Jump to content
  Help ST with a Donation

  •   Announcement

Cattala

A City Journal by ThomasSimpson

  • Entries
    116
  • Comments
    790
  • Views
    91,607

About this City Journal

Welcome to the United Kingdom of Cattala! Visit our unique Mediterranean island, home to illustrious colonial sprawl, traditional hamlets and much, much more as we enter its third year here on Simtropolis.

Entries in this City Journal

ThomasSimpson
Mastof: Thanks! It's something I've wanted to do for a while now. Benedict: Thank you, I enjoyed doing this entry. I like rail-based entries too. HotChocolate: Thanks, and I hope you do continue to comment! It's only through advice from the viewers that Cattala can improve. NMUSpidey: Yup, both Cattala V1 and Cattala V2 were abandoned in the transfer. They're still on my desktop, buried under mounds of dust. If I really needed to open them up they probably would (just about!) work. It's just more...
ThomasSimpson
Huston: Thanks! I still don't like it though, and it's nowhere near as good as yours. NMUSpidey: That was the idea! I'm glad you liked it. hotChocolate: I love your username, and avatar. It's great to hear the views of a new commenter too. Lost Realist, raynev1, Mastof, Hazani Pratama: Thank you very much. Buongiorno and welcome back. This could be the last update for a while because I have my exams soon and the time it's taking to do updates is not sustainable at the moment. But nevertheless I hope you...
ThomasSimpson
Hellken Thank you - Cattala has always been a development, both of the country and my skills as a CJer. I think that update emphasises this. MilitantRadical: Thanks! Vittoria is basically where Cattala began, and evolved from, so I thought it was fitting to return and really focus on what is my favourite part of Cattala. SimCoug: If anyone's work around here is inspiring it's yours, so that means a lot. Thank you. Kruness: I do enjoy my Lessito updates. I only do them seasonally so it's always one I enjoy...
ThomasSimpson

2 Years of Cattala

By ThomasSimpson,

Welcome to Cattala. Today is a huge milestone for this journal and that's why we're returning to the capital. Over the past 88 updates, more than a quarter have been Celeste updates so I thought it would be fitting to have a general view of all areas of the ever-growing City of Kings. We'll be back in Cressa again shortly. Since Cattala began one of the most audacious projects I've done is the rebuilding of Celeste. In the New Year it became clear that the way I was creating my cities was taking its toll...
ThomasSimpson
grstudios: Thank you! Kruness: My Tuscan holiday in 2007 inspired Cattala's early development, and clearly still influences it today. Thanks! Hazani Pratama: Thank you again! NMUSpidey: Well today there'll be even more to drink! Thanks for the suggestion too, as you can see you're already playing an important role in the town's development and you're also probably it's richest resident too. supercitys354262: Thank you, it is a bit of a mixture of all Mediterranean styles. Welcome to Cattala, as well....
ThomasSimpson
ggamgus: Thank you! I like it too. Hazani Pratama: Thanks! Kruness: Thank you very much, I'm glad you do. Treka: Thank you! And welcome to Cattala. Evillions: Hmm. I don't think I have any small buildings in this style, but eventually they will all naturally be replaced by the MB-JRJ ones anyway, I'm already starting to get some. We'll see if they're any better! And yes, it's natural of sorts. NMUSpidey: Thank you Mr Spidey! You're the first person to feature in an update - congratulations, and thanks for...
ThomasSimpson
Hellken, ggamgus, Hazani Pratama, Militant Radical: Thank you very much! 1^13: I use a tab of brightness, depth and darkness, before using a deep blur effect. I really like it in daytime shots, although it can often make them darker than I would like I think. In nightshots I use a bright blur to make the lighting bolder. Evillions: They're actually grown, but absolutely, as the place grows we'll see more of them. By lower density, what do you mean? Less of the orange-roofers and more of Mickebear/JRJ's...
ThomasSimpson
Ggamgus: Merci beaucoup! I think that's how you spell it anyway. Kruness: Thank you for your kind word. 1^13: That means a lot coming from such a talented urban CJer like yourself, as you asserted again recently. Your building placement is far beyond mine. Simul8ter8: Haha, Thanks! That's very nice of you to say. NMUSpidey: Thank you again. It's taken a long time, as I'm sure you can recall from earlier updates, for me to find the right style for Cattala. I'm very happy with what I've got at the moment,...
ThomasSimpson
Hellken: Thank you very much, that's very kind of you. ggamgus: Ah, trying out our French are we? Bonjour is about as far as I can go, but merci beaucoup! 10^13: Thanks mate! That's the same feeling I get with your updates, although they really do deserve it! westy177: Thank you! The train station is one of the major London terminals. NMUSpidey: Long time no see friend! It's been a while but Cattala was away for a while too. It's been a productive summer so do go and check out some of the previous updates...
ThomasSimpson
nedal2001, Hazani Pratama, ggamgus, Schulmanator, Wraner, Laky99, Kruness, Mastof, Blakeway, kakado-to-save, hammysonata, Danny Muscat, grstudios, Evillions: Thank you all for your kind words and comments. Each one is greatly appreciated. s_111, dossenaandrea, KonstantinII: Thank you for your interest. The stadium is by dmscopio, and was available on his website a couple of years ago when I downloaded it. However, his website davidluart.com has been offline for a while so I don't know if it's available...
ThomasSimpson
SimCoug: Thanks! I'm not very experienced with RHW, Celeste and that update are really the first times I've used it properly. LReyome254: It's the Euro-texture RHW, as grstudios rightly says. grstudios: Thanks! I personally thought picture three was the weakest but if you like it then it can't be as poor as I thought! Isiah110: I'm not sure if there are many Simcity magazines but thanks! IL.: Wow, it's an honour to get the thumbs up from you! I've been having issues with my street tree mod lately and it...
ThomasSimpson
grstudios: Yep, it's wheat. Very vivid wheat too! SimCoug: Thank you very much, and yes, my plugins can be a bit of a pain on occasion but they're nice and organised luckily. NMUSpidey: Aww, thank you! I haven't got many stadium's in Cattala and I'm not a regular on Simsports but it's always a possibility. Huston: Ceases to impress? I'm hoping you got that phrase muddled up. And I imagine it would be rather popular with tourists too. standop: No worries, it's great to see new people looking at some of the...
ThomasSimpson
SimCoug: A fair bit of bulldozing, but I did some tinkering with my plugins which made it easier to grow those buildings. 1000000000000: Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed pretty much everything in the update! StephenPullen: I was sure my NAM was all LHD. How odd, I'll need to take a look at that. Mithrik, 111222333444, Evillions, Mastof, Harbin91, TowerDude, pole475, Zeck180, Blakeway, grstudios, WillR116: Thanks! Following on from the Dropbox crash that I had after the last update broke my...
ThomasSimpson
Update 76 grstudios:Thanks again, and no worries. I often mix SPAM and non-SPAM, depending on what kind of city I'm building. It's hard to grow stuff that isn't SPAM when you have it in your plugins though. MilitantRadical, 10000000000, Hazani Pratama, kakado_to_save, lew1984: Thank you! Update 77 TowerDude: I love Glass'n'Steel too! Evillions: You have the Day'n'Nite Mod to thank for the lighting, and I think I will do a daytime overview next time we're in Aziens. elavary, Hazani Pratama, grstudios,...
ThomasSimpson
Replies will come in the next update! We'll be back in Lessito soon, but first, an interlude in the capital. This is the seventy-seventh update of Cattala, and the nineteenth of Celeste, so I thought it was about time I started showing some urban scenes. And here, is Aziens! Aziens is the culmination of three decades of development and regeneration in the east of the city. Celeste was once the commanding, dominant city of Cattala but the rise of heavy industry and commerce in Jennai meant that Celeste fell...
ThomasSimpson
Replies: Update 74 grstudios: Thank you! I use BLS Farm Fields Volume 3, Mickebear's farms and Simgoober's farm fields. I hope that helps. 10000000000000: I'm sure we can find something for you. Lost Realist: That's great to hear, Cattala was inspired by my visit to Tuscany four years ago and that trip really inspires Lessito especially. MilitantRadical: Thanks! Hazani Pratama: Thank you for the kind words. Kruness: On the BSC LEX, search for a member called Mickebear. If you want Mediterranean buildings,...
ThomasSimpson
Today we're continuing our trip through southern Lessito, weaving our way north and south of the A25. The comuni of Dallia is our next stop, centred around the market village of Dallia la Costa. As with much of the region, the area is dominated by agriculture but is also a place of outstanding natural beauty. By the village centre is what led to its creation, the crossroads. This dirty road was once a thriving transport link between the cities of the west and the markets, ports and islands of the east....
ThomasSimpson
Welcome back to Lessito, where we're making our second visit to Darna comuni. The province is typically synonymous with fruits, rolling hills and bountiful harvests, but Yewell village has a darker secret that is hidden behind the traditional Lessitan setting. Under British rule, the village of Yewell was founded and prospered as a small farming community, like dozens of others in the southern plains of Cattala. During the Second World War, the kingdom was occupied by Italian and German forces fighting in...
ThomasSimpson
Summer has returned, which means it's time to visit the breadbasket of Cattala once more. Last year we focused on Ontano island, in the south east of Cattala, quite a lot, but this time we're moving further north into the mainland. Lessito is the biggest province in terms of area, covering all of the eastern lands of the mainland and stretching into the north as well. Despite this, it is the most sparsely population region, with no substantial cities and a rural heartland full of villages and hamlets...
ThomasSimpson
Welcome back to Cattala. Over the past few months I've been restructuring and rebuilding my City Journal, starting with Celeste, the capital city of Cattala. One of the busiest places in Celeste is the Celeste Centrale station. I think you can guess what that translates as. The station is the third-busiest in Cattala and forms part of the Railway Triangle between Jennai, Calora and the capital, the three notable cities in Cattala. As day turns to evening, let's visit a place with a view of the city's...
ThomasSimpson
No photo editing. No trimming. Pure, Cattala. Welcome to the Holy Church of Calora, at the heart of the Realm's divine faith. Behind these walls reside the most powerful men in Cattala, that can empower a revolution or wipe out a government. This city has the ability to cast a cloud over the whole country. In such a majestic and significant city, I deemed it vital that I spent such a lengthy period of time on what is really a small area. That's why I won't be updating Cattala again for many, many moons...
ThomasSimpson
Welcome to Roumeli Province, in the far south-east of Cattala. This is a brand new province that we haven’t explored before, so I hope you enjoy it. Roumeli is a completely separate island to Cattala, and has developed quite differently. Guila is quite a dense city compared to other regions, but also has many newer buildings and developments mixed in with the old. However much of the town remains old and here we can see the town’s central square and it’s original station from on top of the city’s...
ThomasSimpson
Last time we were in Elloria, we looked at the city centre and the modern urban sprawl that had occurred over the past 50 years. Today, we’ll be looking elsewhere in the town. As you move out of the suburbs, the forests begin enveloping the town and encroaching on the American-style homes. Out, east of the fringes, you will find the grand estates of Elloria, including Venmoor Hall. Rising out the forest, this neo-Georgian manor is one of the largest homes in the city and also the most expensive. Vehicles...
ThomasSimpson
Hello and welcome to Elloria, a small town in the north west of Jennai. Elloria is the final town between Jennai City and the Bosco di Celeste, which forms the natural border with Amosseri province. Elloria is a modern town, built predominantly in the 1960s and 70s, as urban sprawl from Jennai continued northwards. Much of the town is in an American style and is very different to other areas of Cattala. In the heart of Elloria is the town’s market, which is one of the oldest buildings in the town and...
ThomasSimpson
Welcome to Confini once again. We begin our journey in the centre of the city, on a busy Friday night. Confini is a sprawling town surrounded by the southern tips of the Calida Mountains, that stretch from the far north of Cattala to the southern plains, where we are today. Historically, the town was centred around the Convetus Monastery. All that remains today of that once vast monastery is the village of Convetus, in the south east of the town. It is still home to the town’s oldest church. Convetus has...
×

Thank You for the Continued Support!

Simtropolis depends on donations to fund site maintenance costs.
Without your support, we just would not be in our 24th year online!  You really help make this a great community. *:thumb:

But we still need your support to stay online. If you're able to, please consider a donation to help us stay up and running. This helps sustain a platform where we can share our community creations for years to come.

Make a Donation, Get a Gift!

Expand your city with the best from the Simtropolis Exchange.
Make a Donation and get one or all three discs today!

STEX Collections

By way of a "Thank You" gift, we'd like to send you our STEX Collector's DVD. It's some of the best buildings, lots, maps and mods collected for you over the years. Check out the STEX Collections for more info.

Each donation helps keep Simtropolis online, open and free!

Thank you for reading and enjoy the site!

More About STEX Collections