captain_cookie

For the life of me, I can't figure out how to turn off the white grid lines (not the road guides), but the white square grid tiles all over my map. In SC4, you would just press 'g' or alt g to turn them off or on....but not on SC5 apparently. Can someone help me out please? I feel stupid and those lines are so annoying. Thanks!!!

I love reading CJs with a storyline. It sort of adds another dimension or layer to the journal. I'm not sure how I missed this one? Haha in Chapter 2 I thought Jason and the Mayor were going to have a fling....love interest?? yes yes? Anyway, nice start here. Your writing's top-notch, though the pictures and storyline could use a little spicing up. Also, nice job on the paper! I spend my nights alone making Sim papers too It's fun, huh? I look forward to the next update!

I've been admiring your CJ for a while. Always amazed and super impressed with your customizing and attention to detail. Each picture is way too yummy....

The visuals are stunning. It has a certain cloudy-stormy/melancholy feel to it...I like it.

Temple of the Sun, Andaluca City. Mighty Luca, high and majestic, open to our gaze the path to Wonderland, and show us the realm where fantasy reigns in thy holy valley of light, where romance and adventure flourish. Let every day's toil be forgotten under thy sheltering, infinite cloudless sky -- O glorious, mighty Luca---thy magic and thy brightness unite us all to worship at beauty's throne. --Sim's Guide to the Sun.

UPDATE: A video was just added in the previous update. (I didn't know how to embed at the time...) You can also see it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM-geuoWAWw. I highly recommend you watch it in HD. Replies: Thank you Computerguy, Jacqulina, and Fabsies! I appreciate the encouragement and comments.

nice!!! I have a video on dailymotion but how do I embed it here??? Does only youtube work? Ok I put it on youtube: Ugh. Can someone PM me? Or explain to me how to embed videos? I uploaded my video, then copy/pasted the embedded link to the anchor thing. But I still see nothing...?

Mini-Episode 2. There's traffic on the Sky-Belt. I'm not even stressed because it's so typical. What's the point? The freeway's a parking lot. Besides, I like to listen to Starlight Radio anyway. I forget how I ended up in this dark, soul-less city of uptight Sims who move like robots - and not to mention the resident psychopath stalking about... How to even describe this place? It's an urban wonderland of the grit and glitter - infinitely surreal - never knowing what is a dream, a nightmare, or reality. Waves of Sims march like ants under the shadows of cookie-cut skyscrapers and cheap glass towers while the ribbons of highway glow with brake lights stretching into the beyond. And no, that's not romantic fog blanketing downtown like a dream, it's just pollution from all the cars and industry parks. The city's a cesspool of excess and emptiness. A silly paradox of being alive but feeling dead. I feel detached from this world - like a mere observer, a visitor meant for another life. I know it sounds like I might need HP4, but I assure you: I don't. I'm just a very curious and perceptive Sim. Sometimes I question my surroundings, my neighbors, my world..my own existence. I'm John Wooten and I'm a technician at Solar-X INC., a company in Biazza City. Bzzzz... Did you hear that? Bzzzzzzz... That buzzing sound is getting louder... Bzzzzzzzzzz... ... . Music Video/Trailer:

I've always wanted to try re-creating real cities on SC4 but never had the patience...so I commend you!! I'm looking forward to see how this turns out.

Wow!! That superhighway is amazing...and I love that little apple store too. Keep up the good work!!!

Once upon a time..... ...there was a blue-masked bandit, the leader of a group of ambitious raiders from the East. His dream was to find the legendary treasure of Eldomar, the famous fairy-tale fort buried in the sands of the Golden Desert, thought to have held all the riches and glory of its vast and ruined desert empire of antiquity. The band of raiders left Biazza City, the nation's western portal to the unknown, the gateway to the unforgiving Golden Desert - the camel lands. Not frightened by the endless tales of the scorching weather, sandstorms, mythical dragons or heat-induced madness...they thought they were prepared for the worst as they left the City and followed the horizon to their uncertain future. The dark and chaotic Biazza City, portal to the GD. It was on their 100th night in the Golden Desert when the group got caught in a sandstorm of terrible winds and thunder. They lost most of their supplies and the lack of visibility slowed their march westward. The blue bandit decided to turn them back around towards Biazza but the strong gusts kept blowing them further and further off course. For twenty-seven days, the group endured a dark, thunderous cloud of sand swirling around them as they sought a way out. A sudden wind-storm begins to swirl around a mountain, sweeping sand and debris into the air. The blue bandit's eyes stung as he struggled to keep his group together. He hasn't eaten for days or slept in weeks: it was becoming too much for the famed raider of the East - known for his discoveries of forgotten temples and exotic treasures. A magnificent gust of wind blew him into the air, away from his party and tossed him against the ridge of the mountain, where he collapsed and couldn't move...and everything went black... The blue bandit awoke on a patch of fluffy, emerald-green grass, still dizzy and his vision a bit blurry. There was no sandstorm, just a cool cloudless sky filled with twittering birds and the noon-time sun. "Where am I?" he groaned. He was laying in the middle of an eden of some sort, surrounded by bubbling fountains, marble statues, and the most colorful, sweet-scented flowers. A glowing boy with black curls and feathered wings peered over him. "You're in Sojolie Fields," the boy said, "--'Tis the garden of the dead, where the souls of heroes and gods walk in divine eternity." The blue bandit didn't understand. "I'm dead?" "Here, this is for you," the angelic boy offered. "It's the Guide to the Sun. Read it carefully, my friend, and it will lead you the way." The blue bandit wanted to ask more questions, but the boy with wings had already flown away. The blue bandit fell asleep... Replies: Thank you very much to all who commented earlier! Thank you for being patient with me and this journal. I hope you enjoy future updates!

Hmm trying to fix...hold on..

Resort-style 'burb in the Camel Lands.

Suburban Mecca in all its glory, Deluca Desert is no longer the railroad town it used to be... Quickly becoming a center for business and entertainment, Deluca Desert's population has exploded the past few decades. I guess the sims don't mind the heat waves that can reach 120 degrees (fahrenheit). Here is a region shot: Sprawl across the desert valley... You can't see it in the picture, but there are mountains in the west and northwest of the region. I'll show them later. A shot of downtown. Plans are underway to fill the empty land with infill projects and parks. Circus Drive. What was once a gritty and dangerous part of town, developers turned the area into an entertainment destination. You can see several hotels and casinos here. There's the Lucky Dice Hotel, Moscow-a small russian themed resort, an Indian themed hotel, and the International Hilton next to the city zoo. More complexes are planned since these establishments have been infusing money into the city. Spaghetti Junction. With all the growth, highways were being built left and right. This particular intersection brings many of the suburbs together. I will be showing the 'burbs in later updates. The city has been undergoing massive highway projects the past few decades. ..and it looks like traffic is improving! Finally, here's a current transportation map of the area: In my next update, I will show pictures of Deluca's suburbs. Enjoy!

tres jolie! Je l'aime beaucoup!

Wow! Grizzly Gulch is fab! it's so....beautiful! That's right! Work that camel! capt cookie

The camel loves it!! GOOD JOB! Love the cities! Laguna is sweet! Keep it up! You sure know how to present your towns! Excuse me as I drool over some more pictures... --cc YEAH! roll that camel!

Wow, your cj is impressive!!!! woot woot! yeah baby! roll that camel! Love the beaches! love the towns! Love the churches! Your layouts are neat too. Yah, my beaches won't look like yours! Mine will be fake because it's in the desert haha love, cc

Hello all! The camel has came back! Wow, thanks for all the comments, and sorry for the LONG delay. jerrebannus: Thanks! I'll add a transportation map in the next update..my computer is slow right now =( Masterplanman: Yah, I love the canals too! They're time consuming to make though, but once finished, they can look amazing. Ninja12: haha yeah, Las vegas has been a big source of inspiration for sure. jacqulina: I'm glad you like my city, I'm looking forward to seeing yours!! I can't wait!!!! =) Nardo: Thanks for coming back! I saw Stepford the movie, that was my source of inspiration for my stepford town...and I promise that my town has no robots. Sirgeoj2: Thank you! I'm proud of several of my towns. It's hard to try and make each individual town unique. That's why some look real cool, others look like cookie-cut towns from other towns, and others just look ugly with no planning or direction. Telescope peak was one of those towns, so now I'm 'redeveloping it. elle_driver: I love desert themed cities..I just wish there were more buildings that looked more appropriate in the desert here. Allybaba: Thank you!!! There are only a few neighborhoods in my entire region that look really neat. In this journal, I over-glamorize them. Seriously, how many pictures of treasure coast, a town of only 3000, did I put up? haha. -----NOW.... ON WITH THE LITTLE SHOW---------- recently, In the camel lands of Sim Nation....a few luxury suburbs up north have been developing.... The Town of Strawberry Mansion. Located next to stepford and Palmdale. La Laguna (La la land). A small suburb north of Treasure Coast and Polo Beach. Since there's no commercial or industrial, this is like a big neighborhood surrounding a lake. A resort is in the planning stages. This town is so perfect and quiet, it's like you're living in lala land...24/7. hence the nickname. MORE LAND FOR GROWTH! Again, thanks for the comments, and sorry for the long wait between updates. I promise the next one will come sooner haha. And YES I will have an updated transportation map!! Ride that Camel!! cc COMING UP NEXT: New exotic cities! You will gasp at the new cities of Copacabana and Flamingo Valley.. =)

Thankyou Jacqulina! btw, what's your cj called?? Thanks Gingerblokey, I like to show quality pics and such. I'm glad you like le reve, it was loads of fun making it. Thank you Oreon! Hope to see you around more often! Enjoy people! Hmm, most of the new developments are along the highway. So think of this as a journey along the Corona Freeway..lol ...and let the show begin! A lot has been happening in this sprawling desert! Yep, our camels have definitely been rolling! Today, we're going to be traveling up and down the Corona, as I show you the many changes..... Just north of Stepford is Palmdale. A city known for sprawling neighborhoods and technology parks. I'm not sure if anyone else does this, but I take pictures of my cities during progress. Like freeway projects and housing projects and such. Well, I stumbled upon this old one. It's of DeLuca in its earlier dilapitated phases with the Corona Freeway expansion. You can even see Circus Drive on the bottom! gross! 20 years later, Circus Drive has grown.... Look! New clubs!! Scandalous!! The Tahj Hotel built luxury condos! what?? Are we in France?? ... No no, it's the Paris DeLuca! Circus' newest resort! Follow the Corona going south, you'll end up in Telescope Peak... Here's before/after of Telescope. I love the new feel of the town after renovating this district. This town feels like it has potential now!! If you drive all the way back up the Corona, passing Stepford and Palmdale, you'll reach..... La Laguna...Everyone, welcome to La La Land. The future: Flamingo Valley expansion More of this place later. Good night everybody! Drop your camel and leave a note! capt cookie

yes....get rush hour!! Hmm, I never clumped my industrial zones next to residential. Unless they were high-tech, then I wouldn't be so concerned. But dirty industry needs to stay away. Good luck!! Let the camels roll! ---cc

Hello all! Thanks for those wonderful comments Jacqulina and Nardo! That made my day! Today, I have a mini-update for everybody! YES! ....on with the show.... A town so green, you

My sims Love speaking in Camel!! nah, here in the Camel Lands of SimNation, we speak standard English. --cc

oooo! This should be cute! Gotta love those sunny beachside resorts!! Yep yep! I'm waiting to see your beautiful towns take shape!! Your two peninsula things remind me of something I saw in Florida. Anyway, have fun!! And let those camels roll! ---capt cookie