david1314

Long has the square grid of Sim City been the bane of any true city-builder's existance. Anyone who has ever dreemed of connecting their cities with a striaght line rather than an akward 90 degree angle with cardinal direction-bound roads knows this too well. The thought of crossing water in any direction but North or East baffles the SC4 gamer. There are a few ad-hoc ways to work around this 2D hangover, and if properly executed, they can look quite picturesque and even contemptuous of little compass in the top left corner. Pionneers like EJC in the world of City Journaling forged new paths (both literally and figuratively) across the sim city 4 landscape. All too often however, a city-designer has fallen into the mundane grid pattern again, giving the sinking feeling that you've seen this city before. This is a place for you to get out of the lines and showcase your defiance of the grid! (There's nothing wrong with showing off a grid that doesn't conform the the 90 or 45 degree lines, they look quite cool too) This is a bridge from one of my CJ's cities. Currently it's semi-functional, being fully transit enable, but not pathed (this is more of a volume-based challenge than technical one). I'm not sure if I'm going to path it as the bridge spans 20 tiles and crosses another 13. The fact that the bridge doesn't conform to the grid at all makes the number of path files required astronomical, so I doubt I'll ever undertake that endevor. And I forgot the stays for the masts, I'll add that in latter. Edit: This is just a pic to give a better example of what the thread should be (the bridge pic was more a personal concept...this is something we can all relate to). Because of the extremly limited applications for this bridge, I don't see any real reason to release it. I'm sure some of your are familiar with my CJ, so I have a ton of these pics. I'll post my favorites in here.

Kersanova / Newport / North Cross These three towns saw the first true suburban development of the Reyesville metro area (and indeed the whole nation of Pacific Columbia generally). The cities were planned with the intent of providing a labor force to the (previously yet to be established) city of Newport. North Cross was established as a ferry landing and fishing village on the North Bank of the Lydian River where the [Green Fork] river joined the estuary. It served to connect the north of the country to Reyesville and the inland areas served via Lydian. The small coastal town has since been eclipsed by its industrial presence on the hills to the west and the suburban residential neighborhoods to the north. It is also the site of the new naval docks after the closure of the SoEaDo Naval Station and two others just north of Reyesville. Kersanova is originally a Russian settlement, but little history remains except in the name. Originally 'New Kursk' or Kursknovask, current city signage reflects the contemporary name; though, colloquially it is also known as Kersey. It is characterized by it's high bridges (and tolls) and the bluff overlooking the Lower Green Canyon. Today, the town is mostly a wealthy suburb with most residents commuting by car over the new Lariette Bridge over the Lydian river to Reyesville. Newport is, unsurprisingly, the new port in the region. With the consolidation of port operations and larger ships, the small disparate ports of the Lydian Estuary coast (including Reyseville / SoEaDo) have become obsolete. Furthermore, the advent of the container ship made construction of a new port area a necessity. Rather than improve the ultimately inadequate facilities existing in the region, the national government opted to construct an entirely new port. The port includes a pleasure marina in the far north of the area, and (working down the coast), the first container births (which could accommodate 3 large vesels or up to 5 smaller ones), refined oil storage (which had been exported from the resource rich north, refined, and returned as fuel and other oil products), various break/bulk docks, the auto delivery docks, two births that had been planned a break/bulk but were ultimately abandoned, navy oil dock, and finally the navy docks themselves (the last two actually within the city of North Cross). A very suburban town had developed to the immediate northwest of the port. A new landfill island (shown in the map below) will be used to increase container and inter modal capacity with 5 additional berths. Overview Picture Map:

Table of Contents The City of Reyseville c. 1961 Overview c. 1972 An overview of the nation's second city. The southern coast of the Reyesville metro area. New terminal buildings.

Kersanova / Newport / North Cross These three towns saw the first true suburban development of the Reyesville metro area (and indeed the whole nation of Pacific Columbia generally). The cities were planned with the intent of providing a labor force to the (previously yet to be established) city of Newport. North Cross was established as a ferry landing and fishing village on the North Bank of the Lydian River where the [Green Fork] river joined the estuary. It served to connect the north of the country to Reyesville and the inland areas served via Lydian. The small coastal town has since been eclipsed by its industrial presence on the hills to the west and the suburban residential neighborhoods to the north. It is also the site of the new naval docks after the closure of the SoEaDo Naval Station and two others just north of Reyesville. Kersanova is originally a Russian settlement, but little history remains except in the name. Originally 'New Kursk' or Kursknovask, current city signage reflects the contemporary name; though, colloquially it is also known as Kersey. It is characterized by it's high bridges (and tolls) and the bluff overlooking the Lower Green Canyon. Today, the town is mostly a wealthy suburb with most residents commuting by car over the new Lariette Bridge over the Lydian river to Reyesville. Newport is, unsurprisingly, the new port in the region. With the consolidation of port operations and larger ships, the small disparate ports of the Lydian Estuary coast (including Reyseville / SoEaDo) have become obsolete. Furthermore, the advent of the container ship made construction of a new port area a necessity. Rather than improve the ultimately inadequate facilities existing in the region, the national government opted to construct an entirely new port. The port includes a pleasure marina in the far north of the area, and (working down the coast), the first container births (which could accommodate 3 large vesels or up to 5 smaller ones), refined oil storage (which had been exported from the resource rich north, refined, and returned as fuel and other oil products), various break/bulk docks, the auto delivery docks, two births that had been planned a break/bulk but were ultimately abandoned, navy oil dock, and finally the navy docks themselves (the last two actually within the city of North Cross). A very suburban town had developed to the immediate northwest of the port. A new landfill island (shown in the map below) will be used to increase container and inter modal capacity with 5 additional berths. Overview Picture Map:

As the (real) years went on, the airport has taken a central importance to the region and it's story. As such, I wanted a unique terminal building as something of a signature to the region. Therefore, I revisited my c. 1961 airport pictures (originally posted nearly 5 years ago), and updated them with the new terminals. The South Terminal (double clam shell) was designed to give a grand welcome to arriving passengers and to take advantage of the low-angle northern sun. The building has only a very small ventilation system as the building mostly maintains its temperature by design. The concrete clam shells are also designed to effectively handle the common heavy rains and occasional snow storm. As transpacific stopover traffic grew at the airport, so to did other traffic. The North Terminal building was built in 1961 to accommodate growing passenger numbers. Its design welcomes passengers to interact with aircraft with unobstructed views of most of the airport's operation from it's main (second) floor. Passengers descend stairs to doors to the tarmac to board flights.

Point Reyes is the map.  It's about 35 miles northwest of San Francisco which gives a good approximation of scale if you look it up on google maps.   I've been working on it on and off over 5+ years (since October 7th 2009, in fact, according to the last time I downloaded the map) :P  I can't even guess how many hours I've put into it.  It's pretty much built-out to the full extent of the map now so I can grow the city realistically over land that already has some development.   And the brown brick waterfront lots are my own BATs and lots that aren't release quality, so I never released them.   And I won't have any true close-ups, the project is less about cityscape and street views and more about neighborhoods and urban planning in the context of the story.  But there's plenty of overviews of the road networks to come.

Click for full size Click for full size

A Brief Rewrite of History - Airport c. 1961 As the (real) years went on, the airport has taken a central importance to the region and it's story. As such, I wanted a unique terminal building as something of a signature to the region. Therefore, I revisited my c. 1961 airport pictures (originally posted nearly 5 years ago), and updated them with the new terminals. The South Terminal (double clam shell) was designed to give a grand welcome to arriving passengers and to take advantage of the low-angle northern sun. The building has only a very small ventilation system as the building mostly maintains its temperature by design. The concrete clam shells are also designed to effectively handle the common heavy rains and occasional snow storm. As transpacific stopover traffic grew at the airport, so to did other traffic. The North Terminal building was built in 1961 to accommodate growing passenger numbers. Its design welcomes passengers to interact with aircraft with unobstructed views of most of the airport's operation from it's main (second) floor. Passengers descend stairs to doors to the tarmac to board flights.

Full Region Map (Including City Names) Click for full size Click for full size Bridgetown Stoddard & Long Beach Rock Shores (and Kingston and St. George Cliff, also) The Reyesville metro area's southeast side contains a number of small sea side communities. Like most of the metro area, they have not been spared growing pains with large population jumps. Traffic is particularly severe through Bridgetown and along Long Beach. The four commonwealth towns of Bridgetown, Stoddard, Long Beach, and Rock Shores are in a bid to form as a statutory city with borders coextensive with the unincorporated portion of the federal district (border visible in black below) with Reyesmount National Park to the North. Their hope is to blunt the planning influence of the city of Reyesville and national government requirements to link it (with road and rail) to surrounding areas. Of concern was a highway to connect (dashed maroon line) the to be constructed outer ring highway of Reyesville (teal and maroon below). The highway was designed to be 4-6 lanes and connect the Lariette crossing (towards North Cross and Newport) around to the Lydian road (also to be upgraded), and around to the airport and southern stretch of Broadway—the coastal thoroughfare. The town was ultimately formed and named Bridgetown Stoddard and Long Beach Rock Shores. While mostly united in planning desires, largely due to their collective ability to avoid cleaving their downtowns in half by a major east-west highway, the bridge and tunnel of Bridgetown proved a stumbling block. Bridgetown did not want to lose either the customer base nor the tolls the traffic brought; however, the highways were viewed as an inevitability, and Bridgetown voted overwhelmingly to join the other three towns to protect local planning. Click for Full Size Long Beach Pier The Long Beach Pier and Riviera Square is the center of life for the locals of the town. Beachside The Beachside area of Long Beach is a luxury resort area, catering to the second homes of Pacific Columbia's elite. Town of Long Beach Still further west is the Town of Long Beach. This is the original built-up area of the city, dense with homes, vacation homes, boarding houses, and boutique hotels. This is the place to be seen in summer. Kingston and St George Cliff Across the inlet the commonwealth towns of Kingston and St. George Cliff were able to avoid annexation—the boundaries set as the extent of Reyesville form the de facto boundaries of the twin towns. Originally fishing villages, today the two towns are bedroom communities of Reyesville with vibrant town centers along the wharfs. Steep hills drive very dense development. The towns biggest struggle currently is handling the volume of commuter traffic to Reyesville. They also struggle with a lack of transportation options—two bus lines, one from each town, head to Reyesville daily. Stoddard The town of Stoddard predates much of the SoEaDo (South Eastern Docks) neighborhood across the river. The bustling city on a hill supports a large fishing community. A modest business district connects the church on the hill to the wharf below. It's known locally as the city on the hill. The town has been a strong proponent of the connecting highways as it stands to gain useful access to the airport, Lydian, and find relief from the substantial burden of traffic of the other towns.

Bridgetown Stoddard & Long Beach Rock Shores (and Kingston and St. George Cliff, also) The Reyesville metro area's southeast side contains a number of small sea side communities. Like most of the metro area, they have not been spared growing pains with large population jumps. Traffic is particularly severe through Bridgetown and along Long Beach. The four commonwealth towns of Bridgetown, Stoddard, Long Beach, and Rock Shores are in a bid to form as a statutory city with borders coextensive with the unincorporated portion of the federal district (border visible in black below) with Reyesmount National Park to the North. Their hope is to blunt the planning influence of the city of Reyesville and national government requirements to link it (with road and rail) to surrounding areas. Of concern was a highway to connect (dashed maroon line) the to be constructed outer ring highway of Reyesville (teal and maroon below). The highway was designed to be 4-6 lanes and connect the Lariette crossing (towards North Cross and Newport) around to the Lydian road (also to be upgraded), and around to the airport and southern stretch of Broadway—the coastal thoroughfare. The town was ultimately formed and named Bridgetown Stoddard and Long Beach Rock Shores. While mostly united in planning desires, largely due to their collective ability to avoid cleaving their downtowns in half by a major east-west highway, the bridge and tunnel of Bridgetown proved a stumbling block. Bridgetown did not want to lose either the customer base nor the tolls the traffic brought; however, the highways were viewed as an inevitability, and Bridgetown voted overwhelmingly to join the other three towns to protect local planning. Click for Full Size Long Beach Pier The Long Beach Pier and Riviera Square is the center of life for the locals of the town. Beachside The Beachside area of Long Beach is a luxury resort area, catering to the second homes of Pacific Columbia's elite. Town of Long Beach Still further west is the Town of Long Beach. This is the original built-up area of the city, dense with homes, vacation homes, boarding houses, and boutique hotels. This is the place to be seen in summer. Kingston and St George Cliff Across the inlet the commonwealth towns of Kingston and St. George Cliff were able to avoid annexation—the boundaries set as the extent of Reyesville form the de facto boundaries of the twin towns. Originally fishing villages, today the two towns are bedroom communities of Reyesville with vibrant town centers along the wharfs. Steep hills drive very dense development. The towns biggest struggle currently is handling the volume of commuter traffic to Reyesville. They also struggle with a lack of transportation options—two bus lines, one from each town, head to Reyesville daily. Stoddard The town of Stoddard predates much of the SoEaDo (South Eastern Docks) neighborhood across the river. The bustling city on a hill supports a large fishing community. A modest business district connects the church on the hill to the wharf below. It's known locally as the city on the hill. The town has been a strong proponent of the connecting highways as it stands to gain useful access to the airport, Lydian, and find relief from the substantial burden of traffic of the other towns.

Lydian is the both the cultural and transportation hub of the Nation of Pacific Columbia. By virtue of it's location, the nation's rails and roads are pushed through it's center. By virtue of it's planning, Lydian has become very rich off the traffic. An overview of the neighborhoods of Lydian. It is divided into North, South, East, and West sides plus the Island on which they center. The north and East Sides are much larger than their South and West counterparts, each of which are just slivers between the mountain and river. Detail pictures shown on a map of the city: The East Side The city is centered around Columbia Station and the Inner East side. Columbia station is an 11 platform (6 terminating passenger tracks, 4 through passenger tracks, and 1 bypass / freight track with no platform). This is where the nation's 4 major branches of railroad meet and the junction for rail traffic bound for Reyesville. The station is easily the nation's busiest. The East side is divided into three sub districts--not officially recognized neighborhoods, but nevertheless distinct from each other. The upper east side is largely undeveloped as can be seen in the map above. This is a product of the strong zoning laws and enforcement that Lydian is allowed as a Statutory City (more on this latter). The Inner East Side is the essentially the transportation hub for the nation. Roads to north and south coastal regions, and north, central and southern interior merge here. Furthermore it's a major commercial hub for the city. As such, nearly every road is a thoroughfare and fairly consistently bogged down with traffic. 02 Closeup of Columbia Station: 03 The Lower East Side and South Side The Lower East Side is a heavily industrial area. Some of the through roads continue into the area from the Inner East Side. The small South Side is visible South of the Island. This section of Island is targeted by the city to link the Inner East Side and the South Side over two bridges and develop a large commercial presence on the currently blighted industrial blocks. 04 The Lower East Side The Lower East Side to the right of the river: 05 The Island The Island is a major cultural destination. It's chock-full of bars, comedy clubs, dance clubs, night clubs, theaters, casinos, and even boasts a few (upscale, according to the chamber of commerce) brothels. It was the sole access point by road to Reyesville prior to the opening of the Lariette Crossing and is choked with traffic because of this: 06 & 07 The North Side and Port of Lydian Building The port of Lydian and navigation therein was controlled by the city of Lydian. The fees and duties collected by the authority were about 80% of the nation's total revenue, so during the 1960s the Port of Lydian Authority was simply transferred under the national government as the Office of the Treasury. Today, the the Treasury operates out of the Port of Lydian Building. The vast wealth travelling through the city has also contributed to the city's great wealth. The city's Sovereign Wealth Fund Bank of Lydian (SWBL) headquarters is visible with the dome, immediately to the right of the Port of Lydian Building. The Soverign Wealth Bank finances projects to aid in the growth of the city--including mortgages--as well as funding capital projects. The entity is responsible for much of the managed growth of the city: 08 The University of Lydian The city financed a large university on the campus. It is the nation's foremost institution of learning, and includes prestigious schools of engineering, medicine, and law. The campus educates well over half of the nation's college graduates and is the sole graduate school in the nation--though Reyesville looks to open a second such institutions: 09 The North Side The city of Lydian is surrounded by a "Federally Mandated Right of Way" (FMR). The national government mandated it as part of the stagnating situation between Lydian and Reyesville in their political rivalry. Here is where it is likely to bypass the North Side: This was a particularly contentious move by the national government. As it became apparent that the 1974 census would dramatically alter the balance of power within the nation to urban cores, so too was the regional transportation battle heating up between Lydian and Reyesville. While most commentators had expected Lydian to win the bid for the airport, Reyesville interest maneuvered to keep the airport within the federal city. Lydian supported most rural initiatives in exchange for support to suppress vital improvements to Reyesville, including expansion to the airport, and upgrades to rails and roads into the city from the east--accounting for most traffic of the city. The fighting became particularly bitter through the 60s, and Lydian was on the verge of breaking the deadlock in their favor and winning multiple concessions--including the airport and the Reyesville link through the congested Island neighborhood of Lydian. A demographics report from the University of Lydian made clear that Reyesville would have the political clout to easily implement a unilateral agenda and pushed Lydian back to the negotiating table. Reyesville pressed hard to keep the airport, and traded a large section of landfill for the land to build the bypass outside of Lydian. The bypass was intended to be a 6-lane highway connecting the bridge to Pericourt in the south with the junction in the North Side via the Upper East Side. A list of planned projects in Lydian and map showing these projects: 5-10 Year Consolidated Zoning and Local Traffic Plan Lydian 1-way conversion Lydian South Side Terrace Upper East Side [*]Lydian North Side Expansion and Traffic Relief Project Lydian North Side Landfill Island Lydian By-pass (Nat'l Gov't) South / Inner East Side connection via Island (Nat'l Gov't). ​

Lydian - c. 1972 Lydian is the both the cultural and transportation hub of the Nation of Pacific Columbia. By virtue of it's location, the nation's rails and roads are pushed through it's center. By virtue of it's planning, Lydian has become very rich off the traffic. An overview of the neighborhoods of Lydian. It is divided into North, South, East, and West sides plus the Island on which they center. The north and East Sides are much larger than their South and West counterparts, each of which are just slivers between the mountain and river. Detail pictures shown on a map of the city: The East Side The city is centered around Columbia Station and the Inner East side. Columbia station is an 11 platform (6 terminating passenger tracks, 4 through passenger tracks, and 1 bypass / freight track with no platform). This is where the nation's 4 major branches of railroad meet and the junction for rail traffic bound for Reyesville. The station is easily the nation's busiest. The East side is divided into three sub districts--not officially recognized neighborhoods, but nevertheless distinct from each other. The upper east side is largely undeveloped as can be seen in the map above. This is a product of the strong zoning laws and enforcement that Lydian is allowed as a Statutory City (more on this latter). The Inner East Side is the essentially the transportation hub for the nation. Roads to north and south coastal regions, and north, central and southern interior merge here. Furthermore it's a major commercial hub for the city. As such, nearly every road is a thoroughfare and fairly consistently bogged down with traffic. 02 Closeup of Columbia Station: 03 The Lower East Side and South Side The Lower East Side is a heavily industrial area. Some of the through roads continue into the area from the Inner East Side. The small South Side is visible South of the Island. This section of Island is targeted by the city to link the Inner East Side and the South Side over two bridges and develop a large commercial presence on the currently blighted industrial blocks. 04 The Lower East Side The Lower East Side to the right of the river: 05 The Island The Island is a major cultural destination. It's chock-full of bars, comedy clubs, dance clubs, night clubs, theaters, casinos, and even boasts a few (upscale, according to the chamber of commerce) brothels. It was the sole access point by road to Reyesville prior to the opening of the Lariette Crossing and is choked with traffic because of this: 06 & 07 The North Side and Port of Lydian Building The port of Lydian and navigation therein was controlled by the city of Lydian. The fees and duties collected by the authority were about 80% of the nation's total revenue, so during the 1960s the Port of Lydian Authority was simply transferred under the national government as the Office of the Treasury. Today, the the Treasury operates out of the Port of Lydian Building. The vast wealth travelling through the city has also contributed to the city's great wealth. The city's Sovereign Wealth Fund Bank of Lydian (SWBL) headquarters is visible with the dome, immediately to the right of the Port of Lydian Building. The Soverign Wealth Bank finances projects to aid in the growth of the city--including mortgages--as well as funding capital projects. The entity is responsible for much of the managed growth of the city: 08 The University of Lydian The city financed a large university on the campus. It is the nation's foremost institution of learning, and includes prestigious schools of engineering, medicine, and law. The campus educates well over half of the nation's college graduates and is the sole graduate school in the nation--though Reyesville looks to open a second such institutions: 09 The North Side The city of Lydian is surrounded by a "Federally Mandated Right of Way" (FMR). The national government mandated it as part of the stagnating situation between Lydian and Reyesville in their political rivalry. Here is where it is likely to bypass the North Side: This was a particularly contentious move by the national government. As it became apparent that the 1974 census would dramatically alter the balance of power within the nation to urban cores, so too was the regional transportation battle heating up between Lydian and Reyesville. While most commentators had expected Lydian to win the bid for the airport, Reyesville interest maneuvered to keep the airport within the federal city. Lydian supported most rural initiatives in exchange for support to suppress vital improvements to Reyesville, including expansion to the airport, and upgrades to rails and roads into the city from the east--accounting for most traffic of the city. The fighting became particularly bitter through the 60s, and Lydian was on the verge of breaking the deadlock in their favor and winning multiple concessions--including the airport and the Reyesville link through the congested Island neighborhood of Lydian. A demographics report from the University of Lydian made clear that Reyesville would have the political clout to easily implement a unilateral agenda and pushed Lydian back to the negotiating table. Reyesville pressed hard to keep the airport, and traded a large section of landfill for the land to build the bypass outside of Lydian. The bypass was intended to be a 6-lane highway connecting the bridge to Pericourt in the south with the junction in the North Side via the Upper East Side. A list of planned projects in Lydian and map showing these projects: 5-10 Year Consolidated Zoning and Local Traffic Plan Lydian 1-way conversion Lydian South Side Terrace Upper East Side Lydian North Side Expansion and Traffic Relief Project Lydian North Side Landfill Island Lydian By-pass (Nat'l Gov't) South / Inner East Side connection via Island (Nat'l Gov't). ​

I've actually kept this city up for over 5 real years now--it's something of my baby (and growing approximately in real time!). I've pretty much built out the entire region to 12-years beyond the first post, if the growth is a little unrealistic (about 35-40% per year). We come to the region in 1972, the nation of Pacific Columbia, and it's two key cities, Reyesville and Lydian, are wealthy burgeoning metropolises. The greater Reyesville region, which includes Lydian has exceed 1.25 million in population (About 900k more than where we last left it). Needless to say, we see a very different city today. Reyesville is experiencing growing pains as a new federal city, boom town and darling of the nation's economy, and aggravating hurdles to city-planning. These are exacerbated by an ongoing rivalry with Lydian, the nation's cultural center and transportation hub, played out in the national political scene. Liberal immigration policies and booming economy are driving a demographic shift in Pacific Columbia towards urban cities. The Lydian political block largely backs rural policies while advancing it's own agenda regarding it's status, manifesting itself in issues such as transportation and economy. Lydian is a natural hub for the nation's road, rail, and shipping networks and it desires the nation's main airport. Reyesville supported an urban agenda with itself at the center of the nation's economy. Nearly every infrastructure planning decision from WWII until c.1975 was colored by this debate. And so begins the story of the region mapped below: Click for Full Size

Reyesville - Fast Forward 12 years: I've actually kept this city up for over 5 real years now--it's something of my baby (and growing approximately in real time!). I've pretty much built out the entire region to 12-years beyond the first post, if the growth is a little unrealistic (about 35-40% per year). We come to the region in 1972, the nation of Pacific Columbia, and it's two key cities, Reyesville and Lydian, are wealthy burgeoning metropolises. The greater Reyesville region, which includes Lydian has exceed 1.25 million in population (About 900k more than where we last left it). Needless to say, we see a very different city today. Reyesville is experiencing growing pains as a new federal city, boom town and darling of the nation's economy, and aggravating hurdles to city-planning. These are exacerbated by an ongoing rivalry with Lydian, the nation's cultural center and transportation hub, played out in the national political scene. Liberal immigration policies and booming economy are driving a demographic shift in Pacific Columbia towards urban cities. The Lydian political block largely backs rural policies while advancing it's own agenda regarding it's status, manifesting itself in issues such as transportation and economy. Lydian is a natural hub for the nation's road, rail, and shipping networks and it desires the nation's main airport. Reyesville supported an urban agenda with itself at the center of the nation's economy. Nearly every infrastructure planning decision from WWII until c.1975 was colored by this debate. And so begins the story of the region mapped below: Click for full size

I've done this before and never come across the problem. That said, I'm not sure if it's a sidewalk mod or something. It's not the exact same, since I am using sea walls rather than canals...

Originally posted by: _marsh_ Natural Growth is explaind EXACTLY right here It was started by CSGdesign, and is just a style of play. In a way.. its the way the game was meant to be played.quote> In SC4, the first "natural growth" per se was E.J.C's "Paris - City of Love". In attempting to replicate the smooth curves on Parisian roads, new techniques were employed to subvert the grid. That dates back to late 2004 as I recall. Any map nut probably remembers the compelling transit views that were provided in the CJ. I have been employing the method since 2006 in my CJs. Natural growth would be characterized from a grid pattern by the roads going from one populated place to another (i.e. Champs Elysees Connects central Paris with La Defence). It is often mistakenly attempted with a mess of roads and no real direction or central planning (this is probably nearest to the medieval system of defense-minded city design). A grid on the other hand just goes in N-S or E-W. So, in natural growth cities, roads will go from where people are to where people are going. In grid cities, roads will go from where people are to the due North (not very useful for anyone living slightly off a cardinal axis of the city). In unplanned or defensively planned cities, roads will form lots of small loops and dead-ends with no real direction.

Originally posted by: Andre090904 Philipp96, As I have told you a dozen of times in our forum: Unexperienced persons will never receive any tools from our site as they can be misused. Just accept it!quote> This seems stupid. It looks to me that anyone experienced in the world of city building and modding is NOT playing CXL. Is it's Monte Cristo's intent to deny any substantive game modding to the community? I cannot help but think that my decision to wait until CXL had provided us a city builder (and not just a road-laying) program to purchase has been vindicated about 20 times over now. I feel genuinely sorry for anyone who has wasted $100 or more on empty promises and outright lies.

Originally posted by: dedgren I don't know how anyone who has followed this situation since the Cities Unlimited days, as many of the commenters on this thread have, could possibly see things any different. Trusting MC to live up to any "promise" at this point concerning this game is just misguided, in that MC has no track record whatsoever of honoring commitments to the many who were the game's potential purchasers and to the unfortunate few who actually bought CXL. quote> Yeah, I remember CU had that unpolished, unfinished feel to it. This is just another project tossed aside after broken promises. I'm truly fearful of what CXL11 will entail...I would bet (though certainly not hope) it is another half-effort successor to CXL. I admittedly have renewed hopes for CXL11, but it is deeply tempered by skepticism. I could see somewhat of an analogue here between SC4 + RH and CXL. SC4 was a stripped down get-it-to-market game in it's original form (a form few of us would recognize or remember today). It's genesis was Rush Hour. Having previously written off CXL entirely, I now have some hopes for it (this is without precedent for me...to reconsider a game, that is). I genuinely hope that I can get a full version of single player CXL with all the networks I could ever imagine and then some (or even open modding of networks....*trembles with unwarranted anticipation*) for somewhere in the neighborhood of $50-80, either as a "Deluxe" version or as CXL with expansion pack. I'm not talking about some piecemeal-unbundled-airline-ticket of software that I have to carefully consider the value of the purchase vs. my play value and just deal with a semi-functional game. I want a full, benchmark version that developers can rely upon every end user having (like SC4 + RH) for consistent content creation (like the NAM). So, my hopes have been raised from the dead, but I'm not holding my breath. I do think closing PO is a generally positive step though.

Diagonal bridges can be done. But they are lot-based and have the full square footprint. A number of game modders had worked out a series of neat little things the game could be tricked into doing by editing single exemplars (and not using the stripped-down exemplar options that the PIM and Lot editor give you) . Because different programs (mostly the LE) remove what it judges to be 'unnecessary' exemplars from a lot file, the order a lot is prepared in to be a 'lot-based bridge' is very important. I did figure out a way to do this a number of years ago (technically, you can make any shape bridge you want, if you don't mind doing all the pathing). Oddly, there was very little interest in diagonal bridges with this method. Everything I did was proof-of-concept, so nothing was ever released, but Glenni did some nice diagonal bridge models a few weeks back that would be ideal (except I don't think the LODs are correct to allow traffic to be seen crossing). I've been meaning to make them functional, but it's remarkably time consuming (since the carefully edited exemplars are removed every time you enter the LE to move or replace a model). It's not difficult, anyone with a basic knowledge of SC4tool, ilive's reader, and the LE could do this. If anyone is interested in reading further, see my original thread on this topic here: https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=124&threadid=88089

Originally posted by: beebs Originally posted by: DITRO So, does that mean, if she wants to, the Queen can override decisions of the Governor General? How much power does she technically hold over the Commonwealth of Nations?quote> Legally, she has the power that you would expect a Queen to have. Realistically, if she tried to exert her control, I'm not sure how much anyone would really listen. quote> That only answers the de jure question. The much more important prohibition on the queen exercizing her power is the de facto one. For it's historical use, see: Charles I

Wow, thanks all. So, what I have learned in the last 6 hours is that the OLD CJ section is definately the right place for CJs...cool as the new one may be. Reyesfan16 : Thank you. There will be more rural development. But what you currently see will be pushed out eventually by growth. There's a huge swath of land north of the wide river mouth seen at the top of region. Lot's of room for rural expansion. De Je Vu - Thanks. The airport is my favorite part. I have big plans for that area in the future...not the least of which being a rail infrastructure and new midfield terminal. Fortunately for you, I develop my regions to give the best region view (and figure out how to make it work on a within each city). I hope to keep impressing. Ironicepitome: Thanks... Nardo69: Thank you. The STR station is available here: https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=22735. I'm glad you like the region. ComputerGuy: Thank you.

So it looks like a bug in another CJ was preventing my CJ from being viewed in the latest updates section of the new CJs. So I'm just going to post it here: ================= EDIT: Please disregard the 2009 shown on the pictures. These are actually 2010--*sigh* only three days into the year and I'm already making mistakes. The nation of Pacific Columbia lies between Alaska and Canada on the Northern Pacific Coast. It's boarders resulted from the unsettled boarders between Russia's claim to Alaska and the UK's claim to Canada. It is a commonwealth nation with a republican form of government. As an ally of the British and Americans during World War II, the nation quickly industrialized to meet the needs of the war. This effort was aided by increasing mineral & fossil fuel discoveries in the nation's North. The nation's current capital, New Dover, is located deep within the mountains for defense--a relic of 19th century diplomacy. As a result, the capital has proven ineffective, with government seeking warmer quarters in their home districts during winter. The capital is occupied by government only during the summer months. During winter the organs of government disperse with the various cabinet ministers to what became satirically called "home offices"--an ineffective web of poorly marked offices and frequently misdirected correspondence. The citizens thought it normal for their business to be lost at least one time at take 2-3 years to resolve. While May 1st was an official state holiday of May Day, the 2nd was a defacto holiday when the citizens left work to submit (or resubmit) government business (while New Dover was easily accessible during most of April most years, May was considered the first month when the government was reliably "in session"). During the Summer of 1955 the government met in New Dover to address the growing calls from the public (and elected an appointed government officials) to move the capital to a more effective location. Three cities were nominated to candidacy, one was Kearney, the northern boom city who's population had expanded to over 100,000 after the discovery of it's rich resources. The other two cities were located in the only other truly urban center of the nation--the rest of the nation being far too mountainous for any large contiguous urban area. Lydian, with a population of about 40,000, is located at the mouth of the Lydian River and is already the defacto transportation hub of the nation. Finally, Reyesville (with about 80,000 people), just 20 miles from Lydian, was the larger of the two southern urban areas. The debate continued, and on October 1, 1955 the government passed the act to establish a new capital within 10 years. The act additionally created the first permanent offices outside of New Dover--the Office of the New Capitol (ONC) was established in Lydian, charged with organizing, facilitating, and overseeing the transfer of the capital. Little was accomplished in the immediate years following act mandating the move of government. The delegates with the large population of Kearney were digging in, and no 50% could decide on the new capital location. The boom population of Kearney was relatively unfamiliar with the locale when compared to the residents of the longer established southern cities, and many had in fact moved from the south. After two of the worst winters on record consecutively that blanketed Kearney and shut down access for nearly a month each year, the government held an "emergency meeting" in Lydian and after establishing quorum by just 1 member of parliament, voted to dissolve itself. During the new elections, the population of Kearney voted out most of their members of parliament who had been blocking the move to the south, in what became known as the February Revolt (of 1960). Finally, on May 1, 1960, the government eliminated Kearney from candidacy. Within weeks it became clear that the larger city of Reyesville would win the vote. In the last act of Parliament in the 1960 session, the government was to move to Reyesville. The final hurdle to moving the government would be accepting the annex of a federal district by the local populations of Reyesville and the surrounding cities who would be affected by the move. A brief overview of the capital inherited by the government of Pacific Columbia (circa 1961): Overview - Reyesville in 1961 Transit View - Reyesville in 1961 Pictures overview - a guide showing where the pictures below are located: 01 - Downtown Reyesville - Central Reyesville - the Columbia State Bank building can bee seen to the right: 02 - Reyesville Waterfron - The city of Reyesville has since grown up from its beginings as a fishing village, but Fishermans Village is still a busy neighborhood 03 - The "Old" Waterfront - The "Old" Waterfront has some of the city's oldest mid-rise buildings. Though riverboats never served Reyesville, an old riverboat now serves as a restaurant and club on the oldest stretch. 04 - Fishermans Warf - a small stretch of waterfront that offers some housing and the last remaining fisherman's slips 05 - The Upper Waterfront - The original settlers in Reyesville just moved up the Reyes River as the peninsula filled with people. The riverfront is was always a thoroughfare and provides prime land for both residents and businesses 06 - The Upper Waterfront - Another view--slightly downriver-- showing the most commercial stretch of the upper water front. East Reyes can be seen where the grid turns 45 degrees 07 - East Reyes & "The Commons" - "The commons", as they are referred to, is an area of land in the center of town owned by two philanthropists who allowed for common use of the land. The city has expressed interest in purchasing this land to turn into a permanent park.East Reyes is the neighborhood that sprung up between "The commons" and the Riverfront after both Downtown & Uptown were built in. 08 - Station - Station is the newest neighborhood in Reyesville. It is built up around the terminus station that was built on the edge of town. While the track continues on into Uptown and even Downtown on Broadway, it was deemed to costly to demolish an area to build a station in the center of town. Station is one of the primary industrial districts in town 09 - North Broadway and The Commons - A small neighborhood is found nestled between "The Commons", Downtown, Uptown, and the Pacific. Broadway is a very busy street 10 - North Broadway - A Closeup 11 - Gateshead Heights - Gateshead is a small fort that protected the two passes between Reyesville and Lydian. Gateshead Heights is a small weigh-station that was built between them. The rail junction connects to Reyesville Station to the West, the port of So'Eado to the south, and Lydian to the East. No passenger service goes south, and all traffic shares a single rail between Lydian and Gateshead Heights 12 - Gateshead Ranches - As the terrain becomes too dry and rocky to be farmed, sheep ranchers take over. A number of paths traverse Gateshead Ridge eventually leading to the historic fort 13 - The Gateshead - The Gateshead is the small fort overlooking both passes in and out of Reyesville. It is still manned daily by the military, but the soldiers on guard do more guide work than look-out. Flocks of sheep can be seen in the foreground 14 - Corlottine River - The Corlottine River flows to the Southeast of town 15 - So'Eado Overview - The area of So'Eado (a contraction of South Eastern Docks) is seen below. Reyesville-So'Eado International Airport uses most of the land currently, though part of the historic port is still present on the southern side. The Port is divided into 4 dock areas (From right to left): Navy Docks, Old So'Eado, Point Docks, and Victory Docks. The Victory Docks are the newest having just been completed during WWII: 16 - Reyesville-So'Eado International Terminal - The terminal serves mostly prop aircraft to Montreal, Chicago, New York, LA, San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, and Seattle. The brand new jetbridge can be seen hosing a 707 17 - Navy Docks - The Navy Docks are the "flagship" docks for the nation's Navy. It is where the formal offices of the Admiral are located--Cruisers are the largest vessels in the fleet. The Navy's pride and joy, a fleet of brand new submarines can often be seen in port ===================== By 1961, the ONC had a new mandate to begin overseeing the planning of the capital. They were charged with representing the federal government to the cities and towns and creating an omnibus resolution to bring the nation on-board, as well as the cities of Reyesville and its neighbors.

Thanks. The diagonal is actually an in service runway. It's only 1960, so many runways did not have the multitude of markings they do today. I didn't want to have the threshold markings on the orthogonal runway, but there aren't any ends without it. Maybe I'll make my own some day....

My CJ Airport, circa 1961 (It's supposed to say 2010 in the bottom corner. This is a new picture in spite of the date):

Originally posted by: ROFLyoshi I liked the presentation & the interchanges are great, but its the names that bug me. quote> I must admit, the zoom out view is much better because I cannot begin to compulsively read anything and everything I see on the map (which makes that one boring very quickly). The map looks very good, with smooth, consistent curves, the quality is certainly noteworthy; but the layout is somewhat bland. Except for the coastline, the first city I thought to compare it with was Phoenix. I like to joke that if you can count to 100 and know your ABCs, then you know your way around phoenix, but that city would strip all humor from that statement.