Corsania

[CHR 2]

Introduction/Reserved Space

[CHR 2]

 2.10 pm: London

People stared at the huge black hole that had opened up in by the Thames. Was it some kind of elaborate terrorist attack on the Houses of Parliament? Some stone work broke off the wall, but no one heard it hit the ground.

Why?

Because it never hit the ground.

It was the second man made object to ever leave the solar system.

The first was Big Ben.

 

The first people to come through the hole did so accidently. They strayed too close to the black and found themselves coming out in the base of the world’s most famous clock tower. Soon, people realised what they had found. Another planet…another solar system…another galaxy. When the astronomers studied the night sky, they saw no stars or constellations like any where on earth.

The question was, how did we get there? Who, or what, opened a link to another planet?

The debate over the fate of the newly discovered land was intense. Some naturally feared it was going to be the end of the world, demanding the hole be somehow closed. This was, however, by no means the intention of the British government. They soon planted the British flag on the new found planet and claimed in the name of Britain.

This was to prove unsuccessful. The Outer Space Treaty*, of which Britain was a signatory, did not permit the claiming of outer space by any country, and scientists had established that this was most certainly not on earth. As such, they agreed to set up an separate country, under the protection of British forces, on the new planet. It was named by the first human to ever set foot on the new planet, in honour of the town in which he grew up, Corsania.

 

* I indulge my obsessive nature here by looking up the treaty. It is specifically Article II: “Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.”

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I will start off by explaining this is my first CJ. As such, I don't expect it will be great, but I do expect to improve both CJ writing and city building skills. As such, I would love if you could comment on both aspects of the CJ.

You may have already observed there is not much of a city here. That's because I am in the process of starting construction of it now. I intend to build the capital here and haven't formalised my plans on how to build the rest.

On a final note, I the CJ will probably have infrequent updates (once a week at best), so it may be a while before I'm back...

 

[penguin007 27]

Interesting start here I'm very intrigued about what will happen next good luck and welcome to the comunity

Will

[Za 164]

This sounds like it'll be an interesting story. I'll be sure to come back soon.

[Cleaner475 150]

Nice start - hope you carry it on

It'll be interesting to see where you go with this idea - looking forward to your next update

Richard

[SounderBruce 173]

Exciting storyline! Space portals/wormholes rule!

[DCMetro34 576]

Nice start! I can't wait for more!

[Leadx 0]

This already sound quite promising. I like the idea of a wormhole/black hole that connects a city with another planet far away from our own. And I could imagine that the first country who sets foot on the new planet would claim it all but would be unsuccessful.

Anyhow, I hope you will carry on with the storyline because this has alot of potential! 

[lucky7 73]

Interesting concept you have here, sounds very thrilling. Looking forward to more and good luck,

lucky7

[CHR 2]

The settlement on Corsania captured the world’s attention. Despite this, the board responsible for running Corsania did not allow development to run rampant, after all, space on the new planet was plentiful and they wanted to use it well. The Hole, as it was being referred to across the globe, had appeared on the side of a gently sloping hill, near the water. Urban planners were assembled to work out how best to establish a colony. The first colony was called Millbrook. They decided to terrace the slope, with the exception of the area around the hole, to prevent potentially damaging it. As this was completed, they began laying the first roads, parks and building foundations. Next to The Hole they built a park and various government buildings. A small subway, ready for expansion later, was tunnelled and people began to move in. Soon the population had swelled to over 5,000.   An overview of the city: Next is a view from the terraces behind the town, across the government area and parks. Now, a view across the government area and past the lower residential zones, to the sea. Note the infrastructure, including a hospital, schools and emergency services has been built ready for the expected influx of immigrants. Finally, a picture of the upper residential zone.   The current development plans have the town filling the terraces, while another industrial town will be established near by to decrease the dependency on the link to earth and to help develop the new lands. Here are the results of a survey of the island before colonisation. It is long and thin, with a large bay. Millbrook is located in the middle, on the bay,      Now, audience participation time!   Firstly, you may have noticed I have been using some parks on the edges of the terraces (the ones up the back) to make them look nicer. I think it would entirely spoil the effect if I put these parks on all the terrace edges, yet the edges don’t look great by themselves. My question, what should I use to make the terrace edges look better?  Secondly, what do you think I should do with the waterfront here? Some ideas I have had include: Pegasus’ Old Wooden Waterfront Two (perhaps a little too laid back, touristy for the capital), the Marrast embankments, leaving it as a beach, or a completely different seawall/waterfront kit of your suggestion.

 

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Thanks for the welcomes and comments, I hope you enjoy this update as well. Not so much a story update as an update on the city building.

[SounderBruce 173]

Cool! I love the terraces! Where did you get the hospital?

I think you should put some residential right up against the terrace and build embankment walls, such as those found on the STEX, to hide the terrace boundaries. I think you should utilize PEG's Marina/Seaport Village series, which provide useful stuff for the waterfront, including boat access and ferry runs.

[CHR 2]

Development has continued in Corsania at a steady rate. Steep land further afield has been terraced, with work being done in the two new cities of Logan and Thayer. Logan is to contain mainly more residential and commercial developments, while Thayer is an industrial port area. 

 

Factories have already been built in Thayer to satisfy the demand for construction materials in Corsania. The land is terraced to allow construction on the moderately steep slopes of the hill.

 

Something interesting appears to be going on at the upper terrace construction site.

 

 

Brian groaned as he hauled himself out of the folding chair. Lunch break was over and everyone was heading back out to continue work. The shortage of supplies in Corsania meant the whole team had only one digger to work with. They had been gradually eating their way into the side of the hill, removing dirt and rocks so that new factories could be built. He looked out over the bay, along the untouched coast, the sea shining under the light of another sun.

 

Digger Operator: S***, hit something! 

 

Brian looked over to the digger, they were digging near the surface, not where you would expect bedrock, but the grinding of metal on stone was hard to miss. The last thing he needed was to break the only digger they had. 

Walking over, Brian looked into the hole. Sure enough, there was some pale grey stone just under the surface.

 

Brian waved his arm at the digger.

 

Brian: Move her back, we'll see if she's damaged.

 

As the digger reversed, it appeared more damage had been done to the bedrock that the machine. Brian approached the hole to gauge what would be needed to blast through. As he looked over the edge, he realised what he had assumed to be scratches from the digger, was in fact writing. It looked nothing like he had seen before, an ornate pattern covered what must be a huge, and now fractured, room under the ground. The writing looked like nothing on earth... probably because it wasn't...

 

The team of archaeologists, rapidly assembled, worked out little more than Brian had when they too climbed down through the broken stone. They too saw the beautifully carved walls of the small room, they too wondered what the words of this unearthly language meant and, just like the site foreman before them, wondered above all, why there were deep dark blue crystals covering the floor like fist-sized grains of sand.

 

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I will leave the story there...

So that you can see some more pictures of Thayer!

Here is an overview of the new port.

And here is a view over the industrial development so far.

 

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Replies

@ ComputerGuy: I am planning to use some of the PEG seaside sets in Logan. The hospital is the Bywater Springs Medical Facility, at SC4D.

[tostartpressanykey 2]

ooooooooooo... space colonization, london, and now aliens! daaaaaaaamn this cj has EVERYTHING!!!

[CHR 2]

Today I want to show you the city of Millbrook, capital of Corsania. The entire tile has now been filled, although I plan to do something with some of the terraces. You can see the outer parts of the city have attracted significant investments from people wanting to move to the new planet.

Note: it appears the grid was not turned off, but luckily it’s not too noticeable…

 

 

We start our tour of the new developments down by the water, where a number of residential, and some commercial buildings have been constructed. The beach has been left for the residents to relax on. A number of parks and plazas have also been constructed around the city.

 

 

More apartments have been constructed on the upper levels of the terrace. A small industrial area has been built here, around the elevated metro system entrance.

 

 

Back by the coast on the other side, a large commercial area has been built on partially reclaimed land. There are some more parks on this side of the city, as well as more homes further up the hill.

 

 

There are a number of large buildings here, housing many people and offices.

 

 

A spring up in the mountains has been redirected through some canals to form some small lakes, on top and below the terraces. The hydroelectric power provides much of the energy for the city.

 

 

Behind the dam, a number of large office buildings have opened. They get excellent views over the water and the government district.

 

 

The government district is in the centre of the city. The buildings in this area are lower than other parts of the city.

 

 

To conclude the tour, a view down the city.

 

 

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The story will continue in the next update, hopefully coming over the next few days. I have been working on some of the plot details, and things should be able to progress now. 

[CHR 2]

Real life gets in the way again... but I have some pictures of developments in Logan. The city is still under construction, but this gives you some idea of what to expect. The next few updates are going to show you around Logan properly. Enjoy the teasing!

[CHR 2]

Home Coming

Brian's eye lids sprang open suddenly as he realised he had almost arrived at his station. He had only caught the train to their new home a handful of times before, and he wasn't used to the line. Smoothing his clothes down and turning his head, as if to pretend he had been stretching his neck all that time and not falling asleep, Brian picked up his briefcase and walked towards the opening doors of the train. The station was brand new, floors shinning with polish, roof arching over the two platforms, trains regularly passing through with an almost imperceptible whoosh. Brian, however, was not stopping to admire the new station - he just wanted to get home.

Stepping off the last in a series of shining escalators, swiping his card over the reader, Brian finally reached the dwindling sunlight. He often thought about the planet. It seemed an awfully strange coincidence that it was so similar to Earth, even down to the length of the days and the composition of the atmosphere.

Brian and his family had been doing well after the move to Corsania. Brian was working in the booming construction industry, having overseen part of the work on some of the larger projects built. He had initially commuted in every day from Earth, which involved daily trips through immigration. The money, however, was very good. The demand for new buildings was immense, and Brian had gone from job to fast paced job without any worry about unemployment. 

The family had decided to move not too long ago, and had be glad for the decision ever since. They initially moved into a small apartment in the capital, slightly smaller than they had back on Earth (but with far higher rent). Soon though, he was able to get a bigger place in a new development his employers were working on in the Logan area. 

Brian was still thinking about the planet as he dialled his apartment number into the intercom by the building's main door.

 Hi Isabelle...

 Forget something?

Isabelle held up his swipe card in the video display before pressing the button to let him in. 

Stepping into the apartment, Brian noticed Isabelle was dressed up, wearing her new red dress, contact lenses and with her hair up.

 Guess who called today.

Isabelle walked to Brian, where he gave her a quick kiss on the check.

 Who?

 The Corsania Daily Times.

Brain sighed and his gaze rested on the floor. He was suspecting that the media would bother him again about the jewels he found. He was getting sick of all the fuss.

Isabelle led him down the short corridor into the living room.

 Not for you. For me. They want me to start work there tomorrow. 

Isabelle had been a journalist back on Earth. When they had moved to Corsania, there were no papers to work for. 

 Wow, that's great news. Have you told the kids?

 Not yet, I was going to tell them at dinner. 

Brian looked over to the kitchen. Isabelle must have been preparing dinner for the last few hours, and it looked like she had done a great job. She enjoyed doing these things, like cooking a nice dinner for her family, and picking up the kids after school, but Brian suspected she was starting to get bored lately with the monotony of unemployment.

 So what are you going to be doing?

 They wanted me to cover the presidential election for now. They seemed to be impressed at what I had done in the last job, and I actually got a pretty good position. Two of us are officially the breaking news team, but for now they want all hands on deck to cover the campaign.

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The story starts! Hooray! This episode has been a while in the making mainly because I have simply been busy, but also because I was forcing myself to finish Logan before I started. The city took ages because it is built on a moderately steep mountain, and I decided to terrace the entire thing. However, I think the end result is ok.

While this CJ will primarily be focused around the plot, I will be showing different parts of the cities through it. The next few episodes will show other parts of Logan. For now, I will leave you with a picture of the offices housing the Corsania Daily Times, where Isabelle works, only a short trip from their house.

[kccl35 83]

 Nice work, CHR, on your first (I presume) CJ! Some comments from me

-How about some heavy agriculture to support both Corsania and to solve the food crisis back on Earth?

-Is Corsania open to investment?

-What natural resources are available in Corsania, of which how many are recognizable by humans?

-Looks like your CJ is going to become another Schulmania... from the avatars speaking.

That's all, for now.

Keep up the good work!

[Zelgadis 638]

Ha!  I almost didn't see this.  I don't often go looking for CJs in the forum anymore.  

Nice to see another sci-fi CJ out there.    Though it remains to be seen just how sci-fi this is going to be, but nice to see nonetheless.

Isabelle's avatar sure does look awfully Chinese, doesn't it?  

ISF

 

[jacqulina 162]

interesting cj,nice work so far my friend

[CHR 2]

Replies

I have been away for a few days, hence the lack of replies. Thanks to everyone who commented.

@ kccl35 I am not so much going for a natural growth CJ as a story/pretty pictures to enhance story CJ. I may get around to some farm land later, but for the now, I was going to focus on the construction of the capital/main city. This is where I am intending most of the action for the story to take place at least initially.

Open to investment? Yes, the investment from earth is what's driving the growth in the city.

Natural resources? They have not yet been really discovered (i.e. they aren't to important to my plan for the story as it currently stands) . There may, however, quite possibly be some resources that are not known to humans coming into the story soon...

I figured that a story needs dialogue, and that avatars allow people to better get a feeling for the situation.

@ Zelgadis I have been posting it in the new CJ area too, but it was have some problems appearing. They seem to be fixed now, it should be on page 2 at the moment. 

Kinda sci-fi so far. I like reading sci-fi books, and the genre has definitely influenced this CJ. It currently isn't really futuristic in technology, and Sim City doesn't seem to be too suited to futuristic cities. But I have recently been raiding more Japanese BAT sites and I am slowly acquiring things I could use.

Isabelle does look kinda Chinese, I think it might be the clothes. I was considering using multiple avatar pictures for some of the characters, but this might confuse readers.

For example:

@ jacqulina Thanks. It will probably be another week before any more updates come out.

[CHR 2]

THE CORSANIA DAILY TIMES - CDT.COM 

Special Report: The Corsania Electoral System

By Isabelle Miller

The Corsania electoral system draws on aspects from around the world to create a unique system in a unique new world. The Corsania Daily Times reveals how it all works.

The system is characterised by three main arms, the President, the National Assembly and the Senate. These three arms are responsible for different areas of government.

The President

The President is responsible for the overall leadership of the state and international affairs. The President is in charge of areas such as: international relations (including treaties, foreign negotiations and aid), the armed forces, immigration, trade (including airports and seaports), the Central Police Force (responsible for enforcement of Presidential laws and international policing in conjunction with the National Police Force) and the majority of tax revenue (including sales tax and income tax). The Presidential arm has control over all land and most of the government revenue, and as such is able to allocate funds to certain areas of the National Assembly’s budget.

 

The National Assembly

The National Assembly is responsible for running domestic affairs. They are in charge of areas such as: healthcare, education, emergency services, transportation (including roads, highways, rail and mass transit), utilities (including power, water and garbage) and recreation. The National Assembly is primarily funded through the Presidential budget, but also raises money through property taxes and revenues from services.

  

The Senate

The Senate is solely a supervisory body, not normally having any direct vote on issues. The Senate is able to call an election if 80% or more of senators vote for it. It can also block legislation if it has an 80% majority against it. The Senate is meant to be a body made up of the finest minds in Corsania, which can provide advice to the President and National Assembly as well as being able to prevent corruptions of the governmental system. Due to the lesser time requirements of the Senate, many senators will keep their jobs in other areas.

  

Voting

Voting is restricted to citizens of Corsania over the age of 18, and is compulsory, with those citizens who do not vote being fined. Each arm of government is voted in for five year terms, with elections every 2.5 years, alternating between the National Assembly and the President, with half the Senate elected each time.

 

The Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament are where the National Assembly and Senate meet. They also hold offices for members of parliament and senators, as well as the President. Most parts of the civil service are located in adjacent buildings or in the original government quarter in Millbrook. 

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Additional Pictures

Houses of Parliament (Click for larger picture)

Waterfront around the Houses of Parliament (Click for larger picture)

Back of Houses of Parliament (Click for larger picture)

Houses of Parliament at night (Click for larger picture)

Waterfront around the Houses of Parliament at night (Click for larger picture)

Area around Houses of Parliament from behind at night (Click for larger picture)

The Houses of Parliament from behind at night (Click for larger picture)

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Not really much for me to comment on, other that the fact that the pictures really do look much better when you open them at their full resolution (a lot of them are four images in a square shape - so they are wider than they seem here). There may not be any updates for a while... 

[Benedict 3,119]

Beautiful update - I really like the night pictures!