Sterling & Lake Champlain Region

[suplado! 23]

wow --awesome view of the area...cool looking farms in the hills, and some nice small houses around...

[Benedict 3,119]

St Anne is gorgeously done. I do think that tone you've added to the images really makes your CJ even more special - I'll be interested to see if ti translates well for larger settlements. Love the schoolhouse and church.

[ky72x 13]

Again, I like to see the light traffic traveling along the main route in St. Anne. Without it, it would seem like the town is pretty isolated from the rest of the region, but thankfully, that's not the case! Nice farm fences and houses, too. And yes, I did notice spa's new buildings in this update.

Keep up the beautiful work, Phil!

- Kyle

[PhilsCafe 8]

Replies

asturianu: Bueno, gracias . Yeah, it'll be pretty much like Burlington, but we're not going to see Sterling until the last stop of our region tour. So you have something to look forward to, hehe. Thank you very much for your post, Cristian. Take care my friend.

dfnva: Thank you very much for your comment, Dan. That mix is something I've picked up from Nardo69's Urland CJ and it looks quite nice for really small towns IMO... it also is a blessing for SC4 commute times . As for the road numbers, it looks like VT doesn't have a particular system... despite beginning with 9 for small state highways such as connectors and named roads.

MrJakesWar: Welcome to Sterling Region, MrJakesWar. Thank you very much for that great compliment. It is very likely we're using the same mod... so, thanks a lot for the tip, I'm gonna try that.

bbfan02: Hey thanks a lot for that great comment. I'm glad you still like it... I try to create something special for each town, so they don't look all the same. That would be boring, right?

Schulmanator: Thank you very much, it's good to know I'm on the right track . As for the maple syrup, see below. Keep it away from the kittens though .

suplado!

: Welcome to Sterling & Lake Champlain. Thank you for stopping by, I'm really glad you like the area.

Benedict: I hope it'll translate well... I think it adds a lot to the calmness of the area and since I imagine the area really calm in reality, I'm sure it will . Thank you very much for posting, it's really appreciated.

ky72x: Thank you for your unbowed support, Kyle! The traffic does indeed bring the places to life doesn't it... but isolated sounds desirable, we'll see how this develops. Thanks again my friend.

I'm afraid, I don't have an update this week. It's been a busy week and I had to study most of the weekend too. Thanks again to everyone who has posted so far, it's very much appreciated!

---

A special treat for all the loyal readers! Enjoy!

[PhilsCafe 8]

Creative Break

Hello everyone! You may have noticed that my journal hasn't been updated in a while. I got only a little playing time during the last couple of weeks so there isn't a lot of progress I could show. Not much for a full update, since I'd like to show something special in each update. To do that, I need to develop the region a little bit more. This might take weeks or even months, I don't know yet.

Thank you for your patience!

[The Big Z 103]

You have a really nice CJ, Phil. I wonder how I missed it...I especially like the balance you have between farms and residential/commercial. Your towns are nice, and very inviting. I can't wait to see some more shots!

[Nardo69 51]

Hello Phil!

Seems to be I am not the most loyal visitor here ...

But I must say that this was a mistake! I do love the shots around the covered bridge - the least used bridge by me, I think I have only one of them in Urland! 

Take your time with the update, "Gut Ding will Weile haben", the slower CJS aren't necessarily the worse ...

Take care and don't forget to make backups!

Bernhard

[nihonkaranws 88]

Beautiful work my friend. Lovely layout, it has a real suburbish feel. Looking forward to more!

[TrebuTa 0]

amazing cj, I just can't come near to the cities I see in these cjs. specially the mountain, rural parts. I've been trying to make beautiful rural and mountainareas but I just can't make them. got any tips for me? specially building roads up in the hills and little towns etc

[PhilsCafe 8]

Replies

The Big Z: Welcome to Sterling. Thanks a lot for commenting, I'm glad you like the balance... that's something I focused on and I'm happy it worked.

Nardo69: Hallo Bernhard. Thanks for your patience my friend... I guess this can be considered the slowest CJ on Simtrop though . As for the covered bridges... I believe there are a couple of those in Vermont. I never used them much either, but for this setting they seemed quite authentic to me. Thanks again for posting... and you are very loyal!

nihonkaranws: Thank you very much for posting. The rural feel is what I'm looking for, I'm glad you like it. I hope to preserve that feel, even for the city.

TrebuTa: Welcome to my CJ! Thank you very much for stopping by. It's quite difficult to give tips... it's basically a trial-and-error thing. But for starters, I'd download a nice hilly terrain from the STEX. Then start with a small settlement near the water or along a valley (which could be some sort of a trade route). I started to fill the basins first and created roads along the slopes. I then slowly began to expand the town towards the hills. I left out the higher hills and bridged the elevation with curved roads... just like real life mountain passes. I also suggest to take a look at Google Earth and start to include some little details from there. I hope that helped, good luck with your city building.

I'm sorry for not posting in the last couple of months. I was busy with studying, just wanted to tell you that I'm still around. But I won't have an update soon... I'm pretty much stuck with Sterling at the moment. I'm on a Sims 2 excursion at the moment... I hope to get new inspiration from there. However, I've made a timeline of Sterling history which you might like.

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History of Sterling: Timeline -1900

1500 Before the first Europeans settled the area, Native Americans from the Western Abenaki tribe inhabited the shores of Lake Champlain.

1609 French explorer Samuel de Champlain claimed the area on July 30, but it wasn't until 1666 that it became part of the New France colony.

1690 Dutch-British settlers established a stockade at Chimney Point and in 1696 a first settlement was established further north near today's Sterling. The trading posts served the New Hampshire colony.

1731 The French arrived Chimney Point and started with the construction of a fort and controled the border with Vermont.

By that time the stockade near Sterling lied within French territory. Along with the military, French settlers entered Champlain County and established another settlement near today's Bosworth.

1759 When British troops managed to take the French fort at Chimney Point, the French retreated as far as Quebec. Pushing along northwards. the British destroyed military infrastructure along the way. The stockade near Sterling burnt down completely.

1760 On the ashes of the old trading post, British settlers founded another settlement, which they named Sterling.

1763 Vermont became British with the Treaty of Paris.

1777 Vermont became an independent Republic, only threatened by the Revolutionary War. It remained independent until 1791, when it joined the union as the 14th state. The independence from British rule resulted in considerable economic growth for Sterling. It became an important trading town close to the Quebec border. The opening of a university emphasized the importance of the aspiring town.

1823 Lake Champlain Canal was opened, creating a continuous waterway between New York and Montréal. The port of Sterling became an important trading point for lumber. By that time, Sterling was one of the largest towns in the U.S.

1831 When the population became too numerous for the town meeting, Sterling was incorporated into a city.

1849 Central Vermont Railway reached Sterling, connecting Champlain County to the state capital and other parts of New England. The lumber industry could bloom even more and also dairy produces became more and more important.

1865 Civil War affected the population of Champlain County. The men were mustered for the 2nd Vermont Infantry regiment, destined to fight against the Confederates. By the end of the war, the population dropped by about 40%.

[fabsies55 5]

awesome city dude those rural areas and farms are awesome.

the whole thing is good.

if they had like a modd or somethinh that gave you traffic light free intersections that would be cool and it would be even more realistic

[Seabrook500k 0]

Nice, looks very New England, northern new england anyway, south is more urban. This is really cool because I live in Sterling, Massachusetts! Can't wait to see more.

[dfnva 34]

Interesting information, I'd love to see an in-game update when you have time.

-Dan

[un1 41]

Can't wait for an update, your current progress is great. Can't wait for more!!

-un1

[PhilsCafe 8]

Replies

fabsies55: Never thought about the traffic lights... but you've got a point there, such a mod would be really cool. In this update I tried to minimize the amount of traffic lights showing up though... Thanks a lot for commenting!

Seabrook500k: A visitor from New England, that's cool. Good to know that I'm not way too off with my interpretation of a New England town. As for the name, Sterling sounded very English to me, so I took it... I didn't know there was one in MA though. Thanks a lot for posting.

dfnva: Hey Dan! I thought it would be interesting to see what historical background I had in mind, it's kinda like a masterplan to me. As for the in-game pictures, there you go... I hope you enjoy them. Thank you very much for your comment.

un1: Welcome to my CJ! Thank you very much for the compliment. I hope you enjoy the update.

After that rather plain historic overview, I'm back with a proper update. Enjoy!

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Update 2.1: More from St Anne

St Anne has changed quite a bit since our last visit. It now has a population of 1,922. Residential development took place all-around the lake shore.

^ A closer look of St Anne Church, built and designed by two German immigrants in the mid-1800s. They built it after an existing church in their German hometown.

^ The town isn't concentrated on one settlement, there are patches of residential and commercial areas distributed all over the town, while the main settlement comprises only a couple of houses. St Anne might look like a small, secluded place, but it's right on VT Route 127 (in the upper right corner of the picture) which is the main connection between Bosworth and Sterling.

^ The actual town center is this patch of commercial development along VT Route 127. That's what most people see from St Anne anyways, when they drive through.

^ VT Route 127 southbound, there are more lakefront properties. Most of these people work in Sterling.

^ Excuse that rather skewed shot... I had to rotate a little so that I could fit in more of the town.

So much for St Anne. The town will undergo more development and eventually, we're coming back to look at the changes. But next update will most definitely be focused on Sterling.

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CREDITS

Generic Lot Set Smalltown USA by ancientsociety. Victorian Country House by csq246. Convenience Stores 2 by dk1. Mayor Mode Tropical Sea Set by Goldiva. Small German Church by haarlemmergold. School Pack Vol01, Smalltown USA Fire Sticks & Onsted State Bank by JBSimio. Cottages Ornée: Essex by Mattb325. MTP C$ Low Wealth Replacement Mod by Pegasus. Country Homes, RLS Cottages, RLS Homes The Berwick & The Birka, RLS Mobile Homes, RLS Small Homes, Sardina Row Homes  by Simgoober. Kingsway Shops Pack by spa.

[Jillybean86 38]

Awesome. You really captured Vermont very well; beautiful without being flashy or gaudy. I'm glad your "creative break" is over and we can see more of your wonders

[JJC12321 0]

wow this is great i love how u use the mods to make ur city more realistic

[jacqulina 162]

awesome work and pics,excellent looking city

[Schulmanator 5,793]

A lovely update. The town is looking nice. I am glad to see you back with more of this picturesque area.

[dfnva 34]

Very picturesque, the use of nam curves enhances the aura you're creating.

-Dan

[asturianu 4]

Hey Phils! long time no see my friend. I really missed Lake Champlain Region. That new update is just amazing, I love St. Anne..its just amazing how rural it looks and how realistic it feels. Great work there man. Can't wait to see how Sterling looks! Been waiting for that for a long time!

Nice to see you are back, I'll be back soon as well. See you later, bud.

Cristian

[Matrx999 0]

Great work on a very picturesque rural region. The amount of fine detailing is well worth the considerable effort it must have taken. Keep it up and update often!

[ElBarto92 7]

Very nice start to the CJ - good luck with it, and don't worry about updating frequently. A CJ doesn't need to be updated every day to be good. Keep up the good work..

[Tia-may 0]

Great update: hoping to see more soon.

[My Username 0]

oh well this CJ makes me sad..

because i realise how much i suck!

this is outstanding! i really love it!

awesome realistic beautiful interesting

just some of the words that describe your CJ.

keep it up, i'll be back!

[Benedict 3,119]

Great return! I love your use of curved roads, and of course the general atmosphere of your towns. Beautifully crafted.

[Criquette 0]

wow, Phil, these pictures inspires me alot! I only play with SC4 when creating custom hood maps for S2, but.. the nature is great and the way you lay down the roads is just perfect. Love it. Really.

[PhilsCafe 8]

Replies

Jill Jacobs: Hey, thank you very much for that great compliment, Jill. I guess I wanted to keep it a little bit somber with a lot of different green tones, that's why I didn't install the colorful farmfields from the STEX. Anyway, I'm glad you like it that much.

JJC12321: Welcome to my City Journal, JJC12321. Aren't these mods stunning? They're the reason why SC4 is still interesting... I'm not so sure if my towns looked that appealing with the plain game only. Thanks a lot for posting!

jacqulina: Hey Jacky! Thank you so much for your nice comment my good friend. I'm glad you still like my work. I'm sometimes surprised myself how nice certain scenes turn out, although I actually kept them pretty simple.

Schulmanator: Thanks a lot for commenting. I very much enjoyed to update again and particularly to play SC4 after that rather long break. I'm glad you liked what I came up with.

dfnva: Thank you very much, Dan. The funny thing is, I wasn't even aware of that aura before posting the pictures here... it kinda resulted from the process of presenting I guess. As for the NAM curves, they're a nice feature for rural areas, but in some settings, like more urban areas, they're too much. I think that's because they're a little too long.

asturianu: Hey Cristian, buddy! It's great to see you back. I knew you wouldn't miss Sterling... I intend to bring you guys slowly to the inner city with showing some (more) rural parts first. Thank you so much for posting.

Matrx999: Welcome to this journal, Matrx999. I tried to not overdo the details. However, rural areas need some details to make them interesting IMO... from your comment it looks like I've found the right quantity. Thanks a lot for posting.

ElBarto92: Thank you very much for the encouragement, ElBarto92. I'm glad you like my CJ so far. I guess it will be around as long as I'm playing SC4, I doubt that it will become a 100+ pages journal though... but that's not what I'm looking for anyway .

Tia-may: Thank you for stopping by, Tia. I'm glad you liked the update. I hope you come back here often.

My Username: Welcome to Sterling and thank you very much for that great compliment. But I wouldn't be too disillusioned... if you knew my beginnings. When I look at some older stuff from my first CJ, I guess I would do a lot differently now.

Benedict: I'm glad to be back, thank you very much for the compliment my friend. I was never happy with how the game handled curves. It wasn't a big issue in cities, but in rural areas it always bugged me. It usually came down to the compromise, either it looked bad from up close or then from the region view. The curved roads aren't perfect either, but they're close...

Criquette: Hey, thanks for stopping by my friend! I'm glad these pictures inspired you. During my break I actually tried to start a new S2 neighborhood a couple of times, based on my settings from SC4, but the results weren't satisfying... looks like I'll have to try a little bit longer.

Thank you everyone for your great support, your comments are always very much appreciated! In this update, we're leaving the rural shots aside and get more urban with the first update of the city of Sterling. Enjoy!

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Update 3.0: Sterling Harbor

Sterling Harbor is the city's waterfront towards Lake Champlain, in the southern part of Sterling Bay. During the 1820s it became an important port for the shipping of lumber to and from Quebec.

^ the bay encloses most of the harbor and works as a natural breakwater. At least this farmer also found another use for the breakwater.

^ close-up from the Southern lighthouse.

^ the docks are the main industrial area of Sterling, mostly built on landfill. During its time as an important port, most of the space was used to store lumber. Now that trade on Lake Champlain has dramatically decreased, the docks are hardly used anymore. However, it is still the largest industrial port on Lake Champlain.

^ The waterfront now is mainly of recreational use now, except from the ferry. Each day, it transports hundreds of commuters between Sterling and Port Pleasant, NY, on the Western shore of Lake Champlain. Behind the smoke stack, we see Union Station.

^ Union Station is actually located in the South End neighborhood, which we will see later. But I still thought I'll show you a closer view. Today, it is mostly used for scenic rail tours only. But there also is a minimal commuter service, but not many people are using it (for Bernhard: it's only a small, non-electrified railroad, mostly used for Freight traffic, that's why there are a few rail-crossings).

^ Another example for the recreational use of the old port. City officials have realized recently that the old lumber storage spaces can be used touristically. I think the waterfront still has a lot of room for potential development. In the background you already see parts of Downtown (@ Cristian ).

Okay, I hope you enjoyed this one. Next will be Downtown, take care!

[jacqulina 162]

hiya phil my dear friend,im not surprised at all with your beautifull water scenes i knew you could do it,wonderfull details rocks ect.i love the pics they are very pretty.take care.

[Schulmanator 5,793]

A very nice update. That port is beckoning for me to come out and go fishing.