New to RHW and very frustrated!

[deanej 2]

I've recently gotten back into SC4 and decided to try the RHW (it's actually the reason I got back into SC4; I wanted to bring some fictional highway systems I made drawing on paper into SimCity).  I've been playing around with it but so far I've managed to accomplish nothing except bashing my head against the wall.  Nearly every action I take results in either the "unsuitable area to build network" error (even if I did the exact same thing elsewhere without issue) or causes huge errors in the network, forcing me to demolish everything and start from scratch (example: I attempted to make an overpass for an interchange, and the pieces of the road over the highway were twice as high as the rest of the overpass).

Any tips for someone starting out with little knowledge on how the RHW works?  It seems to be very fussy and inconsistent.

[Tarkus 6,933]

Originally posted by: deanej(example: I attempted to make an overpass for an interchange, and the pieces of the road over the highway were twice as high as the rest of the overpass).quote>

That sounds like an issue with an On-Slope transition.  Those need to be hanging over a 15m drop in order to work properly, and placed such that the tile with the pillar is directly on the incline.  My recommendation with those would be to get some Hole Digger and Raiser lots if you don't already have them.  I'd recommend the ones by Shadow Assassin, which are over on the LEX at SC4D (note: you need to be logged into the exchange over there in order to see the download button), which have the height they raise/lower clearly marked on the icon--you'd want a 15m one for the RHW On-Slopes.  An easier route would may be to use the standard Ground-to-Elevated transitions as well.

The "unsuitable grade" issues could be caused by a lot of things.  The "starter pieces" on the ends of many of the ramps to allow for the networks to be extended from them do have an unfortunate tendency to flatten the ground around them and be a bit finicky near slopes.  (There are plans in a future release to introduce "starterless" versions of all the pieces to allow a little more flexibility on that end.)  Additionally, do you by chance have a slope mod?  Depending on which one you have, it may have some impact on that end of things as well.

I'd also highly recommend checking out asteconn's YouTube tutorials on the RHW, which you can find here.  Another great resource is the RHW Interchange Guide over at SC4D, which includes some step-by-step pictorial explanations of how to build various common interchange configurations.

Hope that helps clarify some things--the RHW can be a lot to take in at first, but fortunately, with time, it becomes more comfortable.

-Alex (Tarkus)

[deanej 2]

I tried installing the hole digger lots but they don't seem to do anything - the underlying terrain looks the same. I didn't have a slope mod, the I've since installed Ennedi slope mod.

Is there a directory that lists all the puzzle pieces and where they are? I can't seem to find what I need. Is there by any chance a tutorial on building a Y interchange like this one: http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=&hnear=Rochester,+Monroe,+New+York&ll=40.272208,-76.999397&spn=0.011951,0.027788&z=16 ?

Also, how do you build bridges? I haven't seen anything on the subject; in fact, since installing a bunch of plugins I can't build bridges with the standard maxis roads either; I always get "unsuitable grade for construction".

EDIT: Also, why do the ramps sometimes have a road graphic when they intersect a road and then have a jarring transition to the proper graphic?

[Tarkus 6,933]

Originally posted by: deanej

I tried installing the hole digger lots but they don't seem to do anything - the underlying terrain looks the same. I didn't have a slope mod, the I've since installed Ennedi slope mod.

quote>

You need to drag a Road through the Hole Digger/Raiser Lots after plopping them in order for the actual digging/raising action to occur.

Originally posted by: deanej

Is there a directory that lists all the puzzle pieces and where they are? I can't seem to find what I need.

quote>

There's a list of all the pieces in the Readme under "Version Contents".  It also explains what the networks can/can't do in their present state.

Originally posted by: deanej

Is there by any chance a tutorial on building a Y interchange like this one: http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=&hnear=Rochester,+Monroe,+New+York&ll=40.272208,-76.999397&spn=0.011951,0.027788&z=16 ?

quote>

A Y-Interchange like that particular one in which there's three different levels of highway isn't yet possible.  With a little creativity, you could probably build something similar with the existing two levels, though.

Originally posted by: deanej

Also, how do you build bridges? I haven't seen anything on the subject; in fact, since installing a bunch of plugins I can't build bridges with the standard maxis roads either; I always get "unsuitable grade for construction".quote>

Bridges just work like standard networks--there's some special considerations about the RHW-4 ones, however, which should be explained in the Readme.  Slope mods will, in general, place some restrictions on bridge building, so that may be part of it. 

-Alex (Tarkus)

[deanej 2]

Bridge building seems to be very limited. There are only two types, both for RHW-4 (and one for RHW-2), one of which is very ugly unless the length of the bridge is just right. The readme says their are additional ones that can be downloaded - where are those?

[TekindusT 3,809]

Maybe you're looking for this: RHW-4 Compact Suspension Bridge

[deanej 2]

Thanks! Are there any others out yet or just that one? Also, is there a way to make bridges with the RHW6 at all, or just RHW2 and RHW4?

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. Last night I spent a bunch of time playing with it until SC4 crashed. I'll have to try working the diagonal pieces and see if I can get a RHW over something.

[deanej 2]

Do any of the tutorials cover the use of the diagonal puzzle pieces? I can't figure them out. There doesn't seem to be a way to connect them to the rest of the transportation network, making them useless.

I just tried to do a bridge with the RHW4 compact suspension bridge. It's not very compact - I needed a body of water the same size as a small city in order to construct one properly (otherwise I just get half a bridge). Am I doing something wrong?

I apologize if I sound overly critical, but I'm just not use to mods needing work-arounds like this. My primary game these days, Civilization IV, is much more open to modding than SC4.

[Vahr 343]

Compact means that there doesn't need to be a 1 tile median.

As for the diagonal pieces, you use the filler pieces to hook them to an existing laid network.

[deanej 2]

If the network's already established, what do you need the diagonal pieces for? Wouldn't the overpass already be their then?

[deanej 2]

Another issue: the Flexfly pieces cause any RHW pieces between them to revert to RHW-2. Is there any way to fix this? Also, how do I drag elevated pieces away from them?

Still waiting for an answer to my question on diagonal pieces.

I'm thinking I'm going to have to scale back my plans for SC4 and the RHW. It's too hard to master, doesn't let me build the interchanges I want to build, puzzle pieces don't work at all (they will let me build at any orientation and tile conceivable EXCEPT the orientation I want on the tile I want), and the interchanges are scaled too large relative to the city and lot sizes, and there's no way I can make an interchange looking even remotely as nice as one on a map. In short, it doesn't allow me to do what I want to do. I guess what I really need is a brand new city builder built from scratch for this purpose, but I don't have the expertise to make one.

[Tarkus 6,933]

Originally posted by: deanej

If the network's already established, what do you need the diagonal pieces for? Wouldn't the overpass already be their then?quote>

Which diagonal pieces are you referring to?  The ones for the Wider RHWs?  The Diagonal Overpass pieces?

Originally posted by: deanej

Another issue: the Flexfly pieces cause any RHW pieces between them to revert to RHW-2. Is there any way to fix this? Also, how do I drag elevated pieces away from them?

quote>

Try clicking around on the network in the vicinity of the RHW-2-under-FLEXFly with the RHW Network Tool.  That can sometimes cause the RUL overrides to reinitiate.  The FLEXFly has been revamped considerably as part of the upcoming RHW Version 4.1 release, and that has been fixed.

To drag elevated pieces away, just use the normal RHW Network Tool and drag from either end of the FLEXFly.  It'll look like a blank amber square, but when you release the mouse, it should result in more elevated ramp being constructed.

Originally posted by: deanej

I'm thinking I'm going to have to scale back my plans for SC4 and the RHW. It's too hard to master, doesn't let me build the interchanges I want to build, puzzle pieces don't work at all (they will let me build at any orientation and tile conceivable EXCEPT the orientation I want on the tile I want), and the interchanges are scaled too large relative to the city and lot sizes, and there's no way I can make an interchange looking even remotely as nice as one on a map. In short, it doesn't allow me to do what I want to do. I guess what I really need is a brand new city builder built from scratch for this purpose, but I don't have the expertise to make one.quote>

The interchange scaling was actually determined through a series of measurements and consultation of real-world road standards documentation, and comparison to game scale. That being said, there is still a considerable amount of stuff it can't replicate--that will change as development continues, however.

-Alex (Tarkus)

[deanej 2]

The diagonal overpass pieces. They always wanted to go in the tile next to the one I wanted or have the RHW go perpendicular to the direction it was drawn.

Had to use the starter pieces to fix the RHW2 stuff with flexfly. I think I'll wait until 4.1 for flyover ramps - with the realigning of what I plan to do, I won't need them as much.

I don't think Maxis ever used the scale for anything other than saying there was a scale. I plan to use exclusively large maps for this stuff because of that. It would be nice if Maxis could have chosen a different scale - an entire region is only the size of Manhattan.