SimCity 4 Custom Music Problem

[LOLman789789 0]

I inserted about 8-10 songs into the Mayor Music and Region Music folders and now SimCity 4 won't operate.

[Eʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ 273]

This could be due to a variety of reasons so let me elaborate on what I believe the problem to be.

Simcity 4's in game music uses .mp3 files so I believe if you use a different file format, it will not play or crash. As well try renaming the files in this format: "SC4m__" and input whatever number in the underscore. I know its a bit of a pain but apparently it runs the files better.

Anyway, don't forget to check "Custom Music" in the Simcity 4 music settings to hear the custom music.

Hope this helps!

[LOLman789789 0]

This could be due to a variety of reasons so let me elaborate on what I believe the problem to be.

Simcity 4's in game music uses .mp3 files so I believe if you use a different file format, it will not play or crash. As well try renaming the files in this format: "SC4m__" and input whatever number in the underscore. I know its a bit of a pain but apparently it runs the files better.

Anyway, don't forget to check "Custom Music" in the Simcity 4 music settings to hear the custom music.

Hope this helps!

They are all MP3 and I checked the Custom Tunes box.

[Ion_Cannon 677]

I guess the next thing to do is find the faulty song via trial and error.

[Eʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ 273]

That's really strange. I've never heard of Simcity 4 crashing from proper custom music before. You sure it just started crashing when you loaded custom music? It would be great if you could be more specific with what happened / happens when you try to load Simcity 4. An exemption report and computer specs would be a great help as well.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

According to documentation I've seen you may not put new music in the Region folder. Mayor music only. Works for me. I did not rename any of the files with any special prefixes.

[CaptCity 4,669]

Were you placing the music files in the Music folder that is in both the Mayor or Region folders? Also, I did some testing of game music a while back and found that the mp3 files had to be below a certain bit rate to play in the game. I'd have to search for the old thread, but I believe the upper limit was 192bps (it may even have been 128). In my case, the music could be added to either the Mayor or Region folders. I have actually copied all the music files from each one and placed it in the other so that the same music plays in both Region and City views.

I do have to say that even with non-playing files, I didn't have any problem playing the game, though. The music just wouldn't play.

[Zeth 23]

Am I the only one that has a Winamp playlist that I fire up and leave in-game music turned off?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Am I the only one that has a Winamp playlist that I fire up and leave in-game music turned off?

Not at all. I often play FM stations on my cable system while playing, or use the Banshee music player with my personal play lists. Of course one needs at least a dual core to do this with any sanity. At the moment, I am running the Memories channel from Stingray Digital on my cable system.

IMHO in game music takes too many CPU cycles off the game play. I do run the sound effects.

[Zeth 23]

Interesting. I don't run the sound effects, because years ago I read something (I think here) that asserted the sound.dat file slows performance and might have something to do with the crash to desktop problem. Has that notion since been debunked?

  Edited September 8, 2011 by Zeth  

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Interesting. I don't run the sound effects, because years ago I read something (I think here) that asserted the sound.dat file slows performance and might have something to do with the crash to desktop problem. Has that notion since been debunked?

Not to my knowledge. I could try turning it off I guess and see how long it takes to crash.

[Zeth 23]

It's not just turning it off, you have to delete Sound.dat from the Game folder. Or so I was told. I'd be interested to know if that's true, though, as I do miss the sound effects.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

It's not just turning it off, you have to delete Sound.dat from the Game folder. Or so I was told. I'd be interested to know if that's true, though, as I do miss the sound effects.

Well, if I do take that file out, I will definitely archive it. Since it is a data file, I don't see how it could crash anything.