SimCoug's Lot&Mod Den

[rathefalcon 395]

I use flickr – 1 TB of free storage. As @Haljackey pointed out it's a bit of a hassle to get the direct link but I find that it's just a small price to pay.

[SimCoug 5,972]

Thanks guys, I'll check out those options.  I just went to take a look at the destruction and for some strange reason a decent number of pictures are still visible in the CJ section.  However, all the pictures linked in this thread are dead, so I'm not sure what's going on.  Now I just need the time and motivation to fix this mess  

[SimCoug 5,972]

Started working on another set of lots that can be combined to create seamless neighborhoods (slope friendly).  I'm trying to recreate R$$ neighborhoods that are found closer to the center of town, often times with an alleyway running behind the houses.  The growth stages will vary from 1-5, so you should see areas of low density, and others with higher density.  Still a work in progress though... here is a shot of a test block... low density.

[adventurerneil 29]

Looks amazing - keep it up! 

[DavidDHetzel 1,816]

I love those. Easy to grow neighborhoods

While I wont be using the 5x5 stuff due to conflicts with other lots, I liked the lots themselves.

[SimCoug 5,972]

@adventurerneil - Thanks!  I'll try

@DavidDHetzel - The lot sizes will be 2x3 and 3x3... you can back them up to each other to make the appearance of a alleyway.  

Here's another test grow... mostly higher growth stages in this one and I got the corner lots to grow 

I'll try to get a hilly neighborhood next time to test slope tolerance. 

[CT14 2,486]

The angled garages look a bit odd in this setting, but other than that...

Nice idea with the seamless alley. I know there's a few commercial lots that behave that way but I've never seen it done with residential.

[SimCoug 5,972]

@CT14 Yeah, I used them to bust the grid a little bit.  I used the ortho garages on more lots, so hopefully the angled ones will only show up sporadically.

Here's another test grow.  I went back and added mailboxes... cause they are awesome. Also, a few lots from a previous generation popped up.  I'll need to fix the alleyway texture so they all match.  The corner lots grow less frequently than I would hope, but that always seems to be the case with any lotting endeavor I undertake. 
 

[SimCoug 5,972]

@ccy, @brick_mortimer, and @tariely - regarding the brown box on the bus stop... It may possibly be the BLAM blank that snuck in there... Give that a try.  I believe that set was part of the Christmas advent calendar on SC4D, and I was rushing to get it ready for upload.  If that doesn't work, then I'll do some more detective work.

I wrapped this well lot up in a few hours last night, so I didn't have any progress shots.  Hopefully folks will find it useful.  

In related news, I was thinking about some future New SorGun entries and I realized I needed some type of early power plant.  There are a few good models on the STEX, but I was looking for something along the lines of the Pearl Street Station... the first power plant in America.  

Low and behold, Maxis strikes again.  I re-purposed some old maxis props and a building voila!  


Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I will probably share it in case somebody can find a use for it.  


I'm also working on a super secret project that I can't say anything about right now... but it rhymes with 'hat' with the letter 'b' attached (and some numbers too) 

[CT14 2,486]

Hey, those utility lots look great. I especially like the W2W power plant, as I've been collecting some prototype material for those types of structures:

Spoiler

 

edit to add my favorite Wild West powerhouse:

 

 

[SimCoug 5,972]

@CT14, Sweet!  If you BAT it, I'll use it (or help lot/mod it if you wish).  There are actually a number of other Industrial buildings that maxis made that would look pretty good as small power plants.  I actually like a number of other custom smoke stacks better, but I decided to keep that W2W power plant maxis only for simplicity sake.  The one problem with adding props to the roof of existing buildings is you miss out on the appropriate shadows.  But otherwise, I think it turned out halfway decent.

[CT14 2,486]

Thanks for the inspiration! I took this concept and messed around with it a bit.  Here are three utility lots using Maxis props (Buildings as Props dependency only... realized after the fact that this can be done with the SImcity_1.dat building exemplar...guess I can redo them)

Small Beaux Arts Power Station, Medium Beaux Arts Power Station, and Small Art Deco Water Pump (maybe more 1900s-20s?).

My only qualm about repurposing these BATs as power stations is that they look a little too safe with all those fire escapes! Power stations were notorious for cutting corners in safety.

I've attached the lots, if you want to work them into a package with the other power station that'd be nifty. The water lot obviously doesn't go with them, but is included just for fun here.

CT14 - Old Time Utility Lots.zip

The University Boiler House is another Maxis BAT which could form the basis for a 2x2 lot.And, here are some prototype pictures of Fancy Power Stations. I really like the Jersey City style:

Spoiler

Jersey City powerhouses - the first especially has a very Old World look to it:

59th Street/IRT Powerhouse in Manhattan

 

/thread hijack

[SimCoug 5,972]

@CT14 - very cool!  The water tower is a great idea too - I always liked the look of that in the movie studio lot. 

In other news...


Oh fudge... what have I done... 

[tariely 4,496]

On 10/6/2017 at 10:32 PM, SimCoug said:

@ccy, @brick_mortimer, and @tariely - regarding the brown box on the bus stop... It may possibly be the BLAM blank that snuck in there... Give that a try.  I believe that set was part of the Christmas advent calendar on SC4D, and I was rushing to get it ready for upload.  If that doesn't work, then I'll do some more detective work.

 

I don't find any BLaM blank in the folder, nor in the deps. Would it be snucked into one of your .dat (in which case, ilive reader  ?)

[SimCoug 5,972]

@tariely - actually, just download the BLAM blank and throw it in your plugins folder... that might stop the brown boxes.  Let me know if it doesn't, and I'll dig a little deeper.  

[tariely 4,496]

Ah, OK ! I'd understood your advice the other way around.:-)

--------

Later : Not the BLaM blank. The flag persists in one of the two busstops, the smaller one ; shows up but disappears in the other one when the bigger building pops.

[SimCoug 5,972]

@tariely - Ok, yeah, Not sure what I did to those bus stops.  Anyway, I fixed 'em.  Just delete the original bus stops and place these two lots in the folder.  Should be good as new.
W2W Neighborhood Bus stops - FIXED

[tariely 4,496]

yippie !! Trying them at once.

(And BTW, an enormous THANKS for directing me to CP Victorian Houses. I died and went to heaven.)

-------------

Mwhahahaha, it works. Of course. Thanks ! :-)

[SimCoug 5,972]

Glad to hear it @tariely

...My current WIP lotting project...

[tariely 4,496]

(and guess what my question's gonna be ?...)

"Will there be diagonals ?" 

They look quite good. Commercials ? Or Com+ res ?

[CT14 2,486]

@SimCoug The mattb325 commercial lots look great! I can't wait to work them into...well, a lot of areas.

Here are those fancy power stations, fixed to use Maxis building exemplars (and one prop exemplar, included...) The water tower and pumping station is also here, renamed as Old Time Water Works.

I also added three jestarr Boiler House power station lots in this zip, enjoy. These depend on BSC Mega Props jestarr Vols 01, 02, 08. There is a 1x2, 1x3 and 1x1 diagonal included.

Thanks again for the idea, and letting me share these here. I'll buzz off back to my own thread now, promise.

CT14 - Old Time Utility Lots v2.zip

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Great stuff here! I love the old shops - it's like a 2017 replacement for SimGoober's old Chicago W2W pack (or whatever it was called exactly). Love the lotting, too - no frills, but just enough details and realism. Of course, there's always the question of setbacks. JBSimio used 2 pavers for his BAT series, NYBT and mipro use 1 paver... personally, I use the latter standard, too, but pushing a few BATs a notch further to the street in the LE is not a problem at all.

Those inner-city power stations are a fascinating concept, and it's suprising how good some Maxis buildings look. Of course, if I hadn't seen the real-world photographs, I might have thought they're unrealistic, but as it turns out, they do come pretty close to yet another little part of the real world that I only learnt through this forum. Who woulda thunk that Simtropolis is such an educational site?

[Talla 2XLC 36]

I recently downloaded your W2W R$$Neighborhoods (v1.0) with all Dependencies Installed but the Bus Station still shows up as a Brown Box, did you miss something here?

 

Thank you

[BartonThinks 3,416]

On 5/2/2017 at 11:47 AM, SimCoug said:

 

On 5/4/2017 at 10:13 PM, SimCoug said:

Hey @SimCoug, since you popped by the forums, I thought I'd ask a quick question. I'm seeing a number of houses and garages in these screenshots that look like CP's work, but which I haven't seen in one of his releases. I know CP has a bunch of unreleased period houses, and that he sometimes released copies of his models privately to other BSC members. Were these shared with you privately for purely personal use? Or are these models available to the broader public. I'm not holding out hope, but I'd like to make sure that these models aren't hidden as an Easter egg in one of his public releases. 

[SimCoug 5,972]

24 minutes ago, BartonThinks said:

 

Hey @SimCoug, since you popped by the forums, I thought I'd ask a quick question. I'm seeing a number of houses and garages in these screenshots that look like CP's work, but which I haven't seen in one of his releases. I know CP has a bunch of unreleased period houses, and that he sometimes released copies of his models privately to other BSC members. Were these shared with you privately for purely personal use? Or are these models available to the broader public. I'm not holding out hope, but I'd like to make sure that these models aren't hidden as an Easter egg in one of his public releases. 

Yeah, CP shared those with me ages ago.  I was in touch with him while he was working on getting some of his earlier BATs out and I helped him lot a few of them.  Last time I was active he was working on a huge number of 19th century houses, commercial buildings etc, but I'm guessing they never got released.  Have you tried getting in touch with him over on SC4D?  

Speaking of not getting released, I know I have a bunch of Historic Harbor stuff that was in the works and would be great for your project that is just sitting on my hard drive somewhere - I'll see If I can track it down.  

[BartonThinks 3,416]

1 minute ago, SimCoug said:

Yeah, CP shared those with me ages ago.  I was in touch with him while he was working on getting some of his earlier BATs out and I helped him lot a few of them.  Last time I was active he was working on a huge number of 19th century houses, commercial buildings etc, but I'm guessing they never got released.  Have you tried getting in touch with him over on SC4D?  

Speaking of not getting released, I know I have a bunch of Historic Harbor stuff that was in the works and would be great for your project that is just sitting on my hard drive somewhere - I'll see If I can track it down.  

 CP kept working on that collection, but the last update was posted 18 months ago. He said at one point that, if it came to it, he would release the models to the community without lotting them first to make sure they were available, but I'm trying not to hold out too much hope. Obviously, they would be a massive help for what I'm working on, and I'll be over the moon if they become available.

I did try messaging CP a few months ago about a separate project (I wanted to ask if he'd be willing to have some of his content released as part of a "starter" plugins bundle for new users who are dependency-phobic), but I haven't heard from him, and I'm not sure when he last checked in on SC4D.

The Historic Harbor stuff would be fantastic to have. I messaged Vortext recently about some of his network textures, and he mentioned that there were some unreleased HH props. A shame that Krashspeed disappeared in the middle of developing the expansion pack -- the first set is a treasure trove for period lotting.

[SimCoug 5,972]

4 minutes ago, BartonThinks said:

 CP kept working on that collection, but the last update was posted 18 months ago. He said at one point that, if it came to it, he would release the models to the community without lotting them first to make sure they were available, but I'm trying not to hold out too much hope. Obviously, they would be a massive help for what I'm working on, and I'll be over the moon if they become available.

I did try messaging CP a few months ago about a separate project (I wanted to ask if he'd be willing to have some of his content released as part of a "starter" plugins bundle for new users who are dependency-phobic), but I haven't heard from him, and I'm not sure when he last checked in on SC4D.

The Historic Harbor stuff would be fantastic to have. I messaged Vortext recently about some of his network textures, and he mentioned that there were some unreleased HH props. A shame that Krashspeed disappeared in the middle of developing the expansion pack -- the first set is a treasure trove for period lotting.

Yeah, I just checked SC4D and it looks like he was last active less than a year ago, so it's still possible he could release the models.  

I know Krashspeed was dealing with some health issues, so his disappearance in addition to the loss of the SimPeg site (and Paeng's departure from SC4) really took the wind out of my sails.  

I'll try and get in touch with Vortext and see if we can get those files out into the public.