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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

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

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
This video is best when viewed in 720p. Enjoy. darkaliendude: im sorry if this was already asked. how do you make those gifs? they're so cool. Photoshop + tutorial found on google. tankmank: Looking great as usual. I love the mix of buildings and the use of rl images from Hong Kong and Dubai. The night shots are so beautiful with all the different colour lights. Thanks. sri2: Needless to say, i am stunned by your cj once again. just a question, though, are there any lower-income neighborhoods in...
MilitantRadical

51 - Chinatown

By MilitantRadical,

Although Asian cultural influences can be seen all around Ionica there is still one place everyone lovingly refers to as Chinatown: the Fenghuang (Phoenix) Street Market in Walden II. Every side street is packed with activity and the odor of food, good and bad, attacks your nose from all directions. This is the southern entrance of the Fenghuang Market, it is generally considered to be the front entrance of Chinatown since it faces Sao Sing Sa park but others consider the North side the entrance because it...
MilitantRadical
"If you want it, you can have it, all you gotta do it believe in magic." That's what they said while building Sierra, this small but beautiful Zone that looks out onto Diamond Lake. It is called Diamond Lake because legend has it that on a clear night when the stars shine their brightest you can dip any object into its waters and it will become encrusted with jewels. A little bit of music to set the mood... Very expensive Ionican real estate that looks out onto Diamond Lake. The view is amazing, you'll...
MilitantRadical
Break out your holographihc projectors, tonight is Summoning. What is Summoning? Summoning or The Summoning is the opposite of Halloween which Ionica also celebrates. Whereas Halloween is about celebrating death, demons, and sorcery, Summoning is about celebrating life, angels, and white magic. Summoning is actually a relatively modern creation and was unintentionally started by Holografic graffiti artists. In the mid-twenty-first century a group of Holo-Artists decided to set up a massive prank with new...
MilitantRadical
A wider view of the Zone in which Ionica's Chinatown is located - Walden II. Enjoy! Comments, suggestions, and questions are always appreciated. Thanks for visiting. Pwel28: You really do some incredible work. Love your creativity and abstract approach. Thanks. It helps when you're surrounded by so many SC4 enthusiasts. Terring: EPIC!!! That is one mighty word. Thanks Terring. Vitor13: Beautiful work! Thanks. Schriefer: P-E-R-F-E-C-T *---------* One of the best updates I...
MilitantRadical
A fuller view of that magical zone where Diamond Lake and the Black Stones Lighthouse can be found - Sierra. Enjoy! Comments, suggestions, and questions are always appreciated. Thanks for visiting. KonstantinII: Masterful city scene. I see all the buildings, asian style, 20th century "blocks", and modern buildings. Nice metropolis. Thank you very much KII, took a while to put together. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Schulmanator: Awesome! Henry the Octopus gives this 8 thumbs up! Thanks Henry. Let me shake...
MilitantRadical
It is still spring but the citizens of Ionica are yearning for those hot summer days and even hotter summer nights. Why can't it just come tomorrow? Well it can. Just use the Chronometric Reassignment Matrix App on your phone. Et voila! You have now been transported to summer in Ionica. Just don't interact with anyting or you could create a paradox that will unravel the very fabric of space time. (images now in 1080p) feeroz123: Another big one ! So many lights, so many buildings ! Looks very well...
MilitantRadical
Here is a little preview of some of the things I've been working on recently mixed in with a few older things that have been improved or renewed. Below is a picture of a STEX Temple in Acropolis. I built this Zone a while back, but I just recently got around to adding some finishing touches. The next two pictures are from the newest tile I've been working on. I'm virtually complete and I don't want to be too boastful but it looks pretty amazing. Part of that is due to the fact that I'm using some of the...
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...
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
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
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
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
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

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
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...
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