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Ionica

A City Journal by MilitantRadical

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About this City Journal

Big City, Small World

Entries in this City Journal

MilitantRadical

82 - Show-Off

By MilitantRadical,

Those of you familiar with my CJ have seen these tiles in many different stages of development. I originally used them as a testing ground for canals and now that I've settled on style (sunken with red brick walls) I unified them so that they connect perfectly. This entry features the largest mosaic I've ever made that comes in at a whopping 24816 x 10107px. You'll have to download it to see it at full resolution because even dropbox can't display it. I encourage you to look at the pics in full size. These...
MilitantRadical
Hey there, it's been a while. I was building up some stuff for a new season of CJ entries but my hard drive went wonky. Past few months have also been pretty busy. Not sure what the future of Ionica is right now. I want to continue, but I fear I can't be as dedicated to it as I once was. Anyway, I have a couple backlog entries to share with you. Lets reminisce on a calm summer's eve. This is a remake of my Chinatown tile, also known as Walden II. Wanted to have some wider shots but those got lost with my...
MilitantRadical
Here's something I did almost a year ago but never got around to showing it all in a CJ entry. It's the Temple of Jupiter in the Zone called Acropolis, which I realize now is kind of a strange name since the temple is more Roman style than it is Greek. Don't have time to go into detail about this area, but I want to get this out, so for now just take in the sights. Unfortunately imgur has significantly reduced the quality of the pics. I'm going to have to look around for a place where I can host larger...
MilitantRadical
Still putting together some new stuff, taking a bit longer because it's on a larger scale and once in a while life gets in the way. In the meantime, I bring you a remaster of an older entry that is unfortunately defunct. These two Zones, Venus and Aren, were my first foray into making marinas and were part of a series of experiments made in the build up to Peach Blossom Bay. I've made a few changes to iron out some of the kinks left over from my inexperience. Enjoy! This is a composite pic of the two...
MilitantRadical
Our final stops in this series are two tiles, Ogma and Jebe. Ogma is the location of Ionica's most prestigious University. Ogma, in Irish-Celtic mythology is the God of eloquence and learning. I originally modeled it on Oxford and Yale but it's kind of already gone in it's own direction. I also wanted to integrate a 'Hogwartian' element but I'm saving that concept for another tile (Ionica's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry). This is mostly just a first phase sketch, trying to see where buildings fit and...
MilitantRadical
This tile (or 'Zone' as I call it) is named Veritas and it is the governmental and cultural heart of Ionica. I kind of wanted something that was a fusion of Washington DC, Beijing, Shenzhen, Paris, and London. I don't really want to show any older pics of it because it was kind of embarrassingly bad and that's why I decided to restart. Again I regret not using RHW but I think it's a bit too far along to switch. Veritas is also the location of my Simlympic area. I hope to finish it in time for the summer...
MilitantRadical
Welcome back! Lets do this. To start of this year I'm going to show you a few works in progress. It's going to take a while to finish this stuff so I figured I'd get some feedback from you guys. In this entry I'll show you my CBD tile: Avalon Those of you that have followed this CJ are most likely familiar with this area, but things have changed quite a bit. This is an old gif I dug up that shows some the stages Avalon has gone through. Unfortunately there was an economic crash and mass exodus of residents...
MilitantRadical

75 - Snow Spirit

By MilitantRadical,

It's my 75th Entry! I wanted to have a bigger Christmas entry but unfortunately my graphics card died. It's fixed now and all my SimCity data is safe, however I didn't have the time to take all the pictures I wanted or do all the photo editing I had planned. A big thanks to all those who visited, commented on, and rated my CJ in 2015. I had fewer entries this year so I'll continue this 'season' in 2016. A lot of the stuff I'm working on in SC4 is really big so it's taking longer to finish. Thanks for all...
MilitantRadical
The season is turning so it's the perfect time to take a little tour around the city a take in the sights. (Images are best in full-res enjoy!) Our first stop is Malory Park in Pater. This park recently got a makeover and now features a variety of flora that are even more magnificent in the fall. Next in Pater is St. Michael's Chapel on the waterfront near the Blitzball Stadium. Perfect time for a romantic horse drawn carriage ride. (Those pesky shadows!) Here is the entrance, or exit depending which way...
MilitantRadical
Okay so this is the last in my series of canals for now. Looking forward to showing you some newer stuff very soon, but for the time being lets have a look at Hao Datong, The Perfected Master of Infinite Peace. Here the canal splits and narrows down to a southern passage that allows small boats to travel to the northern exit point in Acropolis (to be shown soon). In the middle is a beautiful Thai Style Buddhist temple that casts an aura of serenity around the whole area. Once again, towering residential...
MilitantRadical
The Leaning Tower of Pisa in a sunken canal...? Is what you might be asking yourself. Indeed that is what can be found in this Zone of Ionica known as Ma Yu, The Scarlet Star. City planners decided to place this replica landmark of the famous tower in the center of a sunken canal as a reminder of how far civilization and technology has progressed since its creation. High-rises and skyscrapers now overlook a tower that was one of the tallest in its time. It is also there, leaning just like the original, as...
MilitantRadical

71 - Liu Chuxuan

By MilitantRadical,

As with the Zones seen in the previous two entries, this one gets its name from a member of the Quanzhen Seven, Liu Chuxuan - The Perfected Master of Eternal Life. Set along the canal that crosses Ionica from Qiu Chuji (Eternal Spring) to Huang Yaoshi (Peach Blossom Bay), Liu Chuxuan features the Intercontinental Hotel and the New World Apartments. Both were designed to contour the canal and provide an excellent view of the Black Obelisk of Horus which has inlaid gold hieroglyphics that shine at night. ...
MilitantRadical

70 - Jade Sun

By MilitantRadical,

Like Qiu Chuji this Zone gets it's name from one of the Seven True Daoists of the North, Wang Chuyi, known as The Perfected Master of The Jade Sun. Once again, this is a remake/do-over meant to consolidate the style of the canals that stretch across Ionica. As you can see from this Before and After pic, the only thing that stayed the same was the tram-depot. The theater also remained, but was relocated. This Zone now features a landmark imported from the old world, the St. John's Cathedral, a 13th century...
MilitantRadical
Hello fellow Simtropians or is it Simtropolitans? ... Simtropolites? ... Llamas? Welcome back! To kick off this 3rd season of Ionica I present to you a make-over/do-over of a Zone called Qui Chuji, named after a Daoist priest whose formal title was Perfect Master Qiu of Eternal Spring. Qui Chuji is the founder of the Dragon Gate sect of Taoism and is the most famous of the Seven True Daoists of the North. This Zone is the first of a series of Zones that bear the names of these seven masters. Qiu Chuji...
MilitantRadical
Welcome back! I'm gearing up for a new season of CJ entries but it's still going to take me a few months until I'm ready to release on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. By this time last year I'd already managed to release around 13 entries despite having numerous computer "meltdowns" after installing NAM 32 and eventually switching to a newer computer. I guess I was eager to move up a couple points on Ben's yearly Top 100 after being stuck at #6 for two years in a row. Last year I experimented a lot with...
MilitantRadical
Just a small Holiday Season entry composed of a few new and old pics for Christmas. Thank you to all those who visited, commented, and rated my CJ in 2014. I didn't manage to build all the things I planned at the beginning of the year but I had 22 solid entries and I'm quite proud of that. I would once again like to thank all the Modders and BATers whose hard work, creativity, talent, and devotion keep SC4 alive and make it better than ever. I would also like to thank all the Mods and Admins who keep the...
MilitantRadical
Welcome to Emerald, the Zone that is home to the largest man-made park in the entire city called The Hanging Gardens of Ionica which takes up half of the entire Zone. Inspired by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Pyramid of the Sun, The Hanging Gardens of Ionica is a combination of a park and a pyramid which consists of four levels. At the top is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, The Lotus Flower, which is a Science and Technology museum. However, some have speculated that under The...
MilitantRadical
It has been two years since we last visited Illium and in that time it's changed significantly. The methods and outlook of city planners have changed significantly and the cluttered disorganized mass of skyscrapers that once was Illium has given way to order and aesthetics. The train tracks which crossed many roads and caused a lot of traffic problems are now underground and connect to the subway system. The heliport that once caused a lot of pollution and noise complaints by residents has been moved over...
MilitantRadical

64 - Seaview

By MilitantRadical,

Another little update before I go into full gear. This is a small Zone on the edge of Peach Blossom Bay. It is technically part of Huang Yaoshi but due to what Americans call gerrymandering (a practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district boundaries to create partisan advantaged districts) it is its own Zone. As evident by its name, Seaview is a Zone that looks out onto the sea and the buildings are all oriented to offer residents and...
MilitantRadical
Well it's been a while. Just a small update to get things rolling again. I've had a few set backs here and there. My CBD tile Avalon suffered an epic meltdown and it's going to take a while for me to rebuild it. However that gives me the opportunity to make it better than ever before since I'm not constricted by it's original design. I'm trying to make it similar to how it was before with certain key landmarks still in place so it retains that "Avalon look" but otherwise it's going to be a whole new beast....
MilitantRadical
Lots of pics incoming. High bandwidth recommended. I'm taking a 2-3 month break from CJing so this is my last one for a while. Thanks to everyone who visited, commented, and rated this CJ. Enjoy! (Mosaics are cut in halves or quarters. Comments, suggestions, and questions are always appreciated. Thanks for visiting. ggamgus, Schulmanator, fan o SC4, Ln X, Huston, tankman, Lord Branham, Fox Thanks for your comments and support. Stay tuned. sarthakknight: im the first to comment !!! yeah its looks awesome...
MilitantRadical
Following Huston's example I'd like to share a few pics that I didn't have room for in my entries. (Don't worry Huston, this won't become a regular thing for me) Regular followers of this CJ will recognize Avalon in the pic below. I still have a lot of work to get that tile to 100% - it is tough balancing out residential and commercial. This church is in my tile with the Blitzball stadium. I've shown it before, but now the park and sea walls are totally different. If you go to my entry Opening Night Blitz...
MilitantRadical
Here are a few 'Before and After' pictures from my newest tile that give a little insight into how I do things in SC4 and Photoshop. The first thing I did was Terra-form the waterfront and connect the roads and canal to the adjoining tile. At this point some of the marinas had already been placed but I temporarily took them because I needed to reassign them which is why they aren't in this picture. After the main roads were set I selected and placed my non-functional landmarks. This tile was actually being...
MilitantRadical
The weather is getting better every day and Ionicans just want to blow off some steam. Where do they go? To Peach Blossom Bay of course, in the Zone known as Huang Yaoshi. This Zone gets its name from one of the Five Greats of the wulin (martial artists' community) during the Song dynasty. A man nicknamed "Eastern Heretic" for being an unorthodox radical who behaves as he wishes without showing any regard for formalities or moral ethics. The nightlife in Huang Yaoshi is currently the envy of Ionica and is...
MilitantRadical
Archon is a little Zone located at the Northwest corner of Ionica's densest area, Avalon. It is an ideal location for people who commute to the CBD for work but want to live in a place that is slighty more relaxed and easy going. Archon is also the home of two of Ionica's biggest news media organizations: the Herald Sun (a national print journal), and the CBC (Cosmic Broadcast Community, an intergalactic news agency). Tall and luxurious condo buildings line the waterfront and offer spectacular views for...
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