Seaports Nightmare

[SimBuilder2014 0]

I'm trying to build a rather large dockland area in one of the cities in my region - creating large square docks with bays for ships, etc using an assortment of seaport and dock pieces.

 

One particular problem I'm having is with the Peg seaport dock tiles especially when I place these on the edge of the water they are sometimes uneven. They are also sometimes sinking the terrain into the water so if I delete a piece I have to level the terrain to place it again.

 

I've tried placing road puzzle pieces along the terrain edge to get it perfectly level before placing the seaport sections. I've even tried using the diagonal bridge enabler so I can get the dock bed perfectly straight and level too but the problem still persists in places.

 

The corner tiles are particularly problematic and at times I cannot connect a railway line to them - this is the main problem really (apart from me being pernickity!).

 

Any tips on how I can get the docks perfectly level?

 

[Prophet42 1,500]

Have you used the level tool in the Terrain Menu? Set the tool to level 2 or 3, to reduce the range of the tool, zoom to level 5, and then use the level tool to level the coast to the desired height and shape.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I've actually found that that level tool is a bit extreme.  Generally I use the mayor mode civil engineering tools, mostly the leveller.  With a little practice you can create nice straight edges at the right height without any fooling around.  Be sure to do a save before you start in case you make a real blunder and need to recover.

 

If you don't know, there are options to use with the tools:

 

Tool + CTRL reduces the radius of effect to half.

Tool + SHIFT double the radius

Tool + SHIFT + <number key 1 through 9) controls the radius from very small to double

Tool + SHIFT + <function key 1 through 9) controls the intensity of the brush

 

The last two can be combined.

 

That's how I did this:

 

[Sabretooth78 808]

I can't vouch for PEG's as I haven't used them extensively, but I was having some issues with the WMP Rural Docklands Set 3.  I had the whole area leveled to 250.5 with road stubs, and yet some lots would fudge it by 0.1-0.3.  I think it might have something to do with the water depth and terrain slope under the lot - it seemed to happen more where it was shallow.  In other words, you may want to make sure your underwater grading makes sense.

[blunder 1,079]

One particular problem I'm having is with the Peg seaport dock tiles especially when I place these on the edge of the water they are sometimes uneven. They are also sometimes sinking the terrain into the water so if I delete a piece I have to level the terrain to place it again.

 

 

I can't vouch for PEG's as I haven't used them extensively, but I was having some issues with the WMP Rural Docklands Set 3.  I had the whole area leveled to 250.5 with road stubs, and yet some lots would fudge it by 0.1-0.3.  I think it might have something to do with the water depth and terrain slope under the lot - it seemed to happen more where it was shallow.  In other words, you may want to make sure your underwater grading makes sense.

 

Aye this is a known game issue that happens with land/water boundary lots.

 

Here's Pegasus' tutorial on leveling coastal terrain.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Generally speaking, I make the shoreline for ports fairly steep-to.  Supertankers, for example, draw 15 fathoms when fully loaded.  That's 90 feet for landlubbers.

 

I haven't examined some of the monster cruise ships that are around now, but draft for them also has to be a consideration.  Nice flat approaches are always good, and you don't have to fool with land elevations before starting to make it happen.  Just use the tools provided, and don't be afraid to drop back to god mode if need be.

 

Just to be safe, at quayside, make the depth 15 fathoms 5 feet (95 feet) at least.

[SimBuilder2014 0]

Thanks for the tips. I discovered I hadn't straightened the corners properly under the water so it was uneven underneath the dock corner sections. I managed to solve the problem by deleting them, levelling the water bed terrain right into the corners of the dock areas in diagonal bridge mode using rail puzzle pieces and then replacing the dock sections later after removing the diagonal bridge enabler. It just meant having to close and open the game a couple of times but seems to be problem solved

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Hey, whatever floats your boat, literally.  I think everyone develops his own techniques here.

[Shark7 118]

I've always been led to believe that there are actually very few ports worldwide that can accommodate a fully loaded super-tanker.  Is this not right?

 

I do know that during WWII there were a number of much smaller vessels (lighters and yard oilers, etc) that would be used to ferry cargo and fuel between the heavily loaded ships in the anchorage and the port facilities.  One must keep in mind, however, that this was done due to the simple lack of port facilities in a large portion of the Pacific (in particular).  Granted, I doubt this is the case in modern times.

 

Still the question remains, how many ports world-wide can accommodate a super-tanker? 

 

Basically in terms of SC4, does every port really need to be that large?  I can see a situation where you have one large 'regional' port in your region, with the others being much smaller.

 

As for the question of the OP, I tend to use the single road tile leveling method...works out well for me, for the most part. 

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

The only port on the east coast that I know of that can accommodate a loaded supertanker is Halifax.