The Commonwealth of Paradise (USNW): March 27: A (late) Most Heartfelt Thanks

[kj3400 178]

Welcome to the Commonwealth of Paradise! I hope you enjoy your stay.To expedite your journey, I've provided these links. Enjoy!Contents:Under ConstructionCurrent Region View:
  Edited March 27, 2013 by kj3400  

[spore415 5]

Wow, i think it is looking pretty good so far, though there are a tad too many roads!!! 

1st post and looking forward to more!!!

best of luck, 

spore415

[Amerikaner 42]

Looking pretty nice for a first CJ, I like the trees and how it all seems to flow so nicely. I guess my only suggestions would be using a different fauna mod - check cycledogg on STEX - and using less of the roads and more streets as suggested by Spore. Besides that though you have quite a good CJ coming along, can't wait to see more.

[dfnva 34]

Wow! Glad to finally see a CJ from you... looks great thus far. On first glance, your style reminds me alot of Phil's Cafe in his Maine region. I like the extensive use of trees and how you use trees, functioning as shelter belts, to separate the farms. I'm really eager to see more.

Good luck!!

-Dan

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Cool! An auspicious start to your CJ here

[anarchy0029 2]

Hey that's a good start for a first CJ. Best of luck. I'll be popping by.

[Haljackey 17,437]

Hey nice to see you made a CJ!

Can't wait to see some closeups!

Best,

-Haljackey

[kj3400 178]

The Commonwealth of Paradise

A province of the Lamona Republic

Well it's happened. I've finally opened up my 1st city journal, after putting it off a year and a half. I would have planned to put it off a little longer, but I figured that you should see Paradise grow with me. 

I use only a few mods such as the NAM and RHW, but you won't see too much of the RHW until an unspecified point in time. I've downloaded hundreds of buildings but, once again, you won't see too much of them until the cities become huge. I take my time with building, so I won't update every single day, but about every three days.

Next time, I'll tell you a little history about Paradise, and how it came to be.

Until then, I'll leave you with some teaser pics:

Any comments, questions, or construcive critcism would be helpful!

From The Commonwealth of Paradise.....

Thanks to everyone who's replied so far. I really appreciate your support. I've got my first update all written out and ready to go, so be here tonight for the first update! But first, replies....

Replies:

Spore415: Thanks! Those roads you're talking about, however, aren't actually roads. They're the SAM asphalt texture. Here's a closeup:

Click for higher resolution!

Amerikaner: Thanks! I've actually been looking for a mod like that but with no success. As for the roads, see the above reply.

Dfnva: Thanks. I have not seen PhilsCafe's work but I will as soon as posssible. You will indeed see more tonight.

Schulmanator: Thanks! What a eleemosynary comment!

Anarchy0029: Thanks! You stop in as much as you like!

Haljackey: Thanks! You'll see some tonight!

[newyorkrunaway1 110]

nice, it has potential, i will keep an eye out for future updates

[Twenty20 28]

Good start, beautiful pics, I love the first one with the fields, looks very realistic, excellent work!

[kj3400 178]

Yes it's finally come....the first update! But first, some replies.

Replies:

Newyorkrunaway1: Thanks! There's an update right now actually.

Twenty20: Thanks! I really like that shot too.

All right, on to business... the first update.

Warning: Massive amount of text and pictures!

First, we have a history lesson taken right out of a Paradisian child's textbook....

Lamona is a large continent sized landmass in the Pacific Ocean, about 300 miles from the US state of Hawaii. Yes, history books say there’s nothing there, but they were wrong!

Introduction and History

To talk of Paradise is to speak of Lamona and you can’t talk about Lamona without mentioning Paradise. Lamona was discovered by native peoples of the Pacific thousands of years ago. They described it as a “mass that covered half the sea.” They called it “Sealand” (not to be confused with New Zealand!). Later, during World War II, Japanese kamikaze fighter pilots on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor saw the large continent like island. Naturally, they didn’t live to tell the tale. However, when American soldiers heading to Japan saw Sealand, they came back telling of a marvelous island out to sea the size of India. They speculated that the US would annex it as a state, like Hawaii and Alaska. The US government saw it as a major line of defense from the Japanese and other foreign enemies, using the western part of the island as a combination air and naval base and as a refueling point for planes en route to Japan. During the Cold War, it was proposed that Pacifica (the name used by the government now) be used as a meeting point if the mainland US were bombed with nuclear weapons from the Soviet Union, as well as a missile storage and launch area. During the Cuba missile crisis, ships full to the brim with supplies such as food, water, building material and other essential items were being sent to Pacifica from Pearl Harbor, HI, while evacuation boats were waiting in the harbor of every city with a port that could access the ocean, ready to take citizens to the island. However, when the situation was averted, the boats at Pacifica were promptly sent back to the mainland. Over the years, the island was forgotten as US troops pulled out for the Vietnam and Korean wars. By 1990, none on earth knew that Lamona had ever existed.>>

            By 2050, the predicament of the US was dire. Running out of space and natural resources to keep their country alive and well, the country’s top leaders met at a summit to discuss solutions. However, there was no general consensus on what the US should do. Some suggested drilling for oil in the contingent 48 or Alaska, others suggested trading with other countries for oil. Still others suggested annexing Mexico or giving every city in the US the population density of New York. At the end of the summit, no solution was available that all could agree on. By the time the election of 2054 came around, the American public was fed up and ready for some solutions to their country’s problems. A man from the Independent Party had those solutions.>>

            John Cleary was a simple man from Maryland who never imagined he would save the US from imminent doom, but the documents he found pertaining to Pacifica say otherwise. His father, General Jeffrey Cleary II, had lived on Pacifica during WWII and was in charge of the base there, and left documents pertaining to the location, size and other important things about Pacifica. Cleary figured if he could become president, he could solve the country’s problems. So he went on the campaign trail. Astonishingly enough, the American public overwhelmingly supported him, as opposed to the main Republican and Democratic Party candidates, Scott Miller (Rep.) and Robert Erickson (Dem.), both of whom claimed to have the solution to America’s problems, but in fact had no definite answer. Cleary won by a landslide, marking the first time ever that an independent party candidate won an election. He immediately informed the general population of the existence of Pacifica and announced that he and a city-sized group of settlers would go to begin populating the continent. And so the story begins…..quote>

>>

 Update 1: Land Ho!

Galloway City>>

The settlers landed in the south of the continent in an expansive sea. They did not land on the landmass itself, but rather a small island off the coast. The president named it Delia Island after one of his sisters. They established a small town on the island, a mostly agricultural village. They named it Galloway City, after the first mayor of the town, Harry Galloway. Eventually, the small island began to get crowded, so the settlers looked to settle the northern bank of what they called American Bay. However, some settlers were opposed to having polluting factories on the bank fouling up their water. These dissenters moved to the southern part of the island and named their town South Galloway City (guess they couldn’t think of a more original name). The pro-industry sector ignored the dissenters (which was a shame, because the dissenters soon built a state fair in their town). The towns still remain divided to this day, and the people consider themselves Southerners or Northerners depending on which town they live in. Anyway, using the materials they had on hand, the northerners started a couple of factories on the mainland and began to produce some of the materials the continent had to offer, such as wood and fish. They also established a small village on the west of Delia Island. They named it Lubbock, after some person (a co-author of a physics book, I think). Eventually, the small town became a big town, and here it is today. 

Note: All pictures are compressed to 800 x 600. Click on pics to view 1024 x 768 resolution!

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As you can see, Galloway City is heavy on the farming. They grow enough for the town to be self-reliant when it comes to food, such as corn….

>>

wheat….

fruit….

and even rice!

How that grows here I have no clue…

Here's Galloway City’s town center…

Southern Galloway City’s town center…

>>

And Lubbock’s town center…

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Some other pics....

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And some night shots….

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And a last night view of the area...

As for other supplies, such as some vegetables and steel, they needed to have those imported from the US. But the dissenters said not in my backyard! So some pro-industry settlers decided to move to another island, which coincidently was much bigger than Delia Island. Where did they go? Find out next time!

I hope you enjoyed Update 1, but I don't think I'll have as much text next time.

Comments, questions and constructive critcism are welcome!

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Awesomeness! What a rich variety of settings in the nation. Looking good!

[aaglo 0]

Wow, wonderful. Only thing I could suggest is that there seems to be a strange portion of your town that is stuck in fall, while the rest is in full bloom. Other than that is is absolutely awesome.

BTW, the second pic, bottom right: there are roads criss crossing in the middle of the forest...Planned Suburbs? Or just making those tree sprites have a quicker commute?

[newyorkrunaway1 110]

nice update, i would recomend getting the concrete mod on the stex for the roads curves

[psander5 198]

I like it. I read it all... and I wasn't bored! You have an interesting history for your nation. I wonder how plan to explain how the continent was never seen by satellites/astronauts?

Your towns look nice. I love the night shot of the area!

[kj3400 178]

From the Commonwealth of Paradise....

Replies time!

Replies:

Schulmanator: Thanks!
Aaglo: Thanks. Well the fall portion are the trees I plopped. It was November in the game when I took that picture . 
And there are more farms where those roads are....tree sprites....
Newyorkrunaway1: Thanks! I should, because the curves make the commercial areas look weird...
Psander5: Thanks! You did? Well I should do something for that....How about putting a building of your choice in my region and naming it? And I'll show it in a special update. About astronauts and satellites not seeing it, well it had the effect of the Bermuda Triangle. Even today, planes have trouble making it from other countries to Paradisian airports.

Update 2 is coming your way tonight! 

Edit: All right, it isn't coming tonight, but it will be here tomorrow, and until then, here's a pic of the first and only highrise in the Commonwealth. It looks kind of odd, though. Until then!
Click on pic for 1024 x 768 resolution!

[kj3400 178]

Ok, there hasn't been much activity here lately. Doesn't mean I'm giving up, just means I'm still working on an update. But no one's posted in 3 days!  I will indeed have an update tomorrow. But do you all still want me to continue?

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Bring forth the updates! As for replies, they will come over time. Be patient while people discover you. Keep updating and they will come. (the SimField of Dreams!)

[panthersimcity4 162]

Nice work on the farms, I like the spontaneousness (if that is a word )

However I think maybe you should make the pictures smaller so they fit, because they get squeezed like that and make them look a bit jagged. It's hard to explain. I think in the area that you insert a picture there is a dimension box, you can put it to 800x600 and it probably won't be so jaggedy.

[fabsies55 5]

looks like a very good city, your buildings look good,

your farms and trees also look great

well done and keep it up

[kj3400 178]

From the Commonwealth of Paradise.....

Well,update 2 is here! But first, replies.

Replies!

Schulmanator:

Thanks for the encouragment. I suppose I'm just too impatient.

Panthersimcity4: Thanks. My pics come out 1024 x 768 on my computer, and I just wanted to keep it the same resolution, so I link it to the actual size.

Fabsies55: Thanks!

Because the amount of pics I have to show, and of my 3 day weekend, I'm going to stretch this next update over the next two days. So I present part one of update two!

The city I am showing is really special. Why? Well listen to this video and you'll see what I mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsrDv3K7RNI

That's right, the next update is about Paradise City. I, however, thought the name up before I heard that song or played Burnout Paradise. 

A little history for your entertainment....

Update Two: It’s Paradise!

Paradise City

So where did we leave off? Oh yes, the pro-industry settlers told the dissenters, “See ya!” and left to find a place to import and export goods. Well they found it….less than 10 miles away too. A huge island, compared to Delia Island, was staring them in the face. It was a doozy. It was perfect for a large port city. “It was Paradise,” said the president. And that’s when he knew what the area, island and city would be called; Paradise, Paradise Island, and Paradise City. (I know these names are getting recycled, but they thought highly of paradise.) So they started building. But they didn’t build like any other person would build a city, from the inside out. Oh no. they built the city from the outside in. That’s right. They built the suburbs before they built the city. Pretty odd yes but it looks like it’s working out. Someone with some sense managed to take some pics of the beginning of the city this time, so we’ll have some historical pics.

And the city today….

City Hall Park...

A park in the suburbs.

The Commonwealth believes in full transit separation...therefore, this overpass was in order.

Downtown train station at night.

Same station, different angle, at daytime....

Farmland on the eastern shores...

...and high-tech industry on the western shore.

Central Park by the station.....

So those settlers decided not to stop there. Some agreed to head north, others west. Which way will we go? Find out after pt 2 of update 2!

I love leaving you with cliffhangers!

Comments and constructive criticism are welcome!

[jacqulina 162]

very nice start and intro my friend wonderfull work and pics

[Artur_001 4]

Good start. Your CJ is very green - I like it. Amazing farms! Well done.

[kj3400 178]

Jacqulina: Thank you!

Artur_001: Thanks!

Update 2, Pt 2 is coming up tonight. Stay tuned!

[kj3400 178]

Part 2 of update 2 is coming your way!

A park in a typical neighborhood.

Recent development in the south

The city's seaport.

The old commercial area.

The same area today. Note the east-west road. This is Rt 1/10 and will be crucial to the region's development later. How? I can't say.

The outer ring road, a idea from Britain. The people weren't so keen on the idea, but it stuck and has improved traffic around the still developing city. This road will also become more important as time goes on.

The inner ring road. This intersection has since been redeveloped.

A view of the downtown and surrounding area. as you can see, I still have quite a ways to go. Note the ring roads and how Rt 1/10 slices through downtown.

A view of the entire island. Note the layout of roads in the southeast.

Well that was update 2. I hope you enjoyed it. Update 3 will feature the suburb west of Paradise City.

Comments, questions, and constructive criticism are welcome!

[kj3400 178]

Ok, I need you all to help me help you help me make this CJ more interesting for you. What would you like to see? What would you like me to do? 

Update 3 will be up in a day or so. Until then here's a teaser.

Also I have 402 views. For those 300 some people out there who lurk in the shadows, please post! I'd love to hear your opinion. Don't be afraid....I don't bite!

[spore415 5]

alright, i'll stop lurking!!!! (remeber you promised not to bite!) alright, now to the commenting. for your previous post, your city seems to be coming along wonderfullY! so kudos for that. i think i mentioned earlier that there seems to be ALOT of roads and you might want to be considering addingin some streets, but, it doens't really look bad and efverythign seems to flow well together, so don't worry about it! i don't know your population, but it doesn't appear that it is big enogh to have a skyline right now, but also, i'm not complaining or saying somethign needs to be done because it looks good to, espeacially that big central building (would you mind if my fictional  bank built a regional office in your Down Town?).  and llastly, love that interchange, not sure why, just do keep up the good work!!!!!!!!!

yours truely, 

Spore415

[Haljackey 17,437]

Haven't been here for a bit

You have been doing a great job with your CJ, kj3400! I've been enjoying your pics!

One recommendation I have for you is to resize your picture to 800x600 instead of getting us to clicked compressed pics here for a 1024x768 view. The difference between the two is so close that clicking for full resolution is just not worth the time and effort, and resizing to 800x600, one "notch" below 1024x768 will look fine. I hope you take this into consideration!

Best,

-Haljackey

[Hawkeye9 0]

Very nice cj you have here!!!

The apperance of the city is very nice, everything is so green and blends together nicely!!!

Very nice work and looking forward to more!!!

[kj3400 178]

Spore415: Thanks a lot! But if you look up at my first reply to you, I show you that those aren't roads but streets with SAM asphalt texture. In my opinion, I don't think I have enough roads. But I understand. And of course you can build a building for your bank here Just tell me what type of building. I would like an to have an embassy in New Auria, though, if you don't mind.

Haljackey: Thanks. Glad you like it. I can make the pics 800 x 600. I guess I was deluded in thinking 1024 x 768 was better. Thanks for the tip!

Hawkeye9: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

I'm working on Update 3 as I speak. It should be here tomorrow.