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Southeast Asia

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Our journey to Southeast Asia begins with a trip through the scenic, mountainous landscape of northern Vietnam. For thousands of years, terraces have turned these hillsides into effective farmland - with rice being the staple crop for many. For as far as the eye can see, these terraces stretch on into the distance - a never ending showcase of simple, rural beauty.



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Our next stop is the mysterious Chocolate Hills of Bohol Island in The Philippines. Some 1,776 brownish-red hills dot the landscape for miles around, and a variety of wild myths try to explain their existence. Some legends state that the hills are the leftovers of massive pebbles thrown by giants many eons ago. Others believe that the hills have a cosmic connection, with each hill representing various stars and planets. No matter what the explanation, they still leave us in awe.
 


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The crater lakes of Kelimutu in Indonesia are one of the more remarkable destinations on our journey - the lakes are just as stunning as they are mesmerizing. The mineral rich water that fills each of these lakes changes color many times throughout the year, so each trip is truly a unique experience. Despite the ominous steam that emanates from the lakes, the volcano has actually been dormant for quite some time.


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Our next stop is the largest Buddhist monument in the world - Indonesia's Borobudur. Rain or shine, it's a truly impressive structure - we're amazed by the sheer quantity of artifacts on display. With over 2,500 relief panels and 500 Buddha statues lining the exterior, we've never seen anything like it before. Reaching the top brings incredible views of the surrounding landscape - but more importantly it signifies the end of a pilgrimage for Buddhists.



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As we start to head back north, a can't miss destination is Thailand's Phang Nga Bay, tucked away on the west coast of the country. With over 40 limestone islands jutting hundreds of feet into the air, it truly takes your breath away. We grab a boat and find a secluded beach on one of the islands - no better way to spend the day!


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As our journey begins to wind down, we make sure to visit one of the iconic landmarks of Southeast Asia - Cambodia's Angkor Wat. The world's largest religious monument never fails to disappoint - you could spend years exploring this vast complex. While the views from the outside are truly impressive, the interior is a different story. To our dismay, we find out that much of the complex has been looted in recent years, with bas-reliefs and relics fetching high prices on the black market. It'll take a little exploring around to find the rooms left in pristine condition - but it's certainly worth it.
 


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Our final stop is none other than one of the most impressive archeological sites in the world, Myanmar's Bagan. Over 10,000 pagodas were built on this vast desert plain nearly a thousand years ago - with a little over 2,200 remaining today. Despite constant earthquake damage (the ruins are built directly on top of a fault line) - the locals continue to rebuild these treasured ruins time and time again. No trip to Bagan is complete without a hot air balloon ride - despite the steep price, the incredible views for miles around make it a once in a lifetime experience.



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Don't forget to comment, like, and follow True Earth if you haven't already!

-korver

 

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Replies for "Moscow"

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Spoiler

 

@JP Schriefer Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! *:)

@_Michael Thanks for the comment! It took a while for that snow effect to look just right, so I'm glad you liked it.

@GoKingsGo Thanks for the kind words!

@feyss Thanks feyss *:)

@elavery Thanks for the kind words elavery!

@Ln X Thanks for the comments *:D

@RandyE Thanks Randy, glad you liked the rain, took a while to get it looking just right.

@tariely Thanks for the comment!

@Brooklyn81 Thanks for the high praise - probably around a month to make everything.

@portlandexpos04 Thanks for the comment - I got them off 3d warehouse and imported into SC4. If you're unable to get those into the game, the walls from this pack are pretty close (with diags too), and the bell tower here is pretty good too (although a little model tweaker resizing work might be needed). This one could fill in too if needed.

@v701 Thanks for the comment! Also, glad I could help - if you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

@TekindusT Thanks Tekindus, great comment *:D

@Urban Constanta I had a feeling Putin might pop up in the comments section - very nice selection everyone *:lol:

@MillionSeven Thanks, glad you liked it!

@Silur Thanks Silur - I actually based that pic off an overhead Moscow pic of some commie blocks, but I wasn't 100% sure where it was from - so thanks for filling me in!

@Simmer2 Спасибо за приятные слова Simmer2!

@raynev1 Thanks for the comment! Glad to hear that I changed your perspective on rainy days. Although that effect I used in that pic a little bit addicting.. I hope I don't overuse it in all my pics.. lol.

@mike_oxlong Thanks for the comment and nice words!

@sucram17 Спасибо за комментарий, рад, что вам понравилось!

@Scribosilyn Thanks for the kind words Scribosilyn!

@Takingyouthere Thanks for the comment! While the first 3 pics were functional scenes w/ NAM, the last two were complete eye candy due to the unique roads - and yeah, they're 100% real. PSing roads and whatnot would be waaay off limits. I pretty much made a massive Moscow City (and Red Square) texture and broke it up into 16x16 chunks, and then took it into 3dsmax. I used the spline tool, cut it up, and even went so far to make a custom elevated highway. I then rendered everything into props (which took forever - I'm looking into GoFSH as a viable alternative instead, so I can do most of this with lot editor textures as opposed to props) and placed it onto big 16x16 lots in LE and detailed the various lots like crazy. Here's a pic of one scene if that doesn't make sense.

 

And finally, big thanks @JP Schriefer, @_Michael, @GoKingsGo, @bobolee, @feyss, @nos.17, @matias93, @kingofsimcity, @_marsh_, @Ln X, @RandyE, @MushyMushy, @Odainsaker, @mike_oxlong, @Brooklyn81, @Krisman, @v701, @rathefalcon, @jakis, @Urban Constanta, @Elenphor, @mrsmartman, @Fantozzi, @Eclipticalstorm, @nRVOUS, @Simmer2, @Oerk, @raynev1, @scotttbarry, @vintagamer, @TekindusT, @sucram17, @Scribosilyn, & @Takingyouthere for your likes!

 

 

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You continue to amaze! I'm going to have to start googling in an effort to find more adjectives with which to praise your work! At present, my vocabulary is being exhausted at a rapid pace.

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Once again korver you've out done yourself.  Half the time my brain is wondering if I'm looking at a sc4 image or an image from the real world. 

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So fantastically lush. I cannot stop staring at Bagan in particular. Yet another wonderful entry!

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You nailed Phang Nga Bay, Angkor Wat and Bagan. Nice one!

But I have a challenge for you: English countryside. If anything this is a request.

In particular these locations: the Howgills, Pennines and the Lake District.

So in the spoilers here are some pictures to get you started for the inspiration.

Spoiler

Howgills, winter.

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Howgills, summer (looking towards Coutley Spout

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Cautley Spout (waterfall)

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Crossfell, viewed westwards on the Eden Valley.

 

A shot of Great Dunn Fell (bottom), Little Dunn Fell and then Crossfell.

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And of course the Lake District- Derwent Water (looking Northwards)

 

 

Dow Crag

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Castle Crag

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Striding Edge looking towards Helvellyn.

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Along the sloping, lumpy terrain there is Pike O Stickle in the distance.

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And my favourite Lake District Valley is Borrowdale.

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Pretty please?:ohyes:

 

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Thanks for the comments so far everyone *:)

@Ln X I am in fact planning on making a Lake Country update sometime later this year. Not right now though as I'm still wrapping up a handful of updates and working on other things, but eventually I am planning on doing updates from US, Canada, France, UK, Germany, etc.

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Another piece of art . That last image with the balloons looks spec-tac-ular ! Keep it up . I'm still amazed at how you create these images with SC4 and a photo editor . *:thumb:

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19 hours ago, korver said:

Thanks for the comments so far everyone *:)

@Ln X I am in fact planning on making a Lake Country update sometime later this year. Not right now though as I'm still wrapping up a handful of updates and working on other things, but eventually I am planning on doing updates from US, Canada, France, UK, Germany, etc.

Amazingly noice!How about a hungarian/central european scene?More pretty please :D

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(Oh my LORD that first mosaic... I never got my jaw back up afterwards anyway.)

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@Abrams124 I've given Lake Balaton some serious thought, it's one of my all time favorite lakes. I'll see if I can fit it into an update sometime *;) But as I mentioned previously - it could certainly take a while before I get to that point.

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1 hour ago, korver said:

@Abrams124 I've given Lake Balaton some serious thought, it's one of my all time favorite lakes. I'll see if I can fit it into an update sometime *;) But as I mentioned previously - it could certainly take a while before I get to that point.

That would be awesome!I go there every summer like 4-5 times,and its still not boring

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@Abrams124 It's truly stunning, lots of places there I'd like to recreate. Tihany definitely, the vineyards of Badacsony Hill, Lake Heviz, probably some of the beaches+marinas and maybe even a winter scene with the lake frozen over. Should be an epic update once I eventually get around to it.

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1 minute ago, korver said:

@Abrams124 It's truly stunning, lots of places there I'd like to recreate. Tihany definitely, the vineyards of Badacsony Hill, Lake Heviz, probably some of the beaches+marinas and maybe even a winter scene with the lake frozen over. Should be an epic update once I eventually get around to it.

So much yes :ohyes:It also has vibrant nightlife,especially near the beaches of Siofok and Balatonfured

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@Abrams124 Yeah, I've done a little research on those cities and they look real nice - definitely something I'm considering *;)

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Truly amazing, especially the first mosaic.

Somewhere I have an old National Geographic fold-out map of Angkor, and what is astounding is the scale of the complex even beyond Angkor Wat.  Just to the north is the sprawling complex of Angkor Thom, and flanking both are the vast baray reservoirs.  As I was ogling the maps, I starting incorporating the baray-like reservoirs in my SimCity 2000 cities.  Being highly orthogonal, Angkor readily lends itself to awesome SimCity layouts, and it would be mesmerizing to see the entire ancient city recreated.

I also have hoarded away somewhere a calendar themed for architectural "Sacred Spaces," and one of its breathtakingly mystical photographs is a skyline panorama of Pagan and its hundreds of temple stupas.  I think I may have cut up that calendar to frame its architectural photographs, and I'm tempted to print out your mosaics and do the same!

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