ajokay

Ahh, gives me fond memories of the Blackwall tunnel, linking the north and south banks of the Thames via the M25. I guess this is an answer to underwater tunnels that so many have been wishing for so much?

It's not so much the fact that the orbit is elliptical as the reason for the demotion, it's the fact that Pluto has not cleared the 'neighbourhood' around its orbit. Pluto's orbit, at its furthest from the sun, takes it inside the Kupier belt, which is a ring of asteroids encircling the 8 planets. Had Pluto have been large enough, it's gravatational pull would have either 'sucked in' or 'thrown out' the asteroids around it, clearing its orbit. The same goes for Ceres. Ceres is esentially the largest asteroid in the asteroid belt that sits between Mars and Jupiter, but the fact that it has enough gravity to pull itself into a sphere puts it in the running for being classed as a planet. The reason why it's only been classed as a dwarf planet is the same as Pluto's, it's surrounded by thousands of other asteroids, and has therefore not cleared its orbit

Junction 23 of the M25, north of London, Where the London Orbital motorway meets the A1(M) at South Mimms, whats know as 'Bignell's Corner' The white squiggly bit is the roads around the services, one of only 2 service stations on the M25

Hi frogface. I must say this CJ has had me changing my pants on several occasions. Living in the Home Counties, just north of London, viewing this city journal has filled me with joy. 100% of your region is recognisable and familiar. This is always how i wanted Simcity to look, and you've managed it. I now myself have downloaded the mod that pushes all the default maxis buildings into one style to allow for only downloaded ones to appear, and am currently filling up my plugins folder with all the British and European style bulidings i can find. You have inspired me. A question though, Your region is so real-looking... does it actually work in-game? Are you in the black on all your cities? I'm guessing most of your sims work on the ample farms in the region, with the rest working in the few commertial and industrial areas, and that the taxes pay for all the railway maintanence. I'm just wondeirng if it's possible to make a region that looks so good function properly, with regards to traffic, crime, commute time, etc, or is it all purely for show? Keep up the work on the best City Journal I've ever seen.

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It would be cool/funny to see the suspended monorails modeled as the suspended rollercoasters of today, take Nemesis at Alton Towers in the UK for example: http://lachlan.bluehaze.com.au/altontower/nemesis.jpg width=640 border=0> Any persons with a nervous disposition, heart problems, and pregant women... ...sorry, but you'll have to take the bus.

Aww heck, i just wrote a great long reply to TGC's post, but the server timed out and i lost it. I doubt anyone would have read it anyway (I wouldn't have!) Basically, what i said was agreeing with TGC... draw ideas from any futuristic/funky new technological resources that we can, from Futurama to The Jetsons, from Minority Report to Star Wars, from Oddworld thru Half-Life to G-Police. But when it comes to implementing thees ideas we have make them our own, not simply copying. Its just some of the ideas are seemingly still 20th century Earth, rather than 21st/22nd Century Mars. I doubt that in 100 years time, on another planet, passengers and freight will be moved from one place to another using diesel-powered vehicles on metal rails, seeing as the diesel technology is already 50 years old as it stands in 2004, let alone the 100 year-old tracks they run on. Right, i'm off to bed... good night zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

---------------- On 3/18/2004 3:07:22 PM Trolca wrote: Is this acceptable for a train freight engine? I'm not completely done yet. ---------------- Its good, but it still looks too much like a freight locomotive from Earth circa 2004. I know i did this in the animals thread, but i'm a big fan of the Oddworld series of games. Those who have played it will know what i mean when i talk about the kind of stuff they came up with in designing an alien world. Ok, so on oddworld the air was breathable and there were no glass bio-dome things covering everything, but the game is very industrial, and there were some nice concepts. Some images, if you will: The main rail station - the 'FeeCo Depot' - complete with hanging monorails: http://www.oddworld.com/universe/industrial/vehicles/train_assets/cg_assets/scroll_cg09.jpg border=0> The line within a building: http://www.oddworld.com/universe/industrial/vehicles/train_assets/cg_assets/scroll_cg06.jpg border=0> Through the Marsian-looking landscape: http://www.oddworld.com/universe/industrial/vehicles/train_assets/cg_assets/scroll_cg01.jpg border=0> Sidings within the depo (background): http://www.oddworld.com/universe/industrial/vehicles/train_assets/prod_assets/scroll_prod04.jpg border=0> The tracks: http://www.oddworld.com/universe/industrial/facilities/mining_co_assets/cg_assets/scroll_cg03.jpg border=0> Some of the ideas that are coming up are great. I'm loving these spacey-looking bridges, the maglevs are looking amazing and hope they will make it into the final game: espicially if they travel at stupidly high speeds. But some of the concepts/designs, IMO, just seem a little too earthy. Seems we still need to think outside the box a little more, like the Oddworld Inhabitants design team did. Keep up the good work everyone /emoticons/1.gif> . .

The Millennium Dome was built to house an exhibition to celebrate the year 2000. It was constructed in the few years prior to y2k, and included the Dome, outside entertainment and eating areas, a cinema, as well as new docks along the riverside and an extension and new stations to the 'Jubliee' line of the London Underground Railway that ran nearby. (each tube line here in London has a name) It was all very impressive architecturally, and the site was, well, quite a sight, but the exhibition failed to attract anywhere near the number of customers that had been estimated, and closed after 1 year (as was planned anyway) having cost the taxpayers in the UK millions of pounds. (I did visit, and it was pretty piss-poor to say the least) In the end, it was seen as a real waste of money, and, as ever, the only people who thought of it as sucessful were the government, as they thought the scheme up. So still the Dome stits on the edge of the River Thames, empty and unused, while someone thinks of something to do with. Apparently it's still costing the country

---------------- On 3/16/2004 6:14:41 PM the_new_simman wrote: 'Martian plan an attack on Earth.' 'Little do the Humans on Mars know that Earth has been totally obliterated.' FACT: Did you know just yesterday scientists discovered a new planet? The name of it is Sedna!---------------- Sim Sedna. Dosen't really have the same ring to it, does it? .

As i said in the opening movie thread: With regards to a soundtrack, personally, i think that stuff along the lines of (I'm not saying we should use these but in the styles of) DJ Shadow, Squarepusher, Aphex Twin and Panacea (do a google search). Stuff that has no lyrics, can be listened to by all, and has an interesting theme to it. This type of music (electronica) usually sounds like a mix of moods. The music can indeed sound spaces, moody, dark, industrial, as well as upbeat, bouncy and happy. Anyone who makes their own music, either using their own mixes, music, on a PC or Chaos Box type thing could be of use here.

That'll be nice to compliment EmergentFungus's London HSBC building. A complex if you will.