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Ankersforth

Started by Howling, March 26, 2008, 12:51:13 PM

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Howling

Ankersforth

Welcome to the young city - town - of Ankersforth.



Note: If the image above doesn't work! Please PM me, i'm using personal hosting and it does have some form of hotlink protection. Thank you.

The city of Ankersforth, well town still, is the regional capital of Ustonia. Built on the end of a large outcrop of the Ustonian peninsula, the city enjoys the comforts of a (small) natural harbour.

The year is 1890. Big changes are afoot. A new century is dawning and people sense change. Things will be better, bigger, more prosperous - who knows what the city will look like in a hundred years' time? People suddenly realise "Wow! In just over a hundred years time it will be a new millenium!" or; as a true sea-hardened Ankersforthian fisherman would say "Gitme! Inna hundred yea'za taime, 't will be a nay millenia! Imag'at!"

Yes, Ankersforth is a burly place. The men love the pub, as do the women. Don't be fooled by the modern ships and cars in the above photograph - they are mere projections on reality caused by the timevortex that we are using to blah blah blah and so it will coagulate into yackadeesmackadee, but it all doesn't matter just check out the imagery. The city is known for it's lodgepoles, locally referred to as evergreens or - to be more precise, in Ankersforthian dialect; fairgrees. The settlers brought in decidious trees and they too faired well in the land, peacefully co-existing with the pinetrees. As you can clearly see from this one photograph, the harbour features some old architecture from the early years of the city. However over time economic powers have found a foothold in the town and the town is evolving. Let's just take a look at how the city's changed, shall we?


This is an introduction to the MD. More information to follow so stay tuned folks!
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sebes

Yes we shall Sebas!  I stay tuned, and preparing to enter the timevortex. Ready to jump when you are  ;)
Check my MD:               
Rhenen,NN

thundercrack83

Good start you've got here, Howling! Can't wait to follow along!

Howling


In Context
Nobody in Ankersforth county (including Dillyill, Ashton and Land's End) wanted this "system." They protested against doctor professor Stubord's ideas. However this story was only really big news in Ankersforth, since everybody in Big City (the nation's capital) already considered Stubord stupid and generally ignored his rantings and rediculous ideas. After this newspost in Ankersforth's Lodgepole Times Stubord was fired from Big City University. He was found to be "inadequite and we fail to remember why we hired him in the first place." However this small and seamingly insignificant glitch in history (it's still 1890, mind you) would permanently give the already hard-headed Ankersforthian a permanent "large-scale method of transportation" allergy. Luckily for those who did not suffer from this disease (those who want to get rich and about 100% of the mayor's office employees - that's not considering Dudley the clerk) there was already a permanent railway link with the rest of the country and neighbouring Abadon Heights county.



Above is an aerial photograph. Sadly Land's End just fell off. That and the guy who made it was lazy (he's been fired). On it we have projected the important roads, railway and bodies of water of Ankersforth as they are in 1890. These parts will play an integral part of the city's future growth. In fact; they will be engulfed. A good example is Fairgrees Ridge. In fact it isn't really a ridge, it's more of a very long and narrow strip of land between the interstate and the railyway line. Nobody really wanted to farm or live there so lodgepoles have taken root there. Another spot where you might find a lodgepole to your liking is in Lodgewood. A natural forest to the south of the peninsula.

When you travel from the crossroads at the village of Ashton south to Dillyill you'll be travelling down the Bennattan Way. A treelined road that cuts the tip of the peninsula from the rest. If you come from eastern Abadon you have to cross this road to reach Ankersforth. Some people call it the "prettiest road there is" because of the trees lining it. The name "Dillyill" also refers to this, it was once called "Idyllic Hill".
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Howling

Getting to know...
Ankersforth!

Yes, this is another new section that will feature in this MD every once in a while. Getting To Know... is about getting to know something in the MD. So let's start off at Ankersforth. The crown jewel of, well, Ankersforth. For now we'll be focussing on just one small county. One little town, perhaps destined for great, greater, greatest things. Who knows? If you ask any hardy Ankersforthian he'll probably answer "Buggeroff!" and you'll be passively forced to indeed bugger off.



The seat(s) of power.



The seat(s) of commerce. This is where the region shops.



This is the old waterfront. Where Ankersforth spawned.



Pebble Beach. The hard Ankersforthian doesn't need sand. Small stones are soft enough.



Some of the biggest buildings in 1890's Ankersforth. Especially the size of the construction of the trainstation raised some brows.



The J.W. Whacker Macintosh oil powerplant powers the town and employs a lot of Ankersforthians, it certainly dominates the skyline.



This is the statue of an angel Emma on the end of the landpier in Ankersforth harbour. She's said to be the patron saint of all Ankersforthian sailors.



The hospital was built against the wishes of the sea-fairing population. But hardly anyone really wants to go there anyway.



Here's a mere section of Fairgrees Ridge.



Ashton. In the middle of Fairgrees Ridge at the intersection of Interstate 55 and Bennattan Way.



And finally; Dillyill. On Bennattan Way before you enter Lodgewood on the north shore of Bennattan Bay.

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Toichus Maximus

#5
Wow! This is great! I love the custom lotting along the waterfront especially! And the anachronisms are amazingly low, considering the game being what it is!  &apls &apls &apls

Just remember to turn the grid off, tho it's not noticeable in 95% of the pics  ;)

magee_b

gorgeous work. Love the water front and Main St/Downtown area  &apls

Yoman

Great start here, you've really captured the feel of a North Eastern Coastal town. Just one suggestion, hit g to turn off the grid.

City Builder

#8
I really love the style of the houses in the Fairgrees Ridge (Interstate 55 / Bennattan Way intersection) shot.
When your tired of games of destruction, come to CityBuilderGames.com to discuss games of Construction!
Oh!  Thanks for the negative rep, I love you too!

Howling

#9
Replies

Wow thanks for the great comments! That really spurs me on to continue with more goodness, if I may be so bold.

sebes It's good to have you aboard, matey! I had to come up with some kind of excuse for the anachronisms (thanks to Toichus for reminding me of such a word).

thundercrack83 Thank you me neither.

@Toichus Maximus Thanks for the tip about the grid, I hadn't noticed it myself. :) I've tried to get it as "1890" as I could. I'd love some classic automata. You know some model-T Fords and cars like that. Really there should be automata sets for certain eras such as the 1900's, the 1920's, 40's, especially the 50's, 60's and 70's. However the latter two are already pretty well represented.

@magee_b Thanks, I have a few plans for both areas and what's in between ;)

Yoman Thanks yes the grid, I hadn't noticed it - whoops. I was going for that feel so I guess I passed?

City Builder Thanks though the houses are c.p.'s. I added some more variety in the lots myself when I was trying to make them without seasonal trees. However at one point I got tired of having to remove seasonal trees from each and every lot. I tried making a mod but couldn't fulfill it. Besides I wanted to get MD'ing, wouldn't you?

Thanks everyone - stay tuned! Who knows what replying to this MD might get ya' in the storyline ;)
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bigberta

This is great. I'm not very familiar with american towns from this period, but this is exactly how I pictured them. The road layout in the town is really good. Can't wait to see your next update  :thumbsup:

rooker1

I have to agree with everyone, great start and I love the small town feel.  The industrial sectors are nicely spread out over the town and your choice of housing fits very well.  I also like the seasonal trees and the water front looks awesome.
Great work, I'll be following this one.  &apls
Robin  :thumbsup:
Call me Robin, please.

bat

Great new updates and pictures there! Wonderful work, Howling! :thumbsup:

Howling


In Context
Eveybody loved Dudley. He was truly a village idiot. Though he actually had a job and everybody at City Hall saw him as his responsibility, nobody noticed the fact he had tuberculosis. A serious disease, in this case - sadly - deadly. Dudley died. Due to the death of such a popular figure most people saw the need for better healthcare, however many - being true stubborn Ankersforthians - would refuse to pay for it. However the residents from the upper-middleclass neighbourhood on Oak Street would get what they asked for, for years. A school. Mr. Alcaselzer was one of the neighbourhood's representatives in this political battle. He would later be heralded for bringing the need for public schooling to attention, though that moment in time is still way off. People liked their lifestyle in 1890. Especially the hard-headed Ankersforthians. Though the progressive part of the town, who practically all came from Oak Street, would slowly but surely gain control of Ankersforth. Over many decades.

And it started with a school in this neighbourhood.


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sebes

Ankersforth is a lovely little town Sebas - I enjoyed looking at the excellent pics that you show.

The pebble beach at Nickelsea Strait is amazing realistic. Did you use a special beach mod for that or did you plop that beach? It reminds me so much to some of my favorite beaches in Croatia that I can stare to that picture and dream away for hours  :satisfied:

You also made a very good choice of plopping the Poldertoren and those city offices close to each other. They fit very well, and contribute a lot to the feeling that speaks from the pictures in this entire update: a somewhat listless dull town where time stood still - and where the Indian Summer will never end - or in other words - Winter will never start  ;)

Also the combination of the sea-mod, tje CP housings and the chosen trees contribute to that feeling. If I find the entrace of the timevortex I will for sure take that jump and spent some (infinite?) time in Ankersforth...

And well - it's a pity that Dudley - who likes like a very pleasant young man to me - had to die before healthcare was considered. But hey - what else can be expected when Dr Alcaselzer holds sway over the towns education?? 

Looking forward to the next update my friend.

Check my MD:               
Rhenen,NN

kwakelaar

This is a smashing start for this new MD, and I would love to be the first to try my Toyota Starlet through the new Super Fastway. :D

thundercrack83

Sorry to hear of Dudley's death, Howling. Ankersforth looks fantastic, though. Can't wait to see the next update!

Howling

Replies

@bigberta - Thank you. I'm equally unfamiliar I have to admit, though there's still plenty of towns like Ankersforth around today. Glad you like the road layout, it's somewhat random because of well, planning wasn't really 'there' yet.

@Robin - Thank you very much, i'm glad you noticed the factories :D As I said in response to bigberta towns from this age weren't really planned. Businesses just opened wherever there was space or one wanted to start a business, really. The seasonal trees are all custom lots aswell. I made a whole series to easily plop them in between farms and houses and such. I'm old fashioned in that sense :D

@bat - Thanks :D

@sebes - Hey mate thank you very much! I can't remember which mod it was but yes it is a beach mod I used. I'm playing on an installation of SimCity RH which I installed well over a year ago I believe, so i'm not really sure anymore what I still have installed. I did update the NAM, though I removed a lot of things such as turning lanes because PEG's MTP mod wouldn't have it at intersections.

Indeed, time stood still here. Though not as much as perhaps in other towns (more on those later) because the Main Street is rather more developed than any other town in the Ustonian Peninsula region, you'll see. The Poldertower (Poldertoren, ja ik ken 'm :D ) is probably the most modern-looking structure in the entire region. I'll give a little background information on that too, because the whole place is made up of stories. And things will develop along a storyline, one which - sadly - included poor Dudley's death. But it's not Mr. Alcaselzer who keeps Ankersforth from being educated, it's the majority of Ankersforthians that keep Ankersforth from being educated. Alcaselzer actually wants education for his kids and for his middle-upperclass neighbours in the Oak Street area. Now, finally, he has find an opening in the Mayor's Office to get his wishes fulfilled.

:)

@kwakelaar - Thanks! Yeah the Super Fastway would've been a riot, were it not the inventor was deemed 'idiot' and locked away :D The whole discussion would give rise to a certain 'infrastructural allergy' amongst Ankersforthians. The whole MD's about stories, stories, stories (read: politics, history and people). :)

@thundercrack83 - Thank you! I can't wait to develop the storyline and give rise to the first midrises - oops is that a spoiler$%Grinno$%

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Howling

#18
Getting to know...
Land's End County


Here we see an aerial photograph of the county. The town of Land's End itself isn't actually in the county that bears it's name, Land's End the town is in Ankersforth county which spans just across the Strait. No, Land's End County's main town is Debrah. A large village with a dominant coal powerplant exporting juice to neighbouring counties and a mill. Now there's not a whole lot to do in Land's End. One might stroll through either Lorndale Forest or Berringer National Forest - the largest natural woodland and a protected nature reserve.


These are the Ustonian Peninsula counties we know by now. And in this edition of Getting To Know i'll introduce mayor Michael Wallace's Land's End County to you. A primary agricultural county to the east of Ankersforth on the other side of the Nickelsea Strait. This map does not yet depict the entire size of the Ustonian Peninsula - Ankersforth's - region.


Just outside of the town of Begellico there's the Begellico Racetrack. It's a track where locals like to bet on horses. At the moment there's not much going on, but usually it's the one place where all of Land's End gathers. Moarbee Street, which leads into town is packed with cars, carts and crude agricultural vehicles. There's a lot of drinking and a lot of shouting going on. It's also not uncommon for horses to try and run away from this mayhem. Begellicans just like speed, so it seems.[font]


In the county's capital Debrah, you can clearly see there's practically nothing going on. People from Ankersforth claim it to be the most boring place on earth. The most exciting thing to do is watch cars pass the intersection of Interstates 56 and 70. Most townsfolk work at the Seamus D. Woleman Coal Powerplant or at the mill just outside of town. During harvesting times 80% of the population also does work out on the fields which surround the town.


The people of Land's End and their mayor Wallace are quite conservative folk. The town of Begellico (again) also has the largest church, the church of the Light of the Saint. Father Samuel Davis preaches quite conservatively and tends to uphold moral values. Industrial initiatives such as the Seamus D. Woleman Coal Powerplant and the mill would have been impossible if Father Davis hadn't blessed the businessmen involved. In that sense he has more power than mayor Wallace. Who is not a good friend of mayor Democratic Lee from Ankersforth, coincidentally. Who has accused Father Davis of being a hypocrit often, for allowing gambling at the Begellico Racetrack but not allowing industries to be built. Saying "these are matters of state, not that of his Church off Interstate 56."
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spa

I saw your link in my thread and I came over to take a look. This is a great little journal. Your cities are very realistically laid out and you have just a touch of character to make them come alive. It's a joy to read  &apls