Show us What you're Working On

[Dreadnought 8,231]

@Goldman Sachs

Bravo !

Now -- if you make some nice deciduous trees in a lighter, "Spring Green" color -- and turn out several variations -- I will break my neck getting to them when you publish them in a small "prop pack".  I am heartily tired of looking at masses of dark green forests on my game maps.  I need some light green to break it up and be less depressing.

[Barroco Hispano 26,973]

Surprise!

SimCity 4 Waves:

New version:

@Dreadnought I am open to requests so you just have to send me images via DM 

[PaPa-J 778]

11 hours ago, mattb325 said:

After a few tweaks this station now becomes a diagonal school (it is modded for junior and senior)

 

And, someone shared a picture of a little real-life clinic and it makes a nice addition to W2W or suburban areas.

 

Really awesome buildings Matt!  The Diagonals  are perfect.  

[mattb325 28,894]

The diagonal college is now available....ploppable buildings are so much easier to test....none of that waiting around for them to grow! 

Here:

 

 

[korver 27,686]

[Wallibuk 1,966]

African city

[Krasner 1,062]

@Wallibuk Peak awesomeness, congrats It's really nice, especially considering that Africa was mostly left apart in all these years of SC4-content making. Are the black oily puddles on the streets t21s ? I can't remember if these are a mod that was already available somewhere or not, I assume you did it ?

[Lucario Boricua 7,060]

Power grid planning continues in Rota!!

 

֍ POWER GRID POLL ֎
Showing opinions from 23 submitted comments

 

 

Spoiler

@mrsmartman @Danieldias @carlosmarcelo @ulisse @Giuliano40k-- @tmorgan96 @dj756 @svenson @kyledhenderson @kim026 @em21mx @monkeywater @Dead_End @Krasner @pedroac20c @Fruitkweek @PaPa-J @ninsegastation @Ducio @SimGuy23 @Takingyouthere and @mertzigzag

 

1. POWER GRID DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVES: The bulk of support was for the consideration of Alternative A, in which all the originally proposed power grid expansions were to be built to meet the Kingdom's needs. Tied in second place were Alternative Null, maintaining the community-scale renewables, and Alternative B, consisting of building only the high priority power grid expansions. Alternative C received 2 votes, which consists of adding the non-hydroelectric projects only, and Alternative D, proposing an entirely new expansion plan, received only 1 vote. The Office of Utilities thus will endorse Alternative A, a full power grid expansion, but will incorporate the appropriate elements and expansion priorities to also meet the requests of citizens and organizations endorsing the null alternative and the priority projects alternative.

2. ADDITIONAL POWER SOURCES: The second part of the poll features a high diversity of opinions, with solar photovoltaics, solar thermal and geothermal gaining first, second and third place in terms of support. Nuclear power was fourth in terms of support, which would at least represent a higher interest in the corresponding research efforts to safely adapt the power source to our small landmass. Energy efficiency also has sympathizers, but is relegated to fifth place, as such, some incorporation of energy storage and power consumption reduction are being evaluated for the grid in case the proposed expansions cannot all be feasibly implemented, or if they cannot meet the power grid needs. As the two least supported sources, fuel oil and coal for thermal generation received the least support among the specific power sources, and as such they won't be considered for electricity generation in the foreseeable future. Last, but not least, minimal support was given to importing electricity from our neighbors: Kanto, Johto, Almia and Sinnoh. The Office of Utilities will be evaluating the case for the opposite, exporting electricity from our surplus generation should neighbors' power demands grow more than they can handle quickly.

 

 

֍ ENERGY MINERAL RESOURCE MAP ֎
Showing mineral resources critical to the power grid

 

 

Reasons to feature the current mineral selection:

* Fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal): in the short-term, these act as energy sources for thermal power plants. At present, the city of Cameran taps into a deep natural gas deposit to power its peaking plants and provide a valuable raw material to its western industrial park, additional natural gas sites exist elsewhere in the Kingdom and are considered valuable for other industrial facilities. Oil and coal, however, also show promise for new uses as carbon nanotube and graphene technologies emerge, they, however, do not represent a priority for neither the Kingdom's authorities nor its citizens given the plentiful availability of cleaner energy sources.

* Silica sands: this material is extremely valuable for the manufacture of solar panels (photovoltaics), reflectors for solar thermal systems and electronic devices used to operate the power grid.

* Copper: one of the most widely used conducting metals, it is very important for wiring and induction coils, both very important at the generation and end-use portions of the power grid.

* Aluminium: the other widely used conducting metal, it is very important for transmission, distribution and manufacturing of magnets.

* Rare Earth metals: a highly valuable and controversial family of metals, these are crucial to the manufacture of magnets and electronics, making it useful for the power grid.

* Lithium: this material has two valuable aspects, as it can serve both for battery-based energy storage or even as a fuel for nuclear fission. Research for the latter is ongoing but there are prototype fusion reactors underway.

* Thorium: often found in association with rare earth metals, this radioactive element can be used for certain nuclear power plant designs, such that they are more resistant to weapons proliferation and such that they produce less radioactive waste.

* Uranium: the most controversial of the energy minerals, this one can provide ample amounts of nuclear power with relatively simpler reactor designs, making it a still-attractive option for the power grid.

 

 

֍ REVISED POWER GRID PLAN ֎
Showing additional power sources and power lines

 

 

At present, the Kingdom's power grid plans have been expanded to consider a lot of additional population and economic growth, as well as a more diverse set of energy resources. Formally added to the plan are these sites:

* Solar thermal: one large site at the Imbin-Soblun-Obstragon boundary area, expected to generate 105,000 MWh per month.

* Solar photovoltaics: five sites, ranging from large, medium and small, whose power outputs are pending estimation. These are likely to be expanded in stages to follow power demand growth. Sites considered include Zacien, north of Mayfield, Wellesley, Corvalis and Obstragon.

* Energy storage: three candidate sites have been identified, due to their history of high power demand and projected future demand, including Aldemar, Rhennus and Obstragon. Stored power estimates still pending.

* Geothermal: after the initial success of the Geyser Canyon Geothermal Plant, and the creation of the Obstragon Geothermal plant, the region's geothermal output now reaches 100,000 MWh per month. Four additional geothermal sites are being considered, including Alba (25,000 MWh / month), Soblun (50,000 MWh / month), Lake Bronze (75,000 MWh / month) and Mount Steel (18,000 MWh / month), for a total projection of an added 168,000 MWh / month and a total of 268,000 MWh / month.

* Waste Biofuels: a combination of success in Soblun with cost reduction from hauling biodegradable waste and transmission losses has prompted the search of two additional waste biofuel faility sites. At present a 21,000 MWh / month facility is being evaluated for Silurum and a 14,000 MWh / month facility is being evaluated for Mayfield. If both are added, this would represent an additional 35,000 MWh / month in the Kingdom, which nearly doubles the currently installed 42,000 MWh / month in Soblun, reaching 77,000 MWh / month of biofuel power.

* Hydroelectricity: the availability of very high rainfalls and steep terrain still favor the current largest power source of Rota. At present one expansion of the hydropower system has been made, namely the first level of the Lake Diamond discharge to the Crystal river valley. This addition involves 30,000 MWh / month from Lake Diamond into Lake Silver, a reservoir built outside the main stream of the Crystal river to help with irrigation, tap water and hydroelectricity. Still pending is another 30,000 MWh / month expansion at the feed line of the future irrigation canal system. Two additional hydro sites are evaluated for western Corvalis (60,000 MWh / month) and northern Imbin (60,000 MWh / month). The system would grow from 420,000 MWh / month to 570,000 MWh / month, as specified in the original draft of the power grid plan when adding all hydroelectricity projects, including the recently added Lake Bronze and Lake Diamond phase A.

* Natural gas: one upgrade of the Cameran peaking plant and one new plant at the downstream end of the Cameran River would add 50,000 MWh / month per site, for a total of 100,000 MWh / month in the region. This would supplant the current 10,000 MWh / month found at the capital city.

* Waste-to-energy: regional growth has made garbage production grow so much that the WTE plant complex of Rhennus had to grow accordingly. At present, the site features five generation units, amounting to a total of 32,500 MWh / month when operating at full capacity. This essentially surpasses the original plan of growing this category to 28,000 MWh / month. No additional growth has happened due to geothermal and hydroelectric generation in Obstragon and Volus, respectively, but additional expansions can be delayed when considering the pending wind, solar and hydro sites in the vicinity.

* Wind: none of the wind farms proposed in the draft have been constructed, but they are expected to begin construction in the near future. Production capacity at the new wind turbine factory has not been able to keep up with the proposed designs for the region. As originally proposed, the power grid continues scheduled to add 109,800 MWh / month of wind generation once all projects are completed.

 

Not added to the plans are these options:

* Fossil fuels (coal, oil): coal and oil are more valuable for other uses, and both are highly polluting energy sources. It is not in the best interests of the Kingdom to utilize these energy sources to meet its growing needs when other sources are more than capable enough to do the job.

* Nuclear (fission with uranium or thorium, fusion with lithium): the Kingdom of Rota still mourns the grave tragedy in nearby Fukushima, which not only involved the extreme earthquake and tsunami affecting the shores to the east, but also affected numerous old nuclear power plant designs. Before formally considering these power sources, additional research for reliable designs must happen first.

[Barroco Hispano 26,973]

Toyota_Land_Cruiser J76:

 

[Simmer2 23,831]

SM2 Greenwood Sunken Station

Grab your -7.5 meters sunken train station here....

Simmer2

[Ramona Brie 121]

I saw this come across my feed today (great account BTW) and I remembered you're an Ontarian... Did this inspire Greenwood a bit?

 

[monkeywater 910]

2 hours ago, Simmer2 said:

SM2 Greenwood Sunken Station

Grab your -7.5 meters sunken train station here....

Simmer2

These are beautiful!  Would you ever consider making one that spans a 4 tracks instead of just two?  Also, have you ever released your walls used in these images?

[Barroco Hispano 26,973]

 

 

[redfox85 659]

9 hours ago, Ramona Brie said:

I saw this come across my feed today (great account BTW) and I remembered you're an Ontarian... Did this inspire Greenwood a bit?

 

 

.... that station is giant cluster .... . They went to install elevators a couple years ago .. was suppose to be in 2018 .. however the contractor has declared bankruptcy and now we wont have the elevators till 2020. Mighty fun going through a construction zone every morning. Also .. fun fact ... Greenwood is a subway station too in Toronto.

[Dreadnought 8,231]

12 hours ago, Simmer2 said:

SM2 Greenwood Sunken Station

Grab your -7.5 meters sunken train station here....

Simmer2

This is Light Rail only -- right ??

[matias93 7,535]

1 hour ago, Dreadnought said:

This is Light Rail only -- right ??

heavy rail, but it should be straightforward to change it for light rail, road or even the HSR

[Dreadnought 8,231]

1 hour ago, matias93 said:

heavy rail, but it should be straightforward to change it for light rail, road or even the HSR

I thought it was heavy rail -- that's what the traffic screen shot showed -- but I wanted to make sure.  HEAVY RAIL is good for me.

THANK YOU sooooooo much for your quick clarification.

[Barroco Hispano 26,973]

Edit:

 

[Barroco Hispano 26,973]

Rendering time (Before): 4:04 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rendering time (After): 2:12

I can't appreciate the difference:

But it renders 50% faster 

 

 

[The British Sausage 5,449]

I've made further progress with Cindersville. I worked out a way to quickly infill coniferous areas with bushes, whilst for deciduous areas I found a useful plant MMP which, when clumped up, gives the appearance of bracken (tall ferns).

 

The hill in the south-east corner of Cindersville is almost complete. I just need some more MMP Sims and add some bracken to one lower corner of the hill.

 

Where there's deciduous areas there is bracken!

 

Lovin' the dry textures from the Sudden Valley mod.

 

And this is how it all fits together.

[tariely 4,499]

Really love it ! The combination of greenery and buildings is perfect in the burbs.

[The British Sausage 5,449]

1 minute ago, tariely said:

Really love it ! The combination of greenery and buildings is perfect in the burbs.

It's only in Cindersville that I managed to find harmony between the trees in the Tree Controller and the trees on lots. So that probably explains why the greenery and buildings are flowing!

[Bastet69008 1,102]

On 9/1/2019 at 1:39 PM, Wallibuk said:

African city

I'm glad you kept working on those African buildings! Amazing work as always

[Giuliano40k-- 268]

Still needing some good work on the textures. Pet projetc of mine, I must say.

[Angry Mozart 1,199]

Kenworth T680

 

[nycsc4 5,251]

Getting ready to re-lot the historic West End Station.  This was my original western commuter rail terminus but I moved it up north near Stanley Park to remove the at-grade rail lines from the center of the West End and downtown.  The old station house was saved and turned into an office building.

I have a quick question for @Simmer2 I was 95% sure that the shelter in this station also came in a more modern kind of blueish style.  But I can't seem to find it anywhere.  Was wondering if you could tell me whether or not my mind was playing tricks on me.  Thanks!

 

[korver 27,686]

A view of Oia, Santorini.

 

[tariely 4,499]

2 hours ago, Giuliano40k-- said:

Still needing some good work on the textures. Pet projetc of mine, I must say

 

Oh, VERY nice glass (or whatever) awning ! I hope the other textures will be up to par.

[tariely 4,499]

2 minutes ago, korver said:

A view of Oia, Santorini.

 

ooooh ! White and blue, just as I remember it ! Magnificent.

[Simmer2 23,831]

1 hour ago, nycsc4 said:

Getting ready to re-lot the historic West End Station.  This was my original western commuter rail terminus but I moved it up north near Stanley Park to remove the at-grade rail lines from the center of the West End and downtown.  The old station house was saved and turned into an office building.

I have a quick question for @Simmer2 I was 95% sure that the shelter in this station also came in a more modern kind of blueish style.  But I can't seem to find it anywhere.  Was wondering if you could tell me whether or not my mind was playing tricks on me.  Thanks!

 

The only other shelter I made with the 'bluish"  (sky) color is the top of my 15m sunken station

Perhaps you saw this shelter I made for the Valensky station. I made that one as a test for texture reflection but later settled for the dull opaque current color you see.

@monkeywater Perhaps one day I will made one that spans 2 DTRs.

@Ramona Brie Unfortunately the answer is no. Never even knew about that one shown on your pic. The one I made was purely fictional.

@Dreadnought Matias is correct, it is indeed for heavy rail use.

 

This one is still WORK IN PROGRESS but I'm sure someone from the UK will recognize the structure. Shown here is just one half of the whole structure.

Simmer2