Province of Clontarf - Update 10 - Elsmere

[paroch]

What a great update

The city looks just right - a highly developed CBD without being over the top - not easy to achieve in my opinion.

Nice traffic data, and again pretty realistic - you're always going to have a hotspot or three.  The light rail network also looks sensible in its design.  Without knowing your city like you do, I can imagine one line running from the NW to SE sector and another from the NE to SW, with them sharing the river crossing.

You really are a master of the sunken highway network - I will have to try and do some of these myself (using your work as an example of course).

My favourite picture is the school complex.  That is really put together well, with some nice sports facilities there.  I don't recall seeing the tall brown school/college building before - can you remember what it's called / where it's from?

I know what Joan means about the roundabouts near the highway exit - but I think that's a limitation of NAM, in terms of you have a road extening beyound the junction - I think your solution is novel and would certainly help those crazy Balnavian drivers who got lost in a sunken highway maze and took a wrong turn

Great work as always Dave - a true CLASSIC!

EDIT - My 500th post - couldn't think of a better place for it to be.

[sebes]

I agree with everything Joan says above (*) about this West Bank of the CBD (except driving trough tunnels - almost daily routine in the Dutch delta  )

Your data stats are cool and show your talent, especially for such a large city. But also wonder why these 2 roundabouts are there...   And one other: the disabled parkings are getting a bit - well, overdone..  They kind of spoil the effect of the football field in the 5th last picture.


* since I took so long looking at your pictures, Paroch came in between....

[bat]

Some really great pictures of Roseville! It's a very beautiful city!

Looking forward to more...

(and congrats to paroch for more than 500 posts!!)

[Nardo69]

Hi Dave!

Nice overview - I really like that you limited the crossings of the river - I am a bit tired of pictures with one bridge each 4 tiles shore length.

Something I really miss from our bridge engineers are elTrain or GLR bridges - I don't like the single ingame bridge very much ...

Nice touch with the police station at the highway exit - I think I saw a similar situation with the German highway police but don't ask me where I saw it - too long ago!

I also like the avenue with in the tunnel your weals between the two big roundabouts. And don't these diagonal fillers are just handy for a nice layout? They are best when you don't notice them in first sight ...

Take care my friend!

Bernhard 

[tooheys]

Replies

thundercrack83: Thanks Dustin, it's always great to see you dropping by.

Pat: Hmmm, guess you found the thread  The PM must of got lost in the mail  Thanks mate.

Jmouse: Well I certainly did a lot of 'dozing, at one stage 50% of the CBD was occupied by a dozen of the same building.
Tunnels, well we have one or two out here, but in SC4 they serve their purpose, open up space, cut down on intersections,
and, well, I like them. Thanks for the comments, glad you like the stats, might provide some more, maybe 

paroch: Paul, 500 posts, well done, I'm sure the gov't of Balnavia is planning some special reward, when they let me know, I'll pass it on 
The school is ........(wait for an edit shortly while I check it out  )Thanks for the comments.

sebes: Thanks sebes, I know what you mean about the disabled zones, a new LE project for me.

Jmouse, paroch, sebes Yes, the roundabouts. Those hwy exits are great, but if you only have a road coming in from one side they seem incomplete. You might of noted on the opposite side of the interchange I overcame this problem by extending the road and plopping police and fire stations. I wasn't sure how to finish the other side, so I threw in a couple of roundabouts, just in case somesim took a wrong turn. Interested to here if you have any ideas as to how to make this neater, because I agree, it is a bit nasty how it is.

bat: Thanks bat

Nardo69: Hi Bernhard, I agree multiple river crossings can become a bit of an eyesore. Fine for canals, but not rivers. So in this case the ELR/GLR network and rail went over, the hwy went under. The ELR bridge is a tad boring, it would be great to see a few variations.
Thanks for the comments, and I have to ask, that German police station, did you see that from the inside or outside 

Woolongong

Well, as I suggested previously, it's time for a bit of industry.



Woolongong is primarily an industrial and port area, and as you can see still being developed.



Robin, I'd love your lots here.



I think he might be a tad too close.





One of my LE lots, the storage yard that is.







Thanks again for all the support, it was great to spend another month in the OSITM.

More smog next update.

Cheers

Dave

PS: I just commented in Travis' MD which is celebrating 1 yr. I thought I'd check how long Balnavia has been running and to my surprise, and one hell of a fluke if you ask me, this MD started up 6/3/2007. 1 year exactly, who would have thought. I remember telling Dedgren 9/10 mths ago that I'd have this finished in 6mths, was i wrong. With 30-40 tiles still to go, Balnavia is here for a little bit longer.

One can only keep going for this long with a good support base, and I hope you all know that you are all appreciated.

I intend to continue with Balnavia to the end, I always seem to find different props, mods, tools to keep things interesting, and now that I'm experimenting with the LE I'm enjoying SC more than ever. Of course, I have to keep Balnavia alive until it gets it's first Mouse House.

Thanks again to everybody who has made a visit to Balnavia.

Dave

[Earth quake]

Wow, excellent seaport.
They really retouve the ambience of the industrial harbours, it is of the good work.

[Nardo69]

Nice work, Dave! I love the sunken railway leading to the harbour area!

About 1 year, well, I began CJing in June 2005 after playing my (still current) region for three months ... boy, time is really running ...

Take care my friend! 

Bernhard

[bat]

Congrats on 1 year of this MD!!

And Woolongong is looking very great! It also has a wonderful looking harbor!!!

[Ennedi]

Excellent work Dave! 
Your industrial area is very diversified, I like it a lot!
My favourites: the general view and the fifth picture (this one with a small rail station and your LE-made storage yard  But in fact I like them all!

Yes, the time is running fast, but it is good to have a huge region and see how it grows, every next city is a new experience.
I'm afraid you will need some time to fill all tiles, especially if you started to play with LE 
It's a great pleasure to visit you here!

Adam

[Jmouse]

Well, happy anniversary, but we're the ones who got the gifts!

The seaport looks great, done up in a style I'd recognize anywhere, and it looks even better up close. I think I see a possible LE job here, though - I'll PM. The fourth photo is my favorite because of that signature access road of yours leading to the boat yard. I've admired that layout ever since I first saw it, you've explained how you do it, but I still haven't come close to replicating it.

And I'm not going to compliment the storage yard again -- you've already outgrown a 10-gallon hat! But that train coming 'round the bend - it doesn't get much better than that (unless, of course, there were to be a mouse house in the picture)!

Happy Birthday, Balnavia,  and here's looking forward to many more!

Until next time...
Joan

[thundercrack83]

Hey, Dave!

Congratulations on celebrating one year here with Balnavia, my friend! You are definitely doing some magnificent work here and I'm so glad that I'm still able to stop in here and see what you're doing one year later!

Woolongong is just another in a year's worth of great places to which you've introduced us, and I can't wait to see what "Year Two" of Balnavia will be like!

Take care, my good friend!

Dustin

[threestooges]

Certainly an outstanding year, with a pretty spiffy update as well. That boat yard looks great there and I am in agreement with Nardo, that sunken rail line is a great touch (LA has one of those heading out of Long Beach...but it's not quite so green). You've done a great job with the design. It looks industrial but still developing, and clean too. I recieved your file and I'll run it through my game when I get the chance. I just hope I can make it look as good as yours in this update. Congratulation on 1 year, and hopefully more.

[Pat]

Dave don't it seem kinda funnie that only a year ago you started to do this MD, wow Congrats to the one year mark and now lets hope for anther year of Balnavia!!!!  It seems that all the Great MD'ers here lately are celerbrating 1 year and growing strong and all in this month too wow!!!!  Dave congrats on being one of the Greats sir!!!!!!

[sebes]

Jmouse, paroch, sebes Yes, the roundabouts. Those hwy exits are great, but if you only have a road coming in from one side they seem incomplete. You might of noted on the opposite side of the interchange I overcame this problem by extending the road and plopping police and fire stations. I wasn't sure how to finish the other side, so I threw in a couple of roundabouts, just in case somesim took a wrong turn. Interested to here if you have any ideas as to how to make this neater, because I agree, it is a bit nasty how it is.

Yes - there is! See this tutorial

By the way: Woolongong is great area - I love the picture with the boat yard.

[TheTeaCat]

Dave its been over 20 pages since i last commented my apologies for that, but last night and today have had a good chunk taken just going over all of your MD. What amazing progress you have made in the year that its been running. Over 2mil sims, a wonderful region that has taken shape,
a bloody good read with14 yes 14 cuppas required to get though it all The amount of info shared too re. pop, traffic etc. Fascinating
Much checking of your charts to try to help me

Then to top it off you are adding your own creations to the mix to give it an even more personal touch. Nicely done Sir

Tea.
That reminds me here's yours


All in all very well done, wish I could achieve what you have in such a short time

Till the next time ( and I won't wait till page 50  )


TTC

[paroch]

Hey Dave,

I disappear for a few days and I miss Balnavia's birthday celebration 

Many congratulations on a whole year.  I wasn't around SC4D to see your start, so hopefully I can get a whole Balnavian year this time round

It's hard to think of anything more to add re the last update.  Great sunken railway, fantastic to see your own storage yard lot in there and a good medium sized port area.

Oh, and of course, what a great Australian place name!

Paul

[CasperVg]

Looking really nice there. Congrats on the one-year in existance.  8)

[Simpson]

Very good  I want more   

[warconstruct]

very beautiful port which you carried out here 

Cheer

[tooheys]

Replies:

Earth quake: Thanks Earth quake

Nardo69: Thanks, Bernhard. The rail layouts are a lot better than they used to be thanks to your early nagging feedback , I think it's about time I took them another step and added some props. Any good sets you'd recommend.

bat: Appreciate the comments, and I know without counting, that you have been the most regular visitor since day 1. Thanks.

Ennedi: lol Adam, yes time seems to be at a premium these days. Appreciate the comments.

Jmouse: Thankyou Joan. Although I don't think Balnavia will have another birthday. Now don't worry, I just expect to have this region completed before then so I can work on the sequel, "Balnavia 2 - I Can't Believe I'm Doing This Again" 

thundercrack83: Dustin, thanks mate, always great to see you dropping by.

threestooges: Appreciate the comments. The boathouse is a great looking lot, just not something you can't use repeatedly, pity really. I do try to cut back on the green sometimes, but the mouse just doesn't always do what my brain tells it   

Pat: Pat doesn't time fly my friend. I see you have an anniversary about now as well, and you are certainly one of the greats.

sebes: Thanks and a nice tutorial. All I need now is some elevated hwys   

TheTeaCat: I hope you're feeling alright after such a large dose of Balnavia. It can do funny things to you, although so can 14 cups of tea  TTC, if we all visited and commented in every MD, how would anything get done (bat, you're an exception to the rule  ) Thanks for the comments and you're always welcome in Balnavia (although we do send out a reminder letter if you haven't been seen for over 12mths )

paroch: Well see what an active social life does to you, you miss all the good stuff  . Thanks.
Oops, almost forgot, owe you a link for the school. Part of this SG pack.

caspervg: Thanks, love the glasses.

Simpson: Ok, here's a few more pics. Thanks.

warconstruct: Thankyou, some more port pics next update.

Woolongong:

Well someone has to live here, they probably can't see the factories thru the trees 









Some of you may have noticed the slight change to the Trail Parks parking lots. I've split them into two lots, one with
disabled parking and one without. Fits better to the layout seen downunder. (thanks jeronij for the  )





The firefighters here have been banned from the neighbouring KFC. After an unexplained number of fireman going up in flames,
nobody seriously hurt mind you, it was discovered that the regular meals bought next door had over some weeks slowly dripped
a dangerous amount of grease into the uniforms. It only takes one spark or a careless cigarette butt 

Sorry everyone, but it was time for a mindless Dave comment. Actually they've been few and far between lately. Must be getting
too serious 

Until next time

Cheers

Dave.

PS: 83 replies to this update would be nice  Look out Robin.