Hey_Coffee_Guy

When we last left our intrepid adventurers, they had just emerged from the sea that had tried to claim their lives. They were standing on the shores of an unfamiliar land with limited supplies and no idea where they were or if they would survive. After their harrowing experience on the sea, the survivors were grateful for the land they now stood upon. To show this appreciation, they named their new land Vagga af Líf*, which means Cradle of Life, as they were like a newborn babe, helpless and dependent on the land to provide for them what they would need. They first retrieved what supplies they could from the sea, being mindful of the waters and looking for any sign the creatures that stranded them here might be returning. Their next task was to secure shelter against the elements. They named their first settlement Nahvalr Strond*, which means Narwhal Shore, to serve as a reminder of the events that led them to this new land. At first there were many survivors to few houses, but as the winter gave way to spring, they were able to build more dwellings and also to begin farming. These new farms added a more stable source of food and supplemented the fish they harvested from the sea, and the beasts they hunted in the forests. Soon, the community began to grow and expand. With this growth they also began to explore the world around them. They soon discovered that they were surrounded by two mighty rivers, the Olmr Flod* (Wild River) to the west, and the Vindingr Flod* (Winding River) to the east. To the south of their oceanside settlement, they discovered deteriorating walls of what appeared to be a volcanic crater. This discovery prompted them to call their land Eld-gygr Skagi*, which means Crater Peninsula. All these expeditions were either on foot, until they were able to capture and tame some of the horses that were native to the peninsula. As we leave our fearless raiders turned settlers, we must ask: Will they once again return to the sea? Will they continue to prosper and fill their new land? Are they alone in this new world, or are there others they just haven't encountered yet? *I am trying to make translations as accurate as possible, but it is difficult to find Old Norse translations for some words, especially more modern ones. Notes: I am creating this City Journal via my phone, but do plan to add pictures from my laptop when I can. I hope you are enjoying the story. Feel free to leave comments or ideas below. I am building this region through a natural growth approach, meaning I have only a vague idea of what it will look like. For this reason, I have not even fully built out the terrain in most of the region, opting instead to only develop around where the first cities are going to avoid destroying development when editing adjacent tiles. I am also filling in each tile as it develops with minimal planning as to how it will look. I am currently playing the game totally vanilla without any mods, not even NAM. I am not opposed to modding, but I want to see how far I can take the base game before bugs and limitations stall out growth. I have played for years, but never successfully developed anything I was happy with, so I am trying a new approach and strategy to see what happens. Part of that plan is this CJ, my attempt to combine my love for city building games and creative writing (neither of which I am extremely good at, but enjoy nonetheless). The other part is less strict gridding and forcing myself to build slowly. I hope it pays off, and I hope y'all enjoy taking the journey with me.

This City Journal will document the birth and growth of a new region. Initially, our story will focus on a small group of shipwreck survivors who are forced to improvise, adapt, and overcome (thank you Bear Grylls) or die. Later we will see other settlers move in and settle in the region. Will they come in peace? Or are they bent on conquest? Only time will tell. However, before we can see where we are going, we must look at where we’ve been, so that we can understand where we are. If you feel so inclined, pop some corn and grab your favorite beverage of choice, then settle in and join me for a tale of adventure, intrigue, and perseverance. I'll wait. All set? Good. Let's begin where it seems most logical: The Beginning The year was SC 00, a small band of Viking raiders led by Guos Gipt af Víf* was 18 months into an expedition for fortune and glory when they discovered a narrow peninsula that was not marked on any of their charts. Intrigued by this discovery, the order was given to alter course so a small landing party could go ashore and scout the area. It was agreed that exploration would not last longer than three days because there wet no signs that the land was inhabited at all. The landing vessel was lowered and the scout party was away. When they returned after the appointed three days, they reported that the land was a vast wilderness with no trace of civilization. Since you cannot gain fortune or glory from a forest, it was decided to shove off and continue their quest. After nearly four months had passed, there was still no sign of the land filled with treasures they had hoped to find and the crew was becoming increasingly restless. It was proposed that they return to the uncharted land and explore it further, in case there might still be fortune and glory in their futures. It was put to a vote and all agreed that it should be done, so the course was set and they were on their way. However, as they neared the uncharted land they encountered several large sea creatures. These creatures were quite large, white skinned, and had long spikes of bone extending from their heads. The men were frightened and tried to scare the creatures away. Unfortunately, they only succeeded in provoking the creatures into attack. The sea beasts battered the ship with their heavy spikes causing much damage. The attack was viscous, but brief, and the creatures soon lost interest and swam away. Our intrepid Captain began barking orders to make for the shore as quickly as could be done. Everyone not on rowing duty was ordered to throw overboard everything they could to lighten the rapidly sinking ship. These actions only prolonged the inevitable, but gave the crew the precious time they needed. They did not reach the shore, but as the ship sank from under their feet they were within swimming distance of the beach. Wet, cold, and alone, our adventurers stood on the sands of an unknown land. Their ship was gone, so there was no returning home. Their supplies were lost, or soaked and adrift, so they had little to work with. They did have a vast expanse of unknown at their backs, so it was time to knuckle down and dig in for the winter. Survival was not guaranteed, but they were not of the mindset to give up. *Old Norse for God's Gift to Wife (No narcissism, just wordplay on the meaning of my name and an inside joke. Ok, perhaps a little narcissism.)

Oh, I know. Been playing it on this one for years. The main issue is the operating system is now out of date and no longer able to be updated on this computer. I have to replace it whether I add mods or not.

Hey y'all. I've been playing SimCity games since the early to mid nineties, but never knew there was such an active community or improvements to the game until recently. I'm currently playing with no mods, and planning to update the game with some as soon as I replace my computer with something from the current decade 😆. Just wanted to introduce myself and give a heads up that there may questions forthcoming. Lots of questions. Maybe even all the questions. I always try to search for the answer first, so hopefully I won't ask too many repetitive questions.