Show us What you're Working On

[nos.17 5,224]

 

@Tyberius06 ... Lots also have a property called Item Order that is the primary determination for its menu location. This can be easily edited in the reader. ( Tutorial if you need one ). As KOSC mentioned, the  plop  costs can also determine the order, but only if two Item Orders are the same. If that is the case, the smaller cost will come first. Also, here is a reference for the numbers that Maxis buildings use. You may have to experiment a bit to find out where they lie among other custom content, but giving all your lots in the set the same Item Order will guarantee they will show up together.

[Dreadnought 8,227]

Yo, People --

I'm know this is not the proper place for this question -- and I apologize.  But I'm more likely to get an answer here -- you guys are more active and have tried just about every trick in the book.

Regional Play -- satisfying demand between regions AND getting Sims to travel to jobs in other cities.

I have read everything I could find in the tiny game manual and what was said in the Prima Strategy Guide.  I'm still very fuzzy on some possibilities.

Example:

               City A                                   City B                          City C

               Commercial   >>> >>>    Empty   >>> >>>       Industry

               Residential

City A has some Commercial zoning and lots of Residential.

City B is virtually empty -- only road and rail connecting between A and C.

City C is heavy with industry.

Question:  Will Sims board a train in City A and travel through City B (no stations or zones) in order to look for work in City C ??

Is that the way this regional thing works ??  OR -- do the cities have to be adjacent for this concept to work?

I apologize again -- this time for being a bit dense -- but your input is welcomed.

@rsc204

Thanx for the tip about the placement of the transit station adjacent to the ped-malls -- and that the line of ped-malls must be contiguous.  I experimented briefly with the malls and observed that some buildings got workers and others did not.  Your information solved that little mystery for me.

[Tyberius06 12,237]

@nos.17, @kingofsimcity Thank both of you the help, this plop cost thingy was what I wanted to know.  Well, probably that will be a bit unrealistic, but this way I can manage to organize the menu. 

 

[Dreadnought 8,227]

WORK IN PROGRESS --

THE JADE BIGHT --

WILHELMSHAVEN:

(Click to make bigger.)

 

In keeping with my experiments with the Maxis rewards -- here's a couple shots of the Major League Stadium.  I used Paeng's lots as a base and re-lotted some of them to create a larger "patio" area with several refreshment venues, threw in some park pieces, and parking lots.  I think it's suitably "grand" without being over-much.  Beer, hot dogs, pretzels, and fellow enthusiasts -- nice way to get away from "the little woman" for a few hours. (lol)

 

 

[Simmer2 23,830]

Oky, now its time for the show and tell of all 36 pieces and their respective icons.
They are easy to follow and distinctive enough to stand out in the menus.

Actual props.

Water footing.

Icon Legend

Simmer2

[raynev1 1,886]

@Dreadnought If you haven't used the pedmall parks yet , just letting you know they are not slope friendly . The base texture fades on a slope , so be sure the area is flat when you use them if you choose to . I recently installed them and they do look pretty good when flat that is . BTW , those are some nice images too .

@Simmer2 They are awesome and the icons are cool too . Will they be in the park or water menu ? And would you be able  make a MML for them to hide them until they are used ? My park and water menu's are sooo cluttered , I probably wouldn't be able to use it . But I really do think they look great , regardless .

[6StringShaman 112]

6 hours ago, Simmer2 said:

Oky, now its time for the show and tell of all 36 pieces and their respective icons.
They are easy to follow and distinctive enough to stand out in the menus.

Actual props.

Water footing.

Icon Legend

Simmer2

Awesome set, the icons and key will be very helpful as well. Thanks for all the hard work !

[Thin White Duke 4,072]

The city of Monroe is taking shape. Everything is very sparse right now, because whatever fool founded this town decided it should be on a hill right next to a swampish estuary or whtever. City planning becomes so much trickier when half the land is dramatic rocks and half the land is mud.

[Haljackey 17,385]

This video shows a number of areas of town that I reworked. Including the rail grade separation at the beginning and the dedicated highway interchange to interchange ramps midway in.

 

[Tyberius06 12,237]

I've been busy a little bit, I was bored with modding the made stuff, so played a little bit with the PIM-X and LE again. I found some missing pieces from the collection, so made them this wonderful rainy saturday...

1. I have fillers for STR only seaport pieces, and I have two so called Industrial Yard one ends with only STR tracks the other one begins with them. Well the Industrial Yard No. 3 will match quite well between them.

 

2. This is the Industrial Yard No 4 - DTR-STR Warehouses, or something like that. The same idea than the No. 3 yard, I have some Seaport filler with DTR-STR tracks, but haven't got a bigger lot until this monster. So far this is my biggest Lot in this project (23x20). I used here Cogeo's warehouse model/prop pack (the prop family set), so some of the warehouses appears randomly after each plopping. I still have a little work with this (where are the trains and trucks??!!!).

 

3. Well earlier I didn't feel necessary to make corners for my 6 tile deep DTR-STR set, but when I tested these new sets ingame, I actually missed those configs, so I made one-one DTR-STR inner and outer corner lot.

 

4. The original PEG-CDK3-SP set contained only one RCI Dock piece, well earlier I already made some connector/transition fillers between the 1x3 RCI Dock and the usual ?x5 CDK3 set, and made a 2x3 container RCI dock. Now I made RCI docks with warehouses, just for fun and because of the bigger variety.

 

 

[Dreadnought 8,227]

Yo, People -- !!

Two things --

(1)  Will someone please refresh my memory on which lot exemplar(s) I need to change for jobs??  PLEASE ??  (And exactly what do you type in using the old Maxis Editor -- or suggestions.)  I can't remember and I don't want to botch the job.  That custom content lot for the massive Volkswagen Plant simply has TOO MANY jobs (23,000) and destroys the RCI demand in an entire region !!

(2)  THIS is my first attempt at making mountains.  Don't mind the trees -- just goofing around with my controller's God-mode.  (Doesn't work -- has logging scenes that pop up unwanted -- and some really goofy trees).  Opinions and suggestions welcomed!!  (This is a large-size map tile.)

Click to make bigger,

 

[11241036 5,108]

@Dreadnought About question #1: You need to modify the "Capacity Satisfied" property to alter the amount of jobs/residents an RCI building offers.

[matias93 7,535]

About the mountains, you have you consider two basic concepts to give them realism: why they formed and how they were shaped. 

The first question is answered knowing the geological history of your terrain: it is an old craton like northeast Canada, an ancient mountain range like Appalachia, a newer one like the Rockies, a volcanic hotspot like Hawaii, a subduction fault like the Andes or a sliding one like San Andreas? That will determine the way elevation will be distributed on the terrain and the general shape of the mountains.

Resolving that, erosion is our priority: while very new mountains (like New Zealand) can be sharp and pointy, most of them have been eroded by winds, water and crucially, glaciers. Winds round sharp edges, water depths valleys into gorges, and glaciers displace tons of rocks to form curved valleys with dams on their ends. Also, earthquakes crumble the mountain shape and accumulate cracked rocks on its skirts, producing a gentler slope.

An useful alternative is to use Google earth to check a desired model mountain from various angles.

Good luck with this work, and tell us how it goes!

[metasmurf 705]

 

9 hours ago, Dreadnought said:

Yo, People -- !!

Two things --

(1)  Will someone please refresh my memory on which lot exemplar(s) I need to change for jobs??  PLEASE ??  (And exactly what do you type in using the old Maxis Editor -- or suggestions.)  I can't remember and I don't want to botch the job.  That custom content lot for the massive Volkswagen Plant simply has TOO MANY jobs (23,000) and destroys the RCI demand in an entire region !!

(2)  THIS is my first attempt at making mountains.  Don't mind the trees -- just goofing around with my controller's God-mode.  (Doesn't work -- has logging scenes that pop up unwanted -- and some really goofy trees).  Opinions and suggestions welcomed!!  (This is a large-size map tile.)

 

(1) 1. Download SC4 Tool and this patch to make it work on Win 7. You can also use Ilives Reader, but it's less user friendly. 2.  Locate the .desc file for the building. It may dat-packed. I don't know since I don't have this building, but if there's a dat in the bulding folder try that. 3. Open the Exemplar editor in SC4 Tool. 4. Open the file,  edit the Capacity Satisfied value and save.

 

 

 

 

[rsc204 21,859]

10 hours ago, Dreadnought said:

(2)  THIS is my first attempt at making mountains.  Don't mind the trees -- just goofing around with my controller's God-mode.  (Doesn't work -- has logging scenes that pop up unwanted -- and some really goofy trees).  Opinions and suggestions welcomed!!  (This is a large-size map tile.)

This is an old problem and has to do with Flora. Flora is a special category of prop used by the game. To make an MMP, props must be made into Flora. This sounds simple, but Maxis envisioned Flora would be, well flora, so care must be taken with other kinds of props converted to MMPs. For example, flora has properties that enable trees to grow or only show in certain elevations, it's these properties that tie into Tree Controllers, which are flora-based.

So a user is planting with the tree controller and sees MMP flora, don't assume the tree controller is at fault. Usually it's an MMP that has not been modded correctly, thus it's items are interfering with the intended operation of the tree controller. For the most part, the templates modders use have all been corrected for MMPs, so the problem should have bitten the dust. But, there may still be incorrectly modded files out there. In the first instance, working out which props they are (hopefully they have pop-up labels), can at least pinpoint the MMP/MMPs at fault. Once they are identified, then we can see what exactly needs to be rectified.

For (1), follow @metasmurf's advice, SC4 Tool makes so many common edits many times simpler to understand. Bear in mind though, it creates a backup file (.sav) of every file you modify. These need to be removed from your plugins folder. Once you know the edit is working, you can safely delete it. If a modification causes problems though, ditch the modified file and rename the .sav part of the backup back to it's original extension. i.e. either .SC4Lot, .SC4Desc, .DAT etc.

[metasmurf 705]

Did a test-grow for a small town.  Wanted to see how a little IRM would fit in this environment.

 

 

 

[T Wrecks 10,210]

Ha, I like that! After all, it's precisely one of the applications I had in mind: filling individual gaps in W2W development with industry. Of course, you need a bit of luck (and bulldozer use) to get just the right buildings to grow, but the ones in the screenshot work perfectly IMO!

[Tyberius06 12,237]

Hello!

Well this is my last update before I release the pack. I still have some work, with modding and writing a nice "read me" documentation with the tons of dependency. I made a couple of new lot in the past few days.
I actually need some advice. A few comments above there was mentioned that tag_one's container crane looks nicer than the PEG's one so I made it a try and put tag_one's cranes onto my lots. 
How do you feel about it? Which crane would be the winner?

1. Container Ports with the tag_one's crane. (the exeption is the NBVC transition 01, because in that set there are used both type of crane.)

2. It could be a bigger filler, but I call it Industrial Rail Yard 03 - STR Only. I thought it could be a nice addition to some of my bigger lot, which ends with a STR track or starts with that, and I also made some seaport fillers with only STR tracks.

3. Well most of the last couple of lots, what I made, contain both DTR and STR tracks. Here is the inner corner and the Industrial Rail Yard 05 - Warehouses 02

4. The "same" warehouse yard and the outer corner.

5. The new monster: Industrial Rail Yard 04 - Warehouses. 23x20 tiles big, I actually reached the maximum item limit on this lot, so I had to hold myself back.

I would be happy any for any comment, advice, critic, oppinion etc...

- Tyberius

[metasmurf 705]

@Tyberius06 I would not use Pegasus Maxis timed prop families due to prop pox risk. I don't know if the regular CDK3 lots have the same problem as  CDK3-OWW2 lots or not, though personally I wouldn't take the chance. Maybe someone else have more detailed information/better understanding of this. I realize that changing this would be a lot of work though, and for me it's not a big issue removing said prop families from your lots which look great by the way. The only criticism I have is that the container port(s) looks a bit too dense with the amount of props contrary to the other lots shown in those pictures which look perfectly balanced.

[matias93 7,535]

This is definitely asking for a Trixie! Is the kind of mod that marks a before and an after for a certain part of the game.

Oh, and I back metasmurf on this, PEG props could look newer and more vivid, but the prop pox is normally an unacceptable risk: that thing can destroy the cities in which one has invested the most work.

[Dreadnought 8,227]

2 hours ago, Tyberius06 said:

How do you feel about it? Which crane would be the winner?

1. Container Ports with the tag_one's crane. (the exeption is the NBVC transition 01, because in that set there are used both type of crane.)

Well most of the last couple of lots, what I made, contain both DTR and STR tracks. Here is the inner corner and the Industrial Rail Yard 05 - Warehouses 02
The new monster: Industrial Rail Yard 04 - Warehouses. 23x20 tiles big, I actually reached the maximum item limit on this lot, so I had to hold myself back.

I would be happy any for any comment, advice, critic, oppinion etc...

- Tyberius

Yo, Tyberius --

I have been watching this with great interest.  I'm planning a massive container port complex for a future map tile -- and this will MORE than fill the bill.  This is, indeed, a MONUMENTAL effort -- and very well done.  If this doesn't get you a "Trixie" -- then there is no justice.

(1)  I favor the Tag cranes for my ports, though a mix would be acceptable.  Not ALL container cranes in a port look alike -- though I do find the big blue blob of a PEG port a bit distracting.

(2)  I tend to agree with "metasmurf"  -- the container port lots seem to be overwhelmed with the brightly colored containers.  Thinning them out a bit -- or changing to less colorful containers (like T-Wrecks) would blend them into their surroundings a bit better.

(3)  I have not yet experimented with the STR rail and may find it somewhat daunting -- but just so I can use your lots, I will attempt to "Bugger on" as Churchill used to say.

Please accept my comments with grace and good humor.  When "feedback" is requested, I feel we are duty-bound to respond.  My lotting skills are simple in many respects, but I fully understand the massive effort you have put into this project.  And I know you are rightly proud of your results.

I look forward to using the fruits of your Herculean labors.

[rsc204 21,859]

5 hours ago, metasmurf said:

I don't know if the regular CDK3 lots have the same problem as  CDK3-OWW2 lots or not, though personally I wouldn't take the chance.

We know they are not a problem, because so much scrutiny was poured over PEGs files after the whole prop pox business. The BDK (Beach Development Kit) is the only currently known pack that remains not updated that has been linked to this problem. Out of the entire pack, the issue has been isolated to no more than 5 props. Since BDK stuff doesn't really appear in the CDK lots, I can't imagine how you could have any problems with it.

Anyone for Tennis?

As you may have seen, @kingofsimcity has been adding tennis courts (amongst other things), onto the Maxis R$$$ Mansions. Well to keep things short, we talked a bit, I ran with the idea and currently there are about 35 HD-Rendered Tennis props ready for release. I've some ideas for other tennis lots using this new set of props too, this is just a WIP teaser .

[kingofsimcity 5,740]

Everyone for tennis! Coming sometime in the near future...

You can also get a preview of all 60 in my lot thread, with rear angle shots as well!

[raynev1 1,886]

@kingofsimcity Wow , look at all that $$$ . Looking good . 

[MushyMushy 3,618]

Coming soon to a STEX near you!

Doing the finishing touches on my submission for the Facelift Challenge. As per what was allowed, this one stretches the rules to some extent, as Willmott Widget Assembly was originally a Stage 3 I-M Outbuilding, so I made a new exemplar for a Stage 3 I-M Anchor. The lot size (6x5) is one of (the largest) WWA's default sizes. Fun fact with that, it's one of the largest growables in the game.

I also tried something that I know CP did with some of his individual props a long time ago (shadows): I added in correctly-sized boxes to my scenes when BATting the props to represent the buildings. This way the fences, cars, and trucks all have cast shadows on them. Looks pretty neat I think! Only have two dependencies so far too: JES Props Vol 1 and the prop files from LRM (don't have to install the overrides if you don't want, I just used the tall light towers from the prop set).

And yes, those are all custom trucks that say Willmott Widget Assembly on them.

[Dreadnought 8,227]

WORK IN PROGRESS --

THE JADE BIGHT --

WILHELMSHAVEN:

(Click to make bigger.)

 

I've been trying -- FOREVER -- to find a way to work this lot into the game.  This is part of "Nob's" 1905 series of warship dock lots.  I decided to make it a "museum ship", like many other historic  warships that have been preserved world wide.

Just north of the naval base is the "Old Fitting Out Dock" where over the course of many years a dizzying variety of experimental pre-dreadnought battleships were readied for sea after launching.  The facility became obsolete when newer classes of warships simply became too large and complicated for the old methods.  The Navy turned it over the the local authorities along with an old relic reputed to be Admiral Tirpitz' last sea command -- to be used as a memorial museum.

 

They did a wonderful job remodeling the entire area and incorporating it into a new amusement and marina complex.  Note the restaurants, coffee shops, park paths, and carousel.  Also of special interest, is a refurbished sailing frigate -- the last remaining warship from the days of the old wooden Prussian Navy.

 

 

I luuuuuuv the warship model !!!  It's a crying shame someone with "Nob's" skills couldn't make a few World War I bats.

[raynev1 1,886]

@MushyMushy That looks pretty darn good . @Dreadnought Cool idea , that old B/W ship looks like the U.S.S.Constellation that was docked at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore . It was one of my favorite things to see when going there . Edit , here it is

Spoiler

 

  Edited September 14, 2016 by raynev1  
added something

[T Wrecks 10,210]

18 hours ago, Dreadnought said:

I luuuuuuv the warship model !!!  It's a crying shame someone with "Nob's" skills couldn't make a few World War I bats.
 

That would be the Mikasa, I suppose?

[Dreadnought 8,227]

4 hours ago, T Wrecks said:

That would be the Mikasa, I suppose?

That is correct.  Nob has been remarkably faithful to the original -- give or take a small detail here and there.

[DavidDHetzel 1,816]

here's the Truck Stop and Abandoned factory I showed in the Industry and MMP threads a few days ago. Now you can see the general area they are in.