Greenacre

[rooker1]

Hey Matt,
After talking with you on several ocassions about prepost pics of yours, I have decided to post some of my veiws here in your thread.
First let me start by saying that your city overall does look really good, but if and when you wnat to start being picky, maybe you could make some of these changes.  Try moving the windmills back one square away from the road so you don't get the sidewalks appearing.  Or as you mentioned, you could replace the dirt pathwyas with Transit Enabled Rural Trail Set by darmok or even the new dirt roads by Dedgren. 
Also, I am still not too keen on the red cobble stone roads, but that;s just an opinion of mine and as you have siad already that that was the look you were going for.
In your second picture, the beach ends to aburtly and it may be a good idea to try to blend it in a little better with trees or a peninsula lined with some rocks.  Or another idea could be to try your hand at some photoshoping and try to blend the beach sand in with the dirt.
I also thought it was a little wierd to see industrial lined along the beach as it is prime realistate and some nice houses or even commercial would look great there.  I have a bad habit now of no longer playing the game as it was designed.  Instead, I use money cheats so that I can grow and plop what ever I choose where ever I want.  It is may understanding that you are one of the few left that play the game properly and for this I do envy you to a certain extent.  I no longer have the patience for that.

A little help for Matt....
just_a_guy....I believe that Matt is using FmBeachesForIrregularCoasts by crying.freem4n fro his beaches.

I look forward to your next update,
Robin 

[Albus of Garaway]

Wow, such nice canals! Kind of reminds me of somewhere like Punta Gorda, Florida, but with more charm. Sorry I can't put much more in this comment, I'm a little sick today, so I should be sleeping anyway. Can't wait for the next update, Matt!

[SC4D_Staff]

Congratulations, threestooges!




The Staff

[Sciurus]

A beautiful city!

[rooker1]

Congratulations Matt,
I'm always happy to see a great MD get this great opportunity in the spot light.  I can't wait to see what you have for us this month.  I have heard through the grape vine that you have some big plans for us.  No pressure of course. 
Have fun with it,
Robin 

[Battlecat]

Beautiful work!  I like the canals a lot and the earlier rural updates look fantastic as well.  Looking forward to seeing more!

[threestooges]

Replies:

-Simpson: Thank you very much. These towns are just some of the smaller parts. We haven't made it to the actual city yet.


-Joan (Jmouse): You're right about the effects on the temperature. The area stays cool in the summer and comparatively warm in winter (the area doesn't exactly get cold in winter, but it does cool off a wee bit). As for mosquitos, the water actually moves pretty well. If the flow slows, then they can become a bit of a problem, but usually they aren't much of a nuisance. The frogs on the other hand can get out of hand. They'll take out any wayward mosquitos, but their populations can boom. We'll see more of the windmill farm in the future, but not just yet... things have come up. As for the beach parking, after driving around a few places here in sourthern CA for close to and hour looking for a spot, there is certainly going to be plenty of parking near these beaches.


-just_a_guy: Welcome to Greenacre, and thanks. The canals turned out pretty well I thought, and we'll come back to this area in the future. Those canal ped bridges look good in my opinion too. SimGoober did a fine job with that set. It looks like Robin beat me to it with the links, and those are indeed what I used.


-Robin (rooker1) x2: Thanks for all the thoughts on the update Robin. Such detail and criticism like this is always helpful. The industrial section developed early on in the town's history. Back then, most of the houses and commercials buildings wanted to take advantage of the canals, so believe it or not, beachfront property was actually reasonably priced. It's uncertain if it'll stay industrial or if developers will petition for a zoning change. Either way, we'll see. I do still play the game and try to maintain a balanced budget, but if there is a big project, or if I have to make many tests for design, I'll bump things back to their previous level with a bit of 'moolah' from the main government. Also, thanks for taking care of those links. There is something in the works for the month. We'lll see how interesting it is.


-Albus of Garaway: Hope you're feeling better, but I'm glad you stopped by. The canals were fun to play with and were inspired by the canals in Venice (California, not Italy. Though the ones in Venice, CA were inspired by the ones in Italy so...). At any rate, things will be picking up here shortly. Enjoy.


-Sciurus: Thank you very much. Hopefully you'll enjoy the rest of them too.


-Battlecat: Thank you very much, and welcome to Greenacre. there will be much more on the way, and soon too.



I'm actually quite impressed/surpised that I was chosen for this month's OSITM. I have a few thoughts on what to do, and I hope I can live up to the designation for the month. Check back frequently. I hope to have a little something everyday. Thank you to everyone who has posted and or just stopped by to look. This has been fun to do this far, and I look forward to hopefully going for a while to come, and it's people like you all that just add to the enjoyment.



Sorry to break off from our tour of the canals of Westport, but I've been called back to the office. It turns out there has been some special interest in Greenacre, and the powers that be want to take advantage of the tourist trade. As a result, they're putting together a promotional campaign for it. They want me to go out and get some pictures. I just found out recently, by email... and they want it done by the end of the month. Ah well, it seems I have my work cut out for me. You're certainly welcome to come along, and I'd be happy to get your thoughts on some of the best pics to submit. I guess we're going to get around the island sooner than I thought, but we'll be going pretty quick. Hopefully it'll turn out well. When they want it, they want it, and I plan to give it to them.

At any rate, since we had to cut that trip short (for now), let me just give you a bit of info on the canals. I have a good satellite pic here somewhere...



There are seven main canals/districts (yes I know this might have been good to know earlier, but we'll be back after this project is done).

1: Grand Canal: Named both for its size and in honor of Venice, Italy. The top of the canal, near the falls, features gondola rides, and you can rent your own boat. It's a bit of a walk to the area, so most people opt to take a ride up to it from the landing near the Sabre Canal. This canal actually splits in two and wraps around that industrial area (the one with the former factory)

2: Park St. Canals: Park St. is the name of the little stretch of road that leads to the park just above the number there. It's a popular place for a picnic, but the houses are surprisingly lower end for the beauty of the area. It might be the lack of space, or the nearby industry, but whatever the reason, you can find a house here for a comparatively reasonable price.

3: Erie District: This group of canals got their name from their proximity to another of the industrial parts of town. How these industrial areas developed in such prime areas still confuses me, but they seem to do well.

4: Sabre Canal: The Sabre Canal derives its name from the curve it takes in resemblance to the weapon. I don't know... if you squint, you can kind of see it. 4.07 gave a nice close up of the area. Then again, there may be other reasons for its name.

5: Panama District: Keeping in line with the canal theme. Strange right? Anyway, this area is one of the denser sections. A number of apartments line the banks and offer some great view from the upper floors.

6: Old Town Canals: There are two sections of the city that still remain from its original form (back before the canals were built for flood control/reservoirs). One is just northwest of the Sabre Canal, and the other is, yep, you guessed it, right here. We'll see a few houses around here this time around. It's a really nice area, quiet, well-maintained, and has elementary and high schools really close by.

7: Due Ponti Channel: The Grand Canal was originally intended to lead straight to the ocean, but various alterations and mix ups during design and construction left this as one of the two exits. The other is off the Erie District. Due Ponti, Italian for 'two bridges' was an attempt to keep the spirit of the Venice reference, and also notes the two bridges that line the channel. The lower part of it can be seen in the top of 4.08.


Also, since we were down there, here's one of the pics I took back in Westport before we left. It's of the aforementioned Due Ponti Channel. Something to get this project off to a good start.

[Ryan B.]

And a great start it is!  Congratulations on your OSITM award!

[Sciurus]

Very good, and your descriptions are very good too

[rooker1]

Matt,

Well you are off to a great start with those pics and I see that you have found some really good names for your canals.
Not much to say today, but I will be starting that petition, I have moved into that house on the corner of Due Ponti Channel.   

Robin 

[threestooges]

Replies:
-burgsabre87: Glad you enjoyed, and thanks. Thanks for the help with the canal names, though I did take some liberties with a few.


-Sciurus: Glad you enjoyed, and they were fun to write.


-Robin (rooker1): Now which house might that be? The one on the inside or on the outside of the corner? I'll see if I can get an aerial shot for you. I'll be sure to check back periodically to see what developers have in store for that industrial area. I'm sure whoever buys up the land will pay a pretty penny though, it is prime real estate. Thanks for stopping by.


I knew these old maps would come in handy, I'm glad I kept a box of them. So yesterday our first pic was from Westport (1), and today we head out to the islands, to Shelter Island (2).


(Links to full size 1400x800)

It's a popular area. Cruises often depart from here, and part of the island features a similar canal system to Wesport. However, it is more for decoration and works within the terraced system of walls.

[metarvo]

Congratulations on OSITM, Matt!  The canal/district map from the previous update is a wonderful addition, as it allows us to have a sense of where a particular building or neighborhood is located when you mention it.  Shelter Island appears to be quite industrialized, judging by the buildings that are present.  In any case, you have given us a nice update.

[rooker1]

Hello Matt,

The house on the inside corner.  I'll be making some upgrades to the house because I bought the property next to mine. 

I remember this picture (or at this area) from before.  I beleive you were talking about the onslope el rail transition you were able to do.  This is one of my favourite pictures from you.  It is easliy seen how much work went into this area, with the el rail bridge, plop water and those beautiful walls.  The only thing I would suggest is to make the sidewalk continue right to the bridge.  How does one do this you ask?  Well....take any zone drag across the 3 squares that are missing the sidewalk texture and than move forwards over the road while holding down the ctrl button, now let go and if you have done this right you should now the sidewalk textures and No zones.    Than the picture would be as near perfect as it could be.
I look forward to tomorrows picture.  See you later, maybe even for a quick chess match which I beleive the score is now 5 to 1 in your favor.

Robin 

[Jmouse]

Congratulations on your promotion to OSITM, Matt. I'm sure you'll do great things here during your month in the spotlight. You've already started off with a terrific photo which shows off your skill with tricky elements like GLR, bridges and city planning in general.

Looking forward to seeing Greenacre's development during the next few weeks...
Joan

[Haljackey]

After looking through this relatively new MD there's no question why it should be showcased in OSITM.  Well done Matt, and I look forward to more!

All the best,
-Haljackey

[Albus of Garaway]

Hey, Matt!

Well, I'm feeling a lot better now! In fact, I went swimming today at the local YMCA (Unfortunately I'll have to go again tomorrow for school...darn you, cold high school pool! Darn you!). So anyway, back to you! Anything new going on?

Alright, now the past two updates! I love that satellite image of all the canals. It really gives a feel for how much the canals change the way the town flows. It's fantastic! The most recent update has the best picture I've ever seen here! I love that nice, blue, classic Edmonton ploppable water, which personally I like more than Jeroni's transparent ploppable water. What can I say, I've been around a long time in the SC4 community! For almost 4 years, I think...Okay, I really need to stop blabbing and talk about your update! The other thing that makes the picture awesome for me is the use of the palm trees. I don't see them as much as I used to, and they're so cool! My one suggestion for this picture is to somehow make the GLR slope not so steep on the left-hand side of the image. I'm not really sure how it could be fixed, since it's a steep drop and you only have a tiny space to work with, but something should probably be done if you want to be picky.

Great to talk to you again, and I can't wait for the next update!

[art128]

Hey Mattt, this picture is really great my friend, I really like the transition between canal and water.
the regional view is really realistic my friend.
Congrats for your OSITM ! 

Arthur. 

[Ennedi]

Hello Matt,

Good to see you in the MD section!
So you have a new job - the regional liaison? That's great, I feel similar sometimes 

Great farmlands and even better canals! Joan is right, "natural" is the best word to describe your work. The regional view is interesting too - very diversified. So I guess you will show us much more touristic attractions of Greenacre.
I see you made much development along the seashore, I'm very curious of it. And I would like to visit some of these small charming islands...
Great work Matt! Congratulations of the OSITM award!

I must remember this place....

Adam

[threestooges]

Replies
-metarvo: Thanks! In hindsight I probably should have put that satellite image up earlier, but what can I say? We'll be back there in the future. That section of Shelter Island is fairly industrialized. If you follow the road off to the right it leads to a port, and cruise ship loading dock. Very busy some times, but that tram helps relieve congestion. Glad you enjoyed.


-Robin (rooker1): Oh really now? Someone's moving on up the Westport ladder. Next you'll tell me you're running for City Council, then I'd have to hear from you all the time (heh heh, only kidding) Right now I have you down for appx 4 tiles worth of land... sizable estate. That pic was actually one of my favorites too, and you have seen it before; it inspired this tutorial. Now that there is a GLR onslope piece, it's outdated, but the priciple still works. Thanks for the tips on how to continue the sidewalks. I'll recommend that the city engineers get right to work on it. We shall play some chess, but it may be a while, things are busy right now, but perhaps this weekend. You know where to find me.


-Joan (Jmouse): Heh, if only they could all be that good. I certainly hope great things will be done here this month. Whether they're great successes or great flops is another matter, heh heh. I'm glad you liked the photo. It is one of my favorites. I like this next one too, those I don't know why... it's simple, yet something about it. Anyway, always good to see you.


-Haljackey: Welcome to Greenacre Haljackey. I've seen what you've been up to with GTR (nice work by the way) and I'm glad you're enjoying things here. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again.


-Albus of Garaway: Glad to hear you're on the mend. Hope the water wasn't too bad for you at school. That pic really gives you an idea of the age of this region. I still use the blue stuff from time to time. I tried the TPW in this area, but it wasn't the same. The dark blue here seems to give great depth to the water (or I could just be seeing things, heh heh, either way...). The GLR slopes are steep around there, and I have been trying to figure out how to work with the space constraints. I think I may have figured out a solution that does not involve installing a cable car system but time will tell. Hope all is well.


-Arthur (art128): Thanks Arthur, SG knew what he was doing when he made these canal pieces. They work so well in so many places... I just wish he made/released more of the terrace (fancy) canal pieces. Ah well, I'm having fun with what I have. Thanks for stopping by.


-Adam (Ennedi):  Hi Adam and welcome to Greenacre. Yeah, it's a tough job, but it's free travel, so what can I say... not too bad. I did try to get a natural feel with the region, though I'm not sure about the more urban/dense city areas. It may be a while before we visit them, but there will hopefully be many good things to show for it when we do. I think it's interesting that you want to see more of the coast line and some of the islands because that's actually where we're going next.



Heading south from Shelter Island, we come to the ferry launch (3) near Mustang Harbor that leads to Brooke's Bay (to the east). It's a fairly simple area. You wouldn't know that less than a mile northwest is probably the busiest port in the area.



The Landing, as it is called by the locals has a few shops, but it, along with the park, mostly provides a good place to walk and take in the sea air. There is a somewhat slower pace in this little corner of the area which is near a railyard and a shipping port. You wouldn't really know it from looking at it. I was lucky enough when I took this pic to get a shot of one of the ferry captains actually tied up to the dock. Not sure if that's legal, or how he got up to the boardwalk, but no harm, no foul it seems.

[Pat]

Hey Matt I missed a wee bit here, sorry bout that!!! First off Congrats on going OSITM!!! Simply awesome!!!! Last few updates have been top notch here for sure and I cant wait to see what else is in store...  Oohh I know what else I had wanted to say what I saw in the prev update with the PW I wonder how that would look with TPW hmmm???