[tooheys]

12/08/2009: A new beginning. Well here we go again, and keeping to my habit of not biting off more than I can chew, Clontarf is only a small map made up of 81 tiles (5 large, 36 medium and 40 small)

This is what you could call a Beta version of the map, the basic layout is set although I tend to add the finer details to the landscape as I work on each tile.

Although not set in stone, development to the west of the range will be mostly small town and agricultural. Larger cities with commercial and industrial zones will be to the east.

It is not evident from the pic, but the top left corner is a plateau/tableland, and is quite a bit higher than the surrounding lands, although the following shot with the grid might give you an idea. Getting transportation corridors down from there, especially rail with my slope mod, will be a challenge and a half but something I look forward to.


_______________________________________________________________________________________
Hi all, welcome to my first 'Mayor Diary' at SC4 Devotion.

Balnavia will be set on a huge regional map, the difference is that I terraform tiles as I go. So if you
were to have a look at the region now, you would see one large plain. I will however be providing
regional views once a few tiles have been developed.

I plan to start out developing small & medium tiles with a range of rural, commercial and industrial towns.
Population sizes will vary from a couple of hundred to 30-40 thousand.

These tiles will surround a large tile which ultimately will house a substantial city. I would not expect
to start on this until regional population is around 200k plus. This won't happen overnight so I guess
you're stuck with me for a while.

I look forward to your comments/suggestions/criticism.

So let the work begin.

PANANIA

The first town to get underway, Panania is a rural area. The first farms have started producing and a
small town is growing.



Originally starting out with just a few farms, the farmers bred quickly, mainly due to a lack of
entertainment in town and poor TV reception. Soon there were farms popping up everywhere
with little farmers learning everything from pumpkin carving, turkey plucking but more
importantly, hops cultivating.







For those workers who couldn't find a bed on the farm, there was plenty of cheap housing in town.
Although this leafy area with surrounding parks will soon catch the eyes of developers.



Just like this area surrounding the lake which is slowly being redeveloped and becoming a quite
exclusive address.

So that's my first post. We will return shortly to see how the town has expanded, and pay a brief
visit the first neighbour, Revesby a small industrial area.

Until then

Cheers

Dave

[dedgren]

the farmers bred quickly, mainly due to a lack of entertainment in town and poor TV reception.

Well, I needed a lift- that gave me one.  Bet it wasn't a pretty sight, either.

Dave, you've got a great start here.  You've also got the brilliant tradition of "down-under" (from my perspective, anyway) MD/CJ authoring to follow in the footsteps of.

This won't happen overnight so I guess you're stuck with me for a while.

No, you're actually stuck with us- we're the only audience for miles/kilometers.  But, if you hang around and hang in there, you'll find that we're a loyal and appreciative audience, and you'll never lack for free advice.

Good Luck!


David

[thundercrack83]

Hey, Dave! Great start here so far with your MD! Your farms looks great, and with the "hops cultivating" going on, do I see a few breweries in the future? Either way, I'll be following along to find out!

Dustin

[kwakelaar]

This looks very nice, I like the trees you are using, who made those?

And like David I got a good laugh from your comment about the breeding farmers.

[bat]

Wonderful start! Great pictures and beautiful work! Fantastic pictures of the farms!

[urban]

pretty highway, nice start

[Snaper]

Nice start 

I love your fields, it's very ruddy 

[tooheys]

Replies

dedgren: Thankyou for the welcome. Guess I'll have to think up some more one-liners to give you an occassional lift.
thundercrack83: Thank's, there will be a brewery or two, need to keep the people happy.
kwakelaar: Glad you like, thank's for dropping by.
bat: thanks for the comment.
urban: thanks for visiting
Snaper: plenty more fields where thay came from. Thanks for commenting.

PANANIA



As you can see Panania has expanded somewhat and the first mayor has been appointed.



Being a man of the people, the residence was surrounded by high fencing and a security checkpoint out front.
Unless you were on the A+ list, no access was permitted without making an appointment 2 weeks in advance,
you were cleared by a thorough security check and undertook a rectal examination. We won’t go in to the
reasons for the latter, but it sure kept visitor numbers down.



Just below the mayor's mansion, a large parcel of land was set aside for a public reserve. It is a popular picnic
spot for the locals. However, don’t expect a romantic twilight walk. Gates are locked at exactly 5pm daily to
minimize any noise from the local hooligans, a couple of 10 yr olds with loud pants. Also, the thought of couples
partaking in “shenanigans” nearby was considered offensive by the mayor given he was incapable himself
(this was not widely reported).





Who said there was no money in farming.



This is the local health spa. Popular with the farmers, it is said that water here has special qualities and is
superb for soaking off layers of caked on manure. The water needs to be changed regularily as after a while
the water starts to smell like..well, you know.


Revesby

Just a couple of earlier pic's from Panania's neighbouring town. A small industrial area, a full update will be
provided soon.





Well that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed.

Cheers

Dave

PS; kwakelaar: the trees are designed by Jeronij. There are a number of tree packs and they are available here on the LEX

[bat]

Another beautiful update! Great farm-areas and nice cities!

[thundercrack83]

Your first update was grand, Dave! You've got a great touch with the farms, and I love the zoomed-out pictures--they realy give a good sense of the whole region. Revesby looks good, too, from what we've seen here. I can't wait to see more of it, and more of the whole region! Great job!

[cityhawk]

Wow, these towns really have a charming vibe to them! The use of canals and terracing has made Panania look really good! I look forward to more!

[tooheys]

Replies


bat: Appreciate the comments. Thanks for dropping by again.
thundercrack83: Thanks for the great comments. Here's some pic's of Revesby.
cityhawk: thanks for the comments.

REVESBY



Revesby has now filled all available space. The only way to grow is up. The town comprises a mix of residential,
commercial and industrial development.



The smog generated by local industry is believed by some groups to be responsible for the stunted growth of
the areas youth. A local gov't spokesman states that this is nonsense, but says he won't be backing the junior
basketball team this year.





The plateau is home to the more affluent in the community.



While down below the lower classes make their home. There is at least one builder in town who has a complete
lack of imagination. At least he varied the colour schemes.



Here's the first college established in the region. The nearby station services both the campus and nearby
commercial precinct. Joe's Diner on the concourse outside the station is a regular source of
bacterial cultures for the campus science dept.

One final pic, this is the planned site of the newest member of the region, Padstow Quays.



That's all for now. Next update we will revisit Panania and see how those frisky farmers are progressing.

Until next time

Cheers

Dave

[Snaper]

It's beautiful

Your contries are always also ruddy 

Good luch for the next 

[Russell]

Very well done - and refreshingly rural. 

[urban]

Another great Update

I see there is a lot of work, many details, the plazas and parks, the ways and the streets

can you tell me,from where you got the stairs (above the train station) ??

and do you use a special mod to have your one way streets without the arrows?

[thundercrack83]

Revesby is looking good, Dave! I like the industrial sectors separated by the highway and the residential sections look good, too! I can't wait to see what they're doing back in Panania!

[tooheys]

Replies


Snaper: I'm not sure what a ruddy area look's like, but I'm hoping it's good. . Thank's for dropping by again.
Russell: Thank's Russell, I here on the grapevine that there a few sadistic souls planning a trip to Bliss. I think
they work in the abattoir which might explain a few things. Make sure you show them a bad time.
urban: The one way mod is part of the latest NAM update. As for the stairs it is part of the wall set. It is available
on the STEX. Unfortunately their search engine is down at the moment so I can't give you the maker or a link. Will provide ASAP.
Thanks again for dropping by, I might put a bit too much into my cities sometimes, I just can't leave a tile untouched. Glad you like.
thundercrack83: Thanks, Panania is back and here it is. Bad news, this will probably be the last visit but rest assured,
there will be more rural towns that I will highlight.

PANANIA



So here's the final area view.



A small residential area has sprung up down by the river.




The homes surround the local markets. Selling everything from roast peanuts to fake bling bling, the road here is rather
bumpy and quite a few things have been known to have fallen off the back of a truck.



Well, continue to breed they have, however there is no room for anymore farms. As a result, the mayor decided to
provide free contraception to the farming community, tablets of condensed alcohol which produced the commom
result of brewer's droop (If you don't understand, you're too young, and don't ask for an explanation)





A new flour mill has been constructed. After a few weeks, management was forced to install a shower block, as the
sight of the night shift walking home resulted in numerous reports of ghostly figures marching thru town.



And finally, the mayor's weekend retreat. When in residence, the mayor has implemented a train movement curfew
during the nights as the noise generated travels undimished across the lake. Many believe this is unwarranted and an
abuse of his powers, however those close to the mayor say that he really does need his beauty sleep.

So one more update out of the way. Next we will visit Padstow Quays which is expected to develop into an
exclusive residential area. Update may be a few days away as I have to do some RL work to keep myself fed
and watered, well perhaps fed and beered.

Until next time

Cheers

Dave

[Jmouse]

Interesting approach to zoning, Dave. Personally, I like to see RCI all in the same city (as you've done) unless it's a tiny hamlet in which case industry would likely appear in a larger neighboring city.
As your region develops, I'd like to see some approximate population figures from time to time if you don't mind, and also I'm curious about how well your transport layout works.
Oh alright, I'll confess since we're all good friends here! I've never had any success with avenues or highways. It looks like we may lean toward some of the same design principals though (see above), so I'd like to know how well these ideas work for you.
You're doing a fine job, but don't forget to keep those farmers breeding  !

Joan

[bat]

Wonderful overview of that city! Also great pictures, tooheys!

[thundercrack83]

Another great update, tooheys! I saw someone above refer to your work as "refreshing rural," which I think may be the best description anyone can give! Your farms are absolutely fantastic, and I love the mayor's weekend retreat with the moat! Great work, my friend!