The Official City Journal Critics Thread Archive

[DioAngel 1]

Sweet reviews!!

[Zelgadis 638]

Oo, nice review!  I'm glad that you chose that section, having to cut some of it.  I understand.  It is a bit big. 

A couple of things.

1)  Yes, I do use mostly the Maxis trees.  I've been having trouble finding god mode trees that suit my liking.  These days, I plop most of mine from my parks menu.  Still on the lookout for better trees though.  I've seen some amazing ones in other CJ's that might work.

2)  I'm a boy. 

3)  My name is "Zelgadis."  Don't worry.  You're definitely not the first one to make that mistake. 

Thanks a bunch for the review!  It was nice to read. 

Also, Glen Harbor looks interesting.  I think I might have to go have a peek at it. 

ISF

[connor_v 3]

New Area - A City Journal by SimCity Freak

New Area is a frequently updated City Journal with an enormous developed area and an endless amount of well-planned areas. SimCity Freak is a very personable host who replies promtly. All update titles display a very artistic use of the Photoshop program.

In the Golden Coast area you can see how well developed the suburban areas are, not a grid in sight. The downtown area's road system is a broken grid, and is very realistic. Most larger buildings are unique, giving individuality to city blocks.

Rockport is a picturesque area, with peaceful farm lands and quaint villages. Park systems are everywhere, and steep cliffs lead down to the calm rivers.

Orange Beach has one of the nicest downtown cores, with a fair number of taller buildings, most in a more modern style. High speed rail twists around buildings and above the many parks that are in the city centre. Again, a wide variety of different buildings give it a very realistic feel.

The beautiful Highlands area, a suburb of Orange Beach, is a middle to high wealth area on the sea. This very sizeable area has a good mix of low density homes and flats, and higher density developements such as high class lofts and condominiums. Shopping areas are very nice, but could use parking space. A well planned highway system gets people where they need to go.

Orange Delta is a well planned area, as always, with a stunning array of different building styles.

Delta City North is another heavily developed commercial area, with a large amount of residential flats on the edges. Traffic is high, obviously hinting to the enourmous amount of people commuting in the area. East Delta City has a smaller downtown core, with more medium height commercial and residential buildings than the North. A stunning Capitol building and park breaks up the grid, with a well landscaped government area. Big box stores and high-tech industrial areas line the freeways.

Delta City Centre has a mix of historic and modern buildings, with a well laid out transit system and a ton of tall commercial buildings. Picture quality is greatly comprimised in this update, luckily that didn't continue.

Coen Delta has a mix of high-density commercial and residential developement on three seperate islands. Parking lots are common in between the skyscrapers. European style row homes line the streets of the suburban areas, with higher wealth citizens living in larger homes on treed lots.

In Clipperton, a very well developed downtown core is balanced out with a massive parks system. This area is beautifully done, with many different building style coexisting well in a high density community. At night, the area brilliantly glimmers, making for a very good shot.

Overall, this CJ is one I would highly recommend. All buildings are grown, none are plopped, and there are a huge variety of grown STEX buildings used in the city. SimCity Freak is a good host, who will definetly reply to your questions and comments.

Visit New Area Today!

Review No. 2 - 11/14/06

[connor_v 3]

Rochelle County - A City Journal By Natuurzoon

Rochelle County, Natuurzoon's first CJ, takes place in the city of Jacksonville. The city is located on the east coast, with a temperate climate.

The city has a large urban core, with a sprawling suburban surround. Suburban areas are well planned, with many tree lined, meandering streets. He displays a very good use of parking lot mods in the suburban shopping areas, as pointed out by fans of the CJ.

In the rocky outskirts of the city, a stunning array of beautiful flora is complemented by sheer rock faces with slight violet tones. Farm roads are picturesque, with stackwood fences and felled trees lining the edges. Wealthy residents beach homes line the slate blue river, with rocky beaches flanking it. Piers are outstanding, and give a real feel of an ocean community.

Jacksonville's city centre is launched into excellency with Natuurzoon's skilled photoshop skill. Modern buildings with very angular designs flank ocean ports where cruise ships are ready to set off to sea. The city has a variety of night time hotspots, with colourful neon displays and modern, sleek designs.

The Jacksonville International Airport is a benchmark in airport planning. Elevated Rail tracks connest with the fairly sizeable terminal that gets passengers on to thier flights that will be taking off from multiple runways.

The Chinatown area is very beautiful, implementing various mods for chinatown style apartment and neighborhood buildings. The entire area is riddled with an extensive canal system, and many pedestrian footpaths twist behind buildings.

The high-classed Rochelle area of the city has a wide variety of extensive parks and beautiful historic buildings and churches. Although there is a wide variety of modern architecture, it fits in well with it's historic surroundings. The Jacksonville University has a wide variety of sports and leisure facilities with ultra-modern campus buildings. But all is not pretty. Low wealth apartment blocks, dirty industry and freeways flank the area.

The Hudson area, on the incredibly beautiful  Hudson River, has a large suburban area but also retains a lot of it's natural charm. Rocky pine forests and lush, evergreen forests are abundant. Stunning waterfalls rage beneath swaying rope bridges, which is a very pretty sight. The waterfront is one of the best i've seen yet.

The Port of Jacksonville is very industrialized. Use of many cranes recently uploaded to the stex and canals flowing deep into the industrial area gives it a very realistic look.

Overall, Jacksonville is a beautifully planned city, with a wonderful array of buildings and Bats, creating a very unique feel that is hard to capture in a CJ. But slow computers beware, the high detail pictures can sometimes take a great deal of time to load. Updates are usually close together, but are not always punctual.

Visit Rochelle County today!

P.S. It's my first review, so please tell me if there is anything I should improve on or stop doing. Thanks, Connor.

Review No.1 - 11/13/06

[-M- 6]

I know I have been contacted with CJ review requests, and I have been contacted by the "organisers" due to my lack of reviews. I have to apologise for that, and for the delay in reviews, but I unfortunately do not have the time to review anything at the moment.

I will only be able to fully commit myself to this again come mid-December, until then I trust that you will either accept my "resignation" or accept my postponement.

Thanks,

M

[Discreet 0]

Little Italy

Little italy By Rayden

This CJ starts off with the region shot which looks

very detailed and has many modds to make it look very

attractive,although there is no story line which many

of you like its very interesting and has an

outstanding amount of effort put into it.Then this CJ

also features a Zoning map,Rayden could probably make

the industial area a bit smaller other than that the

rest is great.Rayden has also posted on a scrolling

zone map which i though was really creative.

Update 1 allows you to see a slideshow of the

Railyards,Port and Industrial area the slideshow has

an overachieving 23 photos showing you how the port

was built and growth over time.This update also

contains 3 mosaics which happens to be more industry.

The teasers featured in this CJ really resemble the

name teasers in a good way,Making you want to see

more.Te second update has a added graphic which suits

it quite well.Then it shows more detail in the

industrial park of little italy,eventually you get to

see what the teasers have been showing by the end

housing starts to come in not much but that lights it

up a bit.

This CJ is not being worked on much but i encourage

you to go see it.The link is here if you would like to see the CJ.

review by Discreet

[patriots_1228 51]

I think that, to make it a little easier for critics who are having trouble getting reveiws in(like me!) that Friday, will be reveiw day, where you post reveiws and i update the TOC and first page.

Edit: Forgot to say, Great reveiws guys! the table of contents is overflowing with great reveiws! Sry i didnt get a reveiw in, tried to reveiw DioAngels journal wednesday but my computer screwed up on me. Pm me with requests!!

[patriots_1228 51]

its ok, i dont mind if you go on a break as long as you tell me and we have a few active critics. i'll hopefully reveiw today!

[Simcity Freak 0]

Wow, Connor

This is really a very big review. Thank you so much!

I didn't think that it will be so detailed review, but its very nice to read it.

Well done!

[MayorTim 16]

Glad to see this is still going strong! Excellent work guys, very nice reviews!

[Rayden 7]

Nice review Discreet, but if you had wait a couple weeks more, like I sugested would be better, as my CJ has only born two weeks ago and it's only on its second update. Anyway, I left it to your judjement to go ahead with the review or not, and you decided to post it. Nevertheless, a second review sometime later would be of interest to everyone.

Thanks for your effort.

[patriots_1228 51]

El Pariso
by Raul39

https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=36&threadid=79407&enterthread=y

Welcome to the first journal by Rual39, El Pariso. From the Journal:In the year 1991, A rather large land mass was found of on the pacific ocean. It was so big, scientists began to wonder why they haven't seen it before. Anyway, it had a beutiful coastline and many mountains, rivers and lakes.In 1992, it was decided to leave the area as a new country and since the explores were mexican american, they decided to call the new country, El Paraiso. Now the journal kicks off.El pariso is a tropical region, with lots of beaches, which from my prior experience i know simtropolis loves.

Raul uses a deep blue water, combined with coral and fabulously plopped beaches to wow readers. Using the NAM and other STEX resources, Raul has some very complex transit systems to go along his tropical landscape. The Citys are zoned out as a grid mostly, and you will be able to find many of your favorite STEX classics. As the citys grow, Raul continues to improve.Something that i found cool was the fact that all his streets( at least residential) are dotted with trees. Towards page 2, the grid becomes extinct. Raul starts to make wonderful road networks, to go along with his spectacular nature.

This streak of good updates continues, and Raul does everything, from putting in canals to dumping garbage over the edge. His citys start to take the shape of a grid again, sometimes intentionally, but the can;t take away from the fabulous canal system he made. He shows his first industrial area, and proves a point that the journal is more than just plam trees and power lines.(lol sugarcult fans). However, negativaly, some pics show zots unintentionally. Proving my earlier point, Raul shows somthing rarly seen in the tropics, a booming metropolis, full of skyscrapers and people. This pic litterally made me stop and drool. below that there is a major case of repetitive maxis building syndrome, with the same building 14 times in one spot.

Although Raul makes beautiful beaches, equally beautiful is his seawalls and shopping centers. The latest updates are even better, as Raul paused the journal for a month but restarted on Nov. 1st i think and has really done a great job since. He has made Many Maps, a fabulous suburb, and a beautiful industrial city. It may not have the effects and fancy borders of other journals, but El Pariso is a beautiful tropical journal that is a good read anytime. Great work and keep it up Raul!

[ilikehotdogsalot 311]

You guys spelled 'Reviews' wrong on the title.

[SpecialEddie 3]

Hey, sorry for the lack of reviews from me (RL)...

I should review Meinhosen's Ralston, hopefully, soon.

[raul39 0]

Hey Patriots! Thanks for the outstanding review!

The grid is intentional. No matter how nice one wants a city to be, the grid adds realism, and I want my cities to be eye pleasing, but at the same time to be realistic.

The zots... now that is always my bad. I ALWAYS forget to turn them of! But oh well.

With the great constructive criticism you guys give, I can make my cj better now. I will try to improve with my new upcoming beach city: Las Palmas.

Once again Thanks alot! Keep up the great work that is going on here!

[connor_v 3]

South Ahmerst - A City Journal by Patriots_1228

South Ahmerst is a vibrant city of politics, culture, scenery and skyscrapers. It is a fictuous city on the east coast built on a Baltimore map downloaded from the STEX.

In the first update, we can see the cities sports influence at the South Ahmerst Megadome, a large indoor football field. The downtown core uses a large amount of custom towers, giving it a very colourful and individual look. The cities fishing docks are very well done.

Condominium towers dot the skyline, many of them middle class, and a small number high-wealth. The Tower-Life building is a beautiful example of the many well used BATS in the CJ.

In the most recent update, we can see that the residential profile is constantly changing, with waves of new developements. A beautiful church is built near the downtown.

Overall, the city is very well done, and a good city-journal format is just beginning to be utilized now. The cities flag is rough, but the seal is magnificent, displaying Patriots good photoshop abilities. Patriots is a gracious host, who looks forward to comments. I highly recommend you visit the journal.

Visit South Ahmerst Today!

Look for a follow up review on February 1st, 2007

Review No. 5 - 11/18/06

P.S. Sorry patriots that I couldn't PM you to tell you about the review, but I couldn't seem to find a way to PM you at the time. I tried your profile, and the link on the front page, but nothing seemed to work.

P.S.S. After a long run of five reviews, I've decided to take a short break, if that's okay. See you then! - Connor

[connor_v 3]

Hausburg, Opusland - A City Journal by Opuspup722

Opuspup's City Journal, Hausburg, OL, is based on various South-eastern United States cities. The journal follows the Jackson family from thier poor beginnings in colonial Opusland to thier rich descendants of the 21st century.

In the first update, Opuspup highlights the early eighteenth century history of Hausburg and colonial developements of the late 1700's. Hausburg is a producer of tobacco, with many large plantations. Abraham Jackson (A character loosely based on George Washington) and his wife homesteaded the area in 1755, not anticipating the impact thier family would have on the area for generations.

Abraham died in the great freeze of 1792, but was survived by his living son and his nine children. Abrahams first son was hanged until death during the Hausburg revolution for independence.

That is the story as of today, but there will be many more updates to come. I would highly recommend you support this very well done historical City Journal.

Visit Hausburg Today!

Look for a follow-up review on March 18th, 2007

Review No. 4 - 11/18/06

[connor_v 3]

Greater Columbia River - A City Journal by GMT

GMT's Greater Columbia River city journal is based on the, you guessed it, Greater Columbia River Region. It is based on the geographical characteristics of the region, not it's man made communities.

The first update is on the Santa Monica area.The CJ starts well, with well thought out piers and many colourful residential buildings lining the coastline. The area utilizes a lot of custom-made hotels and commercial towers, creating a very unique look.

In Verona beach, tall hotels line the wide boulevards, catering to the needs of the wealthy. The Atom Blue nightclub tears through the sky, the tallest structure in the area. Many wealthy manors cover the suburbs of the area, with large parkland divisions. The areas modern buildings are very interesting. The Saint Francis Fault also runs through a developed area of nearby Venice Beach.

The Saint Francis Harbour area is a very well developed industrial core. But it also is a bustling commercial and educational centre. The Saint Francis City Centre is much larger though, with a 150 000+ population! Dense skyscrapers and apartment buildings pack the core, while calmer suburbs cover the metropolitan area. A beautiful cathedral also graces the skyline of the outskirts. The area also boasts a higher-tech industry area, attracting many wealthy investors. This area has a very large sports stadium, and also supplies water to the city. A large amount of older towers dot the skyline as well.

The Saint Francis International Airport is airport realism at it's best. A wide variety of terminals cater to any aircrafts needs. The sheer volume of the airport is reflected in the large hangar area. The airport is powered fully by solar power.

At the Saguenay River Mouth, suburban areas are of huge scale, encompassing mid- and high-wealth housing. A large scale elevated rail services the area and it's many historic apartment complexes. The welath of this area is clearly reflected in it's downtown towers, a wide variety of modern and traditional buildings. SRM is also very densely populated towards the centre, leading to the construction of some buildings of astonishing height.  The Saguenay River area to the south has a much more dominant low density.

Chullack Forest is a very well preserved forest, with beautiful meadows and treed areas. Wnding roads allow drivers to view wonderful rock formations and stunning pine meadows. Nearby Cristal Lake is a fine low-density suburb, with beautiful views of Cristal Lake.

The small farm community of Pine Bluff displays the agricultural side of the region. Many staples are grown there such as rice and barley, and meats are produces such as beef and pork.

Halifax Grove displays GMT's city planning skills. Many a suburban home dot the roads, but a large glass dome breaks up the grid nicely. Far to the north in Rockshore, the shores are rocky. Huh, I didn't even guess. This is a very well done area, with fine resort hotels and residential developements. Well done park systems are also a highlight.

In Newport, government buildings and roundabouts sprout with abundance.  Some very fine buildings are also in the area. It is also home to the famous Diner-Mile, a whole quarter mile of diners with buzzing neon signs and old waitresses with red lipstick and cat eye glasses. There are also fine marinas, nightclubs, a Jacky's Kabin™, some amazing piers, natural shorelines, and seaside villages.

Overall, Greater Columbia River is one that I would recommend reading. It has it's flaws, but those are all overcome by fine work in the end. The areas flags and seals show fine artistry and detail, and GMT is a very personable host. In the last update, we were able to see the statue of Columbia, I am sure that this will lead to many great updates in the future.

Visit Greater Columbia River Today!

Review No. 3 - 11/18/06

[MasterPlanMan 1]

Thank you Eddie for the very kind and well written review. You guys are doing a great job. Thank you!

[RushHourFreak 1]

CASANARES - by Jerebannus XVI

Entering this beautiful city is always impressive. As Jerebannus develops the CJ, you get amazed with the pics, showing the city he is sharing. Every corner has detail, and you might get stunned with the monuments and excellent picture editing, with a reddish effect. Finally you say: OMG this is impressive. The principal city, Santa Eufrasia, combines all contents that a city has to have: canals, Sidewalks, Monuments, and an excellent transportation layout. Jerebannus shows at the beginning, that his city was going to be South American themed. you assume that because of the images and the names.

 

The CJ progress is around a couple of principal pics, Mosaics. Twice of them are from a same place, watching during day or night, with excellent resolution and detailing. As the city grows, the mosaics grow and the people can see more than 3 normal pics in one making this a very useful method for CJing.

 

The neighborhood development is based on a street grid, where the buildings are medium density and there is not over-capacity, making the condo, very pleasant. The trees also make a good starring there giving a private touch even though the houses are located almost Wall 2 Wall.

 

On the other side of the bridge, crossing a wide deep blue river, we see the industrial zone, always as clean and organized as the residential, where the great part of it is High Tech, you don’t see this region polluted because of that fact. Note that the industrial zone is always on the river shore.

 

Away from the industrial, separated with a wide avenue, we see residential again, the accomplishment is almost perfect, with those custom buildings he shows the people everytime that Santa Eufrasia is a glowing Metropolis and has to expand more and more as the city demands.

 

The Monuments and landmarks are a very relevant fact in this Journal, that’s very important because the city becomes very original and with personality itself. A lot of magnificent custom structures domains the overlook of the city, showing the visitor that this is a center of business and commercial deals.

 

The City’s newspaper, “La crónica alternativa” is perfect planned, with informative sources and surprises every issue. The instruments of this paper are essential for the City in development and, as mentioned before, show, in every page and chapter, that this is a great metropolis, growing and demanding space all the time.

 

Thanks Jerebannus XVI for sharing this magnificent CJ to the community. Remember Trixie Time!!!!

 

RHF

[patriots_1228 51]

Wow, thanks for the reveiw! good thing theres a follow up planned. although i have 6 updates its about the content of 2 lol.

the flag does need updating since i changed the seal.

AND DEFINETELY TAKE A BREAK BEFORE YOU KILL YOURSELF lol

remember i said to write reveiws over the week and post them friday. this helps critics with alot of RL and stuff.

[purpledaddy 6]

I'm not sure where to put this, so I'll ask in all three list posts. A couple of weeks ago I remember reading a hilarious CJ that was actually a parody of other well known CJ's. Which one was that guys? Thanks!

[opuspup722 0]

Thanks for taking the time to review my CJ!

[DioAngel 1]

Nice reviews!!

[2ch.net simplayer 180]

This review thing is really working out for me! I am making lots of new encounters with CJ's that I haven't seen before.

[cowcorn 11]

Very well done reviews. They are very objective and don't let anything slip through. Every detail good and bad is reviewed and commented, great job! I would be scared of the result if my CJ was reviewed... it has so many flaws.

[GMT 389]

Hey there!

Thanks for the great review, connor. I like the way you described it all vividly. Actually better than I do ^^

If I wouldn't be the one who makes it, I'd definately go and check it out. Maybe I should do it anyway, just for the fun of it.

again, thank you very much for the review!

[connor_v 3]

Wow, this is great!

A total of  twenty-eight reviews and many more to come!

[____----____ 37]

pictures are a must for these reviews nice work special ed.

[SpecialEddie 3]

Ralston Metro Area

LINK

Ralston, Kentucky is no doubt one of Simtropolis's greatest city journals. Inspired by the great American Midwest, Ralston is an amazing blend of farms, skyscrapers, and little rural villages all seeminglessly blended into a masterpiece of realistic city building.

Downtown Ralston's architecture incorporates styles from Art-deco, post-modern, and glass forms. The transportation layout is top notch and the streets (though intersecting in grid form), showcase the classic way of American downtowns. Skyscrapers crown the skyline displaying varying styles of height and style. Though a minor problem would be the constantly repeating buildings--which should be demolished to add variety.

At night, the downtown shines, and the skyscrapers glitter with the many lights of a busy commercial center. In the midst of the towers there are also small and large parks, providing a break from the dizzying heights of the buildings. The City Hall area is also well-designed, having an old and new city hall facing each other--a very unique idea. A fountain divides the avenue in which they're facing each other.

We get to Ralston's suburbs and we know immediately that meinhosen is the master of sprawling suburban cities. Ralston's outlying districts stretch for as the eye can see (literally), and the homes (a mix of 50's housing and more modern 2-story simgoober homes) spread for many miles. Here, meinhosen abandons the grid pattern he's been working on in the downtown and settles for the twisting streets that are common in American communities.

The suburbs eventually come to a halt, only to be replaced the magnificent farms of meinhosen's imagination (though obviously inspired by real life). We see the farms mostly during the fall season, when the trees turn a striking red and yellow, adding to a seeting that is both beautiful and peaceful. The farms (using every possible BSC farm pack and some Maxis classics, too) shows a colorful array of fields. 

And nestled in between the massive sprawl of numerous farms lie the tiny little rural towns, isolated from the busy lifestyle of the city. Meinhosen describes every aspect of his creation by naming schools, streets, districts, etc., adding a level of realism to add to Ralston's rich history. And what's richer than the color of Ralston's fall trees? A feast to the eyes they are, complementing almost every picture in Meinhosen's CJ, bathing the farm towns and rural areas in a bask of orange. 

Visit Ralston, you won't be dissapointed. Don't forget--Trixies are almost over, and don't skip out on this CJ.

Happy Thanksgiving.