Welcome To My Worlds

[Thx]

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Hello SF members, peeps and fellow RCT tycoons,

For the last 12 years or so I have been an avid player of the Roller Coaster Tycoon series of video games where you build a very functional amusement park, practically from scratch.

Grandpa had his model train set in the basement, we have the greatest cyber rollercoaster, architecture, train set, slot car set etc, etc, builder ever!

(Oh, I used to have a train set too, but that's another thread.)

Anyway, I thought I would share one of my latest projects and some other ones with you.

I saw this picture of the Frank Lloyd Wright, "Falling Water House" at another forum and was inspired to build a resort complex and indeed a whole park styled after it.

So, I am right in the midst of a new resort and park, "Wright Terrace Gardens", with "Wright Terrace" and "Wright Tower" the featured resort.

Now, the main thing about this build, is getting the "house", what will be the lobby for the resort, getting that structure situated over a waterfall and making it all work; you have to actually almost "trick" the software into accomplishing your ends here...

So at first, I considered natural looking landscapes, ones of course built to support waterfalls, like this one...

But, getting to make these waterfalls actually work can be quite a pain, I had made up my mind to build a new landscape especially for this build...

And then, taking into account the basic cubism or "rectanglism" of the house, why not build a more artificial type hillside to put this project in? It will lose some of the stark contrast between nature and the modern design, but I could perhaps compensate for that in some ways, and maybe find other aspects to exploit...

So here is where we started with it, I thought you might like to watch it being put up as I build it.

Here we begin with a very basic 'L'-shaped form...

A bit further along, we add waterfalls and reflecting pools...

That waterfall is about 60 feet tall!

This building both collects and recycles ALL of it's water, it is totally independent of city water and sewer, and what are you are seeing is one of the last phases of returning the water to potable: aeration and UV exposure from the sun...

Where the prominent patio on the house is, here I have envisioned a swimming pool, and the challenge is getting this pool over the waterfall cleanly with no support structures pools normally have...

I had to go to extraordinary means to get what I wanted from this software, here I have to put a base block in place, then raise the land so I can place a pool section, then I have to take the land back down, 3 steps for what would normally be only 1.

And we keep up this process...

Now that pool looks maybe small by the pics, it's actually 60 x 170

A few more pieces in place, we've turned the waterfalls back on and there's our pool...

That represents about two evenings work so far, there is of course a HUGE amount of work to go, shrubbery, rockery, lighting, acacia trees, more waterfalls, the finished lobby, at least two more pools and the actual Wright Tower...

So, there is much more to come!

Thx

 

[Thx]

A little further along and we have added a second pool...

Also, the floor of what is going to be a Chinese Restaurant instead of the spacious lobby of the resort as I first imagined.

Here we see that going up and the back of this part of the build where the real working parts are and things start getting a bit more complicated...

Might as well get a head start on the lighting, one of the fun parts, but one that can also be very difficult and frustrating too.

On this build as I have been doing the last couple years, everything is built from the inside out, and I want this resort the most functional of all!

I decided that at this point I need to do a preliminary "peeps test" just to make sure; if they don't like what I have so far, there's not much point to any of it...

And it seems the general peep consensus is pretty good, we have a rating of 645 with only two pools and no actual rides.. plus, we already won the tidy park award.

I hope you like it so far, there is much more to come!

Thx

 

[Thx]

Lighting can be fun and adds a wonderful extra dimension to RCT, and there are many types of in-game and custom lighting, but as mentioned it can also be a huge pain and especially lighting pools, they are the hardest, next is shrubbery.

I had to take flood lights on poles and sink them down and fudge a bit to get the lighting just right, the top pool still needs some too.

And I finally got the roof over the Chinese restaurant...

Much more work to go, I have to add another level or two, but looking a bit more like the Wright house guys?

Thx

 

[hollydolly]

WoW!! how clever is that,? Amazing!

 

[Thx]

WoW!! how cleaver is that,? Amazing!

Thank you hollydolly, I appreciate the nice comments!

Here is the free RCT-3 demo download folks, but I warn you, it can be very, very addictive!

http://download.cnet.com/RollerCoaster-Tycoon-3-demo/3000-2119_4-10322851.html

From the site:

"If you can build it, you can ride it in RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, a game that lets you create your own amusement park. The third installment in the RollerCoaster tycoon series features a new Coaster Cam that lets you ride the rides you design. Your rides can attract diverse characters with changing facial expressions and hundreds of animations including running, jumping, dancing, and throwing up. Customize your guests, walk around your park, and become a true roller coaster tycoon."

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Here I have added the top two tiers, whew, didn't think we'd ever see it...

I'm going to cover that top "crazy paving" patio with some more attractive path covers, there are many styles available to choose from.

You wouldn't believe how much trouble I went through trying to place that brown overhanging planter guys, it took almost a full hour!

Some of this RCT-3 custom scenery ("CS") is a real pain to put up... I tore up a good section of the main pool last night trying to get one little Eames garden light in place... in the end it just couldn't be done.. was actually "impossible" and I had to abandon it and move along.

I added some boulders at the base, just a few, it's easy to get carried away with something like that, and any more would start to take away from the overall instead of enhance... it took more than an hour to decide just how to place the few I did include...

A lot has been added to the back. that large glass canopy is illuminated along with another one of my patented illuminated planters waiting for dusk...

I put four of them here, just what this side of the building needed, some light and shrubbery...

Still going to put low planters between them.

I still have a lot of details to put into this part of the build like, I need lighting and more interior work in the Chinese restaurant, but we are more finished than not and soon I must start building the stack, "Wright Tower" and all of it's associated parts. It must be the most functional high-rise yet!

Much more to come.

Thx

 

[oakapple]

Very impressive ! Well done.:wow:

 

[Thx]

Very impressive ! Well done.:wow:

Thank you oakapple for the nice comment.

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I managed to get the Chinese restaurant pretty much squared away, spent quite a bit of time and feats of acrobatics just getting those four custom scenery lights on each overhang for a total of eight lined up... I had to tear off the roof a couple times and do other upheavals to put in the tables and chairs, the interior lights, the double buffet and Asian-style scenery...

Inside I have tried to put together enough adornments for this expansive floor space...

And I see the Loudermilk twins made it through the main gate... ^ :stung:

I was very much worried about getting actual working tables and chairs because RCT-3 in-game scenery can't be placed directly on pathways like that black tarmac, so I had to tear the roof off once again and do major surgery to the tarmac and other things beneath the restaurant...

It's really a Chinese/American restaurant, they have Chinese dishes like spaghetti, and also many American favorites like Chop-Suey.

I still have plenty of odds and ends to attend to here at Wright Terrace like lighting and enclosing the shop stalls and a bit more shrubbery of course (!)

But if you look closely in the top left corner of this pic you can see what will be another huge project for this park: Wright Plaza...

And I'm just tinkering around with ideas for that Building for now, first I have to finish and then put up a high-rise next to what we have so far.

Much more to come!

Thx

 

[Lara]

These take my breath away! Spectacular!!

 

[SeaBreeze]

Very interesting Thx!

 

[Thx]

Fascinating Stuff, Thx! View attachment 19198

These take my breath away! Spectacular!!

Very interesting Thx!

Thank you each for your kind comments you guys, I really appreciate them!

It's becoming a lifelong hobby that never seems to run out of steam for me.

Here we have the base of Wright Tower going up along with the upper floor of the new restaurant...

(Yes, I decided to ditch RCT and go Lego! )

Here is the floor of the house restaurant, still haven't picked a theme for the restaurant if any, maybe a fancy New York style steak house or "surf-'n-turf" and a lounge area maybe...

I like to make sure land masses line up for stairs early on and use game glass as a measuring stick too. ^

One thing I really wanted for this build and have for years before I ever heard of the falling water house, was a triangular pool, a right triangle...

These pools can be a very frustrating experience, I almost gave up the notion twice to settle for a couple multi-level, lapped rectangular pools, glad I persevered because the result was pretty much what I wanted...

Placed it right across the big Kleenex box to break those rectangular lines...

And next to the new pool we have the pathway part of Wright Tower up over the lobby, this will make it fully functional and allow peeps to wander the rooms and floors...

Here we see the first floor of rooms on top of the lobby. The rooms are 1300 sq. ft. with a 200 sq. ft. patio space.

Lol, RCT-3 interior scenery is pretty hit and miss, sometimes you have to make sectional sofas out of glass blocks etc, lol.

So here is the high-rise, it's 10 stories of two deluxe suites for a total of 20...

I could have made it much taller and thought about adding at least two more floors... But, for the sake of the game software not locking up, I settled for a more modest 10 floors.

Now, I guess it's okay, but it really needs something more doesn't it, something to set it apart from all the other "big glass box" buildings we see... Wright wradiators...

Inside we have done our best to accommodate you in spacious luxury, (and notice the shrubbery all the rooms have big screens, 100 meg internet access and full work stations for those using the cloud...

I think that's one of my favorite movies playing on the tele...^

There are still a lot of details to be tended to, some major things like installing the elevator for those lazy peeps, but I do feel as though we have crossed a major milestone, whew!

Now it's on to the new restaurant next door and also a theatre that is another part of the complex.

A whole lot more to come folks, oh, and I do build rollercoasters, lol, it's not all architecture...

Here's a sneak peak at Gravity...

And Green Lantern...

Thx

 

[Thx]

Congratulations on achieving the triangular pool, eh? And I love the view of it from the top of the new Wright Tower! Was wondering when you was gonna get around to installing elevators, though. Because some of us old farts don't do stairs as good as we used to. Who am I kidding? I'll never be able to stay at this place. Too pricey!

But, keep on boggling my mind anyway, ThX buddy!

Oh, just go up to the nearest information booth and tell 'em you are with SF and receive your free VIP pass good for rides, accommodation, food and entertainment, the works!

Come early and stay late!
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I wanted to try out a new building style I have been thinking about for a couple weeks now.

We start with these pillars...

(yes I know, how very phallic of me...)

I wanted to put a ring of neon around the triangular pool and couldn't find one critical diagonal piece, but here I used some of the neon I do have...

Looks like a stylized someone holding an invisible clarinet or sax? ^ Neon is one of those things I try and use in moderation, it's easy to get carried away with it and lose your sense of overall good taste!

I figure a smooth jazz club... Steely Dan and stuff like this> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8x5FdL2qr8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9g-Z5nFg5Y

I really didn't have a firm idea or a theme or name for this place, it's formal and semi-formal dining on the upper floor (no swim trunks!) with a more relaxed and piano bar atmosphere down below...

But I did have a rough idea of the design, so let me present "Akimbo" and you might see why I chose that name...

They look like a pair of widgets and might prove as unwieldy to fit in to the design, lol.

(Yeah, just call me Jon Taffer. )

Now, after several days and many versions I was able to come up with a roof for the crazy structure, it was important that those two beams over the main floor be left intact...

So here is the main floor, it still needs a few do-dads and trim and shrubbery, but is shaping up into a pretty swanky joint!

I'm going to trim that entranceway with neon too. ^

It needs quite a bit of work, here is the lower section with a modest stage, the kitchen hasn't been worked on at all yet...

I was very tempted to just leave the place open air with no walls.

But overall it is making a nice addition to the complex...

Thx

 

[Thx]

So, where were we...

I finally got most of the outer walls for Akimbo put up along with the kitchen, but it still needs some interior work, here's what I have so far...

It took a very full evening to get the back roof just right, I also found a very strange defect with the neon light custom scenery that took several hours to figure out...

The entrance which still needs a door and you can see the receptionist, it all looks like it will work pretty well...

Here is a detail of the kitchen as it is going up, with fancy door and I have since put up lighting and walls and a roof and it just needs a few touches here and there and it's finished.

So the Akimbo build is pretty much squared away for the time being...

Now, between the new restaurant and the Wright Terrace structure there was a big hole that I was using for a temporary park entrance...

I had imagined a monorail station there, and I knew I would have to make enough building space to put a theatre on it, but ended up pretty much maxing the space out and adding a shopping mall too...

It started out like this...

Then I decided it should have two levels of shops and also an elevated disco bar...

Here is a little shop that is pretty much finished, the peeps go in, buy a sandwich and can actually sit down and use the accomodations, this scenery actually works and I have tried to make everything including the high-rise as functional as possible...

There will also be a Farrell's Ice Cream parlor, styled like the one previously depicted, an art deco theatre I haven't even started and a couple rides like the Zipper I was just able to squeeze into that spot...

And here is the very latest, you can see the foundation of the disco bar in the right lower corner and also the interior of the ice cream parlor in the lower middle...

Thx

 

[Lara]

What a forward thinker you are!!!…wayyy far ahead. All incredibly stunning!
You're going to be more famous than Frank Lloyd Wright.
What is your plan for these? This is not just a hobby. They need to be built!

 

[Thx]

What a forward thinker you are!!!…wayyy far ahead. All incredibly stunning!
You're going to be more famous than Frank Lloyd Wright.
What is your plan for these? This is not just a hobby. They need to be built!

Oh, you're very kind as usual Lara, and I know you have the eye of an artist!

You know, I go to the rollercoaster tycoon web sites and post there, but don't get a great deal of comment which is maybe a good thing because unless those guys have some kind of criticism they usually just remain stoic, lol.

I have also posted at a skyscraper site, pretty big one and get few comments. Those folks use Google sketch-up and maybe figure RCT renderings don't count, I dunno...

It's probably every RCT builders dream to have a real amusement park company come along and adopt their park, lol or even to have the game makers let them build a pre-fab scenario for the game, but so far I haven't heard of either happening and am sure would have heard if it ever did, lol.

I used to say, that the parks might only be cyber, but the happiness they bring by seeing them is real enough. :untroubled:

But you never know, I do have some pretty unique notions about skyscrapers and modern building materials, maybe someday they will take...

That is (was) in another park we will be looking at soon...

Here is the basic interior of the new Farrell's ice cream parlor, a rough draft version of it...

They have 62 flavors of ice cream, twice as much as the more famous, but less worthy competitor, try the Casaba Melon ice and Carrot Cake are my favorites!

And this is a closer look at the elevated disco bar that I still have to get around to...

The ice cream parlor almost finished with only a few minor changes from what you see...

Not sure about that first stall though, I don't want them to walk in, get the postcard that is only sold at that stall and turn around and walk out, so I might can it, we'll see...^

The other stalls have burgers, shakes and of course ice cream.

That two-tone checkered floor sure adds a lot of pizzazz and was kind of a happy accident, the only suitable path cover was a small right triangle and I couldn't decide between lighter and darker and chose both.

And thank goodness for those chandelier lights that don't blink! Loven' it!

Here is the pretty much finished exterior, I have added a couple more awnings, a couple benches and a small tree on the side, I already have a flat cement roof on it as another store is going right over it in the same footprint, so this one is finished...

So now it's on to the double-deco theatre...

Thx