NAM General Discussion Thread

[Antipex 0]

Date: 7/29/2004 2:04:23 AM
Author: Duke87

Anyway- About the 'half cloverleaf' thing. it's interesting, but I can't imagine why someone would want an incomplete interchange. The road to road interchange seems like a much better Idea to me. We can already make overpasses, so why not interchanges?

quote>

Much agreed - we need to change focus here

[shasta 1]

Who in their right mind would want to build an incomplete (partial cloverleaf) interchange??? It makes no sense!!!!!

A question for The Great Chozo...

When will the stack interchanges be completed???

[gambit529 0]

regarding the partial cloverleafs.....


say you are driving to work and you need to take two main roads. someone else needs to take 2 main roads. of course your not going to go the other way. but now lets say for arguements sake that you want to visit person b, who happens to be a buddy of yours, on the weekend. obviously the quickest way would be the turn off that isnt there. im sure you would know the way to get there, without that-way turn being there.

the partial leaf clover would be really good to have in a city if you knew the routes the sims take....oh wait a minute...you do!

[slincoln 2]

Date:7/29/2004 2:32:20 PM
Author:shasta

Who in their right mind would want to build an incomplete (partial cloverleaf) interchange??? It makes no sense!!!!!

quote>

 

Partial interchanges are realistic, thats why people want to build them.  There are many instances when these interchanges would be selected.  Sometimes certain buildings cannot be torn down for the ramps, or perhaps there are other obstacles.  Sometimes the ramps are not needed, like when a downtown area has a cross interchange with a downtown loop and downtown spur freeway.  Commuters wont need to get onto the loop while exiting downtown, they'll just want to get on the spur and head outward.

 

 

Sometimes you would want partial stack interchanges with cloverleafs.  Sometimes there are the main flow of commuting traffic goes between two of the four freeways meeting at the interchange, like when there is a freeway going right near downtown and another further out of the city.  The best way to avoid traffic problems is to do a half stack so that the none of the commuters have to do a loop.  A majority of the traffic is easily carried on ramps.  The light traffic that would want to head away from downtown from the residential areas would get a loop.

 

 

[The Great Chozo 34]

Date:7/29/2004 2:32:20 PM
Author:shasta


A question for The Great Chozo...

When will the stack interchanges be completed???

quote>

 

Hmmm, let my go consult my Magic 8 Ball ..

    ****rummaging through closet , oh there it is. ****

    **** vigorous shaking of the Magic 8 Ball *****

      *****  hmmm , interesting *****

Shasta, it says to Ask again Later

Sorry about that.  

[Slabrankle 4]

Asking the great Chozo Again! LATER!

 

 

 

when will they be completed?

[momo 1]

Date: 7/29/2004 9:18:40 PM
Author: Slabrankle

Asking the great Chozo Again! LATER!

when will they be completed?

quote>

Refer to Tropod's last response. The knowledge required to contribute to the Network Addon Mod must be made common. This is what Tropod is working on right now, a tutorial of sorts. Funny thing is is that I was thinking of the exact same thing at the time he made that post. If more people knew how the thing worked it will go faster. BTW: that's one freaky avatar you have Tropod.

[Tropod 144]

Just for the record;

It's Redlotus whose doing the tutorial. A hand-few of us are but merely helping out beta-testing it.

Since this has been bought up though;

The information to do this stuff, is actually already available on these forums really. The big problem is, it's not easy to find. What this tutorial will hopefully do though, is bring together all/most of this information in one zip file [or document] so that it'll be a lot easier for others to make use of, without the troubles of trying to find the information themselves in the forums, where most of it is hidden.

[momo 1]

Also some people, like myself, don't even know enough to know what to even look for in the forums! We really appreciate all the time and effort put into this. This mod is the best thing that has ever happened to the game.

[FireSka 20]

slincoln  has the exact idea of why I am requesting the T-interchange where the highway continues past the T, because creating a cloverleaf takes up WAY too much space and there are many instances where I want something where the highway converts to the aveune after the T.  I think this is very realistic, practical, and useful.  Maybe after the Great Chozo stack is complete, then this won't be as practical, because hopefully the Chozo stack will take up a lot less space than the cloverleaf (because the interchanges curve inward rather than outward), but I know it still wont take up as little space as the T-interchange.  Also, I realize that by requesting things that they might not even be done because it is a matter of who makes the models and has the time to do the coding.  I am merely inputing suggestions that some people might not have thought of or requested.  Hopefully some day everything everyone requests can be made, but it all depends on who puts effort into making things happen.  If I knew anything about coding or modeling then I gladly would, however I really don't, espically about all of the SC4 coding.  I hope that some day Maxis makes many more options, specifically road options availiable, such as in Sim City 5.  Rush Hour was a big treat for the fans, and I can only fantasize what SC5 will be like.

[kassarc16 4]

I'd love to help, but frankly, I'd be no use. I really have no clue about the inner-workings of SC4 (though the tutorials might help), plus my talent with graphics is non-existant.

 

All I can do is offer my support, and watch for any bugs. So keep it up!

[Terse Pig 4]

 

Date:5/16/2004 8:53:05 PM
Author:iamrobk

Date: 5/16/2004 2:45:15 AM
Author:

Okay, I've read the whole thread, and I don't think I missed anything...

Why doesn't anyone seem interested in rail-over-road?  For me, most of my rail is in a tight spot, but frequent road intersections and highway proximity make road-over-rail impossible, and sometimes lots would face the road-over-rail...but the rail line has all the room in the world for an overpass, since it crossing nothing but the roads it needs to go over.  It has all the room it needs in its thin corridor.

So can I request rail-over-road, or is there a reason this has been abandoned?

quote>

The main reason people don't want this is because it's simply unrealistic.  Toroca can explain it a lot better (he's the one who started the anti-rail-over-road thing, really), but in short, it's just not able to be done in a realistic way.  And T7T's, glad to see you gettin right back to work!

quote>

 

OK, I'm only partly through reading this thread but this comment drew my attention so I apologize in advance if someone has already addressed this. In my town, Orlando, there is a place where rail does go over road. Now, I'm not saying that this is commonplace but to have the opportunity to do so in case you need it would be great. There are also some places on I-75 through Florida that have RR going over it. Just my  .02

[Briman 5]

Date: 7/30/2004 10:52:49 AM
Author: Terse Pig

Date:5/16/2004 8:53:05 PM
Author:iamrobk

Date: 5/16/2004 2:45:15 AM
Author:

Okay, I've read the whole thread, and I don't think I missed anything...

Why doesn't anyone seem interested in rail-over-road? For me, most of my rail is in a tight spot, but frequent road intersections and highway proximity make road-over-rail impossible, and sometimes lots would face the road-over-rail...but the rail line has all the room in the world for an overpass, since it crossing nothing but the roads it needs to go over. It has all the room it needs in its thin corridor.

So can I request rail-over-road, or is there a reason this has been abandoned?

quote>

The main reason people don't want this is because it's simply unrealistic. Toroca can explain it a lot better (he's the one who started the anti-rail-over-road thing, really), but in short, it's just not able to be done in a realistic way. And T7T's, glad to see you gettin right back to work!

quote>

OK, I'm only partly through reading this thread but this comment drew my attention so I apologize in advance if someone has already addressed this. In my town, Orlando, there is a place where rail does go over road. Now, I'm not saying that this is commonplace but to have the opportunity to do so in case you need it would be great. There are also some places on I-75 through Florida that have RR going over it. Just my .02 ¢

quote>

Yes and Im sure it is an at grade crossing. Meaning that it doesnt go up a hill on one side and back down on the other. There are instances where rail does actually go over roads in the real world but it has to be done in a practical manner. That means the grade of the rail is basically unchanged. Or maybe the grade the rail is climbing is much longer and the road just happens to be there so they put a rail bridge over the road. That practical.

[Terse Pig 4]

Date:7/30/2004 11:21:35 AM
Author:Briman

OK, I'm only partly through reading this thread but this comment drew my attention so I apologize in advance if someone has already addressed this. In my town, Orlando, there is a place where rail does go over road. Now, I'm not saying that this is commonplace but to have the opportunity to do so in case you need it would be great. There are also some places on I-75 through Florida that have RR going over it. Just my  .02 ¢

quote>

Yes and Im sure it is an at grade crossing. Meaning that it doesnt go up a hill on one side and back down on the other. There are instances where rail does actually go over roads in the real world but it has to be done in a practical manner. That means the grade of the rail is basically unchanged. Or maybe the grade the rail is climbing is much longer and the road just happens to be there so they put a rail bridge over the road. That practical.

[frogface 352]

i tried that bridge trick again, but with some additions

shame you cant get the one ways to bramch off diagonally.. hint hint

[andreharv 1,197]

well actually you can split the avenue into two one ways and then branch diagonal oneway offramps off of those.

[andreharv 1,197]

sorry frogface. I had a picture of what I was talking about but I don't know how to post it? How do you post images?

[Mexicanboy13r 12]

Frogface you do the same thing as me..or i do the samething as you..Both work..I like doing that for some reason!

 

ps; you gotta take care of that trash in your city!

[LakeTrash311 0]

First off, I really gotta say that this mod has me playing SC4 pretty religiously again.
Here's my idea about the stack/partial stack discussion. Instead of plopping down the partial interchanges as a whole, why not give the player the ability to place each connector one or two at a time, while also being able to run one way/access roads through it as well... My hometown (Austin TX) has a lot of these stacks under construction, with 2, 4, or 6 connector ramps instead of all 8.

 

2 ramps...

 

4... (the T interchange mentioned earlier)

 

6...

 

I can't remember if any of this was already mentioned, just my 2 cents.

[FireSka 20]

Yeah those are some massive interchanges they are building there in Austin.  Here in Waco we have either cloverleaf interchanges, no interchanges (where you just exit one highway, turn left or right, and then get on the other), one curvy overpass interchange that reminds me of a partial T-interchange, and one regular interchange... Great Chozo and Tropod are coming out with a 4 way interchange similar to the ones your showed, but partial interchanges of those would be more difficult I'd think.

[shasta 1]

Date: 7/29/2004 6:38:54 PM
Author: slincoln

Date:7/29/2004 2:32:20 PM
Author:shasta

Who in their right mind would want to build an incomplete (partial cloverleaf) interchange??? It makes no sense!!!!!

quote>

Partial interchanges are realistic, thats why people want to build them.

quote>

I understand this fact. I just dont understand why anyone would WANT to build ANY version of a cloverleaf interchange? They are a massive space consumer and are impractical in most downtown freeway interchanges. Something similar to what LakeTrash311 is recommending (partial stack - see above) makes much more sense, because the interchange is confined largely in the right-of-way of the crossing freeways, enabling people to build right up to the interchange.

[slincoln 2]

Shasta, cloverleafs are used alot, but not a whole lot in big dense metro areas like a downtown. They would be used for major highways / interstates / freeways meeting out in the open, or in suburban areas.
Stacks and partial stacks are good for downtown or other dense population areas.

[Dexter 40]

Tropod, would it be possible to have different textures under the puzzle pieces?

 

Here is an example:

http://3.forumer.com/uploads/simtropolis/post-2-1091282600.jpg

[CenterToolCopter 0]

Has anybody made any texture changes to the ANT, yet? I'd love to be able to use it as a dirt road. I know it doesn't provide road access, but I could still use it in the rural areas of my regions.

...And what's the status on the stack interchanges?


BTW, this project is the best thing to happen to SC4 since RH!

[LakeTrash311 0]

Date:7/31/2004 1:12:54 AM
Author:shasta

the interchange is confined largely in the right-of-way of the crossing freeways, enabling people to build right up to the interchange.

quote>

I forgot about that when I drew those up. That's definitely a perk, especially if you're building it in a really dense area. My thought really was rather than modeling each interchange, just model out the individual direct connectors and let the player plop them into the intersecting highways kinda like the on/off ramps. It probably would be difficult to do, I'm not sure if it would even be possible, but I think it would be interesting to see. I'd like to try it out myself, but I'll have to learn how to model first.

[tonkawom 1]

Whis all of this modding going on, Lets raise the bar a little.

with more and more stuff being found out about the inner workings of SC4 weekly, how about adding a few sorely needed things? Like over/under highway and bridges (the bay bridge comes to mind).

I know this would bring up a whole set of complicated issues which have been discussed in the past, but why not a fresh look now that a lot of the inner workings have been discovered? I realize that it won't be somethign that will be done immedietly, but as long as its done tomorrow, I'm willing to wait.

[MC6Ash 4]

Date:7/11/2004 12:42:09 AM
Author:momo

Does anyone know how to change the background of the tiles with the red dots? I have two such intersections in the downtown area of one of my cities but with the on/off ramps you can't make everything blend in. This is why I put trees near that area. It would be nice to make the whole thing look like concrete.

quote>

Ok, guys, this was posted in another thread,(the tutoral to basic and advanced highway and tunnel buildingthread) This sounds like a good idea, do you think it would be possible? if you think it is a dumb idea, please look at the thread I meantioned and you should understand.

[Tropod 144]

It could be 'changed'. The operative word there being 'changed'. I would strongly really really against anything like this though. Highways [& subsequently their ramps] don't have wealth levels, & nor is making them ones possible I believe. Road/Onewayroad/Avenue/Street on the other hand, do have wealth levels, and they do change based on the areas around them. So no matter what the underneath of a highway ramp were changed to, it really wouldn't match with its surroundings.

[iamthouth 0]

I'd like to see roundabout stack-interchanges. Basically, it's a 3 tier intersection, with highways crossing in tier 1 and 3, but with tier 2 as a roundabout. It makes for a much neater and tidyer interchange aestethically.

This is a map from where I've seen it, the Sinsen intersection in Oslo, Norway. The grey lines feeds into the second tier roundabout, while the orange highways cross above and below the roundabout.

To show what I mean more clearly, I've included a drawing of it too. The red (highway) goes on top, the blue (highway) underneath, and the green (roundabout and off/on ramps) are in the middle. This kind of intersection might take up less space than the cloverleafs and some of the other intersections suggested.

 

[The Great Chozo 34]

Date:7/30/2004 7:39:07 PM
Author:LakeTrash311

First off, I really gotta say that this mod has me playing SC4 pretty religiously again.

 My hometown (Austin TX)

 

quote>

 

Well LakeTrash311, being that you joined on the 30th, and you posted that on the 31st, you must have had one hell of a day playing SC4  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I just want to say welcome to Simtropolis, from a fellow AUSTINITE !!!!!!

 

Now that I have given my props to someone from my hometown , it is time to get on with this post.

 

 

OK, I have actually been playing the game a little bit lately. I have been using this great mod, to milk it for all that it is worth. I am afraid though, that I have only touched the surface of what we are capable of.

 

Tropod, I told you that I was experimenting with the Ped Malls, well here are the pics.

 

These are just some pics of what I have been doing with the NAM. Keep in mind that these additions were built in a VERY developed city, so I wasn't able to do anything extravagant, BUT at least it shows this beautiful mod in action.

 

(We will just call this a little bit of marketing, if you will )

 

OK, lets go,

 

This first pic is just some random bridges spanning different distances using the puzzle pieces for roads:

 

http://3.forumer.com/uploads/simtropolis/post-2-1091343311.jpg width=800 align=middle border=0>

 

Here is a pedestrian shopping mall (open air, obviously), that was created around the Central Plains Zoo.

 

http://3.forumer.com/uploads/simtropolis/post-2-1091343402.jpg width=804 align=middle border=0>

 

Here is a Route Query of the subway usage and ped mall usage around the promenade built next to the baseball stadium :

 

http://3.forumer.com/uploads/simtropolis/post-2-1091343514.jpg width=804 align=middle border=0>

 

Here are some more NAM puzzle pieces built in a very high tech center.

 

http://3.forumer.com/uploads/simtropolis/post-2-1091343647.jpg width=804 align=middle border=0>

 

Here is an aerial view of high above the new pedestrian friendly commercial center and baseball stadium district of Central Plains.

 

http://3.forumer.com/uploads/simtropolis/post-2-1091343787.jpg width=804 align=middle border=0>

 

This should simply explain itself. I have always been trying to figure out how to fill this rail circle, and now I have. A self contained high tech facility, complete with commercial services for its employees.

 

http://3.forumer.com/uploads/simtropolis/post-2-1091343929.jpg width=644 align=middle border=0>

 

 

Well I hope you enjoyed.

 

TGC