Interstates

[primaryemu 0]

I have always wondered......where are the interstates at? I know they already have highways in the game that they consider interstates but I am talking about the 6-7 lane ones on each side and hold tons and tons of traffic.The big ass ones! Im surprised no one has come out with such a road type yet.Nam definitely has enough road ways and different highways models,etc,etc. But where are the interstates!? It would definitely have to be at least 4-5 squares wide and it would definitely be good for congestion. 

[Jumpthefence 74]

I suppose there's always the Rural Highway Mod... that goes up to 2 squares wide and 10 lanes per direction. The entire interstate takes up 4 squares and 20 lanes. Plus, the off-ramps and such can make a complicated intersection.

[primaryemu 0]

Link?

[Jumpthefence 74]

For Windows Users

For Mac Users

I also suggest downloading this, I'm not sure if it's vital, but it'll help anyways.

And I assume you have the 2009 NAM, correct? If not update/download that version.

[primaryemu 0]

Well I can safely say that the RHW is fail in my opinion....it is just to complicated and the roads don't wanna snap together like they are supposed to.....and it gets very annoying going back and trying to fix it all up again....I plan to stick with just the NAM mod and since the default highways are easier to put together and NAM mod is easier to use.Its probably just me not used to using the RHW. Anyway I might just made my own Interstate road as a project. So that way they connect with the maxis default highway and the off-ramps are compatible with it. Im just not sure where to start though. Also does anyone else have anything else that would be a interstate but isn't the RHW?

[tahill79 13]

I think the RHW is easy to play with. Whey they come out with a new version I just open up my sandbox region and play with it as much as I can. Thats the best way to do it.

It becomes easier the more you use it.

[bigthing 35]

Just to clear something up, the max amount of lanes is 5 per direction, amounting to a 10 lane highway. Not 10 lanes par direction and 20 lane highways, although i suppose it would be easy for the RHW project managers to create if you asked them.

[primaryemu 0]

Thats what i was using.A sandbox region but some of the pieces are just stubborn as hell and don't wanna snap together like they are supposed to. Maybe when a new updated version of it comes out it will fix some of the bugs. Also when I was using the 5-lane interstate it had these small arrows that would change different directions everytime I tried to add a new piece to the road and would go a glitchy on me. MEH...o well I'll just wait till a new update for it comes out. Also that would be an awesome idea.10 lanes per direction except you don't have to build 2 different highways and it would just be on big puzzle piece with 10 lanes on each side. Like the default highways on maxis with it being 1 puzzle piece but both sides are going in the either direction. 

[Rionescu 14]

If you took the time to learn how to use it instead of complaining about imaginary bugs, you might actually get somewhere using it. Strangely enough, the other day I contemplated removing the RHW because of how complicated it is and how long it takes to build an exit, but the Maxis highways just seemed so boring. If you want to see some things that can be done with the RHW go to this thread: https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=23&threadid=89089&enterthread=y

There not all RHW, but you get the idea.

[tahill79 13]

Sometimes you have to leave gaps where you want to place the puzzle piece.

[trojan_47 2]

I agree with the OP on this, it seems the highways given to us in the original game seem to be a step down from an actual interstate, yet we cant build lots on  them, and they require huge connecters and junctions with bulky exits.

However given that a mile is apparently 100 city tiles, sims rarley travel more than a mile on their commute. All I know is that in my cities, I have to have a highway about every 1/10 (one tenth) mile in my high pop cities just to avoid traffic nightmeres.

[Vahr 343]

In terms of RHW here, it does have a initial learning curve, but once you get the basics and see how the system works, it turns into a powerful network. When I first played with the RHW, I was slightly more or less confused. But after a few days I got it and well... I'm here where I am now, spinning 4 to 8 lane highways, even a few megahighways (I do have a 14 and 16 laner), across my region. And my sims love to use it. It does take up quite a bit of space at times, but IRL, highways are HUGE. The maxis highway interchanges are tiny compared to even average RL interchanges.

FYI, ~100.5 tiles = 1 mile. 1 tile = 16m Of course, this is SC4. Scales can be screwy a bit.

[MandelSoft 2,775]

Indeed, highway interchanges are big. A Maxis Highway Cloverleaf is 12x12 tiles big. That's 192m x192m in RL. It seems large, but a common exit lane here is about 400m long, and a full interchange about 1km x 1km.

By the way, this is something you can do with the RHW:


Once you know how to work with it, you don't want anything else  I'm currently replacing most of the Maxis Highways with the RHW, even when I encounter problems with size of my interchanges.

Diamonds are not a problem...


... on the other hand, I had to replace a cloverleaf with a roundabout...


So plan big when making interchanges with the RHW, because in RL they are big too.

Best,
Maarten

[metarvo 711]

I use the RHW, and I think it is one of the greatest things to happen to SC4.  True, we already had the Maxis highways (MHW), but IMHO those are better suited for urban areas with limited space.  So, the RHW may be getting away from its "rural" roots by being increasingly used in urban areas, but it still seems to make more sense, at least to me, to use the RHW in rural areas versus the MHW.

For one thing, the MHW is restricted to 6 lanes at all times.  This is realistic for some suburban areas, but most of the rural interstates I have seen have only 4 lanes, and there are a ton of options for 4-lane highways in the RHW.  It can do 4-lane expressways with at-grade intersections.  It can do 4-lane interstate-style freeways, and it can even go up to 10-lanes.  IMHO, the RHW is much more flexible than the MHW.  That's not to say that I never use the MHW, even though I mainly use it in urban areas.  However, this is just my approach to interstates.

[trojan_47 2]

It sounds really cool. I might give it a go.

[primaryemu 0]

 Now this is what I am talking about! HUGE over the top interstate/highway! lolololol XD

[Rionescu 14]

You could build that with the RHW-10 using an express/collectors system, though it would be a lot of work and it doesn't offer too much flexibility. When RHW V4 is released it will be much easier.

[Nick9099 2]

would there really be much benefit to a huge highway like that? you'd have to get a huge amount of long-distance traffic on that one route to make it worthwile, and that doesn't happen very often in SC4. of course, if it's just an eye candy type thing, then that's a different story.

[Jezus53 18]

Just keep working with the RHW. It is a great tool for making some amazing interchanges and highways. I hada tough time as well but start small. Try setting up a 4 lane over a 2 lane interchange. Then go to a cloverleaf, then try even more complicated stuff. Cycle through all of the parts in the RHW and place them through out the map to see what the look like. The RHW team spent a lot of hard work compiling the mod and have done a great job.

Also, a side note, the RHW is from a road network that was already in the game, but never actually implemented. So no one could use it. I guess EA was too impatient and wanted the game out asap.

[Riot55 2]

Originally posted by: primaryemu

 Now this is what I am talking about! HUGE over the top interstate/highway! lolololol XD

quote>

that's actually an intercity highway in Toronto, it goes down to 6 lanes from about hamilton to windsor LOL!

its nice isn't it?!

[primaryemu 0]

Indeed thats where I got it,and yes it is very nice!