Del Sol County. My first CJ attempt

[Mayor Zoidberg 0]

Hello Simtropolis,

Here is my first attempt at a city journal, which I've dubbed Del Sol County.  I have posted pictures of my region below, along with my ideas for what types of areas I'm aiming to have in each section.  I am open to suggestion on where to begin, as I'm fairly new to SC4.  Let me know what you think.  Consturction is just beginning, and I'll keep this updated.



Thanks for anybody who gives feedback on this.  I'll be posting construction photos soon. 

Mayor Zoidberg

[DanWalker8 3]

aww the name of my first car! (i miss you!) Anyway, it looks like you're not linking images correctly... hope you figure it out! WELCOME TO SIMTROP

[anarchy0029 2]

Welcome to Simtropolis, however I'm not able to view your imagaes thru the link.

[Mayor Zoidberg 0]

I was afraid I may have missed a step.  Thanks for letting me know.  I'll repost these, along with my initial construction photos.

[Nardo69 51]

Welcome to Simtropolis!

Let me give you some hints as an experienced CJer (I do this  T´thing now for almost three yeras ...  )

1. Don't upload pngs - they are too big and make problems especially with IE though Firefox should work fine. In addition to this they are  way too big.

Instead convert them to JPG for example by using the free tool irfanview.

2. Just showing some region views isn't enough - go into the towns. If it is not how you like it to be don't worry and ask for advice - CJs are there for inspire others and get inspired by others!

3. Use the direct link and not the different HTML codes for the pictures

4. Don't put links into it . Link the picture. Click on the image symbol next to the smileys and paste the link from your image host right in the first free text field. By pressing tabs it should be shown in the preview windows if everything was OK.

5. The most important thing: Have fun with CJing ...

Bernhard

[Cobra_nVidia 30]

Originally posted by: Nardo69 2. Just showing some region views isn't enough - go into the towns. If it is not how you like it to be don't worry and ask for advice - CJs are there for inspire others and get inspired by others! quote>

Oh I definitely want to see the towns!

But I think the reason there's no city views is that they haven't started and are showing a region overview

[Mayor Zoidberg 0]

Thanks for all the great feedback so far.  I think I've got the hang of how to link these images.  That being said, the eastern half of Del Sol County is posted first, where it's a bit higher in elevation versus western Del Sol County, which consists mostly of gentle coastline.

[jrone3 2]

Nice region. I like the idea of where you are putting your different areas. Good luck and have fun

[jacqulina 162]

great start and intro my friend nice looking region there

[Mayor Zoidberg 0]

The initial construction of Southlund, the mostly industrial area south of where I'm looking to have my downtown, is below.  I placed medium denisty industry along S. River Rd. with some residential neighborhoods sprawling off from there.

[nihonkaranws 88]

Okay work... you need to get rid of that ugly water color, and you need a LOT more custom content. Please change all those images to JPEG files and resize them to abide with the 800x600 rules.

[Mayor Zoidberg 0]

Thanks for the feedback thus far.  I think I finally have the hang of how to post images.  Also, I've resized them and switched them to a JPEG format, as requested above.

I am a newcomer to SC4, and have just started to add custom content, so a lot more will be added in the near future.

I downloaded the NAM, and was curious if there is a mod for a rural highway.  I've seen it mentioned on the forums, but can't seem to find a link to it.

[manubeas 0]

Glad you're trying to make improvement, also when you post your images, get rid of the toolbar by cliking on the little square right at the bottom left edge of it. Also, go to your settings anf put the high quality on so your pictures look way better, and btw, don't worry sooo much about your custom content. There are some grest cjs in here that don't use custom content(Although I prefer with custom content.

you should get a water modd cause that is a preaty ubly color hehe

Hope his helps,

manubeas

[Mayor Zoidberg 0]

I will be sure and download the "real" water mod, but unfortunately, the modd section seems to be down at the moment.  While I wait to browse more custom content, I have one additional construction photo.  What you're seeing is two parallel one-way roads, which represents State Highway 23.  This is a road I am going to upgrade to a freeway once I have enough traffic to offset the cost of highway maintenance.  As you can see, some mid-sized industrial and commercial areas are adjacent to the future freeway.

[Mayor Zoidberg 0]

So things have been busy in Southlund, my first city in Del Sol County.  In my last post, I showed you State Highway 23, which at the time was a parallel set of one way roads.  As my population has recently exploded (well, going from 3,000-21,000 in a few years) construction has begun on the Hwy 23 freeway, which will take commuters from Southlund into the future downtown district.  A few cosmetic trees have been placed on the freeway R.O.W.

As you can see when I zoom out, the Southlund region is doing quite well.  I now have it filling the entire southern half of this area, with a seaport touching the western shore.  

[jjune4991 1]

wow! what a diverse area. i like your region shots, and it looks like you have a pretty good city started. good job!

[Mayor Zoidberg 0]

Construction continues in the Southlund area.  Development has now spread out of Southlund and into Sunset City, on the north bank of the river.  Currently the only option to cross is the freeway bridge below, which is 6 lanes total and does a fine job.  State Highway 23.

Highway 23 takes commuters from Southlund into Sunset City.  Soon after crossing, Hwy 23 encounters Interstate 350.  Taking I-350 West takes you to the beaches, where going east will take you to downtown Tavaris (my main city of the region). Going north on 23 takes you through a mid sized commercial area before it drops from a freeway toa 4 lane avenue. As you can see, commerce around the 23/350 interchange is developing quickly. 

Lastly, the Sunset City area is attracting a lot of high end real estate along the river bank.  Below is a picture of Rio Ridge, a "ritzy" waterside neighborhood.

[nottheboss 1]

great start

[Mayor Zoidberg 0]

Thanks again for the feedback.  I have looked at the city journals you suggested, and have been impressed.

I have a few additional photos this morning.  We're first looking at Danube Plaza, a high end business park. 

A few exits east on I-350 (Exits 12 and 13) you'll end up in the Sunset Galleria, another area of corporate headquarters and soon coming high end retail. 

And then, my last photo for the day, citizens of Sunset City and Southlund now have an alternative to the Highway 23 freeway bridge.  At the mouth of the S. Tavaris River, commuters can now cross via the State Highway 81 bridge.

More updates coming soon.  I have recently gotten the hang of installing custom files, so I feel it will help give my city a more authentic feel.  Until then, enjoy, and thanks for all the great feedback! 

- Mayor Zoidberg

[City2TheMax 3]

Well its good that you are looking into downloading some stuff, as it REALLY enhances the game (especially for pictures). So far your city looks quite nice! And the region looks very promising. I'll stick around.

PS - in my opinion, close ups look better than pictures further away, so bringing more of those in will make your cities look nicer too.

[nihonkaranws 88]

Nice city planning, but you still need to download a lot more stuff. Go to the STEX, there's a LOT of good stuff there. I like your avatar! Good luck!

[Mayor Zoidberg 0]

I would say my favorite part of city buliding is creating highways.  I really enjoy creating interchanges and a well planned freeway system.  Therefore, I am posting construction photos of the downtown interchange.  This marks the convergence of 3 freeways, Interstate 50, Interstate 9, and Interstate 350.

I-50 is the main east-west artery through my region, as I-9 is the primary north-south.  I-350 spurs off of 50 on the east side of where my downtown area will be, and continues west to the beaches (you can see I-350 in previous posts.

Currently, I'm planning on how to move traffic on eastbound 350 to I-9 South.

[fourthparallel 0]

Looks like youve been getting into highways - - - great work! get some seawalls for your river... I am a big fan of Zoidberg, nice avatar and siggy!

[Mayor Zoidberg 0]

This will be my last update for a little over a week.  My wife and I are going to Hawai'i for a much needed vacation.  That being said, here are some recent photos to tide any following I have (all 1 or 2 of you) over until then.  Enjoy!

First off, is Sunset Park, home of the Solars, the Tavaris area's AL franchise.  Passing by the stadium is state highway 81.

Next, we're moving into my new downtown area, Tavaris, the largest city of the region.  First off, I have a picture of I-350, which skirts the sotuh side of downtown and is depressed into a trench for most of its alignment in this area.

(I am still working on getting some walls that would fit this freeway segment better!)

Last, I have a shot of the east side of downtown, which is mostly industrial, though if you look west, you can see some of the skyscrapers. Also in this picture is the meetings of Interstates 50, 350, and 9, which I previously posted.  I had to revise the design a bit because of terrain.   I am trying to figure out a way to avoid having block upon block of look alike buildings, so if there are any suggestions....

Well, that's about it for a while.  I, Mayor Zoidberg, appreciate all your feedback on this, and "Aloha" until next time.

[nihonkaranws 88]

Cool work, looks like you're getting better at this city building! Great work!

[Mayor Zoidberg 0]

Aloha Simtropolis friends!  Back from a great Hawaiian vacation.  That being said, I have a few small updates on the Del Sol County region.

First of all, I have a zoomed out shot of the eastern side of the downtown area, where you can see the routing of Interstate 50.  Just east of downtown, the county becomes a bit more hilly.

Next is a closer shot of the Damcyan Hill area, and the I-50 "D-Curve" as the freeway wraps around the hill on its approach to downtown.

And finally, inspired by my own city of Portland, I have placed the Del Sol County Zoo on top of Damcyan Hill (similar to the Oregon Zoo being along the canyon US 26 winds through on its way into downtown Portland).

[BC_Rich_Warlock 1]

very good looking city so far i was wondering if anyone had used those triangle ave. pieces for their highways, just one question where can u get season tickets for the Solars.

wonderful job my friend keep up the great work.

[BC_Rich_Warlock 1]

very good looking city so far i was wondering if anyone had used those triangle ave. pieces for their highways, just one question where can u get season tickets for the Solars.

wonderful job my friend keep up the great work.

[BC_Rich_Warlock 1]

very good looking city so far i was wondering if anyone had used those triangle ave. pieces for their highways, just one question where can u get season tickets for the Solars.

wonderful job my friend keep up the great work.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Region looks pretty good, as well as planning. You even have the nice lil details! All u need now is content, but maxis cities are good if well done. I would have to say, this looks pretty darn good for no CC. Great work!