Politician Archive
Thread: Frustrated new Mayor needs assistance
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OckaClan
Tue Mar 01, 2005 9:07 pm
#1
Hello everyone,
So we dropped City Hall (2732, -1284 Corellia) a few days ago and I am having jitters. I am really having trouble mapping out the city, I have been trying to use the web-based city planner, but the terrain is just so bumpy and corellia was the only planet we could agree on w/ spots open for shuttleports. Naboo was our 1st choice. Anyways, I am really struggling and as this is really my baby, so it's mainly my burden.
Could ppl maybe post their city maps, so I can take a look at some?
We mainly need alot of storage and then the main city structure and a few Faction bases. I was hoping someone could help me figure this out. I placed the image of our current city here:
Atm, I am just dropping small houses (best storage/maint value) and laying them down one after another. I am trying to make sure we have enough space to get the residents w/in the radius so we can keep growing. Many of the ppl play for a month, then take a month off, or take the summers off. So once the houses are down will be a real pain to move or transfer them. I was trying to figure if placing just the residency houses w/in city limits was the way to go, or b/c this will be more of a stronghold type city w/ few frills, that just packing it w/ houses and basics was fine.
Also I am realizing how far off 55 residents will be and that getting them is gonna be a challenge w/ the way we work. Very close guild, giving freely to each other and PvPing as a tight grp. Makes padding our numbers a bad thing. So we will always be small. Ppl think we should have just build in a nice flat spot on Naboo? Or this one could work?
I am sorry this is a badly worded post, I am overwhelmed and I read the FAQ, just hard to put things into play w/o a better view of the landscape, etc. That is my biggest problem at the moment, followed closely by the "ideal layout" for the houses, structures and bases.
Thank you in advance to anyone who can calm me down, and help me thru this very big step.
PsychoticChipmunk
Wed Mar 02, 2005 5:28 am
#2
I'm a Corellian mayor and let me tell you from my experience, the web planner is crap for our world. It is the best tool possible if your area is flat and amazing to get an overall idea for the layout, but on Corellian soil the trenches determine the layout not the overhead map. Since you have freed up lots now, more and more, with the recent publishes you can see where smalls and other homes can fit easily. Use this and familiarize yourself with the overhead viewer to see what is feasible and what isn't. Find spots where a PA hall would work and think, how should I incorporate this into the town? See how you can get that to work and there you go.
Also realize that the bumps and unbuildable terrain work great as plazza's and squares. There is a big area in front of my city hall that is semi-buildable in some parts and not in others, same goes for the merchant area, well this just means make a large rectangle or square where you can and fill in the area with interesting decor. The slight rises are perfect focal points for statues etc. so use the terrain to your advantage.
OckaClan
Wed Mar 02, 2005 5:53 am
#3
Cool. Ya, I am trying to manage, just hard w/ the terrain the way it is. Atm, I have sent out an e-mail and am trying to figure out what ppls thoughts are on these new realizations. The nature of our city is really a base for our PvP and BH activites. We all craft and so we also have loads of storage needs. I was going to use small houses, b/c even though they take up more room than factories, 12cph vs. 40cph adds up very fast.
What I am trying to figure out now is this. I am really questioning if our city will ever grow to 55 residents. I would love a shuttleport, as would every playercity. I am trying to think more practical and less dreamy. Would it be easier and better, to just drop a City on Naboo, where shuttles are maxed out, but the land is very flat and there is also loads more useable land? Atm, I am the one who'd spent 2 solid days moving items (and sorting). So it really hurts me the most if we retry on Naboo. I just want to determine this now, rather than weeks down the line. Yes we have done a lot of planning, but our original plan was naboo, so would be easy to start there.
When I used the city planner tool, i started to get really worried about fitting 20 residents w/in the borders. We basiaclly just dropped a city hall w/a PA hall behind it, and then 2 rows of houes on either side. Now only a few a residencies. Mean person A, may have all 5 of his/her small houses there. Now I understand that it may have been a bad zoning choice. That placing storage houses outside the city limits would be better, but trying to tell ppl that they can have a house here and then need to drop the rest of their stuff 450m away, it's hard to make the city fly if it's an annoyance right from the get go.
I am trying my best to come up w/ a layout that incorporates the terrain, and then has the houses, city structures and factional bases. My thoughts are that if hitting 55 residents in a town/guild dedicated to a small tight grp of players, that may be near impossible. If that is the case, then Naboo is a far better choice b/c it's so nice and flat (/drool). I then get hit w/ the fact that Naboo is already 46Imp 25Reb, so we are not really impacting the GCW as much as an Imp city on Corellia would.
Man oh Man, the chaos.
Anyways, I would just like feed back on my original post and this one. If I have a crappy spot (best I could find in the area on Corellia) and the likely hood of getting a shuttle port is very low. Should I just scrap this and start a Naboo City? This of course will depend on my city leaders input too. Also from my 1st post. Making a city devoid of "green spaces" for parks/gardens, etc, "filler" w/ only houses for residents and storage and then the city buildings, and the Faction Bases. What do ppl think of that.
Khristen
Wed Mar 02, 2005 9:27 am
#4
I understand exactly where you are coming for. Designing the city plan for our city was a very time consuming task to get it done right. The only way I could get a clear idea of the landscape was to map it out myself. I took a personal harvester and some old-fashioned graph paper and pencil to map out the buildable areas; it's not 100% because different structures have different terrain requirements for placement, but it's good for a general overview. This was before we placed a single building. Once I had the first 200m radius finished, we placed city hall and went from there.
I would suggest making sure that the citizens understand that they may need to sacrifice a few convienences in order to make the city work. At first, storage houses were required to stay outside the initial radius so that we could ensure that everyone could get in so we could advance. Factories are not allowed in the city limits to this day. They are all grouped together in an area 500m NW of our city hall. No more PA Halls are allowed in our city limits because there simply isn't room for them.
A good plan is vital, as I'm sure you are becoming aware. It is also terribly important that everyone is very clear on the rules for placing structures. For our city, absolutely nothing gets placed by anyone other than myself. After all that hand-mapping and designing in such a tight area, I'm not about to let someone screw it up by placing one square too far north. It's not always easy, since I have to keep free lots open which would be for harvesters, but it guarantees that it will turn out the right way. If you have an easy way to share your map with someone you trust (I'm lucky enough to have someone who lives very close in RL and he helps me with placement now), you can distribute the ability to place. I also have some areas now that are very easy to explain where the house goes (generally areas where it's only going to go one way) that I entrust with our militia captain in the event I'm not around for new housing.
After awhile, it gets easier to see what will fit where. You won't know unless you try it, though. Once I had that initial snapshot of what the terrain looked like (from the personal harvester), I was then able to go through with a small/large house deed and map out what could actually be placed.
It can be done. You have to be able to adapt, but most importantly you have to be able to say no. Sometimes what a citizen wants for themself will hurt the overall city plan (wanting to place a PA hall when you desperately need the area to fit 6 small houses). Get one vision for the city plan and then make sure that everyone is very well aware of the fact that what you say goes in regards to it. Otherwise you'll find people placing structures when you're not around that can mess up the ability to advance to the next rank.
Kyorlana
Wed Mar 02, 2005 3:51 pm
#5
Our city is on Talus and we face the same terrain issues as people on Corellia. The gently undulating hills are great on the eye, not so great on placement of buildings!
Our map has undergone many amendments over time to what it is today. I have a team of city planners who are permitted to /grantz to prospective residents but we have a full procedure they need to follow as well as the map that they need to keep to. Woe betide anyone who places one square out
Maps of Tirius
Good luck, wherever you decide to settle!
Our map has undergone many amendments over time to what it is today. I have a team of city planners who are permitted to /grantz to prospective residents but we have a full procedure they need to follow as well as the map that they need to keep to. Woe betide anyone who places one square out
Maps of Tirius
Good luck, wherever you decide to settle!
OckaClan
Wed Mar 02, 2005 7:52 pm
#6
Kyorlana wrote:
Our city is on Talus and we face the same terrain issues as people on Corellia. The gently undulating hills are great on the eye, not so great on placement of buildings!
Our map has undergone many amendments over time to what it is today. I have a team of city planners who are permitted to /grantz to prospective residents but we have a full procedure they need to follow as well as the map that they need to keep to. Woe betide anyone who places one square out
Maps of Tirius
Good luck, wherever you decide to settle!
Ok, for the 2 post above and everyone else, TY TY TY. The map is of particular help, TY so much for that. Here is how things stand atm. I guess we had some misunderstandings among founders even after re-reading my e-mails I have no idea how these happened. Basically this is where we stand.
This will be a guild city, and as such, will grow slowly. I am under no illusions that PvP and BHing will make us enemies, so inviting ppl haphazardly could really hurt us down the road if we inadvertantly annoy a resident. Having gotten everyone on the same page, we are now seeing a shuttleport is not really a reality w/o the use of less than honorable means (aka lot swappers). I know alot of ppl do this, but I would rather avoid it. Having said that, we have made the choice to go back to Naboo. I am not quiting and this is not the easy way out. I have already moved around 5,000 items from Naboo to Corellia, this was two solid days of trips using 2 accounts. So I am somewhat shooting myself in the foot. But as our city is only a few days old, we have decided it's better to get a very tight layout w/ respect to our bases and such is more important than a shuttleport we may nvr get. Also cities go under, a spot may open up on Naboo. Maybe at the time when we grow to 55 residents there will be an opening. The only thing is not having a cloning facility.
One thought, ATM I have 12 votes for the election, is it worth staying to get that xp? Prob not, but I will toss it out there. This is a shame, but naboo does work well, it does stink b/c naboo is already 46imp and 25rebel, so another Imp area is not all the helpful, as having one on Corellia. But to be really honest, this is really a guild city, a few ppl (mainly myself) that wanted to try out the city aspect before e leave the game. I don't see that coming soon, but it has always been something I was interested in.
P.S. The Map you posted, what tool did you use. It's great. Also are there tools w/ the footprints for Bases, I have nvr had one so I have no idea what size they are or how many lots, which makes putting them in the city plan much harder. The new plan would be city hall, and guild hall in center of town and then storage houses off to the side (say 400m out) w/ naboo this is so much easier as placing buildings will be less of a hassle.
Again, TY TY TY TY So Much. You have all been great, and I really do appreciate the support and personal experiences you have shared w/ me.
Janann
Thu Mar 03, 2005 12:46 am
#7
Nice thread, so many good tips how to plan a player city!
I used M$ Visio to make our map.
I also try every house lots beforehand to see how they look like. As we have a lot of grass and bushes I have scattered large houses here and there since they keepthejungleaway from a large area like the generic guild hall with blue banners (Corellian guild hall has much smaller clearing radius!). Also medium houses have quite large "clearing" radius. Natural parks have original trees leftsince the island wasdense forest.
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