Commonwealth of Marathon

[Pat]

Dustin I am amazed at your skill sir!! You are right up there with Badsim and also not to forget SAC!!!! BTW where in the world did you find such a great looking HSBC Arena??? I soooooo want that lot for sure, I wish you would start CoM_EX's you know like the 3RREX 

[threestooges]

I fully agree with the previous comments about your lotting skill Dustin. Your small filler lots work well, and the custom fitting ones look great. I think the real talent shows when you lot the larger buildings like Abitibi Square and the HSBC Arena. It takes skill to take a massive building (and the resulting massive lot) and make it look busy, vibrant, and full without making it crowded and unfocused. you've suceeded my friend. Even the larger groups of people don't look too repetitive. Judging from the mosaic, it looks like a game has just let out and people are just beginning to make their way to the station (it looks a bit quiet down there now). It would be neat if you found a way to recreate the image of a horde of people streaming down the sidewalks on their way to the trains (and home), but for now, there is so much else to look at that it's not even anything to worry about. Nice work.
-Matt

[Sciurus]

Hi Dustin!

But how many updates did I miss? Could you please tell me it? Non, I see all the pages I missed (and there's much, I can say), and I see it's just beautiful, nice, and I hope you'll continue to do a city as nice as it. I'm happy to be the official translator of Marathon's country, I'm always glad to serve you my amercian friend Ah, I forgot to explain why I didn't there last week: I had a german correspondent, so I couldn't go there

So, I hope t stop by soon, Guillaume

[kimcar]

Long time that i didn`t post , sorry. Hey another outstanding work that you have done on LE. That`s give a great result Dustin 

[thundercrack83]

carkid1998: Thank you, my friend! I'm glad you like it!

kwakelaar: Hello! Thank you so much!

io_bg: Hi! All added up, it probably took about 5-6 hours to put everything together. And that's not counting the time away from the computer I spent trying to piece things together in my head. Thanks for stopping by!

Earth quake: Thanks!

Arthur (art128): Thank you very much, Arthur! I'm sorry to hear that you don't like the texture, but hopefully I can find one you like for the next project!

Dino007: Thank you! And good luck with the LE yourself!

sim-al2: Thanks, my friend! Feel free to use anything you see here!

metarvo: Thanks! Plugging up the holes is definitely something that I make it a point to do. It bothered me very much to see it prior to that. Thanks for coming by, my friend, and I hope to see you here again!

bat: Thank you, bat!

Alex (Driftmaster07): Thanks! And I'll look up the dependencies for the garages and get back to you, my friend!

Luke09: Thank you! I'm not sure I'm quite ready for uploading to the LEX, but thanks for your encouragement!

Haljackey: Thanks! I'm not actually about whether they're like the FLUPs or not, but I'll ask around and let you know what I find out! Take care!

Battlecat: Thanks, Battlecat!

darraghf: Thank you so much!

Joan (Jmouse): Hi, Joan! Strangely, there's wasn't a whole lot of pre-planning that went into the area, aside from figuring out how to fill it in with the least amount of lots as possible. The toughest part was lining up the textures and props from lot-to-lot, but that got easier as I went on. If you get the LE itch and you have any questions, just let me know! Good luck, Joan!

mightygoose: Wow! Thanks so much for such wonderful words, my friend! Hope to see you again soon!

David (dedgren): Hi, David! For you to even mention my name in the same sentence as those legends that you mentioned is probably the greatest compliment that I've even been given. Thank you so much for stopping by and for all your support, my friend. Take care, David!

Pat: Thank you, my friend! Like I said to David, it means very much to me to have you even think to name me in such a class of extraordinarily talented folks. They're head and shoulders above my level, though! As for the HSBC Arena, it can be found on the STEX. You can probably search HSBC and it'll pop up. If you can't find it, let me know, and I'll look around for you. Thanks for stopping by!

Matt (threestooges): Hi, Matt! Thank you so much for your great words, my friend. Making the bigger lots can be a bit tougher since there's much more room to fill up, but I also think it's more fun that way. Plus, I'd rather make one big lot than a bunch of smaller ones, if it's possible. I definitely like your take on how the people are leaving the arena and heading to the station. It certainly does look that, doesn't it? It's always great to have you here in Marathon, Matt! Don't be a stranger, my friend!

Guillaume (Sciurus): Hello, Guillaume! Welcome back, my friend, I've missed you! It's always wonderful to have you here in Marathon, and I'm so happy that you're enjoying things. Take care!

kimcar: Thank you so very much, my friend! And don't worry about posting here, you're more than welcome any time you'd like, no matter when it is!

UPDATE XXXV
Inspiration from the Home of the Trail Blazers
28 April 2009

Wow! The replies may have been longer than the update is! Thank you all so very much for the great support!

I've taken quite a tangent tonight, thanks in part to a map I purchased during my recent trip to Barnes & Noble over the weekend. As the title of our update indicates, that map is...

...Portland, Oregon!

After spending a good amount of the evening looking over the map, I found a rather interesting area of the city...

...this park, located east of the Willamette River. Here's the satellite view from Google Maps—

When I saw this, my thoughts (as they always do when I look at maps) went right to, "Hmmm, how do you think that would look in SC4?" Well, let's find out! I've chosen...

...Tile N on Marathon Island to try it out, since it is the only tile on the Island that is 100% land. The center of this set-up is going to be the roundabout...

...so, we'll use the intersection in the center of the tile. First, we'll bulldoze...

the intersection and replace it with an indicator for our roundabout, then...

...we bulldoze just about everything in sight!

Now...

...the roundabout. We begin building the area with...

...avenues extending on the four cardinal directions.

Y-Intersections are added at the end of each avenue section, and then...

...we connect them all into something that resembles a four-leaf clover...well, somewhat, anyway! We...

...extend things further...

...and further...

...and further! Now, we begin connecting the previous bulldozed roads, like...

...this.

Finally...

...the final diagonal connections to put everything together again.

Here's a zoomed-out view of the tile...

...but, the region view gives a better look—

And in traffic view—

It's definitely not what I was expecting to undertake today, but after seeing it finished, I like it. The real difficulty, however, will be developing it. Perhaps, a large park? That's what I'm thinking as of right now, anyway.

In a bit!

[JoeST]

Looking awesome Dustin That's a rather large concentration of Avenue, maybe you could change some of it? I don't know which but maybe...

Joe

[art128]

Nice dog there Dustin ! I know how it's difficult to give a bath to a god dog(), I have one (labrador) 
Ah ? it's not the subject of the update ?? 

Well, that avenue network looks excellent my friend, the reproduction is outstanding ! I think, you'll make this area with houses and not buildings right ?

Can't wait to see the development.
Take Care,

-Arthur. 

[emilin]

Woaaahhhh!!!! Cute dog! Oh my God, it's adorable!

Once again: really good development. You seem to know just about everything there is to know about this game. It's wonderful to browse around this journal (and that is a good thing since I seem to be having a whole lot of catching up to do.

Keep up the good work!

-Emil

[rooker1]

Hello Dustin,

Fantastic update, the dog looks great.  Oh....the SC4 pics are good too.  
Interesting map and well put together in game.  I hope you are able to find enough diagonal buildings to fill the area.  
"Portland"....that sounds like a good name for a city and of course this team would be playing there.  Hmmmm, the ideas that are running through my head now.
Anyways, why would n't your name be included in those other great lotters?  Have you had a look at your recent lots?  I can definately tell you one thing, your skills have improved 100 fold very quickly.
Robin  

[bat]

Great work on the road layout there! Looking forward to more...

[Sciurus]

Hi Dustin!

But how did you miss me? I'm unmissable! . Your city is ver beautiful, and it's very interesting how you show us the construction of this. But it's too squarred for me, do things more rounded, I don't know, like in European cities, but there, it's a squarre, which looks like nothing. Excuse me if I'm a bit aggressiv, but it's my opinon. I hope you won't take it bad
And poor dog, he takes a shower, I plains him
Alawys glad to see you, your french friend,

Guillaume

[mightygoose]

dustin, as much as i love the layout the avenue may have been used a little bit excessively here unless you plan on having this as a CAM stage 12+ district.

[carkid1998]

That will be rather difficult to develop on!!
Maybe W2W??

[Dark_Jedi06]

Oh my god that dog is absolutely ADORABLE. The sure fire way to get me to always return to Marathon (besides your incredible skill ) is to post a picture of that irresistible little scamp.

As for the new development, I envy your ability to meticulously plan out your city so far in advance. My only suggestion would be to replace some of those avenues with roads...however, I absolutely love the design it creates, I'm a huge fan of symmetry.

[Ryan B.]

Wow, that's an interesting traffic layout, Dustin.

Skipping back an update, my avatar betrays me here.  It's awesome to see a piece of home in Marathon.  You've really done sargeantcm proud . . . the Arena's never looked better.

[dsrwhat316]

I must say your LE work in the previous update is second-to-none. It's amazing how much you've learned in a few months using the LE. If only I got that good that quick 

As for this update, I think the road layout is interesting. It'll probably be hell for the traffic to drive on, but hey, why not create a little chaos? I'm also glad to see I'm not the only one who uses Google Earth to get inspiration for a city layout.

Nice to hear you're enjoying the weather; it's pretty much the same here at the Shore. Went to the beach yesterday and it was absolutely perfect out. Couple hot dogs and burgers made the day even better. Sorry to ramble on; just remembering one of the least-stressed days I've had in awhile... 

~ Dan

[homefryes]

Hey, Dustin. Don't get too used to the nice warm weather. It's barely 50°F here in the Chicago area, and it's probably headed your way! LOL! We only got one day over 80°F, and that was Friday, but we were on the edge of the stationary front, so it stands to reason.

I really like Abitibi Square; beautiful job. I've tinkered around with LE-ing, but pretty much only for items I've BATted. I could get into it ... but at the same time, like BATting, it takes away from my time to actually play in the game!

I also like how you incorporated that part of Portland, Oregon, into Marathon. I'll be watching to see what you do with it later on!

-- Don

[KoV Liberty]

Thanks! And might I say that in a good looking dog!

Alex

[Luke09]

OM*G!!!That was hard isnt??Wow man,im still stunned

[thundercrack83]

Joe (JoeST): Thanks, Joe! You're right, there's definitely a lot of avenues going on there, isn't there? Thanks for stopping by!

Arthur (art128): Hi, Arthur! Thanks so much, my friend! Figaro's not bad to give a bath to at all, actually, he just stands there looking as sad as he possible can until it's all over, then he shakes and gets everything wet! I'm glad you like the new area, too, though, I'm not sure how development's going to be yet. Take care!

Emil (emilin): Hi, my friend! It's always a wonderful day when we see you here in Marathon! I hope all is going well with you, and thank you so very much for such kind words. Hope to see you again soon!

Robin (rooker1): Hey, there, Robin! Thanks so much for your wonderful support and comments, my friend. You are much too kind! Oh and Portland does have a bit of a ring to it, doesn't it? Hmmm....

bat: Thanks, my friend!

Guillaume (Sciurus): Bonjour! I don't take your comments as bad at all, quite the opposite! Your opinion means very much to me, my friend! I must admit, though, having never been to Europe, I have a tough time making European cities. But I will definitely take your great ideas into consideration for my future areas! It's always great to have you here, mon ami français (I hope I said that right)! Take care!

mightygoose: Thank you! You are certainly right about the avenues, though. We'll see what we can do, eh? Thanks for stopping by and for your advice!

carkid1998: You're right, development is going to be difficult, I think. I'm actually not quite sure how it's going to end up yet, but I will certainly be looking into your suggestion for W2W, as I think it would look great. Thanks so much for your input, my friend!

Dark_Jedi06: Thanks so very much, my friend! He's such a great dog, he doesn't cause any trouble at all, even in the bathtub. And thank you for your kind comments, too! We'll see what we can do with the avenue/road situation, too. Take care, my friend!

Ryan (burgsabre87): Hey, Ryan! I'm glad you like the use of your hometown team's arena! It's such a wonderful BAT, I had to get it in Marathon somewhere. Hope to see you again soon!

Dan (dsrwhat316): Hi, Dan! The weather has been unbelievably nice, hasn't it? Unfortunately, we're on the cooler end of things now, so I think things will be getting back to normal. I'm glad to hear you had a great weekend at the beach, too! Oh, and thank you so much for your fantastic words of support, my friend. Coming from such a great lotter as yourself, it means all the more to me! Thanks again!

Don (homefryes): Hello, Don! Great to see you here! I think the lower temperatures are on their way to Pennsylvania as we speak, so the fun's over for now, I guess. That's OK, though, I'm more of a cold weather person, anyway. I'm glad to see that you're enjoying things here in Marathon, especially since it means I'm returning the favor for all the enjoyment and sheer awe I feel when I head over to Ashtabula! Thanks for stopping by, my friend!

Alex (Driftmaster07): Hi, Alex! According to the download for the parking garages, there don't seem to be any dependencies. If you're having a problem, though, let me know and I will see if we can't get it sorted out. Hope that helps, my friend!

Luke09: Thanks so much! It was a bit hard to get together, especially with trying to make everything symmetrical. Hope to see you again soon!



Well, we've got good news and bad news today here in Marathon.

The good news...

As our great friends Joe (JoeST), mightygoose, and Dark_Jedi06 had pointed out, the latest symmetrical addition to Marathon was a bit heavy on the avenues, to say the least! I was so excited to work on the recreation in the game that I didn't even think about that as a byproduct, but now that I see it, it is most certainly true.

So...

...how's this?

I replaced the inner sections with roads to get rid of some of the clutter, having to sacrifice a bit of the symmetry in the process. Despite that, though, I like this much more. It's cleaner and it opens up a bit more room for development. Here's a closeup...

...and a region traffic view shot—

On to the bad news.

Late last night, my grandmother passed away. She was 93 years old, and had been in rather poor shape for a few years now. While our family is sad and sorry to lose her, we are also happy in the fact that she lived a good long life and raised not only twelve children, but also 28 grandchildren (of which I am the youngest grandson), 40 great-grandchildren, and 10 great-great grandchildren. We'll miss you, Gram!

More from Marathon to come...