WEST END

[Jmouse]

And I do, indeed, thank you very much for beginning with an overview, Paul! What a wonderful tour you have given us of Kingley's canal system. 35.04  Hendrikkade Drawbridge stands out as a fine piece of work, as does 35.05  Montell's Tower. The rest are very attractive too, of course, and you've done a great job of placing the RL photos, too.

At first, I didn't think much of the Dutch BATs one way or the other - nice work and superbly detailed, but nothing I would ever use. Seeing them in Kingly, however, has helped me gain a new appreciation for their beauty and authenticity, though.

You are doing a great job, and I know how hard you work to get things just right, but believe me, it's worth every minute spent!

Until next time...
Joan

[TheTeaCat]

Paul,

What a wonderful way to spend Sunday. A nice relaxing boat trip.
I really enjoyed watching Kingly grow and develop and then top it all off by displaying it so well also.(video/pics  )

I would love to grab my bike and go for a ride there. Could you please direct me to the nearest Cyclehire shop
so I can go looking for a coffeeshop teashop  

Thats about the only thing thats missing some bike racks near the stations etc - again me being super picky

Another fantastic update Paul, I really enjoyed it thank you.


TTC

[bat]

That's a really fantastic update there, paroch!

The boat tour is excellent! Wonderful pictures of your Kingly!!

Looking forward to the next...

[JBSimio]

Wow... now that's an update!!!  Great job, Paul!   

As others have said, the drawbridge (35.04) is one of my favorite pictures... as is the tower in 35.05.  35.11 shows just how much work you must have put into this.  Getting everything to grow together like that is no easy task and the results were well worth the time you must have spent.  I also love the park in 35.13... I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it really catches the eye and just looks so nice there.  I could go on and on for days... but I'll close with a question instead.  Could you point me towards the Den Haag Tower building?  I see to have missed that one, but I really like it.

Once again... fantastic update, and I'm already waiting for the next round.   

JB

[paroch]

REPLIES

Nardo69:  Aha Bernhard, well there are two reasons I got the Vanderaaps to "grow" so densely.....(a) the only residentials in my plugins for Kingly are by Vanderaap and Haarlemergold, (b) I also customised some of their buildings into ploppables so that I could place them and overcome the massive unemployment issues I was having (see earlier updates).  As for the canals - yes, both PEG's and Oppie's sets have their pros and cons.  I prefer the water colour and bridges on Oppie's, but prefer the water texture and more options available on PEG's.  Also the fact that Oppie's has a lowered walkway does not fit with the Amsterdam look I was trying to achieve (I think). 
And as for the Amstel, well after three or four pints they all taste the same anyway!

Sebes:  Thanks for the use of the pics - glad you liked seeing them.  And thanks for your great comments too.  I'm glad you liked the Den Haag tower and surroundings, I was not sure whether all those rows of apartments would be too much.  And please, let me know what your nephew thinks.  As for the Amstel - maybe I should stop drinking it 

Ennedi:  Hehehehe, you only liked ten pictures    Seriously thanks for the great comment.  I enjoyed cutting and pasting the boats - but maybe I'll find a way round the problem in future.  And yes, between Vanderaap and Haarlemergold (plus a few from Tatooed Millionaire) there are plenty of dutch bats out there (took me ages to download them all).

Jmouse:  Hey Joan, what would I do without your great and supportive comments  ?  And as for the dutch bats, I'll get you using them yet!!

TeaCat:  I'm surprised you're so keen to get back on the bike Derry!  Still, the drivers in Kingly are used to many cyclists so I am sure would be much more careful.  As for the bike racks - hmmmmm, not downloaded any yet.  Maybe another thing to add to the list!

Bat:  Cheers my friend, thanks for your comment.

JBSimio:  I'm glad you enjoyed it and thanks for telling me which pics stood out for you.  The Willhelm Park is a very simple park with two fountains, but sometimes that's all you need I guess.  As for the tower, STEX is down at mom, so I'll find link later.  It is called Den Haag Zurichtoren (or Zurichtoren Den Haag) and I'll post link over next day or three.



UPDATE 35B  11th May 2008

I am calling this update 35B, because it is virtually exactly the same as 35.  No new pictures I'm afraid, but seeing as a boat tour is supposed to be relaxing, I thought that maybe scrolling through 25 pictures and reading all the text may be a bit of hard work.  So this time, sit back, relax and click on the video clip below.  Nothing new or fancy, but hopefully you'll enjoy the ride.

And make sure you have your volume turned UP.  This is a beautiful piece of music (IMHO), so whilst you lose some quality in the pics with YouTube, the music should compensate.

http://www.youtube.com/v/2ezskZVzRsI


'til next time........

[zero7]

I thought the boat tour was good with the still pictures, but the video just takes it to another level.  You're getting pretty good at putting these videos together and I thought you chose an appropriately soothing piece of music for something as sedate as a canal cruise.  Very nicely done 

I'm looking forward to seeing where you take West End next.

[Jmouse]

Paul, that video was a real treat, and you're right about the music - it is just lovely.

The things you have accomplished in Kingly are amazing and I wonder if even you had a completely clear vision of the finished product! Considering your progress, though, I'm sure you've been on the right track from the very beginning! I must say the canal tour in the May 10 update was beautifully done, but the video has brought it to life. I'm there!

You and a handful of other talented MDers continue to raise the standards of excellence, and I hope the newcomers are watching and learning from your example!

Until next time...
Joan

[sebes]

I fully agree with what the lady above me said so very well ^ ^ 

[TheTeaCat]

You are certainly raising the bar here Paul   
The video of the pics all together actually made it better I think. Ok so the pic quality suffered a little
but after the first few seconds it didn't matter. It was nice to see the pics change instead of having to scroll
all the time  Again a great piece of music too

Update 35b complements 35(a?) splendidly - Well done

regards
Derry

[JBSimio]

Great video, Paul!  I enjoyed the music a lot and it really brought the tour to life.  No hurry on the link as I doubt I'll download it until I get back on my regular computer anyway.  Looking forward to the next display!

JB

[Diggis]

OK, finally watched the Vid's with the music.  Very nice work. 

[bat]

Congrats on that beautiful video! Wonderful work on it, paroch!

[thundercrack83]

Beautiful video, Paul. The pictures, the music--it was just what I needed on a rainy day like this (in Pennsylvania) to help me relax. Excellent work, my friend.

Dustin

[Ennedi]

Great video and beautiful music, Paul! Very good idea with the movement! 
And losing some quality in Youtube gives an interesting side effect - looking at the boat you can see something like flowing water (or at least I can see it  )

I was thinking how to add music to pictures from a very long time. Now you showed these movies and pushed me in the new direction - thank you! 

Adam

[Pat]

Paul simply great video and also a wonderful complement to update 35!!!  I loved the music... The only thing I thought was funnie was with tram turning the corner there in one of the pics but other then that    Im glad I saw how Wou pulled it off in anther thread to get it right myself with linking the video's directly here, instead of clicking elsewhere...

[callbat]

Excellent update Paul (may I call you Paul?  ) I agree, the music was absolutely lovelly and Kingly is looking absolutely beautiful, and incredibly realistic!

I absolutely love it!

  Cheers mate,
   
      -Callbat   

[tooheys]

Another fine update Paul. I like how you blend in the RL pics, that really adds to the movie.

Can't wait to see what you come up with next.

Dave

[warszawa]

Wow... I'm in total love with that video, it's so peaceful, quaint and calm. I see that alot of effort has been put into this city, so congrats mate. It's no wonder this MD is in the 'Special Interest this Month' thread. Keep up the hard work and see you soon.

Alex

[mattb325]

Paroch - great stuff here! I love the mix of RL pictures with the canals of Kingley!!!!!      The movie was very relaxing...pity about the loss of quality, but that can't be helped

[paroch]

REPLIES:

I'm sure most of you recognised the music, but just in case it is the theme from The Deer Hunter by John Williams.  I heard it performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in London last week and it really was beautiful.

Zero7/Richard:  Good to see you here again.  Thanks for those kind words.  I intend to give a tour and details of the city tram system shortly.  I already have a piece of music and ideas in mind for the video 

Jmouse/Joan:  Yeah, the music seemed appropriate.  Did I have the finished city in mind?  Yes and no!  I knew what I wanted to achieve and I am pleased with the way the canals have turned out.  I'm disappointed that I've had to "cheat" a bit by creating ploppables - but to create the look I wanted, I had to. 
And thanks for the massive compliment!

Sebes:  And of course, you really are there!  Did you spot your name in the credits?

TeaCat/Derry: Hey, thanks for those encouraging words.  I'm not sure about raising the bar.  I have to admit that I enjoy making the videos, so I think you'll see them from time to time (mustn't over do it though).

JBSimio:  I think that the choice of music is key in creating the video, so I'm pleased you liked it.  Link is included below btw.

Diggis/Shaun:  Thanks mate, glad you liked it with the sound on 

Bat:  Thanks there bat.

Thundercrack83/Dustin:  Hey, I'm glad it helped you relax on a rainy day.

Ennedi/Adam:  Thanks for the compliments Adam.  Yeah, I discovered the "effects" menu in Movie Maker!  And if you create a movie from your MD I have a feeling it will be special.

Pat:  Yes, a BIG thank you to you for telling me the code, you're right it's much better.  And yes, that pesky tram on the corner.  I'll have to watch out for that in my tram update!

Callbat:  Feel free to call me Paul.  Thanks for those kind words - I enjoyed Kent, so am pleased you like this.

Tooheys/Dave:  Glad you enjoyed it mate.  Including RL pics works in Kingly because it is an imitation of RL.  Not sure if I'll be able to pull it off on a future quad.

Warszawa/Alex:  Welcome to West End - always good to see a first time poster.  I'm so pleased so many of you have commented on how much you enjoyed the video.  And yes, there have been plenty of hours sunk into this quad!  Pop by again some time.

MattB325:  I always enjoy your visits and you probably spotted plenty of your buildings in the city and hopefully your name in the credits of the video!


UPDATE 36:  16th May 2008

On the canal boat tour we saw the Den Haag Tower.  Both Sebes and JBSimio commented on it, so I thought we'd have a closer look today.

36.01  Den Haag Tower:

Home of the Kingly Bank Nederland (KBN).  You can see the tower is well served by bus routes.


36.02  Zoom Out:



36.03  And Zoom Again:

We're looking from the Cantral Station south towards the tower.  This also gives you a good idea of the housing complex that was built as part of the same complex.


36.04  Apartments around a Garden:

City centre living at reasonable prices.  Many of the residents of these apartments work for KBN in the tower.  A two minute walk to the office.


36.05  Joy in Repetition:

There's a Prince song called "Joy in Repetition" and this picture makes me think of it.  These SWI21 apartments are really nice buildings.  They come in different colours, so I created a custom plopable using the prop family which has various colour versions of the same building.  And this was the result.


36.06  Overview:

And here you can see jus what a large chunk of real estate the Den Haag complex sits on.

If you like the tower (as I know JB does), it is by Haarlemergold and here's the link.


The night lighting on the canals works really well (IMHO), so here are a couple of different night shots....

36.07  Night time 1:


36.08  Night time 2:



The next proper update will focus on the city's tram system, so as a teaser I thought you'd like this.  JThe start of the Leidsestraat, one of the busiest parts of the tram network.  Count how many trams are in the shot...

36.09  Trams Teaser:


There will be a tram video, but not until after I've finished the trams update(s)!

'til next time..............