SC4-related Acronyms made Clear

[Cougar2004 127]

SC4-related Acronyms made Clear (previously Exchange Acronyms made Clear)

Searching the STEX and LEX can be quite the exciting, fun, yet overwhelming experience. You have to learn on your own, howto manage through them, and what to download and install to work for your SC4, the way you want to play the game. But there is one way to make our exchange searching just a little less confusing, and that is to know what the various titles and acronyms mean. I couldn't find any omnibus or 'cheat sheet' to answer this in my searches.

The purpose of this thread is to find out what all the small exchange acronyms mean. With any luck, new users will search the forums and find this thread, not have to ask again, and improve their overall SimCity 4 gameplay/custom content experience.

An acronym is a small group of characters that stands for something, for instance SC4D/RH = SimCity 4 Deluxe/Rush Hour. What do these others mean?

(EDIT: People's responses from below have been edited into this original post. Thanks to haljackey and others who are contributing to this list.)

RCI - Residential, Commercial, Industrial (Types of zones that are not utility/government?)

UDI - U-Drive It or You Drive It (Means game vehicles you can drive around town?)

BAT - Building Architect Tool (Program for making new buildings)

STEX - SimTropolis Exchange

LEX - Lot Exchange ([@ SC4D] also known as BSCLEX)

PLEX - Pegasus Lot Exchange (@ Simpeg)

PEG - Short for Pegasus and his BATs (a person who does custom content for the game)

CAM - Collossus Add-on Mod (Makes the game have more people/capacity?)

NAM - Network Add-on Mod (Adds new transit options)

RTMT - Road Top Mass Transit (NAM addon?)

GLR - Ground Light Rail (NAM Addon?)

LRT - Light Rail Transit (Same as GLR)

HSR - High Speed Rail (NAM Addon?)

GHSR - Ground High Speed Rail (NAM Addon?)

SAM - Street Addon Mod (NAM Addon?)

RHW - Rual Highway [Mod] (NAM Addon?)

MIS - Modular Interchange System (included with the RHW mod)

RAM - Rail Addon Mod (NAM Addon)

STR - Single Track Rail [Mod] (Part of the RAM)

T-RAM - Tram-Road Addon Mod (same as GLR and LRT in road)

FLUP - Flexible Underpass (Part of the NAM)

3DS - 3D Studio Max (an advanced modeling program by Autodesk/Discreet - sometimes also called 3dsMax or just MAX, also .3ds is a file format for the program, a program for making new buildings)

W2W - Wall-to-Wall (As in wall-to-wall lots)

WFK - Waterfront Kit

SF - SimForum (a group who does custom content for the game) or (sometimes refers to the user SimFox) or (sometimes means Slope Friendly, as in a lot that has been adjusted to conform to the terrain)

SG - Short for SimGoober and his Bats (a person who does custom content for the game)

BSC - BAT Squad Certification (a group who does custom content for the game)

BTE - BSC Tracking Enabled (relates to the BSC's Reward lots in-game)

BTM - Bullet Train Mod

NHP - New Horizions Productions (a group who does custom content for the game?)

CJ - City Journal

MD- Mayor's Diary (same as CJ)

SC - City Showcase (Same as CJ and MD)

SCAG - SimCity Airport Group

NDEX - N74704, DuskTrooper, Equinox (a group who does custom content for the game)

ITS - short for Ill Tonkso and his BATs (a person who does custom content for the game)

MTP - Mountain Theme Pack (can also be used for multi pack)

CDK - Coastal Development Kit

SFBT - Simforum BAT Team (a group who does custom content for the game)

SNM - SimNation Military

BLS - Barby Lot Studio

BRT - Bus Rapid Transit

CXS - Colyn Serfontein Expanded (a group who does custom content for the game)

SC4T - SC4Terraformer  (application written by wouanagaine)

SC4M - SC4Mapper  (program written by wouanagaine)

.SC4M - File format (used by SC4T and SC4M)

RGB - Red, Green, Blue (reference to color models)

MTCS - "Map This! - Cartography Services" (mapping services by Vandy)

TUT - Short for Tutorial

RUL - Network Rule

LOD - Level of Detail

RL - Real life (often used as a reason for not doing BATs)

RHW - Originally, it was "Rural Highway Mod", then retconned into "RealHighway Mod"

Anyone who has an answer or confirmation to any above, please offer! Anyone should feel free to ask what another one means or stands for here as well. We have such knowledgeable people here that I'm sure there will be an answer. Thanks!

(Note: And who knows... in a few weeks if we get all the answers and there isn't too many, I'll probably copy and organize them all in the original post here to make it easier for new forum members finding this thread to get answers. I look forward to anyone's answers.)

EDIT: Here's a link to the glossary on the wiki.  Or try the Simtropolis Glossary.

Contributers' Answers' Added: Patricius Maximus, hawkeye0, Hagar Topeka 1, haljackey, Tarkus, Livin in Sim, warrior, Blue Lightning, Vandy, Strategist01

[Patricius Maximus 236]

T-RAM stands for "Tram-Road Addon Mod"

W2W stands for "Wall-to-Wall", as in wall-to-wall lots

SFBT stands for "SimsForum BAT Team"

Hope this helps.

[hawkeye0 0]

LEX- Lot EXchange

PLEX- Pegasus's (Peg's) lot exchange on his site- simpeg.com

CDK- Peg's Coastal Development Kit

[Hagar Topeka 1 22]

ITS is the screenname of someone whose lots people have edited and re-posted

3DS is the first part of the 2 word name for a program (I think)

The PLEX is Pegasus's exchange

CSX- The American railroad company?

[Haljackey 17,302]

SC4-related Acronyms made Clear (Why did you call it Exange? tThere more terms here not about an exchange.)

RCI - Residential, Commercial, Industrial

UDI - U Drive It (also called You drive it)

BAT - Building Architect Tool (program)

STEX - SimTropolis Exchange

LEX - Lot Exchange ([@ SC4D] also known as BSCLEX)

PLEX - Pegasus Lot Exchange (@ Simpeg)

PEG - Short for Pegasus and his BATs

CAM - Collossus Add-on Mod

NAM - Network Add-on Mod

RTMT - Road Top Mass Transit

GLR - Ground Light Rail

LRT - Light Rail Transit (Same as GLR)

HSR - High Speed Rail

GHSR - Ground High Speed Rail

SAM - Street Addon Mod

RHW - Rual Highway (Mod)

MIS - Modular Interchange System (included with the RHW mod)

RAM - Rail Addon Mod (Part of NAM)

STR - Single Track Rail (Mod)

T-RAM - Tram-Road Addon Mod (same as GLR and LRT in road)

3DS - 3 Dimensional Studio Max (Program)

W2W - Wall-to-Wall

WFK - Waterfront Kit

SF- Simforum

SG - Short for SimGoober and his BATs

BSC - BAT Squad Certification.

BTE - ? not sure what you mean. (Perhaps BTM? That's Bullet Train Mod)

NHP - New Horizions Productions

CJ - City Journal

MD- Mayor's Diary (same as CJ)

*CS: City Showcase (Same as CJ and MD)

SCAG - Simcity Airport Group

NDEX - N74704, DuskTrooper, Equinox

ITS - short for Ill Tonkso and his BATs

MTP - Mountain Theme pack, (can also be used for multi pack)

CDK - Coastal Development Kit

SFBT - Simforum BAT Team

SNM - SimNation Military

BLS - Barby Lot Studio

BRT - Bus Rapid Transit

CXS - Colyn Serfontein Expanded

EDIT: Consult the Omnibus or SC4 Wiki for other definitions.

[Tarkus 6,932]

BTE - BSC Tracking Enabled (relates to the BSC's Reward lots in-game)

MTP - Mountain Theme Pack

3DS - 3D Studio Max, an advanced modeling program by Autodesk/Discreet (sometimes also called 3dsMax or just MAX)

3DS is not to be confused with S3D, which stands for SimGlide 3D, the internal model file format used by SC4.

SF is sometimes also used to refer to the member SimFox.

-Alex (Tarkus)

[Livin in Sim 83]

Hey, thanks, haljackey, all this time I thought BSC meant Barby, SimGoober and Colyn, guess I thought they were the founders and used their initials.

SF can also mean Slope Friendly, as in a lot/BAT that has been adjusted to conform to the terrain.

[Cougar2004 127]

Wow, that was a lot of fast and good answers. Thanks! I feel smarter already.

(Maybe flipping them into alphabetically order might be worth it.)

To be honest, I had thought as Livin in Sim did, that BSC was Barby, SimGoober and Colyn for the same reason as she did.

One question...

BTE - BSC Tracking Enabled (relates to the BSC's Reward lots in-game)

What exactly is being tracked? Do you mean when their Reward lot gets rewarded in the game, it sends a message to the BSC team?

Oh and...

BRT - Bus Rapid Transit

What exactly is Bus Rapid Transit anyway? Will this make busses go faster or something?

[Haljackey 17,302]

Originally posted by: Cougar2004=

BRT - Bus Rapid Transit

What exactly is Bus Rapid Transit anyway? Will this make busses go faster or something?

quote>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brt

Essentially in SC4 it means making bus transit a more primary mode of transportation. Blockers in roads can limit the traffic they carry to bus only (otherwise carrying car, bus and freight truck traffic).

[Livin in Sim 83]

Hi, Cougar,

I will try to explain BSC Tracking Enabled lots.  The BSC has a system that enables the game to track certain BSC lots that grow in the game.  The system is similar to the way the game tracks when a default Maxis reward is due.  One example I can think of, is if a certain amount of SimGoober's wheat fields grew, you would get the reward of a the Baltic Flour Mill, a really nice industrial lot, I think by Gascooker.  There are all kinds of these "reward chains" with some really cool rewards, that are led up to by other smaller lots growing.  To find them, just look through the lots of BSC members at SC4D, and read the descriptions and readme's.  I think Barby and Ripptide did some of them, as well as Barby and Colyn, too, and there may be more using SG's lots. 

Have fun.

--Liv

[warrior 169]

3DS is also a file format, that can exported from the reader, into gmax or 3ds max, but only 3ds max can export 3ds files.(and then back into the reader)

It extremely useful when modding a Transit model (which True 3D)

Also is STR is part of the RAM, and the RAM is then dependant on the NAM.

Jonathan

[miggoycor 13]

What are FLUPs?

[Vahr 341]

FLUPs are Flexible Underpasses. It is included with the NAM. (NAM Plugin)

[Vandy 110]

Hello, Cougar.

You might want to add the following:

(and, no, this is not a "toot-your-own-horn" type of post...   

SC4T - SC4Terraformer application written by wouanagaine

SC4M - SC4Mapper program written by wouanagaine

.SC4M - File format used by SC4T and SC4M

RGB - Red, Green, Blue color model

MTCS - Map This! - Cartography Services (my mapping services)

TUT - Short for tutorial

Regards,

Gary (Vandy)

[Strategist01 0]

Simtropolis Glossary

Above^ is the Simtropolis Glossary...I dunno if that'll help, as it's mainly on ST, but it does have some of these acronyms, and other directions for around the site, if you're confused about anything...

[Cougar2004 127]

Originally posted by: Livin in Sim

Hi, Cougar,

I will try to explain BSC Tracking Enabled lots.  The BSC has a system that enables the game to track certain BSC lots that grow in the game.  The system is similar to the way the game tracks when a default Maxis reward is due.  One example I can think of, is if a certain amount of SimGoober's wheat fields grew, you would get the reward of a the Baltic Flour Mill, a really nice industrial lot, I think by Gascooker.  There are all kinds of these "reward chains" with some really cool rewards, that are led up to by other smaller lots growing.  To find them, just look through the lots of BSC members at SC4D, and read the descriptions and readme's.  I think Barby and Ripptide did some of them, as well as Barby and Colyn, too, and there may be more using SG's lots. 

Have fun.

--Liv

quote>

Very good information!  I was unaware of that a "rewards chain" for individual people's work existed.  And Id love to use them in my game!  Is there index or directory of all these buildings, who they are by, and what is required to complete the chain?

UPDATE:  Oh and everyone's questions/answers and suggestions have been added to the original post as of now.

[malefic 0]

forgot this one

FTW - For the Win - What this thread is.  Thanks!

[Cougar2004 127]

Originally posted by: malefic

forgot this one

FTW - For the Win - What this thread is.  Thanks!quote>

haha.  Thank You. 

I've actually referred to data in this thread every day this week.  I think it might help those users who are not newbies, but have been around just long enough to have heard these terms, and actually might want to start exporing some for use in their game. 

But I dont know how many people actually properly use the forum search feature, or if the new STEX 6.0 actually indexes things well (it didnt work in the past). 

I'm just thankful for everyone who helped give answers here, thats why i put their names at the end of the first post.  We need to make sure to give back to the community for all it as helped us.  And I like to recognise those who do.  Some people MOD new buildings for the STEX, others help answer questions on the forum, and everyone should consider donating a little to Simtropolis from time to time.

Anyway, at the moment, I think ive got all the Acronyms I need.  But I'll be back to add/ask for another or two as I run into more in my effort to improve my game. 

[Livin in Sim 83]

Originally posted by: Cougar2004

 Is there index or directory of all these buildings, who they are by, and what is required to complete the chain?quote>

Yes, it can be found here.  The documents in it contain links to the custom content.  There is also a Regional Tracking Mod here.  And a Regional Data Viewer here.  They're all sort of interrelated.

Hope you have some time off this weekend.   

Happy Easter.

--Liv

[Cougar2004 127]

Originally posted by: Livin in Sim

Originally posted by: Cougar2004

 Is there index or directory of all these buildings, who they are by, and what is required to complete the chain?quote>

Yes, it can be found here.  The documents in it contain links to the custom content.  There is also a Regional Tracking Mod here.  And a Regional Data Viewer here.  They're all sort of interrelated.

Hope you have some time off this weekend.   

Happy Easter.

--Liv

quote>

Holy freak~! These are amazing, surprised ive never heard of anything like them before!   Reading up on them now to install and try out.  Since they are not acronyms, no need to add to the main post.  Thank you for answering with these links.  And yes... this Easter weekend, i dont have family near, so i have time for SC4.  Of course my girlfriend has taken quite of bit of time this weekend, but no complaints there.

[gecko001 2]

what do RUL and LOD stand for? (LOD = level of detail, maybe?)

[Tarkus 6,932]

RUL is not really an acronym, but an abbreviation for "Network Rule".  It is an internal file format that SC4 uses to control the placement of transit networks.  The NAM and its subsidiary components rely heavily on modified RUL files to function.

You're 100% correct that LOD is "Level of Detail".

-Alex (Tarkus)

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

For those of us who write for the general audience, we should try, on first use, to spell the term out and put the acronym in brackets after it.  There are a lot of new people about, and it is only fair to let them into our "in-group" in as easy a way as we can.

[Slashback 136]

^ You are right. And it's not only new people who don't know all the acronyms. I don't know all the acronyms either.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Originally posted by: ImVhOzzi

^ You are right. And it's not only new people who don't know all the acronyms. I don't know all the acronyms either.quote>

A good point.  I was off the air for about a year, and when I came back, everything was different, and I had the learning curve again.  Thank heavens for the Omnibus.

[TekindusT 3,809]

Does anyone know what RMIP stands for? I would say "Runway Markings Improvement Project", but I'm not sure about this as it doesn't only improves the markings...

[LivingInThePast 364]

Additions:

RL - Real life (often used as a reason for not doing BATs)

RHW - Originally, it was "Rural Highway Mod", then retconned into "RealHighway Mod"

[kingdiz_55 12]

How's about alphabetically organizing the list?

[Yuu Caa Sim 55]

@TekindusT: I think that's still the name yes.

And perhaps we could organize the list by category (eg People, NAM addons, etc.) and then organize alphabetically within categories. Although thinking about it some more it would probably be more useful for newcomers to have the list organized alphabetically only.

[MandelSoft 2,769]

Here's a new list, sorted by class and alphabetical order:

SC4-related Acronyms made Clear:

 

SimCity 4 Sites:

• SC4D - SC4Devotion.com
• ST - SimTropolis.com
• SF - Simforum

SimCity 4 Game Related:

• AVE - Avenue
• CTD - Crash To Desktop
• RCI - Residential, Commercial, Industrial
• MHW - Maxis Highway
• OWR - One Way Road
• UDI - U Drive It (also called You drive it)
• W2W - Wall-to-Wall

Programs:

• 3DS - 3D Studio Max (program and file format)
• BAT - Building Architect Tool
• LE - Lot Editor
• PIM - Plug-in Manager
• PIMX - New Plug-in Manager
• Reader - iLive's Reader
• SC4M - SC4Mapper program written by wouanagaine
• SC4SUM - SimCity 4 Startup Manager
• SC4T - SC4Terraformer application written by wouanagaine

Exchanges:

• LEX - Lot Exchange (@ SC4D, also known as BSCLEX)
• STEX - SimTropolis Exchange
• PLEX - Pegasus Lot Exchange (@ Simpeg)

Mods:

• BTM - Bullet Train Mod
• BRT - Bus Rapid Transit (not existing yet)
• CAM - Collossus Add-on Mod
• FLUP - FLexible UnderPass (part of the NAM)
• (G)HSR - (Ground) High Speed Rail
• GLR - Ground Light Rail
• HRS - Highway Re-Styling Mod
• LRM - Light Replacement Mod
• LRT - Light Rail Transit (Same as GLR)
• MIS - Modular Interchange System (included with the RHW mod)
• NAM - Network Add-on Mod
• RAM - Rail Addon Mod (Part of NAM)
• RHW - RealHighway (Mod)
• RTMT - Road Top Mass Transit
• SAM - Street Addon Mod
• STR - Single Track Rail (Mod)
• T-RAM - Tram-in-Road Addon Mod (same as GLR and LRT in road)
• TuLEP - Turning Lane Expansion Project (part of the NAM)
• WFK - Waterfront Kit

People, BAT Series and related acronyms:

• BSC - BAT Squad Certification.
• BLS - Barby Lot Studio
• BTE - BSC Tracking Enabled
• CDK - Coastal Development Kit
• CJ - City Journal
• CS - City Showcase (Same as CJ and MD)
• CXS - Colyn Serfontein Expanded
• MD - Mayor's Diary (same as CJ)
• ITS - short for Ill Tonkso and his BATs
• MTCS - Map This! - Cartography Services
• MTP - Mountain Theme pack, (can also be used for multi pack)
• NDEX - N74704, DuskTrooper, Equinox
• NHP - New Horizions Productions
• RMIP - Runway Markings Improvement Project
• PEG - Short for Pegasus and his BATs
• SCAG - Simcity Airport Group
• SF - SimFox
• SFBT - Simforum BAT Team
• SG - Short for SimGoober and his BATs
• SNM - SimNation Military
• TRM - Texture Replacement Mod (mostly Euro TRM)

Other:

• AFAIK - As Far As I Know
• ASAP - As Soon As Possible
• BTW - By The Way
• FTW - For The Win
• LOD - Level Of Detail
• RGB - Red, Green, Blue
• RL - Real life (often used as a reason for not doing BATs)
• RUL - Network Rule. It's an internal file format that SC4 uses to control the placement of transit networks.
• TUT - Short for tutorial