Greenacre

[calibanX]

That's a great update Matt. I love that chalet. It reminds me of a skiing spot right near my house. You have a lot of folks enjoying the slopes. Break a leg!

Geoff

[nedalezz]

Very nicely done ski resort, I especially like the overview map

[woodb3kmaster]

Fantastic update, Matt! I love a good ski resort, and the amount of detail you've put into Snow Cloud makes it all the better. Keep up the terrific work!

[Engorn]

Very nice. I think that it's alt that people what makes it so real.

[rooker1]

Hey Matt,
Good to see another great update from you. 
The ski resort looks very well laid out.  I have not had the chance to play with that stuff yet.  Now that I see how well you have done with it, I think I had better get moving.
The regional view looks great as always.  Can I spy some built up areas?  Have you been playing?
I look forward to my little story line.  To tell you the truth, I sort of forgot about it and thought you might have too.
Anyways....I hope all is going well for you.

Robin 

[ecoba]

Really nice update, Matt.

I do like the way that you have used the ski lifts in Greenacre and the lodge at the bottom of the hill is also a very nice BAT. If I ever need a ski resort I'll have to download some of PEG's stuff, as I haven't seen it in action before now.

Ethan

[Battlecat]

Great looking ski resort!  That's a fantastic detail for your region! 

[Jmouse]

A very impressive update this time, Matt. The promotional brochure in 19.02 was a great idea. It adds a stiff belt of realism to the entire photo spread, and that's always a good thing to do.

I know nothing whatsoever about skiing and the various accommodations, but it looks like you've laid out the lodge and surrounds with customer convenience in mind. I love the lighting effects in 19.06, but the idea of tramping around in the snow at sunup chills me to the bone!

The different scenes you've spotlighted all look good in their own way, and 19.11 is especially attractive. Just one question, though. I don't see any street/road access, although it could be just covered by snow.

I've really enjoyed looking through this update. It's certainly a departure from the norm, but a very pleasant one!

Later...
Joan

[penguin007]

Beautiful snow resort there I really like the pictures of it in summer aswell as winter

Will

[threestooges]

Replies:

-Jordan (canyonjumper): Glad you enjoyed it Jordan! The models are great. I'm still trying to get the hang of the snow mod he made (neat trick with the winter/summer props though) but the snow itself is the game snow cheat. Overall though, it's proven to be an interesting set to play with. Glad you enjoyed it.


-Geoff (calibanX): Welcome to Greenacre! Glad to hear it touched close to home. Actually, the density of skiiers here is drawn from a few small local areas I used to live near. They were somewhat short runs (they offered night skiiing too) and it seemed to pack people in there. Here, it was just a nice day and people were getting out to enjoy it. This is probably more than the area would normally see, as you can see from the size of the parking lot. Hopefully there won't be too many broken legs here, but if there are, the ski patrol is right at the bottom of the slope. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you around more.


-nedalezz: Thanks, and welcome to Greenacre! The trail map was a fun one to put together. I don't normally do much photo editing, but I thought it seemed appropriate, and a good way to tie everything together. Glad you enjoyed it.


-woodb3kmaster: Why thank you very much. If you liked the detail here, you should see it in Spring. Well... hmm... since Spring has sprung... I wonder if... hmm... yes.


-Engorn: Thanks, and I agree, the people props really help bring the hill to life. Without them it just looked static and dull. A bit of action always seems to help a picture out I've noticed.


-Robin (rooker1): Always good to see you, and I really should drop a line by Mind Scape some time soon. It's been too long. I'd be interested to see what you could do with the ski sets that are out there. As for your storyline, don't worry, it hasn't been forgotten. I'm just trying to find the right way to do it. I have been playing, though I'm not sure this region shot shows all of what I've been up to. Which development was it that you thought you saw? I can assure you, there are things down the line that are in the works. I may be in touch with you about that later too.


-Ethan (Ecoba): It works pretty well. It's kind of strange working with his snow mod. The way it's put together, certain props, like the skiers, aren't available unless the snow mod is on (and the skiers will only appear in the winter when it's installed), and a few of his flora props too will change with the presence of the snow mod. It's a neat little innovation, but a bit tricky to work with at times. I actually used the snow mod in its limited form with the game snow cheat covering most of the terrain (Peg's snow mod doesn't seem to have a set of snow textures for my current terrain mod). The menu items are a bit scattered too (but then that's also a part of my ecclectic plugins folder). All in all it's a pretty good set. Great models, but it does take some trial and error to get everything to line up right. I'll try to keep an eye out for a ski area from you. Let me know when you get one going.


-Battlecat: Thanks Battlecat. It seemed appropriate given the time of the season.


-Joan (Jmouse): Thanks for the detailed comment Joan. The trail map was something I wanted to make sure I had (and also what delayed the update for several days as I learned various photo editing skills), and I think it turned out well for the efforts. From my days of skiing, it was always nice to be able to get right to the lifts, but at the same time, space at the bottom of the hill is always a consideration since that's where eveyone will be heading at the end of whichever run they choose. Perhaps if the thought of a morning run is a bit chilling, start the day with a good cup of hot chocolate in the lodge and watch the die-hards freeze themselves to the lifts? The one side effect of making snow the way I did (game cheat) is that it shrouds the streets in snow as well. There's actually a road running in front of the lodge, off to the left and around a corner (you can sort of see it where there aren't any trees in 19.11. The farm fence there also gives an idea of where it is). I probably should have tried to make a few ruts in the snow from where cars had driven over it to make it stand out a bit more, but that's an idea for next time. Always great to see you here.


-Will (penguin007): Welcome to Greenacre! Glad you enjoyed it, and if you liked the pictures of it in summer, well, you're in for a treat next update then.


I just got back from my grandparent's house after spending Easter there. Hope you all had a great day too. There will be a new update coming, but it's taking some time to put together. In the meantime though, perhaps a little teaser and something to celebrate the season is in order.



More to come on the next update.

-Matt

[mightygoose]

not sure if i have ever posted here but, this is some really good work.

[kwakelaar]

That is a great looking picture for the coming of spring

[Jmouse]

Nice Easter card, Matt! The Greenacre Board of Tourism certainly know how to attract visitors. Give me a little time to pack and I'll be there by sunup.

Later...
Joan

[canyonjumper]

Wow! Great pic, Matt!

         -Jordan

[rooker1]

Hey Matt,
Great Easter picture.  The family and I did have a great Easter.  It didn't take long for the kids to be covered in chocolate.  It amazing how they can find a way to get it in their hair when it's suppose to be going in thier mouths. What a mess I had to clean up.
I look forward to hearing from you and what you are up to.  Any time you see me online my friend, any time.

Robin 

[threestooges]

Replies:
-mightygoose: You've posted now. Welcome to Greenacre mightygoose, good to see you here, and thanks!


-kwakelaar: Thank you, and welcome to Greenace! If you liked that, enjoy because it is just a taste of what is to come.


-Joan (Jmouse): Consider the flight booked. The flowers are about to hit their peak here soon, as you'll see.


-Jordan (canyonjumper): Thanks Jordan!


-Robin (rooker1): Thanks Robin! Glad to hear you and the family had a good time. The choclate cleaning part must have been fun. Hope you took some pictures of them covered in it so you can get your payback at things like weddings and all, heh heh. They say food is something that must be experienced. I'm not sure if that's what brought the chocolate to their heads or not, but hey, it sounds like they enjoyed it.


So, it was penguin007 that gave me the idea to head back up to the ski resort in the spring time, after the snow had melted. I'd never thought about it much before then. After all, most people go to a ski resort to... well... ski.

But as it turns out, Snow Cloud ski area keeps its doors open year-round. The melting snow works wonders to bring the hillside to life, and as a result, tourists from all over Greenacre who come to revel in the open fields of wildflowers.

One increasingly popular method of getting there involves flying into a landing strip that a local farmer carved out of one of his fields. It's a bumpy landing, but it gets the job done. Until it's paved though, this will likely remain a point of entry to the area accessible only when the snow is off the ground. The ski area has a shuttle that will make runs to and from the landing strip and a private company has started running excursions to the area under the name "Wildflower Flyer." The trip includes a flyover of the ski area.

21.01


Also, contrary to popular belief in the winter, there is actually a road that leads up to the ski area. It's nothing special, just some tar slurry over some asphalt. It tends to be resurfaced pretty much every Spring after the snowplows chew it up during winter.

21.02


The two lifts at the resort (Poppy and Goldenrod) are actually named for the flowers that dominate the slopes beneath them. The Goldenrod lift is a bit of a misnomer though, as most of the flowers there are actually mustard. I think the developers just though Goldenrod sounded better. Go figure. For you horticulturalists out there, there are five principle species of flower you'll see around here:
yellow - Mustard/Goldenrods, blue - Foothill Larkspur, orange - California Poppies. and white - Daisies.

The farmers tend to keep a close eye on the Larkspur as I understand it. There are several small cattle ranches around here, and the stuff is toxic to cattle.

21.03


Catching either of the lifts is a surefire way to get a birds-eye view of the landscape. The Poppy lift, as the name implies, will dump riders off amid a field of poppies that spring up around the top of the lift.

21.04


Conversely, the Goldenrod lift will put riders amid a field of... you guessed it: mustard!

21.05


There are trails though that meander up the hills and through the fields of color. Depending on the difficulty level you desire, you can take the flatter, and longer, poppy trail:

21.06


Or for the more adventurous, there's the Mustard Pass trail (I think someone finally talked to the marketing department). This one features several switchbacks, and climbs a rather steep slope. Off to the right, you can see what the Pinball run looks like in spring. The steep cliff is prone to slides, and rocks litter the bottom of the cliff.

21.07


Speaking of the rockslides, there's a fresh one near the top of the slope.

21.08


The two trails are connected at the top of the hill by the Daisy Trail, which helps to form a loop, allowing hikers to experience the whole mountain easier. It runs through the shade of a valley whose walls become flanked with white daisies with the runoff from the melting snow.

21.09


Snow Cloud has started to take advantage of the summer-time buzz by getting in touch with a local financier and developer. As a result of this pairing, Snow Cloud has introduced the Winterton Summer Concert Series. Right now, it's just a group of folding chairs and a temporary stage set up on a concrete pad that gets snowed over in the winter, but it's attracting sold out crowds for some pretty big name groups. The lodge's restaurant also steps up their game by planting a couple of gardens near the venue from which they supply their kitchens for the pre/post show dinners.

21.10


The stage is positioned with the fields of mustard enveloping the hill behind it and, with the variety of flowers directly surrounding the venue, it makes for a feast for the eyes, and the nose.

21.11


Something to leave you with here, from a flyover of the Wildflower Flyer, a mosaic of the Poppy Lift.

21.12 (links to full size image)


Hope you enjoyed.
-Matt

[Nardo69]

Well, that definitely has something of a flower field in the alps. But if there are rockslides there are usually some avalanches, too, and if I see the flanks of that ski lift ... 

Take care!

Bernhard 

[Girafe]

So nice areas !!

I really enjoy ski resorts and this one is well done 

I can't promise you but I hope that we will release all we have done in which concerns european ski resorts 

Anyway beatiful region 

[marsh]

Fantastic work here! Dont think i've ever seen a ski resort in the summer before! 

[rooker1]

Hey Matt,
Nice to hear from you the last few days and get in those games of chess, but it's even nicer when we get a new update from you for Greenacre!
This ski pack that everyone is playing with looks great, and I'm sure I've said it before some where, but I haven't had the chance to play with it yet.  Doesn't really fit my playing style....can you imagine a ski resort beside a huge dirty industrila factory... .... no one would ski there.  Although, recently I have been trying my hand at some farming communities to round out my region play with the CAM.  My region is realatively flat, but who knows maybe there are some hilly, maybe even mountainous areas and than I'll be calling on you for sure for some advise.
That farm in the first few pics....did you make that yourself?  My farms all seem very plan and I see so many other really nice farms out there, including yours.  Any advise here would be appreciated.
Great update and I can see myself moving your MD to The Classics very soon!

Robin