Supported
About This File
Many of the sidewalk mods currently available are stunning and visually appealling, adding so much aesthetic value to the regions and cities they adorn. Sometimes, however, players want to create cities and regions that have a more “lived-in” and grungy feel, and not just in the industrial areas. At other times, authors of CJs like to highlight grimier areas, or even build entire cities out of them.
Similar thoughts played in my mind as I was fiddling with textures in my current region. I wanted to create a wealth-dependent sidewalk look where the high-wealth pavement was not too ritzy and different-looking from the rest, and where all three wealth types looked a little gritty and worn, although appropriate and distinctive. In particular, I liked the idea of the low-wealth pavement being cracked and damaged. After a lot of testing, I found a combination of textures I was very happy with. I thought that others might enjoy them too, so I decided to package it as a sidewalk mod.
Well, here is the result. Welcome to my “Gritty Grey Paving” (GGP) sidewalk mod! I have uploaded here a grey (gray) sidewalk mod that gives cities and towns that slightly grim, “lived-in” look 😊 The surface is paving rather than concrete, which I feel adds a little more interest, and I have offered a choice of three different downloads. In all three, the low-wealth (LW) paving is crumbly and cracked, and the high-wealth (HW) paving consists of smooth, grey, rectangular slabs that nicely highlight the upmarket parts of town without being glamorous. It is the medium-wealth (MW) paving that differs for each of the three downloads:
GGP - Type A
The MW texture consists of irregular paving that is aesthetically pleasing whilst looking quite informal and semi-worn. It’s very eye-catching if larger pedestrian areas or lot bases are paved with this texture. It is a little paler than the LW and HW paving, but really brings those MW areas to life. The Type A combination is the one I currently use, and was the inspiration for this mod.
GGP - Type B
The MW sidewalk consists of worn, square, grey paving that blends almost seamlessly with the LW and HW areas. Type B is an ideal selection for those who want that gritty feeling in their cities without drawing too much attention to the paving. If you’d like people to look at your screenshots and think about how well you have highlighted the slightly grimy aspects of urban life without actually noticing the contribution of the sidewalks, this is the choice for you. With its well-blended look, this would also be a good way to test the water for those considering a transition from a concrete-based sidewalk mod.
GGP - Type C
On a suggestion from @sejr99999 , I have decided to include a version with the crumbly paving for both LW and MW zones. This can look quite run-down and neglected! Perfect for old city centres, or for creating a look of financial desperation amongst your Sims. Those experimenting with a grimy look for their CJ’s should definitely consider giving this a go. However, Type C can also complement just about any city by cohesively giving it an extra-gritty feel – you’d be surprised (I was).
Download instructions
Choose ONE option (Type A, B or C) when downloading the sidewalk mod installer. Unless you’re absolutely certain which one you’d like, I would strongly suggest trying all three types independently with an open mind before committing – you may be surprised which one really gives your city or region that feel you were looking for.
It is possible to install just the sidewalk mod and nothing else, if desired. However, this mod is essentially packaged as a variant of rsc204’s excellent and comprehensive Sidewalk NAM mod (SWN) and, as such, you will have a choice of extending the new sidewalk textures to whichever components of the NAM (if any) you select, including all the railway types and crossings. This is optional, but highly recommended if you have the NAM installed.
Support is also provided for rsc204’s Terrain Grass NAM (TGN), No-grass NAM (NGN) and Maxis Texture Replacement Development Kits (MTRDK), and also rivit’s Tar-Sealed Roads (TSR) mods, which you may also optionally select as part of the installation if you use either of these mods. The installer will run through the choices of available options (LH drive vs RH drive, EU vs US textures etc.) in order to correctly custom-build the additional network pieces for you.
Select the SCILT option if you would like lots with this capability to display the sidewalk textures as their base, and the RTMT option if you use the Road-Top Mass Transit mod and would like these to blend in with the GGP pavement.
If you install the sidewalks only, all the optional features will display the textures of your previous setup.
Dependencies
Nil, but please see the installation instructions below.
Acknowledgements and support
This is my first upload to the STEX; I have wanted to give something back to the community whose mods I have used and loved. I would very much like to thank the following people:
@rsc204 - for generous provision of all the fantastic resources and information that made this a fairly straightforward task, and additionally for all the clear explanations and advice regarding the SWN and installation package.
@rivit - for the GoFSH tool – my best friend in this process!
If you have any issues, comments or feedback, please visit my modding thread here:
https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/761659-pb75-thepabray75s-corner
I hope you enjoy this sidewalk mod as much as I have enjoyed creating it!
PB75 (thepabray75), May 2022
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Please note the following important installation instructions from rsc204, as the GGP is installed as the sidewalk mod component of the Sidewalk NAM (SWN):
Installation
This mod is packaged as a Windows .exe installer. For those that would prefer not/are unable to use an Installer, the NSIS installer files can be opened with 7zip or a similar application. If you wish to do this, you will have to manually setup the folder/file structure with the correct individual files within the archive.
Please refer to the installed documentation for further details, note these files are installed here:
My Documents\SimCity 4\LEX_Downloads\MGB Mods
This is to avoid cluttering up your Plugins folders with non-SC4 files.
De-Coupling Rail Crossing Textures
When installing SWN, you can de-select the Rail Crossing Textures. This option exists, so users with other mods for those features will not have issues when installing SWN, even if SWN loads after them.
· The Rail Crossing Textures should be de-selected if you are using the RRW Reskin mod.
Note: No SWN support is included for such optional custom textures, you need to get SWN compatible versions from elsewhere, or those networks will remain as their defaults. This feature simply allows you to prevent SWN from conflicting with such customisations.
Dependencies / Compatibility
There are no dependencies for this mod. The base mod is suitable for use with the vanilla game, but I highly recommend using it with the latest version of the Network Addon Mod.
Highly Recommended:
· The Japanese NAM Facelift Mod
SWN does NOT cover some legacy pieces, which are already covered by this mod. See the included Readme for full details of how to use both together.
This mod is designed for either the US or EU Cosmetic ReTexture mod in the NAM. Both RHD and LHD textures are supported. Additionally you can select from three rail types, Maxis, PEG 205 or RRW (Real Railway).
SWN was designed from the ground up to be used with either my TGN or NGN mods. It also contains support for Rivit's Urban TSR mod.
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