MrWacko

I've got a bunch of 1x1 landmark R$ houses abandoning for no explainable reason. They all abandon at exactly the same time, since I plopped them all at the same time. Demand for jobs or the people isn't a problem, so i'm left with no clue as to why they're abandoning... Picture of the problem:

Joy... Well, guess its time to use the wonderful historical feature...

Originally posted by: flyinbird93great update! i really like the ave over ave pic, gives me some ideas! as far as your proposals, my personal opinion is i generally use elevated rail for looks only, if i have to pack it in well that just wouldnt fly, and i dont believe it would in a rl situation either if the money was there to keep the coastline pretty. so i vote subway, plus subway is much easier to expand on if you so require later.quote> Subway is indeed far easier to expand. Opinion taken into consideration. Originally posted by: disturbmanI think you should put both in action. Maybe you can make the A route part of an extension of the subway to the north (up), that would create two subway line making a cross section around the vicinity of the "Brooklyn Bridge" style bridge. quote> If the subway extension were to be put in, then that's the most likely expansion. As for both, the city does have the tax money at the moment... Originally posted by: Tia-mayVery nice: My own suggestion is to build all but also provide extra housing near the stations to promote development and expansion of your city. Along with that, perhaps you could implement combo bus-subway connections in one lot like the lots from cogeo at https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=13510.quote> Already use the RTMSv3. However, I occasionally like to put in the single tile stops, just for flavor, and in plazas and such. Originally posted by: Simcityfan08I love this CJ!, yet... how do/where did you got those sea-wall? as I can't find them anywhere! They used to be on here but they've just vanished! I love the map aswell!quote> The seawalls are being plopped back in as we speak. I switched from the ancient v2 2004 jeronij sea walls, to his more recent v3 2007 walls. I toyed around with v4, but all those bloody boxes he puts in the walls ruins the touch. There also isn't just a wall version of v4. It takes a while to plop back in a coastline as extensive as just this city, and as you can tell from those pics, I'm having some issues with the riviera housing too. Fear not, they'll both be back in, just after I sort out the technical issues. Now, I went through the post for update 4, and relinked everything, since they all went to some random javascript. I'm also in the process of going through all my updates, and linking the descriptions to the models I use. Be patient on this one, since finding it all takes a LONG time. but, I'll keep doing it, so all you anonymous viewers (and registered users of course) know where to go, if you're curious.

We're all feeling the school time crunch. Whether it be in our own posts, or just this sudden mass drop of posts, its there. Anyways, the Port Authority of Neo Essen has a proposal for Virgin Oil Company. Neo Essen is looking to upgrade its petrol processing facilities, and is curious to know if Virgin Oil Company is interested in the contract. Neo Essen also has a chronic shortage of oil, but ironically no one has even bothered doing exploration, of any kind. So, to sum up the offer: - Expand the Neo Essen refining capabilities. - Expand the Neo Essen petrol terminal for increased capacities. - Begin searches in nearby lands and oceans for petrol, natural gas, or whatever else happens to be out there.

Update 4: Marina District, West-shore expansion You guys now get to enjoy 1024x768 res, for all my new pictures. Of course, you have to click the link for all the resolution, but its usually worth it. Weather, as of 8:56 Local Time. Sunny, and a cozy 70 degrees F. Next time I'll make sure I post two weather reports, one in F, and the other in C. All along Shoreline Blvd., there are new mid-rise developments. The city is selling off and developing land as quickly as it can. Drilling for the city's first metro line has begun as well, as traffic along Shoreline Blvd. is reaching critical, with bus routes already running at maximum capacity. Farther south on Shoreline Blvd., you enter the under construction Marina District. While some mid-rises are already complete, the majority are still under construction. Lansdale Blvd., and the developing buildings nearby. Lansdale is the main thoroughfare through the Marina District, providing access to the developing downtown core blocks to the north. Lansdale and Shoreline are the main arteries through the area, running East to West and North to East, respectively. The crossing of Shoreline and Lansdale Blvds. The planning commission opted to avoid a direct intersection, citing expected growth in both boulevards as reason. The Marina needed street access as well, furthering their case. As such, Lansdale Blvd. terminates at Marina Blvd., just south of the Shoreline Blvd. overpass. The technology park, complete with the city's new solar energy plant. The fruit of the SETI program, and it's still not complete. Technology took off with everything else, when the NEFA effectively colapsed as a political force. The West-Shore expansion, accross the highway. An archechetect claiming to be from the far away country of "España" got an idea to create an entire neighborhood based on his home. While sims in Neo Essen don't have the feintest idea were this far-away country is, and some have doubts as to whether it exists in the SimGlobe in the first place, most don't care, since the neighborhood looks wonderful. Westshore Metro Expansion Project: With polution increasing, the city is looking to expand the Shoreline metro line accross to the Westshore district. Two routes have been proposed: Route A: Elevated Rail left of Doherty Dr. The subway would emerge and run parallel to Doherty Dr., running into the next city (The Industrial District). Pro: - Cheaper initial cost, due to above ground rail. - Doesn't interfere with existing bus routes. - Serves the developing technology park. - Encorages growth along Doherty Dr. Con: - Blocks right of way on major thoroughfare. - Minimal initial ridership gains. - Minimal expansion to districts north of Doherty Dr. - Blocks away from current recreation areas. Route B: Subway under Westshore Blvd. The subway would remain underground, following Westshore Blvd., crossing into the Industrial District along the Neo Essen River. Pro: - Immediate ridership gains. - Easily expandable to Stadium District. - Direct access to valuable riverside recreation areas. Con: - Expensive initial investment. - Reduces ridership of current bus routes. - Minimal initial economic stimulus. Opinions on both options most appreciated. If you're feeling really ambitious, suggest a third one!

Family can be so annoying sometimes. Of course you can't live with them, or without them, so you make due. Anyways, replies! Originally posted by: suplado! wow -- nice port, maybe some overview, anyway--it looks realistic!!quote> Thanks. I'm planning on changing the rail yard, since I've since downloaded a few things for rail. There's also the oil expansion ahead too. Originally posted by: jacqulina thats so true my friend,excellent port btwquote> If only we weren't so bloody dependent on oil, but alas. Since we've got a world simulator here, I figure a few spikes in oil can't do any harm. Originally posted by: Theirishnintendonerd Nice update and I like the region -Trevorquote> Thanks a bunch. Originally posted by: penguin007Nice cj and town you have here cant wait to see it developed more. One thought though is that the town seems very griddy so if you want try to put some variation into the street layout Willquote> The town is indeed excessively gridded. While this is the only city in the region at the moment, eventually the cities north and east will make up suburbs, and other significantly less griddy areas. This is the downtown/city center.

I use my recently bought over-sized chem book to bludgeon vailo off the hill, and claim it for myself.

Update 3: The Industrial Port This update won't be that big, since I haven't had as much time recently. School started, and I've got a few other RL things to attend to. However, I hope that this'll just be a one time thing. A whopping total of three ships are in harbor today (PEG-CDK3 Set), most unusual for Neo Essen. Of course, with Neo Essen's outdated break-bulk seaport, sending multiple ships is sometimes the only way to keep supplies rolling. A small barge just down the dock finishes unloading materials. The rail yard just across the street is quiet, with no trains inbound at the moment. The oil terminal (Chapapotex Oil Pier), the only source of petrol for Neo Essen. The region must import close to 90% of its petrol supply, all of which must already be refined. Residents and Industrial owners alike are clamoring for an expansion to ease petrol prices in Neo Essen, especially since oil prices recently spiked.

Originally posted by: ElBarto92Hey, really nice start to the CJ. I like the town, and that region looks like it should be pretty great to play (would be way too big for my computer to handle, I suspect...). Keep up the good work with it. As far as things that shouldn't be in the city yet - there looks like there's the beginnings of a tunnel underneath the river there, which is probably done in anticipation of a lot of development around downtown and in place of those farms. Also, the highway and skyscrapers look a little bit out of place in a city that size, but I'm sure that as the city grows they'll look more natural. ((The Barto Memorial Tunnel? I kind of like it...))quote> The Barto Memorial tunnel it is. As you've probably noticed, it's not going to be used for a while, but I'll get there.

Originally posted by: Jill JacobsWow, I can't believe the start of this CJ. Everything looks great! What I'm really struck by is the map. Holy cow, that map is incredible! Which one are you using, because that's seriously perfect. I envision towns in the north and south with a sweet coastal highway between them. Am I right? quote> That's the grand plan of things. Of course it'll be a long time before I get to building things in the north, but I'll get there eventually. I'm slowly spreading out in the southern flats right now. Originally posted by: boon1234Awesome work! Great planning and region, and I like how you kept your city very basic and still made it look good.quote> Thanks. I always like to get a lot with a little. You can keep bringing in new things all the time. Originally posted by: jacqulinagreat use of pegs things there my friend.looking very nice.quote> Peg's stuff is just awesome, plain and simple. No other way of saying it.

Update 2B: Pro's of Natural Disasters With the NEFA's monetary power reduced drastically, development projects currently in the system got streamlined instantly. Even builders got the idea that they needed to build quickly, just in-case the NEFA's monetary deficit was short-term. A Wharf expansion, designed to increase tourism and land values in the area, was quickly built, and the retaining walls extended further south. While mid-rises had been popping up with reasonable frequency by now, with the sudden clearing of bureaucratic problems, the southern expansion quickly went straight up, with a few buildings qualifying as true skyscrapers. Neo Essen's first sports team, the Neo Essen Earthquakes, playing its night opener, in the newly built Stadium District. Their sponsorships are reaching league records, a sure sign that Neo Essen's boom is continuing. Broadcasting the play by play live, is Neo Essen's own KGML. Stadium Park (BSC Park Set, Requires LEX Membership), just past the Radio station. While not as luxurious as West End Park (Update 1's Park), it offers far more open space, and is widely considered more family friendly, with two playgrounds, and plenty of running space. Birdseye view of the entire residential section, from the Stadium district up north, to the booming Southern Expansion. NOTE: There are a few things in this shot which shouldn't be there under normal circumstances, but due to game design, require being built way the heck before they're being used. If anyone can spot them, I'll name them after you when they actually do get used. Phew, that was a long update. Enjoy folks!

Update 2A: The Hinckley Road Earthquake and Fire Today we've got two batches of pictures that could probably be updates in themselves, but I'm nice. You get them all right here, right now. Anyways, since most of my roads and districts are conspicuously lacking names so far, I've been on a naming spree. I'm not going to get anywhere near finished with naming, but it's a start. Now, the pics! Its early morning in Neo Essen. The fog is burning off early today, and everyone's just waking up. Nothing exciting at all happening today... Nothing exciting, until 6:08 AM local time, when a magnitude 7.4 SimRichter scale earthquake hits Neo Essen. No property damage is suffered initially, due to the epicenter being almost 30 KM offshore. But, something bad had to happen. Fires break out at a farm on Hinckley road, engulfing it in flames. The fire department was dispatched immediately, to stop the flames from spreading. However, it seems as though some of the fire captains were a bit sluggish when preparing to fight the blazes. While technically the Mayor ordered immediate action, some claim he intentionally dragged his feet, to deal a crippling blow to NEFA supporters, and free up land for development. Whatever the cause of the fire trucks delay, it cost them. The fire spread rapidly into the southern forests, and north, into farm country. In the end, nearly a third of all farms in Neo Essen were burned to the ground, in addition to almost a kilometer of forest lands. Whether mother nature willed this, or the Mayor engineered it, the NEFA has suffered such a crippling blow, some now openly speculate about its disbandment.

Another day, another batch of replies. Well actually its only the second, but still... Originally posted by: SchulmanatorLooks like a nice terrain to work with. And you have a great looking town.quote> Thanks. Originally posted by: TimeMasterWow, Everything is looking great, I am looking out for more. I like that seaport!quote> Good to know. I'll be updating a chunk of the seaport shortly, as well as some nearby walkways. Originally posted by: jacqulinano not a fail a success i think keep up the great work my friend looking very nice so far.quote> I intend to. Originally posted by: disturbmanWith a name like that I thought you were going to be deep burried in german architecture, It seems I was wrong. I just spoted some small suburbian lawrise in your first screenshot.quote> Meh. The name Neo Essen just sounded good to me. It was the name of some mega city in some sci-fi book I read a while back. Originally posted by: fabsies55nice region.. it sorta looks like great britain in a way ( i rekon its a rigged version of britain) nah jks lol.\ nice marina and mansion too, you have a good story behind each update which is good. i like your suburbs but could use so more STEX material or could use variety in your houses. nice farms and water and well done. quote> I never noticed that... It actually does resemble the main island of Britain. When I downloaded the map, I just thought it looked cool, with some interesting terrain to monkey with. Originally posted by: balkairreally great pictures! Well done!quote> Thank you. Originally posted by: flyinbird93This is off to a great start. I love the usage of custom lots and how you try to give links and credit to some of them. your aireal shots are breath taking as well. such good useage and proper expansion of a city starting off the shore. your region looks like a fun place to build on, should be interesting to see how you expand upon it!quote> I always try to give credit when due. I'm still suffering from downloading fatigue though, since I downloaded about half the STEX and LEX in one weekend. Of course, I'm sure that I just think it was half the STEX/LEX, since that weekend seemed like forever. It's payed off though, and will continue to pay off luckily. Originally posted by: anarchy0029You know what. I like this CJ. Neo Essen is a beautiful CJ to begin with. You use alot of creativity to begin a journey.quote> Thanks! Maybe this'll get pinned to your sig, if I'm lucky . I'll have Update 2 within a few hours. I've got most of the pics, I just have to upload em and convert em to .JPG.

Originally posted by: hymIt should be mentioned that the growth experienced under Clinton was not entirely (if at all) due to his orchestration. The economy grows fastest under the kind of situation Clinton was in--liberal President with a conservative Congress hell bent on stopping him from accomplishing anything. Politicians complain that they "can't get anything done" which is what the economy prefers.quote> Even business men don't like spending the country to oblivion. Those giant deficits we have of various kinds need to be fixed, and spending ourselves to death doesn't fix that. The only way to fix those deficits is to pass laws. Originally posted by: hymObama is widely regarded as charismatic and eloquent. Charismatic and eloquent people can be some of the most dangerous individuals in the world.quote> No argument there, but they can also be some of the best leaders in the world. Lets take the WWII era, for an example. You've got Hitler, Churchill, Mussolini and Roosevelt, all charismatic leaders, who lead their countries in different directions. Hitler and Mussolini both created Facist states, and lead the world through that horror, while Churchill and Roosevelt inspired their populations to resist the aggressors. The list of generally benevolent charismatic leaders goes on, but I trust you get the idea.

The region is gorgeous, buddy. Awesome work here. And I would say the interactive thing you've got going keeps people even more interested, just to see what happens to their developments. Heck, I might, um, "borrow" the idea for some of my future updates.

Update 1: The West Shore After a few hassles with the NAM, I've got the first update for Neo Essen. With the completion of Neo Essen's first highway and the addition of 2 lanes to the river bridge, traffic between the industrial districts to the west and the city center has decreased considerably. More importantly, though, is that with its completion, all land north of the highway was free for development. With construction of both complete, the NEFA has suffered a major setback to its plans of keeping Neo Essen rural and farm based. With the newest, and highest apartment buildings and condo's just blocks away from the headquarters of the NEFA (Far Right), and Urbanization literally at their doorstep, the NEFA's supporters lose faith, and break ranks. While still a formidable legal obstacle to new development, many in the organization are concerned for its future. Also present is yet another booming industry: High Tech. Due to the Mayor's Solar Energy Tax Incentives (SETI, for short), previous mayors attention to education, and a shift towards solar power for new generators, the technology industry is taking off. Of course, it has to deal with the same headaches as every other booming industry in Neo Essen, but everyone's confident that the NEFA will yield eventually, especially given the new West Shore developments. The source of all the farmers trouble: Industry. Chemical manufacturing and processing is one of the major industries of Neo Essen. Its two rivals in the industrial sector are manufacturing and ore refining. Of course the farming industry is competition too, but with the bad reputation the farming industry has accrued through its anti-trust behavior, many don't consider them competition; they consider them a threat to their entire industry. Just past the river, on the West Shore, lies the newest developments of Neo Essen. The old avenue connecting the City Center to the rest of the industrial district can be seen at the top right corner. While Neo Essen has numerous recreation areas, Neo Essen has yet to have an official park. With the new development on the West Shore, Neo Essen's first official park opens (PEG Trail Parks). It's opening ceremonies were some of the most lavish Neo Essen had seen in recent years, and was a sign of the new life in the city.

The fix to this problem brings up a different problem, although this is just purely looks. With the left-hand drive mod installed, I've got all my road turning lanes on the wrong side of the street. Like I said, this doesn't affect actual road usage in any way, its just kinda annoying. Is there a different fix for this? I've already tried removing turning lanes from Roads, but for some reason they all stayed. Do I have to re-lay all my roads, for it to refresh or something, or am I just crazy?

Well, that makes no sense, but it fixed the problem. Thanks a bunch.

Are there any highway signs aligned for diagonal highways? I'd prefer US signs over anything else, but I'll take anything.

I'm unsure if this should be asked in the NAM request thread, or here, so I'll just put it in both. Is it possible to have a Maxis ground/el highway - MIS/RHW exit? Does such an exit exist already? I'd love to know.

I'm unsure if this should be asked in the RHW thread, or here, so I'll just put it in both. Is it possible to have a Maxis ground/el highway - MIS/RHW exit? Does such an exit exist already? I'd love to know.

Nice downtown area. I like how you've actually got buildings under construction in it. It adds a sense of realism and activity.

Well, there's bound to be something going on. I just don't know what, since Gustav practically canceled the convention. And of course you've got all the political shows talking endlessly about McCain's VP's daughter.

Being new in posting on the Simtropolis forums, there's always that small twinge of fear that the thread will be utterly ignored. Guess that isn't happening . Originally posted by: dmscopiois it a map of Victoria? I lived there for 5 years, miss it so much!quote> It is indeed Victoria proper, and the Sannich peninsula above it. Originally posted by: jacqulinagreat start and intro my friend,very nice first picsquote> Thanks. Always good to know that my first attempt isn't a complete failure. Originally posted by: disturbmanGreat Pics and narrative. Can you show us where the city lies? It's allways good to have an overview of the surroundings.quote> The large red highlighted city square at the bottom is Neo Essen. The large square immediately to the left is also part of Neo Essen, but that'll get covered in the next update. The patch of lower terrain going through both areas will also get covered in the next update. Originally posted by: My Usernamegreat pics & intro! i like the region and the amount of realism in your town. nice work, waitin' for updates quote> Thanks for the complements. I personally think the pics have room to improve, but what doesn't? Besides, this is my first one Originally posted by: roboo1Good intro and very nice marina pictures!quote> Thanks a bunch. I spent a fair amount more time working on the marina. What annoyed me the most was the bloody parking lots from the SAM. Those things just didn't want to stay stable... And so, that concludes the first batch of replies. I'll have an update soon.

Hmmm, its not New Orleans. That wouldn't happen to be Los Angeles, would it?