CSGdesign

Current Mayor - Marsh (all images and city file edits done by marsh, automata photoshopped out of images and wording by CSGdesign) In 6 months The Towne has grown quite a lot. Mostly because of all the players who joined. Which reminds me, anyone who has a home can find their residencies here. An over-view of the Towne... north upwards. Most properties have had some of their land cleared to create the lumber required to make basic cabins, but there is still a lot of natural forest on private property. The Towne's center, showing from left to right the Post Office (with a hair dresser upstairs and a tiny bar), the Sheriff's Office (which also has an armory and a stable in the back), the General Store on the corner (with storage upstairs), and across the street is a tiny Anglican Chapel and above that is the Town Hall. Humble beginnings, but as more people flock to The Towne, the CBD will grow. Here we can see Belmont Street to the left and the right in the fore-ground (we're looking to the east), with Mayor Arsh's tiny ranch on the right, and Gabrog Street stretching to the left near the top of the image. Eric Lopetegui's house can be seen just to the left of the middle of the picture, and to the left of his is Robert Cahill's property, at 10 Gabrog Street. Looking out over Gwenneth Gutripper's property to the south we're looking at the shallow boggy waterway that seperates the Towne's island from the mainland, with Main Street running away from the Post Office to the south, and then curving to the east. The small cul-de-sac is Lincoln Street, with Francisco Boss's property on it. The other properties shown here belong to NPCs... and the small diesel generator that powers the town can also be made out. This image shows the northern shore of the Towne, looking to the south. In it you can see Gordon Bagge's property with his newly built stone jetty (letting him fish in deeper waters more easily). To the right (west) of that you can see Tim Howard's place, and on the opposite side of the road is Carl Grant's place... although the house is obscured by one of the many large trees that still stand on properties throughout the Towne.

Hi guys, I am unsure on cross-promotion of forums rules... hopefully this doesn't breach any rules? I'd post the whole thing here, but seriously, each entry is taking me hours so I'd much rather just provide a link. I have bought Simcity 2013 and have 7 days to trial it obligation free before I decide whether to return it or keep it. I'm writing an impartial review on CSGforums, which you can read here. The aim is to journal my experience over this week to see what I think. Most of my time is spent actually posting the review, lol... but the whole purpose is to give people considering the good and bad reviews a much more in-depth look at the game before committing to buying it. Let me know what you think? Some previews: I'll be adding entries to this "journal" all week, so feel free to have a squizz and lemme know what you think. Cheerz!

That's an excellent idea! Anyone that is a member of the EA forums has my consent to re-post this review or any part of it (providing they don't take me out of context, and providing a link to the original review is provided in the post). I couldn't be bothered signing up to an EA forum just to tell them how pissed I am with them. They can spend some of their billions doing some googling to find out what the community is saying where they feel at home.

I have now finished the review. It has resulted in me taking this game back and getting a full refund. The latest update scrubbed my cities. Not. Cool. Dear EA: If you want to retain control of my data, then you have a duty of care to keep it safe and accessible. Stop wasting my time.

Excellent! I will certainly drop in and have a look. Also, my commendations to the mod or admin that removed the top two inflammatory posts. Nice to see that sort of behaviour is no longer encouraged here. Manners don't cost a thing.

Thanks for your input guys. The people you refer to are not going to get much value from what I'm doing... that's true. I'm not aiming at people that have mastered the game or have been playing it for a month... I'm aiming it at people that would like more information about it. It's taken me this long to buy the game because of the negative hype, and if it applies to me it applies to others as well. I'm presenting this as a nuetral in depth observation of my experience with it, because it's hard to tell from normal game reviews and such. So far there are positives and negatives, but it's nowhere near the disaster that I've heard it was... in fact it's got a lot going for it. Thanks Haljackey... I was unsure where to put it - happy to put it where-ever really. Figured it wasn't really a city journal as such... I've always been here, just lurking. Got a lot going on both in my personal life and my online life. Working like crazy. I'm Group Operations Manager of the entire state now, didja know? I need a holiday. :\ A wiki is a good idea, but I'm already up to my eyeballs in other projects - I just wanted to post some screenshots as I went to give an insight into Simcity 2013 for anyone that's considering buying it.

Current Mayor - Marsh Current Town Planner - Rionescu Current Game Master - CSGdesign Current Treasurer - yet to be decided Hello Simtropolans! I'd like to introduce The Towne. This is a fairly unique concept in city journal ideas... The basic concept is described here in a little bit of detail, but basically members of the forum are able to set up a sim's life within The Towne and role-play (as much or as little as you want) the life of your sim, and every decision each player (and NPC, or Non Player Character) makes affects the end result of the game. It's true Natural Growth, but this time instead of one person role-playing the decisions and lives of the sims within the town, many people are, from within the town itself, as members of it. It has a rich and evolving fabric of rules and form to provide a realistic and enjoyable world, however players don't need to be any more involved than you want to be... the intricacies and depth only exists for the game, and for players that want to explore that level of depth. You can play without even knowing about it if you want to... just by having a home and watching it grow and evolve as the Towne around your sim evolves. Currently we have just finished our first season, and are heading into our second season. Each week of real time represents 6 months of game time, so there's two weeks to a year, with each 6 month season being Summer and Winter alternatively... Each season we provide an entry showing an over-view of what has occurred in the Towne that season. Anyone can play! But you need to be a member of CSGforums to play (for a few reasons). There's much more to it than the diary of it, there's a lot of discussion and planning and suggestions and stuff, so check it out, lurk, and if you want to join in! The more the merrier! Click to view full-size render of region before the Towne was established.

Thanks algis242! The credit is all marsh's as he was the mayor for this phase of the Towne and therefore responsible for the city edits. It's not my work Duke... it's a collective effort, but the actual city edits and graphics you see here are credit to marsh. He's done a fantastic job. Riiga is the current mayor, I'm sure he'll also do a great job! This region was produced by drunkapple - he produces just awesome typography from actual satellite data of real terrain... his map submissions are numerous and all brilliant. The content like trees and shorelines are courtesy of marsh... he's one of the best plop-artists I know of.

A lot of work has gone into this site, and it's ongoing.

Firstly can I say that I think everyone has to remember the amount of work involved in doing something like this. I think it's really great how much effort has gone into it, and everyone involved should be thanked for their volunteered time. However there are a few problems with it, for sure, and I'm confused why something so huge wasn't shown to members BEFORE going to all this mammoth effort, so that the kind of feedback we're seeing was to a dummy version rather than the fully implemented version... seems like common sense to me but maybe things are done differently here? Over-all I don't mind it. It scrolls a bit too "clunky" (sort of like low fps effect) for my taste, but the design layout is nice, and it's clean (too clean for some apparently). I haven't looked at the stex yet, but if what madhatter and warrior is saying is true then I totally agree it's a step backwards.... BIGGER pics not smaller. I can understand the desire to reduce bandwidth use, for sure, but every single journal writer and reader will agree with me when I say "people look at the pics LONG before they could be bothered reading the words". I hope it works out fine... it'd be a shame to see such a great site lose readership. To me a site's attitude (ie: the way it treats contributing members) is far more important than what it looks like... although looks are important too. My heart goes out to Dirk - Dirk was primarilly responsible for this change right? - it's a lot of work for the kind of feedback it's getting.

Very nice stuff indeed 2b2gbi!

Marsh is correct... you can start off simply by reading this journal, and then you can read some of the basic "behind the scenes" stuff... like who is building what and where and why. Then, if you want to, you can "move in" just by posting in that thread, and talking to the Mayor (currently marsh, but we're about to have another election, so who knows) about where you want to live.  You get $20,000 to spend when you first move in... some people choose to buy land, others land and tools, still others big fancy fishing boats and equipment... whatever you want... it's your "life". There are a few basic commonsense rules, which get explained to you if you need... and as marsh said you can either get more and more involved if that's something ath appeals to you, or you can just chill out and watch how your digital alter-ego lives in this growing town. We currently have 31 active players (and many NPCs, or Non Player Characters... to pad out the Towne)... and it's growing fast. Join in!  Everyone is welcome.  It's a really fascinating social project.

Current Mayor: Marsh City file edits by marsh Images by marsh and CSGdesign Wording by CSGdesign By the time spring came around in 1922, the autumn and winter of 1921 had proven to be a very productive one in the Towne. 19 families came across the water to make their homes here, from farmers to shop keepers, inn keepers to upholsterers. Axes were heard all day every day, cutting trees to make way for pastures and saws were constantly knawing the logs into timber, giving fodder for the hammers to create the bloom of buildings erupting everywhere. The chapel was expanded to house a bell and be more fitting for a House of God... and cars chugged down the dirt streets for the first time... although only a very short list of people owned them. People could point to a car going past and know exactly who it was and have a good guess at where they were going... more of a status symbol than a required means of transport in such a tiny town with no outside roads Between the Towne center and Valermount Landing was where the most growth was seen this winter, with farmland being cleared, and several new citizens making their homes while the lure of inexpensive virgin farmland to the south of the Towne was bringing in a lot of interested pioneering farmers. For the first time farmland was opened up and cleared to the north, and still more livestock imported to the area. The Towne was reaching a point where it could sustain itself without having to import meat and animal products, but was still a very long way off being able to export farm products. Francisco Boss had finally recovered from the bear mauling he recieved while out trapping west of the Towne... it was a very serious injury and one that reminded the citizens of the Towne how isolated they were and how hostile their surroundings could be. The Valermount Landing had been very useful until now, allowing people and small hand-carried items to be disembarked from smaller ferries, but as people began importing cars and large amounts of steel and machinery, the landing was frequently being ignored in favour of landing small barges directly on the gravely beaches... which was awkward and inefficient. People were beginning to demand a more practical sized docks. A new business venture between the three lumber jacks Carl Sagan, Kristian Walker, and Eric Lopetegui saw various sites near the mouth of Hammond Creek as the site to locate a new joint-venture saw mill... the first mechanised suspended saw in the Towne. Their thinking was that the creek would form an easy means of getting lumber to the mill from logging fields further upstream, in the absence of any roads through the rugged untouched wilderness. Plans were being submitted to the mayor's office, and approval is pending. Draanen farm had made its first harvest and the small slashed path through the forest was gradually widened by slashing over-hanging branches and clearing underbrush... gradually becoming a track leading to and from town.

Current Mayor: Marsh City file edits by marsh Images by marsh and CSGdesign Wording by CSGdesign By the time spring came around in 1922, the autumn and winter of 1921 had proven to be a very productive one in the Towne. 19 families came across the water to make their homes here, from farmers to shop keepers, inn keepers to upholsterers. Axes were heard all day every day, cutting trees to make way for pastures and saws were constantly knawing the logs into timber, giving fodder for the hammers to create the bloom of buildings erupting everywhere. The chapel was expanded to house a bell and be more fitting for a House of God... and cars chugged down the dirt streets for the first time... although only a very short list of people owned them. People could point to a car going past and know exactly who it was and have a good guess at where they were going... more of a status symbol than a required means of transport in such a tiny town with no outside roads Between the Towne center and Valermount Landing was where the most growth was seen this winter, with farmland being cleared, and several new citizens making their homes while the lure of inexpensive virgin farmland to the south of the Towne was bringing in a lot of interested pioneering farmers. For the first time farmland was opened up and cleared to the north, and still more livestock imported to the area. The Towne was reaching a point where it could sustain itself without having to import meat and animal products, but was still a very long way off being able to export farm products. Francisco Boss had finally recovered from the bear mauling he recieved while out trapping west of the Towne... it was a very serious injury and one that reminded the citizens of the Towne how isolated they were and how hostile their surroundings could be. The Valermount Landing had been very useful until now, allowing people and small hand-carried items to be disembarked from smaller ferries, but as people began importing cars and large amounts of steel and machinery, the landing was frequently being ignored in favour of landing small barges directly on the gravely beaches... which was awkward and inefficient. People were beginning to demand a more practical sized docks. A new business venture between the three lumber jacks Carl Sagan, Kristian Walker, and Eric Lopetegui saw various sites near the mouth of Hammond Creek as the site to locate a new joint-venture saw mill... the first mechanised suspended saw in the Towne. Their thinking was that the creek would form an easy means of getting lumber to the mill from logging fields further upstream, in the absence of any roads through the rugged untouched wilderness. Plans were being submitted to the mayor's office, and approval is pending. Draanen farm had made its first harvest and the small slashed path through the forest was gradually widened by slashing over-hanging branches and clearing underbrush... gradually becoming a track leading to and from town.

@avrelivs - you'll be very welcome to! If you have any questions you can talk to folks in chat, or post in the forums... we look forward to you joining our already 31 playing members of this town.  It's a really fun game so far, and it's evolving quickly into something that should be really interesting. Just today Gorbag and me have figured out how to do prospecting for example, so we can realistically locate various minerals, which will eventually lead to mining projects and industry and stuff. The whole town is developing very reaslitically because everyone in it are living realistic lives according to realistic guidelines... it's very cool! Marsh is doing an amazing job of creating the town itself... he'll be getting my vote for re-election for sure!

@Samerton - me2! It's going very nicely so far, but it's only just begun... already we have 31 active players in it... and it's only JUST entered week 3! I can't wait to see what it's like a few game-years (real time weeks) down the track! @cammo2003 - Ya marsh has done a brilliant job of keeping the look of the town.  He gets a bit too keen to develop it sometimes due to his expertise at making really awesome cities, but I think that's a real asset so long as we keep development to realistic speeds.  The overall look of it, and the details that he's putting into it (like gravel clearing for new buildings) is excellent I reckon...

@escilnavia - The shirt was found by the mayor (Mayor Michael Arsh, played by marsh).  Just a bit of roll-playing for giggles.  :)

@Adrianor - Thanks for the compliments!  The city is currently being produced by marsh with the input of all our players (they're coming in droves)... @Samerton - I reckon marsh has done an excellent job as mayor so far too. @Damastius - If you want it to be worth more, clear and improve your land, and when you sell it you'll get more coin, as shown in the various land-type values in the Player Ledger (Price List of Assets tab).  Then you'll be able to afford other stuff, like businesses, or farms, or whatever. @marsh - Awesome job so far as mayor buddy. The city is looking amazing and your landscaping skills are doing wonders in bringing this town to life in it's early days! @sepen20 - My house too! w00t2. @FearandRegret123 - It's pretty neat.  The journal here is kinda the "summary" of the game.  The game itself is pretty in-depth... it's got something like 30 topics discussing various parts of it now, from maps to asset requests.

@Reikhardt - I agree the scenery is great, thanks to our current mayor, marsh!

@ImVhOzzi - I dunno if there's any similar concepts, but it's proving very popular, and we're all having a bunch of fun with it! @Samerton - Thanks! It's an evolving idea... originally a concept of mine to have our members represented as a town, but now it's sort of taken on a life of it's own.  Cuz we need fair rules so ppl develop their sims in a realistic way it's become a sort of roll-playing-game... but simplified so it can be followed (and played) by anyone.

Current Mayor - Marsh (all images and city file edits done by marsh) The Towne grows more every day. Most people tend to pack in towards the middle of the town, but some are begining to move out to the outskirts. In the outskirts, people are beginning to clear land for farms. Until now they have fished and hunted to eat. But as a growing settlement, that cannot last for long. Agriculture needs to come into play some day. Now looks like that day. The townspeople, wanting a place to meet and discuss matters at hand, have pitched in and are clearing the land in preparation for a Towne Hall. The current Towne Hall, being a single room in the back of the bank, obviously does not suit. Ordinary logs however may not cut it. The local loggers are cutting it into clean boards of lumber. Unlike how many of the crude houses in town are currently built. The Mainstreet of the town is growing fast. A fire house, the "firetrucks" being just a small pushed cart with a pump on it, a butchers shop, and a currently empty shop which someone built to plainly earn a profit (stores named from left to right). And a water tower was also constructed. Dirty lake water was not cutting it for the people anymore. A local known as Gwenneth Gutripper made a nice little path down to the river. Many people from over the town bring their animals down there to drink often. Gwenneth kindly allowing locals on this side of town to use it. A newcomer to the towne know as Willem von Draanen, decided on moving far from town. A nice little Barn/house was constructed on the land. And by the looks of it his first Hop harvest should prove profitable. Quaint place really. Quiet and lonely on the riverside. The Towne has grown much. The new year should prove interesting. December, 1920.

Current Mayor - Marsh (all images and city file edits done by marsh) The Towne grows more every day. Most people tend to pack in towards the middle of the town, but some are begining to move out to the outskirts. In the outskirts, people are beginning to clear land for farms. Until now they have fished and hunted to eat. But as a growing settlement, that cannot last for long. Agriculture needs to come into play some day. Now looks like that day. The townspeople, wanting a place to meet and discuss matters at hand, have pitched in and are clearing the land in preparation for a Towne Hall. The current Towne Hall, being a single room in the back of the bank, obviously does not suit. Ordinary logs however may not cut it. The local loggers are cutting it into clean boards of lumber. Unlike how many of the crude houses in town are currently built. The Mainstreet of the town is growing fast. A fire house, the "firetrucks" being just a small pushed cart with a pump on it, a butchers shop, and a currently empty shop which someone built to plainly earn a profit (stores named from left to right). And a water tower was also constructed. Dirty lake water was not cutting it for the people anymore. A local known as Gwenneth Gutripper made a nice little path down to the river. Many people from over the town bring their animals down there to drink often. Gwenneth kindly allowing locals on this side of town to use it. A newcomer to the towne know as Willem von Draanen, decided on moving far from town. A nice little Barn/house was constructed on the land. And by the looks of it his first Hop harvest should prove profitable. Quaint place really. Quiet and lonely on the riverside. The Towne has grown much. The new year should prove interesting. December, 1920.

Originally posted by: wwetom1 Beautiful! I've registered on the site as Chris. Looking forward to more.quote> Hello wwetom1. I have you registered on the forum as an inactive registration. What that means is that you have not yet confirmed registration by the email it sends out to your registered email address that you entered. You need to click on the link in the email to confirm your registration. I sent out a reminder registration email... let me know if you're having difficulties.