Florida DLC ideas

[1948LJMack]

Now for the Route programing team, as I find that International Ship Repair & Marine services should be put into the game, the best way to approach it from other states would be from I-75 which that road comes out of the state of Georgia. I would exit I-75 at Florida State route 60 which is Adamo Drive. Then I would jog over to Penny Street via 19th Street.

Here is the entrance to this splendid ship repair center:
https://www.google.com/maps/@27.9549183 ... FQAw%3D%3D

[Cyclone]

I think this thread might be way too early as we have a few states still in the way (only at Louisiana ). However, one note I will make: there is a tolled section of I-75 that runs horizontal instead of vertical between Naples and Miami. There are exactly two interchanges. Miles City is the first, and a casino is located at the other at the south end of a reservation. You can literally draw every interchange on this section of highway between Naples and Miami and it would be 100% accurate other than the scaling considerations (or course, selective highlighting within those urban areas would take place). Toll booths can be preset to charge for the journey starting at each end like in Oklahoma. Easy stuff here.

41/90 runs south of that and is the southernmost road outside of the Keys. The highlight of the most southerly point in the United States is something to consider. Secret road and viewpoint from the terminus of CR 1 (now Truman Avenue, which continues for four more intersections) down Whitehead Street? Or put a depot on the road and lead to the viewpoint normally? I don't see any obvious depots at first glance for that road, but the airport definitely could be a depot. Maybe a construction company can be doing something there too. (The Palm Avenue Causeway also provides an interesting road shape that incorporates the airport inside of it, too; this is worth highlighting down there.) Speaking or CR 1, there is Card Sound Road (which may or may not be interesting) branching off to a toll bridge and a more out of the way area; the main road is apparently a four hour drive, about 159 miles of driving and considered a one of a kind experience. This is the scenery point of major interest for the state.

[Maverick89]

I think this thread might be way too early as we have a few states still in the way (only at Louisiana ).

It's never too early to start brainstorming ideas, though!

Anyways, Here's a couple ideas for where to place truck stops in North and North Central Florida, seen on my travels to and from family for the holidays.

There's a big truck stop on I-10 at the State Road 53 exit to Madison. Madison itself is a small city between Tallahassee and Jacksonville and might be too small to include in-game, but the stop there would be a good place to rest.

Another place is on I-75, at the State Road 47 exit southwest of Lake City. Not only is there a truck stop here, but there's also some dealers (Mack and Volvo, just to name a few) and repair centers. Lake City itself could include some remote depots for a city like Ocala--I think it may be a tad too far for it to be included for Jacksonville, but then again that's just me.

[Runoff_975]

With Florida still being years away until then - and if and when they can tackle and finish my home state of Georgia in the future - I'd like to share with you some preliminary ideas for the so-called Florida Panhandle. This part of Florida I've been accustomed to, since I've spent part of my teenage years there. I've lived in this part for about two years before moving back to Georgia, but some of my best memories were in Panama City Beach and its surrounding area. I'll update this entry with more images, but it's important to note that Street View images are not going to suffice. That's where the research trips come in handy.

So I created this handy map, courtesy of Google Maps, to help guide what cities could be included in the Panhandle, and what roads to build in. It might be possible to cover as much as the Panhandle as early as possible, for a quality map experience. As Flight said, Quantity + Quality = a better end product. Speed, or throwing more people at it won't work.
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One of the reasons I chose US-98 is how close it is to the Gulf Coast. This stretch of road starts around Pensacola, and I personally believe this is worthy of some cool w.i.p. pics. Settlements such as Panama City Beach, Apalachicola (and if we're really wanting to include secret roads, why not squeeze in St. George Island too?), and Port St. Joe all round out scenic coastal towns.

Within Panama City, US-98 houses Hathaway Bridge, which connects Panama City Beach to the main city. Check out these Streetview images for yourself.
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In terms of cities, Pensacola, Panama City, Tallahassee are absolutely required. Destin, DeFuniak Springs and Perry have a 50-50 chance to make it as discoverable cities.

[Maverick89]

In terms of cities, Pensacola, Panama City, Tallahassee are absolutely required. Destin, DeFuniak Springs and Perry have a 50-50 chance to make it as discoverable cities.

I think Perry would be scenic at best, probably with remote depots for Tallahassee, as Perry had a paper mill which closed last year, so I could potentially see that as a depot.

DeFuniak Springs...I'd lean scenic as well, with I-10 and US-90 both running through the city. DeFuniak could potentially have remote depots, but it's a tossup between if it's a remote for Pensacola or Panama City. It's closer to PC so it'd probably be there.

[1948LJMack]

Yes, the thread may be pretty early, just like my Northeast corridor thread, but it gives SCS a great amount of time so when they see my ideas, at least when they do a research trip, a least they would have my ideas written up. I wouldn't mind delivering ship parts to a ship repair facility.

[Maverick89]

The more time, the better! That's what these threads are for.

And I'm all for this thread...seeing where I'm from (and currently live).

[Runoff_975]

Florida Pre-research, Part Two: Northeast Florida

It's been a while since my previous post on the Florida research area, but let's continue.

Northeast Florida houses the largest city in the state: Jacksonville. As the most populous city proper within Florida's borders, with 970,000 people as of 2022, and ranked the 10th largest city in the U.S. in 2023, it would be difficult not to take advantage of the economy there. Of course, the scale can and will create problems and we can only fit what's there. I'll bring out a detailed map of Jacksonville below.

The first image is a rough draft on what the road network in NE Florida should look like. Given the dense road network the Missouri DLC received, and with Project Road Trip looming on the horizon, it may be possible to put in extra roads and even slip in some backroads. But only time will tell.
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Detailed map layout of Jacksonville.
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I'd also consider having coastline roads just as US-98 had them in my previous post. At least use them as PRT content.

[Maverick89]

I think I-295 should completely encircle Jacksonville in the game (as it does IRL) rather than just the west side of it.

US-90 should connect it to the coastline.

[Runoff_975]

I guess that would work. Having the whole loop of any major city would be great... if it weren't limited by scale. And yes, part of US-90 should have a direct line to Jacksonville Beach and the A1A highway.

The other roads are likely just scenic roads that'll work well with the Project Road Trip content. Especially with places like Cedar Key and Key West.