River, Creeks, Stream shores.

[lukeallyn 3]

Okay, little nervous posting new threads since this is an awesome and active community but I searched through 10 pages of posts and didn't see anything relating to this. I'm trying to create what many do with very detailed River shores or Lake shores. I've got beaches down . I've downloaded rock mods, sand mods, log mods, tree mods and I still can't seem to get it to work correctly and I might not have the correct mods. I deleted them all and am starting from scratch.

So, any suggestions on mods to use to create realistic looking river beds and shores? I know it takes time, but even after an hour they looked "terrible" (Charles Barkley voice).

Also, might sneak this in cause I'm such a $%&^! but when you're done downloading the mods and unzipped them, can you delete the folder with the zipper?

Thanks for everything! Great game, better community.

[antsel 841]

Hello! Don't be afraid to post here, we don't bite!

Now, I'm no expert at making realistic looking rivers, creeks or stream shores, but I JUST checked out The Royal Gansbaai Kingdoms by _Marsh_, and he is definitely one of the best at making realistic shores. In his CJ, one of his posts gives a short run-down with some pictures showing how he makes his shores. He also has links for ploppable flora, rocks, sand, etc. that might help you with what you're looking for. Just follow this link here to get to his post, and be sure to check the rest of his CJ as he is definitely talented!!

[CaptCity 4,695]

Also, might sneak this in cause I'm such a $%&^! but when you're done downloading the mods and unzipped them, can you delete the folder with the zipper?

Yes, you can. They are not needed by the game. Or you can save them somewhere as a backup if you need to reinstall. Might save some time re-downloading.

[lukeallyn 3]

Exactly what I was looking for in both answers. Much appreciated.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Exactly what I was looking for in both answers. Much appreciated.

You may have read one of my cautionary posts on plugins, but let me say again that it is very important to avoid installing more than one plugin at a time (with its dependencies). You should test each add in a sandbox region (just create it from the regions menu in the game).

Keeping a separate, out of the game downloads folder is a good way to keep backups, and should be structured similar to your plugins folder. Here you can download as much as you like, then work on each plugin one at a time.

Remember that plugin files should only be of types .dll, .dat, sc4lot, .sc4desc, and .sc4model. You will probably want all of these that you find in a download, but do read the instructions. I have encountered some where you had to select options from the plugin set. Any other files in the unzipped archive are documentation or, sometimes, junk.

Good luck, and have fun.

  Edited April 6, 2011 by A Nonny Moose  

[stormlover 16]

With mods, it's often the case where one must choose one item out of a group of options (because using more than one at the same time causes disaster.)

Outside my plugins folder I have a folder called "Hold Mods" in which I store a variety of rock mods, trains, toll-booth options, etc. From this folder I might also want Yellow Cabs, or a special fire truck, etc.

One simple folder takes care of a lot of stuff.

This practice works well with RCI files and whatever else one might want.

On another note (since you're into such detail), I hope you know how to adjust your snow level via the iLive reader. It's really cool to change seasons at will. I use the "Columbus Terrain" mod with "snowcapped low": then access the "snowcapped low" exemplars in the reader and reduce the "MaxTerrainHeight" and or "TemperatureRangeFactor" to set my snow levels wherever I want them. Global cooling anyone? (Talk about playing god, ha-ha.)

  Edited April 9, 2011 by stormlover  

[lukeallyn 3]

@A Noony Moose

Thanks a lot for the advice. I've spent a few hours just organizing my MODS and double checking to insure they're working properly. This solved a few bugs I didn't even notice were happening such as having to many park mods which cancelled each other out.

@Stormlover

I have the "Columbus Terrain" mod. I haven't gone into the read me file yet as I've been busy fixing my plugin folder. The information to change the snow level and such should be in there? I'm noticing that even with every mod possible, you still need to be patient and be open to spending a hour or so on your detail to get it just right. Having mods outside of plugins is a great idea as I can try out different mods without being overwelmed by having 20 different rock mods or them not being compatible together.

Great advice and I hope to have a few pictures posted of my work somewhere soon.