INFO: Map Installation Instructions

[fatwoul 0]

Date: 4/28/2005 6:00:04 AM Author: walei

I have a major problem in installing maps...

I have tried installing Gauntlet Island and Cloverra and both are giving me problems so I dont think it's a map problem...

Whenever the region finishes rendering, the water level of the region is not right...for Cloverra it looks the waters are too deep so I tried to raise the terrains, but I just can't get the same level as the thumbnail...

When I installed the Gauntlet Island, on the region view it looks perfect, but when I click and get into a specific city, the water level is wrong again...

I dont have any plugins, I just installed SC4 + latest update, no deluxe or Rush Hour

Any ideas?

 

Hi Walei,

 

I first got SC4 a year ago, and had almost no problems installing new maps (and creating my own) using standard packages like Photoshop 7, etc, but ever since I reinstalled SC4 onto my new desktop PC, its given me ALL the same problems you guys are describing - not loading the maps, loading them wrong, yada yada, the whole shooting match.  It obviously isn't a software problem, because the same copy worked fine before, and continues to work fine on my laptop, which is of roughly similar specification.  It's pretty disheartening to find that there basically aren't any answers here as to why this is or how to fix it.  Anyway, enough of my whining...

 

The only problem I did previously encounter was the same sort of problem you have described. 

 

In each region folder, you will find a little file called region.  This is the Configuration Settings file. Double-click on that to open it in Notepad.  The file will look like this:

 

[Regional Settings]
Name = San Andreas (for example)
Terrain type = 0
Water Min = 60
Water Max = 100

 

You can alter anything you like, but be careful not to mess it up, and make a note of the original settings so that if it gets screwed up you can change it back to how it was.  In your case, if you're only seeing a region covered in water, you might try lowering either or both of the water settings.  I don't know if this will help your problem, but its what I did to fix a similar thing previously.

[blade2k5 1,523]

In each region folder, you will find a little file called 'region'. This is the Configuration Settings file. Double-click on that to open it in Notepad. The file will look like this:

[Regional Settings]

Name = San Andreas (for example)

Terrain type = 0

Water Min = 60

Water Max = 100

You can alter anything you like, but be careful not to mess it up, and make a note of the original settings so that if it gets screwed up you can change it back to how it was. In your case, if you're only seeing a region covered in water, you might try lowering either or both of the water settings. I don't know if this will help your problem, but its what I did to fix a similar thing previously.

quote>

I just finished rendering the Seattle3 region and would like to get a better idea of how much lower I should adjust water specs. Thanks for any assistance anyone can give.

[SimmsCity 22]

Somewhere here on the stex is a program called the Landscape Designer, go and download it and you will find that it's much easier to render your maps. I also had problems rendering my maps until I was told about the landscape designer. All you have to do is just follow the instructions and voila! your map is rendered.

[blade2k5 1,523]

I've checked every link I could find for this Landscape Designer and none of them can be found. This is darn frustrating.

Previous uneeded post deleated. Please use edit post button. Thanks, Compromise.

[sgchamby 0]

I am having the same problem.  I downloaded a Portland, OR region and have fiddled with the Water Min and Water Max levels but nothing changes when I load the region.  Is there anyway to fix this?

 

[tungston 19]

Date: 10/4/2005 7:12:59 PM Author: sgchamby

I am having the same problem.  I downloaded a Portland, OR region and have fiddled with the Water Min and Water Max levels but nothing changes when I load the region.  Is there anyway to fix this?

quote>

Which Portland, OR map ( who posted it ).  Some maps require some sort of .dat file, and there are several different elevation dats.

 

What did you fiddle with, for the water levels?

[ezoons 0]

Hi,

I haven't played SC4 for a _long_ while and reinstalled the game (RH 1.1)) yesterday. I downloaded some plugins and maps - the plugins work fine but the maps are weird.

For example, yesterday I tried to render the map of Bergen. The rezult was bizarre: in god mode, I had to lower each city by 18 (!) clicks. There was no mention of any required .dat on the map download page.

Today, I downloaded the Helsinki map ( https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=5631 ) and tried to render it. When the computer finished its job, I could not recognize the old place!
I attached a screenshot in case someone wants to have a good laugh.

 

I do not use any dodgy mods except perhaps the Middle European Climate mod. Other than that, I'm lost.

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

UPD: I found what caused this and decided to explain just in case someone gets the same problem.

As I thought, the MEC mod was the culprit. Quoting from the readme: Per grey tone (there are 256) you get 12,5m of height instead of 3m without the mod.

Basically, the mod includes some sort of height converter.

So there.

[cranium 0]

i cant get ctrl+alt+shift+r to work either

[tungston 19]

Date: 11/5/2005 12:44:24 PM Author: cranium i cant get ctrl+alt+shift+r to work either

quote>

Most common reason is the grayscale is not a grayscale.  Check it out and convert  it if not.

[cranium 0]

Date: 11/5/2005 1:04:16 PM Author: tungston

Most common reason is the grayscale is not a grayscale.  Check it out and convert  it if not.

 

it seems to be grayscale to me.....check out the attachment... i use to be able to load maps with no problem, dont know why it suddenly stopped..could there be a corrupt system file or somthing? or should i start looking for anouther keyboard?

[cranium 0]

I read somewhere about pressing alt+g+r on wireless keyboards but i cant find the topic....anyone know anything about this? when i press alt+g+r nothing happens

[tungston 19]

Date: 11/17/2005 1:22:53 PM Author: cranium I read somewhere about pressing alt+g+r on wireless keyboards but i cant find the topic....anyone know anything about this? when i press alt+g+r nothing happens

The attached image in you previous post is a True Color Bitmap.  It just won't work.  It is best you convert it to a 8bit, 256depth jpg.

 

I will find the thread you are asking about and post the link in an edit here.

 

EDIT:  No link, but here is the answer that T Wrecks supplied:

 Wireless KBs often have a limitation: They cannot transmit more than 3 pressed keys at a time. So if you have a wireless KB, try pressing [Alt Gr]+[shift]+[R].

In this combination, [Alt Gr] substitutes [Ctrl]+[Alt], so it's the same, but you only need to press 3 keys at a time, so that it should work with a wireless KB.

 

[civicmon 0]

I'm also getting the lunar landscapes. Downloaded 3 of the themes and their .bmp's and getting lunar landscapes. Very frustrating... any suggestions?

[tungston 19]

Date: 11/17/2005 10:36:58 PM Author: civicmon I'm also getting the lunar landscapes. Downloaded 3 of the themes and their .bmp's and getting lunar landscapes. Very frustrating... any suggestions?

quote>

Your question is not clear, can you explain it better?

[cranium 0]

what is alt gr?

[tungston 19]

Date: 11/19/2005 2:49:00 AM Author: cranium what is alt gr?

quote>

I don't know what it is, I don't have a wireless keyboard.  I copied that from another thread that you had ask about.  Do you have a wireless KB?

[cranium 0]

yea i have wireless

[tungston 19]

Date: 11/20/2005 6:58:41 PM Author: cranium yea i have wireless

quote>

Most wireless KB's have a alt gr key.  use that instead of Ctrl and Alt

[cranium 0]

srry to keep asking but where is this key cause the alt key on the right side of the space bar isnt working. Is there some setting i need to change for it to work?

[tungston 19]

Date: 11/23/2005 2:06:16 PM Author: cranium srry to keep asking but where is this key cause the alt key on the right side of the space bar isnt working. Is there some setting i need to change for it to work?

quote>

I don't have wireless KB, so I got that information from 2 other threads, both say the same thing.  Can you post an image of your KB?

[cranium 0]

this is the keyboard i have.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2619219

[tungston 19]

Date: 11/25/2005 2:08:55 PM Author: cranium

this is the keyboard i have.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2619219

quote>

The image they supply is too small to see much.  But what I can tell it doesn't have that key.  I even looked at the owners mannual and didn't see anything about it.

 

Are you still using the image you attached to an earlier post, the one I said was a color bmp?  If so convert it to a grayscale and see if that works.

[phattonez 1]

I have created the folder for a new region, but when I try to load it, it doesn't show up. It has configuration, but I cannot find it in the game. What can I do about it?

[tungston 19]

Date: 11/26/2005 4:14:46 PM Author: phattonez I have created the folder for a new region, but when I try to load it, it doesn't show up. It has configuration, but I cannot find it in the game. What can I do about it?

quote>

If you created the new region folder in C:\Documents and Settings\*your ID*\My Documents\SimCity 4\Regions it should show up when you click to load region.

 

What do you mean by It has configuration?

[phattonez 1]

Date: 11/26/2005 4:32:12 PM
Author: tungston

Date: 11/26/2005 4:14:46 PM Author: phattonez I have created the folder for a new region, but when I try to load it, it doesn't show up. It has configuration, but I cannot find it in the game. What can I do about it?

quote>

If you created the new region folder in 'C:Documents and Settings*your ID*My DocumentsSimCity 4Regions' it should show up when you click to load region.

What do you mean by 'It has configuration'?

quote>

It has the config file, I'm going to check if it is in the right file.

[tungston 19]

Date: 11/26/2005 4:33:58 PM Author: phattonez  It has the config file, I'm going to check if it is in the right file.

The region should show up even if the config file is right or not, or even if it is not in the folder.

 

EDIT: the game will use the default config.bmp for the region if you don't put one in the folder.

[phattonez 1]

I was just looking in the wrong folder. My maxis folder has a regions folder that is not used, it was confusing me, thanks for the help.

[tungston 19]

Date: 11/26/2005 6:09:15 PM Author: phattonez I was just looking in the wrong folder. My maxis folder has a regions folder that is not used, it was confusing me, thanks for the help.

quote>

Your are welcome.  The regions in that folder are the default regions for backup purposes.

[dolsson 0]

I really, really tried to find an existing post on this, both on and off Simtropolis, but found nothing. Please help:

I DL'd the Macedon map: https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?mode=files&filetype=Map&Str=macedon

When I try to render it, a portion of the map renders correctly, but the rest remains flat, as it was pre-render. Any idea why? The jpg seems okay (I imagine none of it would render if it was the wrong format). I'll attach the jpg so you can look for yourself. I assume the problem would not be with the config, but I'm not certain.

BTW, I don't know if I'd have a similar problem with other DL'd maps, because I haven't tried any. Also, I don't think I have any mods causing the problem. I have only a few mods and I think they are unrelated: PEG water mod, Urban Housing, Network Addon, Equinox Query Upgrade.

Thanks for any help,
David

KEYWORDS: download map problem trouble install render part

[Voar Tok 4]

I don't think that the mods are a problem.  I have rendered maps with mods and nothing went wrong.

Since everything on the STEX is a zip file, you might have gotten a corrupt download.  It has happened to me, and the only way to fix it is to redownload the file.