hondo42769

Hello John, I'm doing ok, thanks for asking. I agree that the 1x1 res. zoning would not look appropriate in a suburban/urban area. I guess the biggest issue I have had is the detailing and terrain. I just haven't come up with anything that I have been happy with. But, I am extraordinarily picky (as you may have noticed), and will just have to keep trying. I hadn't really noticed it before, but in the first overview pic, it's obvious that you have moved away from the use of seasonal trees. Both look good, but it made me wonder if the use of so many seasonal trees created a performance issue. I have a new region that I am working on and am making extensive use of seasonal trees. Should I use caution? Take care, James

Hi John, Looks like I missed an update (or two). Just a quick comment on #48, that small residential neighborhood looks just fantastic. I mentioned a long time ago that I have rarely zoned anything 1x1, and that is still the case, I've tried, but have never really been happy with the results. Looking at what you have done here, I think my problem is that I'm looking at it too close, maybe if I zoom out afterwards I may have more success. Now for #49. I like what you have done with both the water tower area and the scenic overlook, but I would switch them. In the wider shots, it seems like there would not be much of a view of the bridges from that vantage point. The work you did on the promontory looks great! James

Hi Jacky, The area around the Kabin looks great! The new paths and fences look very interesting, thanks for pointing them out. James

Hi John, I know what you mean about never completing a region. I have yet to do that. I often get frustrated with the way the thing develops, but more than that, I get new ideas (or want to imitate others like some guy who calls himself Darmok) and want to utilize new stuff I've DL'd that just doesn't fit with what I have. Plus, sometimes I just like to TF a new region. Anyway, it all adds up to a lot of half-finished regions that I rarely visit again. Great update! I'm a little surprised that with all you crammed into that little shop in pic 5 you couldn't find room for a little coffee shop as well! I like ice cream as much as the next guy, but I live on coffee! You must have stocked that pond with some salmon, I saw some bears poking around. I guess they could just be cooling off. I will never get tired of seeing the way you develop your streams, the new inlet looks awsome! The pics from you fishing trip look great. Must have been a very relaxing trip! James

Hi Jacky, I'm doing fine, now that I'm back in Paradise/Serenity Falls, thanks for asking. I really liked the Serenity Falls update. The cliffs near the rail bridge in the first pic are fantastic, and your work with rivers (and water in general) are second to none! The town is coming along nicely, very cozy. The new canals look great! See you soon. James

Good Morning Jacky, Absolutely stunning work! The falls are amazing, and I love the twilight pics. I've always liked the contrast of your choice of rock texture (peg's dark basalt?) with the lush green surroundings. I just wish we could use multiple rock textures within the same city tile as I also like the missouri breaks rock texture as well. Anyway, I'm just rambling now... Keep up the good work! James

Hello John, Great update, again! I really like the way you took the PW stream into the river. That was a fantastic use of Jeroni's and David's items to produce some realistic rapids. Good job. I actually liked that little "kink" in the terrain near the chocolate factory owner's mansion. I thought it gave the ground a little character. To each there own, I guess. If everyone had the same taste, we wouldn't need all those great plugins (nearly 3 GB in my folder!). I'm glad to hear there are several updates yet to come. I can't imagine what it must be like to look back on this work from the beginning and what it has become. This is certainly a project of which you can be proud! James

Hi Jacky, All I can say is that your work makes me smile! Thank you for that! James

Hello John, It really is good to be back in AVR! The last couple of months were kinda rough, but I'm getting back on the horse, so to speak. I just need to keep a tighter grip on the reins. I had thought that I would have a lot of catching up to do, but it turns out I have only been MIA since p. 142. You really have done some amazing work since then. Your work always inspires me and gives me ideas I can use. Thanks for keeping the light on! I will certainly be back more often, especially since it sounds as though AVR is nearing completion. James

Hello John, Just taking a quick peek outside my shell to see what's up in AVR. I really have no idea how long it has been since I was here last, but it will be fun to go back and see what I have missed. I hope to visit more often. As for your last update, your work with PW is even better than I remembered. Hope all is well with you, and since you mentioned you will be on the road, may your travels be safe! James

Hello Jacky! It's been quite a while since I last visited Paradise. I'm sorry to hear that you lost all your work in PF1, but thankfully you haven't lost any of your talent! I'll try not to be such a stranger! James

Hi Jacky, Beautiful update! I can't imagine the number of broken hearts there would be had your pc issues caused problems with this fantastic cj. James

Hello John, I really like what you have done with the plop-water river. I know some people don't like it, but I like the fact that you left the grid "on" in a few pics. This really highlights the terrain in some areas where you might not notice some of the complexity. James

Hi Jacky, The castle is progressing nicely. I really like the castle within a castle! And, I'm not surprised that the castle gets lots of visitors. The Emerald Bay update looks amazing! Although, I'm concerned the whale may have trouble finding it's way back to the ocean. Looking forward to more! James

Hello John, I have actually taken a break from the canal. I just wasn't "seeing" it and decided to move on to some res/comm development. I'll get back to it later, but I also have a lot of work to do in LE to get the results I want. Whenever possible, I prefer to go for the "look" vs. "function". After all, creating things that look pleasing/interesting to me is why I play the game. Too bad about the snow, it sounds as though you have had enough for one winter. I hope you get to BBQ soon. I've been known to fire up the grill in the middle of winter when the mood strikes! I don't want to make your nostalgia any worse, but I just grilled up some burgers last weekend. The sawmill and lumberyard look great! Too bad the employees of the sawmill have Wal-Mart looming over them every day! I shop at Wal-Mart, too, but c'mon, do they have to penetrate every part of our world? I like how you split-up the avenue bridge. I do that quite often, as I like how it looks. In fact, I just completed one that I am very happy with. I'm looking forward to your work on the river that feeds the small lake. I wonder where the water goes after the lake? It seems like they might have some flood issues at the mill and yard. Take care, James