Living It Up, Bella Vista Style
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- Thanks to everyone who replied and/or read this journal.
- LN X- Thank you. I really like the sandstone.
- Benedict- Thanks. The islands are hand-terraformed for the most part. It's to hear they look good.
Sorry about not updating last week. RL just got in my way. Anyway, to make it up here is the largest update I have ever done.
Last week I was going to feature Dover Island which is almost 100% complete. I just have some areas I need to touch up and that casino resort to BAT. Since Dover Island is mostly a high wealth suburb, I also included some landscape shots of the island.
This lovely cliff is one of many reminders of Dover Island geological history. The Wall, as its known by the locals, is a pure granite cliff approximately 200 ft. tall, It is thought to be the edge of one of the islands last major volcanic eruptions, estimated to have occurred 40,000 years ago.
Time has worn away the islands western coast, resulting in a many rocky outcroppings like this. These outcroppings are popular with rock climbers despite being very dangerous.
The cliffs of Dover Island provide a dramatic backdrop to the homes on the island. This particular subdivision is one of the most expensive areas of Bella Vista with home prices averaging seven figures. Of course, if you're rich enough to live here, all you care about is the beautiful views and relative privacy.
Another of Dover Island's cliffside subdivisions. These homes back up to the Dover Island Forest and are actually closer to downtown Bella Vista.
Dover Island is definitely a nice break from the crowded streets of Bella Vista. Many people visit the Island just to get out of the city for a little while. Those who love here have the luxury of living in one of the most secluded urban neighborhoods in the city.
Dover Island does house two very important Bella Vista landmarks, however. This is the Heinrick G. Mordaki Exhibition Hall. The Mordaki Exhibition Hall is home to the Bella Vista symphony orchestra, as well as many concerts and conventions. It is well known for its unusual appearance as well as its cultural signifcance.
This is the Hamilton School of Fine Arts, the nation's most prominent boarding school. As its name suggests many of the students here will go on to be artists, though some go here because there parents see this school as a status symbol. While most of the students are on scholarship, a few have parents wealthy enough to afford the schools $20,000 a year tuition. Oddly, this tends to work against them in this school as the other students tend to feel they have not earned the right to attend.
Now we move north to Zatarain Island. This island has been completely redeveloped to lower the density just a bit. Also this allowed me to attempt to develop the island without the stage constraints that had held the first iteration back.
This is one of the biggest changes to Zatarain Island. Zatarain Park is larger than the two or three parks in the previous iterations. It's also far more open in terms of its layout. It also borders the new Merlin Business District, which has been concentrated to give the residential spaces more elbow room.
Zatarain Island remains a crowded district, though it is a different type of crowded. The previous version had, in my eyes looked cramped and awkward. This version is more natural and just feels cleaner.
The western shore of Island recieved the biggest drop in density. This area was previously dominated by towering residential condos. Now rowhouses and midrise apartment constitue the same area. I'm sure the residents would agree that is a much better situation.
Also, motivating the rebuild was my desire to add these beautiful condo buildings. These look so much better for the tropical setting, than the New York blocks that I had been using.
Of course, expanding the space for the residents meant, shrinking the business district. That actually turned out to be a great change. as the increased density allowed me to sculpt the area more to my liking. This shot is one of my favorites because of how the buildings frame that small plaza.
The other advantage of completely rebuilding Zatarain Island is that I was able to change the use of Isla Verde (previously Blackstone Island). This area had been an industrial district before, but with Rock Island now shouldering that load it became much more useful. These apartments actually stand in what used to be an industiral wasteland.
This area had previously been a messy collection of apartment buildings. Now it's home to Wright Stadium, the home of the Bella Vista Islanders (Soccer/Futbol), the Destoryers (American Football), and the Wave Riders (Ultimate). These three teams represent some of the nation's best athletes and thousand descend on the area during gameday. Since the World Cup is currently taking place, fans are enjoying watching the Wave Riders go for their second league title.
Just to the east of the stadium we have another small business district. This area is known as the Parkland Business district, due to its proximity to the Verde Bay Park. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish the whole park for this update, but rest assured you'll see it soon enough.
As we head a little further north we have some more condos. As we are nearing the CBD these buildings are a little taller than those on Zatarain Island.
Because of the new structure of the islands, and because I'm a bit of a map junkie, I put together this map of the Bella Vista subway system. Stops are not marked at present and this is just a first effort.
Finally, here is the most recent region shot. Please ignore the unrendered tiles as they have not been terraformed and are just placeholders at the moment.
Thank you for reading. Until next time.
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