NAM General Discussion Thread

[prince_of_sims 0]

sorry Tropod.... i've really been an ass..... i fixed my ATL problem after actually reading the Q&A file....

for those who still havent solved it, READ THE Q&A FILE!!!!!

 

ATL works fine now

[Tropod 144]

Attached is a file containing a list of intersections, junctions, network possibility types that are made possible with the NAM (which will be included in the next version). This list applies as per the most recent NAM version.

I've posted this for those that may not be aware of these added intersections/junctions/etc.

[Boggy1 45]

Something seems to be wrong with my NAM. I have the updated July version, but, in my game, all the highway interchanges have disappeared, all the puzzle pieces have disappeared and the roundabouts, diagonal streets and turning lanes don't appear.

I've installed the relevant files correctly so I don't see what could be causing this.  

 

Any help?

 

[newyorkrunaway1 110]

hey tropod, did you get my pvt about the website. its been registered and everything, i would just like your ok too. i know you say people can distribute it without pre-aproval, but i was wanting your ok before the website was made, it would make it better so i can ask for your input too, to make it better. Thanks

[aasim45 1]

Date: 7/30/2005 1:04:00 PM Author: boggy1

Something seems to be wrong with my NAM. I have the updated July version, but, in my game, all the highway interchanges have disappeared, all the puzzle pieces have disappeared and the roundabouts, diagonal streets and turning lanes don't appear.

I've installed the relevant files correctly so I don't see what could be causing this. 

Any help?

quote>

boggy1: Hi, You are supposed to unzip all other files with the main .dat file of NAM in the Program Files/Maxis/Simcity 4/Plugins directory. I don't think seperate sub-folders within the NAM folder should be done. All seperate NAM plugins should be alongwith the main NAM.dat file.

 

And also, you are supposed to delete all your old NAM and allied plugin files.

[Boggy1 45]

I did. Ive been using the NAM since it first came out (Officially) and I allways do those things.

Oh, I even read all the README's everytime I download an update.

[Beloit 0]

I would like to see 12 lane freeways (6 in each direction)

[prince_of_sims 0]

Date: 7/31/2005 4:55:26 PM Author: Beloit I would like to see 12 lane freeways (6 in each direction)

quote>

you should really use the search tool.....

 

multi-lane freeways (other than what's already in the game) are hard to create. they need to be created from scratch, and since we can't add new networks to the game, one network will have to be replaced.

 

so pretty much until we get a dedicated modder to actually create hundreds of files and textures and models, we won't have any new freeway systems. and unless we get a way to add new networks, this definitely won't be in the NAM.

[Dr. Neitchskrimfrauwnmoya 7]

Date: 7/29/2005 8:48:42 PM Author: Tropod

Attached is a file containing a list of intersections, junctions, network possibility types that are made possible with the NAM (which will be included in the next version). This list applies as per the most recent NAM version.

I've posted this for those that may not be aware of these added intersections/junctions/etc.

quote>


wow, thanks!

You were quick on this!

[DuskTrooper 314]

Ok, excuse me, if I missed this (since I don't follow this thread that much), but, how does one utilize/create the Avenue roundabout feature, if there is any? I saw it in the pic below:

[prince_of_sims 0]

@DuskTrooper

that roundabout seems pointless.... it uses up too much space..... see the inside lane? no automata can use it....

 

avenue roundabouts weren't included in the NAM, only road roundabouts were

 

it also seems photoshopped.... look at the sidewalks around the roundabout

[Dr. Neitchskrimfrauwnmoya 7]

Date: 7/31/2005 9:32:36 PM Author: DuskTrooper Ok, excuse me, if I missed this (since I don't follow this thread that much), but, how does one utilize/create the Avenue roundabout feature, if there is any?  I saw it in the pic below: 

It's possible to do this in the latest NAM release. It,S not an avenue roundabout. You can drag networks to an avenue corner now, thus when you draw an avenue in a circle and attach networks to its corners, it gives the imporession it'S a rondabout. There is no Photoshop involve here, the picture is guenine.

See this partial list I've done that show some of the new possible intersections included with the NAM.

Tropod is working on a more complete list of the new intersections, which will be included in a new release.

[thatmonkeysim 8]

Date: 7/31/2005 9:52:56 PM
Author: prince_of_sims

@DuskTrooper

that roundabout seems pointless.... it uses up too much space..... see the inside lane? no automata can use it....

avenue roundabouts weren't included in the NAM, only road roundabouts were



it also seems photoshopped.... look at the sidewalks around the roundabout

quote>

No that is possible with the new nam... its the closest thing to an avenue roundabout at the moment...

[prince_of_sims 0]

ah... i see how those one-ways can come together to form avenues.... but i say it again, it uses up too much space

[Tropod 144]

DuskTrooper:

It's not actually a roundabout per se, nor is it intended to be. That's just one of the many possibilities with all the new intersections that have been added. And you simply just use the normal networking tools. See my post at the top of this thread for the attached file containing an intersections list.

[xiziz 11]

Donoo if this has been reported before, but i thought id post an image of it, its probably fixable, and it looks very ugly.

With the latest public NAM availible as of 2 Aug 05.



Oh, and if this aint the right place to post it, just gimme a PM and il move it ^^

Cheers
//Sim

[Tropod 144]

This would be one of the threads where you can post problems like that. I figure some issues would come about due to the new intersections added.

That would be the Avenue Diagonal x Street Orthogonal through junction, except the street orthogonal is going through an Avenue Curve. Those particular textures aren't intended for a set-up like that (i.e. on an avenue curve), so some more new textures would have to be made & additional code done for specific situations like that, or just code that particular set-up so it's not drawable.

 

[zxandrewxz 0]

I just thought of something concerning double decker highways and maybe its all ready been tried some how but I'll throw it out there anyway.. The people in the know have already said that a double decker highway would just before looks because you can't actualy raise the number of cars on a tile. So what if you trick the game into thinking the lower level of the high way is actualy undergound and it just appears above ground. People run highways on top of underground highways all the time.. Could this be the solution?? Probably not but you smart guys can figure it out from here..

[fisherman783 3]

In line with what xiziz posted, I noticed that the problem happens with roads, and when only one side is connected:

[mr.v 40]

street tunnel : lost texture! please check

[mr.v 40]

cannot build list!

 

Y avenue junction cannot build.
Diagonal avenue dead ending into a street corner

Diagonal avenue transition into an orthogonal road  (texture not look like in howto topic)
Avenue Y Junction formed of two orthogonals and one diagonal sections
Diagonal avenue dead ending into a road corner
Orthogonal avenue T intersection + Diagonal shifted avenue
Avenue corner + streets junction
Avenue corner + roads junction
Avenue corner + one-way roads junction
Orthogonal one-way road into diagonal avenue
Orthogonal road into diagonal avenue
Orthogonal avenue dead-ending into a diagonal road
Orthogonal avenue T intersection + Diagonal non-shifted avenue
Orthogonal street into an avenue corner
Orthogonal road into an avenue corner
Orthogonal one-way road into an avenue corner
Diagonal road ending into orthogonal one-way road
Orthogonal avenue dead-ending into a diagonal road one sided
Diagonal one-way road ending into orthogonal road
Street junction into a diagonal road

 

i have NAM 06/17/05 but remove ATL

[prince_of_sims 0]

@mr. v

your NAM is outdated. the newest NAM is 7/25/05 or something like that...

as for street tunnels, those were never even there in-game.... nad the NAM doesn't add those either.

[Swamper77 90]

Mr. V,

You need to have the latest NAM (7/25/05) in order to build the intersections that are in the list. The latest NAM can be found in the Modding Files section off to the left.

As for the street tunnel, there isn't one for the street network. Sounds like you have a slope mod installed, which wasn't setup correctly by the author of that slope mod.

-Swamper77

[Tropod 144]

Thanks for the bug report folks regarding the new intersections.

 

As far as I'm aware, Network Tunnels' Functionality is hardcoded. So any modds that allow the Street Tool to create a Tunnel obviously hasn't been tested (enough). The NAM doesn't touch tunnels at all from what I recall.

[GoaSkin 2]

For some strange reason, whlle the NAM is installed, the game is going to build street tunnels when I drag a street over an hill. The tunnel tiles are shown in green like usual when dragging.

The street tunnel does not work. Instead of entrances, there are full black tiles to see and no traffic is routed through. The elevated rail system shows the same behavior. Without the NAM, the game is not going to build tunnels for streets or el-railways.

That may be a bug which does not appear everywhere (possibly Mac-specific), but we are not the first persons talking about that in the forums.

[prince_of_sims 0]

hmm... i opened up each file that came with the NAM and ran the analyser.... the exemplars that control street tuning options isn't in there...

 

i haven't had this problem... yet.... i build on relatively flat terrain so that might be a reason.

 

EDIT: i just checked, and i don't have this problem...

 

EDIT 2: Tropod, i've been meaning to ask you this.... is it possible to de-incorporate the GLR from the NAM and include it as an optional plugin? i don't use the GLR, and im sure there's others like me.... it's just an unecessary part for us.... of course, if there are reasons the GLR was incorporated into the NAM... im ok with that

 

thanx

[Bones1 96]

I'd like to see GLR as an optional plug-in, too. I think the GLR plugin should include transit stations, since it's kind of useless without them. I know NAM doesn't include lots, but perhaps if GLR was an optional plug-in, it could include them.

[GoaSkin 2]

LOTs are not part of the NAM and so, the stations have to be distributed separately. By the way, there are other LOTs than tram stations for NAM networks like elevated commute train stations and a el-railway-over-road station. 90% of them can be found very easy by searching for NAM on the STEX.

Separate plugins for the various NAM features may be a good idea because more content in the plugins folder means less performance. Technically, it is easy to split the main NAM file into a basic MOD (including the RUL files, basic exemplars and so on) and various feature plugin files, f.e. the different puzzle piece rotation rings, but I don't know if the others think too if a cascaded NAM is a good idea.

[Tropod 144]

prince_of_sims:

In a round about way, yes. The same can be done for a lot of NAM content. It's something that has actually been considered before, but I am not keen on the idea though as it will complicate the Installation Process even more, & increase the likelyhood of issues for end-users. I may consider releasing something on the forums only though as a seperate plugin to the NAM for something like this, for users to pick & choose which NAM items they do/don't want available from the menu. But it most likely won't be seen in any publicly released NAM version.

 

 

 

Regarding Lots & NAM: this has been discussed to death & I really don't care to go into the details. There are reasons why Lots aren't included in the NAM, & I'll leave it at that. I suggest taking the time to search this thread &/or the Dev thread for any relevant info.

 

[Andreas Roth 607]

@Tropod: Since we already have several optional plugins for ATL, roundabouts, diagonal streets etc., it would be wise to include the necessary textures and other files into them. This would reduce the size of the main NAM file (and therefore the amount of RAM the NAM uses when someone doesn't use these plugins), but doesn't rise more support issues, since the number of files won't change. The biggest problem is the main RUL file, I guess, since it has to be unique - making the GLR optional would mean to deal with a modified RUL file (at least I think so, from my limited knowledge about that), which makes the installation process more complicated.

The best way for distributing the NAM would be an installer which also supports optional components. The one used by the BSC doesn't support this, so someone would have to look into more professional (but still free) installers such as InnoSetup or Nullsoft Installer, but with that, the installation process could be made extremely comfortable and removing nearly all confusion about the installation path or the files that needs to be selected and the ones that are optional.