[JBSimio]

The date was January 27, 2007.  I posted a very early preview of a new building that I originally intended to use as part of a private school complex, but the idea eventually grew far beyond that.  Over time, that small picture has evolved into a series of buildings and lots which can be combined to create an expandable, fully functioning modular university.  On November 17, 2008, the first phase of the University of Clayhurst was released on the LEX DVD.  The project is ongoing and there are still many things to come in the future, but the basic mechanics are in place and this post will explain how the whole university system works.

The University of Clayhurst is made up of three different lot categories:  Path and Driveway Lots, Functional Classroom Lots, and Support Building Lots.  All of these lots are part of a customized reward chain which allows you to grow and expand your campus over time.  This growth is based on a number of factors which include population, the educational performance of your city, and a point system built into the university lots.  As future expansion packs are added, more options and chains will present themselves at the appropriate times.

Path and Driveway Lots

These are the lots that connect your buildings to form a cohesive campus environment.  They are available to plop upon installation.  These lots are essentially nuetral outside of the university reward chain system.  Path lots have a plop cost of $5 per tile and driveway lots cost $10 per tile.  There are no bulldozing or maintanence costs.  They use minimal electricity and the driveway lots do produce a small amount of pollution.  All of the path and driveway lots for the University of Clayhurst are BSC Park Compliant.  This system uses various interchangeable textures to create seamless transitions between other parks and lots using the same system.  All the paths and driveways in this set also feature color coded arrows to make placement easier.  Driveway openings will show purple arrows, wide paths will show green arrows, and narrow paths will show yellow arrows.  All University of Clayhurst building lots also use the same color coding arrows.  Below is an example of the placement arrows in use.

Functional Classroom Buildings

These functional classroom buildings form the basis of your university.  The first of these "trigger buildings" will become available when your city has reached a population of 14,500 sims.  At this time, you will be asked to build one of the three choices.  You can only plop one functional classroom building at this time, but you will be able to plop eye candy versions later if you would like to.  The functioning trigger building will act much the same way as the Maxis university.  It will provide jobs as well as educational and other benefits to the city.  You will need to provide road access to any functional building.  As the university grows, additional functioning classroom buildings will be offered, opening further possibilities and benefits for the university and city.  Specific information on individual buildings can be found in the readmes or the release post on page one of this thread.


Support Buildings

After you have placed one of the first three trigger buildings, additional university buildings will become available for use.  Some of these buildings are functional and some are mostly "eye candy."  All functional buildings require road access.  They will also provide jobs as well as other benefits depending on their function.  The eye candy lots can be plopped anywhere.  They require no road access and are essentially neutral lots as far as the rest of the city is concerned.  They are, of course, counted as university buildings and lots as part of the reward chain system.  (Please pay attention to which version you select from the menus.  Functional buildings are followed by eye candy buildings in the menu order and menu descriptions clearly indicate which lots are which.)  These support buildings cover a wide variety of uses and can include anything from student housing dormitories to sports facilities and libraries to campus security.  Specific information on individual buildings can be found in the readmes or the release post on page one of this thread.


Dependencies:

BSC Essentials
BSC Textures Vol 01
BSC Texture Pack Vol 02
BSC Texture Pack Vol 03
BSC Parks - Texture Set
BSC MEGA Props - CP Vol01
BSC MEGA Props - D66 Vol01
BSC MEGA Props - D66 Vol02
BSC MEGA Props -JBSimio Vol03
BSC MEGA Props - MJB Vol01
BSC MEGA Props - SG Vol01


Credits:

Something of this size would have never been possible without the help of many, many people.  This project has been in the works for the better part of two years now and I cannot possibly thank everyone enough all the assistance and encouragement I've been given during that time.  Countless people have made suggestions for this project and I cannot hope to name every single person who has had a hand in things, but I'm going to try and mention as many as I can.  If I've forgotten your name, please accept my humblest apologies and know that you still have my gratitude.

• Ripplejet provided immeasurable assistance with game mechanics and modding.  He organized and input all the multi-lingual text files and also modded the reward scripts.
• AndreasRoth also helped immensely with modding.  He also provided the menu icons and the final installers.
• BarbyW patiently provided advice on everything from lotting styles to file organization.
• Hogmeister, JasonCW, Jplumbey, Nofunk, and Spa were all instrumental in getting this project into the form it has become.  They all provided key ideas, reference photos, and other points of reference that went into forming the fully modular and expandable university set.
• Stretchniz provided the final name for the university as well as allowed me to use some of his graphic logos.
• Callagrafx made the really cool looking image at the top of this post.

Special thanks also goes to everyone who provided translations for this project:

• Andreas Roth - German
• Fukuda - French
• Meldolion - Italian
• Figui - Spanish
• Sebes - Dutch
• Unassigned and Vester - Danish
• Krbe and Glenni - Norwegian
• RippleJet - Swedish and Finnish

Finally, thank you to everyone who has followed this project over its long and winding path.  My own ideas and plans only take me so far.  It is all the comments and suggestions that have made this what it is.  The buildings, lots, and the way everything fits together all evolved, grew, and got better because of your feedback.  Your enthusiasm for this project kept it going several times after I thought it was dead.

[JBSimio]

The University of Clayhurst - Starter Pack
available here or here

The University of Clayhurst starter pack includes everything you need to get your new university up and running.  Included are a total of 20 BSC Park Compliant path lots, 19 parking and driveway lots, 3 functional classroom buildings, 4 functional support buildings, and 10 additional "eye candy" lots.

Functional Classroom Buildings

	Fuhrmann Academic Center	Olson Academic Center	Conger Academic Center
Lot Size:	7 x 3 tiles	5 x 4 tiles	5 x 4 tiles
Menu Position:	Education	Education	Education
Plop Cost:	$6000	$5200	$4200
Student Capacity:	8000	7150	6800

Functional Support Buildings
(these lots require road access)

• Ahlers Memorial Library -  Acts as a  functional library, providing jobs and educational benefits
• Student Center - Acts as a small stadium, providing jobs, park benefits, and residential cap relief
• Student Chapel -  Acts as a house of worship, providing the same benefits as any other house of worship
• University Boiler - Acts as a small power plant, providing jobs and 300 MWh/month of power  (found in the power menu)

Eye Candy Buildings

• Centennial Hall - a small dormitory
• Hillcrest Hall - a small dormitory
• Summit Hall - a small dormitory

In addition to the three dormitories, there are also eye candy versions of all seven functional buildings pictured above.

The University of Clayhurst - EP1

*details coming soon!*

The University of Clayhurst - EP2

*details coming not as soon!*

The University of Clayhurst - EP3

*details coming eventually!*

[JBSimio]

Alright... now that we have all of that out of the way, let's move on a little bit shall we?  The first expansion pack (EP1) for the University of Clayhurst is already underway so perhaps a quick review is in order.

The University of Clayhurst - EP1 will include three additional classroom buildings.  They are the DeBussy School of Engineering and Design, the Matthew Edgren Law School, and the Swan Centre for Business Studies.



The DeBussy school is completely finished and lotted.





The Law School is finished, and just needs to be exported.  (You'll probably notice that I made a few changes to the back of the building that aren't shown in the earlier front view... I forgot to take a new picture of the front.  Oops!)

The Business school is the final one and hasn't been started yet.

There will also be 4 or 5 new dormitory buildings.  Payce/Rooker Hall and Stropon Hall are completely finished and lotted.  Diggis Hall is the most recent one, and is pretty close to being done.








There will also be a number of support buildings as in the starter pack, but none of them have been started just yet.  I can say for sure that I'll have campus police and fire protection, as well as a shuttle bus lot which can be used in other cities where you may not want to build another university.  Beyond that, I'm not entirely sure what will or won't make it into EP1 just yet.

So... here we go again! 

JB

[Rayden]

One word only, beawesome

[art128]

Jon, this is just awesome !
These university buildings looks really good, excellent work my friend.

Arthur. 

[Diggis]

Diggis Hall is the most recent one, and is pretty close to being done.

Awww shucks.    (This is the point someone comes up with some famous diggis it's named after and I slink away embarrassed) 

DeBussy School of Engineering and Design,

Hmmm, that will be an interesting combination. Like oil and water.

A pessimist sees the glass as half empty,
An optimist sees the glass as half full,
An engineer sees the glass as too big.

[callagrafx]

Awww shucks.    (This is the point someone comes up with some famous diggis it's named after and I slink away embarrassed) 

Nah, Diggis Hall has been reserved for the foreign students who don't really study but drink a lot and are generally more slovenly and layabout-ish 





oh, and are into sheep 

[RippleJet]

oh, and are into sheep 

Unless Diggis is a horse...
http://www.bukefalos.com/g/showimage.php?i=15520

A pessimist sees the glass as half empty,
An optimist sees the glass as half full,
An engineer sees the glass as too big.

and a designer flushes the water and only sees the glass?

[callagrafx]

and a designer flushes the water and only sees the glass?

No, a designer just wonders who's round it is next

[Diggis]

No, a designer just wonders who's round it is next

Amen to that.    Speaking of which.... Tage, I think you're up mate.

[Pat]

Jon wow such great detailed overview on the university!!! God I cant wait to get my paws on this!!!

err I should say donate to get my paws on this lol

[JBSimio]

Rayden:  Thank you!

Arthur:  Thanks!

Shaun:  Well... you're pretty much the only famous Diggis I know of, so I guess it must have something to do with you!    I understand the oil and water thought.  The two were intentionally combined by the university for the most idealistic college experience possible.  They liked the idea of teaching students how things should work together.  That way, when the graduates enter the workforce, they can be sufficiently confused and unable to cope with the reality of how things work! 

Callagrafx:  You're actually right about the foreign student part.  The dorm was designed to trap overseas students who may have lied about their language skills on the application.  It's usually pretty easy to tell if the same student keeps ending up trying to get into room 314 of Building C when he really belongs in room 314 of Building A.     I didn't think about the sheep though... probably because I'm not from NZ...

RippleJet:  Being caught with sheep (or horses) in your dorm is basis for expulsion in this school... he'll have to join a fraternity and move into the house in order to get away with that one! 

Poor Shaun.... this is now the third thread recently that has turned against him.  Don't get me wrong... I'm all for a little Kiwi bashing now and then... but must it always happen in my threads? 

Pat:  Thank you!

Well... I think this one is just about finished.  I have a couple small things to fix and change, but nothing major.  The most noticeable is the fact that I forgot to light up the stairwells!  So there will be no stumbling home drunk to this dorm!   









I think that's all for tonight!  I'm supposed to be waking back up in less than 5 hours... apparently I lost track of time (again!)

JB

[Pat]

LoL Jon dont you hate that when that happens lol... Looking real great for missing out on some ZZZZZ's

[Diggis]

Callagrafx:  You're actually right about the foreign student part.  The dorm was designed to trap overseas students who may have lied about their language skills on the application.  It's usually pretty easy to tell if the same student keeps ending up trying to get into room 314 of Building C when he really belongs in room 314 of Building A.     I didn't think about the sheep though... probably because I'm not from NZ...

I think you'll find this is because the brunette in Building C is more apealing than the empty bed in Building A.   

This building looks great Jon, although a few deck chairs and maybe some drunk students wouldn't be amis on the roof. 

[callagrafx]

This building looks great Jon, although a few deck chairs and maybe some drunk students wouldn't be amis on the roof. 

Not that they'd stay on the roof for long....

[threestooges]

Not that they'd stay on the roof for long....

That's when you'd trigger the award for the law school.

I trust you're modding that lot properly Jon: NIMBY effects and a general lowering of health in the student population. In all seriousness, that's a really neat building (and the name's not too bad either). Amazing to see all of this coming together. Nice work.
-Matt

[XiahouDun]

Words cannot describe the excitement and joy, and the agony that I don't have the LEX DVD yet

[kimcar]

  &aplsVery impressive the design you got for your bat . I like them very much.

[mcarch]

Looking good!

[Hogmeister]

Excellent work as always, another great asset for the game