Ashtabula

[homefryes]

It's been fourteen months since I've posted in my MD! Yikes! So, did you miss me? A lot has transpired in RL since I was last here. After the Las Vegas trip, we got to thinking that maybe we would just move there! I decided I needed to put SC4 and Ashtabula on the back burner and shift my focus to making plans to move. We searched houses, planned our attack, and have now made Las Vegas our home! We found a house in January of this year and moved in March. Since then, I've been job hunting (not an easy task in this economy) and just recently landed a position; I'll start work on August 2!

With that major hurdle out of the way, I started getting the SC4 itch once again. Hopefully I'll keep this going a bit longer this time. I may try to be less aggressive on my posting schedule and just take my time. I recently started looking at SC4D again and tried to get caught up on all of the latest developments. I don't know if I'll ever get completely up to speed; I haven't even downloaded the latest NAM yet! I'll probably do that soon before I begin the next quad in my region. Meanwhile, after searching high and low the other day for my SC4 disc, I finally got Kingsville to a good stopping point.

meinhosen: My road connection issue was indeed resolved. That particular intersection was not included in the pictures below, but an identical situation on the north end was captured.

Battlecat: Sorry to keep you waiting so darn long for an update!

woodb3kmaster: Thanks for being such a loyal follower; I hope you'll continue to watch.

Matt (threestooges): Thanks for following along! I'll be warming up the signposts when I move on to the next quad.

Dustin (thundercrack83): Thanks for the birthday wishes! Does this mean I can pretend I'm a year younger since this was from last year? No? 

Joan (Jmouse): Ditto on the birthday wishes; I'm sorry I've kept you waiting over a year for an update!

David (dedgren): I did receive the pieces to finish off those intersections. If I've not said it before, thank you for all the wonderful work you do to add realism to the game! I can't wait to see all that I've missed out on during my time away.

girlfromverona: Thank so much!

b_schlurf (beutelschlurf): I guess it does! "So FAR/R, so good!" 

tahill79: There are some really beautiful areas in Northeast Ohio; I'm particularly fond of Lake County, with all its rolling hills and trees. I know where Mansfield is, though I've not been there. Are you still working on the region mentioned above?

Nexis4Jersey: I love detail!

dave (superhands): I'm glad you enjoyed your visit; hopefully you'll see more good stuff in the not-too-distant future here at Ashtabula!

jf (rhizome21): Thank you for the kind words; stay tuned for more region shots in the next update.

KoV Liberty: Thank you!

5.4 – Kingsville returns from hiatus

As stated, I've pretty much tied up all the loose ends in Kingsville for now. It could use a bit more development, but that seems to have stalled (as has been the case in the other quads in this region). Frankly, I think it needs a few more trees, too, but it will do for now. I'm as anxious as my viewers to see what's next, and getting Farnham and Conneaut going to complete the eastern lake shore is my next plan of action. Please enjoy these pictures of Kingsville; we'll move on to Farnham next.


5.4.01 - Kingsville - Village of Kingsville.


5.4.02 - Kingsville - close-up of Kingsville.


5.4.03 - Kingsville - eastern part of Kingsville.


5.4.04 - Kingsville - covered bridges across Conneaut Creek east of Kingsville.


5.4.05 - Kingsville - South Ridge Rd. well east of Kingsville; note Conneaut Creek is both north and south of the ridge.


5.4.06 - Kingsville - SR 90 north of Kingsville.


5.4.07 - Kingsville - Village of North Kingsville.


5.4.08 - Kingsville - close-up of North Kingsville.


5.4.09 - Kingsville - Lake Rd. (SR 531) in the northwest corner of the quad.


5.4.10 - Kingsville - Harmon Rd. at Lake Rd.


5.4.11 - Kingsville - railroad interconnector (completely fictional but functional for the game).


5.4.12 - Kingsville - W. Center St. (US 20) west of North Kingsville.


5.4.13 - Kingsville - Wright St. south of Kingsville


5.4.14 - Kingsville - Dibble Rd. at Creamer Rd. and Buie Rd., and the Ashtabula River in the southwest corner of the quad.


5.4.15 - Kingsville - Village of South Kingsville (more like just a crossroads).


5.4.16 - Kingsville - a little south of South Kingsville.


5.4.17 - Kingsville - rolling hills between Fox Rd. and Brydle Rd. in the southeastern corner of the quad.

Until next time....

-- Don

[woodb3kmaster]

It's great to see Ashtabula up and running again, Don! You've done a great job bringing Kingsville to life; it all seems so real. I look forward to seeing what's up next for the region!

--Zack

[Earth quake]

Really great update.
This pictures from Kingsville are splendid. I really like the 1st and the 7th pictures.
I'm impatient to see the next update. 

[metarvo]

Welcome back, Don!  It's good to see that Ashtabula's still going.  I've taken a break from playing SC4 for 2 weeks to a month on a few occasions, and it seems like everything changes in just that relatively short time, so I can only imagine what it would feel like to go without it for over a year and then come back.  I'm so glad you did come back after all of that, though.  It doesn't look like you've lost any of your playing skills from what I can see in this update.  I especially like SR 90 and the surrounding area in pic 5.4.06.

[Jmouse]

Welcome back to the big, wide, wonderful world of MDing, Don! Nice rural areas. Ashtabula is one of the few MDs which looks good from any zoom level. I really like the rolling hills which are most evident in 5.4.15-5.4.17. That's exactly the look I'm trying to achieve in my region, but not having much luck yet.

You've placed the fields well – not too crowded. I prefer to see them fenced because that's what I'm used to seeing, and fences add a finishing touch. Rather like framing a picture, but that's entirely a matter of personal taste.

I'm a great admirer of your work and your unique ideas. I still use the "signage" method you introduced about 16 months ago! I'm so glad you've brought Ashtabula back...

Joan

[Battlecat]

Welcome back!  Glad to see you haven't lost your touch!  Looking forward to seeing this continued.

[homefryes]

Zack (woodb3kmaster): Thank you; it's great to be back! Stay tuned as I have more good stuff in the works.

Earth quake: Thanks! It was definitely a challenge getting the FAR to come together on those little hills (in picture 1), but glad it worked out.

Metarvo: Yes, a 14-month hiatus is WAY too long. I tried to stay in touch with all the developments along the way, but I did not succeed. I still haven't installed the newest NAM!

Joan (Jmouse): Thanks! I love those rolling hills in the southeast corner as well. Wait until you see Farnham in my next update (have I got a "signage" picture for you)! Perhaps I should look into the fences. I agree that they'd look really nice on some of the fields.

Battlecat: Thanks, friend. Glad to be back at it!

5.5 – Maps and region update

Before moving on to Farnham, let's dedicate this update to a recap of the region and look at the map for Kingsville. Here's a view showing Kingsville and the neighboring quads to the west. (You'll note that I took this shot after already completing the networks in Farnham, so just pretend that's not there for now!)


5.1.1 - Kingsville - region view.

Prior to my previous update, I already completed and uploaded the map for Kingsville. So we now maps posted of the first five quads in the Ashtabula Region: Ashtabula, Kingsville, Plymouth, Saybrook and Saybrook-on-the-Lake. Click the button below to view the Ashtabula Region Overview map. From there, you can click on the completed tiles to view the corresponding full-sized maps of those quads (each will open in a new window).



See you in Farnham next time.

-- Don

[Jmouse]

Excellent way of presenting your region and its individual quads, Don. I've taken an interest in regional and quad mapping recently. Do you create yours by hand or use map-making software?

The farmland looks terrific, but have you ever stopped to think we seldom if ever see things from the angle we have to work with in SC4?  Short of having a close relative who's a crop duster or helicopter pilot, it's almost impossible, so I guess that's where imagination, creativity and an artistic eye come in!

Now you've aroused my curiosity, and I'm eager to see what you have in store for us in the next update.

Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet?

Later...
Joan

[RickD]

Great to see you back. Your MD is fantastic and the region shots are outstanding.

[nedalezz]

Wow at that region shot, truly spectacular. Your region looks incredibly realistic.

[threestooges]

Glad to see this one back, and good to see you back again Don. Glad the move went well and congratulations on finding a job. I hope things settle down for your and that you have some free time left to play the game. From the looks of things, you haven't picked up much rust in 14 months. As for catching up on new things, there's plenty of stuff out there, but plenty of time to browse through it too. I'll look forward to seeing how you incorporate it into Ashtabula as it goes. Welcome back.
-Matt

[Buzzit]

damn its so realistic i first had a hard time to believe it was accually simcity!
great job

[riiga]

Fantastic map and way of presenting it, I must say. And the railroad in picture 11 from your previous update looks so smooth, I can't seem to get my eye off it.

- riiga