WEST END

[tkirch]

Another great update.  I look forward to see what you are going to do with Regent Island, that looks like a great place to build.  The GC looks great I especially like the clubhouse and plaza, GREAT JOB!! 

And congratulations on the move up to Special Interest of the Month!!!

[paroch]

Update 8 - 3rd November 2007

OK, today I have some time to build, take pictures, write updates and plan future updates......  So here goes:

sebes:  I can't promise that Little Amsterdam will be authentically Dutch, but I'll give it my twist on a Dutch theme.  I hope you enjoy.

Joan:  I guess one of the advantages of living in Europe is that we're all so close together.  London to Amsterdam is a 45/50 minute flight.  Amsterdam is a great city, and whilst I'm not trying to (or able to) recreate the great city itself, I hope it gives you an essence of the place.

Pat:  Good to see you again, thanks for dropping by and your kind words.

Tkirch:  Yes, that island is the reason I started work on Regent - but I seem to have this need to develop all other available land before I start on it.  I'm thinking it's going to be a very exclusive place to live.  The mayor's house has not been built yet, so maybe he'll go on here as well.  My plug ins are a bit light on R$$$ low/medium density, so I'll have to download some mansions I think!  And thanks for posting the 100th comment in West End

I'll hand you over to Bill Bailey, Mayor of Regent:


Little Amsterdam is the part of Regent where many North Europeans have settled.  The dreams of a new life, in a new environment drew them to West End.  As you know, Regent has many attractions that has made it a popular place to live.  The land where Little Amsterdam now sits was very marshy up until 30 years ago.  The land was drained for farming, but as the city grew, this was valuable real estate, so the farms gave way to what we see today.

8.01  Little Amsterdam overview (old)

This is what Little Amsterdam looked like up until a few years ago.  The city council wanted to improve the look of the area, so the roads were re-worked, so that they now run alongside the canals so that the houses generally front the canals, instead of backing onto the canals.

8.02  Little Amsterdam overview (new)

So here the roads are re-worked and many of the older English style terraced houses have been replaced to give more of a Dutch feel.  Now, whilst I can control zoning I can't always control development styles, so it's not 100% Dutch.  But it is 100% European and Little Amsterdam has a different feel about it compared to the rest of the city.  I should never have granted planning permission for those high rises near the station.b I'm not convinced that they  sit there particularly well - but hey, I guess that's progress (plus the bribe, er I mean fundraising contribution, helped pay for the last election).

At the top of the picture is Little Amsterdam Station.  This used to be called Viddiams Station (as that is the district to the north of the railway).  However, the city council felt that more residents of Little Amsterdam used the station - plus it's a much nicer district, so we changed the name to project a more positive image of Regent.

8.03  Lake Capo


8.04 Lake Capo

The lake connects to each of the small canal arms that link with the main North/South canal.  The lake was named after a very famous Dutch historian, who charted the rise of the Dutch nation.  There is a wing dedicated to him in the SimNation museum (more in a future update).  The steamboat restaurant on Lake Capo is one of the most popular places to meet for lunch or dinner in the city.  Of course, we have the Strip, but the pace of life here is just that bit slower and more relaxed.

8.05 Sebes Park


8.06  Sebes Park

Between the bank of the lake and the railway is Sebes Park.  This park is named after a Dutch designer.  It's a nice place to relax and walk the dog.  It sprawls over a few roads and behind buildings.  From the eastern side of the park you can see the city museum complex.

8.07  Capograacht

This is the most southerly of the small canals.  A mix of traditional and more modern apartments.

8.08  Lindengraacht

This is the middle of the "islands".  Note the mix between the traditional Dutch building and the UK style family homes - Europeans living together in harmony!!

8.09 Lindengraacht

The Tourre Matisse is one of my favourite building in Little Amsterdam - and what a view they have.

8.10  Grolschenstraat (south)

8.11  Grolschenstraat (north)

This is the main road that connects each of the islands.  There are a few bars on this road (hence the name).


I hope you enjoyed the tour of Little Amsterdam.


My next "mini updates" will feature a transit map of the city (I hope).

'til next time....

[bat]

Little Amsterdam is looking very good! Great work with the canals!

[Pat]

paroch I loved this update wow!!! You did a fantastic job here and the canals flow so nicely... Cant wait to see your transport map.... - pat

[Jmouse]

This is a very interesting update, paroch.
I have not updated (online) my own concept of Amsterdam in quite a while, but you have inspired me to do so. I must say you've done a good job on the canals, and I suspect it was no easy job.
I went back and forth many times between 8.01 and 8.02 looking at the differences. For the reason stated above, I cannot comment on the realism of either one, but I like your choice of buildings throughout the area. Also, the tree-lined streets work well with the sharp edges of the canals while the parks take the edge off.

Until next time...
Joan

[sebes]

Wow - I got a park named after me... Wow. Thanks. Words fail.
(Fledder: don't you dare making nasty comments on this)

Unfortunately I cannot see the "old" picture of the quarter, but the new one looks very good! You gave it a nice Dutch twist. I can imagine why so many Europeans settled there. Considering your spelling of Graacht, I think that either many people from Utrecht settled in Regent or you had a few too many Grolsch beers   

[thundercrack83]

Stunning work on Little Amsterdam, my friend! Your canals look wonderful, and I love all the parklands! Keep up the great work!

[paroch]

Hi all. 

I'm glad that Little Amsterdam has been popular.  Funnily enough I didn't find developing and re-developing it that difficult or too time consuming.  Make the land flat and away you go.  The things that take me ages and drive me a bit insane are making seawalls that line up, or trying to fit runway pieces together .  When it comes to just zoning and roads, that's when I'm happiest!!!

bat - thanks again for your kind words.

pat - cheers for that.  Transit map below - I'll let you decide if it's any good.

Joan - glad you liked it.  The main difference between the old and new version is that on the old version each "island" had one road running down the middle with the houses facing the road.  This meant that they backed onto the canal.  In the new version the road runs around the outside of the island, so that the houses actually face the canal.  In Amsterdam itself this is how the houses are built.  And I'd love to see your own Amsterdam.  Go on, post it up sometime!  p.s. hope you don't mide me doing the transit map.

Sebes - I'm glad I got a Dutch comment on Amsterdam.  I felt that I should honour both you and Capo with names in my own Dutch district.  And I'm guessing it should be Gracht???  I just remember from Amsterdam Herrengracht, Prinzengracht, Kaisergracht etc.  Plus I re-linked 8.01 picture.

thundercrack - thanks for your visit and comment.

I'll hand you over to Tim Burrows, Director of the Regent Transit Authority:


8.12  Regent Transit Map(1)

Here you can see an overview of the city with the main bus and rail routes imposed on top of the map.
I think it gives you an idea of how the residents get about the city. 

The yellow route is particularly popular with the toursits as it runs the length of the Strip, connects with the city centre, passes the main museum park, touches the southern part of Little Amsterdam and terminates at Riverside Park which is also a nice tourist spot.

The green route takes workers up to the industrial area in the Nort West of the city.  It also serves the west bank and links to the city centre.  It's very busy on match days as it passes the Royals Stadium.

The blue route connects the South bank with the two main ferry terminals and the Industrial and Business parks in the North West.

The brown route connects the Strip with many of the residential areas.  It also runs through Little Amsterdam.

The black lines show where the railways run.  The railways are really aimed at journeys beyond the boundaries of Regent.

8.13  Regent Transit Map (2)



Now this is the map that appears on the bus stops and is given out by the Regent Transit Authority.
It lists each of the stops on the four main routes.  You can see where you need to connect to reach your destination.
I admit that it's not quite as clear as the London Underground map, but I have to admit that this is my first attempt at something like this.  Your feedback (good or bad) is much appreciated.


Well I hope you enjoyed this mini update.  Seeing as West End is in the Special Interest section this month I figured I should try to give you plenty of updates and hopefully a few things that are a little different, if not special!

I will give you a few more updates on Regent before we move onto another city. 

I also have planned the West End International Football Trophy.  This will be a tournament open to football (soccer) teams from all over SC4Nation.  I'll be seeking your entries in the next few days and giving you more details - so if you'd like to take part......stay tuned!

'til next time

[NASCAR_Guy]

Lovely

[capo]

I msut admit that I'm in love...

in love with Little Amsterdam! I've already offered a bid on three apartments in this part of town, one is of course at the very pictoresque Capogracht, the second one at the place near the footballfield at Lake Capo and the third one is a corner apartment at Grolschenstraat. I hear the beer is quite tasty there (better then Amstel )

Amazing update, it reminds me very much of the original Amsterdam...including th high rise towers. Every Dutch city has the same problem as your MD does, beautiful ancient buildings are being replaced with new modern stuff. It generates an interesting mix of buildings!

I really like the overview, I just love all these extra (transport) details about a city including the names of all the stops. It adds so much realism to a city.

That football tournament sounds very interesting, the people of the medieval city of Biroud play a version of this game as well. The slight differences are that a pig's head is used as a ball and armor and swords are allowed in-game. Would that be a problem in your tournament?

Seriously, this is an excellent MD and the latest updates are the proof of that. Keep up the excellent work!

[tooheys]

Firstly, I like the transport map, and the way you have shown the overlay on the map. Great effort for a first attempt, seems easy enough to follow, not too many people should be getting lost .

Little Amsterdam is looking great. Well done with the use of the canals and and the adjoining parks and trails. 

The fences around Sebes Park caught my attention. Can I ask where you found these?.

Enjoy your stay in OSITM, well deserved. 

Cheers

Dave

[bat]

Wonderful maps there!!

[Jmouse]

Very nice and helpful maps, paroch. Also, your notes on why you chose to plan the routes the way you did are most interesting.
This update is well worth studying in greater depth.

Until next time...
Joan

[paroch]

I'll provide replies to you all plus my next update real soon - in the meantime I wanted to give Dave the link to the fences:

javascript:opennew('lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=477')

hmmmmmm, doesn't look right!!!

They are Deadwoods BSC Parks Wall Set v2.  They're right here on the BSC Exchange.  Just do a category search under Parks - BSC compliant and you can't miss 'em.  In picture 8.05 you get that effect by selecting the wall/fence pieces witout the pillars.  Enjoy.

And seeing as I'm here, and I've just done a transportation update, here is a shot of the rail junction just outside of Central Station.  Trains buzz about in all directions (but not seen one use the bridge yet).
8.14  Central Station and Rail Junction


'til next time.....

[Ennedi]

The Little Amsterdam looks very good!

You are right, Dutch and UK homes look great together. It's a big city, but it has very specific, cosy atmosphere (maybe because of some little parks and other decoration stuff you used ) I like it!

The transit map is done very professional, looking at it I think it is also functioning very well!

[TheTeaCat]

Its been a while since i popped in here ( RL and other things) but I missed so much. I don' know where to start .I skimmed quickly thou it all but will not go back for a closer look but need a cuppa first. Fancy one?

This is amazing what you have accomplished in so short a time . The one thing i really like is seeing proper football pitches about the place it's more realistic IMO especially for us Europeans

Its a wonderful mix of buildings with atmosphere and charm - well done


TTC

[bat]

A great looking picture there! Good work!

[paroch]

Update 9 - 6th November 2007

I have to admit, as fiddly and time consuming as the transit map was, I did enjoy doing.  The final result was not as good as I wanted, just because the lines were a bit cramped together and the stop names were a bit squeezed in - but I've learned a few lessons so will hopefully produce something better the next time I produce one.

Replies:

NASCAR Guy:  Welcome to West End, and thanks for the jumpy flamey thing!

Capo:  Hey, thanks for your great comment.  If a Dutchman says such things about Little Amsterdam then I think I must have done well!  Seriously, thank you.  I'll let you reserve any apartment you want.  Have to admit I like Capogracht the best.
As for the football tournament it would be an honour if Biroud enters a team (time differences not withstanding). As for the armour and swords, if your team can get them through airport security they're welcome!

tooheys/Dave:  Glad you like the map - and yes, first attempt, so I hope the next one will be better.  See above for the link to the fences/walls - I'd be amazed if you don't already have them somewhere in your plug ins!  And a team from Balnavia would be a great addition to the tournament, my RL team has an Aussie captain, so more Aussies welcomed!

bat:  Thanks for your regular visits.

Joan:  Thanks for that - glad you found the explanation of interest.

Ennedi:  I'm enjoying your visits and comments - thanks.  I worry that my cities are starting to look the same, so I'm glad you sense a different feeling in each area.

Tea Cat:  Welcome back.  And yes, whilst you're brewing up I'll join you!  I'm a football fan myself and as you know plenty of footie pitches around most UK towns, so I can't resist plopping them in.  Also, most English schools have a pitch, so again, in they go.


OK, I mentioned the West End International Trophy a few posts back.  I've been toying with this idea for a while but West End wasn't really big enough.  It probably is still a bit small for such a project (400,000 citizens), but I think that the Special Interest category is the best time to do this, so here goes - wish me luck, keep your fingers crossed, let's hope there is interest and it's not a big flop!!!

I'm going to hand you over to Sir Bert Microchip, chairman of the West End Football Association (those Brits old enough will get the lame joke) who is hosting a press conference at the West End Imperial Museum in central Regent:

9.01  Imperial Museum


Hello everyone, and welcome to this magnificent building that houses many of the most significant artefacts from across SimNation.  I'm here today to announce the launch of the first West End International Trophy.  A football competition open to teams from across SimNation.  Now when I say football, all Europeans and South Americans know exactly what I mean.  For our Australians and Americans I should say soccer!

This tournament is being held to promote the sport across all SC4D Mayor Diaries and is also a shameless attempt to boost tourism here in West End.  We feel we have a lot to offer, so we welcome you all to our new but growing region.

The tournament is being hosted by the four major teams here in West End.  Allow me to introduce them to you:

9.02  Wardouroda:



Wardouroda were the first team to establish in West End.  They recently moved into their fantastic new stadium, New Merry Park from a much smaller ground in the middle of Wardour.  It is a fantastic modern stadium modelled on the one used by FC Roda of Holland.  Wardour is arguably the most football crazy town in West End, with many pitches and smaller teams dotted around the town.  All visitors to the tournament will be impressed by the warm welcome they'll get here.

9.03  Regent Royals:



The Royals are the smallest of the West End teams in the tournament, but their fans are possibly the most fanatical in the region.  Their Royal Stadium is due to be replaced by a brand new larger stadium on the south bank of the city.  Unfortunately this will not be ready in time for the tournament.  But visitors to this city will have plenty of other attractions away from the football to keep them entertained.

9.04  FC Portland:



FC Portland have the largest stadium in West End.  And whilst Great Portland is not the largest city, they get capacity crowds at all of their matches.  The final will be held at this stadium and FC Portland will fancy their chances of being there.

9.05  West End United:



Another new stadium, only recently finished.  Canio Park is home to West End United, the main team in Oxford, capital of West End.  Located next to the City Ferry terminal it is no surprise that their sponsor is P&O Ferries.  West End United caused quite a stir with their choice of name, as we hope to have a national team soon, which will be called West End.  This is bound to lead to confusion!  West End United have a fantastic football academy and have produced some of the finest young players in West End.

To give you an idea where each team is based and how well located they are for travel, here's a graphic:

9.06  Region graphic:


Well, there are the four host teams.  We are sure they will do well, but the tournament will be very dull without teams from across SimNation, so we are now inviting you all to submit one or two teams from each Region/MD to take part and try to win glory.  The closing date for entries is Thursday 15th November.  This will give us a realistic chance of having the final by the end of the month.  The minimum total number of teams required is 8, but we are hoping for more.  16 would be perfect but if interest is high then we will cap it at 32 (I don't really expect this!).  To enter a team the West End FA asks for the following information:

Mandatory:
1. Team Name
2. Home City name
3. Home Region/MD name
4. Team colours

Optional information (that will help but not essential):
5. Stadium name
6. Stadium capacity
7. Stadium picture (please keep within 800x600 pixels)
8. Team kit picture (please try to keep similar size as above - but I can produce these quite easily)
9. A fact about your team
10. Shirt sponsor

The winning team will win a virtual trophy, which will be presented on your MD (with your permission of course) and will also win naming rights over some future landmarks in West End!

It's over to you to submit your team(s) now - please don't let us down, enter as soon as you can!  I'll hand you back to paroch now.......


For the actual games and calculating the scores, well we have a good system planned that gives an advantage to the larger teams but still leaves it down to an element of luck.  Each team will have a real life "representative" and a tournament will be set up on my son's PS2 game FIFA07 and we'll run a simulation.  Teams in FIFA07 have a star rating from 1 star (poor) up to 4.5 stars (excellent).  I will try to allocate a representative based on your country, and size and quality of your team.  So a team from a large city with a big stadium will have more stars than a village team playing on a park or school pitch!  If you have a real preference for your representative team let me know and I'll see what we can do.  FIFA07 has teams from most European leagues, plus Brazil, Mexico, USA and Korea.  Representative teams so far:

Wardouroda:    Norwich City
Regent Royals: Leicester City
FC Portland:    Newcastle United
West End Utd: West Ham United

I hope this catches your imagination - West End will still continue to develop - this is just a bit of fun and interest on the side for November. 

I hope to see you in the tournament......

[bat]

Good new update there! And nice tournament! Also wonderful pictures of these stadiums!

[Jmouse]

Hey Paul, this is a very creative update. The tournament is a great idea and I like the way you've planned it out.
Unfortunately there is no soccer stadium in Pitchfork Pass and none planed. The mayor has expressed a strong interest in participating, however, so he wondered if he could co-sponsor someone else's team. Potential commercial sponsors include Hooter's of course, but we have the new Hillbilly Heaven Resort as well.
Let me know and I'll pass along your answer.

Until next time...
Joan