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About This File

Mod Manager for SimCity 4 plugins.

This program handles the process of downloading and installing SimCity 4 plugins, including all their dependencies.

It helps you assemble a full Plugins folder very quickly, and also keeps your plugins up-to-date and organized.

Usage

  • Download: Choose between

    • the desktop application for Windows 10+,
    • the desktop application for Linux, and
    • the cross-platform web-app for other platforms.
  • Verify the checksum of the downloaded ZIP file against the checksums published on Github (optional).

  • Extract the contents of the downloaded ZIP file to any location of your choice.

  • At first launch of the application, it guides you through the initial setup: creating a new Profile and configuring the location of your Plugins folder.

  • Go to Find Packages to search and select packages to install (for example cyclone-boom:save-warning). There are already more than 5000 plugins with compatible metadata to choose from. Once satisfied, go to the Dashboard and hit Update to download and install the plugin files. Files are downloaded directly from Simtropolis or other sites like SC4Evermore, ToutSimCities, SimCityKurier (archived), Hide and Seek! (archived) and GitHub.

  • If you are signed in to Simtropolis, watch out for the “Install with sc4pac” button on the STEX. It appears for plugins that can be installed with sc4pac. Start small and gradually build up your Plugins folder. Don't download everything at once.

    image.png

  • Install null-45:startup-performance-optimization-dll if you use the Windows digital edition of the game. (This adds support for plugin file paths exceeding the 260 character limit on Windows, which could otherwise be a problem for a small number of packages that use deeply-nested, long file names.)

  • Install memo:lua-sandbox-dll if you use the Windows digital edition of the game. (This provides a more secure environment for your plugins by preventing mods from using unsafe Lua functions.)

  • Be aware that Simtropolis has a download limit of 20 files per day for guests. To avoid this limit, go to Settings and set up your personal authentication token for Simtropolis (step-by-step guide). Alternatively, simply continue the installation process the next day.

Plugins folder structure

050-load-first
060-config
075-my-plugins         (your existing manually installed plugins)
100-props-textures
110-resources
140-ordinances
150-mods
170-terrain
180-flora
200-residential
300-commercial
360-landmark
400-industrial
500-utilities
600-civics
610-safety
620-education
630-health
640-government
650-religion
660-parks
700-transit
710-automata
770-network-addon-mod
895-my-overrides       (your manually installed zzz-folders)
900-overrides

Packages are installed into subfolders prefixed by an even number, as the order in which files are loaded by the game is important. This ensures a consistent load order. Files you install manually should be put into subfolders prefixed by an odd number (ideally before 900-overrides).

Migrating an existing Plugins folder

If you already have a non-empty Plugins folder and want to switch to sc4pac, start by moving the bulk of your manually installed files into a new subfolder 075-my-plugins and your zzz-folders into 895-my-overrides to ensure correct load order. Once you install more and more packages and dependencies with sc4pac, delete the corresponding older, redundant, manually installed files to avoid duplication or version conflicts. If a dependency was installed with sc4pac, there is no need to keep older manually installed copies of it.

In the long run, create additional odd-numbered subfolders for better organization of your manually installed files and to fine-tune load order.

Managing multiple Plugins folders

The sc4pac GUI supports creating multiple Profiles. For example, you could use a unique Profile for each of your Regions. Each Profile corresponds to a Plugins folder.

Important: Make sure to select distinct locations for all your Plugins folders to avoid interference between Profiles.

You can use the SC4 launch parameter -UserDir:"..." to start the game with a custom location for the Plugins folder.

Uninstalling

  • Uninstall all packages for each Profile (see Dashboard  Profile  Delete options).
  • Delete the download cache folder (see Dashboard).
  • Remove the profiles configuration folder (see Settings).
  • Finally, delete the folder containing the sc4pac program files.

Documentation

Visit the Troubleshooting & FAQ section of the sc4pac Website for more information, or the development & support thread.

To make your own uploads installable with sc4pac, see the topic about the sc4pac STEX integration.

Credits

A big thank you for contributions to sc4pac@smf_16 @nos.17 @Zasco @Flann @Shadow Assassin @Cyclone Boom @CorinaMarie @Null 45 @Ulisse Wolf @timdmackey.


What's New 1.6.0   View Changelog


Released

Changes since version 1.4.3

  • This release introduces a 2-column split-view layout.
  • Improved detection of download failures when a server is down for maintenance. If you still experience the "extraction failed" error, either "Redownload & Reinstall" the affected package, or delete the affected file from the cache folder.
  • Packages with INI configuration files now install the INI files into the root of the Plugins folder, but named as _sc4pacnew.ini. To activate the INI files, rename them by removing _sc4pacnew from their name.
  • Added a button to open the Plugins folder to show the installed files of a package.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented installing DLLs on Windows.
  • Whenever plugins containing Lua scripts are about to be installed, sc4pac now shows an optional warning about this. For added security, install memo:lua-sandbox-dll.
  • Fixed a Windows issue launching the app from a folder containing special characters.
  • When creating a new Profile, the default Plugins folder location is not preselected anymore.

Upgrading from previous versions:

Simply extract the ZIP file. You can remove the previous application files in favor of the newly extracted files.

  • Like 44
  • Yes 2
  • Thanks 10



User Feedback



Recommended Comments

On 3/26/2025 at 9:14 AM, vetram said:

Trying to download it , but it stops downloading in 86.5 MB!..although the file size is 241.07 MB ...

@vetram That's correct. The file size listed here on the STEX is the sum of all three file sizes. If you want to be sure the downloaded file is complete, you can follow the instructions for verifying the checksum of the download file. If the checksum matches, the file has been downloaded completely and without errors.

On 3/24/2025 at 3:17 PM, Huggy-Bear said:

I installed NAM in the "777-network-addon-mod" folder, but it does not show up in game. Only the basic roads show.

@Huggy-Bear Make sure to actually run the NAM installer, instead of just copying it into your plugins.

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I'm trying to make it run on my win 11. I downloaded latest java but I can't make the manager to run. After launching the manager it just says Establish connection and Launching the local sc4pac server failed (unknown reason).

I tried the web-app version of sc4pac but the bat file won't even execute.

Solved: I installed new version of java into new folder and forgot to add the folder into environment variables. Silly me.

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Help, please. Looking forward to trying this. But, after I downloaded/installed latest Windows version, I'm also having the issue "After launching the manager it just says Establish connection and Launching the local sc4pac server failed (unknown reason). I tried the web-app version of sc4pac but the bat file won't even execute."

Checked  environment variables and Java path is correct. What am I doing wrong?

Thank you.

image.png.a0fb2f87d88fd614369fe2bd4af41991.png

image.png

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@CaptPungent It looks like the program doesn't find the correct path for the jar file. Did you fully extract the ZIP file before executing the program? What's the full path[*] of the file "sc4pac-cli.jar" on your system, contained in the "cli" subfolder? What's your operating system version?

[*] right click > copy path

Edit: One more idea: Right click the jarfile "sc4pac-cli.jar". Click properties. Click the unblock tab in bottom right corner to unblock it in case it is blocked.

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On 6/14/2025 at 1:28 AM, memo said:

@CaptPungent It looks like the program doesn't find the correct path for the jar file. Did you fully extract the ZIP file before executing the program? What's the full path[*] of the file "sc4pac-cli.jar" on your system, contained in the "cli" subfolder? What's your operating system version?

[*] right click > copy path

Edit: One more idea: Right click the jarfile "sc4pac-cli.jar". Click properties. Click the unblock tab in bottom right corner to unblock it in case it is blocked.

Thanks, for the assist, memo.

I checksumed and extracted completely. OS: Windows 10 updated 6/10/2025 Version: OS Build 19045.5965

Here's my path: H:\sc4pac-gui\cli\sc4pac-cli.jar

I checked unblock and tried again with the same result.


  Edited by CorinaMarie  

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@CaptPungent Thanks for the details. I can't explain the cause of the problem, but here are a few ideas:

You haven't modified the file "sc4pac.bat" in any way, right? (Otherwise, post its contents here.) Could you open CMD.exe and paste the following command and press Enter?

H:\sc4pac-gui\cli\sc4pac.bat

Usually, this should print a help text for the sc4pac CLI version, but based on your screenshots this might result in an error. Could you copy the terminal output and send it here?

Next, edit the file "sc4pac.bat" in a text editor and replace the line SET SCRIPTDIR=%~dp0. by

SET SCRIPTDIR=H:\sc4pac-gui\cli

This might solve the problem. (If later you re-install sc4pac in a different location, e.g. when there's a new version, this path would have to be updated as well.)

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I really appreciate the help, memo. Edited sc4pac.bat, ran app and get the following message.  

 

sc4pacGUICapture_01.15Jun2025.PNG.b1bb1b7fbb78b61f4359a0b6d3ed7c12.PNG

 

Checked Java and got these messages..

 

JavaCapture_01.15Jun2025.PNG.7ca3a2889281ef0e0e3f22d6f52cfb7e.PNGJavaCapture_02.15Jun2025.PNG.362ad186c3884dfef488e7ea5efd795e.PNG

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@CaptPungent The Java version installed on your system, Java version 8, is too old. Install a more recent version of Java.

Also, if you could do this step mentioned above, it may help me fix your original issue:

On 6/15/2025 at 10:13 AM, memo said:

Usually, this should print a help text for the sc4pac CLI version, but based on your screenshots this might result in an error. Could you copy the terminal output and send it here?

 

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UPDATE

sc4pac is now working for me!  Thanks for the assist, memo.  Not sure what the solution was, maybe reboot system after editing file. Didn't work before I did that.  

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Hey!

This is a super cool mod and a great idea, thanks already! :D

So I want to start using it and I have two question about migrating my existing plugins. 


1. What I understand is; keep all your old mods until you download them via the sc4pac, then remove the old duplicates, right?
Then; is this also necessary for all the dependencies (props and textures), since they are listed as dependencies in the plugins you download via the sc4pac? In other words; don't they come already when you download all the mods via sc4pac?

2. Should I bother reinstalling the NAM and CAM (which I have installed in my old plugins folder)? Is it safe to do that? I might sound like a noob, but it does not screw up existing regions?

Thanks for the help in advance!
Niek :)

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On 7/24/2025 at 12:59 PM, Niekofitsio said:

1. What I understand is; keep all your old mods until you download them via the sc4pac, then remove the old duplicates, right?
Then; is this also necessary for all the dependencies (props and textures), since they are listed as dependencies in the plugins you download via the sc4pac? In other words; don't they come already when you download all the mods via sc4pac?

You only need to keep manually installed dependencies if your manually installed plugins depend on them and you haven't installed the dependency via sc4pac (e.g. in rare cases when a dependency isn't available on sc4pac). Otherwise, you can remove the dependency and install it with sc4pac instead.

On 7/24/2025 at 12:59 PM, Niekofitsio said:

2. Should I bother reinstalling the NAM and CAM (which I have installed in my old plugins folder)? Is it safe to do that? I might sound like a noob, but it does not screw up existing regions?

For NAM, it's safe and easy to do so. For CAM, if you've already installed it manually, I'd advise against switching to the sc4pac CAM, for now, unless they have the same version number. In particular, avoid downgrading to an older version of CAM.

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I am having difficulties trying to install the manager. I have properly installed Adoptium and extracting the whole installation folder. I have also checked my Java version - it is updated. I'd appreciate any help in troubleshooting.

 

68a38e9834eb1_Posnetekzaslona2025-08-18223321.png.eb567ff9e66e14f1ac7be579b758615c.png

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@mbreznar That's an error I haven't seen before. Try the following:

Restart your computer to make sure the Java installation process is fully completed. Then try starting the application again.

Make sure that your operating system doesn't somehow block/quarantine the file "sc4pac-cli.jar".

If it still fails, download the web app version to see if you can launch that or whether it gives any more clues.

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@memo Thank you for your reply. I have been trying to run sc4pac for the last month with different configurations, trying to troubleshoot the problem. So far I have tried/checked:

- Java and Adoptium are properly installed and updated, the computer has been restarted several times and I have tried reinstalling both Java and Adoptium

- paths seem fine

- CLI starts within terminal but I have not proceeded with either creating a profile or anything more

- java shows the correct version in the terminal

- I have tried unblocking all the files in the Properties window

- web app version starts terminal window which closes after a millisecond and also fails

- I have tried adding exception to my firewall

- I dont have a special antivirus software and no files seem to be quarantined in Microsoft Defender, I have also tried disabling it

I am ready to provide any additional information you might need in order to try and solve it.

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1 hour ago, mbreznar said:

- web app version starts terminal window which closes after a millisecond and also fails

@mbreznar Thanks for the details. Could you try to start the web app version from a terminal to see if any error messages are printed there? To do this, go to the folder that contains the file "launch-GUI-web-Windows.bat", type CMD into the address bar of your file explorer to open a terminal in that folder, then type .\launch-GUI-web-Windows.bat in the terminal and press Enter.

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@memo I get an error saying:

Operation aborted. Failed to determine sc4pac profiles directory. As a workaround, either use the --profiles-dir launch parameter or set the SC4PAC_PROFILES_DIR environment variable ? on Windows, usually to the path "C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\io.github.memo33\sc4pac\config\profiles" requirement failed: null\io.github.memo33\sc4pac\config is not an absolute path

EDIT: I created a system variable as suggested by this error in the sc4pac-gui folder (instead of the sc4pac folder) and created the config and profiles folder. Now the program runs.


  Edited by mbreznar  

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@mbreznar Glad you figured it out. There's actually one prior report of the problem, but without a solution either. The workaround is to define the SC4PAC_PROFILES_DIR environment variable, as you have. I'll see if I can improve this so the app doesn't crash.

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I got the GOG version of SC4, but sc4pak is REFUSING to detect my previously installed mods I ported over from the disc version. How do I make it recognize my old mods? I made my profile, set it to SimCity 4 > Plugins > Profile > Plugins, and sorted my mods as instructed into the new subfolders. No dice.

This is my first time using it.

I tried pointing it to the base plugins folder instead, no dice either.

rebelliousSC4PacREFUSINGtoWork.jpg

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9 hours ago, PlutonianEmpire said:

sc4pak is REFUSING to detect my previously installed mods I ported over from the disc version. How do I make it recognize my old mods?

There's no such functionality. Sc4pac only installs what you tell it to. Only the plugins installed by sc4pac are managed by sc4pac.

Your pre-existing plugins or anything you installed without sc4pac – you would need to manage them yourself. Sc4pac doesn't care about them, doesn't touch them and doesn't do anything with them. The only reason to put them in the 075 and 895 folders is to reduce the risk of load order conflicts, but you can do anything with those files – they're managed by you.

If you want to hand over responsibility to sc4pac, install each of your old plugins with sc4pac instead (if available). Then remove the old plugin.

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Hello, the computer's antivirus detects the application as a virus. : Trojan:Win32/Bearfoos.A!ml

file: C:\Users\Admin\Desktop\sc4pac-gui.exe.lnk

file: D:\Descargas\SimCity\Edificios\Program\sc4pac-gui-windows-x64 (2)\sc4pac-gui.exe

can you check the application? please

 

 

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Hello

I have recently used sc4pac to help simplify my plugin installation. I have installed all the prerequisites (Java and C++ as indicated in many of the troubleshoots I read). But so far, aside from the sc4fix, the other dll plugins does not seem to be working.

I have made sure the manually-installed plugins to be gone so as to not conflict with the new ones. I even checked the dll plugin files to make modifications as required. Nothing seems to work.

The version I am using is the Steam version, updated to the newest version that support sc4pac. If you can help solve this issue, it would be helpful.

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On 9/12/2025 at 1:27 PM, Seraphor96 said:

I have installed all the prerequisites (Java and C++ as indicated in many of the troubleshoots I read). But so far, aside from the sc4fix, the other dll plugins does not seem to be working.

Make sure the Plugins folder location you provided to sc4pac points to the root of your Plugins folder, not a subfolder. This is necessary so that DLL files end up in the root of the Plugins folder, not in a subfolder.

On 9/10/2025 at 3:08 PM, pedroac20c said:

Hello, the computer's antivirus detects the application as a virus.

Too bad.

Only you can verify that the file on your system is the correct one. How to do that is explained in the third bullet point of the install instructions at the top of this page.

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On 13.09.2025 at 8:18 PM, memo said:

Make sure the Plugins folder location you provided to sc4pac points to the root of your Plugins folder, not a subfolder. This is necessary so that DLL files end up in the root of the Plugins folder, not in a subfolder.

Hi memo, I wanted to name my profile MAIN. So I created a directory \My Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins\MAIN.

During installation of sc4pac I read to choose a separate folder for each profile, so I did not take \My Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins, instead I took \My Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins\MAIN - is this correct?

Now in Dashboard I see: screenpresso_72.png.d8c5cc7faf19df32997c00f9d1707a70.png

Is this fine like that? My DLL plugins are not being installed in \Plugins, but in \Plugins\MAIN currently.

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Hey, this isn't a request and I am drama free other than the ones I create lol. I just downloaded the latest version and saw the new buttons. It has probably been asked before but could a Button(process/function) be made to backup Sc4Pac to the desktop or preferably to the SimCity4 folder. I regularly back up the SimCity4 folder but occasionally forget about Sc4Pac files, be nice if ever having to do a reinstall everything was the same. 

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