JulianMIA
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Everything posted by JulianMIA
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I was looking back an old city I had started in 2018 and came across this - Mainly it was an exercise to sharpen my skills at using the RHW flex pieces, it was about engineering how 5 lines of inbound traffic might get distributed onto city streets without creating arrival bottlenecks and outbound traffic could get collected in some more dispersed manor and onto the outbound bridge as quickly as possible. The bridges: The inbound traffic (right-hand side) gets separated into express lanes and off-ramp distributer lanes: First distribution north and south: The second set of distributor lanes would handle much more traffic. Already I was seeing so much flaw in this design here though as most traffic was let out southbound except for one loop around to the northbound expressway and one set of lanes that intersected with an avenue where traffic would have to stop and wait to turn left. Looking back at this now makes me remember why I abandoned the work. While it was fun an interesting to build, it does really let you see how much space highways take up. Trying to avoid this in my newest city.
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- interchanges
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Hi! I was not sure if you were asking me in particular but I thought I would give you some info about how I set up my trains. The short answer is that there is not one single network of tracks that will carry all of the different train types in the same way that Amtrak, NJ, and SEPTA run on the northeast corridor line. There are a lot of cool things you can do though to make your train networks feel more like that, this is what I do: 1. GLR - I modified the GLR and EL-Rail to be the same as the RRW/HRW texture I decided on except that it is powered by 3rd rail electric instead of overhead catenary. This is because I converted a heavy rail passenger-rail train I wanted to use to be the GLR train. I wanted an alternative heavy-rail network rather than a true light-rail or tram type network. More like LIRR for example. 2. The newer hybrid railway (HRW) is really fantastic, this is my main network for all trains. However, it has some limitations - it cannot go through the original-type maxis tunnels and so far has only 1 bridge. So even though both passenger-rail and HSR trains can use these tracks I actually still keep them separate - I have the 'classic' network and the high speed network. In my large train stations I am doing dedicated tracks for GLR and HRW but I'm careful to keep the HSR-dedicated tracks separated everywhere - so that the HSR train doesn't end up switching onto a track that tries to take into a standard-type tunnel that it cannot get through. I like tunnels and all the different bridges that carry the original passenger-rail trains and don't want to give them up. 3. I reinstalled the older bullet train mod back again because it will provide tunnels and bridges that the HSR trains can use - however passenger-rail trains cannot get through or across these. So keep the two train types separated but running alongside and into and out of the same stations complicates the engineering but I kind of like it - it's a challenge and I've built some interesting things to make all this work. What you see in the pic right above your comment is: Top - the GLR line with it's heavy rail local/RER type train, you can see the third rail on the track Middle - this is the dedicated high-speed line, I have a Eurostar dropped in right now Bottom - this the passenger-rail network but it's also running on HRW tracks (except the bridge is not HRW). To give a little variety to those trains I have 7 different car types and 5 different locomotives as part of the set. 4. There is another train also, a fantastic TGV-looking train complete with head and rear end power units. This is actually a reskinned freight train (genius) but it provides more variety of passenger trains running around on the same HRW trackage that the passenger rail uses. It's not a working passenger train though. I use it as I'm not really into freight trains at this moment. So you can get something like this: Anyway this was my 25 cent answer, hope you have fun doing trains!
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Nice! This kind of terrain makes me think of trying to layout a Tehachapi Pass kinda thing you know
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Busy weekday rail lines...
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Really nice work, the park with the sports areas could be a photograph!
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This is a favorite little group of buildings of mine - the juxtaposition of the modern clad Gucci building by @mattb325 flanked by the two deco-era concrete beauties of The Sundry and Hillier buildings by @Jasoncw. Then of course there is the commanding presence of the perfect Reynolds Building by @Diego Del Llano in the foreground. Yet it does not dominate, only compliments, the smaller buildings. I used to want to dress the cityscape only in as many glass towers as I could find but lately I'm loving trying to find the right mix of older buildings and new. It may be that I realize it is more of a challenge - it is easier to just build what you think is all-new perfection, it is a little more difficult, but every bit as interesting, to build as it is more likely to be. And still like it.
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I was trying to look at the new traffic bollards I dropped in around the circle using the plop and paint when this one taxi driver drove up on the curve at the last moment and kind of photobombed me...
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Another of these areas where I like to stop and just look down at the street life in between the buildings...
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This is a beautiful job - the pond is outstanding!
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I did manage to get a railing that I liked to work on the HRW bridge although it lacks the middle railing. I made about 20 more prototypes for this modification but these 3 are the only ones I feel have any merit. The railing one kind of came out by accident but I think it could work. I really wanted to make this one representative of a viaduct type being used on the new HS2 line in the UK but you only have 27 pixels max to get under-girder and the concrete upper and lower sections to fit in. And then I kind of like this just solid, very modern concrete design which might be representative of the concrete cross-section bridges and viaducts being built everywhere these days.
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Show us your Riverside, Lakeside, or Oceanside
JulianMIA replied to scifanata's topic in SC4 Showcase
Nice work! Bold and modern but warm and inviting all at the same time -
Show us your Riverside, Lakeside, or Oceanside
JulianMIA replied to scifanata's topic in SC4 Showcase
Beautiful work! I like how you've taken the 'squared-off' route as I often do. -
Thanks for the compliment! I am really enjoying the HRW system, it has made me think about the engineering of my rail systems more than ever before. I thought since you were talking about HRW, I would write a bit about my own journey with HRW for anyone interested . In the beginning however, when it was first introduced, I was disappointed as back in the day I had started and had been using the regular RRW, the HSRP, and the BTM to have different trains running and I had been hoping to see more of these networks. I had remodeled the HSRP and BTM track textures to blend more with the RRW reskin which I was using at the time, this was kind of fun, I did a bunch of cool things with. Besides the obvious problem of just how much work probably has to go into support network crossings and making pieces for each network however by the NAM team, the fact that each network had to go to its own station designed for its track props, greatly limited creativity and what you could engineer. So then I started to see the genius of HRW poking through. I like trying to mod real-world operating scenarios so I'll use the French systems as an example. You have the classic network hauling freight and traditional passenger rails, I think the same network hosts some of the RER networks, you have the purpose built high-speed lines. At the end of the day however all of these trains have to get to the same stations and do. But in the game with different networks you couldn't really do that. And you really found yourself building the different networks in pretty separated areas from one another. HRW changed that and it made it so much better. In the beginning again, I was hoping the HRW texture would be separate so I could keep on with my different track textures I had made. Then I realized that I liked the uniformity that was being created and it lifted my work from being a little too cosmetically focused, to the engineering of it and I liked this every bit as much and I am doing much more built-out then I ever did before. So I like the singular trackage but cannot wait to see what is coming out next, I'm sure it's going to be great. For my own part I'd like to see a few of the HSR bridges adapted to HRW, that had some nice bridge models. The absolute ultimate would be if HRW was able to carry GLR traffic. Is that even possible? The rail network I could build with that..... Some pics to add interest to my monologue: Circa 2016 when I was trying to blend all my different tracks: HSRP, RRW, EL, BTW Circa 2018 when I was trying to the get the high-speed line to Nord station but I was always a bit unimpressed as I just went with the purpose-built HSRP station having to just be satisifed with being in the shadow of the great star-building itself... Jump to 2026 and HRW and all of the pretty trains can play nicely together... All of this is so much fun though!
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For this railing I was just working with the existing 90009 texture that the model calls for, I am not sure I know how to go further than that. It is actually nice (makes it easier) that it is all done with one single texture although I see how it limits things - there is only one railing area to the texture and it's applied to both sides - if there were two railing areas then the near side could get a bit of very neutral fill that might now really ruin the railing effect and leave the far side to look good. I have a few other things I'm going to try, texture wise, including a corrugated steel upper over a short concrete base that I also see on real bridges. I have a design that is using just one railing but I agree with @IDS2 that it is the middle railing which actually makes even having a railing worthwhile!
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I also applied a similar texture to the side railing walls of the El-rail texture and while it doesn't look quite as solid on the bridge, I really like it on the regular stretches of El-rail. But I also tried a completely different texture for the HRW bridge. I spent several hours building a concrete base and aluminum looking railing, I was super happy with it at 2000 pixels, lived with it at 128. Then I applied it and realized that while the railing on far side of the bridge looks kinda good when you can look through and see the water, the near side of the bridge allows you to see through in all the wrong places, I realized the design doesn't really allow a see-through railing. So I don't think my 4-Hour railing job was worth it. Which again is too bad because on the far side of the bridge it looks very cool.
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I have been working on some different looks for my elevated HRW and I think this is the one, I like the recolored concrete pillars and the modern concrete wall side railings. Might tweak the color a little more, it may be just a bit too blue.
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I am only still laying out transportation backbone but I'm keeping in mind all the places to incorporate these beautiful statues! Every big city train station for example...
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So. For some reason I started down the track-texture-tinkering rabbit hole this afternoon which at one point even included changing the coloration of my terrain base a bit. That proved just too much though and most of the 20 or so experimental textures are no good. And also this is maybe the 4th time I've jumped into this particular rabbit hole lol. I did find something I sort of like though, a faded and washed version of what I had come up with previously which in itself was only the standard RRW coloration darkened by 20 points. And I have to give the textures code names to even keep track of what I'm doing. This is the one (or in Julian code RRW3D20F1) that I really like. The other contender is that same texture just 12 points darker (or for those of you who were paying attention RRW3D20F1D12), this is as dark as I thought it could go without starting to look abandoned. (Also, these codes may become important. People have accidents. If someone had to step in and become mayor, or Director of Railroad Track Coloration, my coding system could be very helpful). And finally, just another pic of what I've been using for comparison. Which I still like. What to do.
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Looking amazing as always!
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The area around this train station is finally finished. Like any transportation hub it is a traffic magnet, and it took some time to figure out how to bring all of the roads together. I did not want any highway ramps, I feel like the roundabout is what it all work out.
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Some trains around the new area I've been working on. Most of the eastern-most regional rail lines will converge here to get set to go under the river. ALSO: raise your hand if you like to watch the trains go into the tunnel and then wait for them to come out the other side
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I stayed with the same area of tunnel portals on the east side of the river today so I coould work through more concepts of 'old concrete' textures. Maybe made some progress. I do now think that weeds and errant gum trees do go better with old concrete rather than new...
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Everything is incomplete - two locomotive paint jobs not finished, the concrete wall is sized wrong, the wall lot on the upper portal is too short. Lots of work to do and old concrete is soooooooo very difficult to get just right . But still. I like it anyway...
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I experimented today with lightening up the very dark one and darkening the light one just to see if there was a middle ground but in the end I agree the original dark one is the best. But now I need to figure out new textures for above the tunnel, the new-build modern concrete I have been using almost ruins the look. I does look awesome with lots of trains plying the tracks though I think
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Officially my very favorite newest most favorite wall texture. And newest. And very favorite. But then the hard decision comes. Whether to use the light colored or dark colored top edge to finish it off.
