Show us your Tutorials

[TPB 562]

This is a little video I made to show people how to make draggable curves with the road and street tools, you'll need to have NAM 32 for this to work I believe. Detailed instructions on how to do this can be found in the NAM Documentation.

>Link<

 

As you can see getting the road curve right usually takes some bulldozing/rebuilding!
Enjoy!

[Abrams 1,744]

                                                                                         Small RHW box/volleyball interchange

 

This is where our 4 highways meet.

 

Drag one way roads in the correct direction first from the south to the north on the right then from the north to the south on the left

 

 

then drag from west to east in the southern side and then drag owr from East to west on the northern side

 

 

Then make ramps for better transition

As seen in theese 2 pictures.

 

 

 

Repeat this until you get the final result as in my picture.

Congratulations!Sit back and give yourself a cofee you just built a basic box/divided volleyball interchange

 

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

Edit: While updating all the pics Photobucket borked I found this post and realized it was essentially worthless so I've deleted its contents.

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

I'm posting a copy of this here in case it might be useful to someone else someday.

 

On 5/26/2016 at 4:26 PM, armpit43 said:

... I have noticed when I move a city in the config image it will create the tile but delete the city it was on.

 

Right. The config is only the layout of the city tile borders. First add new tiles down and/or to the right without changing the pixel colors (and size) of the other tiles. Like if your upper left is a green 2x2 in config.bmp, keep it that way. (And all the rest.)

Here's an example. Original region with 11x11 config.bmp:

 

Then make a new empty config.bmp and c & p the old one into the upper left corner:

 

Then fill in the white space and save as Config.Bmp:

 

Now load the region with the new bmp in place:

 

And then, let's say, I want to move that 4x4 tile to the corner. Select the new, empty tile, then click the Import as @Compdude787 said:

 

Does that splain it better?

 

[Fantozzi 4,067]

If I ever find the time, I'd like to make a pdf. And I think It would start as this (I realy dream of making something 'infotaining', a tutorial like a 'story-telling'):

 

 

 

[SecretMbr_735754 2,157]

SimCity 4 Introduction to Region Maps : ^{_{Custom Map files for SimCity 4}}

A Tutorial written by @RandyE June 26, 2016

This is a tutorial that I wrote over a year ago when I first started on Simtropolis.  I discovered the ease and enjoyment of making greyscale maps and wrote this as I began to upload of few of my creations.  It was my first interaction with this community and is still contained in the original uploaded map file called the SC4 Novelty Region Map Collection.   The original tutorial included several graphics and more elaborate discussion, but the essential information is presented here as it has been revised and included in the download.   The tutorial was a collaboration with @CorinaMarie who edited my text and provided several of the original graphics (not included here).  At that time she also had just recently discovered the great community of Simtropolis and has come a long way since in developing her map-making presentations.  C.O.R.I.M.A.P.S. - A Tutorial for SimCity 4

I thought maybe this mini-tutorial should be put in the SC4 Mapping Community Room forum, but it is posted here more to 'show' my tutorial as an example rather than to be a comprehensive resource for SC4 Region Maps.   It is for a reference to my own history of sharing and learning on Simtropolis.

.___________________________________________________________________________________________.

Resources for map-installing and map-making on Simtropolis:

C.O.R.I.M.A.P.S. - A Tutorial for SimCity 4 , How to Install a Map From the STEX , How can I install STEX maps ,

Many of the region maps created by users are geographically correct to an actual location and some don't include a useful layout of cities (config .bmp) for the purpose of using the simulator to build and manage cities. For those interested in making maps of actual geography the following article is specific to that topic:
Custom Terrains and Using USGS Data

 

● The Grey-scale Height-map (filename .bmp/.jpg)

.                                                                                                    .

The grey-scale height-map is a bitmap graphic file formatted in 8-bit grey-scale allowing 256 shades of grey representing variation of elevation. SC4 can import a few common file types, standard formats are BMP and JPG.

In the height-map one pixel represents one 1 x 1 tile in the game. In God-mode in the city view I counted 6 increments of water elevated from the base and 62 increments of land from the base. The default terrain texture changed gradually from green to brown and stayed the same texture for most of the upper half of the block of elevations. If there are 256 elevations represented by 256 shades of grey, then there are about 4 elevations in between increments that the user can control by raising or lowering the terrain. This intuitively makes sense as the terrain can be smoothed between levels.

A color is rendered by setting values for 3 primary hues. (255,0,0), for example, is purely saturated red. Each shade of grey is set by equalization of the 3 primary hues, red, green, and blue. So a grey-shade will be seen as color (n,n,n) where n is equal to the grey-shade. Color hues and grey shades begin at 0 and advance through to 255.  0 is the base and 255 is the highest elevation. Solid black is (0,0,0) and solid white is (255,255,255).

SC4 Mapper and SC4 Terra-former seem to be the most commonly used for making an image map. Links to the Mapper and Terra-former can be found Here.  Several of the region downloads on the STEX are in .SC4M format as used by the above programs.

● Region and City Files and Folders

.                                                                                                    .

The 'in game' random region generator only creates one elevation and no geographic shape other than either plain ground or water over the maximum area the program sets by default for a region, and it randomly generates a combination of small, medium and large cities.

Users who create original region maps for SC4 usually use external programs to create the map as a bitmap graphic file and then import it into the game using CTRL-ALT-SHIFT-R to initiate the import. 

There are 2 folders containing regions: One contains the regions that come with the game found in the installation folder, and the other is placed in the the SimCity 4 folder under the user's personal documents folder. The second folder is where all user-generated or downloaded regions are placed.

Complete regions with city layouts and developed cities can be found on the internet as a package including city files, such as Maxisland. Besides the config. and .ini files, a region is composed of only data files (cityname.sc4) each representing the contents of the individual cities started and saved. When a map is successfully imported then all the city files are automatically generated at once.

Following is linked a discussion of downloading regions as a complete package: Downloading "starter" regions with transit already laid out.  (Since writing the original tutorial some regions have been allowed on the STEX which do contain city files.)

● Region Configuration File (config.bmp)

.                                                                                                    .

When you create a New Region, SimCity 4 creates a new folder for your region with only 2 files: config .bmp and region .ini. The tiny 24 depth bitmap is 16 x 16 pixels and defines the layout of cities in your region, a collection of small, medium and large rectangular flat, blank, green tiles. If you open the config .bmp file and zoom-out you will see a pattern of small (red), medium (green) and large (blue) squares corresponding to the layout of cities seen in the Region view.

A 'New Region' folder is named as such by default unless you gave it a unique name, in which case the folder is named according to the name you entered. At this point there are no data files with the extension .sc4 that define the contents of the individual cities in the region. These files are created as you 'Start a New City' and save the contents. By default all cities are named 'New City'.

CorinaMarie's mini-tutorial above in this thread demonstrates the direct correspondence between the region view map and the pixel map.  Tiles can be added, moved and re-arranged, cities can be deleted and re-started or imported.

You can design a city layout with SC4 Region Maker It creates a region folder, the config.bmp and region.ini files. 

● Region Initialization File (region .ini)

.                                                                                                    .

The 'region .ini' file is standard text containing the following variables and values by default, no other information is ever added, but the name and terrain type and min/max can be changed:

[Regional Settings], Name = New Region, Terrain type = 0, Water Min = 60, Water Max = 100

Simply, terrain type 0 is land, type 1 is water. The water min/max variable does not change to Land min/max if you choose terrain type 1 (water).  In SimCity 4 there is only one water level, you cannot create an ocean and also a lake in the mountains with water running downhill unless you add user-created 'ploppable' lots and apply them in city view.   The Water Max variable is used to determine moisture content in the region, not the water level.

The default setting gives you a low elevation map with the ground just above the water and the water deep enough for the purpose of sea-going vessels in the game. You can think of the entire playing/creating area as a 3 dimensional block of space in which you can design, build and manage cities. There are only 3 level elevation textures using God-mode to raise or lower the terrain 'in-game': water, grass and dry grass extending to the top elevation. Textures for all elevations can be user-modified only by external programs and user-added data files (mods). Height mods are also available.

The values in water min/max are said to adjust the textures as the terrain is elevated. The 3 default textures can be seen to be mixed in gradients generating a variety of textures from water level to high desert. As well, there are beach textures that appear between water and land, and rock textures that appear on cliffs, but these textures do not appear at any level of increment in God-mode.  Follow the link for further reading: Regional Water-Terrain Level
 

● Creating the Region Configuration File

.                                                                                                    .

In the config.bmp file is a grid of 16 x 16 pixels, assembling a set of red, green and blue squares that are 1,2 and 4 pixel squares respectively. Each color is the maximum hue of 255, with the other two primary colors either 0 or less than 254.

My config .bmp file was tested by creating a new region and replacing the file in the folder with my own. The result was successful, an unusual and interesting donut shaped layout of cities with blank space inside and around the region. I selected water as the initial terrain, but either water or land will work. I then used CTRL-ALT-SHIFT-R to import a downloaded map from the STEX. Initially, SC4 rejected the file and issued a helpful error message:
_____________________________
Region generation error:

Region bitmap size is incorrect
-1025 x 1025. Should be 833 x 769.
_____________________________

I re-sized the map and tried again. The usual size of maps you will find is 1025 x 1025 which is equal to the 16 pixel x 64 + 1 formula. SC4 calculated my map as being 13 pixels wide and 12 pixels deep, thus:

13 x 64 + 1 = 833, and, 12 x 64 + 1 = 769. SC4 revealed that my donut-shaped region is 13 x 12 as calculated from the top-left corner, 13 pixels across and 12 pixels down. Simply re-sizing the map is easy enough and I now know how to frame an image exactly where I want it so I can design a terrain that fits the city layout I've designed.

The map size in region view is defined by the config .bmp file, that is, the area covered by the color squares. SC4 expected a certain sized image file to fit into the area defined to the right and down in config .bmp.  Region maps can extend beyond the standard 16 x 16 grid, but take longer to process.  I loaded a 64 x 32 config.bmp that took about 1/2 hour to generate the terrain over 360 city tiles.  Each pixel is equal to 1 square km. 

For more detailed information on this file and how to make your own, the following article may help: Config.bmp: How to Make it Yours

● Creating the Grey-scale Height-map (filename .bmp/.jpg)

.                                                                                                    .

Below are links to forums for discussion of the topic of creating the grey-scale height-map, referencing programs that may be downloaded for free to use. The first forum provides examples of the image used (the grey-scale height-map) to render a map as seen in region view.
Rendering a map from an image , Grey-scale Imaging

You cannot export/import the map seen in region view, but you can take a picture of it using the camera feature in SC4.   If you attempt to import and render a non-grayscale indexed map SC4 will decline to even acknowledge the CTRL-ALT-SHIFT-R input.

In Region View the background may be replaced with a user-made background.  Any empty space inside and around any region  is not useable as city area.  The backgrounds can be found on the page below:

Custom Region View Backgrounds v1.0.2

● SC4 Novelty Region Maps: The Donut Region (Not Shown)

.                                                                                                    .

I found a simple way of creating the grayscale height-map that is somewhat 'outside-the-box'.   I simply opened the config. bmp file in a more advanced graphics program and converted it to an indexed 256 8-bit grayscale, then experimented with brightness and contrast and ran it through some smoothing filters.  The terrain you see is based on the actual colors, red, green, and blue, in the config .bmp used by the simulator to layout the cities.  So, green is higher elevation, blue is lower, red is somewhere in the middle.  Green is brighter than red, red is brighter than blue, so it makes sense in terms of grayscale.  When I realized all that is required is a certain sized and formatted grayscale image and that brighter is higher, darker is lower, the possibilities of using any kind of picture to create a region map became endless. 

If you enter keywords such as 'topological', 'grayscale', 'greyscale', 'heightmap', 'terrain rendering', into a search engine you will find a wealth of images to work with. 

To download user-created SC4 region maps: Custom Map files for SimCity 4

.___________________________________________________________________________________________.

The region below is rendered from a greyscale height-map made by @CorinaMarie that I use as the base theme map for my city journal.  You can download the map and try rendering it for yourself. Coriland 2.2 Map v2016.07.01

---

Uploaded by RandyE to Simtropolis June 2016, Revised Feb 2017, 2nd Revision Sept 23, 2017

[SecretMbr_735754 2,157]

On ‎2016‎-‎08‎-‎11 at 4:35 AM, Fantozzi said:

If I ever find the time, I'd like to make a pdf. And I think It would start as this (I realy dream of making something 'infotaining', a tutorial like a 'story-telling'):

Major @Fantozzi's Tutorials would be an excellent addition to the STEX, with some light-hearted humor and attention to details, some philosophy and interesting pics.   You  own it now with the 'Most Engaging Off Topic' Trixie.   I'm using the Opera web browser to view .pdf now, its nice because its simple and not as bulky and intrusive as Adobe.   

[Fantozzi 4,067]

11 hours ago, RandyE said:

an excellent addition to the STEX

Ah, you little devil ... making me remember of all the things that could been done and should been done and may be even fun to do ... like bones lying around in my house - or I bury them or I make a sculpture from them.

If only a day had more hours. If only a smokers life would be eternal. But all the things I do - they take energy from my weak body. Every breath I take is pain. So, sweet little devil, remember that.

But to make the ' tutorial business' a littl bit fun ... that's how far I got.

 

 

 

BeginnersTutorial_DRAFT.pdf

[SecretMbr_735754 2,157]

8 hours ago, Fantozzi said:

But to make the ' tutorial business' a littl bit fun ... that's how far I got.

Now in 10,000 years from now this beginner's tutorial will be like the Rosetta Stone.  Once they realize how far we got with SC4 as a design tool they will need this .pdf file to make sense of the myriad of literature generated explaining SC4. Just think, people will be playing SC4 far into the future now.  We may be mere mortals, but SC4 will live on! 

Of course it would be nice to have an HTML version posted here.  There I go again making more work when there's more important things to do.   Like your farming lots, which I am more so looking forward to.   So let me not misdirect your resources, but thank you for this great work of literature to inspire more interest in the legend of SC4.   Onward! 

[velrox 39]

FLEX Turn Lanes & SITAP Tutorial:

@Haljackey has a TuLEP tutorial, but it's outdated.

things I missed: the FTLs has wealth textures, the one-way coming from slip lane. let me know if you find any missing ones.

 

[Lucario Boricua 7,028]

Would anyone like a tutorial on earthworks done with hole digging lots and transportation network slope mods? That's one thing I use very extensively to shape the terrain for my cities, towns, transportation networks and facilities within natural areas. This adds a lot of enjoyment to building in hilly and mountainous terrain, which I'm afraid looks relatively uncommon among the players.

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

Just now, Dragonxander said:

Would anyone like a tutorial on earthworks done with hole digging lots and transportation network slope mods?

Sounds like a great idea. I would suggest making it its own topic in General Discussion rather than tossing it in this mostly lost thread.

[City_Slider 2,716]

Thanks for Re "opening" and for reinstall the lost Pictures and Links. Lets rock this Thread ;-)

*knuddels* Oliver ;-)

*E* The best are moving to the Bus? ;-)