simmars-forum-threads SimMars - Overall Progress

[AndisArt 2,066]

In this thread you have the chance to get a look on what the overall progress of the project is.

For a look on what is on the workbench visit the "SimMars - Workshop" forum.

[AndisArt 2,066]

As of today the current goal is to put everything that has been done so far in a working condition and release it as a BETA 2.  This basically means making the BATs functionable lots that grow ingame. Additional goals are to try to remove MAXIS content as much as possible as well as add the first road and street replacement texture.

Apart from that I have put up a new forum structure that is supposed to give easy access and information to users who are intereseted in contributing for the project.

Here some screenshots of the latest status:

Grown residential buildings, first pic low, 2nd pic medium growth stage:

You can also see the street replacement on the pics which is designed by Sarg, created & modded for the game by me.

Here are some small commercial lots, also grown:

Notice that there are no more MAXIS street props. The traffic signs and probably lights will be replaced at one point.

Here you can see grown industry, dirty and manufacting mixed:

Now on the next pic you can see that the police stations have their own menu icons.

[AndisArt 2,066]

These were the street textures I  was working on:

It didn't work out though. Street textures can't have a direction on it (like the arrows in the pic) because the game mirrors textures at some points and that messes up the whole thing.

I turned to a texture based on Sarg's design:

You can also see some newly implemented BATs. 

Thanks to karaku's and DuskTrooper's mod contributions we have made a big step in removing MAXIS content! Yippie!

[Sarg 4]

This is just awesome! I hope the mod gets released after all, even though it has certainly been a long, long time. Good job, André!

[MC6Ash 4]

Just a few questions.

We had originally planned to impliment the four different styles into SC4, with a fifth one, the fifth being SM. However, Hayly left before telling us to do this, are you still planning on persueing this (I saw maxis buildings in the police menu)

Also, if you do not go the 5th building style approach, will you be completely disabling the maxis lots entirely?

Also Also: did you find Hayly's statue easily? I would really like to see it finished and put into the game, as the BSC worked hard on it for us. At the BSC site, there are a few SimMars lots that I forgot to upload to SimMars.net before the site failed.

What happened to the work that was going on in the forums replacing the highways, is that still being worked on? Or did the modder assigned to roads leave the project?

Just checking up.

~Ash~

-your predecessor.

edit: I was looking through some of the threads that had been "removed from public view", and I remembered something about roads. Way way back, we had decided that the streets would have a "dirt colour", so that you would barely be able to tell they were there. The roads would be given a redish tint, as the black asphault didn't go too well with mars, as there's no oil on the planet (that we know of). Hope these help you.

On a side note, I would like to suggest that you don't make the roads black, or at least not that black, as asphault will be somewhat harder to make on mars without oil.

[AndisArt 2,066]

All Maxis content will be disabled. That's been almost done already.

Where can I find Haley's statue?

I'm not sure what you mean with the highway replacement. If you mean the one of TheGreatChozo, he's been away from ST for ages.

Are you refering to the "Transportation Ideas" Thread? Good point regarding the asphalt. No oil on Mars! So I will try to adjust the textures colors so they make more sense. Also for making the streets look more "dirt"

[MC6Ash 4]

post deleted.  It was screwing up the thread.

~zel

[Firebird 40]

This SimMars 2 beta is coming along nicely! I can't wait until it is open to the public!

MC6Ash: I really want that police car! lol

I hope someone pays that bill for simmars.net. I really want to take a look at it.

[justintime 8]

Originally posted by: MC6Ash andisart: I took a look at simmars.net, it would seem that it's down now, so I can't go to the webcollgab. I dunno if you have the file or not, but it's an impressive statue built by the BSC. I will contact the BSC and see if they still have the lot(s) they designed for us. I really hope that we didn't loose the statue

We did have a really supurb texture for the roads, Lynks made some of them. Check if she still has them.

here's the original streets:

modded by Sarg

~Ash~quote>

 

All i'm going to say is this:

In [YYYY] roads are going  to be made out of metal peaces with light on them I.E.

The road in The City in Halo 2.

[AndisArt 2,066]

@Sarg:  Hey dudy ) Havn't seen you in a while!  Nice to see you!

@Ash: Here is a modified road texture, lighter and with more red in the spectrum:

The streets texture in the first pic you sent is the one by Sarg. I tried to get it but it's lost. Maybe Lynks might have it then. I'll ask her. But you may have noticed that I recreated the street textures from a screenshot. See above. 

For the highway texture, I think the last ones, 4 and 5 might work well.

I'm not working on highways though. Anyone who wants can take up the challange.

I agree that the textures should look futuristic, and I would say exp. 2 and 3 do not fit so well. Exp 1 might look good. 

[MC6Ash 4]

Your road texture looks good, I just don't like the cross roads or the edge of the road, it looks a bit... I don't know, it doesn't blend. Maybe I'm just being too critical. Maybe you can try adding some martian dust to the edge to show that there was a recent wind or something like that?

And there is something wrong with your street textures, I can't figure out what it is, but otherwise, they look great!

Good luck with the road to street transition, we had difficulties with it when we did it.

~Ash~

[Sarg 4]

Yeah, I have been away from a while. Almost forgot ST until I bumped upon it at random

Take a look at the attached file to see if the road textures are there. I can't open dats now since I haven't even got the game installed

[Sarg 4]

This one, too, though I have no idea what is inside, and I sincerely hope it is not porn

[pepsi71ocean 2]

Wow, this is a great work thread. I can't wait until it comes out. keep up the good work

[allan_kuan1992 6]

can you guys please release some of the SimMars buildings out to the general public that want some of the new modern buildings contained in the mod but don't want to download the mod as a whole? Thanks for your cooperation.

Allan

[MC6Ash 4]

maybe they will, but releasing the cookie before it's baked isn't a good thing ya know.

~Ash~

[shon_sc4k 0]

Hey there, everybody!

I am new at SimTropolis, but I have to say that I am very impressed with this community and of the SimMars project.  I'm just learning about MODs and all, but I can't wait to see this released.  Any estimates as of when this project will be finished?

[Nenitosoyyo 19]

maybe in a couple more years, i think they got r/l situations that are slowing them, but hey, there doing all the work for free, so when they finnish which I doubt would be for a while.

[2ch.net simplayer 180]

It will REALLY help if there is a list of what must be done and what is under way by who

I want to BAT some. I'm currently thinking of sc4 version of my "Integrated Hi-Rise Farm" that I BATed in sc3k

[AndisArt 2,066]

You can find all information in the How To Contribute thread in the Workshop forum as well as the BAT Workshop thread, if you need more info let me know there.

Edit:  You can find info on what's left to be done this thread:  BETA 2 - Final steps

[Joesocwork 4]

Way to take leadership guys. It's good to see renewed interest in the project.

[Leadx 0]

would it contain skyscraper buildings too in the future updates? i look forward to it

[AndisArt 2,066]

@leadx: Skyscraper yes, but the focus is on lower buildings first since we need tons of lower and medium BATs first. Otherwise it will be impossible and probably really boring to try to grow them.

So my computer is back in my hands after 3 long months! Here are some new pics: The first an overview of the entirely self-grown Mars Colony, the second a close-up on urban Mars life. As you can see many more buildings have been included now, some beautiful creatins of Lynks, prepo, OutdoorsMan and Octopus! Enjoy!

Crucial steps for BETA 2 release are now:

- we need a BAT for school to have at least one educational building. Even better if we also have BATs for high school or another educ. building. So anyone who's up for it, go ahead!

- We have rock models that need to be modded so they replace ingame tree models

- we need someone who can program an installer!

- we need someone who can make a mod that disables people and animal animations

- And as always: we need LOADS of BATs

  .

[AndisArt 2,066]

Here are the first self-grown farms! Models by prepo (pyramids) and Outdoorsman (domes)

[MasterNetra 0]

Hey Its come quite a ways sense i last visited , I was wondering if its not too much to ask to add Arcos later on i missed them sense they where in Sim City 2000 Probably well to make them really expensive and take up like maybe 50x50? Or aorund it. After all it didn't make sense for a one building city only to take up 5x5 space

[AndisArt 2,066]

Hello MasterNetra, welcome to Simtropolis

As far as I know Arcologies have been attempted for SimCity 4 but it's a hassle to mod them. It should be possible to make some kind of arco-like giant structures though. I liked them too very much in SC2000. This isn't a priority for the mod though, if someone out there is up for it it would sure be cool. You might get a familiar sight though sooner as you think as we have on of the arcos rebuilt as a colony test center, not as big though! Stay tuned

[simcity4crazyguy 24]

Hi andisart,

On your crucial steps list, three posts above this, you listed that you need someone to program an installer. I can't do that, but just wanted to point out alzip, a program that's like all the other zip programs, but it can make an exe file too. And it's free.

It can be found here:

http://www.altools.net/ALTools/ALZip/tabid/53/Default.aspx

I don't know if that would work for you guys, but thats what I use with my brothers when files I want to share need to be put in a specific spot and they don't know how to put it there.

sc

[AndisArt 2,066]

Cool, thanks for the tip I will have a look

[jayo 44]

What!!!Simmars still going.Sick!

[ilikehotdogsalot 308]

wow! a lot of progress has been done, great work andi! i'm going to try out the beta when it is released, it does look awesome