Acorn Creek Region - An American Story

[Nardo69 51]

The waiting was long but it was worth it.
About the airport, I perfectly share your opinion. But unless I don't start my capital city in Urland I will only use the small ingame landingstrip if it is abolutely necessairy as a small regional airport ...

Anyway: great idea how you prolongued the runway in the river!
Nice use of goldiva's props, mine are just sleeping in my plugin folder ..
Those lowrises look really good together with the diagonal roads.
Nice farming too, and a good job on the dirt tracks! Do I recognize there a slight influence from Urland?

Great work!

Take care my friend!

Nardo

[jacqulina 162]

wow now that update is amazing work so beautifull,fantastic pics,my cj is coming on slow i have had a very busy time but hopefully i will post it soon

[Compromise 1]

Well its nice to see this CJ is back in action. Excellent.

[PhilsCafe 8]

CITY INFO
We have finally reached page 5. And here is the traditional, slightly changed city info update.




PREVIOUSLY IN 'CITY STORIES'

J.D. Harding, jr. is elected as the city's new Mayor. His predecessor, the real-estate tycoon Ronald Tromp, has left a huge deficit in the budget as well as a bunch of other problems. Mayor Harding calls in the Grant Urbanization Project to restore the administration's scratched image. But the project, containing measures to face Grant's main issues such as unemployment, safety, education and transportation provoked opposition among Grant residents. A citizens action group lead by charismatic Mr Birnen is being formed.

Birnen gets very popular, also due to his beautiful fiancee. The ambitious politician even makes it to the City Hall, where he represents Grant in the City Council. But after a self-proclaimed splinter cell claims itself responsible for the still unsolved arson at Bellavista rapid transit rail station, he is harshly criticised for not having his own people under control. He also has to make a statement at the police department's headquarters regarding these events.

On his way home, he and his fiancee get involved in a severe car accident. The young couple dies in their, as later turns out, manipulated car. The police department follows different leads and even interrogates Mayor Harding, but does not make any arrests until a press article reavels the identity of the department's prime suspect, the industrialist Danny Cochran (aka Dan Mulroney).

Cochran is taken into custody and faces different charges, including double-murder. Pictures taken by a private investigator show him being involved with Birnen's fiancee which lead to the assumption that it was murder of passion. But before the trial can start, Cochran dies in his cell from a deadly mixture of medicine. District Attorney Janet Hayward has to close the case.


PERSONAL REPLIES

Nardo: It's great too see you on here again, my friend. Thanks a lot for the nice comments on the runway and the farms. And I guess I WAS inspired by your Urland, a (mostly) rural CJ and also by Dhoppe's La Plaisance County City Journal. Two great CJs and IMO the best rural ones I know. It's a pity that I leave Three Mills now, since I enjoyed to work on the farms. But it's about time that I showcase another area. And after my experience with Three Mills, I'll have farms in other towns too.
jacqulina: Hey, thanks a lot for your support. I appreciate that. I'm glad you liked the update. No hurry with your CJ. Although I can't hardly wait to visit it soon, I made the experience that too much pressure is not good for creatvity.It is important that you have fun. That's what games are made for after all.
Compromise: It's always great to see you, my friend. Thanks for your always nice comments. Yes, Acorn Creek is back. I had some plans in mind which took me like forever to do. And since I'm a perfectionist, I'm never satisfied with my work. This can be a good thing, but sometimes it isn't at all. My resolution for page 5 and all the following pages is to post updates more frequently...

In the next couple of updates you can expect new developments in the City Stories. The City Tour will feature Palisade.

- Phil

[dhoppeii 12]

Phil - It has been way too long since my last visit here.  I was reading your post in LPC today and it hit me after seeing your CJ in your sig.  The attention to detail is brilliant here.  By that I mean the simple things, like the placement of a gas station near a neighborhood or the clutter along the shoreline.  The farms look fantastic and the trails connecting some of them is always a nice touch.  The presentation is top notch.  I really like the layout, the effect you put on the pics and the explanation that accompanies them.

 

Thanks for the mention to my CJ.  I am honored that you hold it in such high regard.  Thank you...

 

Lastly I want to mention the fact that I think it is totally awesome that you mention each of the custom lot seen in an update.  That must be a huge amount of work and with that, I say thanks as well, since I saw my name in there.

 

Really great stuff Phil.  I will make a point to appear more often.

[Nardo69 51]

Finally... an update. Only one small pic but a good story.
About the farms, I mean, you saw my urban teaser and I guess it is more than okay to shift themes from time to time.

Glad that this CJ isn't dead!!!!

Nardo

[PhilsCafe 8]

PERSONAL REPLIES
Dhoppe: Thanks a lot for stopping by and for the great and detailed feedback. That's always the best feedback one can get... I'm glad you liked what you saw. It Sure is quite a lot of work to mention all the custom creations. But it's the least I can do compared to the amount of work the creators put into their stuff. Thanks again and take care.
Nardo: Thanks again for your support. It keeps this CJ going. I'm glad you like the story. I thought it would be easier to follow the story if I provided a summary from time to time. And you're perfectly right what switching themes is concerned. But I also had a lot of fun with the farms... (I won't abandon them completely, anyway).

Enjoy...

- Phil


CITY TOUR: PALISADE (ACORN CREEK)
After a small trip to Three Mills, we now return to Acorn Creek. This time we will visit the Palisade neighborhood.









A lot of potential, I'd say. (^)











I hope to see you again in Acorn Creek...


Credits:
NDEX Parking Lots by Ardecila; Underground Parking by baco; Pedestrian Plazas by Bauerme; DC Metro LR Model, Atlanta Marta Set, Amtrak Cars, Amtrak Engines & Amtrak California by BigRedFish; Union 76 Service Station by Bobbo662; Forest Lookout Tower, Rest Area, Water Tower, Fire Tower, Caltex, Esso & Shell Servo Set by Deadwoods; Tropical Sea Set, Tropical Tree Set by Goldiva; Road Noise Barriers by caghaasnoot; Cemetary Pack by davidhogan; Gated Entrance by dhoppeii; CN Freight Train Model by espee04135; Kings Cross Station & Bus Station by Frogface; Zurich House & GLR Station by Ill Tonkso; MYOS (Make Your Own Sign) by jbizzle; Fuente de Neptuno by JEC; Cement Walls & Diagonal Residential Walls by jeronij; Airport Pack 2.1 BETA by Joerg and Thalassicus; Beijing Olympic Stadium by jtportland; St. Michael's Church by jule78; Club Malibu by kd5rax; McDonald's, Hard Rock Cafe & Wendy's by kevdan25; Embankment by Marrast; Simple Bus Stop by morifari; PEG Fort Pegasus, Random Tree Lots, Recreational RTK, 'Windjammer' Water Mod, Weathered Granite Rock Mod and Park Trails; Asgard Bank Building by ryanr; B&N Booksellers, Piggly Wiggly, Tops Grocery Store, Hooters Restaurant, Restaurant row, Embassy Suits Hotel, Express Inn, Double Tree Hotel, Chicago Fire Houses, Small Warehouses & Farm Rewards by SimGoober; BSC Farms by SimGoober & JMyers; Farmland Fences by suico; Highway Light Towers by The Great Chozo. Thank You.

[toxicpiano 125]

this is very nice. do you really own a cafe?

[dhoppeii 12]

Hey Phil,  another great update.  I really like the effect on the first pic.  It really lends a feeling of age to it.  I also really like your extensive use of the dirt trails here.  Especially those near the waterfront.

[rewright 804]

I love that transit line. Great job!!

[Compromise 1]

Nice to see this CJ is still going. Keep it up!

[sorchin 18]

Hey great job!

I can tell you have put much time into this CJ. I love looking through the Journals and this CJ will only reinforce that

[Nardo69 51]

Nice update! The lake reminds me a bit of Seebach ... We used almost the same lots!

Nice fort on that hill. Actually I thought quite a long time about putting in some fortifications in my CJ but as european forts of the 19th look completely different than the wooden american ones it is really hard. Some dutch tried it with marrasts embankment but this promising project somehow died ..

Nice use of the forrest tracks as tracks along the coast. You gave the people of Palisade quite a lovely place to live!

Take care my friend!

Nardo

 

edit: Just to avoid ANY misunderstanding: I think we both used the same BATs for the lake at the same time independent from each other because the BATs ARE superb! No accuse for plagiarism included!!

/edit

[MasterPlanMan 1]

Very nice so far! I like how the quaint village of Palisade is coming along. I agree with others ~ nice utilization of the dirt roads. The fort looks great and I also like the area along Hunter road.

Other areas I liked were the GLR line and Veronica lake. Your presentation looks pretty good as well.

Keep up the nice work! Looking forward to your next update!

[oroen 0]

In the third picture, the little corner with the Shell station tucked between the street corner and the rail line kinda caught my eye for some reason. And the fort/reserve area is laid out nicely, especially how the trail comes down to the beach briefly and then climbs up again.

[slann 0]

Wow - love the way you utilised the trails - where are they from? (I am quite blur )

Love the way you did comparative history (old pic and new pic - both look excellent!)...

Definately will be following your CJ

 

 

[PhilsCafe 8]

I was off for the weekend so I wasn't able the respond earlier. As a compensation, I have a little something for you: Another full update.


PERSONAL REPLIES
toxicpiano: Thanks a lot for stopping by. I'm glad you liked it. And no, I don't really own a cafe (at least not yet, you never know...). It's just a name.
Dhoppe: Thanks a lot for visiting again. I'm really glad you liked the photo (a little yellow tones, contrasts and blur and there you go). And, yeah, the dirt tracks are wonderful lots. I first used the park trails there, but you wouldn't expect them in an area like this in real life, so I used the dirt tracks instead.
rewright: Thank you for dropping by. I'm glad to hear that you liked the transit line. It was quite a pain to let it look good, because there was that mean little slope...
(EDIT: I've just noticed my CJ in your sig. Thanks a lot for that...)
Compromise: Thanks a lot for your constant support, it is always appreciated. It's sometimes quite hard to find the time for the CJ nowadays, but obviously it's still going...
sorchin: Thank you for stopping by. I'm glad I was of some help . I hope you'll look through the CJs a couple of times...
Nardo: I didn't feel accused but thanks anyway for rephrasing, you can never be careful enough. And yes, I see some similarities too. The lots are really great, I like to combine them together. About the fort: Actually I was looking for a stone construction (like Fort Point in San Francisco ) but I can only blame myself for not having learned BAT. The Fort Pegasus looks really nice. I've never heard of that Dutch project, btw. We have a lot of fortifications from WWI and WWII in the Swiss Alps. But there is not much to see anyway .
MasterPlanMan: Welcome to this CJ and thanks for the great feedback. I'm glad you like the village. I'm gonna leave it as it is for the moment, I'll wait and see how the development of the region affects the village though.
oroen: Yes indeed. In that picture I was looking for realism and not beauty in the first place. Maybe it were the low-wealth shops together with the station and the Service station that made the picture eye-catching... Thanks a lot for commenting.
slann: It's the Forest Tracks by Deadwoods you're looking for. I love these lots and Deadwoods has also made a bunch of other forest BATs (fire tower, lookout tower, etc). Thanks for stopping by, I'm glad you liked the presentation.

A lot of writing... thanks a lot for that overwhelming support. But now enjoy the update.

- Phil


CITY TOUR: REVISITING LOWER WESTSIDE
Some of you might already be familiar with that area...

















This might be the next development project (^). The last one was quite successful. Any evidence needed?





... and a little extra:




Credits:
NDEX Parking Lots by Ardecila; Underground Parking by baco; Pedestrian Plazas by Bauerme; DC Metro LR Model, Atlanta Marta Set, Amtrak Cars, Amtrak Engines & Amtrak California by BigRedFish; Union 76 Service Station by Bobbo662; Forest Lookout Tower, Water Tower, Caltex, Esso & Shell Servo Set by Deadwoods; Tropical Sea Set, Tropical Tree Set by Goldiva; Road Noise Barriers by caghaasnoot; Cemetary Pack by davidhogan; CN Freight Train Model by espee04135; Paris Meto Station, Kings Cross Station & Bus Station by Frogface; GLR Station by Ill Tonkso; Fuente de Neptuno by JEC; Cement Walls & Diagonal Residential Walls by jeronij; Beijing Olympic Stadium by jtportland; St. Michael's Church by jule78; Club Malibu by kd5rax; McDonald's, Hard Rock Cafe, Del Taco, Deny's & Wendy's by kevdan25; Embankment by Marrast; Embankment El Rail Station & Simple Bus Stop by morifari; PEG Random Tree Lots, Scenic Drive Kit, 'Windjammer' Water Mod, Weathered Granite Rock Mod and Park Trails; Asgard Bank Building by ryanr; Piggly Wiggly, Hooters Restaurant, Restaurant row, Embassy Suits Hotel, Express Inn, Double Tree Hotel, Chicago Fire Houses, Small Warehousesby SimGoober; Highway Light Towers by The Great Chozo. Thank You.

(Note: See full list of credits on page 1 of this CJ)

[Nardo69 51]

Glad you did understand me correctly. Some things are just too easy to misunderstood ...

As always I like your update. Nice idea of putting that tunnel under the stadium.

My favourite one this time is the embankment drive. Great work!

I really like your CJ!!

Nardo

[dhoppeii 12]

Great Job Phil.  I like your use of the GLR and how it splits the road before heading underground.  My favorite pic though was the one of Washington Park.  Very nicely done.

[ramptropolis 0]

Good job on this . I like how you set up the reserve and the transportation around the stadium.

[sorchin 18]

Helo again phil (my real name is Steve btw).

I love the Washington Park and Pinewood pictures in the last update. Very beautiful areas Are there any homes for rent?

[sloppet 3]

great updat philscafe!! looking forward for more !!

[Darmok 34]

Phil,
First I have to say that I completely agree with Dan on the top notch quality of your presentation and the attention to details, it shows in every picture I've seen so far.

For example, the parking space alongside Fort Hunter is not in front or on the seaside view thus preserving the good appearance of the site.

BTW Fort Hunter and Fort Hunter Park are my favorite place so far. The dirt trails that descend the cliff down to the beach is pure beauty!

Your suburbs have a very real look. ANd the stadium sector is well done, with all the parking spaces and EL train.

Great work Phil, and I'll try to be more present in Acorn Creek from now on!

[PhilsCafe 8]

It's time for another Monday afternoon (ET) update. But first of all, the...


PERSONAL REPLIES

Nardo: Thanks a lot for your continuous support my friend. I'm glad you really like my CJ. Embankment Drive is also one of my favorite places. It's one of the places that I liked from the beginning and therefore kept in its original state.

Dan (hope you don't mind?): Parks are always a nice touch, in my opinion. Thanks for the compliment and also thanks for your comments, they're very much appreciated.

ramptropolis: Welcome to Simtropolis and thanks a lot for your first post in my CJ... Thanks a lot for the compliment on the State Park and the Transportation system too.

Steve: Well, I don't know about that, but I'll ask a friend in the local real estate business for you . I'm glad you like the area. I was happy how it turned out too.

sloppet: Thanks a lot for stopping by. I'm glad you liked it. Good work on Monk as well.

Darmok: Welcome Darmok. Great to see you've unlurked yourself . I'm glad you liked Fort Hunter that much. I try to be as realistic as possible and I'm also looking for different looks... Thanks again for your comment.

Have fun with this update!

- Phil


CITY TOUR: REVISITING DOWNTOWN PART I

Our tour takes us into a more urban area.






















Credits:

NDEX Parking Lots by Ardecila; Underground Parking by baco; Pedestrian Plazas by Bauerme; DC Metro LR Model, Atlanta Marta Set, Amtrak Cars, Amtrak Engines & Amtrak California by BigRedFish; Union 76 Service Station by Bobbo662; Caltex, Esso & Shell Servo Set by Deadwoods; Road Noise Barriers by caghaasnoot; CN Freight Train Model by espee04135; Bishop Gate Bldg, St Helen's, Paris Meto Station, Kings Cross Station & Bus Station by Frogface; Eastland Grand Station by Ill Tonkso; Cement Walls & Diagonal Residential Walls by jeronij; Club Malibu by kd5rax; McDonald's, Hard Rock Cafe, Del Taco, Deny's & Wendy's by kevdan25; Embankment by Marrast; Embankment El Rail Station & Simple Bus Stop by morifari; PEG Fort Pegasus, Random Tree Lots, Recreational RTK, Scenic Drive Kit, 'Windjammer' Water Mod, Weathered Granite Rock Mod and Park Trails; Asgard Bank Building by ryanr; Restaurant row, Marriot Hotel, Chicago Fire Houses SimGoober. Thank You.

[Nardo69 51]

It is somehow strange but I guess in every town and / or every region their are some places which are just 125% - you love them just how they grow / develope. Have some of them in my region(s) too!

Great work with PEG's RTK. I like especially how you shaped it round that avenue bridge in two elevations!

That city hall reminds me a bit of the big Cathedral of Estergom in Hungary: Quite a huge cathedral in a small town...

I am waiting for the next update!

Nardo

[dhoppeii 12]

Phil, first off, thanks for the tour of downtown.  What a great use of PEG's River Kit.  Looks like it was quite a bit of work.  Very elaborate and looks inviting.  I also really liked the work you did on Monument Hill.  The layout and all the extras that you added really bring it to life.

[Darmok 34]

Well Phill, you're as good in urban setting as in parks.

Point of interest, the double decker quay! superbly done!

Those small appartments building overlooking the tunnel on Cobble street pic.

But my favorites:
1. the Beltway construction site, I like it!
2. The monument hill sector! Just beautiful!

Great work man!
Take care

[sorchin 18]

Hey Phil:

Another great update. Especially the riverfront area. I love how you worked with the bridge. It looks so natural.

Monument Hill is also well done. Very nice my friend

[slann 0]

Hey Philscafe!

I love your downtown night shot - looks wonderful

 

[PhilsCafe 8]

I felt like posting a story update as long as we're still on page 5, right after my replys on your great feedback.

PERSONAL REPLIES

Nardo: You're absolutely right my friend. I'm glad you liked the RTK section, which actually appens to be one of those parts I liked from the beginning. And I was even thinking of extending the red RTK section to those trees in the second pictures as an option... well, we'll see.
The city hall is the S.F. city hall. And you're right, it really looks like a cathedral, especially on that hill. Thanks for your support, it's always great to see you here. Take care...

Dan: Thanks a lot for the compliment. I try vary the styles a bit in the updates, and Downtown was quite a difficult one indeed. I'm glad you liked it. With Monument Hill I actually intended to bring Downtown to live. It's great to hear that it worked. Take care and thanks again for your always great support.

Darmok: Hi again and thanks for the great compliments. I'm glad you liked Downtown that much. I'm always looking for different styles and feels to give each part a unique character. Now it's very nice to hear that I was successful this time. The beltway is a funny story, by the way. I thought that I should show what I'm talking about for once and that's how it got into the update... Take care and see you soon.

Steve: Thanks for stopping by again. I'm glad you liked the update. The natural look, well sometimes things happen to look good right from the start, that's how it was with the riverfront (as Nardo pointed out before). Thanks again and take care my friend.

slann: Thanks a lot for your nice comment about the night shot. I love the lights. because I don't really see this that much where I live.

Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy the story update! (I've used a different technique this time, hope you all like it)

- Phil


CITY STORIES: POLICE RAID IN THREE MILLS



# In a screwed up raid on a Three Mills cottage, ACPD and Three Mills policemen arrested five suspects. One suspect was killed and one officer wounded in the following gun fight. The D.A. announced an investigation of the incident.

By Ron Taylor, Press Staff Writer

Acorn Creek and Three Mills police officers took part in a raid on a cottage in Three Mills early Monday morning, as was revealed yesterday. The police assumed about half a dozen armed men in the building near Southshore freeway in Fairfield.

When the officers got in the building, the suspects opened the fire, wounding one policeman. In the following gun fight, one suspect was shot and died on his way to the hospital, according to a police spokesman.


^ This small cottage in Fairfield was the scene were the raid took place.

Five suspects were taken into custody. 'The men belong to a self-claimed patriotic movement which is suspected to be that armed GRAM splinter cell which is responsible for the arson at Bellavista rapid transit station in March 2005', the spokesman added.

Hints from residents lead to the first arrests in the Bellavista arson case after more than half a year of investigation. Two men bragged about their actions in a local bar last weekend, which was enough to make a raid.

One of the suspects has previously been convicted for assault. And the rest of the group also seemed to be more specialised in minor crimes rather than terror attacks, as an investigator told the press.


^ The suspects are held in the City Jail in Lower Westside.

'That would explain why the explosive was that ineffective', Nick Man, a now retired explosives specialist and former lead invstigator in the case explained. There even were fingerprints on the letter of confession which shows quite an inexperienced proceeding.

Therefore it is no surprise that District Attorney Janet Hayward said that evidence was 'damning'. Despite of that, she also announced an investigation of the Monday morning incident, shortly after the arrests were made public. 'I want to clear out all doubts about the legitimity of the arrests', the D.A. added.

Meanwhile, Police Chief Maddox said that everything happened according to the law and the rules of engagement. He added that the Mission in Three Mills, outside the city borders, was legally based on an agreement with the local police forces.

Mayor Harding was not available for a statement yesterday. But the arrests certainly are a success in his war on organized crime. But a screwed up raid is not helpful in his attempt to make Acorn Creek a safer place. Therefore, an accurate investigation of the shooting will be important to preserve his position.