tarrina

I played for about two hours on Tuesday and an hour yesterday--both cities I started had disappeared when I logged back in today after waiting nearly an hour for a spot. Then, within one minute of being on the server, I was booted and unable to connect. I was using Oceanic. This is very disappointing.

I love the use of the curved roads. Gives it such a nice rural feel.

Very cool looking. I can't wait to try this out when I have access to a PC. As the others have said above, this looks promising.

I guess I'll chime in and say that I bought CitiesXL 2011 this weekend. I played up to a city of 75,000 people and I noticed that it was starting to lag just a little--not to the point it was causing game play problems. It did crash once with a much smaller population on a different city. Mind you, I was playing well below the minimum system requirements and was still happily surprised to see how well it performed. I never had the chance to play the beta version or '09 because I don't have a PC--I'm a Mac, but borrow a PC when I visit family. But for the two days I had the opportunity to play, I was happy with the game overall. It's true it's not as detailed or diverse as SC4, but it is a fun game. And $40 is about the same you'd pay for any night out, and this game will entertain over and over again. I look forward to seeing where they take it if they should come out with subsequent versions.

The detail with the laundry hanging between the buildings is perfect. Love the realism!

Very cool library. I'd like to know where you found that one. JGellock: That church is from SimGoober's church packs: https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=14036

Wow, very cool port. I've never made anything like this. I agree with some of the comments that you could use more variety--only from a far zoom, I think. Close up, it looks awesome. Nice job!

Very nice rural area. The stone walls are a great detail.

This is very helpful even though I have the exact opposite problem: my mayor rating goes to 100% despite the fact that it should be much lower. While not terrible to have a high rating, I would rather it be accurate. Thanks, Nonny Moose for your tips--I'm going to try and find the culprit.

These pictures really make me miss Paris. It's such a gorgeous city with great energy and diversity. I've traveled to many countries and still, Paris ranks among the best of the best. Great photos. Thanks for posting!

That sewage line is a great detail. Nice ghetto!

Wow... I'm REALLY impressed by your commitment to this massive project. As "sporadic" as it may be, what you've done so far reminds me a lot of the middle part of America with its unending fields and random cities popping up here and there. My only suggestion would to build up more around the water ways as you develop in the future. Great job!

The panorama is stunning!

Ditto on the "WOW." Beautiful textures on the rock faces and very realistic footpaths throughout the village.

Wow... it's great to hear everyone's stories about their first SC experience. I played for the first time in 2005--a friend had SC3000, which had me immediately hooked--and spent all night playing. Shortly after I realized there was an SC4! I paid a lot of money to sit in the Internet cafe near my house in Paris to play since my computer at the time was a refurbished IBM laptop from 1999; weighed about 10 pounds and had a 4 gig hard drive. Those were the days...

Notice to All Residents Please be advised: The ordinance formerly banning freedom of religion in Blight, the Bushoms Anti-Theism Movement, has been suspended indefinitely. All residents and community organizations wishing to build houses of worship (regardless of denomination) may contact the Office for Cultural and Community Affairs to apply for zoning permits and to learn about the regulations on such buildings. Thank you. Mayor of Blight Teresa Ford City Snapshots The city has undergone quite a number of transformations in the past months. Here are the highlights. Completion of the Stuytown Residential Area Closeup of Stuytown Shopping Zone, Pedestrian Area & Office of the Mayor Eastern Stuytown Border/Mayoral District Police Department and Elementary School Commercial Ammenities (Mini Mall, Mini Golf, Sport Arcade) And the Newest Educational Addition: Blight University for Business and the Humanities The university, and its surroundings, have been a boon to Blight. It even brought college radio to the city.

February 1, 2013 Dear Citizens, I would like to thank you all for your continued support and compliance with the ordinances put into effect February 1, 2012. There have been minimum setbacks during the past year, and for that I applaud you all. As promised, please enjoy the following updates of the progress made since these rules have gone into effect. I do apologize for the delay in updating you, but things at City Hall have been hectic indeed. Cleanup and Renewal A Master Zoning Plan has yet to be drawn up. However, as you will see from the map below, zoning has changed slightly due to the bulldozing of several arson-stricken areas, bringing more commerical and industrial opportunities to the center of the city. FORMER ZONES CURRENT ZONES I would also like to highlight the bulldozing of the Stuytown slums. Former residents of these areas have been offered government housing in a new, state-of-the-art housing complex, which will be built shortly. New commercial opportunities in the surrounding area are forthcoming, as well. BEFORE AFTER Roads and Transit Potholes have been filled and the dirt roads have been upgraded to fully paved streets. You will also, as I'm sure you are aware, know about the new avenue installed to ease congestion in the downtown area. BEFORE AFTER Sanitation The streets are close to being cleaned in full thanks to the landfills. The recently installed incinerator will aid in quicker cleanup of the filth. However, we have a large pollution problem on our hands, which will only get worse in the coming years. I have discussed several options with my colleagues that will counter this, but it shall have to wait until a later date. For now, things are tolerable. BEFORE LANDFILL ZONE STARTING TO FILL Safety The installation of the proposed police stations have greatly reduced the crime rates in the city as can be seen from the graphics below. The new Police HQ has also done a tremendous job of bringing in new business to the area. AFTER The New Police HQ Health & Education By far, the most successful application of the education and health ordinances has taken place in the West End district of Blight. There are record numbers of school attendance and the EQ in the area has shot up to the high teens (18 at the current measure). Health ratings are also on the rise and soon we shall see increases in longevity. WEST END EDUCATIONAL AND HEALTH FACILITIES West End's Commerical District at Night The school and hospital have brought about wonderful development in the West End, including high- and middle-wealth business enterprises. Thank you all. I will be prepared to offer additional updates with haste as there is much to discuss about the blossoming Blight! Sincerely, Mayor Teresa Ford

OFFICIAL NOTICE: 2012 Budget and Ordinances February 1, 2012 Dear Citizens of Blight, Thank you for electing me as mayor. I promise that I will do my best to bring Blight into a most prosperous future. My first act as new mayor will be to revise the budget and enact a number of projects to get Blight on track. The city has 1 million Ruskovian Fitzes in funds available to enact some very extreme measures. However, this will ensure that Blight quickly improves. Below is the 2012 Budget Proposal and Related Ordinances in detail. All changes will take effect immediately. ************************************************************************************************ Riot Cleanup As you know, much of the city was destroyed during the rioting. Whole city blocks were burned down, and roads were mostly destroyed in the areas with the worst arson. A total of $200,000 will be spent to demolish and remove the rubbish from these destroyed areas. Please note that formerly zoned residential districts destroyed by the fires will no longer be in effect. New zoning maps for future development will be provided in the near future once a city master plan has been developed. Tax Breaks Given that former Mayor Bushoms swindled us all out of our hard-earned money for the last 11 years, I am going to give some back for a limited period of time. Until the end of 2012 (and possibly into 2013), taxes will be reduced across the board for residents and businesses, down to 2%. Industry will also receive tax breaks: 2% for manufacturing and high-tech, 5% for agriculture. Dirty industry taxes will remain the same due to the costs associated with cleanup of the environment that will be a part of future plans. Road Repair and Transportion Funding Increases Allocations for road maintenance will be increased from $200 to $550 to repair potholes. Once an adequate road system has been recovered all dirt roads will be gradually upgraded to paved roads. A public transport option including buses, and eventually a metro line, will be included in the 2014 master plans. Sanitation $10,000 in emergency cleanup funds are being used to get the trash off the streets and into a landfill. Another $60,000 will be used to build sanitation facilities for incineration. Monthly maintenance will average $2000. Public Safety In effect immediately is a new smoke detector ordinance. This will cost very little for maintenance once the initial costs for installment are covered. As you read this, police stations are being built around the city to ensure that every individual is protected. In about two weeks, each of the stations will be complete and fully functional. Facility costs are $1500 per month with an initial payment of $12,000. In response to the growing crime epidemic in Stuytown, the slums to the north of the district and the nearby projects will be condemned. This is a final notice to all residents of these zones that they must move immediately. Total costs for implosion and cleanup shall cost $15,000. No further construction shall take place on those lots until further notice. Be advised that there are new laws in effect regarding crime. As seen in other cities of Ruskova, Blight will enforce the three-strike rule. The death penalty may be applied on a case-by-case basis depending upon the severity of the crime. Hard labor, however, shall be enforced for those who receive three strikes. This is your final warning. Education A new ordinance will go into effect beginning September 3, 2012 that will require all residents under the age of 16 to be enrolled in an educational program. This ordinance will go into effect concurrently with a pro-reading campaign. Registration for the new school year will begin on April 2 and is free of charge. As an incentive, each student enrolling for the new school year by July 31 will receive a stipend to cover their educational supplies, including books and uniforms free of charge. Those residents who are not enrolled by August 31, 2012 will be charged a fine of $1,000. Each of Blight's four districts will receive an elementary and high school, which will open September 3 for the first day of school. Unisex uniforms will be enforced in all schools. Any child caught outside of school on a school day during normal school days of Monday-Friday during the hours of 8:00am to 5:00pm will incur a fine of $250 unless they can provide a doctor's notice or teacher's permission slip of absence. Attendance will be strictly enforced. The school day's traditional study will end at 3:00pm. The final two hours of the day will be dedicated to mandatory extracurricular studies ranging from arts, to sports, to computer technology courses, to vocational or technical courses. Students may choose their preferences for these courses during registration. This new educational concept is meant to bring up the EQ of the city and to provide working parents with the ability to finish a day's work, come home, and then supervise their children without having to pay babysitting or day care fees. Health A new clinic will be constructed immediately in the center of the city ($2000 construction fee, $1000 monthly maintenance). Subsequent clinics will also be built in all four of the residential districts at a later date, but have yet to be determined. It is possible that health groups from other cities in Ruskova may have an interest in building here, which may reduce some of the costs associated with these services. All residents may visit the Central Blight Hospital one (1) time before the end of 2012 to address any issues they may have. This single service will be provided free of charge and is meant to help even the neediest families start off this new year in good health. The total costs for these visits shall be no more than $100,000. I thank you for your time in reviewing the current changes in Blight policy. An update of the changes and advancements made will be provided promptly upon their completion. All questions, comments and concerns can be addressed to the newly created Public Affairs Office. Thank you, Mayor of Blight Teresa Ford

@justdream: hahahaha! I was wondering if someone would catch that....