Shadow Assassin's Ensenada. Discover the mystery.

[asturianu 4]

WOW! Amazing new updates, man. I love the look of your new areas. Which is the building of the university. (the green roof building)

I really like your cj.

Cristian

Ooooops, i forgot to say:

 WELCOME TO PAGE 7

[rusty_777 0]

Great work i must say shadow! Keep it up and many more replies from me will follow

[Shadow Assassin 336]

Sorry, no time to reply this time. It's just on Christmas Day, so here we go. (why do I choose the worst times to update? )

Now, this is a bumper update, as I have finally finished Brackenfell, and will be showing two city tiles: Brackenfell Ridge and the completed central tile. Oh, and a region view! The story part will come next update (I have no time right now to write one )

Update 6a: Brackenfell Ridge (also known as Tile 51)

Shall we begin?

This mosaic is the end result of half an hour wrestling with Photoshop cutting up the image. It's a massive 5420 pixels long mosaic, with 10 images, so you'll be waiting a while...

* * *

Endless suburbia.

More suburbs, plus Brackenfell Ridge's schools. There is a small church also within the grounds, which has been there for a long time.

The drag strip in Brackenfell Ridge. Formerly a landing strip, it was converted to a dragstrip after an incident involving a number of cars, one of the freeways that criss-cross Brackenfell, amongst other things, by the Brackenfell local government. Their current policy is "We might as well build this, because they're going to do it anyway."

A close up of those afore-mentioned schools.

More suburbs, this time where it meets farmland.

Brackenfell Ridge Marketplace. With a number of stores, it is one of the largest malls in Brackenfell.

And an overview of much of Brackenfell Ridge. Apologies for the blurriness. Let's move onto Brackenfell's main city centre...

Update 6b: Brackenfell City Centre

The relatively new suburban development on the southern part of the island. This is located south of the university...

University of Ensenada's Brackenfell campus. It offers a variety of courses ranging from Architecture to Applied Sciences to Mathematics to Pastry. The student accomodation is located above the university in this picture.

The famous "Crossroads" commercial area is in the eastern part of the tile. It is considered part of Brackenfell Ridge.

Brackenfell's downtown. It has grown quite a bit since we last saw it. 335 Valenzia Street (the centre bluish-white one) is the tallest building in Brackenfell.

Suburbs. Plus, The Savannah Way (right) / Weathertop Freeway (bottom) / Midlands Freeway (left) interchange. This interchange would flow a lot smoother, but due to the NAM pieces and lack of space, it was not possible.

More suburbs. This is one of Brackenfell's small shopping centres. The Savannah Way can be seen on the right side of the image.

And finally, an overview of Brackenfell's downtown and surrounding areas... Again, it seems the camera was out of focus.

Oh, and the region view. The region actually has over a million people, but this is how many people live in Brackenfell.

Merry Christmas, everybody.

--SA

--Will do replies later. What do you think of the new update layout? It seems like it's a bit more free flowing

--EDIT: *stabs the Imageshack frog numerous times* DIEEE! DIEEEEEE! *ahem*

[jacqulina 162]

wow thats awesome my friend yes the layout is excellent,beautifull pics,awesome work those suburbs are amazing.excellent transport system and bridges,beautifull region pic

[RushHourFreak 1]

The mosaic was awesome, although it took more than 5 minutes for the computer to load it. I enjoyed it, the suburbia is greatplanned, awesome. The region is impressive too.

Merry Christmas to you too.

Waiting for more

RHF

[GMT 389]

cool work.

the region shot is wonderfull!

waiting for more

[Mulefisk 15]

That region view is insanely awesome. Fantastic work!

[ilikehotdogsalot 311]

I think we all just got pwned. Your pictures are the best I've seen, Your updates have so many of them, Keep up the great work!

[Schulmanator 5,815]

That's some serious suburb action there!

The shopping looks good- perfect for those last minute xmas gifts!

And, love the region pic. Good work!

[Yoman3 5]

[RHMgerards 7]

now that looks amazing!! love that huge mosaic on the top, and the overview and the suburbs look amazing!!

great job!!

[Lyhoko Leaci 770]

Wow, big suburbs... Can't wait for more!

[Mayor of Tempest Lake 34]

and the Shadowman does it again! I love it The hill country fits marvelously with the city.

[bat 6]

Fantastic new update!!!

Merry Christmas to you!

bat

[patriots_1228 51]

wow this is stunning

no apoligies neccesary, the blur makes it look amazing.

[jacqulina 162]

looking forward to more my friend and i hope you have a great new year

[SpecialEddie 3]

Haven't commented in a while, but Brackenfell looks pretty impressive!

[Benedict 3,119]

Excellent transition from suburbia to farms in your mosaic. The region veiw is also incredible - how's the traffic with all those sims?

[gurrgkud 2]

wow.   just... wow.

*speechless*

[PhilsCafe 8]

Awesome update, SA! What a huge mosaic... I love your suburbs, they're amazing. Incredibly realistic layout there, didn't know this is possible with SC4 .

Other things I like are Brackenfell's downtown... very balanced skyline, I like that very much. And, of course, the region layout is awesome... I like it's natural look and shape. Outstanding work there.

As for your new updating layout... top notch!

Happy new year.

- Phil

[owenluby 1]

Oh man, I LOVED that! I seriously mean that. It was amazing!

Your efforts of simulating suburban sprawl are magnificent! I love it to death! I also like how you use curved roads so well. First time I saw them, I didn't really like them that much, but after I saw this, man, I've been using them ever since!

How long did it take to complete that much? You must've played for days and days... it was DEFINETLEY worth it though, so well done!

Can't wait for more (secretley hopes you are posting an update now... ?),

Owen

[owenluby 1]

Oh man, I LOVED that! I seriously mean that. It was amazing!

Your efforts of simulating suburban sprawl are magnificent! I love it to death! I also like how you use curved roads so well. First time I saw them, I didn't really like them that much, but after I saw this, man, I've been using them ever since!

How long did it take to complete that much? You must've played for days and days... it was DEFINETLEY worth it though, so well done!

Can't wait for more (secretley hopes you are posting an update now... ?),

Owen

[Shadow Assassin 336]

Note from the Editor:

Okay. Well, that's the first time in quite a while I've put in a header.

This is the reason why I haven't been updating. Yes, I got this for Christmas. A brand new Wii. And Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. It is so much fun to play with. Now that I've finished the game, maybe we can get back to my weekly update schedule... and back to the reason why I won that Trixie: the story. Not to mention it was Christmas, the time of giving, and family arguments. (that didn't happen this year, thankfully). Hope everybody had a good Christmas. Anyways, enjoy this update. And this time, the replies are back.

---

Update 7: Mysteries of Omega

Ever since the events that occured at Omega 4 two weeks ago, I was determined to find out more about this mystery. Looking on feedme.info, Savannah's primary search engine, I soon found what I was looking for...

Apart from the others, I found it. However, after reading through it, it wasn't quite what I was looking for. I had to see the Councillor and find out more.

He had a farm in Upper Brackenfell, from which I gathered, he was currently staying at. Twenty minutes later after leaving my home in the central district, I arrived at the farm. Parking my car further down the street, I walked to the farmhouse. It was all quiet when I walked up the front path.

I knocked on the door. Within a few moments, the Councillor came to the door and said "Who is it?"

"Somebody." I said.

Looking beadily at me, "Oh, you're not one of the Good Doctor's cronies, are you?"

"No, sir."

He let me in. The house was airy and spacious. I admired the interior decoration: simple yet tasteful. Before long, we reached the living room and sat down.

"So. How can I help you? Welcome to my home, by the way."

"I am from the Savannah Intelligence Service. I was employed to find out more about one of the greatest mysteries of Ensenada - Project Omega, and your links to the project."

Thinking about it, the Councillor replied "Well, I have a story to tell you. I figure we might as well have a game while we're talking." He directed me over to a large checkered board, sixteen squares by sixteen squares. "Are you familiar with this game?"

"No..."

"It's a game of strategy. A game where both luck and skill are equally important. It may look similar to chess, but the similarities end there."

* * *

In the dark corridors of the tunnels of Omega, Lucienne was hunting around, searching for something. Armed with a torch, she explored every facet of the tunnel. Before long, she bent over, dusted something, and revealed a trapdoor, with a symbol engraved on it.

* * *

"The story begins in Upper Brackenfell. Sixty-five years ago, a group of scientists employed by the Ensenada Government were found dead in a house in Upper Brackenfell. This was the starting point for the Omega mystery, one of the most enduring myths over the last century or so. These scientists knew all about Omega. They were the creators of Omega. Here's the thing: Nobody knew why they were killed.

"Five years ago, long after the mystery of Omega was laid to rest, it was rudely resurrected. This time, the criminal underworld were behind it. I was investigating why this mystery had been revived after so long. Agent after agent I sent out to the only base I knew that existed: Omega 4.

"They never returned alive.

"Five months ago, I was contacted by a certain element of the underworld, known as the Good Doctor. He wanted me to do something for him. Unfortunately, this is about where I was drawn into the mystery of Omega, against my will, and according to someone else's plans.

"We are but pawns in this whole thing. I had the illusion of power, and I paid for it."

"I see." Moving the pieces, I took two of his.

"Ah, but you've left yourself wide open."

Moving his pieces, he had me surrounded.

"The king here, only an illusion. What matters is who is really wielding the power."

"Who would that be?"

"The queen."

Continuing the story, the Councillor explained the reasons why we were all here in the first place.

"Now that I was closely tied to Omega, it was time for me to visit the base. The Good Doctor and his minions accompanied me, along with Lucienne, who I believe you already know. Forced into the complex tunnel network, I was left there, with Lucienne. I could tell she didn't want to be here either.

"When we reached the control centre, it was covered in dust, plastic sheeting, as well as a dusty, frayed calendar dating back sixty years ago. It was here I began piecing the pieces together. With the help of Lucienne, I pieced together how to operate the central console. The buttons were not labelled, and even the buttons that were labelled, were labelled with a completely different language. I was later to find out that it was the first known incarnation of the Mystery code-set, commonly used by the Ensenada government to summarise important documents. That code is only known to the upper echelons of the Department of Misinformation. I see you're surprised that they're behind it."

"Well, I am." I said, "It's not like they have the facilities to do it."

"Wrong. The Department of Misinformation have the facilities. They're not necessarily obvious. Who do you think was behind the accident at Broken Mesa?"

"They never found out the cause..."

"Exactly. And now, getting back to the story..."

"When we figured out the basic functions of the various buttons, we decided to try them out. I pushed a large blue button, which you may be familiar with, considering that you were there as well."

"How did you know?"

"I knew someone was in that air duct, though I didn't say anything.

"When I pushed it for the first time, I was amazed. Not at the button pressing of course, but at what was revealed. One of the hidden projects of Omega."

"What was it?" I asked.

"I don't know. Nobody but those scientists knew what we were dealing with."

He walked over to the bookcase, and pulled out a large book. From here, I could see that its title was Great Mysteries of Savannah: The Omega Project. He then handed it to me.

"See what you can make of that. I must now go."

I left the house, knowing one thing: The Councillor wanted power, but was soon in too deep for his liking. Ah well, some were made to be leaders, some were made to be puppeteers.

Some would say he was simply just a pawn in the greater scheme of things. He was merely a man of regrets, just like everybody else.

But I had work to do.

* * *

Lucienne found that the trapdoor was securely locked. She could not prise it open. Thinking, she realised that she would need a little more firepower. Unfortunately, it had the risk that it would also bring the tunnel down, and trap her in Omega, with no way out.

* * *

Rifling through the book that the Councillor had given me, a piece of paper fell out. I picked it up, and it was a photo of some farmland in Upper Brackenfell. On the back, something was written. After a few moments of deciphering, it read this: this reservoir holds something important? what could be in there? The rest was undecipherable, as it was badly smudged.

Another puzzle piece added to the mess.

Later that day, as the rather unusual phenomenon known as fog rolled in, I was getting the text analyzed at a small, private development studio owned by a friend of mine. She quickly deciphered the remaining text.

81N 48W - 611 854 28

"So, what is this?"

"I can't tell you right now. In fact, I don't even know what this is."

"Oh, okay. I'll let you do your things. I have things to do anyway."

"Thank you. You've been a great help."

Logging onto the computer terminal, I looked up the coordinates. It was a certain distance off the Skeleton Coast, famous for collecting more than its fair share of shipwrecks. I would have to pay a visit there. It would certainly solve one piece of the puzzle. But what was its relevance to the water reservoir in the picture?

* * *

As the fog rolled over the university, a discussion was going on within the large echoing halls.

"At this point in time, we cannot do anything."

"I am aware of that. We can only influence the Good Doctor in his thinking. The rest is up to him."

"There are bigger fish in the sea. He is only a small fry."

"Indeed."

"It seems there are stirrings of dissatisfaction within our ranks."

"Eliminate them."

"Yes, sir."

The people discussing the current events that had just transpired could not be identified at this present time.

"Our moment in the sun will come."

* * *

Lucienne, no closer to finding the mystery behind the trapdoor, had obtained some C2 soft-explosive, which would ensure that the tunnel structure would stay intact. She placed a small amount of C2 on the door lock, and detonated it. The trapdoor was blown open, revealing a square, black space. She descended into the darkness with her torch, climbing down using the ladder...

* * *

[to be continued...]

Update 5

Owen:

Thanks! See ya round, eh?

jacqulina: And I am grateful for that. Thanks!

GMT: Yeah it does, doesn't it? I think it's in Germany or wherever.

Mulefisk: Thanks! I took influence from Buenos Aires, actually, considering it has those extremely wide boulevards.

KingTitan: Thanks!

HamsterTK: And I need to be following your CJ more.

bat: Thanks!

Fred_Ginger: Thanks! I really should get around to changing the font for update 6. Actually, I better do it now before I forget about it!

Yoman: Thanks! And I'm not going to answer that...yet.

asturianu: Thanks!

Leech10: You'll find out.

Schulmanator: What turnips? Thanks!

ilikehotdogsalot: Thanks!

connor_v: Thanks!

rusty_777: Heh, well, say more, and you'll get more Heh, thanks.

Shadow_Assassin: Thanks... why am I talking to myself again?

Update 5.5 (Preview)

--NOTE: People have been asking for these seawalls. They can be found here, second link on the page. You will need something that can extract .cab files, like WinRAR. --

GMT: These walls can be found here. Second link on the page.

Yoman: (comment out of date, already explained on MSN)

Leech10: Thanks!

Nardo69: Thanks! Same here, but I've seen dodgier, anyway

Schulmanator: Thanks!

jacqulina: Thanks!

patriots_1228: Thanks!

connor_v: Thanks!

hamsterTK: See GMT's comment. Thanks!

owenluby: Thanks! Yeah, it's a pain, but it's useful.

crazychickensc12: Thanks! I'd use Photobucket, except that nothing beats Imageshack for quick uploading

RushHourFreak: Thanks!

bearmans: Thanks! See above.

ilikehotdogsalot: Thanks!

John (Darmok): Thanks! These seawalls can be found in a link that I posted up there somewhere.

asturianu: Thanks, and thanks for the welcome to page 7.

rusty_777: Hehe, thanks.

Update 6

jacqulina (twice): Thanks! And have a happy new year too.

RushHourFreak: Heheh. Thanks!

GMT: Thanks!

Mulefisk: Thanks!

ilikehotdogs: Heheh. Thanks!

Schulmanator: Considering the time at which I posted that update... I suppose you're right.

Yoman3:

natuurzoon: Thanks!

Leech10: Thanks!

Mayor of Tempest Lake (whom I know better as Duw or Yoshi): Thanks

bat: Thanks!

patriots_1228: Okay. I'm not sorry for the blur.

SpecialEddie: Thanks!

Benedict: Thanks! Traffic isn't actually too bad, because I have mass transit in every tile.

gurrgkud: Thanks!

Phil: Thanks! Anything is possible with SC4, so long as you can shatter that glass ceiling (a shotgun does nicely for that )

Owen: Thanks! I've been playing Ensenada since last.... August, I think it was, so, it's taken me a while, yes. I've taken a four week break, so really, I've spent around three months on this region. By the way, you have posted post #200!

And 2500 views surpassed. Good work, guys.

And that's update 7.

Peace out,

--SA

[6underground 11]

Looking rather Sexy SA!

[jacqulina 162]

beautifull work my friend awesome farms,wonderfull layout and pics

[bat 6]

wonderful suburbs, great story, fantastic farms! I really like your curving roads!

Congrats on 2500th views...

bat

[RushHourFreak 1]

Awesome photosopp effects. The downtown is excellent. The story is great too.

Waiting for more.

RHF

[Giligone 10]

wow, great story. What is the tallest building in the downtown pic called? Is it a BAT on the STEX? Great work!

[CKSmooth 0]

Excellent pictures, beautiful CJ. This is the kind of city I hope to make some day!

[Nardo69 51]

Missed an update ...

Great mosiac (if I find the time I may try thist too with my old PaintShop Pro (5, that is ...)

A real suburban hell and a nice transition from suburban to rural!

Good use of the japanese greand railway station... I have it for years now in my plugin folder but never used it ...

that region view is great!

the new one:

Nice and classic rectangular layout for thems. Those rows of trees look great, too! God combinatin of praiodan's castle and Simgoobers townhall - reminds me of the baroq Schloss (chateau) of Bruchsal!

Broken Mesa ... How come I am reminded of an 3d shooter ...

About the Wii: as long as the Wii doesn't drag you apart from SC4 like WoW did with Llewellan ...

Take care my friend

Bernhard