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Adara - Update 184 - March 26, 2012

Started by Battlecat, February 10, 2009, 06:39:50 PM

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Battlecat

#800

Fabian (Fabian93): Thanks for your enthusiasm!  I really enjoy the details that are possible in the game now.  I think that's one of the major things that have kept my playing for all this time!  I find the cross border details to be one of the most rewarding things, especially when things come together like that mosaic!  There are a few things I've noticed in addition to things I may have mentioned in the tutorial I wrote a while back.

One of the most important tools I've found for landscaping across borders is SC4 Terraformer!  It allows me to terraform right across the boundary which creates a completely smooth interface between the two tiles, so I don't get any artifacts from reconciling edges.  Beyond that, the roads are quite handy for lining up the edges properly.  They are straight, and the textures are a consistent width and designed to match up!  If you can get the two stubs of road lined up, everything else will just fall into place.  You would get a similar effect from working with a prebuilt map as well though! 

The only other thing I find that helps a lot is to actually plan for and use the cross border shots.  If you have a farm on one side of the border, carry it to the edge and then use plopable fields on the other side to carry it across which helps blur the border.  With rivers, the terrain query cheat really helps line up the edges of the plopable water. 

One last thing, don't use the god mode trees on the edge.  The different tree types are controlled by a moisture model of some sort which tends to do very odd things at city boundaries.  Despite the extra work, I use mayor mode trees exclusively in my region, which allows me precise control over what the forests look like at the city borders! 

bat: Thanks very much for your kind words!

Thomas (turtle): Glad you're still finding the time to stop in despite your limited internet access right now!  I certainly hope things are going smoothly on your trip!  Glad you've enjoyed the last few updates, I'm certainly happy with how things are coming together lately, particularly this cross border mosaic.  This is the most flawless shot I've assembled yet! 

I'm leaning towards rural development for the next update as well, which is why three of the four options will be more rural than urban!  Thanks for stopping in, all the best for the rest of your trip!

mightygoose: You're absolutely right, street connections are impossible.  What you are seeing there is a road connection that's been re-skinned using a trick discovered by metarvo.  Effectively, you can make the road disappear without destroying the connection and then add back in whichever street style you would like to use.  I'll be putting it to a lot of use in the future! 

Glad you like the cross border work, I really prefer to approach the game in that way.  I like to avoid the artificial boundaries that the game tends to point us towards and make much more organic cities and regions.  Glad you are enjoying the results! 

djvandrake: Thanks very much!  I'm glad you're finding my approach here helpful and enjoyable! 

Cyclone1001: Thanks!  These cross border mosaics have been quite a challenge to develop.  I'm actually really pleased with how well they're coming together in the last few attempts; I think I'm finally getting comfortable with the techniques necessary to make them!

Tomas Neto: Thank you for you enthusiastic support! 

Connor: Thanks!  I'm really fond of the cross border work, but it's quite challenging at times as well! 

Jordan (canyonjumper): Thanks very much!

scott1964: Thanks for stopping in!  As I mentioned in my PM to you, the wide radius curves for streets come from the Rural Roads addon for the network addon mod! 

kwakelaar: Thanks very much on all counts!  Industrial areas are a bit of a pain, but all the new lots available helps a lot as well! 

Ethan (ecoba): I've been trying to speed things up as we move to the finish of this tile.  It also helps that I've had more spare time now that the holidays are over!  Thanks for your kind words!

emgmod: Welcome to Adara, thanks for delurking to comment!  In case you missed it, I did write a tutorial that you might find handy for getting started with cross border work!  A lot of what is necessary is just planning to ensure that you can carry a theme across without too much trouble! 

Update 81
Winfield – Vote for the Future

Hello everyone.  As I mentioned on Friday, it's time to start thinking about where to head once the Winfield tile is finished.  At this stage I'm faced with four different options, all of which I'm pretty happy with.  So, I'm throwing this out here to hear what you all think!  Here's the map of the region with the four options outlined.  The broad ideas I'm currently contemplating for each tile is listed below. 

Here's the map.  Keep in mind that the terrain shown here is guaranteed to change before I actually get started!  But it should help you get oriented to the region! 


Option 1: This area is directly north of Alexandria.  For most of the tile it will be a journey back to rural farming and forested mountains.  It's pretty low probability, but a bit of game water might extend onto this tile depending on what happens with the next round of terraforming. 

Option 2: Here we're travelling directly south of Alexandria, again along that major highway.  There will almost certainly be game water on this tile.  Again, it will be mostly farmland and rural area. 

Option 3: This is the extension directly south from Winfield.  I'm already planning on some major modifications to the terrain here, but the rough layout will be similar.  This will be the most urban of the four options as I continue building Winfield southward.  The southern edge of urban development will be established on this tile.  This map will be completely cut in half by Williston Lake with no cross lake connectivity. 

Option 4: This map will probably be the fastest to develop.  It's going to be fairly rugged, as Williston Lake winds up into a rapidly narrowing valley.  The lake will cut this tile into two sections as well.  On one side of the lake the modern highway extends from Salmo, and on the other side a narrow, winding former highway that should help clarify why the Winfield bridge was built!

Just list your choice or choices in order of preference in your replies!  If you have thoughts or suggestions for the tile you choose beyond the rough outline above, feel free to add them as well.  It's funny how an off handed comment can completely alter my plans for a tile as happened in the case of Vavenby which lead to the dam that created Williston Lake.

Voting will close one week today when I post Monday's update. 

Now let's get on with today's update, I've got a lot of pictures to go through today!

81-1: This is the last significant block of undeveloped land on the West side of this tile. 


81-2: For starters, I'm adding one last farm down here.  Due to the massive amount of urban development on this tile, agricultural demand has crashed, so this will have to be a purely eye candy farm. 


81-3: And what better lots to use than the new SFBT buildings released in December!


81-4: These really are a work of art, I'm hoping to put them to a lot more use in the future just for the sake of variety! 


81-5: A few gravel pathways provide access for vehicles.  I'm only using this because the RRP pathways don't line up terribly well with the facilities here.


81-6: Some trees provide screening from the highway.


81-7: I've just finished putting the power poles back in and adding the last few details before I drop in the grasses here.  I'm going to be treating each block of field slightly differently. 


81-8: A few diagonal fillers makes the highway edge a lot less obnoxious. 


81-9: Finally, the finished product.  The field on the left is about ready for the cattle to move in.


81-10: Just for kicks, here's one more shot showing the farm in context with the exurbs at the tile border.


81-11: But wait, there's lots more to do today.  This valley is going to be heavily logged when I'm done here today.  First I've marked out the rough route for the stream in this valley.


81-12: There will actually be a small Tahoe style pond here by the culverts, and the stream downhill from here will actually be visible.  I figure a lot of drainage got redirected into this area by the construction of the highway. 


81-13: A couple of waterfalls cascade downwards in the upper valley. 


81-14: Now for something new!  I first saw these dirt tracks in kbieniu7's MD, Kolbrów.   As soon as I saw them, I thought they might do the trick as logging roads.  They have an excellent texture and quite a few quirky offset pieces perfect for rural areas!  Also, there are appropriate pieces for creating nice smooth curves! 


81-15: They stand up pretty nicely from a long distance out as well!  There are going to be five cut blocks of varying ages here.  The logging operation has slowly been moving up the valley.  I've put the rough outlines in place. 


81-16: Cut block number one is the oldest and closest to the highway.  This one is showing some signs of recovery with large aspen groves and dense underbrush.


81-17: Block number two is a bit younger.  There are fewer aspens and the underbrush is less dense.  There have also been some significant landslides here.  I'm experimenting with some of the PPond textures in a surface context; I'm actually rather pleased with the results.  Still a lot more to work on here though, I'll be experimenting more going forward.


81-18: Cut block number three has far more fireweed (pink flowers) and fewer of the lupins (blue) and underbrush. 


81-19: The fourth block is just wrapping operations, just a small batch of lumber left to clear and load up.  This area is the most uniform of all the logged areas I've made, fireweed is just starting to invade the older parts of this block. 


81-20: Another shot of the fourth cut block, this is an older section of it, where some small amounts of brush are just starting to take hold. 


81-21: Block number five is just getting started.  A lot of people are working here and this block would eventually extend across the boundary onto the Vavenby Tile. 


81-22: Last shot for today, here are all five cut blocks in context in this valley.  I think I've managed to achieve a fairly unique feel for all of them, I hope it reflects the varying age from your perspective as well! 


That's all for today!  Next time I'll be clearing up the last details on Westside right down to the shoreline.  Once that's done, there are only one or two updates left to finish up the Winfield side of Williston Lake!  I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on where to head next!

Tomas Neto

Awesome update again!!!  :thumbsup:
I think the option 3 is the best choice!!!

dsrwhat316

Wow, I leave for a week and you churn out 3 (4?) updates!

I really like those SFBT farmhouses. And your countryside with lush foliage looks great, as usual. I also agree with Tomas that option 3 is the best choice. This way, we can see a transition from the city to a rural setting  :thumbsup:

~ Dan
Custom Lotting at its Finest:

Last updated: 2/9- I'm Back! +  A Teaser (of course...)

sumwonyuno

Oh, wow!  The natural landscape turned out great!  I think option 3 is a good choice for an expansion of the Winfield area.


The City & County of Honolulu, a Mayor Diary based on Honolulu, Hawai'i.

mark's memory address - I've created a blog!

Cyclone1001

First things first- Option 3.

But anyways, great update, I personally don't like the new logging roads, but whatever floats your boat. I think you have a gift making the logging area and farm, and you should certainly add more!

mightygoose

truly fabulous work there my friend, words really don't cut how awesome this all is, in truth, i would love to see option 2, i just think anything you do will be virtually perfect so it doesn't matter too much XD
NAM + CAM + RAM + SAM, that's how I roll....

woodb3kmaster

Another terrific update! Your detail work on the logging blocks is truly outstanding. That eye-candy farm is lovely as well. As for where to go next, I'd love to see option 3.

Feel brand new. Be inspired.
NYHAVEN - VIEWS FROM WITHIN
Nuclear City - 5/8

Nardo69

Sorry for not posting for some updates but well ...

Anyway that new one is a great one! Love what you did with our Swiss Genius's farms there, I guess I'll have to go for eyecandy farming some day, too ...
And those PPond textures do make the trick in attaching the farm houses to the RRP gravel pathes.

Great work with the cut blocks even though they make my treehugger's heart bleed. You do have a good hand for this kind of flora!

And my chosen option would be Option 3. Why? Well, As far as my old eyes can see there's lake shore AND railway line there ...  :D

Take care


Bernhard  :thumbsup:

BuildingUp

As far as options, I like 3 the best. :)

I really think your work is breathtakingly realistic. It's brilliant, I love the rural scenes in this most recent update. I especially love 81-9. It looks like a scene you would see in real life driving down a rural country road.  &apls

canyonjumper

Option 3 for me! I like seeing how you do your urban areas.

Great update! That is a very realistic farm you've got. And I like how you used the flora on the logging cuts. Very great :thumbsup:.

                   -Jordan
I'm the one who jumped across the Grand Canyon... and lived.

Connor

Great update, you are very good with the flora, and the logging areas look fantastic. Personally, I'd like to see either option 2 or option 3, but it's your choice.

bat

I choose option 3.
And really fantastic work on that farm and nature!
It is looking so beautiful!! :thumbsup:

djvandrake

More beautiful work!

My vote goes to option 3 as a first choice.  Option 4 would be next.  Can't wait to see what you do with it.  An urban lakefront maybe?  :)

ecoba

Wow, Battlecat, I think Winfield certainly went out with a bang, so to speak.

Those are certainly some great SFBT lots used in that eyecandy farm. The area almost seems so perfect to me that it's not real.

I also must vote for Option 3. I think seeing the southern continuation of Winfield will be very interesting. Although I must say that is now a tie with Option 4. I would be okay with either of those tiles developed next.

Ethan

Battlecat


Tomas Neto: Thanks very much for your kind words and for your vote!

Dan (dsrwhat316): Thanks for stopping in!  I fully intend to keep up this pace as long as I have time.  3 updates a week is my goal, and it's actually been going pretty smoothly lately!  The SFBT farmhouses are really nice to work with, glad you like the results of my first attempt with them.  Consider your vote tallied, thanks for your thoughts on the next tile!

sumwonyuno: Thanks very much!  Your vote has been added to the mix. 

Cyclone1001: Thanks for your vote and your thoughts on the new logging roads.  They're part of the grand experiment, while they're not perfect, they do have a few marks in their favor when compared with some of the other attempts I've made.  I'm still looking for additional possibilities though and I'm certainly not going to stop experimenting here! 

mightygoose: I really appreciate your enthusiasm!  Your vote is tallied, thanks for your thoughts! 

Zach (woodb3kmaster): Thanks very much!  I've had some fun putting together all the details for this update, glad you like them!  Thanks for your vote as well!

Bernhard (Nardo69): No worries, glad you found the time to stop in!  Glad you like the farm, sometimes it's just easier to create the eye candy, particularly when the simulator has no demand at all in that area.  The cut blocks really kill me as well; I really love hiking and camping.  It's really hard for me to justify the lumber industry that I'm putting into the region without putting in some signs of logging.  I intend to do my best to keep it visually appealing though!

Good eye spotting that railway on the map, it's a bit hard to read!  I'm hoping to do some more serious playing with railway on the next map!  Thanks for voting!

BuildingUp: Thanks for visiting and voting!  Glad you find the scenes in this update so appealing!  I am very pleased with how the farm came out as well!

Jordan (canyonjumper): Glad to hear you've enjoyed my work with urban development !  Thanks for your vote and for your kind words regarding the farm and clear cuts!

Connor: Thanks very much!  I'll mark you down as voting for both at the moment, and we'll see what happens over the next few days! 

bat: Wow, option three is very popular!  Thanks very much for stopping in! 

djvandrake: Thanks very much!  Beyond the broad description I posted in update 81, I haven't made many firm decisions yet.  I'll be figuring out a lot of it as I go along, although I intend to start transitioning Winfield back to rural land in the south. 

Ethan (ecoba): We're not quite done yet.  There are still two more development updates left including the one today!  Thanks for your kind words regarding the last update!  Also, thanks for your votes, putting a southern edge to Winfield will be kind of nice. 

Update 82
Winfield – Streams and Shores

Good Wednesday morning everyone!  Today marks the nearing completion of the Winfield tile.  I'm going to wrap up the shoreline and detailing on the West side of this tile, which then will only leave one block of land at the north end of Winfield. 

First, an update on the vote; it appears that Option 3 has taken an early and rapid lead:

Option 1: 0
Option 2: 1 (1)
Option 3: 12
Option 4: 0 (2)

You might notice that I'm also tallying your second choices in brackets there.  If I hadn't, the other three options would be making a pretty poor showing!  Voting closes on Monday, there's still time to make your choice heard!  Now on with today's update!

82-1: Today I'm going to start with the pond and stream leading down from the highway. 


82-2: I wanted the pond to feel quite marshy, so there is no rock texture on the shore here.


82-3: The maxis rocks are pretty handy to make a convincing riprap style slope.  Some random weeds fill in the gaps quite nicely.


82-4: The Tahoe style water actually blends really nicely with the various plopable rapids I've got floating around.  I only have one set of rapids in the initial shot, but I'll be adding more later.


82-5: I cast around quite extensively for the shoreline texture along this steep stream.  Finally, I settled on gravel and rocks as the base texture.  It doesn't look like much now, but one the foliage is in place it should look pretty good.


82-6: Here's a shot of the finished pond on the lower side of the highway. 


82-7: This one is further downstream.  If you look carefully, you should be able to see some dead trees and logs that would have been washed downstream during high water periods in the past.


82-8: Here's a finished overview with the additional rapids in place. 


82-9: Next on the list is the lakeshore.   Here's the rough shape.


82-10: At the south end of this section we've got the unfinished residential area. 


82-11: And at the north end,  the last dock from the shoreline exurbs.  It should be pretty easy to transition between the subtly different styles at each end, I've got a lot of distance to work with.


82-12: At this point I was looking at this area and thinking I needed to add something to fill the gap. 


82-13: A campground seemed like a good option.  But rather than running a road down, I'll create a wide trail and call it a walk in campsite. 


82-14: A small beach and recreational dock is in a cove sheltered from the strong winds that are common on large lakes like this one. 


82-15: Here's the finished beach, The kayak on the shore was a little detail I added at the last minute.


82-16: That's actually all for today!  Pulling out a bit, here's the finished campground in context.


82-17: And further out still, the entire area completed during the last two updates. 


Winfield is almost done, I'd say there's only one or two more updates left before I move on to the mapping and mosaics.  Next time it's back to the other side of the lake to finish off the north end of Winfield.  All that's left is a bit more development and then the final block of shoreline.  If things go well tonight, that'll be done on Friday and we'll be moving on to Maps and Mosaics come Monday morning when the vote closes! 

Thanks for visiting! 

Cyclone1001

Very nice! You do great at making rivers, so I must give you a :thumbsup: &apls

canyonjumper

Awesome work, Battlecat! Just curious, which rapids are you using? I'm trying to find a set of rapids for Cascadia, but I've only found Pegasus' PPonds rapids. Keep up the awesome work!  :thumbsup:

                 -Jordan
I'm the one who jumped across the Grand Canyon... and lived.

mightygoose

mmmm, that looks sweet, i take alot of inspiration from your nature work and this is just as good.
NAM + CAM + RAM + SAM, that's how I roll....

ecoba

Wow, the clearcuts up that valley look really amazing from a distance. And once again, that farm made with the SFBT lots really does complement this area nicely. I also feel that it was a good idea to throw in that contrast (the Swiss Farm) as Adara is Canadian set, it seems interesting to throw in a Euro farm here and there.

The stream, that stream is definitely one of your best yet, and yes, the Tahoe water really does fit in well with those rapids. They almost look seamless. Anyway, the detailing is on a new level here, you're able to fit so much flora into such a small space, it blows me away. On the campsite, (we need to make a tally of how many there are), I think that the walking only access and the little beaches were both nice new touches. I can't believe Winfield is almost finished. Seems like we just started here yesterday.

Ethan

Connor

Great update once again. I especially like that campground and the beach. Nice work  ;)