Cattala (AIN)

[Susaji 523]

nice!

[ThomasSimpson 466]

Buonasera from Celeste, for the twenty-third update from our illustrious capital city. That's more than a quarter of this journals updates... probably should start visiting elsewhere a bit more! Thank you all for your comments and for continuing to follow this journal.

We start today in the Castello di Celestica, the ancient heart of the city. Celeste grew up around the town of Celloporto, and was designed in the 12th century to become the grand capital of the House of Celestine's kingdom. Today, little remains of the original city after extensive reconstructions and expansion in the Middle Ages and the Industrial Age, but some landmarks have stood the test of time.

But we aren't visiting the Castello today. I promised last week that we'd visit Franogei, which was an integral part of the original Celeste that I built in 2010. This time, Alder Hill dominates the core of the city but Franogei is still an important district.

One of its most obvious roles is as the home of the government and its key ministries. The Ministry of Defence can be found in the eastern fringes of the Franogei area, nestled between some neo-Parisian architecture from the 19th century.

The divide between Alder Hill and Franogei is regarded as being at the Alder Bridge, which is the main entrance to the centre of the capital from the north. Alongside it are the Imperial University's science research centre and the Imperial History Museum of Cattala, one of the most popular museums in the country.

Franogei is a prosperous part of Celeste, which in turn is an affluent city. As such, it has one of the highest proportions of public schools in the country per person. Our Lady's Prepatory School is just one of the many dotted across the city and is one of the leading schools in Franogei.

As well as being an important cultural and educational district, Franogei is home to the devolved Parliament of Amosseri, which has similar powers to the Welsh Assembly in the UK over education, police and transport.

But of course, like the rest of the kingdom, it's also a very spiritual area. The private school is a partner of the Church of Our Lady, which is one of the oldest buildings in this part of the city and was once part of a monastery.

Another government department based in Franogei is the Ministry for National Affairs, which has overall responsibility for policing, fire services and prisons. Their base is in one of the more modern buildings, built in the 20th century to house both the Ministry and a bureaucratic arm of Celeste's Metropolitan Police force.

A defining piece of architecture in the capital is the AIN Commission, which took over a former museum and school combination and is now the centre of the union's European offices. It also acts as an embassy and consulate for many AIN nations without specific ambassadors for Cattala.

Alongside the AIN Commission are the Ministry of Academia, which organises education on a national scale and the Treasury, which is in control of the country's finances and spending. In recent years that's been a very hard job, especially with countries around Cattala on the brink of bankruptcy.

Thank you for visiting Franogei today, and I hope you like the surprise we've got coming up later in the week...

[Susaji 523]

Very Beautiful!

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Delightful! A great mix of buildings.

[Benedict 3,119]

You've managed to add that great warm tone to your urban updates that matches your rural ones - good stuff from Cattala as always.

[vivapanda 422]

I love it!

[ThomasSimpson 466]

Buonasera from Cattala, the Mediterranean's last kingdom. After many weeks in the capital and Lessito, it's time to visit somewhere else on this diverse island. Due to my school commitments, major urban updates are going to become less common over the next few weeks, so I decided that we should take this opportunity to try something different.

Welcome, to Cressa.

Cressa is, at the moment, a small hamlet consisting of a farm, a petrol station and a couple of small homes. It's not set in a specific time, but is in Monte Calida, the central region of Cattala and its most mountainous and sparsely populated.

Over the coming weeks and the next few updates, a three-pronged approach will develop and grow this small hamlet into a village, or maybe even a town. The combination of Simcity, the readers of this journal and a sprinkling of my own ideas whilst I build what you imagine.

So please do take part in planning and growing this small community alongside a river - get involved and post ideas on where to build, what to built and who we should be encouraging to move in!

  Edited October 3, 2012 by ThomasSimpson  

[Benedict 3,119]

I hate to spoil the idyllic rural scene, but maybe a tourist site? A posh hotel, a comfortable inn, or a camp site, or something along the shore.

Or what about an old ruin to get the visitors in?

[vivapanda 422]

^No! It's perfect like this!

[ThomasSimpson 466]

Some great suggestions there Benedict, thank you. I definitely think that as Cressa grows tourism will become an important part of its livelihood. I also think your argument is very good, Vivapanda, and thank you for your contributions!

Buongiorno from Cattala, where we're continuing our Cressa adventure. This is an important update for the journal, as I'm going to be trying something completely new over the next few episodes which you can find out about at the end of this update. That's all I'm going to say for now, so read on for more!

Today we begin on a road. Now normally a road would not be a very exciting picture, or an interesting one, but in terms of Cressa's development it's vital. The old dirt road to the hamlet has finally been upgraded to a proper road surface, of sorts, so now they don't have to worry about being cut off during a flood or storm.

In addition to the resurfacing, the road has been extended beyond the village and to the north. Now it's not just a little community clinging to a track and a river - it's actually a place, on a map, that travellers can drive through and never notice as they speed past to a big town somewhere north.

Thanks to the road, the hamlet has expanded and some more homes have been built. The local bricklayers and roofers were delighted to have some more trade and even Luca the baker's boy was helping to whitewash the walls last week.

To the south of the main village an even bigger development is occurring. The Castello di Monte's have started growing fruit next to the river, making use of its fertile and moist soil. Loggers have begun clearing away some more woodland alongside the existing farm, so it looks like there'll be more agriculture up there too.

And as our little community continues to grow, the Church has decided to open a small monastery just off the main road. Of course, they tarmacked the whole thing up to their fancy new abbey but didn't offer to do up the rest of the road - oh well. At least Granny Patsy get's to go to Church everyday of the week now. Check out the full mosaic by clicking the link on the picture!

After the foundation of a monastery in Cressa, the local Church has formed a Comuni. They manage the planning applications and minor public services within a small community. And the best news is that you have been made a member of the board! That means that you can help decide the evolution of this new town and what you post below and in future updates will affect the course of the growth of Cressa. Prominent members of the local community will get given rewards and important positions within town.

So what are you waiting for - let's help this hamlet grow!

  Edited October 6, 2012 by ThomasSimpson  

[Benedict 3,119]

Great stuff - I really like how you changed the pastoral scene in a natural way, and kept all of the character.

[vivapanda 422]

The picture are so warm and tranquil. I wish I could change the rainy Dutch lands for Cattala!

  Edited October 13, 2012 by vivapanda  

[ThomasSimpson 466]

Benedict: Thank you! That's very kind.

Vivapanda: Thanks! I wish I could change rainy England for it too - probably why I started this journal, to be honest. A bit of sun!

Buonasera and bentornato to Cattala, where we're again exploring the evolution of Cressa, our homegrown town in the hills of Monte Calida. Let's get straight back to it then, shall we?

Welcome to the first meeting of the Comune di Cressa. Over the past few months we've seen a lot of change in our parish so we've got a lot to go through in today's discussion. Firstly, the new vineyard in the north of the town is coming along well and we're expecting a great crop for next summer.

Our very first market has opened up, thanks to increased business along the Cressa Road and within the community itself. With all the new homes that were built in the summer there's been no shortage of buyers and sellers.

Now for the most exciting development in town at the moment. I know a lot of you are concerned about Ashington Manor and the development around it, but I'm sure Mr Spidey will be attending the next meeting and will tell us how much longer the building work is going to go on for and how many more luxury villas he wants to build. His own one looks quite nice though, and all the extra tourists we're getting is going to help with revenue.

The new orange groves from the Castello di Monte's are all planted and ready for winter. We're very pleased to have them here at the meeting today, so thank you for coming along. Your contribution to Cressa with jobs, support and funding are most generous.

I'm sure I speak for everyone when I wish Mr Benzina the best of luck with his heart operation in Jennai later this week, we do still need volunteers to help out with the petrol station for the time that he's away, so any more offers of help with the management down there would be appreciated.

Finally from me, I'd like to thank everyone for their time tonight, at last we've got our own meeting place here in the centre of the parish. Thank you to the Abbey for supporting us for the past months whilst the new hall was built, I'm sure you'd all agree it's a fantastic setup and long may it remain this good.

Now the floor is open for you to raise suggestions, comment on what we've been doing and offer your support for Cressa. Don't be shy now!

Oh yes, I almost forgot about that - thanks Ggamgus! - and the trip to Marcolla next month is all organised now, it'll be a great trip down there for the weekend to visit my cousin Luca and to see how they've grown over the years, but with a bit more road and rail traffic than us! There's a few places still available so see Ggamgus on the way out if you're interested. Now, really, the floor is open...

[vivapanda 422]

The town is growing nicely, I'm curious what will become of it in the future

[ThomasSimpson 466]

vivapanda: Well it's being shaped by the readers as much as it is by Simcity and my ideas. So you can have a say in its development by posting suggestions here.

Welcome back to Cressa. Today we'll be taking a quick tour of the village and then we're heading off to the capital for a preview of the next update, which is going to be a celebration! Remember that Cressa is being built with the input of the Comuni, so make sure you're suggesting ways for this humble town to grow when you comment. Otherwise the friars will be building the town!

Buongiorno and thank you all for coming. Today is an important meeting so it's great that so many of you have joined us.

Mr Spidey has managed to come and see us about his Ashington Manor Park development, and I'm pleased to say that all the building work is now complete and there will be no more development on that land. The two properties that have been built look spectacular and I hear they're going to be holiday villas, which should mean more tourists visiting our village.

Further up the road our new local constructor, Jeremy, has moved in. He's planning to bring a team down to Cressa to help with the development of the town. His wife has set up a new vineyard next to their home, so let's give them both a warm Cressa welcome! I can't wait to taste your vintage.

Mr Benzina is back from hospital and he's recovering well from his surgery. We do still need volunteers though, whilst he rests. Please let me know after the meeting if you can help out.

Now we've had some information from Seina this week. The provincial government has allocated us funding for the improvement of the Cressa Road, which is why there's some trucks and building work going on around the road. Next week it'll be closed for several evenings as the road is resurfaced and finally tarmacked. Seina's tarmac suppliers K50 Inc. are based in the town for the fortnight so if there's a bit of disruption we're sorry about that but it will be over soon.

Thank you all for coming to today's meeting and I think Mr Spidey has got some invites to a house warming and Jeremy is also going to say a few words.

Next time we'll be visiting Celeste again. Here's a taster to wet your appetites!

Comuni Meeting Notices

- Volunteers are needed to help out at the petrol station whilst Mr Benzina is absent.

- With more workers and visitors to Cressa, do we need a motel or small hotel for them all to stay in?

- General Notice: Do you have any issues, or suggestions, on how the Comuni should grow?

All comments on the notices and the meeting should be posted in the postbox below.

Thank you, Comuni Chairman

[Benedict 3,119]

The holiday villa fits in very well - you found the perfect bat!

The holiday villa fits in very well - you found the perfect bat!

[ThomasSimpson 466]

Welcome to Cattala. Today is a huge milestone for this journal and that's why we're returning to the capital. Over the past 88 updates, more than a quarter have been Celeste updates so I thought it would be fitting to have a general view of all areas of the ever-growing City of Kings. We'll be back in Cressa again shortly.

Since Cattala began one of the most audacious projects I've done is the rebuilding of Celeste. In the New Year it became clear that the way I was creating my cities was taking its toll on my game and the ability for me to update. I started anew with Cattala then, and growing most of my cities has been the priority. For example, Vittoria...

In the north of Celeste, Vittoria is my first fully-functioning, modern Anglicised town. The original Victoria was empty, lifeless. Now Celeste's suburban neighbour is a thriving town of not just imperial sprawl, but modern homes and construction and industry.

Vittoria is it's own, individual town, with it's own Council and its own style. Not a dominion of Celeste, but a defining part of its character.

The capital has evolved from a city for the aristocracy into a vibrant hub of trade, politics, transport and most of all, people.

Its history still has an important role though. Celeste is the most popular city with tourists, thanks to its historic Citadel and architecture that breaks the Mediterranean mould. There's no Colosseum but having an active monarchy with dozens of palaces sure makes up for that. Anyway, Cattala's history didn't stop with the Romans.

France and Britain extensively adapted this country. A small island kingdom had to find support from overseas and the centuries of trade and cooperation with the Great Powers means Celeste is more of a melting pot of all of Europe. You can find traces of Paris, London and Milan around every corner.

In the original Celeste, the city had barely changed since 1820. This year I've developed it much further forward, with modern skyscrapers and plenty of glass and steel dominating the skyline now. Functioning transport and even sports have finally been given a role in Cattala and make the continued growth of my cities in-game even easier in the long term. Plus they make half decent images too.

There's been a lot of development and evolution in this journal over the past two years. Cattala is a constantly changing region and part of this journal's philosophy has been that if I don't like something or someone spots something that's a bit odd, it gets changed. It's this flexibility that has ensured Cattala is always becoming better and never staying the same.

The proof, though, is in the pudding. Cue Update 1: An Introduction!

731 days, 88 updates and several revamps later we arrive at today's Cattala...

This has been the longest Cattala update in history, and I hope you enjoyed it, and the past two years, as much as I have.

Thomas

[SimCoug 5,973]

As I mentioned in the CJ section - big congrats for sticking it out for two years. Looking forward to the next two.

[moeom 1]

Amazing!

[Benedict 3,119]

It's been a great 2 years - I've enjoyed every update.

[ThomasSimpson 466]

SimCoug: Thank you again! At times it's been hard, and I've gone off it a few times, but I do enjoy Cattala and making these updates. Comments like yours certainly do keep me going though.

moeom: Thanks, and welcome to Cattala.

Benedict: And I have enjoyed every comment and every "almost there" in your Top Ten! It's been fun, and thank you for sticking around with it too.

Buongiorno and welcome back to you all. Those celebrations left the journal with a bit of a hangover so apologies for the delay in getting a new update. Over the coming weeks and into January these entries will become more sparse as I have exams just after New Years. But we've got something a bit different in store today!

The Cressa roadworks are still ongoing and have now over run. Trust contractors at your peril!

Instead we'll head down a country lane, which was once an important link between Jennai and the villages and towns of the north of Monte Calida. This road has existed for centuries, carrying travellers and traders to the north coast through the rocky mountains that split the island down the middle. But now, a modern motorway has destroyed hundreds of years of travel and the communities that relied on this trade route for their livelihood. One of these, is Errosan.

Errosan was a humble hamlet, with a small wind turbine on the hill providing the electricity that its residents needed. Now it sits abandoned, with the wind running through the blades harmlessly. Not an ounce of power trickles into the houses anymore.

Even the lifeblood of the hamlet has dried up and closed now. Errosan was the only village with a petrol station for dozens of miles and its owners grew wealthy off the trade and tourism that it bought in. They've all left now - the pumps are coated in dust and there's not a car in sight.

For as long as anyone's great-grandmother could remember the village had been a bustling thoroughfare. It didn't rely, like the villages of Lessito in the western valleys, on farming and tourists for its livelihood. Even twenty years ago, the hamlet was busy with traffic and people and life. So what changed?

The village was reliant on the road. But when Monte Calida's M5 motorway was completed in 1994, the traffic was diverted to the state-of-the-art new fast road and very few cars ever drove through Errosan any more.

As time passed, the businesses closed and the people left. Now, nothing remains but the relics of a bygone era. All you need from this hamlet any more is a map out.

[Benedict 3,119]

Another gorgeous update, even if it had a sad theme.

[vivapanda 422]

Reminds me of the movie Cars. Very sad, though beautiful pictures!

[ThomasSimpson 466]

Benedict: Thank you, loyal follower. I was a little concerned the sad theme would turn people off but I don't think it was too bad. Not every update has to be flowing fields of beauty or glass megaliths of wonder.

vivapanda: I guess it is kind of based on that, to some degree. Thanks!

Buongiorno and welcome back. This could be the last update for a while because I have my exams soon and the time it's taking to do updates is not sustainable at the moment. But nevertheless I hope you enjoy this update.

Today we're starting in Celeste, the capital. We've seen this station many times before but this time we're starting our journey from it, and we'll be heading a bit further than Aziens and Alder Hill.

Celeste station is one of the busiest in the country and is a terminus for many northern and south-eastern rail services. The redevelopment of Aziens over the past fifty years means that as you enter the city, you're surrounded by sparkling skyscrapers and office towers.

It's also a busy junction between Calora and Jennai, so Celeste station is always busy with passengers, trains and the odd pigeon as well.

Further north, the InterCity line takes a direct route north towards Calora. This stretch of line is the oldest in the country and encompasses Vittoria and the southern suburbs of the colonial capital.

The InterCity line, a triangular network of lines linking Celeste, Calora and Jennai, was formed in the 1980s after major track upgrades and the introduction of faster trains meant that now slower, suburban trains could be bypassed by fast trains operating direct services between the major cities. Journey times were reduced significantly. There are now proposals to upgrade the network again to high speed rail.

But upgrading the InterCity network could draw funds away from the other National Lines, like the Northern Line between Calora and Seina. More rural routes outside the main cities could lose crucial investment in better infrastructure and faster trains if the focus is on the urban lines. Villages like Larito, in Monte Calida, depend on the railway for a fast, reliable service to the cities and towns elsewhere in the country.

To build up to 100 updates of Cattala, over the next ten entries we'll be going down memory lane. Today, we're in Seina. Seina was part of the original 4Cities proposal for Cattala, and was meant to form my natural growth area, inspired by CSGDesign's Boston and emgmod's Illu'a. Seina grew into a large town but was a victim of my transfer from desktop to laptop. It was an important part of the journal but whether or not it will return again is unknown.

Thanks for watching, and see you again soon!

[ThomasSimpson 466]

Welcome back to Cattala, for a brief update today. Last time we caught a glimpse of rural Fieranti, but today we're actually going to get a thorough look around the village of Larito. It's not just famous for its lack of rail service...

It's got a fair few trees too! Larito is perched in the middle of a valley in the north east of Fieranti, near the border with Monte Calida, and flourished after the construction of the northern railway in the early 20th century. It's a traditional village, with a focus solely on agriculture. Not much has changed here in decades, but modern technology has seeped its way in.

Another journey down memory lane now. Fieranti Province has always been dominated by Calora, which was my first building project in Cattala. In fact, when I created the new region, what became Calora was the first thing I constructed - although at the time it was a generic British town. During the early days of Cattala Calora was destined to be the capital city, until Celeste stole its crown and it became a traditional Mediterranean port city. Calora was another casualty of my move from desktop to laptop, but I definitely want to improve it and bring it back to life in the future.

Thanks for watching, and see you again soon!

[Charlie_Zane 963]

Love the modern buildings witht he old, historic ones, looks great! Great story line too!

[vivapanda 422]

Two great updates!

[wwetom1 831]

I love your suburbs and your farms! That last rural update is fantastic!

[SimCoug 5,973]

I like the rolling fields!

[ThomasSimpson 466]

city_master: It's something I've been trying out on the new regions. In the past Cattala was quite rigidly urban/rural.

Vivapanda: Thank you, I'm glad you liked them.

wwetom1: Hello again - I'm very pleased you like it. I always love making rural entries.

SimCoug: Thanks!

Buongiorno and welcome to the first Cattala update of this Advent season. As is customary, Cattala has begun preparations for the biggest festival of the year - unless you're head is buried in the sand, Christmas is on its way!

Now I could've shown you a picture of what you'd expect in the modern age - shopping, panicking and more shopping. However in Cattala we like to think we've stuck to the traditional method... or at least tried to. So, where better to visit in Advent then the religious centre of this Catholic kingdom.

The historic waterfront of Calora, south of the main industrial harbour, was built in the late 16th century by an ambitious Bishop of Calora hoping to use the wealth of the Roman Catholic Church to improve the lives of the residents of his diocese. The master plan was altered when the Cattalian Inquisition caused a schism and the new cathedral and waterfront became the focal point for the newly-founded Church of Cattala.

Today the Holy Church of Calora remains the home of Cattala's spiritual governors and the Divina Anima della Chiesa, the upgraded title for the Bishop of Calora. I hope you enjoyed this different pre-Christmas update, and enjoy your advent chocolate and Christmas shopping!

Continuing the build up to 100 Updates, today's Memory Lane takes us to the north of Fieranti. Although we only visited Allea once, it was one of my most memorable updates primarily because it took so long to make, but also because it was the first time I really incorporated MMP's and the glorious work of some of our rural prop creators. I very much enjoyed that update, and it taught me a lot about truly rural updates.