Joshmaul

Industria Planitia may be far from the boundaries of Earth, but as time passed, the Underwood Industrial Empire joined those who dared to attempt what was previously believed to be unthinkable: To turn the Red Planet green. In a joint session of the Congress of the Confederation, Grand Admiral Underwood proposed that the U.I.E. join forces with other nations with colonial holdings on Mars to tame the harsh environment of the fourth rock from the Sun. Given that it was along the same lines as the work being done to restore the region around Trinity River, the Governor-General of Industria Planitia, Dr. Lukas Indrick - arrived that morning aboard the UIEV Perseverance, the ship that ran from the colony to Underwood City - proposed that a number of geological engineers from that city, as well as scientists from the U.I.E.'s various colleges versed in ecological disciplines, return with him. The Lord Mayor of Trinity River was not keen on the idea, however; having the engineers go to Mars meant that they would not be actually working on Trinity River. The leaders of Amesport, New Providence, and Montagne Noire also protested, believing that the money would be better spent on matters "closer to home", such as building up the military to counter the fears of a renewed threat from Defileron - and possibly a landgrab by Vladimir Tsiolivosky, the new Caymarnian Emperor. Backed by the Chancellor of Blackstone University, Illuminopolis' de facto mayor, Grand Admiral Underwood made clear that he supported the initiative. However, that did not mean the "Earthbound holdings" of the U.I.E. would be neglected either. To the contrary: The Ministry of Economics had indicated to him that, should the speculation of considerable metal resources in the region around Industria Planitia prove true, the goods returned from the colony would more than equal the expenses invested in maintaining it, and in fact produce a surplus that would allow them to accomplish both goals. Remaking the Red Planet into a habitable form would be an added bonus. "Industria Planitia is the future of the Empire," he said in his concluding remarks. "If we can pull this off, nothing will be beyond our reach." With the support of the Congress (grudging in a number of cases, but support, nonetheless), Grand Admiral Underwood committed the U.I.E. to the initiative. To tame the Martian environment, the plan essentially called for brute force: to thicken and strengthen its weak atmosphere with mixtures of carbon dioxide, to raise its frigid surface temperature with greenhouse gases, to raise those conditions to allow for liquid water, and to make the air and soil support plantlife to produce oxygen. To increase the supplies to and from the colony as needed, five new ships were commissioned in the New Providence yards to run the Earth-to-Mars route to provide personnel - and more importantly, materiel - to carry out the mission. A historian at heart, Grand Admiral Underwood personally named the first two ships UIEV Erebus and UIEV Terror (only half-jokingly expressing the hope that they fared better than their namesakes) as well as three more for the men associated with those lost polar ships: UIEV John Franklin, UIEV Francis Crozier, and UIEV James Clark Ross. They complimented the UIEV Trailblazer, UIEV Perseverance, and UIEV Hyperion, which had been running the route since the colony was established. Reports of the progress were communicated between Governor-General Indrick and the U.I.E. Space Agency Mission Control Center in Amesport, as well as by the captains of the ships making the regular run to and from Industria Planitia. The results were nothing short of spectacular. Beginning with "baby steps", the plan called for the construction of specially-designed factories to produce the necessary atmospheric chemicals, as well as "forestation plants" to plant the seeds of the plant life that would grow on the surface. Much of the colony had to be redesigned, as the geological engineers brought along terraforming equipment to level the surface and remove larger rocky outcrops around the colony. A large part of the work involved tearing down and rebuilding the modular colony structures to make room for the new GHG plants, carbonate processors, and forestation plants. As the landscape work progressed, the surveyors also happened to find strange crystals on the surface that obscured satellite scans, though their purpose remained unclear; they did discover that the crystals were attracted to the power generated by the colony, and powering them up cleared up the sensors. They were later found mysteriously shattered, again with no explanation. "Lakes" were dug into the surface and filled with water produced by the colony's extractors and vaporators. As the temperature rose, the water liquified. The forestation plants had begun first with lichens; as the surface conditions improved, grass began to grow in certain areas; further on came bushes and trees. As a drastic measure, a massive payload was detonated at Mars' north pole with the force of a thermonuclear blast, the heat and energy causing the polar ice cap to melt, creating an ocean that covered much of the northern hemisphere. By some stroke of luck, Industria Planitia - located on a volcanic plain near the equator - escaped being swept away by the flood, essentially becoming an island surrounded by high crags. In a relatively short time, the Capital - the dome where Governor-General Indrick maintained his office - was surrounded by a forest. Though the atmosphere could not yet sustain biological life, he immense moisture released by the melted ice cap, combined with the introduction of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, began to take hold, and the inhabitants of Industria Planitia began to see blue skies for the first time since they had left Earth. As time went on, the work steadily progressed; the Erebus and the Terror were regularly sent around Mars with vessels from other settlements, seeding clouds to produce rain (another novelty not seen by the colonists since leaving Earth) while trying not to make it toxic; seeding vegetation much like the forestation plants, in order to make it take hold; capturing ice meteors, for the water. The Hyperion was ultimately sacrificed in order to deploy a sort of "sunshield" to preserve Mars' weak magnetic field and contain the atmosphere, complimenting facilities built on the surface for that purpose (which also had the potential to produce "Marsquakes" in the otherwise seismically dormant planet). After long and arduous work, the ultimate goal was achieved. Communicating with Grand Admiral Underwood via a live satellite link with Mission Control in Amesport, Governor-General Indrick formally gave the order: "Lower the domes!" Even then, the work progressed on expanding Industria Planitia itself. To celebrate the new beginning, Governor-General Indrick ultimately elected to relocate his seat of government. The "old" Capital would be preserved as a museum for future generations, while work began on the "new" Capital - a far larger district, one too large for a dome. From its spire, he would oversee his domain - and take pleasure in both the work that had been done, and the work that lay ahead. The new Capital and the fact that it was (and would forever be) non-enclosed was also a testament to the confidence of the Governor-General, the U.I.E., and the multi-national initiative that had done the work - they were certain nothing would ever go wrong. The colony has since expanded even down into the canyon to the south, through a connecting tunnel on the canyon floor. Here, the soil remains more or less untouched, though the work is underway to change that. The idea of a Martian colony being admitted as a full-fledged member state was looked at with skepticism by many within the U.I.E., but thanks to the terraforming initiative that has utterly transformed Mars, the question has been settled so far as its supporters - namely Governor-General Indrick and Grand Admiral Underwood - are concerned. Distance was of no issue before, and now that the colony is free of the confinements of domes and pressure suits, the remainder of the confederation now concurs: Industria Planitia is no longer simply a colony, but a city in its own right.

The Underwood Industrial Empire was not the only state to be born (or rather, reborn) out of the Defileron Civil War. In the midst of the conflict, Grand Duke Ivan Eduardovich Tsiolivosky chose his side: He was not part of the Imperialist faction, with the reign of the old "Holy Empire" clearly doomed, but he did not support Grand Admiral Underwood's attempts at democratization, either. He took the aristocratic view that the people were resources, simply meant to be used. But rather than add to the chaos and confusion by opposing the Republican faction directly, he chose instead to secede, claiming territory from the dying empire to create his own. The centerpiece was an abandoned village surrounding a castle high in the Caymarnian Mountains, believed to have been built by his family in ages past. Grand Duke Ivan rebuilt his family's castle and the surrounding structures, and upon its steps declared himself Emperor of the brand-new Imperium of Caymarnia - a rather grandiose title for a land that remained largely rural. The only true city in the Imperium is the capital, which bears the equally grandiose name of "Magna Caymarnia". Magna Caymarnia is located in the Caymarnian Mountains to the east of the U.I.E. border. It has all the hints of potentially growing into a large city, but its outskirts still maintain farmlands and forest farms to fuel the city's economy (the major industries, like mining or oil prospecting, are set far from the city, where the noise and pollution won't disturb the "important people"). The city is separated into five major districts. The Caymarnian Throughway runs through Tsiolivosky Prospect and along the edge of the West and East Riverrun Prospects before meeting the Caymarnia-U.I.E. Turnpike, part of the system of highways built by both Emperor Ivan's government and the U.I.E. to connect Magna Caymarnia and Underwood City, for the purposes of mutual travel and trade. The heart of Magna Caymarnia is the Old City, the somewhat romanticized ideal of the "forgotten past": a walled inner city that surrounds Castle Tsiolivosky, from where the Emperor rules. Heavy traffic is essentially forbidden within the walls, and only those with a legitimate reason to enter - either the wealthy residents of the district, imperial ministers, or invited guests - are generally allowed entry. Next to Castle Tsiolivosky is the "old" Cathedral of Light, a Germanic-style church that upholds the Imperium's chosen faith, which ironically had also been practiced by the "Holy Empire". At the southern gate of the Old City is Tsiolivosky Street, an old marketplace based on the region's long-ago past. Tsiolivosky Prospect, which surrounds the Old City, is the largest of the city's districts, containing most of its population and its commercial centers. The Tsiolivosky Coliseum, west of the Old City and just to the south of Caymarnia International Airport, is home to the Caymarnian Gryphons Football Club, which regularly spars with the Underwood City Gladiators FC. Nearby is the Peace Spire, which commemorates both the establishment of Caymarnian sovereignty and - just a year after the civil war - a formal treaty of peace and friendship with Underwood City. Though they disagreed on the methods to which they ruled their people, both Grand Admiral Underwood and Emperor Ivan believed that there was no point in their being enemies, as enough blood had been shed during the civil war to last a lifetime. South of the Old City, also within Tsiolivosky Prospect, is the Sanctum Plaza, with two spires and four small biodome habitats (based partly on technological expertise from the U.I.E.) intended for Caymarnia's planned Martian expedition, the hope being that Caymarnia would join the U.I.E. and other nations in establishing their own base on the Red Planet. Also within Tsiolivosky Prospect, to the north of the Old City, is a far larger, far grander Cathedral of Light. It was built at the order of Emperor Ivan upon establishing his dynasty - its spires reaching as high as the perennially snow-capped hills around the city. South of Tsiolivosky Prospect is the Riverrun region, which is separated into West Riverrun Prospect and East Riverrun Prospect, and is given over to extensive agricultural and arboreal industry. While the Caymarnian government has not been shy with expending resources (people or otherwise), Emperor Ivan made it clear that there would be no heavy industry within fifty miles of his capital, and - again taking a few pointers from the U.I.E. playbook - relies heavily on green energy and land renewal techniques in the industries he does allow in the city. Though Caymarnia became an important ally of the U.I.E. under Emperor Ivan, change has come to Caymarnia in recent days; the Emperor has abdicated his throne, leaving his supreme executive power in the hands of his son, Vladimir. While Ivan was openly authoritarian, he was not "mad with power" as many such dictators are; Vladimir has shown no such restraint, spending heavily on lavish projects of self-promotion. It remains to be seen what the future will hold for Magna Caymarnia - and for Caymarnia's continued ties to the U.I.E.

Surviving Mars. Same publisher as CSL - and the "Official Mars Radio" station in CSL is the same one in this game.

Since the earliest days of manned spaceflight, it has been the dream of many nations to create a thriving community somewhere beyond the reaches of Earth, and the great science fiction writers have often written of great colonies, or even civilizations, on the various celestial bodies of our Solar System. Now, technology has caught up to fantasy to make such dreams real. Though it was not the first to do so, the Underwood Industrial Empire is among those who have been successful in the quest to expand its borders beyond the cradle of humanity with the establishment of a colony in Elysium, an equatorial volcanic region in the eastern hemisphere of the planet Mars. That colony is known as Industria Planitia, or "Plains of Industry" - and it was immediately admitted into the U.I.E. as its sixteenth city-state, on equal footing with Underwood City and the other terrestrial city-states. Like most offworld settlements, Industria Planitia began solely with automation, with robot vehicles and prefabricated structures. But they had to be built first - and to that end, a fleet of rockets was ordered by the U.I.E. Navy, which controls all "vessels" - from the seafaring ships built at New Providence Shipyards, to the massive zeppelins that fly around Underwood City and Illuminopolis, to the rockets that launch into orbit. Three facilities have been constructed with the express intention of servicing the rockets and paving the way for Industria Planitia: The Alan B. Shepard Launch Base in Amesport (the first rocket launch facility built in the U.I.E.), the Imperial Center Launch Base in Underwood City, and most recently the Blackstone Launch Base in Illuminopolis. The shipyards in New Providence were altered to construct three long-range rockets - UIEV Trailblazer (based in Amesport), UIEV Perseverance (based in Underwood City), and UIEV Hyperion (based in Illuminopolis) - to make the journey. Although the Perseverance was completed first, delays in testing prevented its launch, and the design flaws found in it led to it being the second of the three to be launched. Thus the aptly named Trailblazer would be the first to land on Mars, launching from Amesport carrying the remote-controlled vehicles and prefabricated materials necessary for constructing a colony on the surface. Among the cargo was the first bio-dome to be built for prospective colonists, refined from the bulky prototype designs erected in the New Holbrook neighborhood of Underwood City prior to the ship's launch. Upon entering Martian orbit, the Trailblazer released a series of survey satellites to pinpoint an ideal landing site before the automated systems brought the ship and its cargo in for a landing. The first and oldest of the domes built on the surface, thus dubbed "Imperial Landing", was built in a shaded ridge not far from the Trailblazer's original landing site. As it was to be - for a time - the only habitation in the colony until more resources could be brought from Earth, the dome was also accompanied by a number of prefabricated structures to be set up both inside and outside the dome, as well as an army of worker drones that would construct and maintain the colony's structures and collect and store what resources they found - or created - in the colony itself. It featured what the planners dubbed to be the basic necessities for the single dome: Housing units for the colonists, hydroponic farms to grow food, an infirmary, a security station, a diner, and a grocery store. A prefab water-reclamation spire was placed in the center, in order to ensure a steady supply of the precious fluid for the colonists and the hydroponic farms. Outside the dome, the necessities to generate its life-support were added - a MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-situ Resource Utilization Experiment) generator to create oxygen inside the dome, vaporators to collect what moisture could be found in the atmosphere, and tanks to collect additional water and oxygen in the event of mechanical failure. A series of pipes connects the various structures outside the dome, giving it a slightly cluttered look. The colony also came with a number of Stirling generators to create power, and power cables to connect the various structures to the power grid, and a control hub and recharging stations for the colony's drones. As time went on, the colony began to grow by leaps and bounds. A great biodome was established on the ridge above Imperial Landing, and became known simply as "the Capital", a great clear dome (compared to the "star-marked" domes of the remainder of the colony) that is described as "a little slice of Earth". The center arcology spire, at the summit of which is the office of the Governor-General of the colony, is surrounded by a great rocky park, and a sort of "moat" on the edges of the dome near the airlocks provides a kind of "riverside" feeling. The landscape is based somewhat on - and uses soil and water from - the banks of the Skytrail River in Underwood City. As it was the "center" of the colony, a landing pad was set right outside the Capital on the spot where the Trailblazer originally landed; an obelisk nearby also memorializes the spot. Spurred by the inventive minds and research facilities of the colony as it grew, Industria Planitia became more and more self-sustaining, eventually developing greater technology than was available (or viable) on Earth. The first major project to be completed was the Industria Elysium Observatory, set up just outside the Capital, with far greater range and accuracy than any of the U.I.E.'s observatories back on Earth. To speed up supply runs without having to brave the atmosphere (especially during the periodic dust storms or meteor showers), a great space elevator links the surface to a point in orbit. Another landmark was the colony's main power plant, creating what was essentially their own miniature sun through the power of fusion, providing the colony with an almost inexhaustable source of power - provided there was enough water to maintain the cooling systems and regular maintenance by the worker drones. The power plant - with the Stirling generators as backup - also provides energy for the colony's Meteor Defense System (MDS) laser batteries, which can blast incoming falling objects out of the sky before they damage the colony. Within the nearby "Elysium Oasis" dome are a series of larger farms, more open than the "stacked" hydroponic gardens, and giving a real sense of "working the land". As it was named for industry, and founded by an empire built on it, a number of factories for extracting the concrete and metal resources on Mars (to lower the dependence on cargo runs from Earth) were set up on the surface as well. The largest were near the Industria Major, Industria Minor, and Industria Minimus domes on the eastern edge of the colony - two concrete extractors (one of them quite large), and a deep core (mohole) mine that brings up metals, including rare metals that fuel the colony's economy when it is shipped back to Earth. The widening area of the colony also required the construction of hubs for a series of automated shuttles to rapidly carry cargo from one end of the colony to the other at greater speed than was possible with relying on the sturdy but slow worker drones. The colony's population has risen to more than five hundred souls - barely enough to be considered a village, let alone a city-state in its own right. However, the colony's self-sufficiency, considerable industrial and economic output, and the very fact it is the only U.I.E. settlement on Mars (for the moment) led Grand Admiral Underwood and a majority of other officials, many of them from the scientific and academic community in Illuminopolis, to dismiss concerns about "overambitious shanty-towns" disrupting the balance of power. (The fact that the majority of the population also came from the other fifteen city-states is another factor.) For the Grand Admiral, Industria Planitia represented more than just the U.I.E. planting the flag on its little portion of the Red Planet - it represented the future of the Underwood Industrial Empire itself.

Anyone who's been reading my U.I.E. city journal entries may have seen reference to my empire's Martian colony, Industria Planitia - something that I have (occasionally) worked on in Surviving Mars, published by the same folks who publish Cities: Skylines - one of the radio stations I listen to fairly often in Skylines (when not using the music mod to listen to the soundtracks to SimCity 3000, 4, Societies, etc.) is the "Official Mars Radio" they gave out a while back as a sort of tie-in. Which begs the question: Does the greater community here consider it to be a "city-builder" game, or would it be considered more akin to an RTS or some such? (I'm asking primarily because I am considering adding pictures from the colony to the U.I.E. city journal, heh heh.)

On the northern edge of the Underwood Industrial Empire is the Great Glass Desert, a wasteland with patches of vitrified earth caused by the unrestricted use of nuclear weapons. Years ago, the U.I.E. was subsumed into a nation that called itself the "Holy Empire" of Defileron, with Grand Admiral Underwood leading a revolution against its "Undying Emperor" and proclaiming the nation a republic, leading to civil war. The Imperialist faction took control of the tactical nukes in the capital and unleashed them against the Republican forces, including one attack that reached what is now Obsidian Mountain on the outskirts of Underwood City itself. The effects of the Defileron Civil War devastated the majestic plains and hills of the northern reaches of what is now the U.I.E., but it would eventually lead to the re-establishment of Underwood City's independence, after it separated from the collapsed Defileron Republic until it joined with fourteen other cities in confederation four years later. One of those cities was known by its remaining residents as "Sandsedge", which became the basis for a major revitalization project, one that would lead them to rename both the waterway near their city, and then name the city for their waterway. Thus was born Trinity River. Trinity River is on the northwestern coast of the U.I.E., at the mouth of the river it's named for (which is itself named for the mineral "trinitite", a radioactive "glass" formed by the U.S. "Trinity" nuclear tests...and plus, it sounded a lot more marketable than "Sandsedge"), which splits from the Skytrail River west of Imperial Center in Underwood City. The river splits again as it approaches the sea, with the south fork running along the "normal" route of the greater river to the sea, while the north fork runs along the eastern edge of a great island before entering the sea to the north. The split is believed to have been caused by the war. The South Fork of the Trinity River creates a sort of dividing line between what some residents call "the land of the living and the land of the dead". Much of the cleanup and revitalization work has taken place in the region appropriately known as the Trinity Oasis, on the southern bank of the South Fork. It combines the typical business districts of other cities in the confederation, such as Underwood City itself, with the surprisingly arable land that the U.I.E.'s top scientists and agricultural engineers have created to try and restore the landscape. However, the Trinity Oasis also happened to be the least affected area of the region during the Defileron Civil War, which is why the work has been far easier than on the nearby "island" created by the branching river, as well as much of the land north of the city. As it is at the mouth of a major waterway connected to the capital, Trinity River is also a major seaport, transporting goods to and from both the interior of the U.I.E. and the nations beyond its borders. Much of Trinity River's exports are the resources it harvests from the land itself, such as the ore and oil from the Deepcore districts. However, the crops and animal products from the Trinity Oasis farms have also begun to gain traction as a commodity to share with the greater world. Despite the prosperous nature of the city, much of the landscape remains quite bleak, and there are many ruins and abandoned structures in the desert. The Greater Trinity Island National Park, on the largest of the offshore islands, has attempted to preserve some of these as sightseeing attractions; one such ruin in the park is situated to provide a view of the city itself. Even Trinity Oasis, though more or less "recovered", still has its share of abandoned and ruined locales, for those interested in "what had once been" Not surprisingly, the best time to view Trinity River is at night. The nights are both surprisingly clear and pleasantly cool compared to the days, and the bright lights of the city hide the appearance of the wastelands beyond. Yet even in the shadows, there are reminders. Near the Trinity River Courthouse is a pyramidal monument of glass and steel dedicated to those lost during the civil war, and also a memorial "floating garden" within the river itself in front of City Hall. While it has taken greater steps in recovering from devastation, Trinity River still battles against the past that nearly doomed this region - and, some say, against Mother Nature herself, who has adapted to the changed environment. However, if one simply gauged the success of a city by merely existing in a place that most outside voices say it shouldn't, then Trinity River succeeds spectacularly - and serves as an inspiration for far more ambitious projects, including the ongoing Industria Planitia colony/city-state on Mars.

Your story/screenshot/thoughts: I picked up Skylines in September 2016, looking for an alternative to the horrifically limited teensy-tropolises of SimCity 2013 (not to mention the unstable nature of Origin, then and now). I forget who ended up suggesting it to me - someone in an SC group on Facebook, I think? - but of the games I have played, this has proven to be the one with the biggest scale. My "capital of capitals", Underwood City, has been worked on in various forms since 1996 (including being remade three different times in this game alone - twice due to hard drive death), and this game is the first that's made it feel "real". Plus, a bunch of the mods from the Quad Rioters collection - like the old Arcologies and such - are a friendly reminder of my dream city's "humble" origins in SimCity 2000. Total playtime on Steam: 168 hours Preferred Radio Station DLC: Rock City Radio (as it's the only one of the three I don't have, heh)

Illuminopolis is so named not for its bright electric lights (though it has plenty of those), but for the "light of knowledge", as it is home to the most prestigious schools and museums in the Underwood Industrial Empire. While Underwood City is the seat of power, the City of Light is the U.I.E.'s intellectual center; without the scientists trained at its colleges and research centers, the U.I.E. would not have been able to reach beyond the sky and establish a foothold on the Red Planet. This makes Illuminopolis second only to Underwood City in the entire Empire, in terms of both importance and political power. Illuminopolis is located along the Skytrail River high in the Blackstone Mountains, far to the east of Underwood City. Two freeways - the Blackstone Pass Freeway and the City of Light Expressway - branch off from the Caymarnia-U.I.E. Highway, an international motorway connecting the U.I.E. to its eastern neighbor, the Empire of Caymarnia. They merge in the Southbank district of Illuminopolis to form the Emperor's Turnpike, which runs through Underwood City and then onward to the coast at Amesport. Illuminopolis combines the urban comforts of a modern city, the provincialism of a "college town", and the spectacular scenery of a nature preserve. Nestled in Blackstone Pass, the City of Light is run on geothermal power, an energy source favored over nuclear power (banned in the U.I.E. due to its inherent risks as well as the use of nuclear fuel by others to create weapons, a practice Grand Admiral Underwood finds abhorrent). While there are many colleges in Illuminopolis, the largest and most prestigious is Blackstone University, which is also the first to have been established within the city. The university's sports team, the Torchbearers, play at the great University Field, and both the Blackstone Observatory and the Museum of the Blackstone Mountains fall under its jurisdiction. While the astronauts were trained in Underwood City and Amesport, Blackstone University provided the scientists and engineers that helped make the establishment of Industria Planitia, the U.I.E. colony (and newest city-state) in the equatorial Elysium region of Mars, possible. The Northbank district is home to the Blackstone International Airport, as well as the City of Light Convention Center - the largest such center outside of Underwood City. Scientific symposiums are regularly held here, and its close proximity to the airport allows scientists from around the world easy access - provided the airport doesn't end up being inundated by the weather. As part of a nation that has "Industrial" right in the name, Illuminopolis also has a thriving lumber industry, such as woodcutting for furniture and pulp factories for paper. However, the industry is largely contained within sustainable tree farms in the Blackstone Foothills; logging in the forested mountains around the city is strictly forbidden, punishable by heavy fines and imprisonment. Mining and other heavily polluting industry is also forbidden. South of the city is Blackstone Mountains National Park, meant to preserve the natural wonders of the Blackstone Mountains as well as make them accessable for campers, hikers, and those interested in photography. A viewing tower and platform within the park allows visitors to look out across the City of Light, while the paths and bridges set up to reach it provide a challenge to those wishing to take in the breathtaking scenery. Sometimes, even the wildlife is cooperative, though there have been occasions where people have been stupid enough to come close enough to the bears of the region and been mauled to death for their troubles. The Blackstone Mountains are perennially covered in snow, and the region has endured fierce weather as a result. Blizzards are common, as are lightning storms that have on occasion sparked forest fires. Illuminopolis' fire department maintains several firewatch towers and aircraft to deal with such threats. Though it will likely never reach the size of the capital - partly by terrain limitations, but predominantly by choice - the City of Light will likely remain the intellectual giant of the U.I.E. for generations to come. And for the city leaders, that's more than enough.

The official term we're using is "aggressive landscaping". *sage nod*

Underwood City is the self-styled "capital of capitals" of its founder and Supreme Potentate (mayor-for-life), His Imperial Eminence Grand Admiral Joshua Underwood, who also serves as "Emperor-President" - supreme leader of the Underwood Industrial Empire and primus inter pares in the Council of the States. The U.I.E. is made up of sixteen such city-states - one of which is located on the planet Mars, as the U.I.E. has a well-financed and well-supplied space program - but they are all under the banner of Underwood City, for better or for worse. Indeed, Grand Admiral Underwood is a self-described benevolent dictator, who wields supreme power yet otherwise allows his citizenry to do as they see fit - within reason. Underwood City is his testing ground for the entire Empire, and given that it is the largest and most prosperous of the sixteen city-states, it appears to be a successful one. Underwood City is located at the confluence of the Skytrail and Trinity Rivers. The Skytrail runs from the Blackstone Mountains in the east until it meets the Trinity River south of Castle Ridge; the Trinity runs from the southern seacoast northwest to the city of Trinity River. Most of the city's wealthiest areas are built along the Skytrail, namely the aptly named Riverbank, Twin Rivers, North Shore and South Shore districts. Though much of the urban development is east of the Trinity River, the Westside area - still technically within Underwood City's limits - has seen some development, namely with agricultural and timber interests, and is connected to the main city by the Underwood City Expressway, which branches from the Emperor's Turnpike near Old Town and meets the turnpike again south of the current development at Westside Farms. The heart and soul of Underwood City is Old Town. It is from here that Underwood City spread out (and at considerable speed), and where the government of the confederation first met before relocating to "roomier" quarters across the river. The Monument to the Restored Confederation is located here, as is the former center of the U.I.E.'s government. During the Christmas season, the Sturbridge Market - where the city's official Christmas tree is erected - caters to visitors from across the U.I.E. and beyond. South of Old Town is Anderson Park, Underwood City's central park, which is also home to the Underwood City Zoo and the Magic Town theme park. The Anderson Park district is fairly upscale compared to Old Town. The downtown district of Underwood City is the appropriately-named "Imperial Center" on the north bank of the Skytrail. The Underwood Parkway, Underwood City's main thoroughfare and monorail track, runs from the South End, through Old Town, and across the Skytrail where it ends right at the front gates of the "Palace of Governance", a building based on the design of the Reichstag building in Berlin. Indeed, a number of landmarks from the German capital served as architectural guidelines for Underwood City's planners, the idea of adding a bit of "old imperial ambience" to a modern city. This effect is added to by the colonnade that runs the length of Underwood Parkway from the river to the Palace of Governance. It is at the Palace that the Congress of the Confederation meets to discuss the future of the Empire under the watchful eye of Grand Admiral Underwood himself. It is made up of two houses - the House of the People's Voice, with eighty members (five from each of the Empire's sixteen city-states), and the Council of the States, made up of the leaders of the city-states, and chaired by Grand Admiral Underwood himself. While the Palace of Governance is where the Congress of the Confederation meets, the real power in Underwood City - and in the U.I.E. - is in the pyramidal Imperial Palace. Here is where Grand Admiral Underwood holds court, regularly holding public gatherings ranging from "town hall meetings" to grand festivals. The largest of these is the Confederation Days, September 30 and October 1, the dates of the current confederation of the U.I.E. and the founding of Underwood City, respectively. Though the Imperial Palace is the seat of his power, Grand Admiral Underwood's official residence is Shadowgarde Castle, located on Castle Ridge to the west of Imperial Center. The castle complex is open as a public park, but the keep is the private domain of the Grand Admiral himself, and access is by invitation only - and when he feels the need for a setting with less urban crowding, he has occasionally held public festivals within the castle grounds. The public celebration of the Grand Admiral's birthday on June 5 - typically the largest spectacle after the Confederation Days - is typically celebrated at Shadowgarde Castle. The government departments of the U.I.E. have their headquarters in Ministry Row, across the Skytrail River from Imperial Center and east of Old Town. The U.I.E. has a number of major ministries to oversee various aspects of the Empire. These include the Ministries of the Admiralty (the staff offices of the U.I.E. Navy, which is under the control of the Grand Admiral himself), Defense (which oversees the remaining armed forces), Education, Health, Transportation, Arts and Culture, Public Safety (law enforcement) and State Security (secret police/espionage). The headquarters of the U.I.E. Space Agency is located here, as is Underwood City Hall (known as the "Minister-Presidency of the Capital"), although the actual governance of the city is directed from the Imperial Palace. The Riverbank district, west of Old Town, is home to many of the wealthiest citizens in Underwood City. It is often said that your family fortune has to go back at least three generations just to get an apartment here. As it is known as the Underwood Industrial Empire, Underwood City also has immense industry, centered mainly around the districts of Obsidian Mountain in the south of the city. The area is separated into three distinct districts: Obsidian Foothills (ore mining), Obsidian Woods (lumber) and Obsidian Summit (oil). The resources that are collected in the three districts are put to considerable use by the U.I.E.'s industrial machine, concentrated at nearby Factory Row. Far to the west of the urban sprawl is the Westside region, where farms have been set up on the gently sloping hills. The Westside Farms is Underwood City's newest region, and - as it's so far removed from the commotion of the main city - among the quietest and cleanest. While Underwood City does practice "green living" whenever possible, the cramped urban conglomeration and the pollution produced by the industries on Obsidian Mountain have led those of a more agricultural bent to seek their livelihoods here. As the population of Underwood City increases, overcrowding is a potential problem. However, while the city is the seat of power as well as his pride and joy, Grand Admiral Underwood also acknowledges that there are fifteen other city-states, and does not attempt to keep his population confined to his capital - after all, as a confederation, what's good for all of them is good for Underwood City.

Not sure, but somewhere between "oogy" and "boogy". *sage nod* In all seriousness, however...I've rebuilt it multiple times over the past two decades(!) and each game has their own charms. SC2K's got the nostalgia kick, as that's where it all started (and I've got it running on this monster machine and started building it again there, heh); 3K had the most memorable soundtrack; 4, going through the streets and highways with Rush Hour (which kinda makes me wish they had a Streets of SimCity type game); Societies, of course, I got into the....well, societal aspect of it (though I'm disappointed that I can't get any decent screenshots because of the texture blurring at distance, even at max settings...plus all the icons! Kinda ruins it when you've got a padlock hovering over the building in the middle of your screenshot), and being an Emperor I of course went with the authoritarian build, heh heh....SC2013, while the smaller build area leaves something to be desired, has gorgeous scenery (I'm a sucker for scenery), and Skylines...scenery, sheer scale and all the different categories for buildings. You've seen the pictures - and this is the third rebuild in that game, as the other two died with the hard drive in my laptop, so hoping third time (and Steam Cloud saving) is the charm! I admit that thought has occurred to me, but that would largely depend on my computer's ability to cooperate with some of the older games. With some finangling (thank you PCGamingWiki), I've managed to get my old CD of SC2K Special Edition to install and run in Windows rather than resorting to DOSBox (which is what the Origin edition I got for free ages ago does), not sure if 3K will install at all. 4, Societies, and 2013 are all through Origin, though the trouble I have with 4 is that I haven't been able to run it in the "native" 1920x1080, and I get nitpicky Windows notifications if I don't run it in "native resolution", so we'll see... (And thank you, by the way.)

Since I started right off the bat with posting pics, I suppose I should say hello. So... hello. My name is Josh, otherwise known as Joshmaul, Emperor Joshmaul, etc. I live in the South Shore of Massachusetts... and I'm a megalomaniac. ("Hi, Josh!") Started my empire-building in SimCity 2000 back in my native California around 1996 or so, with my dream city of cities, Underwood City, which is kind of like Calvinball - you know that it's great, 'cause it's named after me. It's been rebuilt in a number of different games, many many times over the years - few different SC2K builds, then SimCity 3000, then SC4/Rush Hour, then Societies (rebuilt as an authoritarian paradise, heh heh), then SC 2013 (with a bunch of SkyTowers in "Cities of Tomorrow"), and most recently in Cities: Skylines. My empire now also includes a colony in the Elysium region of Mars in "Surviving Mars".