Re: The Deltan Empire - 30/01/13 Update 32 - Kanalka Bay Bridge

[Tokugawa]

those night pics are maaaaaaadddd !!! kudos!

[Framly]

I love you nightshots! Impressive

[Kergelen]

Really nice night pictures. The chemical plant is great at night

[apeguy]

Hello again, time for another surprise update! I imagine you're probably wondering when Kanalka City will be ready, and I can tell you with confidence that it will be ready to show in the first week of April. But until then, here's another update. Today we'll be returning to the South-East outskirts of Hasbury, to see how the new S.E.H. (South-East Hasbury) Project. Construction of Phase 1 is in full swing, with preparations for Phase 2 already being made. But first, the replies:

The night shots are looking great. But who allowed that fast food restaurant be built next to that beautiful historic hotel? 

Hey Raphael, thanks for your reply, I'm glad you liked my midnight tour of Hasbury. As for the fast food joint next to the Prince's Hotel, you'll find that zoning laws and planning regulations in the Barrier Islands are relatively leniant, and developments such as this are quite common, particularly in Kanalka City, which you'll see soon enough.

Love the islands, I use those same trees in my city. Great night shots too! 

Thanks! I'm using Marsh's Tropical Tree Controller, which mostly uses SimFox trees as well as the odd Goldiva coconut tree.

So often we forget that the game runs at night too....or at least I do.
Great night pics and thanks for sharing them.  Your city looks great!

Robin

Hi Robin, thanks for stopping by. I agree with you that we often forget about SC4's night mode. It's a shame really, because many buildings made today look fantastic at night. I'm very pleased you like the night pics.

Great night views     They're always something I enjoy in SC4. I particularly like the industrial area and the big pier 

Thanks Noah, glad you liked the update.

those night pics are maaaaaaadddd !!! kudos!

Thanks!

I love you nightshots! Impressive

Thanks, I'm glad you liked the nightshots.

Really nice night pictures. The chemical plant is great at night

Thanks! I was actually surprised how nice the Maxis Oil Plant looked at night.


Now it's picture time...



(facing north) Phase 1 of the S.E.H. Project includes a new industrial estate, situated between the BarryTech Hasbury Division Army Base and the M105 Motorway. The land has been fully cleared and the new access road has been completed in preparation for building work. A lone tetrapod remains in the building site, because none of the mobile cranes can lift it. Chances are they'll just work around it as more buildings are constructed.





(facing east) You may remember this from the South Hasbury Update. Since then, nearly half of the mansions are complete, and all the landscaping has been done around them. Henley Oaks and the nearby industrial estate are named after the current Mayor of Hasbury, Arthur Henley. Henley Oaks also included commercial development, and a small row of shops and offices have been built, mainly to help provide jobs ready for the new houses being built in this part of Hasbury. Near the top of the pic you can see the forest being cleared ready for Phase 2.





(facing north) The S.E.H. Project will be split into 3 Phases. Part of Phase 2 and 3 will be a new motorway junction on the M105, to accommodate the increase in traffic. Currently, there are only two roads that connect Blue Lagoon and the surrounding developments to the rest of Hasbury. Both of these wind through large areas of suburbs, and soon these roads won't be able to cope. To avoid these busy roads by taking the M105, motorists will have to take a detour nearly 2 miles in the opposite direction to the rest of Hasbury Key to join the motorway at junction 3. This new junction will provide a more direct route, as well as helping to reduce traffic on the smaller roads. Phase 1 involves preparing the eastbound side of the motorway for construction, which will be part of phase 2. Preparation of the westbound side will start in Phase 2, and both halves of Junction 3A will open at the end of Phase 3.





(facing north) Now we come to the main part of Phase 1 - Palm Acres. Co-incidentally, this part of the S.E.H. Project is being managed by Barrierland development company Palmacre. While these houses won't be as big and luxurious as the Mansions of Henley Oaks, their location by the sea and good transport links will most likely make them just as expensive. In order to stay on schedule construction of houses starts as soon as the area is cleared and ready, which means that some parts of the forest have yet to be cleared. Clearing the forests in Hasbury is slower than on the mainland, because the coastal Barrier Forest is thicker and denser than the mainland forest, and so completely clearing the land can take a while. When this development is complete the small village of Blue Lagoon will have been completely swallowed up by Hasbury's suburbs.





(facing west) A close-up of the offices and supply depot. The dirt roads will soon be paved over, which will also help speed up construction making it easier for large vehicles to get to the construction sites. Here you can see that work continues on the underground water and power lines, as well as a few areas of forest that have yet to be cleared.





(facing south) Just opposite the Palm Acres development is where a small spur joins the Mainline. This spur was built in 1934, for a factory that was never built due to funding issues. The spur remained disused until the Hasbury Littoral Combat Training Facility was built, which you may remember seeing in the South Hasbury update. The spur was then used to transport military supplies to and from the base, most of which came from the Naval Dockyards in Kanalka City. After the Tsunami of 1991 when the fort was destroyed and then abandoned, the spur fell into disrepair, and has remained ever since. Now the spur is being ripped up as the logging around it continues, to make way for the Phase 2 developments as well as Junction 3A, which will be built soon.



Well I hope you enjoyed this update, its strange to see this sort of update in this kind of MD, to be honest this is the first "construction" update I've ever done in any MD. In a few months time we'll return to this part of Hasbury to see how the developments are coming along, as well as adjustments to the roads around them. I can garuntee that there will be no more surprise updates, the next update will be a collection of teasers which will give you a taste of what to expect of Kanalka City when it arrives. See you Soon.

[noahclem]

Very nice    The roads and rails are my favorite part, though your MMPing is always great as well. I look forward to seeing how the area looks once construction is complete 

[skyscraper]

very great work, i like construction sites pics 

[Swordmaster]

Nice construction going on there! I'm curious to see what it'll turn into.

Cheers,
Willy

[WannGLondon]

Awesome construction images! Very realistic.

[Jmouse]

Congratulations to an author whose MD is overflowing with gorgeous scenery and intricate details.
-The OSITM Committee

[Framly]

Congratulations on your appearance in OSITM

Well deserved

[noahclem]

Congratulations from me as well! 

I look forward to good things here this month 

[rooker1]

Great shots + imagination + fine details = a spot in the OSITM spot light!!
Always fun to a have a look at your work and I can't wait to see what you have for us this month.

Robin

[RickD]

I like the construction shots. Everything seems to be planned very well. And congrats on the ositm.

[Ol.S / Benoit]

Congrats on the OSITM and nice update Alex !

[Allein]

Congrats, your pictures are beautiful

[Silur]

Excellent work - I like it so much 

[Kergelen]

Congrats on the OSITM! 
I really like your region where I see very interesting details and well-planned cities.

[Yan077]

Excellent update, congrats on your OSITM ! 

[apeguy]

Kanalka City, a study in contrasts. It is the entertainment capital of the world, a sprawling metropolis, the proud capital of Barrierland. Yet it's also a victim of its own success. As it's entertainment industry has grown over the last two centuries, so has the crime, corruption and inequality that comes with it. This is a city dominated by extremes. One one hand is a city that is second to none, a beacon of prosperity shining out to the rest of the world, a place where dreams come true. But on the other hand is a sordid city of sin drowning in a pool of crime, where anything goes as long as the police aren't around, and a city where the city officials work hand in hand with the big companies and crime bosses to ensure that they stay on top by any means necassary. This is a city with a decaying image of decadent luxury built on a foundation of corruption and oppression where money and status is everything, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who don't.

It wasn't always like this though. The city was founded in 1692, on the shores of a small natural harbour on the East Side of Kanalka Key. Back then the village, known as Kanalka Key, was just a sugar farming area and trading post, and was the first settlement on the Barrier Islands. The town quickly grew as sugar demand skyrocketed, and by the 1720's, Kanalka Key was producing the finest sugar in Deltania. When the Deltan Revolutionary War started in 1725, Kanalka Key was one of the first cities to revolt against British rule, and the fearless resistance fighters that fought for the Key's freedom set an example for everyone else to follow in their struggle against the British Empire. Kanalka Key's soldiers were the model for the rest of the southern counties.

After the War ended and the territory of Deltania won it's independance, it was divided into 10 counties, and the Barrier Islands were divided amongst three counties. The people of Kanalka Key felt that their part in the fight for Deltan Independance granted them the right to a county of their own with Kanalka Key as the capital, but their claim as a seperate county was never recognised. To this day Barrierland is still divided between three other counties, but there is still a Barrierland flag, as well as numerous seperatists groups lobbying for Barrierland's Countyhood.

Throughout the 18th Century, Kanalka Key steadily grew in population and wealth as the sugar industry continued to grow steadily. By the 1800's the entire Key had been cleared for sugarcane farming, and the Town had over 40,000 people. When the Sugarcane Railroad connected to Hasbury Key in 1845 and the Deltan Mainland in 1851, the population of the town started to skyrocket. By 1880 the population had reaced 110,000, and Kanalka Key was renamed Kanalka City. By then, the wealth amassed from the sugar plantations meant that numerous theatres, clubs and casinos were built, and it was here that the City started its path to become the entertainment capital of the world.

The Importance of the town increased in 1925 with the construction of Wilberforce Harbour, the largest man-made harbour in the world at the time. The huge naval prescence in the City meant that it was a target for the axis forces in the Alterra War. The harbour and parts of the city were devastated during the war, especially after the Axis Bombing Campaigns of 1938. The city rebuilt however, and from the ashes the City we see today started to rise. The city's recovery was very fast, mainly due to the fact that oil had been discovered nearby, and the extra revenue rapidly sped up recovery. By the time the depression took hold in the early 1990's, the city had more casinos than any other city in the world, and it was also a large, thriving port.

The depression years made life very difficult in the Barrier Islands. The towns and cities here, including Kanalka City were built on tourism and the industries that accompany them, as well as the oil industry, both of which suffered during the depression. Barrierland was also badly affected by the 1991 Tsunami, which destroyed large parts of the City. Kanalka City didn't fully recover until the 2020's, and even then the glory days of the city seemed to be behind it. It wasn't until after the Inferno War ended in 2065 that the city started to see growth and prosperity equal to that of the city's heyday in the mid-20th century.

Well that's the introduction, that and the pictures should give you an idea of what's in store for you. Now for the replies:

Very nice    The roads and rails are my favorite part, though your MMPing is always great as well. I look forward to seeing how the area looks once construction is complete 

Thanks Noah, I'm glad you liked my construction update. We won't actually be going back there for about three months or so, as the development is in "real-time", as is the rest of the region. So with any construction-style stuff you'll see in the Deltan Empire, they will actually take as long as they would to complete in real life. Well maybe a bit faster due to the advanced technology of the 2080's.

very great work, i like construction sites pics 

Thanks, glad you liked the developments.

Nice construction going on there! I'm curious to see what it'll turn into.

Cheers,
Willy

Hi Willy, thanks for the reply. Phase 1 is mostly housing, but I can tell you that when we go back to the S.E.H. Project during Phase 2, it will be mostly retail-based.

Awesome construction images! Very realistic.

Thanks!

Congratulations on your appearance in OSITM

Well deserved

Thankyou!

Congratulations from me as well! 

I look forward to good things here this month 

I assure you, there will be a lot going on in Kanalka City this month.

Great shots + imagination + fine details = a spot in the OSITM spot light!!
Always fun to a have a look at your work and I can't wait to see what you have for us this month.

Robin

Hey Robin, thanks for your reply. Hopefully you'll enjoy what I have in store for everyone this month.

I like the construction shots. Everything seems to be planned very well. And congrats on the ositm.

Thanks Raphael!

Congrats on the OSITM and nice update Alex !

Thanks!

Congrats, your pictures are beautiful

Thankyou, I'm glad you liked my images.

Excellent work - I like it so much 

Thanks, I'm pleased you like it.

Congrats on the OSITM! 
I really like your region where I see very interesting details and well-planned cities.

Thanks for the reply, glad you like my attention to detail and city planning.

Excellent update, congrats on your OSITM ! 

Thanks!



At this point I would like to say how honoured I am to be selected for OSITM, and I would like to thank everyone who has followed and supported this MD from the beginning and made it so popular. It's because of the my readers and their support that this MD will be entering the OSITM section as a recently published MD, and leaving as a best seller.

You can expect to see the first pictures of Kanalka City on Monday, I've been working almost continously to get the city ready, so I'm taking a break from SC4 this weekend. The Monday update will be about the City Centre, the oldest part of K.C. See you then!

[Swordmaster]

Wow, that's... stunning. Swamps, really? That'll be interesting to see. Looking forward to monday.

Cheers,
Willy