Steamrobin's Projects (From RuralSet to new BAT/Lots) : showcases, requests and Feedbacks

[Steamrobin 4]

Hi folks !

After having played during the very early years of the Sim City 4 release (and before, I was a big fan at home of the Snes 4 version of Sim City while playing at my office with the Mac version...), I discover again that amazing game and all the possibilities that EA software gave to the community by the basics modding tools they offered to us. 

Of course, some precursors (Pegasus is someone that I discovered the name many years ago and never forget it even if I didn't play the game during long years...) had already done marvelous mods, but it was so difficult to follow their steps at this period...

Today, I am happy to be able, with my humble capacities, to create some modifications on one of my dream's game (the others dream's games are wargames or 4X games).

So, ladies and gentleman, I am proud to present you the result of my first efforts to bring my touch on SC4 :

Up is the screen of one of my town with the lots I created. 

Few years ago, I have just uploaded this complete set for rural zones and as this set seems to get very good feedbacks from the community, I think interesting to open here a discussion to go further and improve my work.

For infos or to download this set, check this link at Simtropolis :  www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm

 

Below, the 2 pictures I did to present this set in version 1.0 and my comments to explain my goal :

 

Ruralset v. 1.0 by Steamrobin

First, I'd like to thank you to try my set.

It's my first mod for SimCity Rush hour and I am not sure of the result, feedbacks are very welcome.

My goal with this set was to create a kind of puzzle for rural elements in order to allow the player to improve the look of his farms within the rural zones.

Most elements of this set are small (1X1) and modular to enable different arranging of them. For example in my personnal games, I use to put some rural set elements around the simulator generated farms. This keep the benefit of the farm's workpower while improving theirs general aspect.

Small rural communities are very enjoyable to play and I tried to provide them with some functionalities in order to bring them more fun and realism : Water, Power, Firestation and even Police are already done in relation with my rural "game design" spirit.

My next step now would be to create some original designs for all the civic buildings and lots needed.

Content of the set :

(25 ploppable items)

Landmarks :

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Chicken_1x1_3731aea5.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Empty_1x1_9731aec4.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Empty_5x5_3732a4d2.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Empty-Dirty_1x1_97381469.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Farm5_2x2_3731ae6d.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Goatpen_1x1_d73033ef.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Greenhouse_1x1_773035af.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Hangar_1x1_9731aeb4.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_House_1x1_7731ae8f.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Leisure_2x2_f731afc3.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Paddock_1x1_d731549f.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Tractor_1x1_01_572f5d49.SC4Lot

>> These lots generate  bad desirability for residential and commercial in order to keep the RCI zones around to a low level and they provide a few income to simulate population tax

Civics Buildings :

Steamrobin_Rural_Heli-Sherif_2x1_37328577.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Rural_Sherif_1x1_3731ae7a.SC4Lot (Helicopter non-driveable)

Steamrobin_Ruralset_CountySherif_2x2_97381d00.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_DeluxeSherif_2x2_b734c8f7.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Rangerstation_1x1_f731b605.SC4Lot (Fire station)

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Water_1x1_B_d73150aa.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_WindPower_1x1_d731afdc.SC4Lot

>> These set provide the same service than the original civics building but at a lower rate and their size are quite smaller than the originals. The Deluxe Sherif has a driveable helicopter and is ploppable without the conditions of the original Deluxe Commissariat.

Trails :

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Trail_1x1_Culdesac_97328936.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Trail_1x1_Curve_3732879c.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Trail_1x1_Nointersection_7731af09.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Trail_1x1_Nointersection_Nolamp_9738102b.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Trail_1x1_T-intersection_7731af26.SC4Lot

Steamrobin_Ruralset_Trail_1x1_X-intersection_d731af19.SC4Lot

>> These trails are non-functionnals and for eyes only.

Plus Ruralset-01.jpg and Ruralset-02.jpg to illustrate the content of this set.

No Dependencies

A special thank to the Simtropolis team and to the community at large for their continuing support that help enough to make dream come true.

My detailed questions about this version and the next and improved version of my Rural Set :

• What is your favorite lot (or concept) about this set and what is your opinion about the change I must consider for the 2.0 version of the Rural Set ? 
• Should I create trails for that works as real road (today, they are only eye's candy) or let the players use some very nice trails made by other modders. 
• Do someone know how to avoid to have the pavement textures beside the streets and roads while crossing residential zones or my rural Lots ? It seems obscure for me and I am not sure to catch the logic of this functionality... Help welcome to understand clearly the parameters to change or the way to solve my problem.

My general desire about this discussion :

• I'd like to see your use of this set throw screen shots you could post in this topic. It would be nice for all to see different ways to use my elements and I could surely imagine some needs and new improvements while discovering your way to create rural zones. So, please, post your screens ! 
• I'd like to have all the help needed for all my project. So, thanks by advance for your contributions in this topic.

My next steps as modder :

• Models and Bat :

  I am new in SC4 modding and since few weeks I had to learn a lot about this. Not so easy to mod such a game ! But I'd like to continue my learning by creating my own Bat. I already create some 3d models for games, but with an old and wonderful software (Extreme 3d by Macromedia) but I must learn the ergonomy (not easy to handle) of GMax. If someone know how to export/import correctly the Exteme 3d files to 3dsMax or GMax, I'll be up quickly to produce the models I dream to see in SC4... But since years, I dream to handle 3dsMax, so it's not a big inconvenient.

• Textures :

  Idem for models and Bats, I'd like to create some new textures for my sets and have yet the need to learn how to mod such files for SC4 even if texture creation is quite easy for me (I am a big fan of Macromedia corp. products and privilegiate Fireworks to create my 2d files instead of Photoshop. Surely surprising for most people around, but this software (Fireworks) is really bad known by the graphists and is a marvelous tool that mix ideally the capacity of Illustrator and Photoshop, specially for texture creations...

• Plugins :

  I d like to finalize the Rural Set that is my first set, and soon as possible, create 2 other sets :

  • Everglade Set : A Set that simulate the swamp zones like this in the Everglades Park of Florida, with new textures, lots and even Props if I win to learn all the process to do that. More, I even dream to create an Airboat like those we can drive in the Everglade. A drivable Airboat of course !

    Help and people are welcome for this project, let's talk about it if you are concerned.

  • City Set : A less ambitious set than the Everglade I talked about. At this time, I've started to work on bus and suburban stations and like to create a complete new set for these urban equipments (included car parks) to create small lots (1x1) with a good graphic design but not so distant from the basic items. For very original features, I think that all the marvelous mods we can find here are enough to satisfy all the taste. My goal here is to work on the size and on the life putted on these lots (props are not enough used in the original files). 

My next lots for the Rural Set :

• Civic Lots (Improving the look and size of all Civics Lots I'd like to put (or already putted) in my set) :
  • For the Police, I am stil trying to create a small sheriff station with an helicopter launching pad that works for simulation as I like to visit my own cities with an helicopter and don't want to wait a Deluxe Station to do that... Lol ! I am in the good way to success for this desire.
  • For the school, I am in good way to achieve all my needs at this step (modding some residential or commercial buildings of the game to use them as schools).
  • For the Fire station I d like to create an original design to replace the ranger station and put a small car on the lot like a 4x4 car like those we can see in countryside (or mountains)
  • For the Clinics, I don't find urgent to create something else than the game offer in his original version but I will surely create later one lot that would be more adapted for rural environments. 
• Water Purification Plant 2x2 (Already done)

  A small station but with a strong power to treat all the water pollution of the rural zones. 

• A rubbish dump lot 1x1 (already done)

  Something that generate a lot of disagrement and pollutions (and realism as the rural zones are often used as garbage by populations... Not lol !)

• A "Trail Lot without trail" (but with a lot of trees) 1x1 (Already done)

  As actually I am often using the Cul de Sac Trail I made for the Rural Set as a special piece to some zones and create soft transition between the Rural Set Items and the farms zones or the ground, I've decided to create this special piece.

• Plotable Lots for all the basic growable farms like the Lot I made in 2x2 size for the Farm called Farm5 that we find in the game. So, 4 more models are to come I believe. 

Coming soon, some pictures of my next lots for the Rural Set.

At last, I'd like to thank Simtropolis team and all the other website and community members for all the works already done and all the efforts and talents they offer us to create so many new materials and to maintain such websites for that purpose.

Many thanks to this great community !

Steamrobin

 

[antsel 841]

Wow! This is definitely one of the best, if not THE best first posts I have ever seen at Simtropolis. My friend, this is exactly the sort of plugin I need. I enjoy working rural areas in SC4, and I believe the lots in your Rural Set are exactly what I need to create more realistic farms and farm yards.

[Steamrobin 4]

Thank you very much selles. !

I took a look on your cities and must congratulate you. Keep the good work !

Concerning my work, I'd like to share with everyboy 2 screens relative to the future lots for the school and WaterPurificationPlant I project to achieve soon. First big works for a new version of the Rural Set (V 2.0)

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated concerning the characteristics of these new items (not only graphics but also the parameters) . Of course, your feedback for all the set already finish is welcome too.

For the elementary school I took the Car Care Center Building as I found it very convenient. But perhaps you have some other ideas !

As I can't model by myself for now, and don't really want it or use third party models coming from other modders for the  Rural Set V 2.0, I must take what I can find in the Dataset file of SC4. 

As this, this set would stay "confortable" without dependencies !

Keep in touch !

[Andreas Roth 616]

Unfortunately, I don't have time to play the game at the moment (or do any modding), but I do like what I see here. You might want to cut back the number of trees a bit (esp. when they are growing through that white building on your latest screenshots ), but otherwise, I do like this set a lot.

BTW, I'm an avid Fireworks fan as well; I've been using the program since version 1.0, after someone at uni showed us this new tool for creating website graphics and the like. It's much more convenient to edit screenshots, add text, and of course handling textures and menu icons for SC4, since the latter are in Fireworks' native format PNG anyway.

[Steamrobin 4]

Thank for your comments Andreas. Of course, these lots are non-final and I will polish them before posting here.

About Fireworks, I use it for many more uses than those you was speaking about. A this moment, I am using it for texturing in the goal to have all the material for my first Gmax model. I will post soon a screen of it. It will be a medium-small sheriff station to replace those I made for my set. by re-using some game's models.

That is pretty good new for me, as Gmax was very hard to understand for me since I am really ok with the ergonomic ang logic of Extreme3d.

By the way, I am impatient to see other gamer's screens with some of my RuralSet lots !

As nobody posted anything here, my curiosity is stronger than never...

[jacqulina 162]

these are fantastic thankyou

[Deathcat001 8]

can you put the dirt roads in a draggable thing (like SAM). Remeber its only a suggestion.  

[Steamrobin 4]

@ jacquina : many thanks ^^

@ Deathcat001 : I d like to do such thing, but I am quite newbie and don't actually see clearly what you mean about that draggable fucntion. I guess I must install SAM to figure out what to do... Why not ? 

@ all : Here it is ! My first try with BAT and GMX (grrrr... I am really nostalgic with Extreme3d...).

I wanted to have a police station that match the design of my Ruralset lots. 

I think it's almost done, isn't it ? 

Thank to post your comments here although I will surely post some asks in the BAT Topics about texturing as I have some difficulties with them.

Keep in touch !

Below : My Sheriff Deluxe Office with the 3 original police stations made by Maxis. 

Below : The model I found oin Google to create my Sheriff Office.

[jacqulina 162]

wow these are great

[nofunk 1,933]

Wow! That little sheriff's department looks great! There certainly aren't enough police and fire stations in the game, and not enough different sizes either. This will be a great addition!

[Steamrobin 4]

Hi all !

Some news about my works.

First, a picture to illustrate all the main improvements in the next release of my RuralSet.

New schools are yet to improve as I am not sure with which lot I'll put on this release : a school that could be a mix between elementary school and school, a college and a high school are surely those I will put on it. But if you have any feedback about this choice, just tell me. 

By the way, I d like to create a personal gmax model for my schools and I m not sure to wait for or to release these educational schools with Maxis building on them. 

For the Mini Deluxe Sheriff station, things are almost finished, except for the problem of the drivable property for the helicopter, since I didn't success with that aspect. I dream to have an helicopter soon in a game, to fly on my rural cities, and it would be very frustrating to not have this possibility with a personal lot...

Beside, I wonder what to do with my first police lots, that are made with original maxis Building. let the in place or creating some gmax building, specially for the little police station ?

In fact, I try to manage my first goal before creating my Ruralset : keep things simple, without a lot of dependencies...

At last, I am happy with the design of my new WaterTower that I would put on this ruralset release. By now, I d like to work on a rural wind power design. Must see how to do with the  propeller-blade of such wind power since they are special effects for the Maxis Wind Power lot. I don't have yet the know how for such modding...

I am planning this release in less than a week except if I decide to create all the new buildings I dream for this set. Keep in touch !

 

As usual, comments are very welcome !

[jacqulina 162]

wonderfull work great additions,i love the water tower

[Steamrobin 4]

Many thanks for your comment jaqulina, it's so pleasant to have "one"...

Erf... People are too busy or not enough interested by rural stuffs to come here.

Never mind, I will continue my job !

;o))

[jacqulina 162]

your welcome my friend,i am loving the work you have done and looking very much out for more

[Steamrobin 4]

Some news before my next uploads.

Hope you will like this last creation ^^

[Livin in Sim 83]

Hi, Steamrobin,

It does get a little quieter around here in the summer (for this hemisphere, anyway ), and I for one am outside a lot more.  But I'm never too tied up to comment on a really nicely done project, and I love rural.  I especially like the water tower and the sherriff's office, they are very quaint and authentic.  The elven lodge is great also.  If you continue with your rural excellence I'm sure you'll develop a great following.

Enjoy the game.

--Liv

[Steamrobin 4]

Thanks for your comments, Livin in Sim. You are very welcome here !

I hope you'll enjoy the same way the new (and first one I made...) City Journal I have just opened.

I will be proud to have your comments and those of all people interested by rural cities or French wine countries :

 

Beaujolais Valley - Country of The Ten Villages

[Steamrobin 4]

Just a simple word to tell you that my CJ show some of my new projects that are coming.

As a short list of what is coming :

- new vineyards(almost completed. I am now asking me f I try to put them seasonal or not. Hard work...);

- new rural items (to complete the Ruralset I made and put on the Stex);

- new south France buildings and houses (half completed). I ll have to handle the family prop component to bring this serie at a high usability level...;

- new props and shop signs (like window boxes with geranium or "Café-Tabac" shop sign)

- etc.

I will post here soon some details about of these works.

To have a global view on these, visit the last entres on my CJ :

  Beaujolais Valley - Country of The Ten Villages

Keep in touch !

[Steamrobin 4]

As you can see in my CJ, I am batting some new houses to suit with my Beaujolais Valley design. A total of about 20 models are planed and 6 are already made...

These are French houses and buildings very common in the center and south of France (but not the far south like Provence or Côte d'Azur where houses are more Mediterranean styled).

These days, I am planing some improvements to this serie like making some variations of colors on the roofs, the walls, the windows frames, etc. Also, making some shop signs as props like "restaurants" or "café-tabac" typical in France.

In this way, I had the idea yesterday to create some windows box with geranium, as props.

I find it pretty cool and really in touch with the look of some rurals towns and villages. In France, we have a kind of annual competition between the towns that is called "Villages Fleuris" (Villages with flowers).

I am searching other ideas like this one. Easy to put on a building (or props) to make random variations while ploping them (using the family prop properties to change props at each clic or while growing...).

For example, I think to create some really different cheminees terminations to put them on the existant and basic model I did yet. Or putting some antenas of different sorts...

Have you got any other ideas or feedback about this ?

For example, why not creating the doors as props to vary them ?

As always, like for my Ruralset, I am searching new ideas that focus on simple concepts like puzzles and one vision that could be sum up like this : "How obtaining more with few" ? More variety, more usability, more originality, more perennial, etc.

On the pict below, the window boxes come with 3 sorts : red, yellow and mixed geraniums :

[Sciurus 323]

Very nice Steamrobin

[Steamrobin 4]

Tanks a lot Scirius54 !

By the way, I wanted to notify 2 new updates in my CJ. 

Few details but that can make a lot...

Just follow this link : www.simtropolis.com/cityjournals/

[LivingInThePast 364]

Have you heard of ChrisAdam's (over at SC4D) Rural Renewal Project? It looks very similar but focuses more on the actual rural parts than a general rural city. Included are sprawling ranch paths, wildflowers, etc.

I deeply appreciate what he's made because he lives in the same city and state as I do. I really can't wait to make a rolling highway with bluebonnets along the side...ah, Texas...

[Steamrobin 4]

@ LivingInThePast : yes, I found some of the Chris Adam's Bats and lots lately. Happily, we are not exactly focused on the same goals and I find most ot his creations very usefull (and marvelous I must say, he is a real master...). Many thanks for your feedback and suggestions, always welcome when someone share his knowledge ^^

By the way, I wanted to suggest every visitors to visit my last CJ entry. A main update as the Belleville small Town is not too far from the end...

Beaujolais Valley : Starting Belleville (Part IV)

At last, I wanted to show you something I forgot to say few weeks ago : I am proud to be in the last Stex DVD to follow the proposal of Dirk to share an exclusive model I made.

It is the final release of my DeluxeMinisheriff as you can see in that picture I made to join to my files in the DVD. 

[Steamrobin 4]

@ LivingInThePast : yes, I found some of the Chris Adam's Bats and lots lately. Happily, we are not exactly focused on the same goals and I find most ot his creations very usefull (and marvelous I must say, he is a real master...). Many thanks for your feedback and suggestions, always welcome when someone share his knowledge ^^

By the way, I wanted to suggest every visitors to visit my last CJ entry. A main update as the Belleville small Town is not too far from the end...

Beaujolais Valley : Starting Belleville (Part IV)

At last, I wanted to show you something I forgot to say few weeks ago : I am proud to be in the last Stex DVD to follow the proposal of Dirk to share an exclusive model I made.

It is the final release of my DeluxeMinisheriff as you can see in that picture I made to join to my files in the DVD. 

[Steamrobin 4]

@ LivingInThePast : yes, I found some of the Chris Adam's Bats and lots lately. Happily, we are not exactly focused on the same goals and I find most ot his creations very usefull (and marvelous I must say, he is a real master...). Many thanks for your feedback and suggestions, always welcome when someone share his knowledge ^^

By the way, I wanted to suggest every visitors to visit my last CJ entry. A main update as the Belleville small Town is not too far from the end...

Beaujolais Valley : Starting Belleville (Part IV)

At last, I wanted to show you something I forgot to say few weeks ago : I am proud to be in the last Stex DVD to follow the proposal of Dirk to share an exclusive model I made.

It is the final release of my DeluxeMinisheriff as you can see in that picture I made to join to my files in the DVD.