[Cyclone1001]

Thank you for fixing, it looks like a cool area. Great rural scenery.

[rooker1]

Now that is a great update, I'm very glad the pictures are showing now.

Robin

[moeom]

Love the last update. The KCTV Tower and Surrounding pic is awesome.

[Dantes]

The reef is awesome  Fantastic Forest work 

[Framly]

What a great update(sorry for missing your last)! I really like the terrain mod combined with the MMPs!

You're a great landscaper

The Tower and the "Pool of tears" looks very unique...bravo!

..you get better and better!

keep it on

[carlfatal]

I´m stunned, these last pictures are completely awesome!
Perfect landscaping, wonderful work with MMPs and some very own style! 
And as i´m sometimes a lazy lurker: these hotels are nice stuff, especially at night... 
Greetz, Carl

[apeguy]

Yep you guessed it, update time! Today we're visiting a tiny group of islands known as the Refuge Islands. They lie about 7 miles west of El Nino Pequena, and approximately 4 miles south-south-west of Kanalka City International Airport. The Islands are uninhabited and always have been, except for a few years in the 1650's by Spanish Soldiers. The Islands are so called because they provided a safe refuge for the crew of a Spanish Galleon that had been cut off from its fleet and on the run from the British Fleet in 1655. During a particularly bad tropical storm, the heavily damaged ship had managed to escape the firing range of its persuers near the Ninos Islands, but a new threat lay only a few miles ahead. The poor sea conditions (and the fact that it was nighttime) meant that the crew didn't see the islands in time, and the ship wrecked on sharp rocks on the islands' eastern coasts.

The crew managed to get ashore safely, by climbing through the mangroves and making their way through the trees to a sheltered bay. Once the storm had passed the crew salvaged what they could from the ship and set up camp by the sheltered waters of the bay. They were prepared for a long stay, as they weren't sure how long it would be before the Spanish fleet could get to them, as the British Naval presence in the Barrier Islands was rapidly increasing. The Spanish fleet never returned, and they were presumed dead by both the Spanish and the British. The marooned crew built a small settlement, and most survived well on what the islands had to offer. It wasn't until the British Navy sailed close enough to the islands to notice the settlement that they were found. Seeing as the British Empire was still at war with the Spanish Empire, the marooned were quickly killed when they were found out to be spanish sailors.

Now the replies:

I was immediately stunned by the beauty of the night picture of the TV tower. A great composition and band of colors with perfect lighting to boot. You've made something special here.

The rest of the update is also great, though I had to get my instant gut-reaction out of the way first. The new water mod does look quite nice, though I would put it right about even with the old one--which you were able to create some fantastic pictures with. I'd encourage you to continue to play around with water mods because my experience doing so has been enjoyable and I think has endowed my cities a bit of extra variety. That being said I've played around with a lot of 'em and those you've chosen so far fit your cities very well and better than any I've yet run across.

Before I ramble on too long let me conclude by saying you've done a great job--and of course I'll look forward to the next edition 

Thanks for the kind words. Seeing as you liked the night pic so much I'll try to add more in updates when I can. I appreciate you advice on the water mod. I've already searced extensively on the STEX for water mods when I got the previous water mod. (Rivit's Water mod, Inshore Tropic and Rippled Sea Dark Cyan) The one I'm using now is the Brigantine 2.0, (Clear Blue version) and I'll most likely stick with that one, but I'm open to any suggestions that anyone has.

Thank you for fixing, it looks like a cool area. Great rural scenery.

Thanks!

Now that is a great update, I'm very glad the pictures are showing now.

Robin

Cheers, I'll make sure that I don't mess the pictures up again.

Love the last update. The KCTV Tower and Surrounding pic is awesome.

Thanks, glad you like the KCTV tower.

The reef is awesome  Fantastic Forest work 

Thankyou, I'm glad you like my coral reef, and there's plenty more in this update, so hopefully you'll enjoy it.

What a great update(sorry for missing your last)! I really like the terrain mod combined with the MMPs!

You're a great landscaper

The Tower and the "Pool of tears" looks very unique...bravo!

..you get better and better!

keep it on

I'm glad you like my MMP work, I consider that a great compliment coming from you and the work you do with Rondnoir.

I´m stunned, these last pictures are completely awesome!
Perfect landscaping, wonderful work with MMPs and some very own style! 
And as i´m sometimes a lazy lurker: these hotels are nice stuff, especially at night... 
Greetz, Carl

Thanks for the comment. Don't worry, I'm a lazy lurker too, and I often miss updates on a lot of MDs, but I'm glad you caught up and that you like the Hasbury Downtown and my work with El Nino Pequena.


Now it's picture time...



(facing north) The Refuge Islands consists of 4 islands of varying sizes. North Island is the smallest and the lowest, with the highest point being only 47 feet about sea level.





(facing east) East Island is the second largest island, and is where the Spanish Galleon broke up, as well as being the island that the marooned sailors settled on. The rocks on the eastern shores were where the remains of the ship were, until 1991 when the Tsunami washed away the last remnants of the ship. This is the second lowest island, rising to a maximum of 52 feet above sea level.





(facing east) This is all that remains of the settlment. A large central building was constructed, as well as numerous smaller huts and tents where the people lived. The largest building was used mainly as a storage building. When the marooned were discovered by the British Empire, not only were they executed, but the settlement was set on fire. Only a part of the large central building and a few old boats remain as a reminder of the Marooned, and their doomed struggle to survive. Fortunately a heavy downpour put the fire out before it completely destroyed the central building, and its sheltered location meant that it survived the 1991 Tsunami.





(facing east) The Southern Tip of East Island. On one side is the open ocean, while on the other side is a shallow, sheltered lagoon.





(facing west) On the seaward side of East Island are dense mangroves, protecting the fragile environment behind them from the fury of the Catalan Sea. The large rocks scattered along this part of the island are a great risk to passing boats, and anyone sailing near the island or looking to come ashore should go to the North-West of the islands, where the water is most calm.





(facing south) South Island is the largest of the Refuge Islands, and also the highest, rising to 267 feet above sea level. The southern and western shores are fringed by the Deltan Barrier Reef, the country's first line of defense against the violent ocean waves during tropical storms.





(facing west) This is West Island. It's the third smallest and second highest, at 92 feet. It's the most sheltered of the four islands, and is the most visited island by passing boats.





(facing north) An overview of the islands. The central lagoon provided a safe haven for the marooned, and was shallow enough to allow them to wade to the other islands at low tide.





(facing north) To finish off this update, a pic of the Barrier Reef just east of the Refuge Islands. The Reef used to be more extensive, but after the Tsunami the Reef was devastated. The reef may not fully recover until well into the 22nd Century. The yacht is one of many that frequent the reef, as it is a perfect place for a dive under the ocean to see the best marine wildlife Deltania has to offer.

Well that concludea this update. I know it wasn't the most interesting update ever, but it was the only thing I had ready right now. It may be a while before Kanalka City is ready, and before I show it I'm planning to show a series of teasers in pairs, so look out for that. I'm working on it as much as possible, RL permitting, so bear with me. I doubt I'll have anything ready for next week, but I'll see what I can do. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this update, see you next time!

[RickD]

THe islands are beautiful. Great detailing.

[SeanSC4]

Amazing detail! You really nailed the tropical island and reefs. 

[rooker1]

This is a prime example where less is more and in this case a lot more!!
Showing us just a group of small islands was a risky move, but how you have them detailed is perfect.
Thank you for sharing and job well done!!

Robin

[noahclem]

Beautiful islands    You do an outstanding job with MMPing 

Back on the subject of water mods, the one you didn't mention that is also very nice are Drunkapple's mods. I don't know that they'd be any better than Brigantine 2.0 (I've barely got a chance to play around with that one) but they were easily my favorite before the new mod (previously I'd also been using rivit's).

[Kergelen]

Very nice island and barrierland

[nbvc]

Very realistic islands.

[apeguy]

Just thought I'd let you all know how I'm getting on. Firstly, I'm working 2 large tiles at once, Kanalka City Centre and Kanalka City West. Development has already started in the City Centre, while K.C. West is almost ready, I just need to finish zoing the areas I want to develop first. RL is a bit annoying right now, so progress is slightly slower than expected, but I'm confident that the first teasers will be ready by this time next week. Right now I'm planning three pairs of teasers, maybe four, and they won't be a week apart. Instead, I'll probably post them every three or four days, after which The first part of the city will be ready to show. Until the teasers this MD will most likely be silent, but don't forget to check back every now and again.

I'll post replies when I post the first pair of teasers.

[Terring7]

The last picture is my favourite

[apeguy]

Okay, so I guess this is a surprise update of sorts. Nothing new really, this update is made up entirely of night pics from around the northern half of Hasbury Key. Hopefully you'll enjoy them. Seeing as this is a full update, I'll do the replies now rather than wait until the K.C. teasers:

THe islands are beautiful. Great detailing.

Thanks again for your reply, I'm pleased you liked the update.

Amazing detail! You really nailed the tropical island and reefs. 

Thanks! The reef did take me a while to do, mainly because I made sure that there was gaps between the coral by spraying the seabed with Heblem's ploppable dirt.

This is a prime example where less is more and in this case a lot more!!
Showing us just a group of small islands was a risky move, but how you have them detailed is perfect.
Thank you for sharing and job well done!!

Robin

Hey Robin, thanks for your reply. Before I posted the update I was wondering whether anyone would find them interesting or not, but since I had nothing else to show at the time, I just decided to post the update anyway. I'm glad you liked the islands.

Beautiful islands    You do an outstanding job with MMPing 

Back on the subject of water mods, the one you didn't mention that is also very nice are Drunkapple's mods. I don't know that they'd be any better than Brigantine 2.0 (I've barely got a chance to play around with that one) but they were easily my favorite before the new mod (previously I'd also been using rivit's).

Thanks Noah, I'm pleased you like my MMPing. I have seen pictures of Drunkapple's water mods in action, and by the looks of it they look completely opaque even in shallow water, so most of my coral reefs wouldn't show. To be honest I'm probably going to stick with Brigantine 2.0, but when I have more time on my hands I may download one of his water mods and try my hand at modding and changing the transparency settings if I can, and then see if it looks better than the Brigantine water.

Very nice island and barrierland

Thanks!

Very realistic islands.

Cheers!

The last picture is my favourite

Thanks, I'm glad you liked the reef.

Now, let's go to Hasbury Key:



(facing north) The first place we visit on our midnight tour of Hasbury is the Town Hall. Built in 1729, it is one of the oldest buildings in town. It has served as the town hall since then, and is listed on Deltania's register of Historic Places. The ground floor is taken up by the Hasbury Key History Museum, as well as a tourist information centre. The building to the left across the road is the Hasbury Central Police Station.





(facing west) Remember this from the first update? We now return to the Prince's Hotel, Hasbury's largest and finest hotel. It is an impressive structure, with its front and right side (the side on show) being brightly floodlit at night. It was known as the Queen's Hotel until 1905. The signs on the facade were not changed due to the fact that the hotel became a protected structure in 1899. Due to Hasbury's proximity to Kanalka City, numerous film stars, movie producers and other famous people have frequented the hotel since the early 20th Century.





(facing east) Moving west to the industrial areas we come to the Zennox Chemical Plant. Originally the Hasbury Key Oil Refinery, when demand for oil plummeted in the late 2010's due to the discovery of Hydroenergy, the Refinery was shut down in 2019. The then rapidly growing Zennox Chemicals bought the facility in 2027 and converted it into a chemical plant. It was their first facility in Southern Deltania. Since then the chemical plant has been operating continuously, and produces various chemicals mainly for industrial use.





(facing north) Moving north we return to the affluent neighborhood of West Beach. Just to the south of the luxurious mansions and boutiques is the Western Waterfront. These docks were built in 1784, mainly to cater for fisherman, as well as a steamboat ferry service to Kanalka City that was in operation from 1852 to 1893. Today the old warehouses have been converted to upscale shops, bars and resturaunts.





(facing east)

Heading into Downtown Hasbury, we come to BarryTech Plaza. The plaza and the Poseidon Tower makes up the eastern half of BarryTech Square. The Plaza is lined with palm trees and fountains, as well is eight giant pillars. Even at night the plaza is still full of people, mostly tourists who want a close-up of the giant tower in all its glory.





(facing east) And finally, to end this small update, we come to Club Mojo. What was once a small warehouse for storing tea has been transformed into the most popular nightclub in all of Hasbury. It was originally built in 1934 by a local tea distributor, and remained in use until 1994. It remained abandoned for over 30 years unti in 2026 it was converted into offices. The building then became abandoned again in 2055, and was scheduled for demolition in 2069. However, a last-minute purchase of the building by Imposter Studios saved the building. In 2071 Club Mojo opened, and has been incredibly popular ever since. Across the road, to the left of the image is the Lamb and Flag Pub, which has been voted the best pub in Hasbury numerous times.


Well I hope you enjoyed this update, remember to look out for the series of teasers coming soon. See you then!

[RickD]

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

[WannGLondon]

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

[rooker1]

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

[noahclem]

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