Boggy1's Quick Guide to All Things Custom Content!

[Vahr 341]

He means "Don't install it into another directory such as 'My Documents/SimCity 4/Downloads'," but subfolders are OK. It is rather contradictory at a glance, though.

Could a mod in this forum or Boggy add a little note regarding subfolders on #7?

[AcmeSigns 97]

Well, I guess after re-reading it for the 1/2 dozenth (is that a word?) time, I guess that is what Boggy1 was alluding to. Still, from the ever-so-basic questions I've seen asked on the forums, it might be a little confusing to those that haven't spent years noodling around modding various games (I personally found whole new ways of modding the various NHRA Drag Racing sims over the years so I'm not completely new to this). I'd just hate to see other newbies confused by something that, otherwise, is so informative.

[CaptCity 4,868]

He means "Don't install it into another directory such as 'My Documents/SimCity 4/Downloads'," but subfolders are OK. It is rather contradictory at a glance, though.

Could a mod in this forum or Boggy add a little note regarding subfolders on #7?

Done. Thanks...

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Well, I don't do either of these things. Instead, I have a folder named /<user>/Downloads that gets everything I download by sender except for one that is called /<user>/Downloads/SC4 Related Downloads.

This second directory is structured mainly by author name except in the case of groups, which gets the group name and an appropriate substructure.

This directory (folder, damnit), is the one that guides the construction of my Plugins folder. Not all the stuff here is a Plugin, and generally, I expand the .zips in place, then move anything relevant to the similar structure in Plugins. I follow any directions, and sometimes this causes some folders to be constructed in Plugins like "ZZZ_Overrides" to control loading order.

The only exception in plugins is any .dll files which must be placed immediately after the Plugin header with no sub-folders.

---

---

Directory, folder. Same thing. Microsoft gets the forever curse for changing terminology. They belong in the same room with IBM who call octets bytes. Bulge counts, I guess.

  Edited May 31, 2012 by A Nonny Moose  

[fatalzt 0]

I just joined a couple of days ago. ive been playing sim city for years and finally decided to give mods a shot, thank you guys so much for opening another whole realm to the sim city experience!!

[Blindside8970 0]

Well, that pretty much refreshed my memory. I've played this game for over a decade now but have not been active since I had to rebuild a new PC (2 years). Great article, well written and very informative. Thanks for taking the time and effort to help. Good job!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Welcome to the conversation.

We hope you have a great time with us.

[Blindside8970 0]

Thank you. I see that you are rather active here and maybe you can help me. I was working on my own .BAT files as well as some GMAX projects when I took a break then lost everything to a MoBo crash. I've already retrieved many of my DL lots and such as well as the Lot Editor and GMAX. Along with the EP1 and BATupdate patches, where might I find iLive Reader? I'm not sure what, if anything else, that I may need to run some of the newer mods(e.g. prop packs). So much content and modding has been accomplished I feel like a newbie all over again. I was noticing that there is a High Speed Rail now and may add that in the near future. Anything I should now about it before hand? Thanks for the help that you have already provided, and whatever you may yet provide.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

If you search the STEX with the key 'reader' this turns up on page 3. Searching the STEX is always a matter of minimums.

[Blindside8970 0]

Thank you. Your help is greatly appreciated.

[Pyromaniac64 0]

Fantastic Guide. Great help.

[KaintGetRight 2]

Ok, if anyone is looking for these elusive sought after files they can be found here....

bldgprop_vol1.dat - ftp://snike.la.net.ua/iso/games_patches/simcity4rh/addons/SimCity4.bldgprop_vol1.dat.rar

bldgprop_vol2.dat - ftp://snike.la.net.ua/iso/games_patches/simcity4rh/addons/SimCity4.bldgprop_vol2.dat.rar

[adieboyes 0]

Great guide Boggy, its helped me out a lot.

Just one issue though - 'bldgprop' vols 1&2!!!!

Ok, if anyone is looking for these elusive sought after files they can be found here....

bldgprop_vol1.dat - ftp://snike.la.net.ua/iso/games_patches/simcity4rh/addons/SimCity4.bldgprop_vol1.dat.rar

bldgprop_vol2.dat - ftp://snike.la.net.ua/iso/games_patches/simcity4rh/addons/SimCity4.bldgprop_vol2.dat.rar

these links aren't working, and even the links from BSC Cleanitol (which say these dependancies are missing) appear to be broken as well.

All my other dependancies are downloaded, but I still seem to have a 'brown box city' going on - really frustrating as I can't find these files anywhere.

The Holy Grail of dependancies it seems.

Any clues anyone?

[CaptCity 4,868]

Check the first post under the Brown Boxes and Dependencies section. The bldgprop files are available at Screwpile Developments.

[SirLegoZach 17]

Thank you so much for this topic! Those updates for SC4 have helped my cities so much! Now these new downloads that I get from the STEX actually work, and the lights on them during the night-time look fantastic! Makes me appreciate these BATer's even more for all of their hard work!

[Sim_Freak_13 0]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

[Swiminn6 10]

First off, thanks so much for this thread! I have been playing for several years but recently got a new computer and started over. NEVER have I ever been able to get the night lights to work on downloaded buildings. I followed the instructions on here and still can't get them to work. I would just love them to work for once! I even checked my version and it is set to the one it should be. I am just lost on what I should do!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

If you have version 640 or 641 nightlight will come on.  It is just a matter of waiting long enough.  BAT buildings with nightlight textures sometimes take a couple of cycles to be recognized.  Some BAT buildings do not have the proper textures for nightlighting.

 

You can force night permanently by pressing F6.

 

F5 daylight

F6 night

F7 day/night cycle

[SimMavGER 8]

At some places I read about Maxis bonus content - is this already included in the Steam version or do I have to add something?

Landmarks, an omnious transportation bonus CD ... ?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I believe you are talking about SC2013.  Maxis custom content for SC4 consists of several landmarks and slight upgrades that were published on the old web site.  I think these can now be found here.

[SimMavGER 8]

Actually I am talking about this one here - and everything else released by Maxis, sure.

 

http://www.wiki.sc4devotion.com/index.php?title=DLC:Air_Force_Base

 

The Air Force Base is an unlockable Landmark Reward Building for SimCity 4 Rush Hour/Deluxe, released as the Plugin Pack 007 Free Downloadable Content, also known as the Transportation Pack.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Ah, OK.  Watch out for that one. The Maxis installer will try to put it in Program files\Maxis\SimCity\Plugins.  You shouldn't leave it there, but move it to your regular plugins to protect it from any reinstalls.

[mincraftdude123m 2]

Thanks man

[catty-cb 4,411]

I believe you are talking about SC2013.  Maxis custom content for SC4 consists of several landmarks and slight upgrades that were published on the old web site.  I think these can now be found here.

 

 

sorry still moving things around in the new layout, this link should work

 

http://citybuilders.co.nz/index.php/cbex

 

hopefully this one won't change again

 

-catty

[littlekman1 1]

This helped me alot! Thanks so much.

[pickaboo 9]

I hate to be the fun sponge here but all that and mine still doesn't work. 

 

I will have to eventually just go to steam and download a new version of sim city 4 deluxe even though I don't want to bc I won't learn a damn thing. 

 

 

So this is what I have so far. 

 

bought game from Amazon, Sim city 4 deluxe (how do I know, well it has monorails which is only in sim city 4 deluxe) only problem, this game is UK version of it. so I had the game changed to Left driving mode. 

the comes the upgrades:

 

file that I have is the very basic one the 1.613.0 ... (I typed this damn file so many times I have it memorized), 

 

also the game came with two serial numbers, one didn't work the other one did, I came to this site after game began crashing on maps with over 100k people, meaning I learn to play and make money so I don't want to quit now, I want to make a city with 1 million people. 

 

so I have done everything and I mean everything here, and what do i get:

 

1. OLD FILE NOT FOUND, HOWEVER A FILE OF THE SAME NAME WAS FOUND. NO UPDATE DONE SINCE THE FILE CONTENTS DO NOT MATCH. 

 

I get that fore when I try to upgrade my exe file. 

 

nothing happens 

 

so I read on and it talks about 

• SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition v1.1.638 [ENGLISH] No-CD/Fixed EXE

so thinking that is my problem I went to this site, 

gamecopywold dot come  games/pic_simcity_4deluxe_edition.shtml

 

http://www.gamecopyworld.com games/pc_simcity_4_deluxe_edition.shtml 

 

and downloaded the 

 

• SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition v1.1.640 [ENGLISH] No-CD/Fixed EXE
• SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition v1.1.638 [ENGLISH] No-CD/Fixed EXE

guess what? neither one works on my system either. 

 

 

so I tried this one bc the game is from europe ... uk version:

 

 

• SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition [EURO] No-CD/Fixed Image

nothing doesn't work. 

 

at this point I don't know what to do, I mean it works for everyone else but me. 

I hate to buy it from steam not bc I can't but bc I won't learn anything, I already bought the game from amazon. 

I shoudn't have to purchase it again. 

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

You don't.  What a shame that Amazon sold you a CD version.  They do have a license for the digital download, so it can't be "out of stock'.  I think I would contact them and ask them what kind of game they are playing.

 

Meanwhile, if you have 1,1,610 that is the U.S. version not the U.K. version.  What makes you think it is U,K.?

[BlueCityBuilder 0]

Okay. So I did absolutely everything your supposed to do to install mods and only ones that you directly install will show up in the game. Does anyone know what I need to do to install the ones that you do not have installers? 

[rsc204 21,836]

If you are using the Steam version of SC4, or another digital version, you may find the Plugins Folder in My Documents is not the correct location for SC4 plugins, for example the Steam version has a plugins folder somewhere in the Steam directory which you must use instead.

 

Probably the installers are handling this automatically as they are reading this information from the registry rather than relying on everyone using the same folder. If you run one of the installers for a mod and pay attention to the directory it defaults to for installation, almost certainly that will tell you where you need to put the plugins you install manually.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Assuming your structure is located at C:\<your account>\Documents\SimCity 4 you install all plugins in the subdirectory Plugins.  The files from a download that should be installed are:

 

.SC4LOT

.SC4DESC

.SC4MODEL

.DAT

.DLL (only at the main level)

 

Most of us use a structure within Plugins to make maintenance easier.