District of Wenzel | Update 116 - (Ouisconsin County) Morgan Town: Rival to the South

[simlink 1,098]

Your suburbs look great, I like that they are not completely rigid. The college area looks good as well. The abandoned buildings add a touch of grittiness which works well, too. Great update!

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Good stuff - nicely done! :ducky:

[Ace3 1,209]

This looks so much like my hometown! Thank you so much. Not just for providing a great CJ update, you brought back good memories, something that rarely happens, and I really appreciate that more than anything else right now.

[packersfan 667]

Replies to Your Comments:

Nathanthemayor: Whoa!I like how you tried to go anti-grid, and lol there's a train station next to the school

It really isn't ANTI-grid. Really what I am going for it a different angle grid, as many cities in America have sections, especially downtowns. Yup, train station right by the high school, haha, good for getting students to school besides buses.

Benedict: Congratulations, you're number one on this week's Ben's Top Ten!

I have finally made it, haha. I am so glad for the exposure.

Skyscraper241: *Thumbs Up!*

Thanks for following!

Vivapanda: I like all those curvy roads, it gives a nice effect to the area.

They are meant to be just a different angle straight road, but the stepping and curving doesn't really hurt in these neighborhoods, hehe.

Grstudios: Always a perfect suburb-crafting CJ! I'm enjoying browsing for old entries too...

How often do you plop (if you do) or on the other hand how much of your city is historically-reserved?

I don't know about perfect suburb-crafting. I mean I am still just building grids. I plop many manufacturing and commerical buildings, though I do allow zoning for those to grow on their own. If I like something that grows, I will historicize it. I often do this with medium density residential, since there are a few lots that seem to consistently overbuild in my cities if I don't historicize other types.

Sim_link: Your suburbs look great, I like that they are not completely rigid. The college area looks good as well. The abandoned buildings add a touch of grittiness which works well, too. Great update!

Thanks, I am finding that a lot of my old areas in my large city are looking a little rundown, both attributed to the way I built the area way back when and the game engine.

Schulmanator: Good stuff - nicely done!

Thanks a lot.

10000000000000: This looks so much like my hometown! Thank you so much. Not just for providing a great CJ update, you brought back good memories, something that rarely happens, and I really appreciate that more than anything else right now.

You are very welcome. I hope it looks like something, haha. For me it is a mashup of Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, etc. Coming from Milwaukee I view Google Earth for inspiration and help. I also take looks at many other cities, especially bigger cities like Chicago for BIGGER city inspiration.

By the way, everytime I see your signature and that region shot of Atlantsia it really brings back memories of early Simtropolis and some great journals from way back then.

UGH, I am having VPN problems again. After a month of good VPN service it all of a sudden stopped working and support can't do ANYTHING to fix it, and now support won't even respond to me anymore. Sigh.

[simlink 1,098]

Hope your problems are fixed soon, good luck!

[packersfan 667]

Well support got it going again, but of course they did that a few days ago too and then it refused to work the next day.

Presently, it seems I have bigger problems or at least I think I do with visas and lying Chinese bosses, etc. I will escape into SimCity on my day off on Monday and hopefully everything works out...otherwise, back to America for me (but then at least I can eat pizza).

UPDATE 3/5/12: All VPNs have completely stopped working on my ISP. China seems to have completely shut down everything VPN related going to my computer. No one can figure it out. I've tried many different VPNs, all the same result, no page access to ANYTHING.

I will see if I can blindly put updates up, but I'm not sure it will even allow me to upload to imageshack.

I was actually enjoying teaching in China this time, but the whole past week has just been complete $%&^! with everything and anything that could go wrong going wrong, and it seems I can't get in contact with anyone that actually gives two shits about me.

  Edited March 5, 2012 by packersfan  

[packersfan 667]

Update 53 - South Martin: Owosso Cove Industrial Area

Today some views of an industrial area around Owosso Cove.

I can keep showing you around South Martin or hit up some other areas in Martin County. This last update's pictures are stored on photobucket. I usually use imageshack. I don't know how good photobucket is but for now I will use it, since it is not blocked by the Great China Firewall. Keep the requests and comments flowing in! See you at the latest in a week. Check out the District of Wenzel Street Map to get an idea where we are. Tell me what you think of the new map style (scroll down to the farthest south area of google map style). I am currently overhauling and adding many new maps, keep checking it out!

[MTLT_17 27]

Very nice industrial area you got there man! One thing though. If you want to move toward realism in terms of power delivery the Transmission lines should be in their own corridor, for if they were to ever give way they wouldn't end up on a building which in turn would energize the building below making exiting very difficult.

Keep em coming... btw Loving the road map (I think I say that each post in this journal)

[adrian.d.canfield 2]

question: have you thought of connecting Ogden Road and 40th Street? that would shorten the commute of a few people from the southern rural areas, I imagine.

[packersfan 667]

Replies to Your Comments:

Sim_link: Hope your problems are fixed soon, good luck!

Seems the Chinese are hammering VPNs too right now. My fellow teachers are using MyStrongVPN, but I can't even get to the website for that now. I am pretty much cut off from the free world now, ha. If you use imageshack for your images, I'm out of luck and can't see them. Photobucket still works, though, haha.

MTLT_17: Very nice industrial area you got there man! One thing though. If you want to move toward realism in terms of power delivery the Transmission lines should be in their own corridor, for if they were to ever give way they wouldn't end up on a building which in turn would energize the building below making exiting very difficult.

Keep em coming... btw Loving the road map (I think I say that each post in this journal)

Yeah, usually I give the transmission lines their own right of way...you can even see where I demolished some old buildings and now just foundations remain, so the lines could pass. I am loving the road map, too. I set a pretty ambitious goal of "googlizing" the entire map a few weeks ago, but then I stalled and wanted to play the game more. I'll have to definitely finish some more sections, as there a many new areas developing that are not represented on the map.

adrian.d.canfield: question: have you thought of connecting Ogden Road and 40th Street? that would shorten the commute of a few people from the southern rural areas, I imagine.

Yeah, I've always kind of regretted the layout of the streets around the Penelope River there. It appears 48th Street and 24th Street will provide the most direct alternate routes across the river. Of course if they want to, residents can meander across at 38th St and then up 37th to Warehouse Ave to connect to 40th or 32nd Street. It is not ideal and perhaps a redevelopment project will create a more through route along the 40th Street corridor. Right now it appears the best traffic options are 48th Street, Trinity Boulevard (24th Street), and 29th Street will probably make a connection with 32nd Street. Bear in mind that the maps is not always a 100% up to date, so 48th Street now extends to Farragut Avenue.

Update 54: BAYVIEW: First Look

Lately, I have been scattered all over the region building up towns, cities, neighborhoods, etc. Today, I got the itch to start planning the corridors of some other north-south National Highways 41 and 43, and also some initial planning for some freeways, focusing on a north-south stretch along the lakefront within the N-41 corridor. Martin County is really only in the N-45 corridor with N-43 and N-41 corridors typically located further east. Of course the Martin Metro area attracts those highway links and the large (as yet unnamed [input for a name would be great] lake forces the highways to divert to the west. Additionally, I am debating whether to create an exclusive designation for freeways (like the Interstate in America) or just have the National Highways serve this function (with some being freeways and others just surface roads).

Wow, enough about highways and future plans. I was in the Bayview tile today, so I took a few snapshots of the small city of about 2,000. As you can see on the map, Bayview has plenty of real estate to develop. Much of its border with the Penelope River is industrialized, though its lakefront is still undisturbed except for a few roads including N-41 (I haven't decided in N-43 will also travel within this area or if it will swing far to the western part of Martin County).

Bayview is another community within Martin County to not use NSWE designations for their streets, though main thouroughfares from elsewhere in the county that do use a directional designation continue to carry it in Bayview (like West DeKalb Avenue and South Trinity Boulevard). Streets that travel northwest and southwest or north and south are typically named PLACE (Lincoln Place). Streets travelling northeast and southwest or east and west are named STREETS (Prospect Street). Main thouroughfares are typically named AVENUES (Ramsen Avenue).

Bayview Elementary School just south of Prospect Park. Just west of Winthrop Place is the Martin & St. Paul Railroad which, south of West DeKalb Avenue, serves as an western boundary of Bayview.

Downtown Bayview straddles D15.

Development moves eastward toward the lake along Ramsen Avenue and Prospect Street.

A rail line of the Martin & St. Paul Railroad cuts through the heart of Bayview.

Bayview at night.

The Penelope River Bridge carries N41 across the mouth of the Penelope River.

And that was Bayview. Just south on D15 is St. Andrew. Do you want to go there next? Next update at the usual time on Monday. Update Thursday may become a usual thing or a random occurence. There will ALWAYS be an update on Monday unless real life interferes.

I am heavy in construction of Hawthorne and Martin south of the Penelope River, though my next project will be to fill in some more of Martin around Axelrod down to the Penelope River. I think once a good chunk of the city is developed between South 72nd Street, West Farragut Avenue, the lake, and Brittany River, I will slowly introduce freeways. It will develop quite like freeways did in many establish cities after the WWII in America. Sections will be built piecemeal and communities will be affected. Those updates will be fun, since we will be able to explore sections of the city we've before or we've NEVER seen!

I would love to hear your thoughts on highways, Bayview, future updates, etc! Keep the requests and comments flowing in! See you at the latest in a week. Check out the District of Wenzel Street Map to get an idea where we are. Tell me what you think of the new map style (scroll down to the farthest south area of google map style). I am currently overhauling and adding many new maps, keep checking it out!

[Ace3 1,209]

Interesting city layout. The silo was a nice touch . I'm not sure though if I want to go there next. That may be because I am overly anxious to see you introduce freeways so we can travel around town!

[emperordaniel 1,281]

Especially like the fourth picture's streets, I do.

[vivapanda 422]

I still realy like the tilted grid! It looks great, I'm lookin foreard to see the freeways expand across the region

[SimCoug 5,977]

I really like your use of non-traditional angled streets. When you lay those out, do you just eyeball it, or do you have a method?

[rewright 804]

Nice update and presentation. Looks like a pleasant location to set up housekeeping. Congrats on the Trixie friend!

[packersfan 667]

Replies to Your Comments:

10000000000000: Interesting city layout. The silo was a nice touch . I'm not sure though if I want to go there next. That may be because I am overly anxious to see you introduce freeways so we can travel around town!

I don't want to introduce freeways to unrealistically early, but I might start throwing out some freeway route proposals and plans in the next few updates.

Emperordaniel: Especially like the fourth picture's streets, I do.

Thanks, hehe.

Vivapanda: I still realy like the tilted grid! It looks great, I'm lookin foreard to see the freeways expand across the region

Thank you. I am too, I have some idea where some freeways will go, but still a little fuzzy on where I can put interchanges!

SimCoug: I really like your use of non-traditional angled streets. When you lay those out, do you just eyeball it, or do you have a method?

I pick out a number of tiles to go before I step over. So let's say 12 then move over to the west one tile. Once the first street is laid at that angle, the rest are easy since I keep each street 5 tiles apart. The cross streets also step at a rate of 12 tiles if that is the going rate, that way it all simulates 90 degree angles at the intersections (but the entire thing is tilted).

Rewright: Nice update and presentation. Looks like a pleasant location to set up housekeeping. Congrats on the Trixie friend!

Thanks. I've been up for nomination for a number of City Journal trixies (Best Roadgeekery, Most Realistic). This time I finally snagged one. Maybe I'll snag both next year . Freeways are coming soon. I just created a rough plan of possible freeways, and I think it will be included in the next update. It is definitely going to be an adventure weaving freeways through my city, hehe.

[simlink 1,098]

Highways getting closer? Ooohhh....

The update looks good, I like the cement tiles in the industrial area. Congrats on your trixies as well!

[nas786 104]

Freeways are coming soon. I just created a rough plan of possible freeways, and I think it will be included in the next update. It is definitely going to be an adventure weaving freeways through my city, hehe.

AWESOME!! I've been waiting for this for a long time! Take ur time with it, I'm sure it'll turn out great. I've already learned so much from ur cj, i'm having much more fun building my own cities now too

Sry to hear bout the frustration u gotta deal with, hope things start looking up...stick with it, they will sooner or later

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Wow!I like your anti-grid stratagy!And good work on your trixies!

[packersfan 667]

Replies to Your Comments:

Sim_link: Highways getting closer? Ooohhh....

The update looks good, I like the cement tiles in the industrial area. Congrats on your trixies as well!

Yes, getting closer, a rough plan will be up for the north section of the county (north of Hawthorne and the Penelope River). I might actually start building a section of the freeway out in the area of Jade, really to tinker and experiment with RHW since I have never used it extensively before.

Nas786: AWESOME!! I've been waiting for this for a long time! Take ur time with it, I'm sure it'll turn out great. I've already learned so much from ur cj, i'm having much more fun building my own cities now too

Sry to hear bout the frustration u gotta deal with, hope things start looking up...stick with it, they will sooner or later

Great! Yes, definitely going to take my time. As I said, today I might work on an interchange out in the Jade area to experiment and learn how to use RHW before I really get into the tight spots in my city.

Nathanthemayor: Wow!I like your anti-grid stratagy!And good work on your trixies!

Thank you. It really still is grid (just anti-SimCity grid). The grid is just turned a few degrees. Definitely not the anti-grid of suburban sprawl, yet. Thanks, so happy to get a Trixie finally. This year has been pretty good for the journal. BTT #1, BTT #6 for the year 2011, and Most Realistic City Journal Trixie!

Update will be up probably 2 or 3 in the morning on Monday for Americans living in the Central or Eastern time zones. For me it will be Monday evening already ;P.

[hamsterTK 93]

Your use of ground filler and those tarmac lots really makes the industrial districts look better. I always notice in Google Earth how so much land area in cities in real life is pavement, while in SC4 its mostly buildings.

[packersfan 667]

Update 55 - Brittany River Hwy: 48th Street to Anchor Road

Today we will explore the north bank of the Brittany River along Brittany River Highway (District Highway 50; National Highway 18) west from 48th Street to Anchor Road (District Highway 31).

A medical college, a park, and a zoo occupy the river bank before the north bank of the river becomes industrialized with train yards.

North of Brittany River Highway is the Burnham Farms neighborhood. More views of this neighborhood will be available in the future. In the background of many of the pictures we can see WTAMetro Purple Line 6. At Anchor Road, the line turns south to serve the Village of Hohler and the City of Hawthorne.

Intersection of the Brittany River Hwy and N 54th St and the part of Brittany River Medical College.

On the west side of 56th Street is Albert Dourtmouth Festival Park. This park is the site to a number of ethnic and music festivals.

On the west end of the park, a small zoo, Brittany River Zoo, has been constructed. More land is becoming available for redevelopment as parkland as factories close and are demolished.

We can see the city expanding on the north end further into Burnham Farms.

The Brittany River Railroad crosses to the south side of the river to connect with the Martin & St. Paul Railroad and the Western Railroad.

The Brittany River Railroad splits with a branch going south (previous picture) and the other branch ending in a train yard. At the top of the picture we see a single track branch of the Brittany River Railroad headed north.

Right at the top of this picture we can see the edge of the campus of Martin West High School.

Anchor Road Bridge to the south side of Martin.

City of Martin, City of Hawthorne, City of St. Paul, Martin County, and District of Wenzel officials commissioned a study into the development of system of expressways and freeways in Martin County to connect the Martin, Hawthorne, and St. Paul and deal with congestion on surface arteries. This is the first plan for the north side of the county focusing mainly on the City of Martin. District of Wenzel Department of Transportation (DWDOT) and Wenzel National Department of Transportation (WNDOT) officials are still hammering out details of a new national freeway system. Early plans call for the capital city of Martin to have an intersection of a major north-south and east-west route. St. Paul's position at the southwest corner of Sapphire Lake also will likely make it a hub for an intersection of a few routes (including presumably, the east-west route that will pass through Martin but will have to travel south to go around Lake Sapphire.

There are no designations for the freeways yet. In some reports, it appears that N41 which currently runs along Waterfront Pkwy, Penelope Point Dr, Wisconsin Ave, Mitchell Blvd, Commerce Ave, North Ave, Prospect Ave, and Lakefront Dr, will be rerouted on the "Lakefront Freeway". N45 might possibly be the "North-South Freeway" currently planned near the Trinity Blvd/24th Street corridor. N18 might be rerouted as the "East-West Freeway" and then piggyback to St. Paul along the "North-South Freeway" or the "Lakefront Freeway". N20 could become the "Penelope River Freeway". Of course no one knows for sure the designations of the freeways and most are assuming the National Highways will be routed along them, but as reported earlier it seems there are plans for a National Freeway System (but whether this refers to the roads themselves or a completely new designation system separate from the National Highways is only speculation).

Wow, I got a little long-winded with my ideas for my freeway system. Like I have said, as soon as today I might begin laying down some of the freeway out in the Jade area (there is a City of Jade, but it is not shown on the map, yet, hehe, I should probably get around to mapping that and St. Paul, yeah?).

I hope you enjoy this update and the prospect of freeways coming!

Check out the District of Wenzel Street Map to get an idea where we are.

[rewright 804]

Very enjoyable update with a lot of fun info. That highway network should really spur economic growth and make moving around the metro area easier. I can't wait to see it begin to take shape!

[nas786 104]

I'm liking the idea of that one freeway running along the coast. Reminds me of lake shore drive in chicago

  Edited March 14, 2012 by nas786  

[emperordaniel 1,281]

Incredibly unbelieveable!

[SimCoug 5,977]

The diagonal rail bridge looks good! I dont think I've seen that embankment set before, can you tell me where you found it?

[packersfan 667]

Replies to Your Comments:

HamsterTK: Your use of ground filler and those tarmac lots really makes the industrial districts look better. I always notice in Google Earth how so much land area in cities in real life is pavement, while in SC4 its mostly buildings.

Yeah, especially if you are building a city of the present, lots of open concrete and parking lots is key.

Rewright: Very enjoyable update with a lot of fun info. That highway network should really spur economic growth and make moving around the metro area easier. I can't wait to see it begin to take shape!

I've already completed a couple interchanges near Jade using the RHW, but I am running into a few limitations, and I am discovering how limited the RHW will be in my urban areas. Despite the mod being renamed Real Highway Mod instead of Rural Highway mod, I may have to stick with using it in the more rural areas and turn to using the Maxis highways and oneway roads for ramps in the city. I've discovered that their are no diagonal ramps for RHW-6 or above and that I can't even building any sort of bridges across diagonal RHW-6 or above, which REALLY limits the directions and paths my freeways can take. I think I will have to go back to using Maxis freeways...and if more updates come along to RHW that allow it to fit my city, I will definitely add it to my city.

Nas786: I'm liking the idea of that one freeway running along the coast. Reminds me of lake shore drive in chicago

Yeah, it seems every American city had designs to build a freeway right along their waterfront. In many ways it is confusing. What is the purpose? Plus it cuts the city off from the waterfront. We will see what the people of Martin County allow to happen.

Emperordaniel: Incredibly unbelieveable!

When you see it most everyday, it is pretty believable. I mean when I see other cities that just seem to go on and on and have so many fantastic lots and parks, etc (for example Nyhaven), I get a little jealous. Sometimes I think my city is a little bland...yet at the same time, I feel like I could do what they do...have more roads weaving around through suburbs (when I get to that point...and all that hilly land on the north side).

SimCoug: The diagonal rail bridge looks good! I dont think I've seen that embankment set before, can you tell me where you found it?

You're killing me! Haha, I kid. I really am trying to get better about answering and linking you guys up with lots I use...I appreciate it when others help me out in that vein. Let me see...it is the Seine River Embankment Set by xannepan. It is available on SC4Devotion. Now I have to take a closer look at Xannepan's files, beautiful, but not suitable for my city (for the most part), maybe a few landmarks could be thrown in, yeah?

Okay, like I mentioned to Rewright, I have found too many limitations with RHW at this time...I'm not going to destroy all my hardwork on the two interchanges I did create with it, and I will probably try to use it as much as possible, but for now I will probably have to use the Maxis highways (as they still seem to offer the most flexibility as far as direction, overpasses, underpasses, exit direction. If and when RHW catches up to my demands I will revamp the system. The limitations right now are outweighing the awesome realistic benefits. NAM Team, keep up the great work!

[simlink 1,098]

Could have sworn I already commented on this update, must have just thought up my response... The proposed freeway network looks really good, will you build them in phases or all at once? Either way, whenever freeways enter into the picture, they will provide content for loads of updates, I look forward to it!

[packersfan 667]

Could have sworn I already commented on this update, must have just thought up my response... The proposed freeway network looks really good, will you build them in phases or all at once? Either way, whenever freeways enter into the picture, they will provide content for loads of updates, I look forward to it!

I could have sworn you commented on this update, too. I am currently building the east-west freeway (technically west-east, since the mileage markers go up as you move east). I completed a couple interchanges and the route of the freeway looks very strange right now...considering the massive loop around the hills near Jade. It looks very strange and poorly planned. I will complete the freeway, and then look into cutting straight line instead of that loop around the hills (just adds extra unnecessary miles to the route. Much more on that in a future update...I haven't even completed a freeway and already an update is presenting itself: "Residents dub the stretch the pimple that needs to be popped. 'The waste of time freeway'...etc...Oh this will be fun.

[jacksunny 741]

I love the road layout in your cities, very neat. I really like the plazas and embankment along the Brittany River, it look very nice. Now build some freeways!