Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.

Project Throxton

Hello,

I am really not sure this is a good idea when I have Project Fenbury to finish. I have been mulling over an idea for a new world for a while. I did promise hubby I would take a bit of break from building but I do so want to do something with this idea. So I have started playing around in CAW.

ahzhmJC.png

I posted this in my Project Fenbury thread.

The county which has inspired the new world of Throxton Deverill is Wiltshire. Where I hear you ask. Well it is a land locked county in the south west of England. The top half skirts the Cotwolds and is a fairly bland mixture of rural and light industry. The bottom half includes a large area known as Salisbury Plain. Dotted around the edge of the Plain are a number of ancient monuments. It is some these I am seeking to represent in the new world.

Bearing in mind I am currently levelling ground and laying out road maps, here are some very early pics of what I have in mind.

zsKWQ8M.png

7eMFuMu.png

i5vSIx5.png

The landscapes round these monuments is quite stark. It is believed this was done deliberately by the ancients, as the whole area would have been densely wooded when these monuments were constructed. It just goes to show that our ancestors had a lot more skills than we give them credit for. Up close then these monuments are awe inspiring. Little is really known about them.

The name Throxton Deverill does not exist. Deverill refers to places which are on the river in the Wyley valley. There is a Thruxton but that is in Hampshire. Hubby said I should think of a name which suggest age and history so here it is.
I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
Wherever I am friends call me Betty

Sim enim est vita

Comments

  • MissyHissyMissyHissy Posts: 2,022 Member
    Looking good so far! I like the idea of the lots being interspersed by the rocks - very reminiscent of Avebury. Good idea!
    *All my mods can be found on The Daily Plumbob*MiAqoAE.png
  • chojrakchojrak Posts: 188 Member
    These lumpy mountains looks really interesting. These were called mogots if I remember corretly.
    I'm curious how it'll look when done. :sunglasses:
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    chojrak wrote: »
    These lumpy mountains looks really interesting. These were called mogots if I remember corretly.
    I'm curious how it'll look when done. :sunglasses:

    I am going to adjust the scale of the mounds as I work on them. I had to look up mogots. The two sites I am basing the mounds on never had a residential function. The two smaller mounds are known as long barrows in the UK and these two were for burials. The largest mound which is the height of an Egyptian pyramid is the largest man made chalk mound in Europe. The actual function is not clear but the view from the top is stunning on a clear day :)
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    I think it’s a good idea to start a seperate thread when you’re building two worlds. I love the idea for this one as well (being the Anglophile that I am)!
    5JZ57S6.png
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    I am still planning out this new world but I wanted to check I could actually build one of my main features. I will say it is much harder than I thought and you can imagine the air was rather blue. The CAW tool is not the easiest to use and I am not that experienced at terrain sculpting yet. Not very exciting to look at but I took these pics for my records.

    2pFHmYh.png

    hNxDoYD.png
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • MissyHissyMissyHissy Posts: 2,022 Member
    A canal? Looking lovely so far!
    *All my mods can be found on The Daily Plumbob*MiAqoAE.png
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    MissyHissy wrote: »
    A canal? Looking lovely so far!

    Thank you :) Modelled on the Kennet and Avon. I won't be adding in the Caem Hill locks though, far too difficult for me to do :D Hope you ohave a good day working on your world.
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    This last few days RL has been taking over again. In odd moments I keep trying to plan out Throxton. For anyone worried about Fenbury I have done some tidying up and plan to spend some more time today working on it.

    aX65wln.png

    The canal feature, as anticipated, is proving the most difficult to sort out at the moment. At some point the road will have to cross the canal and I am really not sure how to achieve it yet. In the meantime I have been adding lots, like canal side houses and an inn. I am considering a footbridge but, again, I am not sure quite how to achieve it.

    nbEaokx.png

    This area I am currently calling Church Square. It is usual for a lot of towns and villages to have squares similar to these. It might not look like much but it should be a bustling area when built and decorated, a mixture of community and residential lots.

    bTSllF1.png

    Meanwhile back at the area which I am currently calling The Henge I have added a few more trees. These may be reduced in number once the buildings go in. The aim is not to detract from the stone circle. Also I have been playing around with fencing for the edge of the dual carriageway. There is the central reservation to decorate as well. In the distance I have put in a roadside diner.

    2G9S48f.png

    The other side of the dual carriageway I have started planning out another major feature. I have decided to site a junk yard here because the town I am basing a lot of my ideas on has one very close to the dual carriageway. In real life it is no where near the village with the standing stones, anymore than the roadside diner is. At the moment it sounds worse than it will actually be when complete. The real life scrap yard is set back from the main road and is surrounded by trees and hedges.

    I hope this is not too boring but I am finding the planning just as completing a project is not that visually exciting.
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • MissyHissyMissyHissy Posts: 2,022 Member
    Looking great so far and I love the ideas you've got. <3
    If that canal continues to give you grief, I do have an idea. Sandy from Around the Sims has a canal in her Sandy Valley but it's split over three long lots. She wrote a tutorial here using items from her canal lock set, which is here. There's also pictures of the canal here. Finally, this page has further photos, one of which shows a footbridge over the canal. It might not be what you're looking for but it's the only thing I can think of right now that could help. :)
    *All my mods can be found on The Daily Plumbob*MiAqoAE.png
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    MissyHissy wrote: »
    Looking great so far and I love the ideas you've got. <3
    If that canal continues to give you grief, I do have an idea. Sandy from Around the Sims has a canal in her Sandy Valley but it's split over three long lots. She wrote a tutorial here using items from her canal lock set, which is here. There's also pictures of the canal here. Finally, this page has further photos, one of which shows a footbridge over the canal. It might not be what you're looking for but it's the only thing I can think of right now that could help. :)

    Thank you :) I will check out the info. What I have in mind is an elevated road bridge but my main problem seems to be masking the terrain in such a way as to protect the canal ditch underneath the bridge.
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    After all the fun and games with Project Fenbury I fancied a day doing nothing in particular. Seriously I need to check the perspective of Throxton Hill. Thats the name of the largest mound.

    ts28pK2.png

    5mAkOLR.png

    The cottage I am basing this on has a huge amount of foliage at the front. I suspect it is to give the residents some privacy from the large number of tourists who visit each year. The odd thing is that villagers in the past were happy to build among the stones while Stonehenge remained in private hands until early in the 19th century and consequently wasn't built on.
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • MissyHissyMissyHissy Posts: 2,022 Member
    Looking great so far! Love the look of that cottage - very British <3
    *All my mods can be found on The Daily Plumbob*MiAqoAE.png
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    MissyHissy wrote: »
    Looking great so far! Love the look of that cottage - very British <3

    Thank you :)

    I have been finishing off the external decoration this morning. My usual problem is I tend to overdo the planting but here it fits with the cottage I have based it on. I am going to call it Honeypot Cottage simply because I remember visiting an old lady who kept bees who lived in a nearby village.

    WuH50FD.png
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    Today's offering.

    uEDWnn2.png

    I will say I am not happy with the red brick. The colours are about right for the area but the brickwork should definitely look a lot more weathered. I shall no doubt keep coming back and fiddling with CASt for some time. I know I could probably find lots of good cc but if I am not including store content in this world then I can't really use cc either.

    Otherwise it has been a day of research and reconsideration. I am thinking particularly of the canal. Pictures of the canal I am basing it on show long stretches where there are steep wooden canal banks. It would certainly add more interest to the build.
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    This is not going to look like much change but I seem to have spent hours sorting out the layout for the canal. Please ignore the earthworks in the corner - they are preparatory work for another feature. Not sure what way to take it yet. At least I have a better colour for the cottage brickwork, at least for now :D

    L7fyoxY.png

    iDx3StE.png
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    I love Honeypot Cottage!
    5JZ57S6.png
  • MissyHissyMissyHissy Posts: 2,022 Member
    Looking great! <3
    *All my mods can be found on The Daily Plumbob*MiAqoAE.png
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    MissyHissy wrote: »
    Looking great! <3

    Thank you :) I have quite a lot of digging out to do with the canal but I think I have found a way to take the road over the canal without using a bridge object.
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    I have taken the morning off town planning and laying out roads. I found an image of Avebury village and was rather intrigued. The image is some years old, probably from the 1960s. It took a while to work out exactly how many houses are involved. I concluded it had to be a minimum of three. The gardens in the picture are somewhat neglected but at some time these dwellings must have been something rather more upmarket with gardens to match. The decorative brickwork, the use of black and white timbering makes me wonder if they are more than estate cotttages. I have concluded they were probably built in the mid Victorian period. Here is my take on the image.

    PKHetvy.png

    Now I must admit to feeling rather guilty. I have not worked on Fenbury all week, so if there is time this weekend I must get some more work done. I still have a great deal of planning to do for Throxton. The town I have in mind has a castle. It is rather pretty but trying to build it without using the Castle kit from the store is going to make it very difficult to do.
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • MissyHissyMissyHissy Posts: 2,022 Member
    Like the look of that, very British! <3
    *All my mods can be found on The Daily Plumbob*MiAqoAE.png
  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    Lovely! Looked up Avebury village, very well done <3

    037466_db97f808.jpg
    5JZ57S6.png
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    MissyHissy wrote: »
    Like the look of that, very British! <3

    Thank you :)
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    Lovely! Looked up Avebury village, very well done <3

    037466_db97f808.jpg

    That's the one :) I couldn't find a way to do the brickwork justice and I have still to recolour the windows. Thank you for the kind comment :)

    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    SlgRAdd.png

    It's amazing what having a couple of lots built on can do. It really helps me visualize the completed look, and, as mentioned, helps me with the perspective for Deverill Hill and the Barrows. It looks like both will have to be reduced in height otherwise another feature I have planned will be dwarfed.

    Anyway, as also mentioned, I must return to working on Fenbury. I must admit I am not looking forward to doing the reworking before I even begin to tackle all the other jobs I have left. On the other hand I am determined to finish it, mainly because I want to play a game. I have the families ready which is more than can be said for Throxton. I have not even thought out the backstory yet :)
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    I actually loved how you handled the brickwork. It’s not identical but why should it. I really like this effect.
    It must be hard to share the attention between both worlds, but it would be a shame to leave Fenbury.
    5JZ57S6.png
  • PHOEBESMOM601PHOEBESMOM601 Posts: 14,595 Member
    This looks sooooo interesting. I can't wait to see more.
    "People really love to explore 'failure states. In fact, the failure states are really much more interesting than the success states." ~ Will Wright
Sign In or Register to comment.
Return to top