Fort Martin County, Florida - A Tropical CJ

[jacqulina 162]

very nice work and pics excellent detail

happy 2009

[naftixe 131]

Nice, lived and grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Vero Beach, and Tampa

[mnmsimmer 0]

Thank you for your compliments, Tomasneto, Jacqulina, and naftixe. Look out for more soon!

[mnmsimmer 0]

Welcome to Page 3 everybody!

[SODATWIN 7]

i'm looking forward to seeing this progress.

::

[suplado! 23]

yeah -- really sunny, those are cool houses near the coast

[mnmsimmer 0]

OK folks. VERY SORRY about the lag... I had huge CPU issues and I thought I eff'd up my SC4. But luckily I was able to save everything and figure this thing out. As of now Ft. Martin County is coming along nicely and Port Royal is nearing completion. There will be a large update within the next few days.

[WillR116 60]

ok ill be here

[TmiguelT 10]

i would like to see more ...... i would like to see more highways and downtown pictures

[mayorbk 66]

Wow great start to the CJ! the pics look amazing!! That looks really nice right now after 20 days below freezing!

[jacqulina 162]

looking forward to more my friend,good luck with your computer.

[mnmsimmer 0]

Sorry about the lag time... again. I just got back from FL and brought with me a plethora of new ideas I am working into my CJ and region. BIG update real soon (hopefully tonight).

Right now I am done with:

- The City of Fort Martin

- Port Royal (Big City like Ft. Martin)

- Port Royal (will be great, I promise)

And I am now working on:

- Florida Springs ("Old Florida" style town, college town, and amusement park town)

I am also Lot-Editing:

- A continuation of my "Old Florida" adaptation of both existing maxis and SG homes (you'll see these soon )

- A Florida Amusement Park

- University of South Florida - Florida Springs

* The latter two of the above are pretty big projects.

[danielcote 9]

I love that beach can I live in one of those mansions by it?

[mnmsimmer 0]

Welcome to the City of Port Royal!

      Founded shortly after its southerly neighbor, Port Royal, Florida has developed into a large, diverse, modern city with a unique flavor. Over the years, a steady influx of Cubanos, New Yorkers, Midwesterners, and Southerners has changed the face of the city. Since its founding in 1921, each newcoming group and individual has helped create an urbane cultural epicenter; a hub only to be rivaled by the larger, more prominent city of Fort Martin.

[Raysfan16 5]

Port Royal does look really nice. But I do have a few suggesstions.

It looks like you were trying to base this off of realism. Having skyscraper cities that huge like in Fort Martin and Port Royal is really unrealistic.

Also, I'm not trying to be a wannabe mod, but quit spamming in your thread. All you are doing is breaking common etiquette rules and keeping other deserving CJs off of page 1.

That being said, your low-density areas in the previous page look very good and realistic!

[mnmsimmer 0]

Raysfan:

Please tell me what constitutes spamming and what the common ettiquette rules are (+ suggestions on how to better structure the CJ - or future CJs) The last thing I want to happen is be banned!! . I do not *really* know the rules because I am not so frequent a poster here. And yes, I know the skyscrapers kind of got a little out of hand/scale (whoops). I realized this when I exited to region, LOL! Unfortunately, many of the maxis mid-rises suck and there aren't so many great custom ones. I also *just* got back from the Tampa/St. Pete gulf coast... found lots of inspiration. It's amazing how the condos on the beach stretch on forever. Anyways thanks for your compliments, constructive criticism, and concern.

- mnmsimmer

[mnmsimmer 0]

Port Royal (Continued)

Here are some shots of the downtown area along the Intracoastal Waterway, moving from South (left) to North (right). The waterfront promenade is very popular with tourists and locals; it provides gorgeous scenic vistas of Port Royal Shores across the waterway (coming soon) and passing boats.

[mnmsimmer 0]

Port Royal: South Florida Shopping Mecca

      The city of Port Royal is home to Fort Martin County's premier shopping mecca and one of the busiest areas in South Florida. Many nation-wide and southeastern retail chain stores can be found here as well as common restaurants and lodging for the many visitors this area greets every day! Each and every commercial lot displayed here was BATed by someone else (many thanks go out to those BATers), but the lots were all customized specifically for this CJ (or my failed South Carolina one) by me. It was very tedious work (especially switching and placing all new tropical flora!), but I am happy with the end result.

* Some of the chains will be repeats from earlier updates, but they're obviously in a different setting here.

 

An overview of the shopping area

Best Western and a local Cosmetic Surgery Center

Borders Books and Pizzeria Uno

DSW Shoe Warehouse and California Pizza Kitchen

Century Movie Theaters - perfect for a dark, gloomy, rainy day!

Costco - for more "Thrifty" shoppers

Days Inn

Eckerd Pharmacy

The Golden Arches

Red Lobster, O'Charley's, and 7-Eleven

The Omni Hotel

Piggly Wiggly (I'm not sure if these are actually in FL, but they are in the Southeast)

A spankin' new Publix (another one? Oh wait, this is Florida), opening soon!

Red Robin and Petco

Ruby Tuesday and Holiday Inn Express

Sam's Club... Costco needs a competitor...

Staples, Pier 1, and the Verizon store

An older strip mall plaza, these types are pretty typical for older areas in Florida

A newer strip-mall plaza

~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you enjoyed your weekend shopping experience. Now go enjoy our warm, sandy beaches!

[SounderBruce 173]

The area looks great!

[mnmsimmer 0]

ComputerGuy890100:

Thanks, I really do try hard to dress it up and make it look good. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't customize stuff in this game!

[danielcote 9]

I love all the trees you put among the buildings it makes it look so vibrant where did you get them? Also can I still have a beach side mansion?

[Raysfan16 5]

First off, you won't get banned for posting alot in your cj. lol. For a suggestion, compile all the replies before of after your update, this is very common and done in almost every cj.

Those skyscrapers are magnificent, aren't they? It's too bad they are very tall. If I could point you to some good midrises, try looking up ill tonkso and his BAT's, which include midrises and skyscrapers that are modern, fit the Florida style, and aren't too wacky of a height. You're right about how the Maxis midrises suck. And the NDEX (just put that in the search bar) has a few decent ones, and if you plan on using more supertall buildings, they have some really good ones too. Also, on the LEX (dunno about the stex) there is a SHUR project filled with lots of old buildings that wouldn't fit a Floridian style but would in case you decide to start a new cj.

So you went to the Bay today, huh? It's true about all of the condos...if there's water anywhere then real estate prices spike! It's very interesting that if you travel about 30 miles north of Downtown Tampa (where I live) on Interstate 75, it turns from middle class suburb-land to a rural, bland, boring collection of pastures. The urban area is a beautiful place though, I went out fishing on the Bay a few months ago and got to see the Skyway, the Tampa skyline, and the St. Pete skyline, all there and visible. (then you turn around and see the ugly power plant south of Riverview, lol)

Now I have some comments- In your last picture of downtown Port Royal's downtown, there is a maroon building near the center that would look great in my city. Where did you get that? Good lot editing skills also with all of the palm trees and shops.

[TmiguelT 10]

i love the shops very Floridian looking. keep up the great job

[mnmsimmer 0]

danielcote:

The palm trees are made by Goldiva, their called the GDV Tropical Tree set. IDK if they are on the STEX or the LEX though. The others are mostly from c.p. (LEX) with some SG flora mixed in. I'm glad you are liking the CJ.

Raysfan16:

I may completely revamp the downtown with more realistic buildings, I kinda got carried away, LOL! The maroon building is called the Highlander Hotel and can be found here. The lot-editing definitely helps with the Florida ambiance... the Maxis spruces and green cotton candy trees (that's what they look like to me) DEFINITELY would not do in Florida, LOL.

TmiguelT

Thanks, look out for more Florida!

[WillR116 60]

Agreed, also a tip, put in a Table of contents and number each update or atleast say whats inside, or say whats in the new update in the topic summery, look at three CJ's, Haljackey's GTR and DTP's Virgin Shores, and Patricius Maximus's Franklin County, note some things that exist inside of them and use them, this is good but Im just pointing some ideas out to you. There is shall I say a status quo for CJ's, its like Metal, your supposed to come up with new music but you should sound like Metal, if your making Hip Hop and calling it Metal then thats fine but im just throwing that out to you. (note I don't have a CJ)

[mnmsimmer 0]

Port Royal: Old Port Royal

      Many areas of Florida are not so new, especially near city CBDs. Throughout the Sunshine state, there are quaint neighborhoods of early 1900s Victorians and Craftsman-style homes mixed in with other early styles, like 30s Art Deco. These early styles often contrast sharply with the newer (and more abundant) Spanish/Mediterranean-influenced Florida vernacular. Places like Port Royal were sparsely populated and grew slowly at first (air conditioning was yet to be invented). Neighborhoods like Old Port Royal transport you back to another time, another place: a place known as Old Florida.

A canal bisects the Old Port Royal neighborhood.

The skies darken as a tropical storm approaches on a steamy August afternoon.

Some of the oldest homes in Port Royal date back as far as 1908, shortly after the city's founding.

   

[SounderBruce 173]

Wow...the neighborhood is fenomenal (I know...I can't spell)!

[TmiguelT 10]

wow nice looking neighborhood. where did you get those small houses?

[mnmsimmer 0]

Port Royal: Miscellany

Coral Gardens - between downtown Port Royal and Ft. Martin

A cruise ship anchored outside the city

South Florida slums

Art Deco decay

An older industrial area. Manufacturing industries are not common in the area - the economy of Port Royal, like most of Florida, is dependent on two things: tourism and real estate.

Another sketchy industrial area... with some unwanted NIMBYs nearby.

Jesus 'N Friends Church

New Condos! Built on speculation of course... let's hope they sell!

50s and 60s ranch homes

A medical clinic I re-lotted myself.

Marina and Ferry Terminal

New homes built in a forest of Slash Pine. These are very fire-prone woods. You'll notice that areas farther away from the water are typically more "piney" in composition.

West High School - This large school only has students from the western (suburban) side of the city.

I hope you enjoyed. Next, we will be moving on to Port Royal Shores, Florida.

[WillR116 60]

Two questions, one wasn't awnsered: Where do you get the yellow Ave Road intersection crosswalk Textures?

Two where do I get the Jesus and Friends church?

additionally: have you thought about BATting or uploading some of those lots to the STEX? Although I have respect for Kevdan25 and Sim Goober, I dont personally like some of the lots, including even though I requested it (O'Charleys) and that I've been taught like it if ya get it, or atleast I believe that, I dont like the lot, I like the one you made better and also like the McD's cause of the wall thing that he put in (didnt like that). consider that.