The thing with efficient trunk/branch structures was pretty well-explained in that imgur album by that civil engineer who made the pretty island city, a few pages back. (Here, found it: http://imgur.com/gallery/WdJim)
The problem most people run into, I believe, is having too many intersections in their "connecting" roads. Really, you want traffic on those to be well-flowing and fast. For (rectangular, not square) grid layouts, align the long side of the rectangle with them, so there are fewer intersections.
Connecting roads have the sole purpose of making sure that people get from whatever local area they're in to the nearest regional connection (in CSL probably a highway or other long-distance connection between districts/areas of interest) as fast and efficiently as possible. So, basically, make sure they're laid out as direct and disturbance-free as possible.
That's the one mistake I see in many screenshots - too many intersections in connecting roads.
Balamb update - The base has been roughed out and imported into Blender, but the building is waay more organically shaped than I what I'm used to modeling. It's like a ring with blobs off the side, a face in front, with an ice cream cone coming out of the top. There aren't very many side/top views of the building which is making it difficult. (The building shape, however, is consistent, which is good.) I'm going to be tackling it another way tonight by manually drawing some perspectives with paper/pencil and scanning them in.
@Halkun, looking at the shape of the building, it looks like you should be starting top down, place a ton of cylinders. From there, extrude out to the height you want it to be, scale down that extrusion to a point, then use the loop tool to add segments between the top and "base" of the domes, and scale as appropriate. You can usually approximate a proper spherical dome with about 6 cuts like that to keep the poly count relatively down while giving you some great detail.
Ok G&T can you motivate to finish?
It's a rough-in. The buildings in the base lack domes, and I haven't extended the "front door" down to the bottom yet (It's just the cowling above) There a bit of of a scale issue with the tallness, (I think it's a touch short) but does it look like it's coming along?
on an unrelated note I cannot express how badly I want like the alt key or something to display a snappable grid aligned perfectly within the map cells
I would do all kinds of curved roads if I could get that
+4
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
on an unrelated note I cannot express how badly I want like the alt key or something to display a snappable grid aligned perfectly within the map cells
I would do all kinds of curved roads if I could get that
Consider building your grid with dirt roads or pedestrian paths wherever you plan to curve out, and then delete the segments your curve will pass through before you lay it down.
Not as handy as a visual grid, but it does allow you to draw a framework for your design.
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
+1
That_GuyI don't wanna be that guyRegistered Userregular
I am finding that 2 tik high, elevated highways are the only way to go. It makes designing onramps and offramps SUPER easy. My current city has grown beyond what the basic one-lane ramps can handle. I have started adding direct highway ramps to my inner beltways. This has almost totally resolved my traffic problems. I will get some screens tonight to share. Being able to build roads under the highway without having to fuck with complicated ramp systems make so much more sense. I have upgraded almost my entire highways system to 2 tik elevated.
+2
DaimarA Million Feet Tall of AwesomeRegistered Userregular
So the autosave mod that I enabled disabled achievements. Is there an indicator (that I've probably missed) which shows which add-ons will turn off achievements or is it just everything which does it?
So the autosave mod that I enabled disabled achievements. Is there an indicator (that I've probably missed) which shows which add-ons will turn off achievements or is it just everything which does it?
So the autosave mod that I enabled disabled achievements. Is there an indicator (that I've probably missed) which shows which add-ons will turn off achievements or is it just everything which does it?
Any mod disables achievements.
Also, if you look at your savegame in the loader, there is an award icon with a slash through it. FYI, only mods disable achievements, assets do not.
+1
DaimarA Million Feet Tall of AwesomeRegistered Userregular
So the autosave mod that I enabled disabled achievements. Is there an indicator (that I've probably missed) which shows which add-ons will turn off achievements or is it just everything which does it?
Any mod disables achievements.
Also, if you look at your savegame in the loader, there is an award icon with a slash through it. FYI, only mods disable achievements, assets do not.
Yeah, I saw that eventually, but didn't really clue in on it for a few days.
Yeah, I have the enabler because the only mods I use are the make-the-game-harder mod (Which honestly should have been an in-game option), the tree brush mod and disabling free money from milestones. So in any case, I've made it harder to get achievements.
0
webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Has anybody tried the cell shaded mod? That one looked pretty cool.
on an unrelated note I cannot express how badly I want like the alt key or something to display a snappable grid aligned perfectly within the map cells
I would do all kinds of curved roads if I could get that
You might know this already but any road assets that you plonk down in your city are aligned to the map (you can right-click to rotate assets in 45 degree increments).
So a workaround for now is to build a little '+' crossroads in the asset editor then use this to align your roads in your city.
Any news on when the patch with tunnels and stuff is coming?
Kinda been putting off playing waiting for the big patch
Do that. The game is good but there is a flood of mods coming out and plenty of small tweaks and additions that need to be made by the devs. I suspect after a while mods will start to get bundled into packs that will make them a bit easier to sort though.
So I accidentally took a bailout by clicking accept without reading, it says it turns off achievements? Will I be prevented from growing my city tile wise?
No, you can still build your city like you would have before. Turning off achievements means exactly that; you won't get Steam achievements for the milestones. I suppose it's possible the 'enable achievements' mod might circumvent this? Or you can re-load an earlier save.
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
I am finding less motivation now that my city has 75k people in it and there are no more advancement tiers.
I mean, I could go monument/landmark hunting, but those things just break the game (remove the need for schools, hospitals, etc).
I hope the upcoming content add city goals with new mechanics for cities larger than 65k - I feel like they should have marks all the way up to 200k
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
+3
Nova_CI have the needThe need for speedRegistered Userregular
So, all of New Tortuga's traffic problems are gone, absolutely nowhere does traffic pile up anymore. I'm only at 21,000 people, though:
I have a problem, though. I don't know how to make the office buildings go to level three:
I have power, water, fire, health, death, police, bus and metro coverage. University coverage. I tried building an elementary school and high school downtown and it did nothing. I can't think of what other services there are.
Offices require every service, including schools, so check your elementary/high school coverage
0
That_GuyI don't wanna be that guyRegistered Userregular
By the time I am at 75k I usually have only filled a small fraction of the map. . The city I am working on now just hit 100k with close to half the map left unfettered.
I continue to be impressed by the quality of content coming from the modding community. I have downloaded a ton of asset packs from some super dedicated modelers. There's even a servey that popped up asking me if I thought this asset pack should be in the game.
on an unrelated note I cannot express how badly I want like the alt key or something to display a snappable grid aligned perfectly within the map cells
I would do all kinds of curved roads if I could get that
Consider building your grid with dirt roads or pedestrian paths wherever you plan to curve out, and then delete the segments your curve will pass through before you lay it down.
Not as handy as a visual grid, but it does allow you to draw a framework for your design.
That's generally how I start off to get my initial grid as aligned as possible and then branch out from there
For awhile I was using the grids off of gravel roads to piece together curves but I got tired of fiddling with it and just went back to all straight lines all the time except for like highway/on-ramps/off-ramps
Offices are bullshit, I hope they get patched. I have some demanding more services where there is a fire station, police station, hospital, crematorium, elementary school, high school, university, bus route, subway and 2 parks on the same god damn street. And an incinerator plant 2 streets over. What, you want your own personal fucking solar plant?
Of the many office zoned areas I have, only a handful of individual buildings are level 3, and they are flanked by buildings still demanding more services. Office zones are totally screwed up.
Steam / Xbox Live: WSDX NNID: W-S-D-X 3DS FC: 2637-9461-8549
Offices are bullshit, I hope they get patched. I have some demanding more services where there is a fire station, police station, hospital, crematorium, elementary school, high school, university, bus route, subway and 2 parks on the same god damn street. And an incinerator plant 2 streets over. What, you want your own personal fucking solar plant?
Of the many office zoned areas I have, only a handful of individual buildings are level 3, and they are flanked by buildings still demanding more services. Office zones are totally screwed up.
Land value seems to play a role too. Any major sources of pollution, noise or otherwise nearby?
No, I use enough parks to raise land value for all areas to green. It's just buggy or the values are out of whack and nobody noticed. Even if it were working as intended it is ludicrous to have these requirements anyway. Offices want educated workers, but there's no actual benefit for schools being placed on the same block.
I mean, I can dump dense commercial zones basically anywhere and everything shoots straight to level 3.
Rami on
Steam / Xbox Live: WSDX NNID: W-S-D-X 3DS FC: 2637-9461-8549
0
Dhalphirdon't you open that trapdooryou're a fool if you dareRegistered Userregular
how is Cim commuting calculated?
Do Cims tend to choose jobs close to home all the time, or like real life, will you have a mix of some people commuting 500metres and some commuting 10km?
One thing I would love, and I'm kind of surprised isn't already included, is simcity's route query button.
Just click on a patch of road, get cars/commuters/pedestrians info, and give you a rough idea of what route those folks are taking. Lets you immediately know if you've goofed up the traffic flow for some little neighborhood of yours or anything like that.
I'd also kinda like if they could decouple levels from density. I miss having high-rise projects, or the rich residential neighborhood where it's just giant palatial lawns and one huge house. I think there's modders already working on some of that though.
A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
0
Ninja Snarl PMy helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered Userregular
One thing I would love, and I'm kind of surprised isn't already included, is simcity's route query button.
Just click on a patch of road, get cars/commuters/pedestrians info, and give you a rough idea of what route those folks are taking. Lets you immediately know if you've goofed up the traffic flow for some little neighborhood of yours or anything like that.
If you click on vehicles, it shows you their start and end points. If you click on a piece of road, it gives you an intensity-coded overlay showing where the traffic passing over that section of road comes from and where it goes. So if you think there's a lot of traffic from a certain area gumming up a road, click the road and bam, you can tell right away if you really are getting heavier traffic from certain areas.
Just uploaded a fresh batch of screenshots of my current city. It grew to 150k Cims tonight. I have downloaded over 250 assets via various packs to make the city more interesting. Most I downloaded tonight and are only just starting to pop in. They really add some nice variety to the game. Just more reason to keep building. So far traffic is heavy but well under control. I have done various messy troubleshooting roadway and on/off ramp combos. The downtown area has been improved with more trees and parks. Tomorrow night I will begin construction in the third or so of the map. It looks like I am going to need to start with more low density residential.
Edit: I am public streaming on steam every night if you want to take a gander at how I am managing.
Posts
The problem most people run into, I believe, is having too many intersections in their "connecting" roads. Really, you want traffic on those to be well-flowing and fast. For (rectangular, not square) grid layouts, align the long side of the rectangle with them, so there are fewer intersections.
Connecting roads have the sole purpose of making sure that people get from whatever local area they're in to the nearest regional connection (in CSL probably a highway or other long-distance connection between districts/areas of interest) as fast and efficiently as possible. So, basically, make sure they're laid out as direct and disturbance-free as possible.
That's the one mistake I see in many screenshots - too many intersections in connecting roads.
Unreal Engine 4 Developers Community.
I'm working on a cute little video game! Here's a link for you.
I am sure once I try this out one of my cities will burn to the ground.
Ok G&T can you motivate to finish?
It's a rough-in. The buildings in the base lack domes, and I haven't extended the "front door" down to the bottom yet (It's just the cowling above) There a bit of of a scale issue with the tallness, (I think it's a touch short) but does it look like it's coming along?
on an unrelated note I cannot express how badly I want like the alt key or something to display a snappable grid aligned perfectly within the map cells
I would do all kinds of curved roads if I could get that
Consider building your grid with dirt roads or pedestrian paths wherever you plan to curve out, and then delete the segments your curve will pass through before you lay it down.
Not as handy as a visual grid, but it does allow you to draw a framework for your design.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Any mod disables achievements.
Also, if you look at your savegame in the loader, there is an award icon with a slash through it. FYI, only mods disable achievements, assets do not.
Yeah, I saw that eventually, but didn't really clue in on it for a few days.
Spiffy, I think I'll just start over though, my current city is a mess that I finally decided I don't want to throw any more time into.
Have to use your own judgement if you have mods that make the achievements moot, after all you're only cheating yourself.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Kinda been putting off playing waiting for the big patch
You might know this already but any road assets that you plonk down in your city are aligned to the map (you can right-click to rotate assets in 45 degree increments).
So a workaround for now is to build a little '+' crossroads in the asset editor then use this to align your roads in your city.
Steam (Ansatz) || GW2 officer (Ansatz.6498)
Do that. The game is good but there is a flood of mods coming out and plenty of small tweaks and additions that need to be made by the devs. I suspect after a while mods will start to get bundled into packs that will make them a bit easier to sort though.
It looks great up close. Then you zoom out and it makes every tree look terrible and forests become horrible black scribbles.
Steam: MightyPotatoKing
I mean, I could go monument/landmark hunting, but those things just break the game (remove the need for schools, hospitals, etc).
I hope the upcoming content add city goals with new mechanics for cities larger than 65k - I feel like they should have marks all the way up to 200k
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
I have a problem, though. I don't know how to make the office buildings go to level three:
I have power, water, fire, health, death, police, bus and metro coverage. University coverage. I tried building an elementary school and high school downtown and it did nothing. I can't think of what other services there are.
I continue to be impressed by the quality of content coming from the modding community. I have downloaded a ton of asset packs from some super dedicated modelers. There's even a servey that popped up asking me if I thought this asset pack should be in the game.
Steam: MightyPotatoKing
That's generally how I start off to get my initial grid as aligned as possible and then branch out from there
For awhile I was using the grids off of gravel roads to piece together curves but I got tired of fiddling with it and just went back to all straight lines all the time except for like highway/on-ramps/off-ramps
Of the many office zoned areas I have, only a handful of individual buildings are level 3, and they are flanked by buildings still demanding more services. Office zones are totally screwed up.
Land value seems to play a role too. Any major sources of pollution, noise or otherwise nearby?
I mean, I can dump dense commercial zones basically anywhere and everything shoots straight to level 3.
Do Cims tend to choose jobs close to home all the time, or like real life, will you have a mix of some people commuting 500metres and some commuting 10km?
It's... beautiful.
Old PA forum lookalike style for the new forums | My ko-fi donation thing.
Just click on a patch of road, get cars/commuters/pedestrians info, and give you a rough idea of what route those folks are taking. Lets you immediately know if you've goofed up the traffic flow for some little neighborhood of yours or anything like that.
I'd also kinda like if they could decouple levels from density. I miss having high-rise projects, or the rich residential neighborhood where it's just giant palatial lawns and one huge house. I think there's modders already working on some of that though.
There's a mod for that.
If you click on vehicles, it shows you their start and end points. If you click on a piece of road, it gives you an intensity-coded overlay showing where the traffic passing over that section of road comes from and where it goes. So if you think there's a lot of traffic from a certain area gumming up a road, click the road and bam, you can tell right away if you really are getting heavier traffic from certain areas.
Just uploaded a fresh batch of screenshots of my current city. It grew to 150k Cims tonight. I have downloaded over 250 assets via various packs to make the city more interesting. Most I downloaded tonight and are only just starting to pop in. They really add some nice variety to the game. Just more reason to keep building. So far traffic is heavy but well under control. I have done various messy troubleshooting roadway and on/off ramp combos. The downtown area has been improved with more trees and parks. Tomorrow night I will begin construction in the third or so of the map. It looks like I am going to need to start with more low density residential.
Edit: I am public streaming on steam every night if you want to take a gander at how I am managing.
Old PA forum lookalike style for the new forums | My ko-fi donation thing.
Get the mod that unlocks all 25 tiles for purchase!
Unreal Engine 4 Developers Community.
I'm working on a cute little video game! Here's a link for you.