The Towne

[CSGdesign 27]

Current Mayor - Marsh

Current Town Planner - Rionescu

Current Game Master - CSGdesign

Current Treasurer - yet to be decided

Hello Simtropolans!

I'd like to introduce The Towne.

This is a fairly unique concept in city journal ideas...

The basic concept is described here in a little bit of detail, but basically members of the forum are able to set up a sim's life within The Towne and role-play (as much or as little as you want) the life of your sim, and every decision each player (and NPC, or Non Player Character) makes affects the end result of the game.

It's true Natural Growth, but this time instead of one person role-playing the decisions and lives of the sims within the town, many people are, from within the town itself, as members of it.

It has a rich and evolving fabric of rules and form to provide a realistic and enjoyable world, however players don't need to be any more involved than you want to be... the intricacies and depth only exists for the game, and for players that want to explore that level of depth.  You can play without even knowing about it if you want to... just by having a home and watching it grow and evolve as the Towne around your sim evolves.

Currently we have just finished our first season, and are heading into our second season.  Each week of real time represents 6 months of game time, so there's two weeks to a year, with each 6 month season being Summer and Winter alternatively...  Each season we provide an entry showing an over-view of what has occurred in the Towne that season.

Anyone can play!  But you need to be a member of CSGforums to play (for a few reasons).

There's much more to it than the diary of it, there's a lot of discussion and planning and suggestions and stuff, so check it out, lurk, and if you want to join in!  The more the merrier!

Click to view full-size render of region before the Towne was established.

[CSGdesign 27]

Current Mayor - Marsh (all images and city edits in this entry done by Marsh).

In the Beginning there was just nature, and nothing else...

This region is a large expanse of the massive freshwater lake, Mediterranean forests, and all the way to snowy mountain tops.

Swampy areas are frequent. Mostly on the coasts, especially where the river feeds into the lake. The ground generally gets more marshy in the rainier months, creating seasonal streams in many places, and causes the entire valley to be very prone to flooding.

So that was just some stuff I was doing with mayor-mode ploppables while I wait for the Town Planner to decide on our initial settlement.

[CSGdesign 27]

Current Mayor - Marsh (all images and city edits in this entry done by Marsh, automata photoshopped out and wording by CSGdesign).

In 6 months The Towne has grown quite a lot. Mostly because of all the players who joined. Which reminds me, anyone who has a home can find their residencies here.

An over-view of the Towne... north upwards.

Most properties have had some of their land cleared to create the lumber required to make basic cabins, but there is still a lot of natural forest on private property.

The Towne's center, showing from left to right the Post Office (with a hair dresser upstairs and a tiny bar), the Sheriff's Office (which also has an armory and a stable in the back), the General Store on the corner (with storage upstairs), and across the street is a tiny Anglican Chapel and above that is the Town Hall.

Humble beginnings, but as more people flock to The Towne, the CBD will grow.

Here we can see Belmont Street to the left and the right in the fore-ground (we're looking to the east), with Mayor Arsh's tiny ranch on the right, and Gabrog Street stretching to the left near the top of the image. Eric Lopetegui's house can be seen just to the left of the middle of the picture, and to the left of his is Robert Cahill's property, at 10 Gabrog Street.

Looking out over Gwenneth Gutripper's property to the south we're looking at the shallow boggy waterway that seperates the Towne's island from the mainland, with Main Street running away from the Post Office to the south, and then curving to the east.

The small cul-de-sac is Lincoln Street, with Francisco Boss's property on it.

The other properties shown here belong to NPCs... and the small diesel generator that powers the town can also be made out.

This image shows the northern shore of the Towne, looking to the south. In it you can see Gordon Bagge's property with his newly built stone jetty (letting him fish in deeper waters more easily). To the right (west) of that you can see Tim Howard's place, and on the opposite side of the road is Carl Grant's place... although the house is obscured by one of the many large trees that still stand on properties throughout the Towne.

[+Guest Member 193110]

Using one of drunkapple's regions I see? ^^

The start looks great, the picture are great and I just now this CJ will be a quality City Journal!

[Damastius 5]

This is beautiful. Can I move in?

[Liszak 48]

It's very nice idea..but i don't get it. Can i join game? And how? 

[CSGdesign 27]

Originally posted by: Damastius

This is beautiful. Can I move in?quote>

Sure!  Glad to have you.

Originally posted by: Liszak

It's very nice idea..but i don't get it. Can i join game? And how? quote>

Thanks Liszak!  I see you figured out how... that's great!

For other readers, if you want to be involved, head on over to The Towne's forum and there is a whole bunch of stuff about it, and how to be involved becomes pretty clear pretty fast.  Remember - there is HEAPS of detail to it, but you don't NEED to have anything to do with the details - that's just there for the people that WANT it.  You can just build a house and move in and that's the end of what you do, if you want... or you can be very involved... up to you!

[DCMetro34 576]

Wow, stunning update, glad to see you posting here again!

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

Wow!!! lovely pictures and lovely story. Keep it up.

[wwetom1 831]

Beautiful! I've registered on the site as Chris. Looking forward to more.

[The Duke 11]

It looks very nice!! I hope to see more!!

[Follarch 326]

That is just a gorgeous little town on the shore. Amazing use of the flora plops and custom homes, as well as the dirt roads.

[nathanthemayor 1,261]

Can I move in too?Anyways, nice photos there!

[_marsh_ 1,117]

nathanthemayor: Yes you can. There are links in the first post. You have to sign up to the forums to be a part. When you do I will build you a house.

[CSGdesign 27]

The links are also in marsh's and my signatures.

There are a few reasons why you need to be a member - including the heavy use of Personal Messaging, as well as unique identifying numbers that are forum-generated which are used in a few ways for it.

Anyone is very welcome to join, or you can just cruise on over and browse through the many ideas and discussions that orbit around this project.

[zahrul3 471]

Lots of plopped stuff but looks nice anyway. Would love to join CSGforums but i'd like to once my BATs are done, which would also be my home in The Towne, so I look different.

[Benedict 3,119]

Nice to see you back with a new project - your work never disappoints.

Beautiful region, neat idea - good luck!

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Lots of plopped stuff but looks nice anyway. quote>

Nothing wrong with plopping stuff... as a rabid MMP (Mayor Mode Plopper) myself... looking at those images I know exactly how long it would have taken to plant all those trees.

A freaking long time.

The attention to terrain detailing has my attention, please continue plopping.

[CSGdesign 27]

Thanks guys.

I should point out that currently marsh is the only one editing city tiles, not me.

The concept was borne from an idea of mine but has take on a life of it's own with all new players joining in and lending their own ideas...

It's beginning to look complex, but it's only as complex as the players want it to be - it's possible to ignore all the detailed stuff and still be a part of it.

Personally I'm looking forward to seeing how a town looks when many people are involved in deciding it's development but from a sim's point of view, not from a developmental over-view.

Written by Shilka in the Tavern thread on CSGforums, The Towne sub-forum.

[CSGdesign 27]

Gwenneth Gutripper, 32 Aklish St.

Wow, I can't believe it's almost a year ago alreay since I've moved into The Towne. And so much has happend the past few months!

I've cleared a path towards the stream behind my house. Got me enough wood fom the trees to build me a nice tool and storage shed. Now there's a nice dry place to dry some planks for the finer work, and to store my large tools. My house is so much cleaner now I don't have to store dirty shovels and dusty saws next to my bed. I had to remove some large rocks from the path, and made good use of my pickaxe. Made me some flagstones and put those on the rivers edge. No more muddy boots getting water for the animals and garden! Woohoo!

But it only gets better! Remember when I hung that note at the bar in the postoffice building? ;

Well, guess what: someone brought my shirt back! This guy called Michael Arsh came at my door, and not only was he holding my shirt, he's also the mayor! And kind of good looking too I must admit. We got talking, and it turns out that next to being mayor he makes his money of being a Rancher, and quite a successful one too if I'm to believe him. He even told me how he's planning to build a large ranch out of town in a year or two, and he was suggesting I'd take up the job. Imagine that! A whole ranch! I'd have work for many months on end for sure!.

Ofcourse that would be in a few years, but things still got better. He had another job for me to start on right away! With some inhabitants living quite a distance from the lakeside, more flocking to The Towne, and the boggy waterway near my house only being clear enough for drinkingwater in the spring, he thought it was an urgent matter for a watertower to be built. Needless to say I jumped at the chance! It certainly was more complex then the fences, roofs and shabby shacks I've been building so far, so I made me a few designs first;

Then I spent at least two weeks at sawing all the extra lumber needed. Charles Bach helped out by making all the connection pegs to be used. His furniture making skills sure showed, the pegs were a display of perfection. Then Sasuke Irimachi got to work on making all the foundations. I may be strong, but boy, that guy can haul rocks. The foundations were ready in no time, and he was kind enough to help with erecting the large supports too. I must admit working with him takes some getting used to... he's got quite strong opinions on how to tackle things, and he doesn't take no for an answer. Next to that he was very hard to understand, he's obviously from Japan or China or something, but he does speak some English, kind of. Nevertheless his work is fast and effective. Good thing the watertower is right between his and my house, so we had little trouble getting all materials in by handcart. Mine broke twice trying to get the heavy beams there, but we ended up putting one beam on both our carts, which worked great. Then it was up to me to finish the job.

Despite it being quite cold and sometimes dangerously windy, I loved working on that tower. I can't tell you the joy of working on top of that tower, and seeing my house in the background just over the trees. I feel I really found the place where I want to live and grow old, it's certainly starting to feel like home.

When I finished the watertower it was perfect! Ok, it wasn't. I simply dont have the right tools to make the planks fit tight enough, so the tower leaked water for 3 days straight. After that the wood sucked up enough water to expand so it didn't leak anymore. Good thing the mayor didn't come to check the work while it was still leaking. He was content. Very. And so am I. Finally I've been earning a steady income for the past months, and it won't be long till I can afford a better set of tools, so I can really show what I'm made of!!!

[CSGdesign 27]

Originally posted by: wwetom1

Beautiful! I've registered on the site as Chris. Looking forward to more.quote>

Hello wwetom1.

I have you registered on the forum as an inactive registration.

What that means is that you have not yet confirmed registration by the email it sends out to your registered email address that you entered.  You need to click on the link in the email to confirm your registration.

I sent out a reminder registration email... let me know if you're having difficulties.

[CSGdesign 27]

Current Mayor - Marsh (all images and city file edits done by marsh)

The Towne grows more every day. Most people tend to pack in towards the middle of the town, but some are begining to move out to the outskirts.

In the outskirts, people are beginning to clear land for farms. Until now they have fished and hunted to eat. But as a growing settlement, that cannot last for long. Agriculture needs to come into play some day. Now looks like that day.

The townspeople, wanting a place to meet and discuss matters at hand, have pitched in and are clearing the land in preparation for a Towne Hall. The current Towne Hall, being a single room in the back of the bank, obviously does not suit. Ordinary logs however may not cut it. The local loggers are cutting it into clean boards of lumber. Unlike how many of the crude houses in town are currently built.

The Mainstreet of the town is growing fast. A fire house, the "firetrucks" being just a small pushed cart with a pump on it, a butchers shop, and a currently empty shop which someone built to plainly earn a profit (stores named from left to right). And a water tower was also constructed. Dirty lake water was not cutting it for the people anymore.

A local known as Gwenneth Gutripper made a nice little path down to the river. Many people from over the town bring their animals down there to drink often. Gwenneth kindly allowing locals on this side of town to use it.

A newcomer to the towne know as Willem von Draanen, decided on moving far from town. A nice little Barn/house was constructed on the land. And by the looks of it his first Hop harvest should prove profitable. Quaint place really. Quiet and lonely on the riverside.

The Towne has grown much. The new year should prove interesting.

December, 1920.

[+Guest Member 193110]

Great work. Nice beautiful little village.

[Norby(ToG) 6]

That is just simple beautiful. Amazing detailed work. I love the rural towns but this is awesome.

Keep up the excellent work my friend.

[CSGdesign 27]

Current Mayor: Marsh

City file edits by marsh

Images by marsh and CSGdesign

Wording by CSGdesign

By the time spring came around in 1922, the autumn and winter of 1921 had proven to be a very productive one in the Towne. 19 families came across the water to make their homes here, from farmers to shop keepers, inn keepers to upholsterers. Axes were heard all day every day, cutting trees to make way for pastures and saws were constantly knawing the logs into timber, giving fodder for the hammers to create the bloom of buildings erupting everywhere.

The chapel was expanded to house a bell and be more fitting for a House of God... and cars chugged down the dirt streets for the first time... although only a very short list of people owned them.  People could point to a car going past and know exactly who it was and have a good guess at where they were going... more of a status symbol than a required means of transport in such a tiny town with no outside roads

Between the Towne center and Valermount Landing was where the most growth was seen this winter, with farmland being cleared, and several new citizens making their homes while the lure of inexpensive virgin farmland to the south of the Towne was bringing in a lot of interested pioneering farmers.

For the first time farmland was opened up and cleared to the north, and still more livestock imported to the area. The Towne was reaching a point where it could sustain itself without having to import meat and animal products, but was still a very long way off being able to export farm products.

Francisco Boss had finally recovered from the bear mauling he recieved while out trapping west of the Towne... it was a very serious injury and one that reminded the citizens of the Towne how isolated they were and how hostile their surroundings could be.

The Valermount Landing had been very useful until now, allowing people and small hand-carried items to be disembarked from smaller ferries, but as people began importing cars and large amounts of steel and machinery, the landing was frequently being ignored in favour of landing small barges directly on the gravely beaches... which was awkward and inefficient. People were beginning to demand a more practical sized docks.

A new business venture between the three lumber jacks Carl Sagan, Kristian Walker, and Eric Lopetegui  saw various sites near the mouth of Hammond Creek as the site to locate a new joint-venture saw mill... the first mechanised suspended saw in the Towne.  Their thinking was that the creek would form an easy means of getting lumber to the mill from logging fields further upstream, in the absence of any roads through the rugged untouched wilderness.  Plans were being submitted to the mayor's office, and approval is pending.

Draanen farm had made its first harvest and the small slashed path through the forest was gradually widened by slashing

over-hanging branches and clearing underbrush... gradually becoming a track leading to and from town.

[+Guest Member 193110]

Beautiful work. That nature looks fantastic.

[Duke of York 23]

Wow your use of nature is fantastic. I like the user interface with this CJ as well. Great work CSG

DoY

[tagtag 12]

I generate my regions with the SCRACC region generator, which leaves them bald and treeless. I've wondered how people get regions that look like this--frankly, it's a work of art. Just beautiful nature. How do you do it?

[CSGdesign 27]

Beautiful work. That nature looks fantastic.

Thanks algis242!

The credit is all marsh's as he was the mayor for this phase of the Towne and therefore responsible for the city edits.

Wow your use of nature is fantastic. I like the user interface with this CJ as well. Great work CSG

DoY

It's not my work Duke... it's a collective effort, but the actual city edits and graphics you see here are credit to marsh.

He's done a fantastic job.

Riiga is the current mayor, I'm sure he'll also do a great job!

I generate my regions with the SCRACC region generator, which leaves them bald and treeless. I've wondered how people get regions that look like this--frankly, it's a work of art. Just beautiful nature. How do you do it?

This region was produced by drunkapple - he produces just awesome typography from actual satellite data of real terrain... his map submissions are numerous and all brilliant.

The content like trees and shorelines are courtesy of marsh... he's one of the best plop-artists I know of.

[kakado_to_save 514]

Good job Love your CJ