Map Guy

Interesting! Had a few months away from the game, and I come back to this! Digital version downloading as I type. I'm one of those nutters still on Vista and I had a multitude of problems with the game in the recent past, which I reckon might have been the cause of another Windows update (though I was never able to confirm that). I wonder if the new digital copy will suffer those same problems I used to get, or will it be glorious and not require a restart every time I try and load it?!

Great idea to do a split city like that. Looking forward to seeing more of this! :)

Very nice! Always enjoy reading these, the historical context is brilliant!

Replies: Roman_Samudra: Thanks! I like to try and keep my RHW junctions as compact as possible and that's a nice simple solution for a fork that still keeps smooth curves. fdjw0808: Haha I can appreciate that, it's taken me a long while to drop the Maxis and fully embrace the NAM but I'm more of a fan of Symphony now we have that, it's just so much easier to use. That said, the flexibility of the RHW is incredible. The hard part is just making it look good! Kim Sunwoo: Thanks! Wanted to try and create residential areas that weren't too grid-based without spending massive amounts of time on them. Haven't turned out too bad, think there's room for improvement though michae95l: Thank you! Yep, I'll continue to fly the flag for SC4 for a long while yet - my Vista laptop struggles with this, let alone Skylines which would be unplayable if I was even able to install it! Major from Bajor: Thanks - I do like to fill in the gaps between developments and also any open areas with trees. I sometimes go a bit overkill with it so I need to try and remember that open areas are good too! Titanicbuff: Thanks dude Right then, it's all change for the latest entry in this CJ. We're heading north away from St. Alexander, to one of the two big cities in the country - Solcross. It's still only half-built as yet so you'll notice unfinished parts and open areas that need to be filled. It'll all be done in due course - for now feast your eyes on my progress so far! And before we go any further, may I apologise for forgetting to turn the grid off! Rookie error! An Introduction to Solcross The Democratic Republic of Bastutoland As I've pointed out, Solcross is one of the two major urban centres in Bastutoland. It is a hive of activity, as an important industrial centre and also a financial hub for the region. High rises mix with rows of apartments and the sprawl of suburbia. The city's airport whisks the white collar C-suite execs to and from their business meetings whilst motorways full of cars and trucks encircle and cross the city, the arteries pumping life into this metropolis. When visiting Solcross, it's defining feature is it's network of canals. Historically these served the many factories and warehouses of the city, transporting large volumes of goods by water to the river that feeds into Lake Garde to the north, and from there to the rest of the country. For the past few decades however, as heavy industry died away and was relocated away from the centre, the waterways have been unused and fell into decay and disrepair. A massive project to revitalise the city's canals was taken up by the city council which breathed new life into its Historic Quarter which is now a hub of high-end retail and office space as well as being home to the city's renowned university. At one end of the canal network lies the local government administration buildings and city council offices. Whilst Solcross is the larger of the two main urban areas (the other being New Bartholomew), the national government and King's palace are not located here. New Bartholomew remains the administrative centre of the country despite being smaller. Solcross' government buildings face onto the popular King Anthony Park where there has been an open space maintained for the public since the country's founding by Anthony Bastuto over five centuries ago. Solcross Central Station lies to the east of the Historic Quarter and is one of the principal rail termini in the country. Lines from all directions converge on this point with thousands of passengers passing through it every day. Limited by the confines of the canal network, it isn't perfectly central to the city but a comprehensive subway network links it to all the major areas of the city. The park adjacent to it is another popular relaxation area. The main financial and office space area of the city is to the south of the government buildings, an area known as Middle Borough. This area of the city is somewhat newer than the older areas around the canal network, and as such as been less constricted by the layout of the canals and more relaxed planning regulations as fewer historical buildings and points of interest are found here. Consequently many new high-rises have been built to accommodate the demand for high quality office space as well as a lot of modern apartments to house the people working in them. Wide tree-lined boulevards with parking either side of them characterise the main streets in Middle Borough. One of the main roads into the area from the Spine Road - the M45 motorway running through the city - enters through the New Gate. The gate is made up of two white columns which together make up the monument which honours fallen Bastutoland soldiers in one of the many conflicts it has endured with its neighbours - the Winter War - a bitter conflict lasting three months between Bastutoland and Gaulmark over a disputed island. The road's junction with the Spine Road is a parclo/dumbell-style interchange. This has been necessitated by the close proximity of junctions all the way down the Spine Road as it serves different areas of the city. We'll explore it in more detail another time! I'll call it a day on this update then, as you can see, plenty has been done in Solcross but there's still an awful lot to cover considering this is a large city tile that needs filling! Lots still show you too so expect another update in the next couple of days, and once again, sorry for forgetting to turn the grid off!! Thanks for reading!

Incredible. This is what city development is all about - taking a challenging piece of terrain and building a functioning successful city around it. Fantastic job dude!

I'm looking at the list and thinking - I really should have picked a shorter name for my CJ! :lol:   Nice to make it onto the top 10 though! Thanks everyone!

Replies: feyss, T Wrecks, Mymyjp: Thanks guys! I'm glad I didn't flatten the terrain when I started out - the slopes really add an extra dimension to the row houses. dabadon5: Thank you dude! Kim Sunwoo: Thanks, that's quite a compliment! Let's hope I keep it up! The high rise was part of a development involving the train and subway station just to the west, so the improved transport links helped sooth most of the arguments! More of that below! Ln X: Thanks! VMIUJcadet09: They're awesome aren't they?! When you get a bunch together they're fantastic and perfect for a lower density area or smaller town like St Alexander. aegian: Thank you! Carrying over from the last update, today we stay in St. Alexander but move towards the suburbs and the edge of town... St. Alexander's Suburbs The Democratic Kingdom of Bastutoland Whilst St. Alexander is famous for its terraces of row houses, not everyone can live in them. Much of the town's steadily growing population finds itself in the semi-detached world of suburbia. Over the years, many housing developments have sprung up on the edge of town, fuelled by the insatiable demand of people wanting to live in this attractive town. St. Alexander has expanded to the point where these suburbs have now almost completely merged into those of Solcross. Many farms have been completely developed, and the developers have their eyes on even more. We start off though where we left off in the last update. Stanton Tower is one of the highest buildings in St. Alexander, and was built as part of a redevelopment and modernisation of the town's public transportation. Being restricted by the geography of the area and the narrow peninsula it's built on, St. Alexander's transport network is biased heavily in the east-west direction. The two north-south motorways and the railway line that all head north to Solcross being the only main routes in that direction. This meant that the local roads within the town were frequently overrun with traffic. Consequently a simple single-line subway system with three stations - one at each end and one roughly in the middle, was built. At one end, a station served the high rise CBD, whilst at the other, it offered an excellent link to Bastutoland's national railway network, the DKBTrain. It was this link to the railway network that prompted the construction of an attractive plaza, and adjoined to it was Stanton Tower. At the same time, The Engine Sheds - a modern, airy up-market shopping centre was constructed to the south of the renovated railway station whilst land to the north was sold for additional apartment developments. Surrounding this modern development are St. Alexander's leafy suburbs - meandering streets and cul-de-sacs, dissected by the major transport routes in and out of the town. The current western end of St. Alexander is determined by the M4 motorway which heads south out from Solcross before turning westwards further south. Two junctions serve St. Alexander, and here is the southern of the two - a limited access south-facing fork. The lack of north-facing slips is primarily due to the proximity of the town's other junction which would otherwise cause serious weaving issues. To the west of the M4 are swathes of farmland which characterise this largely flat area of Bastutoland, though developers are keenly eyeing up some of these fields for new residential estates. Will they get their way, or will the steady march of development in St. Alexander be halted? Maybe we'll find out next time! Thanks for reading!

Fantastic! Lovely scenic setting that you've created!

I absolutely love this entry! This sort of thing is one of my favourite parts of the game as well. Always loved roads and maps so getting them to work in the tightest space possible whilst still being realistic is right up my street!    You're doing a fantastic job here of replacing the Maxis junctions - they were so beautifully simple and yet so unrealistic, I sometimes wish I had them to help in complex layouts but the flexibility of the RHW and now Symphony too makes up for it.   Really looking forward to seeing some finished shots in future! Keep at it! :D

Unbelievable! So beautiful, it all works so well together! Great job! :)

Replies: TPB: Thank you! The problems with the last CJ were pretty disheartening, but it's been a long time since that happened so I'm raring to go again! slickbg56: I agree, I spent a long time looking for a map I liked - I do enjoy lots of islands and coastline which makes it much more interesting. Should look good when it's all filled up! Kim Sunwoo: Thank you, hopefully it turns out good! 89James89: Thanks James! Mymyjp: Me too, it should be a fun little adventure! And now it's time for a second entry and some first in-game shots! St. Alexander The Democratic Kingdom of Bastutoland St. Alexander is a small-ish town, located on a peninsula of land in the Three Needles region, for which it forms the administrative capital. It lies to the south of Solcross, one of the two main urban centres in Bastutoland with it's suburbs blending into those of Solcross, creating a sprawl of low density suburban housing. The two remain distinct though, whilst Solcross has it's famous canal network and classical architecture (more of that another time!), St. Alexander is characterised by its many streets of terraced town houses. There is a strong, close-knit community in this area of St. Alexander, and the Residents of St. Alexander's Terraces (or RoSATs for short) campaign vociferously against any significant changes to the architecture or character of the area, ensuring that these streets have remained largely unchanged for decades. Gentrification is strictly controlled and consequently the homes remain affordable for many of the town's poorer inhabitants. The area features both a primary and secondary school, as well as the Church of the Blessed Saint. As one of the oldest parts of St. Alexander it sits at the heart of the town, with newer developments surrounding it on all sides. One of these is Stanton Tower, a recent development of luxury apartments and penthouses. As one of the tallest buildings in St. Alexander it offers commanding views of the whole peninsula that the town is located upon, and offers a stark contrast to the two and three-floored terraces around it. St. Alexander is still very much a work-in-progress in-game so I can't really offer a wider view of the area at present, but hopefully this whets your appetite for the time being! Keep a look out for more updates next week! Thanks for reading!

Lovely use of the RHW! Some nice junctions in there!

Love, love, love that first image especially! Beautiful!

The Democratic Kingdom of Bastutoland "Forward, Together." Welcome to the Democratic Kingdom of Bastutoland! A tiny nation within the Gaulmark Archipelago. (The map, in case you were wondering, is ) The Democratic Kingdom of Bastutoland, often referred to as just Bastutoland or the DKB, is the largest of five small countries in the Gaulmark Archipelago. The country is comprised of a large portion of the largest island in the archipelago, Mainland, as well as a number of smaller outer islands. The geography of the country is mostly gentle and low-lying, with hills to the north-west. Lake Garde is a large inland body of water in the central part of the country. Bastutoland shares its presence in the Gaulmark Archipelago with a number of other small nation states - Gaulmark itself, United Prairia, East Lawrence and Montegeetia, and finally The Lawrence Protectorate which is a semi-autonomous region of Gaulmark. Relations between the countries can often be tense, as territorial claims overlap each other. Whilst all-out war has for the most part been avoided thus far, the threat is a tool employed by all of the countries’ leaders when attempting negotiations and delivering rhetoric to their own populace. There are a number of large settlements in Bastutoland, the most prominent being Solcross and its wider urban area, and also New Bartholomew. Aside from these cities, much of the country is dominated by a thriving agricultural sector, alongside the country's protected woodlands. The country’s flag is a simple white cross on a blue and red background, with a yellow star in the centre. It features in the country’s coat of arms as well, flanked by a phoenix and a dragon, and topped by the country’s royal crowns – the lower one is the current crown worn by King Samuel IV during official ceremonies and engagements, whilst the top crown above the helmet is the original one when Anthony Bastuto arrived on the islands, conquering the lands and in the process creating the royal house of the Bastutians. Thus Bastutoland was born and Anthony became King Anthony I, known by many as Anthony the Great, beginning a lineage that has continued for over 500 years. The coat of arms also features a motto; “Forward, Together” which the government and royal family have woven into everyday society in Bastutoland. ***************************************************************** Welcome to my brand new city journal! About a year ago I attempted my first CJ which ended after just two entries when I encountered a few issues with SC4. After a lot of frustration, I'm back, better prepared than ever and already with a stash of photos documenting some of the areas of Bastutoland which will ensure this will be a regularly updated chronicle of my SC4 exploits for hopefully long into the future! You will notice from the map that there are other countries besides Bastutoland in my region. My ambition at present is to try and at least complete this first country, but it may be that down the line I find extra time to devote to starting the other countries, in which case I'll rename the CJ and it will take on a region-wide perspective rather than just focusing on Bastutoland which is what I intend to do for now. Anyway, this introductory entry just sets the scene for things going forward. The action proper will begin next time out! Until then, thank you for visiting! I look forward to reading your comments and answering your questions!

It's been almost 12 months since I wrote my second entry in this city journal. It all promised so much, everything was ticking along nicely. That is until I came across an issue that even now isn't resolved. I've just learnt to operate the game around it. The issue in the main is detailed in a thread I set up in the forum: To cut a short story even shorter, the terrain texture disappeared mid-save during a session, and once I exited to the region view, the entire city tile was gone! As you can see from the screenshot, the population from the tile is still being counted, and it's still in the region folder in My Documents, I just can't click on it! Anyway, so I just wanted to draw this journal to an unfortunate premature close. But I am working on a new journal. Coming soon: The Democratic Kingdom of Bastutoland.

Thanks! I tried all sorts of things, but in the end I gave up! I had quite a long time away from the game (hence why it's been so long!) and by that point, having not done that much with this region anyway, I decided to just start afresh with something completely new. :)

WOW! Very nice dude that's some lovely detail. Love the low density suburbs too! :D

Some amazing work in there! Great job and a great airport too! :)

Yeah! LOVE those W2W rows of apartments and shops!

Superb stuff, some really nice buildings in there and a great job using the water and marina to make it all even more interesting. Thumbs up from me!

Love the narration in all of your posts, I'm sat here laughing out loud! Great job dude! :D

I agree with Kim - that last picture really shows how you've sent the grid packing. Good job!