Rockvale Basin

[JokerFace 0]

Welcome to Rockvale Basin, my first ever CJ.  Now I know what many of you are thinking...this guy joined Simtropolis in December of '04 and this is his second post on the forums ever, what could he know, right?  Admittedly, it has been a very long time since I played SC4 last, and I have spent the last month or so mustering the courage to post a new CJ.  Bear with me as I learn the process of running a CJ.  I have read a few that I really liked so I will try and draw inspiration from those experiences to help teach me what you all are looking to read here.  With that said, I do welcome suggestions openly, and I hope you will give some good constructive feedback on what you like and don't like to see as we move along.  My SC4 skills are rusty and I am learning Photoshop as I go (the images posted tonight will be the first I have ever done, these 4 took about 3 hours!), so I do hope you will stay for a while until I iron out the kinks!



So, with no further blabbering on by me, I give to you Rockvale Basin:



































Those with a good eye and a sense for nostalgia will recognize this classic map revisited.  This is a terraformed version of the infamous Digby region by lewellan222.  I flattened things out a bit so I can get some larger sprawling cities at some point down the road.  Plus, being a SimCity 4 re-learner, I kinda like having mostly flat land to build out on for a while before tackling too many slopes.

So there we have it, the start of something new...

[JokerFace 0]

Topher Station

Topher Station is the name given to the central part of Topher County near Wheaton and Warrenville.  It is so named for the Topher County Power Facility, or simply Topher Station. 

Some of the points of interest on the map above are:

1) Warrenville.  Only a short drive off of Highway 23 finds you in quiet Warrenville, or so it was until the new freight yard was built on the edge of town.  Before too long, the Farley family from nearby Avalon City had built a branch of their famous foundry business near the new railyard.  At least it brought with it a few jobs.

2) The Corners.  If you want to share a vanilla shake with your sweetie or get rowdy with your friends, chances are your path will lead to The Corners.  Rival punks from nearby Wheaton are always on hand to stir up trouble.

3) Walker Park.  This picturesque trail around the ol' frog pond was built by the Walker family on the site of the burned down farm that sat on this land.  The charred remains had sat untouched for nearly a decade due to the Walker family moving away, though they never sold, leased, or used the land.  They recently came into a large sum of money and returned to Wheaton to build this beautiful park.  The nearby Davenport family is convinced the Walkers came into their money by some illegal means after arsoning their farmstead years ago, but most folks write off these claims as jealousy over the Great Blue Ribbon debate from the County Fair some 30 years ago.

4) Topher Station.  The largest employer in the area and supplier of power to all of Topher COunty, including Avalon City.

5) Wheaton.  Most residents in this small town work at the Station.  Though larger in size than Warrenville, it's residents are mostly thought of to be shady and reclusive.  This stigma is of course unfounded and untrue...mostly.

5a) Frank's Jiffy Lube.  Frank's Auto Body and Fresh Produce went out of business some time ago due to lack of interest in buying motor oil and honeydew at the same time.  He and his brother Bob (ev'ryone calls'm Bean) talked the local bank into loaning them the money to buy into a Jiffy Lube franchise, which has turned out to be quite profitable.  You'll have to go to Martha's if you want any Honeydew.

6) Martha's Market.  Martha Schmidt owns these 3 farms now and runs a very successful produce business. She sells the best, sweetest, blue ribbon honeydew in Topher County.  Just don't stick around long unless you have 3 hours to waste listening to town gossip.  Wow, that woman can talk.

There you go, update number 1 in the books.  I will be trying to update as much as I can.  I look forward to reading all (or any) of the comments you guys leave!

JokerFace

[anarchy0029 2]

It is a good start. I like the breakdown of your layout. Excellent work. Hope to see more.

[Follarch 326]

A very nice rural start! I always want to get midrise buildings as fast as i can, but I enjoy a rural approach just as much. ^^

Something that would give your cities and region a more attractive look is to get a water mod, like something PEG has, and you could consider getting that Columbus Terrain mod to give your grass a more dark green quality as well as make your beaches a little darker.

Great job for your first update, and for your first CJ overall, I had just started my first as well. ^^!

[jacqulina 162]

great start and intro my friend,i like the region,very nice rural you have done,very nice beginning

[jjune4991 1]

ok, gotta say, first impression was "new guy, kinda, no experience." now i'm the mistaken one! you're region is very nice! i like all the mountains and river plains (though i know most people will hackle you about getting a terrain and water mod!) and your photoshopping skills are amazing. even though it was your first time with it, you did very nice! great presentation. and when you say these 4, did you mean the two here, and the next 2 coming?

[psander5 195]

Very nice start. It's great to start rural sometimes. I look forward to seeing where you take the region, which also looks great by the way. Your storytelling is good too. Your descriptions really highten the realism. You've created a 'real' place in my mind!

[Abc987 3]

Hi JokerFace,

Being from rural Central New York, I know quite a bit about the rural life you're trying to portray in this update. And boy have you done it well! I love how you put a few small havens instead of one medium town: It's much more realistic. It's also quite obvious how hard you're trying with every aspect of the game. From BAT selection to city-building, I can already tell you'll improve greatly.

Of course, the most recent update wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing, buy hey!, you're only just getting back into SC4. I can tell you're improving greatly. Keep up the great work. If you wake up tomorrow and have only one follower in your CJ, it'll be me.

Talk to you soon,

Jason

[Schulmanator 5,787]

It looks like you are coming along nicely. And, welcome to the world of CJs.

[RushHourFreak 1]

Very nice intro. The region is great, I like how the streams and the river look running down the mountain. The development is also good, very organized farmlands. Looking forward to more and good luck with it.

[nihonkaranws 88]

Great start to an impressive CJ! A few suggestions would be: get a water modd, since the blue water is unrealistic. Also, get the Columbus Terrain Modd, and make sure you the the NAM (in the Modds and Downloads section)! Besides that, I would use some more custom houses, but you are off to a fabulous start, I can't wait to see this city progress. Oh yeah, and congratulations on starting your very first CJ my friend, I wish you all the luck!

[JokerFace 0]

First, a little mood music.

Today's music track is

I would suggest right-clicking the above link and choosing "open in a new window" or "open in a new tab".  Then minimize the window or click back to this tab, turn up the speakers, read on and enjoy!

[JokerFace 0]

Next, some words for those that have replied to the CJ!

---

anarchy0029: Thanks for the kind words.  Grats on being the first poster!  You will see more.  

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Archean: Yeah, I like the rural approach too, obviously.  I did go grab some terrain mods like you suggested though.  I am now running PEG's Clipper Water Mod, PEG's Grey Granite Rock Mod, and the Columbus Terrain Mod.jacqulina: Thanks jacqulina.  No CJ is complete without some feedback from you!  ;-)  I hope I can somehow stand out amongst the millions of CJ's you've read so far! 

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psander5: Yeah, I like to start rural and then let the larger cities expand across the farmlands and envelope the tiny towns, which grow into the suburbs.  Kinda like real life that way.  It'll be a while before you see the 50 story skyscrapers in this region.  :-D  What's a sim without a little realism, eh?

---

jrhnemo: Thanks for the reply.  I am from Iowa myself, so yeah, I'm with ya on the farm atmosphere.  I grew up in one of these small havens and know the landscape type pretty well.  One thing I have noticed from a lot of rural themed CJs is that people tend to try and make funky shaped farms, or so many small farms grouped together.  One thing I have observed here in the heartland is that farms here tend to be large, and mostly square or rectangular shaped.  Hopefully I end up with more than one fan, but if I do, it's me and you together man!  :-)

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Schulmanator: Thanks for the welcome.  It's cool to see someone pop in on my CJ when I have followed theirs for so long.  lol.  I hope I can keep you interested like you have for me. 

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nihonkaranws: "Impressive"?  Wow, thanks!  As you can see from the reply above, I did go out and find myself some terrain mods.  I will have to scour the STEX and dig up some new house models, cuz the endless rows of R$ houses and trailers can get kinda old!  Thanks for dropping by!

---

RushHourFreak: Yeah, it took me a long time searching the STEX for a region that fit what I wanted to build on, and even then, I had to terraform it quite a bit.  I am glad you are not dead, and only asleep!   :-Djjune4991: I am glad I was able to overcome your initial impression.  I can't take credit for the mountain terrain, that I owe in large part to lewellan222 whose original region is incredible.   I don't know if my photoshop skills are quite "amazing" yet, but I do appreciate the kudos.  By "these 4", I meant the larger pics and the 2 banners found in the first 2 posts.

[JokerFace 0]

Just some quick notes about the CJ:

I am sorry for the long delay since the last update.  Things come up, of course.  I do plan on updating more frequently than once every two weeks.  As I stated in the replies above, I am planning on filling the region with rural style development before the expansion towards a huge city starts.  There will of course be the occasional medium sized city, like Avalon City in today's update.  I am playing this region as I go so you are seeing the new tiles on the region as they are created.  That is why there will not be many, if any, regional views until the map is a little more full.  The updates for the more rural areas like update #1 (Topher Station) will be pretty comprehensive in one or two large shots, where the cities tiles will get some closer attention.  With that, I give you update #2: Avalon City.

Avalon City!

This is the zoomed out view with the roads to Wheaton and Warrenville indicated.  You can see the small village of Rodenberg east of Avalon.

This is the downtown district of Avalon.  Some of Topher County's wealthiest businesses and citizens live in the heart of Avalon.

This is just east of downtown, where Highway 78 turns into State Avenue.  Here you can see the Napa Auto Parts store, a Wendy's resturant, and Goobers Nuts! (He must be nuts, this location is 2 blocks from another location, see the downtown pic!)

This is further west on State Avenue where we can see the Governor's Mansion in the lower right (with the stone fence around it and big gate on the street).  Across the way at 29 State Ave., facing the picture is the 6 story Archean Building.  Some see it's construction as progressive, a picture of a future Avalon.  Others think it is gaudy and out of place.  Regardless, some of Rockvale's biggest business decisions are made within its walls.

North of State Ave. is home to many who work in the nearby business district. 

This is a shot of the same neighborhood, but turned to see the highway running along the coastline of Juniper Bay.

More citizens of Avalon live in this wealthy neighborhood a few blocks south of State Ave.  Much to the chagrin of the local riff-raff that like to ride the city bus to the skate park, the Topher County Sheriff Dept. is a block away.

Here is a closer picture of the village of Rodenberg.  Most of the citizens here are older, retired farmers from the surrounding area that just don't care for the hussle of living in Avalon.

Well, there ya have it.  I look forward to reading your impressions!

JokerFace

[psander5 195]

Haha, I was online last night when you were trying to make this update! I was treated to posts titled 'test', and the likes! I read my reply when everything was all still messed up! I'm glad you got it sorted.

I listened to the music while I was reading. Nice touch.

I like your plans for developing the region. I always jump straight into major city mode, and fill out with rural afterwards. I admire your patience.

[USA Patriot 49]

I loved how you did the first update! That was very cool and unique, and I like the small towns!

Avalon City is coming nicely too, very clean looking and nice crisp pictures. Great work.

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

Very nice pictures! I like the start of this cj, and I really hope you'll stick with it and we'll get to see how you grow this thing. The opening update was very interesting, and the previous had very nice content. The backstories are nice, also. It's great to see what kind of life the region has. I'm looking forward to more!

[jacqulina 162]

hi my friend i do read a lot of cjs,

i love the rural you have done,and the housing is excellent,there are so many different kinds of farming isnt there i have seen spaced out,grouped together and far and between too.keep up the great work.

[AIX 270]

I love the rural home-town sort of theme this CJ. It sort of reminds me of back when I lived in central Colorado.

[fabsies55 5]

nice city...

that type of realistic city with the farming industry all around and a town in the middle is really cool.

some of your houses are cool and your streets look nice with the different trees in them create a cool effect too keep it up

i cant wait to see your city if you get one.

[Twenty20 28]

Nice farming area on the first picture. And on the last one too!!!

[Hawkeye9 0]

Great start on your first cj!

looking forward to more

[roboo1 1]

Nice. Very colorful suburbs!

-roboo1

[Mother of Invention 23]

Awesome Ruralness

[Mother of Invention 23]

Awesome Ruralness

[Matrx999 0]

Nice start on your first CJ. I am looking forward to future updates, hopefully more often.

[Trainmaster423 0]

Please choose one of the following generic comments:

A. Great job!

B. It's coming along really well.

C. Keep up the great work!

On a serious note, could you give me some tips on naming your towns? I always have a hard time with that.