Commonwealth of Marathon

[Jmouse]

Nice urban view, Dustin. A bit too crowded for my taste , but the scene is a good one just the same. I'd love to see a view of that whole triple-highway transit complex from beginning to end.

Later...
Joan

[thundercrack83]

Robin (rooker1): Hi, Robin! That's a traffic generator. You can see the tell-tales signs—clumps of cars, followed by empty spaces. I use them a lot, actually. Thanks for coming by!

Arthur (art128): Thank you, my friend!

Casper (caspervg): Thanks for stopping in, Casper—Welcome to Marathon! Thank you for your very detailed comments, my friend! I appreciate your input!

metarvo: Thanks, my friend! Don't worry, we'll be seeing more of the triple highways, as well as where they lead! Take care!

kimcar: Thanks so much for your support!

Pat: Thanks, my friend! Actually, the flags you see are those of the Province of Québec (the blue one) and the City of Montréal (the white), as well as the Canadian flag. The building is Place Ville-Marie in Montréal.

Eblem (Heblem): Thank you! All the lanes and traffic does look like Los Angeles!

Joan (Jmouse): Thank you, Joan! Personally, I'm a fan of crowded urban areas, but I'm a fan of a good rural area, too! And like I said to our friend metarvo, we'll ve seeing more of those highways and where they lead in the future. Take care, Joan!

UPDATE IX
More About Marathon
Part I: History—From Introduction to War...
2 December 2008

Be patient...

[rooker1]

.....just kidding, although I do remember falling asleep in history class.   

Really just kidding. 
That was one great piece of colourful history. 
I think it's really cool how you added your island to the real world and have been able to make up a very interesting historical story.  I can't wait to hear the rest and how you bring us up to the present.
After reading the history lesson, I now have a really cool idea on what you can do in LE for the sea wall pieces.  I wonder if you are thinking the same things I am.  I will be looking for some props tomorrow and we can speak more than, if I can find them. 

Robin 

[Lilojame]

Hi there!

I loved the previous picture and how full the highways were.
And this update is fabulous, very well written and nice pictures accompanying it.
Great work!

Have fun,
Karin

[Simpson]

Hi Dustin 

First:

Congratulation for your award, this is totally deserved

Second:
The teaser (of December 02) is incredible, the highways look stange but finally it's looking superb and réalistic, and also your city is fantastic 

The update IX is looking very good, very good history. 
I'm looking forward to the next update my friend
Take care, David

[art128]

Ah! ! there's just the island yet !!
I think you will create the other parts of the region ?
You have chose a great emplacement for your region Dustin. 
Can't wait to see more !
Arthur.

[metarvo]

Congratulations on OSITM and Best in Recently Published, Dustin!



This is an excellent history lesson, Dustin.  That island to the east of Marathon's mainland does look familiar.   It is good to see CoM put into perspective with the rest of the world, which makes it more believable.  I'm ready for more. 

[bat]

Nice historical update there of Marathon!
Looking forward to more...

[flyinbird93]

great story!  Nice cj, i really enjoyed what you have so far.  wonderful work, cant wait for more

[Jmouse]

Wonderful presentation of Marathon's colorful history. Both the maps and the background story lend a sense of credibility often lacking in MDs. Besides, it makes for a darn good read!

Later...
Joan

[CasperVg]

Hehe,

I postponed reading this update until I had finished my History Exams today, as I wasn't certain if I would be mixing things up in the end, judging from the realism you have put into this update.

Rest assured, I like updates with a lot of text more than those without it, and I have certainly enjoyed reading through it all. The pictures you have added to the text keep it interesting, while the maps provided an easy to way to geographically keep track of what's being said.

Perfect.

Casper

[thundercrack83]

Robin (rooker1): Wake up! Heh—don't worry, Robin, I understand completely. History can be a bit, sleep-inducing! Thanks for you comments, and I can't wait to hear what you have planned for the seawalls. I'll be signing on to MSN any minute now...

Karin (Lilojame): Thank you so much, Karin! I'm happy to hear that your enjoyed them!

David (Simpson): Wow, thank you, my friend! Your kind words are very much appreciated!

Arthur (art128): Hi, Arthur! I will be creating other parts of the region, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I have to do a whole lot of pre-planning and planning before I get there. But don't worry, you'll all be included in every step of the way!

metarvo: Thanks, my friend! I'm glad I was able to bring things into perspective. I found it getting a bit more difficult to continue with things without giving that perspective, since stuff that's in my head would have eventually come up with no background. It would have gotten confusing!

bat: Thanks, bat!

flyinbird93: Thank you so much! And welcome!

Joan (Jmouse): Thank you, Joan! The maps, while they were a bit of a pain to put together, were also a lot of fun to create. I always loved the maps in history books that portrayed battles and wars, and that was my inspiration. Thanks for coming by!

Casper (caspervg): Ha! Waiting until after your exams was definitely a good idea! I know from prior experience that too many facts can make your brain overload, and to add in a bunch of fictional ones—well, that would have been a recipe for disaster! Thank you for stopping in and for your wonderful comments, my friend! Hope to see you around soon!



Moving on...

DECEMBER 3

...here's today's picture!

I have a few different ideas for the next update, though I'm not quite sure which direction I'll be headed. Don't worry, though—the next part of the history won't be for a little bit!

Thanks for all the support!

[Lilojame]

Hi there again!
This gold course looks really nice. Even if I don't play golf (just occasionally mini golf) I would love to start playing in there. Anyhow, a very nice update!

See you tomorrow,
Karin

[art128]

Dustin, those golf course look good my friend 
Great choice of trees 
Arthur.

[paroch]

Nice work on the 3 pics for December so far Dustin.  Each one brings something different to the party.  Love the traffic shot and the golf course tells me that maybe West End and Marathon are gonna have to have some sort of golf comp of some sort - especially as your players won the trophy last time we tussled 

Good luck with your punishing schedule of updates 

Paul

[bat]

The picture for 3rd December is looking great! Wonderful work on that part! Looking forward to more...

[Simpson]

Wow, nice teaser Dustin 
The golf is really good and réalistic (where did you take it?), The city looks super 
ALso the nam curves are, here, incredible. It's more réalistic 
Looking forward to the next update my friend 

David 

[metarvo]

I'm not really a golfer, but that does look like a good place to play.  I can see that you're making the most of your OSITM time, Dustin. 

[flyinbird93]

nice teaser, it looks beautiful (im allowed to use that work right? :-p)!  and thanks for the warm welcome!  cant wait to see what you have for us the next 31 days!

[thundercrack83]

Karin (Lilojame): Thank you, Karin! I used to play golf quite regularly, but haven't played in a while. Talk about a frustrating sport! Take care, my friend!

Arthur (art128): Thanks so much, Arthur!

Paul (paroch): Hey, Paul! I smell a Skins game between WEST END and Marathon brewing! $500 a hole sound right? Thanks for dropping by, my friend!

bat: Thanks, my friend!

David (Simpson): Thank you, David! When you ask, "Where do you take it?" Do you mean, where did I find the golf course lots? Those can be found on the STEX—ArtGolf Golf Course by doctorgonzo. Or did you mean, where did I get the inspiration? Well, to answer that one, there's two golf courses about 15-20 minutes from my home, and I guess I took a bit of inspiration from them. Otherwise, it was just plop and see what looked good! Hope I answered your question, my friend!

metarvo: Thanks, my friend! And it's OK that you're not a golfer, it's a tough sport to stick with! I haven't played in over a year or so, either!

flyinbird93: Thanks for coming by, my friend! Hope to see you back again!

And for today's picture, we have—


DECEMBER 4

A bit of an industrial shot! I'm a huge fan of the Logistics Centers, made by cogeo, and love to use them whenever I can!

The reversed Maersk-Sealand logo on the blue building is a tell-tale sign of the "Flip Canvas Horizontal" trick in Photoshop, too. I try to avoid that whenever possible, but it seems I missed it this time. Shame, too—the Maersk-Sealand one is my favorite!

I've got a bit of an update in the works, maybe later tonight, definitely by tomorrow, though.

Thanks for coming by!