nedal2001

The story of Hope had spread throughout the region, and what had started out as a settlement of outcasts was now attracting not only those with no where to go, but also well-to-do families that valued the freedom Hope afforded them. On the corner of Walter and Maple Streets, relatively nice homes were constructed by some of the wealthier families that had moved into the town. These families contributed significantly to the economy of Hope, helping to further the development of the farms around the town – one family in particular, the Terring family, acquired a large number of cattle that they had graze behind their home, and the selling of the milk and meat became their primary business. The Hope Council was formed to run the affairs of the town, and would convene every Friday at the Lord’s House Church on Walter Street. The church was the meeting spot of the town, and the Friday meetings were attended by all. With the population of the town growing beyond 200 people, it had become important for the residents to have some kind of leadership to help guide the growth and prosperity of Hope. While the cattle were owned by Terring, the farms were all the property of the town, and the income provided from the crops were distributed equally amongst all the families. Of course, that did not mean some of the families did not start operating side businesses – the Brook family, for example, now had a couple of trailers in their logistics company to help transport goods not only to and from Hope, but also other settlements in the area. The Glass family began working as the primary contractors in Hope, building everything from walls to houses, while the Hodom family opened up a design and décor office and helped fabricate furniture for the town’s residents. The Hope Council was eager to see the development of the town, and the first project they unanimously voted for was the upgrading of Walter Street – they wanted to turn the muddy dirt road into a cobblestone street that connected all the way to the primary road on the outskirts of town. They had enough EDs saved up to make the project happen relatively quickly, and once they were down with Walter Street, the paving of Maple Street would begin.

In the mid-21st century, climate change led to global catastrophes that nearly ended humankind as we know it. Massive tsunamis and flooding coupled with extreme natural disasters changed the Earth that lasted years, leading to loss of life in the billions. Towards the late 21st century, the extreme weather and disasters began to subside, leaving a handful of people to lead humanity back to relevance. Much was lost – technology, recorded history, and almost everything that had been accomplished by the human race was gone and had to be rediscovered. Our story begins with a group of survivors a few dozen years after the Great Storm in what would be modern-day Ghana, West Africa. Earth’s temperature was permanently disrupted, and the environment in Ghana was now similar to the Mediterranean and Central Europe. Rediscovery of human advancement and technology was relatively rapid, and government, although limited to small areas, was recognized – unfortunately, most governments were oppressive in their ways. The world now operated under one currency, the Earth Dollar, which the New United Nations was responsible for printing and distributing. This specific group of survivors were outcasts from neighboring cities that were escaping prosecution and valued freedom. Seeking shelter from the rain, the small group of settlers built shacks, and to feed themselves, they planted a wheat field and hunted the local wildlife. What started out as a few families doubled in size in a very short timespan as word got out of the new settlement. The extra hands meant that the settlers could plant a corn field, as well, leading to excess food crop which they took to the closest city and sold for Earth Dollars (EDs). The population of the new settlement, called Hope, now had a population 34, with corn and wheat fields that are the town’s only tradeable goods. The pictures below show the beginnings of this new settlement. Welcome to the story of Hope!

I live in Africa, and that looks exactly like Africa! Especially the western coast (Senegal, Gambia, southern Mauritania)

It has been a loooong time since I've posted on Simtropolis, but I've gotten into Cities Skylines recently. The story here is that in the near future, catastrophic natural disasters hit the Earth, nearly causing the extinction of humanity, the picture below is a group of survivors starting their own settlement after escaping the oppressive "governments" that currently rule a small but growing human population.

There has not been much progress when it comes to this story because of Cities Skylines, but I was thinking about it the other day, and I decided Desten is going to have two storylines from two cities in it - Sophara (SimCity 4) and Springfield (Cities Skylines)! Somehow, I will intertwine the two (Springfield will be found sometime in the early 20th Century), but for now, here is a single teaser shot!

So in preparation for the new entry, here is a couple of shots of Desten Boulevard - in this case, north is looking west. Notice the newly constructed Saint Francis Cathedral a few blocks north of the edge of downtown Sophara.

The reason there are dirt roads is because of the historical time - in the mid-1800s, dirt roads were still prevalent in big cities. Thanks for the comment, both tariely and krover!

Ive been looking for them - I thought I had them saved somewhere but I cant seem to find them

Head of Council: Franklin Brickson (Just Elected) Population: 119,114 Playing Catchup We come back to our story in 1850 – a full twenty-five years since we last visited Sophara and Desten. Last time we were here, James Hemming had just won his third consecutive – and final – term as Head of the Executive Council in an election that was marred with controversy and violence. Each one of his three terms were known for separate, distinct reasons – the first term under Hemming was known for the aggressive development of the city as well as his focus on strengthening law enforcement and police, while the second term was associated with the creation of the Desten Tax Code, which put a 10% Income Tax on everyone and a 10% Import Tax on all imports coming into the country. His third term was perhaps his most ambitious, however, as the Executive Council began focusing on mining coal and getting it down to Sophara for use and export. Railroad tracks were built leading into the center of the country, and coal mines were opened thanks to private investments by most of the rich families in Desten. A coal refinery was constructed on the eastern side of Sophara by the Hemming family, who took the big share of the wealth from the coal mining because of the power the Head of Council, James Hemming, had consolidated. As his third term came to a close, however, his most likely successor – George Carpenter – was backed and funded by the Brickson family, the Hemming family’s bitter rivals. The Carpenter Years The 1830 elections went as expected, with George Carpenter taking the majority and becoming Desten’s second ever Head of Council. In the weeks after Carpenter was named Head, there was a lot of fear from the Hemming family and their associates, who did not know what to expect after their man had left office. Secret meetings between high level members of both the Brickson and Hemming families took place frequently, as they wanted to ensure a smooth transition where everyone’s interests remained intact. Neither family had any desire to see their system of obtaining wealth strained, so it was agreed that Carpenter would not chase after any dealings the Hemming family and its associates had in place with the Executive Council. In return, they would put their weight and support behind Carpenter’s leadership to make sure he was able to implement his vision without any drama. The agreement that was made after the 1830 elections allowed Carpenter – who was an entrepreneur by trade – to focus on what he thought was best for Desten. Coming from a business background, the new Head of Council was keen to see private businesses flourish in the capital, and embarked on making that happen. He approved several construction initiatives for the Sophada downtown area, leading to a small boom in construction and then in trade and retail activity. That was naturally followed by the opening of restaurants, cafes, and even small boutique hotels all around the Sophara downtown area, and most of centered around Desten Boulevard. He also approved an initiative to continue the expansion of Desten Boulevard’s wide avenue further south, which led to the construction of several rich townhouses and expensive apartment buildings being constructed. The 1835 elections, with the backing of the Hemming and the Brickson families, saw George Carpenter easily win his second term in the biggest landslide victory recorded in Desten history to date. No one wanted to screw up a good thing – a lot of wealth was flowing into the hands of Desten’s elite, whether it was through trade, coal mining, farming, or whatever else – and Carpenter was a Head of Council that most of those elite could get behind, simply because he did not confront them and go after their interest. Instead, his second term was an extension of his first – more development in Sophara, especially in the downtown district. He easily won his third term in 1840, as well, leading Desten from 1830 until 1845 in what was perhaps the country’s most peaceful time since its creation. It also saw the opening of Sophara’s first factories, aided by the fact that coal was readily available. To no one’s surprise, the two factories were owned by the Brickson and Hemming family, respectively. Waters’ Single Term and Downtown Desten’s third Head of Council was a man called Stanson Waters, another neutral candidate that most of the elite put their weight behind. Unlike Carpenter, however, Waters was more of “a man of the people” and promised to keep anyone who stepped out of line in check. He almost immediately clashed heads with Sophara’s elite, even sending a few low level men to prison on fraud charges. This, obviously did not bode well with Desten’s wealthy, and the next few years were spent attempting to undermine all of Waters’ efforts. This led to a very inefficient time in office for Waters, and there was generally a stagnation in the development of Desten as a whole over that time period, something that Desten’s rich were eager to point at seemingly every day. James Hemming, who died in 1834, was associated with strengthening law enforcement and introducing the 10% Tax Code, and George Carpenter’s 15 years were known as a time of flourishing business, development, and peace in Desten. Stanson Waters’ time, however, was known as a time of stagnation and tension, which would make his re-election campaign in 1850 very difficult as he had no real financial backers while his opponent, Franklin Brickson, had a united Desten elite behind him. What did come out the Waters’ tenure as Head as further redevelopment of the downtown area, as a fancy new hotel called the Quatre Saisons (Four Seasons) would open its doors for business, becoming the largest single building in all of Desten. That construction project was also paralleled by a new administrative building for the Executive Council, built across the street from the new hotel.

One more picture before the real update!

I know its been a while, but I am back to working on Desten - here is a teaser for the next update!

Head of Council: James Hemming Population: 57,881 Hemming’s Second Term After the controversy that marred the 1820 Head of Council elections, Hemming’s first proposal to the Desten Council after his re-election was to double the budget of the Sophara Police. Worried about potential retaliations to what was generally accepted as an election blemished with fraud, Hemming also successfully fired the Chief of Police and replaced him with one of his own men, Holden Brigand. The increase in budget was approved by the Council, and with one of his own men at the head of the Sophara Police, Hemming’s attempt to consolidate power over the police was a success. Crackdowns on what he called “threats to the peace of Desten” were ruthless and numerous, but Hemming was careful to make sure no one of real power was arrested. Instead, he focused on the small players and the people that were known to do the dirty work – basically, instead of going directly for the Brickson-led opposition’s heart, he tried to cut them off at their legs. They were too powerful to go after directly, and he knew that, so he went after their stooges. “Alive but crippled”, he famously said. Hemming’s second term in charge also saw his allies grow very wealthy, as new farms were cultivated to the north and east of Sophara. The Mulmont River still represented the unofficial border for the city, and the Desten Council was still adamant that no one was allowed to settle across the river. This forced the city to grow, along with the farms, northwards and eastwards. In fact, Head of Council James Hemming built his new personal residence on Desten Boulevard, as the road continued to expand northwards and continued to be the preferred choice for the wealthy of Desten to be build their homes in. Melborne Avenue also was expanded, as it continued to stretch eastwards, supporting both new farms and new residences. The Head of Council’s second term, however, would be dominated by one thing – the creation of the 10% income tax code, as well as the 10% import tax code. Both codes were extremely unpopular, and it was not a decision Hemming had forced down the Desten Council’s throats. It was a heavily researched necessity – as the country got bigger, so did the burden on its coffers. The tax code was deemed the biggest need by the Desten Council, and despite an uproar from all classes – poor and rich – the codes were implemented starting at the beginning of 1823. Hemming’s first term was defined by his aggressive development of the town and support for its law enforcement – his second term was most definitely defined by the tax codes implemented. The Sophara Docks With 9 operational piers, Phase One of the Sophara Docks project was called complete by the Desten Council, putting an end to their most ambitious and costly endeavor since the creation of the country approximately 10 years after construction first began. The Docks were also the life of the country – all imports and exports came through ships visiting the docks, as well as all immigrants into the new nation. That is why Hemming had the Sophara Police implement strict control over the Docks, in order to reduce the amount of smuggling as well as have control over who was immigrating and emigrating from the country. The Desten Tax Authority was set up to control all imports and exports, and also to collect tax for all incoming imports into the country. The DTA and the Desten Immigration Authority (DIA) were two separate entities, but both had their head offices at the Sophara Docks since that was where all their work was. The Sophara Docks caused a tremendous growth in the fishing industry in Desten, as all types of North Atlantic fish were found in abundance off the coast of the country. The fishing industry helped alleviate some of the pressure from the farming industry in providing food for a very fast growing city, and continued to leave Desten in a food surplus. The 1825 Elections Having already served two terms, James Hemming, now 61 years old, opted to run a third consecutive time, much to the dismay of his opponents. No law stated put a limit on the number of terms a Head of Council could serve, and taking full advantage of that loophole, Hemming made it so that any law to be issued on the subject would have to wait till after the elections. Having been defeated twice, the Brickson family opted to throw their weight behind a young candidate called George Carpenter, who was a self-made entrepreneur having grown his wealth from several small investments in businesses around Sophara. With the full support of the Sophara Police behind him, Hemming once again used that power to intimidate and scare potential opposition voters away. Once again, ballots were miscounted to show that Hemming had a substantial lead over his opponent when the reality suggested otherwise. At the end, the Desten Council was confronted by allies of Carpenter and the Brickson family with actual evidence showing the irregularities that had happened on Election Day, but after much deliberation, the Council chose to dismiss the evidence and once again proclaimed James Hemming the Head of Council. Declaring the result unacceptable and illegal, protesters led by Carpenter stormed the Independence Hall – seat of the Desten Council – while armed youth prepared for battled against the Sophara Police. With all out civil war threatening to spill into the streets, the Desten Council attempted to calm the tension by calling for dialogue between Hemming and Carpenter. Hemming accepted, but Carpenter refused, stating that first the elections must be called void and a new election day set. The refusal of Hemming and the Desten Council to meet those demands proved to be the flame that ignited the fire, and on December 19th, 1825, in response to alleged shots being targeted at them, the Sophara Police attacked the protesters and stormed the Independence Hall, which had been occupied for days by Carpenter’s followers. Upon hearing of the attack, the armed youth attacked the Sophara Police, and in two days of battle between the two sides, 126 people died with countless others injured. On December 22nd, 1825, George Carpenter agreed to a permanent cease-fire and called his supporters back on the condition that the Desten Council draw up a law limiting each Head of Council to a maximum of 3 terms, meaning this would be the last term James Hemming would serve, much to his disapproval and dismay. The Real Reason for the Violence in the 1825 Elections James Hemming was always quick to point out that the Brickson family led opposition were trying to undermine the democratic process and gain power by violent means, while George Carpenter used every opportunity to portray Hemming as a power hungry individual who was acting like a dictator. Both sides were trying to mass public support behind them, trying to make the residents of Desten believe that they were champions of their everyday cause and were merely trying to fight to give them a better life. The reality was different, as it always seems to be, however. In 1825, the first modern railway began operations in England, called the Stockton-Darlington Railway, meant to carry passengers and, more importantly, coal. With the latter fast becoming the most popular natural resource in the world, Hemming had secretly sanctioned a team to find out if Desten had the resource in 1822. The results came back two years and there were quite a few potential locations for coal mines to be set up. Of course, the Desten Council would have to sanction the mines, but Hemming wanted his private companies to operate them. The case was the same for the Brickson family and their allies, and that was the reason why the 1825 elections was so hotly contested. Whoever had control over the Council would also have leverage into making the mines their own, and it was only after an agreement to share the wealth was the cease-fire called. Hemming’s Third Term Project As 1825 came to a close, Hemming had already drawn up the project that would consume his third – and final – term as Head of Council. A railroad was to be developed, connecting the Sophara Docks to the future coal mines in the north. It was a project that was going to take much planning, and had a great cost to it. The mines could not be developed until the railroad was up and running, and the second issue was that the Sophara Docks currently had to store the coal. The Docks would have to be expanded, or a separate pier for the coal would have to be constructed. Either way, the first step was to get the rail connection going between the Sophara and the coal mines. The other goal behind getting the railroad tracks built was the Desten Council’s plan to open up part of the rest of the island for development. To state it simply, the rich of Sophara were getting tired of mingling with those they deemed to be of a lower class level than themselves, and thus wanted to find a way to get them out of Sophara and into their own little enclaves. Land and real estate prices were rising in the capital, and beautification projects were happening all around, especially on Desten Boulevard – whether it was downtown near the docks or further up north whre the road became double laned with trees and well maintained grass in the middle. Downtown Sophara. Aerial looking north. A typical neighborhood in Sophara. The Hatfield School - the first ever in Desten. Desten Boulevard looking east.

I definitely get what you're saying about the street textures - unfortunately, I have no idea how to play with Lot Editor! You are right about the small touches - they will start appearing soon. I have been following the growth of Manhattan through the 1800s, and Sophara is at that point where it grew very quickly in the past 20-30 years. Industry, religious buildings, etc...all of that will start showing their faces soon! Thank you!

What to expect in the next update! (Click on the picture)

I could definitely put the pictures after the relevant text instead of bunching them all up at the end :)

Head of Council: James Hemming Population in 1820: 23,420 The first term of James Hemming as Head of Council was noted for his zero tolerance towards crime and corruption, which made him a lot of enemies with other wealthy families in Desten. Their argument was that he went after those that were a threat to his fortune, but turned a blind eye to the corrupted actions of his own family and friends. Nonetheless, much was accomplished in the five years Hemming served as Head of Council. Farming and herding land more than doubled from 1815 to 1820, bringing with it several opportunities for employment and keeping Desten – an island that would otherwise have to rely on imports to feed itself – in a food surplus. The beef grown in Desten was considered one of the finest in the world by those that had it, rich in taste and flavor, while the some of the fruits grown locally were also lamented with the same compliments. The spread of the farmland had generally stuck to the north, following the Mulmont River, which provided the necessary fresh water and kept the soil healthy and moist. Much of the land was subsidized by the Desten Council – unfortunately for some, it was only those who Hemming favored that seemed to receive those subsidies. When farmers, led by a member of the Brickson family, decided to protest and travel west across the Mulmont River and start developing agricultural land there, they were attacked and brutally put down by the Sophara Police, and shortly thereafter, the Desten Council passed a law that forbade anyone to found any type of farm or settlement on Desten land. The only one with that authority, it was announced, was the council itself, and as of the time being, the council had decided that the focus was to remain on the development of Sophara. That did nothing to quell the growing resentment against the perceived aristocratic power players led by Hemming, and the 1820 elections was the most contested – and unfortunately, the most violent – in Desten history. Under Hemming’s first term as Head of Council, the population of Sophara also nearly doubled, growing to almost 24,000, with the city expanding rapidly north and east. The town’s population would have had it ranked as the United States’ 7th largest city if it was part of the former English colony, just a tad smaller than Charleston and ahead of the capital of Washington DC. Desten’s population growth was directly related to the growth in the USA because it was the same people that were immigrating to the New World that were stopping and settling in Desten, as well. Fearful that the rapid growth might lead to lack of control by his Council over the country, Hemming instated the Desten Immigration Authority, which was given the responsibility of tracking all incoming and outgoing people. The DIA also issued Resident Cards for all of Desten citizens, making it mandatory for all residents of the country to get the their resident papers as a form of identification that proved they were citizens of Desten. Anyone caught making trouble that was not a resident of the country was swiftly deported on the next ship out. It was also a way of consolidating power as Hemming was always fearful that the Brickson family were using their money to buy outside help from Europe to wrestle away Hemming’s authority. The backroom politics that was going on behind closed doors between Desten’s richest was pretty much unknown to the everyday people who went about their daily lives in Sophara. The biggest thing that had supported the town’s population growth and trade was the Sophara Docks. Five years after work had commenced on it, the Docks now had 7 operational piers, with plans to develop another 2 in the immediate future. That would put an end to the first phase of development concerning the Sophara Docks, which was the largest single project the Desten Council had undertaken, and funded, since the creation of the country. The importance of the new Docks could never be overstated, however, as the new harbor was also the single most important catalyst to the growing wealth of Sophara, as well. Whether it was the fishing industry or the trade sector, when the sun came up, the Sophara Docks came to life, filled with the hustle and bustle you would find at any major city’s harbor around the world. The Docks also were extremely important in the development of Desten’s export industry – while food was the main source of trade for incoming ships who wanted to restock for the second leg of their trips to either the New or the Old Worlds, a growing sector in Desten was the leather industry. Whether it was cow, pig, or sheep leather, the quality of the Desten leather was giving it a reputation as some of the finest one could get anywhere, and demand for the product was growing. The largest exporter of the Desten leather was, of course, the Hemming family, who were trying to monopolize market by either buying out the smaller traders, or making life extremely difficult for them – with full support of the Head of Council. With the town expanding and growing so fast, Head of Council James Hemming also led the charge into finding a quieter and more exclusive place to live for himself and his rich buddies, as the center of town was becoming way to crowded and congested. The Desten Council, most of them the rich buddies of Hemming, approved to expand Desten Boulevard after its intersection with Melborne Avenue, making each street a one way affair, with trees and grass lining up the middle of it. Mansions were constructed almost overnight by Sophara’s wealthiest, and those that were late on acquiring land there decided to build their mansions to the far east of Melborne Avenue, also miles away from the crowded center of town. Still, there were those who preferred the life closer to the action, and development in the center of town was also evident, as old single story houses were torn down and fancy townhouses were built up in their place. The town now had three main roads – Desten Boulevard going south to north, and Cross Street and Melborne Avenue going west to east. With all the improvements, developments, and growth, James Hemming entered the 1820 as the firm favorite to win his second term. Running against him, again, was Rosemund Brickson, the same candidate that Hemming had defeated five years prior. Last time around, the elections was an exciting affair filled with hop and promise – this time, however, it was mired by violence and threats. With accusations flying rampant that Hemming was power hungry and consolidating his authority so that he would not be challenged, Brickson attempted to rally the people of Sophara around him by portraying Hemming as a power-hungry dictator. Hemming responded by painting the picture that Brickson was out to destroy all the progress Desten had made in the past five years because he was not able to use his wealth for corruption and his own personal gain anymore. Protests from both sides became common place, usually ending with several arrests and injuries. By the time Election Day came around, both families had spent exhaustive amounts of money campaigning their candidates, and it was Hemming who would win out again, albeit by a slim margin. The Brickson family immediately called out the elections as illegitimate, claiming Hemming had his goons falsify votes and intimidate Brickson voters into not voting. Both claims, according to many neutral parties, were true, but at the end, the result was accepted by the Desten Council and Hemming was to serve another five years as Head of Council. The northern part of Desten Boulevard. The Sophara Docks and the center of town. Looking south. An aerial of Sophara looking south.

Head of Council: James Hemming Population: 13,918 The Desten Council, the governing body of Sophara and Desten, passes a law to have the Head of Council elections every five years, starting 1815. The two main candidates were both from Desten’s oldest and richest families – Rosemond Brickson and James Hemming. It was the latter that would end up winning the election, which was open to all citizens of Desten, with the promise that he would subsidize farmland and grant loans to all potential farmers to grow crops and commodities, as well as ranchers. The land granted was to the north, alongside the Mulmont River, and approval was given to begin roadworks to give road access to all the new farms and ranches. Hemming made good on his promise after being elected, granting the land and giving the road access. He also continued the expansion of Melborne Avenue, extending it all the way west to the Mulmont River, while focusing the development of the town to the area set aside by the previous administration to the northeast of the town. He also continued funding the Sophara Docks, as trade between the Old and New Worlds had increased exponentially and given Desten’s location between the two, it was bound to benefit from ships both coming and going. Hemming also emphasized the importance of the security of the town, and doubled its Police Department members as well as increased its budget, putting in place a plan to import more weaponry and ammunition in the coming five years than what the Council had spent on them the past twenty years. Hemming had the right idea – as the town eclipsed 13,000 residents, it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain control over the entire vicinity of Sophara all at once. The bigger reason for increasing the Police Department’s budger, however, was not the one told to the public – corruption had begun to show its ugly face in Sophara, and Hemming saw it as scourge that was hurting the Council and its income. He wanted to battle corruption, whether it was through Council members or through wealthy families or merchants, with powerful force in order to set an example. There was no doubting that James Hemming was not much of diplomatic implementation, and rather preferred to rule with command and an iron fist. While he did live up to his promise of subsidizing a number of farms along the river, many in the wealthy elite of Sophara figured it was just a way for Hemming to win mass support in order to achieve what he was after all along – wealth and power. Hemming already belong to the wealthiest family in Desten, and there were fears that he was merely working in order to strengthen the Hemming hold on the young nation. The Sophara Docks and the Sophara PD were Hemming’s priority because and expanded port meant larger quantities of export for the Hemming family, while a stronger PD – loyal to Hemming – meant a much stronger presence for the family. That was the fear of the other wealthy families, especially the Bricksons. Nonetheless, the politics of Sophara and Desten did not stop the town from growing to over 13,000 people by 1815, big enough to make it the United States’ 8th largest city if it was part of the country. Opportunities in the farming and trade sectors made Sophara an intriguing prospect for immigrants from the Old World looking to make a better life for themselves, much in the same way the United States promised them a better life. Unlike the United States, however, there was no war in Desten – while the US was involved in the War of 1812 with its former colonial master England, the Desten Council had shored up its defensive by strengthening the Sophara Police and making sure the town, and country, were capably defended. The Sophara Docks. The northeastern part of Sophara. Desten Boulevard. Desten Boulevard from further away.

Thanks for the comments - I have been meaning to bring back this CJ for a while now, and I am glad I did.  I hope you guys enjoy it, as well.

Desten experienced unprecedented growth in the past ten years, with the population more than doubling to nearly 10,000 citizens from just 4,000 in 1800. To put that in perspective, if Sophara was part of the USA, it would have been the 10th largest city by population in the country in 1810. Along with the growth in population also came unprecedented growth in wealth, as well. Trade and agriculture, most of the time hand-in-hand, where the primary reason for the development of wealth, and by the end of the first decade of the 19th century, the Desten Pier was extremely overwhelmed in respect to handling ship traffic. Sophara had relied on trade to grow its wealth since it was found, and it was under that premise that the Sophara Council ruled to expand the pier, giving birth to the Sophara Docks in 1807. The Sophara Docks was perhaps the council’s biggest and most ambitious initiative to date, and much of the surplus the local government was turning was put into the construction of the docks. This was by no means a small endeavor – in fact, the Sophara Docks were to be built in many phases. The current pier, renamed the Old Pier, was to stay on as the town’ main unloading bay during the construction period, but by 1810, the town had two piers to receive ships from – the Old Pier and Pier One. Desten Boulevard was the showcase of the quickly developing town, always full of life regardless of whether it was day or night. The Deschamps Hotel was the place to be seen by the local elite, while the Guerin Building was home to the watch and jewelry making House of Guerin, a fast rising name in both the New and Old Worlds. The most expensive, and fanciest, homes were located on Desten Boulevard, as Sophara’s richest families had chosen their addresses to be located next to one another on the city’s most famous road. Looking towards the future and the expected continued expansion of Sophara, the council began work on what is named the Melborne Avenue, named after the member of council who came up with and made the idea come to life. Located just north of the town, Barring Avenue becomes Sophara’s first double-lane road. The first construction phase saw begin on its intersection with Desten Boulevard and go east to the most eastern border of the last farm in the Sophara municipal area. The second phase would see Melborne Avenue extend west all the way to the river. An extensive road network was already drawn up to help support development eastward from the center of town, away from the river and more into the open space of the east. The 1800s also brought with it the discovery that the Desten soil makes for great pastures, and as such, the quality of the Desten meat is soon to be thought to be amongst the best in the world. Big pasture farms are opened up by the Hemming family to the north of Sophara, and in just a few years, those pasture farms were feeding the population of Desten beef of incredible quality. Note: I don’t know how to remove the cars, so please ignore those. I know they don’t match the times!

Hi all! Just like seemingly everyone, I am blissfully enjoying Cities: Skylines. I just wanted to find out if anyone made/is making/can make a mod to increase the number of jobs each industrial provides (x4 or even x8).

Yea, but its still way too much industry for my liking So no industrial job increase mod yet?

GENERAL INFORMATION A forgotten land, once called a desolate waste by 16th and 17th century explorers on their way to the Americas, Desera (rumored to have come from the Twi words for calm and desert) has been the home to nomadic tribes for thousands of years. No documented history has ever been recorded from the island situated in the middle of the atlantic, although the oral history – told through generations by tribal storytellers – is as rich as any. Even in this day and age, Desera has been ignored by the world until now, thanks to the discovery of that black gold: oil. Historically, there has never been a recorded settlement on Desera until now (Kafra being the only), but current estimates have put its total population at around five million, split up into as many as three hundred different tribes. Of those three hundred, there are around twenty larger tribes who dominate the landscape. The largest is the Kasoa tribe, but the most powerful is the Mallam tribe, the tribe of the current leader of Desera, the Royal President Sidebe Mallam. Underneath him is the recently formed Desera Council, made up of tribal leaders from across the land and who act as advisors and planners for the Royal Presidency. The Desera Council sits above all other ministries, which report directly to it and take its orders directly from it. The capital city of the newly formed nation of Desera is called Kafra, and is situated on the southern shores of the island. Kafra has only been recently formed, thanks to the construction of the small seaport and Desera’s only power plant. Currently, Kafra’s residents are made up of workers of the seaport and powerplant, as well as all official Desera Council representatives. It is the first time in the known history of Desera that there has been a permanent settlement, although stories do speak of forts and such throughout the years. BRIEF HISTORY As stated above, very little is known about the history of Desera, and other than the stories of the tribal storytellers, there is no way of knowing anything about it. There have been no recorded documents either on or off the island, and until very recently, it was not even considered a country. The son of current Royal President Mallam, the Prince Diallo Mallam, on a fishing expedition off the southern coast of Desera a few years, ran into a sailing ship, which anchored off the islands and stayed as guests of the Mallam tribe for three nights. During that time, Prince Diallo learned much of the outside world, and persuaded his father to allow him to travel with the ship, with the promise of returning in two years. Prince Diallo Mallam returned in two years on a much larger ship, and with a team of oil explorers that had pinpointed vast reserves underneath the Deseran soils. During his time in Europe, the prince had found out about oil when he was casually explaining to the sailors of the black liquid that could be found all over the island. He was swiftly taken to a company called Brand Oil, who wasted no time in committing to a journey to Desera. One year after the return of Prince Diallo Mallam, Desera was officially formed into a nation after a meeting by all the tribal leaders, naming the leader of the Mallam tribe, Sidebe Mallam, as the Royal President. He had won the other tribes over with the promise of vast riches beyond their wildest imagination, something that he was sure he could give after the worth of oil was explained to him. With help from Brand Oil, a small settlement called Kafra was built on the southern coast, in what was known as Mallam nomadic territory, with a small seaport and powerplant to help support the settlement. The preliminary oil fields that were set up were minor in size, exporting only 5,000 barrels a day, and were found a few hundred miles north of Kafra. A single road was built to reach the small oil fields from the seaport, cutting through Kafra, which was located just to the north of the seaport. With the government in place and the official recognition of Desera as a country, we begin the story of this once desolate land as it grows its way into the world. The settlement of Kafra. The Kafra powerplant, situated to the north of the settlement. The powerplant runs on coal. Kafra and the Kafra Seaport, looking south. The Kafra Seaport, looking north. An aerial shot of Kafra. Year One It had been one full year since Desera’s official declaration of Independence on January 1st, and what an eventful year it had been. The 45 year old Royal President Sidebe Mallam culminated the country’s first year as an independent nation by throwing a grand celebration at the newly built Desera Council Building, otherwise known as Independence Hall, inviting all the tribal leaders from around the country to attend. It was a fitting end to an equally grand, if slightly chaotic, first year. The hardest part was getting the new paper currency, officially called the Emle (singular and plural), into the hands of the people. The Emli was pegged to the US Dollar, and $1 equaled E1. The Desera Council had an overwhelming tough time opening up tiny branches of communication throughout the land, and around those small, glorified tents, families began to settle. All over Desera, settlements of 10 or 20 people popped up, as the nomadic tribes began situating themselves close to where they could get money. They would sell whatever they came up with, whether it was fish, livestock, crop, or even handcrafted items in return for the new currency. The Desera Council had purposely set up the program in order to introduce the currency into the lives of its citizens. Those same communication branches collected taxes from the people, which quickly became a major source of revenue for the Desera Council. The largest of all settlements was the capital city of Kafra, which swelled in a single year to 770 residents. Along Mallam Road, the only paved road in the entire nation, a small trading market made up of a few buildings quickly developed just north of the Kafra Seaport. The export of Desera’s main asset, oil, was still very primitive, with small barges coming in daily to transport the oil back to Europe. The oil was being shipped by land from the oil fields to the north of Kafra down to the seaport, where the barges and their crews would be waiting. Kafra’s trade activity initially revolved around these foreigners, but by the end of the year, the local market also played an important part. Whether meat, fish, crops, or handcrafted items, people saw that they could sell their product to a much bigger customer base if they could sell it in Kafra, which led to the quick expansion of its center. By the year’s end, the daytime population of the capital city was thought to be around 10,000 people, although less than 10% of that actually lived in the town. At night, most of the visitors to Kafra would head back over to the rest of their tribe, but one thing was for certain – the lives of everyone in this new nation had changed forever. The Desera Council had come up with welfare program meant to enrich the lives of its citizens, using over 50% of the taxes it collected to give back in some way or form to the people. It was set up in a special way, as each tribe was given a certain amount depending on its size. The tribal leaders would send their allocated amount to their people every month, in hopes of enriching their lives. It was the Deseran way of spending government money locally. Whether it was food, or help setting up a permanent home, the Council was willing and, for the most part, able to provide the help needed. It still needed a lot more help in terms of supporting itself, however, as it was difficult to find employees who were bright enough or able to take on the responsibilities they were asking for. In terms of spending, while the welfare program ate up a huge part of it, there was a lot of it going into maintaining the Kafra power plant and the water and sewage facility in the area. An additional E10 million was put towards a military budget, as well, and by the end of the year, the Deseran Armed Forces featured 500 soldiers assigned with the task of protecting the country and its leaders. Many tribes volunteered young men from its ranks, proudly showcasing some of the finest boys they had and sending them off to serve their new nation. At the end of the year, the Council found itself with approximately E300 million in access funds, a figure which completely blew the tribal leaders away. The Royal President had promised them wealth, and they had received it. With so much access funds, the Desera Council put several projects up for debate in hopes of finding a suitable one that would benefit the country’s infrastructure the most. Some mentioned drawing up a city plan for Kafra with paved roads, others mentioned upgrading the Kafra Seaport, amongst other things. Almost all agreed with Royal President Mallam, however, when he stated that an airport would be the most beneficial thing for the country as a whole. It was agreed that a small airport to the northeast of Kafra would be developed, and initial targets placed the estimated cost at E200 million. They would have to find a foreign company to do the job for them, but it would be well worth it. That would wrap up an eventful Year One for Desera, one that started out with a bang, and ended with an even bigger one. The Royal family would take up residence in the Independence Hall temporarily, but there were talks of constructing a Presidential Residence in Kafra in the near future. Under the watchful eye of the Royal President and his council, Desera entered its second year as an independent nation full of hope! The Desera Council Building, otherwise known as the Independence Hall. Close-up of Kafra’s center. Kafra’s center, looking east. Kafra’s center, looking west. An aerial shot of Kafra, looking west. An aerial shot of Kafra, looking north. An aerial shot of Kafra, looking south.

What Sophara looks like in the year 1800 AD.

1800 AD Desten continues to be a popular destination for people from European looking to make a new life for themselves and their families, leading to Sophara’s population to more than double in five years. Approaching 4,000 residents, the town starts picking up a reputation for the quality of produce it cultivates. Farmland takes up over 210 acres around the town, with wheat and barley being grown in large quantities. The biggest exporter of fresh food products remains the Hemming family, although new farmers begin to run large and profitable farms, as well. Agriculture employs nearly 80% of the workforce in Sophara, with the sector still big enough to employ more than double the amount. The quantity of produce being cultivated, herded, and fished leads to the construction of the Cross Avenue Market by the Desten Council. It becomes the location for farmers, herders, and fishermen to sell their product to local residents and outgoing sailors. It is estimated that Desten is producing twice as much food as it consumes, and the market becomes a selling point for the excess. With the Sophara Pier welcoming more and more ships, there is no shortage of buyers. New multiple-story buildings are built in central Sophara, especially down Desten Boulevard up to First Street. This includes the iconic Gourin Building, named after the famous Destenian jeweler and watch-maker who builds the clock on top of the tower. It is the largest building in Sophara and second only to the Independence Hall in height. Next to it, some luxury townhouses are constructed by the Brickson family as their residences. NOTE: The pictures are reflective of the period between 1795 to 1800. In Part Two of the 1800 AD update, pictures current to 1800 AD will be showcased.