Show us Your Interchanges!

[Indiana Joe 1,750]

The cloverleaf and T stack were the only Maxis highway interchanges that came with the game. Other than the diamonds and parallel ramps for roads and avenues.

[Haljackey 17,272]

The original SC4 had elevated highway, road diamond interchange, elevated highway cloverleaf, and if I'm not mistaken, parallel road ramps as well.

Rush Hour included ground highways, transition to elevated (very steep), T-bone interchanges, avenue diamond interchanges, ground road interchange, one-way road diamond interchanges, parallel avenue and one-way road interchanges, and road, avenue and one-way road overpasses.

The NAM contains everything else in the highways menu, including new perpendicular and parallel ramps.

Picture time! Click for full size.

Junctions included in SimCity and Rush Hour (deluxe)

NAM junctions:

New NAM junctions (not compatible with my asphalt highway mod )

EDIT: Check out my SC4 archives and old NAM threads for other Maxis highway additions that were in development but never made it into the game. Many of these projects were abandoned due to the sheer difficulty of modding the Maxis highways, since every single tile is 3D. This was one of the factors that led to the birth of the RHW, which is more modular and is 2D at it's base.

  Edited June 14, 2012 by Haljackey  

[Tarkus 6,932]

EDIT: Check out my SC4 archives and old NAM threads for other Maxis highway additions that were in development but never made it into the game. Many of these projects were abandoned due to the sheer difficulty of modding the Maxis highways, since every single tile is 3D. This was one of the factors that led to the birth of the RHW, which is more modular and is 2D at it's base.

That's also a major reason why the RHW won't be getting pre-fab ploppable interchanges.

That and the fact that the number of them necessary to approach MHW-level functionality on all of the networks in the RHW would be well into the tens of thousands--yes, tens of thousands. Consider that there's only about 400 puzzle pieces in the RHW at present, and the improvements with FLEX techniques will actually cut that number by at least one-third. With all the networks planned for inclusion in the next RHW update (counting the three levels of RHW-7C, there's 40), there'd need to be 120 full diamond interchanges. That's to say nothing of half-diamonds, diagonal diamonds, setups where there's a split median, NWM interchanges . . . and for full cloverleafs, in order to cover just the basic possibilities (with no diagonals), by my calculations, you'd need 4096 interchanges (before the discovery of 5-digit HIDs in 2009, this alone would have taken every available space in RUL0).

Modularity is the only way to deal with an exponential system. We do still have to deal with models a little bit on the RHW side with the elevated networks (which is why elevated RHW functionality drags a couple versions behind ground-level functionality), but it's a more workable situation.

-Tarkus

  Edited June 14, 2012 by Tarkus  

[zimmie 521]

All those pieces added to the MHW by the NAM team, amazing. I was unaware of that. I started playing SC4 after the fact, just took them for granted. I love the RHW but I prefer the concrete texture so I am never fully satisfied using either system. But I understand it takes an incredible amount of time and effort with thousands of textures to process so I fully understand why there isn't a concrete mod for the RHW but it sure would be awesome.

[Haljackey 17,272]

I made an alternative. Sadly, no room for TuLEPs.

Click for full size.

What do you think? It preserves the buildings but is quite a ways away.

EDIT: Again, nothing is saved so do not worry about disconnected pieces and stuff.. that will be fixed

  Edited June 15, 2012 by Haljackey  

[Haljackey 17,272]

Anyway, I built a pure avenue interchange by using the ave MIS pieces.

Click for full size.

EDIT: With the area developed:

Click for full size

  Edited June 16, 2012 by Haljackey  

[Moonraker0 192]

Nice, I've never tried that myself. It could be useful in some situations, though.

[Haljackey 17,272]

SC4's best highway designer is at it again: https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=252.msg426226#msg426226

Honestly, take a hop over to SC4D's mirror of this thread. It will be well worth the trip.

Mind blown.

[The Avatar 1,088]

O_O

Some of the images didn't load for me, but I'm amazed by what I saw. Dat "Yen" interchange...

[simlink 1,098]

That last one... ugh don't want to get lost in there.

[Indiana Joe 1,750]

Dat "Yen" interchange...

If you had seen the Octochange, your reaction would have been more along the lines of

  Edited June 17, 2012 by Indiana Joe  

[Haljackey 17,272]

Dat "Yen" interchange...

If you had seen the Octochange, your reaction would have been more along the lines of

[image[

Nah It's more like this

Direct link to the interchange image if you're having trouble accessing it:

^8-way RHW ^interchange.

[WiiGoGetter 65]

There is no words to tell how fbfjffqupnx crazy those interchanges are

[-JD- 41]

Sorry to because up the discussion about that crazy interchange (which I would really want to throw my computer out the window if I tried to build ) But I have an interchange i just built, and I'm not to sure what to classify it as. It took me about an hour and a half, but I still have to do the detailing and such, but I already have the slopes how I want them (I did that after these pics were taken).

[Ganaram Inukshuk 906]

Sorry to because up the discussion about that crazy interchange (which I would really want to throw my computer out the window if I tried to build ) But I have an interchange i just built, and I'm not to sure what to classify it as. It took me about an hour and a half, but I still have to do the detailing and such, but I already have the slopes how I want them (I did that after these pics were taken).

Cloverfold. https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=14062.msg422924#msg422924

[Kruemel95 27]

One thing I really like about the RHW is that it allows you to build interchanges according to the circumstances you have like space and amount of traffic.

Here there is some heavy traffic coming from the left, so I built these new ramps that go directly into the residential areas.

Sometimes there is no need for extra ramps so......they can just be left out.

This here is pretty simple but could not be made with the MHW. It would sure be interesting to see what people could do with the next NAM

[MandelSoft 2,769]

SC4's best highway designer is at it again: http://sc4devotion.c...26226#msg426226

Honestly, take a hop over to SC4D's mirror of this thread. It will be well worth the trip.

Mind blown.

Holy moly!

This must be the creation of a madman!

Best,

Maarten

[jdenm8 362]

Sorry to because up the discussion about that crazy interchange (which I would really want to throw my computer out the window if I tried to build ) But I have an interchange i just built, and I'm not to sure what to classify it as. It took me about an hour and a half, but I still have to do the detailing and such, but I already have the slopes how I want them (I did that after these pics were taken).

Cloverfold. http://sc4devotion.c...22924#msg422924

Nope, that's a standard Cloverleaf. A Cloverfold is one that has the looping ramps cross each other before joining the main motorway, to get rid of the weaving.

[Ganaram Inukshuk 906]

Nope, that's a standard Cloverleaf.

Fine; Non-antiweave Collapsed Cloverleaf.

[The Avatar 1,088]

Dat "Yen" interchange...

If you had seen the Octochange, your reaction would have been more along the lines of

[image[

Nah It's more like this

Direct link to the interchange image if you're having trouble accessing it: http://i240.photobuc...ay_overview.jpg

^8-way RHW ^interchange.

[Ion_Cannon 677]

Could someone explain what is meant by weaving? I have heard the term a lot but have no idea what it actually refers to.

As for that 8 way interchange, mind = blown.

[Ganaram Inukshuk 906]

Could someone explain what is meant by weaving?

It's where you have an entrance ramp and exit ramp in close vicinity and cars entering and cars exiting tend to do a "ballet" with all the other cars on the road.

Best example: A cloverleaf.

[Cob92 360]

Here you can see where the freeway enters the built up area of the city (the road merging with the freeway is the old highway and now serves as a business spur):

Liberty Avenue interchange:

This SPUI was constructed north of downtown in anticipation of future growth:

Overview shot, showing how the highway wraps around the southwest corner of downtown:

Long before the first freeway was constructed, this city was already very well served by an extensive passenger rail network:

[MandelSoft 2,769]

Could someone explain what is meant by weaving?

It's where you have an entrance ramp and exit ramp in close vicinity and cars entering and cars exiting tend to do a "ballet" with all the other cars on the road.

Best example: A cloverleaf.

May I elaborate with this slide from my last seminar?

Best,

Maarten

[Jazzmaster 716]

Sorry to because up the discussion about that crazy interchange (which I would really want to throw my computer out the window if I tried to build ) But I have an interchange i just built, and I'm not to sure what to classify it as. It took me about an hour and a half, but I still have to do the detailing and such, but I already have the slopes how I want them (I did that after these pics were taken).

.

.

I love the interchange, it's quite elegant and smooth and seems fit for two very busy highways intersecting. I only would've used the other ramp type; where you've got the 6S becoming two parallel RHW 4's, it seems sort of tedious for cars to shift around like that. I feel like it'd look better if it split using that curvy y-shaped ramp piece, but other than that I think your interchange is great.

I'm only criticizing it because it's such good work already!

[Haljackey 17,272]

-JD-'s creation is a cloverleaf, just with the outer ramps going inside the loops for a bit to reduce the size of the junction. I believe this is Cities XL's standard highway-highway junction, just with the loops elevated.

Nevertheless, great work! That's a three-level cloverleaf, something we don't typically see.

And yes weaving is caused by closely spaced entrance and exit ramps. It isn't a very safe design, especially when there are high traffic volumes. It can be reduced or even eliminated by other designs.

Great work with everyone else's creations as well. That's one heck of a transformation.

[Haljackey 17,272]

Now I know that this doesn't compare toMcDuell's work, but I finally finished improving my MHW connection I showed a few pages back. Ultimately I was able to keep the buildings to the left by curving a long approach 'ramp' (made of MHW smooth curves) on the right. It was good timing too because development has encroached on the area and there is no longer any room for development as the surrounding terrain is very hilly.

-I also managed to fit a park inside the 'loop', with lots of soundwalls to keep traffic noise at bay.

Click for full size.

-Ryan (Haljackey)

[Moonraker0 192]

Cool, the park looks great, and I like the way the highway is one continuous smooth curve/loop.

[-JD- 41]

Thanks for all the high praises guys! That's actually my first below grade (sunken?) interchange, and interchange of that design. I thought about the suggestion about a highway splitter rather than an exit. I used a RHW-8 to two RHW-4's and I think it looks much more elegant than the RHW6 exits. You guys can be the judges of that though

And then here is the main interchange, and unfortunately due to the lack of ELRHW8, I can't use the RHW8 splitters on the East and West sides of the interchange.

[Ganaram Inukshuk 906]

I thought about the suggestion about a highway splitter rather than an exit. I used a RHW-8 to two RHW-4's and I think it looks much more elegant than the RHW6 exits. You guys can be the judges of that though

It should be noted that it was because of me that the "Splitters" you used are now called "8S D2 Ramps", and would be more fitting to refer to the new ramp naming, because that's how every ramp is be named.

And unless you like the elongation of 8S D2's coupled with RHW-4 curves (which would make for a nice buffer, anyway), there are also 8S E2 ramps; They're the diagonal-branch equivalent of the 8S D2, and arguably make a setup like that more compact, unless there's absolutely no room to shrink down. (Don't be deterred by the lack of starters on the 6S B2's and 8S D2's; That's what fillers are for.)

I should also suggest a Diagonal Jagged Edges Mod for the terrain (which, by the way, is it the Columbus Terrain Mod?); It makes usage of your highway walls a bit cleaner.