Andreica || Update 6 || Aura Again

[freemunchies 124]

Hey everyone! After almost a full year here at Simtropolis and looking at everyone's amazing city journals here I decided that I think I finally have a project worth sharing!

 

Andreica!

 

Andreica is an independent nation off the west coast of The U.S. and Canada:

 

 

(I'll make a more intricate map later but this one will do for now just to show where it is.)

 

Andreica has a cool, temperate climate. Foliage can range from pines and small rainforests to some special palm trees in the southern regions.

 

Anyway enough with the boring stuff, looks like your plane is about to touchdown into the first city on your tour!

 

 

*A guy that looks like he just smuggled a suitcase of contraband approaches you*

Shady guy: Hey! I'm Z, your Andreica travel guide! Looks like its raining pretty hard out, wanna go grab a burger at Five Guys or Culvers? It's just across North Avenue.

 

 

Hey, it looks like it stopped raining, you can see the stadium for Bayford's baseball team, The Gulls, and their association football team, The Sharks.

 

 

Also there is the basketball and hockey arena.

 

 

So now we're turning off of North Avenue and on to West Avenue.

 

 

West side of the Avenue is the mostly low wealth stadium district neighborhood with the iconic Andreica rowhomes.

 

 

To the east is the wealthy northwest neighborhood of Bayford.

 

 

West Avenue tunnels under the east/west raised rail line.

 

 

Low rise sprawl gives way to small apartment blocks and midrise offices. Also we're turning on to Central Avenue now.

 

 

Central Avenue passes under the Jordan/North/South Line and...........

 

 

Downtown Bayford

 

 

A statue of the founder of Bayford on Central Avenue

 

 

Bayford Medical Center

 

 

Central Bayford K-8 (near playground) and High School (next to american football field, looks like there's a game going on!)

 

 

Alright well here we are, you'll be staying at the Fairview Inn with a great view of city hall and the Jordan river!

 

Hope you guys liked my first post! There will be a couple more posts of Bayford and then I will move on to another city.

 

Feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

Wow! A great mix of NAM and custom buildings, I like the little details on the roads; details such as 'bus stop' and 'subway' engraved on the road. Better still the SC4 Maxis buildings and the custom ones fit together really well.

 

You said you wanted constructive criticism, well the only thing I can think of are the railways. Rail catenaries may be a nice touch for that raised rail line, finally some wide curved rail pieces will make the turns (and switchovers) on your railway more smooth.

 

Rail catenaries:

[Benedict 3,119]

Nice start to your CJ - looking forward to further updates.

[Schulmanator 5,812]

Glad to have you here. I look forward to seeing more

[freemunchies 124]

Replies!

Thanks to everyone for the welcoming comments!

Ln X: Thank you so much for the feedback! I took your advice and downloaded the catenaries and they look really great!

Benedict: Thank you!

Shulmanator: Thanks so much!

 

Andreica || Update 2

 

Hey everyone and welcome back to my CJ! So I'm going to ditch my attempt at a plot for now until I get to the still developing areas. I would just like to get through these cities that I have been working on since summer quickly.

 

2|1: The original Bayford neighborhood, the lack of a grid in this area lets you know that this neighborhood was the first site of development since Bayford was founded.

 

 

 

 

2|2: Close up on the town center on High Street

 

 

 

 

2|3: The very wealthy neighborhood known as NoSo, meaning North of South Street. South Street is the curvy road running along the shore and under the rail. The boutiques, scenic shores, the beach, and the rail stations for a quick connection to downtown make this a very desirable area.

 

 

 

 

2|4: Back up to north of downtown, this is North Pond, a neighborhood with a lot of money that has resisted hi-rises until recently. That huge plain white hi-rise apartment building was the first, barely sliding through the approval system.

 

 

 

 

 

2|5: Full shot of the north side. You can see the university and their American football stadium.

 

 

 

 

 

2|6: West side.

 

 

 

 

 

2|7: Jordan River

 

 

 

 

 

2|8: Apartments on the east side.

 

 

 

 

 

2|9: Ugh too much maxis in this town center on the east side.

 

 

 

 

 

2|10: South of town center is a beach on the bay.

 

 

 

 

 

2|11: The beach on the ocean to the east of town center. You can also see the terminus of the east island rail line extension.

 

 

 

 

 

2|12: The very nice east island community.

 

 

 

 

 

2|13: Zoomed out shot.

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for this update! Next time we will be heading up north to still developing North Bayford / Jordan!

 

Thank you so much for taking a look at my CJ! Feedback and constructive criticism are always greatly appreciated to help make each update better!

 

[wwetom1 831]

Very cool stuff here, nice use of rail.

[JP Schriefer 5,591]

Really nice. I loved 2|4 lake.

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

Wow! You've really improved Bayford! These are top-notch pictures so keep it up. Finally there is a special rail catenary mod which improves the textures by removing the brightness of the catenaries.

 

Catenary texture mod:

 

It's subjective but the mod, IMO, causes the catenaries to reside better with the railways.

[freemunchies 124]

Replies!

Thanks to all again for the warm comments!

wwetom1: Thanks! Glad you like it!

Shriefer: Really happy you liked the lake! I really love doing MMP scenes and that is only one of my earliest ones! You'll see more this upcoming update!

Ln X: Thank you a lot! I'm glad you like it, but this is a product of months ago, and I am exited for you to see my new work!

 

Andreica || Teaser

 

Hi all, no update today, but a teaser in its place. I am still working on Jordan and I don't feel like what is there currently would make a coherent full update, so that will be coming over the weekend.

 

Today I bring you an ad that is running in Bayford newspapers and is popping up on websites visited by internet users living in areas of Bayford with heavy gridded streets.

 

 

 

 

(There're no houses there because the land is still undeveloped)

 

Thanks again for having a look at my CJ and have a great rest of the week!

 

Don't forget to give any feedback you may have in a comment! Your suggestions make each update that much better!

 

[JP Schriefer 5,591]

Looks good. Waiting the update

[Ceafus 88 1,898]

Nice use of MMP throughout the CJ, the cities looking good!

[freemunchies 124]

Replies!

Schriefer: Thank you! Here you go!

Ceafus 88: Thanks!

 

Andreica || Update 3 || Jordan

 

Hello all! Here is the third update of Andreica. This time we go right north of Bayford to Jordan, pretty much a twin city of Bayford. Jordan has gone from nothing to sprawl in the last decade like most of the region and is still growing rapidly!

 

3|1: This is the expressway that West Avenue in Bayford turns into. This is the first full access interchange northbound.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|2: Zoomed out view of the west neighborhoods of Jordan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|3: The central elementary and high schools in Jordan. The elementary school is across the baseball field and the high school is next to the American football field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|4: The main Jordan hospital.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|5: A pleasant town center right outside downtown. Ok see that store on the northwest end of the road roundabout center picture? I really don't like that building, it grows like a weed and I find it's humor in poor taste. I don't remember downloading it and I think it must be in a pack so if anyone knows it would be great if you could tell me because I'd like to delete it from my plugins. Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|6: The river in 3|5 runs under the rail and turns into this canal just south of downtown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|7: Downtown Jordan. (The camera is turned. I much prefer this angle for looking at downtown) There are not too many tall buildings left or right of this shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|8: Across the river from downtown are the very nice east neighborhoods. East Jordan is on the same island as East Bayford.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|9: An entrance to the very nice beaches on the Pacific Ocean. (Does the water pump ruin this scene?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|10: The south side of the beach. That car ferry terminal is popular with travelers from other cities on the bay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|11: A parking lot on the north beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|12: Beach again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|13: Remember the teaser? This is the same neighborhood, this time with houses!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|14: More of the north side of East Jordan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|15: All of the neighborhoods on the hill. This is just one big MMP scene pretty much, every tree you see except for the street side mod ones and the ones in lots are hand placed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|16: Pretty pleased with this pond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|17: I like how this one fits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|18: A nice overview shot. Some uncompleted areas are in this picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now for something that I have done for the first time, and something I hope draws more comments to this CJ, MOSAICS!

 

I'll admit, I quite enjoyed making these, so I hope you guys like them too!

 

 

3|Mosaic 1: A mosaic of the neighborhoods on the hill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3|Mosaic 2: A mosaic of downtown Jordan.

 

 

 

 

 

3|Mosaic 3: The beach!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well! Thank you so much for looking at my CJ! If you liked it, leave a comment, and if you see something that could be improved, please don't hesitate to drop some friendly feedback!

 

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

Crikey! You're coming on in leaps and bounds! Those are some impressive looking beaches, seasonal areas and use of textures/MMPs.

 

Looking forward to more. Finally get this entry featured on the Simtropolis home page, these are some great pictures and mosaics.

[JP Schriefer 5,591]

OMG!

Really good job here!

Awesome pictures, I loved the mosaics too.

[Ceafus 88 1,898]

Great work! The neighborhoods on the hill, and the beach are my favorite features. I really like the downtown shots also.

[jmsepe 2,039]

Nice updates! You have really done a great job. I like the tour around the city. 

[Markus J 242]

Rich with beauty and updates very nice! Keep it up I like your style of low and high buildings

[freemunchies 124]

Replies!

Ln X: Thanks! Also I was wondering how posts get featured on the home page. Is it an automatic process, or do I have to do something to get there?

Schriefer: Thanks for your continued support! It means a lot!

Ceafus 88: Thanks! Glad you liked the beach, it was something I've never tried before.

jmsepe: Thanks! Glad to see you here!

Markus J: Thank you! Glad you stopped by to have a look and comment!

 

 

 

Andreica || Update 4 || Jordan

 

 

 

Hey all! So my power has been out for the majority of this week, due to the storms that hit the Philadelphia area. A little late on this update, but an update nonetheless. Hope you like it!

 

 

4|1: First, the CBD of Jordan has changed a bit since the last update. Here's a small mosaic capturing the entire downtown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|2: I really like this little block of small W2W buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|3: An area of the downtown with the most change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|4: A forest north of downtown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|5: Just north of downtown are the power plant powering all of Jordan and the main ground freight distribution center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|6: Across the rail are the neighborhoods of northwest Jordan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|7: A better view of the highway exits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|8: The entire manufacturing park. This is the first time I've tried something like this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|9: A rail line cuts through servicing local commuters and freight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|10: Neighborhoods molded around the highway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|11: The wealthier of the neighborhoods of northwest Jordan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|12: Another view of the same neighborhood above.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|13: A few shops at the top of the hill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|14: A town center on the other side of the interchange in 4|12.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|15: North of the previously shown neighborhood are developments cutting down the hill to the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|16: A partial overview.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4|17: To finish off this update, a short mosaic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, due to my creator's curse, and my short attention span, I can no longer stay in the Jordan - Bayford metro: I am bored of developing cities on the coast at the moment. This means next update will be a completely new area (still in the same region), in the middle of the large island of Andreica.

 

Thanks again for stopping by and checking out my CJ! Hope you enjoyed and remember to drop a comment, it means a lot to me!

[Schulmanator 5,812]

Nice looking area. And I love the fall colors

[JP Schriefer 5,591]

Unbelievable! This update was phenomenal! 

The first photo of the downtown was the most enjoyed, but the others are also fantastic.

Keep it up.

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

Showing some skillz! You've got the grid-busting nailed and the terraced neighbourhoods in the third to last picture were really intriguing. I haven't seen anybody use retaining walls in that fashion so your showing some innovation here.

 

Finally to feature entries, hover the cursor over the home button on this site. A few seconds later and a small menu will appear and select 'Add a Feature'. There you will be redirected to the add feature page where you will need a link direct to your post and a featured picture which must be no more than 700 wide by 350 tall. As for the featured picture, my advice would be to select a picture you really like from your entry and crop it to 701 by 351; cropping in such a way that it not only reveals the best bit of the picture but also hints at the contents of the entry.

 

Finally to get post links, look at the top right of the box which every reply is contained in. Click on the number (the '#' symbol) and it will give you the link for that particular reply. And that covers everything you need to know about featuring a CJ entry.

[city89 147]

very cool    

[city89 147]

where did u get the trains from i love d blue and yellow. 

[Markus J 242]

Bravo! I like that downtown a lot!

[DustyLee23 6]

Amazing and insperational Everything looks so seamless and tied together

Congrats on a job well done, hope your putting more together to share!!!

[Cool_Z 1,547]

The last pic is 

 

and well the rest is superb too !!!! 

[jumbers 14]

Really interesting CJ, i like it very much. you have really took the constructive criticism on board and have made a very diverse city

 

5/5

[ThirtyThree 141]

Fantastic work - especially on the mosaics!

[Mikemoreno 7]

I love it!

[freemunchies 124]

Replies!

Schulmanator: Thanks!

Schriefer: Thank you so much, my friend!

Ln X: Thank you for the nice comments and thank you so so so much for the help!

city89: Thanks for stopping by!

Markus J: Thank you!

DustyLee23: Thank you and yes, I am definitely working on some new areas!

Cool_Z: Thank you! The last pic is also a favorite of mine.

lulsalad: Thank you!

ThirtyThree: Thanks, glad to know that my mosaics are good!

Mikemoreno: Thanks!

 

Andreica || Update 5 || Aura

 

Wow, I think its been a little while. I planned to update earlier this long weekend here in Philly with school being cancelled and all, but I ended up very sick. That gave me even more time to work on this, however I made a city and terrain that were just not okay. I guess I need to feel well to build well. Now on to the update.

 

You're about to see the first "city" on the west coast of Andreica below the mountains that I have begun work on. In all pictures, north is to the left.

 

(Also, the pics look sooooooo much sharper if you click on them)

 

5|1: At the bottom of the Great Pacific Mountain range lies Aura. This is it in the winter.

 

 

 

 

 

5|2: Aura in the spring/summer. You can see its sheer size rivals that of Bayford.     

 

 

 

 

 

5|3: Of course, I must show a fall shot.

 

 

 

 

5|4: I thought I did a better job of taking a picture of this interchange.

 

 

 

 

5|5: A nice shot of the astronomical proportions of this town.   

 

 

 

 

5|6: Ah, here's a better shot of that interchange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for this update. Don't worry, I'll be back hopefully again before this weekend with another update, because I know this one was very short.

 

Well I hope you guys enjoyed this update, I sure enjoyed making this fresh, new, rural town. I'm not sure how this town will eventually become, but I can tell you this is not were I'm planning to have a metropolitan area.

 

Remember to tell if you liked this (It always makes my day), and of course you're suggestions are always appreciated greatly!