Ralston Metro Area

[Darmok 34]

Meinhosen

---

The Mayor's Office is really a beautiful building!
The night pics, are also great, particularly the one with the Bank One in the foreground and that magnificent church near the Walkup Tower.

Woa! suburbia at it's best!  And nice sports installations near the high school!

The Darmok Arboretum and Lake are not only great looking but well chosen! I'm touched, really!   
I spent several years of my life working as a forest ranger, I really like trees. You have my gratitude!

Meinhosen that is a very nice looking park, natural, inviting, it has SOUL!

Great one my friend!

Take care

 

P.S. Also dowloaded your region pic! AWESOME! , and those autumn pictures of Redstone...gorgeous!

[meinhosen 11]

Update 5.75

I think I'll open page 4 with a BANG.  But first:

 

louisville327, Cody02, jglei701, aleking, Nardo, Mexicanboy, 6SpeedTA95, Darmok - I don't normally say thank you en masse, but time is a bit pressing.  Thank you.  You guys are what keep me going.  Again, thank you.  And welcome, too, to some first-time commenters.  Great to see new faces, and even better to see those of you who've been here since the start.

 

And now:

 

I've been experimenting with Ilive's reader- and I've managed to take jmyers' excellent farms  and modify them a little.  You'll probably notice some fields that don't normally grow with these farms... and that's the fruit of my labor.

Enjoy my little adventure into modding:

 

 

Hope you all enjoyed this second installment of Autumn in Ralston.

[____----____ 37]

again very nicely done

 

Alek

[jglei701 8]

I'll echo that sentiment...  I think that jmeyer's farms (or, at least the building parts of them) are the most realistic... but the fields, being most the Maxis ones, weren't that realistic.  You've done a very good job matching up fields that look quite realistic!  Good job!

[Cody02 0]

I like the lighting effects on those pics also they look very autumny...I don't think that is a word. Autumn is my favirote time of year! The country is so beautiful in the Fall. Do you use something called Photoshop, I keep hearing about it, I want to know what it is and does it cost anything to get? Thanks! Good job yet again!

 

~Cody02~

[meinhosen 11]

To aleking and jglei701- thanks.  Those fields were hard to get right... a lot of trial and error until I wised up and started planning.

To Cody:  Yes, I use Photoshop.  And yes, it's expensive.  A cheaper alternative is Irfanview, while not quite as good, at least it's free and can be downloaded off the 'Net.  However, you look like the photographer-type, and I'd recommend Photoshop if you're scanning lots of pictures... well worth the investment.  And touching up SC4 screenshots is just a small side benefit

[toxicpiano 125]

wow, very realsitic indeed!

[DarkLoki 0]

Wow those farms look amazing

[louisville327 0]

Redstone has a population of 327? I highly approve.

Great ambience as usual in those shots.

[jmyers2043 5]

Hello Meinhousen. I like how you placed Simgoobers canals down in those ravines then ran roadways along their banks. It makes your city look pastoral, slow moving, and small townish. Speaking of which - I like the village of 327. The layout of that village with it's church and central business district is very homey and charming. Makes me want to jump into the computer screen and live there.

Thanks for taking your time so that I and others can experience your city. It is an enjoyable read.

[oroen 0]

Very Americana here! These rural intersections are so lifelike, and those last two farms... well I think you've matched them up quite nicely. Kudos to your foray into modding!

[palmgurl 1]

thats realistic fall is here

[Darmok 34]

Meinhosen, those are simply beautiful pictures! I really dig (pun intended) that canal, with the road alongside in that ditch, with the retaining walls, good way of reclaiming rain!
And the quality of the pics themselves woa! Very good! And great work with your modding!

Take care!

[Cody02 0]

Thanks for the info on Photoshop... I might just stick with paint or download and see what Irfanview is like. I'm not one for buying things since I don't have a job.

[Nardo69 51]

Strange - couöld have sworn I posted after your last update ..

Anyway: great work! Nice little village and good work on the farms combined with a lot of eyecandy!

Keep it coming like this!!!

Nardo

[meinhosen 11]

Update 6

 

Again, thank you to all of you who responded:

 

aleking & jglei701- thanks!

 

Cody02 - Thanks for commenting.  Irfanview should do the trick for you, it's a great program.  Nowhere near as many options as Photoshop.... but hey, it works and it's free!

 

toxicpiano - Thanks, I do strive as much as possible for realism.

 

Ynterboy - Glad you liked the farms, and glad to see you here!

 

louisville327 - Gotta love the small towns.  It's a great transition from hustle and bustle.

 

jmyers - Thanks for the comment, but more importantly, thanks for sharing those farms.  It's my pleasure to use them, and to say that they were easy to modify once I figured out what I was doing.  Again, a double thank you.

 

oroen - Thanks.  I grew up on small, back country roads like the ones seen, so recreating them isn't too hard.

 

palmgurl - Thanks!

 

Darmok - Stop!  Your comments make me blush   Seriously, though, thanks for the great comment.   It is always a pleasure to see you back.

 

Nardo - Well, my friend, you can see the results of your tutorials.  I really have to thank you for those- you pointed out a couple of things I never would have thought of to fill with eye-candy.

 

Last major update for downtown.

We'll just travel around from now on: suburbs, rural, river, wherever.  But enjoy these views of the city.

 

 

Ralston's Brock Field, home to the Ralston Renegades.

 

 

Ralston’s third oldest structure is Holy Trinity Church, just south of Brock Field.  One of the most architecturally beautiful buildings in the Ralston Metro Area.

 

 

While downtown Ralston isn’t as large a rail-hub as it used to be, there is still a good amount of rail traffic through the area.  Here we see the Kentucky Cardinal speeding west out of Union Station.  Its destination will be St. Louis, MO tonight, and early tomorrow morning we’ll see it on it’s return journey to Ralston, Frankfurt, KY and Cincinnati, OH.

 

 

Northern State Penitentiary is Kentucky’s second oldest prison, and also Ralston’s fourth oldest structure.  No longer a prison (it was closed in 1979), it houses Kentucky’s State Prison Museum, which opened in 1994.

 

 

Late summer/ early autumn rainstorms are a common occurrence in Ralston, and today was no exception.  While touring the west side of Ralston, a freak rainstorm struck.  Seen above are some older urban storefronts from the mid-40s along with a newer office complex of the late 90s.

 

 

The SouthWest Ward, much like the North Ward (seen a few updates ago) and the NW Ward (not yet shown) has been a victim of urban blight, recession, and a general exodus of wealthier residents.  While some industry is still vibrant, a few vacant buildings and lots still stand, and many residential complexes now stand abandoned.  7^thSt/Kinsey Ave. (the avenue in the middle of the picture) is known in this ward as the drug market of Ralston.

 

 

Frisco Park (in the West Ward near New Haven Village) was donated by a famous San Francisco artist known only as Mexicanboy.  Frisco Park is Ralston’s link to the West Coast, and shortly we shall see Ralston’s link to the East.

 

 

The Lee Monument, a very generous gift by the Emperor of Chaumont, stands as a symbol of Ralston’s sister city of Mont Napoleon in Chaumont.  The statue faces east, symbolizing Ralston’s connection with Chaumont, as well as the mutual respect and dignity the two cities have for one another.  (Thanks to jarnomiedema for the excellent BAT)

 

 

Finally, I’ll leave you with another view of Ralston’s Old City Hall.  Seen in the fading evening light and with the vibrancy of Autumn’s display of color, any city no matter how rough or majestic can be painted in a new light.

Images re-posted 25 NOV 06

[Ded 30]

Oh wow, this is fantastic... I'm a little puzzled at the traffic going over the railways though, generally here It'd be the other way round, the train would go up grade, and then the road would duck under... Saves traffic having to climb a hill or something, lol...

[Darmok 34]

Meinhosen, this was a superb update!
I can't choose a favorite they're all great, weellll... ok two I like particularly, the Amtrack's Kentucky Cardinal, I can almost hear the clickety-clik of the the tracks, and the sunset on the Old City hall, AWESOME!

Take care!

[Cody02 0]

Very nice update, I really like those rain effects, I imagine that comes with photoshop, huh? Does some of Ralston's history go along with Louisville's? Great Job!

 

~Cody02~

[slann 0]

I love those screenies!!!

Amazing work! I especially like the way you sharpen your piccies - how on earth did u do the rain??

 

Keep up the good work!

[meinhosen 11]

Update 6.5

Just a short regional shot today.  The area seen is the southern portion of the Metro Area, centered around Redstone (which I showed earlier this week).  I've been filling this area in very slowly, so keep alert for an update later (very later) tonight or tomorrow afternoon.

 

Regional Pic Lost - Will not be uploaded - MH..

 

Questions and answers

 

Cody and slann:

The rain is a Photoshop option that I discovered shortly before implementing it in those pictures.  I finally figured out how Mexicanboy does his fog in San Francisco, and then found that there is an option for snow and rain.

About the sharpening: yes, it's a Photoshop option.  FYI- under the Sharpen menu, it's the Unsharp Mask option.  I use between 120%-135% based on the initial size of the screenshot.

@ Cody- No, Ralston's history doesn't follow Louisville's at all, at least as far as I know.  Most of the history you read is stuff I make up while I plan out each update.

 

 

EDIT

Almost forgot to add this, as I promised it earlier:

A brief tutorial on RR yards and getting industry to use freight rail.

[jarnomiedema 52]

Wow.. Absolutely amazing.. Mont Napoleon is proud to be Ralston's sister city.. What a beautiful place to be.. And I couldn't agree with you more: sunset during the fall season is magnificent.. As far as I'm concerned it could be autumn all year long and it would never cease to amaze me.. Great job, Meinhosen.. I'm hooked!

[meinhosen 11]

Update 7:

Thanks again to everyone who's taken time to comment and view this CJ.  Once again it's time for another installment.  But, as always, before I begin it's time to give thanks to whom thanks belongs:

 

Ded - Thanks for visiting.  I'm not quite sure I follow your comment about railways going over or under a road... maybe it's because I'm tired, or perhaps its the booze... I'll figure it out eventually.

 

Darmok - If you had a hard time finding a favorite last time, I think you'll have just as hard a time now, too.

 

Cody02 - I hope that I answered your questions about Photoshop and Ralston's history well enough.  Thanks again for visiting.

 

slann - Thanks for visiting.  Have I mentioned that I am enjoying your CJ ?  It's quite good.

 

jarnomiedema - Thanks for the great comments.  I believe the honor is mine to host the statue (now statues) that you've posted on the STEX.  It's simply my way of saying Thank you in a public forum.

 

Note: I've reduced the file size of my pics, so hopefully those of you on dialup will have an easier time loading them.

 

Where we're at:

Today we take a trip back to the banks of the Ohio River to the small town of Addington.  If you’re familiar with the regional shot, I accidentally mislabeled this town Han*****.  Han*****, KY is in fact just east of Addington.

 

Sleepy little Addington, KY, on the south banks of the Ohio River.  It’s officially the last town in the Metro Area if you’re moving east on I-71.

 

 

Just east of Addington is Han***** Creek.  This small creek runs through a deep gorge for several miles before it empties into the Ohio.

 

 

Continuing east from Addington on US 42 we come across open fields and open country roads.  I can almost hear the song now… “country roads, take me home; to the place where I belong…”

 

 

This liqourice field by SimGoober is just a fantastic farm field- and this is the first time I’ve ever seen it in the game before.  I just love the patterns that the field tiles create when viewed from above.

 

 

Chilly October rain is a staple of the Ohio River valley, and the rain coming down on this Addington organic produce dealer is no different.

 

 

The rolling terrain on either side of the river makes for some fantastic driving during the Fall.  This small county road is no exception as it runs through a carpet of red, orange, and yellow.

 

 

As another October morning dawns on the riverside, we find a Cincinnati-bound CSX freight sliding by quiet farms.  The farmers are already up, though, getting ready to inspect their fields and see if it’s time to fire up the harvester and start bringing in the year’s crops.

Pictures re-posted 25 NOV 06

 

 

[MasterPlanMan 1]

Splendid work!!! This my first visit and it was worth the 56K wait. Your presentation is top notch and your rural settings are very colorful and inviting. Autumn in Ralston makes me want to hop on my motorcycle and go for an all day ride . 

Looking forward to future updates ~ keep up the good work!

[Weird 0]

Simply Superb! It's a shame I only found this now. Everything so far has been excellent! I love the shot of the CN train, I see those nearly everyday.

Keep up the great work!

[Cody02 0]

Hey, your pretty good at making up history, it seemed soo real to me! That update got me in the feeling for Autumn. I like the countryside much and I really like that pic with the bridge in it and the last one with that CSX train. Trains make it look all the more realistic! Good Job!

~Cody02~

[ElmarO 0]

It is good that you posted some pics in Show your..... Thanks to them I found this great CJ.

By the way, where can I found these walkways next to church?

[meinhosen 11]

Update 8:

Thanks to all of you for the responses!

 

MasterPlanMan - Great to hear that it was worth the 56k wait.  I gotta admit, I had some inspiration...

 

Weird - Thanks! 

 

Cody02 - If my history sounded real, it was probably the History minor I took in college that popped out.  Who says an expensive education isn't good for anything...

 

ElmarO - Glad to see my Shameless Advertising in the Accomplishment thread worked.    And, in case my PM didn't work, those walkways are part of that cathedral, whose name I cannot recall right now.

 

Update 8: Hancock, KY

http://www.imgcity.net/server/primary/HancockKY.jpg align=baseline>

 

Seen here are a few views of the tiny town of Hancock.  It

[jacqulina 162]

awesome work,i love how you have used the wild flowers they look very pretty,the train tracks with the train running is very nice,the pics are amazing

[SODATWIN 7]

i can dig it