Leaderboard

Hello and welcome again Simtropolites. I'm sorry for being away for so long (again), but I was having something that in the Western cultures is referred to as "sabbatical". I needed some time off work and for my own development and somehow couldn't find time for SimCity... However criminal that sounds. I'm afraid that after such a long break, today's episode will not be very impressive or inspiring... Still, I hope you will appreciate it in one way or another. Cheers! While the Businesspeople gloat over the success of their new downtown and stabilize their market tickers, life in the North of New Udanani progresses slowly and mostly in accordance to natural rhytm. Although many people seek thrills and set ambitious goals, there are also those to whom lack of any surprises is a goal in itself. The agrarian life of the Localvores and the timid, respectful disposition of the Altruists, dominate this part of New Udanani. At present, the Localvores focus mostly on small adjustments to their capital and the neighboring Middlefield. The changes involve coastal areas, which are being reclaimed for use as new farms. In a case or two even the residential areas are removed to make room for new plantations. One has to admit that a "de-development" is generally a rare phenomenon in any city's life... Keeping in mind the environmental and tourist appeal that Greener Hills Nature Preserve garnered, the agrarian tribe decided to try the same form of natural development in Middlefield. This is why the Localvores, together with Altruist scientists, attempt to create a similar forested area with hiking paths on the town's hilly Southern edge. For now, the initiative goes well and the "wildening" process advances steadily. However, if you are more interested in actual city building efforts, you'll appreciate the news that the Altruists decided to build a new town, mid-way between their capital (Wellbeing) and their largest city up to date (Optimism). The town of Caring is the newest spot on the map of New Udanani. In many ways, it is a special place. It is a typical multi-purpose city and not just a "town". It fulfills numerous important roles that directly benefit its neighbor cities. As is evident from aerial shots, Caring is a granary for the local region. It features large farm fields which are more productive and better organized than small, family-owned businesses in Wellbeing or Serene Thoughts. The new farms specialize in staple foods with wheat and potatoes being the majority of produce. There is also some food processing industry present in the town, creating more "complex" food items like oils, flour, juices and... junk food too... Caring is also strategically important due to the presence of numerous transportation networks cutting through it. The town has local rail which serves passenger and cargo traffic coming from and going to Optimism and it also hosts high-speed rail infrastructure. The area in which all of these networks meet is affectionately called "The Crossroads of Altruism". A key transportation facility which stands out, is the Embrusso Brothers Municipal Airport - the first Altruist airport, named after Janso and Ellora Embrusso - Altruist cartographers and explorers from the 17th century. Obviously, small towns are popular as bedroom communities and Caring is no exception in this regard. It features an extensive residential area which is located on the coast of picturesque Lhomerta Bay offering lots of open terrain, a beach and nice views. North of the the high-speed railway, one can also find cheap social housing. While not very pretty, these low-wealth residential projects are better than most of the town in terms of commuting! They are located just a stone's throw away from most workplaces. Despite the small size of Caring, the political will is that the town is going to support the growth of the Altruist capital as well as that of Optimism in the near future. Indeed, both of these cities need new incentives and triggers to continue their development. Time will tell if an additional, multi-purpose town, wedged between two already developed cities, will be enough to satisfy these expectations... Interestingly, the sleepy and agrarian nature of Northern New Udanani has recently been reflected a bit in two venues on the Businesspeople soil. One of the key projects completed in this tribe's capital was the construction of a large grocery market, located in the Miriolam district of the Profit Hill metropolis. Do I need to remind that The Revered Spirits of the St'ropoli Dimension were the ones who decided on the matter? Anyway, here is the new addition to the city of finance... Apart from this interesting, tasty and healthy new feature, the Businesspeople city also finally saw the completion of the recreational park atop Profit Hill (which lends its name to the city itself). This landscaping project, which so far was banished into a development limbo, gained traction especially after the latest elections which saw some shifts of the power balance within the Businesspeople Tribal Assembly. One way or another, the Profit Hill Promenades Park is now complete and open to public. It offers beautiful views of the city and is one of the best spots from which to admire the mighty volcano cone located in the heart of the Businesspeople capital. That is all for today's episode. New locations and features pop up on the map of New Udanani all the time. Whether big or small, they will surely contribute to its future in some way and I hope you will stay tuned to witness it. Comment replies: @TogaMasterJohn - Yes, the Profit Hill downtown is terrific, isn't it? I also owe it to our BATters (some of whom no longer even visit the site...). There are some truly impressive and monumental buildings hidden deeper in the commercial sections of the site. I am very eager to keep my region running to gather enough demand to get them to grow and show them in one of the next episodes! @Tamijo - I can only hope that you like how it turned out! @EffTheGrid - Thanks @EffTheGrid! I must say that I often try to break the geometry of the square just like you do. Irregular park shapes are one of the ways to enforce it! @Honolulu - Thanks @Honolulu. I really enjoyed doing it, and seeing each of these skyscrapers grow was very rewarding.

Mayon II Region origins ! Since I started Mayon eventually space would be too small to fit everything in I wanted to add ! Searching I stumbled on river delta map by mkaustin Brock in 3 sizes ! Recently I rediscovered it during region search. Their are very islands to this map wich I ommited for fitting in Mayon but I like these aswell and paid my respect to his work ! Here you see how Mayon fitted in to the new Mayon II region ! Mountainious terrain later added is not part of the initiall start so anyone has to do the work as one would like to ! Last at the east Lake Mayon was created with a whole new coastline and peninsulla ! Hope this addition of the becoming will help give a idea of how things came to be ! Enjoy !

The decade that followed the end of the Napoleonic Wars ushered in a new dawn for New Southland. The peace that settled across Europe carried with it a tide of migration, investment, and optimism to the flourishing island nation. In the early months of 1821, the settlers of the Clarendon Valley found a new way to celebrate their prosperity. On a wide stretch of pastureland along the Clarendon Valley Road, the district’s farmers and merchants gathered for what would later be remembered as the first informal horse race in New Southland. The event began humbly enough: a wager between two graziers over whose mare could reach the boundary oak first. But by midday, half the district had turned out to watch. The air filled with laughter, pipe smoke, and the smell of roasting meat. When the signal was given, the riders thundered across the grass, their boots kicking up dirt and cheers erupting from the crowd. Jan De Villiers, a Flemish farmer from St Peters, won the race by barely a length, earning a cask of wine and eternal bragging rights. "Lets make it two casks next year..." joked Crudeaux, the challenger. And so began the annual event which would later become known as the Clarendon Cup. Further to the north, Port Clarendon was transforming from a sleepy coastal village into a bustling commercial hub. The Port Clarendon Livestock Market, opened in 1822 on a broad patch of flat land near the harbour, quickly became the beating heart of the northern economy. Herds of cattle, sheep, and horses were driven in from the Clarendon Valley and Western Highlands, filling the pens with sound and motion. Buyers arrived from every corner of New Southland - farmers from Rochester, merchants from La Perouse, speculators from Salisbury - to participate in the weekly auctions. With the ever-growing coal exports from Black Mountain, and the expanding agricultural economy of the Clarendon Valley, Port Clarendon was quickly outgrowing its harbour. In 1823, plans were put in place to triple its capacity by the end of the decade, partly funded by Woodston Coal, which would secure its own private docks for coal exports. The dock expansion project generated significant interest from local industry, and land prices near the docks skyrocketed. One enterprising land owner, Charles Munster, who's pasture backed onto the docks, was able to subdivide his land and sell off parcels to developers, making a substantial profit. Munster then set his sights on what he knew would come next - a huge demand for housing to sustain the growing workforce. He purchased the adjacent apple orchard and began working on plans to develop it into a high-density neighbourhood. His company - Munster Developments - would later become one of the most successful property developers in the Clarendon Valley area. To the west, engineers of the National Roads Board had been working on plans to construct the first road bridge in New Southland. Congestion along the Great Southern Road between Port Arthur and La Perouse was becoming an issue, particularly on market days when drovers flooded the streets with cattle and livestock on their way to the Port Arthur Markets. The current route meandered around Deer Creek, which added a good few hours to the journey. The new bridge was planned to span the creek at the town of Billings, and would cut travel time by over 2 hours in each direction, eliminating the need to travel through Springtown on the way to Port Arthur. Locals of Billings were mostly supportive of the initiative, however Springtown's merchants were concerned with the significant loss of foot traffic. Business owners were offered discounted lots of land at Billings where a new town centre was being planned near the bridge crossing. The solution satisfied most parties, and the project commenced in late 1823, with the new bridge officially opening 18 months later. The growing web of trade and enterprise soon demanded a stronger financial system. To date, New Southlanders had been trading in a mix of currencies, including Spanish Silver Dollars, British Pounds, and French Francs. This confusion of currencies led to inefficiencies in trade, disputes over valuations, and uncertainty in the local economy. To bring order and stability, the Bank of New Southland was established in 1824 in a stately sandstone structure in Port Arthur, and for the first time, New Southland introduced its own official currency - the New Southland Sovereign, minted in gold and copper. The Sovereign bore on one side a portrait of Arthur Portsman - the founder of the nation, and on the other, the motto: “Unity and Progress" written in all three official languages. The coin’s copper came from newly opened mines in the Western Highlands, where a French entrepreneur named Étienne Roux had made his fortune. Roux’s discovery in 1821 had been a stroke of fate. Travelling with a team of Hakawan and French guides along a stony ridge in the Highlands just to the east of Windsor, he noticed a red glimmer in the rocks. By 1822, he had established the Roux & Cie Copper Works, and within months, smelters lit the Highland skies orange through the night. Hundreds of workers arrived, many of them new immigrants including French miners from Alsace, Flemish technicians, and German mechanics who brought new European methods of refining. Copper ingots flowed down to the capital, and Roux’s furnaces, together with the coal from Black Mountain, became the economic engine of Lemoine’s third term. The peace in Europe combined with economic prosperity brought an unprecedented wave of settlers. French families from the Vendée, Flemish farmers from Brabant, German craftsmen from Saxony and Württemberg, and a growing number of British agricultural labourers seeking fresh fortunes arrived aboard every ship. The government, through the New Southland Company, continued to offer assisted passage for skilled migrants as well as subsidies for establishing businesses on arrival, including mills, tanneries, brickworks and breweries, to promote growth and economic development right across the island. By 1825, the population approached 53,000, with new towns forming along established coastal roads. Under Lemoine, the national road network continued to be expanded, postal services were established, and the first rudimentary stagecoach line began operating between Port Arthur and La Perouse. By the middle of the decade, New Southland had entered what historians would later call the Copper Age - a period defined by industry, confidence, and innovation. The roads hummed with trade, schools and hospitals expanded, industry prospered, and new settlers continued to pour in from across Europe. The young nation was maturing - evolving from a frontier settlement into a strong, determined and prosperous contender in the South Pacific region.