Three Rivers Region

[Kwakelaar 92]

Seems I have done nothing but complain about missing pictures in this CJ, which is a shame on me for such a wonderful journal. I have been here a couple of times, but just gave up working through all the text. Today however is different (first of all weekend), and I must say I quite enjoy reading through the pages with comments, tutorials, information as well as looking at your images of the progress in building your city.

---

By the way I use Netscape as my browser.

[teddyrised 1]

Hi Dedgren... thanks a lot for dropping by my CJ!

Forgive me because I was also a lurker of this CJ, but not now again. I decided to comment on your awesome work. Well, there are a few things I like the most in your CJ...

1. Your custom terraformed region (I think you did it without the greyscale map right?)

2. The explanation about the missing images (Well, if it was me I won't have the effoty to do so )

3. The excellent screenshots of the eyecandy

4. The usage of ploppable water and concrete walls and asphalt highway textures.

5. The suburban feeling of your cities

I enjoyed reading your CJ, so it is a perfect shame on me for now commenting for so long after reading it. Keep up the good work!

P.S. Sorry, but do you mind telling me where you get the stones and underwater plants that you plop along the river? Thanks!

[Shadow Assassin 336]

Well, taking a look here, I really should visit more often, shouldn't I? Reading your replies (how long do they take to write anyway?), I learn a lot of new things that I didn't notice/know about in ST, especially the Village Battery.

[AfroThunda 1]

I must say... your rivers look amazing. Thanks for stopping by my cj and I'll be sure to keep a close eye on yours, great work!

  -Afro

[dedgren 830]

Well, that warning's a little late.  Sorry 3RR hasn't been 'on-the-air' the past few days, but neither, quite unexpectedly, have I.  What started out as a weekend getaway turned into a major RL incursion.  It may not be until the coming weekend that I can pull everything now at various stages of completion together for Update No. 9 (look at the next few days as an opportunity to spend time looking at the so many other great CJs that are out there).  I'll also be responding to the mail, which appears to have slackened off a bit since we dropped off the first page or so of the index.  Thanks for the continued great comments, folks!

I'll leave you with this random "eye candy' pic - High Point Ferry Landing.

EDIT:  8/9/06  Moved pics to ImageShack

[tchaos713 5]

Looks very promising... I can't wait to see the rest...

[djrules5454 5]

Nice teaser pic!

[Micah 16]

wow, glad to see that it is back after what seemed like such a long time. Great job!

[Fabiocb 1]

wow, this pics really shows how great and nice what is comming will be like, can't wait for more.

[dedgren 830]

We're back after being off the air for a while with 3RR Update No. 9, which will address by way of a tutorial my use of a modified version of bigredfish's Tunnel and Slope Mod in the region's more or less undeveloped Cold Lake Township.  The update is pretty massive, with 75 pics spread over seven sections (all, however, on this page 4 of my CJ- pretty neat, huh?).  There's also a plea for feedback at the end of the last section, please indulge me by taking a minute to read it.

UPDATE:  (9/6/06)  Update 9 Hotlinked Table of Contents

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - "God Mode" Terraforming of Some Hills...

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Why to Use a Tunnel and Slope Mod

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Placing Road and Rail with a Tunnel and Slope Mod Installed: Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Still More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Son of Still More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks; Building a Rail Tunnel

As far as the mod itself goes, if you don't have it already, you will have to wait (as of 3.30.06, the date this is written) for the mods section of ST5.0 to become available.  There are similar mods- one uploaded by Bones1 called the Smoother Road and Rail Slope Mod on the STEX at

https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=13302

and one uploaded by vlakhaas called the CSX Mod Sloping on the STEX at

https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=12411

Bones1 provides the following explanation on the download page:

This mod creates smoother roads and other transit networks. It smoothes the underlying terrain twice as much as the default Maxis values, and so eliminates the "bumpy" rails and highways when laying out your roads. It still allows for decent slopes for all transit lines, so you don't have to create nearly flat highways and rail systems. Gentle slopes are created, instead.quote>

Both of the foregoing mods appear to be similar to the one by bigredfish, so I'm pretty certain if you decide you would want to do so you can adjust them in the same manner that I have, based on information in the Forum topic My Experiment in tunneling started by csq246 and found at

https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=41&threadid=44972&STARTPAGE=1&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear

The topic describes, in some detail across various comments, how to set the various slope factors in the mod using tools such as datgen or ilive reader.  I won't go into the use of those tools here, as that is far beyond the scope of this already way-long tutorial, but I think you'll find the use of the guidance posted in My Experiment in tunneling easy to follow and use.  That said, you may find the mod you select works perfectly just the way it is without any adjustments.

n.b.: A little Simtropolis history trivia:  the My Experiment in tunneling topic is where, on page 3, smoncrie first makes available to the community his essential Hole Digging Lots, about which much more will be written in 3RR later.

Why all this brou-ha-ha (brou-ha-ha?  Ha-ha.  Ha-ha-haa!) about slope?  Simply put, the creators of the transportation systems in the vanilla SC4 game either do not live in the real world or all reside in San Francisco (which, come to think of it, may be the same state of being).  Think the car chase in Bullitt (if you don't know to what great Steve McQueen movie I am referring, find it at your local video store, or on Amazon or e-Bay, and watch it carefully before reading the rest of this update...no, just kidding, but do see it sometime, it's one of the great genre cop flicks).  To be really graphic, think about what would happen if the road you were driving on would suddenly drop down in front of you at a 45 degree angle...  Now picture a train doing the same thing.  That's the world your poor Sims live in when you play the game without a slope mod installed.

C'mon, admit it.  You've seen this sort of thing before.  Maybe even (the horror, the horror) in your own SC4 cities.

Nothing, in my opinion, detracts more from such realism as is achieved in the game as looking at roads, highways and rail lines that make the most agressive roller coaster ride look tame.

The reason this happens in the vanilla game is because the slope factors are set way too high.  Slope, in engineering terms, is generally described as a grade percentage.  Three or four percent grade on a road (three or four foot of ascent or descent over a 100 foot stretch) is a noticeable hill on the average road- five or six percent merits a warning sign

and sevn or eight percent

is full-bore mountain pass country, where these

are frequently sighted.  In vanilla SC4, the max road grade is about 30%.  Streets permit even a higher grade.  Highways, both ground and elevated, are limited to a lesser grade than roads, but, as the pictures above demonstrate, not that much less.

Vanila SC4 is simply ludicrous when it comes to the rail grades allowed.  On the http://www.modelrailroader.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/004/965iggka.asp, the following information appears

Steep grade: In North American practice, grades are often considered as follows. These are by no means hard-and-fast categories, nor anything that is documented. They are merely a comparison of main-line grades.
0.1% to 0.4%: mild; the grade obtained on a highly engineered super-railroad
0.4% to 1.0%: average; used on super-railroads in difficult terrain
1.0% to 1.5%: steep; used by a super-railroad in very difficult terrain
1.5% to 2.2%: heavy; common for a railroad engineered to moderate standards
2.2% to 3.3%: very heavy; unusual and used only in very difficult terrain
3.3% plus: exceptionally steep; almost never encountered on main lines.quote>

So, if your SC4 rail line is over 4%, your region better be narrow-gauge country in the high Rockies, right?  Not if you aren't using a slope mod.  The vanilla game allows about 20%.  Ridiculous?  I think so.  Not that you are worried about running real trains on your cities' tracks- when they're that steep, they just look silly.

Continued shortly...

EDIT: 8/9/06 Moved pics to ImageShack

[rw0381c 2]

Nice to see that you're back to posting updates David. Keep up the great work!!!

[dedgren 830]

This is the first continuation of this update, which started earlier on this page and is a tutorial about my use of slope mods in 3RR.  It is not necessary to read the first part to continue from this point, but there is background info there you might find helpful... 

UPDATE:  (9/6/06)  Update 9 Hotlinked Table of Contents

      Update No. 9 - Intro to Tunnel and Slope Mods 

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Why to Use a Tunnel and Slope Mod

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Placing Road and Rail with a Tunnel and Slope Mod Installed: Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Still More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Son of Still More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks; Building a Rail Tunnel

n.b.: This continuation of the tutorial has 13 images total, which is why this page may still be loading...I've tried to compress the pics as much as possible while still maintaining the highest possible level of quality.  Thanks for your patience, and I hope you'll find the wait worthwhile.

At the end of the first part of the update, we were looking at rail grades and how they are set unrealistically high in the vanilla SC4 game.  I use the bigredfish Tunnel and Slope Mod to reduce these grades, along with those of the game's roads, streets, highways and other transportation modes, to visually realistic (i.e.: not necessarily sound engineering) levels.  All of the Tunnel and Slope Mod defaults are fine with me- except for rail, which is set at 2%.  As far as the game is concerned, this slight grade might as well be flat.  It simply is not enough to allow, for example, placement of an approach to a "ferry-height" rail bridge from shorelines that gently slope to the water being crossed.  I used, as noted in the first section, the ilive reader based on the information provided in the https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=41&threadid=44972&STARTPAGE=1&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear Forum topic to 'up' the allowable rail grade to four percent.  As far as I'm concerned, this is optimal for the kind of cities I like.

Also, thanks rw0381c for posting the 100th comment to 3RR!

Now, on to Cold Lake...

Cold Lake Township is in the least developed stage of the four townships that make up Three Rivers Region.  I have done basic landforms and the highway and rail networks.  Little Cold Lake (see "Shameless Eye Candy No. 1" on the previous page of this CJ) has been added.  No other flora or water's edge detailing has yet been placed or done.

I've decided to put a range of hills on an area north of Cold Lake (the lake after which the township is named).  I first bulldoze the highway and rail where the hills are to be placed.

Whew, that was expensive.  Glad this is a 'sandbox' CJ and I have about two billion more simoleans where those came from....

I'll note that I'm re-learning how to play the game with the big (I'd say ugly, but that would be calling names) toolbar command center thingie in the lower left corner of the screen minimized.  So, I used the [ B ] key to select the 'bulldoze' tool.

...all gone.  Nice, pristine ground to work with.  I then use the [ Ctrl ][ Alt ][ Shift ] cheat to get back my 'God Mode' toolbar, then select the 'terraforming' set of tools

by clicking on the 'tree' menu icon.  I then click the 'raise terrain' submenu icon.

and choose the 'hill' tool by clicking on its icon.

The default tool size, as indicated by the white circle, is perfect.

After a pass or two with the tool, I've raised the basic area where I want the hills.

A closer view.

I now go back to the 'terraforming' menu and click on the 'level terrain' submenu icon...

...and select the 'erosion' tool by clicking on its icon.

A few light passes over the hills created a few moments ago both softens and makes more realistic the terrain in that area.

Another closer-in view as I do last touch-up work.

The hills I wanted are now there, but the highway and rail line aren't.  We'll move on to dealing with that in the next section of the tutorial, which will be continued in a bit.

EDIT:  (9/6/06) Moved pics to ImageShack

[dedgren 830]

[ ...since everyone is still probably reading the last section, I'll just get this one right in here... ]

This is the second continuation of this update, which started above on this page and, as noted in the first continued section, is a tutorial about my use of slope mods in 3RR.  You should at least read the first continued section, which will allow you to make the best use of this one...

UPDATE:  (9/6/06)  Update 9 Hotlinked Table of Contents

      Update No. 9 - Intro to Tunnel and Slope Mods

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - "God Mode" Terraforming of Some Hills...

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Placing Road and Rail with a Tunnel and Slope Mod Installed: Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Still More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Son of Still More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks; Building a Rail Tunnel

n.b.: This section of the tutorial has nine images total.  Thanks for your patience.

When we last visited Cold Lake, I had placed a range of hills on the north side of the lake using the 'God Mode' terraforming tools.  We will now connect back up the highway and rail line across that area.  By way of showing you the use of the Tunnel and Slope Mod, though, I've taken the mod out of my SC4 'plugins' folder.  What you'll see now, then, is what would happen in the vanilla game.

I'll start by placing the ground highway across the gap that was created by bulldozing the area where the hills went.  Since there is (that I know of) no keyboard shortcut for the 'ground highway' tool, I access it through the 'Mayor Mode' toolbar.

Another expensive trip to the treasury...

Here's the placed highway.  Note how it quite apparently conforms to the surface of the hilly area.

Next, I'll reconnect the rail line by selecting the 'rail' tool with the [ R ] key.

Rail is certainly a bargain these days.

The completed rail line, just like the highway, follows the rise and fall of the hills it crosses.

Let's zoom in a take a closer look at the area of the highway centered on the green diamond.

That first drop is a doozy....

As we did with the highway, we'll zoom in a take a closer look at the area of the rail line centered on the green diamond.

Looks pretty rough to me- I wouldn't want to be on the first train across...

So that's what you get with no slope mod installed.  Your transportation networks just pretty much sit on the surface of the landform they cross.  If you have a steep hill, the road on it is steep, too.  Just remember, San Francisco and Duluth are the exceptions to the general rule.

In the next section of this update, we'll install bigredfish's Tunnel and Slope Mod and try the same thing we just did here to see what happens.

Continued later today...   

EDIT:  (9/6/06)  Moved Pics to ImageShack

[dedgren 830]

This is the third continuation of this update, which started above on this page and, as noted in past continued sections, is a tutorial about my use of slope mods in 3RR.  You should at least read the first two continued sections, which will allow you to make the best use of this one...

UPDATE:  (9/6/06)  Update 9 Hotlinked Table of Contents

      Update No. 9 - Intro to Tunnel and Slope Mods 

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - "God Mode" Terraforming of Some Hills...   

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Why to Use a Tunnel and Slope Mod

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Still More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Son of Still More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks; Building a Rail Tunnel

n.b.: This section of the tutorial has 11 images total.  Thanks for your patience.

In the previous continued section, I had reconnected the highway and rail line north of Cold Lake across the range of hills after taking the Tunnel and Slope Mod out of my SC4 'plugins' folder.  I did this to demonstrate what would happen in the vanilla game.  We'll now go back to Cold Lake Township and do the same thing all over again, only this time with the mod in the folder.

I start again by placing the ground highway across the gap that was created by bulldozing the area where the hills went.  At this point, it looks just like what happened last time.

However, when the 'ground highway' tool is released, the game builds the stretch in a completely different manner.  Instead of remaining on the surface of the hills, the highway proceeds through a cut, ascending up one side of the range on a level grade, then descending down the other in the same manner.

This is because the Tunnel and Slope Mod is constraining the maximum grade of the highway to far less than the vanilla game default setting.  While not perfect, this is much closer to the way the highway would be engineered in RL.

When we try to drag the rail line in the same manner, however, something totally unexpected happens.  The section turns red

and we are informed that the line cannot be placed across the hills at all.  This is the point where most folks who try then abandon use of a slope mod give up.  No amount of bad language at this point directed at your computer will allow the line to be connected.  One tends to get discouraged...

But, hey...

how'd he get it to do that?  Well, like so many other times in SC4, there's a little trick to getting something done.

What you have to do to avoid the red line is to place the start point of the section the next tile over from the end of the existing section, as I have done inside the green diamond in the following pic, and drag the new section as far as it will go before it turns red, then release the tool.

When the tool is released, a deep rock cut is created carrying the rail line through the hills to the point where the new section ends.

This is then easily connected across the short break with the adjacent existing section.

And when the other end of the new tracks are sought to be connected...

...well, surprise, surprise!  Easy as pie!

Panning out, here's what we've created...

No steep parts, no sudden grade changes, none of the 'bumpiness' that characterizes roads, highways and rail lines that cross uneven areas in the unmodded vanilla game.

Are we at 3RR satisfied with this, however?  Heck, no.  this area doesn't yet look near as good as it could, and the next section will show you what we mean when we say that.

Continued later today... 

EDIT:  (9/6/06)  Moved pics to ImageShack

[dedgren 830]

This is the fourth continuation of this update, which started about midway down this page and, as noted in previous continued sections, is a tutorial about my use of slope mods in 3RR.  You should at least read the first three continued sections, which will allow you to make the best use of this one...

UPDATE:  (9/6/06)  Update 9 Hotlinked Table of Contents

      Update No. 9 - Intro to Tunnel and Slope Mods 

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - "God Mode" Terraforming of Some Hills...   

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Why to Use a Tunnel and Slope Mod

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Placing Road and Rail with a Tunnel and Slope Mod Installed: Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Still More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Son of Still More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks; Building a Rail Tunnel

n.b.: This section of the tutorial has 14 images total.  Thanks for your patience.

In the previous continued section, I had reconnected the highway and rail line north of Cold Lake across the range of hills with the Tunnel and Slope Mod in my SC4 'plugins' folder.  I did this to contrast the effect of the mod with what would happen without it in the vanilla game, which was demonstrated in the third section.

We'll now go back to Cold Lake Township at the point we last left off...

We now have our highway and rail line crossing the range of hills we created at the start of this update in parallel cuts.

Panning in closer, we see that the highway has a distinct crest, or change in grade, at its highest point.

In my experience, anyway, most roads tend to flatten out on reaching the top of a ridge before proceeding down the other side.  Here, we will duplicate that effect by creating a level stretch of highway centered on the crest.  This is started by bulldozing several tiles (grid squares, whatever) back from the crest on one side, in this case seven.

A 3RR Tip:  If you do count your simoleans (as noted, we don't...but hey, that's just the way we are), don't bulldoze both sides

of a highway.  You'll spend twice as much...

...but it blows up exactly the same either way.

More bang for your buck (or, as it were, simolean) courtesy of 3RR.

Now we'll bulldoze the same length of the highway on the other side of the crest.

Next, and starting with the tile in the green diamond in the pic below, plop individually in each square along the path of the bulldozed section of the highway a road section with the 'road tool.'  Do not connect these sections or drag them in any way.  Do not skip any tiles.  You'll see the area where the sections are being plopped level out as this is done.

We'll keep going all the way to the other end of the bulldozed area...

.and then repeat this 'square-by-square' plopping of road sections along where the other lane of the highway was,

then bulldoze all of the plopped road sections at once.

KA-BOOM!

The cut now suitably prepared, we'll drag a new highway section to connect across it.

And our highway through the hills now looks like this.

In the last continued sections of this update, we'll address the rail line, create a tunnel, and look at the end result of our work today.

To be completed this evening...

EDIT:  (9/6/06)  Moved pics to ImageShack

[sloppet 3]

great work as always!!

[dedgren 830]

This is the fifth and next to last continuation of this long update, which started back about the middle of this page and, as noted in previous continued sections, is a tutorial about my use of slope mods in 3RR.  You should at least read the first four continued sections, which will allow you to make the best use of this one...

UPDATE:  (9/6/06)  Update 9 Hotlinked Table of Contents

      Update No. 9 - Intro to Tunnel and Slope Mods 

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - "God Mode" Terraforming of Some Hills...

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Why to Use a Tunnel and Slope Mod

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Placing Road and Rail with a Tunnel and Slope Mod Installed: Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Son of Still More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks; Building a Rail Tunnel

n.b.: This section of the tutorial has 17 images total.  Thanks for your patience.

In the previous continued section, we softened the crest of the ground highway we built through the hills we had previously terraformed north of Cold Lake.  We'll now go back to Cold Lake Township again and do the same for the rail line we placed just north of the highway.

Looking at the rail line, we see that it goes through a much deeper rock cut than the highway.  While there are some very deep rail cuts in RL, many times a rail line crosses a range of substantial hills it will travel through a tunnel.  That is the approach we will take here.

Looking more closely, we see that the rail line, like the highway, has a crest at its highest point.  This is seen in the green diamond in the pic below.

Turning this view 90 degrees, the tracks in the cut are easier to see.  The crest remains in the green diamond.

On either side of the crest, the tracks are on the maximum 4% grade allowed by the Tunnel and Slope Mod.  Tunnels can be most predictably created in SC4 on a level stretch of whatever transportation network mode (road, rail or highway) they are located on).  So, what we will need to do is level the section of track that we intend to have run through the tunnel.  We will start then, like with the highway, by bulldozing a number of tiles back from the crest on one side, in this case 13.

...fingers in your ears...

We then bulldoze a corresponding segment of track on the other side of the crest.  1-2-3...

KA-BOOM!

The rail line cut now looks like this.

Starting on the first tile of the gap between the ends of the rail line, as indicated by the green diamond in the pic below, we'll plop a section of road.  Once again, we do not connect or drag the road outside of the tile.

We'll continue these plops of road sections on adjoining squares through the cut.  The bottom of the cut will sink and flatten as it levels out.

We continue until the road sections reach the other end of the bulldozed section.

Then we'll bulldoze the road sections...

...all at once.

Last, we drag a new section of tracks through the leveled area of the cut to connect the line.

And now the completed line looks like this.

Panning out, we see how the bigredfish Tunnel and Slope Mod provides smooth and realistic transportation corridors across this hilly area of Cold Lake.

In the last continued section of this update, we'll address the rail line, and look at the end result of our work today.

I'll try to finish up the last section tonight...

[teddyrised 1]

Excellent totorial and explanation about the slope mods

[dedgren 830]

This is the sixth and last continuation of this long update, which started about midway down this page of my CJ and, as noted in previous continued sections, is a tutorial about the use of slope mods in 3RR.  You should at least read the first five continued sections, which will allow you to make the best use of this one...the initial section contains background info and links you might find helpful.

UPDATE:  (9/6/06)  Update 9 Hotlinked Table of Contents

      Update No. 9 - Intro to Tunnel and Slope Mods 

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - "God Mode" Terraforming of Some Hills...

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Why to Use a Tunnel and Slope Mod

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Placing Road and Rail with a Tunnel and Slope Mod Installed: Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks

      Update No. 9 (cont'd) - Still More Tunnel and Slope Mod Tips and Tricks

n.b.: This final section of the tutorial has 11 images total.  Thanks for your patience.

In the previous continued section, we created a flat and level section at the highest point of the rail line we built through our recently terraformed hills north of Cold Lake in anticipation of creating a tunnel there.  We'll now go back to Cold Lake Township one last time and build the tunnel.

We'll start by clicking on the 'Landscape Tools' icon of the 'Mayor Mode' toolbar.

We select the 'level ground' tool and start the tool out on flat ground off to one side of the rail line cut..

The tool is moved back and forth over the area of the cut where we want to create the tunnel, which demolishes the rail line and fills the cut up to the elevation of the sides.

Care is taken to preserve different surface contours across the tunnel as shown here...

...and here.

The filled area should present a uniform and continuous surface with its surroundings.

The 'rail' tool is then dragged across the filled area from track end to track end to create...

...the tunnel.

Rotating back to our original viewing angle, we see our rail tunnel and road cut in their final form, ready for placement of trees, rocks, retaining walls and other 'superdetail' items.

A final look (for now) from further away.

That's it for Update No. 9, folks.  Thanks, as always, for stopping by 3RR.

note:  The 75 pics used (out of about 100 created) in this update, along with writing the text and planning the whole thing out, took about eight total hours to do.  Was it worth it?  By that, I mean, is that degree of effort helpful to you in gaining insight into how my SC4 regions, and in particular 3RR, come to look the way they do?  Is it useful in that you learned or came to understand something you didn't already know?  I don't want to take our time preaching to the choir: that said, if there's anyone in the community who benefits, I'm happy to continue at this level.  I have about four other particular topics laid out for treatment in comparable detail and several candidates after that.  I guess, in short, what I'm saying is that, while praise is always appreciated, feedback (candid, substantive feedback such as 'Everyone already knows about -whatever-' or 'cut the chatter- just give me the facts') about the usefulness and effectiveness of my approach would leave me just about as happy.  DE

EDIT:  (9/6/06)  Moved pics to ImageShack

[Shadow Assassin 336]

Wow. Just, wow. I like this. Despite the fact that I already knew about this; the simplicity that it is explained in is just brilliant. While I won't exactly benefit from this: I'm sure many others in the community will appreciate this. Keep it up, and keep on writing those tutorials.

[Kwakelaar 92]

It is a great tutorial, but I can't help thinking that you maybe could have made it a bit shorter. I would say that not all images are essential in the explaining and understanding of how to make the transport networks as you have shown.

Is it worth it ? IMO very much so.

[wouanagaine 83]

Amazing tutorial. That's a great step by step. Thanks for sharing it with us

[tag_one 133]

great toturial, tnx for sharing

[tchaos713 5]

Wonderful tutorial. I have also been spotted cursing at my monitor as a result of the rail tools stubbornness, however, I am usually able to find a way.

Excellent work!

[WRXpilot 1]

You have convinced me to download a slope mod. I like the realistic look that cities w/ it have, but I didn't want to deal with the "problems" it causes in building networks. You have made it entirely clear that with just a few tricks, there are no "problems".

I only wish I could get BRF's mod, but I suppose the others on the STEX are just as good.

As someone new to the SC4 scene, I really appreciate your CJ. I feel almost guilty that you spent 8 hours on this though, even though it helped me quite a lot.

[ElBarto92 7]

Never, in my excistence on ST (which, granted, isn't that long), have I seen such a dedicated (8 hours? wow!) update in a CJ (or tutorial in general, for that matter). You really need a Trixie (too bad Trixie season's a ways away). That tutorial was infinitely helpful, I really do hope you pick up more topics and go into detail like that. I tend to use "Keep it up" to end all of my CJ comments, but I don't know if I could find a better example of when I really, truly meant it, so, keep it up!!

[dussin23 1]

Originally posted by: Kwakelaar It is a great tutorial, but I can't help thinking that you maybe could have made it a bit shorter. I would say that not all images are essential in the explaining and understanding of how to make the transport networks as you have shown.

Is it worth it ? IMO very much so.quote>

Yes, it could've been much shorter, but it seems like Dedgren enjoys doing it this way.  The good part about it is that people new to the game will not be confused and sidetracked by minor details. 

I've tried both slope mods on the STEX and neither look as good as the ones in this CJ.  I still get somewhat wavy highways on rough terrain, but it's certainly an improvement.  Damn, I wish that mods section would come back!  I'm thinking that maybe some of the files were discombobulated in the conversion or something.

Anyway, I can't wait for this CJ to take on the city-building.  Didn't you say you have a degree in urban planning, Dedgren?  That's going to be very interesting.  The landscape stuff is, too.  I think that's something a lot of newer players such as myself overlook.

Thanks again,

Dustin

[SC4Noobie 5]

I have been lurking around in this CJ since the beginning, and never commented. Well, i decided to now. I found it pretty useful that you linked that various slope mods, as i was looking for the BRF mod, and couldnt find it, so i was using the Bones1 mod. I really like the way you write this CJ, in a friendly, open way. The little road signs you post are amusing, and so is your writing. I really enjoy this CJ

[rw0381c 2]

Awesome updates! As far as the tutorials go, keep them coming.

While I can only speak for myself, I'd say all of us newbs can definitely use tutorials like yours!

Your CJ, is by far my favorite among the active ones I've read. Thanks David!

[lardonbur 5]

I am new to your CJ, it took me some time to go through all the information that you have put out. Your CJ looks great, your tutorials are Excellent, your pictures look good, and your detail in your cities are one of a kind. Keep up the good work. I noticed that some of the people were looking for different Modds. The bridge modd can be found at the URL below, and there are other modds there too. The site is in German, but if they have the Google toolbar installed they can have it translate it into English enough to read what is what.

http://www.simszone.de/simcity4/downloads/mods.php>>