Digby - East Coast Region

[Casper3141 60]

Whoa, great update, I cant wait for more

[woelfwynde 20]

I've been following this for a while....

Very nice CJ, and very well done. I like all the embellishments that you do to the pictures, and the enhancements to the stories. (Or is that Vice Versa?  )

Keep up the good work.

 

 

 

Oh. Yeah.

 

Welcome to page 25!

 

[Edit]

Page 30, indeed! Lol. Doncha wish this was page 30???

[/Edit]

[jay_allen1978 0]

great work, the pictures are nice.

[jglei701 8]

Welcome to page 30!

quote>

30 or 25....?

[Zagreus 0]

Great update. I am guessing, like someone else did, that it is a water mod? Well the Private school would be a good addition to the bustling Granton. Could we have an update on your eight main cities, and few new ones that you haven't noticed any time soon? I can't wait to see how your cities have grown, and of course the aesthetic course they have taken it that growth. (Page 30?...I thought this was 25...)

[lewellan222 3]

Some New Year

[Zagreus 0]

Your New Years Resolutions are a great idea to keep the CJ updates and your city fresh and hopefully catch the attention of newbies to the web site and the you city and maybe even inspire them. Cannot wait to see these changes!

[Llama_Sim 0]

I wish you the best of luck! I'm sure whatever you cook up, it won't disappoint!

[Cjah 15]

You make me feel so experienced or maybe I'm just one who gives up to easy.

I've had SC4 for about 5 months now and I've already had 5 regions and am always starting over.I have countless Bats from NDEX and many others.

So many mods.I always thought the perfect mod for Digby would be the Rural Mod.Or something close to that.It gives you a bonus from your cities harvests every year.If your cities farms do well then you get more $$$ for your budget.If they don't do good they take $$$ from your city.

I was wondering since you already have roads and rail through out Digby.I think the next transit option for Digby's people should be the freeway!Think about it.A nice long freeway conecting west and east Digby.It would start in one of the larger cities on the west side.Maybe Wheaterford and go to Granton on the east side.Sound good?

Or how about this a monrail for every city on the island east of Digby.Hanley and Wentworth conected by rail of the future!(Of coarse the monorail wouldn't be made on the island until the late 90's right?)

Maybe a bridge somewhere...Conecting the two islands of Digby!(Hopefully not.)

Well your the master of Digby so tell us what you decide to do.

BTW thats a nice list of New Years Revolutions for Digby.

Keep up the great work!

[Nardo69 51]

Hello Paul!

I know ALL Version of SimCity (and created a lot of cities in older version including Classic and especially SC2K) but NOTHING influenced me more on bulding cities than your CJ.

Go on like you did before. If you want to increase speed do increase, if you want to use more BATs do so but pls don't get crazy and change your style!

As I can see in my (Pre-Digby-) cities: speed is not everything ...

A true fan of your CJ

[uncrazycooper13 0]

Those ideas of yours sound great. The only thing I have to say is don't speed up too much and don't develop too fast because then it Digby won't be seperate and special. Have more updates and shorter updates but try to have the really awesome bigger updates mixed in every once and a while. However it's your cj so it's your decision. Whatever you decide I am sure pretty much all of us will continue to watch this amazing region progress!

-uncrazycooper

[Prophet42 1,503]

I just finished reading your current updates, Paul. Thanks for pointing out the No palm tree mod. I will definitly have to use this mod since I too hate the palm trees. They just don't go with my oak forests in my En Gedi region. Now if they could come up with a mod to fix the disappering traffic. I also like your new year's resolutions. I look forward to more frequent updates and to see how Digby grows and changes.

Being an Engineer and into Bonsai, I too like the detail available in SC4. Your CJ's attention to detail is impressive. Keep up the good work.

[lewellan222 3]

Three New Mods for Digby

 

Well, the time has come to talk about mods. As I mentioned before, I have been experimenting with some select mods in my neverending quest to make Digby a little more realistic and interesting.

 

Remember, these mods are simply placed in the Plugins folder and can be removed at any time. They do not alter gameplay, but do alter the way things look, and in the following cases, the way terrain is shaped.

 

Here they are, in order of presentation:

 

Tunnel and Slope Mod
by Big Red Fish

 

This mod was tweaked by member Big Red Fish based on a mod made previously by member CSQ. The Tunnel and Slope Mod is also called the Levelling Mod, and I like that name better because it seems more accurate to me.

 

(Note on spelling: leveling is American and levelling is British/Canadian...those crafty Amis keep dropping letters; ie. thru and honor... I sometimes alternate between both spellings, because I live in Canada, but on the US border)

 

So what does the levelling mod do? This mod changes the tolerable slope values of roads, streets, rail, and others such that they force the terrain around them to slope more gradually. In other words, the terrain rises or falls to meet the road instead of vise-versa. This creates smoother routes and results in terrain shaping that more closely mimics what engineers do in real life.

 

This comes at a cost, though. The low tolerances make it much harder to place roads and rail on uneven terrain. There are many times where the terrain is lowered or raised so far that the result is unworkable. Thus, it is often necessary to remove the mod every once in a while so that one can continue touch up. However, some people report leaving the mod installed at all times and don't worry about removing it. It can be tricky to use, but is still an essential tool in my opinion.

 

Why I Don't Think This Mod is Cheating

The Leveling Mod avoids the need for spending large sums of cash trying to tweak the terrain. In my Level Rail presentation a few months back, I showed how much work it is to manually level terrain for tracks realistically. This wouldn't be so bad if the terrain leveling tool that comes with the game wasn't so unforgiving. It is difficult to use, and very hard to exercise exact control. There is no undo function in terrain modification, so one is forced to spend ridiculous amounts of cash to correct mistakes. Finally, the terrain tool in the game has a continuously rolling charge meter that keeps rolling up the cost when you hold the mouse button down even if you aren't moving the cursor! Not fair! Engineers don't try building a road without first planning it all out. So a tool that let's me make level roads and tracks without is fine with me.

 

The mod is found at: https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/view.asp?mode=viewtopic&topicID=44972&num=30&pageNo=3

 

This mod is not to be found in the Modding Area, I am not sure why. Make sure you use the file called BRF_TunnelSlopeMod-b.zip as this is the latest one that does not contain alterations to the elevated rail tunnels, which are apparently quite quirky.

 

 

 

Bridge Height Mod
by joerg

 

This is a very popular mod that simply creates a more level transition between land and bridge. This mod is considered an essential to many players.

 

Why I Don't Think This Mod is Cheating

The bridges in the game look a bit silly with their 45-degree ramps leading up to them. There is a reason for this, but since Digby is all about aesthetics, I'll go for the better looking bridges, thanks! The function of the bridge is not affected, and thus gameplay is not altered.

 

This mod is found at: https://www.simtropolis.com/modding/index.cfm?mode=details&show=314

 

 

 

Hole Digger Mod/Lot
by smoncrie

 

This is actually a lot, and not so much a mod. Still, member smoncrie has provided a handly little array of lots that allow you to dig holes (or lift the ground) to facilitate tunnels or overpasses. The depth of the tunnels is set such that a tunnel can just squeeze through, keeping the angles at a minimum.

 

When used in conjuction with the Leveling Mod can make some great looking configurations.

 

Why I Don't Think This Mod is Cheating

For the same reason as the Leveling Mod...terrain is a bugger to alter in the game, and SC4 unfairly overcharges the player who must tinker to get the heights right before digging a tunnel. This does the work for you, and you still pay for it.

 

This mod can be found at: https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?mode=files&filetype=lot&category=default&sortby=DatePosted&show=12&Str=smoncrie

[lewellan222 3]

 

Okay, let's have a look at this Leveling Mod!

 

If you remember a while back, I went to great length to describe how to level out the terrain to realistically depict train tracks:



Blah, blah, blah!...

 

Well, it was mentioned to me by member Motina that there was a mod for doing this, but in my fear of all things mod I didn't act on it. Since the No Palm Tree mod seemed to give me courage in mods, I PM'd Motina and he sent me in the right direction. Thus, I came across this handy, but tricky, mod.

Here is what it does in its most basic function:

 

 

And all that with a single drag! Gosh, that would've taken me half an hour to do by hand!

 

Checking out a rail crossing in Grande Forkes, you can see how what a great effect the mod can have. Everything around these tracks - the road and the fields - all dropped to meet the level track. Add a few fences (thanks Suico) and we're in business!

 

 

 

 

Check this out below...real tracks do this all the time!

 

 

 

 

 

The tool will allow you to clean up messes like the one below.

 

 

 

When done, the above can be cleaned up to look like this:

 

It is especially at junctions like the above where you want everything level, because these spots draw a lot of attention to themselves.

 

In the caption above, I mention not bothering with all this if starting a new city. Much of this worrying about level track can be avoided if your level an area BEFORE you start building a city. In my case, I am correcting an existing region, so I have to do repair work, but if starting from scratch it isn't as hard. Just remember, if starting from scratch LAY ALL OF YOUR MAIN RAIL LINES FIRST! I say this from the beginning, but the levelling tool really pushes the point.

 

 

 

Avoiding Unwanted Tunnels

I have mentioned that this tool can be tricky to use. The reason for this is because the tool essentially only creates level track. This means you can really paint yourself in to a corner. For example, it might want to make a tunnel where you don't want it, like below:

 

 

The solution is often simple:

 

 

 

 

 

Joining Tracks That Won't Join!

One challenge with the mod is joining tracks at different elevations. Sometimes the track would need to be at an angle greater then 2-degrees, and the mod won't let you do that. You'll have to temporarily remove the mod from the Plugins folder to find solutions. But before you do that, you can prepare the ground ahead of time so the un-modded track is not too drastic.

 

 

Remember, this mod is for roads and streets too! With the mod installed, the tolerance of roads is much less also! Use this to your advantage. Since we know we must lay un-modded track there later, why not smooth it out with modded street? That way there will still be nice gradual slope, and nothing crazy.

 

 

 

Tiering a Tracked Elevation

It also looks good to gradually tier the slope of the track. This means carefully laying flat sections of modded track at slightly increasing elevations up to the final level. Then remove the mod, go back and fill in the sloped areas between the flat sections. The larger the distance between elevations, the better the track looks.

 

 

Another look at this same rail system further down the line shows how tiering is necessary to traverse drastic changes in elevation:

 

 

Like I said before, many of you might not want to be moving the mod in and out of your Plugins Folder. But if you have very hilly or mountainous terrain, working with the mod on all the time will be tricky or impossible. If you even terrain, many of you will be able to leave the mod in all the time.

 

 

 

A Digby Example of the Levelling Tool

Let's go to the small town of St. Marys, just south of Morrison. Here, there is a large hill that both rail and road must get over.



Using the Levelling Mod, the end result was as seen below:

 

 

On steep inclines, road and rail must often zig-zag to minimize the grade on which trains and cars must travel.

 

 

 

 

Like we talked about before, the mod won't let you create steep slopes, so you'll have to do some footowork.

 

 

 

 

 

As I explained before, create your flat, modded sections first. Then touch up later with the unmodded track. Don't forget how useful the modded street can be:

 

 

 

 

 

The levelling mod often results in the creation of other desireable flat elements, like the industry at the base of the mountain in St. Marys:

 

 

Is This Mod Too Much Work?

Some of you may be thinking this mod creates more work than it saves. I disagree. It's easy to move it in and out of the Plugins Folder. And the amount of nit-picky terraforming required to create satisfactory flat rail would be far greater without the tool. Ideally, SC4 would have a button that let you determine the track tolerance setting, much like that in Railroad Tycoon 3 (which by the way has a great undo function). Maybe someday, but I think Maxis rightfully puts playability before the need to minutely shape terrain.

 

Let's have a look at the next mod.

[lewellan222 3]

 

This handy mod has been around for a while. It is considered essential by many. I am now one of those people. Plainly speaking, it makes bridge look better. The mod makes bridges settle nicely onto land instead of clumsily.

 

Let's go back to Grande Forkes and see what effect this mod has on the famous D. W. Dalton Memorial Bridge:



Before and after:

 

 

Aah! Much better!

 

Let's look at the process of replacing and building bridges. It's pretty straight forward, but we'll look at the pretty pictures anyway. By the way, these bridges were built with the Levelling Mod installed, which is why the rail bridge has a more even landing than the street bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And so, in future, the bridges of Digby will look a little better. Thanks, joerg!

[lewellan222 3]

 

The hole digger. This simple little set of lots are designed to prepare the ground to accept tunnels, particularily those that are meant to dip under exisiting road and rail. The lots are made for all types of transportation with the exception of elevated rail. In addition, there is a lot that raises terrain, which I'll show at the end. The lots are placed, then a road or rail is dragged into them. When that happens, the terrain drops or raises sharply, just the right amount to make the tunnel. The lots are then bulldozed, and the road and rail is built normally and the tunnels are thus created.

 

The Hole Digging Lots allow us to follow the real world principle that engineers don't want cars stopping for trains (or crossing train tracks) wherever possible. Also, main traffic arteries should not be interrupted by lesser arteries wherever possible. Of course this is not always possible (so we need traffic lights), but you will find many examples in your own city where the road goes over or under another road or rail because one is more important than the other! Tunnels allow us to do this in SC4, but they are tricky to make manually.

 

The Hole Digging lots help us out in this regard. In our example, we'll go to Whetherford:

 

 

And pick a spot where we don't want cars stopping for trains...ah, here is one on Miles Rd (inbound Highway 58):

 

Okay, let's get in there and dig!

 

But before we do, I must tell you in this example the Levelling Mod was removed! That's why the street drop into the upcoming underpass is short and steep. Otherwise, the Levelling Mod would have created a much more gradual and long incline, which would have taken up too much valuable real estate in this congested part of town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And looking at it front another angle, you see this:

 

 

 

 

The Ground Lifter

In many real world cases, it is more common to go over something than under it. The ground lifter lot in the same set allows for this. In this example, I have put the Levelling Mod back on! This will ensure nice gradual terrain slope!

 

 

These solutions for overpasses and underpasses are the best the current game has to offer. It's too bad SC4 doesn't have a better built-in tool for creating these, since most underpasses and overpasses are actually bridges and not tunnels. Tunnels are actually quite rare. But this is still a good solution! Thanks, smoncrie!

[lewellan222 3]

Mod Class Is Over!

 

That's it for now. Thanks for reading!

 

You'll see the results of using these mods thoughout Digby in the future. As I said before, these are simple tools that allow me to shape things with more control. They aren't cheats, and they don't do anything crazy with the simulator.

 

Next, we'll do some building, 'cause to be honest I haven't really done any building in months.

[Djohaal 121]

I don't comment often, but I will say that this is a great way of learning how to use the mods. I personally edited the slope mod so I can lay the rail wherever I want, I prefer to hand-terrorform the tracks, and of course, streets are a great tool too

[Darmok 34]

Thanks a lot for the insights on those mods,

I use them all the time, but in those last posts, you showed me new ways of overcoming the little quirks they tend to have.

The tiering of the tracks level for instance, well let's just say that I'll swear a lot less now when I use it, knowing the trick with the road tool before removing the plugin.

Again thanks, and kudos for your city

[kyprios 0]

Paul, this is all such great, amazing, outstanding work, that i have a proposal for you, or better: a request.

Could you compile all of your work so far into one offline file?
A compiled HTML or whatever, so we can have a visit to digby or review one of your howtos whenever we like.

I still remember the shock when simtropolis was down for a short period...

[Sabretooth78 808]

Excellent work there with the mods.  Especially the bridges, they look great!

 

A couple of pointers I've noticed with the slope mod however:  I personally think a 2% slope on a railroad is a bit too small, I've edited mine to be 5% (and if you've ever been through places like Crawford Notch in NH, you'll see steeper than that!).  The other thing is that you can rarely get away with no manual terraforming at all - while the mod limits the slope of a single tile, it has no effect on the gradiant difference between two tiles, meaning you can still get some of that waviness.  It would be nice to be able to specify a maximum grade difference from tile to tile (which would possibly be more realistic rather than limiting individual slopes), but I don't think that's possible.

 

One thing you just taught me was the reverse use of the hole digging lots - I never thought of that!

 

-Chris

[Dr. Neitchskrimfrauwnmoya 7]

Wow! You gave really good tips Paul! I stopped using the tunnel&slope mod because I was tired of removing it all the time from my plug-in folder. I'll try the road tip. And your new year resolutions are very good, I agree totally with them, but maybe not with the last one. BAT takes a lot of time to mastered and you should spend this time on your very nice region instead of trying to use BAT. I know there are a lot of buildings you would want to see in Digby but you should at least experience the default tools of SC4 you haven't even seen yet like freeways, avenues, subway, high density buildings etc. before trying to create new buildings.

Continue the good work

[your_adress_here 11]

Wow, this is very impressive stuff!!! I love your new year's resolutions and I hope to see good things in the future for Digby!!! Keep up the amazing work!

[pansarkatt 2]

Now that's a great mod lesson - thanks a lot!

[Motina 77]

The Slope Mod and the Bridge Height Mod have been the most highly appreciated by myself. I favour them more than the NAM.

[alt+tab 2]

Holy Guacamole!

That really helps!
(With other members)

I already know these mods, but your pic.s are amazing!

[morifari 65]

Well, if you want more realistic overpasses, that are bridges and not tunnels... and you're starting to feel OK about using mods... then you really should make the plunge and install the greatest mod on all of Simtropolis, the NAM (Network Addon Mod). Go on. You'll like it.

[uncrazycooper13 0]

This looks great Paul! Still I can't wait until we have another update on one of the cities. I noticed that recently you've been showing us a lot of little towns that you haven't introduced to us? I hope that you will soon! However your choice. Keep up the awesome work!!!

-uncrazycooper

[Cjah 15]

Morifari may be wrong.I think that you should not get the NAM.I mean it is great and all,but it may ruin the very image of Digby.I think the NAM will look great in Digby,but only when Digby is a metropolis like L.A. and N.Y.C. not while it is still small and mostly farming towns.Digby looks the way it does becuase Paul made sure he designed Digby how it really would have been built and designed.He knew industry relies alot on rails.Thats a fact in the real world.Thats why we see so many rail lines throughtout Digby.When Digby reaches the next stage or plateu if you would it will most certainly reley on freeways and subways.So thats why I think the NAM should be used later.I'm sure other fans of Digby may agree.

Now let me begin my real reply.(That was mostly side talk)

I'm really glad you should us how the mods work and new views of Digby.I think these mods you have will make Digby better then ever.

The Brigde Hight Mod in question may be the greatest and yet simplist mod ever made.I know you guys may take it for granted,but it really is one of the better mods out there.

Also the Hole Digging Lot/Mod is one of my personal favorites and I'm glad your using them.They really make the game more realistic and more fun.

The Slope Mod I've never tried so I best go and get it.I think from what I've seen in Digby it most be a truly great mod.

Keep up the great tutorails and updates!!!

Truly breath taking stuff!

[nofunk 1,933]

Your region is just spectacular!! And I think giving in and using a couple mods is worth it for the added realism they bring to the game.

Two questions though: (1) Where did you get those fences for the farms in the first picture on the slope mod?? and (2) Likewise, where did you get the overpass railings?!

Again, great job!!