Amazing Update Thomas

I remember the days of Calora, it's amazing how diverse your CJ has become over the years

Thanks Forthwall and K50. Apologies about missing out Sim Mania on my last update - don't worry, it'll be posted here soon!


Buongiorno and welcome back. This could be the last update for a while because I have my exams soon and the time it's taking to do updates is not sustainable at the moment. But nevertheless I hope you enjoy this update.

Today we're starting in Celeste, the capital. We've seen this station many times before but this time we're starting our journey from it, and we'll be heading a bit further than Aziens and Alder Hill.



Celeste station is one of the busiest in the country and is a terminus for many northern and south-eastern rail services. The redevelopment of Aziens over the past fifty years means that as you enter the city, you're surrounded by sparkling skyscrapers and office towers.



It's also a busy junction between Calora and Jennai, so Celeste station is always busy with passengers, trains and the odd pigeon as well.



Further north, the InterCity line takes a direct route north towards Calora. This stretch of line is the oldest in the country and encompasses Vittoria and the southern suburbs of the colonial capital.



The InterCity line, a triangular network of lines linking Celeste, Calora and Jennai, was formed in the 1980s after major track upgrades and the introduction of faster trains meant that now slower, suburban trains could be bypassed by fast trains operating direct services between the major cities. Journey times were reduced significantly. There are now proposals to upgrade the network again to high speed rail.



But upgrading the InterCity network could draw funds away from the other National Lines, like the Northern Line between Calora and Seina. More rural routes outside the main cities could lose crucial investment in better infrastructure and faster trains if the focus is on the urban lines. Villages like Larito, in Monte Calida, depend on the railway for a fast, reliable service to the cities and towns elsewhere in the country.



To build up to 100 updates of Cattala, over the next ten entries we'll be going down memory lane. Today, we're in Seina. Seina was part of the original 4Cities proposal for Cattala, and was meant to form my natural growth area, inspired by CSGDesign's Boston and emgmod's Illu'a. Seina grew into a large town but was a victim of my transfer from desktop to laptop. It was an important part of the journal but whether or not it will return again is unknown.



Thanks for watching, and see you again soon!

Nice Trains

Those trains are very long

Nice

I like the railway updates

Also sounds to me like you may need to have a vote on that railway system

Republicmaster: Thanks!

111222333444: Yes I've never understood why they are so long... I've had a look at some old updates from other regions of Cattala and they do the same. No idea why, or how to fix it.

mayorm: That's a very good idea. Thanks!


Welcome back to Cattala, for a brief update today. Last time we caught a glimpse of rural Fieranti, but today we're actually going to get a thorough look around the village of Larito. It's not just famous for its lack of rail service...

It's got a fair few trees too! Larito is perched in the middle of a valley in the north east of Fieranti, near the border with Monte Calida, and flourished after the construction of the northern railway in the early 20th century. It's a traditional village, with a focus solely on agriculture. Not much has changed here in decades, but modern technology has seeped its way in.



Another journey down memory lane now. Fieranti Province has always been dominated by Calora, which was my first building project in Cattala. In fact, when I created the new region, what became Calora was the first thing I constructed - although at the time it was a generic British town. During the early days of Cattala Calora was destined to be the capital city, until Celeste stole its crown and it became a traditional Mediterranean port city. Calora was another casualty of my move from desktop to laptop, but I definitely want to improve it and bring it back to life in the future.



Thanks for watching, and see you again soon!

Nice Mosaic!

Wow, absolutely colourful!

Amazing scenery, the seasonal trees look great with the farms.
Also love the construction scenes in the last update... I've been looking for those for an upcoming construction series...

Here you go SimLink, courtesy of Swamper77.

http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/12311-construction-sites/

Thank you republicmaster, 111222333444 and simLink. Your comments are most appreciated!


Buongiorno and welcome to the first Cattala update of this Advent season. As is customary, Cattala has begun preparations for the biggest festival of the year - unless you're head is buried in the sand, Christmas is on its way!



Now I could've shown you a picture of what you'd expect in the modern age - shopping, panicking and more shopping. However in Cattala we like to think we've stuck to the traditional method... or at least tried to. So, where better to visit in Advent then the religious centre of this Catholic kingdom.



The historic waterfront of Calora, south of the main industrial harbour, was built in the late 16th century by an ambitious Bishop of Calora hoping to use the wealth of the Roman Catholic Church to improve the lives of the residents of his diocese. The master plan was altered when the Cattalian Inquisition caused a schism and the new cathedral and waterfront became the focal point for the newly-founded Church of Cattala.



Today the Holy Church of Calora remains the home of Cattala's spiritual governors and the Divina Anima della Chiesa, the upgraded title for the Bishop of Calora. I hope you enjoyed this different pre-Christmas update, and enjoy your advent chocolate and Christmas shopping!



Continuing the build up to 100 Updates, today's Memory Lane takes us to the north of Fieranti. Although we only visited Allea once, it was one of my most memorable updates primarily because it took so long to make, but also because it was the first time I really incorporated MMP's and the glorious work of some of our rural prop creators. I very much enjoyed that update, and it taught me a lot about truly rural updates.

thomas wrote:unless you're head is buried in the sand, Christmas is on its way!

LOL (Though there are multitaskers that can do both at the same time )

Stunning update as always, that church is quite prepared for the nightly advent masses

Looks beautiful as always, that first picture was beautiful. The lake in the last picture is also great, you've got attention to detail to the max.

Can I make a suggestion? Those HBT Latin buildings... well, they look a little funny because the colors are so different. You should try the Kamencia apartment series (pic) and see how they look, are you familiar with them?

Nice Update!

Incredible update!

111222333444: This is true. And if there's one thing Cattala can do well, that's have overly-prepared Churches.

K50: Thanks. I made this update in about February, it was the last one I did on my desktop, and didn't get round to using the pictures. I have used those Kamencia buildings before in Marcillera, Calora, but they're definitely a good replacement for the Latin ones. Thank you for the advice my friend!

Republicmaster: Thank you!

Blakesterville: Thanks!


Buongiorno and welcome back to Cattala. A few updates ago, we went on a railway journey and I think it was quite a popular one. Well today, we're back in the ol' global warming machines and taking a trip along the M2 Motorway. But since fuel prices are so high at the moment, we can only do a round trip of Vittoria Junction... Didn't you hear, Europe's poor?



This is only a short update because I can't overload my Dropbox account with mosaics. So, here's an overview of the whole junction area, a hub of industrial activity and an important stop off point between Celeste and Calora.



Only six updates to go until we reaching triple figures, so I thought we should visit one of my favourite regions of Cattala - Ontano Island. When I began doing rural updates back in 2010, it was my first time trying to create functional, aesthetically pleasing communities without the hustle and bustle of city life. In the previous update we saw one of my more recent rural communities, Allea, but it all began in South Ontano. This image stands out to me because it contrasted with the usual sunny image of life in the country. Thanks for viewing today.

Nice Update, I like that motorway!

Vehicles belching that countryside

Very nice mosaic

I agree with the above, nicely done

Buongiorno. All replies are coming next update when we have a special treat for you all. Today we're approaching the end of a bumper year for rural updates. Last autumn I took you on a tour of the southern island of Ontano in late autumn. Well now, we're exploring some of the mainland in winter. Welcome back, to Lessito.

But it's not exactly the best conditions for it...



Winter in Cattala is not pretty. There's no beautiful snowmen or mountains coated in crisp white powder or snow days (which are wonderful by the way). In fact... our beautiful season is in summer. Remember Yewell Village? It looked much warmer in July.



In some parts of this update, we'll also be looking at autumnal scenes in Lessito, such as in Darna. As the dark nights close in, and the siesta is replaced by early evenings, the leaves begin to fall and the skies cloud over.



Autumn is the last hurrah for Cattala's renowned forestry. Lessito's tourism industry actually spikes in October compared to the end of summer, thanks to the milder temperatures (roughly 23 celcius), and the array of colourful woodland.



It's a time for the farmers to end their harvests and begin preparing for the next season. Over winter, they can, or at least could in the past, put their feet up and have a rest from the early mornings and late evenings.



As December comes around, the rains begin. Cattala gets most of its rainfall in the wet winter period, with an average of 94mm in December alone. If there's no rain now, the likelihood of a summer drought is very high - fortunately, it has been raining over the past few weeks, as the lonesome BP Man can inform you.



The wet conditions can cause problems on the roads, especially in rural areas like Callavre. Heavy lorries often slide off of the roads, which also have to be suitable for the dry summer weather as well as winter rains.



Here we can see the town hall, lit up ready for Christmas celebrations. Unlike other Western cultures, Cattala doesn't go too over the top with decorations and tinsel, except in the big cities.



One thing that we do have in common though, is the problems it causes with the railways. Through much of December, especially Christmas, services to rural stations like Callavre are limited to perhaps three or four a day. For many, this means no connection with their family in Jennai or Calora, or their work in other towns. Those living alongside the tracks enjoy the respite though.





Down further south in Ontano Bridge, the heavy rains intensify from the coastline. But for the farmers, it can be the difference between a good harvest and a bad one.



Traffic to the cities swells at Christmas, with tourists replaced by locals as the main travellers. Many rural communities can become deserted as families visit relatives elsewhere in the country, but equally they can be filled with the cheer and jubilation as children, grand children and great grandchildren return to visit grandma and grandpa who live in the fields.



But of course, one place that enjoys the spirit of Christmas the most is the church. Throughout the kingdom, communities gather at Christmas in their parish churches for mass on the 25th day of the month. The shops are all closed, the roads deserted. It's Christmas, a time for family, community, and God.



When the clouds break, the fields glow, but not like in summer. Now they're quite empty of life, the wheat cut down and the fruits picked from the trees and vines. They'll be back soon though, that's for sure.



Now for the final stop on our extra-long journey today. Dallia, one of my personal favourites and a village almost off the grid. Even in winter it's a beautiful place...



Here's an overview of Dallia and the hamlets it encompasses. Still colourful, despite the late autumn setting. The wheat field in the bottom of the picture is almost ready to be plowed back into the soil to add nutrients ready for next year.



Winter. It's a time of waiting, and anticipation across Lessito. The busy harvests are all done, and the dark mornings and nights mean the rural communities hibernate, just like the natural world around them.



But soon, it'll be a hive of activity. Christmas, family celebrations, and the New Year mean a fresh start, and before too long it'll be time to plant and nurture and grow once again.

Until then, have a Merry Christmas, from Lessito.

Rain, rain everywhere!

Have a great holiday

I disagree, that Cattalian rain is so beautiful! Also I love seeing the fall foilage.

Thank you all for the kind words, and Merry Christmas!


Welcome back to Cattala. Today we're having a special end-of-year review, of all the towns and cities that have made up this year's Cattala Journal, and it's 24 updates.

And of course, we have to do it in style. Introducing, the home for our celebration tonight, the Dionysus Arena in Celeste!



Our trip through 2012's memories begins a long time before this year even began. In January 2011, I made an announcement expressing my fear over the future of the journal, because my region had effectively seized up. No demand = No growth = No journal. Through much of 2011 of muddled through, until in November I decided to restart with a new region and new cities.

Five months later, I had a grown region with a natural growth style in some rural villages and towns, but also a giant port and a giant religious centre, the Holy Church of Calora. You can see the finished product from my update earlier this month below.



Between March and June I had my GCSE exams but also did some minor work in the background on Cattala, most notably moving all of my regions and plugins to my laptop, which is where I now do all my updates. This gave me much greater flexibility to play whenever I wanted, even with the 30 minute loading time! However I still wasn't content with the new region and decided to begin again. Again.

The second incarnation of the capital, Celeste, was the biggest project I've undertaken with this journal. Celeste is one of my favourite cities in Cattala and has made up almost a quarter of all the updates so far. This year it expanded from just an archaic neo-Parisian city into a melting pot of ancient, medieval, colonial, international and modern styles to become my biggest city ever. Here's an overview of Alder Hill, the first part of the new city to be completed.



In the summer we began a journey criss-crossing southern Lessito. Last year, one of the centrepieces of the journal was the summertime tour of Ontano Island, and this year I took us onto the mainland and along the route of the A6, visiting hamlets, villages and towns including Callavre.



In August my work on the biggest area of the new Celeste was finally completed, and the first few updates of Aziens were released in September. It included a view of Alder Court Park, home to Cattala's tennis champions, and also the skyscrapers of the eastern wing of the city. The historic Citadel is now close to completion too.





In October, this journal celebrated its second anniversary with a special edition compiling all the cities so far seen. However much of that months updates were focused on Cressa, an interactive village I was hoping to build with your input. It may return at some point in the future.



With my exams approaching, it's unlikely that next year will achieve more than the 25 updates so far seen this year. I very much enjoy Cattala, making this journal, crafting the cities and seeing what the readers think of it all.

I hope you also found Cattala as enjoyable as I did, and leave you with one of my favourite pictures of Vittoria, the suburb of Celeste. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and thanks for watching.

Gorgeous updates, the stadiums look amazing! Cattala is always awesome.