Rich Nagel talks to SimArchitect
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Interview with Richard - December 2001
Richard is the creator of the popular SC3URKs "extracted" from Tropico.

SimArchitect: How did you start creating buildings for SimCity (2000, 3000 or Unlimited)?

Richard: I've only recently began creating buildings for SimCity 3000 Unlimited. I play quite a few strategy-style games that have quite a bit of nice, varied graphics. One night I was playing Tropico and said to myself "El Presidente's Palace would look super as a SimCity 3000 landmark!". After creating El Presidente's Palace for SC3KU, I was hooked and the other landmarks followed.

SimArchitect: What methods did you use for your SC3URKs?

Richard: I set Tropcio (or whatever game that I want to create a building from) to a 1024x768 non-hardware accelerated video resolution. Then I turn off any ground texturing and shadows (if the game supports these features), and then take four screenshots. The reason that I use a non-hardware video resolution and turn off the other features, is that the resulting screenshot is a bit "cleaner" and easier to create a transparent layer from. I use Paint Shop Pro to do the image editing and to prepare the screenshots for use with the Rendering Kit. Lots of copying and pasting.

SimArchitect: Most of your latest buildings (if not all) are from Tropico. How do you compare the customization you can achieve in Tropico compared to SimCity 3000 Unlimited?

Richard: In Tropico none of the graphics or other game resources can be modified, although you can import PCX format images for use as new map terrains (similar to importing BMP terrain images into SimCity 3000 Unlimited). SimCity 3000 Unlimited is definately more customizable.

SimArchitect: Do you have to resize the buildings to get them to fit in SC3KU or are they the same size in Tropico?

Richard: Usually if I set Tropico's video resolution to 1024x768, no resizing is neccessary. Occasionally I may have to resize the images just a small bit 'tho, but it's usually a very small amount to make them fit.

SimArchitect: How long does it take you to create a building (on average)?

Richard: Each of the Tropico buildings took about four hours each, a little less with the last one that I created (as I was getting used to my "conversion procedure").

SimArchitect: What is your favourite "building creation tool" for SimCity?

Richard: Hehe, that would have to be the SimCity 3000 Unlimited Rendering Kit. I have no graphical artistic talent in the least (I'm a musician), and with SC3KURK it's just a matter of "copy and paste". I'm not an artist, but simply a "pixel twiddler".

SimArchitect: Do you use yours (and others) buildings in the game(s) or do you use the original tilesets?

Richard: I use quite a few user created buildings as landmarks, but unfortunately I'm unable to convert a lot of these buildings for use as replacement buildings in SC3KU's Building Replacement List (see the "Rants" section on my SimStuff web page).

SimArchitect: What do you do "outside" of the SimWorld?

Richard: I do PC repair, upgrades, and consultation for my business "Computers On Line", as well as music composition. I enjoy many PC games, flight simulation, music, and the great outdoors.

SimArchitect: Thank you for allowing us to interview you today.

Richard: Thankyou for the interview, it was my pleasure -:)

SimArchitect would like to thank Richard for allowing us to interview him.


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