Welcome to Melanosia

[PhilsCafe 8]

I had no idea... Fortunately I checked out your sig, otherwise I would never have found this great CJ.

I like the way you've set up this journal. With the 'geopedia' articles to portray your region. The effects you're using for the pictures are great and let them look authentic but do not hide your city building skills. And the travel journal, is an original idea.

Keep this great work up and shame on me that I haven't visited this journal before...

- Phil

[sirgeoj2 1]

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Message to my readers:

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Jerebannus XVI:  Thanks for coming in again and for your nice comments! 

 

aleking:  Thanks!

 

Traffic_Jam:  Thankyou, I appreciate it. 

 

Nardo69:  Thankyou for the nice comments!

PhilsCafe:  Thanks for stopping by!  It is hard to see every journal out there...I'm glad

you came in and thanks for your nice comments! 

 

Thankyou all for continuing to visit and comment on my CJ, it is greatly appreciated!

And now...on to Update 14 and the mysterious events that lead up to a most

interesting turn of events!!  I hope you all enjoy it!

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UPDATE 14

 

 

SirGeoJ's Travel Journal

July 31

 

I woke up the next morning to my alarm, I was expecting to feel a little headache at least

but I was suprisingly clear-headed.  I got up and took a cold shower to wake myself up and got

dressed, gathered my luggage and checked out of the hotel.  I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do yet but I was thinking that I would take a flight home sometime tonight.  As I got in my car I remembered again what Melinda told me the mysterious man said I would see today.  Something I had never seen before....or something that would make me come see him in Sapphadim.  I quickly pushed that thought to the back of my mind and let the excitment of seeing downtown take over.  I drove on to Highway 75 South over the Gande River into Downtown and took the first exit.  I pulled off into a parking lot and pulled up a map of downtown and plotted out ev erything I was going to do today.  After plotting everything out I realized I was at the beginning of a trail that runs along the full East to West length of Downtown.  I got out and walked a little ways.  To my right was Highway 501 East-West and the Highway 75 Merge loop and to my left was a canal and the beautiful skyline of Downtown Marinaldo.  It was truley magnificent.  So many tall buildings, each one of them were unique.  There had to be at least two dozen or more huge skyscrapers.  I was amazed.  I decided

to turn around and head back to my rental car, I was too excited to get among the tall buildings!

 

Below are some pictures I took as I explored the northern section of Downtown

 

Here is the districts graph again, now with all districts revealed.

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Here are two distant shots of the Downtown area.

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The beginning of the city trail park.

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Further down the city trail park.

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Another shot of the beginning of the trail, Hwy. 501 heads East past the top of the picture over a bridge into the

Crystal Point and University Districts.

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6718/marinaldodtcanaleastangle5mo.jpg align=baseline>

 

A shot of the Mangelesh Shrine.  A temple of worship for one of Melanosia's major religions. (see Geopedia article) 

 Hwy 75 merges with Hwy 501 on the bottom right of the picture.

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/1316/marinaldodtshrineclose4fn.jpg align=baseline>

 

A shot of the end of the Marinaldo canal as it ends with a canal lock at the Gande River outlet into the ocean. 

 The Marinaldo Stock Exchange is the small square building above the end of the canal.  Hwy. 501 crosses over

the Gande River at the bottom of the picture.

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A shot of Main (left to right) and Bridge (top to bottom) Avenues.  Downtown Marinaldo has a very well built

subway system as well as it's metro train rails and bus systems.  You can see a few subway stations and a bus

station along Bridge Ave.

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Here is a crude map of the main rail transit lines and their locations in relation to the city.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/9630/marinaldodttransitsystemmapcop.jpg align=baseline border=2>

 

Here is a picture of the Elevated Blue line as it merges with the Marinaldo Metro Rail line. 

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Here is a picture of the Metro Rail train as it passes through a residential section of town.

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Another shot of the Metro Rail line and one of the stations.

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/5143/marinaldodtcenterstretchtrains.jpg align=baseline>

 

Another shot of the Metro Rail line.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4239/marinaldodttrainstationsbyel5i.jpg align=baseline>

 

Here is a shot of the Metro Rail line as it passes through a tunnel under the Gande River and back out into the

 Crystal Point District.

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Below are some more pictures of the northern section of Downtown.

 

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Another downtown shot, Government Square on the left.

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A residential area along Main Ave.

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Here is a shot of the Marinaldo Sports Arena.  They play everything from Football, Basketball, Hockey to Concerts,

Ice Skating, Gymnastics, everything you can think of.

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/6002/marinaldodtmarinaldoarenaclose.jpg align=baseline>

 

Around Noon I parked among the large skyscrapers and ate lunch at a little deli on the bottom 

floor of one of the huge buildings.  I planned the rest of my day to see the Government square

and some of the museums there and then once it became night I was going to see more of

Downtown.  When I finished lunch I headed over to the souther section of downtown where

government square is.  I entered the square from the West entrance.  I had to stop at a little

security checkpoint set between two tall pillars, the gentleman told me that only government

employees are allowed to drive up to the square but visitors are allowed by bus or can park

their car along Seawall Avenue and walk up to the square from the Flower park trail.  I did as he

told me and I parked in a lot along Seawall Ave. and began my walk.  I saw the Ministry of Justice and MSA buildings, I went into the Melanosia National Institute building, then I walked east a ways down to the Nature Museum.  The Nature Museum was spectacular!  From there I walked up the long trail among hundreds of beautiful flowers to the Government Square.  I was amazed at the beauty of the buildings.  At the very eastern section of the square stood a hundred foot tall statue called:  The Gatherer of the Waters of Freedom.  It was beatiful.  I walked among the square and sat on a bench and took in the view.  From here you can look out among the ocean on one side and the city on another.  I was at the very core of Melanosia.  I sat for quite a while and watched as the sun set.  As it became dark I walked over to the city side of the square and looked out at the city twinkleing in the night.  I decided then to see one last thing before I left.  I walked over to another prominent but smaller statue near the North entrance on the city side.  It was a figure of a man with his arms outstretched and it read:  The Father of Melanosia, SirGeo.  1805.  My heart stopped beating for a minute.  I had to look away and look back to see if I was reading it right.  It had to be a coincidence.  But I knew little of my family name and this was too much of a coincidence.  I walked over to an information booth and asked about it.  The older man told me a brief history of the man and his descendants after him.  Each eldest son of the line carried on as ruler of Melanosia until 1885 when a new form of government came into place with a parliment and Prime Minister.  The descendents still

held positions of power and once in a while would actually be elected Prime Minister, however, not for over seventy years has anyone heard from this line since.  Ther is believed to be only one remaining descendant and they are not certain where that person is.  But it is said that person would complete an ancient prophesy that tells of a forgotten bloodline returning to power and restoring balance to the land.  I thanked the man and walked to a nearby bench and thought for a while.  I knew only one thing about my family history and that is that my name was carried down from generation to generation from one man, and that the J is unique to only this bloodline, the original SirGeo.  Then, as if a strong gust of wind knocked me off balance the words of Melinda flooded into my head.  I was to see something that would direct me back to Sapphadim to see the man named Andronea.  As the words and thoughts raced through my mind they were interupted by two tall men in dark suits.  They told me to come with them

immediatley.  I refused.  They insisted I come with them, for my own saftey.  I had no idea what they were talking about but I was too weary to argue.  They escorted me to a dark car and drove me out of the square.  At the gate they flashed some sort of badge at the security gate and the bar was raised.  I rode with them in silence for ten minute until we came to a dark alley.  My heart jumped to my throat in fear that this alley was going to be my final resting place.  I was amazed to realized however that the car was skinking and soon we were dropping on some sort of car elevator into a dark underground parking structure.  They parked and we got out of the car and they ushered me to an elevator.  One of the men inserted a key on the wall and the elevator doors opened.  The man pushed one of only two buttons,

the top button.  The other button said bottom.  The doors slid closed and suddenly the elevator rushed upwards faster than any elevator I had ever felt.  I felt my insides sink to my feet.  In an instant the bell rang...DING and the doors opened.  They escorted me down a  lavish red carpet hall with gold patterned walls and to an ornate cherrywood set of double doors.  The two men swung each one open and ushered me inside and closed themselves outside behind me.  A man was sitting at a long table writing something and looked up and greeted me.  He stood up and walked over to me and shook my hand and introduced himself as Dr. Grey.  He asked me if I would like anything to drink.  I accepted and he motioned me to have a seat in a little sitting area nearby.  I sat down in a chair I was convinced was one of the most comfortable I had ever sat in.  He brought me over the drink and sat down.  It is good to finally meet you....SirGeo, I have alot to tell you about your family and your coming role in the history of this Nation.    (To be continued) 

 

Some more pictures of the rest of my visit Downtown.

 

In the upper portion Azul Avenue passes under Government Square.

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The North entrance to Government Square.

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The West Entrance to Government Square.

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An upscale residential area in the Southwest section of Downtown.

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Here is a layout of the Government Square and some of the surrounding buildings.

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The Ministry of Justice on the right and city government offices.

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The ministry of Justice building and the Melanosia Security Agency headquarters to the right of it.

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The Melanosia National Institute.

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Before stopping at the Nature museum I passed it to see a cathedral just North of it. It is the Cathedral of

Saint James, to the left of it are ruins of an ancient temple.  In front of the Cathedral is a statue of Saint James. 

To the right of the Cathedral is the National Operal House.  Below the opera house is the National Art Museum.

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Across the street North of the Cathedral is the Melanosia National Library.  Just above that the square building is

full of different National offices. 

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Now, heading back South to the National Museum of Nature and the beginning of the flower trail park that leads

up to Government Square.

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7505/marinaldomuseumofnaturedayflow.jpg align=baseline>

 

The trail as it crosses over Azul Ave.

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The trail as it heads up the stairs to the square.

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The East end of Government Square.

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Closeup of the Capitol Building, Office and Residence of the Prime Minister, National Archives and Parliment

building cut off at bottom.  The statue across from the Capitol Building is always of the current leader in office.

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Here is a postcard of Downtown Marinaldo I picked up at the information booth.

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Downtown at night.

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/5997/marinaldodtbothentrancegovtsqu.jpg align=baseline>

 

More downtown shots.

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More downtown shots.

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More downtown night shots.

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More downtown night shots.

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[____----____ 37]

wow again very impressive this has to be one of the higher quality CJ's on ST

 

Alek

[Nenitosoyyo 19]

WOW, you got an awsome CJ, I don't know why I missed this one in forum, I wish I have seen this before. GREAT JOB

[jacqulina 162]

wow fantastic details great layout,excellent pics,very nice night pics,great use of the canals and walls

[sirgeoj2 1]

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Message to my readers:

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 aleking: Thankyou very much!  I really appreciate that. 

 

azul_blue_aoi:  Thanks!  And welcome to Melanosia!

jacqulina:  Thankyou!  Good to see you again!  Simtropolis Enthusiast..nice.

 

 

 

[anxious 0]

simply amazing, and where did you get that parliment building?

[Meatwad90 0]

Wonderful, Absolutely wonderful, Outstanding job



Meatwad

[MrCinatit 30]

i must go on a bit of a rant here:

it seems like weekly, we are seeing the SimCity is dead thread pop up here and there...this journal and what you have showcased in this journal is proof that those threads are completely wrong, sirgeoj.

in fact, this journal is proving to me that the game still thrives, and grows, and continues to change - thanks largely to this community.

i personally believe that this journal - and many others - should be showcased on the official site, to let people see what can still be accomplished with SC4...all with little help from the makers of the game, but with the brainpower and willingness to use it by Simtropolis users.

keep up the great work.

[Mikeaut1 261]

WOW! I don't think I've ever seen a colorful downtown like that before! Great work! Nice nightlife!

[Traffic_Jam 0]

Impressive, Excellent, Amazing!  This is truly a fantastic CJ!

[choco1 4]

brilliant work, thats a very beautiful downtown. I love the waterfront especially. It looks really realistic!

[sorchin 18]

Very beautiful. There is not much more I can say. I'm speechless.

Great job. I love your use of photoshop. You have put much time and effort into this and it shows.

Congrats my friend...

[jacqulina 162]

you are welcome,yes i seem to have another title 

[GMT 389]

hey!

cool new update.
i like all the nightshots. especially the colorful building with the xeon writing.

but i got 2 ideas for you:
the first: i think it will look better if u include the roundabouts plugin from the new nam.
the second: on that one picture with the stairs u took the 1by2 stair lot. but ur slope is only 1by1. now this looks a bit wierd, plain stairs on a plain ground.
(no critics, just my ideas)

anyways, awesome update. keep the work up.

[dhoppeii 12]

Sirgeoj, again an update that does not disappoint.  I just want to echo the words that MrC. shared, it is truly obvious that you have a great deal of fun playing this game.

BTW, loved the night shots......What a beautiful sky line especially at night.

[Jerebannus XVI 7]

Wow, that is a downtown with a capital D!

[sirgeoj2 1]

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Message to my readers:

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I just wanted to pop in and chat back with all of you for all of the wonderful feedback you gave me.  I won't be updating for a few days so I wanted to thank everyone that came by since last update.

 

anxious:  Thankyou for coming in and for your nice comment!  I got that parliment building off the STEX here: https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfmmode=files&filetype=BAT&Str=scju parliament building

 

Meatwad90:  Thankyou for coming in and for your supportive comments!

 

MrCinatit:  Nice to see you again MrCinatit.  I must say that is probablly the nicest comment I have received.  I do really enjoy the game and I am glad that I can contribute to the spirit of this community and game.  Not very often do you find such a wonderful group of people and talent on a game forum.  The support and constructive criticism provided here really adds to the positive atmosphere which I think really helps people continue to better their skills, not only in just gameplay but in so many more levels that have developed here such as writing, design, and much more.  Anyway, I ended up going on a bit of a rant myself! LOL!  I really appreciate your imput my friend.   

 

Mikeaut1:  Thanks!  That was actually one of my goals for downtown Marinaldo, to be very colorful at night!   

 

Traffic_Jam:  Thankyou for your nice comments and for being a loyal reader! 

 

chocolatemax285:  Thankyou!  I'm glad you find it realistic, that is one thing I continue to try and strive for. 

 

sorchin:  Thankyou, I really appreciate that! 

 

jacqulina:  Always nice to see you pop in!   

 

GMT:  Thankyou!  I appreciate your comments, those are both good ideas!  I always appreciate any ideas people have that can help my gameplay. 

 

dhoppeii:  Thankyou very much, dhoppeii.  I do really enjoy the game.  I wish you could rotate the view to a horizontal plain to see the skyline from ground view, I'm always curious how my skylines and other people's skylines would look from that point of view.  Well, mabey in SC5 but I'm not going to count on that, lol.

 

Jerebannus XVI:  Thankyou for coming in again!  Yes, Marinaldo was had quite a surge of economic growth in recent years.  We could be seeing more growth in the coming years!

 

Thankyou all for coming in and for your wonderful comments and support.  I will see you again soon!  Take care and bye for now! 

-Geo

 

 

 

 

[jacqulina 162]

i like popping in,and you are welcome

[mtbrocket 2]

Great update. Love the paths.

-Dan

[Castle_Bravo 0]

I'm lovin it

[PhilsCafe 8]

Wow. I love that downtown area. I especially like the park. Great job.

- Phil

[Castle_Bravo 0]

Where can I download the sunken highway and the avenues with courses on the way?

[GMT 389]

hey!
just been lokking for some updates on this cj
nothing.
but no problem

@ Castle_Bravo: the avenues with the turning lanes are part of the current NAM, unfortunately I can't remember where I found it
The sunken highway is a set by 3ddz

[sirgeoj2 1]

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Message to my readers:

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jacqulina, mtbrocket, PhilsCafe, Castle_Bravo, GMT

Thankyou guys for coming in and for your nice comments!  GMT, thanks for helping out Castle Bravo  

This next update will be mainly just a continuation of the story and not much pics, I hope you all don't mind.  I have not had as much time lately for updates do to RL and also working on Pax Americana at the same time as this.  I hope you all enjoy! 

UPDATE 15

 

SirGeoJ's Travel Journal

July 31

 

I sat and stared at Doctor Grey for half a minute wondering if I heard him wrong, if he had the wrong guy or if this was just some joke the Melanosian's play on random tourists. 

I know this probablly sounds unreal to you but you are currently the only remaining descendant of the founding father and ruling line of Melanosia.  Your heritage has always held positions of importance in Melanosia, many of which were rulers and prime ministers.  You, however, being the last of the line and the date being what it is.

Wait... I interupted...the date??

He went on to explain There is a certain religious sect that believes that a centuries old prophesy about a man, the last of his kind taking power and ruling over Melanosia in the nineth month of this year.  They believe that man is you, and they have sent us to find you and bring you them.  The ElaGoda, Andronea wants to see you as soon as we find you.

So that is the man, is he a priest of some kind? I asked.

Yes, in a way, you can consider him the equivalent of the Catholic Pope.  We will take you to him tommorow morning.  In the meantime we have a private suite for you to sleep in tonight.

Just the sound of the word sleep made me realize that I was very tired and in the back of my mind I was hopeing that mabey I would just wake up from all of this and be home already.  I agreed, and told Doctor Grey that indeed I was tired and I appreciate the accomodation.  He led me down a hallway and opened up a set of double doors to an enormous, lavish suite.  There were large windows along the entire wall with a breathtaking view of the city around me.  He picked up a remote control, pushed a button and a large row of drapes swung over the windows.  He pused another button and a wet bar turned out of the wall, another and a giant plasma tv lowered out of the ceiling and switched on.  Anything you need just push this button and someone will be here to attend to your wishes he was pointing to the only yellow button on the box. 

The man wished me a goodnight and closed the doors.  All I wanted to do was sleep, I undressed and slipped into the bed.  It was so comfortable I instantly fell asleep without even turning off the tv.

 

 

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The next update will continue with my meeting the next day with the ElaGoda.

I hope you all have enjoyed this short update and I will see you all again soon!

Take care!  -Geo

 

[oroen 0]

Hrm... taking an interesting turn are we... not your average vacation!

[Her.Little.Cookie 0]

WOW!!! That is awesome!!!, i love the picture of the East end of Government Square, what an awesome CJ you have here!!! I think i might have to call it quits...... hahaha, kee up the awesome work!!

[PhilsCafe 8]

Interesting vacation so far... I like it.

- Phil

[Shadow Assassin 336]

This is pretty cool. Me likes.

[Nardo69 51]

Great update and a great story!

I like your skyscraper area because you left there some space and created a lot of nice details.

The governmental area is really beautiful.

And I enjoyed your nightshots!

Great Work!

Nardo