Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project (Big Dig)

[ILL Tonkso 1,239]

Ah thats due to the left wall being higher than the right wall. If you look on the last page you can see this

[Andreas Roth 626]

Eh, the height of the wall doesn't really matter. As I said, the placement might be right from a technical standpoint, but it doesn't look right because of the SC4 perspective. I know that I sound like a nitpicker, but hey, those BATs should look as perfect as possible, right?

[ILL Tonkso 1,239]

Ah i see where you are coming from, yes the SC4 view can be a pain.

[blahdy 21]

Andreas: yea, i see your point (and thanks for taking the time to draw it out btw).  I'll consider improving it, however there's also a new straight on-ramp that'll be modelled later, so I'll make a decision on this soon.

Also, preview of starting-work of the new Big Dig 2.0 ground highway transition tunnel portal.  More pics will follow as it develops   You can see that approach sign alone blows 1.0 lot right ouf the water.  Just FYI, the new ground highway transition lot will be high capacity lot with 10 lanes total (5 lanes input, 5 lanes output; then split to feeder circuit roads on both sides and SC4 highway). 

Also that model will be some 1.5-2 times longer than its predecessor, because of realistic gradual desecent into underground.

[MiniMark 7]

Here's a question, when do you hope to release this pack to us ?

[blahdy 21]

MiniMark: undecided at this time, there's a lot that need to be done

Here is a quick design preview of the new GHT2 (ground highway transition 2) model, specifically how it will take lane traffic to make 5 lanes input:

[Alfred.Jones 2]

That will be cool blahdy! With the 10 lanes, with that merge into 6 to look better with the maxis highway?

[blahdy 21]

Alfred: thanks; Yup, it will actually look beautiful.  Between the merging areas will be islands where Big Dig tunnel-boat structure styled walls will be created, and between them will have plantation grass for highest aethetic quality (modern highway interchange design).   The merging islands will be modelled after foundation and Phase I modelling work is complete.  It will be by far the most smoothest and highest quality transition into Maxis land when compared with Big Dig 1.0, you won't even know the difference when the designs are fully implemented

Currently, left side tunnel boat structure wall foundation is being modelled.  The whole model is about 4% done, and it will take about 2-3 weeks to complete depending on RL.

As seen on the picture below, the new LED based LCS (lane control signs) are truly bright (just like in real world) regardless of day or night :-)

[Alfred.Jones 2]

That sounds cool blahdy! I cannot wait to see it finished!

[tonkawom 1]

While playing around with the current big dig stuff, I've noticed that the emergency vehicles can't use it. Is this something that can be fixed, or is it a limitation that just has to be lived with?

I'm going to add my praises to this steady stream. Excellent work, if it wasn't for people like you and the NAM team, I would have gone away from sim city a long time ago.

[blahdy 21]

tonkawom: Yea, emergency vehicles won't work as it converts traffic into subway.. one of those limits...  Thanks btw for the comment

Andreas:  Check this one out... I've kind of readjusted the tangent location of the approach sign and also slightly reconfigured the concrete mounting slabs on the tunnel boat wall structures.

From south view point, it appears less odd and seems to align itself better with the road surface tangents.  East side, looks a little bit odd still but better.

Let me know if it looks better for you, and if that looks good, I'll go ahead and apply the same patch change to the blue-colored version as well.

[Andreas Roth 626]

@blahdy: Oh yes, that looks a whole lot better! Thanks for taking the time and try my suggestions; I know it might sound naggy now and then, but as I just said in JBSimio's thread, everyone should keep in mind we're developing stuff for SimCity's reality, not for the real world. Sometimes we just have to trick the eye (i. e. by exaggerating the height of a building by about 130 to 150 %, since it would look too squat otherwise), even if looks odd in the development programs.

[nycsc4 5,250]

i have missed about 2 pages of stuff! this is amazing, and that new highway to sunken transition lot looks amazing!!! i can't wait for its release!!

[packerfan386 3]

Originally posted by: blahdy Just FYI, the new ground highway transition lot will be high capacity lot with 10 lanes total (5 lanes input, 5 lanes output; then split to feeder circuit roads on both sides and SC4 highway). 

quote>

Could you make one with out feeder roads so one can still make a highway underwater tunnel and have it look right / it would also help poeples city's (and CJ's/AJ's) look right with out having to add alot of extra roads.  

[packerfan386 3]

Oh shoot, forgot to say this:

extremly good work on the tunnels

p.s. use the 1.0 version all time

(sorry for the double post)

[blahdy 21]

Originally posted by: packerfan386

Originally posted by: blahdy Just FYI, the new ground highway transition lot will be high capacity lot with 10 lanes total (5 lanes input, 5 lanes output; then split to feeder circuit roads on both sides and SC4 highway). 

quote>

Could you make one with out feeder roads so one can still make a highway underwater tunnel and have it look right / it would also help poeples city's (and CJ's/AJ's) look right with out having to add alot of extra roads.   quote>

yes.  it's on the todo list.

[MadBee 1]

Looking great I look forward to when its released

[jj88 24]

blahdy the work keeps getting better, i thought v1 was amazing but v2 is outstanding it so realistic and you are doing every single little detail i appluad you for your outstanding work

[Haljackey 17,398]

I REALLY like that transition/ramp for the highway/one way road!!! Makes it transfer into 5 lanes nicely. Its also great what you have done with the concrete/asphalt layering issue, I think it really adds depth to the game's perspective!

[MiniMark 7]

Ahhh who says Sim City can't be like the real world. Great Job and keep up the excellent work.

[bokrif 18]

I am sorry, but I couldn't find the answer for my question: did you changed thses tunnels, to not only convert car traffic to subway, but the bus and freight truck traffic too. I know it was mentioned.

Obne other thing: this new curved tunnel is bloody good - good job!!

[NicolaiS 8]

Its not a good idea to change the transit accepting also busses and freight. It has been pointed out before that busses and freight will come out of the tunnel as cars ... which is a bit strange. Technically it is possible to have them enter the tunnel, but they will come out as cars.

[Andreas Roth 626]

Yeah, it might work for buses, but not for freight trucks, since they don't simulate commuters, but "industrial activity" or something like this. When the discussion came up how to mod these lots, I made some limited tests, and for some reason, the lots didn't work properly when I added the "accept buses" properties. Most likely, ardecila hit the very same barrier, so he decided that they should only accept car traffic.

Also, when you look at the real world, those tunnels are intended mostly for cars. Buses should use the surface roads, where the bus stations are located. Trucks with hazardous freight are forbidden in the tunnels anyway, and it's rather pointless to send trucks through your downtown, since they are heading straight towards the city borders anyway (in the game).

[bixel 1,228]

Truely an amazing undertaking in realism!!! ***Just your heads up though..I put off posting this cause I was waiting for more feedback..but anyhoo here it goes >> I made an island with only rail bridge connections and use of your 1st version of the Bostin Lots/Bats, nobody was using the Boston to travel forth between the island until I got a suffient population and job ratio going...then all of a sudden everybody (sims) started using the rails and stopped using the Boston Lots, the CO$$-$$$ suffered for it and most of the building are now dilipitated.

I think current population was 170,000 when they stopped using the Boston Lots, and they never have gone back...I even tried re-plopping them and redrawing the connections...to no avail. Is subway traffic dependant on residential class? In other words do only R$$ use subways? Therefor if I get a sudden drop in R$$, the Boston Lots stop getting used and all CO$$ gets diliptated? Just wondering if anybosy else had these traffic use problems.

[6459978. 106]

bixel makes a valid point, I think. Mass transit is most favoured by R$ sims; high wealth sims are less likely to use it. One possible workaround would be to modd the traffic examplars to make subway equally favourable to all (I'm pretty sure that can be done) but that might have a negative affect on all your mass transit .

[Andreas Roth 626]

Yes, mass transit usage is different for the individual wealth levels. The standard settings are as following (taken from Traffic Cop):

As you can see, R-$ sims (left column) use mass transit in 80% of the cases, whereas R-$$$ (right column) prefers the car in 80% of all cases. "Fast" means "the fastest method that is available". Since the "Big Dig" lots are merely subway stations that accept car traffic, they won't work very well for R-$$$ sims. Of course you can change these values in your traffic plugin, but it affects the whole transit system. So obviously, using a "Big Dig" tunnel as the only connection to an island doesn't work very well, therefore, you should use the old method of creating an embankment, dragging a tunnel through it and then lowering the part between the tunnel entrances again.

[hamsterTK 93]

i actually wouldnt mind making R$$$ sims take transit. that is if your building a transit oriented city.

the only trouble is that if you did that when they went through the center of the city they'de go by rail instead of driving on the roads leading up to the tunnels.

[____----____ 37]

i am quite interested to see what an ingame shot of these curved lots

is going to look like, are there going to be some kind of overhanging

props to fill in the inner curved portions, or will it be a standard square

box lot? and if so what will go in the open space?

anyways everything textures and model wise looks great

and i can't wait to give these a try in my cities.

Alek

[ICFan 0]

I have nothing to say becuase I am out of words on what happen over the last 6 pages!  I just love it!

[bokrif 18]

Okay, now I understand the whole conceptual problem with the transfer to subway method. Well, this makes me a little sad, because I would use these great lots with a little bit different porpuse. Anyway, they look marvelous!

I would make mass transit more important, and to change these stats it is easy. I gonna learn how to modify these very stats. Always experienced that the MT is not so profitable, or the Daedwoods' road-top mass transit is a bit expensive to maintain... but this is an other topic...