Shortly before I went home from college for the summer of 2002, I picked up a 3421 3v3 Shootout. I wasn't going to take it with me on the plane, so I left it at a friends' apartment so they could play with it after it was assembled.
I, like many Americans, got caught up in World Cup fever. But I wouldn't consider myself a typical American. I follow the USMNT in various international competitions, I can name a good handful of players on the squad, I know who well we've placed in every World Cup since 1990.
2002 would have been an absolute blast, if all the pieces fell into place. My dad, an Army Reservist, was called to active duty in October 2001, after 9/11. He got stationed in Japan, and if he had completed his one year tour over there, I might have been able to fly up there to see him and even attend a match or two.
It wasn't meant to be though. My sister got cancer in January, and my dad's knees had gotten so bad he was given a medical discharge in April. Really sucks, since the U.S. got to the Quarterfinals. Man, that would have been fun.
Virtual design for bleachers and the Soccer Field
Construction progress of the bleachers
I ran into two problems constructing the Soccer Field. One was putting seating areas together. After I saw that 32x32 baseplates were not wide enough so I could have bleachers on both sides of the field. I put them all on one side, but now as I write this, I could have split them up on both sides, after raising them to a higher level (hindsight and whatnot). I also had issues tracking down the white 2x8 plates to make the bleachers. I could have went with multicolor bleachers, but that looked a bit too tacky for me.
The second was where to put it. I wanted it in a more residential neighborhood, but the Grandstand kind got in the way. So do I face the field towards the Grandstand or away from it? What prevents concertgoers from sneaking a free peak at the game, or soccer fans from playing more attention to the rock show? And could I sacrifice enough space in front of the Grandstand for a Soccer Field to be built? There's going to be a lot of people there, all dressed up in costume. If they were all standing the whole time, no problem, but I'm sure they'd like to sit, drink, and get off their feet.
I'll always second guess myself on this one. But I should just set it, and forget it. Yeah, city layouts can always be redone. I've already done it three or four times with all the buildings I keep adding. I dunno. I'll leave it as is and come back to it if and when I need to.
Completed Soccer Field
Close ups of the fans in the bleachers
No comments:
Post a Comment