Lattica, Hemstead :: The River City

[wks2003x 0]

Here's a quick update to show you the construction of West Lattica:

Warning: these shots are rough and low on eye candy.

 

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As you can see, the city is pretty bare west of downtown, so I've set out to spread the city out further.  jasperdeman.nl came up with a pretty good idea of laying out widely spread residential, so I'm twisting that idea and I'm trying to set up a nice slum (if there ever was one).  After all, Lattica's gotta have a bad side of town too.

 

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Northwest Expressway will connect downtown with Lattica's future suburbs to the northwest of the city.

 

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Here's the beginnings of Lattica's first ghetto.  It's actually quite challenging to force all these low-income houses to grow.  And since jasperdeman.nl was partly responsible for the new neighborhood, I'm going to call it Jasper Heights.

 

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The west side of town will be quite diverse in terms of income level.  I expect high-wealth residential towers to grow in this area in the future.

 

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Another shot of West Lattica.

 

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As the Northwest Expressway nears the map's edge, a road branches off to the north while the expressway narrows and continues westward.

 

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Another one of my trademark funky interchanges.

 

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Completely unrelated to West Lattica....this is the far east side of Davidson County.  Light residential is beginning to srout up along East Davidson Rd.

 

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Once again, here's another shot of Downtown and West Lattica.  Another nightshot for jacqulina!

[jacqulina 162]

thankyou for the night shot excellent,great city design i wish i could do walls like that,love what you are doing

[oroen 0]

Always love your interchanges! I especially like the layout of the Northwest Expwy.

I'm noticing something about your exit ramps. You seem to have seamlessly connected your ramps to the one-way roads, without that peculiar stump end that normally remains. How did you go about doing this?

[Shadow Assassin 336]

Hey, I'm only providing constructive criticism...

Well, I rather like the expressways, a novel idea to solve congestion, too bad SC4 doesn't allow use to create four lane wide expressways. Quite nice.

[wks2003x 0]

jacqulina: it took lots and lots of practice and frustration to get the walls to work.  I still run into problems with them...and it shows in my city journal in some places.  Oh well, you can't perfectly terraform every bit of land to your liking.

oroen: welcome back.  and thanks...I'm actually running out of interchange ideas, haha.  As for those exit ramps, those are straight one-way roads connected to elevated highways.  If you downloaded the NAM, it's included in there.  Just go to the elevated highway perpendicular ramps menu (i think) and keep pressing TAB until it shows up.  If you don't have the NAM, you can download it here .

 

Shadow_Assassin: No biggie.  Believe it or not, your criticisms are a big help.  I think you just happen to have a slightly different plan for my city than I do.    And the extra-wide expressway really does help with congestion.  Northpark Drive now has about 9,000 (traffic volume) going one way during the morning and it's evenly split between two parallel one-way roads (about 4500 each)...so it really does help.  My biggest problem now: how do you handle a road with traffic volumes approaching 10,000?

 

Everyone: It's summer vacation and I'm having a blast so look for yet another update or two to come this week.

[wks2003x 0]

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Rozier Homes, an acclaimed home builder known for its quality homes and communities in New Waverly , is proud to announce the opening of its first community in the sprawling suburb of Northwest Lattica.

 

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Hillside Manor is the largest development of single-family homes to ever be constructed in Lattica.

 

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The community features a grand, welcoming entrance on Milton Road.

 

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Hillside Manor features three distinct communities within the development, The Overlook, Colby Pond, and Rivercrest.

 

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The entrance to the Overlook welcomes sims home.

 

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The Overlook enjoys great views of the city and the river, and its homes are affordably priced.

 

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The Overlook will even feature townhouses for sims yearning for more of the urban life.

 

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Rivercrest features some of the nicest and most affordable riverfront property in Uptown.

 

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One of these lots could be yours...

 

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Rivercrest runs right along the city's beautiful riverwalk.

 

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Rivercrest's lots are going fast.

 

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Colby Pond is Hillside Manor's flagship community.

 

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Colby Pond's future waterfront estate homes are ready for wealthier sims.

 

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Choose a 19th century cottage or a 21st century mansion.  What do you want your Colby Pond homesite to be?

 

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Hillside Manor is conveniently located just across the river from Uptown.

 

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The Northwest Expressway also places Hillside Manor within minutes of Downtown.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Everyone: Sorry it's been so long since an update.  I've been pretty busy lately.  As I mentioned earlier, updates may come a little slower at times as I am switching from a PC to a Mac.  SimCity's currently stuck on my PC a little longer, but at any rate Lattica's CJ will certainly continue on.  See you next time.

[oroen 0]

You do many things very well, but I think your best talent is the creation and presentation of incredibly realistic suburban developments. The layout of the streets and lots, surrounding landscaping, access to major arterials and commercial retail stores--it's all just nearly perfect.

[GaryGB 0]

I'd love to have a home near Colby Pond, man beautiful. Great work man.

[jacqulina 162]

awesome update and i would say you have mastered those walls well

[Shadow Assassin 336]

Hmm, that area's perfect!

Great work. These walls and trees really do go together. Though, I wonder what it will look like in autumn...

[sloppet 3]

yep!!! another great update indeed!! keep it up!

[jacqulina 162]

awesome update where did you get those walls

[sloppet 3]

I hope this CJ will become a really great Cj in the future...
The previous updates were very nice...
Keep up the great work with this CJ Good Luck!!
I hope that this will ben not my last post in this Cj... Once again good luck!

Regards,
SloppeT

[wks2003x 0]

oroen: It's always good to know what my strengths are so I can exploit them, haha...and focus on improving my weaknesses. But thanks for the comment, I've got alot in the works for Lattica's suburbs (including the first suburban mall in East Davidson County ).
GaryGB: Thanks! Welcome to Lattica. And who knows? There might just be a home waiting for you near Colby Pond in the next update.
jacqulina: The walls came from the STEX and they were done by Simtropolis' own terraforming genius (and my inspiration), Jeronij .
Shadow_Assassin: It's kinda strange seeing the word perfect in your post, but I suppose that makes it that much more special coming from you. Big Thanks! And we'll see about those autumn shots!
sloppet: Thanks and I hope this CJ continues on too. I think I will need some good luck though as I am sort of in a dilemma...

Everyone: The good news: Lattica's on the Mac. SimCity's on the Mac. All my BATs, Mods & Plugins made it on the Mac too. The bad news: Terrible grids show up over developed land. It looks horrible. None of the BATs have nightlighting. (There go my beautiful night shots.) I'm working to clear this up but in the meantime, no updates for a little while (at least until I resolve these issues). I hope that I do get to clear up these issues. I absolutely adore my new PowerBook G4, especially since it's arguably the smallest laptop on the market that can run SimCity 4. Thanks for the encouragement and hopefully I can get the ball rolling on this CJ again once I work out some kinks.

[Shadow Assassin 336]

Just keep it on the PC for now, if it really bothers you.

[jacqulina 162]

thanks

[wks2003x 0]

Lattica's Convention and Visitor's Bureau Invites You to Check Out East Davidson County

From bustling Downtown to prestigious Uptown, Lattica is slowly becoming a favorite tourist attraction among sims.  But there's a new hot spot in town...and this time it's on the other side of the river.

 

East Davidson County was once a land of a few crops and barren fields.  It wasn't even big on agriculture...so why the sudden growth?  Some say it's because of the new industrial park.  Others say it's the lower land values.  No matter the cause, the subruban eastside of town is perfect for sims looking for that yard with a picket fence without Uptown prices.

 

Our journey through East Davidson County begins at the junction of East Davidson Road and I-10.  Sorry to disappoint you...no funky interchanges here.

 

Continuing south, we see that the middle class is thriving east of the city.

 

 

The New Hope House of Worship just built a new Chapel next to their two cemeteries.

 

Just across from the church is a new shopping center.  A portion of East Davidson Road has also been widened to handle the area's new traffic snarls.

 

It's only a matter of time before these houses lining East Davidson Road are replaced with more businesses.

 

Minivans and SUVs are abundant on this side of town.

 

In southeast Davidson County, East Davidson Road narrows back to two lanes and continues southward.

 

Southeast Davidson County also has another cookie-cutter suburban shopping center.

 

East Davidson High School

 

Rozier Commercial Group is proud to announce the construction of Lattica's first  mall  since the old downtown mall closed several years ago...and it's being built in East Davidson County.  Expect builders to break ground soon!  In addition to the new mall, new Target and Petco stores will also be built.

 

The mall will be conveniently located near Hemstead State University and can easily be accessed from two exits off I-10.  Rozier Commercial Group is still in talks about an  upscale mall in Uptown, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

 

 

 

Lattica CVB Special Report: Northwest Davidson County Autumn Shots

As requested by Shadow_Assassin

 

Entrance to Hillside Manor at the newly expanded Milton Road

 

Can you feel the crisp September air?

 

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As you can see, Hillside Manor is quite scenic in the fall.

 

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And here is GaryGB's waterfront cottage on Colby Pond.

 

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Lots continue to fill up fast.  Hillside Manor is still the best-selling community in Lattica...and there are rumors of an additional phase in the future.

 

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This is the third Publix to come to Lattica.  Two of them are in the Uptown area.

 

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Growth may have slowed a bit in Uptown, but it's still growing at a steady pace.  Cahalane Communications is the first major corporation to house its headquarters in Uptown. -another nightshot for Jacqulina.

 

Shadow_Assassin: I took your advice and left Lattica on the PC until issues with the Mac are cleared up.  It looks like I'll to keep playing SimCity on the PC a little longer until I hear back from Aspyr support.  But in the meantime this CJ is going to keep truckin' along.  Hope you like the autumn shots.

[Shadow Assassin 336]

See, what'd I tell you about autumn shots? The area looks simply great.

I've noticed some missing textures, but I don't know where they come from, so that's alright. What else?

The picture of the interchange with the Google sign looks good, but you know what'd make it even more realistic? Tarmac highways.

[the_crispbread_witch 0]

Hillside Manor: Very, very, very beautiful!

I love the google sign too! Looks great with the surrounding trees. Is that PEG seasonal? (heading over to the STEX)

Keep it up!

[bienefeldt 3]

Looks like a great place to live! Cool!

[wks2003x 0]

 

Lattica is growing beyond its Davidson County borders.  Soon, you will be introduced to Springfield County and its county seat, Milton.  Springfield County is located just north of Davidson County and lies in the outskirts of bustling Uptown Lattica.  The county will be home to one of the largest suburbs in the area as well as the beginnings of Lattica's new perimeter highway (I-70).

 

Shadow_Assassin: I noticed the missing textures, too.  I must have lost some when I was transferring plugins between computers.  I recovered most of them but some are still missing.  I'll continue raiding the STEX until I find them all.   By the way, amazing city journal  you got going!  And we'll see about some tarmac highways...

 

the_crispbread_witch: Thanks!  Gotta love PEG's seasonals.

 

bienefeldt: Thank you very much.  If you like suburbs, keep a look out for my next update!

[____----____ 37]

very very very nice job

this is sweet

[wks2003x 0]

Welcome to

Springfield County, Hemstead

Lattica's finally grown beyond its Davidson County borders.  Metro population surpassed 150,000 sims and a new superhighway was born...all thanks to Springfield County and small city called Milton.

 

Springfield County is located just north of Davidson County.  Milton, the county seat, is about 20 miles north of Lattica.

 

As suburban Lattica sprawled to the north past Uptown, historic Milton was consumed and transformed into Lattica's first satellite city.

 

Unlike Davidson County, Springfield County wants to preserve the natural beauty of the area, so county officials placed a height limit on all buildings near the Chastain River.

 

Riverwood: another Rozier Homes Community

 

Milton Center

 

As there were no building height limits away from the river, the lack of this requirement combined with the construction of Lattica's perimeter highway fostered the explosive growth of West Milton.

 

West Milton is a booming bedroom community.

 

I've always wanted a big house on a hill.

 

I-70/Westport Pkwy. Interchange

 

The Springfield Cloverleaf is Lattica's largest single highway interchange.  County officials anticipate heavy volumes of traffic in the near future.

 

The new superhighway is here.

 

I-70 is Lattica's new perimeter highway.  Construction of the highway will take several years but it will completely encircle the city when it's completed.

 

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________

 

aleking: Just wanted to say thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you're enjoying the journal so far.

 

Everyone: I hope you liked Springfield County.  In the next update, I'll be returning back to Davidson County (Lattica) for a while to bring you some interesting updates there.  The new East Davidson Mall is opening soon, plus Lattica keeps growing by leaps and bounds.  I'll even deliver some detailed updates on Jasper Heights, Lattica's big bad deteriorating ghetto.   See you then.

[Pooty 228]

Damn! Those are some awesome road layouts! Great job, man! This is looking superb, can't wait for more!

[jacqulina 162]

awesome update great design

[sloppet 3]

good work !! I really like this update!

[Alkaola 18]

Indeed great update , brilliant use of highways

 

the city gives me a realistic feeling

 

rate this 9/10

[oroen 0]

Superb design on the Springfield IC! It's nothing fancy, I know, but it's so darn pleasant to look at!

[MayorTim 16]

OMG!!! I missed all of this except the teaser from April!!! This is so awesome I just can't stop kicking myself for missing it. You are my favorite city builder, and this is my favorite cj. It is drop dead beautiful, and I will add it to my sig later today when I have some time.

[wks2003x 0]

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Sorry for the delay, folks!  Once again, I've been hit by the web design bug so I've got big plans for Lattica.  After all this time I still believe that it's quite difficult to accurately portray my cities in a single city-journal...so I've been planning a complementary website for Lattica.  We'll see how that goes.  More updates to come on that later.

 

Pooty: You've figured me out!  I love laying out the roads...I also love laying out the sprawling suburban areas.  Thanks!  More is on the way.

jacqulina: Once again, thank you.  You've been following my journals for quite a long time...I appreciate it.

sloppet: Glad you like it.  Hopefully the next update is worth the wait.

Alkaola: Wow.  9/10?!  That's gotta be the highest honor I've ever gotten.  Many thanks to you.

oroen: Believe it or not, the Springfield IC took a ridiculously long time to build...I changed it so many times before it was finished.  Sometimes I have to look at it and stare myself.  I'm amazed I even had the patience to construct it.  Thanks!

MayorTim: Welcome back!  I'm glad you like Lattica.  Hopefully the journal was easy to follow.  If not, you'll have some time to catch up a bit while I prepare the next update.  Also, Lattica's site will make it a little easier to follow the CJ as well.  You've also followed my journals for a long time.  As always, I appreciate the encouragement.  Thanks, Thanks, Thanks!

Everyone: Sorry I don't have an update for you this time.  I had a little change in plans...I'm redeveloping a huge chunk of town (the area around the hospital as well as the central park area across the river).  I really wanted to make that part of town more realistic before finishing up the other parts...look for an update soon!