mb1.0.2

REPLIES: RandyE: Thanks a lot! With all the LUT's and map themes, you can get some really stellar shots of this game these days. Glad you enjoy. Takingyouthere:Thanks! I'm not so experienced when it comes to making industrial areas or power complexes. I usually don't focus much on them, so I'm glad you like them. I get what you're saying about the smokestacks, haha, but it's a trade-off, I suppose. raynev1: That's some high praise! SC4 is so iconic and has such a great community here at Simtropolis behind it, it can be hard (daunting even) to begin exploring another game. I came into the SC4 scene really late, so it was easy for me to start "fresh" with Skylines. It's not as deep and doesn't have as much flexibility as SC4 yet, but Skylines is a great tool for creating some beautiful cities. Sunrise in the valley. Today, we're visiting a small collection of locally owned and operated farms. Harvests aren't huge, but there's enough to squeak out a living. Rise and shine...and get to work. The pigs are already snuffing around in their pens looking for their morning slop. The Pork industry considered Snake River Valley a lost cause, as you just can't sustain industrial-level mega-farms. But the pigs that do live here---well---they're delicious. A variety of crops grow here, albeit in small numbers. Agave is one of the big guns here, and there's a Tequila distillery in the area. Also near here are the Royal Canter Stables. A local family breeds horses here and offers riding lessons for locals and visitors alike. An early morning, pre-breakfast brushing...ah. It's the life. The farmland sure is peaceful and serene. Hope you enjoy!

REPLIES: Scribosilyn: Thanks so much! I like to take advantage of the first person camera and try to capture interesting angles. Default angles are so...default! MushyMushy: Thanks so much! It's clear SC4 still has quite the grasp here. Hopefully this CJ will keep you interested and coming back! Airplane09: Right now, I'm showcasing/building the basics of where I want the story to start. There are a few "modern" cities that aren't on the brink of collapse (or at least there will be once they're built). Eventually, there will be a bit more of a story, but progress is slow. markussaage: Thank you. Glad you like it. Kinderly: Hey, man, fancy seeing you here. The LUT is called Realistic Warmer: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=523899106&searchtext=realistic+warmer (It's actually called Realistic II-After Dark Optimized but in-game it's Realistic Warmer). I'm also using a fantastic theme called Tropicity/Desert by OWL: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=677044827&searchtext= Together, I think they do a good job of giving off that dusty, sun-baked atmosphere. Takingyouthere: Thanks so much! I'm really trying to go slow with this project and detail, detail, detail. Hopefully, with your interest in industrial areas, you'll find this entry to your liking! gfv1974: I love Red Dead Redemption. I'm glad that's the feeling you're getting. That means the LUT and Map Theme are working, ha! Ln X: Thanks so much! This update will be a change of pace. Not all of Snake River Valley is so...desolate. One of the big employers of the region is the Red Canary Power Complex (RCPC). Coal is the name of the game here, some of it mined from the valley itself, although these days, most is hauled in via train. Rows upon rows of coal cars line the rail yard to the power station. Large smokestacks belch the fumes of progress into the air. This power station is the largest producer of electricity in the region. The mountains of coal sit waiting to be burned. No matter how much is burned, however, the pile never diminishes. Hard to imagine with what we've seen thus far that beauty like this can be found in the Valley. What will we see next?

Life is hard in the valley--and no other town in the region shows that more than Dagger Creek. Desolate, abandoned, and left to return to the earth, Dagger Creek shows the perils of living so close to the edge. The old rail bridge...a good measuring stick to see just how much the creek has dried up. Barely a trickle is left--certainly not enough to sustain a working town. Still, it is beautiful, in a haunting sort of way. Always considered blue collar, Dagger Creek was a hard-working town. The factory was the way to make ends meet here--now it rots. The silhouette of of old train depot, overgrown and crumbling, it sits disconnected to the rest of the world. The tracks are far too overgrown and parts have actually washed away in torrential (albeit infrequent) rains without upkeep. The factory, the church, and the train depot: once gathering places for the bustling little town. The only sound that you can hear now is the wind whipping through the abandoned streets. Even the dead can't escape the brutal conditions when no one is around to keep things clean and neat. A few houses still stand, but most lots sit empty. Climbing the hill, the tiny town of Dagger Creek looks insignificant in the backdrop of the desert.

The old steam engine chuffs along the track, weaving between the bluffs as it travels further into Snake River Valley. Water levels have fallen drastically in recent decades, due to drought and damming of the Snake River further up the valley...the view is still spectacular. Stepping out of the station, it's clear that Fort Carson has seen better days. Once a boom-town for the local miners, there are a few things here that have withstood the tests of time. Cathedral of Our Lady is still a sight...a hidden gem in a dusty land. An old main street still stands here in the town square. Some shops are boarded up now, but a few hang on. Once the mines dried up, so did the customers. Big plans were once had for Fort Carson, but those days seem long forgotten as the scrub begins its relenting takeover. The hardships are apparent as you get further away from Town Square. It doesn't take too long before abandoned homes and sparse city blocks are the norm. The people that still hold on in this town rely on the few visitors that come to visit Fort Carson, for which the city was named. Perched upon the cliffs above the bay, it provides some beautiful views as well as a dose of history for those who are interested. One of the aforementioned views of Slender Bay and the Snake River Valley from Fort Carson. Empty lots, dusty streets, and a fighting spirit--the qualities that define Fort Carson...our first stop in Snake River Valley.

I like your skyline. I'm a sucker for skylines along the river. Keep it up!

This is incredible! I've been away from Simtropolis for a while, but it's always great to see the amazing stuff you guys are able to still do with this title. This has to be one of the best industrial areas I've ever seen.

Replies: Ln X: Thanks, man. Entry 15: Trains! Today, we have a new video. Part 4 of my Let's Play series. We add a train station and start to develop a new "wedge" of the town. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for watching. Have a great day!

Replies: Ln X: Yeah, there's been an explosion of useful and creative things on the workshop. Really happy with how things are going. Schulmanator: Thanks a bunch! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Today, we have part 3 of my Let's Play series. The video is at the bottom of this entry (to be fair, it's been online for a while now, but I'm just now getting around to updating). Hope you enjoy! Palace Park More of Palace Park More park... A small park in the residential core. And the new video:

Do you run into the troubles of some of your custom assets popping up in your W2W areas? I'm having that struggle right now...especially once they get past level 2 or 3. This looks great, though. I've been on the fence about the custom theme mod. Have you had any issues with it or any weird incompatibilities? Thanks!

Love the sprawling layout. Feels very middle-American, kind of like Des Moines or something...nice job!

Yup, that's a pretty safe guess. I love how compact it all is. Those row homes and shops are great. The last pic is my favorite, though.

Entry 14 - More Old Town! Hi, everyone! My video series continues below with part two. In addition, as promised, I've provided some pictures from this build session. Hope you enjoy! I really tried to work on making some pedestrian plazas around the church and city buildings. I think it looks pretty okay. Using the zoneable pedestrian paths of Traffic++ has certainly helped! From the Cathedral Plaza, you can see the city's old government building, now a museum. There is a plaza over there, too. The government plaza. And finally, the Let's Play video. So there you have it. This European style is still tricky for me to get down, but I think I'm getting a feel for it with each video. Hopefully you agree. Thanks so much for any feedback you can provide, it's really appreciated. Have a great night.

This is beautiful. I love how comprehensive the update is. It really feels like a living, breathing city. Wonderful stuff!

This is an interesting topic. I'm here because of Skylines (or at least I'm more active). I've always had and played SC4, but coming into an already established community THAT late in a game's life is daunting. The amount of customization, the relationships in the community, it's overwhelming. So I mostly lurked...posted that shy CJ that Tekindus mentioned above...downloaded mods and soaked up information in the shadows...it wasn't until SC2013 that I really stared being more active, as it was a starting point for everyone. I wasn't trying to catch up with years and years of history. Granted, that game sucks...but the same thing happened with Skylines. I love that game and I was extremely active for quite a while when it first came out. The way it works for me, though, is that I bounce from game to game, sometimes taking months off of a particular game only to pick it up later. That happened to me and C:S. I got burnt out. I'm a member of the RCT community and have been for much longer than the SimCity/city builder community. I have never gone more than a few weeks without playing RCT3 since I joined that community back in '07. I think, since I have such an established place in that community, it's my fallback. Simtropolis is where I go when I'm playing city games, but that's only in fits and spurts. I'm sure it's like that for a lot of people. When you aren't actively playing the game, your general interest for it diminishes (at least for me it does). And for me, I haven't been around/active enough to establish myself among this community, so there's none of that incentive for me to just "hang out" here. I hope that doesn't come across as rude or something, as I really enjoy my time here when I am here, but this isn't my gaming "home" so to speak. I bet a lot of people are just casual gamers or are really into different games. My game is RCT3...with Skylines being my secondary game. So, the RCT forum I'm at is my home community, and Simtropolis is a nice place to visit...when I'm here. I'd bet that's the same for a lot of people. Until a game really HOOKS you, you probably won't be getting too involved in the community. Couple that with SC4's popularity slowly diminishing, and all the above mentioned points, and yeah, it probably feels a bit slower around here than normal. I'm sure it'll swing back.

Wow, I've missed a lot! This is looking great. Love your style of play.

Entry 13: A Shift in Medium Hi, everyone. This is my first entry since the site updated. Looks really nice. Appreciate the effort and the dedication to Simtropolis. Anyway, the last few days, I've decided to take the leap into Youtube Let's Play's. Yes, I know there are a ton out there. Yes, I know they can be tedious to watch. But hopefully you check out at least a little bit and can give me some suggestions/ideas. I've got 2 posted and one on the way, but I will be updating this CJ for each entry. After this initial video, I will also have pictures to accompany the video for those of you who prefer pictures to videos. *one more thing: this first video is blocked in Germany. The copyright status of the music I chose (Steve Reich (minimalist composer)) apparently blocks the music in specific countries. If you're in Germany, my apologies. The next videos will NOT have that issue. If you made it through the whole video, my thanks. Please take a minute to subscribe and/or comment if you liked this video. Hell, go ahead and comment if you hated it, too, haha. Always looking for ways to improve. Thanks so much, everyone!

REPLIES: Thanks a lot! It turned out pretty well, I think. Thank you. Thanks a lot. Thanks. Thank you. Ha, I hope you did. It's a great game. Entry 12: European Struggles It's been a while. I've been heavily involved in RCT3 lately, which is the game I tend to play more than any others, and as such, my Skylines (and therefore Simtropolis) time has waned as of late. Anyways, I got inspired by some images I saw to jump in and take my first real stab at the European update and let me tell you: it's hard. As an American, I'm finding it really difficult to build any sort of realistic European city. I get that there's a "ring" that circles the city, but after that...I'm kind of at a loss. Any help any of you could provide would be much appreciated. With that, here's a few images: The church is still the tallest structure in the city, which seems to make sense. From my (limited) travels to Europe, the cathedrals/churches tend to be pretty prominent. I'm really digging the corner buildings in the Euro set. However, I wish they worked at angles other than 90-degrees. Even though there's the European buildings, I still think it feels too "American." Help, please! Thanks for looking and thanks for any suggestions you can provide. Have a great day.

REPLIES: See Ultimate's post below. Thanks for the complement. Thanks a lot. Unfortunately, it really limits the build space. It's a modular football stadium, made by Drosvilla: http://steamcommunit...s/?id=417689782 Indeed it is. Thanks a bunch! Entry 11: Bandiburg is Born On a hazy, yet cool Spring day, the city of Bandiburg lies in the distance. Some of the city proper. Bandiburg is (eventually going to be) a major metropolitan area. Everything on the main island is actually Bandiburg city. The capital building from atop the Courthouse. A grand boulevard connects the two, with Government Park behind the capital building. Several monuments adorn Government Park. This one celebrates the first settlers to the area. Near the CBD core, this beautiful sculpture is a draw for tourists from all around. The massive skyscrapers bounce off the giant bean. The church of St. Patrick's is the oldest church in Bandiburg. It is the only cathedral located within city limits. Recently opened, Bandiburg International Airport (BIA) has been an economic boom for the area. In addition to passengers, BIA can transport huge amounts of cargo. Great views of downtown are available even while working on the tarmac. An overview of the airport area. Lots of room for growth (and improvement (it's my first real airport ever created---ever)). Finally, a view of (current) Bandiburg from the air. Hope you've enjoyed! Sorry for my hiatus. Real life and work are real busy right now. Didn't mean to totally drop off the face of the earth like that!

REPLIES Thanks so much. Hopefully this update makes up for the small sample size of last update. Thanks! Thank you. I try to get the best angles to really make it feel like the city is alive. Hopefully that's coming through... Entry 10: Entering a New League In this update, we take a look at the newest addition to Syrenity: the stadium for the Syrenity Typhoon, the soccer team here in town. It is the premiere attraction in Syrenity and as such, it is massive. Before that, though, some more of the CBD! Early in the morning, the buildings form a canyon from the sun. Way in the distance, you can see Thump Tower, a hotel and office building by one of the wealthiest men on the planet: Dennis Thump. As the sun rises, beams of sunlight penetrate the dense development and shine on the busy workers below. Good morning, Syrenity! The light dances from the water, to the buildings, and back again along the coast. Across the bridge, from the University, you get a slightly different angle. And there she is...Typhoon Stadium. It dwarfs everything around it. Parking isn't an issue. There are several (pay) lots as well as a massive (pay) garage. When games are not happening, the parking sits relatively abandoned. A view towards the CBD from the roof. Set back away from the CBD, the planners are hoping to give this area of town a nice economic jolt. Told you it was huge. From far offshore, the entirety of the Syrenity Skyline. From left to right: Old Downtown, Spyre Park, Midtown, CBD An overview. Thanks for looking and thanks for commenting!

Your industrial areas are always ridiculously awesome. Glad to see that hasn't changed with this title! Those brushes make all the difference. Awesome stuff, as usual.

REPLIES Thanks! Yeah, I've noticed a lot of the newer assets have been optimized a bit better than the earlier models. Of course, there's a few of the earlier models that are still pretty nice. Thanks, James. I'm a big fan of your CJ. Glad you enjoy mine! Thanks a lot! Ha, thanks for the wonderful comment. Have fun wherever you're at! Thank you. Thanks. I, too, enjoy that last image. Thank, you! Entry 9: CBD Closeups Thanks again for the wonderful comments. You guys are a big reason why I play. Thanks for supporting me and my Skylines adventures! The CBD looks beautiful as the sun sets. The light bounces off the glass and metal to create a stunning atmosphere. St. Rita's Catholic Church has been in Syrenity for over 100 years. The skyscrapers, on the other hand, have not. St. Rita stands the test of time. In the center of the CBD is Infinity Park, a monument and reminder that anything is possible and there are absolutely no limits. A smaller update today, but hopefully you've enjoyed the pics. Thanks again for your continued support.

REPLIES: Ha, hope this update suffices! The new upgrades to my computer are A-MA-ZING! Thanks. Yeah, it was a hit to the ol' pocketbook, but completely worth it. Thanks a lot! I appreciate the kind words. Update 8: Syrenity's Return My computer is alive and Skylines is back! I've been enjoying my new rig. The game runs flawlessly, although I still don't have the population to necessarily test it all that well. I've gone ahead and, essentially, replenished my asset and mod library, this time with a bit more cautious eye. I'm trying to pick things that have smaller file sizes. But enough talking...here's a crap-ton of pictures! The Quinto Tower finds its way back in, essentially, its original spot, in the old downtown of Syrenity. This is where it started. A luxury hotel & spa sits in old downtown, as there are a few nice things to see here. The Cathedral has a certain look to it that, in my eyes, helps it fit into this tropical paradise. Its massive tower chimes the time on the hour. One of the old government buildings near City Hall. Again, the old vs. new juxtaposition. Costal Boulevard huge the coast along downtown. As we leave downtown, we enter the Midtown district. Here, you can find some businesses and more things for tourists, including Syrenity's largest park. Some more of midtown, complete with the Arts Center (foreground), Sky Spyre (mid ground), and another elite hotel (background) And finally, we come to the modern-day CBD of Syrenity. It's massive. The local baseball team, the Syrenity Sounders, has a enviable spot for its home games. What a view. It's not all steel and glass in Syrenity, though. Tucked snugly between the coast and the mountains, you can easily escape the hustle and bustle of the city for some gorgeous views. So I hope you've enjoyed! Development is ongoing and we'll see just how far I can push this. Have a great day!

A work in progress, but it's shaping up nicely, I do believe.

REPLIES Thanks so much. I love the mix of old and new that is so prevalent in so many European cities. Thanks! I really enjoyed the way things were turning out with this. Thank you! That's a shame. I actually just had to upgrade my machine to get it to play the way I wanted. I feel that this game is the sequel city builders have been hoping for. The modding community is only going to get better and make better stuff, so I see a long life for Skylines. Thanks so much. Unfortunately, no more growth...see below. Update 7: An Unexpected Reboot It's been an interesting week+ for Skylines and me. Initially, I noticed when I was in the map or asset editor for prolonged periods, I'd get a Low on Memory notification on my machine. I have 8GB of RAM, so I was flabbergasted as to how this could be the case. Nonetheless, it didn't affect my actual city building. As my mod/asset library increased, I started getting more and more frequent crashes while simply building cities--it eventually reached a point where I couldn't even build on a new map without a crash after about 20 minutes. I scanned the error logs and found a lot of mods that were having issues/were broken. After removing them, I was still running into the crashes, but it would take slightly longer. After posting my issue to the Paradox forums, I started to look around the web to see if I could solve my problem with my machines current specs. Long story short: deleted all assets & mods. Game ran fine, but now all my cities weren't going to work. Turns out, I needed a computer upgrade. Luckily, I had just done our family taxes, and because of my child, we'll be getting a nice refund this year. I was able to upgrade my video card (to respectability), RAM, and power supply. That all came in on Tuesday. After installing everything and booting up the game, it ran like butter. I've installed a large collection of mods/assets again, kind of as a stress test, and again, smooth sailing with all settings maxed out. The RAM usage for this game is OUTRAGEOUS. I've gone ahead and bumped up the amount of vRAM my machine will allow, so hopefully that will help, too. Not sure if any of you are experts in computers, but I certainly am not, so if you have any other suggestions to optimize, I'm all ears. A thing I started noticing was the size of some of the assets. One building could be as much as 24MB. Most assets are around 2-3MB/asset. If you have hundreds of assets, that's GIGS worth of information your machine needs to process...and it appears as if RAM is the thing that does all the heavy lifting. I'm hopeful my extra 4GB of RAM will keep me playing smoothly from here on out...regardless of how much stuff I download (within reason, of course). I've taken it upon my self to avoid super large assets, save a few. Some are just too wonderful to pass up. Anything that's growable, for me, must have a small file size. Hopefully, this will also help manage my RAM usage. tl/dr: I upgraded my computer because it was pooping out on me, and now the game runs fine. That's why I've more or less disappeared over the last week. And now, as a reward if you read all that above: New Syrenity awaits... I love this map too much and was way too into the city to let it be simply another casualty of my tinkering.