OpenGeofiction
Hello everyone!
It’s been a few months since my last progress update and a lot has changed since then. I’ve been working on all kinds of projects, and there are even more to come. But I’m working slowly on this city and not rushing it.
Autistic as I am, I’m keeping track of everything and made a scheme of my progress including dates and color labels here.
Furthermore, I’ve been working on two specific projects lately: the port and the metro system. None of them are remotely finished, but it’s taking shape and I would like to share some of it with you.
Port of Trevers
I’ve never been quite good at making ports, and there is not really a “concept” for how to make a perfect one: there are so many different kinds and sizes in the world. But I think I made quite a good start roughly sketching the quays, basins and docks. There is also a new canal to connect the eastern branch of the port with the river Vale. I made a few dams so I didn’t have to change too much about the water circulation again.
There is also a ferry terminal right here. I’ve been trying to work as detailed as I possibly could, leaving some elements not even rendered by Mapnik, but they’re there. There is currently one connection and I hope there will be many more in the future.
In front of the ferry terminal I’ve build some storm surge barriers, to make sure the boats and passengers are safe. These to barriers are on each side and will rotate to the middle point when water is getting to high or too rough.
Trevers Metro
Last update, there were already some “conceptual” metro (call it subway, underground, whatever you like) lines in, above and underneath the suburbs. Now, it’s time to connect the dots together and make them to a network. It sure took some time to figure everything out, but here it is:
The metro system does not work in express and local lines. All lines follow the same route at all times. There are exceptions of course. Some lines with the same number have two branches, creating two possible destinations. This is visible at line 2, 4, 7 and 8. In some situations this may not be perfect, but it’s what makes this system realistic.
This metro system is all about interchanges. From every line it’s possible to get to the city center with a single interchange or none at all. The metro can get you everywhere in the metropolitan area, but still focuses on the busiest places like Crystal City/GTC, Unity Market and Fletcher Airport. It also connects seamlessly with the railways - and soon tramways too.
There are a few special lines too: Line 5 is a loop around the metropolitan area, providing more stations and faster interchanges. Line 6 is a loop around the city and was finished a closed loop not very long ago. Traffic on both lines runs in both directions.
There are still no stations on the map as the areas still are in development as well as the metro system itself.
Planned expansions
Cities are constantly changing, and the metro cannot fall behind. Currently, the City of Trevers and METRE (transit authority) are completing the new line 9 of the metro system. It will be running from the new business districs of Prestonsburgh in the south via Crystal City, running through a new tunnel segment underneath Downtown Trevers, providing an interchange with line 8 in Unity Market, following the existing track to the east, then bend north to create a direct link with Irvington South and Eagan to split off again to serve the new western neighborhoods of Irvington, cross the railway station, follow the existing track of the current line 8 and conclude with a loop around Caufford and the terminal at the airport, where it meets with the other lines. The branch of line 8 will be closed when line 9 starts operating next year.
To see the maps at full size, click here to see the album.
So that are - besides the many other smaller changes I made - the two large projects I’ve been working on. Please let me know what you think and have a nice day!
PortCal
Discussion
Comment from histor on 3 March 2016 at 18:23
The scetch of your metro-net looks fine - in London-style. And I like metro-nets, where both tracks are drawn. May be, you can make some platforms between the tracks smaller (8 m or so).
Your port has many details and quais. But some of your bassins are very small. Intercontinental-ships are often 150 m and to 300 m (or more). So I think, better not so many bassins, but much bigger. And places, where the ships can turn near the quais.
At last - why this gate before your main dock? Must be very expensiv and dangerous. Why not a breakwater near the island with some lighthouses?
Comment from Leowezy on 3 March 2016 at 18:43
Wow - I’m gonna get a shovel and dig a hole for myself.
Joking aside, that looks really awesome, and I’m super excited to see how your city and country is going to develop in the future. Not only the general concept but the detail work as well have a really high quality I think.
More out of curiosity than out of the intention to give advise, I would really like to know what mode of transport you think your country will rely on the most for inter-city travelling; will it be a very strong domestic flight market like in Paxtar, more rail reliant or car-centred? Or rather an “equal” mix of it all ;D?
Oh, and one last question; what software did you use for these cool metro maps? Hope to see more from you soon!
Comment from PortCal on 3 March 2016 at 19:06
@histor the parts of the metro system that are currently visible will be adjusted if not completely redone in the coming weeks
True, some basins are kind of small but I made the port at the same scale as the port of Rotterdam and some other ports in the OGF world. The only difference is that the port of Rotterdam is stretched and the port of Trevers is more compact. Rotterdam has the same size of bassins - if not smaller - then those of Trevers. The largest containership in the world is only 400m long with a beam of 59m. Besides that, there are not that many ports in the world that support those enormous ships. If a cargo ship is that long, there is 1 basin that is large enough. I’ll see if I can slightly increase the size of some basins.
Since it is intended to be the largest port in Trevers, there is much money spent on infrastructure to keep it safe. The storm surge barrier was just a test to see how it looks, if it turns out to be unnecessary or inconvenient during the further development, I will change it for something that fits the situation best.
Comment from PortCal on 3 March 2016 at 19:19
@Leowezy thanks! I always work in detail, even with drafts and notes. The diagram took some work but I’m very happy with the result.
To answer your question about inter-city travelling, I have to look deep into the future. My plan now is to focus primarily on rail travelling, with high-speed-interstate and -international lines coming soon. But the car will be just as important for travel around the country and in between cities since Paroy will also get a proper expressway network. In the city itself, focus is like in most cities on public transportation, rather then allowing cars into the core of the city.
The software I used was from a website, which lets you make the diagram of lines yourself very easily. The rest of the details like railways, land areas, stations and so are completely made by myself in MS PowerPoint. Weird thing to do in PowerPoint, but it started faster than Adobe Illustrator. ;P
Comment from tparigo on 4 March 2016 at 00:05
Impressive and very realistic ! I am really curious to see how Trevers will evolve and the details you’ll add. And… you seem so organized on your planning planning, when I don’t really know what, where and when will be my next step…
Comment from joschi81 on 4 March 2016 at 06:07
Looks really impressive and promising, your country and especially your city of Trevers! Your metro network looks great, but I suppose it’s an extraordinary rich country. It is a really large metro network! Do you include some “realistic” planning faults, cancelled transportation projects, always planned but never realized things… into your imagination?
Two things about your city: In my point of view, there should be more green spaces, even within the dense inner parts of your city. And the airport: I know it’s only a “sketch” so far, but remember to resize the runways when you step into the details. Some of them right now are much longer than 4km (which should be the maximum length).
I would like to offer a strong partnership between Paroy and Kalm, if you’re interested.
Kind regards joschi81
Comment from PortCal on 5 March 2016 at 01:16
_@tparigo Thanks for the feedback! Working really hard. I schedule things to keep track of time when I’m working on details. A city is never complete and I could easily spend too much time designing a single district. And for other visitors it’s a good indicator of what I’m working on right now. I’m curious about how Trevers will develop as some things are still done from memory.
Comment from PortCal on 5 March 2016 at 01:22
@joschi81 Sorry for the late response, but thanks for the feedback! It’s much appreciated. The metro seems very large for a city this size but that is due to a few factors:
When you look at the map knowing Trevers has almost 3 million inhabitants in just that size of area, you realize it’s a very dense city. That’s because Trevers was build in the 1500’s and 1600’s, using only natural borders. As the city grew, more people were fit into the same area. Later the city’s new suburbs were build on the other sides of the river, but still people wanted to be as close to the city center as possible. That’s why the actual island on which Trevers is located is very crowded. People nowadays travel between those areas, but also people from the other sides of the river have to get to the city. Then the first metro lines were born.
Because the place was already crowded, there was really not much place for large expressways then cars came. The railways already took a fair amount of space and there was not much left without destroying entire neighborhoods. The only way to transport people in a modern city this dense (similar to Paris and to some extent London) was to do it underground.
The metro network are the “veins” of Trevers. The city of Trevers also encourages traveling by public transport and rail. To make transit even more attractive, the metro system has expanded massively and still is at the moment. There are many extensions planned of existing lines besides the ninth line, because cars are discouraged and there simply is not enough infrastructure to handle so many of them at the same time.
This is also the reason why there are not many flaws included in public transportation, as there are enough flaws with the road network in and around the city. The city only has expressways far outside the metropolitan area of the city, leaving people to reach downtown Trevers or one of the inner (older) suburbs only by rail or subway. Since railway is even more expensive to build, the subway is the transport solution for Trevers. Then there are the tramways, providing quick and easy transport between transportation hubs and in between neighborhoods, since they are very small and don’t take much of the space.
So far for the subway, it’s much information, but it is the only way I can explain it. This comment could actually be the wiki page itself. It is a deliberate decision and it gives the city it’s character; something different than an entire expressway network running through it.
For the other feedback I completely agree. There should be more green spaces, and it’s like you are already saying due to the density the city is already dealing with. Trevers is busy with slowly revamping all parts of the city that are in need of one (which are a lot). In this revamp, buildings will be taller and there will be more space for green spaces as parks and such.
As for the airport: it is to large indeed, but it was build a concept and is not much more than a sketch indeed. For the coming months the airport is one thing on the list that will be redone, with more realistic sizes ;-).
And I am really interested in a strong partnership between Kalm and Paroy! It would be and exciting opportunity!
Best regards, PortCal