Tenements & Rust: Ghetto Stories

[Benedict 3,119]

That mosaic is top notch.

[TekindusT 3,809]

Comment Replies

algis242: Thank you for commenting! Well, seeing the whole airport is going to be difficult as I built it in the middle of nowhere, but I'll try to show it.

kakado_to_save: Thanks for your comment! 10/10 for you too!

9988: Thank you for commenting! Nearly all the tenements shown on the latest entries are made by SimHoTToDDy, search for him on the STEX and they'll appear. They're part of the Pripiat series.

packersfan: Thanks for your comment! You know, airport building isn't and "easy" subject... And as I said to algis242, I'll try to show a full airport pic... Oh, and congrats on your Super Bowl qualifying! It's going to be a funny Super Bowl, because I like the Packers, but my favourite team have always been the Steelers...

Benedict: Thank you for your comment! Hope everything is top notch here!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After an exciting exam season (and an exciting NFL post-season); it's time to make an update!

As we've seen before, Workers City and all the other Krasnoslobodsk outer suburbs weren't made overnight. During the first half of the 20th century, a bunch of engineers have worked here; being pushed to accomplish the completion terms, working under a lot of pressure or even taking some of the (scarce) funding for themselves. That's the result.

The road planning in the core of Workers City has been remade a couple of times since its construction, first adding stoplights and then adding turning lanes. The sidewalks were narrowed and at the same time, a median was implemented to allow cars to be parked over it.

The railways have been risen in this part of Workers City since its inception. There was no need for this when the tracks were built, but the concrete provider was the chief engineer's brother-in-law...

Workers City fifth phase was planned in an enclosed fashion, trying to psycollogically "isolate" its dwellers; correcting the mistakes made on the previous stages. The architects didn't want to carry this project on, but they were forced to do this. Obviously, that's not the official version.

[kakado_to_save 514]

Missed your updates

[Schulmanator 5,807]

Looking good. You capture the spirit of the place well.

[wwetom1 831]

Nice update! The second pic looks great.

And the airport in the previous update is fantastic! Much better than anything I could do.

[The Duke 11]

The city looks great in a horrible way!!

[+Guest Member 193110]

Nice blocks. That elevated rail looks good.

[packersfan 666]

Great work, keep it up!

[9988 428]

Lot of effort put to this. Continue with it!

[TekindusT 3,809]

Comment Replies

kakado_to_save: Thank you for your comment!

Schulmanator: Thank you for commenting!

wwetom1: Thanks for your comment! There aren't many misteries behind custom airport building. Just know your pieces and imitate the airports you see...

The Duke: Thank you for your comment! The worst, the best for me!

algis242: Thank you for your comment! When I discovered the new NAM had elevated rail pieces over PedMalls I was happy...

packersfan: Thanks for your comment!

9988: Thank you for commenting! I guess we all CJers put a lot of effort on our work, just in different ways...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the exams where over (all subjects passed! ) I thought I would have plenty of time to make this CJ, but I've been working in my job, in pulling a non-CJ city forward and in making something I'll show you in the end of this update...

As we've seen before, Workers City has been built in different phases through the 20th century, if we look closer we see how the ideas in that moment had an impact on the urbanism that shaped Workers City.

We saw this building on the first update about Krasnoslobodsk. It is part of one of the oldest sections of Workers City; built among dirt lawns (aka "open green areas"), when the Goverment still thought that these open areas would make the residents happy.

Later on, the long block style was developed. They were much versatile and they could be squeezed in places that the regular blocks couldn't. There wasn't need for more open areas as they were proven inefficient by the Goverment. The dwellers of this specific block are still wondering why was this highway built in the time that only Goverment members and Party members where allowed to own a car.

During the last eras of the authoritary Goverment, some signs of "openness" where shown. This blocks aren't exactly aligned with the North-South nor East-West axis; this way they allowed more sunlight to enter in the tiny apartments (ironically, today it is raining).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And this is what I've been working lately:

Let me explain myself. I tried automata modding, but I didn't felt confortable with it (more or less like happened with BATting); it requires a lot of time to make good stuff and I don't have this time. But, SimCity4IE gave me the idea of making a language mod for the game, he was trying to make a Gaelic one and I tried messing with the SimCityLocale file. As I had the Reader installed, I rewrote some sentences and tried to put this SimCityLocale in the folder it is usually read. It worked!

Now, I'm on the way of translating all the game into Catalan. It is a tedious task and it will take a long time to do this, but I can do it when I'm bored or I don't have nothing better to do... Coming soon to a STEX near you!

[wwetom1 831]

Love the rain effect! And looking forward to seeing the final result!

[+Guest Member 193110]

Great update. Nice idea about making a language mod. Hope you will finish your mod soon!

[nico15821 3]

your desktop is in spanish. I love your CJs i should drive around the ghetto to compare these cities.

[TekindusT 3,809]

Comment Replies

wwetom1: Thanks for your comment!

algis242: Thank you for your comment!

nico15821: Thanks for commenting! According to my desktop (and my avatar, and my signature...) you can easily deduct where I'm from...

All: The language mod (Projecte SC4Cat) keeps on track. In this moment I have translated approximately a 19% of the game (including all the begginer's tutorials). Tried to do a custom SC4 splash screen but the file took more or less 18 MB and this is such a large file for a simple image. Then, this idea is discarted.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nuclear power was a very important source of power in the soviet republics. When it was discovered, nuclear plants began popping up all over the USSR and the whole union was powered by a cheap and "clean" source. It all seemed the future until the Chernobyl disaster... 25 years later, still a lot of power plants stand.

Cooling towers are always seen as "those ugly structures that pollute everything". In fact, they're ugly, but they only release warm air... But even though they're not radioactive nor polluting; it doesn't meen they don't deserve their maintenance. If one of them failed, the plant should shut down inmediately before a dangerous overheating.

The rust covering all those tanks is also really worrying...

Despite its state, Krasnoslobodsk Nuclear Power Plant (placed 30 km far from the city) has seen much better days. It is only now a dinosaur made of concrete and steel waiting to be dismantled. It's not well mantained, it's not efficient, it's not secure; but Krasnoslobodsk just cannot lock it. The city needs power, and this plant is the main supplier. Until something happens.

[+Guest Member 193110]

Nice Nuclear Power Plant. Krasnoslobodsk should search for alternative energetic resources if they want to close the NPP.

[wwetom1 831]

Excellent job. The pictures look so real! And I love the cooling towers..

[Mayorm 14]

very nice. I should think about putting some funds into fixing that up

[penguin007 27]

Great pics all round here!! I love the gritiness of the areas you're showing off at the moment

Will

[hackinosa 29]

la alta definici

[Simbourgeois 139]

Yeah, that nuclear plant looks pretty run down indeed! That's quite dangerous...

Pretty depressive stuff, I would say... Keep it up!

Best regards,

Simbourgeois

Mayor of Belleville

[kakado_to_save 514]

Great update!! the rust is a place for worries

[packersfan 666]

I love the photo-editing you add to make your already awesome city pictures pop!

[TekindusT 3,809]

Comment Replies

algis242: Thank you for commenting! Well, we all know the alternate power resources are the future (and in some cases, the present) but there has to be some investment (public or private) for it. And currently, this is the part that fails.

wwetom1: Thanks for your comment! I've always thought the cooling towers are a very recognizable landmark for a power plant. When I was a child, my parents and I went once or twice a year by car to Andorra because everything was cheaper there than in Barcelona. On the way, we always passed very near a power plant which cooling tower covered the windshield with tiny water drops. It fascinated me...

Mayorm: Thank you for your comment! Funds? Funds are used here for more important things, like buying nice pictures for the goverment buildings...

penguin007: Thanks for your comment, and glad you like it!

hackinosa: ¡Gracias por tu comentario! Simplemente, "enfocando" las fotos con el GIMP o el Photoshop hace que todo parezca más detallado. Simply, "focusing" the pics with GIMP or Photoshop, makes everything seem more detailed.

Simbourgeois: Thank you for your comment and great to see you back!

kakado_to_save: Thanks for commenting! I just love the rust here...

packersfan: Thank you for commenting! I just love to see how you can radically modify the feel of a pic in a couple of minutes...

---------------------------------

During the late 90s, the slow transition from communism to capitalism, brought to Krasnoslobodsk a new way of life, new structures, new concepts and new problems. The city became a kind of melting pot where the most modern buildings were built besides reminiscences of the past. This past, though, is still present virtually everywhere you go.

This is one of the most common sights in the "border" that separates the suburbs and the newly developed financial district. From the windows, the oil and gas tycoons "enjoy" neverending districts made of blocks and more blocks, where live the workers who can't afford an Armani suit to use in their jobs.

Fishermen have been replaced by container ships in the seaport. Krasnoslobodsk recieves now containers coming from all over Europe and Asia. Don't ask about its content.

The ones that have had the opportunity of moving to the higher strates of society, have brought a livestyle you couldn't think of (literally) only twenty years ago. Shiny skyscrapers  and impressive architecture have reached Krasnoslobodsk, but democracy and equality principles don't.

[КaZZ 203]

damn! that is inspiring.. soo true and so real! )) like my homeland

[GreekMan 246]

Great updates on filth and dirt!!!

[+Guest Member 193110]

Great update. That picture with ships looks nice.

[TekindusT 3,809]

Comment Replies

testuser1234: Thank you for your comment! Glad to be an inspiration for you, I just hope that where you live isn't as this CJ...

GreekMan: Thanks for commenting!

algis242: Thank you for commenting! I would have liked to place some water effects to give the feeling the ships are actually moving, but I'm not that proficient with the GIMP...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Workers City is only one of the dozens of residential districts surrounding Krasnoslobodsk's city center. There are some others that had been planned in similar circumstances and the result can be even more terrifying.

The simplest way of reaching the District 14 is by rail. The railway station is the most important spot in the city, where the inhabitants that still have a job gather every morning to get to Krasnoslobodsk city center or any other place in the metropolitan area.

The word "claustrophobia" can define well what strangers feel when they enter in the District 14. Its narrow streets and dangerous alleys, combined with the total lack of sunlight during most of the day; give the whole neighbourhood a feeling that only the ones who live there can tolerate.

The sights from outside the neighbourhood are even worse and more worrying. Residents live in crowded tenements and households made of eight people aren't uncommon. Most of the young people living here only think in getting off this place, they call this "to escape the District".

[+Guest Member 193110]

Yet again, great soviet style residential area.

[kakado_to_save 514]

Great cities!! love your playing style

[SounderBruce 173]

Those blocks look awesome...Krasnoslobodsk looks nice too!