The Laughing Moose Showcase

[Benedict 3,119]

Looking very good - thanks for that mosaic, looks like it represents your city center very well.

[bluemoose 223]

Benedict: Thanks! There are actually two different centers, the financial district and Downtown w/ the crossroads

On to the Update!

Midtown Sunderland

Midtown Sunderland is just north and east of Downtown. It is made up of mostly Middle to Upper Class residents and several service businesses.

Cumberland Central High School, grades 9-12, is named for CaptainJames F Cumberland who discovered the valley.

Sunderland Central Terminal, the Primary rail station in Sunderland, and the Church of St Mary, located a couple blocks east of the High School

A few blocks Southwest of the Terminal is Park View, comprised of some of the wealthiest Urban Dwellers of Sunderland. Park Av, Lower Court St, Park Place and Park Ct are reserved for the creme de la creme of downtown society. Also pictured is the Metro Museum and Saintsaviour Church.

Crossroads is the Central intersection of Sunderland. It used to be very busy, but people have begun using the extensive underground metro and mall system to commute from uptown to downtown. It is and Integral part of the Theatre District (The Regal and Odeon are located here, along with three underground/indie/community theatres) that continues to the southwest.

North on State Street will bring us to the main part of Midtown. To the West(right) is Shaftsbury Av, another classy neighborhood. To the East(left) is a middle class neigborhood that fades to low wealth and industry.

The Jerome Avenue Exit of the Motorway. Maynard Street is traditionally the border between Midtown and Lower Trumbull, a slightly poorer neighborhood wedged between the Motorway and the River.

And a map of the area we covered in todays update:

Thanks for visiting!

[Kifflom112 355]

This is just too good!

[emperordaniel 1,281]

I love that elevated RHW exchange

[poiuy1208 46]

Wow! nice pics! You've got palm trees though! There is a no palms mod on the stex.

I love the American style. Reminds me of Pittsburgh. Looks like a genuine rustbelt city.

[_marsh_ 1,117]

Great work. loving the city.

[Simtof 3]

Good job!!

[packersfan 666]

Nice midtown. Keep it up. Great region shot.

[citiesxlfan42 27]

Wow! That's really nice! Great job! Btw, what sorts of buildings did you use for pictures 3-5? I love those kinds of cities. Been trying to create that kind of city, but haven't had the buildings to. Any suggestions?

[simlink 1,098]

Wow, awesome update. Love the area, everything "fits." Great region shot, as well.

[bluemoose 223]

Hullo Everyone! Just a little peek at the next update!

Replies first!

Zulu, emperordaniel, _marsh_, Simtof, packersfan, sim_link: Thank you bunches for visiting!

poiuy1208: Thanks for stopping by! Rust Belt was exactly what I was going for! And I think I've gotten rid of the palm trees with a wonderful mod using simfox's tres i believe

citiesxlfan42: Thanks for visiting! I use a lot of BSP's content. That is, jasoncw, nofunk and simhottoddy i believe. Also, ILL TONKSO's stuff comes in handy, even in American Cities, As well as spa's stuff, All of these batters are really great for urban and rust belt areas!

Now, I have a MAP for you guys! This is Sunderland Metro Rapid Rail, a system of Subway and Light rail that circulates the people of the area. It's not quite finished, as the North bit of the green line and the west bit of the red line are not even built yet, but for now it looks good!

Thanks for stopping by everyone!

[Schulmanator 5,793]

Great new map!

[bluemoose 223]

Thanks Schulmanator!

Okay, so you were probably expecting to see a smorgasbord of Light rail and subway stops today, eh. Too Bad! Instead of doing a mega update of the subway system, I will show bits of it in each setting.

Today, we will look at Ipswitch

As I said before, Ipswitch is a borough in Sunderland City. It is located in the East Valley of the City and it is one of the more historic boroughs, though the others also have historical buildings. Ipswitch is serviced by the C-Crosstown (Red) line of the Sunderland Metropolitan Rapid Rail. In the borough, the line surfaces and becomes GLR, runs through a station, and then terminates at another. The stations servicing Ipswitch officially are Ipswitch Center and Eastglen, though residents of western Ipswitch often use Riverview, a subway station as well.

The Map again for Reference:

Eastglen Terminus, mostly accessible only by car. It is used mostly as overflow for Ipswitch center, and by commuters from the eastern portion of Ipswitch.

From Eastglen, trains cross East River Street, then run behind the shops lining it. We can also see the Heavy Rail line, which will tunnel under River St and the neighborhood near Eastglen.

Ipswitch Center Station. We will get off here to see some of the borough.

The center of the borough, showcasing Ipswitch Central Elementary School, ICC1 (Ipswitch Community College), Church of St. Raphael, and The Rosalind Barclay Center for the Fine and Performing Arts.

The Corners is the local business hub, and an outlying financial district. Also, we can see where Crosstown sinks to subway level.

Behind St. Raphael's Church is Kew Gardens, a botanical garden house for city dwellers.

Thanks for visiting! I <3 comments

[burnzie_16 37]

where did you get the church!?

[_marsh_ 1,117]

Great work again. And love that map.

[bluemoose 223]

HEY YOU! YOU NEED TO READ THIS UPDATE!

Its not actually that important, but you should read it anyways!

Today I have a small mosaic of Loyalsock, a semi rural community in the extreme southeast of the area. AND I broke out some MMP's that don't look terribly shabby at all! I think I shall use MMP's more in the future.

Replies

burnzie_16: I believe it is St. Barbara's from the LEX

_marsh_: Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the comment!

Thanks for coming! Enjoy!

[emperordaniel 1,281]

cool!

[wwetom1 831]

Excellent downtown areas!

[bwong 36]

Is your CJ based on the actual Ipswich, United Kingdom?

[bluemoose 223]

Sketchy Stuff is Happening

Hey guys! Just though I would share a sketch I drew of a house. Its kind-of based on a FLW prairie house, but with some 21st century stuff thrown in. (All roofs are hipped. for some reason the right side looks gabled.)

Replies!

emperordaniel and wwetom1: Thank you so much!

bwong: Nope, I just enjoy stealing and altering names from the UK.

[Roger51 381]

Looking good moose! Keep it up Great work on the mosaic as well

[bluemoose 223]

Roger51: Thanks!

---

I received a comment A while back asking where Sunderland was set....

So, after a bit of work, I present, a Map of Westramine, the Nation in which Sunderland is located. Sunderland Is the County Head of Northumberland County. Gloucester, Northampton, Castledon and York are the other county heads of their respective counties. EXETER is the National Capital, home to Parliament and government offices. I hope to eventually build Exeter on a custom map, but that is a long way down the line.

The Key:

Red: Major/Included Cities and metropolitan areas

Yellow: County titles and Borders

Green: A-Roads

Dark Blue: Motorways (Major Motorways are signified as {M+an Even 10 multiple for E/W routes} or {M+an Odd 10 multiple for N/S routes}. Secondary Motorways are spurs or connectors signified by the parents first digit with an even second digit for E/W spurs and an odd second digit for N/S spurs)

Light Blue: Parkways (Minor, car-only motorways, usually signified by a single letter other than A or M, or by a three digit M###)

M-1 is the Nations first large-scale Motorway, and the only fully tolled road. It acts as a thruway, so speeds are not strongly regulated, and interchanges are rare. M-1 Interchange Numbers are shown on the Map. Most of the other major Motorways (aside from M-90) radiate from Exeter and its Metro Area. (spurs of M-1 have numbering as if M-1 was really M-10)

The Is. of Pembroke is a sovereign dependency of the Nation of Westramine, and there is a movement for Melancholia to become a sovereign dependency as well.

---

I do hope to have actual game pictures for you guys next time!

  Edited November 16, 2011 by bluemoose  

[bluemoose 223]

Uptown and Lincoln Heights

North of Central Sunderland lie the neighborhoods of Lincoln Heights and Uptown. Uptown is a mixed use old industrial/residential/commercial. It is home to many walkups, row homes and a few old towers. Lincoln Heights is an old village that was eventually incorporated as a borough into Sunderland City.

An Overview to get you guys aquatinted with the area.

(psst. You can find these motorways on the map I posted on the previous update)

The industrial area is concentrated around the perimeters of M-98. Here we can see the old Schau Brewery and an old Textile Mill.

Here is an Office Tower located by the riverside. Also is the Upper Court Street Station on the D-Uptown (yellow) line of the Metro.

Here, on Maynard Street, the B-Montvale line surfaces to become a Light Rail line. This is Just south of Lincoln Heights Center.

Shops, restaurants and offices, as well as a branch library line Maynard Street in Lincoln Heights. Also, behind these shops is a large local park with soccer pitches and baseball diamonds.

Trumbull Street Jr./Sr. High School is the Public Middle and High School for Uptown and Lincoln Heights, as well as some students in Riverview/Lower Trumbull (found on the metro map).

Finally, A shot of Lincoln Heights Center, a marriage of modern and historical.

Thanks for stopping by! Please leave comments and critiques!

  Edited November 20, 2011 by bluemoose  

[rewright 804]

I really like the urban theme of the city with its tenements and other buildings. One of my favorite shots is where the B-Montvale line surfaces.

[emperordaniel 1,281]

Great job My favorite pic is the last one

[don santiago1 9]

BEAUTIFUL, the city that I'll love to have.

[Roger51 381]

Nice work Moose! Love your RHW

[pielover94 83]

Beautiful! I love it!

[bluemoose 223]

Replies:

rewright: Thank you! I also particularly liked that shot!

emperordaniel: Thanks! I like using a contrast of modern and historic.

don santiago: Thank you!

Roger51: Thanks! In this region it can be particularly hard to build highways because of the cliffs and uneven terrain, but I try.

pielover94: Thank you!

The Flag of Westramine

Symbols and Meanings

One Gold Stripe: Success, Wisdom

One Maroon Stripe: Courage

Two Navy Fields: Power, Authority, Integrity

Blue Field: The Sea, Peace

One Fleur-de-lis: Unity, Also represents the Island of Westaar, and Norman Heritage (Colored Gold)

Twelve 12 Point Stars: 12 regions of Westramine:

Lower Left 7 (blue): 7 counties located on Westaar: Northumbrisle, Northumberland, Hampshire, York, Exeter, Midland, Seadowns

Upper Right 3 (yellow): Island Counties: Dimland, Castlisle, Vinylhaven

Upper Right 2 (maroon): Dependancies: Isle of Pembroke, Melancholia

Thanks for visiting!

  Edited November 23, 2011 by bluemoose  

[emperordaniel 1,281]

D: Great flag!