How to run SimCity 4 on Linux

[doorknob60 11]

Actually the Windows versions are pretty easy to install, because you just open the installer with Wine and it works perfect You could use the Mac ones if you want though.

[TV-VCR 15]

Dagnabbit doorknob, ya beat me to it!

Yes, just run the plugin installer via Wine. Occasionally you might need to change the path it has selected for installation so it directs to your /home/[you]/SimCity 4/Plugins directory.

[doorknob60 11]

For me it always has the right path, but I haven't used that many installers so some might be different. Also for me its in /home/yourname/.wine/drive_c/windows/profiles/yourname/My Documents/SimCity 4/Plugins. Wow that took a while But I think the my documents folder is symlinked to /home/yourname/Documents (In Ubuntu, but I might have changed that myself Might be different on different distros or configurations). Also you should try to get this sticked so more people see it

[Dalton 23]

I've managed to get it installed, but when it tries to run I just close back to my desktop. any idea what I should be tweeking? I tried full screen as well.

[doorknob60 11]

What version of Wine are you using? The one in the Ubuntu repositories is pretty old, so make sure you look at the instructions for installing Wine on WineHQ (There's a link in the guide).

[Dalton 23]

That's probably it... unfortunately I'm hitting another issue trying to compile t he new version...

configure: creating cache config.cache

checking build system type... i686-pc-linux-gnulibc1

checking host system type... i686-pc-linux-gnulibc1

checking whether make sets $(MAKE)... yes

checking for gcc... gcc

checking for C compiler default output file name...

configure: error: C compiler cannot create executables

See `config.log' for more details.

Configure failed, aborting install.

[IonWind 3]

Dalton, are you using ubuntu? How about just trying to get the repos and letting the synaptic package manager do the job? I installed the latest Wine available for Ubuntu and my SC4 works (almost) perfectly.

[Dalton 23]

Yup, I'm using ubuntu and my first attempt was with the version of Wine available within the synaptic package manager. and unfortunately it's a bit old and I can't get the game to launch in it.

[IonWind 3]

But did you update the repository before installing the latest Wine known by the package manager? As mentioned in Wine HQ, the proper Wine repository can be wgetted to Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) by entering the following in to your favorite terminal:

sudo wget http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt/sources.list.d/gutsy.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/winehq.list

If your Ubuntu's version isn't 7.10, check the Wine HQ -link for the complete list of repository links

Then, just refresh the synaptic package manager and search again for "Wine" and you should be able to update the Wine to its latest available version for Ubuntu.

I managed to get my Simcity work (a bit better) in Ubuntu by updating my Wine to 0.9.45. I repeat: Simcity 4 should work with Ubuntu 7.10 and Wine 0.9.45.

[Dalton 23]

I have 0.9.46 installed now... the latest is 9.0.55

[doorknob60 11]

Try here: http://www.winehq.org/site/download-deb it will give you 0.9.54, and it will soon update you to 0.9.55 (I hope, I'm waiting for it too). Then SimCity should work great.

[CheshireDragon 13]

saltandsauce: You are in the wrong directory. make sure you are in /home//Desktop/

For EX mine is: /home/richard/Desktop/SimCity4DE

[Dalton 23]

OK, that got me into the game now I have a odd graphical issue... It only seems to affect 2 transit types (I haven't installed nam yet so don't know about those) But when I draw oneway roads, the drag just shows brown, and the road never displays on the map. The trafic lights for intersections do though. And for El trains, I get the same brown while dragging but get the tracks, they just are covered in a checkerboard of Red Green and Blue.

I've tried this both in hardware and software rendering and with and without desktop emulation.

[IonWind 3]

Maybe installing the NAM will help, maybe not. Try it out yourself. How about cursors, do you have only the basic arrow or do you have the in-game cursors. I'm interested in knowing that because I have only the basic white cursor.

Another thing I'd like to know is how to install the nightlightning in linux. As I've understood, to see the nightlightning in custom buildings, one has to have gmax, BAT and BAT update installed. For me, the installation of gmax failed as the Wine stated that I'd need some Internet Explorer 5 components. Could some experienced and wise person perhaps make a tutorial on how to install nightlightning on Linux?

[Dalton 23]

I don't usually play with the darkness so I probably don't even have the night lighting in windows I'll check out the cursor and nam later.

[Dalton 23]

bah, this is almost enough fun to make me consider going back to XP lol

So the saga continues.. I put nam and my other plugins in place. no change to those 2 messed up textured, other than the fact that my now suppressed oneway arrows allow the oneway road to show but nowhere that it uses the original textures (intersections mainly) The el trains are still messed up.

I've also discovered a new issue. I can't seem to see any add-on regions within the game. The folders are all there but the game only shows the original regions, is there something that needs to be tweeked?

[doorknob60 11]

Wow you ARE having issues If you still have XP on your computer you might want to consider just copying the files over to the Wine drive, it worked for me just fine, except if you want the BAT nightlighing and stuff it whines about missing registry keys if you try to install it from Linux (because you didn't copy them), so install all the updates first if you want them.

PS: tv-vcr, your new avatar is the same power button I have on my HP Pavillion

[IonWind 3]

Dalton: Did you put the add-on regions to the /home/[username]/Simcity 4/Regions/ folder and not the /home/[username]/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/Maxis/SimCity 4 Deluxe/Regions folder? (Same goes with the normal plugins)

doorknob60: How do I install the gmax to linux as the installer whines something about missing Internet Explorer files? :/

[doorknob60 11]

Hmm, I'm not sure if Gmax will work I'll go check.

Good news http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=6303

Never mind i couldn't get it to work. Try posting on www.ubuntuforums.org for that one.

BUT my installer didn't whine about missing files and neither did the program. It just installed normally and started normally but after the loading screen it just stopped working so it was worthless.

[_MostlyHarmless 17]

Just recently installed Kubuntu.  Love it.  I'm gonna try and get SC4 back up and running.  Thanks for this guide.  I think it should be stickied!

[doorknob60 11]

Yeah it NEEDS to be stickied Also I fount out that full screen issues only happenwhen the game has to switch resolutions. If you change the resolution first or set the game to your normal resolution, then it will work fine. Alternatively, go into winecfg and add SimCity4.exe (or whatever it is) to the list of applications and set it to not allow the window manager to control it in the graphics tab, then you can set it to whatever resolution you want tv-vcr you might want to add that to the guide.

[IonWind 3]

I too agree. This should be stickied but the actual tutorial-part could use some cleaning and more pictures, no offense. Also all the questions asked here could be sorted somehow as RAQ (randomly asked questions) in the first post.

[Dalton 23]

IonWind, thanks you got my regions working for me. Unfortunately still no luck with the oneway and el train textures. odd that it's only those 2....

[doorknob60 11]

Try installing the update (forgot exactly what its called) from the EA website and the NAM.

[Dalton 23]

I already have those. Nam changed the oneways so I can see most of them (the non arrow textures show fine) but intersections dont show, and I've yet to see any changes on the el trains.

[IonWind 3]

It might be a bit painful as you've already come this far in your struggle, but have you tried reinstalling?

I have some problems with custom ploppable lots, like Jeronij's walls. They always align with the roads and ignore my attempts to rotate them. Are there any clear reason why they behave like this?

[Dalton 23]

I might give it a re-install and see how that works out, Maybe I'll give it a try in cedega too.... As for the rotation thing... I use to see that in windows too

[Dalton 23]

Just a quick update.... Somebody had earlier asked me if I had the simcity cursors or not.. I did not have them.

I tried it out in Cedega and it works like a dream, cursors, those oneway and el train textures too... some graphical glitches in hardware rendering, trees have black blocks around them and such, but seems ok in software (does anybody know what kind of performance hit I'll take like this? I haven't put it in a big city yet).

I had tried cedega earlier and couldn't get it to launch, I think I know what that problem was... I was listening to some music at the time (I usually do this while playing SC) and it was crashing over the in-ability to use the sound card. I guess I'll just have to sym-link the music folder to my MP3 folder. (will apps follow symlinks in wine?)

[doorknob60 11]

Symlinkks have always worked for me in Wine (even linking my SC4 folder from my windows partition it worked). The only thing is, I used to use Cedega, but for me it seems like it doesn't work with some plugins. Also, it's not free (well it CAN be ). And when I used Cedega hardware rendering did the same thing it does for me in Wine, except the cursors work...I do have Wine 0.9.55 now and I haven't tried SC4 yet, I'll post back if there's any advantaes of 0.9.55.

[IonWind 3]

I noticed this a couple of days ago..

There's one tiny little thing that should be noted if one doesn't want to see the intro when SC4 is starting.

WINEDEBUG=-all env WINEPREFIX="/home/${USER}/.wine" nice -20 wine "C:\games\SimCity4\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -intro:offquote>

The handle -intro:off should be -Intro:off. The intro should be written with capital first letter, otherwise the intro will show despite this handle.