New Mayor, A Quick Few Questions

[BlitzPackage 19]

First, I am really loving this site and everyone seems helpful.

I just bought SimCity 4 Deluxe and I have a few quick questions:

1) I built a city and the suburbs on the edge can not find work.  I have built a highway and subway/bus (and Public Parking Garage) to the main industrial district - but they cannot find work still.  Also, they don't use the public parking garage, subway, or bus station I placed right by them!!!

2) Can you also use commercial centers as a key provider of employment.  I have it stuck in my mind that people work at industrial centers and shop at commercial centers.  (Come to think of it, I didn't really place any mass transit connections to my commercial centers - Doh!!!)

3) Can you build a single self-sustaining city, or is it better (and more fun) to build a region of cities.  Speaking of that, it appears the game is really designed for - duh - regional play.  Is that correct.

4) How do I get the custom content (i.e Wal-Marts, nice homes, nice commercial centers) that work and work well?

5) When in regional view, can you build roads or do anything to manipulate the environment?

Thanks for any (and all of your answers, I really appreciate your help in advance.

Peace,

BP

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

First and foremost, welcome to Simtropolis.  We hope you will enjoy your membership and find things that you can add to everyone's fun.

Now, to your questions:

1. If you have the updates from the EA site, then the next thing you need is the Network Addon Mod, which chages the commute algorithm to your taste.  It also adds a lot of new network (streets/roads/highway) items.  Parts of the NAM are beta, so read the documentation, then install it.  You will find this to be an essential package.  You also need the bug fix provided by the Opera House Fix modd.  I'll address how to get these in answer to one of your later questions.
2. The employers in the game are the industrial and commercial sectors.  Generally, try to isolate the industrial as it is a high polluter.  Putting industrial in its own city is a good deal.  It can then supply power to the residential/'commercial city.  Try to mix up your residential and commercial.  Remember, residential neighborhoods need corner stores and small plazas, so drop in a few low density commercial in some of your resiential areas.  It is a good trick to place the main commercial (downtown) area in such a way that the Sims have to pass through it to get to work in the industrial area.  As your city matures, the emphasis will swing from industrial to commercial as the Sims get more educated and experienced. It is a good thing to supply water from the R/C city to the industrial city.
3. Yes to both.  I do it both ways, as the spirit moves me.  The big change between SC3K and SC4 was regional play.
4. Custom content is on the Simtropolis Exchange (STEX) for lots, maps, and models.  The Modds and Programs section contains the modds.  Modds are bits of tabular code that change the tables that control the game.  Some of them also add lots and other facilties.  The NAM is a modd.  There are other fan sites that also can supply user content.  When you are ready, you can explore some or all of them.  You will see them referenced from time to time, but I won't just now.  You have enough on your plate.  See the Plugin Maina thread in Bugs and Technical Issue for how to approach these sections.
5. No.  The only thing you can do in Regional View is terraforming.

Later on, you will want some of the tools that are around.  You will probably want to make your own maps.  There are lots of ways to do this, and you should look in the Mapping Commumotu board for that.  You may also want to learn how to make you own buildings and lots.  Tools are available for this as well.

SC4 is nearly completely open-ended.  The only thing that cannot be done is modifications to the binary of the game, which is encrypted.  However, nearly all of the operating parameters are in tables in memory.  To these we have access.

[BlitzPackage 19]

Thanks N_O_Body, I appreciate your insight.

[russb 0]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body No.  The only thing you can do in Regional View is terraforming. quote>

I'm sorry for this minor hijack, but, How do you terraform from region view?

[hawkpride147 1]

use the SC4 tool...you can get it in the modds & downloads section. please create your own threads though.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Originally posted by: russb

Originally posted by: N_O_Body No.  The only thing you can do in Regional View is terraforming. quote>

I'm sorry for this minor hijack, but, How do you terraform from region view?quote>

In region view you are in god mode.  When you start a city, you can terraform it before switching to mayor mode.  Other than that, nothing.  It is just a set of snapshots to allow you to pick your city.

[schm0 27]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

Originally posted by: russb

Originally posted by: N_O_Body No.  The only thing you can do in Regional View is terraforming. quote>

I'm sorry for this minor hijack, but, How do you terraform from region view?quote>

In region view you are in god mode.  When you start a city, you can terraform it before switching to mayor mode.  Other than that, nothing.  It is just a set of snapshots to allow you to pick your city.quote>

Yes, but you can't terraform from Region view. You can only terraform after you select and load a single city.

You can terraform at any time in city view by pressing CTRL+ALT+SHIFT and click on the God mode button, which is the left-most icon. Make sure you pause the game and save before you do any terraforming... that way you can always exit and reload if you do something you don't like.

[tungston 19]

Originally posted by: russb

Originally posted by: N_O_Body No.  The only thing you can do in Regional View is terraforming. quote>

I'm sorry for this minor hijack, but, How do you terraform from region view?quote>

 

I think what N O Body was refering to was rendering a new region.