dcadn13

Well, I have five basic rules, right now.. 1: IREP (my Incident Reduction Engineering Project) to reduce grade crossings on heavy rail and GLR. 2: Every subdevelopment requires some offset in the city for "open space preservation". 3: Any Industrial/Commercial area requires a wetlands preservation area after a certain city pop to offset runoff/waste leakage (includes rail yards as well, to act as catchment ponds, finding the PPonds kit works great for this kind of thing) 4: (Don't laugh too hard, was doing this for fun) Since the Mob suffered a hostile takeover by the bigger crooks in the Chamber of Commerce, forming the Chamber of Commerce and Crime, do all planning to reduce need for law enforcement, preferably to need none. 5: To avoid the bloody crazy drivers, design transit/walk friendly cities as you grow. Still working out my details, but those are my base 5 main rules.

Thanks Bob. Will look at them, see what needs incorporating into my house rules! Glad I ain't the only one this obsessive with it.

So, after years of playing around and being silent here, I decided to do something in a region that had to do with when a community in a region had to deal with transit issues. The thing I was looking at was how to use the pieces of the NAM to build a better, more logical transit system and rules for it. The first issue I found myself toying with was a set of rules for when certain things either had to be implemented or could be implemented, based on city square size and population, and why. Having just watched a bus cruise by that day with one of the "Operation Lifesaver" ads, about rail crossing safety, it hit me that many communities try to reduce/eliminate grade (surface/same level) crossings of streets/roads/aves/1ways over rails. I'm still tinkering with the idea of what the rules are for this, things like population levels the cities in the region would have to implement them, and how much of a reduction of such would be required. I'd like to lay out the rough rules I laid out for myself here for others to pick apart/add their two cents worth to, just to see what others think of it. Been playing around with it in the big Greater Chicago region so far, just to try it out, might add a CJ once I figure out how to share out the images of what the heck went on as I developed the rules, how they tweaked, but that is after I get some feedback. Thanks, and here is what this fool of a Mayor has stuck himself with so far. I call it the IRE Initiative or Project, variously, in the album shots taken so far. IRE (Incident Reduction Engineering) Project: SimFederal Mandate to reduce grade (surface) rail-road/rail-transit crossings for safety of all travelers Rules: 1: No grade crossings allowed for Road/Ave/1Ways, Streets allowed, but only 1 grade crossing per 1K ResPop, after a community passes 10K residential population are allowed.. 2: Transit crossings at grade discouraged before 25K, after 25K new constructions must avoid, after 75K must begin removal/change to other style crossings before 100K. 3: As part of IRE, mass transit transition from Heavy Rail to Light Rail (GLR/SUB/EL) starts at 25K, and must be complete by 100K, except for HSR/GHSR Bullet Services, but until that works, use Monorail Service to cover those. 4: Exemptions for Ag/Rural Townships, Towns, and Cities allowed, but in those, Res pop must be <5K, 10K, 25K respectively, and must comply as urbanized. Also, Communities can opt out of IRE's Mass Transit by implementing bus service, but must still comply on HR separation of Cargo from Transit, by shifting to Intercity Monorail, and closing all but cargo/freight stations. 5: While HR can suffice on one service yard per 250K regional population (but prefers a 1:100K ratio), Light Rails must have a yard in EACH community served, even if small (construct using the Roundhouse or Service Building [the ones provided were bad so make your own is better, and more flexible]). Larger systems (City Blocks require this) must have a main, and at least one or more secondary LR service yards, based on size of system (figure each one is 6: Dead-End Grade Exemption: Any Spur/Terminal Line that is for freight/cargo transfer only may have grade crossings, as long as not in residential/commercial areas (Industrial/Ag/OpenSpace). Further, Rural communities of under 10K are exempt from mandated compliance, but are encouraged to keep main roads from having grade crossings (to utilize viaducts more in my builds). I know I'm missing some ideas here, and started working this out like some real law would look, as if the fools at the SimFederal level got overly bored and decided I needed to have a greater challenge in running my city, as I said... will update it as I get it worked out. If this has been done before, waive me off it, fast. Please.

I would settle for just a heads up from EA/Maxis on just what the minimum system reqs will be, so I can make plans as to whether I need one or two extra jobs to upgrade/replace my box. Seriously, though, having ridden this wave since the original, one thing needs to come back. We need that creature described once on NPR as "the EPA's Mob Enforcer". Let the monster wade in and trample our cities of dreams if the pollution gets too high. I think that the main problem will be what can be run on machines that are a year or two old when the game comes out, cause not all of us can afford a new box for every new group of games. Some of the best things about SC4 was it still runs, even on machines that are several years older than the game. Maybe not well, but it runs. My BIG FEAR is that they will make it a pay to play online experience only. please let it be LAN and stand alone capable. Not all of us have the willingness to play online all the time. I play SC to relax, not to be competitive. I will now pull both my feet from out of my mouth, cause I am sure many will percieve I have no right to sound off. Regardless, I still have an old PCJR, and it has the original SC on it. so SC4 will live, at least on a few machines for those of you mourning its deat.