UltraGIR XL

Gyah, I'd be much less upset if EA's anti-piracy paranoia wasn't so apparent with this. It's a delicate balancing act, and they're really leaning tool far over on the "evil corporation" stereotype's side. I mean, at least open up the content for sandbox mode to allow the folks like us here to really perfect the game. I mean, looking at SimCity 4 10 years ago compared to today, one gets the impression that it's an entirely different game, provided that they've kept up with all of the major mods out there. It's just... I feel betrayed, after playing this game. They've dumbed everything down far, far too much; it's just like Societies, in a lot of ways, except much prettier. And in a lot of ways, there's an even more bitter taste left on my tongue-- TiltedMill was an outside company; there's no way they could have done SimCity wholly right. But this is Maxis, and given that company's history, and its influence... well, all of this is inexcusable. I will not "rally" behind this game as the author suggests. No, the forced online feature is, among the other gripes, the single-biggest dealbreaker I've encountered. To rally behind this game is to legitimize this cancerous practice, which is already metastasizing across all of PC gaming. Those who truly wish to do so will always find a way to steal the content. The industry, whether it be gaming, music, or film, has been out-innovated at every turn, and will continue to be. In the process of fighting a futile battle, though, companies like EA will lose their previously-dedicated fanbases, and in the end, gain nothing of value. Will SimCity be able to pick up the slack? Probably. But I'll be damned if I'm one of the people responsible for its success.

Fantastic so far. In my opinion, though, there have been many Manhattan-based CJs here. As someone from Queens, are you going to extend your journal to have a more outer borough-centric view? Not that I have any problems with Manhattan. I live in the East Village, after all, work in Midtown, and always find it fun to see the recreations of what I see every day-- and you've proven yourself capable. I hope, though, that you do go onward beyond the scope of the City. Queens, especially, has so many undocumented sights that many overlook. Yeah, people have assumptions about the Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Jersey... but Queens has so much untapped potential. Either way, I see you're going places with this journal, and it seems that it will, though similar to Lucky7's journal, provide a different perspective. I'm eager to see this journal pan out. PS- I'm glad you didn't get shot. I'm a Detroit-native, turned-New Yorker.

@TekindusT: That was the inspiration, alright, right down to the colors I chose for the lines n' background. Every weekday it's the Uptown F from the Lower East Side for me...

Here's the Altair Subway Map. It's still missing its legend, so I'll fill you in-- white stops are both express and local stops and black are local only. Diamond-shaped lines are express, and circular are local. Here, also, is an unfinished road map of the central district of Verona, the capital of my CJ's country. Both cities are featured in my CJ.

Now, now, citiesxlfan, what's so bad about Detroit?

And I still gotcha beat, Easy Bakes. Holy Hell, I'm getting old... ...either that or I was too young when I started playing. Here's to all the 7+ year-ers!

To me, there's nothing quite like New York... ...but I am a little biased. The view of Midtown from the Brooklyn Bridge is just spectacular, though. In fact, it's the only reason why I've switched my jogging course from the Highline on the Hudson to the bridge. But I also happen to be a pretty big fan of older buildings. Really, most of anything made after 1960 I could care less about... ...that is, there are a few exceptions, though, I find the majority of the new buildings in China, Japan, Europe and the southern and western United States these days to be a bit... soulless, if I can use that word without being offensive. Impressive? By all means, yes, though I much prefer the romanticism of buildings styled after Art Deco, Beaux-Arts and Art Nouveau. That's just me. Consequently, as a Detroit-raised transplant in Manhattan, I also find a great appreciation for the skyline of my former city. While unimpressive in its volume of buildings and their heights, some of Detroit's buildings are the finest examples of early 20th century architecture we have. That picture doesn't do it justice, but, quite frankly, I thought it was cool, seeing as I snapped it from the window of a plane...

 Photoshop and only Photoshop! I've been tinkering with Illustrator for some time now, and I think I'll switch over to that, especially when making maps. That program has the benefit of not rendering its images all blurry/pixely, but it can be a real challenge... ...so, for the time beign, expect mainly Photoshop.  

- U P D A T E 2 2 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 0 - I updated the first page by adding a bonus Population Density Map. I'm working on my Altair update now, so stay tuned, peeps. Here's a sneak-peak at next week's addition to the story; I give to you the Altair Subway Map... Full version here. Be seeing you...

- U P D A T E 2 2 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 0 - I updated the first page by adding a bonus Population Density Map. I'm working on my Altair update now, so stay tuned, peeps. Here's a sneak-peak at next week's addition to the story; I give to you the Altair Subway Map... ...and don't worry, I'll keep this one updated, too! Full version here. (Now y'all know what takes me so long...) Be seeing you...

Astounding, just astounding. Your depth of detail and realism defies logic; you've proved that SimCity can be used as a medium of art. -J  

I will continue to update this page for a few more posts, but I must say that... ...THIS CITY JOURNAL HAS BEEN MOVED TO THE FOLLOWING CITY JOURNAL PAGE: https://www.simtropolis.com/cityjournals/?p=toc&id=1308 There is an update there on the City of Verona page from 21-22 February, 2010. Here is a mirror of that update, a Factsheet on the City of Verona. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ T H E C I T Y O F V E R O N A Verona- the first city of its eponymous nation, its capital, and among its largest in population. Verona was the city that started it all. This page is dedicated to its history and current state: demographics, pictures, landmarks, transit-- a perfect profile of the city in its entirety. Frankly, the author of this journal is known to be inconsistent and lazy at time. Currently a student in college, he uses SimCity as a hobby; a way to blow of steam. Having said that, then, he shall go forth with the embryonic profile of Verona; this page as of 21 February, 2010, profiles MODERN Verona; that is, what is tantamount to the "real world," or whatever you may wish to call it. Modern Verona is set, then, in the year 1970, which has different characteristics from our own year of 1970. Let us begin, then! D E M O G R A P H I C S Year Population 1800 199.782 1810 228.900 1820 240.784 1830 280.793 1840 300.768 1850 310.455 1860 319.030 1870 325.866 1880 325.988 1890 320.210 1900 318.456 1910 323.441 1920 398.002 1930 457.954 1940 585.092 1950 605.699 1960 613.322 1970 665.100 From early on, Verona had a commercial advantage as being the only established port in the continental DRV (Democratic Republic of Verona) outside of Altair, over 1.000 miles to the west. because of this, most of the country's commerce with the countries to its southwest was conducted through its capital. At that, the city became one of the two primary ports for immigrants in the country, until the establishment of Detroit, which curbed most immigrants towards that city or Altair. Because of this, the city has many old wave immigrants from Deimos and the Bacchic countries. As of 1970, the city had 665.100 residents, with a median per capita income of §61.450 per citizen. C I T Y S C A P E Verona is known for its sprawling plazas and parks, as well as its cultural heritage that is attributed to its status as an old immigrant haven and national capital. Many of its landmarks are commonplace in the minds of the DRV's populace as a whole; consequently, most are governmental structures. Verona Capitol The Capitol is one of the oldest buildings in the country; constructed almost immediately after the DRV's birth in 1780, the baroque building serves as the seat of both the Upper and Lower houses of the republic's legislative branch. The two convene in the same room at the center of the structure, though at different times. The building is surrounded by a moat-like canal and large public plazas; across the canal is Verona Square, though we'll cover that later. Governor's Quarters The Governor's Quarters is the official office and residency of the President of Verona, though many of his/her duties are carried out in other buildings in and around the city; most of the Secretariat (the President's cabinet) is maintained in a plaza just south of Verona Square. The Governor's Quarters has gone through four total buildings: the first two followed the same floor-plan but were burned by the Lyran army in their raid on the then-colony in the 18th century, and then again in the early 19th century by a renegade Duke from the motherland of Deimos. The second was destroyed in an attempted coup d'etat in the 1870s, but we'll get to that some other time. The current incarnation was built after the destruction of its predecessor, and remains in use today. Embassy Row As the name suggests, all of the foreign embassies in Verona are maintained on this stretch of road between the Meloy Monument and the Governor's Quarters. National Archives The National Archives are south of Embassy Row and store archives on the history of the country and its legislation in two twin structures off the reflecting pool north of the Capitol. across the street is a Lyran-style library-- among the most comprehensive in the world. Palace at Germanotta Square The Palace at Germanotta Square is a peculiar structure that was built through private funds as an "intelligentsia symposium" for the people of the city. No one knew what that meant, and as a consequence the palace closed due to low attendance. Then, in 1872, the federal government purchased the building to hold international expositions and summits in. The building has, since its acquisition, been the site of many treaty-signings. St. Mark's Cathedral The only religious symbol in the seat of a secular government-- the cathedral was built before the capital's park-like center was designed and was the only structure to not be bought out and demolished when the neighborhood was razed away for governmental structures. Meloy Monument Based on a mythical building named after a man named "Washington," the Meloy Monument is the monstrous obelisk at the end of the canal protruding from the Capitol, named in honor of the country's first President and founder, Carter Meloy. Ministry of Intelligence This is the building that houses the intelligence agencies of the Veronan government and is rumored to be the coordination center for espionage agents in Veronan employ. Tomb of Meloy These creeps embalmed their beloved first leader and send their kids on field trips to view the body when they don't feel like coordinating lesson plans for President's Day. National Opera House Only the nation's finest are invited to perform in this magnificent structure for the intelligentsia, nomenklatura and overall elite of the country. Palace of the Supreme Court The mysterious, robe-clad members of the Supreme Court of Verona convene in this building to do God-only-knows-what. Verona Square The central square of the city; it functions as the site of the inauguration of the President, military parades, victory parties, rallies and protests, and photo snapshots. It is located just south of the Capitol and is surrounded by the buildings of the Secretariat. Lyran Quarter After independence and the Lyran siege of the city in its first incarnation, the remaining Lyran soldiers were assimilated into the city; then, in 1820, when the autocratic leaders of the Kingdom of Lyra were expelled along with the aristocracy, they joined the descendants of the soldiers to form the Lyran Quarter. The neighborhood is among the wealthiest in the country, and closely resembles the streets of its originating land. The Duchy The Duchy is the complex of buildings devoted to serving as the offices of the Upper and Lower houses of the Veronan legislature. The smaller one to the east is devoted to the Upper; the larger, western one as the Lower. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~