The Greater Terran Region

[Haljackey 17,385]

Welcome to page 5!

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Reply:

edmonton_stinks: Yep!  Update is HERE!

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Update time!

Okay everyone, time for a more detailed look at the city's growth.  Over 10 years in "Simtime" have passed since the last update, and a lot has changed since then.  Here are but a few pictures of what has happened:

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Picture Information:

NOTICE:  Please Read!

    Before I post some pictures of my cities, please know that I strive for the best quality of my images possible.  Every picture from here on-in is not photoshopped in any way, and is taken directly from the game to show you exactly what I see in the game.  The only editing done is converting the .PNG file to .JPEG.

***IMPORTANT***    Also, please know that my pictures are COMPRESSED, and are NOT RESIZED! When you resize a picture, a ton of the image's quality is lost, and is shrunk to comply with ST's picture size limits.  Compressing the image retains the quality, but looks terrible when squeezed to comply with site limits.

But, I have found a loophole in this problem.  Each compressed picture displayed will be linked to the actual uncompressed, true image.  All you have to do to view the image in its FULL RESOLUTION (1440x900) is to simply click on the compressed image displayed in this city journal (800x500).  The reason that the images are not 800x600 is because I present my pictures in widescreen (16:10 aspect ratio), making the image much more appealing for the human eye's stereoscopic vision.

If you have any questions or comments about how I display my images, feel free to post a reply.

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Pictures:

Click on the Images to view them in FULL RESOLUTION!

High-density growth in a newly built area:

A new Financial district in the Western part of the city. 

Funny Pic:  Taxis are actually leaving the "Sky-Port", seeming as though this is actually a functioning building!

Next task:  Revamping this old, outdated interchange.  It is very compact and complicated, and will be quite a task to reconstruct it.

[bbfan02 23]

Wow, excellent update! How long did it take you to compile this update?! Great interchanges and city shots. I look forward to more.

-bbfan02-

[edmonton_stinks 5]

Great update! I love the before and after shots. You've done well revamping the transportation networks!

[dfnva 34]

The only problem I think I'd have living in your region is the perpetual road construction. haha. As for the last picture, it's a catch-22 where you can't make everyone happy... some people will be peeved that their property is being torn down in the name of road construction (and probably won't get top dollar for it either) yet to keep traffic moving and to lower pollution, it would probably be good to widen the highway.

I like your way of posting links to pictures on imageshack so that you can see a larger view if you so choose.

Looking forward to seeing some more great interchanges!!

Dan

[Smarty218 2]

Great update, the before/after pics are nice.

[Hamish 1,370]

Good update, And nice before/after. Looks like a real improvement! It looks like you should make the RHW in the last picture into a 3 lane. Even though it means destroying or moving the building with the road through, which I like! (the building not the destruction of it.)

[dogma555 187]

Haljackey, thanks for the link! Two things: First off, the thing with the new RHW is you can actually use the three lane texture and its still only the same one tile wide. Its only until you drag the shoulder and grass blank spot that it takes up an additional tile.. but second, i have found it a bit quarky working with the three lane roads and getting them set up right, and lastly they dont even turn. But i'm wondering if this is just because it is early in development or if im not doing something right. Do you have any shots of your three (or six both ways) lane rural highways?

[vivydu29 60]

Great update, your city is very beautiful.

[chrisnhl50 2]

hey hal,I dont see any buses or bus stops anywhere do you use any at all? Im thinking of removing my bus stops to create more traffic!

[jacqulina 162]

wonderfull update yet again great work and pics my friend

[Haljackey 17,385]

Replies:

bbfan02: Thanks!  It took me quite a while to compile this update (a few hours), so I hope you enjoyed it!

edmonton_stinks: Hey, thanks a lot!  Things will continue to be updated and highways reconstructed as time passes on!

dfnva: LOL!  Isn't that a problem in any big city?  Yep, there is a big decision to be made about that segment, and who knows what will happen!  I'm glad you like my picture format, I hate compressing images!

Smarty218: Thank you!  Glad you liked the before/after pictures!

hamish:  Glad you liked the before/after pics.  The only problem widening the highway to 6 lanes is that the overpasses will have to be demolished.  Also, there is no underpass puzzle piece for the RHW-6, but I'm sure I can work around it.

dogma555: No problem!

#1: Thats true, but it looks ugly without its shoulder.  Also, once the RHW-8 and RHW-10 come out, you won't have enough space to fit these networks. 

#2: It's difficult to use these.  There are no diagonals yet.  See more about the progress on the RHW project via my signature (the link to RHW @ SC4D).  My 6 lane highways are mainly maxis right now, I am still integrating the RHW-6 into my highway networks.  I will show more soon!

vivydu29: Hey, thanks a lot!  Glad you liked the update!

EDIT:  2 new replies came as I updated!

chrisnhl50: The city has a vast bus network.  You can't see the stops because many of them are blocked by all the high-rises!

jacquina:  Thanks!  I hope you like the new update I just posted!

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Update time!

As I mentioned in the last update , my next task was reconstructing THIS interchange using the new MIS for the RHW network.  It was quite a difficult task, but the finished product is AMAZING!  I was able to construct my first "Complete" RHW-MIS interchange that will actually be used by a ton of traffic!  This new interchange will really help commuters in the city's north end access the city's south as well as the main CBD.

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Pictures:

Click on the Images to view them in FULL RESOLUTION!  (Please see my PICTURE INFORMATION at the top of this page if you are new here.  Thanks!)

The area has been completely cleared, and the overpass totally demolished.  Due to the size of the new interchange, a new tunnel will take the avenue under the interchange instead of over it.  Here we see some new alignments in preparation for the interchange.

New connections created.  The stubs for the ramps will connect the highway to the surrounding road network.

All ramps have now been constructed and the main highway route put in place.  (Mind the connection at the top, it is there t

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Post Being Restored.

[Smarty218 2]

Fantastic! It actually looks like what I imagine my local intersections to be from the air!

[jrone3 2]

Wow! Nice interchange. It must have took some time to squeeze that in that little space. But hey, ease the traffic; bring the development

[Hamish 1,370]

Looking at the first pic i thought it would be smaller and only just connect to the avenue on either side. So I was surprised when it ended up look ing like that! great update!

[bbfan02 23]

Wow, excellent job! I love the new interchange! Great signs and other eye candy.

-bbfan02-

[dfnva 34]

Looks good, and more realistic with the RHW and RHW ramps. At any rate, it looks like a complicate series of exits and ramps there.

Dan

[Godzillaman 21]

Hehe...now I know how you plan your insane interchanges!

Really some heavy density here...not even the city I'm planning is that dense!

[dogma555 187]

looks very good! very interesting interchange in the last pic, last exit southbound.. i would be concerned that would cause a jam during rush hour though, otherwise I like the idea of it!

[gabry85 2]

Whoa! Excellent interchanges! They look incredibly realistic!

[edmonton_stinks 5]

Excellent! Your CJ is tops for interchanges! Everything about this new one is well done. That should help improve traffic flow...

[suplado! 23]

wow -- awesome use of the new rhw in your city!! really like the curve youve done to it

[Haljackey 17,385]

Replies:

Smarty218: Thanks, I aimed for it to be compact but realistic!

jrone3: Thanks a lot!  It took a lot of time to get it to fit and work properly.  Traffic is really benefiting!

hamish: You would think, but its me, so don't always expect what is expected.  You were just as surprised as I was, I had no idea what it was going to look like!

bbfan02: Thank you!  Glad you like the extra features!

dfnva: Thank you very much!  It is complicated, but I did aim for a bit of realism as well.

Godzillaman: LOL, guess my secret's out!  Its a dense city, I'll give you that!

dogma555:  Hey, thanks a lot!  Glad you like the southbound ramp!  It was the only way to make it, so it has some pros/cons, but it should help traffic flow overall.

gabry85:  Thanks!  I'm glad you liked it!

edmonton_stinks: Thanks a lot for the comment!

suplado!: Thanks a lot!  I hope you enjoy what's to come!

@ ALL:  Thanks for all the support and the comments!  I can't believe this CJ cracked 3,000 views already!  I didn't expect this!

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NEW information:

I have decided to discontinue numbering my updates.  This will help stop any confusion when updates get to, say "1.46".  The 1 in the update is supposed to represent the chapter in the CJ (for one city), but with so many updates in one chapter, it can get confusing.

Thus, there will be updates to each chapter.  So, this will be an update to chapter 1.  Once chapter 1 is finished, chapter 2 will begin, and a whole new line of updates will follow chapter 2.  I will edit my previous updates to reflect the changes.

Does that make sense to you?

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Update Time!

Not a whole lot this time, mainly a showcase of more developments in the city.

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Pictures:

Click on the Images to view them in FULL RESOLUTION!  (Please see my PICTURE INFORMATION at the top of this page if you are new here.  Thanks!)

With development this dense in the new areas, I guess its time to expand the city once again:

A view south of the interchange constructed in the last update.  Roadwork is now underway to improve this stretch of highway.

Just showing some trains using the railroad system.  I haven't really showed too much of the city's mass transit yet.

It seems that BLAM has moved their corporate offices into the city, constructing a mass

[Smarty218 2]

Ha, I love those accidents, but I can never get a decent shot of one...

Anyways, really nice mass transit and everything else, I really look forward to seeing some more!

[KingTitan 6]

Quite interesting updates.... Some good design elemrnts... some a bit confusing. But I see the development and Im sure its gonna look outstanding.

[Hamish 1,370]

Nice Update, its a shame that some of the buildings are darker. But looks good anyway.

[Haljackey 17,385]

Replies:

Smarty218:  You have to be patient and lucky to get a good accident.  It also helps if you avenues are in the red on the traffic query

KingTitan: Nice to see you here!  Some good design elements?  What can I do to make it better and less confusing?  Any feedback is appreciated!

hamish: Thanks for the comment!  Abandonment is something that happens in all real life city, so no "Less Abandonment Mod" for me!  Sometimes land value can get so high that it can be a bad thing, people can't afford to live there anymore!

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Update Time!

Believe it or not, I had some time on my hands to pump out another update in less than 24 hours! This update will show you the dense and complex infrastructure the city has.  Without it, traffic jams would be extremely frequent and mass-transit even more overcrowded.

It also shows all the work put in to make a city like this survive on its own.  Like I said, the only "Cheat" I use is the "radical commercial office mod" which I use to make office development more realistic in a city of this setting.  No other mods are used, and thus, it is quite a task to keep this city functioning well.

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Pictures:

Click on the Images to view them in FULL RESOLUTION!  (Please see my PICTURE INFORMATION at the top of this page if you are new here.  Thanks!)

Dense office development.  How do you think something like this works and functions without proper infrastructure?

Here is the same image, with buildings removed.  (all images like this have to have the menu present.  If I get rid of it, it will revert to the image above).  Note the elevated avenue, road overpass and tunnel just north of the large stack interchange.

Here is a zoom-out of the area with buildings

Same image, without.  Note the bullet train lines, GLR/elevated rail, and partial interchanges in the area.

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As you can see, this is a very complex city.  That is just the ground view too, there is also a useful subway system buried below the ground as well as many useful tunnel bypasses.

I hope you enjoyed this update!

Best,

-Haljackey

[edmonton_stinks 5]

That is complicated. I imagine the city must be overcrowded anyway, but...wow. Amazing that you've managed to set all that up.

[gabry85 2]

Man, hope there will be some signs for those Sims, lol!  Anyway, excellent road layout, can't wait to see the buildings grow!

[Hamish 1,370]

Wow, You can hardly see the road ways with all the buildings, Now that there gone I can see that the road ways are very complicated.

[bbfan02 23]

Wow, excellent two updates! I really like the skyscrapers and great road and highway system! Keep it up!

-bbfan02-