Macs - RH Update

[Tropod 144]

Removing the SimCity_1_dat_PathFiles.dat obviously removes the Paths for those (& other) tiles that were fixed with the Update. So good to see those files actually indeed working.

A more compacted version can be made if need be, instead of having all the files seperated. I just figured for now, for testing purposes, it'd be better to keep them seperate incase there were/are any issues with any item in particular.

[JohnnyBoy 0]

Tropod
Well, I will certainly start with placing several Dat's, but I want then a list with changes and improvements which these update would have brought and which are also clearly perceptible. Do you have that for me. Or a copy of the readme.

[JohnnyBoy 0]

I think I already found it.

Performance Improvements

Adjusted foam spray effect for firefighters fighting toxic spills.
Addressed issues related to U-Drive it mode while volcano disaster is active.
Fix for random issues that may arise when dragging a diagonal power line across zones in specific manner that creates a connected orphan pole in a segment.
Renderer updates to avoid memory corruption when model instance has an invalid position.
Updates to paths to improve clipper that was transforming stop points into single-point paths.
Video card improvements for the following:
Intel i830/845/865: Fixed graphics rules to allow hardware and to disable color cursor.
Addressed issues related to burning tree stump.
Fix for airplane sometimes taxiing above the airfield.
Implemented safety code for query.
Fix for relatively obscure problems that occur when moving vans are created on a tile with a complex paths.
Implemented a general-purpose fix for any remaining yet-to-be-discovered cases of a bad orientation vector.
Fix for issue where networks loaded from a saved city would not properly re-initialize their connection bitmap.
Updated Localized strings.
Updates for My Sim messaging. The issues would arise when moving a My Sim out of a city at just the right time.
Fix for reported location of sky diving mission.
Fix for query incorrectly reporting trip length after abandonment.
Fix for incorrectly reported commute time during inter-city travel.
Path fixes for various networks and intersections. Fixed?
Texture fixes for several one-way/avenue intersections.
Fix for several network intersection resolves.
Improved usage of parking lots and transit stations.
Improved synching of foundation vs. building height.
Improved variety of industry building development.
Fix for intercity commute where bus traffic was periodically being treated as car traffic.
Fix for being able to drop highway ramps over buildings.
Adjusted toll booth capacities for 2-tile wide toll booths.
Fix for prevention of pedestrians from using neighbor connections.
Fix for elevated train volume not being reported in the traffic volume graph.
Fix for commercial traffic and road noise map calculations to accommodate multi-tile morning and evening commutes.
Added left turn lanes to avenue/highway overpass onramps. Fixed?
Fix for priorities of props and textures in lot templates used in city detail.
Fix for variety of path bugs related to roads, rails, highways, avenues and elevated rail.

[Tropod 144]

Well, that list is the one from the Maxis site if I remember. Unfortunately, some of those fixes in that list are bound to be Application-based, so they'll not be in those files. I've not had the time to thoroughly go through every single chang made in the files (as there is quite a lot). Nor do I have a Mac to be able to test this on. So I can only approximate or estimate to some degree what may or may not have been addressed. Suffice to say though, that if those files are loaded first, & everything else after, then should not be any problems.

This is just a rough estimate though, on what may &/or should be fixed with those files (a mentioned item doesn't necessarily guarantee it's fixed).
--------------------------------------------------------
Adjusted foam spray effect for firefighters fighting toxic spills.
Addressed issues related to burning tree stump.
Fix for airplane sometimes taxiing above the airfield.
Updates for My Sim messaging. The issues would arise when moving a My Sim out of a city at just the right time.
Fix for reported location of sky diving mission.
Path fixes for various networks and intersections.
Texture fixes for several one-way/avenue intersections.
Fix for several network intersection resolves.
Improved usage of parking lots and transit stations.
Improved synching of foundation vs. building height.
Improved variety of industry building development.
Adjusted toll booth capacities for 2-tile wide toll booths.
Fix for elevated train volume not being reported in the traffic volume graph.
Added left turn lanes to avenue/highway overpass onramps.
Fix for priorities of props and textures in lot templates used in city detail.
Fix for variety of path bugs related to roads, rails, highways, avenues and elevated rail.
--------------------------------------------------------
Anything else, either isn't contained in those files, definately isn't contained in those files, &/or I'm not sure of.

The following item is one of the major issues that Maxis fixed with the RH Update. This fix is definately application based.
Fix for commercial traffic and road noise map calculations to accommodate multi-tile morning and evening commutes.
One way to test this particular item for Macs, would be to 1st play the game without any Traffic Modds (i.e. without any Traffic_Pathfinding based modds). Take note of some commercial buildings Customer Ratings i.e. low/medium/high (take note of commercial buildings with High). Then, using a Traffic Modd that severally increases the Network Capacity (& only the capacity), play the same city, giving it some time to update of course, & then check out those same commercial buildings Customer Ratings. If it's been affected(say from High>Low), well it possibly highlights that this hasn't been addressed with Mac RH version.

[GoaSkin 2]

I sent a message to the german distributor for SC4-RH (Mac) to ask if they have possibilities to create an update theirself or if not to ask Aspyr to create an update using their relations to Aspyr with a little bit technical background information about the bugs.

The german distributor is Application Systems Heidelberg. The distribution and localization of Macintosh games is only a small business for them. The company is much bigger than Aspyr which creates application software for Mac OS X and Linux.

[jjakucyk 0]

I can't seem to get these files to play nice with the NAM. I've tried playing with enclosing folders to change the loading order, but nothing seems to work. I can get the updates to apply properly, giving me the fixed highway/avenue interchanges, and the pathfinding does use them correctly, but it kills the NAM. I checked the custom interchanges, and there's nothing in there, but more importantly the NAM's updated pathfinding isn't loading either, as all my streets redline.

After trying some different loading arrangements, it's caused some bad graphics problems too. In the screenshot you can see some serious tearing of the display. This mostly happens in the top left corner of the city. Also, the off-the-edge background of the city is no longer the blue on blue grid, it's solid black. If I have the grid, I don't get the tearing problem. I don't think I've managed to get the update and NAM to work at the same time. This problem is also extra difficult to test, because once the black off-map and graphics tearing starts, removing the update files doesn't fix it, I have to restore my SC4 application directory from a backup (it's possible that there's some individual files I can replace, but I haven't found them).

When I started, my plugins folder wasn't organized at all. I had mods, props, BATs, the original RH landmarks, everything all in my Applications/SimCity4/SimCity 4 Data/Plugins/ folder (individual BATs were inside their own folder, but everything else was loose). When I first got the update files, I put the SC4_ RH_Deluxe_Update1 folder in there, only I changed the name to 1SC4_ RH_Deluxe_Update1 to make it load first. At that point I got the tearing problem. After restoring the directory, I just put the SC4_ RH_Deluxe_Update1 folder in without renaming it. It still worked, but no NAM. I've tried everything I can think of since then, including putting it in a folder named such that it only loaded right before all the NAM files, but still no luck. Breaking the plugins folder down into 1 Updates (including only SC4_ RH_Deluxe_Update1), 2 Mods, 3 Props, and 4 Bats still led to the messed up graphics.

Any ideas? This is a first generation dual 2.0ghz G5 with a 64mb ATI Radeon 9600 running Tiger.

[JohnnyBoy 0]

jjakucyk
I had the same problems and the did the oldest Mac solution, which there is, to throw the prefs away. Look for com.aspyr.simcity4.plist.

Put one update at the time in a folder wiht a Space first in the name.
We know only one, what does something. (SimCity_1_dat_PathFiles.dat)



I do each weekend one part in the same city and look to the difference after ten years.

[MojaveNC 0]

Whoa, whoa, whoa...

How'd you get left turn lanes?

[jjakucyk 0]

JohnnyBoy, I'm not quite following you, can you elaborate a little?

MojaveNC, the avenue left turn lanes are part of the 6/17/05 Network Addon Mod (NAM) I believe. http://www.progressive-anarchists.org/download.html If you have 4-way avenue intersections that don't have the left turn lanes, and you install the left turn lane plugin, you need to re-build those intersections to get the new ones to show up.

[JohnnyBoy 0]

jjakucyk
I am only testing the update that Tropod made of the PC_RHupdate1.
If you have problems with the NAM and grahpics and you want to place these update also, then doing one thing at the time.

Start with tweaking the Graphics Rules.sgr in the DATA folder, some things for the MAC from false to true or true to false.
Playing without sound helps also.

If the game is running good, then place NAM and other dat's en lot's.

[jjakucyk 0]

Ok, it looks like I got it to work properly, here's my procedure:

Download the update files from Tropod, and rename the folder SC4_ RH_Deluxe_Update1 such that there's a space at the start. Put that folder in /Applications/SimCity 4/SimCity 4 Data/Plugins/, the space will put it at the top of the list of plugins, making it load first, where it needs to be. If you use the Network Addon Mod (NAM), put all the installation files for the NAM in a folder called

[dmrsunz 2]

Date: 7/12/2005 10:52:03 PM
Author: jjakucyk
Ok, it looks like I got it to work properly, here's my procedure:

quote>

Just to make sure. One should follow this procedure even if they have RH or just SC4?

Thanks for the concise instructions. Very helpful.

[jjakucyk 0]

It applies to Rush Hour only. The update is for Rush Hour, and the NAM will not work without Rush Hour either, as far as I know.

[madforpancakes 0]

Can anyone mirror this file?

[Tropod 144]

I'll see about having these mirrored/hosted somewhere. For now though, the current URL has changed but the file contents have not:

SC4_RH&Deluxe_Pre2PostUpdate1_InstallationFilesDifferential.zip

 

 

[trixin 2]

Awesome! Thanks a lot for the update! Its a pity Aspyr is too lazy to make the updates.

[iDavid 2]

Date: 7/12/2005 10:52:03 PM
Author: jjakucyk
Ok, it looks like I got it to work properly, here's my procedure:


Download the update files from Tropod, and rename the folder SC4_ RH_Deluxe_Update1 such that there's a space at the start. Put that folder in /Applications/SimCity 4/SimCity 4 Data/Plugins/, the space will put it at the top of the list of plugins, making it load first, where it needs to be. If you use the Network Addon Mod (NAM), put all the installation files for the NAM in a folder called •NAM also inside /Applications/SimCity 4/SimCity 4 Data/Plugins/. This makes the NAM load second, after the update.


Note that the update is not required to use the NAM, but it does help. The main benefits I've seen so far are the improved highway/avenue interchanges, which allow left-turns. I have also noticed improved pathfinding. In one case, I had a city that was mostly residential (Finneytown), and a neighboring city with a lot of commercial and industrial jobs (Lockland). Before the update, nearly all the people commuted into Lockland, only to take the closest road into the next city, none of them getting jobs in Lockland. If I tried to follow these commuters, they'd just keep moving from city to city, never settling, or sometimes just disappearing altogether. This suggests that the people were getting jobs that didn't exist, thus supporting residential growth that wasn't warranted. The stream of commuters always bounced around too, going from tens of thousands to zero and back every few months. When I applied the update, many of the houses in Finneytown abandoned, because the phantom jobs no longer existed. The residents that stayed eventually did get jobs in Lockland, and none of them had to go into a third city to find a job. Good stuff.


Regarding my specific situation, I restored a good, working install of the game. I followed the above procedure, and left all my other mods/props/BATs/etc., loose in the plugins folder like they were before. I did trash my com.aspyr.simcity4.plist file which is in ~/Library/Preferences/ before relaunching the game. One thing I have yet to test is whether the graphics problems will reappear if I set the game back to using windowed mode. It works great now in fullscreen mode, so I'll see if it sticks when windowed.


Thanks for your help everyone.

quote>
Are you simulating Cincinnati?
Anyway this patch works on my computer. It works great.

[jjakucyk 0]

Date: 8/9/2005 9:16:55 PM
Author: iDavid
Are you simulating Cincinnati?

Anyway this patch works on my computer. It works great.

quote>

I did switch back to windowed mode, and it still works, including the current (July) NAM.

As far as Cincinnati...well...I'm using the terrain and the names, but the development is nowhere near true. There's a few things, like the industrial areas along Mill Creek, Columbia Parkway snaking along the Ohio River to the east, the general road layout through downtown and Over-the-Rhine, and some of the bridges kind of match, but otherwise it's way too dense to be Cincinnati. I just find the low density suburban type development rather boring (both in the game and in real life). My region is alreay over 4 million, and Cincinnati's actual metro area is MUCH larger than this with barely 2 million...the I-275 loop wouldn't even show up anywhere on this map.

A big problem I've run into is that the central city (the max size allowable) simply won't grow anymore. There's demand and all, but it bogs down the simulator calculations so much that virtually nothing will grow. If something DOES grow, it will most likely abandon before it connects with jobs or workers. It's real frustrating, and it's made it impossible to have a large central commercial core surrounded by sprawling suburbs. Each city kind of needs to be independent to some extent. I've found that if I try to zone too much commercial by itself, many of the buildings will have nearly full employment in their query, but none in the pathfinding maps. Anyway, I'm drifting off topic so...

[iDavid 2]

Will you be able to get Night Lighting Bat's to work? This is a feature I'd like to see added, without having to get VPC and spend hours tweaking code just to get the buildings to work.

[Tropod 144]

Date: 8/10/2005 12:05:55 AM Author: iDavid Will you be able to get Night Lighting Bat's to work? This is a feature I'd like to see added, without having to get VPC and spend hours tweaking code just to get the buildings to work.

quote>

From what I'm aware, the fix for this is application-based. So Aspyr would have to address the issue.

[iDavid 2]

I might post something about this on Inisde Mac Games. A rep from Aspyr posts on there, and gives more human answers than the answers you get by email. By the fact that they give you an explation.

[GoaSkin 2]

Can somebody please make a DIFF file from the RH EXE before and after patching? Possibly, that may help for writing a patch for the Mac binary.

[maremet 0]

Hi All,
After realising that all my in game original textures like car parks, walk ways in the gardens etc were disappeared including Gazebo, Play Ground etc leaving behind a grass lot, I removed the update from the plugins folder. Now everything gone back to normal. The game was working prity OK with the upgrade except this texture issue. Is it possible to remove a certain part of the upgrade and sort out this issue or do I need to start Trial and Error process.
Any ideas...
Cheers

[iDavid 2]

This might be the NAM,or it might be this patch. But it seems like my pathfinding is messed up, my sims can't find work when it's next door. And if it's even just a block away they complain about the communtte being long.

[MojaveNC 0]

I've tried a new experiment - building a chain of parallel islands that straddle the city division lines in medium cities - so each city has a strip of land, a channel and another strip of land. On one strip I put residential and commercial, and on antoher I put industrial facilities.

Sure enough, people are commuting over to the industrial areas at a rate of about 500-800 per town. But more - up to 4000 by the end of the chain - are commuting aimlessly around the region to a ferry terminal, then disappearing when they go to the next town down the chain.

[Tropod 144]

maremet;

Quite a lot of items in the RH Update were actually changed, & that is why some items may seem to disappear in-game. They are actually still there. Maxis adjusted the zoom level at which a number of items appeared at, for performance reasons. Many PC users experienced this, & would have to increase the Graphics Detail Options in the Options in-game. The only thing I could suggest would be doing the same, & increase the graphics detail options in-game, which may correct the issue outlined in your post.

 

 

 

iDavid;

I highly doubt the problem in your post is related with the NAM or the files made available in this thread. There are many reasons & variables as to why Sims may not be able to find or get to work. But your post lacks any kind of sufficient detail to really conclude anything. As for Inside Mac Games; It would be interesting to see if they actually have anything worthwhile to say on the matter.

 

MojaveNC;

Same as with iDavid issue. I highly doubt it's an issue related to the files made available in this thread.

 

 

 

Please do keep in mind; that many issues &/or odd behaviour that occurs with the game is application based, & has nothing to do with any particular file or set of files (though they may have an influence).

 

[maremet 0]

Thanks Tropod,
I will try what you suggest, hope it will work...
Cheers

[jerkasaur 0]

Has the file moved? I keep getting a 404 error.

[Tropod 144]

I'm not sure why, but the files do seem to have disappeared from there ........

If anyone would like to upload & mirror the files, I have no objections. Otherwise, it may just take some time for me to get around to uploading them (yet again).

[Zelgadis 638]

Stickied for reference.

ISF