A reminder

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I seem to have done this before, but can't find the old thread, so here we go.

If you are on Windows, there are two folders you need to be aware of:

Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4 which contains the game files accessible to anyone on the computer as Read/Execute (only, I hope).  There are several folders in here, but you only need to worry about two of them, namely:

Plugins that contains things like the sky textures that Maxis wants to be permanently there (you can get your administrator to put other important plugins in here too, e.g. Buggi's cheat .dll file); and

Regions that contains the original game regions in pristine condition.  You can copy any of these region folders back into your game if you really scrag one of them.

The other folder is in (My) Documents\SimCity 4.  This is the play set, and each player gets his own copy on a multi-user machine.  I think these have to be created by the system administrator for you, but once they are there, they are yours.

In here you will find some important folders that you will want to understand:

Plugins where you put your plugin structure.  Plugin structure is another story.

Regions  where the default regions live, and where new ones are created if you are that way inclined.

Downloads this is not for items from the STEX or anywhere else.  It is the place you put cities you are going to import into a region.  Don't use it for anything else.

There are several other files and folders depending on the activity you do.  If you have a crash the game will create a folder called Exception Reports.  Useless files unless you are a programmer with the load map and the source code.

Albums contains a sub-folder for each city in which you take snaps with the camera facility.

There can be others, and there is a file or two that controls your game.  Sneak a peek, but don't change anything you don't understand.

Everyone who installs anything on a computer should always take the time to see where things have been put, and how it may affect the rest of your stuff.  Happy hunting.

Now, if you are on Linux using wine.

The Program Files will be in /home/username/.wine/dosdevices/c:/Program Files

The working files will be in  /home/username/Documents/SimCity 4

When you are running, you'll find that the H: drive is probably where your Documents folder is linked. 

wine is a co-kernel layer that acts to interpret windows calls.  It is not an emulator, but becomes part of the operating system to field windows APIs and translate them into Linux calls.  The part of the system that does this is called the winedaemon, and it only runs when wine is running.  DirectX calls usually get translated into opengl calls.  Because Windows depends so much on the Registry, wine emulates and uses a pseudo-Registry.  It looks and smells exactly like the Registry, and you can use Regedit on it quite successfully.

For people on Apple systems, deponent knows naught.  Perhaps someone like zelgadis could fill this hole.

[apricotmuffins 0]

A useful thread. I was a touch confused by the duplicates in both programme files and my documents, but luckily I just shrugged and left it alone ;D I didnt know about copying the original regions back, sweet! *copies back the ones she fudged*

[joshriddle 29]

I run SC for my brother in admin so...

But anyway, seems like useful info for newcomers and returning veterans or those who just forgot or don't know all alike.

[Decaf Table 0]

I'm looking forward to getting the regions back that I deleted lol