The Official City Journal Critics Thread Archive

[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.  

[____----____ 37]

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

[connor_v 3]

Wow, this is great!

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

[sloppet 3]

Nice to see my CJ (Anwakee county) being criticised. Thank you

sloppet

[RushHourFreak 1]

ENIYI

- Menotyou

Eniyi, this CJ created on August the 29^th, is located on a shore, surrounded by plains and little hills. From highness, the view is awesome due to the high density of skyscrapers in different places because the cities are separated one to each other. This is a fact that makes this city a sprawling community with satellite towns, such as real cities like Miami, Houston, and Chicago. The looking is great because of the high density of skyscrapers there, a lot repeated and a lot made by custom downloads. Looking forward to more of the Cj, you will find little islands are inhabited by low wealth houses and hard topography. Great acting as satellite ports.

The city has an excellent sport grid system, and that can be showed in the pics of those custom sceneries for the different activities, like preparing for the Simlympics, this is a well organized complex and with a lot of space.

 

There are a lot of satellite skylines, all of them are well planned and have the basics needs a zone like that can demand.

 

The transportation is good, well planned and has features such as Monorail and Rail system that is very important to connect those one-into-another city, the roads are very organized, and the grid is almost perfect, specially the diagonal ones.

 

There are not many green zones inside the urban area, and there are huge of them separating some specific zones as the university and the government complex. Though there is no Terrain Mod at the beginning, the city looks very nice because of the trees. There are a lot in those few green zones I mention above.

 

Very important fact that identifies this Cj: the maps. These are clear and well showed, good size, everybody can read them, and realizing how really big Eniyi is.

Because of its size, Eniyi features a lot of posters showing the name, very useful for the visitors. They don’t even need a description before the pic, but the pic is saying it with one word. That’s important there.

 

For ending I just have to say that a lot of imagination is there. I like it very much and thanks to the creator Menotyou.

 

RHF

[RushHourFreak 1]

AVALON - sephaistos

The city of Avalon created by the French Sephaistos, is a great experience for the people who want to see a great CJ. The region is a huge valley, and the river is wide and long, this makes the city an important seaport. Some snowcapped peaks are overlooking the region and the city. The region views are great, because sephaistos shows the people how the city has been growing first, by overlooking the growing town from the highness.  The downtown is beautiful; a lot of custom buildings and trees are showed in those principal pics. The parks are also very interesting there; the trail parks are acting as a boardwalk over the sea’s edge, making those landscapes very pleasant to the visitor’s view. Large and wide avenues are in the middle of the skyline, with pedestrian malls, and parallel roads connecting the rest of the CBD as a limited access way. There are also great sculptures there, obelisks, landmarks and I’m sure the city is glowing because of that.

 

The city has a huge transportation system, including EL Rail, and Rail; there are also a lot of bus stops. The atmosphere of that transportation system is showed by the principal Train Station a huge custom BAT, incredible located and awesome looking with a lot of parks surrounding it.

 

The styles of buildings are merged, modern and not that modern combines to form a great overlook if you’re in an airplane. There are showed modern buildings such as the COBB at the beginning of the CJ, and classic, in the same zone. This, despite some people doesn’t like that style combination, is not hard for a person’s view.

 

The residential zones are great, just stunning. Just in Port Lavaca, The river-borning is so pleasing that you want to live there now. Layout is great and the grid is accomplished with the high rises and medium ones. Julia Creek district, one of the latest updates of the city, shows an enormous bunch of buildings, commercial and residential, looking awesome. The stadium and the monuments are incredible looking and makes the city as a model for other ones, for those who wants to start a new CJ, or just playing SimCity with a clear concept of a city. That’s Avalon

 

RHF

[Menotyou 0]

Thanks for that great review!

[patriots_1228 51]

actually after my next one it will be 32 lol

[patriots_1228 51]

kk thanks for the advice, im sure most don't mind me using pictures for the review but i'll remember to ask next time.

[patriots_1228 51]

LOL i didn't copy the r in linear, i'll fix that. but first,

Smoggy Fields

by SanAntonio

https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=36&threadid=78597&STARTPAGE=5&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear

 Closed journals can be fun to view. For many journals, that is false, but for Smoggy Fields, that is true. With 14 updates, Smoggy Fields is kind of like a season DVD. There may not be new ones, but there are plenty to watch(or read) over and over agian. Smoggy Fields is a beautiful region, with a single large mountain to the west, a lake and some rivers. If you scroll down fast, the first update is like a movie, showing the region slowly developing, to where it is today. The Citys are beautiful, with some photoshopping to please the eye. San Antonios road networks are flawless, and he uses lots of season trees. Many buildings repeat alot in his comercial zones, such as a diner 10-15 times, but its hard to notice. The Coastline is beautiful, and every home seems to have a tennis court. SanAntonio uses the STEX alot, making the journals buildings and parks unique. A negitive, there are lots of zots. Positive, the Suburbs are amazing.

 Almost every pic is a well made mosaic, making mosaic lovers feel right at home. SA makes wonderful shopping centers and is excellent at plopping parks. in the suburbs, many buildings repeat, but the roads are still so perfect its hard to notice. One of the best pics i've seen in my time, involves the river dividing the big city from the small suburbs, connected by a single bridge. SA is not just limited at suburbs. He has many farms in the region, which are equal to his masterful suburbs. Transportation,as i siad before, is one of SA's strengths. he has amazing road networks, superb parking lots, and a great highway system. His airport is one of a kind, a light blue one, which i don't think i'll ever see again. SA makes wonderful industrial ports, with loads of custom content. Getting tropical on use, SA has some great tropical beaches, filled with tropical plants and people. canals running from the shore inland, and fabulous parks make you think of Vacation.

 many people find it tough, but SA has some great seawalls. along with his canals and beaches. the palm trees are all over the place, and bright hotetls make this place a paradise.  These may be some of the best coastal shots ever. SA improves every update, going from palm trees in parisdise to a wonderful large city towards the end. SA also makes some maps, and great highways.

 Since i know SA wanted this review to help him inprove, not draw readers, heres my constructive criticism for you SA: Keep up the good road networks, try and not have so many buildings repeat, and you might want some custom trees for the Maxis tree areas. Also don't forget to turn the zots off, a few pics unintentionally have them. Anyway, Smoggy Fields is a fun read anytime, with great roads, wonderful cities, and magnifiecent mosaics. 

[BlondeTwiggy 43]

hey you guys are doing a great job here.  I dont visit as often as I should lol... I really like how you are adding pics too.  Congrats on 29+ reviews

[choco1 4]

Nice work guys! These reviews are going well!

Just some suggestions, make sure to attain the creator's permission before posting images from their City Journal. And Patriots_1228, could you please not post links in giant size font because it distorts the page. I've edited them for you, but please keep an eye out in the future, it makes the experience much better for the reader.

Thanks!

[GMT 389]

patriot, I like hwo you present the cjs with screenshots. should be applied to the standards of reviews.

oh, the link above isn't working...

[infinitum19 0]

patriots_1228,

Thanks for the wonderful review. This would make me improve more. Anyway, you did see zots? I haven't seen any though. And the grid like structuring is usual here in the Philippines. And I think is also visible in other parts of the world. Peace man

[Camaron 1]

Good to see this reviewing is going well, the use of pictures does add to it.

[patriots_1228 51]

Table of Contents 2 (62 reviews, 32 here)

Table of Contents 3

reviews 30-62

My mistake, the creator of region of avery is actually tbone04044

Bold Black= New Review

Green= sidenote

A Simtropolians Guide to the Virtual World by cowcorn-A review by RushHourFreak

Athenee by Paletexan -A review by RushHourFreak <note journal is offsite

Aqua Vista by seemurray2- A review by Connor_V

Azalea City by Charles Rodulfo-A review by RushHourFreak

Battlefront Zanapolis by 2ch.net simplayer-A review by Patriots_1228

Chula Vista by Greekman-A review by Special Eddie

City of Texca by jesusnavidad-A review by Connor_V

Coralbay by Hawkeye-A review by Connor_V

Crystal City by Football_Fever-A review by patriots_1228

Earthsea by Narya-A review by RushHourFreak

Eniyiby Menotyou- A review by RushHourFreak

Ensenada by Shadow_Assasin-A review by Special Eddie

Eyecandy-by Ilikehotdogsalot-A review by Skippy >[follow up by Special Eddie

eyecandy istrinian shots by Fredval-A review by Ilikehotdogsalot

Galesfe City by Leech10-A review by Ilikehotdogsalot

Liaane by Fledder200-A review by Special Eddie

Luarie by Shana-A review by Connor_V

Los Coastas by Patriots_1228-A review by Ilikehotdogsalot

Our Mini Earth by Hableurg-A review by Patriots_1228

Plantation Bay by Luker91-A review by RushHourFreak

Ralston Metro Area by Meinhosen- A review by connor_V

Region of Avery by Tbone04044-A review by ccecill

Roselle by Kippis05-A review by Special Eddie

SierreMonte by RushHourFreak-A review by Patriots_1228

Tierra De La Oscuridad by Blond Twiggy-A review by RushHourFreak

The Democratic Kingdom of Royal Cytheria by Pipishere-a review by -M-

The interstellar Parnassus of Paragon by KingTitan- A review by Patriots_1228 >FollowUp by I LikeHotDogsAlot

The Nation of Pasicana by david1314-A review by Special Eddie

The Regional district of Killkenny and Carlow by Mackeast- A review by Patriots_1228

The Republic of Nivramel by Infinitum19- A review by Patriots_1228

Viceroyalty of Dominea by Slann-A review by Special Eddie

---

[patriots_1228 51]

haha connor_V. Football Game?? My High School was in a different town and the stadiums impossible to get in and out of, so i didn't go. Any i need to grab some pics from a journal then i'll post a review and start a new TOC.



The Republic of Nivramel

by infinitum19

I have authors permission for pics

Welcome to the Republic of Nivramel, A CJ by infinitum19. A Tropical area, with a population around 1 million, Nivramel starts off on the right track, with funfacts about the nation, from the president to the density per sq. mile. After showing his unique flag, infinitum gets started. The first updates are informitive, with colorful maps of the region, flags and facts, and TV broadcast style pics. infinitum shows the city through broadcasts of the Nivramel Broadcasting Corporation. The pics are very informative, with little bullet notes on the side, and many showcase the fabulous nature of Nivramel, including the first pic, of the worlds largest waterfalls. Many Nature STEX items can be found in this journal, from all the different kinds of trees, to the ponds and streams plopped to perfection. Staying true to the tropical format, you will see alot of resorts and landmarks in this journal. infinitum continues to use impressive nature shots, full of ponds, streams, campsites, trees and hotels.We see a beautiful National park, and then head into town.

 infinitum's Cities are nice as well, the sidewalks are custom, I think by Blam, and look very nice in the high wealth settings of Westburg Island. After seeing the presidents home, infinitum shows some civic buildings and commercial stuff, where many buildings repeat. The suburban area is very gridlike, but well plopped out, with many of PEG's things and a few rewards. infinitum's beaches are what you would expect a tropical journal's beaches to be, full of sand and palm trees, with a turquoise water. infinitum continues to show many STEX items, and his city making gets better and better. Repetitivness continues to haunt the commercial zones, but the suburbs start to lose their grid. Once again, infinitum makes parks with PEG's items and once again, it works. On the Negitive side, he leaves the zots turned on. A nice little touch, infinitum shows some gated communities, very much like the ones i hear you would find in florida and the caribbean.

 Now we see a wonderful seal, and a fake document from infinitum tells us the cities going to change. the commercial district's start to grow, giving more variety to the city, and lessening the repetitiveness. We see growth, and the images start to get as good, if not better than the first page. Vlakhaas's condos are a perfect companion to infinitum's beaches, and the journal starts to fit into it's tropical theme. Now we see some taller hotels, roundabouts, but the grid is still there. The buildings show tons of variety in the residential areas, and the journals feel improves all over. From page 3, I could tell it would keep getting better..... And it did. Using the STEX once again, infinitum shows an underground mall, more homes, PEG's canals, and more of his wonderful city. He even puts some effects on the pics! And the coolest thing i've seen yet in his journal, a custom airplane with the flag and stuff on it. He shows some animated pics with the cars driving through, and now he prepares to make another great update.

 Overall, RN is a wonderful journal, with great pics, great nature, and tons of items from the STEX. You'll see many pics and customization that is unbelievable, from great moving pics to custom planes. There are few flaws(grid, repetitiveness) and many highlights, from The Animation to the custom airplane.

[Kippis05 2]

Nice reviews man, keep up the great work, now only down the road if you looked at mine...

[Firebird 40]

Nice reviews you have here!

Now where's my cj...

[connor_v 3]

Ralston Metro Area - A City Journal by Meinhosen

It was a cold, snowy night. Cheez Whiz chilled on fresh cut apples. A bored Connor_v sits with nothing better to do but write another review!

Ralston, Kentucky, is situated on the southern shore of the Ohio River. It is meant to resemble an aging, midwestern United States industrial city (The likes of Louisville, Kentucky).

The journal starts with several different views of the Ralston area. The downtown is very well developed, with mid-rise buildings lining the avenues. This update also highlights the industrial areas and railroads.

The areas agricultural areas are magnificent, with power lines lining the country roads, and small farmhouses built alongside barns and stables. Field mods are used well, reflecting the crops that are realistically grown in the mid-west. Many small, one horse towns are scattered across the countryside, giving it a very welcoming feel.

In areas closer to the downtown core, public housing and decrepid factories display the decline of inner city areas. Slums are within sight from any angle off the highway from Indiana. In the downtown areas, many of the small storefront shops are being replaced by big box stores. A great deal of historic urban housing exists, and arguments are raised in the city about the value of such houses. The city is a mix of older styles and modern developements.

The downtown core is the pinnacle of urban developement, with towering commercial developements dwarfing smaller, older buildings. Fine churches are scattered throughout the centre, keeping with them thier history, untouched by new developement. There are many monuments commemorating the many fine people who lived within the cities reaches.

In the suburbs, sprawling neighborhoods give way to picturesque countryside, with beautiful use of water and creek mods, as well as wonderful landscaping and roadways.

Unfortunately, many of the updates in the middle of the journal I was unable to view at the time.

I was able to see the pictures starting with the update when the journal was started again. Meinhosen highlighted any new developements he made, including filling in countryside with farms and lots he modified for his cities needs. Some low-wealth areas were redone into ritzier, upper crust areas such as art and theatre districts. Also, some fascinating railroad interchanges were built.

The next update featured a picturesque drive through the Kentucky countryside. The drive started in Blaineville, at the large Blaiinville Elevator. Further down the road, the leaves are turning crimson on the trees, a beautiful autumn shot. The road crosses the wonderful Redstone Creek, which later joins the Cherokee River. In the town of Redstone, three bars serve 150 residents, reminiscing about the days of state-highway travellers stopping by for a drink. The town of Charles Centre is kept alive by Interstate travellers. The town is beautiful, definetely a worthwhile stop. The trip ends at the Claywell  Bourbon Distillery. A former bootlegging centre during prohibition, the building now produces fine drinks and serves as a prohibition museaum as well.

Overall, Ralston is a beautiful area, a realistic approach to city-journaling and a worthwile stop for the city-journal reader. I'd definetely stop by soon if I were you.

Visit Ralston Today!

And to patriots, thanks for the thought but I just couldn't help myself. I had to review. And I didn't eat turkey yesterday, it was manicotti for me, and a long day at the high school. I had thanksgiving last month. Thanks for the thought though, again. I have today off though (score!).

Review No. 6 - 11/24/06

[meinhosen 11]

sweet, 2 different reviews! Thanks guys!

[MadTV_Freak 0]

Ahh, these are some wonderful reviews.. great team too. Would be real nice to see some more

[KingTitan 6]

Great reviews. very professional and diplomatic. Keep up the great reviews.

[RushHourFreak 1]

PLANTATION BAY - Luker91

This is the second CJ created by luker91. The successful predecessor San Lucas and this one released on November the 20^th. The first region shots, shows a huge valley, with two rivers and a large coastline. The terraforming is excellent. There are little hill surrounding the rivers, and finally in a corner, we can see a snowcapped peak. There is a peninsula, near the coastline and obviously making a gulf, which is the place where the development starts. That little village is very promising, because the transportation system is such according to a Metropolis’ one. So we can deduce that at once. There is a narration sequence, which allows the people to locate better and much easy into the context of the CJ, which at the beginning was very suspicious. Many shots and many “tomorrow with more” but everything was right because the next things were amazing.

The neighborhoods are very organized, the transport grid is normal according to a demand like that. In terms of commerce, there is a lot. Parallel to the freeway there are a couple of roads, each having the stores and restaurant that are very common in the American towns or cities. A McDonald’s, retail stores, a supermarket, are the principal commercial developments there.

 

Crossing the gulf by a huge bridge, there are a lot of beautiful and well organized farms, and agriculture. There is also a large seaport, with al the basics for a great city, we can say this is going to be sprawling because of the transportation system, the commerce, the potential industry and the seaport is also an important fact there.

 

There is also rail, assuming there will be many satellite cities surrounding the big Plantation Bay one.

 

Let’s talk about Nature. The nature is great. Very “Northish” or seasonable. The trees are sub alpine from the CPT and combined with the terrain mod he uses, the view is really pleasing. The National park he shows in the last update, features a lot of cabins and cottages, great for the resting of a huge city. There are also little connecting rivers, making the zone a rich water area. That’s great for the region

 

And so it’s beginning I can’t review more for now until I see more development there. Good luck Luke!

RHF

[sanantonio 0]

Thanks patriots_1228.

Keep up the great work, team.

[jacqulina 162]

excellent reviews very nicely done

[patriots_1228 51]

Excellent reviews RHF. I'll try to do your journal today king titan. if i cant finish or don't find the time i'll just sneak it in a day late.

[patriots_1228 51]

The Interstellar Parnassus of Paragon

by King Titan


Welcome to the latest SciFi journal, brought to you by the King of Titans, not pac man jones or VInce Young, but a first time CJer KingTitan.(lol sry i just had to make that joke) Using the SciFi theme, Titan's debut The Interstellar Parnassus of Paragon is nothing short of a great Sci-Fi journal. Though it is brand spankin new, with only three updates, Titan has made a beatiful start with his great banners, awesome pics, and action packed Sci Fi story. The story starts off in a dreary dying world, with only the rich be able to afford the neccesities of this dying world. The government, making a move that would displease george bush, decides to leave. Because of this they head to Paragon, away from the dying planet.

You've read the summary, heres the info. Titan has created a fantasy world, with spectacular story writing. Taking place in the year 2020, Titans world has the elements of a great Sci Fi story. With wonderful worlds, amazing technology, and space travel to made up places, Titan has the imagination of a three year old but the writing skills of an English Major or that guy who wrote star wars. Update two comes not a second too soon, starting with the death of *GASP* King Titan! Titan shows excellent pics, with great photoediting which fit into the story perfectly. With more mass destruction than Call Of Duty Three, and spectacular story telling, Titans follow up to his debut update is no bust.

His cities aren't the most pleasing, but then agian, as with most sci fi journals, the pics are to support the story. The streets can be griddy, but Titan sure knows destruction. Adding to his immense arsenal of talents, Titan makes wonderful character bios to support the story. like in some other great story journals, titan includes pics next to the dialouge.For update three, TItan decides to go 3D, and from some unknown source ( City-Life?) shows a fabulous 3d city, perhaps the best eyecandy in the journal.The picture look so great i had a hard time deciding wether or not it was real! As the journal moves on, more excellent story is shown and we get to see some info about the technology.

All in All, Paragon is a fun Sci-Fi journal, full of action, great story telling, and a good host, King Titan.

No Pics were provided as there are not enough pics in the journal for me to get 5 and still leave plenty for you to discover on your own. Look out for a following up review when the journal hits 6 pages.

[RushHourFreak 1]

AZALEA CITY - Charles Rodulfo

The starting of this CJ by Charles Rodulfo, is the mentioning of his inspiring techniques from some forumers like jeronij, darmok, terrymunweihao or mrbisonm. A proud SCJU member, this region features the Kingdom of San Marino, which it’s first and capital city is Azalea, Haarlemstown, Melsville. Azalea. The first views of the city contains a high percentage of sea walls, due to its location, the pop terraforming method is also very interesting to see in this CJ. Roads are dragged already and the zones are designed too. This first look is very nice because you can see all the planning of the city and you can see how organized it really is. The terraforming, as stated before, is very complex. The shores, the mountains and a Mount that is the Offspring one, is a red-looking stone over looking the city and San Marino, very beautiful landscape there.  Then we see how artistic the city is going to be. The trail parks and the flora props are artistically located for giving the city a great harmonious ambient. The boardwalks in front of the river (or sea) are also a distraction for those who want to live in a pleasing town.

 

There is a part of town, which features the industry zone, which is mostly, manufacturing and High tech; as we can see there, the rail system operates there.

 

The trail parks are always there, in every place In every corner and neighborhood there is always a thinking to the children for playing and relaxing.

 

The suburbs are great. Well planned, the transportation grid is awesome, and the houses are strategically distributed, trail parks and fountains are facts that Azalea is not missing in terms of City beautification, planning and transportation. The streets are brick paved, and every difficult detail he shows, he makes it funny for all the community to see it.

 

The pics are great. The effects of the picture editing are masterpieces and the colors are bright, the masque and those simply details that make something really great.

 

There is also a great friendship between the Republic of Nivramel and San Marino. The first already opened San Marino’s embassy in its territory and it’s great to see how those are in contact.

Another great event was the announcement of the joining of Azalea to the SCJU. That was joyful.

 

Waiting for more of that great city

 

RHF

[DioAngel 1]

patriots - hey where's mine? :-(