Extracting sc4 files

[Kieren Barnett 76]

Can someone who knows a lot about this game and computers, apples in general, please help me on this topic. I saw a video on utube about the money tree add on for sc4, followed the link, and downloaded it from this site. The video said to put it in the plugins folder, which I found easily enough, but when I played the game the tree was no where to be found. Neither were the airport pieces I downloaded. The video also mentioned something about extracting. I think I may have left out this step. If I have, what do I do to extract the files?

downloaded: https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/files/file/12816-money-does-grow-on-tree/

video:

[The Avatar 1,089]

Well, I use a PC, but I think I can still help you. Extracting a file/files is simply opening a compressed (zipped) folder to view and move the file/files inside. When a download doesn't have an installer, you have to open the compressed (zipped) folder to copy and paste the file/files inside it to a different location - Which in this case would be your My Documents/SimCity 4/Plugins folder. That is how my computer is organized, however, your SimCity 4 file might be in Program Files, or another designated place where you told the installer of SC4 to put it. After downloading something, you should get the option to "Open Folder". If you did not click on this after downloading, you can access the folder wherever you saved it to on your computer. I find it helpful to save all my downloads to a "STEX Downloads" folder in my SimCity 4 folder. If you still are confused, check out this topic on the Forums. It should clear up your confusion about installing files for use in SC4.

Hope this helps! Cheers!

[Kieren Barnett 76]

Ok, update on the situation. After looking at other game dater, I noticed that they are all .sc4. My downloads are .dat. I changed the .dat to .sc4, and then the file changed to a exec. This is a folder type that isn't read by SC4. I went back to the other files in my SC4 file, and noticed that their file types are documents. How can I have these downloads .sc4, so SC4 reads them, and documents, also so SC4 can read them. In other words, SC4 wont read them if it's one or the other, it needs to both together.

Hope I make some sense.

[CaptCity 4,806]

Welcome to Simtropolis...

I'm not quite sure what you mean or are doing, but there are certain file name extensions that the game uses - .sc4Lot, .sc4Model, .sc4Desc, and .dat. Any files in downloads with these extensions shouldn't be changed and must be placed in the plugins after removing them from the zip folder for the items to work correctly. Any other files - .doc, .jpg, .png, .txt, etc. that might be included in the downloads are supporting files that provide information about the download and are not needed by the game.

[Kieren Barnett 76]

I also have age of empires 3, and due to some glitch, whenever I have a .dat file, it opens up in AOE3, no matter where it is. I will give the other extensions a try. Any other ideas about what I can try and do?

[CaptCity 4,806]

What you are describing sounds like it could be something to do with files associations. I am not that familiar with Macs, but perhaps it's the same idea. Files can be associated with a particular program to be used to open them. This does not change the file type. For example, I might be able to "associate" a music file to open with MS Word. That does not mean that the file has been changed from a music file to a Word document, just that Word will try to open it. Also, changing the association could change the icon to what ever program it has been associated with.

What does this mean for you? Well, if the file is a .dat file, it will always be a .dat file, no matter what the icon is that it uses or what program tries to open it. So just try putting it in the plugins as is. Likewise with the other file types.

Again, this is based on Macs being similar to PCs in regards to associated files.

Hope that makes sense...

[Hamish 1,369]

Yeah, CaptCity is exactly right. SC4 uses weird file extensions, but some of these, like .dat files, also get used for other programs. So it may look like a .dat file can be opened in age of empires, but in actual fact it can't. But thats okay, because what you really want to do is not open them, but place them in your plugins folder, sc4 will open them and read them when you start playing the game.