Really hideous SC4 building overruns city

[HandsOff 0]

Whenever I zone for HD residential, sooner rather than later one ore more tiered, dark-brown look-alikes to New York's horrid projects appear. These ghetto horrors stay for years and no amount of park-plopping seems to get rid of them. Bulldozing appears to be the only way. I've tried restricting the tile sets to Europe only (no self-respecting city - except Paris - would tolerate these), but they appear to be intrinsic to SC4 - they appear regardless of selected style. Any ideas? Anyone? Pleazzzze??

[Jasoncw 11,840]

look through SC4Tool, or http://www.malu-city.de/scb/scb_gewerbe.php?jobs=10&id=400#400 and tell us which building it is.

[Meg 368]

What kind of education buildings are you using?

[HandsOff 0]

It's called a Brown Hi-Rise - someone a Maxis obviously had a weird sense of southern humor - and the German site lists it as part of the Houston set. As long as the designers meant Houston Street, Lower Manhattan, htey might have even been right. Problem is - I've got this tower of poverty in cities that never had Houston, Chicago or NYC enabled. And when you get this early, demolishing it not only cost but immediatly affects your tax revenue. Moreover, in most instances - unless I dezone or plop a bus stop or 1x1 park, the exact same moster arise like an ugly phoenix out of my ashes.

Is there any way to permanently tell SC4 which tilesets are permitted? And - while I have your attention: can the annoying U-Drive-It be permanently disabled?

Thanx folks..

[HandsOff 0]

By the time it rises up, I usually have a high school, two or three elementaries - one or of them large, a city college and a private school, plus a bunch of libraries. I tend to aim for high wealth rather than high rise cities. As a former economist I am finally going to make some money - even if it isn't real..

[Jasoncw 11,840]

If a few of those buildings are effecting your income so much, it probably isn't time to let them grow yet.  I'd only zone high density when you know that those things won't show up.

You can also let them grow in a special area, and then you can take in the tax money and work on the rest of the city.

Also make sure that there is low pollution, noise, and traffic congestion where you're putting residental.  They also like education and health coverage, as well as police and fire.

[ILL Tonkso 1,236]

You could be really clever and BAT them a prop skin lol, i started doing that once but i have not touched BAT in over 2 weeks lol.

[ILL Tonkso 1,236]

Oops, forum hickup, double post.

[bgn 4]

You could try restricting your high-density residential to places where you can be sure of good land values--which in my experience means areas close to the downtown, preferably with parks adjoining them. Parks are always good. Also, be careful you have enough space between your high-rises to get in enough schools & hospitals to cover the population.

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Don't worry about them - while they look utterly hideous, they help your city to grow quickly, provide lots of tax revenue, and the poor sould in there aren't too demanding folks.

What you should worry about is education. Make sure those people get smart, and when you have reached a high population and a good EQ so that you have demand for R$$, R$$$, high-tech industry and commercial offices, many of them will be overgrown by something better. Of course, this can easily take some 20-30 game years. Others will stay, but sooner or later R$ demand will hit rock bottom unless you lower taxes too far. As soon as this is the case, bulldoze one and add a little park next to the zone, and you will have a far chance of seeing a good R$$ highrise appear.

I've also seen these disappear when I was trying to grow a commercial skyscraper by bulldozing some mediocre mid-rises (each witha few hundred to 1,000 office jobs), re-zoning for a nice 4x4 dense commercial zone with bus and subway connection and some plazas. An office tower started to grow, and seconds after, the ugly residential highrise right across the street got overgrown by a nicer residential building.

[HandsOff 0]

Best ideas of the lot thus far - who needs ghettos in cities that don't even have awhiff of graffiti? But while I just got gMax I am still unclear where to find lot editors bat editors and other neat paraphernilia. And then there is that learning curve going rather steep for one already way over the hill.. Worwt, my portable is a Mac..!

[Skyfire2275 23]

I am still unclear where to find lot editors bat editors and other neat paraphernilia. quote>

The BAT and Lot Editor come from the official SC4 website. Other nifty tools come from the Modds & Downloads section of this website.

[Linda 0]

If you want to avoid this building: 1) Only zone Dense residential over areas that currently have SS or SSS sims living int them, and 2) only when the demand fo SS or SSS is high.

If the area appeals primarily to S sims, or if the highest R demand is for S sims, then the skyscapers that show up are S.

(Newly zoned areas start out as S, until the health and education starts to kick in.)

[Mogwai1313 2]

As for you disabling the U-Drive It mode, go into the My Sim mode and the option is in there. I am with ya though, I hate those brown buildings too.

[Kayean_Henser 2]

They are an epidemic for certain kinds of cities, I agree. I really have to restrain my desire to put in medium and high density res too early for fear of getting row upon row of these things as well. Maybe scouring the STEX for some new choices might be a way forward--give the game a few options at about the same density and wealth.

But I hear ya. They're a real pain.

[HandsOff 0]

Seems that the game logic favours the hideous; not just in residential but also commercial. Reflect Systems is one of them, and a dirty-blue replica of the UN building called "Boutiques" is another. Both of them make it hard to tell if they are down on their luck or even empty. And they spawn like gremlins in a tropical rain storm (sorry Mogwai1313). These days, with the profits high and the coffers full my bulldozer gets a lot of action..

[SC4Noobie 5]

They often do that. I share the same pain. All over my DT, esp in some corners of the CBD, where I zoned HDR, I get a bunch of those. I wanted some highrise condos, but instead, I got so fustrated, I put in a couple of landmark skyscrapers.

[Bones1 96]

If you're using the default building style schedule, then wait until the next 5-year period to do your zoning. The buildings will change, and you won't get your hated building growing until the style wraps around every 20 years.

[bharmala 0]

Those ugly brown buildings get redeveloped quickly once you have a good R$$ and R$$$ demand, especially if you make the areas for HD housing development limited. Just give it 5 years or so, and improve services around the area.