City of EDMONTON

[newyorkrunaway1 110]

God, i love this CJ!!!!! I have bookmarked this one.

[TheJerseyDevil73 13]

Edited : Former page Header

[newyorkrunaway1 110]

what ever happened to you full size maps, i would have loved to see those.

[jp walker 1]

links to the full size maps on this page are both dead

[TheJerseyDevil73 13]

newyorkrunaway : The picture server that Feepa used for that went down. So we didn't try it again. I know its probably simple but I haven't tried off site picture hosting yet. Maybe later tonight or tomorrow I'll try and load up a few pictures and then link them up. The full size region views show alot more.
Thanks for the request.

[newyorkrunaway1 110]

cool, im looking forward to it. and how do you manage to get the first post on every new page, dont you have a job or something.

[ExiL3 10]

true... How do you do that? I mean, my CJ didn't last long, but I mean u have to play, build, make it all perfect for the shoot, load it into photo progs, upload the pics. write a lot... I mean that takes a lot of time!

Anyway, very good work, love it, keep it up mate!

[TheJerseyDevil73 13]

LoL, two good questions. How do I do it? and Don't I have a job?....with such a long detailed CJ some must wonder what the I must do? Actually I'm a bartender that works days and I have a family aswell with a 19month old son. This city journal is 18months old this month. And only has a population of under 300,000. It took 4months to terraform and over a year of only laying roads. So if you take this amount of work and spread it over that time I actually only play it for a few hours a week. Mainly when its my day(s) off or when my Family is in bed later at night. I also quit my other 4 or 5 regions and don't play any other video games....just mainly mess around with Edmonton while watching TV at night. None the less there has to be a few people out there that think I'm nuts taking a few years of gaming just to make one region. Anyways thanks for the questions. I like getting questions about how the City Journal is made.

[newyorkrunaway1 110]

i dont think your nuts, i have been working on the same region for a year now. i dont see the reason to go do another region. I am developing this one to be as realistic as possible.

[beebs 129]

Looks awesome!!!

Do you think you could show a picture of the terwillegar area?

[Dargor 17]

Date: 2/3/2005 12:28:57 PM
Author: TheJerseyDevil73
LoL, two good questions. 'How do I do it?' and 'Don't I have a job?'....with such a long detailed CJ some must wonder what the I must do? Actually I'm a bartender that works days and I have a family aswell with a 19month old son. This city journal is 18months old this month. And only has a population of under 300,000. It took 4months to terraform and over a year of 'only' laying roads. So if you take this amount of work and spread it over that time I actually only play it for a few hours a week. Mainly when its my day(s) off or when my Family is in bed later at night. I also quit my other 4 or 5 regions and don't play any other video games....just mainly mess around with Edmonton while watching TV at night. None the less there has to be a few people out there that think I'm nuts taking a few years of gaming just to make one region. Anyways thanks for the questions. I like getting questions about how the City Journal is made.

That's a cool story... I think you must the most patient city-builder here... It's really awesome you put so much time and effort in your city, even though you do have a real life. They call real life a syndrom here sometimes . I know all about it... and I know one thing... If I had a girlfriend or wife, I wouldn't be playing the game probably... since I also have a busy job as a freelance-journalist which is 7 days-a-week-job where I take some free time whenever I can.

I am sure most of us don't think you're nuts

[MayorTim 16]

[:0] You don't use offsite picture hosting? You really should. It is much faster than uploading directly to the site, and coincidently also saves the site's bandwidth.

Anyways, I don't think your nuts, and that is a pretty interesting story. A Bartender with a family who climbs mountains and has one bad arse city.  Sounds pretty cool.

[mentarman 14]

I disagree with the previous poster. I think you probably are nuts. But you know what, I'm glad you are because I enjoy this journal so much, and as I said somewhere in the last 30 something pages, I never thought it would be continued this long to this level of detail.

Can I ask how you got a real map that was to scale of the game, or vice-versa? What scale is your real map?

[TheJerseyDevil73 13]

beebs : The Terwillegar area needs alot of work and is mainly roads? I could work on that area next for developement. Did you want an in city picture...or a close up region view of it?

Dargor : A freelance-journalist sounds like a cool job. I am a bartender but it isn't some crazy club. Just days at a nieghborhood pub. But I've been there 8years now. As for the region it is very rare I work on it before 8pm. Just a side hobby to occupy me while watching TV.

MayorTim : I know I should help Simtropolis by using offsite. But it seems like it would be a pain to do for every picture. I will look into it, just for the fact I would like some larger pictures. So who knows in the next week.

Mentarman : If you think the last 30 pages or so had detail just wait for the next 30. With new buildings, building styles, and resources to help the detail it should improve with each page. The Satellite photos have by far been the greatest tool I have at the moment and I've only been using it for a while. Even completed areas may be revamped as the city grows.
As for the scale I use and the map check out Page 11. It shows the actaul map and how I measure most everything. The scale is slightly off what Sim City actually is. Also the map is Rand McNally 2003 - Edmonton The region is also all hand terraformed from the map. The version I share on MSN has slowly changed as the region has growed. No that roads and landmarks fill areas I can begin to see where terraformed areas need slight adjustment.

Thanks for the Questions!
Please keep them coming.

[rubberduck 3]

I never thought that this journal would keep going, and everyday you see it on the ticker...GREAT JOB!!

[ElectroClash 0]

as far as the game mechanics..

do you ever find yourself having to place schools where they dont belong to make up for the unrealistic aspects of the games programming?

services im sure dont cover the kind of radius they would in real life.

How do you get the right income level to move in where you need them?

What about travel/pathfinding f*ckups.. everyone knows the game is not perfect and it certainly doesnt give realistic commute times...they wine about commuting 2 miles while im sure in edmonton people comute to downtown from all over the entire region as they would in any sprawling north american city. how do you deal with this issue.

Also...your pictures of southwest edmonton look fantastic. It looks like a realitic version of a medium sized north american city. To do those curvey developments and cultasacs effectively while using sc4 in really absurd. I can sense this is going to get finished and when it does it will be a unique computer simulation the likes of which i dont think exist anywhere else and thats pretty awesome isnt it.

[TheJerseyDevil73 13]

Electroclash :
   For schools, hospitals, fire, police coverage.... I use special 1x1 lots that fill the demand for nearly the whole area of each map. Then I just place the actual schools, hospitals, and so on where they actually are for the show of it and I guess bonus coverage. This was one thing that for a long time I never knew how to get around. Around the same time buildings began to pop up I solved that problem.
   For getting the proper $$$ $$ or $ in areas I play with the taxes to control R$$$ and R$. But for R$$ I have found lately this comes straight down to over all jobs in the region and mainly reflect commercial jobs. As for any Commercial or Industrial growth I use another mod to max all the demands so they will always grow. This really helped in Farming growth.
   As for the pathfinding and commute times. I use Traffic Cop and with bus stops placed where needed (not where they actually are) I can nearly say the entire region doesnt have one no job zot. I can do that reguardless of any mods. I just added traffic cop becuase it made it a bit more realistic.
   As for the roads. The region transportation view seems to be what attracts many people to this CJ. And its my personal fave. People may not notice every little addition I do, but after even small areas are completed it feels very rewarding to get it out of the way. They don't always look the best in game. But this is SC4 and all I can do is push its limits. After all this is my 4th Sim City and 4th scaled Edmonton. To bad I couldnt post pictures of my first version of Edmonton from the early 90's lol.

Thanks again for the questions.

[packersfan 666]

Hey, this journal is awesome, mine is nothing in comparison - Highland/North Coast .  I'm glad to see someone else who uses streets, too other that just me, and you use them even where they were to be diangonal, looks good so I might not be as reluctant to try it.  I always shyed away from doing diagonal streets instead using roads but that isn't realistic. In most cities most of the streets are STREETS. GREAT AWESOME WORK!!! I might try doing a Milwaukee realistic CJ. Be tough seeing that they're completely redoing the Marquette Interchange over the next five years!

[jay_allen1978 0]

awesome C.J

[TheJerseyDevil73 13]

[rubberduck 3]

That is amazing!!! Do you have road maps scattered all over?!

[+Guest]

this still is truly amazing

the jerseydevil ROCKS simtropolis!!

keep up the work we all can't wait to see it finished...

that last transportmap looks real fine

[ExiL3 10]

well jerseydevil I dont think that uploading pictures to a pic.Host takes a lot of time, you should try it out. I would recommend www.photobucket.com , they have a really good site.. check it out!
And keep up the good work!

[packersfan 666]

How did you get the transportation map to have yellow and green areas denoting residential and industries??? Does the map just show roads, avenues, and freeways, etc., no streets or are those streets, because my maps don't show the streets in the game.

[TheJerseyDevil73 13]

rubberduck : I have one main map I use. And its usually always on my Computer desk. I also usually have a bunch of printed out arial and satellite pictures everywhere too.

ExiL3 : That will be the first site I try when I do it. I'm haven't played the city for a few days and don't have time tonight. Maybe tomorrow I'll have the large pictures of the region linked up here.
 
packersfan : There is mod somewhere on the STEX that will show you all zone colors on the region map. As for the roads streets and highways being more vissible that is a mod I made just so things will be better in-game. Its also on the STEX. Search Edmonton Transportation Mod or TheJerseyDevil73

[beebs 129]

Date: 2/4/2005 12:11:00 AM
Author: TheJerseyDevil73
beebs : The Terwillegar area needs alot of work and is mainly roads? I could work on that area next for developement. Did you want an 'in city' picture...or a close up region view of it?

quote>
An in-city picture. Just wanna try and find where my house would be.

[packersfan 666]

Do you know the name of the mod that shoes the zoning? Thanks, Edmonton is on my list of great CJ's, along with Digby, Crystal Junction, and Ridge Point. Great regions that inspire me and make me envious.

[newyorkrunaway1 110]

i went and got that mod, and it makes views around the region much much easier to focus on.

[packersfan 666]

TJD can you send me that mod that shows the zones or tell me the name because I can't find it on the STEX, or at least I don't know what to type in to search for it. THANKS!

[newyorkrunaway1 110]

Date: 2/5/2005 12:46:28 PM
Author: packersfan
TJD can you send me that mod that shows the zones or tell me the name because I can't find it on the STEX, or at least I don't know what to type in to 'search' for it. THANKS!

its called the TransportationMap Modd, its by tropod and its in the mod's section of this site. Hope that helps.