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Deora`s New York (No,i`m not a Recreation...)

Started by deora, September 14, 2014, 04:36:50 AM

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deora

Hey Guys,finally i thought about starting my very own Major`s Diary.It all started with the need to recreate Manhattan,but currently it seems that i got distracted and i always work on different spots.I`m still after recreating Manhattan,but i also will build where the bridges will meet the other boroughs.Currently i`m in the "dragging roads,placing Public Transport and building Utilities for Water and Power"-Phase.But very often i get distracted and start pulling up several blocks and start to inhabit them with life.
Oh,and i made a fancy Header:



I started with a large and detailed Region Map made by Izidor44.This map has a few benefits.The overall terrain is pretty soft,now large slopes and the Waterfront areas are very low so i don`t need to terraform that much to build harbors,ferries and piers.Speaking of piers,this map already contains all the piers as narrow stretches of elevated terrain,all i have to do is either leave it that way and just straighten it a bit or completely remove them and place some piers from different waterfront sets.Also the Map is very close to scale.I counted the horizontal streets between two notable spots of the waterfront and dragged horizontal roads between the same spots in Simcity.The result was that i only missed one or two city tiles,and i guess this is something we can get over it,right?
Of course there are limitations due to the nature of the game,but i think we all know that.
So,enough with the chit chat,how about a look at my first pictures?

Brooklyn-Gowanus

Well,Gowanus sounds like something that you can either find at the bottom of a very old trashcan or a flu you get in the rain forests.But it`s nothing of these things.Gowanus is a small borough which is growing around the Canal of the same name.The infamous Gowanus Canal has suffered from 150 years of sulfur industry and industry in general,so you might expect something like three eyed fishes in there.Okay i`m just kidding,but the Gowanus Canal is pretty dirty,and especially on hot summer days,a distinct stench is hovering through the streets.
But there isn`t only industry growing next to the canal,there are also residentials,commercials,schools and even a public pool


I thought it would be funny to place two garbage chutes right in at the start of the canal....let`s pretend the garbage will be taken away by barges...
Did you notice the plants i tried to place into the water?
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This is the Spot where Gowanus meets Boreum-Hill.Mixed Residential and Industry meets sprawling shops and vivid commercials...

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I really hop i didn`t scare away you with my horrific start.Have a nice weekend and see you soon.....

vortext

Quote from: deora on September 14, 2014, 04:36:50 AM
I really hop i didn`t scare away you with my horrific start.

On the contrary, it's an excellent start: night pictures, great mmp-ing and a fancy header and all.  &apls

I'm looking forward to more!   :thumbsup:
time flies like a bird
fruit flies like a banana

compdude787

Looks pretty nice! I like how you used in-game (real) water for your canals. Keep it up. :)
Check out my MD, United States of Simerica!
Last updated: March 5, 2017

My YouTube Channel

jmsepe

Woo! Nice start. I love that canal garbage scene. Excellent work my dear.
Just wandering around like a teddy bear running around the garden. :P

"The greatest things in life are those that we have deemed unexpected yet are worth it."  - Anonymous

Scrooge

Fantastic start - I agree with what others have said regarding your canals.  That's what stood out the most to me in these pictures, as well as the urban grit.

Looking forward to more.   &apls

noahclem

What a great surprise! Some of my favorite water ever in SimCity  &apls &apls

W2W building choices look awesome, as does the rest of the streetscape, and your MMPing in the green spaces seems perfect.

Horrible start?  :D  Best of seen in a while. KP for you :)

romualdillo

Well..., if this is horrible compared to the rest you have to show, I REALLY want to see it, because your first post is already incredible. Great work!!!   &apls  Your canal start is very original and I like how you managed the transition between the industrial and residential zones...  :thumbsup:

mutton noir

Thanks for sharing, you have spent hours on this and it has been worth it. It really does look like Manhattan, really authentic lots of nice detail. You should be very pleased with your progress!

mrsmartman

I really like the presentation of your city journal. All photos are numbered.

FrankU

Like romuladillo said: if you consider this a bad start, we'd really like to see a good sequel!

Really nice work, full of detail.  &apls

carlfatal

#10
Hey Chris!
I really waited for this portrait, and - reminding your great work with NY buildings in Sims 2 - I did expect something like these pictures when you started this project. Like always simple stunning work! A good eye, a lot of research and passion and a great sense for the compromize. seems, that is the recipe.  &apls &apls &apls

A really great start, pictures to get lost in!  :thumbsup:

art128

What a dirty looking river.... I like it! The transition from industrial area to low wealth urban area... or the lack-off I must say is well done! I love the feeling of this city and I quite like the idea of the garbage disposal into the river. Picture 16 is my favorite, really nice composition with the back alleys and the small market. (And I always loved these row houses.)
I'll take a quiet life... A handshake of carbon monoxide.

Props & Texture Catalog

deora

First of,thanks for your lovely comments,they are really apprechiated.I`m glad that you like my work.

vortext, compdude, jmsepe, Dragonanime:Thanks guys.Yeah i actually prefer using "real water" for Canals than those Canal Pieces.They have the advantage that you can change these canals without tearing down everything.You can plop boats,water plants and rubbish of all sorts into "real water" (hehe,i like that $%Grinno$%).
noahclem:Jep,this is also one of my favorite water defaults.It`s perfect for my use because it`s still transparent,has nicely textured water ripples on it and it is neither too tropic nor to dirty.Okay,in the Canal pictures it looks very dirty,but this is thanks to the water overlays from...was it Jenx?Well,there are these cool ploppable water overlays so you can get a dirty look at some spots...
romualdillo:Also thanks to you.Yeah i guess this is something i`m pretty good at it and what i really like.Merging industrial and residential together.I mean this is how urban planning often started.A couple of closely packed houses for a family and down the road there is a factory.Just look at victorian London or lets just say...Baltimore and also many other cities around the world.
mutton noir:Also thanks to you.Yep,i really put much time into this project but i`m also a very slow builder.Things need time and often i`m working on a 30x30 tiles area for two hours or so until i`m satisfied.
mrsmartman:Thanks,actually i forgot to number them in the first place but i changed it immediatly after someone else noticed it.The pictures still aren`t perfect,there are a few UDI icons and the stupid cursor.I never know where to hide that thing.Too close to the screen frame and the picture will move.So i try to hide that white circle right in the middle of the screen...
FrankU: Ah well,you got me.Seems like my start wasn`t that bad at all.I always compare my MD`s with other peoples work and i often forget that these often have totally different themes or are more around certain aspects of Simcity.Some people are more into MMPing,others are more into Rural MD`s or build in a very special style like Japan or something exotic.
Urban grittyness seems to be my kind of thing.I grew up in an 100 Year old W2W Apartmentbuilding right in the center of a german city (which is btw the home of the Stock Exchange in Germany) and this city was often called "Mainhattan" because of it`s distinctive skyline.So maybe this is the reason why i`m fascinated by urban environments.
carlfatal:Thanks dude.You are absolutely right.I often spend a long time with researching and such things.If it`s a single building for Sims,i try to dig up the floorplan of this certain building and i try to draw it on cross section paper to "translate" the floorplan into Sims tiles.
Almost the same thing works with SC 4.When building a certain area,i always have my smartfone lying on my desk with Google Maps/Streetview on it.Sounds kinda nerdy but who cares...
All this and the mentioned passion,research and a sense for compromize is exactly the receipe.
But the exact mixture is top secret,even more like the receipe for a famous beverage :D
art128:Yeah,it`s areally dirty looking canal.So better no swimming or skinny dipping or this might cause some mutant attachments ;D
The garbage disposal was really a funny thing,i got the idea for it when i read about an urban legend that Mafia Mobsters often throw their "customers" into the Gowanus.And the menu of the Garbage Chute says always something like "Corpses found in the trash______5 or something similar.
The market was my last straw.Sometimes on a totally random lot nothing wants to grow,even if the surroundings are completely filled with houses.So i pretend there was once a house which was demolished (just take a look at some rowhouse neighborhoods,you may recognize some gabs between houses) and this said gap will be filled with something.sometimes its a market (i really like the idea of a small fleamarket between two houses),a community garden,some parking space or just a vacant lot with rubbish in it.
And yes,i love rowhouses,too.

Phew,enough with the writing,my keyboard is sort of tired.How about a new update?

Red Hook / Gowanus Bay
[/size]


Todays update leads us more to the South and we will visit Red Hook, the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and the NYPD Evidence Vehicle Facility :

This is where the Marine Terminal starts.As you can see there are many new cars that are waiting to be carried to the next showrooms.

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Ohh,back up guys,we are not allowed to walk past this fenced entrance.This is the place where the NYPD keeps their evidence cars and also cars that were stolen.

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A little Overview of Red Hook, some water fronts and Parks.There are surprisingly many parks and green spaces around here...
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Near the Projects you can find Parks,Public Pools,small Shops,Schools and also Work.

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Speaking of the Projects.Here they are,the large cubicles in the front are now landmarked.The smaller towers are from the 70s and were build with a few parks and green spaces around.The Projects may not be the Four Seasons,but you have running water (mostly), friendly neighbors (mostly), and a space of your own (mostly)

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More Parks and Sportfields

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Of course there aren`t only large towering Projects in this Area.You can also find the famous Rowhouses...

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Even more Greenspaces

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Even at night this Area is full of life...

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The local Powerplant (of course i made that totally up,as far as i know,there isn`t a Powerplant near the Eerie Basin)

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Of course there is still much work to do and this City Tile is far away from beeing finished.

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And a little closeup

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I hope you liked our little tour through the Gowanus Bay / Red Hook Area.See Ya ;D

carlfatal

Wow!
It´s not easy to write something down, if you´re feeling speechless. I like the way, how you present your work, filled with little informations about the history of a quarter.

The harbor is great, but the last picture, with the small community garden between two lots - that is my favourite!  &apls &apls &apls

romualdillo

This is getting better and better!!!  &apls  Every image has so much details, that it becomes impossible to speak about them. I only can say that the general impression is great!! I can almost feel the air near the docks with the chimneys, the old brick buildings and the grey sky.

deora

Thanks guys,i really apprechiate your comments.
Well,as i already said,i love digging up interesting and weird stories about certain areas,this often inspires me when building my pixel cities.

This is not really meant as an update,but because i made this lot for my MD,i will show it here:

This is a part of a big Wastewater Treatment Plant.I used oil refinery tanks and added some clutter all around the place.You can see company cars,lots of pipes,some dead grass and even a Security Guy at the entrance.


To be honest,this is my first real attempt with the LotEditor.I worked with the Lot Editor,but only to make a cheaty building that serves as a large school but is disguised as a small factory or something like that.Just some base textures,a large building prop and finished.
Then i only had to set the stats via LE Prop and voila i have a cheapskate fake school.....
I wish it would be that easy with building a park with a thousand jobs or so but i`m absolutely talentless with interacting with PIM X and company.

Back to the Wastewaterpland.To make it look better i also decided to add some "pools"  using SimGoobers Urban Canals (at least i think it was SG...) and an additional simple decorative lot with bassins from a Catfish Farm.

You can have a closer look at the Wastewaterplant if you follow this link:
http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/39/95539/3061656232326166.jpg

noahclem

Great work again  &apls  Your water treatment plant looks quite nice--those canal pieces fit perfectly and the overall area is one of the nicest water treatment recreations I've ever seen. As for LE, it's almost the most important, almost certainly the most underappreciated, and certainly for me the least fun tool around. But if you really want to use a tool for modding stuff Reader would be by far the most powerful (also less annoying).

romualdillo

I've always admired all those people who create their own lots. I admire their capacity to coordinate all the custom (and non-custom) content done by different creators to obtain a good result. Your treatment plant looks great and you combine the different pieces masterfully, even as they were not thought for the purpose you've used them.  That's what the lot editor was created for, but this great final result is obviously and entirely your merit.  &apls

mrsmartman

Some useful mods for taking photos in SimCity:
http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/18680-smp-yellow-pause-thingy-remover/
http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/28243-minimize-button-remover/
http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/29051-no-more-neighbour-connection-arrows/

I really appreciate that you can faithfully create the Erie Basin and the surroundings. I always think the coast is the most difficult part to work on.
I can see uniform rowhouses along the streets. I am considering to build an American-style city. Can I know how much you plop the buildings?

deora

Hey guys,
first of thanks for all the nice comments and helpful input.
Yep,the Lot Editor can be a bit tricky sometimes,but i guess i`m getting used to it.As for the Reader...oh boy,that thing creeps me out whenever i try to use it.I hate it when things look overly complicated.If only the LEProp-Tool would be able to mod things like growable/ploppable and the satisfied demand....ah well,one day i`m sure i will master Reader or PIM

mrsmartman:Thanks for the advice and tipps.The Neighborhoodconnection Arrow was one thing that always annoyed me sort of but i never found the Hider.
The other two hiders are already installed.
And i would love to see your American styled City.Besides that,i can`t tell you how many rowhouses i plopped,this info is top secret and i have to kill you if i tell you the truth...
Naaa,just kidding.It may be surprise you,but the Rowhouses were all grown by themselve.The funny thing is that some houses seem to raise the chance that other houses from the same set may grow righ next to your first rowhouses.Of course it also helps to have a well organized Plugin-Folder and enough Rowhouse Plugins for all types of wealth and densities.I also noticed that some rowhouses seem to prefer growing on one architecture style more than on the other,even if they are flagged for both styles.


As for the coast,well from time to time it can be really tricky to shape the coast to make it usable for lots without loosing the overall shape.The Networks in and around Manhattan might be in a constant grid,but the coasts and waterfronts are often very organic shaped.This is why i often try to not use embankment walls to tame the curvy shaped waterfront but rather use MMP Rocks together with some weeds and shrubs.This might look a little wild and more like a late 70s and 80s kind of New York (you know,that time where burned out building shells,riots and crime ruined the image of New York,even if many of these stories were just made up by Television...) but it looks much more natural.
Still,i wonder if there are some kind of MMP`s out there that look like poured concrete and can be used on bendy waterfront lines.Something like concrete tiles or something like that....

I sometimes have the habit to work one day on one city tile and on another day i choose a completely different tile to work on.Yesterday was such a day.While looking through Manhattan with Google Maps on my Smartfone,my eyes stopped at that big rectangular hole with the rails in it.
You guessed it,i`m talking about the Hudson Yards / West Side Yards Area.I know that they are currently working on that area in Real Life to build an entire new Neighborhood on top of these rails with lots of shiny skyscrapers with either expensive office/retail space and obviously,overpriced condos. (this is somewhat crazy AND cool,plus there is no need to demolish cool old houses for this project...)
Well,as for my pixelated version,i planned to recreate the West Side Rail Yards as they are known,as that huge hole in the city.
For this i first took a pencil and some paper to scribble a plan:



Wanna see it in fullsize: http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/39/95539/1366_6566616435613866.jpg

This is an overview of the entire area with finished networks.There are no decorations and no development,so this is just a first concept.



This is where the rails go underground and run towards Penn Station and MSG.I also tried to build the abandoned / reused Highline Rails...



Same area from another view.The big black Office Block is just a Replacement until i find something that looks more like the actual NYC 404 Tower.
Too bad on this angle the bright El Rail sticks out like a sore thumb.Too bad buddybuds El-Rail was never finished,that looked so cool :'(



One last time to get some daylight until the rails finally disappear under the historic Post Office (thanks NYBT for that one...)



For some part of the abandoned El-Rail,i also used the Viaduct Rails because of the curve pieces.Still need to figure out what to do with the place under the curved rails,some overhanging parking lots would be neat....



Also i tried to imitate the abandon/demolished plot of land look....an empty lot between W 34th and W 33rd Street next to 11th Avenue


Also,i still need to figure out what to use as a large Conventioncenter.This is the place where Javits Convention Center would be.If anyone can recommend me a useful Plugin,feel free to say so.It just needs to be huge (this plot of land is about 20x12 Tiles big) and it should at least closely resemble like a Conventioncenter.There is no need for a Tenniscourt on Roof (i wonder how many Tennisballs were accidently dumped into the Hudson River....)



Ideas and Input in any kind may be much apprechiated and are needed.So,let`s do some brainstorming... ()what()