Maxis Highway Override (Project Symphony) - Development & Support

[MandelSoft]

Project Symphony is an attempt to join the Maxis Highways (abbriviated as MHW) with the Real Highway Mod (RHW) by the total conversion of the MHW. The new MHW will have the specifications of the RHW. It looks like a RHW, it will ride like a RHW but it will be build like an MHW.

Initiated by jdenm8 and later on joined by MandelSoft, both NAM Team members, this mod will be a total revamp of the MHW, making it easier to construct than the RHW and will have a slightly more urban look than the RHW. Moreover, this can be a stepping stone to the usage of the RHW. After all, this mod is meant to work along with the RHW and the MIS (Modular Interchange System) for ever increasing flexibility.

If you are new to Project Symphony, please read this post.  It will answer many frequently asked questions about the network and its future development, and it is updated regularly.  If your question isn't answered by this thread, by all means, ask.

Preview shots
The following pictures sum up the current features and posibilities:

The pieces:







The features:




FAQs

1. Can this mod work side-by-side with the regular Maxis Highway
No. This mod is a complete replacement. However, this is an optional NAM component, so you can choose whether to install it or not.

2. This mod completely replaces my Maxis Highways. Can I keep all of them or do I need to demolish them?
Most of the draggable content will be ported over with no problems. Especially there will be quite a lot of diagonal functionality from the first release, something uncommon with other NAM items. However, you probably need to demolish the interchanges, since those are not converted due to lots of modeling work and vast underscaling. However, you will be able to build other kinds of interchanges as a replacement with some help of the RHW.

3. When will it be out?
As we from the NAM Team say: it will be ready when it is ready. Seriously, we have no idea when it's fully ready for distribution. Probably it will be included in the next NAM.

4. Will this mod be left-hand drive (LHD) compatible?
Yes, it most certainly will, as one of its developers works under LHD 

5. What about the Euro textures?
They will probably be released simultaniously with the rest of the mod. One of the developers is already working on that front...

6. Why are there no starters on the ramp pieces?
This will allow you to build more compact interchanges. Starters tend to be in the way in quite some cases. There will be stubs however. You can use the starters from the RHW for the ramp construction. This decision may change in the future, possibly with the implementation of FlexRamps (of which I don't know how to make them).

7. Will pre-fab style interchanges ever come back?
No.  The massive amount of time required in making one, the size limits imposed on them, the fact that they would duplicate already existing functionality, along with the rigid inflexibility of such setups, the underscaled dimensions of these interchanges and the massive number that would have to be made in order to account for all the networks both MHW and RHW renders the notion of plop interchanges impractical and unworkable. Semi-prefabs will probably the biggest components that will be realised.

8. How about bridges and tunnels?
The current Maxis Highway bridges have proven to be too hard to convert for now, so you have to use avenue bridges instead, or some of the new dual RHW-4 bridges. For the tunnels, there will be a 7.5m high ground level tunnel override available, which will require a custom slope mod (included in the mod):




On behalf of the NAM Team,
Maarten (MandelSoft)

[cmdp123789]

It's a great idea 

[Paul 999]

That last roundabout intersection looks cool! (toch hoop ik dat je nog haaietanden gaat toevoegen aan de euro textuur) 

[Getron]

Mandelsoft and the rest of the team,

Great idee and work. Keep up.

When out I will definitely download and use it 

Getron.

[Haljackey]

Glad to see a dedicated thread to this project. I've seen a lot of MHW work over the years that has attempted to convert it to RHW or something else but most of that has been piecemeal work. Nice to see it's getting the attention it truly deserves.

It will be sad to see my extensive MHW network that I've been using since 2003 go, but it won't be in vain.

Those roundabout pieces look terrific! Best of luck on the project and I'll eagerly be paying attention and ready to do what I can to help out.

[GDO29Anagram]

A few points I wanna make:

I like to compare this to the BTM, since it overrides the models of a pre-existing network, unlike RHW or HSR, which are just override networks designed to complement or replace their respective counterpart networks.

What makes starters really tricky to deal is that they're generally slope-intolerant. It's a false intersection, but it's still an intersection, which flattens whatever terrain it's on. Plus, it takes up a tile of valuable space.

And countless NAM Team Members (Shadow Assassin's UHW, my RHW-4C, Tarkus's 6-lane MHW) have had similar ideas, but this right here (PS) may be the only iteration to even become a reality.

And what, no single-sided ramps?

[MandelSoft]

FYI, the ramps are single sided. I've just placed them together

[xannepan]

One word: fantastic!

[noahclem]

Outstanding work once again guys    Those roundabout interchanges in particular are great and all these textures and models looks perfect 

[nas-t]

Wow!

[pagenotfound]

wow this is really awesome

[Gugu3]

Nice from you Mandelsoft to show us a "preview"of what's going to happen
I found this project is very interesting!finally a way to put together MHW and RHW...I'm a RHW user but like the idea of having these two networks finally working together!I totally agree with you about prefab interchanges...better create interchanges as we do for RHW using MIS and flexy-fly...just one question...will this stuff be able to be overpassed by the new RHW levels 1,3,4(where planned...I mean MIS,RHW4)?
cheers
Gugu3

[art128]

Certainly some interesting stuff with the MHW. I think it'll make more people use this long forgotten network!

[GDO29Anagram]

Certainly some interesting stuff with the MHW. I think it'll make more people use this long forgotten network!

Or make people who don't use RHW become more tempted to use RHW.

MHWs ain't that forgotten. People like Haljackey still find use for it, plus it's the only bridge-building network we have for RHW bridges wider than 6S.

[threestooges]

Or make people who don't use RHW become more tempted to use RHW.

I can say that's the case for me. Nice way to bridge the gap into all the puzzle pieces for the uninitiated. Looks like great progress on this so far.
-Matt

[jdenm8]

A note about the ramps, They're as flexible as the Parallel Exit ramps from Rush Hour. They do not take up the entire width of the network and the flags we're using in RUL0 allow you to place them beside one another, opposite one another, in a staggered configuration and even in one case, on top of another piece (That last one is a bug and is probably going to be fixed). There are quite a few possibilities with it.

Also, this will adopt the textures of any Pre-P5E RHW Texture Pack you're using, because it uses (for the most part) modified ERHW-4 models. This may change in the future to the textures of any P5E RHW Texture Pack, but it'd require us changing a whole lot of material definitions.

[FrankU]

Hey, a very good project! I will definitely use it when it's ready.

Just one question: how will the on and off ramps interact with roads and avenues? Or will I have to use RHW pieces for that?

[MandelSoft]

Also, this will adopt the textures of any Pre-P5E RHW Texture Pack you're using, because it uses (for the most part) modified ERHW-4 models. This may change in the future to the textures of any P5E RHW Texture Pack, but it'd require us changing a whole lot of material definitions.

I've already changed things to P57-Spec (gotta love the SC4ModelTweaker, it greatly speeds up my working speed.)

[gn_leugim]

great work, and worth following 

[jdenm8]

Hey, a very good project! I will definitely use it when it's ready.

Just one question: how will the on and off ramps interact with roads and avenues? Or will I have to use RHW pieces for that?

They don't. You will need to use MIS to connect from Type A/B exits to surface networks. We will not be replicating any significant part of the small Prefabricated intersections under any circumstances.

I've already changed things to P57-Spec (gotta love the SC4ModelTweaker, it greatly speeds up my working speed.)

Really? I didn't know that it was capable of that.