Supported
About This File
Transit-enabled taxi and bus stop with automata generators. Version 3.0
Long ago I worked the night-shift as a big-city cab dispatcher so this lot creation is a bit of nostalgia. Suffice to say, in the wee-hours of the night, the clientele in the cab business gets very interesting. As quoted from the 'Taxi Driver' movie, All the animals come out at night.
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*** This download was updated. See the Changelog at the bottom of the page.. ***
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There are 3 2x2 lots, 1 1x2, and 1 3x3 lot in this download
1.) The basic lot with bus and taxi access and no transit-enabled road running through. Technically, all the lots are transit-enabled, meaning they all dispatch buses and taxis.
2.) A transit-enabled lot which must be connected to a road on 2 sides, and can be placed inline with a road. Cars, buses and taxis will flow through. The transit switch allows pedestrians to exit or enter cars, taxis and buses from the lot.
3.) A 2x2 transit-enabled lot as above with Cobble-stone base texture.
4.) A 1x2 version of the Maxis textured lot, also functions as a bus stop and only requires one side, any side, as all the lots, for automata to access.
5.) A 3x3 Commercial lot with large parking area. Doesn't function as a bus stop but generates taxi automata and employs 380 persons.
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Vital Stats:
Maintenance Cost: 100§
Transit Capacity: 1500 for first 2x2 lots, 2000 for the Cobblestone version, and 1000 for the 1x2 version.
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Image Descriptions:
1.) Title
2.) Lot 1. Parking area taxi stand and bus stop withouit a road connection
3.) Lot 2. Parking area taxi stand and bus stop with a road connection.
4.) Lot 3. Parking area taxi stand and bus stop with a road connection. Cobblestone- textured
5.) Lot 3. Night-lighting
Lot 4. Not shown.
6.) Lot 5. 3x3 commercial services lot with no bus stop. Generates taxi automata and employs 380 persons.
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There are no mandatory dependencies. Taxi props are included. The following file may also be used in effect of seeing more taxis lining up to pick up and drop off pedestrians.
Of the first 4 lots, the 1st, 2nd and 4th lots use Maxis textures so require no dependencies, and the 3rd lot uses a Cobble-stoned base texture found below --to add a bit of antiquity.
Cobble Stoned Base Texture
https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/33759-cobble-stoned-base-texture/
The following mod may be used to make the surroundings flush with the 3rd taxi lot. It adds a 1x1 filler to the the top of the parks menu.
Cobble Stone Filler (1x1)
https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/34292-cobble-stone-filler-1x1/
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Lot Construction
1.) A blank model was placed in the Documents/SimCity/Plugins folder following the instructions found in the BLaM Blank download.
https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/17996-blam-blank/
2.) The .SC4Desc file was made using the extended version of plugin manager.
SC4 PIM (v1.0)
https://www.sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=2260
The following file may be needed to load the SC4 PIM. The file is easily found online for free. Note that it must be placed in the Windows System folder, that is, not the System32 folder (place it in both folders for any other purposes).
MSVCP71.dll
3.) Then the Lot Editor was used to make the lot(s). Both the Lot Editor and the Maxis Plugin Manager can be found below, but the extended version of the PIM found above is far easier to use.
https://community.simtropolis.com/sc4-maxis-files/
The lot editor user-interface may be improved with the following file:
Lot Editor Expanded Preview Panel
https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/33900-lot-editor-expanded-preview-panel/
4.) Next, the Taxi Maker occupant group was added using the iLive reader.
https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/21343-ilive-reader-093/
Taxi Maker Occupant Group:
0x00001903
With this OG added, taxis will appear immediately in-game. The Maxis default taxi automata are not as readily noticeable as the yellow taxi automata, and any other taxi automata than that listed above will work.
5.) LEProp was used to add the title, description and icon to the lot, as well as for defining characteristics such as maintenance cost and how much power and water the lot uses (not too much).
LEProp 1.62
https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/21350-leprop-162/
An icon template can be found below. It should be converted to a .png file for use with LEProp.
Icon Template (Paint.net)
https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/34563-icon-template-paintnet/
6.) Finally, SC4Tool was used to transit enable the lot(s).
https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/21368-sc4tool-english/
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Conclusion:
Its seems complicated, but not so much when you familiarize yourself with each program and follow the steps one by one in sequence. The secret to success is to not get frustrated with the quirks of each program; perseverance and patience will triumph. (mentionable quirks include ILive reader not giving an option as to which open file to save, and sometimes an icon in LeProp must be repeat-loaded and saved in order to appear. Also, the LE tends to easily crash as more lots and props are added.)
So put on your cab dispatching cap and get those animals safely to their zoo habitats. When you answer the phone just say, SimCity Cabs
.
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About Taxi Automata
Taxis are a form of transportation available in the SimCity series. Taxis usually spawn only around rail stations and airports, although occasionally they can be seen elsewhere in the city.
Like its real-life counterpart, the taxi is not a form of mass transit and taxis are usually run by private companies, therefore, taxi fares will not be included into your mass transit taxation panel. Taxis in the game are simply for aesthetic value, as they do not transport passengers, and sims do not use taxis as a method of transportation.
Source: -SimCity.fandom.com
Other Taxi Automata on the STEX:
Driveable Checker Taxis
https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/3679-driveable-checker-taxis/
Big Yellow Taxi
https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/23227-big-yellow-taxi/
Origin of Included Props:
Yellow Cabs
https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/3624-yellow-cabs/
The taxi stands can be used in tandem with sightseeing buses to add to the tourism theme:
What's New 3.1.0 View Changelog
Released
- Fixed some typos.
- Added a 2x1 version with no transit-enabling at all, only generates taxi automata.
- Ensured that the Taxi Maker OG is present in all lots.
- Organized the menu icons under the Miscellaneous Transport Menu so they appear in numerical order.
- Added some more props to the Cobblestone version.
Version 3
-
This is a major update. Functionality of all the lots is vastly
improved. -
Tracked down all the taxi props originating from the STEX and discovered 2
instances of Vehicle Props V3 causing confusion between Maxis and user-created
taxis. -
Re-coded the basic lot so that no street connection is required. It didn't
make any sense to have it there. The lot still functions as a bus stop and
taxi generator. -
Adjusted the transit switches so that both buses and cars may pick up or drop
off pedestrians. (There is no switch for taxis). - Adjusted the transit switches so that only one side, any side, may function. Now taxis may be observed pulling up and stopping in front of the taxi stand. It may take a minute or two at cheetah speed for the line-up of taxis to begin.
-
Identified the seaport office as requiring Building Props V1 and V2, so
reverted to the seaport office in the SC4 dat file. -
Identified Checker Cabs as not props so installed Yellow Cabs for lot props,
and these are included as per their creator's directive. -
Re-worked the 1x2 lot as both a bus stop and taxi stand with the bus query
window. Reduced the capacity to 1000 (default) because its smaller. - Increased the capacity of the Cobblestone lot to 2000 because its special.
-
Re-organized the files contained in the Zip to make it easy to choose which
lots one wants to use, and revised the ReadMe.html file. - Re-worked the icons so the lot numbers are easier to see.
-
Created a 3x3 commercial service lot which functions as a CS$$ providing 380
jobs and features Mike Seith's taxis found on the STEX. This lot only
generates taxi automata, but also employs 380.
2 pots of dark-roast coffee were consumed in the re-making of these lots.
V3.10
- Ensured the OG, capacity satisfied and purpose are for Commercial Services $$ medium wealth.
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