candy."







Stephen's (smoncrie) MORPH Curves mod is so critical to this- It's like knowing half the work is done before you even get started.

I'm starting a working group to put this together.  We'll call it the Road/Rail Retexture Group (R³G- I do love those acronyms!).  Jayson (sithlrd98), io_bg, Battlecat and I are in as of day one.  We could use a few more folks who have graphics program skills (and access to a program such as PhotoShop, Paint Shop Pro or the GIMP) to more or less create a texture assembly line out of (that's an open invitation just in case you don't catch that- Stephen, I didn't want to presume, but we'd for sure give up our right arm love to have you aboard, as well).  I've created a set of basic dimensions and specs we'll flesh out over the next little bit in a thread started here [linkie].  It'll be done out in public with (hopefully) a fair number of in-process posts, so don't hesitate to stop by there and check it out from time to time.  We'll also, of course, be showing you stuff here at 3RR.

* * *

This is how I see the SAM V4 sets breaking out.



The current sets I'd lose (and I'm certainly open to feedback on this) are Set 1, the draggable parking lots (does anyone else wonder why one would have any desire to drag strings of parking lots?) and Set 7, my friend Eblem's asphalt roads.  These latter are replaced by the RealRoad narrow variant and the RealStreets, about which more later.  Other sets are just moved around, but I would intend to make IIDs backward-compatible, so you can keep the bulldozer parked.

There are still four open set spaces, just in case anyone is interested.  This revision, btw, is subject to further "plug and play" modification, as SAM sets are easily (at least I think this is the case) made modular.

Most every SAM set will have a common set of puzzle pieces.  Here's the list at present.



* * *

Posted a couple of Alaska scenery pics and associated thoughts at The 3RR Blog [linkie] I'm pretty happy with.  It's been nice to see a few of you checking it out.

* * *

Heather and I had a great visit with Tristen today.  We'll say goodbye to the boys tomorrow, and be back in Alaska on Sunday.

Later.


David

378132 - We are averaging over 1,000 page views a day for the first two weeks of this month- 30K is in sight for August!  Thank you, each and every one of you, my friends.

[deathtopumpkins]

I'd say keep the parking lot set. I use it quite a lot, surprisingly. Much more often that Trolca's dirt roads, as I prefer Peg's.

And very impressive euro textures! 

By the way, did you ever get the PM I sent you a little while ago? Never got a reply back and want to make sure it went through. 

EDIT:  dtp, my friend- I must have missed it.  There were a few days in the past few weeks I received four or five PMs a day, and I do get distracted.  I'll go back and look.  I've noted the feedback about the parking lots- could you post a pic or two and show us how you use them?  Thanks in advance. -DE

EDIT2:  Got it, and it was just as I thought.  It was at the tail end of a day when I had received a bunch of PMs, and I lost track before I made it through the list.  Probably a good point for all- if you have ever sent me anything that invites a response or (with the unspoken exception of the "C" word) if I've promised you something and you don't see it after a reasonable time, please don't ever hesitate to let me know.  I won't be offended- honest.  I tend to be juggling about half a dozen things at any given time, and am otherwise more or less constantly in the position of being the proverbial one-legged person in a butt-kicking contest.  I do overpromise (it's kind of a character fault, but hopefully one everyone will look the other way about), but the good thing is I tend to get around to everything... eventually.

Anyway, my friend- great minds think alike!  Passing zones (both sides and, as you created that beautiful texture for, one side) are part and parcel of my retexture plans.  And, just to reinforce the idea that no good deed should go unpunished, I've added you to the R³G. -DE

[sithlrd98]

OK , I never use the parking lots and will not miss them. However Eblem's asphalt roads are still widely used (I believe) among many.  As far as your edits to DTPs post , I totally have understood...but I keep messing with my convoluted ideas and then , one day I PM you with some crazy, left field question (which usually gets a response..go figure  )_{Of course I am still wondering about the findings of my last PM}  , so as far as I'm concerned , its cool! I also have found myself in a little hole once or twice with the promising thing...it is verrry easy to do !

Anyway, the road texture , I like it but....I can't put my finger on it, maybe the lines are too dark? I dunno , they still look awesome though! Anyway , I have lots more to say...I'll just save it till you can get back home...have a continued safe journey!

Jayson

[smoncrie]

David, I am glad you are finding my MORPH curves useful, but it is your textures that are making them look so good!



Sure you can add me to the R³G.   I may not have a lot of time to contribute, but I will start with some small things right now: 

You can get city width/parking effects using wealth textures; you may not need separate SAM sets.

It is also possible to use small draggable MORPH curves for 45 degree turns, 90 degree turns, etc.  This might reduce the amount of texturing work that needs to be done.

On a slightly different topic, I would like to see a pedestrian walkway SAM set like this:



It changes depending on the lots & zones that it is next to. (I used wealth textures, not T21s to do this.)

By the way, I think that this walkway was the second network that was ever dragged using a drag starter puzzle piece.   I added the flora one day when I wanted to see what T21s could do...

[BarbyW]

I use the parking lots too. Mainly in commercial and industrial areas but with a modification that Shaun - Diggis - did to add some life to them. If you look at the following you can see that the department store is surrounded by parking lots with cars and trees in them. It makes them come to life.

[sithlrd98]

Hmm. draggable ped walks...that seems like a awesome idea! And just to let you know Stephen , your MORPH curves are probably the coolest addition I have ever messed with! The amount of work you have put into them as well as the features they are capable of is amazing! I have been a fan of them ever since I saw this:

http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=112.msg215980#msg215980



http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=112.msg216934#msg216934



So, you know how much of a fan I am!

Jayson

[van1357]

Hi David, just thought I'd put my hand up to be involved in some small way in the Road/Rail Retexture Group (R³G). I have access to both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I haven't used them much but I'd love to give it a go. Can't wait to see what's next, Isaac.

[ldvger]

David-

My heart goes out to and your boys and the trials they are learning to cope with.  You and your wife have made the difference between them being victims or survivors, and as a survivor myself, I know full well the difference.  Your boys are a bit young yet, but I have confidence they will make it through and understand how important your intervention and care was.  

I have a similar situation in my family, in that my niece has a son who was born of a drug-addicted mother (my niece, in case that was obscure).  Braedon, my grand-nephew, was developmently challenged, despite living under my mother's roof with his mom and, sometimes, his dad.  It was an ugly situation for my mom by this was her great grandchild, so she was reluctant to turn the kids out who are his parents, but at the same time she had already raised my niece and nephew after my youngest sister dumped them on her doorstep when they were 1 and 3 years old.  

Horribly sordid story of a terribly disfunctional family.  The upshot is that my mom was finally forced from her home of 35 years by my niece, cutting her extreme losses in the process.  My niece took over the lease on the home but could not pay the rent and so was evicted 2 months later.  She moved in with "friends" (fellow addicts) and one day left her son in the care of his father, who took him to a park and then disappeared into the woods to do drugs with his buddies while he let the child wander unsupervised in the park.  Strangers found Braedon and when they couldnt find his father, called the police.  Braedon was placed into the care of CPS and his father arrested and charged with child abandoment.  Braedon is now in the foster care system and THANK GOD!  He has many challenges  before him, but this sharing shows that I understand how important it is to seperate children from thier drug-addicted parents, the sooner the better.  The damage these children sustain while in the womb and during infancy and toddler years cannot be underestimated...it's phenomenal.  Most of them fall by the way side, detrius of a system that is broken and cannot sustain the volume of damaged children that wash up upon the shores of thier refuges.  God help them all.  Most end up in prison or institutions for thier lifetimes...few find truly caring homes that will invest the horrendous amount of time and money and love necessary to bring them around to becoming "normal" and productive people in our society.  I hope my grand nephew has found a refuge that will nuture him to a space of normalcy and wish I could be more proactive in his life, but I can't, at least not now.  

Bless you and you wife for loving these boys and trying to do what is needed to make thier lives turn around and come out right.  It's all about patience, I think.  Love cures all ills and I think eventually they will both come to a space where they can bond...just takes time and commitment, and it seems you have lots of both when it comes to your boys.  

I won't wish you or your boys good luck, because it really has nothing to do with luck.  It's all about love and commitment and a lot of hard, hard work.  So instead I wish you the stamina to stay the course and find the joy and fullfillment in the baby steps the boys make along thier way.  I know it will be worth it.  These boys are both survivors and they have advocates to pull them out of the riptide that threatens to drown them.

And now that they are together again, they will lend support to each other, which is also very important.  It doesn't matter if they don't see each other that much...just knowing they are in the same place will help them both.  I am betting thier first true bonding experience will be with each other...

Lora/LD

[carkid1998]

I, would personally keep the asphalt, as I use them quite a bit, unless you're planning some better version !

Ryan

[MandelSoft]

I like the asphalt streets, so please keep that SAM set. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of trolca's dirt streets. Personally I find them ugly.

And nice Euro RealRoads, David!

Best,
Maarten