The Kingdom Of Samsonia
ContentsUpdate 1 - Introduction and Background Information - 6.8.14 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16604.msg483886#msg483886)Teaser 1 - CBD Sneek Peek - 7.8.14 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16604.msg483921#msg483921)
Update 2 - Downtown Castlemaine and More! - 10.8.14 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16604.msg484090#msg484090)Teaser 2 - Night Time! - 13.8.14 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16604.msg484289#msg484289)
Update 3 - Big Box Building - 22.8.14 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16604.msg484709#msg484709)Teaser 3 - 7.9.14 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16604.msg485435#msg485435)
Map Update 1 - Maps & Labels - 19.9.14 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16604.msg485842#msg485842)Teaser 4 - 12.10.14 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16604.msg486742#msg486742)
Update 4 - Construction and (another) Video - 30.11.14 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16604.msg488630#msg488630)Teaser 5 - 30.5.15 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16604.msg494691#msg494691)
Map Update 2 - Greater Franklin - 01.07.14 (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16604.msg495461#msg495461)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello everyone,
This is to be my new place of showing off my SimCity 4 endeavours throughout my current set of cities and regions. It is a fairly random MD with no real story line (right now anyway) but more of a place of my random snaps. Being an active NAM Team member, I may include things not yet available to the public and other unreleased teaser content. Please do not flood this MD with questions like "Where can I get xyz?" or "When is the next NAM coming out?" etc. But now onto some more MD related stuff.
Update 1 - Introduction and Background Information
Welcome to my current SC4 work-in-progress - 'The Kingdom of Samsonia'. Currently only having 2 fully developed cities, it is my newest embark in our great game. The current seat of Government (until I build a Capital City) is Castlemaine. Currently Castlemaine covers 1.5 city tiles while Greater Castlemaine (and surrounding area's such as Cape Castlemaine) spans 6 tiles. It has a current population of around ~90,000, with ~87,000 in the central 2 tiles. It is serviced by Castlemaine International Airport, a single runway, single terminal airport with plans for a second bout of land reclamation or a whole new airport to be built. With no major highways, the main form of transport around the centre is a large scale subway system and buses running throughout the city, however a newly build express way runs from the north shores of Allington down to the entry to the airport. Government House is featured on the aptly named 'Capital Hill', with four major avenues converging here. The Barry C. Hughes Bridge is a mammoth 2 lane, 2.5 km bridge spanning the North Castlemaine Bay and was a major construction. Many have called for it to be demo'ed in favour of a ferry service, but in typical fashion of the C-DOT, they want to keep it. Surrounding the city is a State Forest in the east, the 'Castlemaine Foothills' to the north, and Cape Castlemaine to the south. North west of the CBD is North Castlemaine Bay while directly south of it, beyond the foreshore is a protected area of South Castlemaine Bay. Further West and surrounding the runway and Westside, is the Ashton Sea, which in turn spills into the larger Trumen Ocean.
Here is a small map (albeit slightly outdated) of Greater Castlemaine with some labels. There is one without, here (http://i.imgur.com/0i3TMl9.png).
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FCHcUtgR.png&hash=45cf7f3832a8f9c0c732a097669d8d671922e859)
I think that will be all for now. I will aim to update with replies every week or so and if not every second with pictures.
All the best to you readers,
-Billy
Billy, this is an excellent start here--your region looks quite nice, and I look forward to seeing it up close. The airport setup kind of reminds me of San Francisco Airport. And it sounds like C-DOT sounds like my kind of DOT, having a backbone on the bridge matter. :thumbsup:
-Alex
Glad to see you've started an MD Billy! I'm not familiar with your building style and look forward to seeing your cities develop. If the region view and planning thoughts are any indication this will be an area worth following indeed :thumbsup:
Nice new region! I really like it so far. Great job, and I look forward to seeing more pictures of your cities. :)
Can't wait to take a close look at downtown! ;D
Teaser Time!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2Fd58802bf-1642-4eb4-8b0e-24cb0691b2f5.JPG&hash=f58e5061c8fd4d5fe9ca7dffe76eeded154ee57a)
A sneek peek at the East side of the CBD...
Replies and full update on Saturday. (Yes, I am into the game right now so I am pushing out a few early updates quickly! :P)
-Billy
EDIT: Fixed Image.
Nice region by the looks of it, both in terms of geography and developments. However, I cannot see the teaser pic. &mmm
And look at that, you already have a table of contents going. . which reminds me. . ;)
Looking forward to the next update! :thumbsup:
Quote from: vortext on August 07, 2014, 10:41:08 AM
However, I cannot see the teaser pic. &mmm
I can't see it either. :(
Cool stuff!
Crazy looking airport!
Replies:Quote from: Tarkus on August 06, 2014, 01:07:04 AM
Billy, this is an excellent start here--your region looks quite nice, and I look forward to seeing it up close. The airport setup kind of reminds me of San Francisco Airport. And it sounds like C-DOT sounds like my kind of DOT, having a backbone on the bridge matter. :thumbsup:
-Alex
Thanks Alex and yes the DOT does have an, erm, stubborn view on things :P
Quote from: noahclem on August 06, 2014, 06:20:54 AM
Glad to see you've started an MD Billy! I'm not familiar with your building style and look forward to seeing your cities develop. If the region view and planning thoughts are any indication this will be an area worth following indeed :thumbsup:
Why thank you Noah. Not sure if I really have a distinctive 'building style' quite yet.
Quote from: compdude787 on August 06, 2014, 08:26:32 AM
Nice new region! I really like it so far. Great job, and I look forward to seeing more pictures of your cities. :)
Thanks :)
Quote from: weixc812 on August 06, 2014, 06:13:41 PM
Can't wait to take a close look at downtown! ;D
Wait no more! And also Happy Birthday for the 13th!
Quote from: vortext on August 07, 2014, 10:41:08 AM
Nice region by the looks of it, both in terms of geography and developments. However, I cannot see the teaser pic. &mmm
And look at that, you already have a table of contents going. . which reminds me. . ;)
Looking forward to the next update! :thumbsup:
Sorry the pic was broken but I fixed it soon after - hope you saw it before the full update :P Also does someone need to make me a table? :P
Quote from: compdude787 on August 07, 2014, 11:00:57 AM
Quote from: vortext on August 07, 2014, 10:41:08 AM
However, I cannot see the teaser pic. &mmm
I can't see it either. :(
Fixed -- see above reply.
Quote from: Haljackey on August 07, 2014, 05:05:43 PM
Cool stuff!
Crazy looking airport!
Thanks Hal. Crazy though?
Update 2 - Downtown Castlemaine and More!Today we take a closer look into the middle two tiles of Castlemaine and some more detail of it!
1.1: First we have a look at Capital Hill -- The current place of Parliament for the whole Kingdom! While it may seem small on the surface, most of the interesting political stuff goes on below in the rooms underneath the hill!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2Fe01742c3-2232-44e3-829f-ffdb3ae85bc7.jpg&hash=5f2f17180d7d347677d3687f1dddbdb7263791ba)
1.2: Next we move to a strip mall, a bit further south of Capital Hill, situated in Kingston. While officially there is no name for them all together, most people refer to it as the Kingston Shops.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2F32628d54-0ce0-4698-b144-5e8f1b6f2456.jpg&hash=56813dfebafe9316d93fb7156fb12a66dd5393f9)
1.3: Moving further south (and a little east), we reach the terminus of the airport. Here the expressway starts and is a major route for buses going to Capital Hill. We can also see a sneak peek at the Western side of the CBD.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2Fae95a2cf-bc17-43e4-9cc3-b2e7e7416287.jpg&hash=2aecfda35d7086d9cc947b947f9df86873e1b339)
1.4: Going North-East now, and we arrive at the western bit of the CBD! For some unintelligent reason, I built the CBD over two tiles (mainly for a challenge) and so until I make a mosaic of both city tiles, you just have to see them separately.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2Fa99b8f6e-5658-4fc2-867e-5f3b3df870ef.jpg&hash=cfc83dee666080a78daaabe5527cad43ad162cdb)
1.5: Slightly North-west of the main CBD, the only interchange with the expressway is here. It is a weird hybrid interchange with access in only some directions.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2F567fcf76-72f7-4dad-a8ac-e67674916c5d.jpg&hash=c2b59e447e1ee1a9172fd98282f66a3c8be62526)
1.6: At the terminus of the expressway in Allington, two major nearby intersections carry over 2000 cars a day.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2F78f5f314-017d-494d-b49d-63cc25a69f91.jpg&hash=df0acfc0e48e17c433277ecf952eaf2d25865a03)
1.7: North again, and we reach Allington Park (Although not actually
in Allington but rather Capital Hill :P). A popular park for people to relax, it also has an observation tower for looking over the bay.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2F5a773059-ebba-428b-aad6-cd6c27c9fd32.jpg&hash=cc8818b25863589d1c10aee1e10c3302bbb8a8a4)
1.8: Finally for this tile, we reach the Convention Hall, Stock Exchange, City Hall, and the Bureau of Bureaucracy! The bus depot is also here.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2F85136ac4-d16b-4622-8a18-c2588c56ffd2.jpg&hash=792e05d1506c6ae8ab184fd4ab5380718d50b435)
2.1: Over to the neighbouring tile now. This little patch around the rail line is called Little Britain. A bunch of British people set up here when the city was slowly growing and have stayed ever since.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2Fad9aecf6-fd12-44a6-9e6e-45427f2f8527.jpg&hash=a1b50f27f61a846836078fd82adfb0d589598597)
2.2: Next we move to the main attraction of this update -- The CBD and foreshore! Here is where most of the people in Castlemaine work. Built on a hill, most of the land is terraced, so some buildings look taller than others when really they aren't! At the centre of the hill is the main train station, with access to the Light Rail system, subway system and rail system! The foreshore has a nice line of seawalls with benches, so the office workers can enjoy the sea breeze overlooking the boats at lunch. Behind that is a wide boulevard, with 4 lanes of traffic and 2 lanes of trams!
CLICK FOR FULL SIZE MOSAIC
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2F961388ce-03cc-42ce-9a66-65b079b07abf.jpg&hash=c424de9d55bd77f4f2f61c59a4672b580d07fd26)
2.3: Next we move south along the coast to the southern edges of Castlemaine and of course some suburbs. Eastbank boasts a long marina for the wealthiest to park their boats and others to hire some! Another park is close by and a couple of historic lighthouses guide the boats at night.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2F354698f0-b07e-4262-a065-2058383af0e1.jpg&hash=89844d25e4d092925be034705a67d9e240716366)
2.4: If you take a road going to the east, you might find yourself up the Hoover Mountain range! Here a small church and one B & B sit a top a mountain, looking over the bay. A very popular tourist spot for all concerned!
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2F8a3a85cd-b2c5-4b13-b569-b6a7b84e0707.jpg&hash=abd07eea23a9698c7b9a5d1a8bf30ed00d8f0b49)
2.5: At the foothills of the mountains, we find a small industrial sector, full of warehouses and small industry. Commonly referred to as the Dons, the area is one of only a few industrial parks in Castlemaine.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2Fe3eece1c-3381-4785-ae9e-ad74070b805e.jpg&hash=71d34ae464580c6fc9b895c0c526f81c6f5cd07f)
2.6: To finish off the update, we travel under the Hoover Mountain range and come out near the Hoover River. A small settlement of people have homes here near the bridge over the river.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2F24528104-68da-45d0-a422-fc14cfae3b00.jpg&hash=183e917121dfc5c76db12b63de51ff6b794b1e37)
Well that's it for now. I have run out of pictures and have been typing for well over 40 minutes, so time to end this update off. Next time I hope to get some night shots in among other things. See you all next time.
-Billy
Very nice! &apls
Great new pictures!
Teaser #2
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2Fad7e157f-4dbd-45b3-8faf-95f762138d96.png&hash=c60b4e812e7d649e9fb5ef5afdcd0f627c2f7afa)
The old lighthouse guides small boats into the marina every night.
Replies and full update soon.
-Billy
The title spiked my interest! Then when I looked at the city - wow. Nice MD. Surely one to be followed. (Where's that 1+ button :D)
Great pictures!!! ;)
I'm a little behind on posting, but had some RL things to take care of. I especially like 1.1 because of the realism and grid-breaking effects. 2.2 is a nice photo, too, even though I'm not a great fan of skyscraper jungles. Still, this realistic aerial shot of the CBD dissolving into the surrounding areas is very effectively done. Of course, the lighthouse casts an artistic spell and is a welcome sight after seeing the hustle and bustle of a big city. ;)
Over all, some very nice work here... :)
-Joan
Looking awesome, Durfsurn. Off to a nice start!
The grid-busting is great. ;D
Nice work &apls
It's interesting to see how you develop this area after building on it myself a while ago for NORO. The hills are a bit...well, insane really. I built a scenic 4-lane motorway and not much else where your city is and even that was pretty hard. Are you using the whole map?
Great looking and I'm excited to follow this. :thumbsup:
Replies:Quote from: Gugu3 on August 10, 2014, 04:02:13 AM
Very nice! &apls
Thanks a lot Gugu!
Quote from: Schulmanator on August 10, 2014, 06:32:04 AM
Great new pictures!
From MD royalty - thanks :D
Quote from: Sim.Rico on August 13, 2014, 07:11:59 AM
The title spiked my interest! Then when I looked at the city - wow. Nice MD. Surely one to be followed. (Where's that 1+ button :D)
Thanks. (+1's aren't given out like Rep points at ST - they are for very exceptional work ;) )
Quote from: romualdillo on August 13, 2014, 08:21:29 AM
Great pictures!!! ;)
Thanks :-[
Quote from: Jmouse on August 13, 2014, 12:13:37 PM
I'm a little behind on posting, but had some RL things to take care of. I especially like 1.1 because of the realism and grid-breaking effects. 2.2 is a nice photo, too, even though I'm not a great fan of skyscraper jungles. Still, this realistic aerial shot of the CBD dissolving into the surrounding areas is very effectively done. Of course, the lighthouse casts an artistic spell and is a welcome sight after seeing the hustle and bustle of a big city. ;)
Over all, some very nice work here... :)
-Joan
Thanks - concrete jungles used to be my thing too but I am slowly moving away to smaller mid-sized cities.
Quote from: sim_link on August 20, 2014, 12:38:57 PM
Looking awesome, Durfsurn. Off to a nice start!
The grid-busting is great. ;D
Thanks sim_link :thumbsup:
Quote from: noahclem on August 21, 2014, 07:11:22 AM
Nice work &apls
It's interesting to see how you develop this area after building on it myself a while ago for NORO. The hills are a bit...well, insane really. I built a scenic 4-lane motorway and not much else where your city is and even that was pretty hard. Are you using the whole map?
Thanks Noah! Firstly, yes I am using the whole map - and man is it massive! On the hills, I flattened them out/terraced them heavily to get the flatter building ground you see while keeping some character to the city (or that's the theory).
Quote from: Littlegiles on August 21, 2014, 10:46:27 AM
Great looking and I'm excited to follow this. :thumbsup:
Thanks :-[
Update 3 - Big Box Building in Harrington [Video]Well I just got my new headset and to celebrate I made a video - I hope you guys will enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi9asMopEKk
-Billy
Teaser #3
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F174.142.61.69%2Fg%2F1%2F66db6c41-ee10-4650-827e-018c77ddca00.png&hash=625923c28629d7dafe3697204ace3c9c7f0b455d)
Replies and full update soon.
-Billy
A RHW terminating in the middle of nowhere? Don't you think a small rural street would have been enough for the lighthouse and this shack? :P
You could use more MMPs to make a smoother transition between the lot and the beach (or make the lot transparent).
The city looks really nice, especially with all the diagonal and FAR segments in the road network. In my cities FAR+w2w always looks weird &Thk/(
Map Update #1
A new type of update! I haven't compiled a full in-game screenshot style update yet, but I did make a couple of quick (I would say small but... they're not :P) maps to show you all.
A warning however that they are massive images, measuring in at over 9mb each (it was a pain getting them up somewhere %wrd).
Firstly a satellite image of the region (taken with the Region Census application if anyone was wondering) here (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/68108978/The%20Kingdom%20of%20Samsonia.jpg).
Secondly I added some overlay labels to the previous image here (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/68108978/The%20Kingdom%20of%20Samsonia%20-%20Labels.jpg).
White - Place name
Green - Terrain related names
Blue - Water related names
Currently I am working on connecting Harrington and Assimopolis together with farmland - the southern part is complete but I have to do the northern part. Now it is possible to travel all the way from southern Yaurtz to the far east of Harrington. I also built another airport - this time a more rural one. Close ups soon. I am also planning to made a UDI video of a drive around the bay - from somewhere around Hastings Point all the way around through Assimopolis and Harrington and then back down to Cape Castlemaine.
Thanks for reading and hopefully a full update is coming soon - I will also do all the replies in that update. (Also let me know if there are any inconsistencies with my labels and I'll be sure to fix them ;))
-Billy
Sweet, based on the previews I had no idea you're using Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. :thumbsup:
But please for the love of all that's holy render the other tiles first of all. . such a nice region deserves a proper region view. ;)
Billy,
I loved the new map Updates :thumbsup:
I know your busy over at NAM with the various projects your doing for us there :)
But hope you will be able to return to this great MD you started here soon.
Thanks, Brian
Teaser #4
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.expono.com%2Fgo%2Fphoto%2F1564275_l.jpg&hash=62f0b4c9a62b2c2c24732d1681c49b8a86268e09)
All will be explained soon....
-Billy
Great teaser. The access road to the station has the perfect curves.
Hey everyone - it's been a while. Before I jump into replies, I'll just explain a few things. The previous site I have been hosting photos on has gone offline and hasn't been relived. I have moved onto Flickr but older pics will not show. One day I might replace them with working links but until then sit tight :). Next I have been (and still am) on a semi-hiatus so I haven't updated here in a while. I do have a proper update - one with a fair bit of detail I think as I have moved on to a new region :). Okay let's start!
Replies:Quote from: isii94 on September 07, 2014, 08:19:58 AM
A RHW terminating in the middle of nowhere? Don't you think a small rural street would have been enough for the lighthouse and this shack? :P
You could use more MMPs to make a smoother transition between the lot and the beach (or make the lot transparent).
The city looks really nice, especially with all the diagonal and FAR segments in the road network. In my cities FAR+w2w always looks weird &Thk/(
Well may some context would have helped. I use RHW as a rural road network as it slope conforms nicer than roads in my slope mod and it is a faster road too. Basically it transitions down to road and then a MMP (which I am not proficient at :P) path before the lighthouse.
Thanks as well on the FAR stuff. I don't really do anything special to them though. :)
Quote from: vortext on September 19, 2014, 07:32:39 AM
Sweet, based on the previews I had no idea you're using Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. :thumbsup:
But please for the love of all that's holy render the other tiles first of all. . such a nice region deserves a proper region view. ;)
Well I'm not anymore :(. I have moved on but it is likely that I will revisit The Kingdom of Samsonia at some point. In my new region, you will love that I have rendered all the tiles to their detailed glory :).
Quote from: b22rian on October 05, 2014, 03:18:18 AM
Billy,
I loved the new map Updates :thumbsup:
I know your busy over at NAM with the various projects your doing for us there :)
But hope you will be able to return to this great MD you started here soon.
Thanks, Brian
Thanks Brian! Glad to hear you are enjoying this :). Here I am returning too.
Quote from: benedict on October 21, 2014, 08:40:15 AM
Great teaser. The access road to the station has the perfect curves.
Dem curves? :P Thanks Ben.
Onto the update proper then?
Update 4 - Construction and (another) Video!As the change in title suggests we have moved south, closer to the equator! Using Heblems' California Terrain mod (http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/22731-hbs-californian-terrain-mod/) and the Mombasa (http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/25670-mombasa-a-colourful-past-an-exciting-future/) map I have created my next SC4 playground. Named Yokotomo, after Kyanshi Yokotomo - a Japanese explorer that discovered this coastal area back in 1721. This heritage is not lost, with many buildings having roots in Japanese architecture despite having a closer overall style to that of modern Europe and North America.
The region currently houses approximately 270,000 residents but is a very large WIP. Currently without a formal Capital City, government lies in the heart of Alberton - the largest city, situated on the Alberton and Kyanshi Rivers. It is the current hub for all things Yokotomo and houses 99% of the population. Moving north-east we can see the city tile I started working on in my new video series.
This update is going to be split into 3 parts - 2 sets of pictures and a video.
1.1: We start in the heart of Alberton, on Canterbury Island - where the CBD lies. Here the government has received multiple complaints about an intersection along the City Bypass - a spur route of the main E/W highway. Cutting through the CBD, the Bypass is freeway grade everywhere except one point on the southern bridge, heading into the CBD. An at-grade crossing is heavily used along with the bridge south of that. It carries the majority of traffic from the eastern suburbs into the hustle and bustle of Uptown. For some unknown reason it was never given a grade separation along with the other intersections in the freeway blitz of 1983.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7477/15910655052_db626e854e_o.jpg)
1.2: As we can see, the bridge and intersection is under a lot of stress. What we can also see is that the majority of traffic is going south to get to ground level, straight on, or back over the bridge in the morning commute.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7534/15725269739_f2fdc5acf2_o.jpg)
1.3: It is very similar in the evening commute as well.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8648/15723824418_0b27f7e91f_o.jpg)
1.4: From this we can ascertain that the best solution to grade separate the intersection is to do a half diamond. Construction starts, as some houses and buisnesses are destroyed - as is the overpass and intersection.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7510/15724003660_f0f0829ab1_o.jpg)
1.5: For the sake of breverity, I have culled a few photos - otherwise this update would be insanely long and boring :P. Here we see the top ramp go in. The concrete barriers on the mainline have been culled between the bridge and viaduct due to the odd shortage of concrete at the point of construction :P.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7477/15910655052_db626e854e_o.jpg)
1.6: More destroying of houses and the second ramp is put in.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7533/15911310305_11073b9ef9_o.jpg)
1.7: Some more road is built (and destroyed) and the final ramp is put in. Rezoning of the area has also been done as construction to the left starts again. There was some worried people regarding the steepness of the on ramp here - many not only thought that cars would have trouble getting up to freeway speeds but getting up at all. The local council did some car tests, using even low powered cars but found no problem getting up. As a cautionary measure, the speed limit for this small section is lowered from 100 to 80 km/h.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7513/15724006060_8a75e3e973_o.jpg)
1.8: A small zoom out for some context as well.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7574/15910653082_2221baea86_o.jpg)
2.1: Onto the second construction part. We move along that highway, travelling through the suburbs of Alberton and into the farmland on the north eastern side. Here, as the highway starts to hear north, we enter into Cochraine Fields. We are focusing on the small at-grade crossing between the high capacity parclo (which has a combined 6 lanes off/on ramp to and from the city to serve the seaside getaway to the east) where a small township has bloomed. However in recent times, the people of this township have moved to Cochraine the town (the seaside getaway), and left only a few people left. These few people have, however, lobbied for years for the crossing to be grade separated as the through traffic run all the time and have annoyed sleeping residents. Recently the rural council has successfully got some federal funding for the upgrade. This will not only have an overpass but two ramps - one on-ramp northbound and an off-ramp southbound. This is to stop trucks from going west along gravel roads and also to provide residents with a way to get to work in the town.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7518/15723820738_df102babd2_o.jpg)
2.2: Houses and roads are ripped up, while some slip roads are temporarily layed for truck access - if you are wondering why the council had to pave the road fully, some feared the large trucks along this route would find taking 90 degree turns on gravel or dirt dangerous.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8574/15909329931_1478b989f8_o.jpg)
2.3: Construction begins!
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8587/15909333201_df4393dba9_o.jpg)
2.4: Overpass completed. It was pre-fabricated in a warehouse before hand to minimise impact on the freeway.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7522/15723823268_19cf25d013_o.jpg)
2.5: The cranes and construction company have moved on - as the road laying crew come in to finish the ramps.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7477/15909332231_e2b38a11fb_o.jpg)
2.6: Dirt, then gravel is layed down, as the surface is prepared for highway pavement.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8635/15911305715_24b9188698_o.jpg)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7490/15911305165_580a01a81f_o.jpg)
2.7: Finally the ramps and paved and painted. This quiet township will return to its quietness - well at least a little more :P.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8672/15725266329_07a315d36b_o.jpg)
2.8: To end off, here is a zoomed out picture of the mainland in this city tile. We can see Cochraine proper, with its hotel and marine police precinct, and a smaller township - oddly built
inside the parclo!
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7467/15911313605_8f2c6d7699_o.jpg)
3.1: Finally to end off a mammoth update, here is a video I recorded a couple of days ago. It is likely that for the near future (or at least while I progress on that city tile) that the updates will be in videos - not unlike
Haljackey's excellent Building a City from Scratch series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YibYCwbXU6k
If you have stuck around and read all 1584 words (incl. BB code and img embeds etc) then I congratulate you! &apls
Until next time, probably another video, I will see you then.
Enjoy,
-Billy
Great update! I like the story about infrastructure upgrading. Awesome screenshots! ;D I can't load the video, however.
Teaser #5
*boop*
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8811/18255847855_c69728fecb_o.png)
*boop*
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8830/17635194853_6e41cddc1f_o.png)
-Billy
Well.... you took your time!
Pity the images in the first updates are not visible anymore. To me, that is....
Anyway, a new harbour does attract my attention. Let's see how it will develop.
Map Update #2
So, after the fifth teaser I posted a month ago (already a month? ???) I have made major progress on the 3x3 large tile area I am working on that is Greater Franklin City.
This is it in its current state. The opaque dashed lines show proposed roads that will feature in the upcoming update proper.
Right Click and open in new tab for Full Size.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/557/19322646825_707cef4b80_o.png)
-Billy
I love the way you mixed curves and a square-based grid in your street layout. The map looks very good too. Can't wait to see the port!
Looking forward to seeing more! :thumbsup:
Great work Billy :thumbsup:
Love the map! I see that you are using the alphanumeric route numbers like what is used in Melbourne.
Keen to see more ;D
-Stephen
Outstanding maps &apls My one critique is that the diamond interchange south of the 4-way interchange on the peninsula between the harbor and the river takes up a lot of space considering the 4-way interchange seems to be built to save space in the area.
Sadly I wasn´t able to see the pictures of the first site. Here on the second everything is fine and all pictures there.
I like that map works, but esepcially I love that "boring" view over the Cochrane tile! &apls &apls
Also very nice, how you simulate the forthcoming of the highway construction.
One little critics: The two bridges in the harbour area: I would use diagonal ones. But that is some personal view. ;)
I can't wait to see that big port zone with some ingame pictures