WEST END

[Pat]

great Update Paul and massivly hugh  Loved court yards and your custom lots have not gone to waste at all!!!

[tkirch]

Absolutely love the plazas.  Just did a long look at yours, catching up with all the great updates.  Looks great and can't wait for more.

[bokrif]

Really great update. I love the zoomed out screenie of Oxford. Nice capital!

[paroch]

REPLIES:

I'm finding that I'm spending more time actually browsing the boards here, playing with Lot Editor and downloading additional Bats and Lots than actually playing the game recently.  This means that development has slowed down.  So, the next update is in my mind and the development is there, just need to take the right pics, write the right words and get on with it!  Hopefully sometime in the next few days.......

In the meantime, I owe you all some replies:

Robin:  Good to see you here again.  Thanks for the comments.  It is a huge region and I am determined to see it through.  Population is at 550k and I have a vision in my mind of the region supporting 3 to 4 million whilst still being able to have a mix of rural, urban and suburban areas.  Just hope I can keep it going that long.  As for the sidewalk modd..... I do have Jeronij's sidewalk mod plus his streetside modd installed.  I think I need to delete some of the wealth levels, as I agree, the change in texture is not ideal.  I'll play around with the plug ins and see what I can achieve.

Mattb:  Matt, you're one of my favourite Batters - just love your buildings, so it's good to have you visit.  I'm enjoying LE and am discovering some of the issues it throws up (like setting school levels correctly so it's not constantly on strike!)

Joan:  The flag.... Yes you're half way there.  The English flag (known as the St.George's Cross) is a red cross on a white background.  I'll explain the colours in Nedalezz's reply.  You were close enough to get a naming right!  I'll PM you for details.  Thanks for the words re the government buildings.  And if Hooter would like to set up his "embassy" inside the restaurant that would be a fine and amusing idea!  I've now made it historic.  And the duelling cranes comment made me laugh (remember we've already had banjos!)
Oh, and thanks for the info re Chuck E Cheese!

Bat:  Thanks my friend.

Giligone:  Welcome to West End, good to see you and thanks for the comment.

Nedalezz:  You've got the flag cracked.  West Ham colours (Claret and Blue) transposed to the English flag.  It seemed appropriate that West End adopt the colours of my team!  I'm PM you about your additional naming rights!  I'm pleases that the Qumman consulate occupies such a position of prominence, I'll be in for a coffee later to discuss some more trade proposals!

Pat:  Thanks for that and glad you liked my LE works,

Tkirch:  Thanks, and I'll be showing some changes to Oxon Plaza next time.

Bokrif:  Thanks for that, I'm glad you like the capital.

Watch this space for the next update.......

[paroch]

Well, this is the worst update I've ever produced.......

I have run into a problem with my four most populated tiles in the Region.  I am unable to open Oxford, Great Portland, Regent or Wardour.  Between these four, they have 501,000 of the 560,000 region population.

I've done some reading on the boards here and also Joan has given me some suggestions - but so far, I've not cracked it.

If I describe the problem - maybe you'll have a suggestion for me as well:

The last time I played the city was Friday evening - all fine.  Now I've been unhappy with the sidewalk modd for a while now, the way it has the red pavement on high wealth areas and just switches from one square to the next.  Now, I thought I'd already deleted the high wealth sidewalk option - but I have also installed Jeronij's side street modd within the last week or so and it has worked fine.

So Saturday, I went into my plug-ins, deleted all except the low wealth sidewalks, and also deleted all of the side street parking options other than "London".

I then went into Lot Editor to create a new residential lot and to try to fix one I'd produced that refused to grow.  I also just amended some of the textures on another growable residential lot.

I ended up deleting one of the residential lots I created because I decided I no longer wanted it (it had not grown anywhere).


I then fired up SC4 but could not open the Oxford tile.  I can open 7 tiles that are developed but not the 4 most developed tiles.

Now, one of the things I read on a thread was that if you've deleted a modd that is used in a tile, it may prevent it from opening.  So, I have played around with different configurations of the Side Street and Sidewalk Modds in my plug ins, as I know I changed these.  I'd also only just downloaded the SAM and RHW.  So again, I have tried to open the cities with and without the SAM and RHW.  But nothing will let me in.

As for what I'd backed up - I have back ups of my plug ins - but not the region.

Joan has suggested backing everything up, then re-installing SC4, re-importing the region and taking it from there.  I will try this a bit later on today.

So anything you guys can suggest is much appreciated.  If push comes to shove, I will flatten the four tiles in question and rebuild (they'll be better second time around!).  Although one of these (Regent) is fully developed, so I could just leave it alone I guess.

In the meantime, here is what little of an update I have for you all:

UPDATE 18:

The Oxon Plaza needed some more "grand" buildings, so it has been redeveloped:

18.01  South side:

Two Independence statues have been built outside the Nieuw Amsterdam Hall.  Next to it is the Supreme Court.  This is the highest court in the country.



18.02  North Side:

Next to the station is the Oxford City Court. 


18.03  West Side

From left to right is the Stock Exchange, Independence Hall and the National Business Association HQ.  A new large hotel looms behind them all.


18.04  Ferry Landing:

This is the ferry terminal that sits behind the National Assembly Hall


And that's it for today.  Hopefully I'll recover it, if not then the next update may be a little while and also a bit different!!


'til next time...............

[sebes]

Oh - that is  nightmare Paul.... hopefully you'll get help and get thinks sorted out and Westend back.... It's too nice to be lost
I had it once with an airport city - freaked out completely - but managed to get it back just as accidental as it got lost...I cannot recall what I did to get it back though...

[bat]

Yes, great new update there!
And also hope that you can fix your problem!

[mattb325]

Hi Paul - I hope I can be of some small help - when batting/lot making, I frequently move files in and out of my plugins for testing.

Now I have the following 'working' mods: maxis landmarks with jobs and the nam; if I forget to put either of these back in - or even part of either, I cannot open any tile until they are reinstalled. I have some other tree/pretty mods and the like, but these don't affect the opening of tiles. It really doesn't sound like any lots/textures that you may have removed.

First step: I would suggest putting the SAM back exactly as it was in your plugins and undo any other changes made since last in these tiles. See if this works (although it sounds like you've been trying this). Make sure you haven't accidentally removed any NAM files.

Second step if the first gives no assistance, try opening the tiles with no plugins whatsoever (if you get in, don't save the city). I doubt this will work, but its something you should always try.
Then, put half your plugins in and repeat - it could be something downloaded; then try the other half - whichever stops the tiles from opening - the culprit is in that half; it's then a process of elimination

[Jmouse]

Those are some nice photos, Paul. I like the diversity of building styles. The courthouses are especially appealing because buildings like that usually have such beautiful interiors. They are prime destinations for connoisseurs of historical architecture.
Also, I'm glad to see recommendations forthcoming from someone more experienced than I am, and I hope they work for you. Whether or not, however, just remember that you have a supportive family here that will hold your hand in times of crisis, then beat the socks off you on the football pitch the next day!

Until next time...
Joan

[tooheys]

Paul it's certainly not a bad update, yes the news may be bad  , but the pic's are great.

Like the parks and and your selection of lots looks great and well planned. 

Hey, even the seawall is nice and level  (couldn't resist)

Hope you resolve your game issue. I'm a total techno dunce so I'm afraid I'm of no help.

Good luck

Dave

[bokrif]

Sad news. Also I don't have any idea what has happened to your cities. I have one developed city wich is veery old and I used few plugins there, and a half year ago I tried to open it and it crashed too, but I didn't care. I might have to try again just to help diagnose your problem (but it won't happen till friday, as I am having two exams)
Good luck!

[Giligone]

That sucks big time. That happened to one of my cities. But thankfully it was only a boring suburb and I didn't lost much. I hope you can get this fixed   

[Nardo69]

Nice arrangement. That station, is this the new Paris Gare du Nord?

The slopes ... are tricky, I know. If I was you would experience with the different streets and railways - most slope mods have different values for the different networks. Some time laying out railways or highways then tearing them down and THEN laying streets does the trick to avoid such not very pleasant small ramps at small elevation differences.

Bernhard 

[thundercrack83]

Sorry to hear about your plug-in woes, my friend. It's always a sad day when things like this happen, I hope you're able to figure out the problem, though.

But on the bright side, your update looks great! Good luck!

Dustin

[paroch]

REPLIES:

Sebes:  Yes, it is frustrating.  I have tried many things but to no good.  Thanks for your concern - it will be back better than before!!

Bat:  Thanks for your comment.

MattB:  Thanks for your suggestions.  I have tried them - but cannot succeed.  I think the truth is I've now tried so many variations I cannot recall what was there to start with!!  See the update below for your McDonalds in game shot.

Joan:  Great comments, thanks.  It is a very supportive group here, so it helps. 

Dave:  Thanks my friend.  Glad you liked the update.  I don't think I've ever produced one with so few photos before.  Normal service has been resumed.  Oh, and thanks for the link to the sunken highway walls.  I've built my first sunken highway but already used something else.  They will make a future appearance!

Bokrif:  Thanks for your support and I hope the exams went well.

Giligone:  No fix (yet) but rebuilding has begun!

Bernhard:  The station is the Helsinki Central Station by Prepo - linkie:  http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=849  Nice eh!
And thanks for the advice on slopes - yeah the entrance to the square looked a bit odd - but it's gone now, along with the rest of the city!!  Next time round it'll be a nice flat area!!

Dustin:  Thanks for the comment - no luck yet, but onwards and upwards!!


UPDATE 19 - 26th January 2008 - WARDOUR REBORN

The original Wardour had a population of 47,000.  It was the smallest of the tiles effected by the mysterious geological fault that caused the collapse of buildings in the region!!
The new Wardour has started to be rebuilt (with back-ups ) and is up to a population of 9,000 so far.

I thought it might be interesting to see how the new town will grow.  Normally I post pictures of the finished article, so this is a bit of a change.....


19.01  Western Wardour

Here is the newly terraformed map.  This is the western half, which is quite hilly.  There will be very little development here, maybe a village and maybe a farm or two, ideally a sheep farm.  To the south of the hills will be the edge of the town, with a small industrial area.


19.02  Eastern Wardour

This is the part where most of the development will be.  I've put in a TPW river, to give it a bit of a focal point (plus I enjoyed doing the last one!).  In the valley, around the river will be mainly farms.  I decided to put all the farms in early on in the development of the tile to make sure they're done before their demand drops (had that problem plenty of times before!).


19.03  Bridges over the River

There needed to be a few bridges for the various transport networks, so I put them in early.  Again, learning from previous mistakes!


19.04  First Housing Development

Here's the first housing development in the new town.  I zoned a few streets with 1x1 low density residentials and they all grew as Jen_P's Woodville Road houses.  I likes the look, so spent a few minutes making them all historical.  I think Jeronij's side street mod makes a nice difference.
The old Wardour's low wealth residentials were old style UK terraces (Gascookers and SG's mainly) - so this gives it a more modern feel I thought.


19.05  Housing Development Spreads

I mirrored the 1x1 residential zoning on the other side of the road, and luckily all Jen_P's Woodville Road houses grew again, so plenty of make historical clicking took place.  Added a few small commercial zones next to the roundabout to give the sims somewhere to shop.
The small Industrial estate was to provide early jobs and keep the power plant company!  The power plant will be demolished when the city grows some more and I'll put a cleaner plant on the edge of town.  The Helvetia Corp buildings are the only buildings plopped so far (they generate plenty of taxes!).


19.06  Station Square plus MattB's McDonalds

Here's the first main transport hub in Wardour.  This is Wardour North station.  It's not on the mainline, but is on the branch into the north of West End.
At the top next to the station is MattB's recently released W2W McDonalds building.  I think it fits beautifully there.  Next to the station and also it's grown next to a pub.  So you can have a few beers and grab a burger for the walk home!  If you look you can see Christmas lights on the building - they appear during December and early January - nice touch MattB!!  Unfortunately I forgot to make it historical, so it got re-developed 


19.07  Raised River Banks - 1

I thought that I'd create dykes along the river banks for much of the river through the farming area.  It is prone to flooding here!  This picture shows that I've raised the banks and put a road on top of each bank.  And as you can see, plenty of farm traffic.
I've not really dressed the riverbanks at all yet.


19.08  Raised River Banks - 2

Here you can see I've added some rocks and trees to make it a bit more alive.  I think it also gives the shot a bit more perspective so you can see the banks are actually raised.


19.09  Overview - 1

So here you can see the northern edge of wardour.  The Jen_P housing development (from pics 19.04 and 19.05) is in the bottom right corner.  As you can see it is a very rural area with plenty of farms.  You can also see the dykes a bit better here.
I've not put all the trees in yet!


19.10  Overview - 2

This picture shows what it looks like once I've greened it up a bit with trees!  You'll notice the railway goes up on to the dyke near the top.  I also like the winding road that goes up the hill, just below the village at the top of the picture.


19.11  Overview - 3

Here you can see the two distinct developments to date.  Mainly Jen_P's Woodville Road houses to the right and my re-lotted RP Six House Row to the left.  Small commercial zone in the centre and a custom lotted school with running track as well.


19.12  Overview - 4

This shows the bulk of the development to date.  I plan to put a bit more industrial between the existing industrial and avenue.  A park and residential will fill in down to the motorway.


19.13  What's Next......

My first attempt at sunken highways.  The town centre commercials will be along the avenue to the south of the highway.
I need to work out how to put a station in the sunken rail area.
I need to work out how to build a junction from the sunken highway.
I need to decide where to rebuild Wardouroda's football ground.

Other than that, I have a reasonably good idea of what will happen next (until I change my mind ).

Hope you enjoyed seeing the re-build.



'til next time.......................

[TopCliff]

It still looks awesome. Nice work redoing it. I think it's better than before. Later dude.

[bat]

Great update there! And wonderful river and using of the farms!

[thundercrack83]

The new Wardour looks fantastic, paroch! Your ploppable river is absolutely stunning! Good luck with the rebuilding, and I'll be back to see what else you've got!


Take care!

Dustin

[nova vesfalo]

plopable river is the future ! ^^, you've done an amazing job with it, baks , and field around it ! ( and this little urbainzed area is good ! with filed between residential development) ! >Good luck with rebulding !

[bokrif]

I see how you improved in city building. Not a big change, but I can see it. (Not big, because you had great cities.) The ploppable water was used perfectly, along with the flora. I like the most the slopy farms, and those residential bats from the first picture (19.04); where can I find those houses?
Good job.