Towers of Steel Revisited
I've been spending a lot of my SC4 time working on this little pet project and now I finally have some results to show for it which I'd like to share with you. And by 'share' I mean release on the ST exchange. Rather than just being known as someone who only showcases his work I want to contribute my little bit to the community as well. These will be the first releases of custom content from the CJ this year and I promise there will be much more. Whether you think these types of structures are cool(like me! 
) or if you think they look ugly, it doesn't change the fact that these towers are a very common sight in urban centers across the world yet they are largely under represented in sim city. Part of that is the lack of available BAT's but I plan on single handily changing that. Downloads, ratings, views, comments, etc. they're all nice but what I really want is to see them in your cities. I'm curious as to how other players will make use of them in various urban and natural settings.
The first re-release I have to show is the Murmansk Russian Style TV Tower. A simple but common 4-sided Russian design seen in several different Russian cities. Seen below on Broadcast Hill in the City of Cisco Bay.
The biggest improvements in 3ds HD version are generally seen with towers that have a complex and closely bunched framework structure. In contrast this tower is of a much more 'airy' design, yet the improvements on this one are just as dramatic. Some of that can be attributed to a better selection of paint textures, I made use of a more realistic faded red & white.
new HD 3ds version old gmax version
The one advantage the gmax version still have over the new 3ds models is visibility from higher zoom. The HD versions are barely visible from zoom level 1 & 2. But imo that does make sense since they are typically very thin and see-through structures in the real world. In any case I'll be keeping the old gmax version on the exchange in case anyone still wants to use them for that purpose. The newer version are better starting from either zoom level 3 or 4 and the closer you get the better it gets - the same can be said for most BAT's rendered using the HD setting. They're most visibility using a simple or contrasting background.
Level 2 zoom in the city of Gravenhurst
Level 3 zoom
Level 4 zoom
Level 5 zoom
Level 6 zoom 
The city-side view of the tower is less distinct and it blends in more with the buildings seen behind it. But I think that creates an interesting effect in its own right.
As before there are two versions, one with a station building and another dependency-free version, enjoy!
Next up is actually a new release though it feels like an old one because I meant to upload this tower last year, unfortunately the gmax version did it no justice at all. It's the KIRO TV Tower from Seattle a city with many tall truss towers. 3-sided towers of a similar profile like this are commonly seen throughout the USA. The one thing that makes this one a little more distinct is the excessive number of horizontal beams.
Level 4 zoom
Level 5 zoom
Level 6 zoom
City-side angle
In an urban setting downtown Cisco Bay
Here's what I was referring to before, the huge difference 3ds & the HD setting makes when it comes to towers as complex as this one. Definitely the most dramatic difference so far.
new HD 3ds version old gmax version
The version seen above is at a slightly different angle, this is to give you more variety and both versions are included in the release.
Next re-release is a tower from Brazil, the Torre da TV Record. Seen below in the Valhalla Park neighborhood of Dresden
Tbh the improvement over the gmax version is not as dramatic as with the others, but that's no reason to not give you the HD option right! It's the only one of these releases for which there is only one version.
For those following the project this is probably the highest rated one. It's the WBNS TV Tower from Columbus. I've finally settled on the textures for it and I think they work well.
Level 5 zoom as seen on Mount Tokiko in Dresden
Level 6 zoom
The station call sign on the tower now lights up at night 
Test version;
Final night version
There are two versions in the release, a maxis night and a dark night.
There's also this unusual and custom made design. No idea if this could be possible IRL but it's a tower that uses circles(arches) in it's frame work. I call it the X Tower, seen overlooking Looper Junction in Dresden.
A second version with a different texture & angle, rising above the town of Evermore here
Now back to real life. I haven't forgotten about the last two original releases. Unfortunately their not quite ready for release today but I will have them on the exchange shortly. Montreal's Mount Royal Candelabra Tower is getting a face life as well, seen below in Lindin City.
Still trying to decide on what textures/colors to use with this one. This pinkish version might be a little much...
There'll also be a second option with an different top.
I like how you can actually see the stairwell that rotates around the bottom of the tower now 
And of course the most downloaded previous release, the Bell Canada Microwave Relay Tower. Again still decided on the final textures so no release yet, but here's a test version seen at Hillsoboro TS.
And downtown LC
Again feel free to make any suggests or requests even on the released towers, I can always add an updated version onto the exchange at a later date.
Unfortunately this will be the last entry for a while as I've run out of finished content to show. Aside from spending much of my free time on the ToS project, I'm still in the process of remaking the next large city tile much in the same way as I did with Dresden. I'm not sure how long that will take, Dresden for instance took about 3 to 4 months. In any case this will be the 13th update in the last 15 weeks. Averaging almost an entry a week is not the kind of pace one can maintain indefinitely, at least not when you spend as much time as I do just making a CJ entry. So once again a big thanks to all those who follow the CJ. Your support - in 13 entries this year, including this one, you guys have given me 217 comments, 291 likes and over 1000 views per update! 
- helped motivated me to create what turned out to be my best work in the game to date and hopefully a string of BTT no.1's, but we'll see. Cheers 
-
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