utora

It's amazing how you do it, Mr Cinatit. Is your imagination really that unlimited? How did you create that rural airport? iguana_labrat: you mean you'd like to participate in the Ludlear History as a resident? That would be a great idea! Yeah! this is the 100th post!

Ah! Finally an update! I've read the last 2, and I'd like to comment on your economic situation: the dilapidation of R$$$ sections and the lack of growth. You've already hinted at the possible cause of this. I think balance between R$, R$$ and R$$$ in your city has been disturbed. Of course, nobody wants the ugly R$ areas in his city, but I think they're absolutely necessary for a stable economic situation. Maybe you need to develop some large areas of low wealth residential, commerce and dirty industry in the city. Make sure those areas have low education, because otherwise they'll develop into R$$$ and you don't want that. Another cause might be commute times that are too long. It's a very annoying limitation of the game that residential ares need to be close to C and I. Do you have the Network Addon Mod installed? The update is (again) stunning! Don't care about developing/ updating too slow. It better be slow and good than fast and rubbish I'd say! Keep up!

Just awesome! About the nightlighting: you're right: the BATs look better than the original buildings! Keep it up!

Update 12: Secret Mission A small update this time. Haven't had much time this week, and next week college starts again!! I'll try to update twice a week.. Njoy! After Arenburg being elected as New Holland

Wow! what an impressive update! I really love the water-inlets (is that the right word? my English isn't superb), must have taken you some time to create them the way they are now! My compliments, they look stunning! Did you create them after godmode? or did you have this all planned out before you started? Love the skyline too; btw, I heard some rumours (and I want to stress that it's just a RUMOUR) that Mattc's Highways Corporation has some secret plans of expanding it's hegemony to New Holland! That region has reached a population of 50.000 now, and the need for highways and an intelligent roadsign-system becomes more urgent now.... I particularly love the highrises on the small strips of land (between the inlets), and especially the combination of just a few highrises in a lowdensity residential zone (with lots of green), as can be seen in the lower right corner of the Docklands overview (just east to the RodaJC Parkstad Limburg Stadium) Don't you love that waterflora mod? I know I do! EDIT: Did you know that Roda is short for: Recht Op het Doel Af? which means something like: Straight towards the goal. It would be awesome if someone would create the Amsterdam Arena (the first stadium in the world with a moveable roof)... or what to think of Wembley... EDIT: forgot to ask: what are your system specificities? I've got an AMD Athlon 2600+, 80 Gb Harddrive, 1024 Mb RAM, and (soon) a GeForce 5700 graphix card (128 Mb). Just curious if I could create such a massive region too..

ChicAgo333: Too bad you missed it! I've been there tonight, right after the results were made public, and it was fantastic! All drinks were for free, and I've NEVER seen so many beautiful women on one single night! I also hoped for a little bit more for Messelmonde, because I've put the most time in that town, and I'm very content with the overall layout! I even think it would be a shame to expand the town, because the farmlands, streams and windmills would have to disappear... but eventually expansion will be inevitable of course! flrscf: It also surprises me that there were no votes for Turtle's Bay, Schippers Poort and Arendal. But you know, the first votes have set a trend I think, and maybe there was too little time to vote, or the update was too large, I don't know. I must admit, though, that Arenburg has a very challenging terrain for citybuilding, and that counts too!

Date:9/4/2004 3:06:46 AM Author:Flying_Dutch_Man I like this CJ a lot!! Just one question though; Where are the dykes??? p.s. Groetjes van een Nederlander in Amerika!quote> Actually there are dykes in Arenburg! I edited the pic in my previous post, and I have circled them in yellow. As you can see, there are some major weak spots though (the farmland area near the bridge for example, and the northern shore). The industrial area is slightly elevated, so quays would be sufficient there. The problem is, that it's not even two years after the major flood (which took place in january of the year NHE21). It's now october 22NHE, and construction is still going on. However, the dykes are a huge project and very expensive! Let's just hope that they don't challenge nature too much, because there's always the risk of another flood. That would be a total disaster if it happened now.... Btw, did you know that in REAL life (in Holland) there is currently some similar problem: due to a lack of maintenance, hundreds of kilometers of dykes are in very bad condition: that means if something bad happens (a major storm, extreme amounts of rain) these dykes could collapse... I just hope I'll be able to safe my pc by then.... Groetjes van een Nederlander in Nederland! dat kon ook bijna niet anders, met zo'n avatar!

Voting results: Arenburg: 4 Messelmonde: 3 Nederburg: 2 Well flrscf, seems you get what you want! Arenburg won the voting! fgottes, London_Wyverns, Zeddic, Dark Avatar: Thanx for voting! In Arenburg, as soon as the news became known, a giant party was organized. The whole town almost exploded in it's enthusiasm! People realized, though, that being chosen the most beautiful town if New Holland, meant a great responsibility: it was felt as an obligation now to transform the town into a city, so that perhaps in the future Arenburg could be the capital of New Holland... But there was still a long way to go. Here's a photograph of the winning town: Coming up: secret operation NHID, presidential elections, development of Arenburg Currently I have a problem with replacing my graphicscard, it's very annoying I hope it will be fixed by monday, 'cause right now my pc is becomng very slow. It is not yet a problem for updating (because towns are still relatively small). It's very frustrating though, when you're playing the game... Expect an update tonight (..ehm, this means saturdaynight in Holland, but I guess in the States this will be saturday afternoon, since it's at least 6 hours earlier in America), or sunday! Stay tuned, and thanx very much everyone for voting and showing interest!

I just can't get enough of some pics, so they can't be repetitive enough I'd say. Especially the last one is a beauty. That rockmod looks frighteningly real. Are you sure this isn't a real photograph? You know: a groundfog-mod would look brilliant in this pic, but unfortunately the one available is a bit too thick (= not realistic). It should be thinner, a bit like the clouds that are standard in the game... Speaking of clouds: wouldn't it be awesome if you could create mountains with the tops hidden in clouds? Hope that someone of the modsquad reads this!

Voting update! dscampbell: first of all: thank you for all the bunnies! and second: thanx for your vote! It makes me feel good that you enjoy this cj so much; that's how it's intended to be. And yes, I wish it was possible to build diagonal canals... About Nederburg: I think you're right. The layout is just perfect for an A'dam-like canalsystem! flrscf: Thanx for voting! Do I taste something of the Amsterdam-Rotterdam rivalry here? (referring to the previous post?) About the NHID operation: it's top secret! I hope I can convince Courier to hand over some pics. But you must realize that he's risking his job by doing so... stay tuned! Mikeaut1: Thanx for the compliment! I love that name too (it was actually the first name that came up). About your question: I've answered in your journal (as you know) London_Wyverns: Nice avatar you have: Raspoetin! Glad you like the story sofar, and it's a compliment that I inspire you! Do you have any idea for which town you'd vote in this contest? andrew george: ah! a vote for Messelmonde! I think it'll be a close race! About ST: I think they're busy with construction: some minor things have changed, and the site is also faster now! thanx for voting! ChicAgo333: Long time no see! Thanx for voting and showing you're still interested in the story; and thanx for the compliments! score sofar: - Nederburg: 1 - Arenburg: 2 - Messelmonde: 2 It's a close race! So keep on voting!!!

Wow! How come that I haven't checked this cj earlier? It's got some tremendous work!! I love that cheesy Rockefort map of yours! And it also has a story: I love that! There's just too many good cj's around at the moment; I think I'm going to reserve some time to read the whole story of it (but at the moment I'm also reading Nexis of Genesis and some other journals..) AARGH.. where do I find the time? I also have to update my own cj frequently and respond to all the replies... and next week college starts again.... Anyway, being an active ST member is a hard job sometimes. I promise I'll keep on checking this journal, keep the updates coming!

Finally an update again! It looks impressive; I have some questions though: where did you get that Sim Metro Life Center? is it on the STEX? And what about the 1st Street lightrail station? I love that one, it looks very realistic; and the Embassy Suites Hotel looks stunning too! Can't wait for the next update!

It's not much you show, but it's certainly original! I like that newspaper style, how did you do it? Made it in Word? And how do you insert the pic then without ruining it when you try to resize? Hope this entire cj will be made up of frontpages...

Update 11 E: Most Beautiful Town Contest; Final part. Voting! Candidate #12: Wildernis. Statistics: R=621, C=57, I=62. One of the youngest communities. It is hidden in a bay, if you don

Update 11 D: Most Beautiful Town Contest Candidate #8: Schippers Poort. Statistics: R=4278, C=611, I=1179.

Update 11 C: Most Beautiful City Contest Candidate #5: Nederburg a/d Messel. Statistics: R=4835, C=991, I=2323. Nederburg claims to have the most lovely dikes and windmills of the entire country https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files/pic35.jpg> Candidate #6: Ringeloord. Statistics: R=2056, C=517, I=671. Nothing really special to mention. The Ringeloordics didn

Update 11 B: Most Beautiful Town contest Candidate-town #2 Messelmonde. Statistics: R=7672, C=1331, I=1971. Self proclaimed capital of New Holland. Only the Messelmondians accept their town as New Holland

Update 11 A: a Nation is born;

MrCinatit: thanx once again for your compliments; yes I love that beach; I can almost imagine what it will be like walking along the boulevard at sunset, with the bright light of the watchtower shining as a halo over the town... Anyway, I agree with your 'point of critique' It doesn't look perfect (the yellow lines) I was in a hurry while making the update, and I forgot to just press the play-button.. andrew george & Dark Avatar: I appreciate that you love the detail, and that you notice it. There's a lot of time invested in those things! flrscf: who's the president? Good question, I haven't got a clue. I heard that the elections are in November, strange coincidence don't you think? It will all be revealed! dscampbell: I've been busy with a major exam last week. Fortunately I passed it, so there's more time left now for updating. Thanx btw for the compliments!!! That's what I'm doing this for! And don't worry, there's a MAJOR update coming up today.. So you'll have your shot! Sorry that I don't know how to contact Maxis; can't you send them an email? And those BAT landmarks; will those be from Nijmegen, or from all Holland? everyone: thanx for commenting! A major update is underway!!

Yeah! I like the new b/w pics better (or do I have to say yellow?) I'm a great fan of using color filters: these remind me of the film Traffic by Soderberg: you know, the Mexican part of the story is completely done with a yellow/brown filter. Anyway I wouldn't redo the other pix, they're good the way they are I think. I like this experimental touch you add to your journals, keep up!

Nice update! Looks good, but I have a suggestion: those shores look a bit strange, I think you could enhance realism by plopping trees or building quays, but, of course, if this is what HongKong looks like I haven't said a word (don't know the city) Anyway: keep up!!

This is one of the older cj's around right? Too bad I haven't checked it, because now I see what I missed: this cj rocks! It's awesome, especially those nightview pictures! How did you do that? Did you use photoshop? It looks almost as a real picture! Want to know! I'll be checking this thread from now on. Bunnies for the last update:

Wow! Finally an update! And it's very impressive too! Took some time to read, but definitely worth it; hold on, because I have a lot of questions.. Those signs are truly great, are they on the STEX (by Mattc005)? I wondered how you created the NTL Park with the SG trailpark: they're in grey, I only have them in red.. Those futuristic industrial structures are fantastic! They look Japanese, where did you get them? On Montreal Square there's a strange building in the upper left corner (on the other side of the stadium) What is it? That stadium is beautiful btw, what's the name of it? And finally, the 'British' 3 story rowhouses, they really look awesome, are they on the STEX also? You know, the problem is, (it might sound familiar..) that I have my computer stuffed with almost everything there is to download from ST (I created a downloads-dir from which I install the BAT files into the game: from time to time I take what I need, so that I don't have to ruin my plugin folder with 4000 files or so..) Problem is, I forget names and no pics are added with the BATS (few exceptions) So... I probably have the files, but don't know their names anymore, that's why I'm asking.. However, the buildings in this update are not familiar to me Anyway, apologies for the long answer, and keep up!

Update 10: ufo sighting With the foundation of MIA a whole range of new possibilities was there. During the following months large parts of New Holland were mapped and investigated. The population was growing and still new villages and towns appeared. This update tells a remarkable story about what happened recently in the southern part of the region... The most southern town in New Holland is Turtle's Bay (Schildpad Baai). In this town, close to the border, a strange event took place. On saturday evening, august 21st of 22NHE, Ayatri heard a strange noise and looked out of the windows of the Flowermarket where she was working at that moment. She saw something unbelievable: strange objects floating in the sky, making an eerie noise; there were at least three of them... Scared to death she couldn't move, just watch in awe... That night, Turtle Bay was visited by the Aliens. Up to this moment, nobody had ever heard of aliens or ufo's or other weird stuff, so you can imagine that Ayatri didn't know what she saw... She decided to go to the police and tell the whole story, and a few days later when she had to come to the police department, she noticed that some secret agents of MIA were there too. They were extremely interested in her story... One of the agents introduced himself as Arotu, and he told her not to speak to ANYONE about what she had seen. If she did, he told her, she would be locked up for seven years and sent into exile... Despite the strong security measures, it was already too late. The rumour spread very quickly, and within a few days everybody in New Holland had heard about what happened in Turtle's Bay. The commotion easily turned into panic, and something had to be done. The next days mayor Paul of Messelmonde contacted other mayors and rulers in the country. After a brief deliberation with some of them, it was decided that there would be a secret conference: at least something had to be done to handle the crisis. In several towns riots had already begun. Desperate and frightened people wanted to know what the hell was going on. Finally the conference took place, on august 30th; nine days after the occurrence of the Unidentified Flying Objects of Turtle Bay. The Turtle Bay Crisis Deliberation was held in Hellegat, in the luxury resort hotel Tio Pepe (the only one in New Holland!) The following towns were represented: Messelmonde, Turtle Bay, Nederburg, Arendal, Hellegat, Dronkendam, Ringeloord, Arenburg, Skippers Gate, Golddiggers District, Kapers Bay, Hoornberg and Slijkmoerassen. The meeting took two full days and nights, and eventually a remarkable decision was made. The representatives of New Holland unanimously decided to start a big cooperation to unravel the mystery, and they went even further: they decided that all towns and villages of the country would unite in one single nation: New Holland, with a single capital and a soon to be elected president. They also decided that MIA (Messelmonde Intelligence Agency) would be transformed into NHID (Nieuw Holland Inlichtingen Dienst; transl. New Holland Intelligence Agency), with nationwide competence. Courier was appointed to be the director of the new Agency After the decisions were made public, the whole nation relaxed down a bit. They felt a little bit relieved: at last action was taken. There were also rumours about an army to be formed, with missile installations to defend against possible Alien attacks... but that wil be something for the next update... Ayatri, after all, was very happy she reported the ufo's. It turned out that she was the only one who had witnessed the event, that night. More important: it was actually BECAUSE of her report, that eventually New Holland was united; she was very thankful for that, and she started looking for a way to do more for the sake of New Holland.... Well, that will be stuff for future updates, for now I'd like to give you an idea of the town where Ayatri lives: Turtle Bay. Some screenshots from her fotoalbum (when she was doing a sightseeing tour with a local tourist helicopter) notice the watchtower that watches over the sea.. And once again that beautiful beachfront at sunset: Followed by a night shot of Turtle Bay's highest office building : I'd like to apologize for the bad picture quality, but you know, Ayatri just had a 5 dollar camera... As always I'd like to know what you think of the story sofar; if you have any suggestions, critique, questions, or if you just want to say hello.. it's all ok Comments are most welcome! Stay in touch!

Superb Job! The terraforming is truly AWESOME! What mods did you use? Ongelooflijk wat een regio! Welke mods heb je hiervoor gebruikt? EDIT: Oh, I see, it's the PEG rockmod Are you sure it's a good idea to present the cj in Dutch? I think you won't get as many replies as possible; my English isn't superb either, and I feel the same about it. I can't express myself the way I can in Dutch, but well, I'm not writing a book...lol. Maybe you can add some short comments in English, so that everyone will be able to follow the general story.. Anyway, I'm VERY curious about what comes next..