x2230062

Maybe questions ! Thanks.... Here are a couple answers - About next poll : I know what it'll be but I need to post another update before starting it, otherwise you won't know what I'm talking about . All I can say is it's probably THE most important question so far concerning this specific city, since you'll get to define... the general structure of it! (I told you, this city really IS in your hands... ) - Dhoppeii : yes of course. Obviously the intensive traffic on the canal will end up stimulating growth along the canal, especially when it comes to trade... Look out for the upcoming updates! - DaMaster : I think I'll need your help for next poll too since it worked so well last time. I'll PM you soon OK? And yes there is already a waterway system, only it is not for old buildings yet... - GingerBlokey, Leech : no big park yet, since my city has just started its industrial revolution, but I take note of your suggestion for the future (in the post-industrial era for instance). And the smaller canals are not designed to be a city center yet. Realistically the point so far is to develop industry - but there will be a possibility to redesign canal usage when the need for commercial services takes over. Keep an eye on this city!!!

WHERE WE'RE AT... For those of you who haven't followed this CJ so far, here's the overall structure of Ashby Quays (our main city) so far... https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//wherewereatnow.JPG align=baseline>

THE INDUSTRY REVITALIZATION PLAN (Note : this update won't be as interesting as I would have liked it to 'cos I've had some trouble with my PC lately... Sorry) The debate was long before the location of the port to build was decided. Local residents (and as a matter of fact the governor himself) were not keen on having it built too close to their homes. Yet since the purpose of the citadels was to protect the region, it could not be located too far away. And then the main reason for building a port was to facilitate the exploitation of the mines nearby... So it was eventually decided the port would be built inside a small bay east of the citadel. It took a while to be completed but the result turned out to be even better than people had expected. [:0] Of course the new facility provoked a sudden boom for the local industry which quickly concentrated around the port And in turn, a small city started to develop nearby, as the proximity of the port stimulated commerce too, and workers thought the citadels were too far to live. The growth of the city was spectacular... at least at the beginning... (Question by the funky urbanist: is it possible to control, at least to a certain extent, what buildings will appear and where? Sometimes all the same buildings pop up in the same area which is a little bit too uniform for my taste...) But the economic development of the region was faced with another great challenge, as room for the industrial sprawl quickly disappeared. The nearby hills made it difficult to expand in the port area. Growth slowed down for a while. Until the city came up with an idea Up the river is a flat piece of land perfect for industry to develop and the river could be used as a convenient means of transportation ! The plan was approved by the local authorities but the central government rejected the idea, since the river was too long a way to carry freight back and forth to the port. Instead, they suggested a much more ambitious plan, which was at the time the greatest project to be undertaken in the whole country: a CANAL!! A long, wide and modern facility who could accomodate lots of ships, and make the trip to and from the port much more efficient! The construction started as soon as the credits were voted, and went on for years, but it was expected that the outcome would result in a significant development of the region... (Sorry... as I said I had planned on a much more interesting update and the development was faster, with a finished canal and all but a bug ruined everything before I could take pics !) NEXT UPDATE: GROWTH, GROWTH, GROWTH!!! AND MODERNIZATION

Date: 2/25/2005 8:06:42 AM Author: your_adress_here YAY!!! Ok, we can start building now!quote> A couple of buildings are already built (see update page 5) !! But no doubt growth will get faster now that the city has a name

AND THE WINNER IS... Thanks for voting!! The poll is closed and the results are as follows: TREMOINT POINT : 31% HEAVEN'S GATE: 12% VEREN: 11% ASHBY QUAYS: 44% So Ashby Quays it is. See you here tomorrow to see what'S happening to our newly named city...

Date: 2/24/2005 2:56:06 AM Author: petriknl Not to support my name But isn't Veren the most international sounding name?? I think it's the name who represents not only the englishspeaking part of Simtropolis but the entire community....quote> True, and that's why I picked it in the first place I don't mind an English sounding name though. And I'm afraid of what Heaven's Gate would sound like in Dutch ! kiddin' !! lol

lol there must be a place somewhere called heaven's gate (maybe in north dakota?)

Last time I checked the results were: Tremont Point 37% Ashby Quays 33% Heaven's Gate 16% Veren 12% Unseelie -> lol I hadn't thought about that... So you're sticking to Unseelieburgh? Petriknl -> it looks like your name could use some support indeed... only 12% now! GingerBlokey -> I liked the Quay part a lot too, which is why I picked it... And it sounds funny (at least I think so as a non-native English speaker) VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTE! http://www.langlaufen.nl/poll1.htm

Date: 2/23/2005 6:21:33 AM Author: ExiL3 Very nice storey,  and I just love your way of building citys! Just sad that my names for the CBD didn't make it . Heheh.. Well keep it up!quote> Thank you! And don't worry, there could be a city somewhere else in the region called Clive or Rutchette Look out for the upcoming updates

Date: 2/23/2005 5:40:07 AM Author: simmax This CJ is a good idea! It seems like Tremont Point is winning!!! Thanks! I really like your CJ too (I hope you'll start working on Paris intra muros soon ! ) Funnily enough, last time I checked the total votes for the poll didn't reach 100% though Tremont Point is fine by me (I like all 4 names anyway). And it vaguely sounds French ...

NAMING THE CBD Hi all! Please use the post just above by DaMaster to decide between the 4 proposals I picked for the final vote. Thanks for your suggestions. I liked many (many!) of your ideas and it was very (very!) difficult to choose the last 4 possibilities. However, I ruled out everything that had bay in it, since the CBD is only a very small part of the bay. The whole region should be called Whatever Bay and as a matter of fact I liked Adunatus Bay a lot: it means united in Latin and after all, it goes well with my storyboard, and with the fact that we're all developing the region together. What do you think? Back to the point: the 4 options I retained are: 1. Tremont Point 2. Heaven's Gate 3. Veren 4. Ashby Quays VOTE! (you just have to click the link above and then make your decision...) Deadline: 25 Feb. (Friday) 6:00 A.M. EST PS: most of suggestions not included in this list will be used to name neighbouring cities...

WATERFRONT AREA POLL Here are the results: 1. Industrial area: 5 (14%) 2. Recreational area: 12 (34%) 3. High-wealth residential area: 18 (52%) (incl. mine...) As many (many!) people suggested though, a combination of residential and recreational areas sounds good - after all, the whole zone doesn't have to be uniform... I suggest then that we develop a little bit of both, maybe with high-wealth residents on the mainland and a big park with a stadium or a nice-looking landmark on the island (?) We'll see... Thanks for your votes!

Date: 2/22/2005 2:42:17 AM Author: Cjah Nice update! I though of alot of names....I'm good at coming up with names.... Try Paradime City Or Finshin,Crimson City,Demantoucar City The embankment set rocks!!!! quote> Thanks for your suggestions The embankment set is great! I can think of a million ways of putting it to good use... I hope I have enough time to try them all

...AND PEACE After their victory, the Republic renegociated the boundaries of the Empire and imposed that it should abandon the whole bay to the Republic, drawing the line east of the Eastern mountains. The consequence was immediate for our settlers too: they were granted autonomy to a certain extent only, provided their community remained inside the Republic. A governor was appointed to watch over the affairs of the region, and as their freedom shrank more every day the settlers began to wonder whether they had really won the war. The plan imposed by the central government was clear. The painfully acquired bay was not to be left empty. It was feared that the Empire would seek revenge, and developing/protecting the region was the main concern for years after the war ended. What little was left of the population would be transferred eastwards, where citadels would be erected to ensure the safety of the community. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//vuegenereg.JPG align=baseline> The citadels were strategically build to overlook both the bay and the river. It took a very long time to complete them but the result gave the sensation of a precious achievement. As a recognition for their courage in the battle and a symbol of the city's rebirth, villagers were granted the right to rebuild to the identical the bridge that had formerly bound their two communities. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//vuegener.JPG align=baseline> On the Western citadel was built a magnificent palace for the governor. It is a very secure area noone can enter or leave without permission (and a reverence to the governor's statue facing the bridge) https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//govpal2.JPG align=baseline> (If you look carefully you can actually see the governor's car coming back from his inspection) https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//govpal1.JPG align=baseline> The main area lies though on the Eastern citadel, around a magnificent cathedral built as a gift to the gods for the victory as well as to enshrine those who lost their lives on the battlefield. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//ilecathed.JPG align=baseline> The citadel is gridded by narrow streets lined with buildings and shops. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//cathed1.JPG align=baseline> https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//cathed2.JPG align=baseline> Although life would never be the same, peace and safety brought a certain level of comfort to the small community who in less than 10 years was almost as populated as it used to be before the war ( Pop. 8,048 ) But development and growth was too slow to please the central government who declared the resources of the region underexploited. It was put to vote and agreed that the construction of a modern and efficient port was the only way of benefiting from a bay they had had such a hard time to conquer. (To be continued...) (Note of the funky urbanist: The citadels were built with Marrast's embankment set which wasn't designed for that purpose. I took a shot and I think it didn't work out too badly...)

WAR... Our small city went on growing rapidly for some years; developing industries had demonstrated the need for effective infrastructure which in turn boosted services and turned the region into a thriving commercial hub. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//beforethewar.JPG align=baseline> Alas, the resources of the territory and the growth of the region had made it an increasingly attractive prey to the neighbouring empire, who compensated a mediocre economy by an impressive army. The pressure on the region grew unbearable, but there was no way our settlers were to abandon the city they had built with their own hands. That is, until the unfriendly neighbours declared war and starting bombing massively our settlers: if they couldn't establish their protectorate on the region, then at least noone would enjoy its vast resources! https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//war3.JPG align=baseline> What were the poor settlers to do? What could a city of merely 10,000 thousand souls do against a whole army? They resorted to the only option they had: they begged for help from their native country, the Republic of Condy - hoping it would have the military power to defeat the Empire. Their request was (too) carefully considered before the Republic agreed to engage in a armed conflict. The armies were well balanced and caused the fight to go on for months and be devastating before it came to an end with the painful victory of the Republic. Little was left to be saved though... https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//war2.JPG align=baseline> https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//war1.JPG align=baseline>

DEAR ALL, Sorry I'm late to upload new pics of the region... I messed up with my ingame pics folder but hopefully everything will be uploaded tonight local time, so... let me see... around 6am EST! I did work on it though, and I was also busy testing Marrast's embankment set (it is great...! and now available on the stex) which I think I'll use a lot to design and landscape a nice-looking downtown... Thanks a lot for your opinions and your suggestions. When I upload the pictures, I'll also give the results of the poll and give the final list of names you'll be able to choose from. (It's gonna be really hard to choose! ) NOTE: don't be upset if the name you suggested is not in the final list. I like so many of your names that I'll use some for the neighbouring cities!! (Agreed, it's cooler to be the founder of the CBD but...) PS: I forgot to reply to a question I was asked a looong time ago, sorry... The map we are using is available on the MEX, the author is flamesrock and I think the original name of it was Port Donaldson.

Date: 2/21/2005 4:46:40 AM Author: DaMaster_architect hey x2230062, I can make a real poll for you, so you won't have to count all the votes anymore manually. message me if you need a poll. quote> Thanks, DaMaster! That'd be great!! How can you do that though? Oh well, maybe I should just trust people who have skills I'll never have

This is a truly great piece of work, Marrast...!!! I tested the beta version this week-end and as far as I know there was no trouble whatsoever. It takes a short while to learn how to use the tiles properly but after you get used to it the result is really beautiful. Thanks a lot!! You're doing a wonderful job. PS: it is a very good idea to change the background color in the menu depending on the type of tiles, I think.

TWO POLLS IN ONE... 1. Considering Area 3 will be the main business area of my region, I'm left with a biiiig question that haunts me: what am I gonna do with the waterfront at the entrance of the bay? https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//reg3.jpg align=baseline> You have three different options to choose from: 1. A sprawling industrial area 2. A recreational area (stadium, golf course...?) 3. A mid-sized exclusive residential area 2. Here's a little game to name the city holding the CBD... You have a right to submit any name you like (multiple proposals are welcome). Comes the deadline, I'll pick up the 3 or 4 names I liked most (yes I do get to do something once in a while...!) and organize a vote so that you eventually determine what the city will be called. The deadline for both projects (defining a role for the waterfront / suggest names for the business district) is the end of the week-end, i.e. Monday, 3am EST. Yes that is right... since you have two questions to answer you will have more time (and I'll have time to develop my region some more!) VOTE!!!! (Feel free to vote for only one question if you don't care about the other topic!)

CBD LOCATION - POLL RESULTS Thanks again everyone for your participation. When I updated this CJ yesterday the results were 12-3-12, meaning it could have been a very close call between Area 1 and Area 3. The outcome is somehow different: Votes: 33 Area 1: 13 (39%) Area 2: 3 (9%) Area 3: 17 (52%) The purpose of this CJ is to enable people to participate more actively to the development of the region they see. But another interest for me was to introduce new challenges, such as for instance developing areas in a way I wouldn't have thought of. I should be really happy then, because my vote went to area 1 (I thought it'd look really impressive), but the majority rules: I'll develop my main skyline in zone 3 I'll work on my region this week-end, continue my little storyboard and post pics on Monday. Look out for the update. Coming next: * what to do with the waterfront? * a poll for the poll: name the region!

What was I thinking?! How could I not see this thread before? It's absolutely AWESOME !! I just downloaded it, can't wait to go back and test it tonight. (I swear I almost cried when, as I was reading the thread and got to page 3, I realized that the first beta version wasn't available for download anymore...! But then page 6 made soooo happy! )

THE FIRST SETTLERS AND THE BEGINNING OF THE INDUSTRIAL ERA Notes: * I don't feel like showing a complete city and wait for compliments or critics. I'll show the development of the different cities and gather your opinions, comments, advice to improve them progressively. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day and the cities you live in today probably looked somehow different a hundred years ago. So please bear in mind that NOTHING of what I post is final... Rezoning, terraforming or relocating is always possible. * My cities sometimes look very funny. This is because I don't plop buildings - except for landmarks and non-growable BATs of course! - and whenever I can choose I will only install growable versions of the buildings I like. Again it can look odd but as time goes by I always end up rezoning, rebuilding etc. till it is at least acceptable... ___________________________________________________________ Fleeing up north from the epidemy of plague that swept the country and took lives of millions, a small group of settlers decided to establish themselves on a small island, a few miles off the shore of a totally deserted area. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//1.JPG align=baseline> The few families that had decided to live there found a very fertile soil and the small community could easily survive, even isolated on a thin strip of ground. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//2.JPG align=baseline> The population quickly grew from 15 to 139 and the village lived in peace for a very long time. Happily ever after, end of the story? Maybe not. On the continent just across the island a group of courageous pioneers discovered by accident that the mountains there were hiding a bonanza of precious metals... Soon it was decided to send people over to seize this fabulous opportunity. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//3.JPG align=baseline> A railway was soon constructed to facilitate the transportation of people and material. As the mines thrived on abundant resources and since adequate infrastructure was effective, it was only a matter of months until industry took off close to the mines... and attracted workers who founded a small village nearby (pop. 1,039) https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//4.JPG align=baseline> The thriving industry also spred the seeds of inequality within the village. Soon a very ambitious small group of entrepreneurs who knew what business was about made it abundantly clear they were not to be mistaken with the common people.https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//5.JPG align=baseline> In the meantime, our little community on the island soon realized they had gotten it all wrong: when surrounded by the sea, how could you not think of fishing as your primary resource?! The establishment of a little but quickly growing fishing harbour stimulated the development of the first few shops to be found on the island. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//6.JPG align=baseline> The two communities appeared to be irresistibly complementary: while the younger people of the Island longed for jobs that involved neither farming nor fishing, industry workers felt the shops on the Island were a great place to spend their (few) pennies. Even the mining barons managed to convince some of the fishing boats to run some errands for them across the sea. Everybody agreed to the idea that anything that could promote exchanges between the two communities should be undertaken immediately. And on a clear spring night, delegates of the two villages signed an official agreement to co-finance the building of a very modern bridge between them. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//7].JPG align=baseline> The idea was a huge success; shops and industry were developing at a fast pace and population kept growing steadily. The bridge was at the core of this economic miracle, and a growing flow was crossing the river each day, which in turn led shops to see the surroundings as the place to be - quite unsurprisingly. https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//8.JPG align=baseline> It seemed nothing could stop the growth of the new city (pop. 7,842). Really?...

THE REGION Thank you all for your votes and opinions. You still have more than 24 hours to make up your mind about the location for the future downtown. Here is the first pic of the region, still untouched. I showed again the three different options for the CBD, since seeing the actual map may help you make your mind... (?) (The quality is truly awful but I'll try to keep this CJ as dial-up friendly as possible...) A few comments about the opinions expressed so far... * Indeed we are not choosing the map any more but the location of the main downtown area... Be careful what you vote for, thanks! * Yes CBD stands for Central Business District but this doesn't mean it has to be in the middle of the map - especially since the map represents a whole region and not a single city. Many cities have their skylines or main business districts in not so central areas anyway(mostly because of natural or political factors such as rivers, mountains, borders etc.) * I will vote last again and post the results ASAP.

CBD (Central & Beautiful District) CHALLENGE! Some may think it's too soon for another poll. Maybe. But then it is hard to develop cities when you have no idea where you are going. I will create the region and start developing cities today but it would help to have an idea in mind of where I want my main downtown area to be in the future. You can choose (again) from three different options. Do not forget we are talking about the main business district, not the only one nor the only high-density zone of the city! Since I will take some time to start playing, you will have 48 hours to decide where you want the most impressive skyline to rise... The deadline is Friday, 4.30am EST. The first pics of the newly created region will be available tomorrow. See you then... https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//S322.jpg align=baseline>